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Hawaii Home Theater Construction AND the Quick and Dirty Theater!

155K views 1K replies 116 participants last post by  just jim 
#1 · (Edited)
Opening remarks: After years of planning and reading, this is my first attempt at a real
home theater. I have no construction experience whatsoever. As much as I adopted a mentality of "measure 6 times and cut once", I probably wasted a lot more materials in building this room than any professional would have due to trial and error at times (at least I would hope). My purpose in this build thread was twofold; it would keep the pressure on myself not to waste time or give up and secondly show everyone that anyone can create a wonderful home theater if they truly wanted to. On a technical standpoint, even though I had completed years of research, it would have been impossible to get this done without the advice on numerous occasions from a good friend, Jim Goodrich at Cinelife. My family and I are in his debt for helping make this dream come true. I want to also thank my wife for putting up with me (and the large bills) while I muddled along at times aimlessly during this build. She knows how much this meant to me and supported me along the way and I love her even more for it. I am a very lucky person to have the family I do. Without further ado.....

The following equipment list has been modified with the most current information on 21 September 2015

Equipment:
Aerial Acoustics 20T Mains in birds-eye-maple
Aerial Acoustics CC5 center speaker in Birds-eye-maple
Aerial Acoustics LR5 (Wides)
Aerial Acoustics 5B (Heights)
Aerial Acoustics SW12 subwoofer X 4 in Birds-eye-maple (1 in each corner)
Aerial Acoustics SR3 surrounds
Aerial Acoustics 5T ceiling surrounds X 3 pair

Definitive Technology BPVX (rear surrounds- left over from my previous system)

Kaleidescape 3U Movie server
Kaleidescape M700 Disc Vault

Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K Projector (upgraded to VPL-VW1100ES standard)

ISCO Anamorphic Lens on a Cineslide

Stewart Filmscreen, 2.35 aspect, 11.5 ft width with side masking

Bryston 6BSST2 500W (three channel) in 4 ohms (Mains)
Bryston 4BSST2 500W (two channel) into 4 ohms (wides)
Bryston 4BSST2 500W (two channel) into 4 ohms (heights)
Bryston 9BSST2 200W (five channel) into 4 ohms (surrounds)
Parasound 5250 250W (five channel) into 8 ohms (on standby for Dolby Atmos/DTS:X upgrade)

Marantz AV8801 11.2 Pre/Pro (will be upgraded soon)

Control4 Automation, controlling and integrating everything within the theater

Torus Power CS 25 AVR power conditioner

Panamax MB1500 UPS power conditioner and projector battery backup

Directv HD DVR

Oppo 103 Blu ray

Pakedge C36 Controller, W7 Waps x 2, Pakedge Gig router and switcher

Lumagen Scaler (not used often)

Fortress Palladium Seating, two rows in stadium seating (9 total seats)

Kinetics IsoMAX wall and ceiling sound isolation

FOSI Star Ceiling

Real Traps- Mega traps (corner bass traps in all 4corners)

Lutron Serena motorized and color matched shade

Middle Atlantic racks x 2

Sapele Wood: all wood trim made my hand, full Sapele paneling

Theater: LxWxH 25' x 18.5' x 9'

Some photos I've taken of one of my racks (professional photos will be taken soon of both racks and the home theater):


Future upgrades: Either Trinnov Altitude or other that can do 9.4.8 Dolby Atomos/ DTS:X

Before Photos: back yard portion of the house and tiny kitchen, dining room, and living room



This is the very back room of the back yard. It was destroyed in the house addition. It is now part of the large dining room that is open to the kitchen. Where that person is standing(realtor that helped us buy this house in 2006) is now part of the home theater.



This used to be the back door to the largest portion of the back yard, it's now the entrance into my home theater!! :)










Yikes all of those photos are ugly.... Makes me wonder what I was looking at when I bought it. It could have been just the outrageous prices of anything else better.

AFTER Construction pics:



 

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#728 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by just jim  /t/1406831/hawaii-home-theater-construction/720#post_24191816


And that TMcG character has been slacking off too. Maybe your Dad should go there next!

Ouch!!!



I've only been slacking off in my thread, not with actual progress which has been significant in the basement and a bit in the theater itself.


But, to your point, I'd gladly take Psychdoc's Dad's help....seems like a natural for FOSI star ceilings!!
 
#731 ·
Big- great to hear it will look good



TMcG- Yes, we both like working on ceilings... he's 6' 6" and I'm 6' 5" so ceilings are much more friendly than floors



PGT- I want to see it too.


Today's football games slowed progress significantly (GO PATS!!) but I was still able to get some work done... I'll post the most recent pic tomorrow morning. Here is a pic prior to mounting another panel which shows the shooting stars. As long as you take good measurements you'll keep the angles of the shooting stars true. Keeping those star fibers organized and numbered was a bigger pain in the butt than it should have been. Still, it's coming along well so far


http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3196_zps9326b8f5.jpg.html
 
#732 ·
Update pic! Here is the panel that went up. The hard part will be making a perfect panel around my projector and ISCO lens mount. You can also see that the shooting stars have been taped lengthwise. I've been informed that there is a bit of light transfer laterally between cables which affects the shooting stars and comets negatively. As such, I'll be taping those strands to keep light out of the ones which should be dark. Let the fun begin.


http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3204_zps885e4681.jpg.html
 
#734 ·
All the ceiling panels are installed. Keeping track of the two comets' correct firing order was a ROYAL PAIN IN THE BUTT. Thankfully I'm almost done.
My back is killing me.


I'll still need to make a wooden channel to cover the fibers as well as cut all the fibers. And, of course, I now have to sort through this massive collection of fibers and install them in the light. Still another 10-15 hours left of work to do then the FOSI star ceiling will be done.


http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3213_zps64d926ef.jpg.html
 
#737 ·
Amazing as always, psychdoc.


After this project I bet you'll have renewed appreciation for your next DNA helix!


 
#738 ·
#739 ·
[quote name="psychdoc"

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3231_zps77237c73.jpg.html [/quote]


Hey Doc...If I'm not mistaken, I think you have fiber 1,345 and fiber 1,346 reversed.


Isn't this the kind of therapy they give someone when their brain blows a gasket?



I just love to watch someone with patience, work.


The finish line is juuust around the corner! Great work, my friend!


Can you narrow down the date a little when your Dad is getting here?
 
#740 ·
Hey Jim, I got a chuckle from the fiber reversed statement. I felt like pulling all the fibers out of my head while putting all the fiber optic cable in place. I think I was way ahead of the typical pace prior to this step. Putting in the fibers took me around 11 hours !!!!!!
I have to be over 100 hours by now. My neck and back were sooooo cramped. Thankfully that is done:

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3233_zpsec7e327f.jpg.html


I then needed to install the light engine so everything would fit correctly and still work:

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3235_zps4cc77208.jpg.html



Don't worry about the black cord.... it plugs in up inside the soffit:

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3237_zps603c52ae.jpg.html


I can't say that my camera really does it justice. My camera is terrible in low light so please keep that in mind. Also, I have yet to trim the fibers hanging from the ceiling so things may look distorted. Still, as it is.... it's pretty darn cool
Also, if you look closely you can see that my comets and shooting stars are all near the light source which, in theory, should give me extra fiber optic cable (lots of it). I also took a gamble and thought there would be extra holes in the plate that I could use. So you might ask where I'm going with this line of thought.... well, if you look closely at the right edge just past the light source there is a bright concentration grouping of stars. I couldn't help but write my name in the stars. hehe. It turned out great
(again, the camera is terrible so you can't really read it in the pic).

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3239_zps459998c3.jpg.html


Thanks all for checking out my FOSI Star Ceiling build. Final ceiling pics to follow as well as learning points (AAR for those military types out there) for those who also want to make their FOSI ceiling.
 
#741 ·
Hmmm. Maybe something else for the wish list...do you come as a package deal with your Dad?
 
#742 ·
Great job Psychdoc. Let's see....over 100 hours in 12 days...that's huge progress!! Fastest I've ever seen one of these ceilings installed, that's for sure.


You may want to refer to THIS POST in Moggie's build when you go to trim all of the fibers hanging down (assuming you don't already have it done with the speed you are moving!). He made a really nice ghetto tool for the hot knife wire cutter to keep all the cuts consistent with no danger of burning the fabric. I assume you borrowed the FOSI cutter for this part of the project as not many folks have a hot knife!


How do you plan to cover the fibers between the panels and running into your soffit on the theater side? Just curious on how you're going to hide that.
 
#743 ·
#744 ·
Thanks guys. It was great getting it up on the ceiling but another vacation was chewed up in the process.
After spending so much time in that room I am both excited and relieved to be slowly approaching the finish line. I'll need to turn my attention to the unfinished portions of the house so I can hit final inspection and get this whole house done. I still have a lot of finish work to do in the home theater though. My guess is that it won't be completely done for a couple more months.... lots of trim work to do and I still need to make my corner frames for my bass traps.... does it ever really end?


Jim.... Another set of hands REALLY helps while trying to mount the finished panels. If you were down the street I'd be over there to help ya in a heartbeat provided you provide the pizza and beer.



TMcG..... thanks for the link, I'll need to check it out. Right now I'm doing it with great care but hopefully there is a faster process of cutting down the wire without burning fabric.


You don't like the look of the wires????? I think it looks great. Seriously though, yes, I'll need to cover all the wires and that is the project I'm going to work on as soon as this post is complete .


My little girl's birthday party this weekend so lots to do now... more pics to follow. Thanks all.
 
#745 ·
Here is the channel that was built (my dad built this while I was working on other parts.... thanks pops!):

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3258_zpsa9744226.jpg.html


I was able to cut all the fibers and it was a pretty quick event, less than a couple of hours and the little tool created by another in the link above worked out very well - Thanks TMcG. I just used it at an angle and ran it across the ceiling. It cut all the fibers at 1/8 of an inch in no time at all. After they are cut I just pushed them up. All done.
Here is a pic of my crapsmanship... uh, I mean craftsmanship
It took me all of about 30 seconds to build this (and it shows). Still, it worked perfectly and I never burned the ceiling.

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3261_zps4bd994e3.jpg.html


I also wanted to show the adhesive spray I used. I tried some 3M sprays and they didn't really work. This worked great !!!! :

http://s1263.photobucket.com/user/armypsychdoc/media/IMG_3259_zpsea29533f.jpg.html


I have a question for those FOSI builders out there..... are all your stars the natural color? I remember asking for color plates to have my stars twinkle with some colors (maybe just the milky way) but they are all the exact natural color you'd see in the stars. Not that I'm complaining because it is beautiful and I love it......... I'm just thinking of a way to make it a little better. I just don't know if they actually tried to give me color plates and their version just doesn't work or if they just forgot to add that in my shipment. I'm thinking of just smudging some blue water color paint on that portion of the wheel but would love to hear if anyone out there has colors in their stars and if it is noticeable. Thanks.


Quick learning points from my build that will help the next guy out there with no experience:


If you have more than one shooting star in a FOSI build, do not put them near each other. I was under the assumption they would both come on at the same time. They don't. In my version I spaced it out on the insert plate so each shooting star would take different times to cross the ceiling but they would run parallel to each other. The way it is now, it looks like the same shooting star is crossing the ceiling. Oh well, live and learn.


Another AVS member let me know about light leakage. All the bundles of fibers give off light and can leak into adjacent fibers. He was upset that his comets and shooting stars never really turned off completely. I wrapped each bundle with tape (like a hockey stick) and it worked perfectly. When my comets and shooting stars are off, they are OFF!


Depending on your build (mine is 12' x 18') you will have lots of extra holes in the milky way and constellations (see my plate above). Have fun with them if you want, just make sure you have enough fiber optic cable. If you need more I found some (exact size and brand- ESKA CK-40) for much less on the internet then what is sold to you through FOSI. I put my name in the side of my ceiling but wished I added a date and maybe some other small hidden things.


Unroll the black cloth the same way on top of each board in the same way. With the exception of one board I went from left to right on each board that was set up correctly in the orientation in which they would be mounted. Looking up I can see a slight shade difference in that one board (slightly lighter in color). My dad can see it too but only with the light on full brightness. No one else can see it so far but I can.
Think of it like a carpet that just got vacuumed; you can make tracks in it with each different way you force the fibers to go with the vacuum. Brushing the fibers doesn't really help so just keep this point in mind. Use the same routine for EVERY board (set the board up in the orientation it's going up on the ceiling and then start on the same side and unroll the fabric every time). Overall, I love the fabric look. I can't imagine using paint as I think it would be a lot less forgiving.


I'll add more points if I think of them.......
 
#746 ·
Great points Psychdoc, thanks for sharing. I didn't know about the light bleed for the meteor and comet. And great point about the fabric. There are so many things to know and watch out for it's unbelievable.


Do you mind posting a link to the spot you found the fiber optic cable for less? And do you know what kind of fabric you used? Is it Lockfast Prelude in the Eclipse black ?


I'm glad you were able to save a lot of time with the fiber optic "Y" cutter. All credit to Moggie (Saga of Old Vic) on that one.
 
#748 ·
Hi Jim,


Sorry about that. Between academic Army training and a good long vacation back in NH for some skiing I've taken a long break. Only minor updates so far but I still have a bunch of work to do after final inspection. I've been saying that forever but still need to finish another bathroom first.


My Sony 4K projector is scheduled for the "update" this coming monday and I had another recent update on the Control4 software. The two things that really transform the HT experience in a very big way are Control4 and the Kaleidescape system. I still get a big grin when playing with both systems.


The family loves having "movie night" every friday night. The kids are excited to see Frozen. We've all been watching lots of movies and I'll also be able to see my Iowa State Cyclones in their full glory in March Madness starting tomorrow afternoon.


TMcG.... I finally set a reminder to make sure I bring my leftover fiber optic cable to work. The only Fedex on the island is by the airport and there hasn't been any reason to be in that area. Still, I'll sneak out during lunch and get it out to you (finally).


I'll chime in and share my view of the update after it happens. On my 11.5 ft wide screen I'm hoping to see a difference.
 
#749 ·
You were only a few hours away and you didn't come here?
 
#750 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by psychdoc  /t/1406831/hawaii-home-theater-construction/720#post_24509138


Hi Jim,


Sorry about that. Between academic Army training and a good long vacation back in NH for some skiing I've taken a long break. Only minor updates so far but I still have a bunch of work to do after final inspection. I've been saying that forever but still need to finish another bathroom first.


My Sony 4K projector is scheduled for the "update" this coming monday and I had another recent update on the Control4 software. The two things that really transform the HT experience in a very big way are Control4 and the Kaleidescape system. I still get a big grin when playing with both systems.


The family loves having "movie night" every friday night. The kids are excited to see Frozen. We've all been watching lots of movies and I'll also be able to see my Iowa State Cyclones in their full glory in March Madness starting tomorrow afternoon.


TMcG.... I finally set a reminder to make sure I bring my leftover fiber optic cable to work. The only Fedex on the island is by the airport and there hasn't been any reason to be in that area. Still, I'll sneak out during lunch and get it out to you (finally).


I'll chime in and share my view of the update after it happens. On my 11.5 ft wide screen I'm hoping to see a difference.

Matt,


Glad to see your alive and enjoying your theater... How did the upgrade go on the 1000ES? I have my kit but have not schedule the appointment which I plan on doing this week.


Anything left to do on the HT or is it done... Looking forward to seeing some photos of the HT with everything completed.


Cheers,
 
#751 ·
Hi Jim,


The upgrade was only partially completed. They had some errors when getting the puck running and when they were doing diagnostics on it they realized they needed a different computer connector which they didn't have. So it's mostly done but still doesn't play the 4 K material (yet). They said they would be back in a week or so.


I still have a lot to do in the HT, especially the frames for the bass traps in the corners. Then I have some molding and some work to after final inspection. I've been on hold for a while but I think this weekend is a good time to get started again.
 
#752 ·
Hi all,


I’m in the process of getting the update (I say “process” because there is an error at the end of the install that they are still working on). The Sony tech told me that the puck needed to be attached to the projector via HDMI2. The picture looked amazing but then I attempted to stretch the image and noticed it’s not even an option on HDMI2, it exists only on HDMI1. Any thoughts on this? What a disappointment if I can’t use the full chip by using my ISCO A lens. It makes no sense to upgrade to 4K if I have to zoom the image and end up losing the gained resolution. If I’m tracking correctly on this then an outboard scaler will need to be used like a Lumagen. Is there an outboard scaler that can accept the 4K signal from the Sony puck? Thanks all.



As far as the 4K content seen on the screen so far..... simply amazing. Too bad I won't bother with any of it if I can't use my A lens and fill the screen.
 
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