You're right. 4.5 hrs is too long.
One thing I love about home theater - I could pause and take a break every 30 min if I wanted.
The AV journey was long for sure. It reminds me of college. And all this packing and moving process. Buying, selling, and upgrading gears had its moments. But I wouldn't want to do it over and over again.
Hopefully this is my last house as well. All I want to do after this whole thing is listen to music and watch movies and shows. I don't ever want to buy, sell, pack, or move again after this.