Want to build in home cinema with projector

soc$

I'm currently reonvating a house and I'd really like to integragte a HD projector with screen into one of the rooms. Ideally I want the screen to be hidden in the ceiling and the projector either mounted in the ceiling or in a unit at opposite wall to the screen.

What I'm trying to achieve is a room where I can shut out the world and watch a movie cinema style but the problem is that I know nothing about home cinema or projectors.

Any pointers on the best place to read up on projectors, screens and/or home cinema?

The room is small enough, only 3.3mts long - am I mad to even thing about going with a projector?

eddiem74

You can start here:

Projectors:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/projectors/
http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/home-cinema-projectors.htm
http://www.projectorcentral.com/

Home Cinema Construction and Configuration:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/home-cinema-construction-configuration/

Home Cinema Gallery:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/members-home-cinema-gallery/ (be inspired)

Best of luck, you will not regret it !

mossym

where are you based? i've done what you are trying to do(sort of, my screen is a fixed frame screen on the wall), as has eddie if memory serves me correctly. we can likely answer most questions you have

Frank Black

Hope I’m not hijacking the thread but I’m in a similar situation – we’ll be starting a new build in the next few months and one of the rooms will be a home cinema (although not exclusively unfortunately) – it’s a large enough room and I’m still trying to decide whether to go with a large lcd/plasma (say 46-50 inches) or a projector and screen.
I was hoping to keep the costs of the tv to around €2,000 max.
Is it worth considering a HD projector instead and would I have to spend a lot more to get the same quality picture you would get with a good model HD LCD TV?

mossym

black francis wrote: »

Hope I’m not hijacking the thread but I’m in a similar situation – we’ll be starting a new build in the next few months and one of the rooms will be a home cinema (although not exclusively unfortunately) – it’s a large enough room and I’m still trying to decide whether to go with a large lcd/plasma (say 46-50 inches) or a projector and screen.
I was hoping to keep the costs of the tv to around €2,000 max.
Is it worth considering a HD projector instead and would I have to spend a lot more to get the same quality picture you would get with a good model HD LCD TV?

initial outlay on a projector is generally lower than a tv, but you have maintenance costs with a projector you don't have with a tv in the form of bulbs.

before you go down this path, you understand the limitations of a projector, if this is going to be a bright room used during the day, you won't be switching on the projector for 10 minutes just to catch the weather ??

projectors don't like bright rooms, and the most dangerous time for blowing bulbs is turning on/off, so it's recommended to leave projector on for at least an hour when it has been on.

if you're willing to accept those shortcomings, projectors offer huge bang for the buck, especially compared to tv, can give a picture which is startling, and can bring a cinema sized experience into your home like no tv can. definitely worth considering, depending on your usage case

Frank Black

No, there will be a regular tv in the living room for day-to-day tv watching. This room would be more for watching movies or football matches and mostly in the evening or at night. From what you’re saying it looks like I should give serious consideration to a projector – would you have any recommendation on brands to consider?

mossym

black francis wrote: »

No, there will be a regular tv in the living room for day-to-day tv watching. This room would be more for watching movies or football matches and mostly in the evening or at night. From what you’re saying it looks like I should give serious consideration to a projector – would you have any recommendation on brands to consider?

for what you are saying a projector is ideal, sports and movies are my main usage, but i don't think you necessarily want to copy me


in terms of brands, what is your budget, do you want 3d, will you be putting the projector on a shelf, mounting to celing, what size screen do you want to go for, how far back from screen will projector be?

(projector to screen distance versus size of screen will dictate what type of projector is possible)

Taxedalot

I always wanted to go the home cinema route, but due to space, cash and other half constraints, never could.

What I did a couple of years ago, was get a sort of all-in-one projector and DVD player (optoma DVD 10?) that has fairly punchy speakers built in.

This coupled with a fixed screen (DIY job with 2x1 and blackout blind material), albeit unfixed in that I take it down when not in use, gives me a quick and dirty "cinema experience" without needing to dedicate a full room to the set up.

I know its not perfect, but with a big bowl of popcorn and the lights down - a 90 inch screen works for me!

Might be worth considering a similar set up.

Frank Black

Well I had planned to spend up to €2000 on the tv so was hoping to keep my budget around that - I'd be willing to go a bit further if I had to.
It's a new build and a large room so in terms of positioning I'm quite flexible - would probably prefer to go for a ceiling mount. Screen size? - well I was hoping to get a 50inch tv but I guess with a projector you can aim higher - tbh I'd be more interested in clarity of picture than size - the picture you've posted looks pretty good screen-size-wise to me.
I'm not really too bothered about 3D - I don't like the loss of brightness you get with the glasses and imo a good blu ray can be so immersive you're pretty much getting a 3d effect anyway.

mossym

2000 is a decent budget, you'll get a 1080p projector for that no problem. the question we need to answer is what are you doing for a screen, will it be fixed screen, or retractable?my room is deceptively big. that is a 110 screen. not sure you want to go that big. my projector as well would eat up your entire budget before you consider the screen

something like the mitsubishi hc4000(DLP) , or the epson EH-TW3600 might be worth looking at, i'll admit i've seen neither. my projector is a JVC HD350, these were several thousand pounds in the UK, but richer sounds were doing a deal on them at 1700 GBP that was too good to pass up. serious bang for the buck if you want to stretch, but worth every penny. be warned this is a BIG projector to hang from your celing though

Frank Black

Cool - thanks for the advice.
I think the OH would prefer the screen to be retractable. I'll have a look at the models you've mentioned and do a bit more research.

slave1

black francis wrote: »

the OH

Even before money, the single limiting factor in true home cinema pleasure.
Never discount the WAF (wife acceptance factor):cool:

slave1

Hi Mossym, that's a nice setup you have there, I've read your thread a few times over on AVF. Tasty setup indeed.

@OP What most folk forget is that a HTPC with LOTS of storage really brings your cinema together, much more than a BR player IMHO. The best software to run it all is XBMC, it's highly tweakable and free, the ability to choose from over 500 HD flicks and 2000 HDTV epsiodes at a few keystokes of a remote is something that will eliminate watch live TV forever.

eddiem74

I am probably the extreme as we use our projector pretty much most of the time. But that usally means evening viewing and when the projector is turned on it stays on for that day to minimise the risk to the bulb. This does however quickly clock up bulb hours of which the standard is around 2,000hrs per bulb & around £300 per replacement, although you can risk resetting the hour counter and keep going, I am currently doing this, but its a risk if it goes pop! :eek:

I am still using a Panasonic AX200 LCD projector (mossym used to have the prior version AX100 before spoiling himself, I'm jealous ) however I am feeding it a 1080P upscaled singal via my AV Receiver as it can support that.

From my limited experience I would suggest you get the projector first as this allows you then to work out ideal placement, preferred screen size, etc.. You can then decide what kind of screen you want and what size. if your room has a white/bright coloured wall that will do as a start for you.

I am using a DIY screen I made, I started off just projecting onto the wall, then painted the wall, and then made a custom screen.Here's what is looks like now pretty much:



And this is a shot when I was projecting onto the wall after painting it, the same paint mix is used on the above screen.



Best of luck as you enter into the world of true home cinema....:D

mossym

slave1 wrote: »

Hi Mossym, that's a nice setup you have there, I've read your thread a few times over on AVF. Tasty setup indeed.

@OP What most folk forget is that a HTPC with LOTS of storage really brings your cinema together, much more than a BR player IMHO. The best software to run it all is XBMC, it's highly tweakable and free, the ability to choose from over 500 HD flicks and 2000 HDTV epsiodes at a few keystokes of a remote is something that will eliminate watch live TV forever.

cheers for the compliments.

and while i agree on the htpc side, i disagree on the comment about XBMC being the best, but only because i think each software front end has it's pluses and minuses depending on the users needs. for example, xbmc has no support for live TV, and with saorview having arrived giving free digital OTA, and freesat available, adding a simple TV card can give you a host of free channels, including HD channels. in that case, XBMC is abolsutley useless. for non tv use though, it is one of best. so none of the software available deserves the title the best, it all depends on the users needs. i for one think having HD tv channels available is a must, especially if you are any way into sport. sport on the big screen is one of the best things about a proj setup

mossym

eddiem74 wrote: »

I am still using a Panasonic AX200 LCD projector (mossym used to have the prior version AX100 before spoiling himself, I'm jealous ) however I am feeding it a 1080P upscaled singal via my AV Receiver as it can support that.

indeed i did. Eddie and myself have had more than one conversation about projectors. believe me when i say we are both of the opinion nothing display wise can match up with a decent projector

slave1

mossym wrote: »

cheers for the compliments.

and while i agree on the htpc side, i disagree on the comment about XBMC being the best, but only because i think each software front end has it's pluses and minuses depending on the users needs. for example, xbmc has no support for live TV, and with saorview having arrived giving free digital OTA, and freesat available, adding a simple TV card can give you a host of free channels, including HD channels. in that case, XBMC is abolsutley useless. for non tv use though, it is one of best. so none of the software available deserves the title the best, it all depends on the users needs. i for one think having HD tv channels available is a must, especially if you are any way into sport. sport on the big screen is one of the best things about a proj setup

Tut tut, Live Irish TV up and running on XMBC this while (not HD granted)....my comments on XBMC were Movie/TV Series centric, for sports I use my Humax/SkyHD but I've evolved to 99% XBMC and 1% Live TV. Suffice to say I strongly encourage a HTPC and XBMC rather than hundreds of DVD/BR cases taking up space, I'm up to 19TB and just bought a new PC build to add another 10TB, once you start there's no end

mossym

slave1 wrote: »

Tut tut, Live Irish TV up and running on XMBC this while (not HD granted)....my comments on XBMC were Movie/TV Series centric, for sports I use my Humax/SkyHD but I've evolved to 99% XBMC and 1% Live TV. Suffice to say I strongly encourage a HTPC and XBMC rather than hundreds of DVD/BR cases taking up space, I'm up to 19TB and just bought a new PC build to add another 10TB, once you start there's no end

tut tut, that's only the catchup service isn't it? highly compressed video coming over the internet. it's a solution, but not a very high quality one

as i mentioned, not against xbmc at all, i ran it first 7 years ago when it was released for the original xbox. i've used most of the front ends at various stages as my needs have changed. if no live tv required, then i would definitely recommend xbmc(and have over on AVF). but a htpc with live tv support is more attractive than a simple streamer in my books(despite the fact i have sky hd through my projector as well)

slave1

It links through the recent Magnet web base for Live TV, and yes pretty poor quality but handy to dab in and out of.
I'm sitting on the fence and awaiting SaorSat and then will upgrade my HTPC for TV although it will probably get used fek all.
Anyhow, no TV today, out into the sun!!!

The Clown Man

I put together a setup with a 110" tab tensioned electric screen I picked up for 250 second hand and a "needs repair" Optoma HD65 still under warrantee which I fixed myself with ease (glass from a blown bulb was lodged in a fan) which I got for 250. 15m HDMI cable for 70 and hey presto, a fantastic home cinema with my HDPC in my living room.

I have a tv behind the screen which cost me 4x as much which now acts mainly as a decoration when not watching anything.

You need to make sure your calculations on distance vs size are right and then the hardest part is the wiring. If you do go this way you will never go back!

mossym

should have posted this earlier, but invaluable resource for figuring out screen size for a given projector distance or vice versa is

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator.cfm

rednik

I've just had a JVC X3 with a grandview cyber tab tensioned screen installed and in 2 days of watching all I can say is WOW. The X3 is great in both 2D & 3D but is a beast in size. I had it installed in the ceiling.

mossym

rednik wrote: »

I've just had a JVC X3 with a grandview cyber tab tensioned screen installed and in 2 days of watching all I can say is WOW. The X3 is great in both 2D & 3D but is a beast in size. I had it installed in the ceiling.

i have teh 2d only version of this projector, have no interest in 3D in my house. The LCOS projectors are huge alright but well worth it if budget allows

millhouse

Lots of different aspects to consider when you are looking to achieve the ultimate Home Cinema effect. To have your screen go into the ceiling what you are after is a trim kit. Its simply a housing cut into your ceiling and when the motorised screen goes up it goes into the trim kit and a flap in a simialr colour to your ceing closes leaving the illusion there is nothing there. <SNIP>

millhouse

I got the JVC X3 recently, and you are right , damn fine piece of kit. Have it projecting onto a Screen International 2.3m motorised with a trim & trigger kit. Control 4 in the background doing the business. Over the moon with the results

mossym

trim is nice, but if you are after a real cinema effect fixed screen is the way to go...it does require a higher level of WAF, and it is not ideal if the room is needed for something else. if you can get a true cinema room though it can't be beat.

once you start putting floorstanders all way round anyway the effect of having a screen on the wall diminshes

torrestorres

If going down the projector route why not go for a LED Projector, massive lamp life so you'll never need to worry about changing the bulb!

SNIP

mossym

would be highly dubious about touching either of those projectors. the second one isn't HD, is only 4:3, and most projector that claims business use for presentations end up sucking for home cinema. the first looks more suitable, but also looks like the latest in a long line of cheap chinese electronics that turn out not to be very good

however, i haven't used one, so while i'll insist the second would be an awful buy for a home cinema room, the first may be okay

i wouldn't use my money to find out though.

The Ritz

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