# Are 7' ceilings too low?



## Guest

My contractor is studding the walls in my basement as we speak for a new theater room. However, the ceilings (beacuse of pipes) will only be 7 feet tall. Will this cause problems when mouting my new PT-ae2000 from the ceiling? I am onlt looking to install a 92-96" screen.


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## Anthony

I assume you meant 7', not 7" 

First off, 7' might not be code for some areas for a finished basement. Your contractor should know the local rules, but it may not hurt to check.

My basement is 7' 6" and I have a 92" screen on a long wall with about an 8-10' or so viewing distance. Projector is 18' from the screen (Sanyo PLV-Z4).

I wouldn't worry about the problems in throw and screen size. I would worry more about people blocking the light from the screen and hitting their heads on the projector. If those are clear, you should be fine.


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## Guest

7', is correct, not 7". That would pretty impressive a seven inch theater room...

Would I be better off placing the projector in a cabinet?


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## Guest

I was faced with the same problem. Mounting my Projector on the ceiling was gonna be scary when some of my 6' + friends came over. So what I did instead of buying a mount, I built a open sided box to put the projector in. That way if something does get bumped, it wont be the projector itself.

The box is not intrusive at all ...The room is 22' ft long. The projector is mounted 14' back from the screen...So the back row and even the front row can stand up without being in the way. My first intention was to mount it on a the back wall.....But it would have been a big problem when someone stood up.

Hope this helps.

David


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## Picture_Shooter

my ceiling is 8' in height. Now I have a drop down ceiling mount that is about 1' lower making it 7' (ruffly) and to me its no issue. I had to go low because my PJ is shooting below a ceiling fan. See here (hope this helps):


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## tbase1

any projector with lens shift will handle that problem.


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## DougMac

Tonysac14 said:


> Will this cause problems when mouting my new PT-ae2000 from the ceiling? I am onlt looking to install a 92-96" screen.


Is that 92-96 diagonal or width? Also, what are the dimensions of your room?

I read a review of the projector. Congrats, sounds like you've got an awesome product! Based on the review (http://www.projectorcentral.com/panasonic_ae2000_home_theater_projector.htm), I think it's time to do some calculations. It has a large zoom range 2x. While that gives you more flexibility in room placement, it comes at a cost of brightness if you mount it far from the screen. You'll lose as much as 40%.

The wide range of lens shift works in your favor. You'll be able to snug it up to the ceiling (providing recommended ventilation) and adjust the image vertically as needed.

It looks like you're faced with some compromises.

Mounting as close to the screen as possible-
Advantages: Brighter image, less chance of image blocked when people stand up.
Disadvantages: Projector more vulnerable to being bumped by tall friends.

Mounting projector as far from the screen as possible, the reverse of above.

Doug


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## MatrixDweller

In my area 6'-6" is the minimum allowable finished ceiling height. I think mine are that under the bulkhead and 7'-6" everywhere else. 7' will feel pretty low especially if you're tall. Ceiling fans and track or suspended lighting could be dangerously close to head level. are you putting in pot lights?

I had to mount my projector against a bulkhead so I put it on a shelf rather than a mount. You can buy low profile mounts (or adjustable height ones) that will bring it closer to the ceiling. The one thing you have to be careful about it proper ventilation though. Building boxes can block airflow.


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## tbase1

matrix,

I would install a hush box with vents on your setup. It would hide the projector and give your room the hide away look of the retail theaters.


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## MatrixDweller

I did think about a hush box...but budget and time constraints nixed that idea. I will eventually build one. My original plan was to have a semi-sealed design and use some photographic quality glass and build in some active cooling by using a small computer power supply (switched by the 12v trigger) with some low dB fans attached to some ABS pipe. It would have been sweet but alas the WAF plays to big a role in my endeavors. I'm still waiting to get approval to buy doors for my room.:gah:


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## Keith from Canada

Tonysac14 said:


> My contractor is studding the walls in my basement as we speak for a new theater room. However, the ceilings (beacuse of pipes) will only be 7 feet tall. Will this cause problems when mouting my new PT-ae2000 from the ceiling? I am onlt looking to install a 92-96" screen.


DLP would be a problem. LCD is not. Unfortunately, DLP hasn't gotten around to offering lens shifting in their lower-priced models.


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## southsound

I didn't have any problem with ceiling height, but I was unwilling to mount our PJ low enough to avoid our ceiling fan. And of course, since sleeping in our barn is not a valid option, WAF was very important as well. :bigsmile: 

My solution was to cabinet mount the PJ. We installed our Sharp XR-30X in a furniture grade cabinet between our recliners. It sits on a shelf in that cabinet which allows about a 6" x 20" gap behind the projector and the area under the shelf is completely open - again, about 6" x 20". I installed 2 extremely quiet 12V fans to draw air in from the front and force it up behind the projector. The PJ exhausts out through the front, so the air path works well. My infrared thermometer tells me that the PJ is well within spec temps. The cabinet is great because when the door is closed, the projector is completely hidden - but when we want to watch a movie, all we need to do is open the door.




























In the first month of use, we had several ocassions when I forgot to turn on the fans - leaving only natural convection and the draw of the PJ's fans for cooling - and the temp went way up. The difference was so great that I installed a switch on the door to automatically start the fans whenever the door was open - just in case we forgot. 










The cabinet option won't work for everyone, but it works great for us.


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## MatrixDweller

Good choice on the glass top too so no worries about rings left by condensate on your ice cold beverage.

Are there holes on the back of the unit or bottom of the shelf for the projector's intake air? How do the fans get air to or away from the projector when they are sitting at the bottom? IMO it would be better to cut 120mm holes in the rear behind the projector and mount the fans inside at the back. Also if you were to close it while the projector was on would the fans turn off? Could you have just hooked the fans up to the 12v trigger on the projector?


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## southsound

Actually, the picture might be deceptive - the shelf only goes part way back. The shelf only goes part way back - there is a 6" x 20" opening behind the projector so the air is forced up from behind where the PJ's air intake is. The airflow is greater than the PJ's air intake needs, so the excess air bathes the PJ as it flows around it. It even keeps the projector's case at only a few degrees higher than ambient room temp.

I chose not to cut holes in the finished back of the cabinet because the back is visible from the area behind the recliners. When closed the cabinet looks just line a piece of nice furniture. Even the power and video cables are hidden as they enter the floor and travel across our crawl space to the built-in equipment rack.

So far I haven't spaced out and left the PJ on and closed the doors. I don't think the fans would do much more than make it a convection oven. Gotta be careful on that one. :thud:


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## foraye

I have that exact set up here is a pic...

What I did to keep my eyes from wandering towards the ceiling was to cover the HVAC dicts and screen wall with black felt. WIth a movie running and lights off everything disappears including my speakers.




















My Build Thread


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## Tedd

Have you explored moving the pipes, to gain head room? Seven foot high is enough, but more is always better. If there's a second row of seating, you can burn through the vertical space fast. 

Or if you have some length, how about some loungers for the front row?


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## CatBrat

My ceiling is currently 7' tall. I plan to shorten that a little with flooring and ceiling changes. I plan to build a dead vent in the center of the rear wall, leaving a shelf on top of it and place my projector on that. Room size is small, about 11' wide, 13-15' deep, 6'9" high.

I need to make 5 posts before my picture shows up.


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## martinez331

southsound said:


> I didn't have any problem with ceiling height, but I was unwilling to mount our PJ low enough to avoid our ceiling fan. And of course, since sleeping in our barn is not a valid option, WAF was very important as well. :bigsmile:
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> My solution was to cabinet mount the PJ. We installed our Sharp XR-30X in a furniture grade cabinet between our recliners. It sits on a shelf in that cabinet which allows about a 6" x 20" gap behind the projector and the area under the shelf is completely open - again, about 6" x 20". I installed 2 extremely quiet 12V fans to draw air in from the front and force it up behind the projector. The PJ exhausts out through the front, so the air path works well. My infrared thermometer tells me that the PJ is well within spec temps. The cabinet is great because when the door is closed, the projector is completely hidden - but when we want to watch a movie, all we need to do is open the door.
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Nicely done! I like your idea for those whom have a problem with placement. :T


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