need suggestions for projector and screen

383 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by chicago66, Mar 27, 2015

chicago66

Discussion Starter · Mar 23, 2015

Starting to do the first theater room. Will up date such as time goes on . right now simply looking for a good projector and screen match.
Will be used to watch movies and tv. interested in Epson units as review indicate best for brightness and other factors.
price range is about 5k on projector and 1000 on screen.. recent developments in up scaling to 4k interesting.
in other words total budget for the projector and screen is about 6 to 7k
Can you guys suggested the

projector
screen and screen (largest Size)
Room is in basement. can be totally blacked out. Size is 24 deep 18 feet wide ... ceiling is 10 feet high.

Thank you

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jautor

· #2 · Mar 23, 2015

Take a look in the Digital Projectors to get advice on projector selection... Same answer in the Screens forum...

Screen size is based on your seating distance and plan, then adjusted for personal preference. Where will your seats be? Multiple rows?

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jayn_j

· #3 · Mar 23, 2015

Jeff nails it, as usual. You need to answer these questions and a few others before you move on.

The room is plenty large for most anything you want. Consider the following questions when heading over to the screen and projector forums.

What are you mostly interested in watching? Asked because that may determine if you want a 16:9 screen or a 2.35:1 screen.
You don't say much about sound. Sound is as important as picture in a theater. You need to decide if you want in-wall units, standalone, or behind an acoustically transparent screen. This can be a large cost factor in screen selection.
Do you plan to watch in total darkness, or with some ambient light? This determines if you go with a white or gray screen.
As Jeff mentioned, do you want a second row of theater seats, a bar area, or just a single row. If it is a second row, you need to look up the riser height calculator and plan on at least 7' depth for the riser.
How you handle second row also somewhat determines where and how you mount the projector. If you ceiling mount it, you don't want it where it will get bumped into. If you use a second row, the riser will likely be around a foot. That could bring the projector down to head bumping height if mounted in athe second row aisle space. At the same time, are there any beams or HVAC ducting in the path of the projector that must be cleared. You should look at the throw distance calculator to help find a sweet spot that avoids those problems.

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James of Az

· #4 · Mar 23, 2015

This might help
Epson 3600e 14 feet away 148" x 72"
Screen painted onto wall for now
Room size 25' x 15'.
http://youtu.be/GhKZakwEup0

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chicago66

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 24, 2015 (Edited)

thank you for your input.. here is additional information
ceilings is 10 feet high.
back of room will have row of four theater chairs at distance of 20 feet- these can be on riser.. but projector above chairs.
so projector will be about 22 feet from screen at farthest point .. can move closer if need be .
in front of those at about 16 feet couches, or additional chairs ushaped couch so parts may be a little closer
basement can be blacked out.. but might have some light occasionally as rest of basement has pool table ect on other end.
would like to have 4k upscaling.. is this worth it?
primary viewing most likely on couch that is about 16 feet away.
room is light controlled only two window wells to contend with .. blinds no issue.
Very limited 3D viewing. most likely not a factor at all. but I want to be sure the screen works with 3D.. but 4k upscaling.
what is largest screen I can get. screen recommendations 16:9 or otherwise?
would be watching movies in darkenss. television most likely in ambient light.
was thinking of doing a automatic drop down screen with tv screen behind for when we have more action going on in basement.
no beams in the path such as ducts ect.
sound is open to debate .. start off with standalone and maybe move up from there.
thank you in advance.

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jautor

· #6 · Mar 24, 2015

Bring all those chairs closer. 16' to the front row is way too far - you're just having to scale everything up larger to compensate for that distance. Try around 11' for your front row, and the second row at 17' (assuming recliners).

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jayn_j

· #7 · Mar 24, 2015

I run a 120" 16:9 screen with eyeballs 11' back for primary seating. It feels 'right' to me, and is a fairly common configuration. A larger screen would push seating back a bit. Say 12' for a 150" screen.

Electric retractable screens do have the features you mentioned. They also have issues with wrinkling, moving in airflow and being more expensive for a given quality. If you go retractable, look for a tab tensioned screen to avoid many of the rippling issues.

I am 1080P and do not have 3D, so I can't make observations or recommendations there. As I said earlier, try the screen forum for better specific answers.

I keep my TV in a different room. That way it doesn't get confused in purpose. The theater is for "sit down, shut up and enjoy the show in total darkness". The family room plasma is for "do your homework, knitting, surfing or whatever." That avoids conflicts of expectations. I expect that if I tried to do both, the screen would seldom be dropped.

My projector is 19' back and mounted on rear wall. The Epson works well with a 120" screen at that distance.

As for max size, it is only limited by your room and budget. For example, Stewart will quote you up to 40' high by 90' wide.
http://stewartfilmscreen.com/shop/p...ize=Large&Mounting=Fixed_frame_screen_systems

I encourage you to at least plan for the sound from the start. It affects many decisions along the way in screen selection, room architecture, etc. The sound is a full half of the experience and you don't want the system of the genie from Aladdin: "GREAT EXPANSIVE PICTURE, tiny little mono sound"

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chicago66

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 27, 2015

would like to do at least 130" screen. going back and forth between Epson ls10000 and sony 350es. really hard to make that call.

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