I will go ahead and admit to my newbie status as proven by my post count. I have been reading through what seems to be thousands of informative threads on here over the past few weeks about home theator. I am currently in the process of finishing my basement and will be putting in a home theater that doubles as a living room. I want to ask a few questions and confirm some thoughts I have gathered from reading through these threads. I would like to let everyone know I appreciate your insight in advance.

I am considering the following projectors...

Sony Bravia VPL-VW40
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UB

I am somewhat confused as to the optimum screen position. I had a friend tell me the lens of the projector should align with the top of the screen. However, I read on here a good rule of thumb is to have 30% of the screen at eye level or below. Which metric is more important? Both metrics are possible, but I can't confirm this until I select a screen and know the exact size.

I will be able to mount the projector anywhere from 11' to 12' from the wall. I used the calculators on Projectcentral.com and depending on the projector, this can produce an image size ranging from 83" to 93" in size. How do I know how big of a screen to buy / build as there is so much variablility depending on the throw or the projector.

I am planning on running HDMI, Component Video, and Component Audio from the AV rack to the projector. Is there any other cables I should consider running? I have seen where some of you are running CAT5 to your projectors. What is this being used for?

Thanks for your help!

Component audio to the projector???:confused:

Every projector will throw a different sized image at different distances. Use the calcualtor to see what projector will work with the screen size you want. Some projectors can be above or below the screen. Some need to be within a certain area of it. You need to check with the specs of each projector. Typically lcd based projectors will allow a lot more flexibilty.

What I would recommend is try to decide approxiatemely what size screen you want. Knowing the viewing distance will help you decided that. Once you know that find a projector that will work with that screen size and throw distance. Once you get the projector installed either shoot it onto the wall, if it is white, or get some black out cloth for a temporary screen. That will help you decide what size screen to build/order. That is what I did and I ended up getting a 120".

Hello Chad,

Hope you are well.

From 12 feet the Epson 1080ub will project a 58" to 124" diagonal 16:9 screen, and the Sony VPL-VW 40 will project a 69" to 118" diagonal 16:9 image.

These 2 projectors have plenty of lens shift available to center the image on the screen without utilizing digital keystone correction. The screen itself is ideal if the bottom 1/3rd is at eye level.

As far as needing the projector at a certain height will depend on if you will be utilizing a retroreflective high gain screen which bounces light directly back at the source. If you are, then the projector needs to be close to your eye level since the light will be bounced off the screen back towards the projector. If you are utilizing a standard screen without retroreflective properties then just mount the projector on a rear shelf or on the ceiling.

As far as screen recommendation, I always recommend that you start with a nice matte white painted wall to see if you like it. A matte white wall will give you a beautiful wide angle view with nearly zero light fall off when you move off on an angle. From this starting point get screen samples to compare with your white matte wall to see if you like a slightly boosted picture, say a 1.3 or 1.4 gain white, or try one of the high contrast greys. Personally I can't stand a grey screen.

There is no need to run audio to the projector, neither of these has speakers.

As far as the two projectors you are choosing from, I always recommend Epson. You can't beat their 2 year warranty with overnight replacement for the full 2 years. They pay the shipping both ways

I recently used my Epson warranty on my 9 month old projector, and all that was wrong with it was some dust in the optical engine. Got the new unit and all is good now. Still have 1 yr and 3 months left on my warranty too.

The 1080 UB has had some problems if you visit the 1080 UB post, so the warranty is a nice thing to have. Frankly, companies in general don't seem to make things like they used to.

The Sony has a one year warranty, and is not as bright as the Epson. Brightness is a big factor as your lamp ages it will lose brightness, near the end of the specified lamp life it will be down 50 percent compared to a new lamp. This must be factored in when deciding on initial lumen output based on your screen size. You will want a minimum of 10 foot lamberts to the screen near the lamps end of life. If it is less than that near the end, or even worse halfway to the end when the lamp is at 25 percent brightness, you will feel like you need to change lamps much earlier.

These are both fairly dim projectors compared the some of the 720p powerhouses out there. I would not go larger than 102" diagonal with either of them. Here are the numbers for a 102" diagonal for each projector.

Calculation is (Lumens divided by the square footage of the screen) * screen gain = x Foot Lamberts

I will use the numbers for the best theater modes for each measured by Projector Reviews.

In best movie mode the Sony is at around 400 lumens, and the Epson is at 468.

On a 102" diagonal 16:9 screen with a new lamp we have for the Sony 12.96 foot lamberts and at near end of life around 6.48. Multiply by a 1.3 gain screen and it is 16.84 foot Lamberts and 8.42 foot Lamberts respectively.

In Epsons best mode we have 15.17 foot Lamberts when new and 7.58 foot Lamberts near end of life. With a 1.3 gain screen we have 19.71 foot Lamberts, and 9.86 foot Lamberts respectively.

Both are pretty dim, as I have stated, and will benefit (almost need) a screen with some gain. Especially if you want some ambient light on when doing your casual viewing. If you are doing a lot of casual viewing I might even go to a 100" diagonal screen for either.

Don't know how far back you will be sitting. At 11 feet the 102" will give you a 37.2 degree angle of view. That is like sitting a little bit farther back than the middle in a THX certified theater.

Hope some of this helps.

Later,

Tony







I will go ahead and admit to my newbie status as proven by my post count. I have been reading through what seems to be thousands of informative threads on here over the past few weeks about home theator. I am currently in the process of finishing my basement and will be putting in a home theater that doubles as a living room. I want to ask a few questions and confirm some thoughts I have gathered from reading through these threads. I would like to let everyone know I appreciate your insight in advance.

I am considering the following projectors...

Sony Bravia VPL-VW40
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UB

I am somewhat confused as to the optimum screen position. I had a friend tell me the lens of the projector should align with the top of the screen. However, I read on here a good rule of thumb is to have 30% of the screen at eye level or below. Which metric is more important? Both metrics are possible, but I can't confirm this until I select a screen and know the exact size.

I will be able to mount the projector anywhere from 11' to 12' from the wall. I used the calculators on Projectcentral.com and depending on the projector, this can produce an image size ranging from 83" to 93" in size. How do I know how big of a screen to buy / build as there is so much variablility depending on the throw or the projector.

I am planning on running HDMI, Component Video, and Component Audio from the AV rack to the projector. Is there any other cables I should consider running? I have seen where some of you are running CAT5 to your projectors. What is this being used for?

Thanks for your help!

Yeah... Its a lot to read... especially when doing the initial research... But just keep swimming... the bottom line is you need to get what is best for your sitiuation...

Just about everything is a factor... light, throw dist, cables, mounting, money, how far the couch can be from the screen, kids, drunks, stupid people...

I have a sony vpl hs3 on a da lite pull down 8 footer...

The sony was what was in my $$ range in grad school and had a good side shot... plus I got a steal of a deal on ebay with full warrenty plus a 5 add on year warrenty from square trade...

The da lite was nice so I could take it out side to grill and watch ppv on off the cedar fence with my beer buddies... also I couldn't mount a screen in the apt... wasn't worth it... plus everybodies kids (I have none) came by and I didn't want any lil fingers on the screen or what ever else they like to put... just pull and up it goes and no eye sore... I opeted for the white caseing at the last min, and as blended in well in every rental I have had since...

Cables matter, but also keep in mind what you have and what you watch... no point running NASA grade cables if you have low end equipment...

Make sure your couch/seats are far enough... if your too close you can regret it... one rental I was in space factored in and I didn't think about... lucky I was able to push it back far enough not to be getting dizzy everytime I watched it...

Since its a basement... there was a guy in here that had his projector mounted in a high traffic area (or I should say below) and his projector would dance a bit... I don't remeber if he was ever able to resolve the problem but something to consider when thinking about celieng mounts...

Personally bias comment... I really like sony...
I know absolutley nothing about either projector... but I have nothing but good things to say about sony stuff that I have/had...

Well thats my 98 cents... Good Luck with your choice but if you to the real research you'll be fine, we all got started somewhere too... it can be rough... just use your head...

With analog cables did matter, though next to nobody can tell the difference between a good cable and a high end cable even with analog. With digital it either works or it doesn't work. Save your money and buy your cables from a place like Monoprice.

I am somewhat confused as to the optimum screen position. I had a friend tell me the lens of the projector should align with the top of the screen. However, I read on here a good rule of thumb is to have 30% of the screen at eye level or below. Which metric is more important? Both metrics are possible, but I can't confirm this until I select a screen and know the exact size.


I wouldn't worry about this equation too much, sounds like we might be getting into the concepts of retro-reflective screens versus standard, and frankly we really don't need to go there right now.


I will be able to mount the projector anywhere from 11' to 12' from the wall. I used the calculators on Projectcentral.com and depending on the projector, this can produce an image size ranging from 83" to 93" in size. How do I know how big of a screen to buy / build as there is so much variablility depending on the throw or the projector.


Well you've already answered your own question: You see how much space you have available, and then you choose a PJ and screen size that works for you. A smaller screen will give you a higher brightness over the life of the lamp, a larger screen may require you to change the bulb sooner as bulbs dim as they age. But lets say you're going to go with a standard size, like 110" or so.....thats doable from all modern HT projectors in this forums pricerange.


I am planning on running HDMI, Component Video, and Component Audio from the AV rack to the projector. Is there any other cables I should consider running? I have seen where some of you are running CAT5 to your projectors. What is this being used for?


Run HDMI and run Component, you should be good to go. You can always put a splitter or switch box if you need to connect more items (even if your projector has multiple inputs). You don't need audio to a projector, they dont have speakers.