Non-ceiling mounted projectors?

[Beta Man]

Anyone have any asthetically pleasing means to setting up a projector (perhaps a shelf type thing behind the theater-seats that it can sit on top of)


Couple issues with my new attic....

1) heat..... I'm going to install an extra Theater-only A/C (in addition to the Central Air) but the room's temp is dramatically different when I feel the ceiling, compared to 6 feet up for instance (heat rises obviously...)

2) my ceiling in the attic is textured, and has heating elements running in the ceiling.... it's an older home, and this was a popular method for radiant heating back in the day, and running the wires, repairing the ceiling (plaster! yikes) and having an outlet installed, etc... is now a much larger job than origionally planned...... I was thinking about running the wires from the projector, under the theater-seats, to the crawl-space.... and drill out to the access panel behind the screen-area to connect it all.....


Other things to consider..... I have a separate room off of the attic that will house all of my media, so "shelves" aren't really necessary.... If it's something that can be used to create a "theme" for the theater (I need to paint, and replace the carpet still) that would be great!!!! I plan on running the plumbing from the bathroom that is in the attic, over to a bar area too, but that is a LONG WAYS away, due to the cost. Here is the attic, anything you can think of, in terms of how I could theme it, would be great too..... The room is only for a theater, so the windows will be blacked out (probably pond-liner, with black-out cloth curtains over it, so it'll have zero ambient light)

Sorry for the one crappy picture.... doesn't even show the theater "lengthwise" I don't think..... it's an angled ceiling obviously (attic... what can I say!) and you can't see the stairs going up (there is a door at the bottom, so again, light isn't an issue) the bathroom and additional room are on the other side..... I'll get more pictures when I can.




Theater time!!!!.jpg
Thoughts?

[09camaro]

A couple of questions. Are you still looking at the hc1500? Also, where will the
media room be in relation to projector location? Need to know height of projector
and desired height and size of screen. More pictures would also help.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by 09camaro

A couple of questions. Are you still looking at the hc1500? Also, where will the
media room be in relation to projector location? Need to know height of projector
and desired height and size of screen. More pictures would also help.

Still looking at the HC1500,

The Media room will be behind the seating area, where a wall is adjacent to the bathroom.... It's a finished room with door, but not too big (large walk-in-closet type) So I won't need to run up and downstairs all the time!

I don't really have a "desired" height for projector OR screen... just high enough to project over the heads of people in the seats... and the screen will probably be 120" and can go anywere starting from the ground.... or the Ceiling (8 feet I believe)

[09camaro]

The hc1500 doesn't have any lens shift adjustment and a lower zoom adjustment
in the lens. For a 120" screen the lens of the projector needs to be between 14'4"
and 17'5" away from the screen, ideally around 17'. With the fixed lens shift, the bottom
(or top, if ceiling mounted) of the screen will be around 19.5" above the center
of the lens. Depending on room size, you may have to ceiling mount to get the
desired screen size.

[09camaro]

Check this link out for the throw calculator.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Mits...ulator-pro.htm

You may also want to look into one with lens shift to give you more options. If you
can make it work, the hc1500 is sweet!. I got my screen hung last night, and out
of the box picture is great! Will do some tweaking this weekend and snap some pics
for the home theater thread.

[Beta Man]

Thanks for the advice!!! I can ceiling mount it if absolutely necessary.... and I can mount the projector about 23 feet from the screen, if I had to, so 17 shouldn't be a problem (I just didn't want it to be the focal point when people walk up the stairs..... the stairs are 8 feet from the back wall or so....)

[Beta Man]

Well... I'm gonna bite the bullet, and pay an installer for a ceiling installation!!!!

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Well... I'm gonna bite the bullet, and pay an installer for a ceiling installation!!!!

Hopefully it won't cost you US$1000!


fuad

[09camaro]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Well... I'm gonna bite the bullet, and pay an installer for a ceiling installation!!!!

I don't know what an install would cost, but it might be cheaper to look at one
of the 720p LCD models. That would allow you to position it like you want, and
not have to ceiling mount.

[Beta Man]

How heavy is the HC1500??? Can I get sheet-rock/dry-wall anchors, and pre-drill, and mount it that way, or do I have to hit a stud?? I can do it myself, but if hitting a stud in the ceiling is necessary, I'll have to go another route (due to the roadblocks I have in the ceiling)

thanks!

[09camaro]

It weighs about 7lbs. I will post some pics tomorrow of the ceiling mount I made.
Here is where I got the idea for mine....
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=232749

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

How heavy is the HC1500??? Can I get sheet-rock/dry-wall anchors, and pre-drill, and mount it that way, or do I have to hit a stud?? I can do it myself, but if hitting a stud in the ceiling is necessary, I'll have to go another route (due to the roadblocks I have in the ceiling)

thanks!

Beta-- do not, I repeat, do not use drywall anchors to mount a projector to a ceiling. The ratings on those anchors is based on the strength of the drywall beneath the anchor with the anchor inserted in a vertical wall, not a horizontal sheet (like a ceiling). Every pro installer I spoke with said not to do this, even if you could get away with it with a light projector.

Hit the studs, or mount another piece of plywood to the studs, paint the plywood to match the ceiling, and then mount your projector to the plywood. It'll keep you from worrying whether or not your expensive projector will drop off the ceiling and break, or god forbid, hit somebody in the head.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

Beta-- do not, I repeat, do not use drywall anchors to mount a projector to a ceiling. The ratings on those anchors is based on the strength of the drywall beneath the anchor with the anchor inserted in a vertical wall, not a horizontal sheet (like a ceiling). Every pro installer I spoke with said not to do this, even if you could get away with it with a light projector.

Hit the studs, or mount another piece of plywood to the studs, paint the plywood to match the ceiling, and then mount your projector to the plywood. It'll keep you from worrying whether or not your expensive projector will drop off the ceiling and break, or god forbid, hit somebody in the head.

Didn't think about the plywood idea... I'll definitely do that if necessary..... still waiting to get in and check the stud-spacing, and ceiling contents more closely. Appreciate the advice! Sorry for all the dumb questions! Video really isn't my thing!

I do plan on buying a mount..... just connecting the mount to the ceiling (and what's under it) have me puzzled.... but plywood sounds like a great idea for hitting the stud....

[09camaro]

Here are some quick pics of my old setup in the basement, and the projector and
screen setup. Remember, it's a work-in-progress, so I'm far from being done. I can
atleast enjoy it now, though.

[Beta Man]

nice! Screen looks great too!