HT for $5000

[PopDisplay]

Based on the current room configuration, the (eyeball) distances from the 2 rows of seating to the screen will be approx 9-10 feet and 15-16 feet. Is 9-10 feet too close? Should I take on some heavy construction and relocate the riser such that the distances grow to 11-12 and 17-18 feet?

TIA,

Dave

View attachment 6691

 

[jostenmeat]

It's only too close if you wanted a bigger screen than what the distance may comfortably allow. (more viewers).

by having a smaller screen, you won't necessitate as many lumens from the PJ.

OTOH, you will have, um, a smaller screen.

edit: thinking about this... I suppose the closer the rows are to the screen, the greater the difference in viewing angle between the two rows (assuming constant distance b/w two rows of roughly 6 ft).

Like I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS say...

how about firing the pic on the wall, and go from there?

All of your questions could be answered. After all, its hard to predict your personal preference, from our point of view. You will in fact find that its hard to predict even just for yourself when it comes to these matters.

 

[PopDisplay]

Where do you suggest I purchase 2' x 4' x 1" acoustic wall panels?

Also, I just bought a $500 APC J15BLK power conditioner and UPS for $200. I could sell it for a quick $100-$150 profit on EBAY, and use the cash to get something less expensive (for free, essentially). Your thoughts?

http://www.apcc.com/products/apcav/products/index.cfm?action=detail&base_sku=J15BLK

Dave

 

[PopDisplay]

My wife told me in pretty clear terms that I have to keep the RPTV in place. Would we be able to play (standing) WII games with a PJ?

But, I agree with you in that I'd prefer to remove the middle cabinets and build a wall for a permanent screen. Doing so would enable me to push the screen back at least 1 foot and perhaps as much as 2 feet.

I'd remove the TV cabinet and the bookshelves to the left and right of the TV. (leave the base cab beneath the TV and the cabs beneath the bookshelves)

This configuration would also provide a good spot for my center speaker; above the middle pair of base cabs.

 

[strube]

You can play standing Wii games just fine. We play rock band in a dedicated HT with the Panasonic PT-AE3000U on a Carada fixed screen all the time, though it is on an Xbox 360 (you can't go wrong with that PJ, BTW ). As long as you don't stand too close to the screen, you won't get in the way of the projection. The only thing you may need is a wireless sensor bar if you can't locate the Wii near the screen.

The sensor bar could attach to the bottom frame of your screen if it was fixed. That would probably be the ideal location, but it may also work affixed to the top of the CC speaker.

Just another note, if you sink your screen back, you may be slightly distracted by the reflection off surfaces around it, so you may want to cover those areas in cloth or paint them flat black if it bothers you.

 

[PopDisplay]

Maybe something like this:

View attachment 6693

 

[PopDisplay]

View attachment 6709

this sketch shows the screen height and seating positions.

I've not yet purchased my recliners; so I can't put an accurate dimension on eye heights.

Is the screen going to be too high for comfortable viewing?

Will the screen be too wide for the seating distances?

thx,

Dave

 

[AVRat]

Is the screen going to be too high for comfortable viewing?

Probably. Based on a THX spec, the top of the screen shouldn’t be any more than about 15 degrees above the front viewer’s line of sight. (11.5 ft) 138 * Tan 0.26795 (15° degrees) = 37” + ~40” (sight line) = 77”

Will the screen be too wide for the seating distances?

A good rule of thumb is 0.67 x seating distance, which may be too big for some and not big enough for others. 138 x 0.67 = 92”.

http://www.thx.com/home/setup/display.html
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/Verticalviewing.html
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html
http://www.theater-calc.com/


You may want something closer to a 92” – 96” dia. screen.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I've not yet purchased my recliners; so I can't put an accurate dimension on eye heights.

Is the screen going to be too high for comfortable viewing?

Hard to say. The post above discussed THX recommendations, but those THX recommendations need to be considered WITH your recliners. If your eyes are likely to be pointed upwards a fair bit, then you will not have any issues at all with your screen up higher. But, it may be a bit high and look out of place in the room. If that's the best you get with the setup, then that will work just fine, but you will want to recline a bit.

Will the screen be too wide for the seating distances?

Dave - the screen is what you want it to be. I would disagree with the above user in some regards.

1. .66x your PRIMARY seating distance is the recommended screen WIDTH - not diagonal. So, from your front seats, that would be about a 106" diagonal for 'optimal' center of seating experience from a theater. Yet, from the rear seats, it's about a 138" diagonal for 'optimal' center of theater seating distance.

I would say, picking a number anywhere between those two is an excellent choice and allows you to pick a slightly smaller screen by sitting back or a slightly larger screen by moving forward. I think the screen size is very much a personal choice, but where you are at is a really good size IMO.

 

[PopDisplay]

1. .66x your PRIMARY seating distance is the recommended screen WIDTH - not diagonal. So, from your front seats, that would be about a 106" diagonal for 'optimal' center of seating experience from a theater. Yet, from the rear seats, it's about a 138" diagonal for 'optimal' center of theater seating distance.

I would say, picking a number anywhere between those two is an excellent choice and allows you to pick a slightly smaller screen by sitting back or a slightly larger screen by moving forward. I think the screen size is very much a personal choice, but where you are at is a really good size IMO.

I suspect we will be using the seats on the riser as our primary viewing positions. That being the case, we will be farther away and higher off the ground.

Looks like we will install a screen with a viewing area of 60" x 107" (122" dia)

Thanks for your replies,

Dave

 

[AVRat]

You may want something closer to a 92” – 96” dia. screen.

Oops, I meant width. I guess I had diagonal on my mind since that's how screens are generally designated.

While your PRIMARY position may be the riser row further back, it would be wise to consider who's sitting in the front row and how comfortable they would be with a screen that's too large.

 

[PopDisplay]

Finished

Finally done with the HT remodel
Panny AE3000 PJ
Onkyo SR876 AVR
Panny BD35 BluRay
Carada 110" screen
Onix speakers
Onix "B" grade sub (looks like "D" grade)
Berkline chairs
ATS acoustic panels