# Newbie Projector Guy seeking help



## dkeller (Jul 5, 2011)

Ok projector gurus, I need a little advice and confirmation on what I'm planning. We're just beginning to frame up our unfinished basement. It's a fairly large space (18'w x 48'l). While I'm not going to have a dedicated HT, I will have about a third of that space finished out with carpet, couches, and a 7.2 system. Tentative plan is to purchase an Epson 8700UB (good choice?) and mount it up inside the tray ceiling at about 18' from the wall. Screen size will likely be about a 112" diagonal but I might come down some so the screen isn't so gi-normous. Prime seating couch will be centered below and in front of the projector at about the 14' mark. Behind that couch is the rest of the room, to include a large bar, so there will be plenty of football/sports viewing from sitting at the bar (roughly 28' from the screen). Ambient light is minimal down there with only 2 small windows in the bar area and a glass door walk-out to the backyard.

All that being said, am I in the right ballpark or way off?

Thanks, D


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, the Epson is a good choice but I would recommend not going any smaller than a 100" screen (118" thats an odd size by the way) Are you planning on painting the screen or buying one? I sit 13' from my 120" 2:35,1 screen and love it. If you have the room the bigger the better as far as I am concerned although 120 is about as big as you want for that space.


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## dkeller (Jul 5, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> Well, the Epson is a good choice but I would recommend not going any smaller than a 100" screen (118" thats an odd size by the way) Are you planning on painting the screen or buying one? I sit 13' from my 120" 2:35,1 screen and love it. If you have the room the bigger the better as far as I am concerned although 120 is about as big as you want for that space.


I'm pretty flexible on the screen size right now. I've got enough wall to make it HUGE, but I don't want the whole wall to be screen. Anything between 100-120" is likely what I settle on. As for the screen itself, I plan to either use paint right on the drywall (and use trim around that) or build a frame and mount a screen to it (similar to building a canvas for all you art types out there). If a PJ mount position of 18' is too far away, I can always slide it forward, but then it starts becoming an eye-sore in the middle of the tray ceiling.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

18' back will be ok, I have mine at 15' and its perfect for the size I am projecting.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

Use Black Widow™ for your screen. :T


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