1000th post for this thread anyone?

1000th post for this thread anyone?

I missed that smakovits :cool: I guess I should contact Allen and see if I get a plaque or something :p

This thread has been going on a while. I'm starting to wonder if these HT's ever get "fully" completed..

Cheers
Calvin

u can complete ur dream home theatre for about a month because u know something better is just around the corner haha

anyways calvin thx for all the info and stuff it opened a world of stuff i forgot about

i came up with my conclusions for flat panels... samsungs for lcd

and of course pioneer for plasma if i were to go that route which i would do a lot of research on

the plasma war still rumbles on in my brain but the lcd one has finished i think finally thank god

anyways im onto a new world of projectors, audio, and all that good stuff

so much to take in

i might even take that job god im so iffy about it though because it involves me dropping college... but im definately interested in it

just curious calvin what u do for a living?

did u some how get all of that stuff into your mortgage i mean 112000 is a lot dude

also if i havent yet already congrats on the marriage and wish me luck on my future with my babe that ive lived with for a year now ( dating her for year and a half )

the stuff we put these women through is beyond my understanding... one week its like omg i want a ps3 next week for me its like hmmm great deal on a plasma lets get it rofl i love and im glad she puts up with my obsessions with this tech stuff

can u point me to a couple of good forums on this site to pick up on audio and projectors some what fast even though i know it will take a lot longer than that... thx buddy anyways going to bed for my 9-3 tomorrow at sears to sell tvs and ... warrantys

by the way what do u think about those? warrantys yay or nay?

Bruiser,

Thanks for the post and good luck with the rest of your endeavours.
I own my own consulting business where I work as a management professional building SAGD plants in Northern Alberta which is a large source of our oil for NA. Currently I’m working as an engineering technologist supervisor answering technical questions that arise during construction of these plants and the various thousands of interacting items that are required to put them together and function.
I didn’t add anything to my mortgage I saved for 5 years and paid cash for everything that went into my home other then the items installed by connect which is basically the structured wiring and Karma which are less than 5k. The rest was all paid for before even moving in and sat in boxes waiting for me to take possession of the new home. I don’t like to finance anything other than a home everything else is cash or in my mind I can’t afford it and wait and save.
Thanks for the congratulations on my marriage  My anniversary is on the 11th so I’m looking into what “paper” products I can give to my lovely bride for no #1
A couple of good forums to start are really just the main page here for $3k and under – if your budget is more then hit up the over $3k. The front page changes a lot so I won’t link you to individual threads but if a PJ has a good buzz in these forums it is worth taking a look. I’m not shopping a PJ at the moment so I’m out of the loop on what is the hot PJ at this time but I’m sure in a few hours on those forums you’ll know more than me.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68
I don’t buy warranties on any electronics or anything that I can think of for that matter. I don’t keep things long enough for them to blow up usually and in my experience if things do go south it is with the first 7 to 90 days and that is almost always covered without any additional warranties.

Good luck
Calvin

I awarded the landscaping portion of the work yesterday (it was my anniversary as well so now I'll always associate my 1st year anniversary as costing me a fortune).
The company starts in about 4 weeks so it should start to get pretty exciting around then. I still however haven’t found anyone for building my deck and I’m looking into EON now instead of Millennium as it seems to have been better “liked” by consumer reports and a few other publications I’ve seen plus it looks like wood vs. the PVC look of the millennium.
My hot tub vendor wants to ship my hot tub to me on July 15thand I sure hope I have a deck to put it on when it shows up... time is running out I may have to break out my old carpenter hat which is a last resort!

I'm still waiting on Connect AV and in negotiations with the Control 4 dealer but it looking like they want to get rich off me so I may end up holding off on the C4 until I finish up the landscaping and all the new C4 hardware comes to market in a month or two before pursuing it again. I keeping my fingers crossed I'll see Connect for the final installations and audio calibrations before the end of June.

More as it happens.

Cheers
Calvin

Figured I would post that I'm still alive :)

I've been back at work and working on some other non-HT related items around the house.

I just finished up some work in the garage setting up some cabinets, installing floor protection and adding another stand up freezer for additional frozen storage. I installed a few over head storage lifts and I have another motorized "gorilla lift" coming in this week for some more.

A quick photo of the initial results (I've done a bit more since the photo but this gives you and idea). My wife is pleased as I can start pulling my tools out of the basement storage area and put them in their new home and well I'm happy because I'm a guy that has to buy some new tools for all the “unused” space ;)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Misc%20shots/th_IMG_1069.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Misc%20shots/IMG_1069.jpg)


On the landscaping front I decided to go with EON decking from Home Depot despite hearing some negative things on it online it was well received with Consumers Reports and I tend to trust them. Even if it does go bad I have a 1 year warranty on it by the installer so he will fix it or replace it as required so I have some piece of mind. So far I'm waiting on the product to come in but the piling is done and ready to go.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_PilesinJuly2-08.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/PilesinJuly2-08.jpg)

I went with 12" x 10' concrete piles in the event I decide to do a sun room later down the road they will be already in place.

The main landscaping portion should begin this week, the hot tub will be delivered as soon as the 16' x 16' upper deck portion is in place (hopefully on or before the 19th of July) and the shed should be delivered this week.

On a personal note my wife ran her first 1/2 Iron Man last Sunday and came in a respectable time under 7 hours so I'm pleased for her and hope she does as well in the full iron man next month she has entered.

On the HT front I'm still waiting for Connect to stop by and finish up the loose ends. Hopefully that happens soon. I'm just waiting for the e-mail showing me a date that is going to happen now. C4 is still something I want but I'm holding out to see how some investments I've made over the last couple weeks pan out before I decide to spend anymore money (I have to start making some I decided as I've been doing a really great job of spending it lately). I still have my blue LED rope lighting and door to install but they have been on the back burner until I can find a decent wood worker/ finisher. I’m hoping my brother in-law in a couple months time can fit me into his busy schedule if he can stop installing hard wood and cabinets for a few days to help me out (fingers crossed).

And that loyal reader is about all for the moment.

More as it happens.

All the best,
Calvin

None HT related update:

Nothing going on inside the house lately but outside it is starting to come together.
Here is the update from the weekend. (click to enlarge photos)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_191cc7d6.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/191cc7d6.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_5f673527.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/5f673527.jpg)

Here is the product they are using on the Fir as they were unable to buy pre-treated lumber in the dimensions we needed so they are doing the treatment onsite.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_e644a37a.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/e644a37a.jpg)

Here is the preservative been rolled on (it will go on everything eventually they just did the outside main supports for now.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_31aca9ec.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/31aca9ec.jpg)

And here is the where it is left off as of Sunday night. I believe they are back today again to finish off the rest of the supports and then I'm waiting for Home Depot to bring in the EON product required for them to continue.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_885e5a96.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/885e5a96.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_43976ee7.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/43976ee7.jpg)

I should have a few more pic's soon.
Cheers
Calvin

holy hell that's going to be one big ass deck! looking good, specially love the garage setup, just needs a big screen in there though ;)

- Josh

Hey Josh!,

Thanks for the post :) I don't think I'm going to put up a big screen in the garage after all the main HT is just a few steps through the door ;)

The deck is coming along nicely I'm pretty excited to see it come together and I can't wait till they start working on the EON composite. I've asked for a little "spruce up" as far the deck so I'm looking forward to the seeing the final product.

The finished deck will be around 1000 sq. ft. so that is a decent size and adds a decent area of "living space" onto the house.

The shed should be coming in tonight or tomorrow and I should have my landscaper starting the groundworks in the next 2 weeks. Should be a busy summer :)

Cheers
Calvin

Your deck looks very nice, are you still planning on having the hottub delivered tomorrow? If you don't have any place to store it you can send it my way and I'll "hold on to it" for awhile. Hope everything is going well.

Kyle

Kyle,

Thanks for the post. The hot tub delivery is tentative for the 19th but I think that will end up sliding to the 26th as I still have no word from Home Depot on the EON delivery.
I think the cost to ship it down to "hold" would be quite high ;) I best just wait another week methinks

They finished out placing supports last night and I will be receiving the shed tonight around 6:00 I should have a few new pics tomorrow or the day after.

Cheers
Calvin

Calvin,

The Deck looks huge, which is great for a low maintenance yard. Are you planning an outdoor kitchen or anything? (As a fellow Albertan I know it could only be used a shorter time of the year than our friends down south ;) )

Have followed your thread for a while and am also a Fort Mcmurray back and forth (Contract Administrator) and was glad to read you found some work closer to home.

Look forward for final reports on Control 4 as this will be my next step in learn'n and develop'n the theater.

Thanks for keeping up the thread, lots of great learning in here.

Jason.

Jason,

Thanks for the post. I missed your HT thread initially but I just reviewed it and you have a very nice looking room.

I'm only planning on having a BBQ and a couple of patio heaters at this time - I'm still looking for a gas fitter to run the three lines. However, they can go in once the deck is completed so they are not priorities right now. As big as the deck is I still have a huge yard and there is still a ton of landscaping that is going to be happening in late July and likely all of August. It is going to be one busy summer in the back yard for me!

I'm very happy to be out of the Fort Mac rotation but I should have taken a couple more months off....oh well maybe next year.

I'm still thinking on C4. I want it but I don't know that I want it for $25k so I'm still shopping around as they are not the only game in town and 360 is not the only installer as well. It is on the back burner until I get the landscaping under control as well (well the landscaping budget I should say).

Thanks again for the post and for reading the thread I'm always pleased to hear that my ramblings on have helped anyone out.

Cheers
Calvin

Non HT related Update;

(sorry nothing to report on the HT side as of yet... I'm still waiting for others)

Some new developments in the landscaping adventure.

First off the deck has been almost completely framed out and all of the fir has been treated with Copper Preservative.

(as always - click on pictures to enlarge)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Deckframed.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Deckframed.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_DeckJuly15.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/DeckJuly15.jpg)

Secondly the Shed showed up yesterday and here are a few pictures.

Backing it in after offloading the "zoom boom".

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Shedbeenbackedin.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Shedbeenbackedin.jpg)

Picking it up!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_TakingtheShedoff010.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/TakingtheShedoff010.jpg)

My wife watching on as they move the shed into position.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Wifewatcheson.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Wifewatcheson.jpg)

I realized once the shed arrived that I had the pad built wrong and this caused some issues as the orientation had to be swung 90 degrees from pad that is existing. I ended up having to shovel some aggregate for the base to keep the shed level for a bit better then an hour and once my landscaper starts he will have to move the shed and redo the base to accommodate the new orientation. Oh well, wouldn't be an adventure if we didn't have surprises!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Shedsetinplace.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Shedsetinplace.jpg)

A look inside the shed - it is insulated to R19 and fully wired with a light inside, outside and with power outlets inside as well. The power to the shed can be run direct or with an extension cord which ever is my preference. The windows inside are also pretty damn impressive and are smooth as silk opening and closing.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Insidetheshed.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Insidetheshed.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Insidetheshed2.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Insidetheshed2.jpg)

The shed with all the bells and whistles attached!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_ShedJuly15.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/ShedJuly15.jpg)

It was expensive for a garden shed but considering how pleased my wife is - fair trade I'd say.

More as it happens.

Cheers
Calvin

How long until we see that that shed has a 42" LCD and 5.1 surround inside? ;)

This thread has been going on a while. I'm starting to wonder if these HT's ever get "fully" completed..

Cheers
Calvin

My god Cal....of course they don't:D BTW, How's the new job working out?

How long until we see that that shed has a 42" LCD and 5.1 surround inside? ;)

mn_hokie,

Might be awhile ;) I was planning on putting a lawnmower and some garden stuff in there....on the other hand it is already wired up for power :D

My wife would not be amused however so I'd best leave that one as a "garden shed" only...

Your a bad influence...

Thanks for the post

Cheers
Calvin

My god Cal....of course they don't:D BTW, How's the new job working out?

Javry,

Thanks for stopping by :) I hope one day it stops (it has to right?)

The new job is good, a lot more relaxing then the last one, way less stress but along with that was the 100k/yr pay cut. Guess you can't have it both ways. On a brighter note I've been investing in small oil well developments in Texas and that is looking like it is going to go a long way in making up that short fall so all is not lost.

Right now the job is pretty quiet but I'm still going in for 50 hours a week (have to invoice after all ;) ) Things should be picking up end of August and by that time I should be all done with my landscaping adventure so the timing is nearly perfect for me switching gears back to full time work mode again.

Cheers
Calvin

100K per year is a lot to give up. If it's any consolation, I think you did the right thing. I know that making lots of money is important but rarely is it the thing you regret missing out on at the end of it all. But not spending time with your family? That you would regret.

Javry,

You and I think along the same lines. I had a job offer 3 months ago where I would be making more money then I could have imagined making and with a decent guy I have worked for in the past. I turned him down and he offered even more money and when I turned him down again explaining it wasn't about the money it was due to the fact I had a job at "home" vs taking his job which was "away" he just couldn't wrap his mind around it. Easy decision for me. I'll take less money as long as I can still keep a reasonable standard of living over any amount of money away from home. He on the other hand thinks cash is king and would do anything for more $$ I explained to him we were very different people. Don't get me wrong I like $ as much as the next guy more or less but you have to draw the line between how much is enough and when do you enjoy it.

I just spent 7+ years away from home working making the big bucks so I could build the new house and fill it full of all the wonderful stuff we have in it - now that it is done I don't need to anymore and I can actually stay home and enjoy it instead of saving for the next "big thing". For me the house is it - we built it to stay in it for 25 - 30 years! I plan on raising my kids and retiring in this house. (and more importantly I plan on been home to see those kids grow up)

Like you said, at the end of it all no one ever says " I wished I had worked more" or "I wished I spent more time away from home making more $".

Anyway don't worry about me folks I'm still doing fine. The wage drop isn't the end of the world, just cost of doing business at home (and I have some new investments in the works to make some of it back ;) )

Cheers
Calvin

calv1n u seem to be someone i look up to on these forums... so i got another question for u...

ok i understand that u bought that yamaha receiver for ur brother and ur sister in law

i probably wont buy that one but here is my question

it comes down to the onkyo 705 vs the onkyo 606

the 606 has no pre amps out the 705 does... however i will be using this in the living room for gaming movies and music listening and tv watching for that matter... i want to run my xbox 360 in via component, my ps3 into the receiver via hdmi, cable box via hdmi, and i dont know if i need pre amps out or not im just not that smart in this world yet

so if it were u and u were making a living room set up... would u have external amps is what i am basically asking u?

if anyone ever asked me... who had the most impact on u in these forums in the past 4 months u have been using them... i would pick u calv1n... and u talked to me like 3 times
(sorry for making this sound like a corny soap opera, but i want calvin to know that he is one of the people on these forums who u can trust)

turning down the job = great decision im with ya all the way on that one

anyone reading this should read the whole thread and understand that this guy is a GOOD GUY and they are out there... the whole world isnt as bad as some people think it is

for the average joe, who is doing a "normal" setup, nothing along the lines that Calvin is doing, I have no reservations on saying that you do not need to run an external amp setup, unless your some major audio nerd and all that, and if you were, you'd know not to even bother with a AV receiver as your pre/pro and get a proper one with balanced outputs and such.

So again no, I'd say you do not need an AV receiver with pre-amp outputs, most if not 90% of the average ppl here will never use them.

- Josh

Thanks Josh for that post. That is pretty much exactly what I would have said :)

Bruiser as Josh as posted you would be fine with the 606 that is what I would suggest as well. Thanks for the posts and the kind words :)

We'll I'm off to the Calgary zoo to see the baby elephant with my 5 nieces and nephews .


More when it happens

Cheers
Calvin

calv1n u seem to be someone i look up to on these forums... so i got another question for u...

ok i understand that u bought that yamaha receiver for ur brother and ur sister in law

i probably wont buy that one but here is my question

it comes down to the onkyo 705 vs the onkyo 606

the 606 has no pre amps out the 705 does... however i will be using this in the living room for gaming movies and music listening and tv watching for that matter... i want to run my xbox 360 in via component, my ps3 into the receiver via hdmi, cable box via hdmi, and i dont know if i need pre amps out or not im just not that smart in this world yet

so if it were u and u were making a living room set up... would u have external amps is what i am basically asking u?

I agree with all others. My first response would be that given your criteria, you probably don't need external amps just yet so the 606 may be a better buy. The difference in power between the two [roughly 10 wpc] is just not significant enough IMO to make much of a difference. Others may disagree. Aside from the preamp-out issue, there are some other differences between the two that you may want to consider while making your final decision.


if room correction is your bag, the 705 has Audyssey Multi EQ XT while the 606 carries Audyssey 2 EQ.

The 705 has RS232 while the 606 doesn't.

The 705 is TXH certified but the 606 is not.

The 606 has 'Accurate speaker distance setting' while the 705 does not. Probably because it has the higher level Audyssey system.


I'm no expert on Onkyo or anything. I just went to their website and looked this stuff up. Hope it helps:).

Hey Cal, where in Alberta are you?

Thanks for the supportive post Javry you bring up some fine points for bruiser to consider.

I'm living in Edmonton just a few hours north of Calgary.

The kids had a blast at the zoo and it was a great day for the all of us wandering around and spending some time in the finest zoo in western Canada (IMO of course).

Cheers
Calvin

Very impresive home theater and house! I live in Edmonton as well, and i'd be interested in a meet in the future. My theater is no where near as impressive as yours, but i'm working on it (Salk Sound HT3 speakers on order, and two AV123 MFW 15 subwoofers just delivered). Could you add me to the list if you do have a get together? I'm pretty busy right now (I'm getting married in September), but i'd definietly be interested in seeing your theater in person (i've been following it for a while now!). Good luck with the yard!

Cheers,
Darren A.

Darren,

Thanks for the interest, the kind words and the post. I'll certainly add your name to the meet list (I'm not sure when it will happen but it still is something I want to do one day). I'm pretty busy these days as well with work and the back yard but hopefully things settle down in a month or two.

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding.

All the best,
Calvin

wow.... certainly burnt through a lot of time at work today reading this!!!! it's amazing to see a project from conception to completion (or close to it at least!)

We just bought a new house, (not built, and it's a 100 year old house, so it's not "new" ) and I'm converting a small room into a dedicated theater, and the planning for that has been a chore, I can't imagine how much effort and time you put into this!!!! it's great though!!!

I can't wait to get all my "toys" in a dedicated place, away from my 9 month old who gets into everything!!!!!!!

looks good man, congrats!

Beta Man,

Thanks for the post and the kind words :)
Congratulations on your recent home purchase and best of luck with your "build" (especially with the little one running around)

Are you planning on doing a build thread here at AVS?

All the best,
Calvin

Are you planning on doing a build thread here at AVS?

All the best,
Calvin

haven't thought about it.... the room itself is a "finished" room, so I'll be doing little more than blacking out windows, painting, and mounting everything (and building the screen frame etc. ) I have a lot more I'd like to do to the room, but there are other priorities in the room......

No way I'll have the coffin ceilings etc. like many of the people here.... I wish I could though :(

Might have a long time reader & poster here on my thread swing by for an unexpected but delightful surprize visit this weekend...

Should be a post and some pictures to follow....

Cheers
Calvin

I had a surprise visitor last night. Javry stopped by been in the area and we spent some time in the HT after showing him the house. Was a pleasure to sit down and have a conversation with the man after all our back and forth’s here on the forum.

I had my brother take a couple pics while we were chatting and I must apologize for the quality but I failed to notice that my brother didn't have the camera on auto and it didn't use the flash and what ever setting it was on, the pics ended up turning out poorly.

Anyway here is a couple of murky photos from last night's visit

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Misc%20shots/th_Javry001.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Misc%20shots/Javry001.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Misc%20shots/th_Javry002.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Misc%20shots/Javry002.jpg)

Maybe if Javry ends up coming back we'll get together again and watch a full film and actually get a picture or two that turns out.

Was a pleasure to have met you Javry. I hope you enjoyed the tour and the multiple small clips we watched last night and hopefully we'll see you again one day.

Cheers
Calvin

Thanks for having me over Calvin. Since I coulldn't make CEDIA this year, hangin out at your place was probably just as good. I had a great time finally seeing your theater [and all your other toys:D] and meeting your brother as well. I think we can all truthfiully say that HT is alive and kickin in Edmonton. Hang in there bud.

Thanks for having me over Calvin. Since I coulldn't make CEDIA this year, hangin out at your place was probably just as good. I had a great time finally seeing your theater [and all your other toys:D] and meeting your brother as well. I think we can all truthfiully say that HT is alive and kickin in Edmonton. Hang in there bud.


Thanks Javry. Was great to have you over for the evening :)

I thought I'd post a quick picture to show the mini audio system I have for the back yard...it has no video and is attached to a hot tub :)

(click to enlarge photo)
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_MP3_floating.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/MP3_floating.jpg)

You can see one of the two pop up speakers and the water proof MP3 player I have in the water. There are also 2 subs you can't see but you can certainly hear and feel when your in there. It is about perfect for what we want. When your in the tub it is as loud as you could want and loud enough for people on the deck with in 10 or 20 feet but not quite loud enough to disturb my neighbors which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Cheers
Calvin

looks perfect for those cold ars winter nights in Alberta!

- Josh

Thanks Javry. Was great to have you over for the evening :)

I thought I'd post a quick picture to show the mini audio system I have for the back yard...it has no video and is attached to a hot tub :)

(click to enlarge photo)
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_MP3_floating.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/MP3_floating.jpg)

You can see one of the two pop up speakers and the water proof MP3 player I have in the water. There are also 2 subs you can't see but you can certainly hear and feel when your in there. It is about perfect for what we want. When your in the tub it is as loud as you could want and loud enough for people on the deck with in 10 or 20 feet but not quite loud enough to disturb my neighbors which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Cheers
Calvin

This sounds awesome. So are the speakers a part of the hot tub, or is that something that you added yourself? From the looks and sounds of it, it is part of the tub. No video eh? How in the world are you supposed to watch those hockey games? (I refrain from mentioning a team for I know since your in Alberta there are 2 to chose from.)

I guess you can always listen to them still...

Josh,

Thanks for the post. I think the new tub makes a great addition to our little back yard utopia.

smakovits,

Yes, they are built in at the manufacturers the only thing I've added is the MP3 player :)

The vendor I bought from didn't have a "TV" hot tub but they are supposed to be the best and I wanted the best hot tub experience - I already have plenty of "video" in the house just a few short steps away :) Heck I could likely see the 46" flat panel pretty easily in the living room from the tub location if I opened the blinds (I'll have to test that;))

Oh, my little secret is I actually don't watch sports...nothing, nada, zilch no sports so I don’t have a team either Edmonton or Calgary. Couldn't care less actually which isn't very home town like I know but I'm just to occupied with other stuff to spend hours watching the pros chase balls and pucks around for millions. I've been too busy trying to make my own millions instead ;)

Cheers
Calvin

Calvin,

Could be time to PM Rastargate and see if the Chicago Posse is up for a Canadian visit to a new hottub! :)

Jason

I cant believe my eyes...:eek:...a Canadian that doesn't like hockey.

We should change locales, I go to work and get made fun of all the time for trying to talk hockey with people that can care less, they are more about football and junk. They start talking fantasy football, and somehow I always throw in some banter about fantasy hockey and everyone just looks at me funny like I am from another planet.

I guess to each his own. Personal millions is always a good thing.

Calvin,

Could be time to PM Rastargate and see if the Chicago Posse is up for a Canadian visit to a new hottub! :)

Jason

Jason,

My Rastergate days are over and my wild party days are long gone I'm a settled down and happily married fella now :)
I don't even want to think of my wife's reaction if Raster showed up with his bevy of beauties in their hot tub attire but I know it wouldn't be positive.

I'm going to stick with most of the other forum members and just view his thread in appreciation.

However if Raster does find his way over to my neck of the woods he is certainly welcome to swing by for a visit although from his photos he is usually headed for much warmer climates then mine.



Smakovits,

I stop watching professional sports when they go on strike so that leaves me with Golf, Bowling and a handful of other sports I couldn’t be bothered to view. I used to be a big fan of hockey and football in my younger days but when they went on strike, we both walked away from the sport and the difference was that I never came back.

I’m still working on the personal millions, lol man has to have some goals however I seem much better at spending $$ then I am at making it for some reason…

Cheers
Calvin

You still have curling.

You still have curling.

:p Ha-ha good one!

I heard they don't let people drink on the ice anymore so that sport should be going on strike soon as well!

Landscaping is almost complete and I should be heading in doors again to continue "tweaking" in a month or so.

So with winter coming and with it, some cabin fever. I'm preparing for the great white north's frosty months and I'm looking at doing an upgrade to the upper level HT. The current speakers in place are the oldest things I have in my equipment list and the easiest to upgrade so that is what I'm looking at this winter.

Currently I'm in talks with Dave over at Ascend and I'm looking quite seriously at the Sierra-1's in a piano black finish to replace the five mission and nuance speakers I have currently.

Any thoughts?

Cheers
Calvin

Currently I'm in talks with Dave over at Ascend and I'm looking quite seriously at the Sierra-1's in a piano black finish to replace the five mission and nuance speakers I have currently.

Any thoughts?

Cheers
Calvin
Calvin,

I've only heard good things about the Ascends. You can't beat the bang for the buck on these. I know there are a bunch of AVSers that can probably chime in with their personal reviews. If I had not built my DIY speakers, the Ascends would have been one of my top choices.

Thanks for the post Swithy. I've certainly read very good things about them and Dave is a heck of a guy I'm just a bit hesitant as I'm not sure they are going to be a real upgrade yet.... I have full size towers have excellent head room and they were about 4x the price (or more) then the Sierra's so I'm not sure if I'm expecting to much out of these little book shelf speakers despite their excellent reviews and reception.

Anyone in the Edmonton area have these in their HT's that wouldn't mind letting me come over and hear them in person I'd be very grateful before pulling the trigger... On the other hand if they don't surpass my current speakers I can always give my brother one of the best X-mas presents ever which would be a complete Sierra 1 five speaker set....

Still on the fence looking for some input.

Thanks folks
Calvin

Calvin,

You could get just pickup a few to see how you like them. And if you didn't, you would be out a lot less cash (but your brother may be a bit upset :eek::D )

Steve,

Good advice and something I'll likely follow. I sure hope they are an improvement they are going to be an early X-mas present to myself I think :)

Speaking of early X-mas presents I just picked up a new "chair" for my main level HT. This is the least used area of my home at the moment but this new addition may change that some I'm thinking.

Here is a link to the latest addition to the main level HT. It should be dropped off tomorrow or Wednesday night and I'll get a few pictures up after it's been set up and "tested" a bit. I bought the black leather version as they didn't have a dark brown to go with the rest of the room furniture and the "brown" they did have was far to reddish.

http://www.intertemp.ca/us_ht-1650.php

I'm pretty excited about this despite it not been a real HT item it sure will keep me in that room a lot more then anything else has to date!

Cheers,
Calvin

Calvin

Been some time since I have droped by your thread :) any updates on your landscaping project

Hey W00lly :) I haven't been on the site to much been pretty busy offline.

I'll try to get some pictures up of the near completed project in the back yard before I fly off to Jamaica this weekend.

We are about 96% done, just have 60 shrubs to plant next spring and we still have to install the glass railing in the deck hand rails - which should happen this or next week.

Cheers
Calvin

Calvin

Been some time since I have droped by your thread :) any updates on your landscaping project

Here you go. The glass railing still needs to be installed which should be happening very shortly and next spring we still have 60 shrubs to install but this the finished product more or less. There is some nice work in the front as well maybe I'll get a couple pics up in the spring when everything is green again.

(Click to enlarge)

The 8 man Hot tub is the only thing still getting use as the cold of winter is setting in these days. I may still mount some electric radiant heaters above the windows to keep the hot tub area toasty when were out there but I still need to talk to an electrician and see what is all involved.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Railinginstall.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/?action=view&current=Railinginstall.jpg)

The deck is just under 1000 sq. ft I still have to run a couple of gas lines out for patio heaters and the BBQ - that will happen next year.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Railingfarside.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/?action=view&current=Railingfarside.jpg)

A look down from the top window showing the fire pit, sitting wall and raised veggie gardens (there is also a rock - composter behind the gardens)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_030.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/?action=view&current=030.jpg)

See you guys in a few weeks - I'm off to Jamaica (Sandals in Montego Bay) and then going to Florida and Texas for a spell.

Cheers
Calvin

Just wanted to wish everyone a merry X-mas and a happy new year!

All the best from my family to yours.

Cheers
Calvin

Merry Christmas Calvin !
Can't believe I am coming up on two years in my theater . Johnathan

Merry Christmas to you also Calvin. The landscaping sure looks nice.

Thanks guys hope Santa was good to you all :)

I sure hope 09' finds me a carpenter to build my door and install my final HT's touches!

Cheers
Calvin

Looking good calvin :)

Thanks Scott!

I'll post a couple pics in the spring when we get the last of the shrubs and perennials put in and the back yard isn't buried in a foot of snow.

Cheers
Calvin

I think both Darryl and myself are looking forward to getting together with a few more local guys here in the Edmonton area in the coming months and do more AV talk and see what every one else is doing with their rooms.

I am from Edmonton as well. I have a 14 X 12 1/2 room that built myself a few minutes NE of Londonderry Mall.

Here is my equipment:

Panasonic PT-AE3000U Projector, Yamaha HTR-6090B Receiver, DVDO Edge Video Processor, Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player, Toshiba HD-A35 HD DVD Player, Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD Player, LG BH-200 Combo HD Player, Samsung BD-UP5000 Combo HD Player, Skyworth 1050D DVD Player, Pioneer CLD-704 LD Player, Pioneer CLD-504 LD Player, Pioneer CLD-703 LD Player, JVC S-VHS, XBOX 360 Elite 120gb, Sony Playstation 3 60gb

I am an avid film collector, 1500+ SD DVDs, 1100+ VHS, 124 LD, 140+ HD DVDs and 150+ Blu-rays. 100 Criterion Collection discs (LD, DVD and BD).

Thanks for stopping by the thread Jedi - Wow! Quite a collection you have there :)
If I do decide to have a meet and greet I'll PM you for sure.

Cheers
Calvin

I've been busy working on the backyard these days and haven't been keeping up with the forums (I'll try and get a pic or two up of the back yard progress for those interested)

Anyway I've added the odd piece of gear mainly small stuff and constant additions to the gaming and movie library.

The reason for the post though is I'm looking at perhaps a big upgrade soon.

I'm going to be demostrating a Sim2 C3X 1080 this Sunday afternoon and if it is a large enough improvement and I can work out a favorable deal on the unit I may just be the proud new owner of one of the better PJ's out there (IMO of course). I'm very excited to have found one locally for sale in my comfort price range (under 18k cdn) so I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully get a couple pics up as I'm going to try and do a A/B comparison of the C3X and the 333 switching between them to compare in my HT.

Cheers
Calvin

Calvin, you might want to PM Shawn Walters (Best Room in the House guy) if you have specific questions about the SIM2 C3X 1080. He just upgraded from the JVC RS10.

Thanks for the heads up Queen I may just do that :)

cheers

I've been busy working on the backyard these days and haven't been keeping up with the forums (I'll try and get a pic or two up of the back yard progress for those interested)

Anyway I've added the odd piece of gear mainly small stuff and constant additions to the gaming and movie library.

The reason for the post though is I'm looking at perhaps a big upgrade soon.

I'm going to be demostrating a Sim2 C3X 1080 this Sunday afternoon and if it is a large enough improvement and I can work out a favorable deal on the unit I may just be the proud new owner of one of the better PJ's out there (IMO of course). I'm very excited to have found one locally for sale in my comfort price range (under 18k cdn) so I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully get a couple pics up as I'm going to try and do a A/B comparison of the C3X and the 333 switching between them to compare in my HT.

Cheers
Calvin

Hi Calvin,
I've heard nothing but great things about the C3X 1080. I started to spring for one myself and I still might. Since I'm one of the lucky few to have actually seen your theater, I almost feel a vested interest in making sure you get the best stuff in there. Kind of a "mi casa yu casa" thing. So please post a review...even if you decide not to buy:)

Thanks for the post Javry :) hope things are well and here is the "review" from my experience (and limited story telling ability)



So the Sim2 C3X showed up on Sunday and sadly to my surprise it wasn’t the 1080P version (they had put pictures on the 1080P version on the ad in error but they didn’t have the machine itself). I didn’t however want to pass up the opportunity to do a A / B comparison of the two excellent machines in my own HT room though, so I had them unpack it and then set it up myself taking about an hour and half to set up the machine and tweak the settings. The first thing I’ll apologize for right now is that I don’t have the photos ready to show with this write up – I’ll post them later this week once I get some time to do so. The second thing is the angle of the photos is not ideal as I didn’t set up my tri-pod and the Sim2 PJ was in the ideal location where I would normally take photos from (center of room) so I had to take the photos from off center right giving the photos less then ideal “capture”

Ok, with all that out of the way onto my experience, thoughts and impressions on the two 3 chip 720P DLP’s.

After setting up the Sim2 I plugged the retailer supplied 40’ HDMI cable into my Zektor MAS 7.1 which was the “hub / switch” for all my testing with both units. I just swapped out the 40’ HDMI cable supplied for use with the Sim2 with my 50’ M1-DA/HDMI Infocus cable for the Infocus 333 as we did the comparisons.

Once everything was set up and tweaked using the calibration screens I thought we’d try out a blue ray on the PS3.

Sadly there were handshaking issues and the SIM2 would not produce a picture.

Next up I tried the LG HD-HVD/ Blu-Ray combo player and was looking to try out a couple of HD movies from both formats. Again there were issues with the Sim2 it showed us the LG screen load up screen perfectly but once past that load screen we couldn’t keep the disk menu or a picture constant. It kept going from a solid frame to snow in a flickering pattern. (and yes we triple checked the “seating of the cable on both ends : ( that wasn’t the issue unfortunately…as we could have rectified that concern )

At this point I was thinking it must be the cable but we tried the Xbox 360 and it worked perfectly – no issue what so ever and the only thing changed in the equation was the source so the cable wasn’t the fault it was again due to “handshaking’ HDMI issues.

This greatly disappointed me but we made due with what we had, tried several “clips” downloaded from Xbox Live services of games and movies and we tried several games that had good CGI and decent graphics to give us some idea. One of the shots you’ll see when I get around to posting them is of Tiger Woods 2010. This game did a good job for comparisons sake IMO. TW 2010 has lots of vibrant colors and contrast between them in some areas.

Overall going back and forth between the two I’d give the edge to the Sim2 C3X it is the superior of the two machines but not superior enough that I’d give up my 333 and spend $14k or so to do the “upgrade” once the photos are posted you’ll be able to make up your own minds (hopefully I can post them in full 2 MB attachments so everyone can view them in full detail).

Please note that the Infocus 333 had 1100 out of a 1500 hour bulb in these photos where as the Sim2 had 200 hours out of a 2000 hour bulb which needs to be considered. Sadly I still have my light meter lent out to a fellow AVS member so I couldn’t take readings but I’d say through experience that with new bulbs both would be comparable in Lumens with brand new bulbs (certainly both around 2000 they are very bright units)

In a concise review I’d say the PROS and CONS of the Sim2 vs the 333 would be as follows.

Sim2 PROS:

Great unit, overall quality is excellent
Ability to control the bulb luminosity through menus
Great colors “out of the box”
Outstanding “tweaking” calibration built into the unit
Very bright PJ – equal if not better to the 333
Very detailed picture – better contrast then the 333
Bulb life is 2000 hours vs the 333 at 1500


Sim2 CONS

Biggest problem hands down was “HDMI handshaking” issues I couldn’t get most of the my “gear” to even produce a respectable picture which was a terrible shame and cut short the “review” and demo dramatically from what I had originally planned.
Menus on the Sim2 where not as user friendly as the Infocus
No lens shift of any kind – you have to be very precise setting up these units they don’t forgive less then ideal placement like the 333
Cost - a lot more then the 333

I asked them to give me a call if they ever get a 1080 version in for under $20k cdn and to please bring it over for me to demo as I’d certainly be in the market for the upgrade if it warranted it, however the 720P machine just isn’t the step up for the price I’d expect and want (and will hopefully see in a 1080P machine). In future I asked them to bring me any 3 chip DLP’s they may get in any make / model and I’d be more then willing to take a look at them for potential purchase so I hope they take me up on that and I’m testing something again real soon.


I’ll get the pictures up later this week when I can.

Cheers

Well I finally gave up on Connect (terrible customer service) - I did some research and found a new guy in Calgary.

He's coming on Saturday 9:00 AM to finally hook up and do the video and audio calibrations for my main HT.

Link is here he is the first guy on the list

Micheal.

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/isf/isf_calibrators.html

Here is some info for those in my area that are curious whom I've selected and why.

Michael Chen from The Laser Video Experience


Notable Accomplishments/Qualifications:
- Developed Lenstriping Technique
- Developed Herman-TLV Maneuver
- Developed the M-TLV Grayscale Calibration Report Version 3.0
(Archived: M-TLV Grayscale Calibration Report Version 2.0
M-TLV Grayscale Calibration Report (Original)
- Discovered poor 540p upconversion on 2001/2002 Toshibas which led manufacturer to fix it
- Expertise sought by ISF to provide assistance at ISF seminars
- Panel of Expert at Keohi HDTV Forum
- Willingly provides help to enthusiasts at various online discussion sites
- Made Toshiba recognize Moire problems with early directview models

Looking forward to getting him in and getting the best out of the current system (Hopefully a new 3 chip DLP doesn't come along soon and make me replace my PJ...but I'm going to risk it - after seeing the Sim2 last week I'm going to see how close an expert can get my 333 to that quality with 3-4 hours to work on it...Should be 6 hours total with 2 spent on the audio. I'll finally get my Behringer BFD's hooked up! I could almost laugh at that considering I've been waiting for Connect for 2 years to hook them up and calibrate them (Almost forgot they are still in the rack!)

I'll let you know how it goes and of course get some photos up.

Cheers

Hmmmm...or should I say...Wow! I wish things had gone better. What were they thinking???? You have a 1080p system. And while I know the SD C3X will rival most 1080p PJs, it just doesn't make any sense that they would try to test it a system that has already "crossed over". Hopefully, the guy from Calgary will recitfy. I've seen the SD version, the 1080p version, and the $50,000 5,000E and Sim2 is just plain sh....tin in tallk cotton these days, IMO. So I hope you get a good experience from Calgary guy. Either way, I'll be looking forward to your review.

Also....Gotta tell ya. I really liked Edmonton. With the oil prices going good, what's the prognosis these days? Have things settled down?

Javry,

Thanks for the post. I actually only have a 720P system with the PJ (currently running it at 1280 x 1024 @ 60 htz for most applications in truth). The 333 does such a good job with 720p though it looks as good or better then my other 2 systems in the house which are 1080P. I would love to see a large improvement in a new PJ that would convince me to make the jump from the 333 to a 1080P and not cost me over 15k cdn so I'm still eagerly waiting for something to come along.
As far as the job market things are starting to pick back up with oil settling back around the $65+ area. I never had any kind of break at all (nor did most of the people I know) lots of jobs were cut early on but most of those were field positions which are starting to come back up along with the bigger jobs (firebag, horizon etc...). (I know Jacobs did a lot of lay offs though) I suspect there will be some big announcements for some of the upgraders coming back online in the coming months.
Cheers

Oh I almost forgot - I'll of course have some pics and a write up on the calibrations Micheal does on Saturday :)

Cheers

Ok some pics (they should be fairly large I paid to upgrade my photobucket membership to get a larger format for this comparison)

First a couple of the Sim2 unit (and Josh from National that brought it over to demo)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_Various2009009.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/?action=view&current=Various2009009.jpg)

Nice looking unit - although if I were to buy new I'd go with the black for sure.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_Various2009005.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/?action=view&current=Various2009005.jpg)

I'll apologize for the poor quality of the shots - despite my best efforts I didn't get many good shots at all (all the fight night ones are so bad I won't even post them) and of course with all the HDMI handshake issues we had I only have a few XBox 360 shots to do the side by side as it were. None the less here is what I do have:

Up first the Sim2 C3X with 200 hours on the bulb turned up fully to 260 bulb power.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_Sim2Shot2.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/?action=view&current=Sim2Shot2.jpg)

Followed by the same shot on the 333 with 1100 hours

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_333Shot2.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/?action=view&current=333Shot2.jpg)



Again a second shot with the Sim2 sadly this one is a bit blurry but you can see the contrast and colors are excellent.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_SimC3X720P-200hours.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/?action=view&current=SimC3X720P-200hours.jpg)

again same shot with the 333 just a bit more zoomed and a bit more head on.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_PJ333-1100hours.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/?action=view&current=PJ333-1100hours.jpg)

I plan on doing a much better job with my before and afters on the ISF calibrations been done on Saturday so hopefully I'll have those up next week for viewing.

Cheers
Calvin

Javry,

Thanks for the post. I actually only have a 720P system with the PJ (currently running it at 1280 x 1024 @ 60 htz for most applications in truth). The 333 does such a good job with 720p though it looks as good or better then my other 2 systems in the house which are 1080P. I would love to see a large improvement in a new PJ that would convince me to make the jump from the 333 to a 1080P and not cost me over 15k cdn so I'm still eagerly waiting for something to come along.
As far as the job market things are starting to pick back up with oil settling back around the $65+ area. I never had any kind of break at all (nor did most of the people I know) lots of jobs were cut early on but most of those were field positions which are starting to come back up along with the bigger jobs (firebag, horizon etc...). (I know Jacobs did a lot of lay offs though) I suspect there will be some big announcements for some of the upgraders coming back online in the coming months.
Cheers

Cal,
Sorry for the confusion. I thought you had a 1080p PJ. OK, before you go any further, I'm recommedending that you try a JVC RSI-*** in your system. I'm sure you'll enjoy the difference in PQ, if not certainly the experience. I think there are a few dealers in your area. I'll caution you though that it's been my experience that the big differences gets evident when you play a Blu Ray/HD DVD disk and compare it to SD of the same disk. In other words, upconverted SD disks don't show much of a difference, IMO.

Javry,

I already did the PJ video and basement Audio calibrations today. I do plan on doing a demo with the JVC 750 D-ILA though once I find a place that has one that will allow me to. It sounds like it might fit the bill for a step up with enough lumens and under $7k which is what I'm looking for.

Anyway here are some pics from the calibrations. End results for both sound and audio are fantastic well worth the price.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations002.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations002.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations003.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations003.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations005.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations005.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations008.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations008.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations012.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations012.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations014.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations014.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations017.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations017.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations018.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations018.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations020.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations020.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations023.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations023.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations025.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations025.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations026.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations026.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations029.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations029.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations033.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations033.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations034.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations034.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations035.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations035.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations037.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations037.jpg)

Calibrated images - these are SD images - Image # 1 for skin tone check

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations038.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations038.jpg)

Second Calibrated image for natural lighting / skin tone etc..

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations040.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations040.jpg)


Micheal starting the audio calibrations - finally have my Behringer BFD's hooked up and the bass is exceptional - can't believe the difference this has made!!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations041.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations041.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations042.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations042.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations043.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations043.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations044.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations044.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations045.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations045.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_HTcalibrations046.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/HTcalibrations046.jpg)

All for now I have some friends over so I'll try and fill in some comments later when I have a few moments on some of the other photos.

Cheers
Calvin

it all looks great Cal. I'll wait for your final review.

Some calibration reports sent in by Micheal today to take a look at.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_ScreenHunter_02Jun281348.gif (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/ScreenHunter_02Jun281348.gif)


http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/th_ScreenHunter_01Jun281347.gif (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Calibrations%20for%20HT/ScreenHunter_01Jun281347.gif)

Cheers

Hey Calvin

I'm meeting with my AV installer next week and I've been planning on getting an RS20 for my projector. If I do (and you haven't found anyone to give you a demo), I could bring it up for a test. I'll let you know what I go with.

Greg

Thanks Greg that would be great! I'll let you know how I make out :)

Darryl aka AltaHomeTheatre stopped by again on the weekend to drop off my light meter and for a quick visit. Was great to see him again and I'm planning on getting together again with him sometime this summer for some more A/V chatting and equipment discussion. He's given me some good tips on getting some new gear to demo I'm planning on following up on.

I'm also working on getting some calibrated images posted (especially a TW 2010 image so you can all compare it to the previous ones posted of the SMX and the uncalibrated 333 photos above)

Cheers
Calvin

Hi Calvin:

Great to see the pics of the calibration ... I have known Michael for many years ... he always does a fantastic job and is incredibly knowledgeable. I can always count on him to give me honest advice on anything video related.

Derrick
Edmonton, AB

Derrick,

Thanks for the post. Micheal was very informative for sure. I was a bit surprized it ended up been not just a calibration but also quite abit of Q&A and learning as well as he walks and talks you through every step of the calibrations. Well worth the cost of his expertise IMO.

Cheers
Calvin

Hi Calvin,

Great thread. Just wondering how/why you decided on going with the Proficient in-ceiling speakers? I need to choose some in-ceilings and in-walls as well but there are just too many options out there. You mentioned a dealer in Florida? Would you be able to say who it is?

Did you ever go ahead with the Control4 stuff? I am meeting with a local dealer shortly, but I'm interested in what your thoughts were. My biggest beef at this point is that all the programming changes need to be done by them, which could be a real PITA.

Thanks.

jakkb,

Proficient (speakercraft) is a great speaker IMO and I got them for a very attractive price point from john @ ( EDIT* Guess they blank these out now I'll PM you the web site) I'm not sure if he still carries the line but you can find his number on the website and give him a call - he was always more then fair with me and I saved a bundle by buying all I could from him.

I almost went with the control4 stuff but then I decided to buy my wife a lexus rx400h and get myself a full load new titan LE while the vehicles "specials" were going gang busters these days. Anyway I'm still planning on doing it once I save up some more (paid $ for the vehicles to get the best prices so my piggy bank is more then empty these day I just hear some wind whistling through it once in awhile). I looked at 360 control systems (think that was the name) and one other local guy (have to find the card again...not sure if I mentioned them in the thread yet...) and both seemed like they would be great even with the back and forth on the programming.
It is still on my wish list but my wife is still spending a fortune in the back yard as well so it might be another year before I entertain the notion again or even 2 if I break down and upgrade my PJ...so many toys so little $ :(

We can discuss prices offline (PM) I think I still have my quotes kicking around but I do know that some new gear (wall plates I think ) have come out as well which is another reason I ended up waiting as at the time of my quote they were in the works but not yet out.

Keep in touch and thanks for the post.

Cheers
Calvin

Hi Calvin,

Before I get too caught up on what to buy for my main floor HT, I wanted to ask how often you find yourself using yours? With your dediated one in the basement, and another one in the bonus room, does your main floor HT get much use?

At this point for me it is a 'nice to have', but not sure if I would use it much because I will have one in the basement.

thanks.

I only use the main floor HT about once a month - 10 or 12 times a year but despite that I'm still glad I have it when it is needed (some older relatives that can't do stairs, PC presentations for group get togethers and things of that nature...)
If I did it all again I would still put it in but I might go a bit bigger maybe a 52" or 60" panel instead of the 46 I ended up using (still can upgrade but at this point it's not a concern for me the 46" is still fine but if it was buying for the first time again I'd go larger)
Cheers
Calvin

Thanks for the reply. I guess for the cost of 5 speakers and a sub it shouldn't break the budget.

Jakkb, If you can swing it by all means do it. You never know when you'll find it handy (my one uncle had his knee surgery last year and everytime he came over the main level was the only HT we used as he wasn't going up or down stairs).

I have some shots to post up later this week of the calibrated image of TW2010 so those that are interested can do a comparison of the calibrated, uncalibrated and the Sim2 images of the same screen in a large file format (3 or 5 mb I think) photo.
I'm also going to post up a couple shots of the back yard for those interested in how the landscaping finally turned out. It's nearly complete we just have a few more trees by the shed to plant in the fall and it's done! Still complete enough I can post some pics while we still have some flowers and leaves on the trees :)

Cheers
Calvin

Had Jason (Jakkb) stop by for a quick visit and to pick up my old Angstrom in-wall sub on Wednesday. :) Was good to meet up and I'm looking forward to seeing his end result. Always a pleasure to meet my fellow AVS members in person and jakkb is the closest one to me yet so I hope for an invite once he's all wrapped up with his build :)

Cheers
Calvin

ps I haven't forgotten about the pics - I took them I just have to upload them and post them now ;)

My uncle has asked me to take a look at his basement (which is currently finished sadly) and see what I can do about getting him a HT set up. I think I feel another build thread coming soon...I should have some more details and photos soon as get set to see if I can surpass my room in this new build...should be interesting preliminary budget is around 100k which will have to include all the contractors, renos as well as the new toys so I should have lots to talk about soon :)

Cheers
Calvin

Looking forward to hearing about the plans you have for this. It always fun to follow a thread from concept to completion.

I've read through 98% of your thread over the last few days, nicely done! It's unfortunate that you had to work with a couple of compromises in your build, but I don't think it shows at all! Very nicely done!

ldscalgaryguy,

Unfortunately my second HT is now on hold but I do have some big plans once they decide to move ahead with it (Hopefully soon but it appears they are doing a kitchen remodel and redoing the roof on their 40 year old house first so I'm not sure how long I'll be waiting now...:( I was just getting excited to start going on it as well...)

Todd,

Thanks for the post and the kind words :)

Cheers
Calvin

I have 1 question. Calv1n how deep is your money pool? lol
Your are living the high life man, enjoy in good health.

More of a money "wash basin" really I've drained the pool :)

Thanks for the post and the sentiment Kicks

Cheers
Calvin

Hey Calvin

I finally got my RS20 in (everything takes longer and cost more than expected). I'm not sure whether you already found your projector solution, but let me know if you want to test it out.

Greg

Greg,

Congratz on the new PJ. I would love to see the RS20 (it's the 750 model in Canada no?) in action. If your able to come to Edmonton and give me a demo in my room I would be very grateful. (I have found a couple of dealers to purchase from but none of them would allow a demo sadly). I'm still working with the 333 for now waiting to see what is coming out at CEDIA and coming down the pipe right now...(I am on my last bulb soon though and then I'll start getting serious :) )

Let me know when could work for you?

Cheers
Calvin

This weekend would probably work the best (especially as they have yet to install it), or into next week. I go on call next weekend for seven days straight and then will be unavailable for another week after that.

The projector is labeled as an RS20, I can't keep straight who gets which designation.

Greg

Greg,

Sorry for the delay was out of town for a week while my wife was doing the Penticton Iron man then in a course for a few days in Calgary. I'm back to home base again for the next few weeks so when ever works for you I'll make work for me as best I can. Anytime Friday after 3:00 PM or anytime at all on Saturday / Sunday will work?

Let me know and I'll PM you the details / directions on how best to make it to the house. I really appreciate this :)

Thanks
Calvin

Greg and I are just working out the details on his visit and his gracious demo of the RS20 in my HT. More info and I'm sure a few pics to follow when it happens (either next weekend or the weekend after)

Cheers
Calvin

jakkb,
.........I almost went with the control4 stuff but then I decided to buy my wife a lexus rx400h and get myself a full load new titan LE while the vehicles "specials" were going gang busters these days.
Cheers
Calvin

Is that the same one you were driving when we met last year about this time. It was a nice kit of wheels if I remember correctly :>)

Javry,

No that was my old one (the 05 in Silver ) I upgraded to a more fully loaded 09 in black just a few months back. I'll have to get a picture up one day soon :) I have a couple pictures of them both in the driveway I should post. :) I love the black but it seems I'm always at the car wash compared to the silver :S

How you been keeping my friend, staying busy?

Cheers
Calvin

I haven't heard back from scopeguy yet sadly so something must have come up but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get to demo a JVC RS in my HT before I go with my check book in hand down to the store to look at the new RS25 / RS35 which are my current front runners to replace the Infocus 333 I have now. (I'd really like a Sim 1080 or HT model but it's not doable this year sadly due to my frugal ways - and the fact I've spent all my pesos on the vehicles and back yard stuff below for the foreseeable future:( )

Anyway since I'm up and on the website I may as well post some of the photos I promised long ago :o

Here is the new (and the old silver) truck recently picked up.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_015.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/015.jpg)
Couple interior shots:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_006.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/006.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_005.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/005.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/th_004.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/004.jpg)

This is the wife's new toy I bought the week after the truck - not as many pictures as I have of my truck ;) It's the electric hybrid 400rxh model - quite an impressive SUV which she loves.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Lexus/th_lexusrx400h007.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Lexus/lexusrx400h007.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Lexus/th_lexusrx400h002.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Lexus/lexusrx400h002.jpg)

Once I have my final accessories put on the truck I'll post one more pic - I've added some chrome and a color matched bed cover etc..it looks pretty sharp IMO.



Backyard and deck - couple more recent shots.

The new BBQ, cast iron, granite and slate patio set and there is a gas line fired patio heater as well between those two that is not pictured here that is in a brown powder coat for the fall and earlier spring evenings.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_patioapril09002.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/patioapril09002.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/th_Frontyardspring2009alter.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Backyard/Frontyardspring2009alter.jpg)

Hopefully I'll have some new PJ HT pics soon.

Cheers
Calvin

Had a busy weekend. I think I broke my record for most people in the HT at one time! My wife had her "Ironman" group over for their year end gathering and we ended up hosting to around 30 folks and at one point when they were watching a group video one of the members made we had 25 people in the HT:cool:

Very cool I felt like Art must feel a lot of the time when he hosts his massive gatherings :)

Anyway a couple pics I took during the event.


http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/th_040.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/040.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/th_049.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/049.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/th_063.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/063.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/th_066.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Iron%20Man%20party/066.jpg)

I'm looking even more forward to next Friday as I hoping I get to see Greg and the JVC in action in 4 days time (if everything works out). I was pretty tempted to call Jason at AVS today and find out what the RS25's and RS35's are selling for but I think I'm going to wait and see how the RS-20 handles in my room before I get to carried away (but I'm certainly getting excited about that is for sure)

More this weekend if all goes well.

Cheers
Calvin

I will be there!

Greg

Excellent news Greg! I can hardly wait :)

Drive safe (I hope the weather stays nice this weekend - today is supposed to get ugly)

Looking forward to meeting you and seeing the JVC in action :cool:

Cheers
Calvin

Yeah, I hope the snow they predict won't be sticking around. How can it go from 35 C to -10 C in a week and a half?!!

Greg

I sure hope it missses us and you have a safe drive. I asked jakkb if he wanted to swing by as well as he is only a few minutes away from the house working on his build and thought he might want to meet you (as your a pretty regular contributor on his build thread I've seen) and see the PJ in action as well :)
See you in a couple days.
Cheers
Calvin

Today's the big day! I should have some intersting thoughts and photos from Greg visit with the JVC this weekend :)

Cheers

Calvin

Thanks for having me by. You have a lovely home!
Sorry if I might be causing you to spend more money.:o

Calvin will be posting some screen shots that he took.

Greg

It was great having you Greg. Thanks so much for coming over and bringing the JVC RS20 for me to demo in my room :) I very much appreciate it. I'm looking forward to seeing how you make out with your measurements with the light meter on it and hopefully visiting your room as well when I'm going through Red Deer next time I'm heading south.

I'll let Jason know you dropped those parts off for him and I plan on posting up some pictures with in the next couple of days once I get the thanksgiving stuff out of the way (hopefully Monday I'll get them up)

All the best
Calvin

Here are a few pictures. I unfortunately have to run in 15 min for yet another thanksgiving turkey feast so I'll have to finish up later.

First off here are the basics.

Infocus 333 - 3 chip DLP 1824 hours on the bulb (about 300 past when the bulb usually blows up so lets just say it's living on borrowed time or perhaps the bulbs are finally getting 2000 hours - most blow between 1500 and 1600 in my experience and this is the 7 or 8th bulb since I bought the PJ new.
The Infocus was recently ISF certified / calibrated as mentioned a few posts above.

The JVC RS20 from Greg - Bulb virtually brand new - 67 ~ 70 hours on the bulb Greg really hasn't spent much time with it as they are still building his HT. The JVC was / is not calibrated - but honestly it is exceptional out of the box IMO still needs to be said.

I was originally going to do some measurements but time got away from us and due to the fact Greg still had a bit of drive and it was late I just lent him my light meter so he can take some measurement (lumens/ ansi etc..) and let me know what he finds. After which I'll redo my Infocus when I swap out the bulb so I'm using a bulb with less then 100 hours as well (so it's more apples to apples).

Ok on to the pictures.

Hours on the 333 - The hours on the JVC didn't turn out strangely but I'm sure it was 67 at the start and maybe 70 after all the back and forth testing.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_Hourson333.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/Hourson333.jpg)

All scenes were run through as follows.

Video only as this really has nothing to do with audio.

Zektor Mas 7.1 switcher which was processing / passing signals from

PS3 - games and blue ray tested
LG Super BLu - DVD / Blu Ray and HD- DVD tested
Xbox Elite - HDMI 1080P - games tested on Infocus 333
Xbox Pro - Component 1080P - games tested on the JVC RS20

All signals with the exception of the Xbox pro on COD 4 were through the same equipment using HDMI (and the M1-DA in the case of the Infocus)

Camera Used was a 10.1 MP Canon SLR on a tripod set to night / no flash.

*the camera took much faster pictures of the 333 then the JVC due to light output was our impression after doing the back and forths - especially in the night scenes.

First set - looking to compare difficult dark scenes and I picked this one from Death Race. Shown on Blu-Ray on the LG Super Blue. (note all JVC pictures are at 1080p/24 (for movies) or 1080p/60 (for games) and the Infocus 333 is 720p/24 (for movies) and 1280 x 1024/60 (for games) unless otherwise noted)


1st pic is the JVC RS-20 showing the impressive blacks and contrast that it's known for:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_333DR.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/333DR.jpg)

Same scene on the 333 - to show how the 333 - 3 chip is holding up been 3 or so years older.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_JVCDR.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/JVCDR.jpg)

FROM BBC's Universe Blu-ray set as shown on the PS3. Again looking at dark shots with some variety of light to test.



http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_333Saturn2.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/333Saturn2.jpg)

Then next we have the 333 showing Saturn shot # 2

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_333Saturn3.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/333Saturn3.jpg)

First up on the JVC showing the same Saturn shot # 1

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_JVCSaturn2.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/JVCSaturn2.jpg)


Now we have the JVC showing Saturn shot # 2

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/th_JVCSaturn3.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/JVC%20-%20October%202009/JVCSaturn3.jpg)

Well that is all I have for time for now - I'll try and get back to show some of the games / stills etc... that we took as well and of course once Greg does some measurements and I swap a bulb we can put some hard numbers to these pictures as well.

more to come

Cheers
Calvin

I got sidetracked again on posting the rest of the pictures.... I know, I know I have some excuses though ;)
I was winterizing the house / garden etc most of the weekend again and getting ready to protect our trees and shrubs from the inevitable rabbit invasion we'll see once the snow flies to stay.

I did however have Jason (aka Jakkb here at AVS) swing bye to pick up the pieces Greg left for him and a quick visit which was nice. It appears he is going to take a hard look at the new Panasonic 4000 which I must admit I'm curious to see in person after reading much about the new "budget" super PJ. Impressive stats on paper for sure will be interesting to see it in action if Jason goes that way.

Lots on the go these days getting new winter car starters put into both the Titan and the Lexus, visiting a new chiropractor that does the KST method which is a first for me and somewhat interesting I must admit. I’m also planning on getting the final accessories and winter tires put on the truck this weekend (almost 10,000 km on the old girl already :) )
I still am planning to get some of those pictures up soon though and I'm hoping that Greg or his installers can work the loaned meter and get us some numbers to go with the pictures and then I'll do mine again once I change out the bulb to see how they compare on the "white sheet" vs the pictures.

Cheers
Calvin

I still am planning to get some of those pictures up soon though and I'm hoping that Greg or his installers can work the loaned meter and get us some numbers to go with the pictures and then I'll do mine again once I change out the bulb to see how they compare on the "white sheet" vs the pictures.



I've fallen victim to the 99% complete theater syndrome.:o I've watched movies every night for the past week or so and have accomplished nothing. Hopefully by the weekend I can get things measured. I found the instructions, it just a matter of doing it (and finding my digital video essentials disk)

Greg:)

Thanks again for holding that part for me Calvin. Nice chatting with you too, and I will definitely let you know if I go with the Panasonic 4000. I emailed Quebec Acoustics about availability and they said maybe by end of November but they will contact me. I am hoping the Canadian price is not too far off the US price.

I have also been doing a lot of research on building my own frame to take advantage of your spare SMX screen. Could you please let me know the exact material you have along with the spec gain? I still want to look into a frame from SMX but it's hard to beat the cost of a DIY frame!

Thanks.

Greg,

No worries we've all been there :) Looking forward to your results once you do find the time and the ambition :D


Jason,

Hopefully the Panasonic 4000 is close to the US price but I guess we won't know until it hits the Canadian market. With the cdn $ sitting about 95 cents to the US $ though I'd expect them to be fairly close. I'm not sure what your budget it or how much just a frame is going for these days but hopefully you can swing a SMX frame they are far superior to any DIY I've seen (not to say you couldn't make one better though...but I know I couldn't). The gain is 1.06 or 1.16 on the SMX fabric it's the original SMX weave which you can find lots of info on here at AVS under Ruben (SandmanX) thread with a quick search or over at the SMX forums.

Cheers
Calvin

Thanks again for holding that part for me Calvin. Nice chatting with you too, and I will definitely let you know if I go with the Panasonic 4000. I emailed Quebec Acoustics about availability and they said maybe by end of November but they will contact me. I am hoping the Canadian price is not too far off the US price.

I have also been doing a lot of research on building my own frame to take advantage of your spare SMX screen. Could you please let me know the exact material you have along with the spec gain? I still want to look into a frame from SMX but it's hard to beat the cost of a DIY frame!

Thanks.

Usually the Canadian price is outrageously higher than the US pricing on Panasonic projectors. I have purchased 2 panasonic projectors from the US in the past because of this. The last one from Projector People. Their price was the best. Even if they end up shipping via UPS and you have to pay the insane brokerage it will still be many hundreds of dollars cheaper. If you find one in Canada for the same price as in the us (factoring in the dollar) please post the details.

The AE4000 looks nice but I've got an ax100 now and it is rated 2000 lumens and I'd like something brighter. I have a completely light controlled theater and I am not sure if I'd be happy with the 1600 lumens of the AE4000. The ax100 is a light canon out of the box but after a few hundred hours the bulb dims. My ax100 doesn't put out near as much as it did with the new bulb. I know if the AE400 was the same and then dimmer over time (even dimmer than my ax100 now) that I wouldn't be happy with it.

I bought a AE1000 from Quebec acoustics a few years back before the infocus very early on before moving in and working on the my current HT (way back in this thread). I can't remember the price exactly but I remember checking the US and comparing it with QA and it was reasonably close (of course the US dollar was a lot higher compared to the CDN then as well and I'm not sure how that factors into the equation as some vendors seem to ignore the current exchange rates). QA threw in a free bulb and I think Panasonic Canada only warranties the PJ if it was bought in Canada as well so that was the deciding factor for me to buy "local".

I noticed on the AE1000 at the time as well that the bulb dimmed quite a bit after only 400 or so hours unlike my Infocus which seems to be very strong throughout the entire life of the bulb.

As far as the router work, maybe? Do you have any pictures of some work you've done already?

Cheers
Calvin

I had to ship my ax100 to the states twice for warranty service. The second time was on them because they forgot to update the firmware. In Canada you'd still need to send it somewhere for service on your dime. It is kind of a pain but I saved over $600 on the purchase so it was well worth it. There just doesn't seem to be enough competition here in Canada for projector sales.

I sent you a PM regarding the cnc.

Brendin

Thanks for the post Brendin, I PM'd you back in regards to the router work.

Some news - I finally had the dry Waller from the builder finish up this week and I am getting a new painter in hopefully on Friday to repaint the walls that needed work as well as having him redo the entire HT room. I'm going to go a bit darker I think and I also want to paint the speaker grills the same as the walls so they blend in rather then stand out this time around. I'll have some before and after pics up as it gets going.

I also have a carpenter finally in to give me a quote on installing a solid core door with a threshold seal (amazing I know). I'm looking at a Pemco threshold seal right now as I need to get something that doesn't require a "plate" into a floor for the seal as I have the glycol tubing in the flooring I can't take the risk of driving into the floor and the rupturing the tubing (I could look at other fastening such as glues I suppose but right now I'm looking at just trying to get a "decent" seal to the carpet flooring rather then a perfect seal to specialized flooring plate. (I'll have to see how it works out...I'm not going for sound proof i'm just hoping to get some decent sound damping).

My bulb finally went on the 333 I had almost 2000 hours out of the last bulb which is the longest one ever since I've had the machine and the 4th or 5 I've traded out I think (hopefully the new one I just put in lasts as long).

Now that I have the new bulb in I'll have to get the light meter and do those measurements to see how a fresh bulb matches up to the JVC (once Greg finishes up with his testing).

And finally I took a few pics of the truck last night. I should have taken them during the day I guess they would have turned out much better but anyway here is the truck with the latest mods on (and winter set of rims or tires - I still have to figure out which chrome rims I want to go with next spring...right now I'm leaning towards the Zinik Z13 Lunia's).

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/Toys/th_October2009021.jpg (http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/Toys/?action=view&current=October2009021.jpg)

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/Toys/th_October2009003.jpg (http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/Toys/?action=view&current=October2009003.jpg)

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/Toys/th_October2009009.jpg (http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/Toys/?action=view&current=October2009009.jpg)

More as it happens.

Cheers
Calvin

The finishing carpenter came and went last night after completing the "trim" around the AV rack (they also finished off some work in the garage for me). I took a couple pictures I'll try and post up tonight early tomorrow before they come back and paint it up. I may get them to do another coat or two on the AV rack wall as well to polish up the room for the X-mas holidays.

More soon
Cheers
Calvin

I've been away for awhile. Just got back from Vegas where I was for a couple of weeks doing my part to stimulate the economy (in particular the Mandalay bay Texas hold em' and the MGM Grand black jack tables

We saw a few shows (Chris Angel, Steve Wyrick and the Phantom of the opera - I liked Steve's show the best but the Phantom's set and production is unreal) and I took a day off to fly down to the canyon take an aerial tour of the strip which was cool.
Here's a shot of me thinking about upgrading my titan to something with rotors!

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_Dec09163.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/Dec09163.jpg)

Speaking of which here are a couple of day time shots which show the truck a lot better as well.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_Titan2-Oct09.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/Titan2-Oct09.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_TitanOct-09.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/TitanOct-09.jpg)

I'm going to be swapping out the window deflectors shown for the in channel ones next week for a cleaner look and then I'll order some new rims this spring and I'm all done with the truck. (just had a new winter text starter put in before heading to Vegas that I'll update to Lojack GPS technology once it's available as well).

Anyway... on to the reason for the post - the update. I've had the painters here all weekend as it's been to darn cold to do much else anyways. Yesterday they did most of the upstairs and today they started into the redo of the HT room on the lower level.

Some pics:

First we had to pull all the panels down and do some prep work.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_AcousticPanels.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/AcousticPanels.jpg)

This was the problem area - lots of prep work here.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_HTDec-09.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/HTDec-09.jpg)

Here we are getting started.

My contractor Corey is finishing up the install on the new UPS box he's built for the purpose of holding my UPS for the PJ all finished up.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_NewUPSbox.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/NewUPSbox.jpg)

Here is the box painted ready for the UPS to go in once we've finished up the room and waited for everything to dry.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_Dec09326.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/Dec09326.jpg)

These two photos do a good job of showing the color change and how much darker I'm going with the new paint compared to the lighter Grey of the old paint job. I'll have the speakers done in the same color to blend in rather then stand out this time around.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_workingtheceiling.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/workingtheceiling.jpg)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_Doingthebrushwork.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/Doingthebrushwork.jpg)

About 60% done at this point. We are all going to be back at it tomorrow to finish up by the end of the night just have some final painting around the screen wall and the AV rack area and trim before I work on getting that door area finally finished up.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_Closetothescreen.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/Closetothescreen.jpg)

Should have some final shots by the weekend once we get everything back installed and ready for movies again :)

I was just about to order a new JVC this week as well but now with the new LED's out I'm back on the fence.... I may just order another bulb for the 333 and see what happens over the next 6 to 12 months.... decisions, decisions...

More as it happens
Cheers
Calvin

I've been away for awhile. Just got back from Vegas where I was for a couple of weeks doing my part to stimulate the economy (in particular the Mandalay bay Texas hold em' and the MGM Grand black jack tables

A couple of weeks? Wow. 4 days was enough for me!

A couple of weeks? Wow. 4 days was enough for me!

Yes it's a long time to spend in Vegas but we have a place there so staying for extended periods doesn't cost anymore (other then the gambling) and my wife was running the marathon there which extended our stay for a few days as she booked the run after our original trip was planned. I hope you had better luck at the tables then I did :o

Cheers
Calvin

Painters finished up 99% last night (they worked till 1 AM making me a tired guy today waking up for work at 5 AM). We'll be putting the screen back up and inserting the new painted screen grills tonight after work. I decided to go with a glossy deep black on the fireplace and the new trim around the AV cabinet to really make them stand out...see how it works out once it's all dry and cleaned up.

I should have some new shots up tomorrow or Thursday once the room has been put back in order.

Cheers
Calvin

Some updated shots. (all photos with flash)

The new AV rack trim - painted up. I went with a high gloss black on the AV rack and the fireplace as I wanted to "stand out" some from the rest of the room. I will still need to run a bead of black of silicone to finish it off with a clean look (hopefully I do a better job then I did last time :o )

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_AVrack1.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/AVrack1.jpg)

Another look at the AV Rack from the other side with a bit of distance. Soon I should have a door going in the archway to separate the room and the rack.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_AVracknewtrim.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/AVracknewtrim.jpg)

A look at the room coming together just a few more panels to go in and you can see the new speakers blend in nicely compared to the old black paint I had originally used.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_Gettingroombacktogether.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/Gettingroombacktogether.jpg)

A look at the fireplace in the same gloss black that I did the AV Rack in. On top is my latest addition to the room as well. This spidey print I had painted up in Vegas on the strip and it's just been returned from the framers ready to mount...

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_Spidey3.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/Spidey3.jpg)

A close up of the new Spiderman original I had made up in Vegas...now I just have to make up my mind on where to mount it...thinking the bathroom in the basement where I have the other print but perhaps above the fireplace might be a nice home as well...decisions, decisions...

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_Spideyupclose.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/Spideyupclose.jpg)

More as it happens (should hopefully be the door and threshold seal next!)

Cheers
Calvin

Hey Calvin,
Did you change the color of your theater walls? I seem to remember dark green walls with black trim. BTW, your decision to hold off on the PJ is probably a wise one.

BTW,
How's the weather in Edmonton these days?

BTW,
How's the weather in Edmonton these days?

Today we had 0'C, toasty warm compared to earlier in the week!

This spidey print I had painted up in Vegas on the strip and it's just been returned from the framers ready to mount...

A close up of the new Spiderman original I had made up in Vegas...now I just have to make up my mind on where to mount it...thinking the bathroom in the basement where I have the other print but perhaps above the fireplace might be a nice home as well...decisions, decisions...

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/th_Spideyupclose.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/HT%20Main%20-%20Basement/Spideyupclose.jpg)

Cheers
Calvin

Hey Calvin, nice addition to the room. If you don't mind me asking where in Vegas did you get this done and how much did it run you(you can PM me the details if you want)?

Thanks

Hey Calvin,
Did you change the color of your theater walls? I seem to remember dark green walls with black trim. BTW, your decision to hold off on the PJ is probably a wise one.

Hello Javry my friend. Hope things are going well for you in your neck of the woods :)

I used to have the walls a lighter grey with the same trim. I ended up taking the same paint and adding 4 or 5 drops of black paint to the mix to darken it up. The photos don't really do it justice it is really much darker then before. The photos above for the most apart are with flash and really don't show the true color. It's dark!

This photo does a good job of showing the difference between the old and new and just how much darker I went (if anything the paint is even darker then in this photo as they did 3 coats and it's dried a bit darker then this photo.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/th_Doingthebrushwork.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h248/Calvin2006/Oct%20-Dec%202009/Doingthebrushwork.jpg)

As far as the PJ I think I'm going to order another bulb and see what happens in the next 6 to 12 months. For now the 333 is still pretty solid and it's going to be tough to settle for anything that can't give me 1000+ calibrated lumen's I think...

Cheers
Calvin

Today we had 0'C, toasty warm compared to earlier in the week!

Thanks for the post Jedi. Javry it's been ok the last couple of days but we still have to get through Jan and Feb which traditionally are the coldest months here :(

Hey Calvin, nice addition to the room. If you don't mind me asking where in Vegas did you get this done and how much did it run you(you can PM me the details if you want)?

Thanks

thenish03,

I picked it up on the strip. A young guy was spray painting like a mad demon and I watched him (incredible to watch the guy was unbelievably talented he pumped out the pictures in 10 to 15 minutes that look amazing). After watching him for a bit I asked him if he could do anything movie related and he said "I do a spider man" So I had him do it for me and I'm very pleased with the result. Think the cost was $79 US with the matting which is dirt cheap IMO. The frame and anti-glare glass I had done later at my local framer for around $150 so the entire thing was around $250 (as usual for me anyways the frame usually costs more then the print).

Glad to see some others like it as much as I do :D

Cheers
Calvin

Just wanted to say Merry x-mas and a happy new year to all my fellow AVS forum friends :)
Best to you all in the new year!

Calvin

Merrry xmas to you too Calvin....and a Happy New Year!

I know the thread it OLD.....but....how is that in-wall subwoofer holding up?

Are there any laws of nature that prevent it from being installed sideways!!??

S:D

dyslexic,

I'm still around I just haven't had the time to post in awhile. I've been upgrading some of the rack gear so I'll have to break out the camera again one day soon. The Thor in-walls are holding up great, both the vertical and horizontal mounted pairs :)

Cheers
Calvin

Hey Calvin,

I was just thought I would drop in to say hi. Glad to see that all is going well for you. Great to see that you continue to do your part in economic recovery. I really like the new color you have painted the walls. I like a darker room for home theatre.

Hope you and Rachel have a great 2010.
Darryl

Thanks Darryl. Best to you and yours this year as well. I try and get some new pics up once I get the last of the new gear installed (Axe music is doing inventory right now and I'm waiting for them to finish up to order my final couple of pieces).

Cheers
Calvin

Congrats on an amazing theater! Your extra work and planning has paid off huge!! I am excited to see more of your place! Keep posting, I need my AVS fix...ahhhh, that's better :D

Zulu,

Not to much to post about these days. I'm waiting to sell one of my places on the SE side and then I'm seriously looking at getting something along the lines of C4 installed (or similar) and a new LED PJ once they get the lumen's up past the 1100 ~ 1200 calibrated point. I can post a new pic or two of the AV rack I guess when I have some time as I have added some new gear since the old pics.

Cheers
Calvin

Hey Cal,
Is the new paint job since I saw your HT back in 08? It looked pretty good then.

Zulu,

Not to much to post about these days. I'm waiting to sell one of my places on the SE side and then I'm seriously looking at getting something along the lines of C4 installed (or similar) and a new LED PJ once they get the lumen's up past the 1100 ~ 1200 calibrated point. I can post a new pic or two of the AV rack I guess when I have some time as I have added some new gear since the old pics.

Cheers
Calvin

BTW, I assume the backyard and patio area is done by now?

Javry the color is new since your visit. it's actually "Much" darker and the PJ is throwing a better picture as a result - it's not quite black but it's not far off either :)

The Backyard and patio are more or less done - we planted a few trees and added some stone work this year from the fire pit to the raised gardens - a few new drippers in the water system etc... I'll have to get a picture up to show the new results (I'm looking forward to next year when I have the stone work treated to look "wet" so it brings out the colors in the stone :) should look fantastic once that is completed).

Cheers
Calvin

I've had a few questions in the last while about the in-wall / in-floor set up I have and as there is not a lot of info on AVS regarding these types I'm told I thought I would resurrect this old thread with some info on them.

Q & A
(Questions by others and Answers by myself of course)

Q) What is your opinion of the Thors?

A) I like the Thors for an in-wall / floor solution they are quite good but they are not as good as a solid "standard" enclosed sub that most people buy in the same price range (powered cube type).

Q) Is there anything you particularly like or don't like about them?

A) I don't like the metal Grill / casing that comes with the subs and if you can I advise to use the cloth as I did with the 2 I use under the screen. The 2 in back I put in the floor I used the metal grills (casing) and when I'm driving the subs hard you can hear some resonance that I wish wasn't in my sound field. However with the chairs on them I need the grills to protect the speakers...it's a trade off. If I had to do it again I would likely have put all 4 in-wall vs the 2 in the platform.

Q) Would you buy them again?

A) I would buy them again but I also haven't looked to see what is out there for competition in awhile as I'm not in the market. They are however a very solid performer for the price and as long as you get big amps to drive them you should be pleased with these subs (I use one amp for each pair and I'll blow the amps before I damage the speakers I'm sure of it).

Q) Have you had any issues with the subs?

A) None other then the grill issue mentioned above.

Hopefully that helps some folks in the future.

All the best
Calvin

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/TAG%20Shots/th_IMG_5749.jpg (http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j14/Calv1n1/TAG%20Shots/?action=view&current=IMG_5749.jpg)

The upgrade bug hit me for the upstairs HT:o

I found a deal on these Klipsch speakers I couldn't say no to and then they followed me home.

So far I'm just playing around with the new set up but the sub is a huge improvement over my 8" energy! :D

Cheers
Calvin

Calv1n

whats been going on you have a update on the theater :)

yeah - inquiring minds want to know