# First Home Theater Room Advice



## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

Hello all, I am new to the site and thankful to have found it! I've taken some time to search and read up on what I'm asking for, but there is a TON of information on here!

Basically I have a theater room finished, no windows with brown walls and carpet. I need some advise on equipment and I have some basic guidelines:

1. I want to use a projector. The ceiling-mounted projector will be approx 11 ft from the wall and the room is approx 15 feet wide. I think this will be the majority of my budget, approx $1200 out of a total budget of $3500... is this reasonable?
2. I want good sound too, but I'm not an audiophile so a decent system by most of your standards will be fine for me.

What I'm looking for is advise on equipment, screen size, brands... is there anything I'm missing? I should add that I do plan on using a PS3 in there too.

Preliminary research has me looking at this setup:
Optoma HD20 or Viewsonic Pro 8100 projector
Onkyo receiver, either the 607, 707, or 876
SVS SBS-01 Speaker package with the PB12-NSD sub
The screen is still a mystery to me.

Thanks for all your help and knowledge.

JIverson


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
The SVS Package would be perfect. I would bet the 707 so you have THX Processing, Audyssey MultEQ (607 has less powerful 2EQ), preamp outputs, and more.

The gents in your Projector and Screen Subforum can be of great assistance picking the best Screen for the Money.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi Jason, Welcome to the Shack.

Your off to a good start. Your SVS speaker choice is great and so is the Onkyo receiver, the 876 (if you can find one) is the one I would go with.

For a projector personally I would stay away from Optoma, I would seriously look at Sanyo or Panasonic even if you have to get a used one.
For a screen there are many paint options available to you in our DIY section.


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

Thanks guys,
The Onkyo 876 seems to be impossible to find so it might have to be the 707 that gets the nod, has the 876 been discontinued or is it worthwhile to be patient waiting for it?

The DIY screen sounds good in theory but I know my wife has to have it professional in appearance so I am really leaning towards a 110" fixed manufactured screen. That decision still has to be finalized obviously.

I'm surprised at the advise to stay away from Optoma, but will look at both the Sanyo and Panasonic lines. None of them have come up so far but I have not been focused on any one line in particular.

The help is appreciated and I'll keep at it!


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Keep checking here for the 876. Also here is some still available.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

My projector choice would be the Epson 8100. If you look around and are patient, I've seen these for $1299 before.


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## Matteo (Jul 12, 2006)

I think the 876 is a little our of your budget for what you are doing. It is one of those things that can outdate quickly. I would spend more money on other things. Get a better projector or get two of the SVS subs. You can also spend the savings on room treatment, a very good idea but one that is frequently left out of systems. 
If not, here are some Onkyo's for sale. 
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=onkyo+876&hl=en&cid=16829258167192497559&sa=title#p

Matteo


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## mdrake (Jan 31, 2008)

> My projector choice would be the Epson 8100. If you look around and are patient, I've seen these for $1299 before.


DITTO or even the 6100. 

Matt


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

I hadn't thought that any of it would need to be updated anytime soon. If the receiver would be the first thing that would need updating, then that would be a good place to save some money. 
I'll seriously look at the Epson, even at 50% higher cost than the Optoma if you guys all think it is that much better. The one thing I notice is that you might not be able to ceiling mount the Epson... is that the case on some of these projectors?
Thanks for the advice, I'm pretty excited about getting this all under way given that I'm confident that I'm doing it right.


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## Matteo (Jul 12, 2006)

You can definitely ceiling mount the Epson or the Optoma. You will most likely be very happy with either. I hadn't realized that in your initial post you had listed the Viewsonic Pro 8100 and not the Epson 8100. Sorry. Hope we didn't add confusion to the confusion. I still think Epson is a very good projector. I have read a lot of good reviews about the Optoma as well, but I think the Epson is better. I don't know very much about the Viewsonic. However, all three of them are ceiling mountable and more than likely you will be happy with whatever one you choose. Keep us informed what you decide. 

I hope I didn't scare you with the updating comment. I had a Denon I used for 8 years, and it worked fine for what I wanted. However, anytime a new format, HDMI format changes, new products come out, your receiver is likely to be outdated the quickest. Speakers, subs, screens, sound treatments, amps, can all last forever (wear and tear excluded). But in two years when they have 6 or 20 more new sound formats, newer HDMI and whatever else they dream of, your receiver may not be up for all the new stuff. If you don't care about the latest and greatest, it will get you by for a long time. Also, with 3D on the horizon, things may be changing with with projectors as well, though I doubt pricing will be affordable for average joes like us for awhile. I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor on my current projector decision, but to some, they are already thinking of it. At your price range, I think you are right on track. 

Matteo


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

You should be able to ceiling mount the Epson. In fact, it offers more lens shift and placement flexibility than the Optoma. Did you see somewhere that you can't?


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

Matteo,
I value your input as you sound like you know what your talking about and you convey it in a great way. I understand that things do get outdated but they will last a long time if you don't really need the latest and greatest, which I don't.

Eugovector,
Its not that I saw that you couldn't ceiling mount it, its just that the calculator I was looking at did not give me the ceiling mounted option like it did with the rest of the projectors I was interested in.

Still learning and will keep researching for a few more weeks, then its time to start the implementation phase. That needs to include some asthetic touches to make all members of the family happy too.
Thanks to all!


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

This might help: http://gizmodo.com/5381731/1000-1080p-projector-battlemodo-optoma-hd20-vs-vivitek-h1080fd


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

Good comparison there on the projectors, I think it is worth my money to upgrade to the Epson so that will be my projector. The receiver is set if I can find the Onkyo 876 at a good price... speakers set with SVS. Screen set with a $350 fixed screen from VisualApex. If I get seating and accessories, Im all set! Now on to reading about how to hook them up and make it sound like I made good decisions. I'm up for it.

Great advice and insight. THe knowledge you get on this forum would take years to amass, and it is appreciated.


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

Went to order the SVS package and it says they are backordered till June... any other place to get more immediate gratification on speakers for equal quality for the price? 
Was looking at $1200 for the sbs-01 package with the pb12-nsd sub.
Advice welcome.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

I like the Aperions. I'd go that route (the 4 or 5 series) with an Elemental Designs or HSU subwoofer.


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

I've got to tell you, after talking with the people at SVS, they are top-notch. I have decided to wait for the speakers system and use this time to set up the rest of my system properly. 
I'm happy with everything that I have gotten from this forum, both the advice and the ideas. 

Eugovector - I did look at Aperions and the ED and HSU. Very nice options as well.

There will be more questions and more help needed, and I appreciate all of it!


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

One thing I have either overlooked or didn't think to research properly was the equipment housing. 
Any suggestions on a case or rack that will hold the Onkyo 876, which is very heavy, a PS3, and probably a U-verse box with room for expansion? Are there other obvious things that I need to make room for? Ventilation may be an issue since the Onkyo's seem to run hot from what I have read. 
This is a work-in-progress for sure.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## waldo563 (Apr 26, 2009)

Jason,

I have been happy with the AV rack I purchased from StudioTech (HF-3). It's pretty sturdy and open on all sides with replaceable spacers. I recently replaced the standard bottom 9 inch spacers with 11 inch ones to provide additional ventilation space for a 120mm fan I have sitting on top of my 807 to try to keep the heat under control. Their support has been excellent and the products seem to be fairly priced.


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## JIverson (Mar 5, 2010)

Okay, update. 
I ordered the SVS package and was able to get it filled immediately which was a great surprise! I did have a problem with the TX-SR876, it was shutting down immediately when I powered it on which was defined as a circuitry malfunction... my terminology may be off here. Anyway, the guys at accessories4less were great and took care of me, it has been sent back to get fixed already. So, while I haven't actually heard a note out of the speakers, they look great and I think the whole system will be just perfect. I have the projector, the Epson 8100 and moved the PS3 up there to make sure it worked.
I'm waiting for the projector mount and the AV rack, then the receiver back from accessories4less and we should be set.
Maybe pics when I get it all completed. More to come.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
Sorry that your 876 was indeed malfunctioning. However, the wait will be worth it. It is truly a fabulous AVR that is now all but impossible to find. Hopefully, they will be able to fix it quickly. In the event that it is not repairable, I would go with a TX-NR1007 or higher as the 807 does not compare.
Cheers,
JJ


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