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Batcave Home Theater

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wed Dec 26, 2007 09:13 AM
from the because-you-can dept.
Media Movies
An anonymous reader noted a fun follow up to the Star Trek Home Theater we disussed not that long ago. "A retired naturalist thought that her cellar would be a great Batcave, and transformed it into the ultimate home theater. That's right, a Batcave themed home theater created by New Hampshire-based installer DC Audio Video Systems. The set-up includes prop bats which hang from above, a motorized 110 16:9 Stewart Electriscreen, Triad Silver THX Speakers, and a Sony G90, a $36,000 commercial 1080p 2500 x 2000 CRT projector. The room also features eight black, motorized leather recliners and a LiteTouch LC5000 System for Lighting Control." Update 18:16 GMT by SM: updated link to the original story.
+ -
story

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[+] Entertainment: Star Trek Home Theater 123 comments
Critical Facilities writes "Someone thought it would be a good idea to model their home theater after the Enterprise NCC-1701D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The result is super geeky, but actually rather cool. Named the best theme theater installation at CEDIA 2007, this Palm Beach County, FL home features motion-activated air-lock doors with series sound effects, and a "Red Alert" button on the Crestron TPMC-10 controller to turn all of the LEDs bright red and flashing."
Submission: Batcave Home Theater by Anonymous Coward
[+] Hardware: What an $18,000 Home Theater Looks Like 107 comments
kgagne writes "Computerworld has a blog with video about an $18,000 home theater system that Intel set up at Storage Networking World in order to promote their new home server system. But what's really cool about this set up is that the server was connected to a 24" iMac, an Apple TV, an Xbox 360, a Wii, an iPod Touch, a Nokia N810 mobile Internet tablet, various cameras and a 15" wireless digital picture frame. The server was streaming all the various feeds to a top-of-the-line Pioneer Elite 50" plasma TV. The Intel reps said the high-definition movie downloads, which could be browsed through a menu, were as high quality as those from a Pioneer Elite Blu-ray player they had set up."
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  • Not all that batty (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Rob T Firefly (844560) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:18AM (#21820936) Homepage Journal
    While it certainly looks like a cave, I can't really see anything bat-like about it. Not Bat-computers or Bat-insignia or anything. Still interesting though, in an armchair geologist or spray-foam aficionado sort of way.

    Besides, there's no big penny! A Batcave without a big penny is no Batcave at all.
  • and the flashy light computer thingamybob.....

    We wuz cheated...

  • Lame ...that's just a cave (Score:5, Informative)

    by Average_Joe_Sixpack (534373) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:21AM (#21820950)
    Where are all the cool gadgets, radar and tape drives?? Here is a proper batcave [dialbforblog.com]
    • If I had that much space in my house I don't think I would park my car in the middle of what is clearly a working area...

  • Holy batcave! (Score:5, Funny)

    by King Gabey (593144) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:24AM (#21820978)
    We've been robbed, Batman! All they left is our leather couches...

  • Great, (Score:4, Funny)

    by Fengpost (907072) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:27AM (#21820996)
    what is next? Star Wars laundry room? Serenity bedroom? Or, dare I say it, Hogwartz garage?

  • well.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rucs_hack (784150) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:27AM (#21820998)
    Very pretty, but I don't see how this would add value to a house. Try to sell a home with this fitted and you seriously limit the number of potential buyers. A well put together, neat, and uncluttered home theater is likely to be a greater selling point.

    Is I a killjoy? Probably, Should I have my slashdot karma revoked in a fit of outrage? Reckon.
    But still, these things are important, especially now.
    • But still, these things are important, especially now.

      Only if you plan on moving. You simply do not drop this kind of cash and buy a new house 6 months later.

      Also, consider that the current housing slump will likely only last 2-3 years and it's really not that big of an issue.
    • Mabey she just wants to enjoy the house being retired and all.
      • Agree completely. There is something to be said about buying a house and living in it as opposed to upgrading it and selling it in 5-10 years.

        Any serious home theater system is going to limit the pool of buyers. That doesn't mean they should never be done.
    • Considering the amount of cash she dropped on this room, I doubt she is hurting for money, and if she ever went to sell, I can easily see her paying to have the room turned into a std home theater like room. Besides, by the looks of it from the photos, all one would have to do is tear down the cave like decorations, and repaint the room...

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Poeir (637508)
      Houses are for living in. Why focus more on resale value than enjoying living where you do?
      • Houses are for living in. Why focus more on resale value than enjoying living where you do?

        A house for living in need not be purchased. I have german friends who find our obsession with purchasing our homes to be bizarre, to the point of calling me a fool when I was young because I was saddling myself with a mortgage (I no longer have it, I sold up and went to uni).

        If a house is purchased, then by implication, it is to be sold at some point. certainly this is usually the case nowadays. Therefore any modific

        • Re:well.. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by tm2b (42473) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @02:23PM (#21823336) Journal
          You've got to live somewhere, which means you've got to pay. Unless like many Slashdotters you live in your parents' basement, of course.

          When you rent, you're throwing away some of the cash every month - when you buy, you're keeping a fraction of the money in equity. The only problem is that some people overreach and get mortgages larger than they can afford instead of something with monthly payments that are roughly equivalent to rent minus a maintenance budget and insurance. People do get into trouble and forget to budget for maintenance and such, but that's not a problem inherent to buying.

          There are reasons not to buy of course - if you don't expect to live in the same place, the overhead of buying a house is substantial. But the idea of owning a home rather than renting is solid. But that's funny, germans are usually better at math.

          As to the final point, sure, keep an eye on impact on resale value. But don't ignore your dreams just because it might make a few $k difference down the road - life is for living.

        • If a house is purchased, then by implication, it is to be sold at some point. certainly this is usually the case nowadays.

          But before you sell it, you're going to live in it. That is its purpose; buying a house to be an investment is a poor decision. Invest in actual investments. Buy a home to live in it.

          Therefore any modification made to a house should ideally be done with its effect on resale value.

          On the contrary, any modification should ideally be done with regards to its effect on how happy it makes

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by toddestan (632714)
          If a house is purchased, then by implication, it is to be sold at some point. certainly this is usually the case nowadays. Therefore any modification made to a house should ideally be done with its effect on resale value.

          On the contrary, if you wanted to do a modification like this you would have to own the place. No landlord would allow you convert their rental to a batcave. That's the big benefit I see to owning a place, the ability to modify it however I want.
    • Methinks you're even being generous by calling it "very pretty"

  • Status... (Score:3, Funny)

    by nighty5 (615965) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:34AM (#21821034)
    I know she's retired, but is she single?

  • Slashvertisement (Score:4, Funny)

    by giminy (94188) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:42AM (#21821080) Homepage Journal
    How much did Sony/et al. pay for this thing to be made? I wonder if the author is getting a bonus for getting it included on Slashdot?

    The Star Trek one looks like an ad for Creston as well. Where oh where did that *good* Star Trek Apartment go? The one that the autistic fellow in the UK made by hand?

    Reid
    • It's funny you'd pick out just one brand out of half a dozen there.

      I'm not sure why Sony would push a slashvertisement for a ten year old projector model.

  • Is this real? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by sxltrex (198448) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @09:58AM (#21821176)
    The projection system is front-projection (you can see the projector between the front row seats in one of the photos), yet in the picture with the curtain half raised the picture is only visible on the exposed part of the screen--there's no hint of it on the curtain itself. I would think that would only be possible with a rear projector?
    • Well, I'd imagine that you could do it with a properly geared shutter on the projector as well. ;)

      Though I think that the best answer is that given that the lighting of the room and the fact that the curtains look to be a black velor(a very fluffy type of fabric), that any image would be well distorted.

      And from the picture, it does appear that at least a part is more lit up.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ePhil_One (634771)
      I imagine the picture is faked, like most TV images in ads (they simply don't photograph well)

    • The projection system is front-projection (you can see the projector between the front row seats in one of the photos), yet in the picture with the curtain half raised the picture is only visible on the exposed part of the screen--there's no hint of it on the curtain itself. I would think that would only be possible with a rear projector?

      the photoshop is not strong with this one. They photochopped a full screen into the picture because the shadow of the curtain would look really nasty. Plus it makes it look like every home theater owners dream: a projector that comes on with the picture at the MOMENT the curtains open.....

      or the ultimate....SOUND and a Projector that comes on at the moment the curtains open.... ...wait a second...could i just put a little motorized shutter in front of the projector, and have it open along with the CURTAI

  • A bunch of stuff wrong here (Score:4, Funny)

    by hipsterdufus (42989) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @10:00AM (#21821186)
    1) The best seat in the place is where the HUGE projector is located. No need for something like this in a completely blacked-out room.

    2) The spray-foam cave idea looks ok, but how do you keep it clean and dust free? Further, the ambiance is ruined once you put the smooth leather chairs in there. They should be rock-like, imho.

    3) Speakers: like any real theater, you shouldn't be able to see them. No real reason that the Triads couldn't have been placed behind foam-esque screen and hide their existence.

    4) Pretty large investment and yet you can "only" have 8 people there to watch a movie.

    5) Where's the gear? (I hope it is truly hidden)

    6) Do you enter via a statue-pull-bookcase-open and a pole?

  • an obvious upgrade (Score:4, Insightful)

    by llZENll (545605) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @10:10AM (#21821240)
    a $50,000+ setup and he doesn't even have a 2.35 aspect screen with a panamorph lens?

  • My Bat Cave Home Theatre (Score:5, Funny)

    by Dystopian Rebel (714995) * on Wednesday December 26 2007, @10:26AM (#21821340) Journal
    My own Bat Cave Home Theatre (BCHT) didn't work out so well. The computer equipment with flashing LEDs was easy by current case-modding standards. I had a little trouble with the analog input that was supposed to take alphabet soup and convert it to a list of movies, so I abandoned that after the first few blown motherboards.

    What really stopped the project for me were the problems related to the Mechanical Wardrobe Manipulators that I had built to change my clothing as I slid down the pole from the main floor closet into the BCHT. The distance from the closet to the BCHT is about 12 feet max, whereas I guess Batman's Bat Cave was probably at least one hundred feet under Wayne Manor. I just never got the right balance of speed and safety. The Vertical Descent Shirt Unbuttoner alone put me in the hospital 4 times.

  • What the design tells you about the designer... (Score:4, Funny)

    by teslar (706653) on Wednesday December 26 2007, @10:28AM (#21821358)
    Q: How can you tell the cave was designed by a geek?
    A: All seats are single-seaters - there is no comfy cuddling-with-significant-other possibility ;)
    • If you and your significant other can get cozy in those chairs, you need to stop shoveling crap into your mouth.

    • Q: How can you tell the cave was designed by a geek?
      A: All seats are single-seaters - there is no comfy cuddling-with-significant-other possibility ;)
      Of course. A room like this is for watching movies, not getting distracted with cuddles and smooches. You want to do that, that's what the TV in the bedroom is for. :)
  • A 2500x2000 screen is a 5x4 aspect ratio, not 16x9. There must be a lot of cropping off the top and bottom to get a widescreen perspective. In 16x9 mode, you are likely seeing a resolution of about 2500x1400. Still more than enough to do 1080p. Hopefully it has a good upscaling converter hooked up.
  • Less of a superheroish Batcave and more of a plain old bat cave.
  • It's only a 350 Lumen projector. It uses 3 CRT tubes, which will need regular alignment adjustments.

    The screen images are simulated. There is no way anything out of that projector is visible when the room lights are on.

    No wonder it had to be a black cave. What a waste of $30k.

    The projector: http://tedwhite.homestead.com/g90.html [homestead.com]

    • But it's a CRT projector. That will kick some serious LCD and DLP butt, quality-wise. 350 lumens is just fine for a small home theater, with the right screen and lighting conditions. You don't want to burn people's eyes out and make them uncomfortable. Installing too bright a projector in a home theater is often worse than installing one that's dim. And for fuck's sake, it's a "batcave" - it's supposed to be dark!
  • He's got far to much $ to spend.
  • When I scanned the headline, I thought that somebody had made a retro home theater system that runs only on Betamax tapes. Now that would be cool. This batcave, not so much.
    • It can play 1080p, moron. Just because it has a greater possible resolution doesn't mean it won't support a lower one. Something that CRTs are better at than fixed-pixel displays like LCD.

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