Currently, I'm 33 years old, so unfortunately due to my age, I have only gone to a drive-in theater maybe 4 times my entire life before they pretty much disappeared - but not before making an impact on my psyche. I remember the terrible quality mono speakers that you rested on your car window sill. In fact, I remember my parents having to drive to 3 different parking spots once just to find one that actually worked. I remember intermissions and the opportunity to get a refill of my drink or popcorn and hanging out with friends.
As few times as i went, I still have fond memories of the times I went. Now it appears that drive-in theaters are making a come-back and not the way you think. People are setting up "bootleg" drive-in theaters using the back of warehouses, parking garages, etc. as a screen backdrop as well as utilizing DVDs, LCD projectors (which are coming down in price), and even iPods for transmitting the audio on an FM frequency for your fellow listeners to listen in on.
I guess they logon to some website and figure out the "meetup" times and places.
Of course Hollywood isn't too happy about this. But I for one can't wait for the day when i can watch a movie without sitting through 20 minutes of commercials and 10 minutes of movie previews before the movie actually starts.
Actually, I don't mind the coming attractions, it's those damn commercials that really irk me. I feel trapped in the theater and forced to watch these damn commercials with nowhere to hide, and no remote control to change the channel.
I keep reaching over into my empty drink cup holder for a remote control to fast forward, but to no avail. Forget about a TV remote control jammer, which I recently blogged... I want some sort of hacker gadget to fast forward the movie projector past all those damn commercials. I bet the audience would clap and cheer and give me a pat on the back as I Tivo past the commercial garbage. Forcing us to watch commercials at the movie theater is just wrong. Heck, I'll pay an extra $2/ticket to recoop their costs if they'd just remove the commercials. It has tainted a piece of Americana. Childen growing up today probably assume it has always been that way, but it has not. Why a rebellion or protests against commercials in theaters haven't started from this i do not know. Maybe I will be the One to start the rebellion...
But I digress. Check out the full news story of DVD drive-in theaters below and post your comments.
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Now Playing, a Digital Brigadoon
