Home Cinema Question

[Disky76]

Hello All!

I am thinking a little outside of the box, and transforming my front room into a home cinema, as it does not get sunlight at any point of the day. It is a rectangular, 14' long by 12' wide room. I want to make sure the room is large enough for what I am considering.

I have been thinking about a projector, to get the big screen sensation. But I also am considering a large (65") TV as well, but I am leaning towards the projector. I am planning on hanging blackout drapes over the windows, as well as sound absorbing blackout drapes over the pass through to the next room.

That said, here are my questions. As I am working with a limited budget, these are the things I am considering:

Mitsubishi HC1600 - anyone have experience with this projector? Positive or Negative?

Screen - What would be the ideal screen size? Would 100" be overpowering for the room? Are there any special screen considerations besides size? Will the screen make a difference in the picture quality? I found a 100" manual pull-down screen at Amazon for $65...would I be sacrificing picture quality if I got that?

Would I be better off just getting a big TV for the room?

Thanks in advance!!

[VinnAY]

I would map out my seating arrangement and then determine the screen size.

[kpkelley]

I would suggest you look at the Panasonic PT-AX200U instead of the HC1600. They are both very good 720P projectors, but the the mitsu is a single chip dlp which means that your placement options would be limited and it is louder than the panasonic. The mitsu is a little sharper, the panasonic has a smoothscreen filter that while eliminating pixel structure also softens the image, and slightly better black levels, but they are an otherwise toss up in terms of picture quality.

Screen quality can affect the picture quality, but they can get expensive. I would suggest you decide what type of projector screen you want(fixed, motorized, or pull-down) and get the best one that will fit inside your budget, although many members have built there own screens if you are so inclined.

As for screen size, is would suggest something in the 90-106 range for the distances that you would be sitting (8-10)ft.

Another thing to consider is if your area is likely to get power outages you may want some sort of battery backup protection for the projector so that you don't blow a bulb if the power blacks out.

[Disky76]

The seating is going to be very basic. There is a couch on the opposite wall (14' back) and I was going to get an oversized ottoman so people can lay back. And then maybe a bean bag chair or two here and there. That's it.

[Disky76]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

I would suggest you look at the Panasonic PT-AX200U instead of the HC1600. They are both very good 720P projectors, but the the mitsu is a single chip dlp which means that your placement options would be limited and it is louder than the panasonic. The mitsu is a little sharper, the panasonic has a smoothscreen filter that while eliminating pixel structure also softens the image, and slightly better black levels, but they are an otherwise toss up in terms of picture quality.

Screen quality can affect the picture quality, but they can get expensive. I would suggest you decide what type of projector screen you want(fixed, motorized, or pull-down) and get the best one that will fit inside your budget, although many members have built there own screens if you are so inclined.

As for screen size, is would suggest something in the 90-106 range for the distances that you would be sitting (8-10)ft.

Another thing to consider is if your area is likely to get power outages you may want some sort of battery backup protection for the projector so that you don't blow a bulb if the power blacks out.

Thanks a lot man!! That was very helpful!

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by Disky76

The seating is going to be very basic. There is a couch on the opposite wall (14' back) and I was going to get an oversized ottoman so people can lay back. And then maybe a bean bag chair or two here and there. That's it.

So you are going to be sitting almost 13' from the screen? You could go as large as 128"+ from that distance, but I don't know if these projectors have the lumen output for such a large screen in their "best" modes. In any case something around 100" should be good for that distance from the screen, although I like mine to be a bit larger

[Beta Man]

I sit about 10' from a 106" from a Mitsubishi HC1500 and I love it.

That being said, with your room size, 110" or so is all you'll get from that projector due to the throw distance.

I think the screen you found will work, but if you plan on leaving it down all the time, I wouldn't get a pull-down, but that's just me... I'd get the projector, throw and image, and tape off where the screen would be on the wall, and hang a fixed-frame-screen after you measure what you taped off, so you know the size to get.


Any other room constraints??? Do you have ceiling fans etc. to remove???? (I did !! )


This was my first projector, and after seeing it, I would never imagine getting a 60-70" DLP instead....

[Disky76]

Yeah, it's going to be about 13' from the screen. So, in essence, I should stay with 100" then if I am going to go with one of those two projectors?

[Disky76]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I sit about 10' from a 106" from a Mitsubishi HC1500 and I love it.

That being said, with your room size, 110" or so is all you'll get from that projector due to the throw distance.

I think the screen you found will work, but if you plan on leaving it down all the time, I wouldn't get a pull-down, but that's just me... I'd get the projector, throw and image, and tape off where the screen would be on the wall, and hang a fixed-frame-screen after you measure what you taped off, so you know the size to get.


Any other room constraints??? Do you have ceiling fans etc. to remove???? (I did !! )


This was my first projector, and after seeing it, I would never imagine getting a 60-70" DLP instead....

Nah, no ceiling fans in this room. Fortunately, it should be a pretty simple setup. Know where I can get some reasonably priced sound absorbing drapes?

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Disky76

Nah, no ceiling fans in this room. Fortunately, it should be a pretty simple setup. Know where I can get some reasonably priced sound absorbing drapes?

I saw some at a place called "Tuesday Mornings" it's like a discount store of some sort ........ Unfortunately I had already purchased and hung some curtains I really liked when I found this place, but they were CHEAP.....

I think it was $40 for 2-panels of sound and light blocking curtains..... they were 95" long or so, and VERY heavy.... I would have grabbed them in a heartbeat, and almost bought them just to hang onto.

Walmart also has suede curtains I was going to look at, and they were VERY cheap, but I was worried that they were too light-weight.... so maybe get those, and a roll of black-out-cloth from Joannes fabric

I stayed away from them because it was via-online, and I wanted to see the curtains in person.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by Disky76

Yeah, it's going to be about 13' from the screen. So, in essence, I should stay with 100" then if I am going to go with one of those two projectors?

At that range the mitsu can project an image any where from 90"-109", and the panasonic can project an image from 65"-129", so both would be within range.

Projection Calculator Pro

[mreilly611]

Why would someone go with a 720P projector when you can go with a 1080P big screen Tv. Plus are you going with a 7.1 setup. Then you would have to move your couch forward a couple of feet from the wall.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by mreilly611

Why would someone go with a 720P projector when you can go with a 1080P big screen Tv.

Because a 1080p dlp sets don't run 100" large. As they say, size matters.

[mreilly611]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

Because a 1080p dlp sets don't run 100" large. As they say, size matters.

So you would give up picture quality for size. To me if you sit to close to the screen for a projector it looks like crap. but if you sit up close to a 58 inch LCD it looks amazing

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by mreilly611

So you would give up picture quality for size. To me if you sit to close to the screen for a projector it looks like crap. but if you sit up close to a 58 inch LCD it looks amazing

Quality is in the eye of the beholder. IMO either of those projectors produce a better quality image for his purpose than any lcd screen. You can see the 1080p from a 58" lcd screen when you are sitting 13' away.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by mreilly611

So you would give up picture quality for size. To me if you sit to close to the screen for a projector it looks like crap. but if you sit up close to a 58 inch LCD it looks amazing

There is also more to picture-quality then just Lines of Resolution...... but if you believe a blanket statement like the one I put in bold..... then there is no use in debating this.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

So you are going to be sitting almost 13' from the screen? You could go as large as 128"+ from that distance, but I don't know if these projectors have the lumen output for such a large screen in their "best" modes. In any case something around 100" should be good for that distance from the screen, although I like mine to be a bit larger

It all depends on the bulb etc (points out the obvious). My projector only has a 150watt bulb and I project at a bit less then 100" without any birghtness issues (and i'm projecting onto a diy'ed screen using curtain liner). If it is to dark you can always get a high gain screen (which also has its disadvantages [colour shift, viewing cone etc..], but sounds like it would do the job for you if you did have troubles with the projectors brightness).

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

There is also more to picture-quality then just Lines of Resolution...... but if you believe a blanket statement like the one I put in bold..... then there is no use in debating this.

I agree the statement you've highlighted is pure sillyness. As you say, resolution is only part of picture quality. I've seen XGA projectors look better then 720p projectors. That bieng said resolution is important, just don't think it is the only important factor.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times

I agree the statement you've highlighted is pure ...., well i'm wanting to use a word that not to harsh. Put simply it's wrong.

So Contrast and Saturation don't effect your PQ??? then don't calibrate your set because the lines of resolution don't change

EDIT:

not sure if you're disagreeing with me since I can't really decipher what you're saying.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

So Contrast and Saturation don't effect your PQ??? then don't calibrate your set because the lines of resolution don't change

EDIT:

not sure if you're disagreeing with me since I can't really decipher what you're saying.

Sorry, i've just had a few drinks and i'm not as cogent as usual. I was actually aggreing with you. Shall edit my post so it actually makes sense. Sorry for the confusionI caused.