Even though we've been around here about the same length of time I get the feeling that you, unlike me, have been around the hobby longer, hence your resident brainiac status. I was just wondering when it got to be more than a matter of watching a movie for you. My interest level closely follows my involment here at AH.
No, its probably the opposite. I bought my first surround sound system, an HTIB, just a little over two years ago. Hearing lossy DTS 6.1 for the first blew me away.
I didn't even have a DVD to my name. I didn't even have a TV for about a year previous to this hobby. My speakers that I had forever were Radio Shack Realistic bookshelves that served for... 17 years or so, hooked up to a floor model Sony cdp, and Kenwood amp. I didn't even have a pre/pro, I just used the tiny variable gain knob on the cdp... I've now blown over $1k on BDs and HDDVDs.
Though, I've had about 30 titles bought for me as gifts (if only if donators can see their favorite titles on my system), and I've also received at least a dozen free titles as promos. Needless to say, my collection is becoming supersized...
I had no idea what HDMI was. I had no idea what DTS was! I didn't know what a DLP was. I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING.
The HTIB resides at my brother's place. I had HDTV for a while, but I quit cable because I thought programming went to hell.
It was the beginning of the end, and that's why I typically dub Onkyo HTIBs as the gateway drug. I am known among my friends to have a propensity to really get into something when I get into it. Which is fine by me, because I don't pick up very many hobbies during my lifetime.
I could explain myself better in why I might be like this, to this extent, but we'd probably need to pound some beers first.
(Hint: very related to my classical music studies).
I also really enjoy the altruistic nature of helping others in purchasing decisions, and setup. After I got ripped off on a Monster HDMI cable (I bought the very cheapest, after the a$$ tries to sell me on a $300 cable to accompany my $430 HTIB), I was a bit incensed after learning of this sham. Very cheapest Monster still equated to being ripped off $70 more than I had to. However, even if I do truly enjoy helping others, I am not immune from getting salty at times. I know I've had at least two posts deleted by mods here, ehheh.
I predicted, going in, what was really cool about this hobby is that one can share it with all the friends and family, and I know that nearly everyone loves a good movie experience, but I think my personal set of friends are REALLY into them. I started a movie club a while ago, and I used to send out emails, etc, to find good dates and see who wants to come. I don't even have to do that anymore. Tonight, for instance, I didn't send out a single email, just got off the phone, and now have someone coming over to make dinner for 8, full house for The Last Emperor on BD. My HT brings my beloved friends to me, and I don't have to go nowhere!
For the audio side of things, I really let the purse strings go, as a sort of halfass attempt in re-inspiring my passions for classical music. I still love it, as this is what I studied and taught for a long while, but as I've been running my modest business that has absolutely nothing to do with music, for some years now, it was a way to get back in touch, so to speak. It only kinda worked, but that's ok. I think some friends are disappointed I don't play music anymore. I'm hoping that changes sometime in the near future...
Of course, compared to J6P, I now know a ton, but this world of AV is vaster than anyone can imagine. For instance, I do not know even the very basics of amplifier design, speaker design for instance, to crazier stuff like designing a Helmholtz resonator seat riser.
(just ask Savant, lol). OTOH, the advent of online forums has become an enormous educational resource. Before these forums, if I wanted to pick up the differences between, for example, A class and AB class amps, Id have to talk with an amp guy. But at places like this I can pick up anything from how to make the most inexpensive yet effective room treatments, to the comparative feature differences of bluray players, to the pros/cons of DLP vs LCD projectors, to why a speaker might be hard to drive, whether from difficult phase angles, low impedances, baffle step diffraction, etc, etc...
