Home Theatre

[Subrata]

Hello
We are building a house and I need some recommendations for our Media Area in the basement ,which would be an open concept and for our Bonus Room upstairs with a TV(where the kids would have all their X Box etc)

1.We prefer watching movie in a lighted area than a dark area.Will a 4K TV be a better option than a HD projector (Panasonic PTAE8000 Projector) .I believe 4 K projectors are very expensive. What are your recommendations for Vizio 4 K TV's?
2.For home theatre: what would be a good option to have?

I have been recommended the following
(For Media Room Basement)
PanansonicPTAE8000Projector
Grandview 106" Fixed Frame


Paradigm Center 1 Center Channel
Paradigm CI HOME H65-R
Paradigm Monitor 7
Paradigm Monitor SUB 10
Paradigm Surround 1
Pioneer VSX 90

(For our Bonus room Upstairs with a TV)
Paradigm CI Home H55IW
Paradigm Millinea 20 LCR Black crome
Paradigm Monitor Sub 8
Pioneer VSX 90

Thanks
Subrata

 

[Andrew08]

We prefer watching movie in a lighted area

what light? sunlight?
DO NOT buy a projector where sunlight can come inside.

projector pros,
they are size for money(big and cheap)

projector cons,

light,just watch out for light that is too bright, it will make the image looks washout(very easy to notice), that is why theater is dark.

fan noise, they are loud and annoying, more annoying than my plasma, but if you are watching movie with sound of 75db and above i don't think you will notice.

next is if you fix this on the ceiling,installation is hard, cable problem, projector need longer cable than tv, there are solutions for this problem, like active hdmi(hdmi with some kind of repeater), or hdmi over coax/cat5/fiber(do not confuse this with hdmi ethernet, this is different).
and if the cable is broken, you know...

I can't comment on vizio, I have never seen one here.

tv pros,
bright, suitable for bright room.
no noise(except plasma)
short hdmi cable

cons,
size, larger means more expensive.

4k pros,
you have the best tech available

4k cons,
you don't have much 4k content until at least 2020 i think.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Front projection takes some thought, and you should NOT get the AE8000 unless you intend to darken the space significantly. It's not as bright as most of the competition, and the BenQ HC2050 is a better value in a non-controlled space.

How long do you plan to live in this home?

Is the space already finished, or are you having it built out?

How much control do you have over the lighting in the basement?

At the end of the day, front projection is amazing. Plan on about 10" to 12" of diagonal for each foot of viewing distance. So, if you are sitting 12' away, a 120" diagonal screen is typical, and 135" or 144" is not 'overly' large for many. People get some idea that you can't achieve what movie theaters deliver in your home, but that's not at all true. The current crop of home theater projectors is often as good, or better than what most movie theaters can deliver.

4K is a joke right now, so don't worry about getting it. On a 55" television, there is basically zero improvement by using it if viewing from 10+ feet away. Save cash, if you need to, or just get it, but it is just a TV. It is nothing like home theater with front projection.

For your basement, an open concept is fine, but you just need to control your lighting. Directional spotlights (3" directional) are great for lighting areas away from the screen. A separate zone of general lighting (or two) around the screen, and an additional zone for the rest of the space is a good starting point. Paint with darker colors around the screen area, including the ceiling. An open concept with some breaks in the spaces works really well to allow you a darker theater 'area' without enclosing it off as a dedicated space.

As I said, it all takes some effort. If you don't really want to put in that effort, then I would go with a flat panel and call it a day. Just like most people do.

For a lighting example look here: http://www.avintegrated.com/lighting.html

 

[Subrata]

what light? sunlight?
DO NOT buy a projector where sunlight can come inside.

projector pros,
they are size for money(big and cheap)

projector cons,

light,just watch out for light that is too bright, it will make the image looks washout(very easy to notice), that is why theater is dark.

fan noise, they are loud and annoying, more annoying than my plasma, but if you are watching movie with sound of 75db and above i don't think you will notice.

next is if you fix this on the ceiling,installation is hard, cable problem, projector need longer cable than tv, there are solutions for this problem, like active hdmi(hdmi with some kind of repeater), or hdmi over coax/cat5/fiber(do not confuse this with hdmi ethernet, this is different).
and if the cable is broken, you know...

I can't comment on vizio, I have never seen one here.

tv pros,
bright, suitable for bright room.
no noise(except plasma)
short hdmi cable

cons,
size, larger means more expensive.

4k pros,
you have the best tech available

4k cons,
you don't have much 4k content until at least 2020 i think.

Thanks Andrew
My apologies for the late reply. We decided to go for a 75”4K TV with good surround system. We are using Paradigm and Panasonic as mentioned before in my query .

 

[Subrata]

Front projection takes some thought, and you should NOT get the AE8000 unless you intend to darken the space significantly. It's not as bright as most of the competition, and the BenQ HC2050 is a better value in a non-controlled space.

How long do you plan to live in this home?

Is the space already finished, or are you having it built out?

How much control do you have over the lighting in the basement?

At the end of the day, front projection is amazing. Plan on about 10" to 12" of diagonal for each foot of viewing distance. So, if you are sitting 12' away, a 120" diagonal screen is typical, and 135" or 144" is not 'overly' large for many. People get some idea that you can't achieve what movie theaters deliver in your home, but that's not at all true. The current crop of home theater projectors is often as good, or better than what most movie theaters can deliver.

4K is a joke right now, so don't worry about getting it. On a 55" television, there is basically zero improvement by using it if viewing from 10+ feet away. Save cash, if you need to, or just get it, but it is just a TV. It is nothing like home theater with front projection.

For your basement, an open concept is fine, but you just need to control your lighting. Directional spotlights (3" directional) are great for lighting areas away from the screen. A separate zone of general lighting (or two) around the screen, and an additional zone for the rest of the space is a good starting point. Paint with darker colors around the screen area, including the ceiling. An open concept with some breaks in the spaces works really well to allow you a darker theater 'area' without enclosing it off as a dedicated space.

As I said, it all takes some effort. If you don't really want to put in that effort, then I would go with a flat panel and call it a day. Just like most people do.

For a lighting example look here: http://www.avintegrated.com/lighting.html

Thanks for your valuable inputs. We decided to go with a Vizio 75” 4K with a good surround system as mentioned in my thread before.

 

[Andrew08]

I also prefer TV over the projector screen, I am glad you made your choice.