Couple more questions before puilling the trigger - Blu-ray Forum

Onefastwrex · 05-05-2009, 05:20 AM

So I am in the process of finishing my basement in to a "man room"....bar, pool table and of course...home theatre area! I debated for a while on going with a 60ish inch LCD/plasma, or to go with a projector. Well I decided to do a projector, and am going to most likely do the Panasonic AE3000.

Some background info-It will be going in my basement. There is one small window on a wall to the left of where the screen will be. I do plan on some type of light control for this. I will have the lights on a dimmer switch so they can be brightened/dimmed as needed.

I do have a few questions for the resident projector experts. I have read about screen gain, screen aspect ratio, lumens etc...I am sure some of these have been answered before, and I did most of my research based on reviews from other on this website, but it will be much easier for me to have all my answers in one place, rather then scour through a bunch of different threads.

I will use this primarily for Blu-ray watching, PS3 and XBOX360 playing, and some TV watching.

What is the largest size screen I can go with without starting to sacrifice picture quality?
What screen gain would I want based on what I have written here?
Will the color of the walls have any bearing on what I choose?
Manual or automatic pulldown? (pros and cons)
What is the best aspect ratio(I believe this is the term...i.e. 2.35.1, 1.78.1) for what I will be doing?
Recommended projector placement(celing mount, on a table, in a cabinet).

Thanks guys and gals!!

Justin

squirrel101 · 05-05-2009, 07:10 AM

The best movie experience is 2.40 the best gaming or watching ball-games1.78 and fixed frame if its not necessary to move the screen; preferrably acoustically transparent which also allows for larger screen because you put the speakers behind the screen , size of the screen and placement of the pj depend on how much space you have for the HT area preferrably ceiling mounted level with the top of the screen. Screen gain depends on room lighting when watching and throw distance from pj to screen, now just give a little more info as to the room size etc. and your personal preferences and how much DIY your doing.

Onefastwrex · 05-05-2009, 02:20 PM

The room itself that everything is going in to is fairly large(roughly 25' x30') but the home theater area is only going to be in a portion of that, I am also putting in a bathroom, bar and pool table area down there. The projector, I would prefer to ceiling mount, so that will work. It will be approximately 12-15' away from the screen. The only window is about 1' x 2' and can/will be covered. I will have dimmable recessed lighting throughout the basement, so it can be turned completely off, but I would still prefer to be able to watch sports/regular tv while the lights are on. I will probably end up going with a 2.40 then because I want the primary use to be for the best PQ possible, obviously being blu-ray.

I saw in your signature that you did a DIY screen with the Seymour acoustically transparent material. I have seen a few other people talking about this. What all is involved in making my own screen vs. actually buying one? The wall is going on will be used only for the screen, so if it is stationary, that is fine with me. Are you able to fit center/front speaker behind those? I am most likely going to be starting off with a smaller satellite surround speaker setup (7.1) with the possibility of upgrading in the future. If the screen is wide enough I can hopefully fit the fronts/center behind the screen so they are out of the way. I am going to be running all wires behind the drywall so I am trying to get an idea of the layout before framing everything out. Myself and a friend are going to be doing pretty much everything ourselves. What all is involved in making a screen vs. buying a screen? Cost savings by DIY vs. purchasing?

With all that being said, 2.40 will be the way to go for screen ratio...only question would be on screen gain and size. I was hoping for something between 120" to 130" diagonally. Will the Panny projector be able to throw that size picture without losing any quality from that distance?

I hope this gives enough information for some more answers!

Thanks again!

Another_Dude · 05-05-2009, 02:36 PM

I think projectorpeople.com has the really nice throw distance/lumen calculator for each projecter, but if it isn't there look at other sites. Once you find that calculator many of your questions will be answered.

Nice choice in projectors by the way, I hope to have my 3000U by the end of the month.

Grevlin · 05-05-2009, 02:47 PM

Question:

I'm very close buying a projector as well, and Ive narrowed my search down to the Panny AE3000 and the Sanyo Z3000. They seem this >< close in reviews and specs and both were voted in top three in the projectorpeople shoot-out.

Did you look at the Sanyo during your search, and what made you choose the Panny??
Can anyone who has ordered or has the Panny chime in on this one?

The Sanyo is a few hundred cheaper, but that's not really my primary concern. I also like the Sanyo because of the auto-slide lens cover to keep dust out of the "works."

I want a 120"

screen, but I think I will put up the projector first to see if the image is not too overpowering in my 14' x 15' room.

Grevlin · 05-05-2009, 02:54 PM

Justin,

I would say a darker paint job in the room if you can. Projectorpeople.com has some 50' hdmi cables for cheap if you need one that long, and 106' to 120' screens should be fine- depending on how bright/dark the room is.

I know I don't own a proj yet, but I've done quite a bit a research so far.

Onefastwrex · 05-05-2009, 03:49 PM

I chose the Panny based on review I read online and the one difference I noticed was that the Panny had 1600 lumens and the Sanyo 1200. I have overall heard a lot of good things about this projector. I got the wife convinced to let me finish the base.ent and buy. All kinds of new home theater toys...now I gotta sell a dark paint color...wish me luck!

squirrel101 · 05-05-2009, 04:34 PM

120" screen would be very good for that throw distance ,when you build your own screen you save a lot ,"basically" you make a picture frame out of hardwood ;say poplar or oak ,then you wrap each of the 4 pieces in black velvet go about 4 inches wide with you frame, then put your frame together with angle brackets and bisquit joints in the corners ,next you staple your screen material to the back of the frame,(get help with this part we went across the bottom up the side across the top and back down the other side pulling tight in the direction of your next staple as you go) then it's ready to hang, i built a "stage" 19" high and 19" deep covering each piece of the stage with black carpet (cause i already had it if i did'nt i would use black felt from walmart) as i went, but you definitely have to use the black velvet for the frame to catch any light spill such as when you zoom to get rid of the black bars if you can't get the wife to let you make the room dark at least use some black material about 2-3ft on the ceiling in front of the screen area and maybe some velvet curtains out to the sides of the screen she should be fine with that and it creates a false wall.The stage was built that way because i placed 3 tower speakers behind the screen.

Another_Dude · 05-05-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grevlin

Question:

I'm very close buying a projector as well, and Ive narrowed my search down to the Panny AE3000 and the Sanyo Z3000. They seem this >< close in reviews and specs and both were voted in top three in the projectorpeople shoot-out.

Did you look at the Sanyo during your search, and what made you choose the Panny??
Can anyone who has ordered or has the Panny chime in on this one?

The Sanyo is a few hundred cheaper, but that's not really my primary concern. I also like the Sanyo because of the auto-slide lens cover to keep dust out of the "works."

I want a 120"

screen, but I think I will put up the projector first to see if the image is not too overpowering in my 14' x 15' room.

I'm taking the Panny over the Sanyo because of:

Lens memory feature.
Sounds like it does the 120hz/FI stuff better.
Rated higher on lumens.
I was pretty much set on the AE-2000U but didn't pull the trigger and the AE-3000U has a lot of bang for the buck.

Onefastwrex · 05-05-2009, 06:16 PM

I definitely like the idea of the DIY screen and it doesn't sound terribly difficult. Just to make sure I have a good understanding of the construction of it-making a 4 sided frame(I can figure out the length of each keeping it at a 2.40 ratio) measure it out. And cut a 45 degree angle @ each end so they will fit against one another to make the frame. Before attaching them, cover them in black velvet( what size boards did you use?(I.e. 2x4). Then attach the boards with corner bracket/bisquit joints, then staplingg the screen material stretched out screen material to the back side of the frame. Once that is done, if you were looking at it from the front, there would be a small lip around the inside edge of the frame and the screen, correct? How did you mount your screen then that you were able t fit speakers behind it? Where did you purchase the screen material and velvet from? Just curious if you have a good source with a good price.

squirrel101 · 05-05-2009, 06:39 PM

my frame is 1inch thick oak that we planed down from raw wood, tha actual screen material was about $160 and i got the velvet @ Hobby Lobby for about $50 but the velvet can be bought cheaper online probably yes do the 45s and you want a nice angle on the face of the frame as well mine is at 15* you can go thicker with the frame but be sure to use a nice hardwood so it doesn't warp poplar is pretty popular and fairly light the velvet will be glued on to the face and stapled on the back when i built the stage it has 2x4s going to the ceiling and across the top at the ceiling so there is somewhere to mount the screen i just screwed it at the top of the screen frame to the 2x4s and i used 3 on is offset a little in the middle of the screen so the center tower speaker is centered and then you place the other towers are at each end of the screen pointed straight they say not to angle them when they are playing through the screen and my speakers are about an inch away from the screen and i only had to leave the cover on the center speaker cuz it has chrome screws around the speakers so as not to have reflection points behind the screen the screen material has a 1.2 gain the stage is a 2x4 frame with a platform 19 inches off the floor so that you can place a sub under the screen if desired that part of the buid can be customed to you fit.

ryoohki · 05-05-2009, 07:06 PM

Motorized Focus is great on the Ae3000. the focus mostly always move because it change due to temperature inside the room. With my Z2000 i had to change it manually and since it was at hand reach i could do it easily. With the AE3000 i can stay sit and do it!

squirrel101 · 05-05-2009, 07:08 PM

i posted a couple of new pics of the screen stage from beside the screen to give you an idea of what is there, be sure you platform is 3/4" so it can support the weight of some good towers they can be very heavy.

Grevlin · 05-05-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryoohki

Motorized Focus is great on the Ae3000. the focus mostly always move because it change due to temperature inside the room. With my Z2000 i had to change it manually and since it was at hand reach i could do it easily. With the AE3000 i can stay sit and do it!

If the Sanyo z3000 does not have this option, seems like a decision maker for me...

ryoohki · 05-05-2009, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grevlin

If the Sanyo z3000 does not have this option, seems like a decision maker for me...

Depend if you have room temp control. In the previous house we had A/C in the summer and in the winter i opened the windows a little so the room was always about the same temperature. Now we don't have AC in the winter and i don't have a window so temp goes up in winter and my Focus change from the time i turn to up, up until about 30 minutes than it stabilize. With the Z2000 i had to get up and refocus, with the AE3000 i press LENS and Up or Down 2 or 3 notch to correct it).

It does it less in the Summer because i have AC so the room stays at 22C almost...

But it's something to check if you don't have those things. More if the access of the projector is difficult for hand refocus..

Onefastwrex · 05-06-2009, 02:03 PM

Thanks for posting the additional pics! That gives me a couple ideas of how to set everything up with the screen once the time comes. I will be sure to take pictures and post them as the progress continues. Hoping to get construction started within the next couple of weeks and hoping to have everything done by the end of summer.

I think I definitely have my mind set on the AE3000 unless some other amazing projector comes out with a price in this range, or if some of the higher end ones drop in price before I make the purchase. Either way I am definitely looking forward to upgrading from the 46" LCD I have now!

Thanks for all the responses guys!

ryoohki · 05-06-2009, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onefastwrex

Thanks for posting the additional pics! That gives me a couple ideas of how to set everything up with the screen once the time comes. I will be sure to take pictures and post them as the progress continues. Hoping to get construction started within the next couple of weeks and hoping to have everything done by the end of summer.

I think I definitely have my mind set on the AE3000 unless some other amazing projector comes out with a price in this range, or if some of the higher end ones drop in price before I make the purchase. Either way I am definitely looking forward to upgrading from the 46" LCD I have now!

Thanks for all the responses guys!

Next batch of projector will be annonced at Cedia next september and release from October to end of december. It's always like that since 5+ years..

kpkelley · 05-06-2009, 03:38 PM

In terms of the picture quality of a projected image based upon the throw of the image, the general consesus is that a longer throw will have greater contrast and black levels, but will be darker overall. If you plan to upgrade to an anamorphic lens in the future,you need to realize that these lenses don't work with all throw ratios and need to be further away than 15' in most cases for a 130" screen, more like 18'.

In terms of screen gain, a shorter throw would require a nuetral to light gain screen of around 1.0-1.3, while a longer throw may need to be pushed to a gain of 1.5 or higher for ambient light conditions. Keep in mind that screen gain is going to negatively effect the black levels that the projector can produce. Since your room is light controlled I would suggest keeping the gain lower at 1.0 for a short throw and 1.3 for a longer one.

05-05-2009, 05:20 AM	#1
Onefastwrex Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Allentown, PA	Couple more questions before puilling the trigger So I am in the process of finishing my basement in to a "man room"....bar, pool table and of course...home theatre area! I debated for a while on going with a 60ish inch LCD/plasma, or to go with a projector. Well I decided to do a projector, and am going to most likely do the Panasonic AE3000. Some background info-It will be going in my basement. There is one small window on a wall to the left of where the screen will be. I do plan on some type of light control for this. I will have the lights on a dimmer switch so they can be brightened/dimmed as needed. I do have a few questions for the resident projector experts. I have read about screen gain, screen aspect ratio, lumens etc...I am sure some of these have been answered before, and I did most of my research based on reviews from other on this website, but it will be much easier for me to have all my answers in one place, rather then scour through a bunch of different threads. I will use this primarily for Blu-ray watching, PS3 and XBOX360 playing, and some TV watching. What is the largest size screen I can go with without starting to sacrifice picture quality? What screen gain would I want based on what I have written here? Will the color of the walls have any bearing on what I choose? Manual or automatic pulldown? (pros and cons) What is the best aspect ratio(I believe this is the term...i.e. 2.35.1, 1.78.1) for what I will be doing? Recommended projector placement(celing mount, on a table, in a cabinet). Thanks guys and gals!! Justin

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05-05-2009, 07:10 AM	#2
squirrel101 Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:se , TN Home Theater Gallery:43 Blu-ray collection:337	The best movie experience is 2.40 the best gaming or watching ball-games1.78 and fixed frame if its not necessary to move the screen; preferrably acoustically transparent which also allows for larger screen because you put the speakers behind the screen , size of the screen and placement of the pj depend on how much space you have for the HT area preferrably ceiling mounted level with the top of the screen. Screen gain depends on room lighting when watching and throw distance from pj to screen, now just give a little more info as to the room size etc. and your personal preferences and how much DIY your doing.

05-05-2009, 02:20 PM	#3
Onefastwrex Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Allentown, PA	The room itself that everything is going in to is fairly large(roughly 25' x30') but the home theater area is only going to be in a portion of that, I am also putting in a bathroom, bar and pool table area down there. The projector, I would prefer to ceiling mount, so that will work. It will be approximately 12-15' away from the screen. The only window is about 1' x 2' and can/will be covered. I will have dimmable recessed lighting throughout the basement, so it can be turned completely off, but I would still prefer to be able to watch sports/regular tv while the lights are on. I will probably end up going with a 2.40 then because I want the primary use to be for the best PQ possible, obviously being blu-ray. I saw in your signature that you did a DIY screen with the Seymour acoustically transparent material. I have seen a few other people talking about this. What all is involved in making my own screen vs. actually buying one? The wall is going on will be used only for the screen, so if it is stationary, that is fine with me. Are you able to fit center/front speaker behind those? I am most likely going to be starting off with a smaller satellite surround speaker setup (7.1) with the possibility of upgrading in the future. If the screen is wide enough I can hopefully fit the fronts/center behind the screen so they are out of the way. I am going to be running all wires behind the drywall so I am trying to get an idea of the layout before framing everything out. Myself and a friend are going to be doing pretty much everything ourselves. What all is involved in making a screen vs. buying a screen? Cost savings by DIY vs. purchasing? With all that being said, 2.40 will be the way to go for screen ratio...only question would be on screen gain and size. I was hoping for something between 120" to 130" diagonally. Will the Panny projector be able to throw that size picture without losing any quality from that distance? I hope this gives enough information for some more answers! Thanks again!

05-05-2009, 02:36 PM	#4
Another_Dude Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Blu-ray collection:191 Blu-ray reviews:8	I think projectorpeople.com has the really nice throw distance/lumen calculator for each projecter, but if it isn't there look at other sites. Once you find that calculator many of your questions will be answered. Nice choice in projectors by the way, I hope to have my 3000U by the end of the month.

05-05-2009, 02:47 PM	#5
Grevlin Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2009 Home Theater Gallery:38 Blu-ray collection:82	Question: I'm very close buying a projector as well, and Ive narrowed my search down to the Panny AE3000 and the Sanyo Z3000. They seem this >< close in reviews and specs and both were voted in top three in the projectorpeople shoot-out. Did you look at the Sanyo during your search, and what made you choose the Panny?? Can anyone who has ordered or has the Panny chime in on this one? The Sanyo is a few hundred cheaper, but that's not really my primary concern. I also like the Sanyo because of the auto-slide lens cover to keep dust out of the "works." I want a 120" screen, but I think I will put up the projector first to see if the image is not too overpowering in my 14' x 15' room.

05-05-2009, 02:54 PM	#6
Grevlin Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2009 Home Theater Gallery:38 Blu-ray collection:82	Justin, I would say a darker paint job in the room if you can. Projectorpeople.com has some 50' hdmi cables for cheap if you need one that long, and 106' to 120' screens should be fine- depending on how bright/dark the room is. I know I don't own a proj yet, but I've done quite a bit a research so far.

05-05-2009, 03:49 PM	#7
Onefastwrex Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Allentown, PA	I chose the Panny based on review I read online and the one difference I noticed was that the Panny had 1600 lumens and the Sanyo 1200. I have overall heard a lot of good things about this projector. I got the wife convinced to let me finish the base.ent and buy. All kinds of new home theater toys...now I gotta sell a dark paint color...wish me luck!

05-05-2009, 04:34 PM	#8
squirrel101 Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:se , TN Home Theater Gallery:43 Blu-ray collection:337	120" screen would be very good for that throw distance ,when you build your own screen you save a lot ,"basically" you make a picture frame out of hardwood ;say poplar or oak ,then you wrap each of the 4 pieces in black velvet go about 4 inches wide with you frame, then put your frame together with angle brackets and bisquit joints in the corners ,next you staple your screen material to the back of the frame,(get help with this part we went across the bottom up the side across the top and back down the other side pulling tight in the direction of your next staple as you go) then it's ready to hang, i built a "stage" 19" high and 19" deep covering each piece of the stage with black carpet (cause i already had it if i did'nt i would use black felt from walmart) as i went, but you definitely have to use the black velvet for the frame to catch any light spill such as when you zoom to get rid of the black bars if you can't get the wife to let you make the room dark at least use some black material about 2-3ft on the ceiling in front of the screen area and maybe some velvet curtains out to the sides of the screen she should be fine with that and it creates a false wall.The stage was built that way because i placed 3 tower speakers behind the screen.

05-05-2009, 06:16 PM	#10
Onefastwrex Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Allentown, PA	I definitely like the idea of the DIY screen and it doesn't sound terribly difficult. Just to make sure I have a good understanding of the construction of it-making a 4 sided frame(I can figure out the length of each keeping it at a 2.40 ratio) measure it out. And cut a 45 degree angle @ each end so they will fit against one another to make the frame. Before attaching them, cover them in black velvet( what size boards did you use?(I.e. 2x4). Then attach the boards with corner bracket/bisquit joints, then staplingg the screen material stretched out screen material to the back side of the frame. Once that is done, if you were looking at it from the front, there would be a small lip around the inside edge of the frame and the screen, correct? How did you mount your screen then that you were able t fit speakers behind it? Where did you purchase the screen material and velvet from? Just curious if you have a good source with a good price.

05-05-2009, 06:39 PM	#11
squirrel101 Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:se , TN Home Theater Gallery:43 Blu-ray collection:337	my frame is 1inch thick oak that we planed down from raw wood, tha actual screen material was about $160 and i got the velvet @ Hobby Lobby for about $50 but the velvet can be bought cheaper online probably yes do the 45s and you want a nice angle on the face of the frame as well mine is at 15* you can go thicker with the frame but be sure to use a nice hardwood so it doesn't warp poplar is pretty popular and fairly light the velvet will be glued on to the face and stapled on the back when i built the stage it has 2x4s going to the ceiling and across the top at the ceiling so there is somewhere to mount the screen i just screwed it at the top of the screen frame to the 2x4s and i used 3 on is offset a little in the middle of the screen so the center tower speaker is centered and then you place the other towers are at each end of the screen pointed straight they say not to angle them when they are playing through the screen and my speakers are about an inch away from the screen and i only had to leave the cover on the center speaker cuz it has chrome screws around the speakers so as not to have reflection points behind the screen the screen material has a 1.2 gain the stage is a 2x4 frame with a platform 19 inches off the floor so that you can place a sub under the screen if desired that part of the buid can be customed to you fit.

05-05-2009, 07:06 PM	#12
ryoohki Blu-ray Samurai Member since:May 2007 Home Theater Gallery:6 Blu-ray collection:6 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:5	Motorized Focus is great on the Ae3000. the focus mostly always move because it change due to temperature inside the room. With my Z2000 i had to change it manually and since it was at hand reach i could do it easily. With the AE3000 i can stay sit and do it!

05-05-2009, 07:08 PM	#13
squirrel101 Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:se , TN Home Theater Gallery:43 Blu-ray collection:337	i posted a couple of new pics of the screen stage from beside the screen to give you an idea of what is there, be sure you platform is 3/4" so it can support the weight of some good towers they can be very heavy.

05-06-2009, 02:03 PM	#16
Onefastwrex Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Allentown, PA	Thanks for posting the additional pics! That gives me a couple ideas of how to set everything up with the screen once the time comes. I will be sure to take pictures and post them as the progress continues. Hoping to get construction started within the next couple of weeks and hoping to have everything done by the end of summer. I think I definitely have my mind set on the AE3000 unless some other amazing projector comes out with a price in this range, or if some of the higher end ones drop in price before I make the purchase. Either way I am definitely looking forward to upgrading from the 46" LCD I have now! Thanks for all the responses guys!

05-06-2009, 03:38 PM	#18
kpkelley Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Framingham, MA 4K collection:385 Blu-ray collection:2478 Digital collection:113 Blu-ray reviews: 152	In terms of the picture quality of a projected image based upon the throw of the image, the general consesus is that a longer throw will have greater contrast and black levels, but will be darker overall. If you plan to upgrade to an anamorphic lens in the future,you need to realize that these lenses don't work with all throw ratios and need to be further away than 15' in most cases for a 130" screen, more like 18'. In terms of screen gain, a shorter throw would require a nuetral to light gain screen of around 1.0-1.3, while a longer throw may need to be pushed to a gain of 1.5 or higher for ambient light conditions. Keep in mind that screen gain is going to negatively effect the black levels that the projector can produce. Since your room is light controlled I would suggest keeping the gain lower at 1.0 for a short throw and 1.3 for a longer one.

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