I'm looking for a nice projector for our new home. My budget would be up to $3,500 for the projector alone. I've heard Mitsubishi 5500 is what I should go for, but I wanted to see what the consensus was here first. The room isn't that big, but it's good enough. It's 13'-11" x 12'-6", and my friends/fam are telling me the 5500 is amazingly quiet. Also, what do I look for in a screen? I'm looking to take up a wall, so it's going to be fairly big. How much do these normally cost? Thanks
Screens can be expensive as you want or you can simply paint one on the wall yourself on the cheap. A few questions. How big of a screen are you looking for? What is the throw from projector to wall? DD
Let me start off with: That's what she said! But, seriously, folks...just a comment about the screen: if it will take up a wall, consider what will be there when there is no movie being shown. Will there be a couch, chairs or a table? I am also looking for projector ideas for a large hall with a projector mounted in a ceiling and possibly moving the screen around. Also, consider this: how do you send the video signal? Be ready to get cables long enough to send the video signal from the source to the projector. Think about what source you would be sending to the projector... will it always be For me, since it will take up a small portion of a wall, and it will only be the screen to pull down when someone wants to show something on the projector, we will mount hooks just below the ceiling to remove the projector and put it back when needed. I'm still looking for projectors and screens but my budget is not anywhere near yours. Looks like you're in for a nice setup. Recent Projector Threads [thread=172843]Projector users....... [/thread] [thread=152931]guys with home theater setups[/thread]
Ok, speaking as a person who has used a ceiling-mounted projector for almost 5 years now: Go get yourself the Samsung 63" Plasma and fut it nicely into that space. Unless you plan to keep this room dark at all times, it's just never going to be as satisfactory as you are imagining it will be. Don't get me wrong, I have actually enjoyed mine. But it's like a computer mounted on the ceiling, and that means noise from fans, and God forbid an internal fan should go out, or start to go, because the noise will become horrific. And if you are lucky the replacement bulbs for the thing will ONLY run you around $300 every 2 or 3 years. You can't run HDMI directly into them, which means you have to get yourself LONG DVI cable, and then get that monstrously thick and heavy cable (which will weigh more than the projector, by the way) mounted up there, etc etc. And that's just digital - if you want any other source like a Wii for example (which does not use digital video, then you also need to run a long SVGA as well.. the list goes on and on.. where is the power going to come from for it, you won't be able to have a ceiling fan in the room, etc etc etc.. And when you can pick up the 63" Plasma for around $2400 (and falling all the time) I would have a really hard time with the idea of actually spending more on a projector system that is going to be 'nice' but also come with a lot of headaches too. Just my $.02.. I had looked at the 50" plasma (those are getting down to about $1000), but my wife saw the 63" at BB and said THAT is the one I like... and it was definitely the best-looking one in the joint.. I am hoping the longer I can wait before Christmas, maybe the prices will keep falling and I can snag one for around 2k .. and when that happens, the projector is coming down, the wires will be taken down, the ceiling fan is going back in, and I will be able to watch T during the day again with having to have the whole living room darkened like a cave with blackout curtains..
www.monoprice.com Check out the screens and cabling there. I have a friend who works at a big print company. They do those giant banners you see in store windows. He got some of that banner material, built a frame for it, and mounted it on the wall. He didn't pay for it, but he said the material was insanely cheap. I'm not an audiophile, but what Nero said about bulbs is spot-on. They're expensive and brun out frequently compared to television life. I used to support a few conference rooms and they would burn out 1-2 years a pop.
Why can't you run HDMI into them directly? I think all the newer 1080P projectors have an HDMI input! You connect your components(blu ray player,WII, etc) to your AV receiver and then connect an HDMI cable from the receiver to your projector, you are set!
Some of what Nero said is true. Make sure you can black the room out or you will be disappointed as the colors in the picture may look washed out. Here's a calculator that may help you (I'd contact the manufacturer, too) with throws and gains on the screen : http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm. Go here if you really want to do good research on screens and projectors and loads of info from people that may actually own the equipment you're looking to buy as well as experts in home theater design : http://www.avsforum.com/
Ok this is true, I was more referring to my own issues 5 years ago. At the time I had to set mine up, it was a DVI input or you were SOL, and those cables were *outrageous* .. over $200 on average! I managed to find a steal of a deal on Amazon for a 30' DVI for *only* about $70. And looking now, there are some HDMI 30' out there for around $20, which is great, and if your receiver will take an analog signal from something like a Wii or a VCR or DVD player and send it out through HDMI, then even better. Everything down to 1 cable does eliminate some of the headaches.
Use the following: Viewing Distance/6 = height of the screen (this distance is from the screen to the farthest viewer) 16:9 aspect ratio: height x 1.77 = width 4:3 aspect ratio: height x 1.33 = width To calculate lumens: lumens = (h'xw') x brightness factor Use a brightness factor of 50 lumens for daylight conditions 30-40 lumens for dark conditions Lens selection: Distance/Screen width = throw ratio
Damn, I just bought a nice projector and shoot it onto the wall or a white sheet outside at night. I didn't know I had to do a bunch of math first.
The projector is going into a dedicated media room. I don't mind it sticking out from the ceiling. The huge screen taking up a wall is no problem either. The room will be dark with no windows. I'll get the throw when I get off for lunch. The dimensions of the room overall are in my first post
You bring the beers, I'll show the Rockets game. But you have to help me find a nice projector first haha
Have you considered the Mitsubishi HC7000? I think you can get it under $3K http://www.hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/mitsubishi_hc7000_lcd_projector/ At A Glance: Outstanding video processing, including full-time anamorphic lens support • Razor-sharp images • Color accuracy needs work it's got 2 hdmi 1.3 connections etc.
I got a set-up. Its 140" motorized screen with a gain of 6-8 if I remember correctly. The viewing I watch is a bordered out 124". My projector is a Optima HD, projects at 1080p, great for gaming, sports games, and really anything. I think the projector cost me like $1K and the screen was like $350. I got 2 rows (6 chairs) of black theater seating. The front is level on the ground, and the back row is about 5" higher, sitting on a matching carpeted platform I built. I got a Bose surround, but Im not happy with it, gonna replace it for something better. That really is my only thing left to do. If you want any tips and are around North Houston area, I could help you make a BA room for less than what you are talking about, and you would be 100x more happy.
That sounds awesome. I'll be moving into Richmond, Tx though. 1464/Beechnut. My set up is going to be a lot like yours. There's only enough room for two rows. The front row will be 3 theater seats, and the back row is on a raised platform. But I'm thinking of using a couch for the raised platform. I don't think I'll be able to afford a connected theater row with raisable arm rests. I'm second guessing the raise though. Have you regretted that decision? I'd be happy to get some general tips for balling on a budget. I'll have Paradigm 7.1 surround speakers prewired and installed and projector wires preinstalled. I haven't decided if I want to use their projector (Mitsubishi 5500), or just buy a better one myself. I'm thinking of tinman's recommendation for a projector. I hear nothing but great things for the Panasonic AE3000 and an Opus. I'll post the price of the package my home builder is offering. Maybe you guys can tell me if it's worth it. The equipment seem to be value products. Great bang for your buck. But I have no clue about the street prices for the other competing projectors
Here's the package $9,999 Onkyo TXSR607B (Might be a Denon instead depending on availability) Onkyo DVSP406B DVD Paradigm PV-50R Speakers Paradigm PDR-8 Subwoofer (this sounded bad in the demo, no base) Up to 103" Vutek Fixed Screen Omnimount PM1 MX350 Universal Remote (Programmed) Remote RF base Mitsubishi 5500 Surge Protector PST8 Installation (probably where all the money is)
