my original post was in the wrong forum. it was recommended that i post it here.

i had originally posted in the "digital projectors under 3000 as i am interested in the Epson HC1080UB. thanks for all advice/help.


in the next couple of months, i am going to be putting together a total AV package that I plan on installing myself. i am a total noob when it comes to this stuff. I have a TON of questions (12 total!!) and was told this is the forum to get answers, so bear with me. all help is greatly appreciated!

first off, let me explain that my budget is roughly $5000us. this setup will be entirely for home entertainment - TV, movies (blu-ray) and lots of gaming (PS3, 360)

below are pictures of the room where i am going to be installing all this stuff. i am faced with many challenges in completing my project. #1 being the damn skylights (that i really really hate!). #2 being speaker size for a room with catherdral ceilings and open loft. #3 being running speaker wire for the front speakers (has to go across the catherdral ceiling - i have an attic but that location is not entirely reachable.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room-002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room-004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room-005.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room-006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room-007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/atom631/av%20project/living_room-008.jpg
also, the black rack with the cheetah on it will be the AV shelf. the devices will be scattered on the shelf. i thought that would add a cool touch.


My first question (skylights):

I was hoping that getting them the deepest tint that 3M has to offer would do the trick. If not, I know I will need to install shades. What do you think? Will a deep 3M tint be sufficient for daytime viewing? is there a AV specific tint on the market that i can get that works better than the 3M stuff?



questions 2-8 (room setup and size):

the dimensions of the room are as follows:

from the wall where projector will mount to wall where screen will be is 16.5'.
middle of the couch to screen wall is -11'
space between sconces and picture - 8"
depth of picture - 1"
size of picture - 79L"x55H"
from floor to center of picture is 7'
estimated height of projector - 9'


I have decided on the Epson HC1080UB projector.

the picture above the fireplace is staying and my idea is to install a motorized screen that will sit between the sconces and the picture. when i want to watch TV/game i will lower the screen over the picture. when not in use, i can roll it up and have a nice picture to look at.

is the size of the room adequate for a front projector setup?

is 16.5' enough room from wall to wall? i imagine that i will loose some footage b/c the projector wont be flush with the wall and neither will the screen.

is 11' enough distance away to enjoy watching TV without getting a headache or neck strain?

Is the space between the picture and sconces enough room to install the screen housing? 8" seems not big enough and i will probably have to raise the sconces.

will lowering the screen over the picture pose any problems? at 1" depth, i cant see it being an issue.

most importantly, what screen should i get? i want it to cover the picture entirely when lowered.

are there any modifications i need to make to this room to make it more AV friendly? obviously i cant black out the room as this is my living room where we entertain. i also am at the mercy of my fiance and she gets final approval of what goes/stays/changes.

should i use a wall mount for the projector or a shelf? does it make a difference?



questions 9-12 (audio related, so let me know if i am better off just asking these in another forum):

i am not looking to go high-end with my audio setup. i am focusing more on the projector/screen. so i am thinking a receiver in the 500-700 range should do the trick for me. as stated above my main requirements are True HD (is this 7.1?), sirius hookup and ipod hookup.

any recommendations on a receiver?

the speakers i would like to have recessed into the walls - for this size room, will any speakers do or will i loose sound b/c of the open ceiling loft?

are there any decent wireless speakers on the market? im thinking this might be my only solutaion to getting my front speakers wired w/o tearing a ton of holes in the sheetrock.

subwoofer location!! the spot that i want to put the subwoofer is actually behind the couch and pretty much directly under the projector. is this a bad spot for the sub? i really dont have a choice as i would face the same problem of running the subwoofer cable to the front of the room. the sub would sit dead center behind the couch about 5 back.

A 16:9 screen that's tall enough to cover your 55"-high picture would be about 100" wide (115" diagonal screen size). THX-recommended viewing distances for a 115" screen start at about 13', so your seating at 11' might be a little too close for some folks. If you like to sit toward the front of the movie theater, it ought to work out fine. (THX would recommend a 98" diagonal screen for a seating distance of 11'.)

I would be surprised if you had any trouble finding an electric screen to fit into the 8" mounting height you have available. As an example, seymourav.com website lists the height of their screen case as 6".

Regular window shades wouldn't work for your skylights because of the angle of the skylights. You would need to find shades that run in a track to force them to follow the angle of the ceiling as they open and close. Can you buy shades like that? I haven't ever seen any. As a last resort, you could just drywall over the openings.

Would the Epson projector be bright enough for a 115" screen in your fairly bright room? I don't know the answer, but I think I would be concerned. If you can't seal up the skylights and if daytime viewing is important, you might need to consider one of the DLP light canons. That might trash your budget, though. I would think the folks over at the projector forum could give you some good advice.

Is there any chance you can move the equipment to the front right corner, where the TV now sits? That would put the equipment on the same wall as the front speakers -- if wireless speakers are necessary, they could be used for the surrounds, which is a better solution than going wireless for the front LCR. Having the equipment up front would also let you put a sub in the front left corner, behind the plant, which would provide some corner loading for the sub. In a space that size, the sub is going to need all the reinforcement it can get.

For a receiver, have a look at the Onkyo TX-SR606. Specs and features look excellent and reviews of its predecessor, the SR605, were very good.

Overall, I would guess that the video won't be a problem if you can deal with the skylights. Audio may be more challenging, especially low frequencies.

Good luck! -- Paul

I think I'd come up with a new plan (or a different room). In order to put a screen over that picture, the screen will be EXTREMELY high. From 11' away, your head will be constantly tilted severely upward. You'll find that your neck hurts after 45 minutes or so. It's not even recommended that a standard HDTV be placed over a fireplace for that reason and the center of a standard TV would be much lower than that of a 115" or so screen. The center of the screen will be about 7' high. Try sitting on your couch and look at the center of that picture for awhile. Now, do it for 2+ hours.

Additionally, I'm not sure about your speaker arrangement in the back. Is that for 6.1? If so, there should only be 1 speaker on the back wall. The other 2 speakers should go on the side walls (but it looks like you only have 1 side wall, so that's another issue).

If you really must use that room, I'd consider rearranging it to have a screen that drops down on a different wall (i.e. the one with the windows covered in that bamboo) or get rid of that painting and have a screen that drops down in front of the fireplace. Without seeing the rest of the room, I'm not sure how you would properly set up speakers. The skylights and ceiling fan are the smallest of the issues with the current layout.

i do have another room, but i dont think i will be able to use for another year or so...and then it might become a room for my future kid!

i think i am stuck with using this room...and i need to upgrade from my 36" XBR non HDTV CRT!! she was an excellent TV and still has an amazing picture... just takes up way too much room.

i hear ya on the screen being too high. it could definetly be a problem!! i will really have to look into it and see if it will work. i could always lower the mantle to flush with the tile around the fireplace and then have the screen drop so it just touches the top of the mantle. that would bring it down another foot or so easy.

damn, now ya got me thinking! i might be better off with a rear projector DLP and stick it in the same corner as the sony.