Twinseltown Theater - Page 3

You didn't catch it because I'll bet I never mentioned why The wife was really excited about the rear bar. However, after we put the 1st row seating in, she though more about how uncomfortable the bar seats might be after a 1.5 hour flic. At that point she changed her mind and we purchased the rear seating. I did not have the room length for reclining rear seat but what we purchased is still very comfortable after a long movie (the kids prefer the rear row because it is raised). NOW -- if I had the room length you have, I know we would have put the bar as the 3rd row. I'd stay with your design. It will work out well for sporting events when you have snacks and lots of people.

BTW -- your seating looks similar in layout to this room. When my wife saw this on TV, she liked the swivel-chair concept used in this room. We were going to add the floor seating for the kids but found out a thick blanket and a few pillows does the trick just as well. And the nice part is they can be easily picked up and put away

This is the room from the show -- ReDesign on HGTV

I agree -- make it deeper to accommodate recliners (just in case). You have the room depth so take advantage of it.

BTW -- you could possibly push your front row a little closer -- especially if you are getting a 1080 projector. My 1st row is 1.2x screen width (eyes are 11.4' away on a 9.5' wide screen) and I can only make out SDE on very white or "fire" explosion scenes (Infocus IN76 720p). I had a buddy bring over his 1080 projector (Panny AE1000U) and we saw NOTHING from the seated position. I even walked up to my screen and did not see anything until I was about 4 feet away. I can't wait util I can do an upgrade.

Just some food for thought.

Tony,

Looks like that will work out well. You just need to design it so if they shelf supports are removed, you have an easy way to cover up the holes left behind.

And I have not read all your thread in detail -- so this may have already been brought up...

You mentioned you prefer to sit in the middle row of seating (vs. in the front). Those swivel chairs are a great option being next to the bar but I do not think they will be as comfortable as the recliners. When watching a movie, the "recline" does make it much more comfortable IMO.

Have you considered putting the HT seating in the middle with a couch or small sectional in front? The couch should not cost you much more (if any) that (4) of those swivel chairs. I saw this in a Home Electronic Magazine about a year back and it looked great. The leather color of the couch matched the color of the HT seating -- which gave everything a uniform look. You could even put a long leather/fabric covered ottoman in front for foot support (and as a make-shift table to hold snacks). You have 12' in front of that seated area -- so it won't crowd the front.

Here is a quick MS Paint mock-up for ya

I'm also not sure you need to put the bar stools on a riser. In any of the theaters that I've seen with a third row bar stool set-up, the stool people can see over the second row without needing to be on a riser.

Tony,

Sounds like your usage is conducive to the build plan you have in mind (soundproofing wise). In that case you're certainly better off saving the money for that 1080p projector

Mike

tony123, I hate you. This is looking absolute incredible. I'm green with envy!

The aspect ratio of the screen will also effect the distance from the ceiling (eg, 2.35:1 will give a greater distance). Can't remember, what aspect ratio are you using?

And, yes, your abnormal height is likely causing glitches within the calculator

What the??????
Man, I am going to get jealous. Just caught this thread and dont remember the room ever being this big??? The design however.....I LIKE IT!!!! Cant wait to see
how it all come together. I wonder if I can steall some of your design ideas
Lets get busy.

I just had about 3 crude comments go through my head and I was going to give you a hard time. However, since this is a family web site I will keep them to myself You are going about it the right way, planning that is. I just rush into everything and end up redoing it once or twice (or 4 times in the case of my front wall).

I like the plan. Start building. The anticipation is killing me. Your boys are going to be leaving for college soon. You want them to enjoy the theater, don't you?

[quote=tony123]Okay, we watched Superman Returns last night and sat at the 155"distance (first row). It was a little close for both my wife and I's taste. I've redrawn the plan sliding the front row back to 168" distance (eye to screen) and it made a big difference for us. We watched "Flushed Away" with the kids and it was worlds more comfortable.

So The spacing of all seating is the same. It all slide back 13" as a unit which leaves a little less room behind the barstools, but viewing comfort trumps aisle space.

Here's the new plan.




Tony,

Am I correct that SUPERMAN RETURNS was presented at 2.35:1 (60" X 141")?

As we discussed earlier, my taste would be for a viewing distance of around 2.5 times screen height for the nearest seats, and about 3.5 times screen height for the most distant seats. For your 60" image height, this would be a minimum distance of 150" or so from the front row with a minimum of about 210" from the back row. Even though your first row fell within the parameter I had mentioned, it sounds like you guys prefer a little more distance from eye to screen with the 60 inch image height. This is a perfect illustration of how simulating and experimenting prior to construction can help you identify your own preferences , allowing you to tweak any formula to fit your own preferences.

However, having said all that, I ain't givin' up! Unless, you were just totally overwhelmed by the image size from the front row, I'd suggest you watch a couple more movies before you abandon the 155" distance. It may grow on you.

Also, you may find your theater patronized by certain individuals (nameless, of course ) who might like watching that size picture from 155". Seriously, though, a number of people may want to sit in that front row, while others share your taste and prefer the second or third row. That's what's nice about having several rows---people of different tastes have a choice. One thing for sure: there are always significant differences among viewers about what is too large and what is too small.

In summary, I believe you should plan your theater for the maximum cinematic impact, while attempting as best you can to avoid overwhelming or underwhelming the viewers. Not a very precise formula, I know...but it's fun trying to hit the target!

Very nice setup.

Rear area is perfect for watching sports with a group - and the greater distance from the screen is also better suited for video gaming (if that is an interest).

I sit at about 2.4 x screen height and playing Halo made me want to blow chunks - I had to move to the back row to avoid the equivalent of bed spins (kids aren't affected at all).

I think your comments in Post #82 are right on the mark. Tweak your viewing distance and audio for the single row of theater seats (more specifically to your individual chair) - virtually ignoring the rear two "social gathering" rows. Keep your movies 100% ideal for 100% of your movies for 4 people - and your only sacrifice is for persons #5 & up for 20% of your viewings. That means possibly cheating your surrounds forward a bit - closer to the direct side of the recliner row.

Other thing I didn't see is whether you are planning 7.1 audio. It's not used so much right now for movies, but may be utilized more in the future. But the bigger advantage is you could place the rear surrounds on your angled corners in the back and with a simulated setting (like "stadium", etc.) you can send the crowd noise of sports behind all seats and give more of an immersive experience - even while socializing.

Tony,

When I was designing the rear bar seating in my room, I did not plan on a riser. I computed all the angles and because the bar stools stood so high, there was no head blockage with a screen 24" off the floor.

Also, having a single level for your 2nd and 3rd rows will make the upper deck seem larger IMO and less to trip on given the traffic your have back there during a sporting event

EDIT -- I just saw the pics of your bar stools and they look to be normal chair height (I did not know that). If that is the case, I think the bar will need to be on a platform so you will see over the 2nd row heads.

The riser and stage are usually done after drywall for sound isolation concerns. The idea is to create the airtight room and then build things within that do not contact the drywall (1/4 gap between stage/riser and drywall. Basically trying to keep everything decoupled. Since you are not real concerned with sound isolation, you could probably build it either way.

Are you planning any sort of subfloor for moisture control (Dricore, etc) or are you going to lay carpet on the concrete? If going with a subfloor that would obviously be the first step before stage/riser construction.