Hi all,

I'm currently contemplating reorganizing/renovating my media room to accommodate an HD projector. I haven't actually committed to anything yet, but I thought I'd toss out the ideas I'm playing with and see if anyone here has any advice/suggestions/etc. I don't want to make too big a project out of this. I'm thinking at minimum I'll repaint the "screen" wall and run some cables through the ceiling/basement. At most, I might repaint the other walls/ceiling and put in new carpeting.

Here is the area I have to work with:
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1838/91855045.jpg

The wall is about 13'4" long and 7'11" high. I figure I'll move the computer desk over along the right wall where the TV is currently and move the shelves/media racks to the left wall. Leaving a buffer of about 4' or so on the right and 1.5-2 feet on the left, that gives me around 7.5 feet of wall to use as my screen, so I'm looking at about a 100" diagonal picture at 16:9.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2420/k2b.jpg
The red rectangle shows where I'd like to mount the projector. This should put the projector lens a bit over 18 feet from the screen wall. This will also put the the lens about 2 feet to the left of the horizontal center of the screen area, so I'll need a projector that can compensate for this.

The narrow closet you can see along the right of the second picture should make a convenient location for all the entertainment center equipment (I'll probably just remove the closet door entirely).

As you can see in the first picture, there's a sliding glass door that leads to the back patio along the right wall. The blinds allow for limited control over light levels in the room during the day. Fortunately, in the afternoon when the sunlight is most direct, it's angled away from the screen wall.

I have the following equipment to hook up to the projector/receiver:
DVD Player (Video: Component, Audio: Optical)
Cable box (Video/Audio: HDMI)
VCR (Video/Audio: Composite)
PS3 (Video/Audio: HDMI)
Wii (Video: Component, Audio: Stereo RCA)
Computer (Video: DVI, Audio: Stereo RCA. Will likely upgrade to Optical 5.1 audio at some point)

I'm interested in any advice people have for a good projector and sound system for my setup.

For the projector, I'm looking for a 1920x1080 that's bright enough to show a good picture even in a partially lit room, can be adjusted to show a correctly proportioned picture when the projector is horizontally offset from the center of the display area, includes a DVI input (along with the usual HDMI, Component, S-Video, Composite), and falls in the $3-4,000 range.

For sound, I'm not terribly picky. I consider sound to be the least important aspect of my media experience, so I'm not looking to spend thousands of dollars on a system I won't really appreciate anyway. I'm looking for a functional, reliable 5.1 system that has enough inputs to accommodates all the equipment I want to hook up. Something like this: hxxp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120140 (sorry, I'm new so the system won't let me post a link)

If anyone has any other ideas or advice for this project I'd love to hear it.

Thanks.

-=The Jesster: Gatchaba Goose=-

I'd check the PJ thread for recommendations on units that can throw from 18ft as well as a 2ft horizontal shift. Any reason why you can't move the PJ to a center alignment or close to it? That soffit seems pretty accomidating.

Another option would be to use a retractable screen over the sliders, functioning as light control in the process. 12 ft is a good viewing distance for a 100" screen and would eliminate some of your PJ mounting problems....a simple on center ceiling mount would do. The only issue would be the cneter channel, which is easily overcome with setting the AVR to phantom center which many hi-end audio guys prefer. I've actually listened to such a system ans was astounded at the spacious quality of the dialogue.

Anyways, your furniture/room arrangement seems better served this way so that's why i offered the idea.

You seem to have some speakers already. Care to describe..you might be able to use these for HT as well.

I'd check the PJ thread for recommendations on units that can throw from 18ft as well as a 2ft horizontal shift. Any reason why you can't move the PJ to a center alignment or close to it? That soffit seems pretty accomidating.

I might be able to push it a bit more towards the center, but I'm pretty sure the ceiling light would get in the way if it was completely centered.


Another option would be to use a retractable screen over the sliders, functioning as light control in the process. 12 ft is a good viewing distance for a 100" screen and would eliminate some of your PJ mounting problems....a simple on center ceiling mount would do. The only issue would be the cneter channel, which is easily overcome with setting the AVR to phantom center which many hi-end audio guys prefer. I've actually listened to such a system ans was astounded at the spacious quality of the dialogue.

Anyways, your furniture/room arrangement seems better served this way so that's why i offered the idea.

Not a bad idea. I'll give it some consideration, however there are two issues I see with this setup. One is I like having the screen in a position where I can easily see it from the kitchen. The other is while I could possibly get around the center speaker issue in the way you suggest, I would still need a place to put my Wii sensor bar.

You seem to have some speakers already. Care to describe..you might be able to use these for HT as well.

These are the speakers I'm currently using:
hxxp://www.hotbuyselectronics.com/sony_ss_cr290_3_piece_completer_package_center_speakers_syst ems.htm

I bought them several years ago to replace the ones that came with my current surround sound system (which never worked very well). I currently don't have any rear channel speakers hooked up.

Thanks for the input,

-=The Jesster: Gatchaba Goose=-

The projector doesn't have to be tucked up right at the ceiling - you could simply put it on a shelf right at the top of the window into the kitchen.

If you need good vertical or horizontal lens shift then take a good look at LCD. We have a Panasonic and LOVE it - ours is shelf mounted and it works GREAT.

Shelf mounting is simple and easy and offers a lot of PJ placement flexibility compared to a static ceiling mount.

If it got down to a choice between perfect placement of a PJ and the dumb ceiling light fixture then - DUH!! toss the fixture - there are plenty of light alternatives - as in table lamps, floor lamps, wall lamps and etc. - but there is no alternative to the projector if you want to have a Theater experience instead of watching television.

Just do it!!!