My son recently moved out and I claimed his room! The room is 13' x 10' 10" with 9'6" ceilings. I can't use the 13' length due to the layout of the room so I'm stuck with the 10'10" side. Another issue is a ceiling fan centered in the room. I have considered taking it down if necessary for a ceiling mounted PJ. I'd prefer to mount the PJ on a shelf either right between the two seats or just above them. With either mount I'd still be slightly less then 10' from the wall where the screen is. I just revised my family room surround system and my old HTIB 7.1 system will be used for sound. Right now the window lets in plenty of light but if I go the PJ route I will make it a dark room. The walls are 2/3 blue and 1/3 orange. I'm a huge University of Florida fan :) This room will be used for watching sports. Some questions

1. Is a PJ right for me or should i stick with a plasma TV?
2. I'm leaning towards the mits hd1000u. Will this work in the room or should I look at another projector?
3. I'd prefer to shelf mount the PJ. I'm not quite sure what the offset does but i think it determines where the PJ projects the image. Can I shelf mount the PJ or will it need to go on hte ceiling?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. The TV or PJ is the last item needed to complete my room, except for a kegerator :D

hey wt - recently responded to you on your other thread but I'll respond more now that you have more info

1. Hard to answer this one :)
2. See #3
3. The Mits will need to go low (on a coffee table) or the ceiling because it has a fairly large offset (layman's explanation - it regulates where the top of the projected image is), so shelf mounting may work if the shelf is low enough. The HD1000u is somewhat stubborn when it comes to mounting, unfortunately. Additionally, from under 10ft back (a little less when you factor in pj length/wiring space), you're also going to be looking at a screen size that's under 90", which is small in projector land. And you might see some visible pixel structure sitting only 9-10 feet away.

http://www.mitsubishi-presentations.com/products/projectors/HD1000U.html Download the projector calculator on the righthand side of the page and play around with it for a bit to see if you get something you like. It's quite accurate.

The Panasonic AX-100u is another bright 720p projector (LCD vs DLP of the Mits), with a stronger zoom and more adjustable lens positioning. You would definitely able to shelf mount. The downside is that it's a little more expensive than the Mits (a lot more up front as there are sizeable rebates), and there seem to be an above average amount of quality control complaints.

What kind of sources are you going to feed this projector? I'm assuming some sort of HD -- if not, I would definitely go the Plasma route as SDTV looks terrible on these projectors.

What's with the layout that you can't use the 13 foot wall?

Sports rooms need a bright projector because there will usually be a fair amount of ambient light. In addition, you're probably going to need a projector with lens shift. With those two factors to consider, there's an obvious choice - the Panasonic AX100. Bright, lots of lens shift, and a long zoom lens. It should fit perfectly in your room. Then take a look at the DIY screen forum for some ideas for ambient light screens.

And finally, the other choice is a large plasma. Fifty inchers are under 2 grand now and the Vizio 60" can be had for 2499. (msrp)

Jim

I can't use the 13' wall sides because one side has a window on it and the other has a closet.

I've got a samsung 50" plasma. I have debated putting it in my sports room and buying a newer model for our main veiwing tv but I don't want to spend that amount of money. I'll be feeding it hopefully mostly HD sports from a SA 8300HD DVR connected via HDMI or component. I'm sure some SD content will make it at times and I'm unconcerned by the lousy SD PQ.

I was at work earlier when I initailly posted. I'm now in my sports room and I don't think the PJ can be mounted between the recliners like I had hoped it would have to be on a shelf 37" above the floor.

I planned on making my own screen. I'm fairly handy with the tools and a screen seems like a very easy project.

I read up some more on the mits and panny PJs. Thanks for the advice. I hope I can get one of them to work and save about $1000-1500 off the cost of a 50" plasma.

Take a look at this guy - kej2u - room. He took off the door to the closet and put the PJ
and the equipment in it - to get a little more room.

My son recently moved out and I claimed his room! The room is 13' x 10' 10" with 9'6" ceilings. I can't use the 13' length due to the layout of the room so I'm stuck with the 10'10" side. Another issue is a ceiling fan centered in the room. I have considered taking it down if necessary for a ceiling mounted PJ. I'd prefer to mount the PJ on a shelf either right between the two seats or just above them. With either mount I'd still be slightly less then 10' from the wall where the screen is. I just revised my family room surround system and my old HTIB 7.1 system will be used for sound. Right now the window lets in plenty of light but if I go the PJ route I will make it a dark room. The walls are 2/3 blue and 1/3 orange. I'm a huge University of Florida fan :) This room will be used for watching sports. Some questions

1. Is a PJ right for me or should i stick with a plasma TV?
2. I'm leaning towards the mits hd1000u. Will this work in the room or should I look at another projector?
3. I'd prefer to shelf mount the PJ. I'm not quite sure what the offset does but i think it determines where the PJ projects the image. Can I shelf mount the PJ or will it need to go on hte ceiling?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. The TV or PJ is the last item needed to complete my room, except for a kegerator :D

I can't imagine why the Panny AX100U, as mentioned above, wouldn't be absolutely perfect for your situation. It is whisper quiet, has a great zoom, is very bright (2000 lumens), is native 720P like most sports, and can sit between the seats so as to avoid the hassle and cost of ceiling mounting. They are generally perfect "out of the box' so not ISF calibration is necessary. They don't really have a high failure rate. If you talk to Panasonic sales (not service), they will tell you that they sell about one thousand projectors (3 models) a day, and with that quanity there will always be some defective PJs. The picture is jaw dropping and it plays up scaled DVDs well. AND, the price has fallen to $1375.00 after rebate. Since you already have the audio arranged, a PJ is the perfect fit for you. I guess you can figure out my vote. Good luck, Barry

Hey Wayne,
You can obviously get a much(4x)larger picture with the projector.The last 2 NC games looked great on my AX100.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator...

Wayne,

I wonder if you couldn't put a pull down or motorized screen in front of the closet doors. I was originally going to do that before I decided to make my room purpose built.

Wayne,

I wonder if you couldn't put a pull down or motorized screen in front of the closet doors. I was originally going to do that before I decided to make my room purpose built.
An even better option is to use a featherweight 4X8 foot sheet of polystyrene insulation from Home Depot ($10.00), paint it light grey (after a primer) and then just move it when needed. I have that set up in two home theaters and it works great. The WAF is excelent as it can be moved on a minutes notice. See pic!