projector placment on a table. (1 Viewer)

[John Menoni]

I am still in the process of designing and constructing my HT. It is an exhilirating and at the same time agonizing experience. I have basically decided on going with the benq 7700 projector. Now that my floor plan is done, I think that a small table in the front part of my HT is a good place to put a drink and my universal remote. I was origionally going to put the projector on the ceiling but because of the super low ceilings in my basement HT, people would have to duck where the projector is going to be. The projector is going to have to be tilted either way but I think the tilt is going to be more extreme if I do the floor mount. Any insight on the matter will be great.

THX

 

[James Phung]

How low is your ceiling? The benq works better with lower ceiling setups because it has a 0% offset. If ceiling mounted, the top of the image will be the same height as the projector's lens.

 

[John Menoni]

My ceiling is only 6.5" and juts down even further in some spots. My screen wall juts down 6 inches so I don't think I can mount it on the ceiling. If the lens is the same height as the top of the screen the projector would actually be in the line of vision for the back row. I just hope that mounting on the table isn't problematic.

 

[John Brill]

With a 6'5" ceiling (at best) you will always have to live with some compromises when it comes to placement.

Placing your projector on a coffee table should be fine with minimal to no keystone correction if it isnt' too low. Main disadvantage of course will be constant readjusting of projector to fit your screen unless you bolt both down. Also, this usually means the projector is closer to the screen which decreases picture size and you are more likely to have someone or something blocking the view.

Can your projector be mounted on or near a back wall where people won't bump into it? How tall are the folks you plan on having over? Another option might be to mount the projector right above a seat... Unless you plan on having people stand on their seats, the chair should provide a sufficeint obstacle preventing people from bumping into the projector. As an FYI, I measured the distance from my projector to the ceiling (A BenQ 6100) and the total distance is a little over 3"... Anyone taller than 6'2" coming to your place for movies? If so, you only need to warn them...

Cheers,

JB

 

[John Menoni]

Hey John, The throw distance of the Benq 7700 is very low. I have a 96' 16:9 screen that I will be using. That means that the projector is going to have to be a minimum 9.6 feet away from the screen at that distance. The front row of chairs are about 11 feet away so the table would be in a pretty decent spot. I think I am going to bolt it down. I'm planning on building my own table the has an enclosure for the projector. I just have to decide how tall to make the table. That is good news about the keystone correction. How well does that feature work for you? I want to make sure the results are good after spending all this money on HT equiptment.

 

[raymond caputo]

i have basically the same problem...my ceiling height in my basement after sheetrock will be 6'9"...i am going for a long throw distance and lens adjustment...thats why the benq7700 doesn't work for me....i really like the sim2 domino 30h...i actally got to demo one and it is really awesome...i'm hoping the price will come down to around 5K

 

[John Menoni]

I saw a demo of a sim 2 a while back. I think the price is rediculous. Why pay 6K when you can get something similar for 2k? It's crazy.

 

[raymond caputo]

i don't know of a 2k fp that compares. i would love to find one..

 

[Bobby_Ray]

Hey James, you said the BenQ have 0 offset? I have a BenQ 6100 ceiling mounted and i have to tilt the projector up to get the top of the screen back up to the level of the lens. Is there an adjustment or something why mine pitches down?

 

[Leo Kerr]

sheesh! And I thought I was in a bad situation with a 7' ceiling...

Leo

 

[John Menoni]

Feel lucky Leo. My 6.5' ceiling juts down even further in some places as low as 6.0'! It is far from an ideal room for a ht. Still, I am enjoying this project and it will be something special when it is done. Even though I might have a concusion here and there from hitting my head.

 

[John Brill]

How far along are you? If you have made the decision of going with a table mount, I'd leave that to the very end of your construction so that you can first play around with various heights and distances. The problem with enclosing the BenQ 7700 is that it front and side vents which may cause you some trouble. At least it won't back vent like the 6100 which should save you on some light bleeding.

Best of luck,

JB

 

[John Menoni]

Hmmm. I could always keep the side part open and have the top part rest on a tube of some sort. This way the front and side is open and it will still have something on top of it and behind it. I definately don't want it to just rest on the top of the table. I would hate to spend $2500.00 on a projector and have someone fall on it. Now I just have to decide how high to make it.