Hi, Everyone!

I have been admiring this forum for a long time and finally decided that I should get myself an account and become part of this amazing A/V community!

So without delay.....my Home Theater!

BACKGROUND

I was recently married in October of 2008 and moved into our first place shortly before the wedding. Aside from a very spacious living area (living room, master bedroom, guest bedroom/office, kitchen, patio) there is a finished attic. More than perfect for my needs. Only problem is it has all wood paneling that can't be modified as per our lease. This has lead to a setup that isn't quite as "finished" as I would have liked, but given my restrictions, I think it works well. Plus, when the lights are out and the action is on screen, it doesn't matter so much. ;)

[PIC] Attic before it's upgrade.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2857494400_973c1f6be1.jpg

CONSTRUCTION
Unfortunately, I didn't plan ahead when I was building my setup and don't have any images of the construction of the screen. I do, however, have images of the testing of another component of my setup that I use quite heavily.....

[PIC] DIY Racing Seat
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/4069384864_a04172cd82.jpg

[PIC] Here is another picture with full side view.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/4068618909_f7e5e7e7bd.jpg

The design was based off of an Instructables entry, which I couldn't post yet :)

Obviously, since this is an apartment and I can't make any modifications to the existing structure of the room, my options for projector and screen mounting were very limited. Fortunately, the attic was equipped with a ceiling mounted beam that bisected the room perfectly. With a little creative thinking I was able to come up with a way to mount both the projector and screen without doing any permanent damage to the wooden paneled beam. Craftsman Bar Clamps!

[PIC] Projector mounted with bar clamps and door shims.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4060233562_431fa8d6b6.jpg

The only real "construction" was the screen. This is just a typical 16:9 projector screen measuring 65" W x 115" H, giving us a 132" image. A nice upgrade from my original 100" pull down screen purchased from Newegg. Basic design consists of 1"x3" studs wrapped in generic black fabric from Walmart. Screen material is simple black-out cloth from RoseBrand.com (I have the exact material in case anyone is interested). Total construction time was around three hours to cut the wood, fabric, and mount the screen to the frame. Taking the extra time to make sure the screen material is nice and taut is worth every second in the end. This took two other guys and myself to do properly and would highly recommend this method to anyone doing a DIY screen. The end result was exactly what I had hoped. Only problem is when I move, she will need to be destroyed to get down the stairs.... :eek:

[PIC] Finished Screen
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/4057645150_aa43785761.jpg

Again, you can see my need to improvise as the screen is not mounted to anything, but sits on the black milk crates and is securely connected at the wooden beam with the bar clamps. Trust me when I say that it is secure. There have been many times where I worried that they would come loose in the middle of the night and my pride and joy would be damaged. :)

[PIC] Another View with Projector Turned On
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/4057648282_361b82b893.jpg

Once all was completed, it was time to try out the racing seat and take this baby for a spin!

[PIC] Forza 2
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2699/4056912247_d5aa27105b.jpg

Forza 2 on the Xbox 360, full steering/pedal setup, fully adjustable seat, 132" screen.......Just an unbelievable experience.:)

At this point the only HD material I had to test was the sample HD videos provided on the hard drive of my XBox 360, which I believe was the sample from Titanic. This was all the encouragement I needed to pick up a PS3 and start working on my Bluray collection. (aside from the Gran Turismo series and the awesome Logitech steering wheels available to the PS3)

CURRENT SETUP

As of right now my current setup consists of the following:

AV RECEIVER: Sony STR-DG520 (will be upgraded soon to DTS-MA, TRUEHD compatible AVR)
SUBWOOFER: Sony SA-W2500
PROJECTOR: Mitsubishi HC1600
GAME CONSOLES: Nintendo Wii
Xbox 360 (20GB)
PS3 (60GB)
SPEAKERS: 5.0 Speakers from Sony MHC-M300AV (considering these are old speakers from a Sony Mini Hi-Fi system, they rock!)
MOVIES: Over 175 BD/DVD
MOVIE SERVER: AMD X2 3800+, Windows XP x64, 4GB PC3200 RAM, 4.5 TB HD Space, PlayStation Media Server

With the provided ability of the PS3 to stream Bluray (H264) video over ethernet and my current inability to process HD audio, I have 95% of my Bluray collection sitting on my hard disks so I don't need to risk damaging my Bluray masters. (Plus, I'm lazy and don't want to change disks when I'm showing off my system :))

Utilization time is split pretty much 50-50 between video games and movies. I love playing games on this thing as it really adds to the immersion factor. Racing games are absolute bliss. Movies.....without needing further explanation, my buddies and I are going to STOP going to the cinema and just wait for it to be released on Bluray.;)

Nothing beats coming home after a hard days work to your own private gaming and movie sanctuary:):):)

Check out the rest of the pics below.

[PIC] More Forza 2
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/4056911683_b68b6abc84.jpg

[PIC] Size Comparison
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/4056910485_514eedce56.jpg

[PIC] Messy Seating
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2787/4057646920_242669603a.jpg

[PIC] Messy Seating #2 with old 100" pulldown screen
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2670/4056906383_0827e5ddd2.jpg

[PIC] Stairs and hallway leading to theater during X-Mas. More Posters have been hung since.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/4056902821_48f9ae40cb.jpg

Basically this is pretty much all there is to my setup.

I look forward for everyone's comments and to contributing back to this great forum!

Stay tuned for updated pics!

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr79/hanesian/picnapoleondynamite1.jpg

First post! Welcome to the cesspool!

Flippin' sweet job of working within the constraints that a rental property imposes. The paneling and the couch reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite's house!

Great set up, although being from the pre-video game generation (you know, the folks who had to walk miles to school in the snow every day, uphill in both directions) I had no idea what that chair & steering wheel contraption was at first. I thought it might be some exercise bike, but couldn't see any wheels. :o But I digress.

Enjoy your setup, but don't forget to spend some time with your bride! :cool:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4060233562_431fa8d6b6.jpg

Welcome. Something about my history with grip tight bar clamps (with quick release) makes me hold my breath when I saw your projector held 7 feet above certain death by a pair of them.

Thanks hanesian! I appreciate the comparison to a great sleeper movie! :-)

Hey BigmouthinDC!

I forgot to mention that the beam actually has a "safety" of sorts for the bar clamps. It appears that when it was paneled, a nice 1/4" or so was left on either side of the downward facing panel attachment. I had the same feeling as you when I was originally thinking about using them, but tested it out thoroughly with a couple of dummy weights to make sure I wasn't going to hose my projector. Still working great after 1+ year of gravity.

Thanks for the concern. ;-)

interesting setup!

Cool racing seat MasterYoda,

I have a AK 100 Rocker seat (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/stores/sport-goods/ak-rocker-100-black.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com/AK-Designs-Rocker-Gaming-Chair/dp/B001AHAX3G&usg=__1XSg-MN_4UTgdx-CFevGdTwAxfg=&h=375&w=450&sz=17&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=ojaW3IkwZ2LbuM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dak%2Brocker%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1) which hasn't seen much use. Now I have another project to put on the list for a DIY racing seat. Thanks for the idea.

Thanks Oman321.

I eventually hope to build a new and improved version with some additional features.

It seems that projects never end.... ;-)

I really like the racing seat setup. As someone who loves racing games I have never found a suitable place to put one of those steering wheel controlers that feels right.

jtfotin - check out this thread for ideas...

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=87508

Is there anyway i could get the dimensions of your racing setup? Im thinking of building something like this for my son and want to get some measurements and whatnot

thanks

Nice work! Way to work around the limitations of a rental. Nice seat setup too. This has given me an idea for future gaming setup. As one of the other posters indicated DON'T forget to spend some time with you bride as well or your honeymoon WILL be over!

Regards,

RTROSE

Hi, Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies.

Here is the link for the racing seat

http://www.instructables.com/id/Cool%2c-simple%2c-durable%2c-affordable%2c-and-easy-to-bui/

Obviously I have made a few minor adjustments to the instructions.

For one, I removed the vertical bar directly beneath the steering wheel as I felt a bit cramped while playing.

The overall support of the steering platform does not suffer.

I have used both the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel and the Logitech Driving Force wheel on it without issue.