Hi, I am totally new to this home theatre stuff and didn't even know this phenom even existed up until a couple of months ago. I built a new house with a tv area pre-wired for a flat screen and surround sound. That was my plan until I was invited to a friend's place who recently built a home theatre. So, my plans have now changed...after the whole place is drywalled, wired etc.

My question is...I have a room that is 16ft by 30ft. Stairs come down splitting the room in half with a hallway to bedrooms, bath etc on the opposite side (across from stairs). Am I better off running my projector lengthwise to utilize the whole room or splitting the room in two and adding a wall to have a theatre room closed off that would be 16ftx15ft. This section is already pre-wired for tv and surround.

I am looking into a Sanyo plv-z3000 with a 112" or 106" screen.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Can you take some pics? Everyone around here loves pictures, it will better illustrate your question, and you will get more and better responses.

A floorplan and photos of the area will help someone determine the best placement for everything.

Also include what your goals are. Are you looking to have a family room that has a projector or are you looking to build a home theater where the family room once existed :).

Okay, I will look into learning how to post pics and floor plans etc. Hopefully I can get to it soon!

Thanks,

p

How to post pics, and some general build advice in the links in my sig:

http://i27.tinypic.com/ndm00i.jpg

Testing, 1, 2, 3...well I can't figure out how to size so I don't know if I will get into trouble for this...
Anyway, this pic is the what I will call the north wall where potentially a screen could possibly go if I went with a theatre lengthwise at 16x30ft with 9 ft ceiling. Pic #2 coming up...

http://i29.tinypic.com/2e35nif.jpg

Here is a pic of the south wall. This is another option where I would place a screen on the left wall which is 15ft wide by 9 ft high. I was thinking of putting a wall right across from the stairs to the hall and enclose that room entirely which would make it 16ft deep by 15 wide.

http://i27.tinypic.com/szvcis.jpg

Here is another pic of the south wall along with the east wall where a screen could go. Now you can see the stairs. I am thinking of putting a wall from the stairs right across to the hallway to close this room off to isolate the theatre room.

http://i32.tinypic.com/155jhfl.jpg

Here is a pic of the stairs from the hallway across the room.

http://i30.tinypic.com/27yyjbc.jpg

Here is a pic from the stairs to the hallway.

Again, sorry for the huge pics...it is almost midnight and I am too burnt out to figure this computer stuff out. I have never done this before.

In summary, my questions are...

Do I go full length at 16 by 30ft?
If I do that then the stairwell and hallway traffic might interfere with seating? The stairs and hall split the room in two.

Should I go with a closed off room at 15x16ft by building a wall? This would make the room a little easier to manipulate and possibly save money by outfitting a smaller room rather than a big one?
Would I be too close to the screen if I went with a 112" diagonal with a Sanyo PLV-Z3000.

I do kinda want to save money here and there. I am in debt big time by building this house. I know absolutely nothing about home theatre systems. I just discovered this stuff and have been trying to read a little bit on this forum which I just joined last night to learn more about it.

I am torn between full length and leaving it open concept vs. sectioning off a room. The other half would be basically a nothing room...maybe keep my guitars and amps etc. as a music section. I also thought about building a stage on the north wall (full length) and doubling it up for the theatre screen, rock concerts and krazy kareoke parties. Then I would need two rows of seats, more money, etc....

I am really torn so any advice would help alot.

I hope i got the floor plan right :).

Since the ceiling is so high i was thinking a riser right down the middle would work. You would walk right in to the room on the riser and you can go right to the theater or left to the lounge or straight on thru to the other side of the room.

Rather than split the room with a wall i was thinking a counter with bar stools would give you the ability to seat 4 more people or offer you a place where you can enjoy dinner while watching a movie.

The lounge could house your drinks and goodies and maybe a pool table or a card table or both :).

If you wanted to add another row of seating then you could bump the lounge back more, make the top riser higher and put in a row of seating under the projector.

Disclaimer: My drawing is barely to scale :) Not sure if these grand plans will actually fit. I was thinking the rack could be tucked into that area to the right of the stairs (when coming down) and faced/trimmed into the room somehow.

FYI.. i chose the layout based on the windows. Doesn't make sense to cover them with the screen.

http://www.wiremunky.com/image/screenshots/risers.png

Wow! I never thought of that design at all with a counter and bar stools to eat dinner while watching a movie, that is pretty cool!

A friend of mine (who introduced me to his home theatre...which I am now thinking it wasn't a good thing because.......I know I waaaaant it!) told me I can't have seating too close to the screen because of eye fatigue and that further back is better.

I am also thinking of a stage for my guitars where the screen is going and a place for people to make fools of themselves singing kareoke.

The floor plan is right on the money. I have no idea how you did that and you have NO idea how much I appreciate this input!

You solved the problem of the traffic area from the stairs to the hallway beautifully.

Now to answer the question about optimal seating distance with a 112" diagonal screen...

Thanks for taking the time 39!!! That is too awesome!!

Of course any more mods would be appreciated from anyone!

Man, great drawing! You're a 42cent stamp at least :)

I was thinking the same thing, screen up front, bar in the back, entry in the middle. Your drawing certainly took it to the next level though.

Build a stage up front for the people who want to sing & dance. It's good you thought of that because it WILL happen :)

Cary

On viewing distance -

Where do you like to sit in the commercial theater? Up front? In the back? That speaks to how big is too big. I would buy the PJ and (build? look at DIY options) screen last, in that order. After you get the PJ you can make final choices on what you might want. Here is a calculator that kicks around from time to time. Bear in mind, it doesn't have settings for 2.35 (cinemascope) aspect ratios, which are becoming more common in builds.

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

Also, that is an interesting design 39stamp.

Here is another idea for you, based on your thought of sealing off the room. It's a page stolen right from Theo Kalomirakis. Within the area create hall/aisle that will act as a small gallery and change the dimensions of the room so that it won't be quite so square and will help with acoustics.

To decorate up the galley you can hang artwork or framed movie posters

Floor plan

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/bone_pa/roomidea.jpg

One of Theo's designs with a galley aisle...a little ornate but you get the idea

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/bone_pa/9262008133937.jpg

You could even create a nice marquee entrance like this...

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/bone_pa/Kelly2023617.jpg

and if you wanted, depending on your ceiling height, you could build the step up at the entrance way. That way when you walk into the galley and theater, you are at riser level already and you would step down into a "sunken" area for the first row seating.

Hope some of these ideas help

Bone, another awesome idea! What do I choose? Option#2 would be cheaper since the focus would only be on a smaller room. The rack could go possibly on the other side because I have a 5' something crawl space there and the equipment and wires can hide inside.

I like the bar idea, but never was a pool player. I won't get a pool table because I can't justify the cost. My wife wants a computer desk instead...how boring is that!

I did the distance calculator and with a 112" diagonal screen and maximum seating distance away is 14.6 ft. Is there such thing as being too close? I don't mind where I sit in a theatre...I usually sit halfway up at the isle just because...no reasoning behind it. I have sat at the main level right in front with no issues so I guess it doesn't make any difference to me. I would like to know what would the average minimum distance would be so I know what I am up against.

Sorry for the questions...looks like I have weeks if not months of research and learning to do.

I know you said 106" or 112" screen, but what aspect ratio were you wanting...16:9 or cinemascope?

My recommendation would be to tape off the screen area and place a folding chair at various distances and see if it feels too close.

To give you an idea of size my room is 10' 5" x 20' 7" and my screen is 106" 16:9 ratio. My screen to first row seating distance is approximately 11' 8" and I don't find this too close at all. I too like to sit about half to two-thirds of the way back in an commercial theater.

Here's a pic of the screen wall...the screen is just larger than the opening by about 1.5 inches on each side.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/bone_pa/067.jpg

Hope this helps some

A 112" inch diagonal with 16:9. I don't know what cinemascope is. I will look it up or wait for a response if anyone wants to answer it.

Can I go with even a larger screen? The size was given to me when I spoke to a projector dealer so no idea if I can go larger or what. Considering the Sanyo z3000.

Cinemascope refers to the 2.35 to 2.4:1 aspect ratio, as opposed to 1.78:1(16:9) ratio. Many of the big blockbuster movies are filmed in the cinemascope aspect ratio. Thats why you will get the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen when watching on 16:9.

If you go with CHI(constant height image) aka cinemascope, if you watch 16:9 material i.e. satellite, Disney movies,etc., you will have unused screen area on the sides that would need to be masked.

In the end its all a matter of preference and what you plan to watch....

I just plan to rent movies from Blockbuster and watch my F1 races and regular channels when need be. Cinemascope sounds like the way to go so I can watch anything. Do I need a special projector for that?

There are a couple of ways to achieve Cinemascope.

The first is to have a projector that has an onboard processor capable of stretching the image verticallyto fill the entire screen (so that everything on the image looks like Kate Moss...tall and skinny):D
The same thing can also be achieved with an external scaler. Then you will need to have what is called an anmorphic lens which takes that vertically stretched image and stretches it horizonatally, thereby filling the screen and returning the image to its normal appearance.

The beauty of a Cinemascope setup is that by doing all this, 100% of the pixels are used. When watching a 2.35:1 aspect ratio blockbuster on a 16:9 setup, those black bars that you see at the top and bottom of the screen represent unused pixels(approx. 20%).

Of, course all this also comes at a price....anamorphic lenses aren't cheap. Better invest in planting one of those money trees with this hobby.:rolleyes:

The other option, which many do, is kind of the poor man's version of Cinemascope. That is to use a projector that has the capability of a lens position memory. Then at the touch of a button your projector will fill the screen or cone down to a 16:9 depending on what you are watching. With this method though, you are still losing those 20% of pixels.

I believe the projector that many on here use for this is the Panasonic AE 3000U because it has this feature. Panasonic has a history of producing high quality projectors at a reasonable price...with reasonable being a relative term in this hobby:rolleyes:

I myself am going with the 16:9 ratio for theater version 1.0 The black bars really don't bother me all that much. Maybe when I am ready to upgrade homes or projectors I will revisit the CHI debate, but right now I have a projector that will do well for me for the next several years.

Hope this helps....

P.S. Check out projectorcental.com...they do lots of reviews of projectors and they have a distance calculator that may help you out some.

Okay then, cinemascope is out of the question. First I have no clue when it comes to to anmorphic lenses etc (never heard of it). So, black bars won't bug me, I have watched it on tv for years so that shouldn't change. All I want is a decent projector like the z3000, a nice big screen, and a run of the mill sound system that sounds good. Advice given to me is to focus on the room and upgrade electronics when need be. Room is harder to upgrade.

I originally thought all I had to do was install a projector, paint the wall white, and hang a couple of speakers here and there. I guess I was a little offside!!

Okay then, cinemascope is out of the question.

Before you write scope off completely ... Panasonic AE 3000 & the new 4000 have a built in zoom for scope movies ( read: no lens required ) ... they are 1080P Hi def for ~ $2500 depending on where you buy it

If you were already planning on spending that much on a projector then that may be a option

Getting the room right the first time around is great advice...its a lot harder to fix the room later, and a lot more expensive.

Read, read,read...and ask lots of questions. People here are pretty helpful, and you can always PM me if you'd like. There's much that I don't know but I will try to help out if I can.

There are a lot of things that you can do that will help mitigate costs too. DIY is a great start, and the skills you learn are things that can transfer over to the rest of your home for other projects.

You can make a lot of your stuff...a great DIY screen with a black velvet frame can be had for as little as $80-100 using black out fabric from a local fabric store...and an acoustically transparent screen(that you can put your speakers directly behind)can be had for less than $350-400.

You can make all your acoustic panels and treatments, and there are cheap ways to figure out placement for those items.

I have purchased a lot of the materials that I will be using to finish my room...ie chairs, trim, etc. from close outs, sales, and Habitat Restore/salvage stores. Locally a lot of the builders, cabinet companies, and even big blue and orange will donate items there as a tax write-off. The trick I've found is checking there a couple times a week, and carrying a list of measurements of how much linear footage you may need of certain items so that when you come across something you will know if there is enough of it.

Also, don't completely rule out the Panny 3000 as an option...check out the ratings for it and the Sanyo at projectorcentral.com The street prices between the two are only about $200 difference. Also, don't be afraid to purchase your projector online...you will often find better deals because they don't have the overhead that brick and mortars do.

Decisions decisions...Pan AE3000 or Sanyo 3000. I did all kinds of reading and it seems the Panny has the edge. BUT, I can get the Sanyo for about 400+ cheaper (US) and then add the $200 rebate (if I can be eligible living in Canada). I am going to ask a friend in Michigan to see if he order for me. I just don't want to be thinking after the fact that I coulda shoulda woulda....

Forget projector choices. Buy it LAST. They always get cheaper and better.

10-4! I just felt the pressure because of a $200 rebate from Sanyo ends Sept 30th. I won't worry about it now then. Pressure off!

Dazed and confused is all I can say...I was set on going lenghtwise and had my floor plan modified a bit to move things back. That would mean my second row may be too far back. All of sudden, splitting and separating the room has again crossed my mind.

It would be a little cheaper and easier to work on a room with smaller dimensions. I wouldn't need a real killer sound system with the room being smaller. I could get the room done faster too.

With the dimensions being 15ft wide (screen wall) by 16ft deep, would this be considered too small? Can you fit two rows in 16ft with reclining chairs?

I also have in-floor heating so I don't know if covering my heated cement floor with stages and large area risers (if I went lenghtwise) would be wise. Not sure if that has any negative effect.

I know I sound like I am trying to talk myself into a smaller room, but someone told me I would regret it. I wish I would have thought about a home theatre before building two bedrooms, sauna and bathroom in my basement. I would have done things a little different. My stairs and hallway in the basement cuts right into things.

Still needing help to make up my mind....

Peter...

16 feet may be a little tight if you are planning to go for 2 rows of reclining seating. I will give you what I came up with, then you can decide what's right for you....

Went to the berkline website and used the information on their chairs. Assuming that you use the 088 model, which is the smaller version of their seats, the overall depth of the seat is 37.5inches. Now, you don't want the chair right up against the wall, so lets say you bump out the seat to 42inches from back wall. Now, give enough aisle/extension for the recline mechanism...say 30inches. That gives you a riser of at least 72" depth. Add 4inches between the riser and back of the 1st row seating. Seating is again 37.5inches to front of seat, so let's say viewing position of head(measured from back of seat to front) is about 16inches.

That gives 72"(riser) + 4"(space between riser&first row) + 16"(to head position)= 7 feet 8 inches. Now subtract that from the room length of 16 feet gives approx. viewing distance from a screen mounted on the wall to the first row of 8 feet 4 inches.

Maybe some others can chime in on their thoughts, but I think 100" would be a nice sized screen for this arrangement, though you could maybe go 106" max. I wouldn't go larger than that though if you are gonna go with 2 rows of recliners.

Just my 2 cents...

I guess I could cut it back to one single row with more chairs. Riser or no riser... I could/should still put the seating on a riser so if need be somone has to pull up a chair because there are no seats left?

Also, with a single row I would have more room for a stage.
I am leaning toward the Panasonic AE3000 with a 120" diagonal screen (105 wide).

Single row with a bar :cool:

Laying out a theater design is quite complicated. It really all depends on what's important to you...aesthetics, acoustics, large screen, etc. If you are aiming for aesthetics and/or a large screen, just about anything goes. However, if acoustics is important to you, that's a different ball game altogether.

I would agree with Scruffy. You could pace a bar area in 4.5-5ft of space at the back of the room and then put in 4 theater chairs...you could then have a 10-11 foot viewing distance. Although for a 120" screen that still might be a little close...

The other option would be to do something like a nice small sofa with a chaise on one end and have a couple of these for putting up the feet or additional seating if you have several people over.....

http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/seating/jumpseat.jsp

The other option would be to do something like a nice small sofa with a chaise on one end and have a couple of these for putting up the feet or additional seating if you have several people over.....

http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/seating/jumpseat.jsp

Cheaper version of the salamander is sometimes available at costco. Some sightings this past summer:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=768144

Forget about it, I had a weak moment. I am going to stay the course and go lengthwise. Still trying to tweek my updated floor plan.

More questions.....

I am planning on going with a drop ceiling because I have in-floor heating in my floor joists and need access if something was to ever go wrong. People here seem to hate drop ceiling...what seems to be the negatives? I am currently insulating all my floor joists to stop any heat from escaping downward.

I am also thinking about installing soffits. I have no pipes or ductwork to hide so soffits will be just for lighting purposes and to make things look a little nicer. Is there a minimum depth of soffit I should consider? What dimensions should I go that would look nice? ie. 8" deep x 12" sticking out from the wall?

A computer in the room could be a good thing. Digital jukebox.

Drop ceilings offer zero sound isolation, especially for bass.

I am planning on going with a drop ceiling because I have in-floor heating in my floor joists and need access if something was to ever go wrong. People here seem to hate drop ceiling...what seems to be the negatives? I am currently insulating all my floor joists to stop any heat from escaping downward.

Most around here dislike drop ceilings because they do not offer good acoustic sound isolation. Even plain "acoustic" ceiling tiles are geared more toward the frequencies of the human voice and do nothing to prevent transfer of low frequency sound. There are some pretty good ceiling tiles out there, one of which is manufactured by Auralex(?) that are going to do a better job than those you would pick up at the big box stores. But, at $50-60
bucks per tile I don't think they are worth it. Even though they do a better job than standard acoustic tiles, they are still not going to provide the mass of drywall or the viscoelastic properties of Green Glue.

All of that being said, I too ended up going with a drop ceiling for many of the same reasons that you did. First, I needed to have access to plumbing and electrical lines that run in the joists of that room for a remodel of a bathroom later on down the road. Second, in this particular house isolation is not as important to me. Had I built a house, as I had planned before the market crashed, or if I lived in a higher end neighborhood where sound escaping would be an issue, I would have done it. But for now, even though it is not ideal, this works for me...

I am also thinking about installing soffits. I have no pipes or ductwork to hide so soffits will be just for lighting purposes and to make things look a little nicer. Is there a minimum depth of soffit I should consider? What dimensions should I go that would look nice? ie. 8" deep x 12" sticking out from the wall?

I think the depth of the soffit will have a lot to do with whether you are planning to install columns. You will want the soffits to at least come out to over the top of them, if not overhang them a little. If columns arent in your plan, then I would just go with what looks good.

I installed soffits in my build purely as a decorative feature. Since my room is pretty narrow at 10.5 feet, I didn't want these large soffits that would make the room look even smaller, so I went with a narrower,slimmer soffit. The overall finished dimensions were 6 inches in depth and 4.5 inches in height.
I simply built rough wooden boxes with 2 sides and spacers between them that were glued and stapled. The rough dimensions were 5.5in x 4in. I used 3/4in ply on the side that I anchored to the wall and 1/2in for the spacers and front face.

I then covered the bottom with 1/4in MDF and front face with 3/8in MDF. I filled the seam lines, sanded, primed and painted. Then I attached my trim pieces.

My column boxes were 2.75in in depth. Once the trim was attached, it added another inch to the depth of the column. That left an overhang on the soffit of 2.25in.

Here's a couple of pics...

This one shows the rough soffit boxes up on the wall and the drop ceiling that I did. The tiles have a black fabric scrim that covers them. It really gives a clean, finished appearance.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/bone_pa/theaterimages027.jpg

This second image shows some of the finished soffit and the column work to give you an idea of the appearance.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo217/bone_pa/003-Copy3.jpg