# Hello and Help!



## Romiezeus (Jan 10, 2010)

Hello, and more importantly thank you for taking the time to have a look. I have recently began my HT project and managed to make it two days before hitting a major snag, and as a result need help. I have been reading multiple forums but like this one the best due to it's setup, general attitude in posting, and reply time. I am an relatively competent with all the setup of electronics but know jack squat about choosing them, thus I had an estimate done for my room. This company was referred to me by a friend who had them do a HT room in their house and it turned out wonderfully. That said, I didn't like the estimate given to me, not because of price, because I don't know, but rather on the result. I wanted to break down each aspect of my HT and get opinions based on the relative facts associated with each problem. So, to dive right in;

1. The Room

The room measures 25'5" L X 16'2" W. I painted the ceiling & trim in Behr Premium Ultra in Flat "Espresso Bean" or Dark Brown. The walls in Behr Premium Ultra in Flat "Cocoa Rum" or Golden Brown. I now understand what the flat sheen is for since after shutting off the lights and leaving the room last night I promptly proceeded to trip over a chest on the floor and jam two fingers on my right hand.The front of the room has a large picture window that measures 95.5" W X 47" H. http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/Romiezeus/PB110049.jpg I plan on blocking this by using a internally placed set of plantation shutters or an internally placed blackout curtain. The second light issue in the room is the front right corner of the room where the entry to the house is, http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/Romiezeus/PB110051.jpg http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/Romiezeus/PB110052.jpg. This will also be blocked with a set of shutters or curtain, but I am leaning toward shutters. As for the entry to the room, any input is appreciated, I have not researched anything on doors to know how to handle that or leave it alone. Those are my light issues and my question regarding this is; 1. Am I correct in my proposed plans to deal with these proposed light issues? 2. If I am making a mistake what are other options?

2. More of the Room

Now the rest of the room is pretty simple, except for one major problem, which I will now address; This thing, http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/Romiezeus/PB110054.jpg http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/Romiezeus/PB110053.jpg This HVAC duct is 12' 8" from the front of the room and runs 6'8" towards the rear of the room. Another way of putting this is that it drops the 8' ceiling to 6' 8" from 12'8" - 19'4" distance from the screen. My estimate was given the solution, which was to use a 94" in 16:9 screen, mounting in front of the HVAC duct to the ceiling, which in turn left only 125" viewing distance. Sony Vplhw10 or Vplhw15 home theater projectors at that distance, the range of screen using the zoom is from 68" to 103". That last sentence is from the quote. This is where my lack of knowledge in AV equipment selection comes into play. My desire was to have a larger screen, preferably in the 104"-106" range, to use more of the front wall. The questions are; 1. Can I mount my projector in a different location to get a larger screen? 2. If I need to mount it where it was recommended, is there another option in projectors that can give me what I want. 3. Am I making a mistake with 8' ceilings by choosing a bigger screen? 4. If I can go bigger and had to mount the projector to the bottom of the HVAC duct joists, can a projector be adjusted for the lower height?

3. Surround Sound

My main use of my sound system will be movies. I appreciate a Carlos Santana - Live in Mexico Blu Ray as much as the next guy, but my first choice is going to be Empire Strikes Back, Terminator, and Aliens. That said, my estimate included the following equipment for sound setup. I recommend the Sony Strda2400es for the surround sound receiver. This is a 100 watt per channel x 7 receiver with HDMI upconversion which will allow us to use one HDMI cable to the projector to cover any type of video input that's hooked to the receiver. This receiver is $799, i can sell you one for $699 A 10 meter Hdmi cable is $150. Sony Bluray players are down to $150 now. 

For the speakers, i recommend a Paradigm system:
Monitor 7 floorstanding speakers for left and right front $799/pr
CC290 center speaker $519
Ultracube 10 subwoofer $949
2 pair of adp-190 rears $498/pr $996 
Speaker total $3263 - discount = $2900
We'll need a speaker stand for the center speaker, = $25


Now, once again I have no idea about this setup. What I do know is motorcycles, and in parlance I can tell you that an engine is the key to a fast bike. I have a 2009 Hayabusa in my garage that I make land speed record attempts on and as such I consider the AV receiver the engine of my HT system. I am not looking to be the loudest on the block, the bikes already are. I want a setup that will allow me to play movies, with the best quality rather than the loudest output. Immersion during a movie is my primary want out of my HT system. So my questions are; 1. Am I correct in making the assumption that my receiver is the key to my HT surround setup? 2. Are the prices listed a fair estimate of value to cost? 3. Am I better off to piece together a system based off of specs and reviews?

FYI, I apologize for being extremely long winded. I tend to operate under a simple principle that the more imformation given, the more you will get in return. So, if I have omitted any information please feel free to ask and I will readily supply it. Also, in the event that the links do not work. I am providing the "Share Everything" link for the pictures I linked took of the room.

http://s499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/Romiezeus/


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Curtains will be OK for the light blockage. For the one by the entry, might be as easy or easier to just put a wood plate over it for full control and to stop a little sound getting in and out.

You could possibly consider a cabinet mount on the floor instead of a ceiling mount to avoid the HVAC issue.

For the equipment, what is your budget? Is he giving you this bid to hit a price point you gave him?

The speakers will be just fine. Sub would not be my first choice - there are others that will perform much better for the same/less money. Thing SVS or HSU Research

Receiver - meh, again, not my favorite but OK. Probably could get a Denon in that range that's as nice or nicer. 

Blu-Ray - yes, there are some cheap ones out there now. How well they perform is another matter. Do some serious research as many still have firmware bugs, don't read some discs right, don't fully process the new HD surround standards, etc. Personally, my bang for the buck Blu-Ray is the Oppo BDP-83 - but it's $499 factory direct. 

Bryan


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## Romiezeus (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for the reply Bryan. I think he was just giving me a run of the mill estimate. I agree with you about the Denon comment. Of the AV equipment I have owned in the past Denon and Onkyo are both high on my list. My budget for a 7.1 system with receiver and speakers is 4-5k. I figured that to get something respectable and dependable. Is that realistic? I do not know about matching a sub to another series of speakers so I will look at the HSU Research company to see what I can find out. I would like to have my screen, projector, speakers, and receiver for 10k if I can do it. I was basically expecting a 50/50 split on receiver/speakers vs. projector/screen.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

For $4-$5k, you can have a very nice system. No problem at all mixing subs from a different manufacturer. With that budget, this would be my personal short list:

NAD receiver
HSU Research sub(s)
personal preference for speakers (IMO Ascend Acoustics are a great bang for the buck)
Oppo Blu-Ray

Video depends a lot on how big you want to go and if you want to go AT or not for the screen. The Panhy 4000 has been getting some raves and has good light output for the price. 

Screens vary wildly. TOTL IMO is SMX for AT, Stewart for non-AT. 120" 16:9 will blow half your video budget and more just for the screen with these 2 brands - but they're outstanding at color rendition, black levels, lack of hot-spotting, construction quality, etc.

You can also potentially DIY a screen with just the screen material itself and sink your money into something like a JVC RS-15 or Sony VPL-HW60 DILA projector. VERY smooth and film like presentation, little to no moire/screen-door effect, great blacks for a non-crt PJ, etc. Not light cannons though. You'll need pretty much 100% light control to do 120" screen with good black levels and a properly calibrated setup.


Bryan


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## bbieger (Sep 15, 2009)

I'm a little rushed for time but thought I would chime in anyway. First, if you pay $150 for any HDMI cable, keep it a secret on the forum lest you be mocked.  A very popular source for all sorts of cables, wall plates, etc is monoprice.com. They have good gear at great prices. AS you can see, a 35 foot HDMI should set you back around $40. http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240

HDMI is a digital signal so a $1 hdmi cable from china is going to work exactly the same as the $5,000 "monster cable". Its the biggest shill in the industry and I cringe when I see people buying $70 5 foot hdmi cables at best buy. 

But on to bigger issues, seems like you have enough throw range to get a 105" screen or larger. The panny that bpape refered to gets great reviews, I just purchased an epson 8100 which also seems to be very popular, especially for its ability in placement. Projector central has VERY nifty throw calculators for many of the popular projectors that you can play around with and see what works. Here is the epson 8100 calculator : http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_8100-projection-calculator-pro.htm

With 4k you can get a very nice audio set up. Like enviable nice. Dennon makes quality stuff, I have been very happy with my Onkyo. Yamaha gets great reviews but I don't know anyone that has one. Ditto with NAD. Don't forget to budget a couple hundred dollars for some acoustical treatments as it is not just about the speakers..awesome speakers in a terrible room will still sound lackluster. 

Since you are going to have a fixed screen I would definitely DIY a screen with commercially available fabric. Would frame wrapped in velvet, a stapler, and a little time and you can save about 75%. Example.. Seymour 105" AT screen with frame around $1,300. The screen material for the same sized screen...$250. 

I am currently contemplating using DIY fabric as well. Specifically stretch lycra for a screen but that is a completely separate issue. 

Welcome to the forum!


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## Romiezeus (Jan 10, 2010)

bbieger said:


> Since you are going to have a fixed screen I would definitely DIY a screen with commercially available fabric. Would frame wrapped in velvet, a stapler, and a little time and you can save about 75%. Example.. Seymour 105" AT screen with frame around $1,300. The screen material for the same sized screen...$250.


Thanks for the idea for the DIY screen. I went and got the materials ordered today. I ordered the Henry 558 paint and since I needed 8 oz. the minimum order from Home Depot is 4 gallons. So I have enough for 64 screens, but at $100 for all paint and $54 for the rockline blackout material, and $28 in wood materials, I see a sub-$200, 120" screen in the near future. Should have it ready for paint tomorrow. Again, thanks for that tip.


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## natlight (Jan 6, 2010)

Sounds like u have enough paint to start your own custom screen business! You may be able to make enough extra dough to cover your receiver and speakers.


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