I am stumped on my Theatre Room (1 Viewer)

[ChrisClearman]

I have a 14x14' media room, totally enclosed. Will be for watching movies and football on the weekends.

I had already wired it when the house was built to put in a 70"+ RPTV. (I figure seating distance from the screen to my eyes will probably be ~11')

Should I stick with that, or redo all the wiring for a projector? (seating distance would probably be ~13') If so, how big of a screen should I go with? For 1080p I need to get close to 100' it looks like.

I figure the cost is about a push if I do a 1080p projector (not even sure if that's needed in that size room though) and probably some cost savings if I go 720p. But then I have to rewire, so add in that expense.

I need someone to boss me around.

 

[Allan Jayne]

1. Make a mockup of the screen and hang it on the wall (or about 2 feet away from the wall to simulate an RPTV). Sit where the seats would go. Is the screen comfortable to look at?

2. (optional) With the mockup still in place, fold up the lower corners and put two small TV sets within the width and as even with the surface as you can, one at each of those corners. Turn them on. Can you watch both of them comfortably, without getting tired from moving your head from side to side?

This way you can figure out the best size for your screen.

IMHO you don't "need" 100 inches for 1080p.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Jim Mcc]

I definitely recommend a 720p front projector. 1080p projectors are still way too expensive. I received my Mitsubishi HD1000 about 2 weeks ago and I LOVE it. $870 shipped for a 720p DLP projector is unbelievable. With a 13' seating distance, I would go with a screen size of about 106" diagonal. Before you decide against a projector, go see a 720p projector in action. I guarantee you, after seeing one, you'll want one. You can make your own screen and ceiling mount and save a LOT of money. My DIY screen cost about $40, and my mount cost about $15. And I recommend Monoprice.com for quality cables at great prices. Do you already have a sound system?

 

[Shane Harg]

To add to what Allen said, I think a rewire would almost be worth the trouble of going to a good front projection HT. I would also keep your seating distance at about 11ft, so that you have room for two more speakers behind your seating area (for 7.1) to give you a more enveloping experience and to give you more depth to the sound field. You also do not have to buy a screen right away - one of the beauties of front projection. You can buy the projector first and experiment with screen size (on your wall), from your viewing distance and see what size provides the most comfortable viewing, while still maintaining good clarity and impact.

720p projectors still provide the most bang for the buck. You will be amazed at the clarity, depth and smoothness a good 720p projector will give you.

 

[Reginald Trent]

a 92" screen is a good starting and/or end point.