MrFattBill's Garage Theater

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by NorCo_1806

I didn't see any comment yet on the MOST IMPORTANT piece to your post. Congrats on having a wife that gives you that much room to do what you want.

Tho I suppose it is your understanding of the conversation at hand, and the application of your use of her given "power" for this situation only that keeps the relationship happy.


Good luck, we can't wait for pictures. I only wish I had that much space to create something new.

Thanks, we have been to together for a long time (16 years). I can honestly say that in relation to things I wish to do the word "No" only comes out of her mouth when a monthly payment on something would equal an average mortgage payment, lol.

Bill

[NorCo_1806]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

Thanks, we have been to together for a long time (16 years). I can honestly say that in relation to things I wish to do the word "No" only comes out of her mouth when a monthly payment on something would equal an average mortgage payment, lol.

Bill

Sometimes I wish I had someone to tell me NO....I spend too much, but hopefully I'm happy with what I get, right??

Anyway, again, looking forward to pictures, though they're probably a little while off.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by NorCo_1806

Sometimes I wish I had someone to tell me NO....I spend too much, but hopefully I'm happy with what I get, right??

Anyway, again, looking forward to pictures, though they're probably a little while off.

No needs to be said sometimes, at least as a temporary check on the spending

I'm going out to start cleaning as soon as I post this, it's a mess from various winter projects so I needed to clean anyway.

Bill

[firehazard51]

So you live in Ohio and your garage isn't attached to the house so basically the garage has no heat or AC? Man that seems like it would get a bit warm in the Summer and a bit chilly in the Winter. I'm from Cincinnati and my parent's have a garage that is actually in the basement (cut in a hill) and it gets noticeable warm in the Summer and can cold in the Winter. Might want to re-think adding a heat pump to the garage or something along those lines.

[Morrissey]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

No needs to be said sometimes, at least as a temporary check on the spending

I'm going out to start cleaning as soon as I post this, it's a mess from various winter projects so I needed to clean anyway.

Bill

Do you have any pics of the garage interior? I think it's a great idea Bill.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by firehazard51

So you live in Ohio and your garage isn't attached to the house so basically the garage has no heat or AC? Man that seems like it would get a bit warm in the Summer and a bit chilly in the Winter. I'm from Cincinnati and my parent's have a garage that is actually in the basement (cut in a hill) and it gets noticeable warm in the Summer and can cold in the Winter. Might want to re-think adding a heat pump to the garage or something along those lines.

It is all about insulating the door itself, currently the garage door is just a normal metal garage door and it is noticeably warmer or colder the closer you get to it both because of the mare metal and the air that gets around it. I will be adding both insulation to it and building a wall 11ft away from it which will also be insulated as well as replacing the side door with one without window for obvious reasons, lol. If the need arises I will surely be looking into something but as it is now this is a "budget" minded project for the most part

What part of Cincy are you from?

Originally Posted by Morrissey

Do you have any pics of the garage interior? I think it's a great idea Bill.

This is the day we moved in and not much has changed other then a 2nd tool box, table and a cabinet.



Bill

[Saturnas]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

The biggest I can go in between the speakers in a 2.35:1 setup would be this current picture. I could go as large as 128" 2:35:1 screen if I moved it up above the speaker height.

My suggestion would be to go with 16:9 screen with masking to 128" 2:35:1, because when you will watch a 16:9 movie you will get a bigger picture

Happy biulding!!!

[MrFattBill]

Did the clean up and rearrange last night, also ran some sounds tests with my Shop-Vac and the radio I had out there to see how it sounded outside the garage at 3AM, lol.

The Shop-Vac is 85db while running. My wife would be the closest person to where I was and she was sleeping and it didn't wake her up. I also walked around the garage while it was running and the most noticeable spot you could hear it was in front of the actual garage door, although if you went down to the sidewalk the noise was gone. I then went back up into the yard directly behind the garage and couldn't hear it at all I would guess my closest neighbor that could potentially hear it is located at LEAST 80ft away so I think I will be able to listen as loud as I wish with no problems. I am also getting great joy in knowing the levels outside of the garage are hardly noticeable without having anything but hard reflective surfaces, other then the carpet, in there as of now.

The overall space is going to be 11'x19'

Front mid clean up:


Back mid clean up, prior to moving the 60gallon air compressor


Back half clean and empty, the tape on the floor is in 2' increments from the "screen" wall






The tape you see that runs the entire width is where what ever dividing solution I end up using is going to go. The gap on the right is because if I do an actual wall then I am going to put a door in to have access to the front in for convenience and in case of a power outage.


Everything is moving along nicely

Bill

[progers13]

Looking good Bill!!!

[Morrissey]

That's a nice looking garage actually. Mine looks like a pig barn compared to yours. Thanks for the pics...it makes it easier to visualize for sure. Can't wait to see your progress.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by progers13

Looking good Bill!!!

Originally Posted by Morrissey

That's a nice looking garage actually. Mine looks like a pig barn compared to yours. Thanks for the pics...it makes it easier to visualize for sure. Can't wait to see your progress.

Thanks guys. Now the question is which projector and which DIY screen. I'm currently going between the HD20 and possibly the AE4000U although I'm not sure I want to spend that much.

Bill

[progers13]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

Thanks guys. Now the question is which projector and which DIY screen. I'm currently going between the HD20 and possibly the AE4000U although I'm not sure I want to spend that much.

Bill

There are some significant differences between the two. DLP projectors are pretty good, but the color wheel gives some people trouble, plus placement is much more difficult. You can all but forget ceiling mounting it, and you'll almost need to be dead center with it. Plus the throw range on that model is not as open as some others, and it's black levels are below average for projectors. However, the price is very eye-catching, along with the fact that it is 1080p.

The Panny 4k is very attractive, even considering it is twice as expensive as the Optoma, because it can be placed anywhere, has great throw range, decent black levels, and auto zoom (which you will need with your fixed screen). I personally would recommend the Panny over the Optoma, not necessarily on the basis that the Optoma is bad, but that the Panny offers much more for the type of room you are looking to setup.

[Fors*]

These were the same decisions I had to make......and I went with an LCD 720p projector believe it or not. I sacrificed 1080p yes, but I get more flexibility with location, better blacks and excellent color saturation right out of the box that needed very little calibration, more so than what I believed the HD20 would have given me. Also, since I too was on a budget and knew I wouldn't get to watch my projector all that much, the cost effectiveness of a 720p projector became very attractive to me.

By the way, you have made some nice progress Bill.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by Fors*

These were the same decisions I had to make......and I went with an LCD 720p projector believe it or not. I sacrificed 1080p yes, but I get more flexibility with location, better blacks and excellent color saturation right out of the box that needed very little calibration. Also, since I too was on a budget and knew I wouldn't get to watch my projector all that much, the cost effectiveness of a 720p projector became very attractive to me.

By the way, you have made some nice progress Bill.

+1

1080p is nice, but should not be the primary factor for the decision of which projector to get. A 720p projector can be a very good option, and many are cheaper than the HD20.

[john_1958]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

I said something to the wife today about a possible move to our side garage for movie watching. She told me as long as she had a TV in the living room she didn't care what I did.

So I was bored tonight/this morning and decided to see how feasible this would be. The overall size of the space is (11'3"w X 30'8"l X ~9'h). We have a 2 car attached garage and this one just currently houses my tools and I could easily ad a wall to keep the front half usable as a work area (13' deep) while using the remaining space for a theater. Light would be non existent as in with the lights off and the door closed now you can't see your hand directly in front of your face As far as audio goes this would also allow more volume as night as I would not be near the sleeping baby (but would still have the monitor for my nightly duties )

The biggest I can go in between the speakers in a 2.35:1 setup would be this current picture. I could go as large as 128" 2:35:1 screen if I moved it up above the speaker height.

Here is a picture I took after going a little crazy with painters tape, this layout would have me building the homemade anamorphic lense to fill the screen:


The garage is finished and insulated but does not contain HVAC, although it's normally pretty comfortable in their regardless of the time of year...and the door is 10ft from sliding door to the kitchen.

Someone tell me I haven't totally lost my mind on this

Bill

bet your wife said you lost your mind / couldn't you do that in spare bedroom?

all the car fumes and stuff yuck

[MrFattBill]

Thanks guys. If I did the HD20 I could have it next week if I wanted the Panny I would have to save a little while longer, think more post 4th of July if I buy nothing between now and then.

Bill

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by progers13

+1

1080p is nice, but should not be the primary factor for the decision of which projector to get. A 720p projector can be a very good option, and many are cheaper than the HD20.

I paid $700 for mine....with the screen and HDMI cable, I paid only a total of $850 for a beautiful 92" image. You could never find a Plasma or LCD TV anywhere close in that price range that would come close to what I got in that deal.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

Thanks guys. If I did the HD20 I could have it next week if I wanted the Panny I would have to save a little while longer, think more post 4th of July if I buy nothing between now and then.

Bill

Let me add one thing....that Panny AE4000 is worth every penny IMO. Even with the higher price tag, it is one of the best returns on your investment you will get with a pj. If you are cool with saving more money, then I recommend doing that and get the Panny. If you want something now, then you can consider the alternatives.

[Morrissey]

Originally Posted by Fors*

I paid $700 for mine....with the screen and HDMI cable, I paid only a total of $850 for a beautiful 92" image. You could never find a Plasma or LCD TV anywhere close in that price range that would come close to what I got in that deal.

That is a pretty good deal John...wow! Never knew that.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by john_1958

bet your wife said you lost your mind / couldn't you do that in spare bedroom?

all the car fumes and stuff yuck

Wife already thought I was crazy. The only spare room we have is and extra bedroom/office.

No more cars will be parked in there, I but both of them in the main garage last night

Bill