Thinking of putting together a home cinema room, where to start?

vibe666

I've just moved house and there's a nice big room at the back of the house which would be perfect as a home cinema type room and since i've always wanted one, it seems like fate is on my side and it's time to take the leap into the world of proper home cinema.

i'm told that the room is already wired for 5.1 surround speakers which will be a big help, so i'm going to be looking for a decent HD (preferably with 3D) projector, an AV amp with a minimum of 3 HDMI inputs and the other usual inputs, plus a moderately powerful 5.1 speaker set. it's a detached house, so no worries about disturbing the neighbours, but at the same time, i'm not going to be blasting out AC/DC tracks at full volume, so it doesn't need to be earth shattering.

I already have a PS3 & a Wii, a HTPC that will be being used with it and will most likely be getting an xbox360 to complete the set at some point in the future.

I already have a 40" LCD which will be used until i get the projector sorted, so i can buy everything piece by piece and add to it all as is, and just get the projector last to complete the set up.

this is my first time putting this together, so sorry for all the questions, i'm a total n00b.

i have an electrician mate who can help me out with all the wiring, so i'm thinking that my budget for the projector, the amp & the speakers will be around €1500, but obviously if i can get a decent set up for less than that then great and i'm all for that, but likewise if i need to spend a few hundred more to scrimping on components, then that'll be worth the extra investment.

the ceiling is at least 8 feet high, with a long, but low double radiator along the wall taking up the first foot or so, which is going to give me a projection wall of at least 6 feet high, if not slightly more so the (potential) projection wall is going to be in the region of 160-200cm high, give or take, but i'm not sure what that would work out as a diagonal measurement.

i'm not 100% sure of the exact dimensions of the room (i'll measure when i get home tonight), but width wise, it currently has a pretty wide 2 seater sofa, plus 2 lazy boy recliners side by side and they just fit perfectly, so there's plenty of width for the projector to work with.

there are windows (and 2 velux skylights), but i'll be getting blackout blinds to take care of that, although there may be some daytime use of the projector, so some ambient light will likely be present during occasional use.

i was planning on mounting the projector on the ceiling, but i was wondering about the logistics of running the cables there, or if i should have everything (i.e. consoles, skyHD box etc.) mounted up with the projector out of the way or would it be easier to have them down in a corner somewhere and just run the required cables up to where the projector is?

if i went with the ceiling mounted option for everything, am i going to have problems running long enough cables for the wii bar, the kinect sensor and the ps move sensor in front of the projection wall or is it going to be easier than running all the video cables from a corner of the room, up to the projector?

M00lers

A dedicated room....nice. I would recommend lots of research and for inspiration have a look at the AVForums Members Gallery and Construction forum.

You may struggle to get an amp, speakers and 3D projector on that budget though. I would recommend that you aquire your equipment in stages, that way you'll be getting proper "gear" that will last you a long time.

I would start be getting your fronts and centre first then maybe an amp followed by a good sub. The remaining back/side speakers can be got whenever it suits you.

You are very lucky to have a blank canvas, don't mess it up!!!;)

M00lers

Sorry forgot to mention, you would connect all your equipment to the amp and that will send the picture to the PJ.

vibe666

thanks for the tips, i'm already looking at avforums and my budget is already going up and i didn't even really start yet!

i'll have to get the room measured tomorrow, just moving in has been a real chore (moving a 4 bed house from navan to dublin AND renting out our old house in less than 2 weeks (when we started looking for somewhere) from start to finish is no easy task:eek:).

projector wise, i'm taking a serious look at the Optoma HD33 and the Epson 3010 and i'll work everything else around that when i finally make a decision as it's obviously going to be the star of the show.

i haven't even started looking at amps and speakers yet, but i have a mate who's a bit of an audiophile, so i might have a chat to him and see what he thinks and take it from there.

i think this is going to get expensive.

M00lers

Hi vibe,
I don't know what you're thinking speaker/amp wise but Richersounds are selling floorstanding Monitor Audio speakers for a great price at the moment here, the M4s especially seem to be a bargain.

Can't imagine you would find that level of speaker for that price anywhere else! Two pairs of M4s, one pair for your front left/right and another pair for the rears/side would be sweet to say the least.

Add a Monitor Audio BX Centre and that's you sorted for the "5" part of 5.1 surround sound!! For the ".1" I can recommend a sub also if you want.

Richersounds are also very competitive on amps also.

vibe666

Thanks for that, I'm just on my phone now, but I'll give them a look later.

M00lers

More options from RS here.

rednik

I bought a 3D projector last May, I have found it very hard to watch the TV now. I watch all sports and movies on the big screen. I got the JVC X3 and it is just fantastic.

slave1

Don't go mad on cables, up to 10m a budget range is fine, I buy most of my cabling and electrical needs from Kenable, fast shipping too, never an issue.

If you already have a TV and want a projector too should we assume you want to watch some stuff on the TV and then sometimes use the PJ? If so, you will need to get some decent splitters.
Be careful on DLP PJ, cause havoc with some, I demo'd one and was glad as I got a major rainbow effect so went for LCD.
I would buy as you go but when it comes to speakers I would buy the full package in one go and if you can stretch to it purchase a 7.1 package for future proofing.
If you are thinking of placing the PJ high then be careful of ceiling lights getting in the way of the projection to the screen.
If you can manage it get a screen and PJ with a trigger, makes life sooo much easier.
Most of all, enjoy your trip (and it is a trip)

vibe666

i have a 40" LCD in the room a the moment, but i'll be moving that to another room once the PJ is in.

all the lights in the room are recessed spots and they're on a dimmer, so it'll either be low light or no light from them.

the room measurements are 17 feet long by 12 feet wide by 8 feet high, with the PJ pointed at one of the 12 foot by 8 foot walls, with the bottom 1 foot taken up by a radiator, so the projected screen can take up 12' x 7', although i'm guessing that the 16:9 AR will require losing some at either side.

screen wise, i was thinking of just painting the wall rather than going to the extra expense of buying a PJ screen as it will be a permanent fixture. i'm sure i've read somewhere that there is a specific paint (or paints) that will make the most of a PJ image, so I was just going to do the whole wall.

M00lers

Nothing wrong with using a wall as long as its perfectly smooth but you'll need a black border to get the right "look".
A DIY fixed frame screen is something worth looking into, easy enough to do and cheap.

Take_Her_Handy

vibe666 wrote: »

i have a 40" LCD in the room a the moment, but i'll be moving that to another room once the PJ is in.

all the lights in the room are recessed spots and they're on a dimmer, so it'll either be low light or no light from them.

the room measurements are 17 feet long by 12 feet wide by 8 feet high, with the PJ pointed at one of the 12 foot by 8 foot walls, with the bottom 1 foot taken up by a radiator, so the projected screen can take up 12' x 7', although i'm guessing that the 16:9 AR will require losing some at either side.

screen wise, i was thinking of just painting the wall rather than going to the extra expense of buying a PJ screen as it will be a permanent fixture. i'm sure i've read somewhere that there is a specific paint (or paints) that will make the most of a PJ image, so I was just going to do the whole wall.

Well man, what's the update? If your looking at getting the Epson... DO I have this http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/7658906/art/epson/eh-tw3200-video-projector.html#consumer-advices and I love it!!! No rainbow effect and true full HD makes for brill viewing!!!

The only advice for the wall I can give you is figure out the area of the projected image is and do a black border and then either paint matte black or cover with black material the rest of the wall. This is due to reflection in the rest of the room being a bit distracting, and the proper paint + black combo =

Happy viewing!!

vibe666

sorry, kind of on hold at the minute as our kid is in hospital, so this is going to have to go on the long finger for a while.

Take_Her_Handy

Sorry to hear that, best wishes man.