Spaceman Theater build - Page 33

Thanks, Nick. So far, we have watched The Polar Express (DVD) and Hugo (Blu-ray). On Christmas Eve, we will have the rest of the family over for either a 2nd showing of The Polar Express (picked up the Blu-ray last night as I wasn't happy with the DVD quality) or maybe Arthur Christmas.

The highlight of my night was during Hugo, when my 11 year old son said that he couldn't believe that we went from a plain media room with boring white walls to "THIS!". My boys love it so much, they actually wanted to sit in while I went through the THX Optimizer and started familiarizing myself with the Denon's on-screen menus. I guess this would be a good time to thank everyone for taking the time to answer all of my dumb questions and for going the extra mile documenting their own builds. Without all of the guidance, assurances, and virtual "high-fives", I'd still be watching movies in that "plain media room with boring white walls". Thank you!!

Merry Christmas,
Spaceman
Edited by Spaceman - 12/23/12 at 8:48pm

Merry Christmas to you, GWCR. The chairs are Berkline 13175s and they are very comfy. I've fallen asleep twice so far while listening to music and staring at the stars. If the kids were a little older and less likely to spill stuff, I would have preferred a microfiber cloth, but the leather is nice and makes clean up easy.

Thanks, Jim. Hope to have you and other Houston AVS members over when I no longer have light switches hanging out of columns and panels missing from the walls. If you're lucky, I might even put some hardware on the entry door so light doesn't spill through the door knob hole.

I prefer the front row for acoustics. It has a better surround experience than the back row simply because there is more room between the front row and the rear surrounds. The back row is a little too close to the back wall to be considered prime seating, but it's still enjoyable back there. The bass is not as strong in the front seats, but that row is pretty much at the midpoint of the room, so that was expected. I wouldn't say it's dead, just not as strong as the back row. If you prefer your seats to shake a little, the back row is the spot, since the sub sits on the riser directly behind the back row. It is a little boomy however, so I'm perfectly happy in the front row for acoustics.

The visual sweet spot really depends on the material. Eyeballs in the front row are 9'-6" from the screen. Back row eyeballs are around 16' back. My first choice for screen size was 110" wide, but the wife talked me into 115". She prefers a more immersive experience than I do, so she has no trouble in the front row. For 16:9 content, I'm fine with either row. For 2.35 content that does not have a lot of quick panning or shaky camera work, the front row is fine. If the camera work is shaky, I retreat to the back row, where the image is still plenty big for my taste. So to answer your initial question, the middle seat of the front row is probably the visual sweet spot as well, depending on the content. If my math is correct, I wound up with the following horizontal viewing angles:

Horizontal viewing angle from front row:
16:9 content - 42 degrees
2.35 content - 54 degrees

Horizontal viewing angle from back row:
16:9 content - 26 degrees
2.35 content - 34 degrees

Speaker heights seem to be working just fine. I'm very happy with the fronts. Dialog is very clear in both rows and pans from side to side sound great, even with my reduced separation. I believe L & R speakers wound up being just over 8' apart. The tweeter for all 3 LCRs is about 52" above the floor, which puts it about half way between seated ear height of the front and back rows. The center of the surround speakers is roughly 6' off the main floor (5' off the riser), which is also about 2'-4" above seated ear height of the front row. Not sure how ideal any of those numbers are, but they seem to sound pretty darn good.
Edited by Spaceman - 12/28/12 at 8:44pm

My big idea of running blue rope light around the back side of the screen frame to highlight my speakers fizzled out. It simply wasn't bright enough. I got a very dim glow where the screen meets the frame, but that was about it. So today, while wandering around everyone's favorite Swedish store, I found these and thought I would give them a try. The fixture was $7 and the bulb was $10.











Not bad for $50. I should have grabbed a few more bulbs though since I haven't been able to find many online. I was hoping I could track down some blue ones.

Hey Bud - I'm thinking about adding some additional blocking under the 1x4 that's shown so I can mount them lower. The neck is a little longer than I'd like but I can't bend it any more without poking the back of the screen. I'll play around with them tonight. I did see the progress you made on the rack area. Very nice. I was perfectly happy watching your landscape project as well.

If anyone has a source for R14 Reflector-style LEDs with an E17 base, let me know. If they make them in blue, even better.

It would be much easier if I had a little extra room behind my screen. It's so shallow back there, I'm forced to put the lighting pretty much right under the speaker, which creates some nasty shadows and reflections. I'd love to pull the fixture away from the speaker a bit but I just don't have the room. I'm pretty sure I can come up with something that works but I still have some tweaking to do.

Another fixture I almost bought was made to clip on the top of a picture frame. I was going to either mount it above or below the speaker. It was a fairly bright LED, but I wasn't quite sure if it would stick out too far and poke the back of my screen, so I passed. Might be an option for you or others. Here's a pic.


Edited by Spaceman - 12/29/12 at 7:08pm

Still have the gap. I pulled the front seats apart a bit and got the gap down to 2" or a little less. I think it will be fine. I'm more worried about getting the step lights working. In the week we've been watching movies, my oldest son stumbled up the steps and my wife stumbled down. For those considering skipping step lights, I'd advise against it.

I edited my 1st post to include some before & after pics, existing & proposed floor plans, a room summary including overall dimensions, color schedule, acoustic treatment plan & equipment summary. I also have links to a complete cost breakdown in both Excel and pdf formats as well as a build timeline/index with links.
Edited by Spaceman - 1/1/13 at 10:47pm

Smart move. My wife knows I research everything before purchasing and am always looking for the best bang for our buck, so she doesn't worry about it too much. I probably spent a little more than I had to by using HD as my primary source, but many stops there were out of convenience (on the way home from soccer games or practices, on weekends, late at night, etc.). Figuring out my entire lumber order or electrical order before hand and going to a local lumber yard or supply house would have saved me some coin, but I liked the convenience of being able to buy what I needed when I needed it and being able to easily return it.

I'm currently a few hundred bucks under budget and am close to the finish line, so I should end up close enough to make everyone happy. Plus, since I started making some of the bigger purchases in 2010, the final number is easier to swallow when I divide it over three years. At least that's what I tell myself.

Most of my build included making 3 trips each day.
Yeah, I figured at least an $18k savings by doing it myself. However, I would have fired myself long before paying myself since it took 2 years just to finish the design.
You'll be the first to get one, once I make my way through the final punch list (included here for my benefit since I haven't written it down anywhere).

Room:
1. build and wrap 12 more fabric panels, including swinging panel on equipment rack column
2. wrap 6 panels already built for false wall
3. install Insteon gear (2 dimmers, 2 switches, dimmable outlet and keypad)
4. fabricate, paint & install door threshold
5. install door hardware
6. design & install trim/casing on game room side of entry door
7. build mini-riser under rear seats

Equipment Closet:
1. prime & paint walls & ceiling
2. paint baseboard
3. install can light trim/bulbs
4. install light switch
5. install permanent shelves for av equipment
6. install ir receiver kit
7. wire management

Media Closet:
1. prime & paint walls & ceiling
2. install & stock bookcases
3. reinstall & paint baseboard
3. install can light trim/bulbs
4. install light switch

Game room:
1. reinstall baseboard
2. prime & paint shared wall with theater
3. install plasma tv & (2) movie posters on shared wall with theater
Edited by Spaceman - 1/22/13 at 5:08am