Luckily I have my wife whispering in my ear just about every day to "Get it done".

Ha! My wife says... Git er dun! She watches waaaay to much Larry the Cable Guy!

Looks awesome, great plan, great execution!

Chip

Ha! My wife says... Git er dun! She watches waaaay to much Larry the Cable Guy!

Looks awesome, great plan, great execution!

Chip
Thanks Chip. Okay, okay -- maybe she does not whisper in my ear but she does try to keep me motivated and focused. "Git er dun" would probably work just as well :D

Thanks alot.... I showed my wife the ceiling pics and just got a "Why don't you have ours done yet" look..... Nothing more to add other than what everyone else has already said. That looks awesome man!

Steve,
awesome job on the star ceiling!!! This is a real eye catcher now!

Thanks alot.... I showed my wife the ceiling pics and just got a "Why don't you have ours done yet" look..... Nothing more to add other than what everyone else has already said. That looks awesome man!
Thanks Jerrod. My wife is the same way except she'll see something in one of those HT magazines and want it. There might be some minor tweaking to our room sooner than later based on what she saw a few months back in one of the mags -- so stay tuned :o

Steve,
awesome job on the star ceiling!!! This is a real eye catcher now!

Thanks Mike. It was nice to see some new progress on your HT. Looks like you are in the tweaking stage as well.

Well, it looks like I'm upgrading my projector sooner than later :D. I'm switching to LCD and going 1080p. The main reason I am considering LCD is the ability to get lens shift without spending mega bucks.

These are my top (2) 1080p choices in the under $3k range. I've seen the Panasonic in actrion and was very impressed. I've also see the Epson 810 (720p) in action and it had an outstanding picture as well.

Epson Home Cinema 1080 Projector (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_1080.htm)
http://www.projectorpeople.com/SLIS/pimages/XLarge/21835.jpg


Panasonic PT-AE1000U Projector (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE1000U.htm)
http://www.projectorpeople.com/SLIS/pimages/XLarge/21430.jpg

Anyone have any suggestions either way? They both come out to about the same cost after rebates, etc.

Just sent you a PM...

I love the flexibility if the Panasonic projectors from a setup standpoint with its lens shift. Whats your throw distance? The Epson has more lumens (1600 vs 1100), I'm looking at the correct Epson ( Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 810) which might help if with a scope screen.

Bud

I am a AE1000U owner and have been very happy so far. As Bud mentioned, it is very flexible as far as set up. 2 HDMI's. Quiet fan. 1080p vs 720p. Can be had for under 3K with rebates (I think I got mine for about $2800.00 and it came with a free Oppo DVD player also).

Not to mention black will go well with your ceiling.

Just sent you a PM...

I love the flexibility if the Panasonic projectors from a setup standpoint with its lens shift. Whats your throw distance? The Epson has more lumens (1600 vs 1100), I'm looking at the correct Epson ( Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 810) which might help if with a scope screen.

Bud
Thanks Bud and PMed you back.

EDIT: My throw distance is about 16'

I am a AE1000U owner and have been very happy so far. As Bud mentioned, it is very flexible as far as set up. 2 HDMI's. Quiet fan. 1080p vs 720p. Can be had for under 3K with rebates (I think I got mine for about $2800.00 and it came with a free Oppo DVD player also).

Not to mention black will go well with your ceiling.
Good to heard good things about that projector. I'll probably be pulling the trigger in a few weeks.

Your star field turned out really nice. I'd like to do one of those nebula scenes in addition to a star field, unfortunately I don't have the ceiling height.

Steve,

I am upgrading to the Panny you have pictured there very soon too!

Your star field turned out really nice. I'd like to do one of those nebula scenes in addition to a star field, unfortunately I don't have the ceiling height.
Thanks Don. I contemplated something like that but did not know what was involved. Anything how-tos to share?

BTW -- Do you have relatives in Dallas? I went to school with a Kellogg and she had a brother Don.

Steve,

I am upgrading to the Panny you have pictured there very soon too!
It is a very nice projector and looks great with the center lens and black case. Please let me know how it turns out once you get it installed.

BTW -- I showed my wife pics of your room last night and she really loved the bar setup in the rear and the "thin" columns on the side. I wish I had the room to do two rows of seating and the rear bar. Oh well, I just do that in my next house :D

Steve did you ever post a picture of your L/C/R speakers in place behind the screen?

If I was going to build a theater today, that exact Panisonic would be my choice.

Steve,

I used to own the Panny 900 and I've heard good things about the 1000 but I've not personally seen it or the Epson in action but it seems to be well received as well.
I think I would go with the one that has the best deal when your ready to buy I think you would be happy with either.
Ceiling looks great BTW :)
Cheers
Calvin

Steve did you ever post a picture of your L/C/R speakers in place behind the screen?
Mr. Worms,

I have one shot but you can only see the center channel. The L/Rs are behind the black cloth in the corners. It's not that exciting but I'll post it tomorrow once I fix my hosting server -- it appears to be down at the moment.

If I was going to build a theater today, that exact Panisonic would be my choice.

Steve,

I used to own the Panny 900 and I've heard good things about the 1000 but I've not personally seen it or the Epson in action but it seems to be well received as well.
I think I would go with the one that has the best deal when your ready to buy I think you would be happy with either.
Ceiling looks great BTW :)
Cheers
Calvin
Well, the Epson is out since it does not appear to have any stretch/squeeze modes when running into the HDMI input (component has this capability). I need these because of my anamorphic lens.

Now its between the Panny 1000 and the JVC DLA-RS1. (http://www.projectorcentral.com/JVC-DLA-RS1U.htm). Unfortunately, they are in two totally different price ball-parks. I've read some really stellar reviews on the JVC but may need to see it in action before I pull the trigger. I actually have a friend with the Panny and might ping AVSer "johnathan (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=808437)" since he is in my city and owns the JVC.

And Calvin -- thanks for the comments on the star ceiling. It is one of the first things people notice when they enter the room.

FWIW, I was trying to decide between the AE-1000 and the RS1 and decided on the RS1. My logic was that the RS1 would last me a lot longer before the next upgrade. Its a picture I can be very happy with for a long time. With the Panny, I think I would be looking to upgrade sooner rather than later.

The one thing to watch with the Panny is light output - particularly if you have a very large screen. That is the other thing that swayed me to the RS1.

I think the RS 1 is in a completely different league then the panny. I would go for the RS 1 in a heart beat over the AE-1000 if you’re comfortable spending the extra $$. I'm a regular over at Johnathan's thread and from his pics and glowing reviews I can safely say you'd be pretty happy with that machine. For its price range it really seems tough to beat.
Cheers
Calvin

Thanks Steve -

Brew - can you elaborate more on the light output issue with the Panny? Are you referring to the lumens or FL at longer throw distances? Just curious. I am seriously considering the AE-1000 but still might consider the Optoma HD80.

Steve - shouldn't you be waiting till after CEDIA to see what the fall crop is? Or is all the info on the new models already on the forums?

FWIW, I was trying to decide between the AE-1000 and the RS1 and decided on the RS1. My logic was that the RS1 would last me a lot longer before the next upgrade. Its a picture I can be very happy with for a long time. With the Panny, I think I would be looking to upgrade sooner rather than later.

The one thing to watch with the Panny is light output - particularly if you have a very large screen. That is the other thing that swayed me to the RS1.

I think the RS 1 is in a completely different league then the panny. I would go for the RS 1 in a heart beat over the AE-1000 if you’re comfortable spending the extra $$. I'm a regular over at Johnathan's thread and from his pics and glowing reviews I can safely say you'd be pretty happy with that machine. For its price range it really seems tough to beat.
Cheers
Calvin
Guys,

You both make a good argument. It is solid thinking. I just have to dig a bit deeper today to make the purchase but I think the JVC is what I will get. However, I reserve the right to change my mind LOL :D

Thanks Steve -

Brew - can you elaborate more on the light output issue with the Panny? Are you referring to the lumens or FL at longer throw distances? Just curious. I am seriously considering the AE-1000 but still might consider the Optoma HD80.IIRC the lumen output on the cinema modes is around 250, whereas the RS1 is around 500 (though there seems to be a fair bit of variability). I'm using an SMX screen so my gain is only 1.2 and its fairly big at 127"W x 54"H (2.35 AR).

Foot-Lamberts = (Projector Lumens x Screen Gain) / Viewing Area Square Feet

For me it was (~500 x 1.2) / 47.6 = 12.6 FL for the RS1 in 2.35 mode (which is still low to some people) on a new lamp. Its going to lose ~50% of its brightness so I'll be down in the 6-7 FL range. I'll probably have to switch to high lamp or just buy a new bulb at that point.

In 16:9 mode (sports/HD) it will be a bit brighter due to the reduce footprint at ~8.3 FL (EDIT: should be 16.6 FL, this was a typo)

With the AE-1000 it would have been ~6.3 FL on a new lamp in cinema mode, which I felt was going to be much too dim.

Steve - shouldn't you be waiting till after CEDIA to see what the fall crop is? Or is all the info on the new models already on the forums?
I did think about that as well. The issue is my old projector is going away this weekend (it has been sold). So, if I wait, I will be without a projector in my room. So, I'm kind of stuck unless I use a 5 year old 3000 lumen 4:3 projector I have until I can make a decision.

With the AE-1000 it would have been ~6.3 FL on a new lamp in cinema mode, which I felt was going to be much too dim.
That was my concern given I have the same SMX 1.2 gain screen. Hmm, I might just have to get the JVC and brown-bag it for a few weeks ;)

I did think about that as well. The issue is my old projector is going away this weekend (it has been sold). So, if I wait, I will be without a projector in my room. So, I'm kind of stuck unless I use a 5 year old 3000 lumen 4:3 projector I have until I can make a decision.
Yeah, this is a tough time to buy a PJ knowing that the new crop is on the way. The tough part is its impossible to gauge how long it will be until the newly announced PJ's will truly be available (the RS1 was a disaster in this respect). You might want to take a look at this thread if you haven't already:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=901159

What about the HD 80? I saw that projector this weekend and it was very very nice, but I am not sure if it works with your throw distance.... ?

Yeah, this is a tough time to buy a PJ knowing that the new crop is on the way. The tough part is its impossible to gauge how long it will be until the newly announced PJ's will truly be available (the RS1 was a disaster in this respect). You might want to take a look at this thread if you haven't already:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=901159
Damn -- now I just don't know what to do. And the wait (once announced) may be long as well --- just as you said.

Hmm, maybe I should keep what I have a little longer (which means my selling price will dip even more) and see what happens. The buyer is willing to buy another projector if I want to hold onto mine. He was just saving some cash buying mine.

What about the HD 80? I saw that projector this weekend and it was very very nice, but I am not sure if it works with your throw distance.... ?
I did and the throw will not work in my room :( I have heard it looks very nice. However, my goal is to only purchase a projector with lens shift. It just makes it so much easier to get everything aligned.

Mr. Worms,

I have one shot but you can only see the center channel. The L/Rs are behind the black cloth in the corners. It's not that exciting but I'll post it tomorrow once I fix my hosting server -- it appears to be down at the moment.

Sounds good.

Throw distance should be a factor too. The greater the throw distance the foot-lamberts decrease too...

Thanks for the reply. That is what I was curious about.

IIRC the lumen output on the cinema modes is around 250, whereas the RS1 is around 500 (though there seems to be a fair bit of variability). I'm using an SMX screen so my gain is only 1.2 and its fairly big at 127"W x 54"H (2.35 AR).

Foot-Lamberts = (Projector Lumens x Screen Gain) / Viewing Area Square Feet

For me it was (~500 x 1.2) / 47.6 = 12.6 FL for the RS1 in 2.35 mode (which is still low to some people) on a new lamp. Its going to lose ~50% of its brightness so I'll be down in the 6-7 FL range. I'll probably have to switch to high lamp or just buy a new bulb at that point.

In 16:9 mode (sports/HD) it will be a bit brighter due to the reduce footprint at ~8.3 FL

With the AE-1000 it would have been ~6.3 FL on a new lamp in cinema mode, which I felt was going to be much too dim.

Sorry Steve,

Your gonna have to wait...:( New Epson 1080 coming out:D with a lower MSRP and better specs to boot.

IIRC the lumen output on the cinema modes is around 250, whereas the RS1 is around 500 (though there seems to be a fair bit of variability). I'm using an SMX screen so my gain is only 1.2 and its fairly big at 127"W x 54"H (2.35 AR).

Foot-Lamberts = (Projector Lumens x Screen Gain) / Viewing Area Square Feet

For me it was (~500 x 1.2) / 47.6 = 12.6 FL for the RS1 in 2.35 mode (which is still low to some people) on a new lamp. Its going to lose ~50% of its brightness so I'll be down in the 6-7 FL range. I'll probably have to switch to high lamp or just buy a new bulb at that point.

In 16:9 mode (sports/HD) it will be a bit brighter due to the reduce footprint at ~8.3 FL

With the AE-1000 it would have been ~6.3 FL on a new lamp in cinema mode, which I felt was going to be much too dim.

Your math is a bit off - you need to calculate using the 16:9 screen of that width if you are not using anamorphic lens - which would be 63 sqft. Then with the lens you would theoretically multiply by 1.33 for lens gain compressing the lumens into the cinemascope aspect- but none of the lens are that efficient. If they were the 16:9 area increase is offset by the 1.33 lens gain - but since it is likely more like 1.2 lens gain - you need to calculate it out. If you are removing the lens and rezooming 16:9 for the smaller HDTV masked screen - then it gets brighter - but if you are using a scaler keeping the lens on - then it does not get brighter.

Also the SMX rating is 1.16 gain - not 1.2 gain. Rounding up every little bit will not help your install get brighter - you are just making it dimmer. Also is that the gain rating of the material itself, as is commonly marketed - or the net gain including the loss thru the weave? You find that out by going behind the screen and measuring the ftL thus lumens coming thru the screen.

(~500 x 1.16sg*1.2lg) /63sqft = 11ftL. So using high lamp and buying new lamps before getting too dim is required - your ideal range would be 8-16ftL so that you average 12ftL - dropping below 8ftL is really too dim - but you have no way to achieve 16ftL other than using a gain screen - which is possible with Stewart perfs. Keep in mind that using high lamp just burns you out even faster - requiring that new lamp even sooner. But if you have upgradeitis anyways - that is a problem for the used buyer - as you will get a new lamp with your new PJ next year. But by planning something that will be too dim in a year - you are pretty much feeding your upgradeitis - blaming the dim PJ rather than the dim install.

The Panny can be just as bright if you put it at max zoom and in normal rather than eco lamp but you take a contrast hit - compared to the IN76 it is replacing - still not as bright nor as much contrast - but just as well factory calibrated if you stick with 'color1' preset. However if the room requires long throw - the panny is indeed 250 lumens calibrated.

Throw distance should be a factor too. The greater the throw distance the foot-lamberts decrease too...

Thanks for the reply. That is what I was curious about.I sort of fudged that into my lumen estimate for the PJ's, but you are correct.

Your math is a bit off - you need to calculate using the 16:9 screen of that width if you are not using anamorphic lens - which would be 63 sqft. Then with the lens you would theoretically multiply by 1.33 for lens gain compressing the lumens into the cinemascope aspect- but none of the lens are that efficient. If they were the 16:9 area increase is offset by the 1.33 lens gain - but since it is likely more like 1.2 lens gain - you need to calculate it out. If you are removing the lens and rezooming 16:9 for the smaller HDTV masked screen - then it gets brighter - but if you are using a scaler keeping the lens on - then it does not get brighter.

Also the SMX rating is 1.16 gain - not 1.2 gain. Rounding up every little bit will not help your install get brighter - you are just making it dimmer.

(~500 x 1.16sg*1.2lg) /63sqft = 11ftL. So using high lamp and buying new lamps before getting too dim is required - your ideal range would be 8-16ftL so that you average 12ftL - dropping below 8ftL is really too dim - but you have no way to achieve 16ftL other than using a gain screen - which is possible with Stewart perfs. Keep in mind that using high lamp just burns you out even faster - requiring that new lamp even sooner. But if you have upgradeitis anyways - that is a problem for the used buyer - as you will get a new lamp with your new PJ next year.

The Panny can be just as bright if you put it at max zoom and in normal rather than eco lamp - but compared to the IN76 it is replacing - not as bright nor as much contrast - but just as well factory calibrated if you stick with 'color1' preset.Right. In my original spreadsheet I did use the 1.16 gain - I just rounded in my post for illustrative purposes. I had not, however, added the "lens variable" and had considered them to cancel each other out. However, since I haven't added my lens yet, my 2.35 calculation - for my current situation - was incorrect. I'm currently watching it at
(~500 x 1.16)/63 = 9.2 FL when in 2.35 mode (normal lamp). I am zooming in, so that gives a boost, but probably not as much as normal zoom with lens would.

This is great news to me because I still consider it plenty bright in 2.35 mode without the lens. Obviously the biggest variable that is impossible to predict in advance is what the lumen output of your particular PJ will be. I haven't measured mine so I don't know. Maybe I just got lucky on lumen output.

Keep in mind that using high lamp just burns you out even faster - requiring that new lamp even sooner.This is not true for the RS1 - it states in the manual that it makes no difference to lamp life. Its more the fan noise that is the issue - the RS1 is noticeably louder on high lamp.

I have the HD81 and it looks great... the new HD81LV seems really nice and bright...not that your room would need it

I have the HD81 and it looks great... the new HD81LV seems really nice and bright...not that your room would need it
Chris,

That HD81 looks to be a very nice projector and has some nice light output. The HD81LV looks even better but I think 8k would put me in the dog house :eek: I wish they would put lens-shift on more DLP projectors. It must have something to do with the optics that makes it cost prohibitive to add it to the <$5k DLP projectors?

Wow....I get away for the summer and you're upgrading already. I better start reading where I left off and catch-up :)

Wow....I get away for the summer and you're upgrading already. I better start reading where I left off and catch-up :)
Not much to catch up. I think I'm going to get the JVC RS1 and a DIY anamorphic lens. (http://www.zuggsoft.com/theater/prism.htm) You know I'm dieing to build yet another gadget for the room :rolleyes:
http://www.zuggsoft.com/theater/boxfront.jpg


OR possibly Mark's CAVX lens (http://cavx.blogspot.com/2007/04/4-prism-lens.html) for a few $ more -- basically a pre-built DIY).
http://bp3.blogger.com/_PUdSZeR2k1A/RswfqSmkf2I/AAAAAAAAAnk/K2FI4Dlk2VY/s400/DSCF0686+%28Medium%29.JPG

With the purchase of the JVC, I do not want to drop another 2.3k on the Prismasonic (http://www.prismasonic.com/english/description_hfe1500m.shtml) at this time.
http://www.prismasonic.com/images/lens/H-FE1500M_B1_200.jpg


My 11 month old Panamorph U85 is too small for the lens on the JVC :( I'll be putting it up for sale soon. It served me very well. If anyone is interested in purchasing it from me, please send me a PM.
http://www.panamorph.com/images/U150Small.jpg

My Hosting Server is DOWN. I lost a hard drive and have a new one on order. I should have all the pics restored by early next week.

I just pulled the trigger and bought the JVC-RS1 projector. I'm picking it up tomorrow but may not get it installed until early next week. Looks like Christmas came a little early this year :D

http://projectorcentral.com/images/articles/JVC-RS1-front.jpg

I just pulled the trigger and bought the JVC-RS1 projector. I'm picking it up tomorrow but may not get it installed until early next week. Looks like Christmas came a little early this year :D

Congrats! From what everybody says, you will have an amazing projector.

I just pulled the trigger and bought the JVC-RS1 projector. I'm picking it up tomorrow but may not get it installed until early next week. Looks like Christmas came a little early this year :D

http://projectorcentral.com/images/articles/JVC-RS1-front.jpgCongrats! You will be very pleased I can assure you ;)

Also check out www.HomeTheaterBrothers.com I'd guess on par with CAVX, but with steel case vs. melamine. I'd guess the only advantage to that is it would make it a bit more slender than with the thicker melamine. I just got one on Friday, so I won't venture an official opinion, and have nothing to compare it to.

Good luck with the JVC.

Chip

Also check out www.HomeTheaterBrothers.com I'd guess on par with CAVX, but with steel case vs. melamine. I'd guess the only advantage to that is it would make it a bit more slender than with the thicker melamine. I just got one on Friday, so I won't venture an official opinion, and have nothing to compare it to.

Good luck with the JVC.

Chip
Thanks Chip! I did not know about them. I'll shot an email to see how the pricing compares. I do like the more slender case design. Please let me know how it works out for you!

Finally finish reading all 77 pages, very very nice work. I even print all pages out for reference. I hope you do not mind to copy your design. :). My wife and I really likes the color and wall panels. I have a room is 22'X16'X8' and I am going to start to build my home theater. I only concern that I have is the 8 feet ceilling. do you think that it is high enough to build soffit around the room and add a star panel?

Congrats! From what everybody says, you will have an amazing projector. Congrats! You will be very pleased I can assure you ;)
Thanks guys. I am very excited to see this beast in action. I just picked it up about 30 minutes ago and it is sitting in my SUV. And NO, I won't tell you where it is parked :D

Congrats on the new addition to the family.... a bouncing baby JVC... what are the plans for the other projector?

Bud

Finally finish reading all 77 pages, very very nice work. I even print all pages out for reference. I hope you do not mind to copy your design. :). My wife and I really likes the color and wall panels. I have a room is 22'X16'X8' and I am going to start to build my home theater. I only concern that I have is the 8 feet ceiling. do you think that it is high enough to build soffit around the room and add a star panel?
Feel free to copy away. I cannot take credit for much as I'm sure I borrowed from a lot of folks on the forum as well.

8' is still pretty tall. IMO, the soffit should not be an issue if you keep it shallow (maybe 10" tall or less). If your rear row platform is 12" tall, the person would need to be 6'2" or taller to hit it. You might want to avoid putting your seating directly under the soffit. And you won't need much room for your star panel. A number of guys made their star panels about 2" thick and attached them directly to the ceiling with great results.

Good luck on your room!

Congrats on the new addition to the family.... a bouncing baby JVC... what are the plans for the other projector?

Bud
Sold it and will be installing it this weekend in its new home. Now I just need to sell my Panamorph U85 lens.

Thanks guys. I am very excited to see this beast in action. I just picked it up about 30 minutes ago and it is sitting in my SUV. And NO, I won't tell you where it is parked :DHow slow is the day going? ;) I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it.

How slow is the day going? ;) I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it.
Yea, I am really interested in how it will compare to my 720p DLP (which had a very nice picture). I'm hoping I can at least plug it in tonight to see how it performs. I have a spare HDMI cable I can use as well -- so a coffee table "test" will be easy to setup. I'll try to snap some pics once I get it going.

And, yes the day is going slowly :p

Hmmm, I know you said the U85 is to small for the lens of the JVC but I thought I read earlier in the 2:35 section that someone was sucessfully using it. I think it was in the power buy for the B stock units. Congrats BTW.

Hmmm, I know you said the U85 is to small for the lens of the JVC but I thought I read earlier in the 2:35 section that someone was sucessfully using it. I think it was in the power buy for the B stock units. Congrats BTW.
If it works, I keep it in production :) I tried it with a Panny 1000U and it was cutting off the image. I figured that would be the case for all the 1080 projs. I'll know for sure tonight and will report back. Thanks for the tip!

If it works, I keep it in production :) I tried it with a Panny 1000U and it was cutting off the image. I figured that would be the case for all the 1080 projs. I'll know for sure tonight and will report back. Thanks for the tip!

Be sure to give it a try. I'm using my panamorph with a Ruby and it is fine. I think it just depends on how big the lens is on the projector and how far back it is recessed (how close you can get the panamorph to the actual lens).

swithey,

I have been trying to view your pictures within this thread (specifically page 69), however they haven't been showing up for the past few days. Just thought I would let you know. Also, I really wanted to see your speakers.

-killer

swithey,

I have been trying to view your pictures within this thread (specifically page 69), however they haven't been showing up for the past few days. Just thought I would let you know. Also, I really wanted to see your speakers.

-killer

My Hosting Server is DOWN. I lost a hard drive and have a new one on order. I should have all the pics restored by early next week.

:)

JVC RS1 Preliminary Review

Well I had lots of household duties to do last night so I did not have a chance to get everything hooked up until about 9:45 last night. I must say I was relatively calm during the entire unveiling with multiple trips downstairs to get things I needed to hook it up correctly. I did not go to bed until midnight and did so only because I kept dozing off in the chair.

Let’s start with 1st impressions… This thing is about 50% larger than my old IN76. It is finished in a high-gloss black/charcoal gray metallic finish (like automotive paint quality). It is just beautiful. It has some good weight as well and feels very substantial. The front lens ring (http://electronista.macnn.com/content/0611/jvcDLARS1.jpg) has a cool satin metal finish to it. The lens shift is located under the lens for easy adjustments. The remote (http://www.projectorreviews.com/Images-projectors-Q1-07/JVC_RS-1_remotecontrol.jpg) is powerful and is back lit.

Picture quality: In one word – outstanding. ZERO SDE on this projector – NONE even at 2” (thats inches guys not feet) from the screen. The only thing I could make out was the tiny holes in my AT screen material when I got close to the screen. The image is very different from my DLP projector. The only way I can describe it is that is more film like. It is sharp as a tack and has good color saturation. The brightness of the projector is awesome on my 1.16 gain screen even when zoomed out for 2:35 material (on my 2:35 screen). Black levels are BLACK -- just blows away the IN76.

What I watched: I watched some HD golf and HD basketball. I changed the temperature from Cinema to Natural and everything just popped off the screen. I also watched a SD DVD (Incredibles) and a HD-DVD (Apollo 13) and was very impressed (using Cinema mode). Color saturation was a little on the red side but I can easily adjust that when I calibrate it for final use. With a projector this good, I was seeing details in the movie (good and bad) that I’d never seen before.

Panamorph U85 Lens: It does work fine with the lens on this projector (which was not the case on the Panny 1000U) But, after seeing the sharpness of the native image from the projector, the U85 may not pass inspection. It caused a softness I did not notice as much on my 720p projector. It was not noticeable when watching movies but looking at my HTPC desktop (running native 1080p), it was very apparent. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I did not have the lens in the perfect location. I need to work on that more and get that cleaned up. I’ll bet I can get a better image once everything is properly adjusted.

Now the bummer part: When sending anything above 480i images to this projector, you no longer have the ability to stretch or squeeze the image for use with an anamorphic lens. This is not a problem at all when using a HTPC (since I can scale it with the HTPC) but with a set-top box (like my Tivo HD), it will cause some issues. When the lens is in place, all 1.78:1 material (normal HD content) is stretched from left to right making everyone look short and fat. When I had my IN76, I just switched to 4:3 mode (on the IN76) and that brought the image in 33% to make HD content proportionally perfect. Why oh why can’t a projector of this caliber do this! The only fix for this is to bring the DVR functionality into the HTPC (done that and was never perfectly satisfied with the interface compared to Tivo) or get HE anamorphic lens so I can move it out of the way when watching HDTV. The Tivo does have some ability to adjust scaling but I do not think it can squeeze it in (but I will check that tonight). Oh, I guess the 3rd option is an external scalier which is definitely not in the budget right now :(

Summary: Overall I’m very satisfied with the picture quality and performance of this projector. If they can just turn-on scaling (which is available at lower resolutions), it would be perfect. I’ll report back with more once I get it permanently mounted in the room and do some calibrations.

I assume you've browsed the projector forum and have seen that they aren't implementing vertical stretch in the RS1, short of a rumored external box. However, it is included in the new RS2 (upgrading is probably cheaper than buying a scaler if you really need it).

Glad you are enjoying your purchase!

I assume you've browsed the projector forum and have seen that they aren't implementing vertical stretch in the RS1, short of a rumored external box. However, it is included in the new RS2 (upgrading is probably cheaper than buying a scaler if you really need it).

Glad you are enjoying your purchase!
Damn, that is disappointing. Maybe I'll upgrade to the RS2 in a year -- who knows. Thanks for the info.

I thought I remember reading in the 2.35 forum or on one of the RS1 threads that Key Digital makes an inexpensive unit to do the stretch. No need to get a high end scaler if the stretch feature is all you need.

Since your HTPC does the stretch for DVDs, couldn't you just move the lense out of the way for TV viewing? If you have enough throw, using the manual zoom for everything isn't all that horrible ;-)

I thought I remember reading in the 2.35 forum or on one of the RS1 threads that Key Digital makes an inexpensive unit to do the stretch. No need to get a high end scaler if the stretch feature is all you need.

Since your HTPC does the stretch for DVDs, couldn't you just move the lense out of the way for TV viewing? If you have enough throw, using the manual zoom for everything isn't all that horrible ;-)
Thanks Aaron. Yes, I could move the lens out when watching HDTV with a manual zoom but I do not think I trust the wife with that duty (for many reasons) nor will she be interested in doing it. I'll look into the inexpensive scaler. I'm also going to look at the Tivo tonight and see if it "might" do that. I think I remember something but just can't remember.

http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/kdhdmi4x1.asp

Link to scaler. Cheapest solution for 4 HDMI sources with independent scaling for each input.

The one thing of note with that scaler is that it might not handle 1080p24... which would only be a concern for you if you were going to use a BR or HD-DVD player and wanted it to output 1080p24 directly. It looks like all of the inputs and outputs are at 60hz.

The RS1 takes 1080p24 over HDMI and frame doubles it to 48hz which is really nice. Unfortunately it deinterlaces 1080i60 to 1080p60 along with the 3:2 cadence, so you end up with motion judder... which bugs some people more than others.

http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/kdhdmi4x1.asp

Link to scaler. Cheapest solution for 4 HDMI sources with independent scaling for each input.
Thanks for the link.

I'd like to ask a question, though. It shows it will change the resolution by input but can it squeeze a 1080i image inwards to fix the short/fat issue I have? This would not really be changing the aspect ratio from 16x9 to 4x3. That is really my only goal if the Tivo cannot do it natively.

The one thing of note with that scaler is that it might not handle 1080p24... which would only be a concern for you if you were going to use a BR or HD-DVD player and wanted it to output 1080p24 directly. It looks like all of the inputs and outputs are at 60hz.

The RS1 takes 1080p24 over HDMI and frame doubles it to 48hz which is really nice. Unfortunately it deinterlaces 1080i60 to 1080p60 along with the 3:2 cadence, so you end up with motion judder... which bugs some people more than others.
I don't know if I would notice it or not since I've never seen it before. My guess now that I know about it, I'll notice it. I'll report back.

My understanding is that yes it does the horizontal squeeze that you would want in order to leave the lens in place for 16:9.

Edit: Just looked at the manual online available on that same page on the right. Yes it has a Pillar Box mode as well as letter box one of those is the one you would want.

Hey Steve.

Looks like you're having fun. The RS-1 is really nice. I have a few customers using it and they all love it.

Bryan

My understanding is that yes it does the horizontal squeeze that you would want in order to leave the lens in place for 16:9.
That is good news.

I also just checked out the Tivo website (I wish I was at home right now to check it in person). This is the explanation of what they offer:

To change the aspect correction mode, press the ASPECT button on the TiVo remote. You can cycle through three modes:

Panel mode adds letterbox bars or side bars to the picture as necessary to fill the screen, preserving the program’s original aspect ratio. This mode is useful if you are watching a program that is broadcast in 4:3 on a 16:9 TV, or vice-versa. If the program already includes letterbox bars, or side bars, these will still appear in Panel mode.


Full mode stretches the picture to fill the entire TV screen, which may result in some distortion. If the program already includes letterbox bars or side bars, these will still appear in Full mode.


Zoom mode stretches the picture without distortion. The edges of the picture are cropped to fit the TV screen. This mode is useful if you are watching a program that includes letterbox bars or side bars, because zoom mode crops the bars out of the picture.



It sounds like Panel would do the trick but I kind of think it adds the bars only for 4x3 content and not for 16x9. But if I read it again, it appears it put the side panels in permanently (which would work out perfectly).

Hey Steve.

Looks like you're having fun. The RS-1 is really nice. I have a few customers using it and they all love it.

Bryan
How would you compare it to your CRT -- since you are once of "those" guys :D ;) Is digital finally getting close?

Steve - I'll be surprised if your Tivo will help you out on this issue. It will probably refuse to do any aspect correction for a hi-rez signal as well.

I have the KD unit aaron linked to above. It does the trick nicely. You don't use any of the scaling functionality - just the aspect control and I can't see any difference in 1080 content with and without the unit (when only using aspect control). It is by far the cheapest solution for us hi-def guys who just need aspect control. Although - not completely cheap at $600 clams.

How would you compare it to your CRT -- since you are once of "those" guys :D ;) Is digital finally getting close?

You didn't ask me but I think my Ruby made it a no-brainer to go digital (I was a hard-core CRTer too) so I can only imagine the RS-1 is at least as good. Of course, I only had a single 8" CRT. Maybe if I had Art's 9" stack I'd still be a "believer" ;).

Or maybe not, Art just switched too :)

Although I think it was more wanting to do 2:35:1 with the Isco III lens versus better quality with digital over dual 9" CRTs.

Mike

Wow, I didn't realize that.

I also didn't even think about the fact that there is no anamorphic option with CRT - that is a HUGE incentive for a digital.

I also didn't even think about the fact that there is no anamorphic option with CRT - that is a HUGE incentive for a digital.

Sure there is. It means either limited raster usage, or a second CRT, matched tubes and a scaler/pc that can handle edge blending. I agree, not the most practical answer.

Although - not completely cheap at $600 clams.

$500 clams now. Still some money but one of the most cost effective options for what it does.

Now the bummer part: When sending anything above 480i images to this projector, you no longer have the ability to stretch or squeeze the image for use with an anamorphic lens. This is not a problem at all when using a HTPC (since I can scale it with the HTPC) but with a set-top box (like my Tivo HD), it will cause some issues. When the lens is in place, all 1.78:1 material (normal HD content) is stretched from left to right making everyone look short and fat. When I had my IN76, I just switched to 4:3 mode (on the IN76) and that brought the image in 33% to make HD content proportionally perfect. Why oh why can’t a projector of this caliber do this! The only fix for this is to bring the DVR functionality into the HTPC (done that and was never perfectly satisfied with the interface compared to Tivo) or get HE anamorphic lens so I can move it out of the way when watching HDTV. The Tivo does have some ability to adjust scaling but I do not think it can squeeze it in (but I will check that tonight). Oh, I guess the 3rd option is an external scalier which is definitely not in the budget right now :(Steve, good to hear you're enjoying the RS1 - although I must admit, I feel kind of bad - I was recommending the RS1 and knew you had a 2.35 setup. I should have mentioned the lack of "stretch" mode so you weren't surprised.

I've been slumming it with the zoom method so far. I think I'm going with a U380, but I can't decide what I want to do on the processing end so haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'm not sure if I want outboard processing (Lumagen, et. al.) or whether I should wrap it into a pre-amp upgrade (E.g., Anthem AVM-50). Or, God forbid, whether I should get the RS2 when it comes out :o. Stupid hobby :)

Stupid hobby :)

LOL! I'll second that! I just took some stuff back to Woodcraft and told my wife I was going to use the money to upgrade my DVD player and you should have seen the look on her face. I believe her exact words were, "Didn't you just get a new DVD player?!"

:D

Mike

Sure there is. It means either limited raster usage, or a second CRT, matched tubes and a scaler/pc that can handle edge blending. I agree, not the most practical answer.

Obviously, you can display 2.35 content with a CRT but is there an anamorphic lens option I'm not aware of (that's what I meant by no anamorphic)? That must be one huge lens... ;).

Steve - I'll be surprised if your Tivo will help you out on this issue. It will probably refuse to do any aspect correction for a hi-rez signal as well.

I have the KD unit aaron linked to above. It does the trick nicely. You don't use any of the scaling functionality - just the aspect control and I can't see any difference in 1080 content with and without the unit (when only using aspect control). It is by far the cheapest solution for us hi-def guys who just need aspect control. Although - not completely cheap at $600 clams.
You were right. I tried about every combination I could think of and it still stretched the 16x9 across the entire screen. I may have to get the scaler - but I have not given up yet. :)

Steve, good to hear you're enjoying the RS1 - although I must admit, I feel kind of bad - I was recommending the RS1 and knew you had a 2.35 setup. I should have mentioned the lack of "stretch" mode so you weren't surprised.

I've been slumming it with the zoom method so far. I think I'm going with a U380, but I can't decide what I want to do on the processing end so haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'm not sure if I want outboard processing (Lumagen, et. al.) or whether I should wrap it into a pre-amp upgrade (E.g., Anthem AVM-50). Or, God forbid, whether I should get the RS2 when it comes out :o. Stupid hobby :)
Actually I did know about it ahead of time but was discounting it because I thought I could easily get around it. No fault of yours! I really hate that the RS2 will have this capability. Seems like a simple firmware upgrade to fix this annoying problem on the RS1 :mad:

Zoom method could work but don't forget you have to adjust the vertical shift and focus as well and the wife would not go for that -- to many steps! And with her only being 5' tall, it would be impossible for her to reach the projector without a ladder :rolleyes:

It was the zoom, shift and focus routine that got me to finally get a lens...

Hopefully I'll get back to DFW and you can enlighten me on all of this. anamorphic/constant hieght stuff :o . I'll let you get it right first thou :D

Cheers,
Mark

Hopefully I'll get back to DFW and you can enlighten me on all of this. anamorphic/constant hieght stuff :o . I'll let you get it right first thou :D

Cheers,
Mark
Thanks for the pressure and vote of confidence (I think) :rolleyes::D ;)

Instead of "having all this fun" with the RS1, you could have been watching an ae1000u. That thing rocks! But you already know that. ;)

swithey,

I have been trying to view your pictures within this thread (specifically page 69), however they haven't been showing up for the past few days. Just thought I would let you know. Also, I really wanted to see your speakers.

-killer
Killer,

I just got the sever restored. I still need to work on a few of the pics but most are working.

HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10459669#post10459669) is a link to the completed speakers. They still need to be veneered, though. I'll get to that one of these days.

Color saturation was a little on the red side but I can easily adjust that when I calibrate it for final use.

If only it were that easy. The RS1 has no calibration control, outside the very simple and very common color, tint, brightness, contrast, etc. The best you can do is reduce color saturation, which screws up the luminance. Oh, what a projector it would have been were it not for the color and anamorphic stretch issue. It boggles the mind that they didn't fix the color for the RS2.

Steve did you ever post a picture of your L/C/R speakers in place behind the screen?
Now that my server is back up, here is a quick pic with the screen removed. You can only see the center channel. The L/R are behind the black fabric on each side. BPape made me into a purist and would not allow me to put the L/R behind the AT screen since the 701 is more AT (or at least they say it is) :p

Hey BUD -- remember that Commando Cloth you gave me about 2 years ago? Well, it finally found a home on my back wall :D Thanks again!

I have the black cloth draped along the back wall because I could see the image reflecting back off the wall through my AT SMX screen. The blue stuff on each side is heavy cotton insulation which act as bass traps.

http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/frontwall-noscreen.jpg

If only it were that easy. The RS1 has no calibration control, outside the very simple and very common color, tint, brightness, contrast, etc. The best you can do is reduce color saturation, which screws up the luminance. Oh, what a projector it would have been were it not for the color and anamorphic stretch issue. It boggles the mind that they didn't fix the color for the RS2.
Every projector has it's positive and negative traits. The nice part is I get to do this all over again in a few years :D

I'm actually working on the new shelf to support this beast. The old one was way too narrow to support this puppy. I should have it installed by weekend since really cannot use the projector until then :( The wife and kids are whining about having to use the downstairs 35" CRT. I don't blame them :p

Hey BUD -- remember that Commando Cloth you gave me about 2 years ago? Well, it finally found a home on my back wall :D Thanks again! Good deal, I was wondering if that ever came into play....

Bud

Thanks Steve! I was curious on how you had your speakers setup. Some people say if you do AT screen than your L/C/R should all be placed behind. But I also see what BPape is saying with only placing your center behind there.

Looks good!

Instead of "having all this fun" with the RS1, you could have been watching an ae1000u. That thing rocks! But you already know that. ;)
Yep -- I should have gotten the Panny and saved the money for the high-end Prismasonic Lens (http://www.prismasonic.com/english/description_hfe1500m.shtml) you bought to pair with yours :)

If only it were that easy. The RS1 has no calibration control, outside the very simple and very common color, tint, brightness, contrast, etc. The best you can do is reduce color saturation, which screws up the luminance. Oh, what a projector it would have been were it not for the color and anamorphic stretch issue. It boggles the mind that they didn't fix the color for the RS2.
You think you found the perfect partner (I mean projector) and wham-o, there are issues. I guess there are always some problems (I mean - compromises) when you find that perfect someone (I mean something) :D

In all seriousness, I think I can get around the stretch with an inexpensive external scaler. Having the scaler will also help if I ever watch HD-DVDs with an external player (vs. my HTPC). Hopefully one of these days TheaterTek will play HD DVDs. Once I get the projector mounted (hopefully this weekend), I be able to check out the colors more and see what I can do.

Goes to show you how far we are from being able to have CIH more mainstream. Think about if you just ran it at 16X9, you would be kicking back and just watching your amazing picture already. :)

You think you found the perfect partner (I mean projector) and wham-o, there are issues. I guess there are always some problems (I mean - compromises) when you find that perfect someone (I mean something) :D

In all seriousness, I think I can get around the stretch with an inexpensive external scaler. Having the scaler will also help if I ever watch HD-DVDs with an external player (vs. my HTPC). Hopefully one of these days TheaterTek will play HD DVDs. Once I get the projector mounted (hopefully this weekend), I be able to check out the colors more and see what I can do.

Not to pile on to your "issues" but at least that makes early adopters like me still happy with my Ruby ;).

Goes to show you how far we are from being able to have CIH more mainstream. Think about if you just ran it at 16X9, you would be kicking back and just watching your amazing picture already. :)

Going with a 2.35:1 setup was the absolute best decision I made with my new room. Yes, it added expense (considerable, even) but I can't imagine ever going back.

But I don't ever see it going mainstream. At least not for a very long time and even then only in projectors (not TVs).

Going with a 2.35:1 setup was the absolute best decision I made with my new room. Yes, it added expense (considerable, even) but I can't imagine ever going back.

But I don't ever see it going mainstream. At least not for a very long time and even then only in projectors (not TVs).

Yeah I am not saying that is a bad decision. I just wish they could make it easier to implement, as easy as 16x9.

Yeah I am not saying that is a bad decision. I just wish they could make it easier to implement, as easy as 16x9.

The only way to make it as easy as 16x9 is to have a 2.35 panel. It wasn't that long ago that all the panels were 4:3 and you needed a lens just to get to 16x9 properly. So, its possible it will happen but I don't think it will be anytime soon or very widespread. I agree that it would be very nice though...

Going with a 2.35:1 setup was the absolute best decision I made with my new room. Yes, it added expense (considerable, even) but I can't imagine ever going back.

But I don't ever see it going mainstream. At least not for a very long time and even then only in projectors (not TVs).
I do enjoy the 2.35:1 format quite a bit. I watch about 75% movies anyway, so it is not a huge deal but more of a nuisance. I'll get it worked out and will let everyone know what I finally decide.

Hey Steve.

Digital is certainly getting there. The JVC has the best blacks I've seen in a digital PJ. There are still a couple of drawbacks with things like moire on perf screens, conversion when using non-native rate signals, etc. However, there are also advantages.

I'll just say that my next PJ will be digital but I'm in no hurry to give up my CRT. When it goes out, I'll switch (or if I move and leave the PJ here).

Bryan

Hey Steve.

Digital is certainly getting there. The JVC has the best blacks I've seen in a digital PJ. There are still a couple of drawbacks with things like moire on perf screens, conversion when using non-native rate signals, etc. However, there are also advantages.

I'll just say that my next PJ will be digital but I'm in no hurry to give up my CRT. When it goes out, I'll switch (or if I move and leave the PJ here).

Bryan
Good to see you are considering a move over from the dark side :D Thanks for the comments.

Hi Steve,
For you Star ceiling panels, the front is an open wood frame with insulation and speaker cloth? Did you glue the speaker cloth to the insulation? After a while do you notice the insulation wanting to weight down thus the fibers are getting hid in them?

For the rear panel, is this just masonite wrapped in speaker cloth? Did you put any cross pieces of wood to keep it from bellying?

Sorry for the million and one questions. Thank you.

Hi Steve,
For you Star ceiling panels, the front is an open wood frame with insulation and speaker cloth? Did you glue the speaker cloth to the insulation? After a while do you notice the insulation wanting to weight down thus the fibers are getting hid in them?

For the rear panel, is this just masonite wrapped in speaker cloth? Did you put any cross pieces of wood to keep it from bellying?

Sorry for the million and one questions. Thank you.
I did not glue the fabric to the insulation. I actually created a small 1.5" masonite lip to hold the insulation so it would not fall through. This puts the insulation about 1/4" above the actual fabric. Gluing would have been impossible. However, if it was possible, IMO it is not needed and would probably have come unstuck over time anyway.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/SP-PanelBack.JPG
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/SP-FrontPieceHolesMarked.JPG


I've not had any sagging of the 2" thick insulation. There are (3) sections -- each roughly 20" wide x 40" long (supported with the 1.5" lip all the way around). If they did happen to sag over time, the fibers are hot-glued from the other side so everything would drop accordingly and keep the fibers sticking out the same amount.

One issue I had was when I was placing the panel up in the ceiling structure -- it was hard not to push the insulation up above the panel by accident (which would push all the fibers up through the black fabric and require a total fiber re-string). I ended up putting some 5' long x 1.5" wide x 1/2" thick boards (screwed to the frame above the insulation). This created a tight sandwich for the insulation. This allows you to push all day on the insulation and it would not flex too much -- keeping all the fibers from poking up through the black cloth.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/SF-BackFrontPanel.JPG


On the rear panel, I had one single support board (you can see it in the 1st pic I showed you in this post). Everything is tight and very rigid. I did not use any glue (for the fabric) on the rear panel either and the fabric is still very tight.

Just to be safe, I cut off each of the fibers AFTER I put the panels up in the the ceiling unit. When the fibers were cut off, I left each fiber hanging down about 1/2" below the fabric (which cannot be seen when looking up at the panels). Anything shorter could cause the fibers to poke up above the black speaker cloth when moving things around and require a re-do (which is not fun). I had to do the panels twice because of this very reason -- what a PITA.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need any more detail :)

Steve, thank you. I have a 8' x 9-1/2' star ceiling. My wife does not want any seams to show (therefore no individual panels). I spoke to a few people and it looks like I have to use some heavy 3/4" ply board, biscuit join them and then cover with 120" Janus fabric ove 1" linacoustic RC. Then suspend the whole thing (heavy) with a pully system with rope wire (from several points on the 2+ sheet of 4x8 plyboards. This just seems so much work to keep the star ceiling from warping/bellying.

I have a lot of concerns about that approach. I like your frame approach better. Do you see any seam where the two panels join?

Thanks.

Steve, thank you. I have a 8' x 9-1/2' star ceiling. My wife does not want any seams to show (therefore no individual panels). I spoke to a few people and it looks like I have to use some heavy 3/4" ply board, biscuit join them and then cover with 120" Janus fabric ove 1" linacoustic RC. Then suspend the whole thing (heavy) with a pully system with rope wire (from several points on the 2+ sheet of 4x8 plyboards. This just seems so much work to keep the star ceiling from warping/bellying.

I have a lot of concerns about that approach. I like your frame approach better. Do you see any seam where the two panels join?

Thanks.
Wow -- that will be a monster.

When standing down on the floor with the lights at 60% or lower, you cannot seen the center seam. The light is absorbed so much by the black fabric, it actually messes with the focus of your eyes (when there is light in other parts of the room) -- which masks it even further. I'm not sure I described that properly but you get the idea.

My wife had concerns about the seam as well. Once I got mine installed, she did not see any issue with it at all (and did not even notice it when the lights were lower).

My suggestion is to go the simple and thin Masonite route and a frame approach like I did. You might have to use a thicker piece around the center (maybe attaching something to the ceiling to help that out a bit). It was hard enough to put the 5' x 4' pieces up there (and mine were pretty light)-- I cannot imagine one your size PLUS the added weight.

I think that 1" Linacoustic will SAG. The stuff I used was 2" RIGID fiberglass. It has very little flex to it. You can use Owens Corning 703 or JM814 (which is what I used since it was 1/2 the price). Another idea is build the frame above and glue the backside of the 1" Linacoustic to it to keep it from sagging. Another reason to use the 2" material is it will dig a bit deeper into the mid frequency range giving you better sound control.

Either way you go, please share pics of your build. I'd like to see this thing come to life (especially if you go with a pulley system).

Steve, I'll share how things developed although it may end up being similar to yours. I don't want anything heavy suspended over our heads. I like your approach because it works. Would you in hindsight consider doing the whole thing with JM814 or OC703 or would you still just do the first reflection point? Is there benefit to doing the whole thing?

Steve, I'll share how things developed although it may end up being similar to yours. I don't want anything heavy suspended over our heads. I like your approach because it works. Would you in hindsight consider doing the whole thing with JM814 or OC703 or would you still just do the first reflection point? Is there benefit to doing the whole thing?
Honestly, the 100% pure masonite side was easier to work with when installing the fibers (mark, pre-drill, cover with fabric, insert fiber and glue). The insulation just took more time and TLC to get the fibers through the material but I used just about the same steps (mark, pre-poke, cover with fabric, insert fiber and glue (lots of it)). Pre-poking the holes with a coat hanger will save you a lot of headache.

Is there a benefit to doing the whole thing -- yes, possibly. It all depends on how much absorption you have in other parts of the room. It's a real balance and that is why I hired bpape to help me get everything just right. He told me with everything else I had in the room, I did not need to do the entire star ceiling.

Hi Steve,
Did you use the CC-1 tool to cut the Endglow cable? Is it required? Thanks.

Hi Steve,
Did you use the CC-1 tool to cut the Endglow cable? Is it required? Thanks.
It is not required. I used pain 'ole wire cutters like this. Worked perfectly.
http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/14/88/22768814.jpg

great, I'll take it out of the shop cart. thanks.

Steve,

I have been following your build and think you are one talented guy! Great work. Maybe I missed it but how did you power the star ceiling? More specifically, did you run the fiber optic cable in the ceiling structure you built or did you run the cable to the LED unit located elsewhere? Where is your LED light unit located? I just ordered up cable and the light source.

Thanks in advance

Steve,

I have been following your build and think you are one talented guy! Great work. Maybe I missed it but how did you power the star ceiling? More specifically, did you run the fiber optic cable in the ceiling structure you built or did you run the cable to the LED unit located elsewhere? Where is your LED light unit located? I just ordered up cable and the light source.

Thanks in advance

Randy,

Originally I did plan to put the light box in the attic above. BUT.. when they released the LED based unit, I put it in the room directly above the star panels (between the panels and the actual drywall ceiling). The unit puts out nearly ZERO heat, so it did not pose any problems. The only thing I would have done differently was to order about 8' more of fiber so I could of extended the LED light unit over to the side. This would have allowed me the ability to make adjustment to the light patterns, speed and intensity without moving one of the panels. Another war-wound "lesson learned" to put in the book :D

Thanks Steve. I think I'm going to pass my cable through to a closet and put the LED unit in there for the purpose just as you stated about making adjustments. I ordered up 30 feet of the EG- Pack48 cable. How may cables were you able to put into the LED unit? I see where it will hold 500 fibers.

Thanks Steve. I think I'm going to pass my cable through to a closet and put the LED unit in there for the purpose just as you stated about making adjustments. I ordered up 30 feet of the EG- Pack48 cable. How may cables were you able to put into the LED unit? I see where it will hold 500 fibers.
I have (4) of them in mine. You might be able to squeeze in (2) more if you really worked at it. Since you have to pull back the jacket to expose the fibers a bit (I did about 1.25"), those pesky fibers keep escaping. Remember this cable has those LARGE fibers which take up a lot more "space" then the medium ones they use for the 500max count.

I guess I went a different route. I ordered a LED light controller that can be controlled by my remote control. It also supports up to 8 LED spot lights. (also by remote for each spot light) You can add additional modules such as a shooting star. For my size ceiling, I only required 24 (8 x 3 feet each) feet of the EG-Pack48 since most of the run is taken up by the illuminators using CAT5.

Check it out at: http://starceiling.blogspot.com/

The guy will custom make it for you and he is great to work with.

I'll let you all know how it works out.

BTW - He is also now selling tiles if you want to make the job easier.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_QXsXzG9Rb6Y/RtcOPoj1naI/AAAAAAAAAB8/So5AOqGkKEU/s1600-h/DSC02359.jpg

I guess I went a different route. I ordered a LED light controller that can be controlled by my remote control. It also supports up to 8 LED spot lights. (also by remote for each spot light) You can add additional modules such as a shooting star. For my size ceiling, I only required 8 feet of the EG-Pack48 since most of the run is taken up by the illuminators using CAT5.

Check it out at: http://starceiling.blogspot.com/

The guy will custom make it for you and he is great to work with.

I'll let you all know how it works out.

BTW - He is also now selling tiles if you want to make the job easier.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_QXsXzG9Rb6Y/RtcOPoj1naI/AAAAAAAAAB8/So5AOqGkKEU/s1600-h/DSC02359.jpg
Wow -- I wish I knew about this before I bought mine. I love all the customization it has. How much does he charge for a basic setup (just to power standard fiber -- no shooting stars, etc)?

Wow -- I wish I knew about this before I bought mine. I love all the customization it has. How much does he charge for a basic setup (just to power standard fiber -- no shooting stars, etc)?

From him I bought the controller card and illuminators (2 cables plug into the RGB ports each with 4 illuminators for total of 8) that sparkles. I bought the EG-Pack48 from the place you got yours because I wanted the various sizes for more natural look. He also has Mitsubishi fibers if you rather have the .75mm and pack them together on certain stars to make it look like the way he did his ceiling.

Anyway, for the $168 shipped from Canada it worked out maybe cheaper overall than buying more EG-Pack48. But the remote control flexibility and added customization is what sealed the deal for me.

BTW - If you use the spot lights, you will need to buy an additional transformer to connect to the 12V High on the controller card. The card comes with a 12 V transformer to power the stars/shooting stars only. The added transformer is an extra few bucks.

Oh, it can also supply color illuminators.

From him I bought the controller card and illuminators (2 cables plug into the RGB ports each with 4 illuminators for total of 8) that sparkles. I bought the EG-Pack48 from the place you got yours because I wanted the various sizes for more natural look. He also has Mitsubishi fibers if you rather have the .75mm and pack them together on certain stars to make it look like the way he did his ceiling.

Anyway, for the $168 shipped from Canada it worked out maybe cheaper overall than buying more EG-Pack48. But the remote control flexibility and added customization is what sealed the deal for me.

BTW - If you use the spot lights, you will need to buy an additional transformer to connect to the 12V High on the controller card. The card comes with a 12 V transformer to power the stars/shooting stars only. The added transformer is an extra few bucks.

Oh, it can also supply color illuminators.
That is not much more than I spent on mine with shipping (and I love the remote control power). I assume the remote is RF since line-of-site may be difficult to do with the star panels?? I looked over his website and did not see a pic of the actually illuminatior (only a pic of the shooting star unit). Do you know what it looks like?

The remote is IR. Very small so I will drill a hole in line of sight.

The controller and illuminator are on this page:
http://starceiling.blogspot.com/2007/08/controller-card.html

Click on image to get it bigger.

Steve, what did you use to cut the holes for the spot lights? Regular hole saw?

The remote is IR. Very small so I will drill a hole in line of sight.

The controller and illuminator are on this page:
http://starceiling.blogspot.com/2007/08/controller-card.html

Click on image to get it bigger.
Got it. Thanks!

Please post some pics of the hardware and your install. I'd really like to see this in action.

Steve, what did you use to cut the holes for the spot lights? Regular hole saw?
Spotlights = Illuminator.. right? Illuminator is just above the star ceiling with all the fibers inserted into the yoke on the unit. No hole was needed.

I may be confused so correct me if I told you the wrong answer :o

I think he means the lights in your woodwork for the star ceiling.

I think he means the lights in your woodwork for the star ceiling.
Oh - Duh!!

I traced the circle and used a jig-saw to cut the holes. They did not need to be perfect since the trim covers everything.

sorry, I meant what Randy stated. I should have used the words "can lights".

OK, great, the jig will work then.

BTW - the illuminators are the CAT5 cables that plugs into the controller card on one end. on the other end (imagine a tree with branches) there are four branches (since CAT 5 has 4 pairs). At the end of the branches are the same thing that the coolsky uses to secure the fibers with a LED bulb inside each of the branches.

I think this is a very ingenious way he did this design.

BTW - the illuminators are the CAT5 cables that plugs into the controller card on one end. on the other end (imagine a tree with branches) there are four branches (since CAT 5 has 4 pairs). At the end of the branches are the same thing that the coolsky uses to secure the fibers with a LED bulb inside each of the branches.

I think this is a very ingenious way he did this design.
I'm impresses as well. I can't wait to see it in action!

Actually, thinking about this, all you need to do is replace the coolsky box with this controller card and one short illumitator cable he can make for you (since you have all the fibers already home run to one place) Should be almost a drop in replacement. Then just drill a hole for the IR maybe just like a star or in the woodwork.

Just came across this (I'm fairly new). Beautiful doesn't do it justice. I wish I had your construction abilities.

Actually, thinking about this, all you need to do is replace the coolsky box with this controller card and one short illumitator cable he can make for you (since you have all the fibers already home run to one place) Should be almost a drop in replacement. Then just drill a hole for the IR maybe just like a star or in the woodwork.
You are right about that. However, I may want to have the ability to have (4) separate illuminators to give the ceiling a more random look.

How many LEDs are in each illuminator?

Just came across this (I'm fairly new). Beautiful doesn't do it justice. I wish I had your construction abilities.
Jon,

Thanks so much. It is currently undergoing a small face-lift. I'll have some pics in a few weeks. Blame the wife for this one.

Blame the wife for this one.

LOL! What did she request/demand?

Mike

LOL! What did she request/demand?

Mike
Hmm -- can you say "wall panels" :rolleyes: They are going to look very cool and extremely custom. You guys will not be disappointed :D I even have a new idea for the construction of the new panels. This should cut the build time down a bit and make them a lot lighter. I'm hesitant to share more until I get one built and make sure it works ;)

Hurry up will ya! I'm about to embark on my panels and I need you to R&D yours so I can steal your ideas. :)

You are right about that. However, I may want to have the ability to have (4) separate illuminators to give the ceiling a more random look.

How many LEDs are in each illuminator?

I will have to check how many of the EG-pack48 can fit in each illuminator. My guess would be about 200 (50 for each branch - I will be stuffing one EG-Pack48 in each), therefore 400 for both illuminators. I guess more can be packed in or he could get you a bigger holder.

Just a correction I made to one of my earlier posts. I ordered 24 feet of the EG-PACK48. i.e. 8 x 3 feet each since there are eight branches. I had earlier stated I ordered 8 feet total. Sorry about the confusion.

I am really trying to wrap my brain around how the circuit board is an illuminator? I guess at my age I need pictures. :)

The circuit board has two CAT 5 ports (RGB1 and RGB2). A CAT 5 cable plugs in there. For each of the 4 pairs in the CAT 5 on the other end a LED bulb and cable holder are attached.

Don't get worried, I was not too clear on the design originally. I had him draw some diagrams for me. I saw he took it off the blog since they were a bit custom to my situation.

so, the circuit board provides the current.

Okay...got it. The blog is missing some pics (blank white pics) so I'm assuming that would have clarified it for me.

I've hijacked Steve's thread enough now.. Thanks Tradewinds.

So let me get this straight: he's using Cat5 to carry 4 separate power currents and so that circuit board provides the power and controls the amount of power going to the LEDs?

By the way, these are also a great resource for DIY LED drivers:
http://www.rgbled.org/RGBLED/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Circuits-for-using-High-Power-LED's/

The second one is really enlightening.

So let me get this straight: he's using Cat5 to carry 4 separate power currents and so that circuit board provides the power and controls the amount of power going to the LEDs?


Yes. Apparently LED only require current in the mA range. The circuit board is really a controller that allows the following functions (for me at least, I guess you can get it programmed for the way you want it):

Power : Will start the Stars form 0% to 100% over 3 minutes and will dim the Spot light Ports

Channel UP : increase the brightness of the stars in 10 steps
Channel Down : decreases the brightness in 10 steps

Volume UP : Set the twinkle and sparkle speed in 128 steps up
Volume Down : Set the twinkle and sparkle speed in 128 steps down

Mute : rest the stars back to 0% brightness and 0% sparkle


Number 1-8 : to turn on LED Spot Light ports, press once 100% and every other press will decrease them 25% until they are of. The same for number 2-8.

Number 9 : turns the stars 100% on
Number 0: turns the stars in groups on first group 100% and second group 75%

Remember, it is infinitely customizable to add other modules like shooting stars etc. He mentioned there will be more add-ons to come.

OK, Steve, I feel bad hijacking this thread. I think there is enough info here and the blog for those interested. You can contact the person who makes it through his blog or ebay listing. He may even start his own thread. I will suggest that to him, however I am not sure of forum rules so he'll need to check on that. He is a great guy to work with and readily available via email.

You're right. They require very little power, but are power fluctuation/temperature sensitive. How he designed it is quite interesting (using Cat5 for power and not data) so he can keep the processor elsewhere. Nice...

Hi,
I see there are lot of questions on that, so i would love to share more information.

And by the way on the blog there is no white spaces where pictures are missing, checked it 2 minutes ago.

Best regards

Hurry up will ya! I'm about to embark on my panels and I need you to R&D yours so I can steal your ideas. :)

Looking forward to seeing this also. Although it will be a few weeks before I am ready. Not that I am that patient. ;)

Guys,

No problem on the hijack. I want to know more about this new star unit as well. Welcome Star Designer!

And I should be starting on the panels this weekend. I'll be sure to take pics to show my progress.

Yeah, hijack away. I haven't had time to read the flurry of stuff on this topic yesterday and today, but at least I know where it is when I get to it.

Bud

Great. Star Designer has joined. Now I can let him answer the questions. It may be best to start a thread in the 'Theater Room Items & Accessories' Forum. I can see you will have a very large thread in a short time since custom star ceilings and panels are no longer worth thousands.

Just for safety's sake, he may want to read the forum rules. I'd hate to seem the rug pulled out from under him. I look forward to the new thread.

Thank you swithey,
i wont hijack it.

The controller is a 32 BIT processor with 8 cores.
It is a 100 % flexible system, what allows me to create custom system.
What can be conectet to it,

2 ports for stars, up to 14 channels to control CAT5 all dimable and 2 Blinking rates allows me millions of combinations of white or rgb LED set ups
2 ports for LED Spot Lights 8 channels 500 mA each CAT5 all dimable
1 EXT port for Shooting star,(in development: LED MAtrix for Custom Animations,
Sound Module for sound FX, Sound2Light Module, and some more stuff will come) CAT5 and there is a nother ext port, for more comming modules 6 pin header. I test right now a touch switch what is mounted on the backside of the star pannel, like a extra switch when you cant find your remote control
it senses a touch trugh 1 inch MDF wood pannel.

I hope thats gives some more information.

I build what you can think of, thats why i love to make custom star ceilings.

So thats now all hijacking, please feel free to ask more questions, then i will open a new thread.

Best regards

Guys,

I'm helping a guy out with a new Oppo 981 DVD player. I wanted to get a discrete IR code for power on and off. I located the HEX codes HERE (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/download/remote%20key%20code%20dv981hd.xls) but his Universal Remote Control MX900 cannot convert HEX to its own format. The application does convert the old classic Prono CCF files, though.

Would anyone be able to create a CCF file with the on/off codes I need?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT -- Never mind, I just found a CCF file with the ON/Off codes I needed HERE (http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/downloads/Oppo.ccf).

Guys,

No problem on the hijack. I want to know more about this new star unit as well. Welcome Star Designer!

And I should be starting on the panels this weekend. I'll be sure to take pics to show my progress.

So what is the story? I thought you were done and ready to watch movies. Now your back to the original design and putting up Fabric Frames?? I also thought you built several fabric frames already, and dumped them??? There is got to be a story behind this change.

Hi Steve,
Not sure if I missed it, what type of wood did you use to make the frames for star ceiling? It looks rather straight. Was it finished wood? Thanks.

So what is the story? I thought you were done and ready to watch movies. Now your back to the original design and putting up Fabric Frames?? I also thought you built several fabric frames already, and dumped them??? There is got to be a story behind this change.
Actually -- pretty simple. I was showing my room to some friends that just moved to town. They loved the panels so much, they offered to purchase them (along with my projector). The wife was looking for an excuse to make some changes anyway. Since she is a designer, her mind is always coming up with new ideas.

The new frames will not be frames like you did in your room but rather a single large framed panel that will cover most of the area between the columns. Each panel will then be framed with a custom beveled stain-grade frame that I've designed myself. I'll have more info for everyone once I get started on the build.

Back to the workshop I go for Swithey HT v2 :D

Thanks for clearing that up. Looking forward to see your remodel.

Hi Steve,
Not sure if I missed it, what type of wood did you use to make the frames for star ceiling? It looks rather straight. Was it finished wood? Thanks.
I used the #1 pine they sell at HD. It does cost a bit more but the boards are straight and very consistent in width and thickness. I used the same material for the frame around my screen. I got tired of ripping down 2x4s and having them warp a week later. I think I spend maybe $22 on materials for each star frame (no counting the fiber material or insulation). Using 2x4s might have saved me $5 -- just not worth it.

Hmm, so it'll be like Ronnie's theater walls, except with more of a wood-trimmed border? I've always liked his design.. I look forward to seeing the new incarnation..

Hmm, so it'll be like Ronnie's theater walls, except with more of a wood-trimmed border? I've always liked his design.. I look forward to seeing the new incarnation..
More of dual-level beveled look -- but very clean. We saw something similar to this in one of the HT mags a while back. We just made some changes to make it fit in more with the design of our room. More soon :)

Thanks for clearing that up. Looking forward to see your remodel.
Happy to clear that up for you :) I hope you sleep better tonight :D ;)

Steve, I really would like to see your new panels too. I am very close to that stage.

Thanks for the answer above.

Actually -- pretty simple. I was showing my room to some friends that just moved to town. They loved the panels so much, they offered to purchase them (along with my projector). The wife was looking for an excuse to make some changes anyway. Since she is a designer, her mind is always coming up with new ideas.

The new frames will not be frames like you did in your room but rather a single large framed panel that will cover most of the area between the columns. Each panel will then be framed with a custom beveled stain-grade frame that I've designed myself. I'll have more info for everyone once I get started on the build.

Back to the workshop I go for Swithey HT v2 :D

Okay, so I don't want to hear any more flack from anyone about my serial HT building habit. Steve, you barely got yours finished and you're already re-doing it??? Geeez... ;)

Okay, so I don't want to hear any more flack from anyone about my serial HT building habit. Steve, you barely got yours finished and you're already re-doing it??? Geeez... ;)
It was either that or move. This was WAY cheaper :D

Steve, you sold the projector and panels to somebody? That seems a little strange. So, what do you have now? Nothing on your walls and an empty projector mount?

My wife and I are trying to figure out what to do for our vacation in either late October or early November. If we come to your area, will you have it all back up and running so we can come get a demo?

Scott - he already replaced it with an RS1.

Sounds like there was a hidden agenda in the "redo"... ;)

Man, I have been falling down on the browsing AVS, so it will go a week without me looking, so I can't read every post and when I came back there were 2 1/2 pages of postings to keep up on.

Steve, you sold the projector and panels to somebody? That seems a little strange. So, what do you have now? Nothing on your walls and an empty projector mount?

My wife and I are trying to figure out what to do for our vacation in either late October or early November. If we come to your area, will you have it all back up and running so we can come get a demo?
Just like ebr said, I got a new JVC RS1 projector. The walls are bare right now but I plan to work on the new panels this week. It was definitely the buggy before the horse on this one but the timing just worked out best. We're ordering the fabric this week so it should be in soon.

My plan is to have the panels competed by the end of October/early Nov. Now that we finally have the design down, the rest should fall into place.

The bad part is it has delayed my wet bar a bit :( We have decided to have a pro put down the granite flooring because I do not have the time to do it myself. I'm waiting on a quote right now.

Scott - he already replaced it with an RS1.

Sounds like there was a hidden agenda in the "redo"... ;)
No hidden agenda, unfortunately. The wife and I were just talking about a panel re-do and the projector was something I wanted one of these days... everything just happened to come up sooner than later :D

I did get a chance to watch some DVD (SD) yesterday when I had my HD Tivo installed. The cable guys were just wowed with the room and could not believe I had done it myself. While the Tivo was doing its setup, we switched over to watch a few clips from one of the Demo DVDs. One of the techs was previously a custom car audio installer and wanted to know all about my IB sub. He suggested I bring it down to 2ohm (from 4ohm ) to get a bit more punch (and a slightly different sound). This is an easy change since I just need to switch the way the woofs are wired up. I told him I went with 4ohm to put less stress on the amp (even though the amp do 2ohm without any problem). I think I may just keep it the way I have it but it did make me think a bit.

Man, I have been falling down on the browsing AVS, so it will go a week without me looking, so I can't read every post and when I came back there were 2 1/2 pages of postings to keep up on.
Yep, things change really fast around here. You miss a few days and you get really behind :D

My plan is to have the panels competed by the end of October/early Sept.

I'll interpret this as "if I can get it done by the end of October (07) and if not, then early September (08)". ;)

Bud

I'll interpret this as "if I can get it done by the end of October (07) and if not, then early September (08)". ;)

Bud
Damn -- you figured out my system :D I fixed my typo :)

Panels Version 3 – Started

I finally got some time on Sunday eve to begin production of v3 of my wall panels. Working out in the garage felt good. I had not worked out there for a while and it kind of energized me to continue on. I think I wrapped everything up around 12:30am.

It looks like the design I’m using this time may work out pretty well. They are petty solid right now. However, once I add the fabric and the 2” insulation, they will be very solid and about ½ the weight of my old design.

It all starts with 1x4x6 #2 pine boards. I used the #2 this time since they were about ½ the cost of the #1 and I was lucky enough to find a slew of really straight ones to use. I really do not need too many of them this time because I’m building fewer but larger panels this time – for a total of (7).
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-Wood.JPG


The panels will be 2.25” thick to accommodate the 2” JM814 insulation I used in the original design. I had to rip down the 1x4 pine to 2.25” which was easy to do. I then cut them to the correct length. Since each panel is a different size (mainly width), I cut wood for each, assemble and then move onto the next. I used 2x2 solid Poplar pieces in each corner for (2) reasons – (1) to act as a corner brace to give some extra strength to the boards where they join and (2) to help make sure the panel is square.

As you can see here, this is a top section of a panel with I’ve glued and brad nailed the small 2x2 pieces to the edges of the board.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-TopBottomPiece.JPG


Next, I glued and brad nailed the side pieces to the top section (and repeated for the bottom section as well). Please note I made the 2x2 corner braces shorter on the front side of the panel. I did this to be sure it does not cause a blemish when fabric is stretched over the frame.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-FrameGlue.JPG


I used some clamps to keep the alignment perfect and get a tight bond between everything.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-FrameClamp.JPG


Next, secure everything with 6 2” brad nails.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PsnV3-FrameNail.JPG


Here is a top-down view of the entire panel during construction.
NOTE: Notice that beautiful 4x8 sheet of ½ ply. I’ve had this board from the very beginning of the HT build and it has served me well.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-FrameDryfit.JPG


And the final panel. This one is roughly 70” tall x 40” wide and about in perfect square!
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PsnV3-FrameComplete1.JPG


Here are the (3) I have completed – only 4 more to go. These are the (3) panels for the left wall.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-FrameComplete2.JPG


Once these are wrapped with fabric, they will be framed with a 2.5” wide beveled piece of rift-cut oak cut on a 31deg angle. The outside edges of the outer frame will cut at 31deg as well to make the 5/8" outside edge perpendicular to the wall. The top of the outer frame will be ½” below the top of the panel to give the panel a 3D stick-out effect. It will be stained in the same dark brown stain I used for the rear cabinet slats. Here is a quick pic of what I "tried" to describe above.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanV3-Render.jpg


More soon :)

Dang Steve, I take the weekend off (from AVS ;)) and come back to a whole new theater. Originally I thought you were talking about your star panel -- I didn't realize you meant your wall panels. I'm looking into sound panels for Shelton Theatre 2.0 (I haven't even finished 1.0 yet :p) and look forward to how yours turn out.

Thanks,
Mike

Dang Steve, I take the weekend off (from AVS ;)) and come back to a whole new theater. Originally I thought you were talking about your star panel -- I didn't realize you meant your wall panels. I'm looking into sound panels for Shelton Theatre 2.0 (I haven't even finished 1.0 yet :p) and look forward to how yours turn out.

Thanks,
Mike
Yep -- things change quickly over here :D

Putting panels in your room will really help the sound. I can already tell the difference now that I don't have them in my room. Everything sound less emphasized, dialog is not as rich and even bass sounds different (less intense). I can't wait to get them back in the room.

One of the techs was previously a custom car audio installer and wanted to know all about my IB sub. He suggested I bring it down to 2ohm (from 4ohm ) to get a bit more punch (and a slightly different sound). This is an easy change since I just need to switch the way the woofs are wired up. I told him I went with 4ohm to put less stress on the amp (even though the amp do 2ohm without any problem). I think I may just keep it the way I have it but it did make me think a bit.

Don't listen to the car guys, all they like is bass... :D

BTW, interesting way of making the panels to make them really pop and have a 3D look to them. I can't wait to see what they look like when done. Hurry and finish!

Steve,

Will the panels be in direct contact with the wall or will you have some space between the panel and wall?

Hey Steve.

Haven't been around much lately - been keeping busy. I come back to find new PJ and new wall panels. ... and still no wet bar ;)

Oh well, if it helps keep the significant other happy and you get a better PJ out of the deal, why not.

Bryan

Steve,

Will the panels be in direct contact with the wall or will you have some space between the panel and wall?
They will be in direct contact with the wall. We toyed around with the idea of having them float away from the wall a bit with a light-glow behind them. Ultimately, we decided against it since I would have to cut into the ceiling vault to run the new electrical circuit.

Hey Steve.

Haven't been around much lately - been keeping busy. I come back to find new PJ and new wall panels. ... and still no wet bar ;)

Oh well, if it helps keep the significant other happy and you get a better PJ out of the deal, why not.

Bryan

Glad to hear from you again Bryan. Yep, a new PJ in the mix has been pretty rewarding. The new panels will add a refreshed look to the room (which does make the wife very happy). Oh well, we'll get to the bar as soon as the panels are completed.

Don't listen to the car guys, all they like is bass... :D
LOL!

BTW, interesting way of making the panels to make them really pop and have a 3D look to them. I can't wait to see what they look like when done. Hurry and finish!
After working after midnight on other stuff a few days last week and on the panels on Monday eve, I just ran out of gas last night. I just sat down and watched some Tivo'ed Letterman. I'll get back on it tonight :)

Steve,

Who's your cable provider in TX? How many HD channels do they give you? Are they running fibre or coax?

The reason I ask is Cableone is our provider and I have a whopping 7 channels (down from 8 earlier in the year). It's driving me nuts! In fact, the only reason I'm still with them is that a) I LOVE my HD Tivo Series 3 and b) the new Sci-Fi episodes aren't out yet ;) (Oh, and my wife said she'd kill me if I made her use something other than Tivo -- we tried it once ... *shudder*).

Mike

Steve,

Who's your cable provider in TX? How many HD channels do they give you? Are they running fibre or coax?

The reason I ask is Cableone is our provider and I have a whopping 7 channels (down from 8 earlier in the year). It's driving me nuts! In fact, the only reason I'm still with them is that a) I LOVE my HD Tivo Series 3 and b) the new Sci-Fi episodes aren't out yet ;) (Oh, and my wife said she'd kill me if I made her use something other than Tivo -- we tried it once ... *shudder*).

Mike

Time Warner (formally Comcast). I do not think I have that many HD channels as well. I just got it hooked up so still trying to work with it a bit. I need to hide all the garbage channels to keep the list short and sweet. I'll report back when I get more info for ya.

I was doing OTA for my HD stuff (which was free) but with college ball starting, I needed channels that were not on normal digital OTA broadcast.

I dumped cable about 12 years ago and never looked back. I'm also a huge Tivo fan (had at least one since the beginning and an HDTivo since they were released) but am about to give up that for the new D* model. Supposedly, it has caught up in functionality and bug fixes. I'm nervous, but the HR10-250 (HDTivo) has such a bad OTA tuner in it that I can't reliably get all my networks in HD so I'm making the move now that they are available over the satellite.

My local cable company (TW also) doesn't even have all our locals in HD. I can't imagine having to go back to cable. Great for internet access and that's about it, IMO.

I dumped cable about 12 years ago and never looked back. I'm also a huge Tivo fan (had at least one since the beginning and an HDTivo since they were released) but am about to give up that for the new D* model. Supposedly, it has caught up in functionality and bug fixes. I'm nervous, but the HR10-250 (HDTivo) has such a bad OTA tuner in it that I can't reliably get all my networks in HD so I'm making the move now that they are available over the satellite.

My local cable company (TW also) doesn't even have all our locals in HD. I can't imagine having to go back to cable. Great for internet access and that's about it, IMO.
Yep -- would have consider Dish because their DVR is actually pretty nice. However, the wife would not allow any satellite since her friends always tell her how the signal goes out when it rains. I almost had her convinced to switch but then she got (2) emails in the same week from friends that lost signal because of weather. That did it -- no Satellite for us :( Now, if FIOS ever comes to our neighborhood, I'm switching to that.

I know you guys have some nasty downpours in Texas but in that 12 years I think I've had "rain fade" about four times. All of that was in Texas but each episode lasted no more than 10 minutes. Compared to how many times my cable was out for hours (or days) previous to my satellite days, well, let's just say its no contest. But, you do what ya gotta do to keep the wife happy ;).

I have had DirecTV now for over 6 years and lost the signal once for about 5 minutes.

I have had DirecTV now for over 6 years and lost the signal once for about 5 minutes.
Like I said, I had the wife convinced but then things changed. We'll get it one of these days. In the meantime, cable will just need to work.

BTW -- how is that ButtKicker Amp working for your Sub? I read on another thread you replaced a 250watt plate amp with a BK amp. Does it put off a lot of heat?

I know you guys have some nasty downpours in Texas but in that 12 years I think I've had "rain fade" about four times. All of that was in Texas but each episode lasted no more than 10 minutes. Compared to how many times my cable was out for hours (or days) previous to my satellite days, well, let's just say its no contest. But, you do what ya gotta do to keep the wife happy ;).
I've had excellent luck with cable over the past 10 years -- almost zero downtime. Yep, keeping the wife happy is imporant -- as you know to well :D

Steve, I have had zero issues with the BK amp except that it triggers on every so often even when it shouldn't. I think there is some noise in the system that triggers it. It never gets even warm when watching a movie as it is really efficient. I am only driving it at low power levels anyway as it will do 2000 watts, but I am only pulling 1000 because it's at 4 ohms.

Steve, I have had zero issues with the BK amp except that it triggers on every so often even when it shouldn't. I think there is some noise in the system that triggers it. It never gets even warm when watching a movie as it is really efficient. I am only driving it at low power levels anyway as it will do 2000 watts, but I am only pulling 1000 because it's at 4 ohms.
Thanks for the feedback. I like it because it is fanless and more quiet than the Ep2500 I have.

No problem Steve.

Hi Steve, not sure if I missed this. For the JM814, did you place the foil/paper side towards the room or ceiling? From your pics it appears to be towards the room unless you removed it.

Hi Steve, not sure if I missed this. For the JM814, did you place the foil/paper side towards the room or ceiling? From your pics it appears to be towards the room unless you removed it.
The JM814 I bought was paper-less. It was raw insulation on both sides. If what you bought has paper, you probably want to face the paper against the wall vs. into the room. The paper will reflect some of the highs (which may/may not be a good thing depending on what other type of absorption you have in the room). Bryan/bpape is the man to ask about that.

The one I bought has foil, I'll face it towards the ceiling.

The one I bought has foil, I'll face it towards the ceiling.
That should do the trick. Please post some pics of your progress if you get the chance.

ok, here are some pics with the design inspired by Steve. I got the two panels done today and put them up for a dry fit. Will need to take those suckers down, wrap with fabric and put in the JM814 in the front section, thread fibers and then put back up.

Star Ceiling Pic1 (http://i24.tinypic.com/288bnnc.jpg)
Star Ceiling Pic2 (http://i24.tinypic.com/2u7oob5.jpg)
Star Ceiling Pic3 (http://i21.tinypic.com/2hphkzo.jpg)
Star Ceiling Pic4 (http://i20.tinypic.com/2e0i82q.jpg)


BTW . when you used speaker cloth, did the yellow of the JM814 show through?

LOL! Those closeups of your MDF pieces made me smell fresh cut MDF. Weird.

Mike

ok, here are some pics with the design inspired by Steve. I got the two panels done today and put them up for a dry fit. Will need to take those suckers down, wrap with fabric and put in the JM814 in the front section, thread fibers and then put back up.

BTW . when you used speaker cloth, did the yellow of the JM814 show through?
Nice work on the unit. I noticed you put it up in (4) pieces just like I did. Is it screwed directly to the ceiling or does it hang down a bit like mine? Do you plan to paint or veneer your creation? I'm looking forward to seeing the final product!

And no, you cannot see the yellow JM814 insulation though the black speaker cloth at all.

EDIT -- I looked at the pics again and can now see you have it screwed directly to the ceiling.

LOL! Those closeups of your MDF pieces made me smell fresh cut MDF. Weird.

Mike
I guess you have the 'ole Pavlov Dog response going on :D

Four pieces, you are referring to the JM814?, yes, Actually 3 full panels and almost a full 4th.

Yes, I lag it on to the ceiling. I built it on the ceiling since it would not have passed through the door if I did it in the garage :-)

I am planning to paint the outer sides in black and wrap the bottom and inside parts with black fabric (notice the lip on the outer edge). I will also put crown where the ceiling and outer side meet since there are some gaps there from the ceiling not being perfectly straight.

Four pieces, you are referring to the JM814?, yes, Actually 3 full panels and almost a full 4th.

Yes, I lag it on to the ceiling. I built it on the ceiling since it would not have passed through the door if I did it in the garage :-)

I am planning to paint the outer sides in black and wrap the bottom and inside parts with black fabric (notice the lip on the outer edge). I will also put crown where the ceiling and outer side meet since there are some gaps there from the ceiling not being perfectly straight.
Ahh -- you built it in the room. That makes sense since yours is a a bit larger than mine. I think the combo of black paint and fabric will work out well. Please keep us apprised of your progress.

Wow Steve. I have been out of the loop for a while and thought I would stop in and say hi. You barely get yours finished (while I still have not) and then your already upgrading and remodeling. Do you ever stop dude????

I need to quit working and running around so I can get finished. :rolleyes:

Ronnie

Wow Steve. I have been out of the loop for a while and thought I would stop in and say hi. You barely get yours finished (while I still have not) and then your already upgrading and remodeling. Do you ever stop dude????

I need to quit working and running around so I can get finished. :rolleyes:

Ronnie
Speaking of v2.0... The fabric came in today. We ordered a few yards of each style (we'll have 2 styles working in the room). Once the wife gives it the thumbs up, we'll order the other 12 yards needed to complete the panels.

Do I ever stop -- seems like I do all the time since I have to do other things around the house :D It's been so busy the last few months, I have not watched a single movie in the room. It feels like a museum in there right now. I'm glad we're using it this coming weekend for the OU vs. Texas game.

AND - Just picked up Fantastic Four - The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Transformers will be out in a few weeks. Both of those movies should do quite well in the LFE department :D

...Transformers will be out in a few weeks. Both of those movies should do quite well in the LFE department :D

Heh, heh... I saw Transformers in the theater with my son (9yrs old) and I was thinking through the whole thing that this is gonna rock in my room ;). Wasn't that impressive in the theater but you could tell the DVD version (with the proper woofage applied) would be great. Let's hope...

Hey Steve,

How deep is your shadow box for your screen (I hope I remember that correctly that you have one :-). I'm building my screen wall and wondering what depth to make mine. I'm somewhere between 9 - 12 inches.

BTW - what did you use to form the inside flat part of the box? I'm thinking 1x10's or 1x12's, but I'm worried they might warp.

Thanks,

Ed (I really need to start my own thread :-)

Heh, heh... I saw Transformers in the theater with my son (9yrs old) and I was thinking through the whole thing that this is gonna rock in my room ;). Wasn't that impressive in the theater but you could tell the DVD version (with the proper woofage applied) would be great. Let's hope...
ebr,

I watched it last night and it was enjoyable to watch. It was only SD but the JVC really made it look crisp and clear. I did not have it too loud so the bass was good but I think it could have been outstanding. I did appreciate the cinematography (http://www.ededition.com/blogpics/transformers2.jpg) as well :D

Hey Steve,

How deep is your shadow box for your screen (I hope I remember that correctly that you have one :-). I'm building my screen wall and wondering what depth to make mine. I'm somewhere between 9 - 12 inches.

BTW - what did you use to form the inside flat part of the box? I'm thinking 1x10's or 1x12's, but I'm worried they might warp.

Thanks,

Ed (I really need to start my own thread :-)
Ed,

The shadow box is about 10" deep but with the screen in place, it reduces it to 8". I do like the shadow box look in the room.

On the design, I would build a small frame so it is open on the sides/top/bottom (acoustically). This will allow more sound to get back there and get absorbed (vs. bouncing around). I built mine out of 2x4s and it is solid.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/ScreenWall-ShadowBox1.JPG

Yep - that was some top shelf "cinematography"...

I was meaning to pick this up yesterday and check it out but I can't decide whether I want to go full tilt and get the HD-DVD...

Yep - that was some top shelf "cinematography"...

I was meaning to pick this up yesterday and check it out but I can't decide whether I want to go full tilt and get the HD-DVD...
Full Tilt?

Ed,

The shadow box is about 10" deep but with the screen in place, it reduces it to 8". I do like the shadow box look in the room.

On the design, I would build a small frame so it is open on the sides/top/bottom (acoustically). This will allow more sound to get back there and get absorbed (vs. bouncing around). I built mine out of 2x4s and it is solid.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/ScreenWall-ShadowBox1.JPG

As usual, I'm glad I asked. That's pretty much what I was going to do, but I thought that I'd need some form of "plank" to fill out the box. Are you saying you just covered your frame box with velvet (or whatever), no further support than what's in the picture? If so, how does the screen frame sit in that box? Just resting on those horizontal 2x4's?

Hmm, looking closer at the picture I see a back lip to keep the frame from falling out the back. I guess the frame sits on the lower 2x4 and against that lip. Right?


EDIT:

Two more questions if you don't mind :D

One - is the whole wall 2x4's? Some of the pieces look bigger, like the floor plate. Some look smaller, like the back frame of the shadow box.

Second - any chance you have a picture of that wall before you painted black? I can't tell what's going on there in the back part of the frame :)

Thanks...

Ed

As usual, I'm glad I asked. That's pretty much what I was going to do, but I thought that I'd need some form of "plank" to fill out the box. Are you saying you just covered your frame box with velvet (or whatever), no further support than what's in the picture? If so, how does the screen frame sit in that box? Just resting on those horizontal 2x4's?

Hmm, looking closer at the picture I see a back lip to keep the frame from falling out the back. I guess the frame sits on the lower 2x4 and against that lip. Right?

Ed, I just used 1x2 poplar to make a frame, and wrapped it in velvet. I brad nailed some small scrap pieces onto the drywall to give the frame a little shelf/cleat type of thing to rest the back part of the frame on. I put the same sort of cleats on my face frame, and the whole thing just sits in there... held in place by gravity and friction. Feel free to ping me in my thread, and I can post some more detailed pics... and what I would do different.

So, I picked up the HD-DVD of Transformers and was a bit underwhelmed by the LFE. The picture is fantastic (and the movie pure, ridiculous fun) but the lows don't really smack and shake you like I think they should. Actually, I've found this to be the case with most all DD+ soundtracks. All of the really exceptional LFE tracks I have are plain ol' DTS.

As usual, I'm glad I asked. That's pretty much what I was going to do, but I thought that I'd need some form of "plank" to fill out the box. Are you saying you just covered your frame box with velvet (or whatever), no further support than what's in the picture? If so, how does the screen frame sit in that box? Just resting on those horizontal 2x4's?

Hmm, looking closer at the picture I see a back lip to keep the frame from falling out the back. I guess the frame sits on the lower 2x4 and against that lip. Right?

Correct :)


EDIT:

Two more questions if you don't mind :D

One - is the whole wall 2x4's? Some of the pieces look bigger, like the floor plate. Some look smaller, like the back frame of the shadow box.

Second - any chance you have a picture of that wall before you painted black? I can't tell what's going on there in the back part of the frame :)

Thanks...

Ed
Ed,

I did not take any pics before it was painted black but I did enhance the black pics a bit for you. They look like crap but you can easily make out how I designed the frame. It took a lot of thinking while I was designing it but it turned out very strong.

This is the upper left corner of the screen. You can see I attached the top of the screen frame on the flat side to the ceiling support beams (partially painted black and no paint at all) . The 2x4 on the side is attached flat against the back. I did this to give the screen more lip to lean up against and gain more stapling room
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/Screenwall-ShadowBow-Detail1.JPG


This is the lower left corner. I used the 2x4s on their long side as well (again to reduce bulk and give a better platform for the screen and fabric).

NOTE: I added the 1.5 x .5" shims all the way around (not pictured) to help hide the seams of the fabric and keep it tight.
http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/Screenwall-ShadowBow-Detail2.JPG

Let me know if you need any further explantion.

So, I picked up the HD-DVD of Transformers and was a bit underwhelmed by the LFE. The picture is fantastic (and the movie pure, ridiculous fun) but the lows don't really smack and shake you like I think they should. Actually, I've found this to be the case with most all DD+ soundtracks. All of the really exceptional LFE tracks I have are plain ol' DTS.
I was not overly impressed with the LFE on my SD version -- but my room has no panels and it has not been re-calibrated yet. I'll hopefully have the 1st installment of frames installed in the next week or so (I'm waiting on the fabric to arrive). Once they are installed, I can run auto-EQ on my Pio Elite to fix the room and re-EQ the sub as well.

However, that is disappointing on the HD-DVD. I do favor DTS tracks because they "typically" use stronger surround and LFE channe

This has to be the best looking home theater I have ever seen. Bar none. Good job.

Steve,

Thanks for the enhanced pictures. I can see how you built it now.

Another could questions (I never know when to stop :-)

1) When you got to adding the fabric, did you staple to the inside of the inside frame? Meaning that the screen frame would have to cover the staples? I thought that's what I saw in other pictures in the thread.

2) What were the 1.5" x .5" shims made out of? Were they used for the hidden seam technique?

Ed

Steve,

Thanks for the enhanced pictures. I can see how you built it now.

Another could questions (I never know when to stop :-)

1) When you got to adding the fabric, did you staple to the inside of the inside frame? Meaning that the screen frame would have to cover the staples? I thought that's what I saw in other pictures in the thread.

2) What were the 1.5" x .5" shims made out of? Were they used for the hidden seam technique?

Ed
Ed,

I'll need to get up in the room and take another look at the fabric. I used a combo of hidden seams and staples along the edges. I do know that I did staple on the inside lip and all those staples are covered up when the screen frame is in place.

The 1.5" x .5" thick shims I used were made from ripped down 1/2" plywood. I had a ton left over from my original panel design and I think I finally used them all up. I did paint them black before they were applied

This has to be the best looking home theater I have ever seen. Bar none. Good job.
Thanks for the kudos Dan. I'll have some new pics in a week or so with the new panels in place. I completed the rest of the panel frames last night and should receive the fabric by the end of the week.

Speaking of bars, did you get that done finally? ;)

Bryan

Ed,

I'll need to get up in the room and take another look at the fabric. I used a combo of hidden seams and staples along the edges. I do know that I did staple on the inside lip and all those staples are covered up when the screen frame is in place.

The 1.5" x .5" thick shims I used were made from ripped down 1/2" plywood. I had a ton left over from my original panel design and I think I finally used them all up. I did paint them black before they were applied

Steve,

Thanks for the answers, they really help. No need to dig further, I now finally get it. :o

Speaking of bars, did you get that done finally? ;)

Bryan
Sore subject at my house right now. Nothing has been done at the moment :( Because I've been so busy lately, I'm going to hire out the tile job for the floor. I'm getting bids now and hopefully will have that done in the next few weeks.

Once I get these darn panels completed, I'll get back on the bar cabinet. I really want to get that finished sooner that later. I'm tired of showing the room to friends and saying "And this will be the Wet Bar area. I'm working on that next" :)

Steve,

Thanks for the answers, they really help. No need to dig further, I now finally get it. :o
Happy to help.

Sorry - didn't realize it was a sore subject. It'll be worth it when it's all done.

Bryan

Sorry - didn't realize it was a sore subject. It'll be worth it when it's all done.

Bryan
No worries. It is more of a "poking" from the wife asking when it will get done. Yes, it will be awesome when complete -- at the very least, getting another cold beer will become VERY easy :D

Just a Quick Update...

Sorry for being so slow with the posts lately. Yldesyde/David came over yesterday and we were able to get 5 of the 7 panels wrapped with fabric. I plan to get the 5 hung tonight or tomorrow. I'll be sure and take some pics. I think I have my wife talked into helping me with the last 2 :)

The new frame design (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11713875#post11713875) worked out perfectly and it took far less time to build. The weight of each panel is easily 1/3 the weight of the sandwich design I used on original panels. Fabric looks great as well.

More soon.

Can't wait to see them installed.

Can't wait to see them installed.
I snapped some pics this morning but am not completely satisfied with the lighting. I'll take some new ones this weekend and post then.

Overall, they turned out very nice. The wife really likes 'em.

Panel Update…

I have the panels up and we think they look great. The panels are 2.25" thick to accomidate the 2" JM814. The fabric is silk and custom selected by my wife. She calls the fabric “Trees”. The (2) rear panels and the wet bar area panels will have a different but complimentary pattern (no pics of that yet since those panels still need to be covered).

The plan is to put a 2.5” wide rift-cut oak frame around the panels (which is why there is so much space around the panels). However, I’ve been asked/persuaded to get the wet bar cabinet completed before I do the frames. I've also selected a sheer material to replace the brown speaker covers (which look totally out of place now). The color of the sheer fabric matches the column's stain color almost exactly! I used the "breathing test" and this sheer material is as "open" as the GOM I have on the front wall. I think it will work out beautifully.

http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanelsV3-Left Wall.JPG

http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/PanelsV3-Pana2.jpg

Wow! That looks amazing Steve! Great job!

Steve....it looks great! Question: When you (your wife) select the fabric, how are you testing if it is acoustically transparent?

I thing I like the old look better...
any way want to sell me the old panels?

Steve,

The panels look really nice in your room :) Can't wait to see the trim pieces you're going to put around it. I like rift cut oak.

I've got one more coat of finish to put on my wife's coffee table then it's off to buy my sound treatment panel material and build me up some sound treatment!! You've inspired me. Gotta keep up with the Switheys ;)

Mike

Nice work! Very classy looking. How does the room sound with that much absorption now?

Nice job Steve.

Bryan

Props to both you and your wife! I look forward to seeing the frames. Keep us updated on the wetbar cabinet as well.

Sweet! Those look awesome.

freaking fabulous looking!!

Wow! That looks amazing Steve! Great job!
Sweet! Those look awesome.
freaking fabulous looking!!
Thanks guys. I still have more work to do on them -- but at least I'm on my way :)

Steve....it looks great! Question: When you (your wife) select the fabric, how are you testing if it is acoustically transparent?
tradewinds,

Actually, I did break the rules a bit by using my own fabric. I talked this over with bpape and he said that if I went with an “open” silk, I should be fine. When compared to the brown GOM fabric I had before, this silk is more open that the GOM. The brown GOM I had was not Acoustically Transparent enough to be in front of speakers but perfect for panels. I would never put this silk in front of speakers but for panels, it works very well.

I thing I like the old look better...
any way want to sell me the old panels?
Jluzbet,

These panels are a bit different from what we had before. The fabric actually has a dark and lighter color to it depending on which angle it is viewed. You can see a slight difference in the panel closest to the screen vs. the other two. With the light low, they look dark golden brown with a hint of the gold “trees”. The larger red trees almost blend into the fabric and become nearly invisible.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the brown panels as well. These new ones have more of a décor look and that was what my wife was after. Believe me, the GOM fabric was cheap compared to what we put on these panels. I think I measured five times before I cut this stuff just so I would not make a mistake. Luckily, I bought the exact amount I needed to complete the job.

I sold (10) of the (12) panels I had made for the room to a friend (which actually started this entire panel redo). I don’t think (2) would do you much good.

Steve,

The panels look really nice in your room :) Can't wait to see the trim pieces you're going to put around it. I like rift cut oak.

I've got one more coat of finish to put on my wife's coffee table then it's off to buy my sound treatment panel material and build me up some sound treatment!! You've inspired me. Gotta keep up with the Switheys ;)

Mike
Mike,

I hear you on finishing up the “wife” projects. Please be sure to post some pics to your thread with the finished product. I’m worried I may have to keep up with my buddy “The Art Deco Man”. You do wonderful work as well :)

Let me know if you need any advice on the panels. This is my 3rd version of panels for my room and I think I’ve got the system figured out. I’m happy to help out any way I can :D

Nice work! Very classy looking. How does the room sound with that much absorption now?
Randy,

I cannot comment on the absorption since they are currently empty :( That is next on the list. I have a bunch of 2” JM814 sitting in the attic ready to be installed. According to bpapes original analysis, I was a little light on absorption anyway, so I think the added amount will do quite well.

I will say that watching movies in the room was not the same without the panels. I cannot wait to get them all hung and the insulation installed so I can get back to my ear-to-ear grinning!

Nice job Steve.

Bryan
Bryan,

Thanks. You've really helped me a lot along the way. Every time I look at the rear curved cabinet, I think of your original inspiration for the piece. That thing always gets rave reviews.

Props to both you and your wife! I look forward to seeing the frames. Keep us updated on the wetbar cabinet as well.
Aaron,

Well, the bar might again be put on hold again. The wife wants me to build her some “stand-alone” stain-grade shelves for her new office in the house. I’m not fully committed to it yet but we’ll see what happens. She thinks I can build them in the weekend but I think it will take much longer. Once I have the plans finalized, I’ll know more. What fun :)

Mike,

I hear you on finishing up the “wife” projects. Please be sure to post some pics to your thread with the finished product. I’m worried I may have to keep up with my buddy “The Art Deco Man”. You do wonderful work as well :)

I will. Probably owe it to everyone subscribed to my thread for the lack of progress ;)

Let me know if you need any advice on the panels. This is my 3rd version of panels for my room and I think I’ve got the system figured out. I’m happy to help out any way I can :D

I will. The good thing is that I'll be starting out on my buddy's panels first -- experiment on his then do the final take on mine :rolleyes:

Mike

Well, the bar might again be put on hold again. The wife wants me to build her some “stand-alone” stain-grade shelves for her new office in the house. I’m not fully committed to it yet but we’ll see what happens. She thinks I can build them in the weekend but I think it will take much longer.

LOL! Man, I know how that goes. Though since I'm not as fast as you I think my wife tends to give up easier on my doing the projects versus just buying something. I'm typing at our new computer desk now and realize that had I actually gotten the green light to build it myself (I requested to) that I'd probably be looking at 2 years before I finish my theater. Heh, who am I kidding with as little progress as I've made lately I'll probably be done in 2 years anyway!

Mike

Steve,

Very nice... I need to take this and get mine finished / updated...well are they ever done :rolleyes:


speaking of wife projects...here is what I have been working on the past month (or so)

http://www.thenolands.com/gallery/v/noland_main/2007_grill_and_patio_project/

Chris

LOL! Man, I know how that goes. Though since I'm not as fast as you I think my wife tends to give up easier on my doing the projects versus just buying something. I'm typing at our new computer desk now and realize that had I actually gotten the green light to build it myself (I requested to) that I'd probably be looking at 2 years before I finish my theater. Heh, who am I kidding with as little progress as I've made lately I'll probably be done in 2 years anyway!

Mike
I'm still considering a purchase over the build. It just happens that everytime I find something that might work, I think about how I cound impove it and the "do-it-yourself" light turns back on. However, you are right about how much easier it is to purchase vs. build :rolleyes:

Steve,

Very nice... I need to take this and get mine finished / updated...well are they ever done :rolleyes:


speaking of wife projects...here is what I have been working on the past month (or so)

http://www.thenolands.com/gallery/v/noland_main/2007_grill_and_patio_project/

Chris
Thanks Chris. WOW -- your grill looks great. That's some project! It is amazing how much time it takes to lay tile and brick. My hat goes off to you. I had to laugh when you underestimated on the amount of concrete needed -- only because I'd probably do the same thing :D

Now -- get back to work on your room so I can come by and see that sucker in action ;)