Billy's Five

Bill says, "This Five is not so much concerned with what kind of movies you like, but how you watch them!"

1) When you’re at the theater, how do you want your atmosphere? Do you prefer old theaters or megaplexes? Full houses or intimate seatings? Lots of kids, or none at all?

I just love the old style theaters - the ones with lots of drapery and sconces on the wall for light. I guess I'm thinking of a particular one that was near our home in Florida. I also like them large and somewhat crowded. But I must confess, I don't like sharing the arm rest with someone who refuses to give me half.

2) What’s your “home theater” like? High tech? VCR and TV? What?

We are still getting our home set up and don't yet have a "home theater". But at some point it will be a warm and cozy place to totally relax. For equipment we only have a TV and standard DVD player. The only "high tech" part would be that we recently got the latest satellite receiver (leased) from Direct TV which has recording capability. I DO run the audio through a home stereo ... WOO-HOO!

3) We’ve probably all got DVD and VCR players, but how about alternative movie watching gadgets? Have you got an Apple TV? Ever watch a movie over the Internet?

The folks we stayed with in Virginia last week watch all TV programs and movies over the Internet. They don't even have standard cable TV of satellite service. However, I tried it at home and it didn't work so well. I've been told the processor in our computer is not quite fast enough to handle streaming video. Someday ...

4) Do you belong to a subscription movie rental service, like NetFlix? If so, how many movies are you renting a month? Are you happy with the service?

We have no membership and we are not renting these days. We used to be 'regulars' at the local movie rental store, but that has changed. I don't miss it all that much, but my wife sure does. Its OK though, we find enough re-runs on TV to be entertained.

5) Share with us your ratio of buying movies to renting them. Do you rent more, or just outright buy your movies? Do you get DVDs, tapes, or movie downloads for your computer most frequently?

If we were renting or buying, the delivery system would definitely be digital. I finally 'chucked' the old VCR because I can no longer tolerate the picture quality of an image lifted from tape. I may OWN low tech equipment, but I really appreciate quality and changing technology. Would you say I'm spoiled? (: