My next mission is to see if the MX 950 can start a macro for lighting scenes and such, I know it runs all the equiptment by itself.

Yes it can in cooperation with the USB-UIRT.

Joe

Hey Mark, learn Flash and your all set. You will be able to blow the Vista graphics out the water **laughs about I'm a Mac and I'm a PC Vista commercial**

You did some pretty damn impressive scenes on Cinemar. If you learn Flash, watch out world.

Anway, welcome back.

Ruben

Cool.

But can we at least get an updated pic of the room? Surely it looks different now that when we last saw it.

Thanks.

Hey Mark, learn Flash and your all set. You will be able to blow the Vista graphics out the water **laughs about I'm a Mac and I'm a PC Vista commercial**

You did some pretty damn impressive scenes on Cinemar. If you learn Flash, watch out world.

Anway, welcome back.

RubenThe graphics can be done, well....... sort of, I dont think any of them can handle the type of graphics Im seeing on my newest Vista PC.

Its the static, non moving, just a bunch of buttons sitting there that bothers me. Vista, and the latest gaming consoles are examples of what or how I want my automation screens. Heck, smooth GUIs have been around on websites for a long time now but the automation folks tell me that people dont want nice flowing graphical interfaces, they want static screens because they are 1/1000th of a millisecond faster than say the Vista "rolodex" style of stacking menues.

Its kind of funny but the developers of automation software seem to know what the customers want by listening to their installers who dont want to take the time or are limited by the softwares capability in making interfaces that appear to be pictures of buttons. I truly get the fact that they need to keep up with making plugins work for projector A or Projector B but hopefully one of the companies will hire someone to concentrate on the " flow" of the interfaces kind of like Media Center and Meedio were doing 2+ years ago.

Not sure why Im explaining this to you, you and I have never, ever seen a decent GUI we wanted because we've disscussed this. When I found out a good working knowledge of Flash doesnt garantee successful adaptation in Cinemar I sort of gave up on caring to proceed with DIY and proceed towards finding things that look/act a little more modern*ish* for the amounts of money thats being spent on turning light switches and turning up volume. Strangely enough, every type of automation system I have demoed including the big boys seem to be excited enough with plain ole buttons on dim looking touchscreens which I guess the masses like. I hide stuff like that because it looks outdated to me.

You get a 1080P PJ yet? I didnt think it was going to be a big deal but its pretty amazing. Not sure which ones can handle a 15' screen but Im going to wait a couple years and jump. Like Joe said, its so 3D. Ive been hearing comments like " its almost too incredible" on the 52"er I picked up. I sure hope this HD DVD and Blue Ray sticks around.

Im getting a Reef tank, got any good deals? I can get a 175 gallon complete for $2500 including 3 metal Halides with 6 actinics and complete 6' long multi-boxed bio filter and a cheesy wood stand. He wont sell it without the stand unfortunately.

Cool.

But can we at least get an updated pic of the room? Surely it looks different now that when we last saw it.

Thanks.Nope....... same ole, same ole. Everthing thats been done is not great for pictures, the equiptment room looks different but an embarresment compared to most around these forums

Ruben's talking about a 1080p but I don't think he has bit the bullet just yet. I think he's been spending time on BocaPimp's theater.

If you want to see some really cool flash sites check out some of the sites at this address. Some of it will blow you away. I am assuming that we can put any flash content we want on top of Cinemar and then create hot clickable areas in the flash or the invisible Cinemar layer on top of flash.

http://www.greg.ch/flash/

Joe

Ruben's talking about a 1080p but I don't think he has bit the bullet just yet. I think he's been spending time on BocaPimp's theater.

If you want to see some really cool flash sites check out some of the sites at this address. Some of it will blow you away. I am assuming that we can put any flash content we want on top of Cinemar and then create hot clickable areas in the flash or the invisible Cinemar layer on top of flash.

http://www.greg.ch/flash/

Joe

WOW, that blew me away! WOW! If someone could incorporate flash like that in Cinemar, I think the world might change. If we all chip in some $, we could probably get a GUI that we will be estatic about.


Ruben

Harden and Thew,
unfortunately I have been really busy creating other disasters to pay the bills and the theater performs so well as it is, it may take me years to get enough interest to complete it. Im going to see 300 tonight, maybe that will be neat enough to push me towards wanting to finish a theater, once again, like last year, automation burned me out to the point of not even caring. Its pretty nice as is, If I would install the DBox, that would be a huge motivating factor since that may be the most exciting aspect of watching movies these days.

So how was 300?

Ruben

GO BIG RED! Born and raised in York, NE! I'm Ohio State alumni though, so I get to root for the 2 best teams in the nation every Saturday! Thank god UNL and OSU don't play each other, or my head might just explode.

On topic though, I am very impressed with your build and attention to detail. Keep the updates coming!Not sure how I missed the post but..........
Goooooooooooo..........
Biiiiiggg
RED

GO BIG RED

Thanks for the PM about the automation alternative, Ill check into when I get a few minutes. Im kinda into my Reef Tank right now, I bought some guys setup that got all the stuff including several hundred pounds of live rock and several hundred pounds of live sand but soon found these things are expensive and time consuming. I got an incredible deal I couldnt pass up. 5K in stuff for $1500 so I went out the last two days and went coral shopping with the savings. I forgot how fun and amazing these things are

Not sure how I missed the post but..........
Goooooooooooo..........
Biiiiiggg
RED

GO BIG RED

Thanks for the PM about the automation alternative, Ill check into when I get a few minutes. Im kinda into my Reef Tank right now, I bought some guys setup that got all the stuff including several hundred pounds of live rock and several hundred pounds of live sand but soon found these things are expensive and time consuming. I got an incredible deal I couldnt pass up. 5K in stuff for $1500 so I went out the last two days and went coral shopping with the savings. I forgot how fun and amazing these things are

I am curious about the automation alternative AND pictures of the reef setup. Maybe you can set up a reef cam so we can all see it live?

Joe

I am curious about the automation alternative AND pictures of the reef setup. Maybe you can set up a reef cam so we can all see it live?

Joehttp://www.exceptionalinnovation.com/

I can probably snap some pics but only after I take my daughter to the doctor which happens to be within 5 miles of the reef store. Not much in there yet since its only 2 days old here. I also like to buy fairl small stuff and watch it grow

http://www.exceptionalinnovation.com/

I can probably snap some pics but only after I take my daughter to the doctor which happens to be within 5 miles of the reef store. Not much in there yet since its only 2 days old here. I also like to buy fairl small stuff and watch it grow

Make sure you have a chiller, heater, skimmer, UV, carbon filter, and paper filter hooked up to your sump. Make sure your pumps are moving 10x the water per hour. So if you have a 500 gallon tank and sump combined, you want t have 5000 gallons an hour moving cycling through your tank.

Don't load the tank fast with corals, take it slow, overstocking the tank with corals right away can kill them all.

There is just to much more stuff to type on this air panel.

Ruben

Oooh, I want one too!! And no, not an airpanel.

Joe

MMake sure your pumps are moving 10x the water per hour. So if you have a 500 gallon tank and sump combined, you want t have 5000 gallons an hour moving cycling through your tank

Wow! I know nothing about aquariums, but you're talking about a serious pump, here. An 83 gpm pump will probably run $3K or so and I can't imagine that it would be quiet enough for home use.

Make sure you have a chiller, heater, skimmer, UV, carbon filter, and paper filter hooked up to your sump. Make sure your pumps are moving 10x the water per hour. So if you have a 500 gallon tank and sump combined, you want t have 5000 gallons an hour moving cycling through your tank.

Don't load the tank fast with corals, take it slow, overstocking the tank with corals right away can kill them all.

There is just to much more stuff to type on this air panel.

RubenActually things have changed drastically since I had my massive acrylic tank and some of the old concepts have changed ( to my suprise as well). Nowadays the filtering is all done with refurbium and massive protein skimmer. No chiller needed as of yet, I ran 3 18000K Metal Halides and 2 - 6' Actinics for 12 hours and it raised the tank 1 degree, The LED moon simulation or Lunar Lighting is SPECTACULAR. You can add hundreds of corals ( soft) at once, its fish and stoney corals you have to introduce slow. For fish I only have a Sailfin Tang, Coral Beauty, Clown, small school of cronies a Goby and Blenny. Lots of crabs and snails, 2 large cleaner shrimp, 2 large Fire shrimp and I may put in 1 or 2 more fish later. I have 35 fist sized Corals as of now and remember this tank has been elsewhere for 8 months with perfection in 12 different water tests ranging from Calcium and phosphates and all the nesessary others. As long as your water tests fine and you slam everything with enough light, youre fine. Heres pics of half the tank, Im working on the shipwreck side of the tank so its pretty boring until the coraline takes the 36" long shipwreck


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/GoBigRed/reef1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/GoBigRed/reef2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/GoBigRed/reef3.jpg

I need to figure out this tank photography, its hard with glare and lighting but Ill practice

are you dosing the 2 part Bionic solutions for calcium or using a calcium reactor? I use to have mine all automated with dosers on timers and 5 gallon buckets that lasted a few months. I also have a octous monitoring system that monitors the water conditions of the tank.

Ruben

are you dosing the 2 part Bionic solutions for calcium or using a calcium reactor? I use to have mine all automated with dosers on timers and 5 gallon buckets that lasted a few months. I also have a octous monitoring system that monitors the water conditions of the tank.

RubenFor now Im good on calcium but bought some 2 part until I figure out if I need a reactor, Im not into the having gas bottles in the house and may just do the ole Kalkwasser ( sp) drip Like I used to in the old days. as of now all phosphate and calcium is optimum but I have the 2 part here incase I have a drop. Im using a phosphate sock in the return sump to keep that under control. I figure it will be automated fully at some point but half the fun of these is playing God and getting your hands dirty. I expect that will get old in a month or so. I do know this will get alot more viewing time than what Hollywood is offering up these days.

Oh and I forgot to answer about 300 ( the movie) It was pretty good popcorn, lots of style points and some good portrayal of Frank Millers style but alteady knowing the plot there wasnt much to think about and the acting was OK. Not a fan of fake film grain, I find it distracting so that aspect was a downer. The Oracle scene was pretty incredible as was the slo-mo carnage in the second wave of the battle. Ending was a little week and could have been done slightly better

Wow! I know nothing about aquariums, but you're talking about a serious pump, here. An 83 gpm pump will probably run $3K or so and I can't imagine that it would be quiet enough for home use.A 500 gallon tank is pretty massive, some agree and disagree on volume of movement ( amount of return flow) and the effectiveness of skimmers and such if you move too much. The refurbium ( sp) I have only passes about 40 gallons an hour and the skimmer is around 1500 gph and my coral is moving around pretty good with this alone. I have wave simulation going on as well which moves about 500 gallons an hour in bursts from different areas of the tank.

My old system wasnt this noisey, but its not in its final resting place yet. I just had to jump on the deal I got to save alot of cash

Wow! I know nothing about aquariums, but you're talking about a serious pump, here. An 83 gpm pump will probably run $3K or so and I can't imagine that it would be quiet enough for home use.

5000 - 7000 gallon per hour pumps are about $400 - $500
I use to use Dolphin and Iwaki brand pumps for the quietness and high efficiency.

I had a 750 gallon reef and had 8 pumps on it. I didn't do Kalkwasser due to the cancer/health causing issues I always heard about it from the airborne dust of it.

Ruben

I didn't do Kalkwasser due to the cancer/health causing issues I always heard about it from the airborne dust of it.

RubenFrom one of my all time favorite movies

" We all gotta die sometime Red" .......the look on Reds face, priceless.

The year they came out and said the black goodies on barbecue grilles, the stuff that leaves the black lines on grilled Steaks, Salmon, Halibut and gives it flavor was the worst cancer causing thing around the household was the year I stopped caring about the 5,876,682,213.5 different things that cause cancer. Sure Calcium Hydroxide causes cancer, my Grandma didnt know that and has pickled just about everything going on 85 years now. Kalkwasser is pickling lime, just 3 times the cost when they throw a picture of a fish on it.

The reactors look appealing until I consider the quality of the coraline I have seen in most reactor tanks, sure its purple, but it just doesnt seem to have the "pop" that a Kalk Doser Drip has with its Blue, green, orange, pink, purples, bright yellow etc. coloring. The reactors are also thowing in several more items that can fail adding more things to check daily to make sure its working. Kinda like automation, if you had to rely on 5k worth of reef living or dying based on automation software ( I wont mention any particular brands) turning something on or off ..........or using your hand, Ill take the hand.

Im also running out of power and thats one of the main issues ;) .

The year they came out and said the black goodies on barbecue grilles, the stuff that leaves the black lines on grilled Steaks, Salmon, Halibut and gives it flavor was the worst cancer causing thing around the household was the year I stopped caring about the 5,876,682,213.5 different things that cause cancer. .

A man's right to grill should be in the constitution. Right next to the right to bear arms. My father taught me you should only shoot what you want to eat. Damn I hated that squirrel meat. But the pheasant in mushroom sauce was to die for.

But the pheasant in mushroom sauce was to die for.


Well at least I hope it was dead. :eek:

A man's right to grill should be in the constitution. Right next to the right to bear arms. My father taught me you should only shoot what you want to eat. Damn I hated that squirrel meat. But the pheasant in mushroom sauce was to die for.

Speaking of the right to bear arms, Florida is the complete opposite of NY. Out here you can legally drive around with a fully loaded pistol you bought off the street as long as its in a gun bag on your seat or in the glove compartment.

The ranges we go to out here rent almost anything you can imagine for $30. I've rented a fully automatic Colt AR-15, HK MP-5 and Uzi. I like the mp-5 best, very little recoil with good control. The thing is with fully automatics, you spend about 3 minutes loading your mag for 5 - 10 seconds of firing. Yesterday I rented the Dirty Harry Smith & Wesson 357 magnum it was a bit much ;)

Ruben

The ranges we go to out here rent almost anything you can imagine for $30. I've rented a fully automatic Colt AR-15, HK MP-5 and Uzi. I like the mp-5 best, very little recoil with good control. The thing is with fully automatics, you spend about 3 minutes loading your mag for 5 - 10 seconds of firing. Yesterday I rented the Dirty Harry Smith & Wesson 357 magnum it was a bit much ;)
Ruben

Hmms, I am bring the kids and wife to disney world next month, sounds like a Daddy field trip =), are these ranges all over?

I'd kill to get my hands on a mp-5...

Hmms, I am bring the kids and wife to disney world next month, sounds like a Daddy field trip =), are these ranges all over?

I'd kill to get my hands on a mp-5...

One of the spots I go to is http://www.shootingcenters.com/ click on "indoor shooting ranges" and you will see what they rent with rates. I would google ranges in Orlando/Kissimmee and call around. It is a 3.5 hour car trip from Disney to the range I posted above. Oh, and they allow kids as long as the parents are with them. Forget Disney, make it a family day at the range, your family will have much more fun :D


Ruben

No gun list? Sorry for the pollution of the thread =)

Actually things have changed drastically since I had my massive acrylic tank and some of the old concepts have changed ( to my suprise as well). Nowadays the filtering is all done with refurbium and massive protein skimmer. No chiller needed as of yet, I ran 3 18000K Metal Halides and 2 - 6' Actinics for 12 hours and it raised the tank 1 degree, The LED moon simulation or Lunar Lighting is SPECTACULAR. You can add hundreds of corals ( soft) at once, its fish and stoney corals you have to introduce slow. For fish I only have a Sailfin Tang, Coral Beauty, Clown, small school of cronies a Goby and Blenny. Lots of crabs and snails, 2 large cleaner shrimp, 2 large Fire shrimp and I may put in 1 or 2 more fish later. I have 35 fist sized Corals as of now and remember this tank has been elsewhere for 8 months with perfection in 12 different water tests ranging from Calcium and phosphates and all the nesessary others. As long as your water tests fine and you slam everything with enough light, youre fine. Heres pics of half the tank, Im working on the shipwreck side of the tank so its pretty boring until the coraline takes the 36" long shipwreck



Good to see some other reefers on here. I figured there were some lurking from ReefCentral... especially with names like SandMan ;) I haven't been too into my tanks since the 365g back at college, but I've got my 55g going still and my 150g sitting in the garage waiting for the basement project to be finished.

Here's a question for you tank owners... where do you keep your tanks? I've found if I don't keep it in the area I spend the most time in, I end up not taking good enough care of it. I would love to put it outside the theater in the basement... would make water changes and cooling much easier... but I'm afraid I would "forget" about it.

Nick

Good to see some other reefers on here. I figured there were some lurking from ReefCentral... especially with names like SandMan ;) I haven't been too into my tanks since the 365g back at college, but I've got my 55g going still and my 150g sitting in the garage waiting for the basement project to be finished.

Here's a question for you tank owners... where do you keep your tanks? I've found if I don't keep it in the area I spend the most time in, I end up not taking good enough care of it. I would love to put it outside the theater in the basement... would make water changes and cooling much easier... but I'm afraid I would "forget" about it.

NickMy original tank sat in the wifes " plant room", sort of a jungle. This one I have in my " Play room" which is what I call my office but its not really as much an office anymore with a D-Box and reeftank and 52" 1080P LCD mini theater. Its kind of my room where I tinker around, only close friends are allowed in since its usually a mess.

Yesterday I rented the Dirty Harry Smith & Wesson 357 magnum it was a bit much ;)

Ruben

Really? I have found that the heavier, longer barreled revolvers are much easier to control than the "snub-nosed" ones.

It is really h*ll to try and conceal an 8 inch barrel though! :)

Best,
Tom
Chinaclipper

I need to figure out this tank photography, its hard with glare and lighting but Ill practice

I think your pics turned out really good. Put your lens right on the glass and it should take care of most of the glare.

your theater, house, guest house, fish tank, and property are what dreams are made of. So awesome man, you are blessed. Keep up the pics and updates of your HT. its amazing.

I need to figure out this tank photography, its hard with glare and lighting but Ill practice Do you have a good polarizer filter? They'll take the glare right out.

Did Mark ever finish his theater? Great work on opening up that room.

Holy crap, Mark! Geez. Looking forward to seeing it when it's finished. I see, though, that your theater is suffering from the same ailment as my kitchen: once the cook top and sink were working, it mattered less to me that I have a gap in my hardwood flooring and no cabinet doors. And I don't even have a 3-chip DLP in the kitchen... :D

any updates?

It is really h*ll to try and conceal an 8 inch barrel though! :)



Really ? I conceal one in my pants every day. We can in Texas ! :D

I check back from time to time here... has this theater ever been finished? I remember the room was massive... did it turn out well? Any pictures? I have only seen one with a desk chair in the center of the room.

Really ? I conceal one in my pants every day. We can in Texas ! :D

http://www.plutoys.com/cart/images/clearpump.jpg

Ive been away for so long, dont know where to start. My main question involves Blu-Ray.

Would there be any +/- installing a Blu-Ray player for a 3chip 720 projector? I Tried a PS3 yesterday and frankly Im not sure I noticed a difference over the 2 year old technology.

Any Crestron guys in the Portland Oregon area?

For what it is worth. A HT buddy brought over his Sony BDP S350.

I have an Optoma 720P single chip (H79, same as Sandman's original projector) and the Oppo 983 upscaling DVD player on a 100 inch diagonal Firehawk screen.

Bottom line, I could see the difference and a Bluray is on my shopping list.

It might have to do with your seating distance in Your MASSIVE theater. If you are a back row kind of guy maybe it won't make much of a difference.

For what it is worth. A HT buddy brought over his Sony BDP S350.

I have an Optoma 720P single chip (H79, same as Sandman's original projector) and the Oppo 983 upscaling DVD player on a 100 inch diagonal Firehawk screen.

Bottom line, I could see the difference and a Bluray is on my shopping list.

It might have to do with your seating distance in Your MASSIVE theater. If you are a back row kind of guy maybe it won't make much of a difference.So the "difference" being..........................

Eye glimmers? color? sharpness ( for the lack of a better word) or what were you seeing, Im guessing 720P is 720P is 720P so I just dont know if it does something in an upconversion or what.

Just for chits and giggles I picked up an Epson 6100 for my lil mini theater and I must say, Im going to haul it up to the theater and try some serious A/Bing today or tomorrow, I was floored by the "Dark Knight" at 9' last night..WOW on a PS3 at that

Mark, any updated pictures of the theater?

I'm guessing 720P is 720P is 720P so I just don't know if it does something in an up-conversion or what.

An up-converted DVD is what 480 lines of information? the up-conversion estimates what the missing lines would look like.

When you start with 1080 you have more information to work with in the down conversion process.

Differences: More detail, sharper picture.

I currently have 1080P source material via satellite and the up-converting DVD player. It's night and day in image detail

Mark, welcome back.

I have both a HDVD and BR player (well, only one is connected now), but it is significant that your standard DVD, even on my 720P. You can can also take advantage of the scaling factor in these players. I went with the Sony BDP-S550. It's enough of an improvement for me to motivate me to upgrade in a couple of months to a 1080p. ;)

Bud

Mark, it's good to see you back. I look forward to a renewed stalking of this thread!

An up-converted DVD is what 480 lines of information? the up-conversion estimates what the missing lines would look like.

When you start with 1080 you have more information to work with in the down conversion process.

Differences: More detail, sharper picture.

I currently have 1080P source material via satellite and the up-converting DVD player. It's night and day in image detail
Ditto. I saw HD-DVD on my old Infocus IN76 and immediately noticed a difference on my 124" 2.35:1 screen. I purchased a JVC RS1 soon after and noticed an even better picture.

So, 1080p to 720p still VERY good but 1080p to 1080p even better (especially on your HUGE 2.35:1 screen).

So -- what brands/models are you looking at?

Alot of familiar faces!

No new pics as of yet, Im not sure anything has changed much. I have an HVAC guy coming over on Monday to try and Zone the theater and get it conditioned. Bonus rooms seem to be tough and we added a ton of Cubic feet.

I also found a control "nerd" that appears to want to tackle the automation for a realistic price and using more stable means than HTPC. The main problem with HTPCs is if you, or whoever designs the system dies, or somehow becomes unavailable to work on the system after a crash or other means of not working............you're sort of screwed. Supposedly this guy has a product used in Comercial applications that has recently slipped into HT that is more hardware driven and less software driven. If theres a failure , you're changing out a piece of hardware, not spending days rewriting code. Im meeting with him in a few hours to see what its all about.

My new electrician turned me on to the guy, they had a 200k bid from Crestron on a project and this guy came in and did the job for 25K and was apologizing for the cost.

Im excited! His over the phone bid for the work was a flat $30 an hour on the programing side, said he would be suprised if it took a week because it never has.

More pictures please. Definitely one of my favorites, if not THE favorite!

More pictures please. Definitely one of my favorites, if not THE favorite!I wish it was my favorite....uhhhggg.

We tried an experiment on heating the theater and we got closer but failed.

The people that designed the HVAC for this home should have their License revoked. Theres two 5 ton units that fall a paultry 2k square ft. of actually working before you even open the door to the bonus/theater room. And the rocket scientist that I am added some serious cubics to that room.

We have 400 amps and one 50 amp breaker left but we fail the load test if I add a dedicated unit for the theater, we're pushing it without adding anything actually and adding a Mini-split concerns me for noise.

This is an easy task if it werent for cooling, there's multiple ways to produce heat, not so many for cooling. The warmest I can get the room is 65 degrees, and this makes the rest of the upstairs HOT, which in turn, makes the theater appear even colder than it is.

Zoning is a possibility, but its a gamble as well, they just didnt size the HVAC properly for this home. When we have a conditioned space, expect pictures.

I just started coming on the forums again regularly after four years of occasional visits and getting a new screen name. I found your build thread via an acoustic screen thread. Mark, your room...if it can be called a room an not a cathedral, goes in my list of all time favorites. You could put a pipe organ up in the balcony and go for a Phantom of the Opera look:D Keep up the great work. Your property is also beautiful. We are close to buying a lake house in the mountains of western NC and N GA. It has a guest house over the detached garage but your property is so big, you can't even see the guest house:eek:.

update?

Looks out of this world..Cant wait to see it finished.

Has any more work been done to this amazing theater. Would love to see some update photos.

Bump...any updates?

I heard a rumor that he finally finished his theater and was so happy his testicles exploded, causing short term memory loss and was then unable to post on AVS forum for over a year.

Or was that me? I forget. I have trouble remembering things for some reason.

LOL, Poindexter, is this cause he ratted you out about having a Bose system in your theater... No more excuses saying it is for comparisons... :)

Heh,
Be nice now guys!

Truth be told, I got really fed up with automation, and then got reallllllly busy with work and decided to copy Mike P and disappear for an extended period.

During this time I also built a guest house on the back side of the ranch and put a theater in it. 1080P seems much better than 4 year old Mercury HD so I moved the D-Box down there and went low budget with Klipsh and B&W in-walls and built a Subwoofer using 2 18" Adire audio subs I had laying around and we use that theater instead. A 12' SmX screen really blows away the 20' Stewart anyway when we're talking 1080P. Hollywood still has'nt impressed me much either over the last couple years. I did enjoy Inception at the IMAX a couple weeks ago so who knows...........maybe I will go finish it this winter.

Mark, while I saw some things coming from the automation you were doing that looked impressive, I thought you might run into what I did when I built my own media server. Sure, you can do a lot of stuff that is impressive, but suddenly the hobby becomes work and it isn't fun any longer. I just got a Kaleidescape and a Crestron system and had somebody else program it for me so I could just focus on enjoying what I had.

I agree on the stuff coming out of Hollywood with a few exceptions. Inception was awesome - I also saw it at the IMAX. Too bad it wasn't filmed in IMAX, but 65mm is not too shabby. I have been watching more independant and foreign film lately which is nice and fresh but unfortunately it has a poor hit rate on D-BOX programming although most of them wouldn't really need it. Films like The Stoning of Soraya M or Juno are totally character driven.

Mark, while I saw some things coming from the automation you were doing that looked impressive, I thought you might run into what I did when I built my own media server. Sure, you can do a lot of stuff that is impressive, but suddenly the hobby becomes work and it isn't fun any longer. I just got a Kaleidescape and a Crestron system and had somebody else program it for me so I could just focus on enjoying what I had.

I agree on the stuff coming out of Hollywood with a few exceptions. Inception was awesome - I also saw it at the IMAX. Too bad it wasn't filmed in IMAX, but 65mm is not too shabby. I have been watching more independant and foreign film lately which is nice and fresh but unfortunately it has a poor hit rate on D-BOX programming although most of them wouldn't really need it. Films like The Stoning of Soraya M or Juno are totally character driven.The funny thing is Im running the new theater with a Harmony remote and it does everything I need and it took 10 minutes to get running. I think I was more disappointed in the fact it was 2007-8ish and there were no decent touch screens and automating wasnt hard, just buggy and clunky for the prices the software was costing. And like everything, its all probably old and outdated.

Ive seen some pretty ok movies in the last couple years ."There will be Blood", "Shutter Island" was sort of neat, etc, etc..........but I just cant justify whats needed to finish anytime soon......being busy doesnt help as Im sure youre aware. I still want to make it down to check yours out someday though!

I have been following this thread basically since I became a member here. I used alot of your ideas in the design and construction of my home HT. Although on a much more humble scale obviously. I do agree that the automation issues a couple of years ago were terrible. I also just went ot a harmony remote and it works great. I am still trying to design and build a decent working masking system though.

I was really lloking forward to seeing the mega theater finished and will continue to follow the thread. Thanks for all of the help throughout the thread.

Chris.

I also just went ot a harmony remote and it works great.

I'm using an 890 too. It's just not quite wife-proof, though. Sometimes the receiver doesn't turn on. Going the next step to get two way confirmations from the equipment is a major automation upgrade and quadruples the complexity. So I don't bother. Too bad someone doesn't make a simple, idiot-proof remote that simply adds the two-way "are you sure?" capability. There would have to be a lot of added smarts hidden from the end-user. Maybe that's just not possible.

I have been following this thread basically since I became a member here. I used alot of your ideas in the design and construction of my home HT. Although on a much more humble scale obviously. I do agree that the automation issues a couple of years ago were terrible. I also just went ot a harmony remote and it works great. I am still trying to design and build a decent working masking system though.

I was really lloking forward to seeing the mega theater finished and will continue to follow the thread. Thanks for all of the help throughout the thread.

Chris.Yeah the automation from a couple years ago was headache inducing but do-able. I wont lie, I did some crazy stuff I never thought would work and it did, but it would work one day..........not the next. Not sure what Harmony I have but it works great everytime/all the time. to be fair it works in the new theater with DvD, PVR, HTPC and thats it, no lighting, no pool controls, no nothing so............I also only run an HTPC during D-Box movies and the picture generated is so terribly washed out compared to my DvD player I hardly ever even bother with it.

Hey Mark,

I was thinking you must be excited about the new Microsoft Slate's coming out... I'm waiting on my entire home automation until these puppies come out. Have you put any thought to using the Slate at all?

Hey Mark,

I was thinking you must be excited about the new Microsoft Slate's coming out... I'm waiting on my entire home automation until these puppies come out. Have you put any thought to using the Slate at all?Not even sure what a Slate is? Sounds like a tablet PC?

Yep, tablet PC. http://www.computerweekly.com/galleries/239850-2/Steve-Ballmer-shows-off-the-Microsoft-Slate.htm

Bump for sheer awesomeness, and for any newbies that missed it the first time around, to bask in its glory (HVAC issues be damned)

Yep, tablet PC. http://www.computerweekly.com/galleries/239850-2/Steve-Ballmer-shows-off-the-Microsoft-Slate.htm

Is that thing even out yet?
Enjoy.

Time for a quarterly bump for one of my favorite builds. Anything new in HT or fish tanks Mark?

You increased your theater height by using Attic space?

We ony had 9' ceilings when I started , a roto zip, circular saw, and a structual engineers stamp solved that

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/GoBigRed/HT003.jpg

Attic before Made it real easy to raise by adding 2x4 to bottom of 2x8 rafters spliced with 5/8 ply and collar ties

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/GoBigRed/HT004.jpg

If so, can you PM me the links to keep your privacy (if that is what your desire).
This theater breaks the AVS Forum records in so many ways!!!!!!!

Thanks ApoDoc and all the others for the kind words and Private messages! Hopefully as it starts coming together quickly when the final piece of the puzzle shows up I can offer up some exciting pics of things to toss around. I am filming some of the major aspects of this project in High Definition and when its done will probably have a sort of cool video of all the fun I've had , probably wouldnt cost much to rip some extra copies if anyones interested. I wont be able to profit from them since I'll have some neat jams and tons of product placement that might get someone P.O.ed