We are getting ready to build a house and i am going to put in a dedicated room for my home theater. the plan right now is 23 ft wide and 29 ft long. But since we are still in the blueprint stage i can change this.

Here is what i want to do. at least 18ft wide and i dont know if i want to go with a constant image height or if i should go with moveable masking for when watching 1.78:1 and 1.85:1 movies.

MY questions are.
Is there is a projector that will display such a large screen? or will i have to shrink my screen size? Next would be what size would i need to make the room in order to do this size.

I know that the cost will not be cheap. Thats ok.

The one Wolfgang is pictured here demonstrating (Barco DP2000) would be one of the first choices.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p146/CarlosMeat/ScreenShotWM01.jpg

Art

Is that really designed for a movie theater? it seems much larger then other Projectors. anything special you would have to do with this projector different.

We know of ways to hot rod these babies and still get manufacturers warranties.

http://www.vimeo.com/1075807

Is that really designed for a movie theater? it seems much larger then other Projectors. anything special you would have to do with this projector different.

When you said an 18' screen you get outside the realm of consumer units just on shear lumen requirements.

Art

Its been a while since we've had one of these threads. They're always fun:D

better question is can you stomach 100K of proj, power and cooling?

If so, keep asking questions.

If not, re-assess your priorities.

Just being honest.

THAT FIGURE WILL DROP BY ABOUT OH 15k, ME CRYSTAL BALL SAYS COME AUGUST.

well 100K is a little more then i wanted to spend. I was thinking about 30k or so. please explain more about cooling and power. Is there another projector i could maybe look at that might not require quite as much stuff?

Give me some ideas. i have never thought about this kind of stuff before. I always thought id be lucky if i got to spend 10k on everything from porj to speakers and the whole bit.

For 30K you are limited to 12' maybe 14' wide max

well 100K is a little more then i wanted to spend. I was thinking about 30k or so. please explain more about cooling and power. Is there another projector i could maybe look at that might not require quite as much stuff?

Give me some ideas. i have never thought about this kind of stuff before. I always thought id be lucky if i got to spend 10k on everything from porj to speakers and the whole bit.

30K for the PJ or total project. If PJ, whats the total?

well shoot i guess i will have to up my spending.
I feel like if i am going to do this might as well go all out.

So any other projectors i should look at?
I dont know anything about installing this stuff where do you find someone to do this since its not typical home theater stuff.
Recommendations on audio and surround processors.
Screen recommendations since i would not know where to start looking for a screen this size.

What would be a good room size if i do 16ft to 18ft screen?

30K for the PJ or total project. If PJ, whats the total?

i was thinking to spend about 30k on projector honestly i know know prices on all the high end stuff so i should not start spouting out i only want to spend x number dollars.. I dont know total i mean i have no idea where to even start on pricing. But i feel if we are going to do this might as well go all out. but i dont mean millions or anything. im thinking i have money to spend so i want good but i dont need everything. I have a blu ray player and hd dvd player already. i dont know sorry.

Tell you what lets go high end and stay under 500k

if you are focusing on doing this right, you need to find some folks in your area and go see some systems. get some recomendations on integrators, there are many excellent ones all over the country, then get solid ideas of what you want to do, then figure out a budget, then start making decisions.

Under 100K you can have a killer system. many of the ones here with perhaps more modest screen sizes have easily done so... or for 500 you could have something crappy that would not measure up to far less expensive ones.

So getting a clear idea of WHAT can be done is key. have you thought about how it ties to the whole house, multizone video/audio, moving seats, control that ties into the whole house lighting, security, hvac, etc...

The infocomm tradeshow is in vegas in two weeks, it is a good place to start getting some ideas of what is possible... and it is in vegas.

For the money you are going to spend, take a trip to the Detroit area as well, see if you can finangle a look/listen and Art Sonneborn and theblands systems.

Nobody knows what to spend until they know what they want.

I dont know if there are any really hard core home theater stores here in kansas city. I have been to a couple and they just dont seem to really have much. I mean i can be flexible on things but i do know that i want to look and listen first.
Cant go to vegas not right now so that wont work.

I dont need moving seats. I dont like those. I have home theater seating already picked out.
Home automation is a must but this tread is more about projector, room size and any other things i would need to consider to make my home theater be the best it can be

If you were willing to accept a 16' wide 2.35:1 screen using a quality anamorphic lens to fill the whole screen width with all the PJ light, you could get by with "only" a $50k projector, like the Sim2 HD5000. :)

Regards,
Terry

My opinion is that if you want some great performance from the HT 5000 the OP screen size requirement is out of it's range.

On the StudeoTek 130 screen I'm down to between 18 to 19 fL at 14' wide after 300 hours on the lamp.

I think on my screen size it would be real tough to beat right now but going up two to four feet is a lot more real estate to light up and I would not recommend it.

Art

one question is maintenance. What kind of maintenance would be needed for either of these projectors?

Hey coldmachine i dont know what you think is BS but i need answers. We are starting on our house in a few months so i have to be ready with equipment and what i want for my theater.
I am not going to sit here and brag about money but i have the money to do whatever i want. If that is what you mean by BS there is no BS here.

I really want answers to my questions. This site is to ask questions and allot of you know your stuff much more then i do.

I know that on the Ht5000 they make a dual lamp version. Has anyone used this? I just wondered if it would be better then the single lamp version.
2nd question. Anyone experienced the curved screens? i would like to go that way over just the flat screen if possible.

As i said before, if you are serious about the kind of system you want, and the money you want to spend, you need to find an integrator pronto. find other members with great systems, get recomendations.

You cannot do this yourself.

I am responding to ILOVEMYMACS post in the Barco thread:

If you go with the Barco DCI unit I would suggest you use Peter, it looks like a very specialized install, and it would make no sense reinventing the wheel with another installer. Helene install is the bomb

That being said I tend to agree with CM about the authenticity of the OP, how does one go from a $30K projector to a $500K projector in 2 posts?

not 500k Projector 500k total.

I Can Do That.

In early 2006 while tediously cranking out Fujitsu Plasma Theaters in copious amounts, one lazy Sabbath I sketched out the theater shown below. (Cine)

Nowhere near my radar was there any possibility of me doing any serious HT builds. This goes to show the power of visualization, because one year later we would be drafting Helene, which is very very similar to the sketch.

http://cineramax.com/images/Architects-rendering-plan.jpg

ttp://cineramax.com/images/DP2000.jpg

If you look at the original sketch I wanted to have a projection booth with the equipment racked underneath the projector.

Lo and behold see the attached Barco stand.

If I was doing a design from scratch I would use the Barco stand.


http://cineramax.com/images/Helene-Front-Dimensioning.jpg

http://cineramax.com/images/Architects-rendering.jpg

The similarity between the above image and cine (attached) is remarkable.


For your plan I would just copy the helene dimension proportions (to suit a 18 foot screen) and leave a 5 foot deep projection room behind.

Feel free to pm me with questions.

My gut feeling tells me that Barco will have a less expensive version of the DLP .98 chip projector. The NEW Christie digital 2000cm is a more competitive (15k less) unit with just 2kw. The compact chassis of the christie will work against it's stopping down potential. When you stop down the light pipe of these units the contrast increases. There are four things we are doing to these units to increase the contrast whilst holding the 2yr warranty.

The Barco chassis is much better engineered than the new christie, it is modular and a very powerful control architecture, they (Barco) are not going to engineer a smaller unit any time soon. I expect a watered down dp1500 to become available to compete with the christie.

They can limit the lamp to 2kw and it can then run on a 20 amp 120v single phase circuit. I am crossing my fingers a DP1200?? comes out soon, it is the ideal chassis for a Home Cinema projector. Also instead of having 65db of fan noise to cool down a 4kw lamp, it could be lowerd to 50 or so (just 2k cooling is needed).

Helene was a cheap misstress, at only 250K USD, go figure what you could get for twice that amount;-).

Helene was a cheap misstress, at only 250K USD, go figure what you could get for twice that amount;-).


At the end it ramped up, with everytthing including the room construction it is about that much.

But don't let the budget fool ya, synergy is rampant in that space.

looks good. i do have a question. where is a good place to find an intergrator? and any places to connect with local people who have home theaters?

At the end it ramped up, with everytthing including the room construction it is about that much.

But don't let the budget fool ya, synergy is rampant in that space.

We were already amazed at the 250K all-in budget you quoted for this theater, considering all the equipment and the external services you brought into its construction.

Okay, (just to get an idea, no budget here;)) what would something like the nice DNP walls you were showing, cost. Modded Barco could be had for 65K, according to a post by Oddysey. x pieces of DNP infinity at xK USD/Euro a piece. A few speakers, and a pc to play all of those downloads;).

Peter,
What was the cost of the modded Barco including the service for the mods ?

Art

You posts and post history make it very obvious you are totally FOS. Stop wasting good peoples time, and don't PM me again. You've made 36 or 10 posts, depending on what name were using, including....


"I just bought a house with a home theater allready in it. So all i need is the screen and projector. I want to do 1080p but i also want to do 2.35:1 and i dont want to spend a fortune either."

"We are getting ready to build a house and i am going to put in a dedicated room for my home theater."

"If i could only due to cost either get a 1080p projector or 2.35:1 screen and a 1080i projector?"

"Anyone experienced the curved screens? i would like to go that way over just the flat screen if possible."

You jumped from a $30k PJ to a $500k project in 1 post, but months ago you couldn't buy a PJ and screen. We see this crap too often here. LJG and I are far from the only ones to see it.

You asked me what I thought was BS, was it the money? Absolutely not, there are a good number of people who have spent far more than $500k. Some are into their audio alone for double that. That has nothing to do with it.

I am far from BS. I just dont want to spend 500k if i can get what i want for 100k. I have money but i do not know alot about this stuff. I had a house that had a home theater in it but nothing ever came of it because at the time i did not have the money to change it and when i had someone come look at it they said whoever put it in had no idea what they were doing.

Now i am making money own my own company and want to build a dedicated theater in the house. Why is it you ridacule me because i do not know things? i also did not go from 30k to 500k projector. If you read above i stated 500k project total. I changed it too because i really dont know what i want to spend. I just know i want excellent stuff but i honestly dont know how much to spend.
Like a post above said you can spend 500k and have crap and you can also spend 100k and have a great system.

if you are serious, the only questions you should be asking are:
1. does anybody have a killer theatre i can visit to get ideas
2. can anyone reccomend good integrators i might be able to talk to.

If you indeed do not know about this stuff, and do have the cash to pay for it, you are not in any position to start trying to select what components you want.

Get some knowledge, find out what you want in a large scale sense,find out if you can afford it, then get folks who know what they are doing to build it.

I have basic knowledge i have installed smaller theaters before. But when you start getting into a 18-20ft wide screen and all this high end stuff i have no experience in that area. If i was looking for the standard fair then i would not be here asking.

I thought i asked this but yes where can i find someone who has a theater i can visit? And i did ask if i could reccomend some good integrators.

Im not worried about affording it. But i have seen some people who have spent more then 1 mil on a home theater. I do not need laser disc, d-vhs and all that. To be honest a year ago i never thought i would be able to do something like this but now i can and i want to. But i dont see the need in spending 1 mil or even 500k if i can do what i want with 100k. This is my dream and i apologize if i have not asked the right questions or whatever but i am far from BS. I dont like when people waste my time and i will not waste anyones time here.

Just help me find people who i can get some ideas from their systems and so forth.
Its hard to explain this stuff. Im not stupid but this high end stuff is new to me

start a thread then in the 20K forum asking if there are some high end theatres you can visit, PM a few members to see if they would open their room to you to see what they have going on. wine bribes usually work well. :D

Ask them who they used. go to the CEDIA website, find some award wininng theatres, find out who the integrators are, contact them. Look in google maps for home theatre in Kansas city, i just did so and a dozen or so companies popped up. call folks like stewart filmscreen and ask them for a highly reccomended dealer in the area...

All those things will get you moving well along the way.

Then and only then can you align your dreams with a budget.

If you are real, which I have my doubts about, and are thinking of spending the type of coin you say, then it is imperative for you to go to CEDIA and see the projectors etc., in person.

If you don't have the time, or don't want to take the time, expect to be dissapointed....

Peter,
What was the cost of the modded Barco including the service for the mods ?

Art

Almost double what donald speculates. There are warranty issues, different tiered pricing if it is going to be modded, and procedural red tape to track every part being modded, intellectual proerty payments for custom gamma curves, and the mods which required the build out of a clean room.

That being said when the next iteration of less expensive projectors come out, and when the techniques involved are repeatable, things could change. I know if you buy 4 units there is a nice price break.

One really has to compare this unit to the Lighting reference at 120K, and the Runco sc-1 at 250K. The advantage here being the servo lens zoom.

I read that an unmodified unit with lens and stand in quantities sells wholesale in England for 79,000 British pounds. How much is that in dollars?

Power Buy:)

Peter how about interval ownership, like a timeshare:eek:

Not speculating, merely repeating what you mentioned previously;-).

In an earlier post you mentioned the 4-6 unit power buy would result in a price bracket of 60-90K USD. Before any mention of a powerbuy you wrote the complete set including dolby server was under 125K USD. According to one of the local exchangerate calculator websites this UK pricing equals 154K USD, and a few Euro short of 100K in real money;-).

So, the 65K USD Odyssey mentioned was for the stock version including lamp...

Went to look online for a local Barco distributor, found its website limited to just a frontpage. Guess what I found in the mail today a post card replicating its website (four-way split/fold card) saying the company is redesigning itself from an import company to a full-fledged integrator, http://www.inter.nl/, so no info on products or services to be found there. The only other integrator Barco mentions on its website that is also active overhere is Technicolor, not the most likely place if you're shopping for just a projector. So, no local pricing to compare.

Power Buy:)

Peter how about interval ownership, like a timeshare:eek:

A basic 18K Lumens HD resolution Christie/Barco does 10K USD in rental per week, according the website of this rental place we were directed to in another recent thread (on the filmfestival), just to give you an idea (not sure if you do rentals besides custom installs).

I was only joking

Ok lets put this to rest once and for all.
I am very much going to do what i say i am going to do. maybe others want to play with people but i dont. If i didnt want to know i would not be in here asking.
I dont know what it matters anyway. It seems like 5 minutes to read a forum takes so much time that its horrible if someone were here not serious.

I have never been in a forum where people questioned if i was for real. But let me say this once. I am not here to just ask stupid questions. I take every bit of advice to heart . So can we get on with a discussion and stop the nonsense.

One really has to compare this unit to the Lighting reference at 120K, and the Runco sc-1 at 250K. The advantage here being the servo lens zoom.

I read that an unmodified unit with lens and stand in quantities sells wholesale in England for 79,000 British pounds. How much is that in dollars?

I'm just trying to figure out how you did that theater for 250,00 USD when the projector alone ate more than half the budget. Did you get some free product to promote there ?

Art

The original target was that Art, then the owner decided to add the kitchen sink- it's close to double (the total) with the room build and chairs. Not at liberty to discuss further, Ill brief you here.

The original target was that Art, then the owner decided to add the kitchen sink- it's close to double (the total) with the room build and chairs. Not at liberty to discuss further, Ill brief you here.

Thanks Peter, it just wasn't adding up.

Art

lovemymac -- no matter what you do, you're going to need to work with a dealer/installer/designer. I would also highly recommend that you get an acoustician on the job immediately because you're going to want good acoustics and that has to be part of the planning from the beginning. Often, your dealer/installer/designer will have an acoustician with whom he works -- make sure the acoustician is the real deal -- there are a lot of guys out there who will try to save you money and who think they can do the acoustics without an expert -- that's a sure sign you need to keep looking. Interview several home theater dealer/installer/designers in your area. Check their other work. If they haven't built a theater that is up to the standard you want, don't let them learn on your $$$, keep looking. Ask each one what he can build for $100,000 -- 200,000 -- 300,000.

If you are starting from scratch, from a shell, and building a theater, I highly doubt you will be able to do it right for 100,000 or less. Especially with the size screen and room you're contemplating. The acoustic treatments alone could cost you $30,000 or more and they will have to be hidden behind stretched fabric, which is also expensive to install. Having said that, a dealer/installer/designer should be able to help you set a budget or work within a budget you set.

You'll also find that most dealer/installer/designers have a limited list of products with which they work. These are usually a list of gear with which they have worked previously and have found to be reliable. You want to know this, too. Ask each one what brands of projectors they deal and what lines of audio gear.

Frankly, if you don't know this stuff, it is probably better that you find someone you can trust -- because he has installed other theaters that meet your standards -- set a budget together -- and let him do his thing and build your theater for you.

So, start interviewing designer/dealer/installers in your area. No matter what you want to buy, you're going to have to buy it from a local dealer anyway and you don't want to start the project, do not let anyone sheetrock until you've gotten a detailed plan from an acoustician, so locating a designer/dealer/installer and building a team that includes a contractor, your designer/dealer/installer, and your acoustician is your very first step.

This ought to get you started....

http://www.avihometheater.com/AboutUs.php

http://www.eleganthometheatersystems.com/gallery.htm

Well, I figure even if he isn't for real, someone else might read the thread and really need the advice.

Well, I figure even if he isn't for real, someone else might read the thread and really need the advice.


I am glad someone has all the answers. NOT. Fallacy number one: The acoustician , Fallacy number two local integrator. All you need is a local electrician the rest you can get from a MOBILE custom installation design firm.

Our best systems were designed without acousticians, in fact some of them do more harm than good. Another fallacy is room eq, use the right kind of speakers positioned correctly and you will literally TURN IT OFF, as to having the dealer nearby, totally unnecessary if the design is solid from the first place.

Just recently we have designed , brokered, and coordinated systems, in South of Brazil, Halifax Nova Scotia and Las Vegas. The clients are ecstatic and have kept coming back for more.

I didn't say the designer *has* to be local. I suggested starting by interviewing firms in his area. Certainly, if there's no one in your area capable of the type of theater you're after, you should widen your search. As for the acoustician doing more harm than a non-expert, I'm sorry, but that is defintely not my experience. Sorry if it has been yours. I've always assumed you had an acoustic engineer on your jobs. In any case, I am sure you wouldn't advise a home owner to start building the room himself with no thought regarding acoustics.

Without allowing myself to go too crazy, i feel that it is crucial to respond to this comment above.

An acoustician or someone with proven knowledge about acoustics is vital to any serious project. Assuming that somebody can do a good job is as ridiculous as assuming that any electrician can do a good job. You need credentials so that you know they can do a good job and can back it up with actual knowledge.

Having an out of town Installation firm works when a person has multiple residences and they find a local firm they like and then have that firm do other residences. or you know and have a good working relationship with them. in most cases as well, if they are responsible they will partner with someone local to assist them in labour and to give you a sunday afternoon, "oh crap the game is starting and i have 100 people over" resource.

To start by looking at an out of town resource (unless they really bring something special to the mix) is a really bad idea.

Before starting any job, verifying known industry credentials is vital. Any monkey can hang a shingle, convince somebody to buy a Bugatti and then position themselves as a "high end automotive consultant" but that does not mean that they know the first thing about how to service it.

I agree, that's why I wrote, "make sure the acoustician is the real deal." And, "Check their other work. If they haven't built a theater that is up to the standard you want, don't let them learn on your $$$, keep looking."

As for local versus international, I would say it depends on the area in which you live and the type of theater you want. If you're building a $5,000,000 home theater, for example, it is less likely that you'll find a local guy with a binder full of $5,000,000 projects if you live in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma.

No offense intended to the residents and fine home theater specialists in Tumbleweed.






**No animals were harmed in the making of this post.

i was not responding to your comments rsbeck.

That's okay, I still agree with you.

We are getting ready to build a house and i am going to put in a dedicated room for my home theater. the plan right now is 23 ft wide and 29 ft long. But since we are still in the blueprint stage i can change this.

Here is what i want to do. at least 18ft wide and i dont know if i want to go with a constant image height or if i should go with moveable masking for when watching 1.78:1 and 1.85:1 movies.



18' wide at what aspect ratio?
How high is your ceiling?

so I guess this thread died... hmmm

Too bad ,yea. It would have been fun to work through it. Honestly though,an 18' screen in any aspect ratio would require a digital cinema projector. I personally feel that we should start with that part anyway. That is get the screen size determined then set up seating etc to that.

Art

These threads are good if they are genuine. All too often we see BS merchants wasting peoples time here. Fortunately they are normally very easy to spot. It may not appear as obvious now as a number of posts were deleted, but this guy was one of them.

These threads are good if they are genuine. All too often we see BS merchants wasting peoples time here. Fortunately they are normally very easy to spot. It may not appear as obvious now as a number of posts were deleted, but this guy was one of them.

It sucks that people would come and troll this way (I will not say that the OP intended to do this) because quite rightly as a "newbie" you must overcome this impression.

That is not to say that people do not continue to be very helpful and accommodating to folks like me, but I won't post my "thinking of putting a 15/70 system in my conservatory" thread just yet! ;)

Sean