New member with an ambitious undertaking. (1 Viewer)

[tcrote5516]

Hello all.
Quick background and introduction, I'm 31 years old and have been tooling around with audio/video since I was old enough to make my first cardboard box speaker. I moved into my new house in February and have been feverishly wiring the heck out of it since. What I have now is a 3000sq ft home with networked audio in every room, bath, laundry room basement, both front and back deck, pool area and backyard!
I am a Harman Int. fan...a BIG one so the below info is no surprise as its pretty much all Harman brands. I BY NO MEANS CLAIM TO KNOW WHAT I'M DOING....but I have fun doing it.
Whole house Audio System:
6 JBL Control 25AV's around the pool
1 JBL Control 210 Sub in pool area
2 JBL Control 25T's on back deck
2 JBL Control 25T's in pool house
2 JBL Control Now's on front deck
12 JBL in Wall (forget the model and I'm not pulling one out to check around the house.
These are driven by 3 Crown CT 600's and a Crown CT200 after passing through an 8x8 distribution center/31 band EQ
I mainly use a Sonos controller over WiFi, but its linked using a JBL Zone Controller to sources all over the house.
NOW on to my work in progress....Building a dedicated home theater room in the basement. Surprise...JBL. Front soundstage has 3 JBL Control 29A/V's with the compression horn driver. These are at the mid point between ear levels and arch in their distance to the center. They are set to THX specks but are too close to the sidewalls IMO, some heavy angling should compensate for relection. The walls will be sound deadened. The current sub is an 18" Peavey....Jury is still out on if this has enough to keep up with the front. I'll have a better idea once the walls are finished and I play the "what if I put the sub here?" game for about 8 hours. It does feel like getting kicked in the chest by a mule....but I may want an elephant. The rest of the 7.1 setup are 4 JBL Control 28's making up the mid's and rears.
I have 6 power reclining theater seats, two in the front row (primary seats) and 4 in the back on a tier. Working out all the wiring now, wall sconces, runway lighting, indirect off the crown molding, cans in the ceiling all tied into an X10 system through Mi Casa Verde for system control.
The power from the HT comes from a Harman Kardon AVR 3600 and a Crown MT600 driving the sub. All the components have been rack mounted in an in-wall setup with 20amp dedicated service. The rack is outside of the room to cut out the fan noise and lights in what will be a "consession area" (small bar, popcorn popper, fridge ect). Harmon BlueRay and a HD "Hoppa" From Dish for sources.

The front set will be hidden behind a wall containing the projector screen. I have been using a Viewsonic DLP, but its time for an upgrade. That's what I have so far...I'll try to keep this updated and I'm sure I'll have a few questions as I go.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Welcome to HTF! You have an impressive setup, I can't wait to see how it progresses.

 

[Bobofbone]

Looks like it will be nice. I'd be careful about putting comfortable chairs in the middle of construction, They might slow things down considerably. Or, maybe not. Getting there is half the fun.

 

[Sam Posten]

Terrific first post, welcome!

 

[Steve_Pannell]

Looks great, except for the satanic cat in the fourth picture.

 

[tcrote5516]

Thank's guys! About the cat, who do you think was calculating the THX angles from the main seats?
Look, I already have a question...I'm getting into the screen dept now and I'm debating over the big decision of aspect ratios. This will be a MOVIE theater 90% of the time and a TV room 10% so I'm inclined to jump right in with a 2.40:1 The question I have is there any reason I shouldn't do this? I know I'll have bars on the outside with 16x9 content but from my understanding, just about all movies made after 1970 are 2.40:1.
Your thought/experiance and input are appreciated!

 

[Sam Posten]

I probably go against the grain to others here and say that a true 16x9 is the best solution. The vast majority of TV for the forseeable future will be in this format and it is the compromise size best for movies.
A 2.4 screen will look minimally better for the few scope movies you view and worse for the overwhelming majority of the rest of the content out there.
a 16x9 screen will look awesome for 90% plus of what you want to watch and be a minor compromise for true widescreen films. But you still won't get any more pixels off the disk to see those widescreen bits. That's baked in no matter what size your screen is.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by tcrote5516 /t/322710/new-member-with-an-ambitious-undertaking#post_3956846
Thank's guys! About the cat, who do you think was calculating the THX angles from the main seats?
Look, I already have a question...I'm getting into the screen dept now and I'm debating over the big decision of aspect ratios. This will be a MOVIE theater 90% of the time and a TV room 10% so I'm inclined to jump right in with a 2.40:1 The question I have is there any reason I shouldn't do this? I know I'll have bars on the outside with 16x9 content but from my understanding, just about all movies made after 1970 are 2.40:1.
Your thought/experiance and input are appreciated!

Tom, what you're talking about is called CIH (Constant Image Height). Film purists like the idea - it makes those "scope" aspect ratio movies (2.35:1 and up) a "larger" and more immersive experience than films with smaller aspect ratios. But as Sam alluded to, even in the world of movies, there are LOTS of aspect ratios, so no matter what AR you choose, you're going to compromise the rest of them. Choose your poison, so to speak.

I'm no expert in CIH, but my understanding is that the setup is more involved, and they frequently come at a significant price premium over a standard 16:9 setup (some projectors, I think, support CIH internally, while others require expensive anamorphic lenses to achieve). Another drawback in some cases (and this is disc-dependent) is the placement of subtitles - some films actually place subtitles in the black bar areas, which would not be visible on a CIH setup. These are isolated cases, though, but they are an example of some of the additional considerations that should be taken into account.

If this is your first foray into front projection, I am also inclined to suggest keeping it simple and go with a 16:9 screen. You will still be amazed at the experience and spectacle of the large image. After a while, you can think about adding a masking system to enhance scope films - you can google that, too. It's a nice "middle ground" between 16:9 projection and CIH.

Just my two cent's worth. Best of luck on the project... should be lots of fun.

 

[tcrote5516]

Sam, your not off base and Jason your right on!
I did some more research and agree, the CIH cuts down on projector options for sure though quite a few have the ability to project 2.40:1 MOST will requiere a lens worth half as much (or more) then the projector itself. I really like the idea of having a CIH with motorized side curtains for 16x9 but the lack of projector options and reduced screen sq footage outweigh the "coolness" factor.
I think I will go with a 16x9 and a shutter set for the projector.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Brian Dobbs]

cool pics

 

[tcrote5516]

Well its been about three months. I finished the theater about a month ago and have expanded across the entire basement, finishing it all off. Added a new Laundry center, gaming area and workout area. Those along with the concession area are still under construction but I thought I'd share the theater update.
I couldn't be more pleased with the movie experiance. The sound is amazing, exceeding my expectations of both consistancy across both rows of seating and overall volume. I'm very pleased with the Optima HD 20 for video even though it wasn't my first choice. I painted myself into a corner when I built the box that houses the projector too small. This saved me a good chunk of change over the Sony I had picked out and the picture is fantastic when properly calibrated. The $3k I saved will go into the concession area

 

[Sam Posten]

Congrats!

 

[Bobofbone]

Very nice!
Is the flex tube an independant ventillation system, or is it hooked up to the HVAC? If the latter, is sound transmitted to other parts of the house?

 

[tcrote5516]

Thanks guys. The HVAC system is a stand alone air exchange setup for that room only and I was able to program it into the theater system remote. It's intake pulls from the projector so in the winter its heat is used in the room, in the summer its heat is run through the A/C and blown back cold while the exhaust air is dumped outside. What's nice is the projector consistantly gets fresh air pulled across it.
I'd like to thank Sam and Jason for the helpfull feedback on the 16x9 screen. Very happy I went that route.

 

[Bobofbone]

Great idea!

 

[schan1269]

Great looking theatre. I'm(for me, just my own here) not a fan of "hidden"...
But that is a good looking theatre...just from the build quality that went in.

 

[Brian Dobbs]

Thanks guys. The HVAC system is a stand alone air exchange setup for that room only and I was able to program it into the theater system remote. It's intake pulls from the projector so in the winter its heat is used in the room, in the summer its heat is run through the A/C and blown back cold while the exhaust air is dumped outside. What's nice is the projector consistantly gets fresh air pulled across it.
I'd like to thank Sam and Jason for the helpfull feedback on the 16x9 screen. Very happy I went that route.

Very cool. I am interested in doing something similar for my theater.

 

[tcrote5516]

Great looking theatre. I'm(for me, just my own here) not a fan of "hidden"...
But that is a good looking theatre...just from the build quality that went in.

Thank you.
I never was either. In fact, this is the first time i've ever NOT had the equipment on display. I have a line array system that has been the focal point of many rooms over the years. I have to say, I'm enjoying the hidden setup more....maybe just a change in personal taste but there is something to be said for a well setup system that you can't see. Your eyes take away a lot of illusion (despite thinking it doesn't) when they are working with your ears to pinpoint a source in your subconcious.
The "wall of sound" adds new excitement to listening to music as well as movies. The sound feels much less directional as it moves between the speakers (even though I know exactly where they are behind the screen) since I can't physically see it....I cannot pinpoint it.
I have the AV rack in the entryway to the theater area to make sure the WOW factor is present In the theater I let the sound do the talking.