My converted bedroom theater

victor-eyd · 04-16-06, 03:14 PM

This is my home theater. It is nothing more than an unused bedroom that was slightly modified during construction so no closet would be inserted. The equipment and bookcase is the section the closet would have been. The room is 13x12x10ft high. The floor is maple (the ends) hardwood and the curtains are ikea.

Enjoy.

Victor

bbboza · 04-16-06, 07:46 PM

Very nice man!

Do you have more pics of the actual room layout etc... I want to see the way you set up your rear speakers etc...

Cheers!

victor-eyd · 04-16-06, 07:56 PM

The room is 12x13x10 high. So its a 13ft distance to the screen from the back wall. The three surrounds are simply mounted on L-brackets and screwed to wall facing up. I'll post more pix soon.

Thanks for your comments

Victor

victor-eyd · 04-16-06, 09:28 PM

The ceiling and the screen wall are all painted flat black background to minimize reflection.

The painted wall makes it easy when my kids do something like this

Victor

dizwip · 04-19-06, 11:55 AM

Well done, very resourceful and it looks good too. Pretty neat and it's child-proof, meaning, I would be allowed in there. Good deal.

Dino in NYC

victor-eyd · 04-27-06, 10:30 PM

Equipment and costs
Projector: Sharp A10x- open box $800
DVD players: Sony 400 disc Cx985v open box holiday return at CC - $175
Toshiba 6 disc from craigslist $25.00
Cyberhome DVD recorder- Xmas gift $0
Samsung T151 OTA HD receiver - giveway $0
Carver TFM15 for transducers $150
Aura transducers $0 remnants
Pioneer 6.1 D810S receiver $200
Yamaha dual 6" powered sub giveway $0
DIY Audio Concepts Speaker system from college system $700

Total costs= $2050

Furniture from Levitz closeout- $300
Rack and tables from Target $150
Artwork $350 (told you it wasn't cheap)

Victor

swithey · 04-28-06, 02:28 PM

Nice job on the room. I love the DTS/Dolby signs!. Ahh, now you have a place to watch your own demo DVDs

pawarujie · 05-06-06, 01:28 AM

Sure it does look nice. Nice home theater signage too. How did u do that ?

victor-eyd · 05-06-06, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawarujie

Nice home theater signage too. How did u do that ?

I work at a high end picture framing company in SF. I designed the layout and they did the rest.

Victor

victor-eyd · 05-28-06, 03:30 AM

Update: I removed my Carver TFM-15 amp which was powering my (4) aura bass shakers and replaced it with an old Kenwood a/v receiver sitting in my brother's closet. Initially, I plugged the inputs into CD, thinking now that I had more gain control (aka volume) I could get better responsiveness from the shakers. Yes, there was some but not much more, even when I turned the volume so high I practically shorted the receiver and its goes into protection mode.

Then I changed inputs and plugged the rca jacks into the PHONO input. WOW!! A Huge difference in response! I'm barely above minimum volume and already these shakers are movin!

If you are going down this route and using a stereo receiver to power your shakers, try using the PHONO input and see if the responsiveness of the shakers are better than using TAPE or CD. You'll be quite surprised as I was!

Victor

JET99 · 05-28-06, 03:52 AM

Cheap theaters are the best - no need to spend time worrying about expensive equipment. I've got an AE700u putting up a 96" picture onto 200 dollar Elite matte screen in theater-dark conditions most of the time, using only a small section of a larger room, a cheap rock bottom Dolby 5.1 receiver and some old BOSTON ACOUSTIC speakers - shooting from a shelf distance 11 ft (straight level shot) dead center- avg viewing distance 6 to 8 ft using COMCAST HD and also with a Toshiba HD-DVD

The PQ results are extraordinary

No need to spend much on a theater today

mutelight · 05-29-06, 08:13 AM

Very nice! I am going to have to tell my friend about that material you used to paint your wall.

wimpynet · 06-01-06, 12:56 AM

u have a real cine there

victor-eyd · 06-01-06, 02:27 AM

Some have asked: "Where are the surrounds?"

Well, here they are. They are mounted on L-brackets and pointed up. The lucky part was that the subwoofer was the same thickness, so I was able to hide it back there also.

I have also added another update to my system. My friend was unloading his old tower speakers, of which they were the same Audio Concepts design as the rest of my speaker system, to me for free. I was also having the problem that my center was a little too low soooo-

I killed two birds with one stone and used the main towers as my new left and right, kept the original center but augmented it with another satellite speaker not being used and mounted above the screen. Now I already know about the don'ts of having 2 centers in a ht system, but I've broken enough "established" laws of ht so why stop now

Victor

victor-eyd · 07-02-06, 01:43 PM

A new addition to my theater, a diy backlit cardboard Darth Vader with a motion-activated voice box. Cost my wife $10 at the local thrift store and practically nothing for putting it together.

At day

At night

swithey · 07-02-06, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victor-eyd

A new addition to my theater, a diy backlit cardboard Darth Vader with a motion-activated voice box. Cost my wife $10 at the local thrift store and practically nothing for putting it together.

Victor,

I like the orange glow behind him. What does he say when you walk by him?

victor-eyd · 07-03-06, 01:45 AM

The usual Vader lines from EP4-6 like:

"Release your anger..."
"You are not a jedi yet"
"Impresive, most impressive"

lines like that

Victor

victor-eyd · 07-04-06, 12:19 PM

The entrance is sort of a mini lobby with two doors on either side: One to the theater, the other to the my son's room.

Victor

swithey · 07-05-06, 10:19 AM

Your Backyard screen looks like it is coming along. Is that $10 projector you bought a 4:3 640x480 LCD resolution model?

victor-eyd · 07-05-06, 11:07 AM

Steve,

It's actually done. The pj is a 800x600 model with really cool features like remote zoom and focus.

Now that I've fired a few movies under the stars I'm seriously considering upgrading to 5.1, if I get one cheap enough

Victor

swithey · 07-05-06, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victor-eyd

Steve,

It's actually done. The pj is a 800x600 model with really cool features like remote zoom and focus.

Now that I've fired a few movies under the stars I'm seriously considering upgrading to 5.1, if I get one cheap enough

Victor

I was thinking of making one myself once I get the room done. I think it would be fun. The only issue is my backyard slopes a bit so it will be a little more difficult to get a ton of folks in. The nice part is we are retiring a few Sanyo 4:3 1024x768 3000 Lumen LCD projectors with remote zoom at the office. One of these should work out nicely for a backyard theater. All I need to do is find some cheap speakers and a sub. Craigslist sounds like a great source.

BTW -- how did the bass sound in the open air? Could you still hear it or did you need to crank it to get some response. Did any of your neighbors complain?

victor-eyd · 07-05-06, 11:31 AM

The bass add fullness to the sound. You'd be very surprised just how much better a sub, even my puny 6" sony htib orphan powered by a 45 sub amp from partsexpress, will do to any outdoor system. My nearest neighbor is about 50' away and he can't hear it the reference volume we set it at, which isn't very loud to begin with.

No need to crank the bass, just balance it with the rest of the system and you're all set.

The XGA should be a great pj for outdoor use. Warning: If you set it up now and your outdoors are very warm at night, don't be surprised enjoying it as much (if not more) as your indoor (when its done) ht.

Its a terrific experience watching a movie outdoors. Enjoy!!

Check out the other setups at backyardtheater and see which app might work for you. You don't need to spend a lot to get a lot.

Victor

yobo · 07-31-06, 03:24 AM

kick a_s_s!!!!!!

Tarheel72 · 08-04-06, 10:02 AM

How did you decide the color for the screen and why did you not paint the walls a darker color? 18% gray for instance?

victor-eyd · 08-04-06, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarheel72

How did you decide the color for the screen and why did you not paint the walls a darker color? 18% gray for instance?

The screen color was based on research on diy screens forum. As to the walls, they are a personal preference and I wanted a room color scheme that integrated with the rest of the house in terms of color and decor.

Victor

victor-eyd · 02-22-07, 07:19 PM

Here is my latest addition to my theater. Framers refer to this as a sandwich frame. It is primarily 2 pieces of large plexi with screws all around to secure the pcs together. Another 2 small pieces of plexi is used on the back to hold up the frame to the wall. To frame a poster, simply tape the corners of the back of each poster and center on the rear plexi. Then place the front plexi and screw in place.

It cost me about $150 dollars at my local plexi fabricator to make.

I like that it has a very thin profile, so it clears the door knob when opening or closing. Also, at a future point I can backlight this poster quite easily.

Victor

orphaze · 03-24-07, 01:43 AM

I really like the plaques. That kind of stuff adds a nice touch.

Wytchone · 07-09-07, 08:30 AM

Nice & all for $2000!

victor-eyd · 09-06-07, 11:25 AM

This is the end of this theater. Stay tuned for its ht makeover conversion which will hopefully be completed by Thanksgiving 2008 or earlier.

Thanks for looking.

Victor

srev · 02-18-08, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victor-eyd

Now I already know about the don'ts of having 2 centers in a ht system, but I've broken enough "established" laws of ht so why stop now

So glad you said that! If it's working and you're digging it, it's perfect!

04-16-06, 03:14 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	My converted bedroom theater This is my home theater. It is nothing more than an unused bedroom that was slightly modified during construction so no closet would be inserted. The equipment and bookcase is the section the closet would have been. The room is 13x12x10ft high. The floor is maple (the ends) hardwood and the curtains are ikea. Enjoy. Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-27-08 at 12:53 AM..

04-16-06, 07:46 PM	#2 \| Link
bbboza HomeCinemaStop CEO Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Sydney, AUS Posts: 121	Very nice man! Do you have more pics of the actual room layout etc... I want to see the way you set up your rear speakers etc... Cheers! __________________ Dell Kiosk Bondi Junction Sydney Australia

04-16-06, 07:56 PM	#3 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	The room is 12x13x10 high. So its a 13ft distance to the screen from the back wall. The three surrounds are simply mounted on L-brackets and screwed to wall facing up. I'll post more pix soon. Thanks for your comments Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery

04-16-06, 09:28 PM	#4 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	More pictures The ceiling and the screen wall are all painted flat black background to minimize reflection. The painted wall makes it easy when my kids do something like this Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-16-08 at 03:46 PM..

04-19-06, 11:55 AM	#5 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
dizwip Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New York, New York Posts: 395 Classified Rating: 100% (1)	Well done, very resourceful and it looks good too. Pretty neat and it's child-proof, meaning, I would be allowed in there. Good deal. Dino in NYC

04-27-06, 10:30 PM	#6 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	Equipment and costs Projector: Sharp A10x- open box $800 DVD players: Sony 400 disc Cx985v open box holiday return at CC - $175 Toshiba 6 disc from craigslist $25.00 Cyberhome DVD recorder- Xmas gift $0 Samsung T151 OTA HD receiver - giveway $0 Carver TFM15 for transducers $150 Aura transducers $0 remnants Pioneer 6.1 D810S receiver $200 Yamaha dual 6" powered sub giveway $0 DIY Audio Concepts Speaker system from college system $700 Total costs= $2050 Furniture from Levitz closeout- $300 Rack and tables from Target $150 Artwork $350 (told you it wasn't cheap) Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:31 AM..

04-28-06, 02:28 PM	#7 \| Link
swithey HD or Nothing at All AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: D/FW, TX Posts: 2,635	Nice job on the room. I love the DTS/Dolby signs!. Ahh, now you have a place to watch your own demo DVDs __________________ Steve --> HT Construction --> HD Demo DVD - Design and Build

05-06-06, 01:28 AM	#8 \| Link
pawarujie Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 22	Nice.... Sure it does look nice. Nice home theater signage too. How did u do that ?

05-28-06, 03:30 AM	#10 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	Update: I removed my Carver TFM-15 amp which was powering my (4) aura bass shakers and replaced it with an old Kenwood a/v receiver sitting in my brother's closet. Initially, I plugged the inputs into CD, thinking now that I had more gain control (aka volume) I could get better responsiveness from the shakers. Yes, there was some but not much more, even when I turned the volume so high I practically shorted the receiver and its goes into protection mode. Then I changed inputs and plugged the rca jacks into the PHONO input. WOW!! A Huge difference in response! I'm barely above minimum volume and already these shakers are movin! If you are going down this route and using a stereo receiver to power your shakers, try using the PHONO input and see if the responsiveness of the shakers are better than using TAPE or CD. You'll be quite surprised as I was! Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery

05-28-06, 03:52 AM	#11 \| Link
JET99 AVS Special Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,374	Cheap theaters are the best - no need to spend time worrying about expensive equipment. I've got an AE700u putting up a 96" picture onto 200 dollar Elite matte screen in theater-dark conditions most of the time, using only a small section of a larger room, a cheap rock bottom Dolby 5.1 receiver and some old BOSTON ACOUSTIC speakers - shooting from a shelf distance 11 ft (straight level shot) dead center- avg viewing distance 6 to 8 ft using COMCAST HD and also with a Toshiba HD-DVD The PQ results are extraordinary No need to spend much on a theater today

05-29-06, 08:13 AM	#12 \| Link
mutelight Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 34	Nice! Very nice! I am going to have to tell my friend about that material you used to paint your wall.

06-01-06, 12:56 AM	#13 \| Link
wimpynet New Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 11	u have a real cine there

06-01-06, 02:27 AM	#14 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	Other pictures and updates Some have asked: "Where are the surrounds?" Well, here they are. They are mounted on L-brackets and pointed up. The lucky part was that the subwoofer was the same thickness, so I was able to hide it back there also. I have also added another update to my system. My friend was unloading his old tower speakers, of which they were the same Audio Concepts design as the rest of my speaker system, to me for free. I was also having the problem that my center was a little too low soooo- I killed two birds with one stone and used the main towers as my new left and right, kept the original center but augmented it with another satellite speaker not being used and mounted above the screen. Now I already know about the don'ts of having 2 centers in a ht system, but I've broken enough "established" laws of ht so why stop now Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-16-08 at 03:47 PM..

07-02-06, 01:43 PM	#15 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	A new addition to my theater, a diy backlit cardboard Darth Vader with a motion-activated voice box. Cost my wife $10 at the local thrift store and practically nothing for putting it together. At day At night __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:32 AM..

07-03-06, 01:45 AM	#17 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	The usual Vader lines from EP4-6 like: "Release your anger..." "You are not a jedi yet" "Impresive, most impressive" lines like that Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery

07-04-06, 12:19 PM	#18 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	Entrance to the theater The entrance is sort of a mini lobby with two doors on either side: One to the theater, the other to the my son's room. Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:34 AM..

07-05-06, 10:19 AM	#19 \| Link
swithey HD or Nothing at All AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: D/FW, TX Posts: 2,635	Your Backyard screen looks like it is coming along. Is that $10 projector you bought a 4:3 640x480 LCD resolution model? __________________ Steve --> HT Construction --> HD Demo DVD - Design and Build

07-05-06, 11:07 AM	#20 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	Steve, It's actually done. The pj is a 800x600 model with really cool features like remote zoom and focus. Now that I've fired a few movies under the stars I'm seriously considering upgrading to 5.1, if I get one cheap enough Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:34 AM..

07-05-06, 11:31 AM	#22 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	The bass add fullness to the sound. You'd be very surprised just how much better a sub, even my puny 6" sony htib orphan powered by a 45 sub amp from partsexpress, will do to any outdoor system. My nearest neighbor is about 50' away and he can't hear it the reference volume we set it at, which isn't very loud to begin with. No need to crank the bass, just balance it with the rest of the system and you're all set. The XGA should be a great pj for outdoor use. Warning: If you set it up now and your outdoors are very warm at night, don't be surprised enjoying it as much (if not more) as your indoor (when its done) ht. Its a terrific experience watching a movie outdoors. Enjoy!! Check out the other setups at backyardtheater and see which app might work for you. You don't need to spend a lot to get a lot. Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:34 AM..

07-31-06, 03:24 AM	#23 \| Link
yobo Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 248	kick a_s_s!!!!!!

08-04-06, 10:02 AM	#24 \| Link
Tarheel72 AVS Special Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,177	How did you decide the color for the screen and why did you not paint the walls a darker color? 18% gray for instance?

02-22-07, 07:19 PM	#26 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	Here is my latest addition to my theater. Framers refer to this as a sandwich frame. It is primarily 2 pieces of large plexi with screws all around to secure the pcs together. Another 2 small pieces of plexi is used on the back to hold up the frame to the wall. To frame a poster, simply tape the corners of the back of each poster and center on the rear plexi. Then place the front plexi and screw in place. It cost me about $150 dollars at my local plexi fabricator to make. I like that it has a very thin profile, so it clears the door knob when opening or closing. Also, at a future point I can backlight this poster quite easily. Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:35 AM..

03-24-07, 01:43 AM	#27 \| Link
orphaze New Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 6	I really like the plaques. That kind of stuff adds a nice touch.

07-09-07, 08:30 AM	#28 \| Link
Wytchone AVS Special Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: LaPlace, La. Posts: 2,754	Nice & all for $2000! __________________ Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape Sunroom to Mediaroom Mits HC1500 88" sitting 8' back Hitachi 57F710A RP-CRT w/HTPC

09-06-07, 11:25 AM	#29 \| Link
victor-eyd Quad Yeah! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 1,920	This is the end of this theater. Stay tuned for its ht makeover conversion which will hopefully be completed by Thanksgiving 2008 or earlier. Thanks for looking. Victor __________________ Big Screen/Small Space! My 13x12 Bedroom HT Think small, project big! Small theaters gallery Last edited by victor-eyd; 03-13-08 at 04:35 AM..