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Star Trek Home Theater

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the money-to-burn dept.

Critical Facilities writes "Someone thought it would be a good idea to model their home theater after the Enterprise NCC-1701D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The result is super geeky, but actually rather cool. Named the best theme theater installation at CEDIA 2007, this Palm Beach County, FL home features motion-activated air-lock doors with series sound effects, and a "Red Alert" button on the Crestron TPMC-10 controller to turn all of the LEDs bright red and flashing."

123 comments

  1. Not realistic by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thank god this is only a simulation.
    When they finally put this stuff into real space ships, just make sure they don't copy the motion-activated air-lock doors.
    I kinda like breathing, keep the motion activation swooshing to internal doors only please.

    Other than that it looks really really cool and well worth the money they spent on it.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
    1. Re:Not realistic by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 1

      And doors need a pull down door lock release like the doors on the the L and subways have.

    2. Re:Not realistic by dreemernj · · Score: 1

      I was about to say the internal doors are airlock doors too in case of a section decompressing. But then I realized...none of this exists and I am a gigantic nerd.

      --
      1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
  2. Just shoot me... by djupedal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The guy has been trying to sell this house for the last year. I mean, come on - I don't slight the guy for building such a 'tribute' - it had to be fun. But then putting the house on the market and expecting someone to welcome such an addition? That just doesn't make sense.

    1. Re:Just shoot me... by One+Childish+N00b · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But then putting the house on the market and expecting someone to welcome such an addition? That just doesn't make sense.

      The market might be small but the price they'd be willing to pay to get this setup is not. How many Star Trek nerds here would be willing to pay top dollar to buy this guy's house?

      --
      Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
    2. Re:Just shoot me... by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is a different build - the one you are thinking of was a guy from England who went bankrupt trying to sell his 24th century flat.

      http://www.24thcid.com/
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/4695188.stm

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    3. Re:Just shoot me... by morari · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Most people with a sense of humor would welcome it, I suspect. Selling a house is difficult work to begin with, and the real estate market in general has been horrid this year. The real problem usually lies within the buyer. You have a bunch of ignorant people house shopping, though they have no idea what they want or how much they're willing to pay for it. When they see something they like they try to hold up the entire process while they dick around with a bank to get a loan which usually falls through anyway unless it's a generic ranch house or a stuffy condo.

      Yay for our debt-based society!

      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    4. Re:Just shoot me... by morari · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It would depend on the rest of the house really. I like watching movies in bed or on a comfortable couch much more than I do sitting in a theater seat... even if it is the Captain's seat. Besides, "top dollar" is really an overblown and inflated idea in the real estate world. Anyway, the place resides in Florida and there's now way in heck I'd ever want to live there. Ohio is humid enough in the summer!

      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    5. Re:Just shoot me... by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yay for our debt-based society!

      It is unfortunate, but I think houses are the one legitimate form of personal debt that I think is acceptable, though only within reason. I mean a regular house that you can pay for right away would be IMO better than getting a loan for a McMansion.

    6. Re:Just shoot me... by karnal · · Score: 4, Informative
      Actually, it doesn't look like he went bankrupt trying to sell it - he actually likes the 24th century interiors; it's just that he set up a business doing the same interior remodelling. With credit cards. And it didn't take off.

      Tony Alleyne, 52, spent nine years and £30,000 transforming his flat and used another £100,000 to launch a company which offered similar makeovers. But the schemes were funded by loans and credit cards and he has filed for bankruptcy with debts of £166,000. To speak to the actual article here though, building a home theater is a fun experience - especially enjoying it afterwards. I would have to wonder what the pricetag is on the star-trek based theater; however against true Slashdot fashion I did read the article and there was not even a ballpark estimate given.
      --
      Karnal
    7. Re:Just shoot me... by djupedal · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Wait - there are two cases of someone building and selling a home with a STHT?

      I'm trying to figure the odds of demand meeting supply on just one. How many people go looking for homes that specifically have a Star Trek themed home theater? How big does the pool of buyers need to be before you get at least one, in your area, that falls into that category? The odds seem pretty slim that even one is going to come thru the door. That's what gets me...all that work with the expectation that someone is going to fit the profile as buyer? We're not talking about an extra bathroom, after all.

    8. Re:Just shoot me... by FooAtWFU · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yay for our debt-based society!

      Because it makes so much sense to save up for a house for 30 years before moving into it!

      (Maybe more than 30 years. If you're not living in your own house you're paying rent somewhere.)

      Some of us live in places where a small home can be had from $4,000 or so. Like in rural West Virginia. The rest of us should be glad for at least this aspect of a debt-based society.

      --
      The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
    9. Re:Just shoot me... by shawn(at)fsu · · Score: 1

      I think the pool of prospective buyers for such a system and means to do so is exactly 2. No more no less. Unfortunately they both decided to become suppliers instead of one becoming a consumer. Maybe they could sell their houses to each other.

      --
      500 dollar reward for tip(s) leading to the arrest of the person(s) who stole my sig.
    10. Re:Just shoot me... by nomadic · · Score: 2, Funny

      That just doesn't make sense.

      Indeed. It is highly illogical.

    11. Re:Just shoot me... by InterestingX · · Score: 1

      It's a no-win situation. They'd have to reprogram the simulator to make it possible to preserve the room and rescue the realtor selling it. Call Kirk

    12. Re:Just shoot me... by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 1

      I would, if the price was reasonable enough. It would seem to be a definite bonus, similar to paying extra for a pool. Now if you tried to sell the house solely based on it having a home theater that looked like hte Enterprise, and you demanded more than it was worth, then I wouldn't think twice but it would definately be a bonus, as well as something I'd pay extra for in a house.

      --
      There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
    13. Re:Just shoot me... by Belial6 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm guessing not much, since the pictures shows are renderings. Just look at them.

    14. Re:Just shoot me... by billcopc · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If it weren't for debt, you wouldn't need 30 years worth of money to buy a home.

      The debt environment artificially inflates real estate pricing because people can "afford" more. They don't end up with a bigger home, they just pay more for the same old pile of dirt. How many people would own homes if it weren't for mortages ? More than you think, because everyone needs a home. What ? You think the land owners and banks would sit idly, waiting for that one wealthy buyer per thousand ? No, they would adapt, or else we would mob them!

      Seriously, it's a low-tech box made of concrete and wood, supposed to protect people from the elements and from other people. How such a basic device could come to be worth half a million or more is beyond logic.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    15. Re:Just shoot me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How such a basic device could come to be worth half a million or more is beyond logic.

      What? It's easy! After I've lived in the termite-infested lump of wood for a decade, it should be worth twice... no, three times as much as I paid for it!

      Doesn't help that the governments collecting property taxes have a vested interest in making sure the value keeps going up as well, and then there's the homeowner's association, god forbid you do anything that may make a person on the other side of the neighborhood look bad.

      In before people posting about how they're not making any more real estate despite the fact that there is a shitload of it out there that nobody wants.

    16. Re:Just shoot me... by xPsi · · Score: 1

      If it weren't for debt, you wouldn't need 30 years worth of money to buy a home. True. Historically speaking, you'd need several lifetimes worth.
      --
      i\hbar\dot{\psi}=\hat{H}\psi
    17. Re:Just shoot me... by Eddi3 · · Score: 1

      And therefor you must acquit.

    18. Re:Just shoot me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      You think the land owners and banks would sit idly, waiting for that one wealthy buyer per thousand ? No, they would adapt, or else we would mob them! Your model is somewhat naive. Someone ALWAYS owns a home, houses don't just "exist". What happens in the short term is rent goes up until the monthly rent exceeds the price of a monthly mortgage, then (smart) people start buying. Monthly rent basically fluctuates (region by region) around that mortgage value boundary and vice versa. So, in the short run, there may be small advantages to renting if you are trying to save for a down payment. However, in the long term, owning is an obvious choice. Assuming you don't live on the street, you either rent or own. If you rent, you hand over whatever the landlord asks. Do this for 30 years and you have NOTHING to show for it except paying money to a landlord just shy of the rent-mortgage balance curve. All the money is basically wasted. Also, your rent and income basically go up at the same rate (if you are lucky). With a mortgage, it stays fixed while your income goes up. After 30 years, not only have you saved the difference between a fixed mortgage and your income, you have something which has actually appreciated in value (this is called "investing"). Fold in massive tax breaks (you get to write off the yearly interest, which is really high in the first 10 years) and you actually get a big flux if EXTRA money over the year by systematically (and strategically) going into "wise debt." This long term (10-50 year time scale) strategy seems pretty much like a no brainer to me. Buy as soon as possible, but do it wisely because the alternative is to just give away your money.
    19. Re:Just shoot me... by NiteShaed · · Score: 1

      It would depend on the rest of the house really.


      Not for me. If this was the basement of the Unibomber's shack I'd still want it....
      --
      Some bring out the best in others, some the worst. Some bring out far more.
    20. Re:Just shoot me... by mfnickster · · Score: 2, Funny

      > How such a basic device could come to be worth half a million or more is beyond logic.

      Here, I worked out the logic:

      for (i=0; i < 3; i++)
         printf("Location!\n");

      :)

      --
      "Slow down, Cowboy! It has been 3 years, 7 months and 26 days since you last successfully posted a comment."
    21. Re:Just shoot me... by karnal · · Score: 1

      Yea, I realized that after I posted.. :( Still think it would be neat to even see what the theater would cost.

      --
      Karnal
    22. Re:Just shoot me... by timeOday · · Score: 1

      The problem is that due to credit prices have risen to what people can barely pay just the interest on. The prices have nothing to do with anything, except the expectation that the cycle will continue. When people quote these nice-sounding statistics about how many people are "homeowners," they never mention how many actually own them outright. We are returning to an "ownership" that amounts to renting because everybody has a mortgage payment and if you don't make the payment, you'll find out who the real "owner" is.

    23. Re:Just shoot me... by FooAtWFU · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If it weren't for debt, you wouldn't need 30 years worth of money to buy a home.
      Right. A rich developer would have bought up the land, built a house or some apartments, and started charging rent for it. Since he's the one with the capital.
      --
      The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
    24. Re:Just shoot me... by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      What's with the "McMansion" haters? By going with a more cookie-cutter style, with the facade of expensive materials over adequate if uninteresting ones, Home buyers are able to purchase a larger, more luxurious home than they would otherwise be able to afford. Sure, you lose the "originality" of a more traditionally built home, but how many of those "original" homes are just minor variations of ugly ranches, anyway.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    25. Re:Just shoot me... by Mistshadow2k4 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "The real problem lies within the buyer"? On what planet at this time would that be? Have you watched any of these home-selling shows on HGTV lately? (I'm a care-giver and it's very popular where I do volunteer work.) A great deal of the problem -- and thus, the "hold up" you mention -- is all too often the sellers trying to get two or three times the amount of money they've invested in the house. That's no exaggeration; I saw a show once in which the seller had bought the house for $95,000, invested about $40,000 in remodeling and was trying to sell it for $375,000. He only got $300,000 and bitched about for the last 5 minutes of the show. Jesus, $165,000 wasn't enough of a profit? That was a rather extreme case, but I've seen a lot of others on that show. On pretty much every episode, the sellers inflate the price to at least double what they've spent on the property. It's pure greed that has inflated the cost of a home to absolutely ridiculous levels, and folks like you wonder why it takes so long to sell a house? Duh, not only do your potential buyers have to get a loan for a humongous amount of money, and most likely these "ignorant" people are looking at other houses too -- why the hell shouldn't they? More than anything, artificially inflating prices like this -- not just on homes but on many, many things like cars -- is why we have a debt-based society. So what the hell are you griping about? They have to go through a hell of a lot more trouble to than you do. You sound just like the greedy jerks on that show, bitching that people just don't fall head over heels in love with your house the moment they see it and immediately puke a few hundred grand all over you, no matter how much the house is actually worth.

      --
      I dream of a better world... one in which chickens can cross roads without their motives being questioned.
    26. Re:Just shoot me... by Bonobo_Unknown · · Score: 1

      the problem is when people can only afford to pay back the interest on the loan, then after 30 years of doing this, they are effectively in the same place as someone who was just outright renting. Except of course for any capital gains... if the house has increased (or decreased) in value they might be able to take advantage of that.

      --
      We don't believe in radical loony monotheistic religions from the middle east -- we're Christians.
    27. Re:Just shoot me... by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

      To me the pics look like they were done in some 3D art work program, slight fuzziness around the edges and stuff. Not sure if these are the real images, or the design drawings.

    28. Re:Just shoot me... by pragma_x · · Score: 1

      I can't speak for everyone, but my own personal resentment toward Mc-Mansions comes from:

      1) Over-sized homes on very small pieces of property, greatly increasing the risk of your house catching fire due to your neighbors' stupidity (at least townhomes have firewalls between them)

      2) The progressive destruction of the aesthetics of Modern-era housing developments by the spot-replacement of gawdy jumbo housing.

      2a) Most are a jumbled mis-mash of imitation luxury concepts, intended only for that portrait shot in the realtor's catalog (e.g. Stone facade + plastic siding, Faux brass lamps + alphalt walkway)

      3) Not being able to purchase a reasonably sized home within a reasonable distance from work. Most new development these days is on the order of twice the square-footage I need, at about twice the price I can afford, with about half as much lawn as I would prefer. Plus grass is cheaper to maintain than timber and brick. I would settle for less, if only "they" would build it.

      That said I would be all for a Mc-Mansions if there were fewer of them around, with those being more tasefully built. If it's going to cost half a million bucks, it should look and be built like it too.

    29. Re:Just shoot me... by SCHecklerX · · Score: 1

      As someone who is buying his first house, Amen!

      I don't want my house to be an investment. I want it to be a place to live. Finding one that isn't gigantic, and was AFFORDABLE in the area I want to be in has been a daunting task. I'm certainly glad that I didn't decide to buy some of the shitholes that I looked at in the first month that were actually $40-$90K more than the nice place I decided to buy. It's a good deal based on what else is on the market, but my friends just a few years ago all bought nicer places for about 2/3 of what I'm paying for mine :(

      But I guess my place will go up in value when I'm ready to move in 5-10 years after some changes I want to make. But I'm not making those changes to sell the house. I'm making them to make it a better place for myself to live in. I still don't get the whole 'investment' thing with primary homes.

      The worst part is that I am a single guy living alone. There really aren't ANY small houses being built or sold these days for people like me. It sucks. I was starting to get quite depressed about my prospects when I found the house I finally bought (although it, too, is more expensive than I would like it to be).

    30. Re:Just shoot me... by billcopc · · Score: 1

      Property taxes aren't always a problem. Many areas still calculate the tax based on a combination of the length of the street-facing side and the total square-footage, plus a base cost for utilities. In such a scenario, the tax is almost directly tied to the land, not the property you build on it.

      Unfortunately, common sense is not a healthy part of most municipal governments.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    31. Re:Just shoot me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I set up a business, it did not work and I tried to finance it with credit cards, which was daft really."

      You think? And they say we Americans are bad with debt.

    32. Re:Just shoot me... by Thuktun · · Score: 1

      Anyway, the place resides in Florida and there's now way in heck I'd ever want to live there. If that's the case, he should just turn it into a time-share or rental. I wouldn't want to live there, but I like to visit.
  3. Haha. by Gigiya · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like the comment left on TFA: "now, the only thing left is to actually convince a human woman to go in there with you..."

    1. Re:Haha. by dan+dan+the+dna+man · · Score: 1

      My girlfriend just said 'When we win the lottery, we're having that in our house'. She would take NO convinving at all! Mind you she's also ticking off the days until Star Trek: Online starts too..

      --
      I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
    2. Re:Haha. by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Informative

      The girl I was living with at the time Star Trek: The Next Generation first came out was one of those people (an English major, as it happens) for whom Star Trek, indeed science-fiction in general, held no appeal. Science either, for that matter. Just didn't see the point ("What good is that Space Shuttle? Bring it down to Earth and spend that money on social programs.")

      But the show was on at 5:00 PM every Saturday, and it didn't matter what social plans she might have made for the evening, I wasn't leaving until I'd received my Star Trek fix. I could have taped it, but that wasn't the point: this is my show and you will work around it. Now at first, this irritated her to no end, but as I watched each episode she would hang around in the background, feigning disinterest but with her curiosity obviously piqued. After a couple months of this, she sat down next to me and asked, "so ... who's the guy with the greenish skin that talks so oddly?" I explained to her that Lt. Commander Data was actually an android, who was trying hard to understand us better so as to be more human. A couple of months more, and she would answer the phone with, "Sorry, Debby, we can't come over now ... Star Trek's on. I'll call you later. Bye!" Turned her into a Trekkie just from secondhand exposure, and as a consequence she began to think about the relevance of science and technology to any modern culture, that in fact they make our lifestyle possible. She'd never really thought about that before. Most Americans don't, when you get right down to it: everything might as well be powered by magic.

      So it is possible. Trekkiedom is not solely the province of male geeks and nerds, much as some of us might like to believe that. I remember reading in the book "The Making of Star Trek" (original series) that the female test audiences were just completely in love with Mr. Spock, and oddly enough resented Uhura ("Who does she think she is, anyway, doing man's work on the bridge and wearing an outfit like that!") Things were a bit different back in the sixties.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    3. Re:Haha. by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      the only thing left is to actually convince a human woman to go in there with you

      She's already in the (presumably) big and expensive house. This is just more display of wealth to make her wet.

      Money makes anyone sexy to women. It works the same as alcohol for men.

    4. Re:Haha. by jamstar7 · · Score: 1
      My girlfriend is more a Star Wars fan, though, thankfully, she HATES Jar-Jar. Fortunately for me, she 'indulges' my Trek passion, and even took me to The Star Trek Experience for my birthday this year.

      I wouldn't recommend one of these home theatres, though, til the kids get outta the 'break everything in sight' phase.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    5. Re:Haha. by justin12345 · · Score: 1

      I actually get the impression that there are a lot of female Trekkies, more so then any other flavor of geek. My aunt was the person that got me into TNG, as a matter of fact.

      Though her favorite character was Riker for some reason.

      --
      Cool art gallery, if you're into that sort of thing.
    6. Re:Haha. by fast+turtle · · Score: 1

      Most Americans don't, when you get right down to it: everything might as well be powered by magic. Wrong friend. It is powered by magic as I should know, being an american. It takes spells and wizzardry to even understand the stock market or bank. What about your insurance? I don't understand it, don't know why I need it yet I must have it. How does the Telephone Work or TV or the internet Tubes? It's all magic and anyone who try's telling you otherwise is demon and spawn of Satan out to garner your soul.
      --
      Mod me up/Mod me down: I wont frown as I've no crown
    7. Re:Haha. by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't recommend one of these home theatres, though, til the kids get outta the 'break everything in sight' phase.

      I'm not sure I'd recommend one of them, period. Remember Scott Adam's comment that "the Holodeck will be humanity's last major invention"? Well, one of those home theater setups is about as close as we can come to a Holodeck nowadays. I'm not sure that I would ever leave it, particularly if there were a plentiful supply of refrigerated beer behind one of those fifty-odd panels. In fact, that's the one thing that seems to be missing from most of these layouts.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    8. Re:Haha. by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Just didn't see the point ("What good is that Space Shuttle? Bring it down to Earth and spend that money on social programs.")

      That's a pleasant enough sounding idea until you actually look at the numbers. Gutting the whole of NASA just wouldn't be that big of a bonanza compared to the rest of the US Budget.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    9. Re:Haha. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See, this is the problem I have with women. I was watching Star Trek "religiously" like yourself, and my friends sister who was living with us would always make fun of me. I made every attempt to get her to enjoy the program, but to no avail.

      Then one day, when nobody else was around, she came into the room wearing nothing but her underwear. She stood in front of me and of course I got upset and said "get out of the way please, Crusher and Picard are the only ones left on the ship, something might happen between them". I mean, who wouldn't like to see their favorite Trek characters "make out".

      So anyway, my friends sister looks me in the eye and says "turn that shit off, you idiot, and fuck me like I was your slut", and starts disrobing. I was so startled, I had to comply with her demands. By the time her wanton sexual needs were satisfied, the show was over. Can you believe she called me an idiot! I'm a member of MENSA!

      Next week, despite my pleading, more of the same. No matter how much I insisted, she would come into the room, smiling coyly at me, demanding lengthy sexual services. Now don't get me wrong. She was fairly attractive, though a little thinner than the type of woman I prefer to meet at Star Trek conventions. And because she was working on a PhD in biology, she seemed intelligent. Her emotional maturity was odd though. For instance, unlike my last girlfriend, she never threatened suicide whenever I told her I had to go into the other room for a minute. Weird.

      So instead of enjoying a well-produced hour of television sci-fi, I had to put up with the base animal needs of my own personal fuck-slut, who wanted it in every hole, every way. Week after week. And some weeks she'd invite two or three of her friends, none of whom liked Trek either. She still calls me every month or so, to this day, suggesting we "get together" and "soil some sheets".

      I wish I knew how you convinced this girl to watch this show with you. I guess you're just a "natural" with women. *shrug*

    10. Re:Haha. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With the kind of money involved in that build, being the biggest dork on earth wont matter, you will get laid.

    11. Re:Haha. by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      I didn't convince her, exactly ... I just ignored her. That bothered her no end, until she finally figured out that it was easier to join 'em rather than fight 'em.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  4. Very nice, but by AC-x · · Score: 2, Informative

    wake me up when they've actually _built_ the thing

    1. Re:Very nice, but by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      I really don't think it's that hard to build it, but this group probably wants more than what even the most ardent Trek fan is willing to pay. If a person is willing to some compromises, it might be reasonable in terms of material expenses. The ceiling is nice, but really doesn't need to be there, and might be pretty involved to do it well. The wooden arch in the back probably can't go, but it doesn't look easy to fabricate either.

  5. I like the original Star-trek home theator more by module0000 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I like the first Star-trek themed theator I read about on /. in Jaunary.

    The original

    Looks more like the bridge itself.

    --
    Trackball users will be first against the wall.
    1. Re:I like the original Star-trek home theator more by Superpants · · Score: 1

      Hahaha, that's exactly what I thought. I knew this all sounded quite familiar. I also like that a lot of the discussion points are exactly the same as well.

    2. Re:I like the original Star-trek home theator more by brunes69 · · Score: 1

      That looks more like the claszic bridge.

      This one is the TNG bridge.

  6. Telepathic doors by imaginaryelf · · Score: 1, Funny

    I would be impressed if his motion sensored doors are telepathic, like they are in the Star Trek universe.

    1. Re:Telepathic doors by module0000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...."There goes another one of those self-satisfied doors", said Marvin.

      --
      Trackball users will be first against the wall.
    2. Re:Telepathic doors by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      Well, I don't know they work in the various spinoffs but in TOS, the Bridge doors were operated by a couple of pull-ropes. There was member of the stage crew standing behind the set walls, who would pull the ropes and whisk the doors open on cue. During the filming of one episode, the poor guy stationed back there actually dozed off (the set lighting made it very hot back there) and when Shatner tried to stride off the bridge into the turbolift he ran smack into the door and broke his nose.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  7. pretty, but the screen is too small by jollyreaper · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The view from the back would be about as poor as watching a normal-sized screen. But I do like the table element they have going with the worf arc (whatever you called that thing he stood behind.) If you're doing dinnner and a movie, it's nice to have that stuff right in front of you. Of course, with comfy chairs that lay back, you'll end up dropping food all over yourself. The last thing you want to do in a Star Trek-themed room is look like Jabba -- mixing shows is considered very gauche these days.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    1. Re:pretty, but the screen is too small by v1 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Does it come with a tricorder or a trek binoculars to get a better look at the screen? sheesh, for that amount of effort you'd think they'd put in something with a decent size screen. I don't care if it IS plasma, when you're 20 feet away it's gotta be BIGGER. A projection set would have worked much better. Just because it costs more doesn't mean it's a better idea.

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    2. Re:pretty, but the screen is too small by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The view from the back would be about as poor as watching a normal-sized screen. I thought so, too. But then I realized that the pictures were taken with a wide angle lens, and that may distort the image enough that the small size of the screen is probably just an illusion.
    3. Re:pretty, but the screen is too small by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      According to the equipment list, the screen is 135" and the overall dimension of the room is 22x70 ft.

      I think it's big enough.

    4. Re:pretty, but the screen is too small by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      According to the equipment list, the screen is 135" and the overall dimension of the room is 22x70 ft.

      I think it's big enough. It needs to be big enough that we can see the tie-downs for Shatner's toupee.
      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    5. Re:pretty, but the screen is too small by lindseyp · · Score: 1

      It was a 135" projector screen. It only looks small because of the wide angle lens used to take the shot.

      Just in case you were wondering, the screen is in the 2nd shot. The plasma in the 4th is not the Home Theatre screen.

      --
      j'ai découvert une démonstration vraiment admirable (de ce théorème général) que cette si
  8. Link to original article by Mononoke · · Score: 5, Informative
    http://www.electronichouse.com/article/next_generation_star_trek_home_theater/C154

    I hate getting sent to articles that are simple summaries of the original.

    --
    NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
    1. Re:Link to original article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      btw that artical posted is wrong its not the A its the D

    2. Re:Link to original article by Barkmullz · · Score: 2, Informative

      Thanks for the link, Mononoke!

      The link provided also revealed some other really cool home-theaters and houses:
      1. Death Star Theater
      2. Extreme Log Cabin Wild on Tech
      3. Model Condo Designed to Impress
      Sweet stuff!

      --
      Ronald said nothing. He flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse, and rode madly off in all directions.
  9. Pu-leeze by SmilingSalmon · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Apparently, all you need to be "Named the best theme theater installation at CEDIA 2007" is to be decently skilled with PhotoShop. Does anyone else think the award should be named "best theme theater idea"? Or maybe "best theme theatre PhotoShop" would be even better.

    Hmmm, an award for an idea -- just like the patent office!!

  10. I wonder.. by Junta · · Score: 1

    It looked to me like a wide-angle lens shot. In which case, it could be much better than pictured. Insufficient detail to be able to know...

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
  11. I don't understand by Tim+Browse · · Score: 1

    Is it real or not? TFA claims they actually built it over six months (which seems too short for 3 areas), whereas the 'photos' all look like unconvincing renders to me. I mean, that ceiling motif is ludicrously obvious in its not realness.

    Anyway, watch out for my awesome new case mod - the case will be made out of live snakes! All 100% photoshop!

  12. That screen... by nowhere.elysium · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ...is pathetically small, for such a layout. I'd have thought that if they were willing to lash out so much cash on such a relatively pointless enterprise (sorry), they'd invest a bit more and get some kind of decent short-throw projector, so you've actually got a screen that's worth looking at...

    --
    http://xkcd.com/313/
  13. does the MPAA know... by advocate_one · · Score: 4, Interesting

    about those 3,816 DVDs he's admitted to copying???

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
    1. Re:does the MPAA know... by Dachannien · · Score: 1

      They do, but fortunately for him, the MPAA's lasers are no match for his 24th-century shield technology.

    2. Re:does the MPAA know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Article mentioned that he is using a kaleidescape system. They are fighting for copying rights, although restricted. Here is the latest press release on it:
      http://www.kaleidescape.com/company/pr/PR-20070329-DVDCCA.html

    3. Re:does the MPAA know... by Jugalator · · Score: 1
      http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2004/11/the_mpaa_threat.html

      Pursuant to the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C Section 504(c)), statutory damages can be as much as $30,000 per motion picture, and up to $150,000 per motion picture if the infringement is willful. OK, let's assume one *wanted* to get those movies for a "willful infringement". I think that's a fair assumption. :-)

      $572,400,000! Ka-ching!

      (it's still not on par with the AllofMP3.com lawsuit though [I wonder what happened with that one btw?])
      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    4. Re:does the MPAA know... by kent_eh · · Score: 1

      Who cares if they know or not?
      He's not doing anything wrong

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
  14. Reality Check.... by bigbadunix · · Score: 1


    If someone *really* had this setup, there would be a hell of a lot more than 4 lo-res picture documenting it.

    There would be hardware specs, hi-res pictures, an installation journal, and or photos of the proud owners in full star trek gear. Period.

    Nerds, especially trekkies, would be bursting at the seams to show off an installation of that magnitude.

    --

    The older I get, the less I like everyone else.
  15. It's not that hard with the right tools. by Animats · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The ceiling wouldn't be that hard to do. Use a CNC router to mill a clay mould, then vacuum-form plastic sheet over it. TechShop in Silicon Valley has all the gear for that, and there are shops that do large-area vacuum forming. Up to 6' x 11' vacuum forming of single pieces is commercially available.

    Much of the "future" that comes from Hollywood is made by vacuum forming. It's cheap.

    1. Re:It's not that hard with the right tools. by Tim+Browse · · Score: 1

      Oh, I'm sure you could build it - my point was that not one of those 'photographs' looked like they were photographs of a place that physically existed. The ceilings in particular look fake - perfect gradient fills everywhere, perfectly symmetrical and lit. Can you really not see that?

  16. Photo Evidense here by phillips321 · · Score: 1

    for all those that wish to see the photo:
    http://www.forumpix.co.uk/uploads/1195412663.jpg

  17. yea but.... by Danathar · · Score: 1

    Watching ANYTHING other than a Sci-Fi themed movie would seem just weird in that environment.

    1. Re:yea but.... by ROMRIX · · Score: 1

      Watching ANYTHING other than a Sci-Fi themed movie would seem just weird in that environment.
      Ya, I bet there'd be a lot of throat clearing, side to side looks and neck-tie adjusting if you threw in a good pr0n video.
      er, come to think of it, I've seen a lot of throat clearing, side to side looks and neck-tie adjusting in pr0n videos... what an odd parallel...
  18. the sellers are the problem by m2943 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You have a bunch of ignorant people house shopping, though they have no idea what they want or how much they're willing to pay for it

    The usual reason why home buying takes so long is that the sellers hide defects and advertise too high a price. That means that both the buyer and the bank need to spend a lot of time on trying to figure out where the problem areas may be and whether the property is really worth it.

    If you want a quick sell, price your property aggressively and don't try to cover up defects with a new coat of paint or other tricks.

    Yay for our debt-based society!

    A home purchase doesn't put you in debt unless you overpay.

    1. Re:the sellers are the problem by jo42 · · Score: 1

      A home purchase doesn't put you in debt unless you overpay. In many housing markets, you don't have any choice. Why is a house that was valued at $300K four years ago (Vancouver, BC area) going for over $700K today? Because the house buyers (AKA fscking idiots!) are willing to pay for it - in hopes that in a few years some dumb arse sucker will pay over $1M for it.
  19. No need to shoot you ... by trolltalk.com · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No need to shoot you - DesiLu / Paramount / somebody will be happy to sue you out of existence for infringing on their Start Trek Intellectual Property.

    --
    Kevin Smith on Prince
    1. Re:No need to shoot you ... by deniable · · Score: 1

      Paranoiamount have a bad reputation for this. Modellers have contacted them for colors for licensed kits. They've been threatened with legal action.

  20. I call shenanigans by LS · · Score: 1

    These "photos" don't look real - they may be ray-traced. The perspective appears to be skewed in all the shots. Look at the metal columns near the door in the third photo. The light gray chairs in the front of the fourth photo appear to have a strange gradient. Overall the lighting and feel of these shots is ray-traced. Someone please prove me wrong.

    LS

    --
    There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
  21. No bathroom? by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 1

    Wow, this place really is just like the Enterprise. I bet that the bar only serves synthohol. This looks about as fun as joining the space-navy, except that it's in your basement.

  22. Reminds me of the Star Trek Experience (Las Vegas) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This reminds me of the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. At one point you'll find yourself on a exact replica of the Enterprise Bridge with a Klingon Battle Cruiser on the viewer screen. Very cool experience.

    BTW ladies I'm still available.

  23. DRM by frisket · · Score: 1
    > eight servers with 3,816 DVDs

    ...none of which will now play due to DRM restrictions :-)

  24. Garage == Docking Bay? by kmahan · · Score: 1

    I wonder if he keeps the Galileo in the garage?

    --
    Invalid Checksum. Retrying.
    1. Re:Garage == Docking Bay? by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 1

      I wonder if he keeps the Galileo in the garage?

      There, or chained up on the porch.

      --
      Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
  25. XKCD by denzacar · · Score: 1

    Definitely Photoshopped. http://www.xkcd.com/331/

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  26. Extreme... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If we are going to start building home theaters after what we primarily watch, then mine should be shaped like a giant, moist tube.

  27. Trying applying some engineering to the idea by Valdrax · · Score: 1

    When they finally put this stuff into real space ships, just make sure they don't copy the motion-activated air-lock doors.
    I kinda like breathing, keep the motion activation swooshing to internal doors only please.

    Is it really that hard to include a pressure sensor on both sides of the door and a safety check before opening?

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
    1. Re:Trying applying some engineering to the idea by billcopc · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you've ever owned a car in the last two decades, you should know that sensors always fail. Always.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
    2. Re:Trying applying some engineering to the idea by zippthorne · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No need for a sensor. 14.7 psi on a plane the size of a door is a tremendous amount of force. You just set it up so that when the door is bowed due to the pressure difference, the motor is incapable of overcoming friction from the deformation causing the door to be firmly lodged against one side or the other. You want the motor to be weak for other reasons as well. Heroes don't die of "Crushed in the lavatory doorway."

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    3. Re:Trying applying some engineering to the idea by mfnickster · · Score: 1

      > If you've ever owned a car in the last two decades, you should know that sensors always fail. Always.

      So true. Plus, I can't get the shields to work. I'm running a Level 3 diagnostic right now.

      --
      "Slow down, Cowboy! It has been 3 years, 7 months and 26 days since you last successfully posted a comment."
  28. Is it 2003 again? by Computershack · · Score: 1
    And this is news? There was someone in the UK who converted his entire apartment to the bridge of the Enterprise.

    Slashdot...news from half a decade ago, today.

    --
    I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
    1. Re:Is it 2003 again? by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2, Interesting

      And this is news? There was someone in the UK who converted his entire apartment to the bridge of the Enterprise. a.) His entire apartment wasn't converted into the bridge of the Enterprise. Take another look at the photos.

      b.) It was not a theater.

      Slashdot...news from half a decade ago, today. c.) That was years ago. This story has a 2007 date on it. It goes in a very different direction from our friend in the UK.

      The devil's in the details, my friend. You should take a stab at reading both stories. At the moment, you sound like somebody bitching about Slashdot covering Leopard when it had already done OSX years ago.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  29. "Tiny" screens by ElvisGump · · Score: 1, Interesting

    A lot of posters have complained how far away and small the screens look in these pictures of home theaters.

    Because these are relatively small rooms these pictures are being shot with very wide angle lenses. If you compare the width of chair backs nearest the camera and farthest away and realize in reality they are pretty much the same size you can see the distortion.

    Wide angle lenses are going to make the tv screens look farther away and smaller than they actually are because of the wide angle distortion of the lens trying to include as much of the room as possible in one shot.

    As to the decor, if it was me I'd just build a dark colored room with a ring of comfy sofa with foot rests rather than go all sci-fi wild like this. If you must, go for a nice TARDIS in the back yard and put all your rakes, tools and trash cans in it or something.

    1. Re:"Tiny" screens by pecosdave · · Score: 1

      If I had a TARDIS in my back yard I would put another house in it. It would just be a pain getting all the materials in through the door. It would be nice if you could actually park a car in a TARDIS, you could put an aircraft hanger sized garage in there easily, it's just a matter of getting it through the door.

      --
      The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
    2. Re:"Tiny" screens by loki1978 · · Score: 0

      Why is it hard to get stuff through your TARDIS' door?
      Why don't you enlarge the doors, ie change appearance into something with larger doors?
      You do realize that when you then of the Doctor's TARDIS, this is a TARDIS with a broken chameleon curcuit and it is an old model? TARDISes can change their appearance to anything you like, best something that looks unsuspicious in that time and area.
      The newest model can even morph into "living" avatars (read: babes) that can be your companion.

      --
      According to prophecy
  30. Only on Slashdot... by Vr6dub · · Score: 1

    Only on Slashdot...only no Slashdot.

  31. "Simulation" or 3D rendering? by Joce640k · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Those pictures look suspiciously like 3D-Studio renderings to me.

    --
    No sig today...
    1. Re:"Simulation" or 3D rendering? by solitas · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Everything looks too perfect for photos. And one of the earlier comments in the article also says this.

      --
      "It's time to take life by the cans." ~ Bender ("Bendin' in the Wind", ep. 3-13)
  32. Screen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Screen looks kinda small. Picard wouldn't have put up with that shit.

  33. Actually Florida Hurricanes can simulate... by roninamano · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but think of how much fun it would be to simulate space storms in the thing during hurricanes. Come on, who could resist, just invite your favorite nurse Chapel over for you to have something to grab onto. (PS. Yes I know Chapel getting grabbed was in TOS... and that this is TNG).

    1. Re:Actually Florida Hurricanes can simulate... by Mycroft_VIII · · Score: 1

      Perhaps your thinking of yeoman Rand?
          I've seen a bumper sticker that said "Scotty, beam down a six-pack and yeoman Rand"
      FWIW Nurse Chapel was played by the same actress who married Rodenberry (Star Treks creator) and played Llwaxanna Troi in ST:TNG. As well as doing the voice for the computer in ST:TNG.
          Though I suspect most here knew all that already (and probably would've had a better time with the spelling which I probably mangled).

      Mycroft

      --
      https://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4c3ed6600b6ea
    2. Re:Actually Florida Hurricanes can simulate... by Lloyd_Bryant · · Score: 1

      Perhaps your thinking of yeoman Rand?
              I've seen a bumper sticker that said "Scotty, beam down a six-pack and yeoman Rand"
      FWIW Nurse Chapel was played by the same actress who married Rodenberry (Star Treks creator) and played Llwaxanna Troi in ST:TNG. As well as doing the voice for the computer in ST:TNG.
              Though I suspect most here knew all that already (and probably would've had a better time with the spelling which I probably mangled). Oh gee - you missed the part about her being the first officer (and a brunette) in the original pilot, which was later reworked into an episode in the series (the one with "Captain Pike"). Apparently, they couldn't sell idea of a female in a position of authority, so the poor lady was demoted to being a nurse (and a blonde). And, IIRC, she also did the voice of the computer in the orginal series as well as TNG.
      --
      Don't tell me to get a life. I had one once. It sucked.
    3. Re:Actually Florida Hurricanes can simulate... by roninamano · · Score: 1

      You could be right. I was thinking of the old style blooper reel that they used to play at the conventions. The particular blooper showed the ship in turbulence and McCoy grabbing her ample breasts from behind while simulating turbulence throughout the whole scene- really daring for 1960's and hilarious. I remember it as nurse Chapel though, which is why she was in sick bay. And yes, I know she was Roddenberry's wife. I vaguely remember McCoy talking about the blooper and saying he was worried Roddenberry wouldn't appreciate it and instead allowed it to be shown at conventions. But it could just be the effects of advanced aging working upon me- I suffered severe timeline damage after watching a few Star Trek: Enterprise episodes. So please forgive me.

    4. Re:Actually Florida Hurricanes can simulate... by roninamano · · Score: 1

      Uh er, I meant DeForest Kelly... the actor who played McCoy...

    5. Re:Actually Florida Hurricanes can simulate... by Mycroft_VIII · · Score: 1

      Yep, completely forgot about her as #1 in "The Menagerie"/"The Cage".
      Can't remember her real first name either. but then I'm usually online after work, which is usually 9-10 hours of dealing with a random sampling of humanity.

      Thanks

      Mycroft

      --
      https://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4c3ed6600b6ea
  34. Perfect! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now Law Enforcement will only have to write down a list of the components and look up who bought them: anyone who wants to build this thing will obviously be a trekkie geek and, hence, a pedophile.

    It's a well known fact that trekkies are pedophiles. There can be no debate or doubt about this. The trekkie pedophile geek is the inevitable evilution of the loserboy nerd who was rightfully beaten up and forced to eat dog feces in school.

    Armed with this information, the Law can now bring all those trekkie pedophile geeks to justice, and jail them for good where the inmates will pound them in the ass, beat them up, shit on their faces and slit their throats with blunt shivs.

    Which is what they deserve.

  35. Klingon Boxing? by KaiUno · · Score: 1

    My idea of the perfect living room would be the bridge on the Starship Enterprise. You know what I mean? Big chair, nice screen, remote control.. that's why Star Trek really was the ultimate male fantasy. Just hurling through space in your living room, watching TV. That's why all the aliens were always dropping in, because Kirk was the only one that had a big screen. They came over Friday night, Klingon boxing.. gotta be there.

  36. Enterprise by h.ross.perot · · Score: 1

    TNG was a bit to clinical for me. Enterprise was darker (Set design and plots) and fits better for a theater setting. A media room designed after TNG would be to "bright and cheery" for me. Give me one modeled after Entrprise. Oh, and T'Pol would be a must.. for.. "Authentic" reasons.. Coff, coff .. "Sit right here; darling.. I am afrid we have spatial anomalies on tap tonight ;)

    --
    ... I'll have a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster with a side of Plutonium Nyborg ...
  37. CGI photos by sherriw · · Score: 1

    Those are not real photos- they are CGI. Look closer.

    However, if it was real, it would be pretty damn cool. Well, cool-ish.

  38. In person by naoursla · · Score: 1

    I think I might have met the guy who did this in Las Vegas. I went to the Star Trek Experience and started talking to a guy in uniform who I thought was an employee. It turns out he is just a fan who likes to wear the uniform. He lives in Florida and said that he flew out just to eat dinner at Quark's. He also said that his parents let him turn his 2nd bedroom into a replica of the Enterprise bridge. I suppose he could have been lying, but the fact that he was just hanging out in a Starfleet uniform adds a little credibility to his fanaticism.

    We ended up talking about Star Trek for about an hour. I don't think I've ever met someone so enthusiasic who wasn't also terribly annoying.

  39. I was on board until by hey! · · Score: 1

    the picture of the wet bar. It was modeled on 10-forward, which despite being on a ship capable of traversing known space is, ironically, the dreariest watering hole in the galaxy.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  40. Why stop at big screens? by MilesAttacca · · Score: 1

    If you're really going to go NCC-1701-D-level futuristic, give us some holodecks already!

    --
    98% of America's teens drink alcohol, smoke, and have sex. Put this in your sig if you like bagels.
  41. Uhura by SonicSpike · · Score: 1

    I thought they resented Uhura because she kissed Kirk ;-)

    --
    Libertas in infinitum