New Home Theater questions. Help

[aabrams]

Hi All,

I am currently in the process of designing a home theater. The room is 16'2"X 10'8". I have attached a .jpg of the layout of the room (and surrounding areas). Note there are pocket doors in the room.

I want to go with a projector. I have some questions though.
I am not planning on doing raised seating. Seating will be a circular sofa in the middle of the room (or somewhere thereabouts).

1) Is the room big enough for a projector?
2) If so, what size screen?
3) should the screen go on the short wall or the long wall? There is a bay window which will be covered by blackout shades facing the short wall.
4) What is the best projector for =<$3000?
5) Which screen is recommended for the projector?
6) Carpet or Hardwood?
7) Would you go with inwall speakers vs freestanding?
8) Why do some projectors have an ethernet connection?
9) I am thinking about putting a panel that would be accessible from the rear in the closet next to the powerroom (or the master bedroom closet depending upon the answer to 3). This would allow Audio/Video component shelves in the media room itself, while having easy access to the rear. Is the this a good idea?
10) What is the best place to get projects, screens, etc from?

Also, I want to do whole house audio. I have a squeezebox that I want to pipe around the house, and the outside. Can I just use a receiver which is plugged into some sort of device to control the volume, and output in the rooms themselves? What kind of device can I get that would do many rooms (as most receivers only do a few)? I realize this question might be sort of vague.

11) What kind of inwall speakers (I need about 15 pairs) can I put around the house that will sound good, but won't break the bank?

12) What are the best outdoor speakers for the money?

Thanks so much for your help!!

 

[InTheIndustry]

These kind of questions are near imposible to answer completely through a forum such as this. And it's near as tough to get consistant, reliable, and correct information. Taking on something like what you are try to do requires a lot of planning and previous experience to do right.

I would HIGHLY (I mean a 10 on a 10 scale) advise contacting a local A/V integrator to see if they would offer you some sort of consulting service for a fee. That way, you can do the project yourself, buy the product you want at the pricing you want, and get good solid info. Remember - a good A/V contractor has had a lot of training and experience. Designing a home's low-voltage structured wiring can be difficult even for the pro's.

As a custom A/V integrator I have seen dozens of homes done poorly either by an electrician who thought "pulling wire was pulling wire", or by a home owner who's heart was in the right place but missed the mark. IMO it's worth a couple of extra $'s to do your new house the right way and have confidence that your plan is the right one. That's just my $0.02. Going by your house plan it seems like you are on your way to having a beautiful home when it's completed. Best of luck to you!

 

[aabrams]

Thanks for the advice. The problem is that there are many, many integrators, and I don't know which ones are any good. How much do you think it would cost to design the theater area, and whole house audio?