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This is an idea I really wish existed. How many times have you had a 2+ hour wait at an airport or railway station? To pass the time what you need is a small cinema booth, which seats two to four patrons, and shows new release films in DTS surround sound. The screen would be a widescreen Plasma, and
the films would run on DVD (special new release dvds, provided by the distributors for just this purpose)
You pay by creditcard or eftpos, and the whole booth is enclosed to stop others peeping. There is even a little clock in the booth to make sure you don't miss your flight.
Privacy Filter
http://www.iesprodu...-misc-filter13.html For laptops, but could be used for mini-cinema screen. [sycorob24, Oct 05 2004]
Noise Cancelling Headset
http://www.bose.com..._headsets/index.jsp From Bose [sycorob24, Oct 05 2004]
Inmotion Pictures
http://www.inmotionpictures.com/ Rent DVDs & players at 21 US Airports [krelnik, Oct 05 2004]
related technology
http://www.sound-le...ideojukes/index.htm video jukeboxes [half, Oct 05 2004]
And here's a pic
http://sf-books.com.../HB/microcinema.jpg It's not a Bristolz, but seeing as this is one of my fav ideas, I thought i'd have a crack. [simonj, Oct 05 2004]
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Baked in local truck stops where I live, but they're free of charge here ... but they only show old westerns, and the "old classics" for truckers ... |
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There is a business in the US called "In Motion Pictures" that rents DVDs and portable players in airports for this purpose. The even stock "Y" connector headphones for couples to watch together, and you could take the player on your trip with you if you desire. (Or drop it off at the destination airport if it happened to be one of the 20 or so where they had locations). See link. |
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I do try to spend as little time as possible in the airport, but sometimes you miss a connection, or your flight is delayed, and it's boring as hell. |
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Some logistics: I think this would work better as a one-person deal. Otherwise, you may walk up on a microtheater half-way into the movie and not get to see anything. Plus, you have to come to some agreement with other random people on what movie to watch. |
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How about a really comfy chair (like a recliner) with a nice flat screen in front of it - a filter can be placed on the screen to prevent people from viewing the movie from the side (and not paying for it). Noise-cancelling headphones give you clear sound with no distraction. Enter your flight information, and the system can display any changes, as well as the time remaining till your flight. |
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With more and more movies being digitally mastered (and in some cases displayed on digital projectors), there's no reason your company couldn't have a server full of movies ready to be piped out to your micro-cinemas. |
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And a tray next to your hand for your drink, of course. Now, where did the drink server go... |
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Would you like artificial butter-flavored oil with you croissant? [+] |
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No, you don't watch it with strangers, when you pay you pay for the whole booth. So you could be in there alone, or you could be with up to three friends or family members. Actually, a couple booth could be ideal... |
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With inflated prices in airports, I could see this going for at least $20 a movie. More if they are able to justify seating 2 or 3 people in it. |
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Not only delayed flights, but long waits between connections are pretty boring. I've waited up to 5 hours for a connection. I suppose they could have a normal cinema, but they never do. And anyway you can't start the film when you want to in a normal cinema. |
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Anyone remember those seats that had televisions attached to them? Drop a quarter in for 15 minutes (or whatever). I haven't seen those around in a while. |
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How do the owners stop vandalism of the booth? How is access controlled (what stops me from entering a movie I didn't pay for)? |
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Baked, though practical limitations keep it from being the way you've suggested it. Still, I've seen train stations with machines that take $0.25 for 30 minutes of television viewing. This is far easier to deal with than offering movies. There is no booth to prevent peeping, but it's not really an issue for the viewer or the station. |
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What practical limitations? |
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Nice idea. Nice illustration. Pastry. |
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I can't believe the current system is 'You MUST be at the airport 2.5 hours early and sit doing nothing.' |
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The really sad thing is the number of airlines quoting 'security' as the reason, when in reality its to do with having more time to sell off the tickets for no-shows to people waiting on stand-by. |
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