# The Finniss Home Theatre



## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Three weeks ago I moved to a country region called Finniss..
Finniss is located approx.100K. south east of Adelaide, near the south coast and it's a wine producing area..

I have a 3 bedroom caretaker cottage situated on an 80 acre vineyard property..
My nearest neighbours are about 500 metres. away to the left, and about 1K.across the river in front of me..So I won't be having any problems with the neighbours when it comes to sound from the theatre.:bigsmile:

The house design has a large living area in open plan style, combining living/dining and kitchen..
Unfortunately, whilst this would have given me a large area for the theatre, every wall has either a large window area or doorways off to the adjoining rooms..
I had to settle for one of the bedrooms for the theatre...the largest being 10'x15' with 7'8" ceilings..
I was very apprehensive about the size of the room, as this is considerably smaller than my previous theatre and I had some concerns that it would not perform as well as previously...

After 2 weeks of moving everything in, it was time to start on the theatre...
Below is what the room looked like..The wall colour was not as nice as the camera shows..
Don't you love the yellow ceiling 

The first job was to paint the walls and ceiling, and lay down some carpet..
I had been given some carpet by a friend of mine who was renovating an old house, and the carpet was in very good condition, so I decided to use it in the theatre..
It's a greyish green fleck, so in keeping with the colour, I decided on a dark greyish green for the walls, and a very dark grey for the ceiling..
All the woodwork and door and walls were all painted the same colour..

Now it was time to start on the serious stuff...
First up...bass traps...I used a material called "Supertel". which is the equivalent OC703...
Here you can see the trap material roughly placed in position...

There will be 3 layers, 2" thick in each corner, from floor to ceiling..

More to follow shortly...


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Nothing wrong with that room. As long as you look at it realistically in terms of screen size and number of seats, that can be a great sounding space.

Bryan


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Bryan,

I'm looking at using an 8' wide CIH screen...
I have three recliners which will just fit across the room..They will be about 10' back from the screen...Certainly not enough room for two rows, since the screenwall will be about 2' out from the front wall... 
I'll also have to revert back to a 5.1 system..


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Seating is fine. 8' wide in a 10' wide room is IMO not a good idea. That's way too big. I sit 11' from my screen and run a 92" 16:9 screen and that's just about right.

Also, IMO, CIH is not a good idea. Sounds good in theory but you waste way too much of the PJ resolution you pay for. Do the 16:9 the size that will fit and mask the top and bottom for 2.35. You'll get a better pic more of the time that way.

Just my 2 cents

Bryan


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Bryan,

I'm using an Anamorphic lens setup for the CIH...This gives me full pixel resolution for 2.35:1 movies..
Many owners of anamorphic CIH setups have found that they are able to sit closer than one would with a normal setup.
With my previous screen (which was 9' wide) I was able to sit 11'6" from the screen without it being a problem..

I forgot to mention that my front speakers will be mounted above the screen, behind an acoustically transparent cloth covered panel..


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Cozy little room you'll have.... I'm sure it will work out fine for you.

8' wide... that's a huge screen as Bryan suggest. Mine is 8' diagonal... well... 97" diagonal. I sit about 11-12' back in the front row of seating. It's huge. Of course mine is 16:9 so I suppose doing a 2.35:1 screen will make a difference. It may not seem as big. :huh:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

When I first setup my 9' wide screen, I thought my eyes would be constantly darting from one side of the screen to the other to watch a movie, but that wasn't the case at all...
I've since learnt from the experts that our eyes have more problems with the vertical plain than with the horizontal plain..
Since a scope screen has less height (2.35:1 aspect) than the 16:9 screen..It shouldn't be a problem..
In my present case, that will make the height of the screen just 41"..
The screen material has already been cut to size so I'm hoping that it won't be too big...If it is, then I may have to reduce it later..


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## John Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Yep, I've heard the same about 2.35:1 screens... they allow for a much wider screen than the room size would suggest (for my 4.2m wide room, I've been advised to get a 3m wide cinemascope screen).

It may just be the way the movie is actually framed -- the horizontal movement of objects on an anamorphic screen is proportionately a lot less than, say, on a pan-and-scan 16:9. I'm sure there's a technical paper on it somewhere... :nerd:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

That sounds like a very reasonable size screen for that room width..
If you're mounting your L&R speakers at the sides of the screen, that should still give you enough clearance from the side walls, providing you're using fairly slim speakers...

One of the thing I've always liked about the local Cineplex theatre was that the Cinemascope screen was virtually wall to wall, and even sitting a long way back you still felt very much a part of the action...
I'm hoping that with my current setup, with screen almost wall to wall, I'm going to get a similar affect..


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

An update...

The corner traps have been made and fitted within a framework that's fixed to the wall..
The acoustic material has been fitted to the front wall and the whole area will be covered with black burlap..







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I was able to salvage most of the framing from the previous theatre..Just needed to cut it down a bit here and there, so it all came together pretty quickly..







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The cutout section at the bottom on the left hand side is where the equipment rack will roll in on carpet castors..
Bottom and side panels fitted.







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More pics soon...


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Coming together very nicely Prof!


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks Bill...I think having done a theatre before has helped things move along, and I was able to transport all the framing down to the new house..

I had originally made the frames for an 8' wide screen, so there wasn't anything to change...
The only changes needed were the prosceniums, which were too wide to fit into the new setup..
I built the new ones with solid MDF, since I didn't have room at the sides for speakers anymore..

Just when things were running smoothly, I've realized there is going to be a problem with the wiring...
This house design doesn't have a ceiling cavity..The ceiling follows the roof line,so there is only the depth of the roof timbers between the roof and the ceiling...I'm not going to be able to run any cables through there..
The walls are cladded timber framing with insulation filling the cavity, so it would be impossible to run cables through that..And I don't want to start taking the walls apart since they've just been painted...
Hmm...I have to have a think about that one..


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Can't go up, what about down?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

The problem is that I need the video feeds and power for the projector to be overhead, so I plug in to the connection above the projector..


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

That is starting to leave raceway as the viable option then. 

Prof, I know you guys have different things down under than we have available up here, but they make a raceway corner rig that when installed looks like corner molding. When you get to the ceiling, you can run along the wall like trim molding for the ceiling (Or, you can actually hide wires behind that nice decorative angled crown molding). Then you have one and only one noticable raceway run from the wall to where the projector is. The raceway I work with can even terminate into a slim profile junction box and you can use power outlets or even get face plates for AV connections. Done right and the same color as the ceiling, or even done to match the trim molding and I don't think it would look bad at all.

Just some food for thought! I know you're very well versed in all of this and have everything handled, sometimes people think slightly different and that can spark some ideas.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

wbassett said:


> Just some food for thought! I know you're very well versed in all of this and have everything handled, sometimes people think slightly different and that can spark some ideas.


Actually Bill, that has sparked an idea that I might be able to use...
The raceway idea sounds good, but with a slight variation..
What I think might work and make the whole thing simpler is to make up a wide,shallow raceway fitted to the ceiling and painted the same colour..
This would run from the top of the screenwall to the edge of the projector mount.
The video feeds and power lead would then come up from behind the screen,over the top moulding and along the raceway..The end of the raceway could be enclosed to mount connection panels and a power point for the projector..

This only leaves the wiring for the side surrounds, and I'm thinking of some sort of "U" channel fixed to the side walls (at speaker height) that the cable could lie in..It could look like the old picture rail that some of the older houses used to have..and painted the same colour as the walls, it shouldn't be too noticeable..
I could also fit a couple of banana sockets to it, near where the speakers will be mounted..

Do you see any problems that I haven't thought about?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Another update..

The curtains have been fitted to the side walls..They are a fairly heavy grey suede material, and are more for aesthetics reasons than any acoustic effect..They also add warmth to the room.
They extend about 6' back from the screenwall..
The ones on the left go over the entrance door when it's closed..







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Wiring of the fronts has begone and the Sub has been positioned temporarily..









Mounting the centre speaker above the screen proved a bit of a problem..It weighs 45lbs. and the top frame needed further bracing and support to take the weight..
Previously I had it below the screen, so it wasn't a problem..








It also has two rear firing 6" bass drivers, so some of the front wall material had to be removed..

The work goes on...


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Progress on the Finniss Theatre has slowed considerably..A lot of my time has been taken up with repairs and general maintenance on the property..

I did manage to get all the speakers and the AV gear wired up...and the screen has been made up and is ready to be installed..

In my spare moments, I've been looking at a different way of running the cables across the ceiling..
One thing I wan't to include in the theatre are downlights..
With the ceiling and roof construction, there is not a legal space to mount downlights..
I could add soffits to the side walls, but then it could look a bit boxy in a narrow room and with the overhead raceway as well..
The other idea I had was to build a suspended ceiling tray..This would house the downlights around the perimeter of the tray...
It would be approx. 8'x4' with 6" sides, and be suspended about 8" below the ceiling..
The cables would then run across the tray to the projector, where I would have connection points mounted in the tray for projector feeds, power,video.and light control.. I could even run a rope light around the tray and reflect the colour off the ceiling..

One thing that does concern me is what if any affect this will have on the sound, in particular the centre speaker, since it's mounted above the screen..
I may have to cover it with some sound absorbing material to reduce reflections..

More pics to come..


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## Fred33 (Sep 4, 2007)

Look forward to the pics forthcoming. Really like the color scheme that you went with.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks Fred and welcome to the Shack..
I'll be adding further updates shortly..


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

About a week ago I was able to get stuck into the theatre again..It's progressing nicely and so far no problems..

The equipment rack is in position and wired up..Just the basic essentials..








I've mounted the projector and lens..fitted the side surrounds and wired them up, and finally fitted the new screen..








The power cord for the projector won't be hanging down like that when the ceiling tray is fitted..
The overhead framing is where the ceiling tray will be mounted..It will contain the main centre light, downlights, rope lights and an exhaust fan..
At the end of the tray near the projector will be power points and switches for the exhaust fan and projector,a light controllerand dimmer for the downlights and variable speed contoller for the fan, plus a power isolation switch..
The whole tray will be covered in black suede..

















Next job...make the ceiling tray..


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Looking great Prof. I really like the ceiling color too, nice choice of colors.

That lens looks interesting, any links on that puppy?

I think the custom ceiling cable run is going to look good too when finished.

BTW, what screen did you end up going with? Still the Nulon?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks for the compliments Bill...

The Anamorphic lens (Known as the Aussiemorphic lens) is made by a fellow in Brisbane..
Mark is a very cluey guy and a very helpful guy as well..
Originally he sold the lens in kit form,(which is how I bought mine) but I believe he now sells them only assembled..
The prisms are very large 5"x7"which makes them suitable for most projectors..The prism's now come coated..
Here is a link to his site..
http://cavx.blogspot.com/2007/02/aussiemorphic-lens-new-sled.html

I've abandoned the Nulon screen material because of all the expansion and contraction problems I had with it..
This new screen would have to be the most simplest way of producing a screen with a gain over 1.00..that produces excellent whites and blacks and with excellent colour balance..
The only simpler way would be just buying a piece of do-able board..:bigsmile:

I'm going to do one of your tricks Bill, and not disclose any more info at this point..
I will shortly do a write up on it in the DIY Screens section...All I will say at the moment is if anyone is looking for a very cheap and stable white screen, with a gain higher than 1.0...then I may have the answer for you..:T


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Nothing wrong with a good tease now and then right?

That lens looks interesting. I checked the site out and I like it! What does that price equate to US or is that what I would pay? Also does this work with 4:3 native throw projectors or only 16:9 native throw? I guess I could ask him that too.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

wbassett said:


> Nothing wrong with a good tease now and then right?


Isn't that always the way when someone comes up with a slightly different DIY screen?:bigsmile:



wbassett said:


> That lens looks interesting. I checked the site out and I like it! What does that price equate to US or is that what I would pay? Also does this work with 4:3 native throw projectors or only 16:9 native throw? I guess I could ask him that too.


It would probably equate to about US$500.00..but the lens weighs approx. 7Kg. and with the slide, would make it about 10Kg.
Shipping might be a bit costly, but would probably still work out cheaper than buying a commercial lens over there..
Contact Mark by all means..He is a very friendly helpful guy..

I don't believe that you can use it with a 4:3 native projector, but Mark can tell you for sure..


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

Prof. said:


> Isn't that always the way when someone comes up with a slightly different DIY screen?:bigsmile:
> 
> Some definitely... in this case we're still testing and I don't want to present something as a finished application until it's fully tested out and specs are taken. Still, it is good to let people know what's coming and there are quite a few things coming. Some new, some just better twists on things.
> 
> ...


I'll ask about the 4:3, but didn't see anything on the site.

The price is really good though!


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## John Simpson (May 10, 2007)

I think the Aussiemorphic lens illustrates the current problem we have with anamorphic viewing: the cost. Manufacturers are asking ridiculous prices for these lenses, assuming those who want them can afford to pay a premium. To me it makes little sense: we build these home cinema rooms to watch movies at the correct screen ratio (2.35:1) -- there's nothing extreme about that.

Can we say "profiteering"? :gah:

I'll get off my soapbox now...


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

You said it John....There is absolutely no way that I could have afforded an Anamorphic lens setup without people like Mark, who just wants to give everyone the opportunity of experiencing cinemascope movie viewing for the best price possible...He's not interested in making huge profits..
Because of his philosophy, he has sold a lot of these lenses, including overseas buyers..
AND...it compares very favourably with the much higher priced lenses..He's compared his lens against several well known brands and models that are available in the US..


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## Fred33 (Sep 4, 2007)

Liking the pics. what stage are you at now?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Fred, at the moment I'm part way through making the ceiling tray..
This has been a bit of a headache..I had to use plasterboard as the base of the tray for weight reasons, because I wasn't able to pick up any ceiling joists where I was mounting the support brackets..
This stuff crumbles very easily, and just cutting the holes in it for the downlights has left a bit of a chewed out looking mess...Hopefully the flanges on the downlights will cover it..

I originally wanted to make up the whole 8'x4' tray complete with sides, covered with the material and just fit it to the mounting brackets..but there isn't enough room between the top of the tray and the actual ceiling to be able to get in there and wire everything up..
So I'm having to make it in sections..Mount the individual flat panels to the brackets, then fit all the electrics and last of all, fit the sides..
It's taking longer than I expected doing it this way..Another week or so should see it finished...


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## Chinadog (Jun 26, 2006)

Hey, I found you.... looking good!


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks Bud...
The ceiling tray has caused me a few headaches as you may have read, but I think that I've now solved all the problems of the assembly of it..
Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on...
I did do the unthinkable and watched some movies before I had finished the theatre..:bigsmile:
Initial images and sound look very promising...Bass is over the top...it literally shakes the room.:scared:..a bit "one note" at the moment so I might have to re-position the sub, and maybe some more room treatment..


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

FINALLY!!, the Finniss Theatre is completed...well for now that is:bigsmile:..

The ceiling tray proved to be a bigger job than I had anticipated..It was heavier than expected and the 8'x4' panel was impossible to locate to the brackets and fix in position with just two people, so I decided to make it in four sections..Each section was covered with the black suede and fitted into place individually..
Also being very close to the ceiling all the wiring and fitting of the downlights had to be done before the sides went on..I couldn't even get a stapler in between the top of the sides and the ceiling, so they had to be covered also before being fitted..
After several weeks of fiddling around, it was up and completed..

I decided not to run the rope light inside the tray..When I tried it this way you could barely see the glow around the perimeter of the tray, and so opted to run it across the top of the screenwall and along the top of the curtains..The effect looks great..although the photo doesn't show it too well..

The HPM Super Dimmer works a treat, and with the slow light fade just as the movie starts gives it that real theatre feel...and then at the end of the movie, the lights come up slowly again..
Everyone who's seen it thinks it's brilliant and really makes the whole movie experience come together..

So, on with the pics...
The first ones show the tray with normal light coming into the room..and then with the room darkened..





































The three recliners barely fit across the room, and unfortunately no room for a second row..










And one final one with theatre in action..


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Congratulations ....

Now ... let's start enjoying the movies ....:T:T:T


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## John Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Such yummy screen goodness! Time to book my trip to Adelaide :bigsmile:


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Thanks guys...

John...Should you ever come to Adelaide you will be most welcome to drop in..if you have the time to drive to the country..


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