Who says you need a dedicated room? (With Pics) - Page 2

Our builder put a lot of extras into it. Lots of cabinet work including all of the closets (built ins). This guy even put nice sconces in the kid's closets. Funny thing is, they're on the door side inside the closet so no one will ever notice. My only gripe is the cheap contractor in ceiling speakers throughout the house.

Just sold the Pearl. Now I need to decide what will light up the screen now. I'm leaning towards the Black Pearl (VW60). I'm also considering the Marantz VP15s1, Infocus 82, or maybe an RS1 if it's bargain priced.

I actually found a slightly lower ceiling. The garage. Now that I'm deciding on another projector, I'm realizing what a pain these ceilings are. Just in case, I have three drop poles for my Chief mount, 12",24",and 36". The 36 looks stupid hanging in the middle of the open room. I think the only way it would look cool is if it here holding a sleek looking PJ like the Qualia or a Blackwing.

Appreciate the compliments. I think a front projection system can be made to work in almost any setting. Most would look at my room, initially, and think "wow thats going to be tough". Windows, hard floors, open design, preexisting cabinets, etc. Choosing the right colors, equipment, and acoustic treatments just takes a bit of planning. If I would have went with wood blinds, light colored semigloss latex, no carpet/rug, and bright speakers, things would have turned out much different. I have no complaint about the soundquality in this room. I do have a hard time keeping the volume down though.

Here's a shot screenshot from a $600 Acer PH530 on my 119" High Power
Great little projector but I'm not too god at screenshots.

Thanks. The cabinets were part of the original house construction. I was actually considering restructuring them to allow for a fixed 10' wide scope screen and a plasma lift (from lower cabinets). I think I'm going to leave it as is and add a manual pulldown 2.35:1 Dalite HP. I'm not sure at this point. It may be a bit too large for a 11' viewing distance.

Thanks. The sofa is at 11-12' and the loveseat a few feet less. With 1080p, especially HD or BR, the image is sharp and without pixel visibility, etc at that distance. With 720p the pixels are visible. This weekend we had kids siting as close as 7-8' from the screen while watching Transformers. Looked great even that close.

The cables had to run within the cabinets and walls of the wall unit. There is plenty of attic space above though. The problem with the install was the odd angles due to the roof and ceilings. I had a problem with my 50' Monoprice HDMI (dropouts). I replaced it with a 25'-->Gefen HDMI booster (powered)--->15' HDMI. No problems now. The outlet is above the projector in the attic. I used an extra long PS3 power cord (from Gamestop) to allow for use of the extension column. Now the column is 24" (pictured was 12"). The cables run through the column into the attic space. Bringing the projector lower improved the brightness with the HP screen.

Installed a Monoprice Matrix 4x2 HDMI switcher/splitter with remote today. This will be sending simultaneous signals (HDMI 1.3) to bith the plasma and projector.

The unit is the new 1.3 version. From Monoprice:

"Monoprice has always strived to bring elegant and simple solution within reach of everyone’s budget. Our newest solution provides the ability to switch between up to 4 source devices and independently out to two different destinations with support for HDMI 1.3a, high bandwidth throughput. Monoprice is pleased to present our 1.3a spec'd, 4x2 True Matrix Switcher. "


I'll give some feedback after I've put it through some HD, SD, and cable HD.

The 805 is a pretty nice receiver for the price. I preferred the auto calibration from my previous Pioneer Elite 54TX. The Onkyo drives the Klipsch with more power than the Elite. It also is much better built & equipped (heft, detachable power cord, remote, etc.) Video wise, I only use it for pass through of HDMI. The good thing is it has no issues syncing with either display. I sold my first 805 and was going to save money and keep the 54TX. With no HDMI on the Elite, I eventually heard enough difference to purchase one (805) again.

Cons of the 805:
1. Can not turn off display light (only dims a bit) (Elite does)
2. Runs hot
3. WOuld have preferred dual HDMI outs like the 905

My current upgrade is the projector. I'm still undecided. There are a few that I am considering but each has their pros and cons.

Sony VW60: Pros: sharpness, remote lens functions, price,quiet

JVC RS1: Pros: black level, overall PQ. Cons: no remote lens, saturation

Sim2 HT380: Pros: PQ, sharpness, etc.... Cons: lens shift & price

Panasonic AE2000: Need to see before I believe any early opinions (doubt LCD)




So far I'm leaning towards the VW60 based upon my experience with the VW50 and Greg Rogers' review. I love the lens shift on the remote. I usually lower the 2.35:1 image on the screen to eliminate the bottom bar. It also brings the image to eye level. On my last theater room, I had a fixed screen to allow me to mask the image. I loved it.


2.35:1



1.78:1 (room looked different because I added panels and suede paint)



Also, I'm considering adding a Dalite Model C High Power 54 x 126" (138" diagonal) 2.35:1 screen. I'd ceiling mount this manual pulldown behind my Dalite Electrol. A remote zoom and lens shift would allow me to adjust the pic to use the zoom method for the scope screen.

Maybe I should wait until next year?

Here's some info: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=922617

Thanks for the compliments!

I ended up taking the switcher out. It worked fine, synced well, but the lights were too many and too bright for my setup. I usually have to keep the cabinets open because of the heat put out by the PS3. The lights on the switcher become too visible. Oh well.

Next on the list will be the 138" screen. I can't wait to have a 10'+ wide scope screen in front of me! It's going to require me to get a projector with remote zoom, lens shift, and focus. So much for DLP. It's probably going to have to be a VW60.

I'm working on adding blackout vinyl rolldown window covers to get 100% (or close to that) light blockage for daytime viewing. I'd prefer the electric blackout shades but my local nursery doesn't have any money trees for me to plant out back. Maybe someday.

This weekend I'm adding my weekday night sound system. I'm looking forward to being able to actually hear movies at a higher volume without waking the kids. This was never a problem when I had the dedicated room (it was sound isolated).

I purchased these from Amazon after reading good reviews at Headfi.org




Sennheiser HD555




JVC SU-DH1 Dolby Headphone Processor

Lots of goodies today.