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Help with my entertainment / theater room...

post #1 of 14
1/2/13 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
I need some recommendations on my room setup. I am attaching a picture here to show the layout. It is all currently framed up, I just need help in picking the correct projector and how to possible wire for speakers...



This is in my basement by the way. The overall measurements for the room are 21' long x 13' wide. My real dilemma is on the wall where the screen will go. After building the tray ceiling down, I only have 90" of height (from the floor to the underside of the tray) and about 150" of length. I REALLY want to go with a 135" screen but after laying it out last night I only have like 4" from the floor to the bottom of the screen. That definitely doesn't leave enough room for a center channel speaker and the towers on each side will be pretty snug. Everybody always says go with a screen as big as you can but do I maybe need to consider a 120" screen instead?

Also I need some help on projector recommendations... My budget is around $2500 and that needs to include the projector, screen and mounting. I was thinking about mounting it under the tray above the platform but I am afraid that will hang pretty low right over the seats. I could bring it up to mount it off the ceiling and that would give me some extra room. I will have to go back tonight a measure my height to find out exactly what that is. 3d is not a necessity, but since I have a 12 yr old and a 4 yr old, they would probably like to enjoy that kind of stuff. The projector will be mainly used for watching sports, play xbox360 and watching some movies.

As far as speakers go, I was thinking about going with the MartinLogan motion 12's from my fronts. Still up in the air on what center, surrounds and sub to choose with these since I feel like they are pretty powerful. I really like the yamaha A720 receiver, especially with the 2 zones since I will have a set of speakers in the pool table room where I will be hanging another tv.

What gauge wire would be acceptable to run in all the walls? Any other special instructions you guys can think of? Thanks!
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post #2 of 14
1/2/13 at 8:31am
Screen size should be based on your seating distance and the riser height (make sure you can see the screen from the 2nd row). Use the various calculators to give you a better idea, but certainly your screen height is going to be the limitation. You'll very likely want to mount the screen very close to the tray ceiling so that it can be seen from the 2nd row. What's your first row seating distance, and your riser depth?

Speaker wire - you're not going very far, really, so 14 gauge is enough, but I'd put in 12 - if you buy a spool from Monoprice, the cost difference is so low it's not worth worrying about. But do get in-wall rated wire.

Speakers - I'm a MartinLogan fan, too, but regardless of brand, you should choose a center matched to the L/R at least (less critical to match surrounds, but still important to think about). So the Motion center would be the choice there...

For projectors, take a look in the projecfor forum, but I'd look at an Epson in that price range - you can get a good screen for ~$500 - or DIY for less. I'd put the money in the budget into the projector first. At that price range, a few hundred bucks moved to the projector budget gets you a lot. Project onto a blank wall if you have to for a few months until you can add the screen, if necessary...

Jeff
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post #3 of 14
1/3/13 at 9:06am
Thread Starter 
I'm kind of confused by the calculators. I took my measurements last night and it is 19' from where I will mount the projector to the wall where the screen will go. It is 8' from the top of my platform to the ceiling and 8'8" from the floor to the ceiling (the platform is 8" tall obviously.) After using the calculator last night I compared a couple of different projectors. The Epson 5010, 3020 & the BenQ w7000. It showed the 5010 and w7000 both were perfect from my throw distance of 19' but the 3020 gave me some weird measurements, like it needed to be like 25' back (which I thought couldn't be right.) Anyway, like you suggested, I might just buy the projector and project it on a blank wall and then go from there. Does the zoom function on the projector adjust how big the image needs to be (i.e.- matching it to a 120" or a 135" screen?)
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post #4 of 14
1/3/13 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jowens View Post

The Epson 5010, 3020 & the BenQ w7000. It showed the 5010 and w7000 both were perfect from my throw distance of 19' but the 3020 gave me some weird measurements, like it needed to be like 25' back (which I thought couldn't be right.) Anyway, like you suggested, I might just buy the projector and project it on a blank wall and then go from there. Does the zoom function on the projector adjust how big the image needs to be (i.e.- matching it to a 120" or a 135" screen?)

Yes, the zoom function allows you to place the projector at one location and adjust the image size. But there's a "limited" range of zoom, so it's still important to get the projector positioned correctly. If the calculator isn't working or is confusing, look at the product manuals for the projector(s) you're looking at. They will have a range chart showing throw distance vs. screen sizes that the projector is capable of supporting. 19' is getting fairly far back (but not that bad) - 15-17' is a more common 'sweet spot'.

Jeff
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post #5 of 14
1/4/13 at 8:29am
Thread Starter 
I measured my seating distance last night and it is 15' to the first row and 18' to the second row (on the riser.) Since I am not mounting the projector under the tray anymore and now to the ceiling, I can move it anywhere I want to get it closer to the screen.
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post #6 of 14
1/4/13 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jowens View Post

I measured my seating distance last night and it is 15' to the first row and 18' to the second row (on the riser.) Since I am not mounting the projector under the tray anymore and now to the ceiling, I can move it anywhere I want to get it closer to the screen.

Are those recliners in the second row? If so, 3' is not nearly enough distance. A HT recliner needs a MINIMUM of 6' separation. Even with upright seating, 4' is more realistic.
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post #7 of 14
1/4/13 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 
yes recliners... the riser is 6' deep and I was holding the front row 2' from the front of the riser
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post #8 of 14
1/4/13 at 2:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jowens View Post

yes recliners... the riser is 6' deep and I was holding the front row 2' from the front of the riser

Theater recliners mostly recline "forward" from their upright position (only a few inches required behind). Your diagram shows the seats a few feet from the back wall, which they won't be. That's the confusion.

That said, getting the back row a few feet from the rear wall *IS* desired, but if you've got a 6' deep riser, you don't have the space do to that.

Jeff
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post #9 of 14
1/7/13 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
finally took some pictures of the room

this is the wall the screen will be placed on, the wall is the one that backs up against the stairs (looking from the bar area)


this is my seating platform (over in the left hand corner will be my av cabinet and shelf for movies, etc)


this is the bar area (my mom had the bar built for me a few years ago so I am stuck retrofitting it to the area)


a better look at the seating platform



Any suggestions since you can now see the room? I am curious if there are any other wires I should run to my av cabinet? So far I have all the speaker wires, cat 5 and cable for my dish receiver.

I am really up in the air on building a "false wall" along the front of the room where the screen will be... As you can see the stairs come down directly behind it so I could leave access through that little opening. You can see that little shortwall that comes out to the right in the first picture, it is about 30" from the edge to where the wall is now. I want a big screen like we talked about earlier and the false wall would allow my to place speakers behind the screen and fill up that area with a 135" size screen without having to worry about leaving room for the front speakers.
Edited by jowens - 1/7/13 at 11:40am
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post #10 of 14
1/7/13 at 2:32pm
I would do a false wall (I'm biased as I have a false wall and am happy with the decision). The screen size limitations go away, the soundfield opens up along with the ideal speaker placement options. It also lets you add/remove or change things in the future without the need of major retrofits as everything hides behind the "wall".

For the projector, the 2d Optoma HD20 or the 3d version (can't recall the model but it has a center lense) are well within your budget including screen mount and cables. They both give you plenty of lumens to push a 120" screen and a rezor sharp 1080p picture.

My 2c on wiring. You WILL NOT GET THEM ALL so give yourself future access. I "thought" I had mine all covered plus some, only to add to it countless times as new ideas/equipment popped into my head.
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post #11 of 14
1/7/13 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
How deep does the false wall need to be? Is there a standard depth? What is the best material to put on the front of the wall to cover the speakers? Could someone draw me some sort of schematic to show my guy who's doing the framing? I can take a straight on pic showing the measurements if that would help. Thanks!
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post #12 of 14
1/9/13 at 5:42am
Thread Starter 
Bueller...Bueller... Anyone have any advice? Should I just create a "build thread" instead?
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post #13 of 14
1/9/13 at 6:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jowens View Post

How deep does the false wall need to be? Is there a standard depth? What is the best material to put on the front of the wall to cover the speakers? Could someone draw me some sort of schematic to show my guy who's doing the framing? I can take a straight on pic showing the measurements if that would help. Thanks!

If you want a screen that big, a false wall is the way to go. Think about hiding not just your speakers, but also subs back there, too. Allow a little extra depth for future upgrades. The screen needs to be acoustically transparent, and the speakers directly behind it, otherwise there's no point to it. You won't be covering the speakers with fabric, you'll be hiding them with the screen.

Also, seriously consider running 2" flex tube to ANY location you might later want a cable. Really easy now, really hard to pull cable later. Don't run less than 2", no matter what your GC says.
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post #14 of 14
1/10/13 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
I am running a flex tube from the av cabinet to the projector just in case any new technology comes along. Other than that, everything else should be accessible. Is there a recommended depth for the space for the speakers behind the screen? I will be a little limited. My tray is 20" deep so I really can't build it out any further than that without it looking stupid. I was hoping for something like 14-16" deep. I guess most floor standing speakers are around the same depth?
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