[nmjwolf]

A little background.I am in the process of finishing my basement and have a room that is ~17x24 (8.5' ceilings) that I will be using as a bar/theater room. We will be watching 50% TV, 30% movies, 20% or less games. The room has one window in the back of the room, but it is located under a deck so the ambient light is very low. I plan on doing a 110 DIY screen.


I have been thinking that the seating (couch for now) should be ~11 feet from the screen, does this sound reasonable?


In general how far is the top of the screen from the ceiling?


It appears that the Panasonic ae200u should fit my needs -- open to other suggestions though. I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to spend a bit more and get a 1080p projector instead. I wanted to stick with 720p due to cost, but if there will be a noticeable difference at the 11-13' seating distance between 720 and 1080 I would spend a bit more.

 

[spacetrader]

i just got the hd71 setup in my livingroom. 94" at 10' away, and i need to push the screen back (screen door effect). other then that its pretty nice.. but its no 1080p that is for sure. if you can afford it, without question get the full resolution.

 

[d james]

I agree, about 14ft should be ideal for a 720p. For me it isn't the screendoor that bothers me as much as the other artifacts that become apparent at that distance.

Far as 1080 vs 720, there isn't much difference in just resolution, unless you are sitting closer such as 11ft back. With my 1080 I don't see any SDE unless I'm real close like 3 or 4 feet. I wouldn't buy a 1080 pj just for the resolution, instead upgrade because you want better contrast, better features, maybe better placement, etc. For me the frame interpolation was a must as it amazes me with added depth and realism. Ideally you want 1.5x screen width to determine seat placement. With 1080, you can go 1.2x screen width. For that screen 720=13.75ft 1080=11ft


The problem with being to close is you can make yourself dizzy from looking all around the screen, especially with video games, so sometimes further away is better.


If this is the pj your getting, it isn't HD http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic-PT-AE200U.htm 1280x720p is HD this thing is only 858x484 native. It will accept HD inputs, but it won't output them as so. Also I would stay away from a pj that only outputs 700 lumens, its much to dark for that size screen. Even 1000 lumens wouldn't satisfy me with that size. It will work, but be dim, unless you go with a high gain screen, which is always real nice to boost light output. I have a optoma 720 1000 lumen pj and epson 1080p which is double the light and it is amazing the difference that it makes. Instead of dim and dull, its bright and colorful, especially for daytime games or lights on. the optoma can't handle either, but the epson does excellent.


We watch tv on the pj and the optoma was so dull and crap compared to tv that it didn't feel like watching tv. This is on a 135 screen so, it was too much screen for the pj, but the epson has no problem. Here are some comparison photos of both pjs running same time. I put epson on darkest mode because the optoma wouldn't expose well at all with the other being so bright, so the differences can be even greater. The resolution was set to 720p for both pjs in order to output both. http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...pson%206500ub/


No one likes to live in the dark, so having lights on in basement helps and you'll want some on sometimes for tv watching, so brightness is your friend. If I were to do over I would've bought a high gain screen as well, I suggest getting some free samples if it fits your pj placement.


My 135 screen is mounted 3inches from ceiling and when down, the top of screen is 13inches from top on 7ft ceiling. My 110 screen is 26 inches from top when pulled down on 9ft ceiling. Both work well. I would project onto wall first to find your ideal spot.


By the way the light in the back shouldn't be a problem, its only a problem as it gets close to the screen.

 

[nmjwolf]

Thanks for the comments and info.


Sorry if there was some confusion about the projector I was planning on getting, but it would be the Panasonic-PT-AX200U. Those screenshots might have me convinced to go with a 1080p. Any recommendations on a reasonably priced (1500 or less) 1080p projector?

 

[Ethenolas]

You might be able to find a BenQ W5000 for around there...


A great PJ if you don't see rainbows...very bright in best mode too.