# Help Choosing 1st PJ



## mark_anderson_us (Aug 20, 2012)

Hi All

starting my theater build in Jan

Room is 26' x 12' x 7' (a bit low). Screen will be on a false wall 3' from front wall.

There will be no external light and I normally watch in almost darkness. right now I have Sony 65-inch with bias lighting on and room lights off. Will use to watch mostly movies.

I will have fabric colored walls (probably GOM Anchorage Graphite, or other dark grey). Planning to paint ceiling mid to dark gray.

I'm planning on 120-130-inch diagonal, AT, cinema-scope screen (probably curved). Will probably be Seymour Center Stage XD or the new Center Stage UF

initially, there will one row of 3 seats (probably about 12 foot from screen, but open to suggestions). When I've bought the important stuff, I may put in a second row.

Right now I'm interested in 1080P. Once HDR, etc. is all settled down, there's a good amount of UHD content, and 4K PJ's drop a bit (so probably 2-3 years) will step up to a 4K model.

Main things I want are good blacks and quiet fan. 

Looking to spend up to $2,000. OK buying refurb or used from classifieds here.

Any other pertinent info I can supply?

Suggestions?

Regards

mark


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## Deepstage (Jan 12, 2012)

Almost an identical room size to mine. I just finished off my basement. 27x10.5x7
Fairly low ceiling. Front 10 feet or so widens out to the width of the basement, 21 feet. 

I ordered a Seymour retractable screen a few weeks ago, hoping it's ready for me to go pick up in a few weeks. Mine will be mounted in the ceiling to a floor joist and drop down through the ceiling right in front of a 65" Samsung LCD. I went with a 120" diagonal 16:9 AT screen in UF material. Completely light controlled room with viewing distance of 12 feet. 

Main reason I went with the UF material is due to future use with a 4K projector. I'm confident the screen will last through multiple generations of projectors and with impending 4K projectors and assuming they'll only get brighter, the UF materials lower actual gain will help black levels while still giving me plenty of brightness. 

As soon as I know the screen is ready, I am going to order a Sony VPL-HW40ES. Nothing but rave reviews about this unit and with my low ceiling and the fact the projector will be just a few feet away from my head, the low noise level of this unit really is a selling point. Also it's commendable low lag time in game mode. 

I'm getting ready to design some acoustical panels and possible a custom built starfield ceiling which I've been planning in my head for a few weeks now. I'll probably get the screen and projector in and see how bad the light walls and ceiling glow before I darken them. It's my main lounging room now and only want to really darken everything if I can live with the trade off of having the room feel like a bat cave even while watching TV and just relaxing. 

Going to take a few pics of the room soon and post them so you can see what I'm dealing with. 

Comments welcomed :wave:


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## Deepstage (Jan 12, 2012)

Here are a few pics I took quick. Messy room working on setting up new speakers and waiting for screen before I make another mess. 

First pic shows view from behind my two leather recliners. Not enough room (width) for 3 wide or really a 2nd row without crowding the room. Plus I don't think I'll ever have many people over to fill several seats anyway. 
Second pic shows the room widening out at the front. 
Third is a close up of ceiling. New Seymour retractable screen will drop down in front of TV right behind ceiling lights. Will wait til I actually have screen here to cut the whole and make a custom trim piece to close it back up after screen is mounted to floor joist. Wiring is already inside ceiling waiting


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## mark_anderson_us (Aug 20, 2012)

Thanks for reply deepstage

I'm thinking about that Sony or the epson 5030. I've seen Sony online for under $1400 new.

Interesting to see your progress

What is the seymour screen going to run you?

I really want cinemascope (or a much bigger 16:9, so that I still have 120-130-inch for cinemascope movies (probably >95% of what I watch)

Regards

mark


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi Mark,

Check around the net and see if you can still find the Panasonic AE-8000 for $1499. That's a great deal for a solid projector. Also, you might be able to find an installer willing to sell you one of the lower end (from a price perspective) JVC projectors for a steal of a deal...JVC distribution system allows for great deals to happen every once and a while. ;-)


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## Deepstage (Jan 12, 2012)

Mark the 120" Seymour retractable UF screen is about 2,050.00. Options can affect that price. I'm picking mine up to save a bit. Jon at Seymour was great to deal with. I went with a 16:9 so when viewing a scope movie Id have constant width. With projectors having such great black levels now I'm confident the projected black bars on top and bottom will be dark enough so as not to be distracting. Even at 2.4:1 diagonal will still be about 114" so my bases are covered for my needs. Plus, my wall just can't fit a bigger screen comfortably. 

I'd steer clear of any sony HW40ES prices lower than 2500 or 1999 (when Sony has random sales on them) as it's probably not from an authorized dealer and you'll have no warranty. 

I'd be interested also in getting a lower level JVC for a great price as Todd mentioned but the HW40ES just guys the bill so well for me with it's excellent game lag time and quiet operation.


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## mark_anderson_us (Aug 20, 2012)

Todd Anderson said:


> Hi Mark,
> 
> Check around the net and see if you can still find the Panasonic AE-8000 for $1499. That's a great deal for a solid projector. Also, you might be able to find an installer willing to sell you one of the lower end (from a price perspective) JVC projectors for a steal of a deal...JVC distribution system allows for great deals to happen every once and a while. ;-)


Thanks Todd, so the JVC outperforms the Sony and Epson? (Only interested in movies in light controlled environment)

What JVC model numbers should I be looking for?

Regards

mark


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

mark_anderson_us said:


> Thanks Todd, so the JVC outperforms the Sony and Epson? (Only interested in movies in light controlled environment)
> 
> What JVC model numbers should I be looking for?
> 
> ...


I think JVC, Sony, and Panasonic projectors are all in the same range of quality, but Sony and JVC probably have the edge. JVC, in particular, is known for absolutely stunning black levels. The problem is their entry offering is quite a bit more than the $2K range... I believe last year's model was the X500... this year's is the X550. Honestly, you'd do well with digging even further back and looking for an RS49. My comment about pricing came from a conversation with an industry insider - but looking at the current pricing, I'd be surprised if you did much better than $500 off. Sorry if I misled you - the exact pricing of their lower end model had slipped my mind. I was thinking it was low 3's.

That being said, I don't think you'd be disappointed with a Panasonic AE8000. They are selling for $1699 (several months ago the street price was hovering around $1499...not sure why it bumped up a few hundred bucks). It sits below your budget and will give you an excellent image...it also has zoom memory which is huge if you plan on installing a 2.35:1 screen (which I highly recommend if you plan on watching a majority of movies).


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

One other thing... JVC's entry models typically have fewer color controls (grey scale, etc) for dialing in the picture. BUT...this isn't a deal breaker. There are still some grey scale and color management controls (if you plan on having a professional calibration). If you aren't planning on having a professional calibration, you can still achieve a very nice image by buying a Spears and Munsil HD disc, putting the projector in Cinema Mode, and performing a basic calibration on your own. JVCs are known for being fairly good out of the box...


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## mark_anderson_us (Aug 20, 2012)

Todd Anderson said:


> One other thing... JVC's entry models typically have fewer color controls (grey scale, etc) for dialing in the picture. BUT...this isn't a deal breaker. There are still some grey scale and color management controls (if you plan on having a professional calibration). If you aren't planning on having a professional calibration, you can still achieve a very nice image by buying a Spears and Munsil HD disc, putting the projector in Cinema Mode, and performing a basic calibration on your own. JVCs are known for being fairly good out of the box...


Thanks Todd

At this point I'm happy to buy a used one and wait for 12-24 months for HDR and UHD stuff to settle down and drop in price


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Probably not a bad choice... I run an RS45 and the picture quality is stunning... So buying an older/used model (pick your brand) and installing a new bulb is a very viable option. You might find some hiccups in 3D presentation (if that's a concern)... But gear from 3-4 years ago was reaching a level of very high straight HD performance.

Good luck and let us know what happens!


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## mark_anderson_us (Aug 20, 2012)

Todd Anderson said:


> Probably not a bad choice... I run an RS45 and the picture quality is stunning... So buying an older/used model (pick your brand) and installing a new bulb is a very viable option. You might find some hiccups in 3D presentation (if that's a concern)... But gear from 3-4 years ago was reaching a level of very high straight HD performance.
> 
> Good luck and let us know what happens!


Thanks. will do.

Not that interested 3D


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