I have a finished basement which right now has some low end stuff (bose/jbl from college, yamaha receiver, Toshiba 50 inch HDTV from 2002) and am looking to plan a home theater/gameroom.

Here are my AV plans:
Pre/pro: Integra 9.8
Amp: Outlaw 7200
DVD: Oppo 1080p upconverting model (am waiting on blueray/hd for now)
Speakers: Axiom Audio Epic 80 - 600.
Video: Sony Pearl 1080p projector

Here's a mock up of my basement:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mgaffoor/AVPictures/photo#5096167981797900850

About the picture: the checkerboard is the AVrack, the fence is the screen and the black boxes are the speakers.

Questions:
1. Any comments/concerns about the gear? I think it's a pretty solid combination.

2. The right side of the home theater portion of the room is open. Is this going to cause significant issues? I was thinking about putting a sliding curtain to separate the 2 halves of the room, but asthetically I'd rather not if I can avoid it. Also I'm trying to keep that side clear to allow room around the pool table.

3. The door at the bottom of the picture opens into a small unfinished room with the boiler and circulator pump. These get a little noisy in the winter. What would be the best way to sound proof that so it doesn't affect the home theater.

1. I don't know if I would buy a 1080p projector without any real 1080p sources. Why not wait on the PJ like you are waiting on the HD/BR dilemma. By then the price for a 1080p PJ will drop.

2. Obviously it won't be as good as a fully enclosed theater room, but it is certainly better than no theater room! A curtain or anything short of a solid wall isn't really going to improve the sound of the room over leaving it open. However, for light control purposes a blackout curtain would be helpful.

3. If the door is a hollow el-cheapo door get yourself a solid-core door and put a sweep or some form of insulation at the bottom to really seal it tight when closed.

Get the 1080p projector. You can deinterlace prime time television shows, movies on HBO, Showtime, etc.