New construction, new home theater... what projector...?

A lot depends on the room, viewing habits, etc... I have put much lesser projectors onto 12' screens no problem... Do you have any drawings of the room?

My room under construction is a couple of feet bigger in each direction, but my screen is about 12 feet wide. Check out my build thread - link in signature.

Cheers,

The room pictured was designed, constructed, installed and calibrated by our staff. It is located in the Southern California area. All millwork was done in our in-house millwork shop. It is, btw, approximately the same size as your space.

No. But if you pay that much you can have a plasma bright picture even with 3D glasses on.

18 ft wide room I'd go at least 14 ft wide screen in 2.35/2.4 format.

No question about it.

The higher end DPI or Sim2 would be the likely choice. I have a Sony VW1000 on a 10 foot wide and it's plenty bright up to 12ft wide but 14ft wide may not be suitable with the Sony.

For the mentioned budget of $50K, I guess a 2K 0.98" DCi Barco would fit the bill.

In a total light controlled room (dark) with a higher gain screen might allow a lesser cost pj depending on your brightness expectations.

I have an 11.25 ft wide (2.37) DNP SuperNova with a DPI Cine LED and it's fine to me and most that have viewed it and it is regular room no light control so 12 ft should be no problem.

Remember most pj specs are in 16:9 mode so be careful if you are a spec sheet dude.

Is 3D on your wish list?

There are many good products in the 15,000 - $30,000 MSRP range that light up a 14 ft wide screen.

I can't remember, did Barco have a booth at Cedia last year?

If you have a projection booth or port placing the projector behind the rear wall you can get into a 2k Barco or Christie for well under 50K that has features far beyond some of the brands mentioned and your ready for Dcinema content
These machines will take you well into the future.
For well under 100K you can have a 4k machine. You need a little more space but worth the extra effort if you want to maximize your purchase.

Chris just replaced his DP Titan 3D
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1398628

Here is my setup showing 2 4k machines.


We use aperture plates for contrast enhancement. 3D is triple flash. You have a choice of active or passive. 1.2k lamp will light up your screen at 50% light for 2D 100% lamp power for 3D. Lamphouse focus is adjusted for desired black level
Tons of features and memory settings to create any macro for all source. If you would like a demo drop me a PM. Worth a few hundred on a ticket to see this in a home theater environment first hand. If anything it will give you a reference to compare to.

Hi Alan,

Top projector in your setup looks like the big Barco 4k. What projector is on the bottom? Looks like a little bit more reasonable size!

Thanks.
Kevin

Look at the DPI Titan. The Barco is awesome but it might be way overkill for some rooms. I've seen the Titan in action in several types of rooms and it's killer.

Sort of.. Cineramax was using it in his demo in Cedia 2010. Incredible 3D demo.. loved it. I don't recall Barco being there on their own though. Don't think so...

Hi Kevin

The bottom projector is the JVC 4k Lcos based. Nice bright image with great black level. This one is going on a little road trip next month. Several forum members will be seeing this in one forum members theater.

Yeah, I remember that. I was thinking they were absent from the '11 show.


Is there a map of this trip?

It is somewhat of a private showing with surrounding forum members being invited in the North east. The unit in question is being sold.

Eric I see you are also in FL. If your ever mid state and want to spend some time with some of this stuff it would make for a fun afternoon you are always invited just drop me a PM. It would be nice to have someone unbiased spend some hands on. We can target black level and contrast compared to consumer machines. You can then report back to everyone on image quality and features.

I'm in the northeast bro!

Thanks for the invite. I may drive up to Cedia in Sep and might be able to stop by.

Yes, 14' - the bigger the better. But a couple of issues to consider.
Assuming 14' wide 16:9 screen, the head position in front row should be at about 20 or 21'. You have to maximise your viewing angle, for the most enjoyable effect.
If you are using recliners, consider the spacing for the 2nd row and plan your screen width..
If you are using high power projectors - they put out a lot of heat - you would need a projection room or an Isolated Closet with high air flow independent cooling system.
Please consider the above points, before you decide on the size of your screen and the projector.

HomeTheaterGuy74 In this case it might be a good idea to stick with your original plan and shoot for the largest image possible considering the future is 4k then 8k. 4k being a short interim. You will see this movement move fast once it starts.
Not sure your budget but some of the projectors your considering there are 4k options for the same money, some a little less or a little more.
If not for 4k on the eclipse I would build the system around the 2k platform but that will be old news in as little as a few years.
Regardless which direction you choose it looks like you've done your home work and the end result will be rewarding. All the best