Which Projector And Screen For My Basement? (2 Viewers)

[Deemar]

Hi, I'll start by saying I know nothing about home theatre.
Now that we got that out of the way, I just bought a house and I'd like to treat myself to a projector setup in the basement. My problem is the basement is not exactly projector friendly with a weird shape and lots of windows, I'm hoping you can suggest both a projector and a screen for me which will work.

My main requests are as follows:

• used almost daily
• half used for gaming (Switch / Wii / NES with HDMI / Atari with HDMI)
• half used for video entertainment (Netflix / Kodi / antenna streaming)
• I absolutely do not play the latest / greatest video games
• used during the day as well as at night
• I think I'd like a screen that blocks ambient light
• I think I'd like a motorized screen (fixed may work too but limited wall space)
• I think I'd like a tensioned screen
• I think I'd like a screen with 4K specific material
• 4K capable projector
• I'd like a fairly quiet projector
• screen budget is $400 - $800 USD (I'm actually in Canada)
• projector budget is $1000 - $1500 USD
• I'm not really that picky about quality but I'd like the best quality I can afford
• I'll get audio later when I can afford it

I'm a software developer so I welcome technology, I'm not afraid of something more technical.

I'll attach a crude drawing of my basement. Please ignore the measurements on it, some of them are correct but most are wrong. Just use the drawing as a reference shape for my explanation. Here are the actual measurements of my basement:

• living space width is 12 feet, 10 inches (stairs to opposite wall)
• living space length is 27 feet
• bathroom blank wall space is 8 feet, 3 inches wide from wall to doorway (not 2.31 metres)
• ceilings (I think) are 9 feet high
• basement is fully finished except the furnace room which is just studs
• 2 windows are large (4x5 maybe)
• 2 windows are 1x2 I think
• None of the other walls are large enough to use even if it looks like they may be in this drawing. They either have windows or a bar in front of them.
• I think we'll end up facing the bathroom and putting the screen either on that wall or as a motorized drop down in front of it (partially blocking the bathroom door). This width, including the door, is 10 feet, 1 inch wide. The wall beside the bathroom door is 8 feet, 3 inches wide.

Here is a photo of the basement.

 

[DaveF]

Screen: Check out Silver Ticket on Amazon. These seem to be the budget screen of choice lately.

Projector: I’d look at the tech review best-of lists and pick something in your price range. Maybe the Benq 2050 or an Optoma UHD35?

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[Jim517]

How far will you sit from the screen ? Do you tend to watch with lights on ?

 

[Deemar]

I can put the couch anywhere I want.
I will not have the lights on while watching / playing.

 

[John Dirk]

For the projector, take a look at the OptomaHD39HR. It's plenty bright for your environment but just remember, that always comes at the expense of color accuracy. You said you weren't too picky about overall image quality so this might be a workable compromise and will leave you more for your screen which is where I believe the majority of your budget will need to go, considering your wish list.

 

[Jim517]

You shouldn't treat a projector like a TV, turning it on and off numerous times per day. You can, but you will be replacing the bulb often. If you will be doing that, you should buy the largest TV you can afford.