[BkmDano]

Hello all,


I have been reading so many posts , I think my head may explode

I have been lurking on this site for years and I have finally started working on my home theater room which is approximately 25' x 13' with an 8' ceiling. I would love to create a 2:35 setup but getting a little confused.


I would like to build a hush box and run all the cables before the drywall is installed in 2 weeks, but I am not sure how far from the screen it can be placed.


What would be the best 2:35 screen size for a room this size, assuming 2 possibly 3 rows of seats if they fit?


What distance from the screen would I need to mount the projector or do I need to decide on a projector before I can determine this distance?


What would be the best projector + lens setup or projector only setup(zooming) for under $4000?


Thanks so much for your time and assistance,

Dano

 

[kits]

the screen size you desire to have will drive most of the requirements for you. Your room is long enough to go with a wide CIH setup. If you want to do close to 12' wide, u have to go with AT screen so you can place all your front speakers behind the screen. If you want to get regular screens and have speakers visible, then around 10-11' wide screen should be good.


Panasonic AX100 with built in vertical stretch and a Anamorphic lens should get you a great CIH setup for under 4K.


For CIH setup it is safer to have cables run to somewhere close to max throw range as most Anamorphic lens give better results at longer throws. Your screen size and Projector will drive the optimum distance to have cable runs.

 

[dseliger]

My room is 24 x 15 x 10... I was going to do a 12' wide 2.35:1 screen but after testing i went with 10' wide...12' on the first row is very large, you have to keep looking back and forth. 10' is excellent at all 3 seating distances in my room.


Based on my experience i would recommend that you go no larger than 10' wide.


I would also strongly recommend the SMX AT material so you can pop the speakers behind it...Best decisoin i made and i would do it again in a heartbeat.


I'm shooting my screen with a Optoma HD-81 and the Panamorph UH380 and the brightness, etc. is excellent for this screen size. Projector is mounted approx 36" from the back wall and fills the screen with no zoom required. I know this is outside of your price range but thought i'd throw it in anyways since brightness on a screen that large will probably be one of your deciding factors.


I think both the Panasonic and the Optomoa 720p models will fall in your price range and give you adequate brightness.


Hope this helps.

 

[T.Wells]

I also have a similar room size (mine is 25' x 14.5') and I have decided on the following:


- Panasonic AX-100

- Panamorph UH380 (and M380)

- SMX screen at 10' wide CIH


As stated above, after you decide on your PJ and screen size, mount the PJ further back than mid-point of the throw range.


-T.Wells

 

[Farout777]

My set-up is very similar to yours, 23' x 14.5' x 8'

I have the Panny AX100 and the Prismasonic H700 ceiling mounted at approx 21' from the front wall. Set-up was pretty easy at this long throw range. I followed the advice of some members on the AVS to beam the PJ on the wall before deciding on screen size and I'm glad I did, the screen I would have bought would have been too small. Now i'm looking at a 2.35 @ 131.6" wide X 56" high. The speakers will be flanking the screen. Don't forget to plan for some sort of UPS for your PJ.

 

[mustang5o]

I myself have been thinking of the Panasonic AX100u (720P) or the Panasonic AE1000u (1080p). I don't know yet if I will be able to spend $4k but if I can I am leaning towards the 1080p model and do zooming until I can get a lens.

 

[BkmDano]

Thank you all very much for your reponses. I spent all day yesterday pulling speaker, tv, and network cables through the basement ceiling

or I would have responded sooner.


I do plan on using an AT screen, my room is actually 26'8" but I am building a screen wall so the room will end up at approx 25'. How hard is it to build a screen using the SMX AT material?


Any recommendations on wether to go with the Panasonic AX-100 (720p) with a Prismsonic H-700 lens or for a little more go with the Panasonic AE1000u (1080p) with no lens (zooming)?


Also what would be the distance you need to mount the projector from the ceiling if the projector is approx 21 feet from the screen?


Thanks again for all your input, I think things are finally coming together.

Dano

 

[McCall]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BkmDano /forum/post/0


Thank you all very much for your reponses. I spent all day yesterday pulling speaker, tv, and network cables through the basement ceiling

or I would have responded sooner.


I do plan on using an AT screen, my room is actually 26'8" but I am building a screen wall so the room will end up at approx 25'. How hard is it to build a screen using the SMX AT material?


Any recommendations on wether to go with the Panasonic AX-100 (720p) with a Prismsonic H-700 lens or for a little more go with the Panasonic AE1000u (1080p) with no lens (zooming)?


Also what would be the distance you need to mount the projector from the ceiling if the projector is approx 21 feet from the screen?


Thanks again for all your input, I think things are finally coming together.

Dano

Regarding SMX, there are as many ways of making SMX screens as there are people making them and it is relatively easy, I happend to use stretcher bars for my 120" X 51" 2.35 screen. I also used two support/stretcher bars and I Hubby and I used artist canvas pliers to get a good tight fit. It is a fantastic screen I have all three of my fronts behind it all REVEL speakers.

If you see an CH set up with a lens you will not be happy with the zoom mode. it is fine for starters but does not really compare to using a lens.

my set up is Optoma H77 and the UH 380 lens.


As for the distance from the screen and how high or low the projector must be mounted it DOES depend on the exact projector you use so don't build yourself into a corner till you know what you are getting.

 

[BkmDano]

OK, I believe I will go the Panny AX100 and the Prismasonic H700 route and wait a couple years for the 1080p prices to drop. We are finishing the entire basement so I do need to keep some sort of budget

I would post pics but not sure anyone wants to see the 2x4s and storage stuff that will someday be my theater.


That being said, the throw distance thing is still throwing me

the Ax100 docs I found have the projector distances for a 16:9 screen, but not a 2.35:1 screen. Is there a formula out there for this projector I have just missed?


Once I get the Panny and lens installed I can decide on the final screen size for my room, currently estimating around 10ft width.


Next I need to find a 7.1 setup (receiver + speakers) fro around $1500, any recommendations.


Thanks everyone for your knowledgable input

Dano

 

[T.Wells]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BkmDano /forum/post/0


That being said, the throw distance thing is still throwing me

the Ax100 docs I found have the projector distances for a 16:9 screen, but not a 2.35:1 screen. Is there a formula out there for this projector I have just missed?


Dano

Dano,

I believe that you use the height of the screen for your throw distance calculator. Therefore, for a 10' wide 2.35:1 CIH screen (120" x 51"), the max throw for the AX100 is around 22'. Please note that You'll have to do your own calcuation and please don't mount based on my post here. I am working down the same path and plan to wire my PJ in the next two weeks. I plan on using the AX100 with a 10' wide screen so this number (22') is from memory. I plan to go back and re-work my math. Anyone else reading want to help with the max throw for this scenario?

Quote:
Originally Posted by BkmDano /forum/post/0


Next I need to find a 7.1 setup (receiver + speakers) fro around $1500, any recommendations.


Dano

That budet seems to be a bit tough for a full 7.1 setup but I am sure it can be done.


I usually buy my speakers from www.********** . Most will say to spend as much money on your speakers as possible as they will give you much better bang for your buck in the long-term. Most here get the upgrade bug quickly ...


-T.Wells

 

[cjd]

If you're up to building boxes yourself for speakers there are a few options out there that may hit your budget and be able to adequately fill that room. You'll get a foot up on what is available commercially at that budget. I worry that you'll have issues getting adequate sound levels in your room without pushing the speakers to their limits.


Also, more room behind the screen wall might be worth considering while you can - more room to place speakers, room to put a sub or two and have them out of sight, and room to move around yourself...

C

 

[hconwell]



Quote:
Originally Posted by T.Wells /forum/post/0


Dano,

I believe that you use the height of the screen for your throw distance calculator. Therefore, for a 10' wide 2.35:1 CIH screen (120" x 51"), the max throw for the AX100 is around 22'.


-T.Wells

I believe that's wrong. Projector throw ratios are calculated using the native projected image's width. A 120" CH 2.35 screen would involve an approximately 90" wide 1.78 native image. So your throw ratio would be lens-to-screen distance divided by the 90". Certainly, if you put the projector 20' from the screen, that would be 240" (20') divided by 90" ... or about 2.67. That's a great ratio when using an anamorphic lens. But I don't know of many projectors out there that can throw that long.


All the above assumes you're using a horizontally expanding anamorphic lens.


Bottom line is you should choose your projector before you decide on its location. And once you decide on the projector, then you should use all the throw that projector will allow. You got the room to do that.


I may have a spare anamorphic lens if you're looking for one. PM me if so.

 

[hconwell]

And Dano, just to take this a step further ... if you're going to use a vertically compressing anamorphic lens, the width of the 2.35 image is the same as the native width of your projector. So your width would be 120". Again, if you positioned the projector 20' back, the ratio would be exactly 2.0. And that also is a perfectly good ratio when using a VC anamorphic lens. Plus, there are lots of projectors out there with that kind of throw ratio.


So you may want to use a VC anamorphic lens to keep that projector near the back of the room.

 

[T.Wells]



Quote:
Originally Posted by hconwell /forum/post/0


I believe that's wrong. Projector throw ratios are calculated using the native projected image's width. A 120" CH 2.35 screen would involve an approximately 90" wide 1.78 native image. So your throw ratio would be lens-to-screen distance divided by the 90". Certainly, if you put the projector 20' from the screen, that would be 240" (20') divided by 90" ... or about 2.67. That's a great ratio when using an anamorphic lens. But I don't know of many projectors out there that can throw that long.


All the above assumes you're using a horizontally expanding anamorphic lens.


Bottom line is you should choose your projector before you decide on its location. And once you decide on the projector, then you should use all the throw that projector will allow. You got the room to do that.


I may have a spare anamorphic lens if you're looking for one. PM me if so.

Yes, I am sorry for the confusion. I was thinking of the site that does the throw range calculation for you. On that site, you can put in your screen size (16:9 or 4:3) and one dimension (I used 51" high) and the web calculator did the rest for you.


Thanks for the correction.


T.Wells

 

[Farout777]

My set-up is using the Panny Ax100u and the H 700 @ approx 20' back from the front wall, projecting on a dark brown wall @ 131.6" x 56' .. looks pretty darn good. Seating is @ 15'. Haven't decided on sreen size yet, either 136' 2.35 Carada BH or the custom size demensions above. The room has total light control.

 

[mustang5o]

I started a thread a while back on the difference between VC and HE lenses. Here's a response that sums up what you should do to figure out screen size and throw.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stanger89 /forum/post/0


Basically figure out the width and height of your desired screen size, then.


VC will have the same width (so eg on pjcentral, you'd adjust it so the width is what you want)

HE will have the same height, so you use that measurement.

So with a Prismasonic lens (HE) at a screen height of 51.1" you would be around 21.2' max. This is based on the above info using the calculator on pjcentral. Remember that the given width and diag measurements will not match up since they only show 16x9 screen ratio.