There’s a long-standing belief that the best way to engage with movies is at the theater. On some levels, this makes sense, as many films are developed directly for the silver screen, where the TV viewing experience is regarded as secondary. There are also confounding factors here, however, especially with how we engage at home.
Elitism and preference in how we stream video media at home is a topic that TV and film enthusiasts love to debate. Some are purists, where the best experience is only achieved through abiding by a strict set of high-level demands. Others have a more relaxed attitude, not caring so much about the delivery method as they do the actual content. So, is there any one superior option here, and which arguments can be made for each side’s superiority?
Sound and Music
Before getting into what we see as the more contentious issues of display, we need to acknowledge that, when it comes to audio, the differences in quality on different hardware can be immense. The extreme end of this spectrum is illustrated by tablets and smartphones, which struggle to deliver quality sound by any appreciable metric.
Poor sound quality from small speakers comes from the vibrations that make up sound waves having to be pushed beyond the limits of their internal components. Think of it like trying to play a guitar for someone across a wide open space – you can pluck the strings hard enough for them to hear you, but it will sound terrible. Fortunately, this is where simple headsets or earphones can entirely mitigate these issues, and provide astounding quality in a small package since their relative volume level is so low.
The Complexities of Visuals
Arguments about the right size of the display are more common, but they don’t need to be. Consider other visual entertainment experiences as an example, like from online casino games. You might collect a no deposit bonus casino offer like bonus cash or free spins, browse a website, and jump into games as a hobby. Whether playing on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, there’s no debate here that the entertainment value is just as high, and we could make the same argument for streaming visual media too.
The basic component of debate around display hardware comes from size. The idea is that a small screen can’t be as engaging as a large one. This is carried over from the movie theater concept, where the bigger the screen, the ostensibly more intense the experience. There is one little problem here: relativity.
If you’re in your lounge right now, there’s a quick test you can do. Take a seat where you usually watch your TV, hold your phone or tablet up at your regular use distance, and see how much visual space each takes up. If your phone takes up nearly as much or more area than your TV, you can see where we’re coming from.
Ultimately, the big takeaway here is that, while there can be a serious debate about acceptable audio quality, arguments about required screen sizes in watching TVs and movies aren’t as simple as they might seem. As long as the quality of the video content is high, there’s not much functional difference in how we choose to engage. Invest in some headphones if you do care about audio, watch how you want, and nothing else really matters.
