Need some advise....very confused, $2000 budget

1746 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by akan101, Jun 25, 2010

McLeod73

Discussion Starter · May 28, 2010

I am currently getting my basement renovated and am in the process of purchasing my 1st projector and screen. The more research I do, the more confused I am getting. Hoping to get some good recommendations here.

Where I am putting my screen...the wall is 15 ft. wide and the ceiling is 9ft high. Probably going to about 4 inches from the ceiling with the screen as we are getting custom made selves in below. I am hoping to get a 120 inch screen, but the research I have done says some projectors aren't that great on screens bigger than 110.

Seating will be around 11 or 12 feet away from the screen.

Projector will be around 13.5 feet away from the screen and mounted on the ceiling 8 ft off the ground as there is a drop because of vents.

Have been looking at the following projectors as I am on a $2000 canadian budget. Optoma H20 1080P, Vivitek H1080FD and also a little more expensive model the Epson Home Cinema 8100 (which I haven't found a place that ships this one in canada)

Any help would be greatly appreciated...and I hope all the info I gave helps you out as well with the info I need.

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Prof.

· #2 · May 28, 2010

Firstly, if the the top of the screen is only 4" down from a 9' ceiling, you're going to get a cricked neck!
That is very high up..I would try and lower it if you can..

You really need to calculate your seating position first before deciding on the screen size..
What is the length of the room?
Primary seating position should be approx. 61-65% the length of the room, for best audio quality..
From there, you can then determine the best size screen..

As far as projector choice..I would go for the Optoma HD20..
By all accounts it's a very good entry level 1080p projector..
Oh.. and welcome to the Shack..

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McLeod73

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 29, 2010

we are going to go with the 106 inch screen. As far as projector, looking at a Mitsubishi HC3800 now.

If the ceiling where the projector is being mounted is 8 feet high....ceiling where screen will be is 9...how far down should the screen go.....want to leave some room for shevles.

If we put the screen a foot down at the 8 ft mark, how far down will the projector be when it is mounted....I haven't seen a projector mount to know how far down they go?

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MatrixDweller

· #4 · May 29, 2010

Ideally you would want the screen's center at about eye level give or take a bit. You want to avoid having to tilt your head to look up. I originally positioned my screen a bit too high and found it a little hard on the neck. Moving it down just 6 inches made a world of difference although still not perfect (it is perfect at my second row of seating though).

Mounts vary quite a bit and you can drop down as low as you want (there are a lot of options). It would be better to keep it as high as possible. With lens shift on most projectors it doesn't need to be dropped down so that the top of the lens it at the top of the screen.

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Matteo

· #5 · Jun 4, 2010

I sit at 12 feet with a 110" screen, and it is just big enough, but I like big screens. I could sit at 10 feet and be happy. I have two rows of seating, so I have my screen about a foot down from a 9 foot ceiling. I don't mind the elevation and it allowed me to put more shelving below my screen. I use a sound screen/perf screen, and my center channel is behind the screen. I love it. My second row is about 18" higher than my front row and feels more like sitting about 3/4 back at a theater. Easy on the neck, but screen appears smaller, but still good.
So, I would go bigger than the 106" screen, maybe 110, which isn't much of a difference, but still bigger. I might put the screen a foot down and call it good. If you did a perf screen, you don't have to worry about center channel placement, as it will be directly in the center of your screen. Just my two cents.

Matteo

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tonyvdb

· #6 · Jun 4, 2010

Hi And Welcome to the Shack from a fellow Edmontonian.

Have you checked out these guys or these guys for projectors?
I have a 96" screen and sit 12' back from it I think that a 110" screen is too large and will cause eye strain viewing at only 10' away.

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Matteo

· #7 · Jun 9, 2010

I thought he was sitting 11-12 feet away. Tony, what are you talking about eye strain? I like my eyes to bleed when the movie is over. It's just part of the fun.

:explode:

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akan101

· #8 · Jun 25, 2010

Nothing can give more fun than watching movies on big screens...

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