Hello, still relatively new . . .

My available room is an odd shape - 20'4" deep by 11'3" wide; and that is from bare concrete wall to bare concrete wall. Once I frame and wall it it will become even more narrow and it's my understanding that these dimensions are not very good to deal with.

I would like to project and am looking at a simple Infocus IN72. With a 1.8x screen width ratio for seating distance I think I could get an 80" screen if the back row (I would like to have two rows of seats) of seats are sitting against the opposite wall.

I'm a pretty simple guy - my family and I have been watching films on a 32" tv with 3.1 sound for quite some time and enjoy doing so. So I would like to upgrade to a simple theater, but not if it's not worth the time and effort.

Anyone have experience with a room like this? Thanks for any insight or comments.

That room will be fine. Spend some time here reading and you can buil a nice theater for relatively cheap.
My room is a touch wider but not as long and we love it.

Scott

Here is the thread that inspired me to go for it:

http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=386540&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

His finished space is 20 x 12'10" with a low ceiling

You should be thinking about a MUCH larger screen at least 100 inch diagonal.

Be sure to go to his construction web site link. It shows what you can do with the worst possible space

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kirkk/uptownparadiso.html

I agree, you'll be fine with those dimensions. Read, read and read some more. I am right in the middle of my build and cannot get my hands on enough material for reference.
Good luck- and most importantly-HAVE FUN BUILDING IT!

My room is only 13x18. The 13' dimension was from stud to stud, so the actual room width with double drywall is about 12'10". It's a little tight on the sides with a 2-row 3-wide Berkline setup (aisles on both sides), but I'm still thrilled I have a home theater in my house. It's incredible...

Maybe you have to use two sofas instead of recliners, or maybe you have to use smaller recliners with thinner arms, or maybe there's only one aisle on the side... Just make it work with what you have! If you love watching movies, then go for it!!!

SC

You should be thinking about a MUCH larger screen at least 100 inch diagonal.

Thanks for the links BIG; but how can I do 100"? Wouldn't that put me much too close to the screen? I worry over SDE and rainbows so I was pushing myself back to 1.8x from the width.

Here is what I used to determine if my screen would be too big:

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator.cfm

I really had a screen size in mind and wanted verification that I could go that big. When the screen was delivered, my wife thought it was way too big, but I knew otherwise. Now that we are watching movies, she thinks its just the right size and admits that we might have been able to go bigger.

Here is the thread that inspired me to go for it
Big, that is the thread that inspired me as well! Do you know if Kirk is still around? Looks like he hasn't been posting for quite awhile. I'm wondering what kind of wood he used for his door. Looks like oak, but hard to tell in the pics and all he says is its "solid core custom". I'm going for exactly the same look (same stain in fact). My theater is cherry, but 2 solid cherry doors are very dear.

Craig.

Thanks for the links BIG; but how can I do 100"? Wouldn't that put me much too close to the screen? I worry over SDE and rainbows so I was pushing myself back to 1.8x from the width.I'm sitting 13' back from a 127"W 2.35 screen (~1.3 screen widths) and I don't find it too big at all. My wife doesn't either. I would go as big as you possibly can. And I wouldn't worry about SDE or any other projector related issues. Even if 1080P PJ's aren't in your budget yet, I'm sure they will be soon. And its probably going to be much cheaper and easier to go 1080P than it will be to change your room to fit a bigger screen.

My $0.02

I just built a theatre in a much, much smaller room (8x11) and am sitting 1.5 from an 80inch screen. I haven't noticed any SDE or rainbow at 720p (I got the Mitsu 1000u). I'd say definitely go for it in your space, you won't be dissapointed.

First and foremost, thanks to everyone chiming in - concerning screen size though, I'm not concerned with the size of it being too big for the room. Rather, I'm worried about being able to sit far enough back from it.

Perhaps I need to go and read through the monster IN72 thread, but I thought that 1.8x the screen width was a good, safe bet to eliminate problems.

But getting more seating in that space would definitely help the WAF factor :) See, I learned something!

Tim, I would figure out where you want your 2 rows first and go from there.

Assuming you can mount the screen reasonably close to the wall, lets say you can have your back row at ~17'. Your front row should be around 3.5' in front of that so say 13.5'. At that distance you can easily do a 120" diagonal screen (~105" wide). That gives you a 1.5 ratio at the front row and 2.0 at the back. If you're targeting 1.8 for the front row, I think the image from the back row is going to be WAY too small.

Another thing you can do is go to the theater and roughly measure out the width of the screen. Then go find the seat that seems comfortable to you and figure out what the ratio is. I think its going to be less than 1.8, but I could be wrong. B

Again, I really think you should go as big as you can and that you may regret building your room around a projector that your room is likely to outlive. I have a couple of friends that went with smaller screens originally which they have since replaced. Both of them had to tear apart their front walls too.

I see that you are looking at a 480 line projector. I also see that PC nation has it for $109 today. But mostly the vendors want $300 and change.

Now that I know your budget, You really need to read the DIY screen thread. Since this is your first projector, hold off on a screen. After you get the projector just shine it on a white wall and sit at the distance you are thinking about. You find what you like without spending too much.

There are plenty of guys here who are happy with a basic painted wall.

Another thought is a lot of guys are upgrading from 720P to 1080P projectors. As a result a lot of used gear comes up for sale. Also check out the refurbished units that come up for sale on Ubid.com. I think you would want to see if you can stretch your budget to get a 720P unit so that you can enjoy OTA and Satellite HD programming. At 480 you might be disappointed

You could easily look at rotating the room design 90 degrees if you want and still do a good theater. I have a 13'10" wide room that is only about 12' deep. I only have enough room for a single row of 3 berklines, but have a 106" screen and love it. The 11' view distance is perfect for normal front row seating. Do I wish I had room for a second row behind, shure, but 90% of the time it is just my family of (3) enjoying the room so it works out well. Check out my thread for pictures.

Thanks again BIG (and everyone else).

Yep, that's me, on a budget. As I had mentioned at the beginning, my family and I are used to a 32" standard tv, so any projection is going to be an upgrade.

Sounds like a good idea though; get the projector, and watch a few things. This will strictly be for films - no tv or video gaming.

Thanks again
Tim

The biggest problem with a room of that width is seating - the depth isn't an issue. With typical home theater recliners, you shouldn't go more than two seats wide. A sofa would be a tough push, too. I'd suggest either rows of two home theater recliners, rows of a single loveseat, or rows of 3 movie theater seats. Even though I have about 12.5' of width, I went with two rows of two home theater recliners because I really wanted a comfortable isleway and nice big armrests. Keep in mind that if you have company over and need more room, those little rocker chairs down in front are great for kids, and folding chairs work just fine for adults. For my wife and I and two kids planned, we don't entertain often, and when we do, it's generally just one or two couples - so this configuration works out just fine.

Something to keep in mind when seeing theaters with seating for 6-8 or more: it's easy to get carried away with thinking you need more seats than you really do, and you may end up trading away comfort for those 2 extra seats that are filled on those rare occasions. Extra seats can always be made up for by using temporary seating, and you may end up with a more comfortable room (and, possibly, even better sounding).

I'd also recommend that you take a look at 720p projectors. That way, you can sit much closer and enjoy a more immersing experience.

I see that you are looking at a 480 line projector. I also see that PC nation has it for $109 today. But mostly the vendors want $300 and change.

Now that I know your budget, You really need to read the DIY screen thread. Since this is your first projector, hold off on a screen. After you get the projector just shine it on a white wall and sit at the distance you are thinking about. You find what you like without spending too much.

There are plenty of guys here who are happy with a basic painted wall.

Another thought is a lot of guys are upgrading from 720P to 1080P projectors. As a result a lot of used gear comes up for sale. Also check out the refurbished units that come up for sale on Ubid.com. I think you would want to see if you can stretch your budget to get a 720P unit so that you can enjoy OTA and Satellite HD programming. At 480 you might be disappointedGood catch Big, and a very good suggestion.

I see that you are looking at a 480 line projector. I also see that PC nation has it for $109 today. But mostly the vendors want $300 and change.


I saw the $109 price and went on a google search, but all I saw was a Hdmi Cable Used w/ IN72 IN76 at PC Nation

I saw the $109 price and went on a google search, but all I saw was a Hdmi Cable Used w/ IN72 IN76 at PC Nation

I would buy one at $109 for my next project, an outdoor theater :)

I googled Infocus in72 and deal snatch showed that deal...but you are right the item code says hdmi 3m. very misleading.

My media room is 10'3" wide (measuring between the inside faces of the drywall) and about 24' deep. It works just fine for a media room (and would have worked fine for a dedicated HT too, but I wanted to have bookshelves, etc. in the room too and use it for things other than just movies).

I have an 80" wide screen and my first row of seats is about about 11'6" away from the screen. I would not want to sit much closer than that. The old rule of placing your seats 1.5 to 2 times your screen width back from your screen is a pretty good one. You violate it at your own risk.

I also have a couch in the room, though it took some searching to find one that fits well. Most American brands are too wide. We finally found one made in France that fits and that l liked, but if you are going for a dedicated HT, go with HT chairs of some sort. The sofa was much more expensive than any HT chairs I have ever read about (though it does also convert to a sofa bed when needed, which HT chairs don't).