The first time home movies became popular was in the 1950’s in the United States. That was also the time when cameras and projector equipment first became affordable. The Kodak 8 mm film, a portable movie projector which was projected onto a portable screen (often without sound) became the first home theater. Mostly the Kodak 8 mm was used to show friends and the family travel experiences and other celebrations. Then in the 1970’s 8 mm film was substituted by the more easily affordable VCR’s, who were connected to regular television sets.
In the 1980’s the laserdisc and multichannel audio systems added new dimensions for home theater. In 1974 the first home cinema system was built in a furniture store in Louisiana, USA. A special sound room was built and a Sony Trinitron television projected the image. The first public demonstration of this system occurred in 1982 in Chicago, IL and in the following three years, retailers and manufacturers were exposed to the first movie alike experience at home. In the 1990’s, a typical home theater included Laserdiscs or a VHS player, which were fed to a large screen. Later in the 1990’s, the development of the DVD, high quality video projectors, and 5.1 Dolby Digital audio signals moved home cinema systems another step further. Finally in 21st century, developments such as high definition and newer and sharper display technologies allowed people to enjoy home theater systems at a more affordable price.