Well after lots of reading and planning (I have quite a bit more planning to do though), I've decided to share my grand ideas with the AVS world. I would like to say that this is a great resource, I've learned quite a lot, and I've learned that I still have quite a lot to learn.

What I do know:

1. I would like a 2.35:1 screen, 10 feet wide.

2. The distance from the screen to the first row of seats will be 1.5w (15ft)

3. I will be building my own lens for the 2.35 CIH thingy

4. I have never owned a projector, so don't really have a preference for DLP vs. LCD. I have been leaning towards the Panasonic PT-AX100 though, because of the brightness and the ability to accomodate the 2.35 ratio I would like.
That being said, I could be talked into spending up to $2500 for a projector if I thought it was worth the extra money. It's very confusing trying to decide what PJ to buy.

5. this will be mainly used for watching movies, occasionally playing video games, and watching a few tv shows that I can record in high def. All of my SD tv viewing will be done upstairs on the living room though. This will almost exclusively be used in the evening.

6. The room is L shaped, the theatre area will be approximately 26'x15' with one side open. (I've included an attachment from that handy google sketch program)

7. I am open to doing some sound treatment, which I still need to research. I realize there will be some issues due to the nature of the room layout and the windows. The WAF is also an issue. (if I ever want to get lucky again that is)

8. I am not looking for a reference sound quality (can't really do it w/this room anyways), what I want is something that sounds clean with good separation. I want decent bass, but don't need to rock the house down. I occasionally would like to listen to music with whatever speakers I buy as well.

9. I would like to hide the speakers into the columns I have in the photos. I can build the columns however.

10. I am not against buying some of this stuff used in order to save money.

11. I am leaning towards the double-layer sheetrock on the ceilings with green glue in between in order to help out with keeping the noise from travelling upstairs. I will also add insulation above the sheetrock to help with noise as well. I don't really want to double layer the walls. (except for maybe the one in front of the utility room where the furnace is).

12. I'm not very handy but I'm cheap and persistant, so I will be doing quite a bit of this stuff on my own.

13. I would like to either ceiling mount, or build a shelf/soffit to set the projector in.

What I am curious about initally: (I have quite a few other questions, but thought these were the most applicable at this stage)

1. If I am being realistic in my screen size with that ax100 projector. If not I am open to spending more, as we plan on being in this house for quite a few years.

2. What speakers I'm going to use yet (I realize this is a personal preference thing). My budget for speakers will probably be about $2500. I do not want in wall speakers. Is it important to have what speakers I'm going to be using picked out before I start construction on this project?

3. If I should consider building a sub in the riser, or not bother and just get a separate standalone sub.

I guess if there are any major issues you see with my layout etc please let me know. Thanks very much for your time

Shane

Looks like a good plan so far. Have you thought about building a wall to section off the L shape of the room? It would help with acoustics and to control light. It also doesn't look like the extra part of the L shape can be used for the theater itself... so it'll probably wind up to some extent as wasted space. I could see that portion of the L shape being turned into a very nice "lobby" for your theater and could be done in several ways (game room, concessions stand, DVD/media library room, ect).


As for speakers and other gear, my purchasing philosophy was to buy quality gear I liked, but also gear I knew I could resell if I needed to for close to what I paid for it. Some of my gear I bought on the used market. Other items I was able to purchase new at below market prices (had to search a bit to find really good deals). On the few items I couldn't avoid paying market prices on, I knew those would be the ones I was least likely to resell. Ebay, AVS, and AudioGon/VideoGon can all be great places to find a deal if you know what you're looking for.

That's a really great idea about the wall. I put together a new drawing and received approval from the wife in record time (caught her at a weak moment I think). I had to compromise by adding those glass covered french doors in the wall though. They are going to be an issue for sound I believe, but I'm sure there's a few hundred threads here that will help me figure out what I need to do to take care of it. This could almost be considered a dedicated home theater room now!

I think I need to make some decisions about what sort of audio equipment to buy so I can work on a final design for the columns and start thinking about sound treatment.

I also just received an old xbox in the mail off of ebay, going to delve into the xbmc thing as well.

Added a couple of new drawings... Thanks a bunch for the suggestion, it's very much appreciated!

I tried adding the attachments again, it didn't work the first time for some reason.

Ok, trying again to do the attachment :o

I'm going to be making a decision soon on speakers, once I do that I'm sure I will have some updated drawings of the front stage area, plus starting to figure out the sound treatment stuff.

The windows are going to be a challenge I think.


http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z11/beaker764/view2.jpg


http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z11/beaker764/view1.jpg

Looks great. Post pics when finished.

Beaker,
How is the progress coming?

Here are some of my random thoughts in reference to your original post:

1. I would like a 2.35:1 screen, 10 feet wide.
You will love it and never want to go back to 16:9. I have a 127" wide 2.35:1 screen and am thrilled.

2. The distance from the screen to the first row of seats will be 1.5w (15ft) I am at 12' from my screen and in my opinion that is not too close. 15 ft should be fine.

3. I will be building my own lens for the 2.35 CIH thingy I don't know anything about building your own lens, but you could probably save a ton of money. I have a Prismasonic which I am happy with, but they are not cheap. Good luck on your build!

4. I have never owned a projector, so don't really have a preference for DLP vs. LCD. I have been leaning towards the Panasonic PT-AX100 though, because of the brightness and the ability to accomodate the 2.35 ratio I would like.
That being said, I could be talked into spending up to $2500 for a projector if I thought it was worth the extra money. It's very confusing trying to decide what PJ to buy.I have a Panasonic AE1000 and love it. The new AE2000's are out now and are actually cheaper than what I paid for mine (around the $2500 mark). HD is very impressive. I've never seen the PT-AX100, so I don't know how to compare the two.

7. I am open to doing some sound treatment, which I still need to research. I realize there will be some issues due to the nature of the room layout and the windows. The WAF is also an issue. (if I ever want to get lucky again that is)If you plan your sound treatments into the initial design of the room, they can blend right in to the decor and hardly be noticeable. I used Terry Montlick to do my acoustical design for my room prior to when I started the initial build-out. I am super happy with the results and I think it is very aesthetically pleasing.

11. I am leaning towards the double-layer sheetrock on the ceilings with green glue in between in order to help out with keeping the noise from travelling upstairs. I will also add insulation above the sheetrock to help with noise as well. I don't really want to double layer the walls. (except for maybe the one in front of the utility room where the furnace is).Good choice!;). I did full sound isolation on my entire basement using RSIC and GreenGlue. At normal listening levels, you can't here a thing upstairs. (However when I REALLY crank up the bass to the point the theater begins to shake:eek:, that does carry upstairs a bit.)

1. If I am being realistic in my screen size with that ax100 projector. If not I am open to spending more, as we plan on being in this house for quite a few years.I'd really consider a 1080P projector, but it comes down to $$$ and personal preference.

2. What speakers I'm going to use yet (I realize this is a personal preference thing). My budget for speakers will probably be about $2500. I do not want in wall speakers. Is it important to have what speakers I'm going to be using picked out before I start construction on this project?For your front speakers, I strongly recommend that you use the exact same speaker for your center and your front Left/Right speakers. If you are using it primarily for theater, it also isn't overly necessary to have speakers that go extremely low into the bass regions because that will be handled by your subwoofers. My suggestion is to select high quality "LCR" type speakers that go into the 40Hz range.

3. If I should consider building a sub in the riser, or not bother and just get a separate standalone sub.In my opinion you absolutely need a separate standalone sub (or two). I have two SVS cylinder type speakers and am very happy with them. I've actually never heard of a sub in the riser. Maybe you are referring to bass shakers in the riser. This can be nice. I have buttkickers under a structural wood floor in my basement and I like the effect if they are not turned up too high. I think bass shakers are pretty much a personal choice.

Well after much coaxing from the wife the basement design has been modified. She mumbled something about not wanting the whole basement being taken up with the theater. She has a bathroom and a utility room, what more could she need?

So in the interest of keeping the peace (who am I kidding, she is the boss of me). Here is the latest and greatest sketch of what our basement will look like. I have it almost all framed out (pictures to come).

For the screen I'm going to build out a false wall (after the carpet is in) with a couple of feet between the screen and the real wall.

I have a pair of Klipsch KG4s that I really like- I will probably try to find a 3rd one to go for the center channel. My concern (regarding sound) now is that I have an L-shaped room, which I am sure creates all sorts of acoustical challenges. A few months ago I read through the sound treatment thread, I will need to look through it again.

I'm putting a vent above the popcorn machine (per what I've been reading in other threads). The A/V equipment will either go in my office or in the utility room.

I've been eyeing the Panasonic AE2000 now, the prices have been coming down since I started this thread. Someone had a used one in the classifieds a while back that I should have bought.

I think you will be happy with the false wall. I have one with an SMX acoustically transparent screen. I like the clean look it gives to the front of the theater.

As for the L-shaped room, I think that if you use proper acoustical treatments, it can still sound terrific. Maybe not as good as the high end dedicated room with perfect acoustical dimensions, but certainly better than an untreated or poorly treated dedicated room. My room is L-shaped but I think the sound is phenomenal. (I've attached a quick and dirty stitched wide-angle view of my room as a comparison).

I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures.