Any Home Theater Suggestions?

[RoboCop2001]

Hello everyone, I've been reading this Forum for months now and have gotten several great ideas from the information that floats this site. I guess it's time for me to throw my name in the hat for any creative suggestions or ideas any of you may have.

A couple of months ago my wife and I decided that we were going to make some additions to our home. One of those additions is building a home theater. We finally got the OK from the HOA and have obtained all the permits and have hired the contractor. We are now in the designing phase with the architect.

The room that will be built is located on the ground floor and will measure approximately (interior measurement)13 feet wide by 26 feet deep with a 9 foot ceiling. The size of the addition is our only limitation. We can't go any larger and I can't see why we would want to go any smaller. Approximately 13 feet into the room we are planning to have the floor drop to allow a stadium type sitting arrangement. We don't yet know oh much of a drop we should go with. There will be no windows built into the addition and the only entrance will be from a single door (or double doors, we haven't decided) from the rest of the house. Lighting will be supplied from nine 6 inch recessed lights arranged in three rows of three with three seperate dimming sliders to control seperately the front row, middle row and rear row of lights. The floor will be carpeted and the walls will be drywall with a material of sound dampening applied behind. The ceiling will be sound dampened as well. At this time we are going with a beige color for the carpet and walls. The ceiling will be white. The room will have a dedicated air conditioning system.

The furniture is planned to be a set of Berkline model 090 straight arm theater seats. One row of three seats covered in beige leather with PowerRecline and ButtKickers. This will be the back row (elevated row) seating. The front row (lower row) will be a Berkline sofa with end recline and covered in beige leather to match the model 090 seats.

We have decided to go Blu-Ray (that's was a no brainer), 1080p with 7.1 surround sound utilizing all HDMI hook ups.

Equipment: Here is what we are looking at. Blu-Ray player will be Sony Playstation 3 80gb player. This is the only item that we have purchased so far (pre-sale from BestBuy). We plan to add a dedicated Blu-Ray player once the technology surpasses what the PS3 has to offer. This will plug into an A/V receiver, right now we are looking at the Pioneer Elite VSX-82 TSX receiver. Video image will come from a Mitsubishi HC5000 (white case) LCD HD Projector. We will utilize a Sanus model VMPR1 ceiling mount. Video image will display on a Optoma 120 inch Grey Wolf II fixed screen model DF-GWII9120F. Audio will come from sets of ceiling and wall mounted SpeakerCraft speakers. AIM8THREEs for the front, center, and rear speakers. MT THREEs for the side speakers. The subwoofer will be our JBL SB12 powered sub woofer that we are currently using in our den. We will replace the sub woofer if this one is inadiquite.

At this point all connection will be via HDMI and will utilize the best shielded cable and speakerwire we can find. We haven't looked into the surge protectors yet.

I plan to post images of before, during, and after project stages.

Any way, what are your thoughts...what suggestions do you have? Is there anything you would do different? Is there anything we haven't thought about?

All constructive criticism and suggestion welcome.

[jermwhl]

can we come over?!?!

[sokrman14]

I personally say upgrade the receiver to one that is adequate with HDMI 1.3 (Maybe new Pioneer Elite VSX92TXH), it sounds like it will be a great set up. That is a pretty large room, you will need a bigger sub or another sub. I personally would go for a nice Definitive Technology subwoofer because they have a high power output that can fill your whole room evenly. For the same price as the AIM8THREE will cost you, go for something out of the wall, again to fill sound in the whole room. I recommend some sort of tower or bookshelf speaker. If you would like further recommendations you can Private Message me or just repost again.

[Fenix88]

Go to www.widescreenreview.com and get The Special Edition of The Essential Subwoofer Buyers Guide. It is packed tons of reviews and model break down. I bought my Mirage BPS-400 after reading the article without even listening to it. And it is still kicking ass in my 13 by 23ft room with an 8ft ceiling. My brother victorvondoom88 has the same sub. Check out his post he has some pics of his room. I would get an a/v receiver that can do HDMI 1.3a so you can hear the new audio codecs.

[Matt X]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

I personally say upgrade the receiver to one that is adequate with HDMI 1.3 (Maybe new Pioneer Elite VSX92TXH), it sounds like it will be a great set up. That is a pretty large room, you will need a bigger sub or another sub. I personally would go for a nice Definitive Technology subwoofer because they have a high power output that can fill your whole room evenly. For the same price as the AIM8THREE will cost you, go for something out of the wall, again to fill sound in the whole room. I recommend some sort of tower or bookshelf speaker. If you would like further recommendations you can Private Message me or just repost again.

I would agree - w/ all the $$$ you're kicking out, make sure to have a receiver that is as future-proof as possible, and that means HDMI 1.3-capable. as far as subs, I hear Sunfire makes a pretty kick-@$$ sub - something like 2000 watts ! but don't let the wattage sound like overkill, it has gotten really good reviews (hell, I wish *I* could afford it!)

[sokrman14]

Although I agree Sunfire makes some pretty killer subs, I feel they overcharge you for what you get from them. Def Tech subs or even Martin Logan subs will be more than sufficient for a less price. I feel the same way from the Velodyne subs that are worth buying. The expensive high end models sound great, but they start at 1k and up.

[RoboCop2001]

Thanks guys...I didn't realize these Pioneer receivers were coming out. I am now thinking of going with either the 92-THX or the 94-THX.

[takezo]

Cool, I wish I had that kind of setup. To make it more authentic, get your own Popcorn popper, then charge people admission.

I would also investigate acoustics thoroughly if i had your setup. Speaker placement plays a big part in the way sound travels in room. It can drasticaly improve surround FX and Bass punch.

BTW, PS3 is great Blu-ray player, It's the only one that is future proof. Why?
Because firmware updates and the fact that Cell is powerfull enough to run many HD streams at one time. However i don't see you playing games on a projector while it would be realy cool. The PS3 can get loud when in a hot environment thus for absolute quiet playback a standalone whould be more sutable.

[crackinhedz]

if money is not really an object...check out this Denon reciever...hdmi 1.3

Denon AVR-4308CI

140 watts x 7
4 HDMI inputs, 2 outputs

(I like the Pioneer Elites also)

also for an audio system...this will definitely rock a theater...

Klipsch THX Ultra2 Speaker System

[supersix4]

we have the McIntosh MX-135 most people probly dont want to spend that much but its as amazing as it gets... now-adays tho Id just wait for the 1.3a recivers

[eayala]

I also suggest you subscribe to this magazine, it has grat ideas for your theatre:
http://electronichouse.com/

also, I was wondering what is you total budget for this?

good luck!

[Pilam69]

Originally Posted by RoboCop2001

All constructive criticism and suggestion welcome.

Well, first of all, WOW, very nice and congratulations on the new room.

I would suggest one main thing, darker colors. The light colors (especially ceiling) will reflect so much light it will draw you out of the screen. I recommend dark burgundy's or browns to absorb color and keep it dark in the room. Other than that, holy crap, awesome.

[Footloose301]

Definetly go with a new receiver with the HDMI 1.3 and for that size of a room you will need a different sub without a doubt! If you like JBL they make a nice 12" that does 600 watts RMS and 1200 peak and sounds good and deep. Or if money is not an option and you want the best IMHO then go with this.... I call it God.

http://home.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?prod_id=370

...at 3800 watts RMS you can't go wrong, lol. It goes for about $7000 and is 405lbs. Won a bunch of awards and even the smaller ones are great too. The woofers are the same 13.5" woofers for car audio. I just happen to be the proud owner of one and can vouch for this being the best woofer I have ever heard, not to mention it is LOUD and DEEP!

[victorvondoom88]

First off congrats on the new construction plans. Sounds like a very nice HT.
I would make sure that the receiver you choose can accept/decode all the
new audio codecs.
You definitely made the right choice going front projection. I just got my first in november Sanyo PLV-Z5.
Is this the projector you are looking at? http://www.projectorcentral.com/mitsubishi_hc5000.htm

Looks pretty good to me. I opted for a 720p machine due to the 1080 FP's were just coming out and they were way out of my budget at the time.

120" screen is a good choice. You will never say man I wish I went with a smaller screen. Mine is a 100" and I wish I had a 120".

As far as color of the room I went with a very neutral dark gray from Behr Dark Granite. I used white crown moulding and trim to break up how dark the room is. The room looked good with a white ceiling but the picture looks way better with it painted dark. My camera doesn't do my projector justice.




As far as cables go I use this one as my HDMI http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=181-739
They come in 2,4,10 and 15 meter. The construction/performance is excellent and I couldn't be happier.

Since you are going the fixed screen route you should read up on "constant height set-ups. They require a 2.35:1 screen but you will get more performance from your projector. The tricky part is I am not sure if the ps3 will do the necessary vertical stretch/squeeze of 2.35:1 material.
http://www.panamorph.com/
2.35:1 fixed frame screens http://www.carada.com/ProductInfo.as...N-SCREEN-C136C
Then use dark velvet curtains to cover the sides when not viewing 2.35:1 material.
Since you will have black bars on the sides but never on top/bottom.It also looks more movie theaterish.
Except for 4:3 stuff I would distort it so you don't damage the LCD panels with image retention/burn-in. .
I think you should consider if you haven't already the following:

1. remote lighting, my bro (fenix88) has it I wish I did.

2. More lights a set that is remote controlled like the nine you describe and more for when you are doing stuff in the room, hooking stuff up or cleaning.

3. A universal remote of some kind, ir repeaters if necessary and all that stuff. no fumbling around in the dark for the right remote.

4. Paint the ceiling dark, I know the wife will probably not agree but a white ceiling will affect you projector quite a bit. At least between the projector and the screen.

5. Non in wall speakers. Unless you cant convince the wife otherwise they will never sound as good as in room speakers.


Keep us posted man it sounds like it's going to be awesome.

[justinbaily]

I get ALL my HD gear from monoprice.com 5-way hdmi selector with remote
less than $100. HDMI cables are cheap as well. In a century not so long ago
shielded cabling mattered but not with digital cables-don't get shafted by
monster...just click the home theatre tab on monoprice.com.

The hdmi selector has equilization so no signal degridation and they even have dvi-hdmi converters. Spend your money on displays,surround,lighting and seating but save hundreds on your interconnects.

This is just a site i stumbled upon awhile back and i've no idea how well known it is. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED -I KNOW I WASN'T!!

[RoboCop2001]

Is this the projector you are looking at? http://www.projectorcentral.com/mitsubishi_hc5000.htm

Yep, that's the one we are thinking of getting.

Thanks to all of you that have posted ideas and web links. In one day you guys have really made me do some thinking. Please keep the suggestions and comments comming.

I'd love to invate all of you over for a Blu-Ray evening and a dip in our new swimming pool. When everything is in place.

[MouseRider]

You should certainly reconsider your choice of the A/V receiver, depending on your budget, you might want to consider separates which will allow you more flexibility in future upgrades and selecting the best components for each function.

Good that you're considering wall and ceiling treatments, there are some fantastic alternatives to dry wall since it's new construction for you. There are acoustic dampening wall materials now that far outperform dry wall and the best part, no dust!

Don't forget the type of door you use for the room, don't let it be the weak link in your room's acoustic treatment.

For lighting, something to consider is wall sconces, they are great for mood lighting and when placed strategically can be directed to not affect your screen contrast so you can offer lighting for people to enter/exit the room when the room is dark. Alternatively, you can look at fiber-optic floor lighting.

Also don't forget a couple of spot light sources near your favorite chair so when you're playing games, you can read your game guides, use a wireless keyboard or take notes without turning on lights that might wash out the projection image.

You might also want to consider use of a microfiber or micro-perferated screen so you can place your center channel behind the screen rather than above or below it, it will improve your center imaging.

Since you are using a ceiling mounted projector, a white ceiling might not be ideal as it will be lit-up by the projector, you'll see a large white triangle on the ceiling.

Because you have 2 rows of seating, you might want to also consider bipole or tripole sides to increase your side-channel sound field to cover both rows.

Depending on whether you're going to place your components up front or at the back, there will definitely be wire-runs to consider, where and how you run them, and what you run them with is important. Always run extra wires or run them in conduits and leave a snake in them so if you need more or different wires in the future, you don't have to knock holes in your wall.

Most of all, enjoy building and using your theater, that's what matters most, for me, the building never stops and that's half the fun, the other half is enjoying a movie experience that is rivaled by very few public theaters.

I have a dedicated theater a little larger than yours that was built to THX specifications. Commissioned in 2000, I'm still always improving it.

[RoboCop2001]

Don't forget the type of door you use for the room, don't let it be the weak link in your room's acoustic treatment.

We are thinking of going with solid core exterior doors placed on "floating" hinges. Something our designer and builder have come up with.

For lighting, something to consider is wall sconces, they are great for mood lighting and when placed strategically can be directed to not affect your screen contrast so you can offer lighting for people to enter/exit the room when the room is dark. Alternatively, you can look at fiber-optic floor lighting.

Definately considering this.

Since you are using a ceiling mounted projector, a white ceiling might not be ideal as it will be lit-up by the projector, you'll see a large white triangle on the ceiling.

We have decided to go with a darker color schem for the room.

Thanks for the ideas MouseRider, definately giving us things to think about.

[Footloose301]

Sounds cool. Go with what you mentioned and you'll have everybody coming to your house on superbowl night.

[MouseRider]

Originally Posted by RoboCop2001

We are thinking of going with solid core exterior doors placed on "floating" hinges. Something our designer and builder have come up with.

Yes, I have a solid core exterior door as well initially and those work great. I would avoid metal surfaced doors as it will have brighter reflective characteristics.

If you're going with sheet rock, there is also a way to float that to prevent it from becoming a drum, there are these rubber insulators, adds a little more labor but it does help.

I've also noticed that you'll have a separate environmental system for that room, if you can, try to get your HVAC guy to adjust the system so that your theater has positive pressure, that basically means that the pressure inside your theater is always a little higher than outside the theater, this will keep dust out of your room as when you open the door, air will flow out of the room and never in.

If you can do the above and have a door that opens in, you'll have room pressure to help keep the door snugly closed as well.

I'm not sure if the room is already framed, you should do a quick acoustic calculation to make sure that you're dimensions don't create standing waves or frequency voids.

Google or PM me and I can recommend you some reading and references.