[Shiltsy]

As discussed on some of my earlier postings, we decided to go with a "hybrid" theatre that is open in the rear with a bar and seating for five. This will work well for general entertainment, having people over for the game, etc... We're trying to fit a lot into a relatively small basement area, so the most we could squeeze out of the theatre is 13' wide and 14.5' long. There will be one row of seating along the back and upon entering the theatre, you will step down to the front of the theatre that will be sunken. We thought this would give it some dimension/interest since there will only be one row of seating. The plan is for some large bean bags for kids in that sunken area.

Please take a look at the attached plan and let me know your thoughts. One thing we need to decide is sliding barn door or standard door for entering the theatre. Again, we thought the barn door might give it some interest. The perimeter of the ceiling will have a simple drywall soffit with crown molding to facilitate accent lighting. There will be a thick heavy curtain along the rear bar area that can be closed for "movie mode". I will likely tie that into the home automation.

Love to hear your thoughts and feedback! Just understand that finding more space for a larger theatre is the one and only thing I can NOT change. I was lucky to get this much sq. footage approved by DW for something she'll hardly ever use!

 

[Shiltsy]

Any thoughts on the plan?

Also, found some calculators for viewing angle/distance, screen size and projector planning last night. Seems like a 110" or 120" 16:9 diagonal screen would work fine in this space. Does that seem reasonable if the best seat in the house is 13' from the screen? The results seem to vary in each calculator...

 

[Cksqurd]

Looks like a cool plan. I take it you are not worried about sound leaking to other areas of the house since it will be open at the back. Our front is about 10'6" from screen before you recline. We really like that immersive felling. Where will rear speakers go? May want to move the curtains to behind the bar seating if possible so you can get the rears behind you more.

 

[Shiltsy]

Thanks Cksqurd... The downside of sound leaking outside the theatre is very real, but we decided the upside of being able to use the space for larger gatherings outweighed. It's not a big deal if the sound travels into the lower level and we installed a door in the stairway leading upstairs that will help contain it.

Not sure on the rears. Either in the ceiling or I could bring in the rear wall on both sides of the viewing area a bit.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

110 to 120 diag 16:9 screen would be a tad on the small size if you watch a lot of letter-boxed (2.35) format content. I'm working on a projects with a 150 wide another 144 wide from about the same distance.(both 2.35 format screens) It is not the first theaters for either of these builders.

build your room and shine the projector on the wall and experiment with image size. Buy what works best for you.

 

[Shiltsy]

Great info, thanks BigMouth. After doing a bit more research, I think I will actually do an AT screen and just mount in wall speakers behind the screen. I really want a clean look and it sounds like the Definitive Tech UIW are a great in wall option.

Another issue will be how to place rears behind the single row of recliners. I'm trying to maximize distance/viewing angle and the current thought was to push that single row as far back as possible....

 

[tezster]

Another issue will be how to place rears behind the single row of recliners. I'm trying to maximize distance/viewing angle and the current thought was to push that single row as far back as possible....

Are you referring to the surround speakers? Or the surround backs in a 7.1 setup? If the layout is to scale, it also occurs to me that the surround speakers would be very close to the people sitting on the outer seats.

 

[Steve Rohr]

I would stay away from the barn door because it is going to introduce a lot of light pollution. I have a CRT and it is not as bright as the modern projectors but if you want the blackest blacks you are going to need to cut off all light pollution. The curtains in the back are going to need to be black out quality. I think you will want them motorized too because with the chair position they are close.

 

[Steve Rohr]

I would add a French door at the gypsum soffit just to the side of the bar area. Then you can close it off to minimize sound pollution and light pollution from the adjacent space if you want. You can also leave the doors open if you want so it "flows" with the rest of the space for more informal gatherings.

 

[Steve Rohr]

You have space to increase the screen size so you might want to look into that. The seat position seems a little far back to me. You might want to experiment with moving the seats closer or increasing the screen size.

 

[Steve Rohr]

One last thing, having the space open is not the best for sound. If you want the best sound, you need to seal up all the holes. It's a tradeoff. If you do the French doors and solid door on the side, add gaskets to those doors so you seal the space up as best as possible. You might also look into sound rated doors or at least a door with some weight.