# Mel's Dedicated Home Theater



## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Hello fellow crazies!
The construction of my first home theater is just about finished and I now have to make all sorts of new hardware decisions.
I apologize in advance for the avalanche of questions.

Below you will find pics with all the measurements I could think of.
NB: the red paint is much darker than it appears, the flash just brigtened the whole thing.

First I think a bit about me and my use is in order. I'm a fairly big movie buff, I have about a thousand DVDs and my bluray collection is growing steadily. As a result I have some 3D material (mostly Avatar and recent Animated / Super Hero tropes) but 2D is my main 'concern'.
I am also a very big gamer. I have a 360, PS3, Wii and older systems but I plan to only hook up the 360 and PS3 (as my main blu ray player) to the projector.

I currently have a Denon 4810CI which I'm pretty satisfied with (caveat that I'm most likely not using its full potential at this point).
But it doesn't do 3D and so I was thinking of maybe getting the Pioneer Elite SC-57 or an Oppo 93
I was planning of running everything through the receiver (except the Oppo if I get it since it'd be for 3D), is this a bad idea?









As you can see the prewire and conduit for the Projector are about 14' (4m). Which should be a good distance for most projectors.
I was originally fairly set on the Panasonic AE7000 but the recent release of the JVC X30 is making me doubt.
As I explained earlier when it comes to movies I'm mostly a 2D person so the JVC seems like the better choice, but there is still concern for the 3D and the reports go from 'very good' to 'awful' so it's hard to know who to believe.
From a gamer's perspective I'm a bit concerned about the JVC lag. I'm not a professional gamer by any stretch of the imagination but I do play fighting games, FPS, platformers.... and I've read some users mentioning lag in the X30 (though not the previous generations or the X70)

















As you can see the space between the sconces is 96" (244cm).
We are definitely moving the sconces, either to the edge of the wall or removing them altogether.
The seating area is going to be 11'-13' (3.4m-4m) from the wall. I don't want to be right below the projector to avoid noise, plus it would sort of block the entrance to the place.
I've been looking at screen measurements and I'm thinking about 120" diagonal (if I go 16:9). When I'm in theater I like to sit center-center, never too close.
Right now I'm seating about 12' from my 42" Plasma so I laid out a measuring tape stretched out to 90" under the TV and to my eyes it looks wide enough but it's hard to tell.
I'm also unsure as to go with 16:9 or 2:35, I'm still not clear on what the majority of films use and since I watch all kinds that would be my deciding factor. That's also one reason I'm drawn towards the JVC X30.
The Caradas seem to be getting good feedback so I was thinking about a Criterion Brilliant White in either 16:9 or 2.35:1 (of course size would vary depending but about 120")

Also I'm thinking about painting that screen wall black, or could I fully cover it with black velvet?

And I'm not even going to go into the Seats and Speakers right now... I did some research and the more I research the less I know what I want...









Now this is the closet where I'm going to put all the equipment.
Do you guys have any general advice for venting (as you can see there's a big hole at the bottom to access the attic but that's it) also what kind of racks are good for this type of thing?
I was recommended putting a slated door instead of the current one and getting an Antec AV Cooler

Again I apologize for the all the questions and any advice/comment is greatly welcome.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Black front wall is certainly desirable. If you want to do cloth, I would suggest Duvytene and using some absorbing material behind it to kill reflections from the surrounds off the front wall.

If you're concerned about lag, then running through any receiver may not be something you want to do as that can add a bit more. I don't know anything specific about that JVC from that standpoint.

Bryan


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Well !
Someone pointed me to a thread on AVS that I've been reading for a week and now I'm seriously considering getting the Sony HW30...

I've always had a lingering concern with the X30 about the 3D and gaming lag and the HW30 seems to really be the best 'all-around' projector for me and my price range.
Good 3D, good 2D and great gaming lag (or lack thereof), since it's manual focus and shift it definitely reaffirms my feeling of keeping it simple with a 16:9 screen.


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Alright so I went and took some measurements in my HT room today. I plan to go HW30 with Carada 16:9 BW 118".










As you can see because of the weird shape of my wall if I keep the screen centered I have to leave pretty much a 2 feet gap between the top of the screen and the ceiling (which is at 10' and will be where the projector will be mounted).

So I'm right in thinking I'm going to need an extension pole for my projector, right?

PS: Yes the lamps are moving.


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## BD55 (Oct 18, 2011)

General advice on venting would be use what you have! Does that access to the attic have any airflow? Maybe venting straight into there would be a good idea. That would also keep noise from the fans escaping.


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Look what just got here!!










Now I just need to figure out what tests to run to make sure the unit is fine. What should I do? I'm a complete noob at this.


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## warrenp (Feb 13, 2012)

Congrats on the new arrival. I had the HW30 here for a while and enjoyed it. 

I always setup my projectors using a Blu-ray calibration disc. I bounce back and forth between three different discs. I use the Disney World of Wonder disc, the Spears and Munsil disc, and the Digital Video Essentials disc. If you are doing your first run through a setup, the Disney World of Wonder disc is pretty good. You can find it lots of places online, Amazon has it and elsewhere. It's an excellent starting point.

Have fun!


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

warrenp said:


> Congrats on the new arrival. I had the HW30 here for a while and enjoyed it.
> 
> I always setup my projectors using a Blu-ray calibration disc. I bounce back and forth between three different discs. I use the Disney World of Wonder disc, the Spears and Munsil disc, and the Digital Video Essentials disc. If you are doing your first run through a setup, the Disney World of Wonder disc is pretty good. You can find it lots of places online, Amazon has it and elsewhere. It's an excellent starting point.
> 
> Have fun!


For calibration yes I was planning on getting the Disney disc.
But is there something I can do without disc to check the alignment and such to make sure the projector is fine?


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## warrenp (Feb 13, 2012)

Not really no, just project the image and look at it. The test grid patterns are where you'll really be able to see alignment issues. Make sure you're square and level with mounting the projector, that will impact geometry as well. Have fun!


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

warrenp said:


> Not really no, just project the image and look at it. The test grid patterns are where you'll really be able to see alignment issues. Make sure you're square and level with mounting the projector, that will impact geometry as well. Have fun!


Ok Cool thanks!


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Part 2 and 3!!









Carada Criterion Brilliant White 118"









Palliser Rhumba


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

It's all coming together very nice. :T


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

robbo266317 said:


> It's all coming together very nice. :T


Slowly but surely as they say 

Here's the latest update.


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Screen is up. (sorry for the quick and dirty pic)


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

Looking good! Those seats look very comfy. Have you decided on any speakers yet?


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Infrasonic said:


> Looking good! Those seats look very comfy. Have you decided on any speakers yet?


thanks they are!

I'm almost set on my decision for speakers
LR: Paradigm Studio 60
C: Paradigm Studio CC-590
Surrounds: Axiom QS8
Sub: HSU VTF3-MK4


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## Mr Ave (Apr 12, 2012)

Your theater is looking nice. Great job!


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Mr Ave said:


> Your theater is looking nice. Great job!


Thanks! It's coming along nicely.


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

That's looking sweet. I like the black/red contrast.


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

Drakul said:


> I'm almost set on my decision for speakers
> LR: Paradigm Studio 60
> C: Paradigm Studio CC-590
> Surrounds: Axiom QS8
> Sub: HSU VTF3-MK4


Great choices, I am also leaning toward Paradigm when I upgrade my soundstage (hopefully this year). With that sub you can spend a day trying all of the different tuning options, it can work well in pretty much any room.


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Thanks guys! Look what just arrived


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## Dotball (Apr 4, 2012)

You may find they will work better if you take them out of the boxes! :whistling: :bigsmile:

Cheers,


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

Dotball said:


> You may find they will work better if you take them out of the boxes! :whistling: :bigsmile:
> 
> Cheers,


I though the speaker finish looked odd.......


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Those must be the new kid-proof models! 

Congrats - would love to hear your impressions when you have a chance.


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

Dotball said:


> You may find they will work better if you take them out of the boxes! :whistling: :bigsmile:
> 
> Cheers,





Zeitgeist said:


> I though the speaker finish looked odd.......





ALMFamily said:


> Those must be the new kid-proof models!
> 
> Congrats - would love to hear your impressions when you have a chance.


Hahaha I was told the waves in the cardboard would greatly amplify the clarity of the sound. lddude:


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

*UPDATE!​*
*HSU VTF3-MK4* subwoofer and 4 *Axiom QS8* surrounds!

For the Sub, the driver needs to face the room and the back port need at least 3" of clearance from the wall correct?

And for the surrounds the prewiring lands 1-2' in front of seating. I've read that the Axiom are very forgiving so should I place them at the current location or should I run the wire an extra foot or two?


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

*Let's get ready to rumble!!!!*


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Looks great! :T I assume you will be watching wrestling first?


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## Drakul (Jan 29, 2012)

ALMFamily said:


> Looks great! :T I assume you will be watching wrestling first?


Not exactly 










I haven't really calibrated anything yet because I lost my setup mic (I ordered a new one on ebay) but it was awesome!!


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