# New theater projector and screen advice needed



## Peek (Oct 1, 2012)

I posted this yesterday in the projector forum but this is where it should have been.

Hi all, I have been lurking around the video forums a while and basically have information overload and need some advice. I have just finished construction on a basement addition that includes a theater room. The room is 18 ½ long, 15 ½ wide, the ceiling is white dimensional acoustical tile and 7 10 high. The walls are dark blue with white trim, beige carpet and it is completely light controlled with can lights and wall sconces all on dimmers. My wife and I want to use a ceiling mounted projector and a fixed DIY screen on one of the 15 walls.

So my dilemma is picking the right projector, screen size and screen color or finish. Our budget for the projector is $1500 or less and we are thinking around a 100 screen 16:9. Due to ceiling height restrictions we are considering the Epson 8350 or the Panasonic PT- AR100U. The room will be used for movies but also for entertaining guest for football games and other sports, 3D is not important. I have not been around enough projectors to say I have a preference for DLP or LCD. We are not set on the projectors listed above; they seem to be two that are highly regarded and would fit our needs. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
The Epson is quite popular and would treat you well. Same with the Panasonic. I would also consider the Optoma HD33 as well. These are 3 of the most popular FP's for under $1500.
Cheers,
JJ


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## trevorv (Oct 8, 2012)

I would recommend a JVC Pro. I have used them in multiple installs with great results. We have even removed $65,000 projectors and replaced them with a JVC Pro. You won't find one new but used they are a great deal. They are great for DIY's as well because most of them have lens shifting that you won't find in budget projectors. They also have great lamp life also. They also don't use a dynamic iris which improved black levels and increases lamp life. 
For screens we have always used Screen Innovations. Recently we've changed to the Black Diamond series because it does not reflect the projectors light output back into the room. These are quite expensive but again search the web. There may also be knock offs of them as well. You can see more about the black diamond on YouTube.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

trevorv said:


> I would recommend a JVC Pro. I have used them in multiple installs with great results. We have even removed $65,000 projectors and replaced them with a JVC Pro. You won't find one new but used they are a great deal. They are great for DIY's as well because most of them have lens shifting that you won't find in budget projectors. They also have great lamp life also. They also don't use a dynamic iris which improved black levels and increases lamp life.
> For screens we have always used Screen Innovations. Recently we've changed to the Black Diamond series because it does not reflect the projectors light output back into the room. These are quite expensive but again search the web. There may also be knock offs of them as well. You can see more about the black diamond on YouTube.


Hello,
JVC makes fantastic Front Projectors. D-ILA and SXRD (all but identical) are my personal favorites. I was going to recommend the Sony VPL-HW30ES as well, but I would be surprised if one could be found anywhere near $1500. Perhaps an older Sony SXRD or JVC could be found in that price bracket.
Cheers,
JJ


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## trevorv (Oct 8, 2012)

I went to eBay and they had some JVC RS-1s for less that $1500


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## Peek (Oct 1, 2012)

We will be using this room for more than just movies, it will not always be a cave. Won't the JVC and Sony be lacking lumens with ambient light such as football games and other sporting events?


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## trevorv (Oct 8, 2012)

I'm not sure about the older models but we put 1 in 3 years ago and you could watch TV or a movie with the lights on and one of the can lights were directly in front of the projector. I'll look at what model it was.

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## trevorv (Oct 8, 2012)

The RS25U is 900lm

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## lanayapiper (Oct 6, 2012)

My personal bet here is the JVC RS-1s. I have this for almost 4 months and everything works perfectly. I got it from Amazon for less than $1,500. JVC really rocks the projector world.


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## Peek (Oct 1, 2012)

lanayapiper said:


> My personal bet here is the JVC RS-1s. I have this for almost 4 months and everything works perfectly. I got it from Amazon for less than $1,500. JVC really rocks the projector world.


How does your projector handle ambient light? We like to have friends and family over for sporting events and will need lights on so people can move around.


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