Projector for small room (1 Viewer)

[pr3dict]

Hi I live in a basement room that is only about 10' by 14' ... Right now I have a 37" LCD mounted on one wall and the viewing distance is at at the other wall which is about 10' away. I have been wanting to upgrade to a larger TV and was going to buy a 50" Plasma but have recently been talked into getting a projector for the room as its a very dark room (Dark blue paint) and there is basically no ambient light... My only issue is that the sitting distance and the length of the room is only 10 feet long so for me to get a projector in there i am having trouble understanding how that would work/fit... I have no problem mounting it on the ceiling. Questions I have are: What is the largest screen size I can go at that distance? Whats a good projector knowing the size of the room and the fact that there is no lighting what so ever in it? BTW: I have the sound taken care of as I have Onkyo HT-S5400 7.1-Channel Home Theater System Thanks!!

 

[schan1269]

Use this tool(plug in other projectors)... But the Viewsonic Pro8200 gives you 88" at 9 feet...cause you have to account for the size of the projector in the throw... http://www.projectorcentral.com/ViewSonic-Pro8200-projection-calculator-pro.htm

 

[pr3dict]

So basically its ok to have a projector in a small room? 88" is definitely big enough for me. I was thinking around 70" would be good enough haha I just want to make sure the picture doesn't get messed up or its too bright because its too close or something. I think I want DLP bcuz I would be watching mostly movies and video games. do you recommend the projector that you had the calculator setup for or is that just a random one you picked to show me?

 

[schan1269]

I picked that one because it is "cheap and decent". I would suggest you go to Viewsonics website and download the manual(takes a few minutes even a slow connection). It will show the placement options you have...regardless I assume with the room that size you are going to wall mount it on a shelf. Then that shelf just needs to be a "certain height" off the floor to project the image where you want it on the wall. Just keep in mind you may have people walking "in the image" while getting popcorn etc.

 

[pr3dict]

Ah thank you... I am willing to spend enough money to "do it right" I wouldnt want to invest in anything unless it was worth it and cheap and decent are not two words I would like to describe a product I bought that I would be using so much. Because I wont be using this as a 100" screen I am willing to spend around $1000-$1300 on a projector if I have to. The screen I would like to keep around that price as well I wouldnt want to spend hundreds of dollars on a screen so including the screen I would probably put my price point at $1400 All the recommendations I see are for people with lighting problems or that want a big screen. I want a "decently" sized screen at around 70-80inches and lighting is not a problem. So my #1,2,3 things would be picture quality, contrast ratio, and refresh rate

 

[Jim Mcc]

I recommend the new Benq W1070. For an 80" diagonal image, the lens would need to be between 6' 8" and 8' 8" from screen. Check out the reviews at Projectorcentral.com and Projectorreviews.com.

 

[pr3dict]

The review says it doesnt have a great contrast ratio because its mostly used in living rooms where lighting is a problem... That does not apply to me. I would like to have the deeper blacks

 

[Jim Mcc]

You are expecting champagne with a beer budget. You should consider making your own screenn then you can buy the excellent Mitsubishi HC4000. With the lens at 8.5' from screen, it will give you an image between 57" and 84" diagonal. I have the model that this replaced(HC3800) and the HC4000 is even better. It has the best blacks of any projector near it's price.

 

[pr3dict]

Well that projector is only $1100 so thats not bad at all. How much is it to buy a decent screen about 70" ... If I have to I'd make my own but I read that its not that great doing so as the imperfections in the wall make it look eh...

 

[schan1269]

If you don't want to paint your wall, buy a piece of plastic and paint that. Provided you have a large enough vehicle, find a local plastic supplier, buy a pre-cut piece the exact size you need. You won't be the first people calling them. All you need is smooth. There are so many paint recipes your head will spin. Projector central has a section on Sherwin Williams paints(they tell you the name of the paint) that come in around $100. The beauty of painting plastic is "you can take it with you". So, instead of buying/painting 70"-ish...buy/paint 100"... For that matter, most SW stores...and Porter have people that "have done this before". So, call a plastic supplier, buy what they recommend, then call Sherwin Williams/Porter/Home Depot/Lowe's and find out which person knows theater paint.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Well that projector is only $1100 so thats not bad at all. How much is it to buy a decent screen about 70" ... If I have to I'd make my own but I read that its not that great doing so as the imperfections in the wall make it look eh...

There are numerous DIY screens out there. Some involve painting and some do not. If you don't mind painting, and your wall is not in good condition, you can hang a sheet of MDF(Medium Density Fiberboard and paint that. The MDF is cheap, available at Home Depot, etc and it's smooth finish takes paint great. They will even cut it to size for you. Another cheap DIY screen that doesn't involve painting is blackout cloth(drapery liner). You build a frame out of 1X4 pine or poplar, then stretch and staple the blackout cloth on the back. Both of these screens should cost less tham $50.

 

[schan1269]

I've never done "fabric over a board". I'd forgotten it. All the "fixed" fabric I've done has always been with a frame. Probably cause every time I think MDF, I think your are making a subwoofer box... The main attraction to plastic(and painting that) is you can get "real trick" and do a curved screen... Whether a curved screen would work in a room this small is another matter altogehter...

 

[schan1269]

Speaking of "Drapery liner"...is that stuff "sorta" acoustically transparent? If so, if he does a "fabric over board" he can cut the middle out and put his center speaker there.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Drapery liner is not AT. If it was, it would not be able to block light. As far as your second sentence, you're kidding, right?

 

[schan1269]

Not with Drapery Liner. But if he bought AT fabric, sure. Although framed would make much more sense. I've not messed with Drapery liner. I did redo the socks on my DCM TF350 when I got them, and that "speaker grill cover" material could work for a screen. Do a board, cut out the center, mount an "in-wall" speaker(of sorts) and cover the entire thing. Would probably take a trial run...but depending on the speaker behind...see no reason for that not to work. I've shown a flashlight onto the DCM before and you can barely make out the drivers through the fabric.

 

[pr3dict]

Ah thanks for everyones help. As for mounting the speaker behind whatever screen I make I probably wouldnt do that. And I dont mind painting my wall except the fact that right now I have a mount on it and there will obviously be screw marks in the wall. Sooooo I would probably have to get something to put over it. As for MDF, I think of subwoofer boxes as well lol. Then again I have to assume an MDF board for a screen would be able to be a lot thinner then one for a subwoofer as that would get extremely heavy. My last dillema that Im having which might be a little better with pictures is that my max screen size would probably be around 70inches unless I moved my dresser out of the way then it could probably be 80 inches. Anyway with that in mind Im trying to justify paying around $1300 for a projector that I wouldnt even be able to take full use out of because I wouldnt be able to get a 100"+ screen where I can buy a 50-60 inch plasma between $600-$900 depending what deals I find each day... What are your thoughts on that?

 

[schan1269]

I would buy the plasma now. Then when you do get a larger room, you can then properly(and without fuss) do a plasma/projector together. The price of twin HDMI out AVR has dropped, and will continue to drop. The Onkyo NR616 has twin HDMI out. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes it down to the replacement for the NR515(all the new AVR are due in March, so we'll see the Onkyo number progression...) Denon, Pioneer and Yamaha are all going to have to start playing catch up on price/features. Onkyo is toying with 50% market share. They've had 40% for 6 years now. I like Onkyo, but even I don't want to see what will happen to the AVR market if they get to 50%(and it isn't entirely them...Denon still hasn't recovered from the earthquake/tsunami and Pioneer took a cyanide pill 2 years ago.)

 

[Jim Mcc]

If you are down to 70" diagonal, I would not buy a projector. Buy the largest flat panel you can afford.

 

[pr3dict]

Thanks... Thats what Im doing. I saw a 60" Panasonic for $689 free shipping no tax on slickdeals friday but its gone now so I need to wait for another deal like that... thanks for all the help though I cant wait to get something