Willing Suspension of Disbelief

The goal of a home theater is to ESCAPE! Paint the picture of total emersion into the movie- like a movie theater but better. How is it better? The site and sound might not be better, but the level of comfort is - as long as you have theater seating. When you are totally comfortable and relaxed, then you can enjoy the high performance audio and video gear. You want to enter into a mode of "suspension of disbelief".

Okay, but what the heck is, "the suspension of disbelief" and where does the term come from??

Originally, the suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" was a phenomena named by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge to justify the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature. Coleridge suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative. In short, as it applies to the ultimate home theater experience, it means that the audience psychologically agrees to temporarily consider the experience as "real" - and as such, are willing to "suspend their disbelief" that it is actually happening. Another way of saying it is, it is the extent to which the viewer is transported from their present reality into a virtual reality experience that is, for a given time, the viewer's new, yet temporary reality.

This is the absolute goal when creating a home theater.  We want to create the enviornment, not only with sight and sound, but also with comfort.  

The more aware you are of your surroundings the less likely you are to achieve the suspension of disbelief - and that includes suspending your sensory connection to the room through your seat. This is why it is important to be reclined - ideally, your entire body must be "suspended" and your feet should not be touching the floor. If your feet are on the floor then you are still physically "connected" to the room. 

Real theater seating - truly superior theater seating, should be firm enough to support you yet soft enough to sustain long period of comfort. When a theater seat strikes a perfect balance between support and comfort your body will reach a state of "floatation" or suspension and you will completely forget about your seat and your connection to the room.