WEBVTT - Where's the best place to sit in a movie theater?

0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:03.400
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from house stuff works dot com

0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:15.040
<v Speaker 1>where smart Happens. Hi Marshall Brain with today's question, where

0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:17.000
<v Speaker 1>is the best place to sit when you go to

0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:20.560
<v Speaker 1>the movies? This is one of those questions that can

0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:24.079
<v Speaker 1>divide friends. You like to sit down front, but your

0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:26.799
<v Speaker 1>companion wants to sit in the back. You both have

0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:30.040
<v Speaker 1>good arguments for your side. At least these days, the

0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:33.760
<v Speaker 1>choice is more enjoyable to make Because of improvements in theaters.

0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:37.360
<v Speaker 1>Seating in many theaters today is much more comfortable than

0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:40.040
<v Speaker 1>it was just a few years ago, when most theaters

0:00:40.120 --> 0:00:44.080
<v Speaker 1>had small, hard seats with short backs and fixed arms.

0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:48.360
<v Speaker 1>The only adjustment was whether the seat was up or down. Today,

0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:51.879
<v Speaker 1>the seatbacks are full height, and both seats and backs

0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.279
<v Speaker 1>have thick cushioning. The arms between the seats lift up

0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:58.240
<v Speaker 1>out of the way and have cup holders built into

0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:01.720
<v Speaker 1>the end of them. Quite often the seatbacks rock slightly

0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.760
<v Speaker 1>to give you a little more freedom of movement. Probably

0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:07.840
<v Speaker 1>the single biggest improvement in theater seating has been the

0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:11.959
<v Speaker 1>introduction of stadium seating. With stadium seating, the rows are

0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:15.720
<v Speaker 1>arranged on a series of terraces or steps instead of

0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:19.000
<v Speaker 1>the fifteen degree floor slope that you find in conventional

0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:23.320
<v Speaker 1>movie theaters. Stadium seating allows each row to sit twelve

0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:26.399
<v Speaker 1>to fifteen inches higher than the row in front of it.

0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:29.279
<v Speaker 1>It also means that virtually every seat in the theater

0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.720
<v Speaker 1>has an unobstructed view of the screen, even if the

0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:37.280
<v Speaker 1>theater is packed. Preferences very but there is an optimal

0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:41.480
<v Speaker 1>place to experience the sound system in most theaters. Choose

0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:44.120
<v Speaker 1>a row about two thirds of the distance from the

0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.959
<v Speaker 1>screen to the back of the theater. Try to sit

0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:50.480
<v Speaker 1>one or two seats from the exact center of the row.

0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:54.400
<v Speaker 1>The reason is that most sound technicians check the audio

0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.840
<v Speaker 1>levels from the center seat, about two thirds back from

0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:00.840
<v Speaker 1>the screen. Since the sound from the right and left

0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:03.880
<v Speaker 1>speakers are equalized for the center, you want to sit

0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:09.480
<v Speaker 1>slightly off center to enhance the stereo effect. Be sure

0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:12.400
<v Speaker 1>to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future.

0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:15.079
<v Speaker 1>Join How Staff Work staff as we explore the most

0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:20.200
<v Speaker 1>promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The How Stuff Works

0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:23.440
<v Speaker 1>iPhone app has arrived. Download it today on iTunes.