[sb1920alk]

I recently moved to a new house that has a dedicated HT room. The room is roughly 15'8" square. I've been reading through many of the threads here getting ideas, but it's a lot of information and I was hoping someone could help point me in the right direction on the screen.

The wall that the screen will be on is only 7' tall due to the roof line cutting the ceiling a bit (the room is on the 2nd story in the corner of the house). Most of the room has a 9' ceiling, but it slopes down to 7' tall starting 3' ft away from the wall on the screen side, and of the right-of-the-screen side of the room. The right side also has 3 windows, but I plan to block the light 100%. It has French doors in the center of the wall opposite the screen. There is a "bumpout" on the back left corner of the room that could be a good place for equipment, if I don't put it under the screen.

I taped off 110' and 120' sizes for 16x9, but I have some concerns/questions:
- Is that too big for the room? (the ceiling power outlet is 12' from the screen)
- The room's only vent is 17" behind the plug from the screen. If I put a projector right in front of the vent, is the projector going to shake when the air comes on?
- The room currently has a traditional light fixture dead center of the ceiling. I'm thinking about replacing it with something, maybe a ceiling fan with no light kit, but I don't want it to get in the way of the projector.
- The screen wall came textured like the rest of the house
- The wall is not perfectly flat - I have a 4' level and the right side of where the screen would be has a bulge vertically. It pushes the level about 1/4 inch away from the wall on either side.
- Is 16x9 the most....not sure what word to use here..."reasonable"...aspect ratio for a screen?

I was reading about TWH to paint on, but I don't think it comes any bigger than 4' x 8', which would be a little smaller than I was thinking (but maybe more appropriate for the room size?). Also, if I glued it to the wall, wouldn't that just make it follow the curve of the bump? Can you get more than one panel and join them together/cut to fit to make a bigger screen, or are the seems too much of a problem? I'm in the Dallas area, and I saw the thread about Wilsonart laminate, so that's a possibility for me too. Would you just use the laminate "as is", or would you paint it? Speaking of paint, I saw threads on Silver Fire v2.5 and also RS-MaxxMudd v2.5. I think I know the answer, but I have to ask, is there a reason you can't just take a sample to a paint store, have them scan it, and mix up a can to match?

I don't have a projector yet, so I'm open to suggestions there too. I'm leaning towards the DIY options for the screen because it sounds like you can get a better screen that way, but I'm not against paying if it makes sense. I don't have an official budget, but I don't think $3K for projector+screen would be out of the question, maybe more if there's a big difference.

Thanks in advance

 

[dreamer]

I recently moved to a new house that has a dedicated HT room. The room is roughly 15'8" square. I've been reading through many of the threads here getting ideas, but it's a lot of information and I was hoping someone could help point me in the right direction on the screen.

The wall that the screen will be on is only 7' tall due to the roof line cutting the ceiling a bit (the room is on the 2nd story in the corner of the house). Most of the room has a 9' ceiling, but it slopes down to 7' tall starting 3' ft away from the wall on the screen side, and of the right-of-the-screen side of the room. The right side also has 3 windows, but I plan to block the light 100%. It has French doors in the center of the wall opposite the screen. There is a "bumpout" on the back left corner of the room that could be a good place for equipment, if I don't put it under the screen.

I taped off 110' and 120' sizes for 16x9, but I have some concerns/questions:
- Is that too big for the room? (the ceiling power outlet is 12' from the screen)
- The room's only vent is 17" behind the plug from the screen. If I put a projector right in front of the vent, is the projector going to shake when the air comes on?
- The room currently has a traditional light fixture dead center of the ceiling. I'm thinking about replacing it with something, maybe a ceiling fan with no light kit, but I don't want it to get in the way of the projector.
- The screen wall came textured like the rest of the house
- The wall is not perfectly flat - I have a 4' level and the right side of where the screen would be has a bulge vertically. It pushes the level about 1/4 inch away from the wall on either side.
- Is 16x9 the most....not sure what word to use here..."reasonable"...aspect ratio for a screen?

I was reading about TWH to paint on, but I don't think it comes any bigger than 4' x 8', which would be a little smaller than I was thinking (but maybe more appropriate for the room size?). Also, if I glued it to the wall, wouldn't that just make it follow the curve of the bump? Can you get more than one panel and join them together/cut to fit to make a bigger screen, or are the seems too much of a problem? I'm in the Dallas area, and I saw the thread about Wilsonart laminate, so that's a possibility for me too. Would you just use the laminate "as is", or would you paint it? Speaking of paint, I saw threads on Silver Fire v2.5 and also RS-MaxxMudd v2.5. I think I know the answer, but I have to ask, is there a reason you can't just take a sample to a paint store, have them scan it, and mix up a can to match?

I don't have a projector yet, so I'm open to suggestions there too. I'm leaning towards the DIY options for the screen because it sounds like you can get a better screen that way, but I'm not against paying if it makes sense. I don't have an official budget, but I don't think $3K for projector+screen would be out of the question, maybe more if there's a big difference.

Thanks in advance

If you have over 15' from screen wall to french door wall, then you can place seats at 12.5" and still have access to the french doors even if they are directly behind the seats. That means a 150" screen is possible. That size has an image area 6' tall, and being 1' off the floor is also correct for that size screen so your eye level will fall 1/3rd the way up the screen. You can easily build a 150" wooden frame from poplar, stretch flexiwhite over it, and hang it against a black curtain backdrop for under $200.

The best projector out there under $2000 is the Benq W1070 which is under $700, so your budget is fine. To fill a 150" screen, it must be placed between 12'6" and 16' from lens to screen, so placing it just behind your power outlet at 12' will work. Keep in mind that you must find ceiling joists/trusses to mount the ceiling mount to -- toggle anchors in drywall won't do. Properly mounted into joists, the HVAC won't shake the projector. The W1070 also must be placed with the lens EXACTLY in the center of the screen width, so attach the mount to wherever the ceiling joist is, then hang the projector from the mount, square up the projected image so everything is square without using any keystone correction, THEN mount the screen where it must go. DON'T try to mount the screen and then force the projector to try to hit it.

The projector will only be a few inches above the top of the screen height, so if 7' is the top of the screen, the projector lens will only be 7'6" off the floor and will likely be lower than the blades on a ceiling fan so it will not be in the light path.

 

[Ftoast]

Just color-matching SilverFire will give you a plain matte-grey around 0.4-0.6gain because the result won't have the proper amount of metallic paint added to increase gain. Color-matching the colorant+10oz white and adding the appropriate metallic+poly+water would get you much closer, but colormatching isn't super accurate for darker colors and you'd still need to make or be given the RedGreenBlueYellowWhite mixture in order to color-match it.

The flexi-white material suggested can be painted later if you want, but it's also a great screen as-is. Because your room sounds like it'll be a dedicated space, will you be able to paint the walls+ceiling darker or put up some dark fabric? That's something to definitely consider before the room gets too full of stuff and is practically a requirement for getting the most out of any projector (particularly if you'll be shopping the $2000-2500 range).
A specialty screen like SilverFire can help improve the picture if the room is left untreated, but the flexi-white should look fantastic if you can treat the room with dark colors.

 

[techtre2003]

Also, if you are going to treat the room with dark colors; I'd look at some projectors with better contrast levels. While the Benq W1070 is a nice budget projector, you can do better with your budget. The Panasonic PT-AE8000U is a great deal right now and you could put that together with a DIY screen and be WELL below $3k. You'd also gain a lot of placement flexibility with the Panny and can even consider going with a 2.35:1 screen which I would look into if your primary viewing will be movies.

 

[sb1920alk]

Thanks for the info

I can paint the room darker. My wife is asking for a dark maroon or burgundy.

The french doors are a little further back then the rest of the back wall, so I should be able to sit at 12.5'.

I forgot to mention, I have 2 kids

 

[techtre2003]

144" at 12.5 feet with kids sitting in front of that would be a pretty big screen. You may want it that big, but the 110-120 might work better for you. Plus that would give you more breathing room for your center speaker. Is there any way you could grab one of those projectors from work for one night to take home and try out?

With gaming systems going in and having smaller children (and am guessing Disney/Pixar movies) 16:9 is probably going to work better for you. Latency can be an issue with some projectors but I used to game on an LCD and never really noticed any lag. I believe the Panasonic LCD I mentioned actually has a pretty low latency spec in it's game mode.

You really shouldn't have to worry about noise with home theater projectors; especially if you run them on Eco mode which with the correct choice you should be able to do that. Any projector is going to blow out hot air. The only concerns I would say are to make sure it has proper ventilation (which you are ceiling mounting so that's not an issue) and making sure the room has proper cooling (people + projector + Summer can get pretty hot).

The border is up to you. You could probably get by with no border on a dark painted back wall but the border just makes it look that much nicer IMO. Even if you just put a 1 1/2 - 2" border on it would be fine.

 

[MississippiMan]

sb1920talk,

Between all the info provided in your 1st and last post, there is a lot to address. But not so much as for you to have any real worries.

If you give me a bit of time I'll come back with a A to Z breakdown on your best possible options, and work to minimize the budget wherever possible while doing so. I can't promise to i8nclude everything in this post....but if not...I'll be Baaaaack.

1st things first.

Get the Panasonic PT AE8000u and go for a (2.35:1) "53x126 in -- 136in Diagonal " Flexi-White Screen on a Poplar Frame, and place the PJ so it's "Lens face" is exactly 15' from the screen. The Panny's wide Horizontal and Vertical Lens shift allows for even a rank Noob to install it and get a perfectly squared image up. A big 2.39:1 screen is epic when watching DVD movies, and when the Panny's Lens Memory changes the format to 16:9 for TV, you will still be graced with almost a full 110" diagonal image. No much in all that not to love.

You can never hope to have any larger a screen than a 116" diagonal 2.39:1 screen (46" x 107") if you place the PJ at 12' I strongly suggest that you consider using the Power that is available for the Fan....and either lose the fan or move it as high as possible and to a location behind the seating / PJ.
(I'm hoping the Flat part of your ceiling is Attic space)

Order a Chief RPA-181 Ceiling Mount + a Peerless ACC150 Round Ceiling Plate from Projector People. Ask for Kirk and tell him "Maurice" sent you and he'll hook you up with the best price. Or else!

The projector's lens should be no less or more than 8' off the floor. Forget about heat or noise worries. The Panny runs reasonably cool, and is insanely less noisy than any Office Presentation PJ.

That Slope.....it comes into the screen wall at 7', eh? Well plan on the top of the screen's trim running along / against that edge. And the slope is painted darker than the Wall behind the screen. A good color scheme would be using a very dark shade of either Maroon or Burgundy for the Flat ceiling and slop, and a medium to darker Grey for the walls. Use the same shade of color used for the Ceiling on the Door/Window/Baseboard Trim, just be sure it's a dull Satin Enamel.

As far as the screen trim goes, I do think it's worth doing. You can keep it small by going with a 1-7/8" Black Felt Tape, or get classy and use 3.25" wide x 1/2" Mdf Base wrapped in real Black Velvet. The latter is the best of course, and signify s that you take pride in how things look and perform.

Now back to the Flexi-White Screen.

After you hang it into place, but "BEFORE" you paint the wall behind it, test it with the Panny. Since your going to have a light controlled dedicated theater, and you want maximum gain for 3D, what with the size screen you'll have you should first try it "as is". In it's natural state it is pretty much Kid resistant, because it wipes clean with mild soap and water. Almost NO Mfg Screens can say that...and advanced DIY painted screens, although they are pretty wipe-able, you really cannot "Clean" them with soap and water.

Of course with some spare paint, they can be easily touched up...once again something no Mfg Screen can claim.

So there it is. Iffin' I was a'buildin' that room, that's how I would do it....and it would be good enough I'd expect to big smiles at the end.

 

[dreamer]

Thanks for the info

I can paint the room darker. My wife is asking for a dark maroon or burgundy.

The french doors are a little further back then the rest of the back wall, so I should be able to sit at 12.5'.

I forgot to mention, I have 2 kids

 

[MississippiMan]

No he cannot without losing too much lumen output...and at 7' he doesn't have sufficient wall height for a much larger 16:9 image. 150" diagonal is 74" tall. The OP only has 7' (84")

Is placing the bottom of the screen at 12" off the floor even a seriously considered option? hardly so.

Also...who ever mentioned tilting the screen? I have seen it mentioned a few times and basically, it's always a bad idea.

And your specs on the Panny are wrong considering that "Best" mode does not need to be Cinema on low lamp. Best Mode is simply the mode chosen by the Reviewer, not the mode best suited for any particular situation / screen size. Also, you can bet ur arse that the W1070's "Best" mode, calabrated and on Low Lamp, is no where near 1700 lumen output.

Man...I still find it hard to accept that anyone with any realization of what makes a good PJ/Screen combo would ever mention the W1070 and the Panny 8K in the same paragraph.

The Panny stands apart in every way. Even if one was to decide to go with only 16:9 it would be the preferred choice. I say that because I have considerable experience using both projectors in actual Theaters / Living Rooms...with a variety of screen surface options, and basically... that personal experience counts for more than any number of supposed biased or misleading reviews. At least that's my take on the matter...take it or leave it.

Oh...and let's be clear about one thing...I am not a Panny Dealer, nor do I own Panny stock. I just tell it the way it is in repeated real world situations

 

[MississippiMan]

Hey, sorry for the intensity....but I really don't think the OP is getting helped by getting suggestions about filling his entire wall while being lumen starved.

Also, the Urchins will never be able to avoid contact with a screen 12" off the floor. There will be more hell raising potential than enjoyable viewing going on. The Kids won't have a very good time if they must sit rock still and sit on their hands under paint of death.

 

[sb1920alk]

Ok, here is the updated plan based on the suggestions so far and feedback from my wife:

Run the cabling (plan to pop the baseboards off, put the cables in, and replace the baseboards) for speakers, sub, Wii sensor bar extension, possibly IR repeater (still looking into that if I want the equipment in the "bumpout" equipment corner in the back left corner of the room).
Pant the walls dark maroon or burgundy
Pant the ceiling charcoal, or dark grey, or black
Black out the windows, possibly add something on one of the french doors to block light coming in between the two.
Hang the projector, cut a hole for the hdmi cable (attic is above the room (not the slant ceiling), there is a condiut in the equipment corner, and screen side center that both go to the attic), either hide the hole behind the mount kit, or use a low voltage plate.
Shine the projector on the wall and see exactly where the screen needs to go with an appropriately sized border, maybe try 16x9 vs 2.35x1
Build the screen and border, hang on the wall to exactly catch the projector
Put the center channel speaker just below the screen - possibly in front of the border, tell the kids not to touch it or the screen, or sub, put the other speakers up out of their reach
Watch movies - "Phase I Complete"

...saw MM's response while typing this. I didn't mean to say I would tilt the screen. I was asking if I were to put the screen up so the top of it meets the slant ceiling/wall joint, then put the top border on the slant ceiling. The screen would still be flat, but the top border would be tilted in exchange for having the screen a bit higher up.

...saw MM's second response while typing this. I don't think it's going to matter how high I can raise the bottom of the screen - the kids will find a way to make it sticky, under "paint of death" or not

regarding the projector - I don't mind paying more if it makes sense. With a screen options of DIY vs having geeksquad put one up or similar...DIY makes a lot more sense, you get exactly the size you want, etc. The savings is an added bonus. "I know what I don't know". I know that I don't know what the best option for a projector is.

 

[Ftoast]

I think this is where the tipping came into question.

Would you tip the top border along the angled ceiling to keep the screen height up a bit?

I'd also have to argue that 12inches or 24inches off the floor isn't going to make much difference for the screen VS

 

[sb1920alk]

...trying to upload some pictures of the room...

Back left shows the open doors and the "equipment corner". The wall plate on the left is a conduit that goes to the attic


Back right shows the 3 windows that will be covered, and the ceiling slant on that side.


This ceiling pic shows the orientation of the light, ceiling plug, and vent


2 front corners. The blank wall plate in the center is another conduit that goes to the attic





These 2 front shots show the ceiling slant above the screen side. I added a 4' level for size reference. Ceiling slopes from 9' to 7' starting 3' away from the wall on the front and right sides of the room.

 

[techtre2003]

Just a thought and others can chime in; that slanted wall above the screen may cause some reflection back onto the screen. It may be worth covering that in a black material rather than just painting it. My situation was more extreme with a long soffit just above the screen but when I painted it a matte black I still had a lot of light reflecting off of it.

 

[sb1920alk]

Am I looking at this correctly?

To make the ae8000 throw a 150' image, I would need to have it 14'8" back at 2x zoom?


And 14'2" back with a 1.15x zoom for the w1070?


I measured again to confirm. The wall over the doors you can see in the "Back right" picture from my previous reply starts at 7' off the floor, and is 15'8" away from the top of the screen (where the slanted ceiling hits the screen, which is also 7' above the floor). I could build a shelf right there and back the projector all the way to touch the wall above the doors, or hang it in that spot. I'm not sure if that's the measurement to look for in these calculators or if you need to consider how much lower the image will be than the projector as well. Also, as I move the projector further away, doesn't it increase the odds that it will hit more things in the room, like people sitting up tall in front of it?

All things being equal, the "Image Brightness" of the w1070 comes to 13 fL and the ae8000 comes to 18 fL. I'm not really sure what to compare that to, but more is better, right?

 

[dreamer]

Am I looking at this correctly?

To make the ae8000 throw a 150' image, I would need to have it 14'8" back at 2x zoom?


And 14'2" back with a 1.15x zoom for the w1070?


I measured again to confirm. The wall over the doors you can see in the "Back right" picture from my previous reply starts at 7' off the floor, and is 15'8" away from the top of the screen (where the slanted ceiling hits the screen, which is also 7' above the floor). I could build a shelf right there and back the projector all the way to touch the wall above the doors, or hang it in that spot. I'm not sure if that's the measurement to look for in these calculators or if you need to consider how much lower the image will be than the projector as well. Also, as I move the projector further away, doesn't it increase the odds that it will hit more things in the room, like people sitting up tall in front of it?

All things being equal, the "Image Brightness" of the w1070 comes to 13 fL and the ae8000 comes to 18 fL. I'm not really sure what to compare that to, but more is better, right?

Yes, and no.

The Panny must have its lens at 14'8" from the screen -- which is impossible because the Panny is 15" deep and the cables and one vent are on the rear so it can't be flush to a wall.

The W1070 is 12" deep and also has cables and one vent on the rear so it can't be backed up to a wall either, but your picture misses the fact that its lens only needs to be 12'7" from the screen (the top of the "Zoom" box). So there is plenty of room for theW1070 to fill a 150" screen and still be directly overhead the seats. You want a projector directly over the seat backs, because then people will not be able to walk under it.

Finally, the "brightness" figures on the Calculator are not correct. Nobody knows why. And manufacturers lie about the brightness specs on their projectors, so you need to get the true lumens figures from a review where they have measured brightness after calibrating the colors correctly. You take the "true" lumens and divide by the square feet area of the screen, then multiply by the "gain" of the screen to get the "foot lamberts" figure. The higher the number, the better if you like a punchy image even in a room that isn't pitch dark. At least 16fl is the commercial theater standard. A 150" screen is 66sf area, so dividing the W1070 1700 lumens by 66 gives 25fl for a screen with a 1.0 gain, not the 15fl the calculator shows. The calculator is using a 990 lumens figure for the W1070 for some odd reason, even though their own review measured 1222 lumens in its dimmest mode and 1782 in its brightest color-accurate mode. In a mode with accurate colors, the Panny only has 622 lumens according to the review I linked earlier, which would yield only 10fl on the same screen -- you can get nearly as much brightness as the W1070 but the color accuracy will suffer because it will be very blue/green with weak reds. The calculator shows 16fl which means it is using a 1050 lumens figure for the Panny even though ProjectorCentral's own review measured 822 lumens -- 200 more than the ProjectorReviews.com review but still not the 1050 figure the calculator is using.

In short, the foot lamberts figure depends on the size of the screen and the particular mode the projector is in as well as how close the projector is to its closest-possible distance -- closer is brighter because less light is lost inside the lens system.

 

[MississippiMan]

Dreamer............what an appropriate handle.

Bluntly stated, the gulf between the w1070 and the 8000 is vast in most all respects.

You speak of reviews and reviewers, but you don't elaborate on what mode "they" chose, and how /what they choose to do to calibrate to reach their figures. Nor do you consider the bias many show, and how their reports can be swayed by other influences and preferences. Calibrations done in what some reviewers claim is "Best Mode" (their own determination) are always done in Low Lamp Mode. What I see is a seeming bias against PCs calculator, but a failure to note that after 4 years on, any disparities in the original inputed figures have been adjusted...and differences between them and outside reviewers are just that...differences.
You can only make your own judgement as to whose figures are truly the closest. Bear in mind that PC also does "unbiased" reviews and publishes those figures as well.

You quote brightness levels by another source based on a 1.0 gain white surface but fail to note that the OP has better screen choices that go above that....and he would be best advised to pursue such because of his own stated desires.

You cannot dispute the Panny's much better Contrast and Black levels...so you do not bother to even mention them. And those Blacks and better Contrast come along without demanding extensive calibration in low lumen "Best" modes. Better Blacks and Contrast equate to a brighter looking image at any level of reflected brightness. (Fl)

You don't bother to mention that to make the Panny fit, all one would need to do it move it forward another few inches. One thing to consider...the OP is looking toward too large a screen in any case...it needs to be reduced at least by 8" diagonal. Excessive size will not only limit performance, it will determine how good the screen will look wedged between Floor and the top of the available space on the wall, as well as the cost of material, and the difficulty of the build.

And...should the OP place the W1070 at or close to directly above the seating, the viewers will be "treated" to a higher level of Fan noise. So MUCH higher (30 db vs 22 db...a huge difference ) it really makes little difference where it's placed. This us a very important aspect for anyone with good hearing to consider.

The Panny's ability to be adjusted in all modes outstrips the BenQ by a wide margin.

The very nature of the OPs room and and mounting demands required by his screen placement height demands more flexibility in vertical Lens Shift than the W1070 can offer without either hanging it at / below 7' (NOISE !) or maxing out the W1070's very limited Vertical Shift Range..or worse, tilting the PJ and having to employ Keystone adjustment. And why not mention, while the subject of placement difficulty is being discussed, how the W1070 would have to have it's Lens placed "exactly" in the center of the Screen?

Then....there are the potential Color Wheel induced Rainbows to deal with. And Rainbow effect is always more likely as well as more prominent on a larger sized screen.

Using the old method of listing "Pros & Cons" of two different but similar items and going with the one that has the least Cons results in closing the book on the BenQ with a decided "thump".

 

[Ftoast]

Neither projector should pose a problem for mounting as long as the screen is a bit under 150"..closer to 140"-145"..
Either projector will need to be aimed perfectly perpendicular to the screen and the ae8000's ability to be mounted a bit toward the left won't be useful in a dedicated room 99% of the time. Squaring a projector isn't hard, but it's definitely a look'n'measure twice, drill once affair.

Unless you're sitting too close to a screen (whiplash) a larger screen is actually LESS likely to show RBE (to those susceptible) because of the naturally lower brightness of the extra square-footage.

Either projector will likely be run in eco-lamp and cinema at the darkest because nobody pays $400 to calibrate neither a $650 projector nor a $1600 one..both models have a brighter mode that's still pleasantly accurate and a good deal brighter if needed (3D?, 1500+hours later?), and both are plenty quiet in eco-lamp though the Panasonic should be quieter in full-lamp. The Benq does have an advantage for staying impressively accurate at very bright settings (though both projectors look pretty terrible in dynamic mode..that's not what I'm talking about).

The Panasonic has a solid lead on contrast/black-levels while the Benq will look similar to your local theatre at best (not a bad place to be especially at its price, but your dark-colored room is begging for better if budget allows).

The Panasonic in its gaming mode should perform adequate for the kids and many folks don't get frustrated from a small bit of input lag. If you're into multiplayer shooters or other fast-reflex games, something a bit faster might be worth looking at and the w1070 definitely fits the fast gaming bill.

Worth mentioning for extra confusion (though likely outside of budget at $2000) is the Sony hw40.
If you want a projector that's whisper quiet in every lamp/brightness mode, exceptionally accurate AND bright while doing it, very fast for gaming, and even higher contrast than the Panasonic, no chance of RBE, and no chance of seeing pixel screendoor (though both Benq and Panasonic perform very well in that department as well)..the hw40 offers all that..for a price.

For the bargain of the ae8000 though, I'd lean toward that if the budget is already feeling squeezed.
I'm a passionate fan of the w1070 because it does a fantastic job at punching well above its weight, but you have the magical pairing of budget AND treated-room to make a high-end model purchase make sense.

 

[MississippiMan]

ftoast,

Why do you and some others fixate on maintaining a "lower" level of off-screen brightness by employing Low Lamp? Lamp Life? (...or in reality, that the Blacks of the W1070 will be all the more worse in any mode brighter than Low Lamp? ) For goodness sake, even at just 3000 hours lamp life, it would take someone a full year of everyday viewing at 4 hours each day to reach 1400 hours. Instead, figure the same amount per day but only 1/3rd as often viewing and your at 3 years before a full half life is reached. Another thing....the W1070 runs amazingly hotter than the Panny, (..that is why the fan must run faster and have more aggressive Blades) and heat means more likely hood of premature lamp Failure. That aspect is seldom, if ever mentioned by any Reviewer. One must wonder why...perhaps a lack of longer term experience with the PJ in question...you think?

Instead, simply by employing the Auto Iris and the Cinema 2 or Normal Mode w/Normal lamp Mode on the Panny, one can be assured of having the same type of Dynamic image at 140-150" diagonal that other have at 120" diagonal or less on Low lamp.

As already mentioned above, a vital key here is that the W1070 MUST be used in Low Lamp or it will sound like a Jet engine if one sits directly under or behind it. Well, that might be overstated a bit...but it can be and most probably would be annoying for the greater percentage of end users.

Also, you might be well served to remember that the center of the Lens of the Panny is offset 3" to the right of the center of the PJ casing when inverted, so the Mounting Pole / Rod / Ceiling plate must be placed 3" to the left of the needed Lens Placement. But such exacting placement is ONLY required when Constant Image Height 2.39:1 Screen and Lens Memory is going to be employed. So it would be necessary to nail down that exact location if a 16:9 screen is being considered. The leeway of having up to a foot or more offset in mounting the Lens means that if in measuring the OP misses the exact location by a inch or so....no worries. The same goes for the height of the Lens as relates to the height of the Screen...something that with that Slope being involved also becomes a very big consideration. The Panny can be placed well above that 7' level. Not so the W1070.

We have to agree to disagree about Rainbows.....I've used DLPs at 200" in high ambient light situations when Rainbows should not be as much of an issue and listened to many viewers comment about rainbows, because in truth, it is the movement of both the head's location and angle combined with eye movement that can make the effect be noticed. If someone sits rock still and never even glances to the right or left, the Rainbow effect in a 3x Color Wheel DLP is virtually non-existent. But I do not watch Movies or TV in a paralytic state, and I don't think many other do either so in my judgement, I feel the risk of someone seeing Rainbows when they in fact are not yet certain that they might is not worth the risk.

I know by your last comments that you also feel the Panny might be the best choice for the OP so what all these added points are for are to try to offer up a differing and balanced viewpoint based on my own experience using both PJs in a variety of applications...

Let's go with that, eh?