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Small Room/Projector Setup -- Help needed! Suggestions/Advice

post #1 of 29
1/3/12 at 7:52am
Thread Starter 
Ave,

So here's my story. We just bought a new home and as of right now we don't have the option of a large sized area to create a home theater room. So we'd like to use one of the bedrooms as a Home Theater for the time being.

Unfortunately, this extra bedroom is somewhat small. The width from the back wall to the front wall is about 9 & half feet, and that's all the throwing distance that I'm going to have. What I'd like to do is setup the projector high up on the cieling on the back wall and have a small seating arrangement underneat the projector with the front wall for the Screen.

This image below can explain what I mean.



The window will be completely darkened out and I won't have any light issues; the room can be closed into a fully dark room.

As you can see, I don't have a lot of room to play with. I would really, really like to get anywhere between 75" ~ 80" wide screen; however - with that throw distance, I'm not sure if it's possible.

My wife & I love big screens; we bought the Samsung PN63C8000 which is a 63" 3D Plasma -- and absolutely love it. But after seeing some Projector setups, we both wanted to take it a step further. The thing is, if that room will only allow me a 65" screen, or something in that vicinity, I'm not sure if the Projector is going to be worth it. But if I can get a little more real estate - then it's totally worth it.

Keep in mind - at some point we plan to build an extension to the property & build a nice, bigger, dedicated HT room. So the same projector/setup will eventually make it's way to a bigger space. But for now we need to somehow make this room work.

I haven't completed my research on which projector to get; it'll have to be a 3D Projector and I'm looking at everything from Epson 5010 to Mitsubishi HC7800D to Sony's VPL line and Optoma as well. I can easily spend anywhere between $3K ~ $3.5K. So whatever best I can get in that price will work.

But right now my bigger concern is a) It is possible & worth considering a projector setup in this room; b) What kind of a screen size can I possibly get; and c) Considering the size of the room, will we be able to enjoy & get good watching experience using a Projector?

I'll appreciate any advice & recommendations. Especially from people here who may have a small room projector setup.

Thanks!!
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post #2 of 29
1/3/12 at 8:36am
Here is Coderguys calculator **Elite Projector Calculator**
http://www.eliteprojectorcalculator.com
. I know he has mentioned having a few projectors in it. I recomend playing with it and the different projector's you are looking at.
Also recomend since you are looking at 3D projectors to read the official thread's. All have there strengths and weakness, none perfect yet. DLP with DLP link glasses are the only ones I know of as yet with no crosstalk/ghosting issue's with 3D. DLP's weakness is brightness, but you have a light controlled room so shouldn't will not be a issue, but the LCD projectors are brighter.

Side note: The Mits HC7800 in this review http://www.cinetson.org/phpBB3/proje...33291-630.html Shows some crosstalk on there new proprietary 3d glasses set up compared to the Acer H9500bd. That is the only DLP I know of that has shown crosstalk but it is with there new glasses so not sure what that is about.

My opinion from experience with my H9500bd DLP projector and DLP link glasses vs my Panasonic VT20 plasma tv. 3D is perfect with DLP/DLP link no eye strain, no ghosting noticed. Off the VT20 it is very good, some ghosting noticed in fast moving object's or panning camera, and a little eye strain with longer periods or watching time. The H9500bd scores perfect in 3D test's and the VT 20 scores very high but not perfect.
Anyway I recomend reading/researching the projectors you are interested in.

Cheers.
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post #3 of 29
1/3/12 at 8:37am
Here's a good place to start. You can input various projector models and see if their throw distance/screen size ratio will work for your room.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...ulator-pro.cfm
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post #4 of 29
1/3/12 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 
Guys,

First of all -- Thank you so much for your replies and for the 2 very helpful links; I was quite pleasantly surprised that indeed, I can hit the 75"+ mark in that room. That opens up the world of oppertunity. Both calculators gave me the same results so that was very promising. I used a couple different projectors and with all of them I was able to hit a 92" Diagnol, 80" Wide screen. I was up for this even if I could hit 75" Diagnol.

Quote:
Originally Posted by man4mopar View Post

Here is Coderguys calculator **Elite Projector Calculator**
http://www.eliteprojectorcalculator.com
. I know he has mentioned having a few projectors in it. I recomend playing with it and the different projector's you are looking at.
Also recomend since you are looking at 3D projectors to read the official thread's. All have there strengths and weakness, none perfect yet. DLP with DLP link glasses are the only ones I know of as yet with no crosstalk/ghosting issue's with 3D. DLP's weakness is brightness, but you have a light controlled room so shouldn't will not be a issue, but the LCD projectors are brighter.

Side note: The Mits HC7800 in this review http://www.cinetson.org/phpBB3/proje...33291-630.html Shows some crosstalk on there new proprietary 3d glasses set up compared to the Acer H9500bd. That is the only DLP I know of that has shown crosstalk but it is with there new glasses so not sure what that is about.

My opinion from experience with my H9500bd DLP projector and DLP link glasses vs my Panasonic VT20 plasma tv. 3D is perfect with DLP/DLP link no eye strain, no ghosting noticed. Off the VT20 it is very good, some ghosting noticed in fast moving object's or panning camera, and a little eye strain with longer periods or watching time. The H9500bd scores perfect in 3D test's and the VT 20 scores very high but not perfect.
Anyway I recomend reading/researching the projectors you are interested in.

Cheers.

I'm not extremely familiar in the differences between DLP & LCD, and quite honestly I'm open to both. I have never owned a Projector before so there will be a small learning curve, but I'm usually thick on research so that will help.

I'm quite certain that when the time arrives, I'll have a dedicated thread open discussing my Projector decision; but I'll start off my research with some of your recommendations. Thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by batutta View Post

Here's a good place to start. You can input various projector models and see if their throw distance/screen size ratio will work for your room.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...ulator-pro.cfm

Thanks! This was very helpful as well.
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post #5 of 29
1/3/12 at 12:24pm
Hi.

I have the same thing, I am renting an apartment and converted a bedroom into my home theatre room. The size is basically the same as yours

I use a BenQ W500 (a few years old). I shelf mounted the projector above the sofa along the wall in back of us. I made it the biggest screen size I could as well to fit the blackout cloth and leave a little space around the edges to put in black fabric as a border

I went cheap and used blackout cloth for the screen. Works fine and very cheap. Might work for you if this is temporary?

The experience is great. I watch movies and play games on it.

Never had any complaints, only good things

The room even has a ceiling fan and it does not get in the way.

If you need a picture, let me know
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post #6 of 29
1/3/12 at 12:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morphx2 View Post

Hi.

I have the same thing, I am renting an apartment and converted a bedroom into my home theatre room. The size is basically the same as yours

I use a BenQ W500 (a few years old). I shelf mounted the projector above the sofa along the wall in back of us. I made it the biggest screen size I could as well to fit the blackout cloth and leave a little space around the edges to put in black fabric as a border

I went cheap and used blackout cloth for the screen. Works fine and very cheap. Might work for you if this is temporary?

The experience is great. I watch movies and play games on it.

Never had any complaints, only good things

The room even has a ceiling fan and it does not get in the way.

If you need a picture, let me know

Hey -- THANKS for posting. Yes - I would definitely love a picture. I had many questions from your post & I think a picture would resolve most of those.

This is exactly what I had in mind when I posted - someone in a similar situation as mine.

I could take both the cloth route or a screen; they are not very expensive depending on where you get one. But more importantly - what kind of a screen size were you able to get? I don't think I'm going to have any room behind my sofa & in between the Wall & the Sofa ... so I'm more then likely going to have to ceiling-mount the projector. Which is fine by me. Unless I'm not clear on what you were implying. I can get that from your photo.

Thanks man - I'll look forward to the pic. You can PM me if you like.
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post #7 of 29
1/3/12 at 1:10pm
Using black out cloth has worked well for me as a screen also in the Antarctic. For the home I made a screen using melamine board then painted with Sherwin Williams satin trim paint. Which does a better job then black out cloth, but is not as easily moved.
There is a screen section and a DIY section as well here on the AVS forum. I made mine for under $40 at 108" size. Black out cloth is around $20 roughly.
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post #8 of 29
1/3/12 at 3:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by man4mopar View Post

Using black out cloth has worked well for me as a screen also in the Antarctic. For the home I made a screen using melamine board then painted with Sherwin Williams satin trim paint. Which does a better job then black out cloth, but is not as easily moved.
There is a screen section and a DIY section as well here on the AVS forum. I made mine for under $40 at 108" size. Black out cloth is around $20 roughly.

Definitely worth a look; I'll dive into the DIY & Screen section here - was planning to do that anyways. Thanks for the tip.
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post #9 of 29
1/3/12 at 3:19pm
What is the distance between the window & the the closet wall. You might want to put the projector on the window side & screen on the closet side if it gives you more room.(that is the way I have my small room set up).
George
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post #10 of 29
1/3/12 at 4:21pm
I recently started a nearly identical project (warning these projects are like Harley-Davidsons- they are never finished). My room layout and dimensions are very close to yours. (I have 10.5' between front and rear wall). I narowed projector choice down to 3 for budget and needs: Panasonic AE7000, JVC R45 and Epson 5010. For some background on my experience, I am not a techie by training. This is in 1 year old house, coming from a past, non-dedicated living room set up with good light control, approximately 17' x 26' with a Panny AE700. I had an original DreamVision DLP, so this is my 3rd pj and 2nd room setup. I set up new house with 65" Panasonic Viera 3D in den and thought I wouldn't miss the 'movie feel.' Wrong, so back to dedicated theater in front bedroom. JVC would not fill a 94" Elite pull down (temporary) screen (16:9) at this throw distance. Since I still love the Viera, this theater is primarily for movies. I watch a lot of football and am not a gamer. Because of the movie priority, blacks are paramount for me. This led to me choosing the Epson over the Panny (no complaints about the past AE 700 experience- other than its limited performance- it was as good as advertised 720p- huge jump over the dreamvision).
Mounted pj about 6' off ground on back wall with a peerless PWA-14 mount- So far I am very happy with this mount eventhough it does not have cable management. Easy, clean install that eliminates the use of keystone adjustment. After 3 weeks of use I recommend it so far. it hangs right over my head. This causes some noise issues with the projector fan motor, but I only hear it on soft passages and am uncertain whether I will need to do something about it. I may build a shelf with sound absorption material if it begins to grate on me. The Epson's Eco mode is pretty quiet even at this distance, but it is audible if you and your wife are sensitive to this noise.

The room has a patio door with windows where your window is located. There is a window above the door (12' ceiling) and another window on the same wall. The closet door in your diagram matches my bathroom door. The closet door is on that same wall.
I couldn't agree more with using the projector review calculator and others on the web to insure you can achieve the size screen you are after with your choice of projector.
ALSO MAKE SURE YOU USE A VERY SMOOTH SCREEN. The Elite is a white matt (1.1 gain I think) and is too textured at my viewing distance of 9-9.5 feet. It will have to go.
I do not (yet) have complete light control, but the Epson has enough light power to still achieve watchable levels during day time hours. In that size room I have to turn it down. At night its very impressive to me.
A DIY screen may be very satisfactory as long as its smooth. I have no experience with this (Past screen was an 8 foot Stewart drop down 1.3 gain- very smooth)
You will need to check the reflectivity of the surfaces near your screen, particularly the adjacent sides. The bathroom door and frame are finished with glossy paint and are definitely causing reflection issues although they are not bothering me yet.
I do not find the 94" screen to be too large. Maybe I am getting old and nothing can be too big, but I did have concerns because of the short viewing distance.
Beware of sound reflectivity in a room that small. I am getting substantial reflection from my left rear speaker that will have to be addressed. The rears are ceiling mounted. Just something to keep in mind.
These are just my experiences in this small room over the last 3 weeks. Overall I am very happy with this solution as I do now, once again, have the movie feel. Good luck with your project.
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post #11 of 29
1/3/12 at 8:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickey79 View Post

Guys,

I'm not extremely familiar in the differences between DLP & LCD, and quite honestly I'm open to both.

I'm one of the 10% or so that is sensitive to the rainbow affect of DLP. It gives me a headache and the longer I watch the worse it gets.

Don't know if you or any family or friends might have a problem with DLP but it's something to think about.

I opted for Epson and I'm extremely glad I did. I'll never buy another brand. Epson's warranty and customer service are absolutely the best in the business.
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post #12 of 29
1/3/12 at 8:33pm
Look into lag with these 3D projectors if you're going to do any gaming with them.
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post #13 of 29
1/3/12 at 9:39pm
Here u go. I'll explain tomorrow, phone typing will take forever
LL
LL
LL
LL
LL
LL
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LL
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post #14 of 29
1/4/12 at 7:45am
Thread Starter 
Guys,

First of all - BIG THANKS for all the input. This is awesome. Wealth of information, suggestions & positivity here. I'm doing a multi-quote cause I have some response for everyone.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tr6 View Post

What is the distance between the window & the the closet wall. You might want to put the projector on the window side & screen on the closet side if it gives you more room.(that is the way I have my small room set up).
George

That's probably not going to work in my case. Just the way the room is, with the placement of door, window, closet - and quite honestly, I'm not sure I'll get the same Screen Width area on that Window wall that I will on the Big Blank Wall.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_63 View Post

I'm one of the 10% or so that is sensitive to the rainbow affect of DLP. It gives me a headache and the longer I watch the worse it gets.

Don't know if you or any family or friends might have a problem with DLP but it's something to think about.

I opted for Epson and I'm extremely glad I did. I'll never buy another brand. Epson's warranty and customer service are absolutely the best in the business.

Epson is a very strong contender even in my research; the 5010e is looking very solid & promising, and fits my budget. I'll do some more research on DLP vs LCD and also on the rainbow effect. Thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_63 View Post

Look into lag with these 3D projectors if you're going to do any gaming with them.

Gaming is paramount. In that's one of 2 primary uses ... Gaming & Movies. I'll definitely take a look at that in my projector research.


Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ55 View Post

I recently started a nearly identical project (warning these projects are like Harley-Davidsons- they are never finished). My room layout and dimensions are very close to yours. (I have 10.5' between front and rear wall). I narowed projector choice down to 3 for budget and needs: Panasonic AE7000, JVC R45 and Epson 5010. For some background on my experience, I am not a techie by training. This is in 1 year old house, coming from a past, non-dedicated living room set up with good light control, approximately 17' x 26' with a Panny AE700. I had an original DreamVision DLP, so this is my 3rd pj and 2nd room setup. I set up new house with 65" Panasonic Viera 3D in den and thought I wouldn't miss the 'movie feel.' Wrong, so back to dedicated theater in front bedroom. JVC would not fill a 94" Elite pull down (temporary) screen (16:9) at this throw distance. Since I still love the Viera, this theater is primarily for movies. I watch a lot of football and am not a gamer. Because of the movie priority, blacks are paramount for me. This led to me choosing the Epson over the Panny (no complaints about the past AE 700 experience- other than its limited performance- it was as good as advertised 720p- huge jump over the dreamvision).
Mounted pj about 6' off ground on back wall with a peerless PWA-14 mount- So far I am very happy with this mount eventhough it does not have cable management. Easy, clean install that eliminates the use of keystone adjustment. After 3 weeks of use I recommend it so far. it hangs right over my head. This causes some noise issues with the projector fan motor, but I only hear it on soft passages and am uncertain whether I will need to do something about it. I may build a shelf with sound absorption material if it begins to grate on me. The Epson's Eco mode is pretty quiet even at this distance, but it is audible if you and your wife are sensitive to this noise.

The room has a patio door with windows where your window is located. There is a window above the door (12' ceiling) and another window on the same wall. The closet door in your diagram matches my bathroom door. The closet door is on that same wall.
I couldn't agree more with using the projector review calculator and others on the web to insure you can achieve the size screen you are after with your choice of projector.
ALSO MAKE SURE YOU USE A VERY SMOOTH SCREEN. The Elite is a white matt (1.1 gain I think) and is too textured at my viewing distance of 9-9.5 feet. It will have to go.
I do not (yet) have complete light control, but the Epson has enough light power to still achieve watchable levels during day time hours. In that size room I have to turn it down. At night its very impressive to me.
A DIY screen may be very satisfactory as long as its smooth. I have no experience with this (Past screen was an 8 foot Stewart drop down 1.3 gain- very smooth)
You will need to check the reflectivity of the surfaces near your screen, particularly the adjacent sides. The bathroom door and frame are finished with glossy paint and are definitely causing reflection issues although they are not bothering me yet.
I do not find the 94" screen to be too large. Maybe I am getting old and nothing can be too big, but I did have concerns because of the short viewing distance.
Beware of sound reflectivity in a room that small. I am getting substantial reflection from my left rear speaker that will have to be addressed. The rears are ceiling mounted. Just something to keep in mind.
These are just my experiences in this small room over the last 3 weeks. Overall I am very happy with this solution as I do now, once again, have the movie feel. Good luck with your project.

Thanks so much for giving such a detailed post. It was interesting to note how much our layout matches! This is a 2009 construction that we just bought and this is primarily a 2nd bedroom out of 4 (One being master). Incidentally - the position of the Window is not in the direct path of Sunlight either - which helps, but isn't consequential since I'll be blocking it entirely. And I do agree -- I doubt such a project will ever truly "finish".

I have to say I'm extremely excited & encouraged by your post. With your dimensions, which are slightly bigger then mine - if you were able to achieve the 94" screen -- I'm sure I can hit my 85" ~ 92" as coming out in the Calculators. I also feel extremely encouraged by your statement "I do not find the 94" screen to be too large. Maybe I am getting old and nothing can be too big, but I did have concerns because of the short viewing distance.". Even though I've been trying to push a large screen size in that small bedroom; I too have had concerns of the viewing distance & the screen being perhaps too big for that small room. But your comment helps tremendously!!

The other thing that encourages me is that you had a couple extra windows in the room - I only have one - so you essentially did have a couple extra smaller challenges. Lighting should absolutely not be a problem for me if you were able to overcome yours.

To that effect - I do have a question. What kind of cloth/blockage are you guys using to cover windows for 0% Light escape? Is there anything special or particular I should be looking at? I only have one single window to block.

You raised a good point about "smooth screen". With the small viewing distance - that can be essential. Good call.

Once again - Epson is at the top of my list and I really like that PWA 14 mount you mentioned; not very expensive either.

Thanks again -- this was very helpful & encouraging. If you feel up to it, I wouldn't mind some pictures. Every bit is helpful.
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post #15 of 29
1/4/12 at 7:49am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morphx2 View Post

Here u go. I'll explain tomorrow, phone typing will take forever

WOW. This is awesome!! I showed the pictures to my wife & we both jumped for joy. This is exactly what our HT setup is going to look like. Obviously such a setup will never make it to the 'hall of fame' -- but being it's a small room not really designed for HT setup; and being that it is somewhat 'temporary' in nature ... this is exactly what we were hoping to achieve.

The jump for joy part comes more so from the fact that until couple days ago - we weren't even sure if we could even consider building a Projector based HT Setup in that small bedroom. This is very exciting.

I really like your black cloth covering most of that wall and the screen sitting in the middle. And I also really like the way your projector is sitting above your couch. When you mentioned "shelf" -- I was thinking a proper standing shelf, thus I commented I won't have room between the couch & wall for it. Now I understand what you mean. I do kinda still like the PW 14 Mount that AJ55 mentioned.

I can't wait for more details on this - this is definitely where we're going.

THANKS man. Appreciate it.
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post #16 of 29
1/4/12 at 8:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickey79 View Post

Guys,
Gaming is paramount. In that's one of 2 primary uses ... Gaming & Movies. I'll definitely take a look at that in my projector research.

If that's the case then you'll probably find that you'll have to wait for 3D projectors to get better in the lag spec. Before I bought the refurb 6500ub (only $949 with a 2 year warranty!!) last week I was looking into 3D projectors. For the last year I said that my next PJ would be a 3D PJ. However, my boys use the theater for a lot of gaming and the 3D projectors would definitely be a leap backwards for them so I decided to wait on 3D until they move out on their own. This means that in 2 years I'll get my 3D projector

I think that you'll have to choose what your priority is, 3D or gaming, and then decide what projector to get.
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post #17 of 29
1/4/12 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_63 View Post

If that's the case then you'll probably find that you'll have to wait for 3D projectors to get better in the lag spec. Before I bought the refurb 6500ub (only $949 with a 2 year warranty!!) last week I was looking into 3D projectors. For the last year I said that my next PJ would be a 3D PJ. However, my boys use the theater for a lot of gaming and the 3D projectors would definitely be a leap backwards for them so I decided to wait on 3D until they move out on their own. This means that in 2 years I'll get my 3D projector

I think that you'll have to choose what your priority is, 3D or gaming, and then decide what projector to get.

Well I'll be honest with you - I game a lot and it probably comes a close 2nd to Movie watching; however, I'm not too certain if the projector will be put to exhaustive gaming usage. If there is a lag issue - with no certain cure - and a timeframe of year or two before we have a projector solution; then I would concentrate on the media aspect for the Projector room.

I do have a Samsung PN63C8000 3D Plasma that is absolutely brilliant for gaming and sees all my gaming action right now. I'll setup & keep my gaming on the Plasma & keep the home theater room dedicated for media.

Thanks.
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post #18 of 29
1/4/12 at 8:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickey79 View Post

WOW. This is awesome!! I showed the pictures to my wife & we both jumped for joy. This is exactly what our HT setup is going to look like. Obviously such a setup will never make it to the 'hall of fame' -- but being it's a small room not really designed for HT setup; and being that it is somewhat 'temporary' in nature ... this is exactly what we were hoping to achieve.

The jump for joy part comes more so from the fact that until couple days ago - we weren't even sure if we could even consider building a Projector based HT Setup in that small bedroom. This is very exciting.

I really like your black cloth covering most of that wall and the screen sitting in the middle. And I also really like the way your projector is sitting above your couch. When you mentioned "shelf" -- I was thinking a proper standing shelf, thus I commented I won't have room between the couch & wall for it. Now I understand what you mean. I do kinda still like the PW 14 Mount that AJ55 mentioned.

I can't wait for more details on this - this is definitely where we're going.

THANKS man. Appreciate it.

Ok, here is some details about the room!

The screen is blackout cloth (example here)

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...zprd_02117232a

Since it is cheap and works great, I decided that the maximum vertical height of the screen will be a little under the maximum height of the blackout cloth (since i didnt want to tape/glue 2 pieces of cloth together to expand it).

Now to put the screen on the wall is even easier, but takes 2 people. You grab a stapler, and staple it!!! My wife helped me out a lot with the screen. One person staples, other person stretches it out to make it flat.

For the black borders, I tried to find a deep dark black that wasnt expensive. I think I wanted velvet but it was $$$$!!!!

We then stapled the black border around it. The bottom part of the screen she made ruffles to make it look fancy. The black border covered the original staples that we used to put the screen on the wall.

For the window we blocked out the light with......black-out cloth (since that is the purpose of black-out cloth anyway!).

For my receiver/360/PS3 I got a media shelf as you can see and put it on the side of the room.

I mounted the 5.1 speakers in each corner (above the door frames so the doors wont hit them) and the subwoofer in the front right.

The sofa sits between the closet and the main door (just enough space!).

The projector was tough to figure out how to mount. I went to home depot and combined shelf parts and made it work. Make sure to have a leveler too. The projector I have has a LENS SHIFT, which makes mounting a TON EASIER!!! Basically it means you can mount the projector and can change where it projects light horizontally and vertically. Where I have it now, i have the lens shifting all the way to the bottom left I believe.

Thankfully the fan does not interrupt anything too!!

I also got a wire cover to cover the wires leading up into the projector (so it doesnt look THAT bad).

I made sure to get white speaker wires to match the walls too.

You can see yellow velcro along the back wall behind the sofa in one of the pictures. I velcro my remote controls on there usually to store them

I have fold-out chairs if more than my wife and I are watching something if we need more chairs.

Any other questions, let me know!!!

Oh, I mostly game on it alone or watch movies with my wife. Works great for videogames. I really want a 3D projector now though, my projector only does 720p and few years old. I dont see any lag at all either.
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post #19 of 29
1/4/12 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morphx2 View Post

Ok, here is some details about the room!

The screen is blackout cloth (example here)

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...zprd_02117232a

Since it is cheap and works great, I decided that the maximum vertical height of the screen will be a little under the maximum height of the blackout cloth (since i didnt want to tape/glue 2 pieces of cloth together to expand it).

Now to put the screen on the wall is even easier, but takes 2 people. You grab a stapler, and staple it!!! My wife helped me out a lot with the screen. One person staples, other person stretches it out to make it flat.

For the black borders, I tried to find a deep dark black that wasnt expensive. I think I wanted velvet but it was $$$$!!!!

We then stapled the black border around it. The bottom part of the screen she made ruffles to make it look fancy. The black border covered the original staples that we used to put the screen on the wall.

For the window we blocked out the light with......black-out cloth (since that is the purpose of black-out cloth anyway!).

For my receiver/360/PS3 I got a media shelf as you can see and put it on the side of the room.

I mounted the 5.1 speakers in each corner (above the door frames so the doors wont hit them) and the subwoofer in the front right.

The sofa sits between the closet and the main door (just enough space!).

The projector was tough to figure out how to mount. I went to home depot and combined shelf parts and made it work. Make sure to have a leveler too. The projector I have has a LENS SHIFT, which makes mounting a TON EASIER!!! Basically it means you can mount the projector and can change where it projects light horizontally and vertically. Where I have it now, i have the lens shifting all the way to the bottom left I believe.

Thankfully the fan does not interrupt anything too!!

I also got a wire cover to cover the wires leading up into the projector (so it doesnt look THAT bad).

I made sure to get white speaker wires to match the walls too.

You can see yellow velcro along the back wall behind the sofa in one of the pictures. I velcro my remote controls on there usually to store them

I have fold-out chairs if more than my wife and I are watching something if we need more chairs.

Any other questions, let me know!!!

Oh, I mostly game on it alone or watch movies with my wife. Works great for videogames. I really want a 3D projector now though, my projector only does 720p and few years old. I dont see any lag at all either.

This is Awesome. Tremendous - Tremendous advice & helpful suggestions in there. My setup is going to end up looking quite like yours when I'm done - And I can't wait to get started. You might probably hear from me again when I'm actually putting things up - but this is really helpful. Thanks Man!!
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post #20 of 29
1/4/12 at 1:04pm
Sure thing!

Feel free to PM me if the thread gets old and no one responds and you need small room help!
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post #21 of 29
1/4/12 at 1:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morphx2 View Post

Sure thing!

Feel free to PM me if the thread gets old and no one responds and you need small room help!

Thanks man - I appreciate it.
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post #22 of 29
1/4/12 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickey79 View Post

Well I'll be honest with you - I game a lot and it probably comes a close 2nd to Movie watching; however, I'm not too certain if the projector will be put to exhaustive gaming usage. If there is a lag issue - with no certain cure - and a timeframe of year or two before we have a projector solution; then I would concentrate on the media aspect for the Projector room.

I do have a Samsung PN63C8000 3D Plasma that is absolutely brilliant for gaming and sees all my gaming action right now. I'll setup & keep my gaming on the Plasma & keep the home theater room dedicated for media.

Thanks.

First I'll say I see rainbows with DLP, so will only talk about LCD - and specifically Epson, which I know best. I'm not sure about lag on that 5010e - look it up. The regular 510 will be more affordable and have less processing, so may have less lag. The 3010 is supposed to have quite bad lag for gaming. If 3D is not important, the old 8350 is quite a deal and has very little lag - but is 2D only. Look at the JVC RS45 as well - street price probably not to different from the 5010e. I know little about lag on it.
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post #23 of 29
1/4/12 at 10:26pm
Sony hw30 and Panny 7000 are the only two NON-DLP projectors with under 40ms lag, they are both around 30ms. The Sony hw30 does this with a game mode.

The JVC and Epsons are 80ms, the Benq w7000 DLP is 50ms.

Personally though, there is more to gaming than just lag, there is also motion resolution, and IMO DLP does better than this. I would stick with DLP for non-RBE sensitive folk, but understandably some cannot game with DLP.
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post #24 of 29
1/5/12 at 12:41am
Thought I would chime in here. We moved to a new house a couple of years ago from an apartment where I had my projector set up. After much measuring and thinking there just wasn't a way to mount the projector in the new family room or living room. It then dawned on me that perhaps it would go in the one unused room, the smallest bedroom.

It is about the size of your room. When it is not our "Screening Room" (doesn't seem right to call it a Home Theater, given some of the setups here ) it doubles as my office.

Behind the screen ( DaLite High Power) is a window. My projector, ancient by todays standards, throws a 92" letterbox image.

The screen wall paint becomes black when the lights are out, so it is a very immersive experience.

So it can be done!
LL
LL
LL
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post #25 of 29
1/5/12 at 5:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imageek2 View Post

Thought I would chime in here. We moved to a new house a couple of years ago from an apartment where I had my projector set up. After much measuring and thinking there just wasn't a way to mount the projector in the new family room or living room. It then dawned on me that perhaps it would go in the one unused room, the smallest bedroom.

It is about the size of your room. When it is not our "Screening Room" (doesn't seem right to call it a Home Theater, given some of the setups here ) it doubles as my office.

Behind the screen ( DaLite High Power) is a window. My projector, ancient by todays standards, throws a 92" letterbox image.

The screen wall paint becomes black when the lights are out, so it is a very immersive experience.

So it can be done!

If you'd paint your ceiling a flat black and your walls a darker color then you'd see even more improvement. Your white ceiling and light walls act like an ambient light source by reflecting the light coming off of the screen back onto it. I had off-white walls and a white ceiling at first. When I painted them I couldn't believe how much difference it made.

After doing the painting I found that the door into the room (which I had painted a light gray) was reflecting onto the screen too much. I had to go back and paint it a dark gray and it solved that problem.
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post #26 of 29
1/5/12 at 5:13pm
Okay, no one has recommended short-throw so I'm going to make the leap of faith to do it haha.

Short throw 720p is probably something you want to consider. The BenQ W710ST is a short throw 63" diagonal display at only 1 meter of distance between the screen and the projector. So you'll be able to achieve a much larger display at your limited room size without having to sacrifice on your final screen dimensions and to fully maximize your projector.

Another strength about this unit is that since light will be well controlled, you'll be able to operate it on eco-mode and pull out a good 6000 hours and that should pretty much work for you throughout the entire lifetime of the projector if you use it, say 1-3 hours per day.

720p DLP's come with 3D tech, including the W710ST + DLP's are great for gaming, and should definitely fit your needs in that department!
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post #27 of 29
1/6/12 at 8:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imageek2 View Post

Behind the screen ( DaLite High Power) is a window. My projector, ancient by todays standards, throws a 92" letterbox image.

That's pretty awesome! I like it. Again - more confirmation I can achieve what I'm setting out for. Your room size definitely looks like a very close match to mine.

Thanks for the pictures!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by chumpchange21 View Post

Okay, no one has recommended short-throw so I'm going to make the leap of faith to do it haha.

Short throw 720p is probably something you want to consider. The BenQ W710ST is a short throw 63" diagonal display at only 1 meter of distance between the screen and the projector. So you'll be able to achieve a much larger display at your limited room size without having to sacrifice on your final screen dimensions and to fully maximize your projector.

Another strength about this unit is that since light will be well controlled, you'll be able to operate it on eco-mode and pull out a good 6000 hours and that should pretty much work for you throughout the entire lifetime of the projector if you use it, say 1-3 hours per day.

720p DLP's come with 3D tech, including the W710ST + DLP's are great for gaming, and should definitely fit your needs in that department!

Definitely worth a look - I'll give you that. I want to achieve the maximum screen size & best PQ given my circumstances - So I'm definitely willing to look at all able options.

Thanks.
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post #28 of 29
1/6/12 at 9:14am
Let me put in my view for a sec.

A big part of the HT is the audio. A large screen is nice but w/o an adequate sound system, you just won’t get pulled into the action as much.

Having said that, if you have your seat back against the rear wall, there’s not much you can do to implement a surround sound speakers properly.

Here’s what I would do:

+ Build a cornice on top of the windows and use that to hide a pull down screen. When you do it right, the screen and the window shades are you need to block out the lights. There will be light coming in on the sides and bottom but that light won’t hit the screen.

+ Large electric pull down screen. You should be able to fit in a 106” or even 120”.

+ All your speakers should be wall mounted to save floor space. I would go DIY speakers, check out the ZAP5 or the in-khan-neato design. The nice thing about DIY is that you can have your mains mounted on the side wall with the baffles angle out 60-70 degrees or so depend on your sitting position. Their sound quality rivals speakers in the $1000/pair range. The two rear speakers also mounted on the side walls, may be forward of the door if there’s no room in the back, to create a symmetric room layout. Against, DIY speakers will let you angle the baffle to your position.

+ Use sectional sofa. Or even pull-out sofa. You can have a commercial sub or build a sub and disguise it as an end table. I am a big DIY sub since you can locate the amplifier on the rack/stand and only need to run single speaker wire to the sub. It makes hiding the cable much easier.

That way when you pull up the screen, the room can still look like a normal room. Key is nothing on the floor and screen that can get out of the way.
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post #29 of 29
1/6/12 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by NK215 View Post

Let me put in my view for a sec.

A big part of the HT is the audio. A large screen is nice but w/o an adequate sound system, you just won't get pulled into the action as much.

Having said that, if you have your seat back against the rear wall, there's not much you can do to implement a surround sound speakers properly.

Here's what I would do:

+ Build a cornice on top of the windows and use that to hide a pull down screen. When you do it right, the screen and the window shades are you need to block out the lights. There will be light coming in on the sides and bottom but that light won't hit the screen.

+ Large electric pull down screen. You should be able to fit in a 106 or even 120.

+ All your speakers should be wall mounted to save floor space. I would go DIY speakers, check out the ZAP5 or the in-khan-neato design. The nice thing about DIY is that you can have your mains mounted on the side wall with the baffles angle out 60-70 degrees or so depend on your sitting position. Their sound quality rivals speakers in the $1000/pair range. The two rear speakers also mounted on the side walls, may be forward of the door if there's no room in the back, to create a symmetric room layout. Against, DIY speakers will let you angle the baffle to your position.

+ Use sectional sofa. Or even pull-out sofa. You can have a commercial sub or build a sub and disguise it as an end table. I am a big DIY sub since you can locate the amplifier on the rack/stand and only need to run single speaker wire to the sub. It makes hiding the cable much easier.

That way when you pull up the screen, the room can still look like a normal room. Key is nothing on the floor and screen that can get out of the way.

I agree with you 100% -- especially the Audio part. If this HT Room would have been a very long-term/permanent feature; I would definitely jump on your advice & solutions. However, considering it's a temporary / shorter-term effort, I'm mostly going to take the more comfortable & easy route as some of the others have stated above.

I do like your ideas though. Unfortunately also - I already have most of the Reciever/Speakers sitting ready to be hooked up. And quite unfortunately - they are all rather Large sized - so I'm not quite sure how I'll set them up in this small-room setup. They may end up staying downstairs in the Family Room with my PN63C8000 Plasma and I might have to do a different HTiB speaker system I have with this "for the time being".

Right now my main Audio setup consists of a Yamaha RX-A2000 Reciever which will be setup in a 7.1 configuration ... with an RTi12 Pair as Fronts, matching CSi5 Center, RTi8 Pair as Surrounds. I don't have Surround Backs but will be getting those shortly; also am looking for a good sale (for Subs) on Outlaw or HSU for either the VTF-2 MK-3 or Outlaw's LFM-1 Plus (or EX). Either way - these Speakers/Reciever most likely cannot possibly be setup in that small room. I do have a samsung 5.1 system that will for now most likely go with the Projector in the small HT room setup. They are smaller speakers that can be hung up on walls & what not.

Thanks.
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