Hi there. I'm building a new house with a dedicated home theatre. It will have an A/V distrobution system in place which I will start discussing here:

(I'll add the link when my post count is high enough. Its in the A/V distrobution thread fyi)

But I wanted a dedicated threat for the home theater part. First I'll try to describe the room (plans will follow next week)

The room is a 5x5m square to the step, and then a 6x5m square after the step, with the extra 1m on the left hand side.

**Update with the proper plans!**

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture_2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture_3.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture_4.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture_5.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture_6.jpg


The room will have a 42" plasma and a projector screen. We are going to "build out" the front wall so that we have space for three in-wall speakers. It will look like there is a 4x3m cavity in the middle (approx dimensions). The plasma will be wall mounted into this cavity, and the projector screen will drop down from the top of this cavity (it will be about 0.5m from the ceiling) and cover the plasma.

We want to put a raise in the carpet of about 20cm or so, whatever is standard. There will be one row of seating before the step, and one row after the step.

The gear will sit in shelving with a clear glass door. It is on the left hand side of the room where the size increases from 5m wide to 6m wide.

The first thing I would like to know is: 7.1 or 5.1? Is it really much of an improvement?

I'll try to upload a picture of the plan of the room as soon as I can, because it's a lot easier to see from that. The room is not built at all yet, and so I have very little contraints. Any ideas would be appreciated. Colours, styles, etc.

My plan so far was to have a charcoal coloured front wall, charcoal carpet and charcoal side and back walls from about 1.5m and down. There would be a dull silver rail at that point and above it would be sandstone coloured. Possibly using some type of accoustic tiles but I'm really no expert.

The only thing I really really want is that new Velodyne in wall subwoofer. That thing looks amazing.

*Update with some new screenshots*

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/picture_7.jpg

Note, these are not renders yet and so the colours are really far off being perfect. Also, the extras (like speakers and the rail) havent been bevelled properly. Its just a concept shot.

After speaking with CAVX (big THANKYOU) we've worked out that we probably cannot fit in a CIH screen because we want the room to be symmetrical. That takes away from the width of the front wall unfortunately. Therefore, the size of the screen would be a little bit too small for our tastes.

So, unless someone can offer up a better solution, we're going to use a 16:9 pulldown screen and we'll just put up with the black bars when it goes into super widescreen. Basically, the area for 2.35:1 will be the same regardless of which screen we use, but this way we get a bigger 16:9 picture.

Note: I'm no screen expert. Is my thinking right? Will the screen height make a difference?


**Update with the correct measurements**

As to your surround sound, 7.1 or 7.2 gives you the most flexibilty for the future. currently there are few DVDs with dedicated 7.1 tracks most are 5.1 but there are a few and there will be more. in addition many good AVRs are able to give you 7.1 at least using all your speakers.
Having all seven does make for an impressive system, as does having your front speakers behind a GOOD as in SMX acoustically transparent screen.

My objective in building my theater was to have the Best Audio in addition to the best Picture quality I could get, and think about going with a 2:35.1 Constant Height set up.

You can check out all of these things right here on the forum. Do a LOT of reading.

(Can someone PM me with how to attatch a picture, I cant seem to do it).

After you have 5 posts:
Upload pic to a photo hosting site like Photobucket.com (free). Then,
copy the bottom link shown for the pic (on Photobucket) into your post.

The link should look like: [ IMG] yadayada.jpg[ /IMG] with no spaces

When you submit your post it will pull in the picture. Photobucket will resize your photo automatically so no extra work is required.

Yep, that 5 post thing kinda threw me for a loop. I know how to use img tags but it just didn't wanna stick. :P

I've been reading a lot about constant image height and such. I think I could make provisions for a motorized masking system. I don't know if the budget would allow it but at least I'd have the option in the future.

I dont think there would be any way to do constant area set up, which I would like much more... but with a pulldown screen I'd have to have ANOTHER pull down system sitting right in front of it. Hmmm...

Anyways, pictures to come after work, when I'll have 5 posts :P

Monday I'll be able to get some pictures, I think. Just posting again to help get the post count over 5. More of substance to come.

Ok, I've added a very basic outline of the room to the first post. Could someone please tell me what would be the best way to set up 7.1 in wall speakers to get the most out of the sound?

The standard riser height is 8" inches? Yes? Thats fine but I dont know how deep to make it.

Basically I'm going to build out the front wall so that there is room for in wall speakers and subwoofer. In the middle there will be a recess to allow for the plasma to sit in there, wall mounted, and have the screen come down in front of it.

There is no Standard riser height. it is based on your screen placement and height and the height persons seated in front you that you must clear etc.

In general, in wall speakers have bad sound unless you go really high end with them. and you don't want your sub recessed in a real wall, behind faux wall with fabric is ok

you can build a faux screen wall [fabric covered] use an acoustically transparent screen Like Smx and place your speakers behind the screen, which by the way gives you a fabulous theater exerience.

you could then possibly do wall mounted surrounds, though as long as your back row is against your back wall they will not really get full effect of 7.1

The size of your riser will depend on what seating you are planning as well. real theater seating requires less depth than recliners obviously.

Also what size screen are you doing? is it to be 16:9 ratio or are you going with a constant height 2:35.1 ratio which gives the best wide screen movie experience? size of screen will also determine TO A DEGREE seating placement, though I disagree with the charts on that subject. My seating is much closer than the recommended and everyone loves it.
There really is a lot to consider here. Once you have all that figured then you can better figure the exact placement of your side and rear surrounds.

I have considered all these things, and I agree with everything that you've said.

The project will really start to get cracking in the next day or so because I'll have the plans for the room. Once I have dimensions I can really start to work out ratios and placements and all that sort of stuff.

Just fyi, the back row will be at least 2 meters (6 feet) from the back wall so I can certainly get some surround sound happening. I might make a faux wall at the back as well to put in the surround speakers.

I'm going for a column style of room

Ok, so the original post has now been updated to include some renders of the proper plans. My brother is very handy as a computer modeller so he'll be keeping everything updated as the room evolves.

(One issue I just noticed is the cupboard space seems to go all the way to the front wall, this is incorrect. The render is correct except for the fact that the cupboard room will only be about 1.5 feet deep. I'll fix that up later and post it)

So here is the basic idea so far:

We put in a false wall that is about 2 feet deep or so. There will be a cutout in the middle of it, but not a square/rectangular one. I want it to taper off in the middle for the plasma. So a top down view would look like this:

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/taper.jpg

The plasma would be mounted on the short end of the "trapezoid", and the screen would hang down from the long end of the trapezoid (the outer part of the cutout).

Could someone please give me some measurements of how big I can make that cutout (height and width of the opening) still having enough space to fit the front speakers on the sides and the centre speaker underneath (or on top if that is better?)

Will the room be suitable for placing 7.1 speakers?

(Also, I know the room is asymetrical but it cannot be avoided as behind the cupboard are the stairs and we want them very wide, which unfortunately eats into the movie room.

The floor of the room has already been poured (it is just a concrete slab). The riser for the seats is 0.9 meters (about three foot), obviously that is way too high so we are putting in a false floor for the lower section of the room.

As well as that I'd like there to be a step up to the screen section itself. I cant work out how high that is going to be untill I know how big the space needs to be for the screen (eg, how big the cutout is going to be). I'm going 2.35:1 and want the screen as big as possible. But I cant work THAT out untill I know how wide a space I need for the left and right speakers.

So can anyone give me some rough sizes for that, and then I can work backwards to find out all the other dimensions. At that point I can get another render done and we'll be cooking gas (or some other equally combustible source)

What kind of speakers are you using? are they rear ported or sealed? are they designed as built in or do they need space around them? are you going with an AT screen like Smx or something else. AT would be good as far as placement of speakers though you would need to back it or in some way cover the plasma when using the screen or it would reflect.

where are your rows of seats going to go? how far back from the screen? that will partially determine how large you can go with the screen.

What kind of speakers are you using?
I have not bought them yet. I can get pretty much anything, budget permitting.

are you going with an AT screen like Smx or something else. AT would be good as far as placement of speakers though you would need to back it or in some way cover the plasma when using the screen or it would reflect.
Not sure what an AT screen is. Could you please explain. Also, how would I back it to stop reflection from the plasma?

where are your rows of seats going to go? how far back from the screen?
The first row will be at the edge of the riser. The screen will be about 2 feet from the wall... so that leaves...13.5 feet, roughly.

An AT scree would be an acoustically transparent screen that allows for putting the speakers behind the screen which gives you fantastic realism. Some AT screen are regular screens with holes in them, then there are also woven screens such as Smx which you can read about here or on the smxscreen.com if you have something shiny behind such a screen you will see reflections through the screen unless said object is covered in some way. some people back the screen, other than where speakers are located with a black cloth which keeps things from reflecting light.

Do you have your projector? you want to know what the throw of the projector is and what size picture you can get from what distance. that will also have impact on what size screen you can do.

Aha, that makes sense.

I'll show you how i'd like to make the recess for the plasma, it will be tapered inwards. Will that pose a problem for the sound? I can't see why it would if the material was "AT", since there would be no reflections, right?

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s208/aarondalf/Recess.jpg

Also, that would be a real plus for us because the front wall would look very bare without anything in there for flavour. This way we could put a pillar on either side as it would not be blocking the speakers (since they would be more in the centre.

As for the projector, yes we do have it already but it's old and will be replaced in time. It doesnt do any 2.35:1 or anything like that but eventually we'll get that set up so I want to be ready for it. Basically for now we'll not but using the full width of the screen.

So when you say the projector is an old one, is it a 4:3 aspect or a 16:9? because you can do 2:35.1 CIH with any 16:9 projector and the right anamorphic lens. though based on the projector you have and the dvd player you have you may also need a scaler. certainly consider that aspect when you upgrade to a new projector.

Its 16:9 and has a 1366x768 resolution, so it will do the job for a while. It just doesnt have the best contrast (but the room will be black and it looks quite good to me when we've used it in the past.

A HTPC will be used, so that could be the scaler if needed, but what would a lens cost that will do the stretch to 2.35:1? Can it be automated because hte projector will be on the ceiling.

have you visited the 2:35 constant image height chat section on here? it is under the display devices section. you might want to hook up with CAVX he is down your way.

might be your cheapest solution for a lens, you can read about the others there as well. they can be automated but that runs up the cost.

Check the first post for new pictures. It's a little dark but hopefully you can see the details there. I'd really like some critiques from those more knowledgable than myself.

The colours arent really much of a concern right now, but I got bored of greyscale. In the last picture you can see that the speakers, subs, and plasma will all sit in behind the screen (in the false wall).

The riser height has not been calculated yet, and is just a guestimate right now. The 42 inch plasma will look a little small, even from the front row but it's just a loaner for now. It will be replaced by a 50" down the road. (the insert will be sized to fit a 50", not a 42" as shown in the screenshot).

So, how does it look so far?

I'm not sure about the type of lighting and the colours of the room. The rest of the house will be painted in earthy, stone type colours. A fairly neutral tone. I want to do the same for this room but I'm not sure what colours will be the best for keeping the screen colour true. Also, is there some theory to having the bottom part of the room coloured darker than the top? That seems to be a theme from others rooms that I've seen.

Any help? :)

puppyfat,

The darker the better for paint IMO. I don't know of any reason other then aesthetics for why the bottom of the room would be darker then the top.

Cheers
Calvin

Thanks for the info. I think we'll chose a dark bottom and a light top because after all, it's gotta be pretty! :P

Two questions I've been reading about:

1. Filling with sand under the subs. That would be at the front for our theatre. Is this necessary?

2. I want to get a black material for the curtains, should I use velvet? Is there anything anyone would recommend more? And what about the area at the front of the ceiling, apparently paint can be shiny and reflect some light. Would it be good to put some velvet up there? Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to do that, which would also look good. (I'm not thumbtacking a sheet of velvet to the ceiling, for instance :P)

Ok, so maybe that was more than 2 questions.... hehe.