[jmf]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking for awhile on the boards and I think I've learned a lot but now I'm ready to buy my projector and screen and need your advice.


I will be watching HD sports, DVD's and HDTV all in fairly equal proportion. The room can be pretty well light controlled but it's cave-like at all (fairly light colored walls.) Also, I don't want total darkness when watching my Steelers (next year sadly.)


My budget is $4,000 - $6,000 or so for the projector and hopefully less than $4,000 for a motorized screen.


Some distances:


There will be one line of seats (a couch actually) where the viewers will be 10'2" from the screen.

They'll be at normal height (say eyes at 36").

The projector will be 10'6" from screen in a shelf-like cutout in a soffit.

The height of the shelf is 9'3". T


So from everything I've read, it looks like I want a screen that is 80" to 85" diagonal and I need A LOT of lens shift.


In fact, from my calculations, even if the bottom of my screen is as high as 36", the only projector in my budget neighborhood that has sufficient lens shift to avoid digital keystone correction is the Panasonic 1000.


So here are my quesitons:


1. Will the Panasonic work well with this setup? Are there any other projectors in this budget that are worth considering given my lens shift requirment?


2. What screens should I consider? Not knowing a whole lot I am considering the Stewart FH. IF the FH is a good choice which version should I get (3G, SST other?)


3. How high should I put the bottom of my screen?


4. Other things I should consider?


Thanks in advance for your help. This forum is an amazing source of information and help.


Jonas

 

[sethk]

I think you could go with a 100" - 106" diagonal screen if its a 1080p projector. That would put you at 1.22 - 1.15x screen width. If you do not like that sit close experience then maybe a 92" diagonal screen would be better.


Once you've choses a pj, if you find it wont fit, to gain some flexibility perhaps you could ceiling mount with a dropped mounting pole or find an alternative shelf just a tad lower.


The Panasonic is a pretty good pj, but I would recommend the JVC RS1 if can wait until the March timeframe. I dont know if the full specs for lens shift have been made available.


At those screen sizes you wont need a lot of gain, the Stewart screens you suggest would be fine. The SST was "optimized" for the Pearl I believe. Speaking of which the Pearl would be a good choice as well if you can make it fit. If your walls are very light colored you could get away with a gray screen. I would recommend keeping the ambient light low and pointed away from the screen. With the RS1 you would probably have enough lumens calibrated to get away with minimal ambient light but it will always look much better with lights out - no getting around that.


You should place your screen based on seating height. Eye level should be in the middle to lower 1/3 of the screen. You shouldnt have to move your head or strain your eyes to see the top or bottom. Place a chair at your desired location and have someone else place markers on the wall and look at them for a few minutes.

 

[jmf]

Thanks sethk.


Unfortunately the JVC has reported their lens offset: its 25% I believe. The Panasonic is 100%. I need about 70%. I can't lower the projector because this room serves more than one master