I’ve been doing some research on here for the past couple of months and I think I decided on the HT set-up I’m going to get. Now I’m interested in what you guys think. I realize that people are inevitably going to say things like “this projector is better” so if you are, just include whatever useful features/attributes you think I may have overlooked.

The room is a dorm room, 12’ x 14’ with ~9’ ceilings and good light control. I’m an RA at school so no roommate :) which means plenty of space for couches and I don’t have to worry about anyone breaking my stuff except for me. I will be mounting the projector on a shelf about 8’ up in the back of the room and projecting across the 12’ length. I am planning on a 10.5’ throw distance taking into account the length of the projector and mounting configuration.

The projector will be used for sports via OTA broadcasts (NYC area), video games (Xbox 360), and movies/tv shows running from my computer, and some SD cable. I may or may not buy an upconverting dvd player. I will build my own screen after I buy the projector and determine my ideal screen size (around 90 - 100” I think).

As for the projector, I started out looking at the Mits HD1000 bc of the brightness, but slowly moved away from it due to its lack of flexibility in placement, and possible RBE. It doesn’t bother me, but a few of my close friends are affected by it so it’s enough to get me to opt for LCD. For the reason, I am going to go with the Epson Powerlite 400 (90% sure). With the current rebate, Epson’s reputation, a pretty good warranty, and the pj performance, I think this is a pretty solid choice. I think my only other consideration may be the new BenQ W500 solely because of it’s internal scaler.

My budget is around $2,250 for everything, but this includes a new desktop computer that I am building. I am more of a video guy than audio guy so I think my speakers I currently have will be fine. They are the Logictech Z-5500 5.1 system.

For everything, I am budgeting for the following:

Projector: $1,000
Desktop/HTPC: $1,000
Misc: $250

From what I have read it seems worthwhile to look into a decent AV receiver to handle all of my inputs. Hopefully I can find something I like at the local electronics store that fits my needs as I have access to an employee discount. I still have 2 more years of school so I’m planning on keeping all this for at least 3 years.

Let me know what you guys think!

The Epson is a good deal but for an LCD Projector I would go with the new Benq W500 for $1000. It has a High end Silicon Optix HQV video Pprocessor for scaling and deinterlacing which sets it apart from the rest. There is a thread up on it with some good reviews. Have your friends seen rainbows on 4x DLPs or just 2x?

If you are going to just use compute speakers then you don't need a receiver. You may need to get an HDMI/DVI switch from www.monoprice.com. Otherwise just hook everything up directly to the projector.

What is the PC going to be used for? Are you playing high end computer games or just watching movies?

You should also look at the Sony VPL-AW15 as it is also very cheap and a tad sharper than the powerlte 400 (based on projectorreviews.com review), and also at a budge price. I havent read any reviews on the W500, other than the user review in this section but it looks like a solid choice as well. I also wonder how you will move a DIY screen unless you have a truck when you go home for the summer and such. You may want to think about a manual pull down, but I dont know those circumstances so that is just something I am throwing out there.

My first choice would normally be a DLP but placement flexibility is going to be important to you. So unless you can find a DLP that perfectly matches your needs, an LCD would be the better choice. All three of those projectors should work well. And any of them will look amazing in a dorm room. You'll obviously be the envy of all the RAs.

As for electronics, those speakers should suffice. What will you be using as a tuner for the OTA programs? Projectors almost never include a tuner, (and none of the above three do) so you'll probably need a tuner for the computer as well.

Jim

I would go with the epson 400 so that you can get a bulb warranty and still be around the 1000$ limit. Your setup seems to be fine, my only concern is your screen choice. If you feel you can get a screen in and out of your room when you need to (between years) then that works fine, but the pull down screens are a lot easier for that situation.

I'm trying to do the same thing in my room, but the screen is going to be the hardest part.

Does anyone have advice on hanging a pull down screen in a room without installing it into the wall/ceiling? (it's a dorm room, so you can punch holes in the wall, hehe).

Two of my friends have experienced the RBE with the newer 4x wheels, which is enough for me to rule out the HD1000. I'm not sure where I will be living from year to year so I think LCD is best anyway.

I would go with a DVI/HDMI switcher, but then how would I input my coax cable connection? Maybe there is an option I haven't considered.

I don't plan on playing any video games on the pc. It's main purpose will be to serve as a media center for all my movies/music as well as for schoolwork, which can get graphically intensive for 3D modeling and simulation programs (engineering major).

I've looked at the VPL-AW15 but I'm going to need the extra lumens the Epson provides. As far as the screen goes, I will be there over the summer taking a few classes so I won't even have to move out.

The tuner seems to be an issue at the moment. Well, not the tuner, but rather the antenna to get the signals. Below is a screenshot of the signals I can get according to AntennaWeb. I'm kinda surprised they wouldn't come in clearer, as I am on a hill, directly across the river from Manhattan. I am literally a stone's throw from the hudson river. Unfortunately an outside mount isn't possible and my room is on the west side of the building rather than the east. I guess I need to do some more research in that department while I wait for Art's review on the W500.



http://img39.picoodle.com/img/img39/8/6/26/f_Channelsm_b80d00c.jpg

As far as antennas go, buy a cheap set top antenna and see if that works. I was told to get a low priced antenna and only buy up if it was necessary. I live in the outer suburbs of Buffalo, and the cheap ($30) antenna works perfectly. It's a powered amplifying antenna, but it was the cheapest one Circuit City sold a few days before the Super Bowl. It's normally buried deep within my home, but I've taken it, along with an HDTV Tuner and my projector, to other places and it's always worked well.

Jim

I have a lot of experience of HT in a dorm room. I had a 115" 4:3 screen in my dorm room for three years of college.

I'd go with the 400 in your shoes, just for flexibility sake. I had to rig all sorts of crazy setups in my room to get those high off set DLPs to work a few years ago. Doesn’t hurt either that the 400 is fairly bright. If you can swing it, get a model B high power screen. If you have any other questions about setup in a dorm room and ideas on how to mount screen/or projector without drilling into walls feel free to ask, I've done just about everything.

1. You can use an old vcr to tune cable from coax and then send it to the projector over s video.

How are you going to tune ota HD signals? You will need an HD tuner. You might think of getting a HDTV tuner card for your PC. Zenith Silver sensor is a good antenna.

I am planning on getting the ATI HDTV Wonder card for the PC. Whenever there's a football game or something I will display using the projector via the HDMI connection from the computer. The card also comes with an antenna, all for around $80. If I get a decent signal I will look into the Zenith. From what I hear, if I don't get a signal with one antenna, I won't get one with any other.

The VCR is a good idea, I will plan on doing that.

Has anyone else used the antennaweb site and how do the channels come in compared to what they say?

I am planning on getting the ATI HDTV Wonder card for the PC...
Has anyone else used the antennaweb site and how do the channels come in compared to what they say?

Do one better and get the WinTV HVR-1600 model 1178 - it has two inputs on it, one for Cable/QAM and one for OTA ATSC HDTV.

I have used antennaweb before and found it to be accurate.

The Philips Silver Sensor indoor antenna is an indoor favorite. Being so close to the towers, you should be able to pickup some of the signal unless your building is bomb shelter thick.

I'll look into the WinTV, I think 2 inputs would be useful.

Being a dorm, my building is probably 90% cinder blocks with tons of windows. It shouldn't interfere too much. Like you said, I'm only about 2 miles from the stations' towers that I really care about.

Maybe this goes without saying, but a dorm room tends to get crowded, so a ceiling mount projector will be better than any shelf mount at the back of the room. Especially if you play with a Wii, you'll be jumping around with shadows all over your image unless you have the projector up high. So, whatever projector you get, see that you can mount it above the top of the screen.

Maybe this goes without saying, but a dorm room tends to get crowded, so a ceiling mount projector will be better than any shelf mount at the back of the room. Especially if you play with a Wii, you'll be jumping around with shadows all over your image unless you have the projector up high. So, whatever projector you get, see that you can mount it above the top of the screen.

When I say shelf in the back of the room, I mean 8 ft high, drilled into the wall. It's actually probably safer than a ceiling mount. The more I think about this set-up the more I cannot wait to share some pictures with you guys. You will all be impressed.