At what screen size does a projector become cost effective?

[purbeast0]

Kinect on projector is epic. So is Mechwarrior.

i sold my kinect for xbox one because dumb ass microsoft refused to make an extension cable for it. logistically i simply could not use it with the short ass wire.

 

[tential]

That's great information. Are you happy with the W1070? I was also looking at the HT1075. How is the fan noise? Chances are this will be mounted almost overhead if I am reading the charts correctly.

This is a semi-dedicated movie room if that makes sense. I also have a couple of arcade machines and aquariums in the room.

I'm mad I got anything other than this we're watching the NFL game on it right now.

I love it. I'm only getting a monitor for freesync.

I have the wii u setup too I'm about to add the sensor bar now that I have an extension cord I'm excited

 

[sdifox]

i sold my kinect for xbox one because dumb ass microsoft refused to make an extension cable for it. logistically i simply could not use it with the short ass wire.

Seen a solution on YouTube.

 

[Kaido]

The LG LED units look pretty sweet, but having 3D would really be nice. I guess we are one of the only families that likes 3D, but there it is.

So, somewhere in the $1000 range for the projector (this is a little flexible) are there any good options? It looks like BENQ has a couple of decent units but I see complaints of dust issues.

Check out this article: "The BenQ HT1075 is the best $1,000 projector"

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-1000-projector/

I base this on over 25 hours of research and 50 hours of directly testing seven competing models (and considering six others) with the objective measurements of $20,000 worth of testing gear. The HT1075 has one of the best contrast ratios in its class and light output that’s brighter than some projectors that cost three times as much. What sets the HT1075 apart is accurate color, which makes for a more realistic image than the rest of the field.

...

This is the new and upgraded model from our previous pick, the W1070, which is still available but being discontinued.

Currently $800 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-HT1075-1080P-Theater-Projector/dp/B00LTMPOUO

Discussion thread on AVS Forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/68-di...00-usd-msrp/1629409-benq-ht1075-ht1085st.html

Amazon recommends this $35 ceiling mount:

http://www.amazon.com/QualGear-PRB-717-WHT-Universal-Projector-Accessory/dp/B00COF74G2

Commentor "R. Anderson" has a review with some pictures on the projector mount page:

I recently received the BenQ HT1075 projector and needed to mount it on my ceiling. My challenge was I have a heating duct that runs along the ceiling exactly in front of where I needed the projector mounted, so I needed a mount that was about 6 1/2" from the ceiling to the projector to allow the projector to shine underneath the duct. This mount fit the bill exactly. Not only that, but it was a piece of cake to install (took about 30 minutes from unpackaging to mounted on the ceiling).

The attachment legs are very versatile. My projector uses a 3 screw hole mounting scheme and it's an oblong triangle. But this mount comes with several different size legs and they are all customizable to just about any position. The kit also comes with an alan wrench for the legs as well as all the pitch/yaw/roll/tilt adjustments. And speaking of that, this mount is 100% customizable to wherever you need your projector to shine! My projector is actually offset from the screen because it's the only ceiling beam I could find to attach it to. But that's OK because this mount allows me to angle and rotate the projector exactly where I need it to shine. Very easy to use.

Once mounted, it's solid as a rock. You first mount the top portion to your ceiling using the 2 1/2 hex bolts, or it also comes with concrete anchors and additional bolts for concrete attachment. Then you attach the bottom portion to the bottom of your projector. It comes with several spacers, screws for different size projector mounting holes, and leg extensions. After that, just fit the two together, position and tighten and you're good to go. Instructions are easy to follow, but I recommend watching the short video they have on Amazon as it will give you an overall idea of the assembly process.

I spent several hours going through all the various ceiling mounts available on Amazon. Glad I came across, and decided to try this one. It's perfect for what I needed and the price was right too.

I would recommend painting your own screen using Silver Fire 2.5:

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/110-diy-screen-section/1311989-official-silver-fire-v-2-thread.html

I am not up-to-date on 3D, but one link I saw mentioned buying third-party brands of active 3D shutter glasses for cheaper. This one says it works with the prior W1070, might be worth looking into:

http://www.amazon.com/SainSonic-Rechargeable-DLP-Link-Projector-Universal/dp/B00ES8U118/

 

[ControlD]

Thanks Kaido!

Interesting, that is the same projector I have been looking at. Seems like a really good price to performance ratio there.

I'm sort of tempted to spring for a motorized screen, but that is purely optional at this point.

I need to make some measurements to see if my stuff (receiver, etc.) will fit under the screen and figure out how to mount my speakers, but this is starting to seem like a good option. My wife even gave me the go-ahead. Unfortunately I still need to actually get the room work done first (hang new drywall, new electrical, wainscoting, etc.) so this might be a couple of months away.

 

[sdifox]

Thanks Kaido!

Interesting, that is the same projector I have been looking at. Seems like a really good price to performance ratio there.

I'm sort of tempted to spring for a motorized screen, but that is purely optional at this point.

I need to make some measurements to see if my stuff (receiver, etc.) will fit under the screen and figure out how to mount my speakers, but this is starting to seem like a good option. My wife even gave me the go-ahead. Unfortunately I still need to actually get the room work done first (hang new drywall, new electrical, wainscoting, etc.) so this might be a couple of months away.

since your room is wide I would put the hardware to the side, not to the front.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Maybe I missed it, but why didn't you consider flipping the room so it was 25' long? Stick LCR speakers behind an accoustically transparant wall would give you a large screen size (easily 110", more depending on ceiling height).

 

[ControlD]

Maybe I missed it, but why didn't you consider flipping the room so it was 25' long? Stick LCR speakers behind an accoustically transparant wall would give you a large screen size (easily 110", more depending on ceiling height).

I have considered that but there are a couple of hurdles. One if the short walls has a huge window in it so that won't work obviously. The opposite wall is split by a doorway and has a brick chimney running up most of the rest. I have a shade on the window so light shouldn't be a problem, but the other wall just isn't a nice continuous space.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

That's what window plugs are for 😀 I've got a large one I'm fitting a plug over in my theater (WIP, see sig). If it's light controlled (plug if you care about sound, heavy shade if not), place speakers in front and build out your false screen wall (http://www.avsforum.com/forum/19-de...n/837848-minimalist-approach-screen-wall.html) in front, then your entrance to the room will be from that doorway in the rear.

A 15' distance will work though and you can still get a plenty large screen, just need to consider that you can't bump your seats all the way back and still do 7.1 surround (you can do 5.1; 5.1 surround is on the side, not the rear). Your viewing distance becomes the limiting factor, not really the projector.

For instance, a BenQ 1075 can do a 140" screen from like 13ft (http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-HT1075-projection-calculator-pro.htm), but you'll likely have to do a bit smaller to accomodate your central speaker.

EDIT: Also, a good chunk depends on whether you actually want a formal theater lol. I'm thinking rows of seating, but if you're thinking sectional, then the wider approach will work well too.

 

[sdifox]

Constant height can work in this instance, assuming you have a projector with multiple projection profiles.

 

[ControlD]

That's what window plugs are for 😀 I've got a large one I'm fitting a plug over in my theater (WIP, see sig). If it's light controlled (plug if you care about sound, heavy shade if not), place speakers in front and build out your false screen wall (http://www.avsforum.com/forum/19-de...n/837848-minimalist-approach-screen-wall.html) in front, then your entrance to the room will be from that doorway in the rear.

A 15' distance will work though and you can still get a plenty large screen, just need to consider that you can't bump your seats all the way back and still do 7.1 surround (you can do 5.1; 5.1 surround is on the side, not the rear). Your viewing distance becomes the limiting factor, not really the projector.

For instance, a BenQ 1075 can do a 140" screen from like 13ft (http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-HT1075-projection-calculator-pro.htm), but you'll likely have to do a bit smaller to accomodate your central speaker.

EDIT: Also, a good chunk depends on whether you actually want a formal theater lol. I'm thinking rows of seating, but if you're thinking sectional, then the wider approach will work well too.

I have to admit, I have never heard the term "window plug" before!

My plan right now is for this to be more of a movie / entertainment room as opposed to a dedicated theater. Think futon rather than movie seating. I JUST finished wiring in a 5.1 sound system before I got water in the basement, so I don't have any plans to move to 7.1. My surround speakers are mounted on the back wall, off to the sides and angled down. Right now my LR speakers are mounted directly to the front wall and the center sits on the small shelving unit that also holds the receiver, BR player and Xbox360.

I can probably still wall mount the fronts, I just might need to use an actual adjustable bracket so I can angle the sound back towards the center. I need to measure everything out, but a 110" screen needs 54" vertically which gives me a couple of feet to work with. I think I can live with 110" (I have a 46" TV on that wall now!).

 

[sdifox]

I have to admit, I have never heard the term "window plug" before!

My plan right now is for this to be more of a movie / entertainment room as opposed to a dedicated theater. Think futon rather than movie seating. I JUST finished wiring in a 5.1 sound system before I got water in the basement, so I don't have any plans to move to 7.1. My surround speakers are mounted on the back wall, off to the sides and angled down. Right now my LR speakers are mounted directly to the front wall and the center sits on the small shelving unit that also holds the receiver, BR player and Xbox360.

I can probably still wall mount the fronts, I just might need to use an actual adjustable bracket so I can angle the sound back towards the center. I need to measure everything out, but a 110" screen needs 54" vertically which gives me a couple of feet to work with. I think I can live with 110" (I have a 46" TV on that wall now!).

centre can go on a speaker stand moved forward a bit (angled up to aim at listening position), relocate electronics to the back. Nothing annoys more than LEDs in your field of view when you are watching a movie.

 

[tential]

OP go as detailed as you want. If you want it to be more of an entertainment room, that's more of a reason to get the LG projector instead.

My room is setup as a dedicated entertainment room, not a theater room really. Not that there is much of a difference, but I wouldn't worry about the perfect setup. I'd worry about the setup that WORKS for you.

I think a lot of people have great setups. I'm happy with mine since it does what I want to do perfectly so figure out what you want to do, then work towards that. I wouldn't go for some perfect Movie Theater Room ideal unless that's actually what you like.

 

[Aharami]

RTS is fine, FPS is not a good idea, possibly vomit inducing.

yea I tried playing fallout on my 100". Wasn't a pleasant experience. Racing Sims were awesome though!

 

[tential]

yea I tried playing fallout on my 100". Wasn't a pleasant experience. Racing Sims were awesome though!

Speak for yourself. I played through all of Bioshock 2, Bioshock 1, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands TPS on my projector and LOVED it.

If he plans on gaming though, then W1070 is what I recommend since it has lower input lag than most other models.

 

[Kaido]

Thanks Kaido!

Interesting, that is the same projector I have been looking at. Seems like a really good price to performance ratio there.

I'm sort of tempted to spring for a motorized screen, but that is purely optional at this point.

I need to make some measurements to see if my stuff (receiver, etc.) will fit under the screen and figure out how to mount my speakers, but this is starting to seem like a good option. My wife even gave me the go-ahead. Unfortunately I still need to actually get the room work done first (hang new drywall, new electrical, wainscoting, etc.) so this might be a couple of months away.

My 2 cents: motorized screens are cool for like a day, then they just get annoying. They're really only useful if you have your screen in a multi-function room. I've seen one setup where the family had it in their open kitchen/family room & would watch a movie after dinner - the screen would come out of the ceiling for the movie, then go back up to open up the room. But like where I have a dedicated half a basement for my movie room, we ended up just leaving it down all the time, so it was kind of a waste. Plus my painted screen looks waaaaay better! My electric screen is currently sitting in storage doing nothing 😀

Do you already have a receiver & speakers? If not, check out this Atmos system by Onkyo - $699 with receiver & sub:

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5800-5-1-2-Channel-Theater-Package/dp/B00YMN69XS/

 

[Kaido]

RTS is fine, FPS is not a good idea, possibly vomit inducing.

Some people love it, some people hate it. My brother plays FPS on his 120" all the time, but I prefer FPS on my 24" LCD. I love movies on the big screen, but FPS kind of make it hard for me to focus on a screen that large haha. But other games like flight & race sims are just flat-out amazing on the big screen. All depends on what you like & what you can handle!

 

[Kaido]

I have to admit, I have never heard the term "window plug" before!

My plan right now is for this to be more of a movie / entertainment room as opposed to a dedicated theater. Think futon rather than movie seating. I JUST finished wiring in a 5.1 sound system before I got water in the basement, so I don't have any plans to move to 7.1. My surround speakers are mounted on the back wall, off to the sides and angled down. Right now my LR speakers are mounted directly to the front wall and the center sits on the small shelving unit that also holds the receiver, BR player and Xbox360.

I can probably still wall mount the fronts, I just might need to use an actual adjustable bracket so I can angle the sound back towards the center. I need to measure everything out, but a 110" screen needs 54" vertically which gives me a couple of feet to work with. I think I can live with 110" (I have a 46" TV on that wall now!).

Another option is that you can get acoustically transparent screens. Basically you can just put the front & center speakers directly behind the screen, which is actually pretty awesome because it sounds like the dialog is actually coming out of the character's mouths, plus it lets you hide everything easily. Elite Screens has a couple options available:

http://www.elitescreens.com/index.php/products/acoustic-screens

 

[sdifox]

Speak for yourself. I played through all of Bioshock 2, Bioshock 1, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands TPS on my projector and LOVED it.

If he plans on gaming though, then W1070 is what I recommend since it has lower input lag than most other models.

I am more talking about deathmatch.

 

[ControlD]

My 2 cents: motorized screens are cool for like a day, then they just get annoying. They're really only useful if you have your screen in a multi-function room. I've seen one setup where the family had it in their open kitchen/family room & would watch a movie after dinner - the screen would come out of the ceiling for the movie, then go back up to open up the room. But like where I have a dedicated half a basement for my movie room, we ended up just leaving it down all the time, so it was kind of a waste. Plus my painted screen looks waaaaay better! My electric screen is currently sitting in storage doing nothing 😀

Do you already have a receiver & speakers? If not, check out this Atmos system by Onkyo - $699 with receiver & sub:

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5800-5-1-2-Channel-Theater-Package/dp/B00YMN69XS/

I don't really need a motorized screen, I just thought it might be a little more "wife friendly" than other options. I don't think she cares that much though. I need some type of screen for sure because my walls will be a mix of drywall and wainscoting so I can't do a screen that is part of the wall itself.

I have a receiver and speakers already. I had just finished putting in a 5.1 system right before my basement got water in it. Of course I really sized everything for a smaller TV, but I think it will work for now (Yamaha receiver, Polk LCR + rears, BIC sub).

This is a multi-use room for sure. I have a couple of large aquariums in there as well as a couple of arcade machines. I need to start making a layout to see exactly how large I want to go with the screen itself. I got an actual measurement last night and the room is 14'9" front to back. I think something in the 100 to 110 inch range should be feasible.

 

[ControlD]

I am more talking about deathmatch.

Well, I get motion sickness just reading my email in a car (as the passenger of course) so I have a feeling any type of FPS gaming on a 100+ inch screen probably isn't the best idea for me anyhow!

 

[sdifox]

Well, I get motion sickness just reading my email in a car (as the passenger of course) so I have a feeling any type of FPS gaming on a 100+ inch screen probably isn't the best idea for me anyhow!

Starcraft 2 is epic though, especially with the sound :biggrin:

 

[ControlD]

OP go as detailed as you want. If you want it to be more of an entertainment room, that's more of a reason to get the LG projector instead.

I'm curious why you suggest the LG projector? It does have some features that I really like (quiet operation, no bulb to replace, etc.) but I hadn't really considered that one up to this point.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Honestly, due to your usage, I'd suggest the BenQ (either 1070 or 1075). It's enough of a lightcannon to function perfectly in a multi-use environment.

I'd also second NOT getting a motorized screen. Not worth it.

I also would NOT suggest an AT screen in your situation with a 25 foot wall and a <15ft viewing distance. You have plenty of room to put speakers to the side and under (center chanel), and a nice screen with black velvet borders will capture any overshoot nicely while looking classy. In addition, if you're planning on doing wainscotting, you can run it up to the screen, and then run some molding around the screen to feature it as well 🙂

 

[ControlD]

Honestly, due to your usage, I'd suggest the BenQ (either 1070 or 1075). It's enough of a lightcannon to function perfectly in a multi-use environment.

I'd also second NOT getting a motorized screen. Not worth it.

I also would NOT suggest an AT screen in your situation with a 25 foot wall and a <15ft viewing distance. You have plenty of room to put speakers to the side and under (center chanel), and a nice screen with black velvet borders will capture any overshoot nicely while looking classy. In addition, if you're planning on doing wainscotting, you can run it up to the screen, and then run some molding around the screen to feature it as well 🙂

Yeah, I also realized that the LG doesn't do 3D and I would like to keep that if possible. It isn't a deal breaker, but since I have some 3D content it would be nice. Both of the BenQ projectors look pretty nice.

From what I have been reading, it seems like roll up screens in general aren't a great idea as they tend to get waves in them. I am just getting started in researching screens (which there is a bit more to than I expected going in). It seems like a DIY approach might be the best option for a screen.