Hello all. Longtime lurker, infrequent poster, about ready to start a project to bring the 1990s-vintage man cave in my new house up to date. Here's what the last guy did with it:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4082/70226111p13ln4.jpg (http://imageshack.us) -- http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5327/70226111p14ln2.jpg (http://imageshack.us) -- http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1999/70226111p15zi0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

So it's pretty nicely finished, wired for surround sound (Bose. Unimpressive and only intermittently functional.) and there's good control of lighting. The current display is a 12-year-old CRT rear projection set that's on its last legs.

The easy option would be to just squeeze a new 56" RPTV into the existing space, but I don't think that's going to cut it for a 13-15 foot viewing distance. Some carpentry could make room for a 70/72/73" TV, but feedback on the forums seems to indicate those can be a crapshoot as far as geometry issues go.

That leaves front projection, I guess. There's plenty of throw distance -- roughly 25 feet -- but at least a couple of issues. The deep air duct visible at the top of the pictures looks like it could be in the light path from a centered ceiling mount. Headroom is only 7-1/2 feet, so I'd be reluctant to have much of a drop. And all that bright white cabinetry will presumably be a lousy backdrop for a screen? (Looks like 92" would be a good fit in the available space.) Again, I'd be hesitant to rip it out, as it's a nice piece of work.

As far as content goes -- it'll be mostly HD movies and sports events. Kid stuff and casual TV viewing happens elsewhere. I'd much appreciate any thoughts that forum members might have and would be most interested to hear what you would do personally in this particular situation.

Thanks.

I probably would take the shelving out and mount a larger screen because 50inches at those distances isn't going to be worth it. Then I'd probably repaint it something darker maybe in different colors because that white is going to reflect everything.

Can you put a floor plan up? Maybe you flip the room orientation and use the shelving for media storage, then put an equipment rack where the TV was? What are you looking for, a media room or a theater?

Can you put a floor plan up? Maybe you flip the room orientation and use the shelving for media storage, then put an equipment rack where the TV was? What are you looking for, a media room or a theater?
Sure, I can do a quick-and-dirty floor plan. I think it makes the most sense to keep the orientation as it is, since there's a good natural equipment space under the stairs. Also think the room is too open plan to shoot for a full theater effect. I'll be happy with any decent, up-to-date display solution that works well in a mixed use environment.