Opinions on Home Theater Set-Up?

[n666]

I have to prepare several levels of upgrades for a customer.

Here's the layout of the room. Link

All the speakers are allready in the walls and are Boston Acoustics DSi460 along iwth a built-in in wall BA Sub.

Now all we need is a projector, screen and a receiver...

I figure for projectors we could go like this:

Level 1: Infocus SP4805
Level 2: Panasonic PT-L500
Level 3: BenQ PE7700

Does that sound any good?

Any suggestions on screens for those? Size?

Thanks in advance.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Check out projectorcentral for screen size calculator and brightness figures basen on size/ambient lighting/screen gain.

I have the 4805 and I'm quite happy with it.

 

[knyghtbyte]

the infocus is a very nice projector and can be had quite cheap now.......i demoed it once a while back and thought it was good picture for money, and that was at the higher price!

but times changed, i got more money and i now have the 7205...wooohooooooo...heh

sadly i cant comment on how it compares to the other two u mention as i havnt seen them in action.....

for screen size go to www.projectorcentral.com look towards the bottom of the left hand side of the homepage and u should see a link for their calculator for screen size, they list most makes and models of projectors, altho with the Infocus make sure u choose Infocus Home on the list, if u choose just Infocus u get their more business type projectors.....

sadly from ur link i cant tell how big the room is, but the 4805 should give a good picture up to a 8ft screen size, it will go bigger but u will lose definition as its a low native res...but it is native 16:9........however if the money is good, u can also get their 5700 projector at good prices now, thats got a higher resolution, not Hi-Def, but u gotta pay good cash to get Hi-Def still..lol

 

[n666]

i think it would be possible for them to get the 7205, what kind of a screen do you use?
the room is pretty much 13' by 19'
two rows of seating.. projector will be ceiligng mounted
no windows in the room so it can be pitch black.

 

[jevans64]

Mitsubishi is supposed to be coming out with a new DLP that is around $3000. Here is the link. Get one with 1280x720 resolution or better

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Mitsubishi-HC3000.htm

Probably the first thing I would do is close off that 2'10" x 11' 3.5" area and turn it into a storage / component area. That would make dealing with the accoustics easier. A 19' room would put you right into the 100" to 120" screen size. Most projectors only need 9 to 13 feet to throw a 100"

Receivers... You'll need a decent one to fill that room. Take a look at Denon or Pioneer. I have a Denon AVR-5803 ( 170w x 7 @ 8 Ohms w/ 0.05 THD ) and love it. I drive ( sort of :lol ) Definitive Technology speakers ( BP7000sc ( front 1000w RMS + 1800w SUB ), CLR3000 ( center 400w RMS + 150w SUB ), JBL L7 ( rear 450w RMS ), and Eosone 350 ( surrounds 250w RMS ) with it. Those BP7000SCs KICK A$$!!! I need to get the Denon AVR 5805 ( $6000 MSRP ) and bi-amp it in order to drive them properly. :lol

Pioneer has some new receivers coming out soon. Also take a look at the Denon AVR 4806 ( $3500 MSRP ). It delivers 130w x 7 @ 8 Ohms w/ 0.05 THD.

IMHO. It is either Denon or separates.

 

[n666]

I think Onkyo TXNR801 should be enough

as for that space, it's going to be cabinets with all the equipment there.. dvd player, receiver, dish network.. and all that

for the screen i think this one should do http://www.carada.com/detail.aspx?ID=50

 

[jevans64]

That Carada looks nice. Since the ambient light will be controllable, you'll probably only need the 100% reflectivity screen ( classic cinema ). The Onkyo will probably do for a first system. I had a receiver with similar specs in my 13' x 15' room but LUSTED for MORE power. :laugh: Now any level above -20 ( from +18 to -80 on LED readout ) is UNBEARABLE. I NEVER thought I would drop $4300 on a receiver and almost $9000 ON SPEAKERS. :laugh:

I still have a 65" CRT HDTV but am eyeing a DLP front projector and Da-Lite screen. The only issue with me is I have a crap-load of windows. Windows = BAD.

 

[knyghtbyte]

you cant go far wrong with teh 7205, its a 1280x720 definition, has the same connections pretty much as the 4805, possibly more if i remember, is computer controllable too...

for screen, well, if the room is just for cinema then get a fixed screen, can be a little bit costly, but give the best picture as there will be no ripples.....
otherwise go with their budget, if its enough an electric will be good as it can be triggered by the projector to drop when u turn on projector, if lower budget then manual pull down, Stewart are for the pricey range, Beamax are good in the cheaper range....

best thing is to go to that www.projectorcentral.com site and find the calculator for throw length to screen ratio, it will also show you what reflectivity your screen is likely to need depending on the ambient light in the room whilst watching......i have my 7205 approx 12.5ft from the screen i think and have an 86in screen, thats without any zoom, if i use zoom i could go past 100in screen size on it i think...usually its best to use the PJ with just a little bit of zoom in effect..........sadly im limited to a screen height so i cant go bigger than 86in diagonal :-(

for receiver amp, i definitely agree on the Denons......depends on their budget, the 3805 will server needs more than happily, but if you can go higher price then do so, added functionality......just make sure the DVD player is giving a good output too, no point blowing money on a PJ and amp if the DVD player cant match the quality level....