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What Color To Paint Your HT?

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color ht paint
99K views 98 replies 29 participants last post by  Maxman 
#1 ·
Before painting my HT room I had seen a few dealer demo rooms that looked great, but painted in very strong colors - such as deep reds/burgundy etc. It struck me that this would shift the color balance/perception or whatever the correct technical term is. So finished up using a grey similar to the background on this forum for my room. Since then I've seen light greens, bright blues....
So my questions are - does wall color make a difference to the projected image, and if it does what color(s) should be used?
 
#4 ·
Tommy, I don't know what the exact answer is - even though my room is a mid-grey I left the ceiling in 'mud white', my calibrater hit the roof (excuse the pun) as he complained about the reflection from the screen onto the ceiling. He wanted it flat black! We compromised and I used the same grey for 50%of the ceiling (which coincides with an RSJ bisecting the room).

So my objective for starting the thread was to encourage thought and debate, as the room can play a critical part in the viewing experience.
 
#5 ·
Well my room is a dedicated room so I have no problems using colors that would enhance the overall performance of the show. I know this may be different if the room was a dual purpose room.

I have no problems painting the ceiling black etc. Within the given limits of this though I would like to pick out some choices that look better then others.

As you pointed out alot seem to be deep reds/burgundy. I went to one HT installers demo room and he had the whole room painted black.

I was thinking maybe a burgundy color for the walls, black ceiling and possibly painting the columns black but Im not sure.

I do however think it was just to plain when the whole room was one solid color.
 
#6 ·
Tommy, my room is broken up with wall treatments that are a darker grey which breaks up the single wall color and looks good. I'll put up some photos.
Maybe some of the installers can post their experiences?

My ISF calibrater is a bigger perfectionist than I am :eek: that has to hurt.
 
#7 ·
lcaillo said:
Search for SMPTE RP166.
Hey Leonard... I searched for that and didn't come up with much. What is it?

I have no clue on color... we just threw something on the wall, but I'm not overly tickled with it and might change it later. But we did try to stay with darker colors and even painted the ceiling a midnight blue.

I think our carpet is neutral and our recliners are neutral, so changing the colors would be fairly easy.
 
#9 ·
I've read that the reflections from the ceiling, walls and floor on the screen are critical only on the areas near the screen. You should use neutral, darker carpet and paint on the first five feet or so at the front of the room, but behind that you should be able to take your pick.
 
#11 ·
"Room color specifications in SMPTE RP166 are as follows. Visible surfaces that surround the TV screen should be a truly neutral color. SMPTE used the Munsell Color Order System to define their color references. Neutral is any color of gray throughout the range from black to white. Surface colors that lie within the observer’s field of view with the monitor screen should be in the neutral category. The purpose for this specification is to preserve accurate color perception of the image on the screen. "

Thats what I found on one site:
 
#13 ·
I am going tans, dark brown and nearly black. Went to our local leather suite dealer for theatre seating and their showroom had a ceiling painted with a light tan border of about three feet then a very very dark brown middle, it looked like the ceiling had no centre, very dramatic effect.

We will have dark brown carpet with lighter border and light tan or latte coloured leather seating. I agree that the couple of metres nearest the screen is the most influential in terms of colour problems and I have always steared clear of burgandies and reds as I was told long ago that the red side of the spectrum causes the most colour saturation on the screen. I can't verify that as I have never used any reds.

The walls are going to have carpeted panels between columns so if I get bored, we can change the look of the room without repainting.

This theatre has nice colours even though it is burgandy'ish:
 

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#14 ·
Most of us on the forum are DIY'ers learning as we go along and from each other.
For example I was just about to finish my room and realised, at the last minute, that my equipment was behind me and how could I use my RC? Luckily the walls were not quite finished and I was able to put in an IR repeater system.

My objective in starting this thread was to learn, and raise awareness level to the fact that color of the environment does have an impact on the projected image. Knowing this it then becomes a personal choice on how to design your room.

What triggered me off was seeing the industry professionals giving awards for theater designs that were extreme - and for me more distracting and not squeezing out the maximum performance of the system. Again its a personal choice. I was put on the right track by my ISF calibrater, he called me before hand and avised me on screen choice, projector position, room color etc. This guy is used by well known projector manufacturers in the industry to set up projectors at trade shows, and also the homes of senior people inside these companies. The guy is extreme, a bigger perfectionist than I am, but still shakes his head when he sees my ceiling. One question that does come to mind - and that is if you do choose a strong color scheme for your room, which creates a color shift, can this be compensated for in calibration (IRE levels, Gamma)?
 
#18 ·
Thanks for posting the room pic's all. Different pic's of how the rooms are painted really add to the topic.

Steve, your pics gave me some ideas I will be following up on. I have colums similar to the pic you posted and have been discussing with the wife whether or not we should paint them a seperate color then the walls.

Phil you mentioned installing a IR system, I'd be interested if you posted a seperate topic on that alone to see what and how that was done. It would be a good tuturial for us newbies.
 
#21 ·
Steve Williamson said:
Tommy, I think the best idea would be to paint the walls and ceiling the darkest colour you can then if you need to lighten the room, use furnishings and wall coverings. Better than finding you have to much reflective light in the room and having to repaint again.
I didnt mean using lighter colors for the room. Were thinking a black ceiling and front wall and burgundy for the rest of the walls. What were trying to decide though is whether the columns in the room should be a different color then the walls. Sort of like the above picture where the columns and trim work are a different color but I would prefer a darker color.
 
#22 ·
Tommy said:
Thanks for posting the room pic's all. Different pic's of how the rooms are painted really add to the topic.QUOTE]

Tommy, the room looks brighter on the photos than it is - the 'charcoal' band around the front and side of the room, along with the tiles on the back wall, are acoustic panels to improve the room acoustics. They also serve to breakup the monotonous color scheme.
Based on the industry advice 'any dark color' does not give a balanced image color, the recommendation is any shade from white to black. Using another color scheme is a personal choice, but you will get color shift. Is it important - guess it depends on how obsessed you are :dizzy:
 
#23 ·
One thing to consider is that even if your colors are neutral, the lighting in the room affects the color. Ideally, bck light at D65 is best for the most neutral effect.
 
#24 ·
This is my first post. Hi, to all.

Room conditions affect both the physical behavior of the display system and the perception of the viewer. Color of decor is a critical characteristic of viewing environment conditions. The recommendations in SMPTE RP 166-1995: 'Critical Viewing Conditions For Evaluation Of Color Television Pictures' are specifically for direct view monitor environments. Front projection systems are another animal, with unique requirements. What is common between the two types of display systems is the viewer. Therefore, some characteristics of the room environment will have a different effect upon the two display types but a similar effect upon the person using the system.

Dedicated home theater rooms allow for decor that will not diminish or contaminate the image on the screen. Multi-purpose rooms usually present conflicting priorities to acheiving ultimate picture quality. Decor in multi-use rooms may not allow for ultra dark colors. Unfortunately, most of the photos seen in home theater magazines, even of dedicated theaters, depict compromised viewing environments. Consumers get the wrong image in their mind of what consititutes a correctly designed theater room, in which system performance is the top priority. If what the room looks like with all the lights on is the greater priority, then usually both picture and sound quality will suffer. Overriding priorities can be perfectly legitimate. After all, the owner of the room is the one to make the final call.

These are issues that even many professionals do not fully understand. If home theater professionals don't sufficiently understand the impact of the viewing environment upon system performance, how on earth can the typical consumer have a clue about what is correct? The complexity of these issues is due to the wide variety of display types, room configurations, and client preferences. A comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of acoustics, imaging science, display standards and human perceptual characteristics is necessary to design a well integrated home theater system that performs optimally. These issues apply to every system design, regardless of budget.

Front projection systems must have dark, neutral, or nearly neutral room surfaces for the best picture to be presented on the screen. The display system in the room in the photographs above is seriously compromised. However, it's a multi-purpose room. There may be conflicting priorities that justify the user's choice of all the bright, reflective surfaces. Unfortunately, too many consumers make design compromises without being told or understanding the consequences to picture and sound performance.

There's a big difference between a do-it-yourself-er, with the best of intentions, doing the work, versus understanding all the underlying principles involved in making correct design decisions. If a DIY is going to be spending thousands of dollars on construction materials, electronics, and software, doesn't it make sense to spend at least a couple hundred dollars to bring a professional in for a couple of hours to see the room and make recommendations? Forums have value but only up to a point. The room is no less critical to system performance than a projector or speaker system. Even less understood is the importance of the listener/viewer as a system component.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
ISF, THX, SMPTE, CEDIA

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"
 
#26 ·
Alan Brown said:
This is my first post. Hi, to all.

Room conditions affect both the physical behavior of the display system and the perception of the viewer. Color of decor is a critical characteristic of viewing environment conditions. The recommendations in SMPTE RP 166-1995: 'Critical Viewing Conditions For Evaluation Of Color Television Pictures' are specifically for direct view monitor environments. Front projection systems are another animal, with unique requirements. What is common between the two types of display systems is the viewer. Therefore, some characteristics of the room environment will have a different effect upon the two display types but a similar effect upon the person using the system.

Dedicated home theater rooms allow for decor that will not diminish or contaminate the image on the screen. Multi-purpose rooms usually present conflicting priorities to acheiving ultimate picture quality. Decor in multi-use rooms may not allow for ultra dark colors. Unfortunately, most of the photos seen in home theater magazines, even of dedicated theaters, depict compromised viewing environments. Consumers get the wrong image in their mind of what consititutes a correctly designed theater room, in which system performance is the top priority. If what the room looks like with all the lights on is the greater priority, then usually both picture and sound quality will suffer.

These are issues that even many professionals do not fully understand. If home theater professionals don't sufficiently understand the impact of the viewing environment upon system performance, how on earth can the typical consumer have a clue about what is correct? The complexity of these issues is due to the wide variety of display types, room configurations, and client preferences. A comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of acoustics, imaging science, display standards and human perceptual characteristics is necessary to design a well integrated home theater system that performs optimally. These issues apply to every system design, regardless of budget.

Front projection systems must have dark, neutral, or nearly neutral room surfaces for the best picture to be presented on the screen. The display system in the room in the photographs above is seriously compromised. However, it's a multi-purpose room. There may be conflicting priorities that justify the user's choice of all the bright, reflective surfaces. Unfortunately, too many consumers make design compromises without being told or understanding the consequences to picture and sound performance.

There's a big difference between a do-it-yourself-er doing the work and understanding all the underlying principles involved in making correct design decisions. If a DIY is going to be spending thousands of dollars on construction materials, electronics, and software, doesn't it make sense to spend at least a couple hundred dollars to bring a professional in for a couple of hours to see the room and make recommendations? Forums have value but only up to a point. The room is no less critical to system performance than a projector or speaker system. Even less understood is the importance of the listener/viewer as a system component.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
ISF, THX, SMPTE, CEDIA

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"

Alan, couldn't agree more with what you said, and that's what motivated me to kick this thread off. It's a personal choice at the end of the day, but if you spend $$$$$$$$ on equipment then its a pity not to extract its full potential by messing up the environment. I've got a few concerns/issues/experiences on 'professionals' - when I look at awards given to professional installers by the press, they are typically given to 'novel' designs which are typically bright colors - the dealers I know do not want to pass on their knowledge base to the DIY community for a relatively small return, and want to make money on installation and equipment (they have to stay in business) - and the DIY community are reluctant to spend money on intangibles such as advice and calibration (the tendency is to spend as much as possible on better equipment). For example when my wife sees a check exchanged for a box she understands it, but when a guy turns up with a test disc/tripod'/light meter and walks away with a check she thinks I'm nuts.
I hope you can help change our thinking, and at the same time help us find the right resources.
 
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