C1663 is the lovely name I gave the house I designed and am currently building.

Here is my story. My wife and I have been house-sitting for the past year or so. Our house is in the process of being built, as we have to move out by the end of July. We will live in the new house for 2-3 years, then build another
and rent out the other one. Follow?
Being that it will be a rental later on down the road, I didn’t plan for a dedicated theater/ listening room.
The floor plan is relatively open, with the kitchen, living room and dining room all being together. The living room is where the TV/ movie watching and music listening will go on.
This will be my first front-project setup. My equipment list is the result of combining a Paradigm 2-channel listening setup with the Klipsch speakers I had for movies. Mix and match. That is why I don’t list a center channel or surround speakers. At the present, we are using the TV that came with the house. We sold ours and when we move, we won’t have one at all. (I keep saying “we” because my wife is into this almost as much as me.)

Here is what I am left with:
Harman/Kardon AVR 135
Yamaha DVD-S1800
Paradigm Studio 20 (left and right)
No center channel
No surround speakers
Velodyne F-1500 R 15” sealed servo subwoofer (oldie but goodie).
AppleTV
No TV

Here is the kicker. I work in the low-voltage home-integration as the bidding manager for lighting control, background audio, home automation and best of all: home theaters. This isn’t new to me; I just wanted to get opinions from all of the great minds here on AVS. I am open to suggestions and criticism.

First, here are some renderings I made of the rooms.

Here is a birds-eye view of the room. This shows hallways and a stairwell at the upper right, with a coffee table and area rug in the middle. My work computer is slow and I don’t see a need for them to be picture-perfect, so no textures for you.

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8734/birdseyeviewiu7.th.jpg (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=birdseyeviewiu7.jpg)

This is a perspective view showing the kitchen area at the lower left and dining room table on the right wall by the garage entrance.
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/4972/viewallol8.th.jpg (http://img75.imageshack.us/my.php?image=viewallol8.jpg)

You may have noticed the 2:35:1 screen. I will use the zoom method. I haven’t picked a projector yet. I haven’t set a budget yet. There are a lot of things I haven’t done yet. I did, however, do the pre-wire myself. The projector location is at 14 feet from the front wall. I ran a conduit to the equipment location at the front of the room. I had the electrician run a romex from the projector location to the equipment location also. This allows me to use the romex as an “extension cord” of sorts that way I can plug the projector into a battery backup located at the equipment location.

Here is a view of the front wall when seated. I’m going to use a simple flat panel TV cabinet to hold the equipment. I saw no reason to run the speaker wires to a wall box, so I will just run them on the floor.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/4046/frontviewcloseqn7.th.jpg (http://img67.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontviewcloseqn7.jpg)

Here is a view from the kitchen. I moved the cabinets out of view. The subwoofer will be located near field with an option for a second sub on the front wall. One inaccuracy of this drawing is the ceiling. It is really vaulted with the low part on the left wall and high part on the right wall.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/4834/frontviewfarmo9.th.jpg (http://img75.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontviewfarmo9.jpg)

My wife and I are both musical and want to have a “live” room so all floors will be wood. The piano and her harp will be in this room.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

There are a lot of things I would like to do, but money will be tight because we have to buy furniture and such. Unless I find a way to integrate a matching Studio 20 center channel, I will likely be buying the Studio CC-690 center channel.

We watch very little TV. It is mostly standard-def movies and TV shows. I don’t have plans for blu-ray yet, but you never know. The S-1800 DVD player upscales to 1080p.

The house has been underway for the past 8 weeks, and they will be done mudding the sheetrock by the middle of next week, so I don’t have a lot of time.

Maybe the question isn't obvious enough.

I'm in the market for a projector. I was thinking 1080p, DLP if possible, and it must have lens shift. I've been looking at the Panasonic 2000U. It's not DLP, but it's a good price. I had been looking at Infocus and projectiondesign, but Infocus doesn't have a current model with lens shift, and the projection design projectors are quite expensive and the ones I'm looking at are 720p and are being discontinued.

A lot of folks like the Panasonic. It is often compared/judged against the Epson 1080UB. The Panny offers you the Vertical strech you'll need if you ever go with lens setup. With the Epson you'll need something to scale the picture I believe.

Maybe the question isn't obvious enough.

I'm in the market for a projector. I was thinking 1080p, DLP if possible, and it must have lens shift. I've been looking at the Panasonic 2000U. It's not DLP, but it's a good price. I had been looking at Infocus and projectiondesign, but Infocus doesn't have a current model with lens shift, and the projection design projectors are quite expensive and the ones I'm looking at are 720p and are being discontinued.

Your looking for DLP with lens ****?

I think the BenQ w9000 or something like that is one of the few, the proud, the dlp's with lens shift. :)

Your looking for DLP with lens ****?

Hopefully the lens is clear and unobstructed... :)


DLP is not a requirement; just preferred. I am, however leaning toward the Panasonic.

Dang, now that's an embarrassing typo...

:)


At least look at the BenQ as it seems to meet your original preference.


I use a panny AE1000U and I have no plans to change.

Well it all depends on budget. The RS2 is nice but more than the panny of course. Then there are the Sim2 machines.

You definitely want to add a paradigm studio center channel to that mix!

A very live room can be problematic for movie stuff.

What is the size of the screen? How much light control do you have?

Well it all depends on budget. The RS2 is nice but more than the panny of course. Then there are the Sim2 machines.

You definitely want to add a paradigm studio center channel to that mix!

A very live room can be problematic for movie stuff.

What is the size of the screen? How much light control do you have?

I looked at the JVC models, and they are a little too shy on light output for my application.

The room will be pretty live. Area rugs and furniture will pretty much be the only absorptive product used. The system will be used mostly for music anyway. Movies and TV will be about 40% of its use.

2:35:1 screen size has been at 138" diagonal for now. That gives me a 16x9 screen size of 110" which is right where it needs to be for viewing 14-15 feet away.

During the day, I anticipate being able to snuff out about 80% of ambient light.

Thanks for the replies! Keep them coming.

Yeah that is a big screen. The high output Sim2 machines will have the brightness you need, but they do cost a lot. I guess if you are leaning towards the Panny, the Sim2 would be out of your budget.

Quick update.

Yesterday we moved in a bunch of stuff, but we won't be able to live there until we get the final inspection.

The latest bit of research has me looking at the Panasonic PT-AE2000U with a 2:35:1 138" diagonal Vutec SilverStar screen. The SilverStar will help with ambient light and the relatively low calibrated lumen output of the projector at long zoom lengths. Does anybody agree with this approach? I will be using an upconverting DVD player as I'm not ready for Blu-Ray or anything yet.

Another quick update.

We are a day or so from being able to move in. I have taken some pictures to show the screen wall. Funny how close the real thing is to the render.

View from the kitchen looking toward screen wall.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2756591807_e729383f07.jpg

View from the seating position at 14' from the wall (both photos taken with a wide-angle lens).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2756591757_25b48a2c99.jpg

I decided to go with the Viewsonic pro8100 projector. It has motorized lens shift, lots of options for calibration, 1080p, 24p, and I can get it at cost+ employee discount (same with the SilverStar). I will be ordering next week.

Now I need to find a good TV cabinet to house the equipment, get the Paradigm Studio 20 for the center channel, some mounting hardware for the Paradigm surrounds and I should be good to go! :)

What color is the wall that the projector screen is going to be on? I like it a lot.

What kind of paint too?

Thanks.

Ralph Lauren Studio Grey (RL Number: UL15). I got it in a matte finish. It is from the Urban Loft collection. We used some other colors from that collection and they are great.

Thanks!

It looks GREAT. It looks from the picture as though it has green tones to it. Is this infact true in person as well?

The paint looks amazing. The white walls are 100% white and matte finish also, so the gray really stands out and the white is a great contrast. We used square corners in the house rather than rounded bullnose type, and the entrance to the hallway in the picture above looks really great with nice sharp edges. I like it.

Geez. Try getting a loan these days :confused:
That has put a lot of things on hold, but it should all go through by the end of the week.

I have reviewed and re-reviewed the system and here are some moderate changes I have come up with.

The projector is now:
-Panasonic PT-AE3000- now that is has motorized lens shift, it is now my top choice.

The screen will stay the same:
-Vutec SilverStar 2.35:1 138" diagonal

A/V cabinet will be:
-Ikea Tobo- black/brown

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2962672210_83f7d4fa1b.jpg

Surround speakers:
I now have a pair of older Paradigm ADP's- They match well with the Studio 20's.

Center channel:
It will be the Paradigm CC-590.

I sold my Harman Kardon, so the receiver will be:
- Yamaha RX-V863

I still have my 15" Velodyne, but now it has to fill about 8300 cubic feet. I'm contemplating selling it locally and getting something stonking. I don't have a budget for that yet.

I can't believe I thought I would do all this and NOT make the jump to Blu-Ray. I have since repented and I will buy a Blu-Ray machine. Happy? I'm thinking the Sony BDP-S350 will be fine. I have installed 5 within the last month or so.

Having a TV and not watching it is one thing. Not having a TV is another. My wife and I are going through withdrawals. 3 months with no reasonable way to watch a movie. We watched Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy on my 15" laptop hooked into the surround sound. What an underwhelming experience. We had to lay on the ground on pillows to be close enough to see anything. I'm getting tired of waiting. :(

Since I last posted I started a thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1078740) in the subwoofer forum. I asked about a subwoofer that would be capable enough to fill the ~8500 cubic foot room that is my movie watching/ music listening outpost (not quite a theater). I have received a bunch of good information. The best candidate so far is the Danley Sound Lab TH-50. Link to TH-50 spec sheet. (http://www.danleysoundlabs.com/pdf/TH%2050%20Spec%20Sheet.PDF)

I modified my Sketchup document to show the size of this beast.

Behold:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2983290964_9b06a58b18.jpg

Cute huh. Maybe I'll put a little plant on top to disguise it :D

I need to take some pictures to show the progress. We have been living in the house for about 4 months now. We have been trying to buy the house, and we have been waiting for the loan to clear for the past few months. I went and signed papers today, so that's done with.

I'm dying to watch a movie...

I am waiting for an extra vehicle of mine to sell before buying a sub, so no good news on that front.

In other news, the projector is here, the center channel, pj mount, 12m HDMI cord, and receiver have been ordered. The mount will be here Tuesday, the HDMI cord Wednesday and the Silverstar around the 19th or 20th. I haven't called about the center channel. The IKEA piece is being picked up by my in-laws who are traveling in that direction. The nearest IKEA store is about 5 hours away and they are going there anyway, so I am letting them get it for me.

A while ago I told my wife the tale(s) of many home theater builders on this forum: they all make the mistake of installing the projector before the theater is done. They say they will only watch one movie, but that one movie turns into ten, then the theater is never finished. She reminded me of that story. I DID need to verify my screen size and placement measurements, so it came out of the box for a couple hours. Long enough to take some pictures and see if the screensize(s) is what we want.

I didn't have an HDMI cord, so projected images are 480p over component. Remember, I was just testing image size; not quality.

Projector fresh out of the box:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/3021385738_67cfeb668a.jpg


Projector on lousy wood ladder :eek:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/3021386150_2ec97f31c7.jpg

Dark room with flash. My current camera is lousy in low light.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/3021385848_c2eb0a1390.jpg

First projected image!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/3021385790_0e8f14ec3b.jpg

Basically, this whole setup is to watch 2.35:1 movies- The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the motivation. The first movie I put in was 4:3 ratio and while the ~95" image was neat, it wasn't impressive. I put in a 16:9 movie and while the 110" image was better, it still didn't impress. I put in LOTR, and the rest is history:

Frodo, larger than life:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3021385934_386398e342_o.jpg

To give proper scale, here is the same picture with my blurry wife standing next to Frodo:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/3020554983_fdb683ca63_o.jpg

It was a great first in our family. :)

The projector was shining on a 50% grey wall and the colors and brightness were acceptable. I can't imagine how great it will look on a 138" Silverstar. I can barely wait.

I am aiming to have everything done for Thanksgiving when a bunch of family will be around. This is a fun hobby!

The 39' HDMI cord arrived today. the projector mount, equipment cabinet, Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-ray player, Lutron Maestro IR switches and possibly center channel should arrive tomorrow. The screen will show up next week about Wednesday or Thursday.

fanbrain,

just stopping in because you said you were lonely over on macrumors. Quick question, how far back is your projector sitting? I've read through the thread numerous times and do not think you mentioned that. Everything is looking great. I can't wait to get started on my theater, I just can't decide on anything.

I did mention it before, but it wasn't obvious.

View from the seating position at 14' from the wall (both photos taken with a wide-angle lens).


The seating position will be at 13 or 14 feet from the screen. The 16:9 screen size is 110" diagonal which, at 13 feet is just outside the THX spec for viewing angle. The couch slides easily on the wood floor, so I'll just move forward a foot for 16:9 movies :)

Thanks for dropping by.

I got the projector hung today, the IKEA TOBO equipment cabinet put together, center channel unboxed and installed, and everything cleaned up a bit.

The Yamaha RX-V863 (Yamaha threw in a free YDS-11SL iPod dock) comes in next week as well as the Silverstar and the Lutron switches.

Yesterday we broke down and watched a movie. I didn't have long enough component wires, so the pj sat on the coffee table. The picture was small, but compared to nothing, it was great. We watched Kung-Fu Panda. Great movie. I tried the different frame interpolation settings and found Mode 1 or off to be the best. Mode 2 made everything look way too smooth and surreal.

Temporary setup:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/3030447059_76143ffe0c.jpg

Mess from setting up TOBO:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/3030447785_7385cf1362.jpg

Paradigm CC-590:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/3030447965_6fc5b118e2.jpg

LCR's- no grills:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/3031315792_a3417e5908.jpg

Cleaned up a bit:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/3031286080_43ee69f92a.jpg

Projector hanging. I still need to run the HDMI and put a plate on the open low voltage box.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/3031286216_bc7a0245a4.jpg

I got the Yamaha receiver and the Lutron dimmers the other day.

The screen is almost here! I should have it in my possession in the next couple hours. I don't know how I'm going to get it home. I'll have the camera ready.

That was quick:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/3045734959_f88498ab5c.jpg

Photo was taken with a 14mm lens. Use door behind crate as a size reference.

Loved to see some finished pics of your room. Enjoyed reading your build process

I have a new camera due to show up tomorrow. I will post some completed pictures and impressions than. Thanks for your interest.

I like the wall colors too. Let's see the screen put up on the wall.:)

I think I am now over the sickness that has been going around here. Two weeks it took me to recover.

The camera I ordered came in so I was able to take some decent pictures of the setup.

You saw the crate before, here is a shot of me and my Dad getting the screen into the house from the garage:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/3066165525_15c9c442b2.jpg


Note how the support brackets had to be positioned on the wall. Not the best system.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/3066165621_c7caba8f68.jpg

It's not light either.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/3067006108_e956b3f219.jpg


Hanging on it's own:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/3066165839_69e8140569.jpg

Cleaned up a bit- all equipment installed and operational.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/3066997314_90c846a24c.jpg

Shot of whole room. Lutron IR dimmer is next to the door on the left side of this image. Note temporary blackout material hanging on door with screws.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/3066156739_8bebabe4b3.jpg

Top to bottom: Dual 1218 turntable. Samsung BD-P2550, Yamaha DVD-S1800 universal player, Yamaha RX-V863. Other side has an Apple TV, Yamaha YDS-11 iPod dock and a Mitsubishi VHS deck.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/3066997252_b823aec86c.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/3066997424_3efb2aa297.jpg

The Vision line from Vutec is their upsell brand. I didn't order a VisionX, but the sticker is on there anyway.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/3066157065_51d664d787.jpg

I haven't watched enough movies to have a good impression, but I like what I see so far. The projector seems more film-like than other LCD based projectors I have seen in the past. The image is sufficiently bright. I need to put the projector on a foot longer pipe to get the screen in line with the top of the screen. As it is right now, when I zoom from 16:9 to 2.35:1, the image moves down about three inches (I'm not talking about black bars either). I posted in the PT-AE3000 owner's thread and that's the solution I was given.

I did a simple calibration with my rat shack SPL meter. One of these days I will get the Sencore equipment over here from work and spend half a day adjusting the audio.

The screen is a little higher up than normal for a few various reasons. One, the equipment cabinet + center channel makes it so I can't put it any lower than 36" from the floor to the bottom part of the image. It is turning out to be fine though. When we watch movies, we recline, and it puts the screen just in the right spot. A positive side-effect I guess. I'm almost 6' and I can play the Wii without standing in the way of the image. Everything turned out great! I have VHS--> Blu Ray. Vinyl--> SACD.

Next on the list is to program the Harmony remote.

Quick update for the 1.5 people that care.

I am selling everything above. I am raising money so I can buy a business. My last day of normal employment is tomorrow. I am going to be doing mostly contract-based work and times are going to be rough. I'll have a lot of free time on my hands the next few months and I need money, so why not buy a business!

I advertised the whole kit locally, but I know I won't get any bites, so I'm going to part it all out. Luckily I have original boxes and packaging for everything. I still have the crate for the Silverstar too. My original one had a defect, so I got a replacement- it's less than a month old.

Anyway, I'm sad to see it go but there will always be more expensive things to buy when the time comes.

Wow, that's too bad. Nice set-up you have there. Maybe some fellow AVSers will bite. Good luck with the new business!

Good luck! Hang in there...

Hi, very nice setup!!! Is your Tobo TV stand black or brown? Not sure if the brownish hue was due to camera settings. Thanks.

Hi, very nice setup!!! Is your Tobo TV stand black or brown? Not sure if the brownish hue was due to camera settings. Thanks.

The Tobo stand is dark brown. It is also available in white. No black option.


I haven't updated this thread in a while...

I was laid off about 5 months ago and I have been selling my home theater stuff to help pay bills. My wife and I are trying to buy a business, and we are currently waiting for approval from the bank.

The LCR speakers are gone, the screen is gone, and the projector and receiver are listed in the classified section on this site. I'm sad to see it all go, but if this business deal works out, I will be able to replace it all reasonably soon. It stinks watching a movie on a 24" computer screen in stereo instead of a 138" screen and surround sound.