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The Evolution of Home Entertainment
For centuries, the owners of fine
homes frequently hosted live musical performances. Opera singers, pianists, and
even entire orchestras would perform in residential spaces, from great halls to
Victorian parlors. With the arrival of film, many patrons of the arts began
seeking entertainment outside of their homes, often in lavish movie palaces.
Gradually, these grand movie palaces were replaced with generic multiplexes,
and the richness and grandeur of the original movie palace experience was lost
in the transition. A home entertainment renaissance began, perhaps in an effort
to recapture this experience, with many grand homes boasting home theaters that
recalled the ornate movie houses of yesteryear.
Over time, an increasing number of home theaters were built with stages. Initially, these
stages were included largely for aesthetic reasons, but more recently, as home
owners have begun using their home entertainment spaces for more than just
watching movies, stages are installed for functionality—for hosting intimate
musical performances as well as skits and recitals by talented children. With
the return of live performance to residential settings, home entertainment has
come full circle.
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