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am i big enough (1 Viewer)

michael pearce

Auditioning
Joined
Aug 25, 2003
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2
Hope I am following protocol. This is my first post ever on any kind of forum,room site or what not. I want to build a home theater. I have a unfinished basement that will allow me a 12 feet wide by 14 feet long room with 8 ft cielings. Is this room big enough to do a Theater right. I want two rows of seating with one riser for the back seats. So how high can my riser be? How far back should the seating be? I want to view DVD's and NFL HDTV Football or sports on a front projector home theater system. Thanks to this site I am pretty certain that I want a 16.9 aspect ratio as opposed to the 4/3 but I am willing to listen to different opinions. Based on my dimensions how big of a stewart screen or da lite screen should I get? The bigger for me the better. What would be my typical throw ratio? So many questions but I am just getting started. I understand that I have to pay around $2000 for a good quality screen and I am O.K with that, but what confuses me is do I pay $5000 for a Nec HT1000 or Optima H56 or equivelant 16.9 in the do I go for a 1,000 or 2,000 Projector? I have a pretty good surround system as it is right now that I would probably hook into and upgrade as time goes on. Is there anything I am missing?
Any and all help is nice. my email address is [email protected] if someone wants to be my mentor..ha ha
 

Bob McElfresh

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 22, 1999
Messages
5,182
Hi Michael. Welcome to HTF!

I'm going to move your post to the Display Devices fourm where people with the knowledge you seek tend to hang out. Your questions are a bit advanced for the Basics area.

You might also go through old posts in the "HT and Constructions" fourm. There you will discover LOTS of issues dealing with a DIY HT room that you may not have even known about.

Lastly, there is a new magazine called "Home Theater Builder" just for guys who want to build their own HT rooms. Run out and grab the latest issue, and check the fourm we have dedicated to them to post new questions and issues.

Good luck.

PS: Keep a Diary of everything you do, what works, what does not. It will be valuable reading for the next guy if you post it on our fourm.
 

Erik Farstad

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Messages
560
Michael...to encourage you that it CAN be done, just visit my website below! :D And feel free to e-mail me...I get e-mails frequently and love to help...just as this site and others have done for me! :emoji_thumbsup:

E
 

Neil Joseph

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 16, 1998
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8,332
Real Name
Neil Joseph
OK Michael, firstoff, welcome to the HTF. This is a great place to learn and share information on this great hobby!

Your question is 2-fold. In the short time I have at the moment, I will attempt to address some of the questions...

The first thing that must be dealt with (addressed) is the room (12'x14'). After that is dealt with, then the projector recommendations can be made. The 8' ceiling height is more than adequate for the risers, screen, projector mount.

FYI, my current room is 11'x15' which is close to the size of your room. My first immediate concern is the 14' depth and the fact that you want 2 rows of seating with the back row being on a riser so I will address that first. You will need all of the space you can get which would place the back seating row right at the back of the room against the rear wall.

First question: What kind of seating are you thinking of getting? Are you going to build a 3ft riser and place a couch on top or theatre seating? Anyway, the viewing distance would be around 13-13.5' depending on the type of seating.

This would place your first row directly in front of the riser with a viewing distance of 10-10.5'. Again, what kind of seating are you considering for the front row, recliners, theatre chairs, a sofa?

So you are looking at a 10' viewing distance from the front row. This is another factor that can determine the size of screen and type of projector best suited for your room.

Many people recommend a 1.5x screen width rule as far as how far back the seating should be. Since you have 2 rows, I would personally split the difference. Just to give you an idea, my screen is 96" (16x9) with a 7ft width so the recommended seating distance is 1.5 x 7ft or 10.5ft. I sit 12' back fromt he screen. If you go with a screen much larger or a seating location much closer then the field of view can be slightly over-powered by the screen and fatigue can result. Also, you may be able to see the screendoor effect (pixel structure) depending on what digital projector you get (some are better than others). I would probably go with no larger than a 92"-100" 16x9 setup.

As far as 16x9 vs 4x3, take a read through this thread...

16x9 vs. 4x3 - Which type of equipment setup should I select?. Also, take a read through this thread as well for a lot of general info... Front Projection - How do I select one for my needs?

I will chime in a little later but I just want to leave you with another option. Many members here have made their own screens with great success, myself included. This could be an option for you which would allow you to spend $2000 more for a better projector than you originally were considering.
 

Neil Joseph

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 16, 1998
Messages
8,332
Real Name
Neil Joseph
For the riser height, you could probably go with a 6" riser. The 8' ceiling height gives you enough flexibility to mount the screen an adequate distance off the floor thereby allowing the viewers in the second row to have an unobstructed view of it.

What are the video sources/devices that you will be feeding to the projector? What is the total budget that you had in mind for the projector/screen, mount and cabling? Remember, you have an option to build your own screen which can yield decent results... http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=140880 and would allow you to channel some additional funds to a projector.
 

David Giles

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
138
Michael said:

Many members here have made their own screens with great success, myself included. This could be an option for you which would allow you to spend $2000 more for a better projector than you originally were considering.
Neil, I hope I don't get in trouble for saying this, but I just couldn't pass by this thread without pointing out that you don't HAVE to spend $2K anymore to get a high quality manufactured screen. Sure DIY can be a great idea for some people, but for those that want to buy a high quality manufactured screen, there are more options these days (for WAY under $2K).

David Giles
 

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