So the cinemas in Germany don’t have surround sound? WOW. In that case, it probably might be better for you to stay at home.
I don’t think any high definition format is better than going to watch a film at a cinema, certainly not here in the UK, where our screen are large and the great surround sound form an essential movie-going experience you simply cannot get in your home. The city I went to University in even had a digital cinema -apart from the IMAX it is still unsurpassed!
For example, I still try to re-create the experience I had watching Casino Royale, Revenge of the Sith and Kill Bill in my sitting room, where I have a HDTV and 5.1 surround sound, but I have yet to reach that experience. What’s more, surrond sound is not the be all and end all of having a great film experience (even though it may hurt me to say it). One of my cinema highlights was watching The Godfather in Dolby Digital stereo over a year ago. It re-kindled my HUGE love for the film! Way better than watching it on a 37" HDTV upscaled to near HD-quality on a HD player.
The bad smells and poor seating etc. are external factors, and which aren’t a given in every cinema. We have some really nice VUE cinemas here with very comfy seating, generous leg room and air-conditioned atmosphere.
Films were meant to be seen on the big screen in surround sound.
