Distance from seated ears to the speakers is going to be about 17', and the speakers will probably end up being raised 8", so we are probably talking about
maybe 2.5 degrees off axis angle, assuming the angle was zero with the speakers on the floor. Now that I do the calculations, perhaps I am worrying about that way too much.
That said, it would also be no problem to angle them forward by 2.5 degrees.
He already has an RS60 in a 100% light-controlled room and we used
this tool to determine if it falls in the recommended brightness range. We have it near the front of the zoom range (about 16' to the screen), so I am hoping it will be okay. We have had such bad luck with DLP reliability between his stuff and everything that I have had or installed for others that I doubt I will ever go there again. There are going to be two rows of seats and I think the front of the first row is at about 16', but his viewing distance is more flexible than most other things.
Leave the speakers slightly too high for the front row, out of respect to the rear row. You can split the diff, maybe with a slight pref for the front, if you want to.
I think you would have a hard time finding an enthusiast that would disagree with me about 150" XD being too big for that PJ. I have no direct experience with that PJ, and this is an educated guess. Sorry to break that opinion to you. This doesn't mean he won't be happy as a clam, but I can't see any experienced enthusiast recommending this size to begin with, particularly without the brightness of DLP.
As far as I understand it, yes closer PJ is brighter, but I've read that you don't want to max out the limits of a PJ (zoom for example), because you might not get every bit back on that compromise so to speak. Me, I've no idea, but maybe you can ask those who know a lot more than I do.
Also IMO, there isn't such a thing as 100% light controlled. The best that could be had is probably about 99% after you line the entire room in best grade velvet, wear clothes made of the same velvet, cover the seats in this velvet, etc. Flat black paint is orders of magnitude more reflective than just a decent velvet. IOW, if 100% light control means beige walls, I would have to disagree. I don't know how much is done, but at least paint is cheap. I recommend black carpeting/rugs, at least in front of viewers, and black ceiling is requisite with 150" XD powered by JVC, IMO. Check out Rosco Supersaturated Velour or something like that, I think #6003 it might have been. I'm just driving home the point as you know.
I need to get some updated pictures. Things have come a long way since the pic I posted was taken. I think he has already lined
all non-AT surfaces (walls, floor, door, and ceiling) in the "speaker room" behind the false wall with the R-13 version of
this stuff. Acoustic properties are at the bottom of the linked pdf. Do you see any negatives to doing that?
We will just treat first reflections in the room, except for the ceiling. I can never win that battle.
I'm not the one to ask, but it seems a lot of people use R13. Also, the ceiling becomes a lot less important to treat when you're running vertical MTMs.
Things are pretty much set in stone at this point. There is 3' 6" behind the beams which will have to suffice because that is the most I could get him to sacrifice of the room.
I understand, and I probably have already run the risk sounding a bit like a jerk, but then if there was a chance that he was* going to change out stuff due to dissatisfaction, it's probably cheaper and easier to do it now than later. My main concern is the screen size as 1.78 powered by JVC in anything less than a bat cave. Maybe DIY masking panels, I don't know, get a scope lens. Someone told me that James Cameron doesn't even use the whatchmacallit motorized thing to move the lens, he just throws it over with a pool cue or something. You can remove the panels for the sole purpose of watching the latest Batman movies if desired, sans lens, post zoom/focus adjustments, I dunno, I am blabbering a lot aren't I. I farted out the nutty DIY panels idea trying to quickly come up with a plan that doesn't require getting rid of any made purchases, but it would OTOH require more purchases. And I'm not saying it's a good idea either, just shooting the you know what.
Also, even if he throws up the pic, and goes, WOW! AWESOME! doesn't mean he'll still think that 500 hours later, or even 100 hours later where some people have even measured up to 30% lumens loss on an OEM JVC bulb. The PJ will be the very cleanest inside when fired up right OTB, no film or outgassing has yet occurred, etc, basically, it will look the brightest it will ever look in its lifetime using an OEM bulb when he first fires it up. Just FWIW.
I am still annoyed with those huge beams. The only intent of them is to be a false screen wall, he just did beams when he really didn't need to do anything but a few 2x4 struts to support the screen. He called me and said "I've got my false screen wall framed" as opposed to asking me how to frame it. I guess being 1200 miles away doesn't help - I was there for the framing of the last one and it wasn't as complicated.
The remodeler that helped me to begin mine happened to be degreed in art now that I think about it, and he advised me that being plumb was more important than anything else here, including being level. I don't know how much his art background relates to AV, so take that FWIW. And I followed his advice, I went plumb first and foremost, using a mallet to adjust before drilling in the huge screws into floor and ceiling.
I will check back in again by tomorrow night, it might be late. Ask BMX to chime in, send him a PM, I think we'd both be curious as to what he says. Also, seeing what 3D enthusiasts say about JVC, there will be people that say it's totally out of the question here. But if dad is like me, he probably won't care all that much.