New Home Theater Questions

[Paisaab]

Hi-
I recently joined this forum, and am really a newbie. I am trying to put together a HT in my basement (we're doing the rest of it too), and I have a approx 12" x 21" x 7.4"(high) room to play with. Good light control, away from the noisy furnace etc.
To be used for 50-50 music and movies....

Been thinking about the gear I want there, and I need suggestions on pretty much everything. This includes:

Speaker system (planning for a 7.1 system)
Receiver- thinking abt Denon 3506- supposedly upconverts video to 1080i via HDMI, but also read that it does not quite do that (one of the new Yammies is supposed to be able to do it though).
DVD player- I think I am going to move my Denon 2910 down, will also play SACD
Going to use a sony CD player I already have- upgrade later...
Projector- need help badly here- BenQ DLP or the Yamaha LCD? I am told that LCD projectors have a bad "screen door" effect, not seen on DLP models

Screen- buy a screen or DIY with plywood and Goo?

Also, re upscaling- shoudl I try to do it with/via the receiver or the projector...I see that some projectors have 1080p, but not sure if they upconvert signals or not. Primary signal feed will be DVD and HDTV, so need 2 inputs (most projectors seem to have only 1).....verrry confused. Or should I get a separate scaler???

Any input will be appreciated. Thanks a lot. Cheers!

Paisaab

 

[droeses58]

One important factor you left out................HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO SPEND?

 

[Paisaab]

Good question....it could go as high as 12K, not all at one of course, but around that, give or take.....

 

[Dapper Dan]

Projector- need help badly here- BenQ DLP or the Yamaha LCD?

Read this article about the benefits of LCD vs DLP first.
In regards to the projector…I would rather think in terms of longevity. If the projector lamp last 3000 hours, and you watch/use the projector say 10 hrs per week, then you will get approximately 4 years and 9 months use before the lamp will need to be replaced (unless it fails earlier of course). At the rate that the technology is advancing, compared to the price of the lamp, you would need to pay about 25% to 30% of the initial cost of the projector to replace the lamp, thus, you could upgrade at a relatively modest cost and get the latest and greatest rather than buying the flagship, top end model today. (This assumes you consider say a Sanyo PLV-Z3, Panasonic AE700, Epson “powerlite” TW 200+, et al…also note that the new models have just been released, so in the coming months, reviews should be available). The benefit is that rather than having to stay fixed with 5 year old technology, you could stay relatively current. Also the initial set-up cost will not be as high.

When you are not making an A/B comparison, it’s amazing how you will become comfortable with the picture you are watching. Same goes for DLP projectors.

I am told that LCD projectors have a bad "screen door" effect, not seen on DLP models

Screen door is not a major issue these days on either of the technologies, unless you sit within 1 to 2 feet from the screen!
I have included a picture I took of the SDE... not how close you need to be to the screen to see it (Shrek's right hand fingers). If you look closely, you can see the shadow of the lens on the right. The other two pictures are with the flash going off (washed out colors); the other with the room dark. Sitting about 12 feet away, image size is 110”,

Screen- buy a screen or DIY with plywood and Goo?

Then read this about screens …please look around at some of the other articles for more info. I would recommend buying a screen IMHO.

Also, re upscaling- shoudl I try to do it with/via the receiver or the projector...I see that some projectors have 1080p, but not sure if they upconvert signals or not. Primary signal feed will be DVD and HDTV, so need 2 inputs (most projectors seem to have only 1).....verrry confused. Or should I get a separate scaler???

Any input will be appreciated. Thanks a lot. Cheers!

Paisaab

Now for the scaling…firstly assess how the projectors onboard scaler works, it maybe more than satisfactory, rather than increasing your set-up cost for an add on scaler. If the projectors onboard scaler works well, I think you should be able to do the video switching functions of the Denon as you should have two inputs to one output. (I haven’t seen the manual for it yet, so I am making an assumption). Otherwise I would consider an outboard scaler - this would also probably solve your input problem as all your video sources would go to the scaler first, then to your projector.

As for the rest of your selection, go for what sounds best to you...so far so good...I hope this points you in the right direction.

Cheers...
Dapper Dan...

 

[Paisaab]

Dapper Dan- tank you for taking the time to give a detailed reply. I think I am somewhat wiser now, but will still have questions in the future.

P

 

[Dapper Dan]

Paisaab,

My pleasure, by all means ask away, thats after all, what the forums are for....

Happy Hunting...

Dapper Dan...

 

[majorloser]

Your room dimensions are very close to mine. Are you planning on using the 12' wall as the front and use 2 rows of seating? If so, you might find out that the 7' 6" ceiling could be a little low when you build the stage for the back row (I have a 12" rise but I have a 10 foot ceiling). Also, are you planning on ceiling mounting your projector? Depending on how you plan on mounting the projector and which direction you are going will dictate screen size. Throw distance projector (unless you get one with interchangable lenses) is usually is a fairly tight range (4 to 5 feet difference).

If you are planning on using the 12' wall as the front, you can get away with either a 100" or 120" 16x9 (1.78:1) screen. That would give you between a 55" and 60" screen height. If you use the "3 times height to distance" for HDTV, your optimum viewing distance would be about 14 feet (front row) and about 4.5 times for the back row.

I'm running an Optoma H78-DC3 with a 100" 16x9 Stewart Luxus Deluxe ScreenWall with Firehawk material. The screen is fixed and the tower speakers flank it on either side with the center on a stand at the bottom. I built a stage for the front also so the speakers set 12" off the ground.

Do yourself a favor and buy a good quality screen. there are some good reviews on this site.

 

[Paisaab]

Screens and such

Hi-
yes, I am planning to use the 12' wall as the screen wall, and I was thinking of a 110" screen (probably Da-Lite grey- my understanding is grey is better??). The screen in 16:9 ratio is about 54" high, something easily managable. The room actually turns out to be a little over 20', and while I was not planning on more than 1 row (wife likes to lie down while viewing, and I like to sit, so if we had a sofa size sitting space, I could sit in one corner...its all about WAF isn't it!! ). However, today, the building inspector came by and said..."Jeez, if I were you, I would definitely use at least 2 rows if not 3....strong recommendation that. MMaybe I will go with a 10" riser instead of a 12"....

I was looking at the BenQ 7700, but maybe the Yammy LPX 510 will get cheaper so I can afford it . I dont know much about projectors- just what I read on this and similar sites.

Did not think of a front stage- how deep is yours?

Thanks...

Paisaab

 

[majorloser]

I built my front and back stages out of 2x12 framing along the outer sides and every 18" along the inside. I used floor joist hanger to hang 2x4's every 18" as cross braces on the inside and 5/8" plywood decking. Corner braces at every 2x12 connection, 3" dryway screws for the framing and 2" drywall screws for the decking. Yes, it can withstand an atomic blast! Along the front edge I attached a 2x2 to give a lip for the carpet and padding to roll over to form an overhang. The 2x12's and plywod don't quite equal 12 inches but the backs of the chairs I have on the front row meant I needed a little higher than a 2x10. The front stage is 24" deep plus the 2x2 lip. I originally was going to laminate a curved front on the speaker platform but decided against it once the box was built. Since speakers and subwoofers are on the platform it needs to be attached to the floor with angle braces. I also filled the inner cavity with play sand prior to putting on the decking to deaden it. Along the underside of the lip for both platforms I ran white rope lighting that is on my Pronto remote and dimmable. I bought a bulk roll of commercial grade rope lighting that is twice the wattage of normal rope. You cut it to length and put special connectors on the ends.

I guess I should take pictures one day and post on the site...............
NOTE TO SELF: take pictures

 

[BMXTRIX]

I would definitely broaden the choices for projector selection and try to go view as many different models as possible. It simply astounds me the non-difference between a $1,000.00 projector and a $10,000 projector. They both look phenomenal and it gets very, very difficult to discern the difference between the two. As such, there are true bargain projectors to be had at any given price point that really give you the most bang for the buck. As much as I love Yamaha products, I don't feel their projectors are any sort of value or bang-for-the-buck.

The Optoma H79? How about the Panasonic AE900U? (a month or so and we'll have more on that) Or perhaps you find a way to get the new 1080p Sony? Lots and lots of choices available.

Now, I just made a screen out of blackout cloth. I then put it up on my wall and displayed a DVD on it and HDTV on it. Then I lowered my Draper screen halfway and compared the two side by side.

Screens seem to be completely over rated if all you need is about a 1.0 gain setup. A nice Goo setup, if you are 99% comfortable with prepping the surface for the paint and doing a solid job with applying the Goo, can produce results that are equal, or better, than screens costing $1,000+.

http://www.bmxtrix.com/gallery/photo/main_frames.cfm?folder1=theater&folder2=screen&imageName=theater_17&galName=Screens&image=theater/screen/theater_17.jpg

Included in that link are photos of the making of the screen, shots of both the DIY screen and the Draper screen, as well as how ambient light in the room affects contrast ratio.

 

[majorloser]

As much as I love Yamaha products, I don't feel their projectors are any sort of value or bang-for-the-buck.

The Optoma H79? How about the Panasonic AE900U? (a month or so and we'll have more on that) Or perhaps you find a way to get the new 1080p Sony? Lots and lots of choices available.

My first projector was a Yamaha DPX-1. Lasted 2 years 3 month than the DLP formatter board died. The bulbs lasted 1000 hours and were only available through Yamaha and cost $587 each, I liked the projector, just wish I would have bought something else.

I just bought an Optoma H78-DC3 a couple of months ago to replace it. The H78 is the same projector as the H79. Optoma reduced the warranty to 2 years and took away the advance replacement for the first year. Paid $3799 for it. (I'm sure you can beat that now)