Alright, I've finally gotten into a new home with room for a theater. The room is fairly close to ideal for what I want, with the exception of ceiling height. Room length is 24', width is at 13'7". Height is 7'5". Wish I had built the home, would've sprung for the 9' basement ceilings, but no hope for that now. 2 small "egress" windows will be covered, so 100% light control.

Only need one row of seating, so seating distance is only limited to the room itself. If space allows I'll do a bar in the back for "party" type of viewing, which will happen very very rarely (if ever), so it's not really a priority. Will be used for movies most of the time, occasional sporting events (5% tops). NO gaming at all.

I have no WAF to worry about as my wife is apparently the one in a million who never complains about anything (and we just celebrated 11 years together, so no, it's not "coming soon" lol), and would never dream of questioning something like a theater which is a luxury we're lucky to be able to afford.

Sooooooooo the questions are:

A) What would be the optimal size screen giving seating distance and throw distance in this size room. I can physically fit 130" wide and still have plenty of room left on the sides, little over a foot per side. But don't want to be stupidly big so that it's uncomfortable to watch. I have NO desire to upgrade my screen size down the road so I want to go as big as I can without being too big (is that possible?)

B) Second question, given your choice of ideal screen size, what are some projectors to match up with it and the room dimensions. Want to do 1080p since I plan to add Blu Ray with it, and with the prices why not?

As far as seating position in a commercial theater, I tend to sit in the front row of the back section. The aisle you come into a theater that cuts the room in half where the wheelchair accessible seating is pretty much in that aisle, I usually sit in the row directly being those wheelchair seats. MAYBE 3 or 4 rows higher in a big theater.

Hope this is enough info just to get me going in the right direction. Anything I left out, let me know.

I'm definitely not experienced at screens and HT...I'm still trying to get the little pj and screen up and running at our rural church (we're gettin' there! :) ) but figured I'd throw this at you.

I know you've got a thousand and one things going on with the new home (congratulations, too!) so might I suggest you experiment a bit with your screen size and seating arrangement before locking things down to a definite size and distance. That way you can find out for sure what "fits" you and your wife. Maybe have a simple white painted wall to start with (maybe even just a white sheet)...move chairs back and forth for seating distance, etc.,.

It sounds like you'll be opting for a nice pj so it should be adjustable to your room dimensions. I don't know if you've tried this projector calculator but it's a pretty handy calculator to get you in the ballpark with screen sizes, throw distances, etc., you can select many brands and models of projectors to work with.... PJ Calculator at Projector Central (http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm) .

Anyhow, I just thought I'd throw this at you for food for thought til' one of the smart folks reply to your post. :)

Take care and best wishes with your ht,
Ed

Hi JeffHurt,

It would be helpful if you could say what your budget it, as this could help narrow down projector options.

Since you have low ceilings, an LCD with lens shift is probably the best option, as most of the lower priced DLP's have a throw offset that doesn't work with low ceilings.

There are many great projectors out there right now that would fit your needs. The Epson 1080UB is the generally the current favourite for contrast and placement flexibility. It has a good rebate and free lamp offer right now. I would, however, encourage you to spend some time reading up here on the forum. Virtually all the popular projectors have their own 'master' thread.

As far as screen size, if I were you I'd paint your screen wall white ( white primer like Kilz is good for this ), place your projector on a table between a couple of chairs, and experiment with what size screen and what seating distance you like. Don't rush it, try a lot of options and give it some good viewing time.

After you find out what you like, you can then make plans to mount the projector, put in the seating, and decide what size and type of screen you want.

Jonathan

As far as screen size, if I were you I'd paint your screen wall white ( white primer like Kilz is good for this ), place your projector on a table between a couple of chairs, and experiment with what size screen and what seating distance you like. Don't rush it, try a lot of options and give it some good viewing time.

That's not a bad idea. And yes, you can go too big on the screen. Then you will have limited the choice of projectors that can light it up properly. 106" wide is pretty big. You can always move your seating a little closer for more field of view.

Jeff, since you are doing primarily movies, have you considered going CIH (Constant Image Height)? Depending on how you feel about CIH that might help determine your screen size and projector selection.

Since you have a pretty long room, I would think you could pretty wide on your screen perhaps 10 or 11 feet with no problem if you were doing a 2.35/2.40:1 (scope) screen. If you are doing a 16:9 then you are probably more height limited.

But most importantly, if I was you, I'd spend the next couple of weeks reading through all the Dedicated Build threads (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=19) for ideas and advice from those that have been there before. :)

Good luck!

Hi JeffHurt,

It would be helpful if you could say what your budget it, as this could help narrow down projector options.

Since you have low ceilings, an LCD with lens shift is probably the best option, as most of the lower priced DLP's have a throw offset that doesn't work with low ceilings.




I'd like to stay around $2000 or so, but can go up to $3500 or so if the rewards are worth it. I don't mind paying for something better, but don't like the 50% more for 10% return.

Jeff, since you are doing primarily movies, have you considered going CIH (Constant Image Height)? Depending on how you feel about CIH that might help determine your screen size and projector selection.

Since you have a pretty long room, I would think you could pretty wide on your screen perhaps 10 or 11 feet with no problem if you were doing a 2.35/2.40:1 (scope) screen. If you are doing a 16:9 then you are probably more height limited.



I did a SMALL amount of research on that because I would prefer it, but the lens seemed to be entirely too much. Maybe I didn't dig deep enough, what is the average cost for the lens set up?

Any help on the CIH cost?

Jeff,

As far as screen size goes, I have a 120" screen in a theater that is only 13' wide and 16' long. My first row of seats is at about 10.5'. This is actually a very comfortable seating distance giving me a very immersive viewing experience. Any larger screen than this will drop the image too near the floor. I have similar ceiling height issues so I went with LCD as someone else suggested. Specifically the Panasonic AX200, 720p model.

CIH is on my radar but as you found out, it can be quite expensive when purchasing a quality lens. If you go this route you will also need a projector that can scale (stretch) the image properly or get an outboard processor to do the work.

Good luck with your new theater!

Stace