Custom Home Theater Intros - Research and Feedback

[Slawshank]

Greetings Everyone,
I'm doing some research on Custom/Generic Intros for personal Home Theaters and I'd really enjoy getting feedback from those of you AVS'ers that currently use them, are interested in them, or would be if the intro were to meet a certain (personal) level of expectation. I've got a small list of questions that I'd like to shoot your way. Feel free to reply publicly or privately - any feedback is graciously appreciated.

Visual:
1) For an HT intro, do you prefer one that's short, sweet, and to the point (15 - 30 seconds) or one that's more drawn out (1 minute or more)? Do you find yourself getting tired/bored/impatient with an intro that takes too much time (especially if it's one you've seen over and over)? If so, at what time does your attention start to drift while watching the intro?

2) Are there particular visual styles/themes that you find compelling in intros (Sci-fi, Art Deco, Retro, etc)? If you've held off on buying a Custom or Generic Intro, is it because you haven't found one that A)matched the look of your particular set up or B)just wasn't up to the visual quality level you expect?

3) What video resolutions interest you? Would you be interested in paying a smaller fee for a single, resolution-specific intro or a higher fee for a package that included multiple resolutions?

4) If you could influence the visual direction of an intro, what would you like to see?

Audio:
1) This may seem like an obvious question to most of you but how important is the audio mix in relation to the visuals? 50/50? 75/25? etc...
2) If you had to prioritize, what sound formats would be the most important/compelling ones for you to hear in an intro?
3) If you could influence the audio direction of an intro, what are some of the elements you'd be excited to hear? Ex: Heavy/Light use of surround cues, Deep Bass response, etc.

Technical:
1) What format would you prefer to receive your Intro in? DVD-R? QuicktimeHD? Mpeg-2? .TS transport stream?
2) Does the physical packaging of the Intro matter to you? If a lack of high-quality packaging (ex:amaray DVD case) meant a cheaper price, would that appeal to you?
3) What would be your preferred method of obtaining your Intro be? Download via the web? On physical media (CD, DVD)? Other?
4) Do you feel including instructions with the intro is necessary to accommodate HT users of multiple skill levels?

Miscellaneous:
1) How much does it matter to have a your own custom theater intro versus one that, though generic, still maintains a professional look and sound?


This is just a small smattering of questions that covers a few areas. If you feel compelled to respond, I'd like to hear your thoughts. If you have anything that you'd like to add, feel free to send it my way.

Michael

[Jawhn]

Just a quick response.

Short (less than 1 minute)! I only show intros the 1st time someone sees the theater.

16:9 is a must, highest res possible (it can be scaled down if needed).

A/V mix 50/50

DD & or DTS (ES, EX preferred)

Specific (very noticable) use of surrounds and sub.

Custom (theater or personal name) VERY important.

DVD R + or -

Download is fine.

Downloadable label and content sheet are important, cover art is nice but not a big deal.

I have used several custom intros (professional and DIY) and although the pro intros were USUALLY better done (varies greatly from one to the other) the WOW factor has been VERY similar across the board (both pro & DIY). At this point I would not pay more than $20 for any intro and would probably stick with free DIY intros if I had to do it over.

[jeffczyz]

I typically only play HT intros for firstimers visiting my house. It's a very nice wow factor.

I myself have gotten a bit more picky as I think some of the intros that are available are a bit over the top. Many are using copyrighted music etc, pictures etc.

As far as features:

16:9 is a must.

I agree, the personalization is a very nice touch. Definately ups the "wow" factor for new folks just seeing the HT for the first time.

I also like to have some non-cheesy music in the intro. Anything from 30-seconds to a minute is usually more than enough.

[dbach]

I've just started looking into them as well. I think I would prefer to start by making my own. Of Course, you need the right stuff so that it doesn't look too amatuer. Stevens' Coca-cola Screen Play slides will come in handy. I have a basic pinnacle movie maker which will allow stills, movie clips and music / sound effects to be edited together. I just need to figure out how to be able to download trailers and the like and import them into the program. At this point the only way for me to capture video is via a DV Camcorder. I'll be building a house in a few years and moving from my present one so I'm not going overboard YET.

[jeffczyz]

DBach,

Just remember that if you are using trailers, logos etc that you don't own you won't be able to sell them. It should be fine for your own use though. There are several HT Intro makers that are blatently using studio logos, THX music logos, trailers and movies posters in their Intros and selling them for hundreds of dollars.

Jeff

[dbach]

Thanks, that's understood...It's just for my own home use. At this point I'm making my own slides without any logos. I'm very new to this and I don't have a handle on the different types of software. I don't know how to get myself in trouble yet. (Just Kidding)

[jeffczyz]

Have fun. If you need some pointers I'd be happy to provide some.

Jeff

[dbach]

Thanks....I'm sure I will.

[Slawshank]

I'm in a similar boat with dbach with regards to creating my own intros but the thought has crossed my mind about creating short, custom intros that people would be interested in purchasing (hence some of my questions regarding cost). I've got 10+ years of animation experience in the video game industry so I'm not terribly worried about the visual quality. I've done animated intros for my company (see Ghost Recon 2 XBOX and Rainbow Six: Lockdown PS/2 for recent-ish examples) so it's not unfamiliar territory for me.

For now, really, I'm interested in hearing about what the consumer (you) wants and to determine if there's enough interest to pursue it. Subjectively speaking, there are very few companies out there selling intros/bumpers/etc of sufficient quality to warrant their asking prices.

Thanks again for all your feedback (public and private). If anything else comes to mind, feel free to drop me a line.

Michael