Help with setup. New to home theater (1 Viewer)

Indirect · Jul 5, 2013

Hi

I'm completly new to home theater, and I want to buy either a projector or a large TV.

I will be using the setup for movies/tv-shows and occationally for gaming. I will be sitting 2,4m to 3m (8 - 10 feet) from the screen. I don't know wether I should go for a TV or a projector. (Sound doesnt matter for the time being). My primary concern if I were to buy a projector would be that the room is painted a very light grey (living room). The ceiling is pretty high though. 3.5 meters (11 foot 5). I imagine I would be able to fully controll the light. I want a large screen. My budget would be 2500 - 3700 euros. (3200$ - 4700$). I live in Norway and won't be able to buy anything that only exists in the US.

Any help is appriciated.

Type A · Jul 6, 2013

Welcome to the forum Chris

You have the environment and the budget for front projection but sadly you dont have the seating distance. You know better than me what would be available to you there in Norway so Im afraid I cant be more specific on models. Your budget is awesome and you should be able to get a very nice TV up to the recommended max of 60" in size. LCD has come a long ways but plasma is still the superior display technology.

Indirect · Jul 6, 2013

Thank you for the reply

I might be able to move things around to get 12-13 feet. But you don't think the bright color walls will matter much? I guess the high ceiling is an advantage concerning that, since it will be high above the screen?
When it comes to LCD/plasma, I've always gone with LCD/LED because of the possibility of gaming. Is plasma fast enough for gaming now?

schan1269 · Jul 6, 2013

Since when has LCD(I don't refer to LED as a separate thing, cause it never has been) caught up to the speed of plasma?

Indirect · Jul 6, 2013

schan1269 said:
Since when has LCD(I don't refer to LED as a separate thing, cause it never has been) caught up to the speed of plasma?

Has plasma always been faster? I've just been under the impression that most people prefered LCD over plasma for gaming purposes. But this is just my impression, and as I said; I don't possess very much knowledge on the subject.

How do you think the plasma TV's in my pricerange would be concerning light reflection? I have read a few places that plasma TV's are prone to reflecting light easily.

schan1269 · Jul 6, 2013

Most LCD have moved on to glass fronts, so "this one reflects light" is a moot point.Glass reflects light. Close your curtains or buy an anti-glare screen cover/protector.Plasma(back before 2007) used to have burn-in/image retention issues. If you buy a plasma, follow a 200-500 hour break in period. Then, you can do anything you want. And 200 hrs is a week of constant video circulation 24hrs a day.

FoxyMulder · Jul 6, 2013

Plasma is fine for gaming, also you do have the seating distance for projection, i site around 8.5 feet from a 104inch screen, trust me it's fine, i also do not think today's plasma sets need a break in, just calibrate it using a simple disc such as Spears and Munsil and watch TV for several hundred hours then game on it, personally i'd buy a projector but it's up to you.

For plasma and your particular needs i'd look into a Panasonic TX-VT65B, 65 inches will be very good for your needs and it falls within your budget or at least it does going by UK prices for the set and converting to Euro's, for projection i'd look into a Sony VPL-HW50ES, it's excellent for films and for console gaming is one of the fastest projectors around with full 4:4:4 input, review of the Sony projector below. There is less lens throw with the Sony so take that into account, room size may be an issue.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/sony-vpl-hw50es-review-201212042380.htm?page=Picture%20Quality

P.S. Regarding bright coloured walls, if you go for a projector i'd try a darker colour or for a cheaper option mask the area using darkened sheets which you can pin and drop in place whenever you watch a film.

Type A · Jul 6, 2013

FoxyMulder said:
i site around 8.5 feet from a 104inch screen, trust me it's fine.

Chris, just make sure you go to your local commercial cinema and sit in the front row for a movie or two before considering this advice.

schan1269 · Jul 6, 2013

My screen us around 110-ish and I'm at 8 feet, but I watch a bunch of 2.40(and wider) movies. I've also never measured the 2.40. My 110 is 16:9.

FoxyMulder · Jul 6, 2013

Type A said:
Chris, just make sure you go to your local commercial cinema and sit in the front row for a movie or two before considering this advice.

It's nothing like sitting in the front row, i see the whole screen from my seating distance and see it comfortably, it's an immersive experience, my advice is sound.

Indirect · Jul 6, 2013

FoxyMulder said:
Plasma is fine for gaming, also you do have the seating distance for projection, i site around 8.5 feet from a 104inch screen, trust me it's fine, i also do not think today's plasma sets need a break in, just calibrate it using a simple disc such as Spears and Munsil and watch TV for several hundred hours then game on it, personally i'd buy a projector but it's up to you.

For plasma and your particular needs i'd look into a Panasonic TX-VT65B, 65 inches will be very good for your needs and it falls within your budget or at least it does going by UK prices for the set and converting to Euro's, for projection i'd look into a Sony VPL-HW50ES, it's excellent for films and for console gaming is one of the fastest projectors around with full 4:4:4 input, review of the Sony projector below. There is less lens throw with the Sony so take that into account, room size may be an issue.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/sony-vpl-hw50es-review-201212042380.htm?page=Picture%20Quality

P.S. Regarding bright coloured walls, if you go for a projector i'd try a darker colour or for a cheaper option mask the area using darkened sheets which you can pin and drop in place whenever you watch a film.

I Really want as big a screen as possible. I looked up the projector you linked, but could only find it in one store in Norway, and it was 4500 euros, which is a bit expensive. I guess it would go close to or above 5000 with the canvas screen.

As far as the wall goes, I can't paint it a darker color because I rent this place, But the most important areas to get dark is just the wall around the screen, right?

I tried to find the TV you are speaking about but these are the only ones I can find with similar name:
-
Panasonic TX-P65VT60Y
-
Panasonic Viera TX-P65VT50Y
-
Panasonic Viera TX-P65VT30Y

Type A · Jul 6, 2013

FoxyMulder said:
It's nothing like sitting in the front row, i see the whole screen from my seating distance and see it comfortably, it's an immersive experience, my advice is sound.

I disagree, your advice is highly subjective and certainly not what is recommended for a 1080p display. 2.40 maybe, 1.78 no.

schan1269 · Jul 6, 2013

If you are renting...How were you going to mount a screen and projector anyway?Painting is less damage.

FoxyMulder · Jul 6, 2013

Type A said:
I disagree, your advice is highly subjective and certainly not what is recommended for a 1080p display. 2.40 maybe, 1.78 no.

Your advice is also highly subjective, i suggest people try and see for themselves, some people swear by the 1.5 times the width for seating distance, others have tried 1 times and love it, i am in the latter camp, anyways the original poster already said they can go to 10 or 13 feet so it's all moot, maybe we can agree on it all being subjective depending on the person viewing.

Oh and i have experienced the front row of a cinema, hated it, couldn't see the whole screen and my neck hurt like hell, my home cinema is absolutely nothing like that, i do not have the screen too high up the wall, my eyes are near the middle part of the screen and i can see the whole screen, every part of it without moving my head at 8.5 feet, like i say i find it immersive.

@indirect

I believe it's the Panasonic TX-P65VT60Y for your country.

Indirect · Jul 6, 2013

schan1269 said:
If you are renting...How were you going to mount a screen and projector anyway?Painting is less damage.

I was thinking of having the projector on top of a tall book case or something similar. Part of the reason for this is that the ceiling is really high.
I can't imagine it being a problem to put a few screws in the wall for the canvas.
The owners said that if I were to paint, they wanted it to be a similiar color to what it is now.
Besides, plugging some holes is way cheaper than getting a large room painted.

schan1269 · Jul 6, 2013

So, if you sit the projector on a bookshelf...How long is the room? (Cause I assume floating in the room is not an option)What do you mean by "canvas"? (Building your own screen and hanging it? Buying a piece of plastic, hanging it like a picture?)

Indirect · Jul 6, 2013

schan1269 said:
So, if you sit the projector on a bookshelf...How long is the room? (Cause I assume floating in the room is not an option)What do you mean by "canvas"? (Building your own screen and hanging it? Buying a piece of plastic, hanging it like a picture?)

The wall where the screen would be is about 13 ft and I would sit 8-9 ft from the screen. behind the sofa there is an aditional 6 ft or so (the kitchen is in the same room and is behind the sofa).

With canvas I just mean one of those projector screens you can roll down.

Jason Charlton · Jul 6, 2013

Indirect said:
I'm completly new to home theater, and I want to buy either a projector or a large TV.

I don't know wether I should go for a TV or a projector. (Sound doesnt matter for the time being).

Just so you're clear on this point - you do know that if you opt for a projector/screen combination, you WILL need an A/V receiver and separate speakers in order to get any sound whatsoever, right? Projectors are video only.

You didn't mention in your initial post if you already have a receiver and speakers. If you don't already have them, you'll need to factor that into your budget.

If you do already have sound covered, then never mind.

Indirect · Jul 7, 2013

Jason Charlton said:
Just so you're clear on this point - you do know that if you opt for a projector/screen combination, you WILL need an A/V receiver and separate speakers in order to get any sound whatsoever, right? Projectors are video only.

You didn't mention in your initial post if you already have a receiver and speakers. If you don't already have them, you'll need to factor that into your budget.

If you do already have sound covered, then never mind.

I have sound

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