Room too small? (1 Viewer)

[CurtP]

When is a room too small for HT? I'm considering using my spare bedroom, but it's only 13'10"L (including the depth of the closet (about 2') at the headend of the room), 10'7"W, 8'0"H. How many rows of seats could I get in there? Unfortunately, this is the only room I can use :frowning:
The two issues I have with this room is that the entryway protrodes into the room about 3' in the corner of the headend, slightly wider than the doorway and it's adjacent to the master bedroom, so soundproofing is a big concern. This build will be everything, including equipment. On a positive note, the spare bedroom is where I installed the multimedia distribution center when I did the living room, so it already has a dedicated circuit wired with 12/2 Romex (currently under a 15A circuit breaker at the box).

I'm considering Denon, Klipsch Classic, an SVS powered cylindrical sub and possibly a projector although I don't know if I should be looking at a DLP or CRT projector

I've done what I can with the living room -- RPTV, Dolby 5.1, room darkening shades, 50% grey walls (well, as close to 50% as the GF would allow ), Berkline 099 seating, etc. Even with all this, I still want a dedicated viewing area.

 

[Ed O'Neill]

Curt,

I basically did the same thing as you. My room demensions are 12'9" x 12'6" That is including the depth of the closet as well. I only have room for 1 row of recliners.

Do you think a projector is a wise choice for such a small room?

If you have pictures it might help us help you.

As for the rest of your questions you may want to ask them seprately

Just my 2 cents
ED

 

[Mark Murphy]

My room is only 12.5' X 12.5' w/an SVS 25-31Pci. I have a 42" RPTV and it looks great. I suppose by HT standards, my room is the worst size and shape but it sure beats a 25" TV w/no AV set up at all. Thats how I was forced to watch Green Bay-Detroit on Thanksgiving. I was thankful when I got home just after kickoff for Miami-Dallas in Hi Def!

Ed,
I haven't forgotten ya, its just been a hectic holiday weekend but I will call you early this week about that lightbox.

 

[CurtP]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm not sure if I'm going to do this project or not because of the room size -- both your rooms are wider than mine, and I'm afraid that it would be just too cramped to entertain. Might just have to wait until we look into buying another house or adding on to this one, neither of which is going to happen anytime soon :frowning:

I was thinking about a projector not only for picture size, but to help conserve space (i.e., mount it from the ceiling), although I still have to have space for equipment. I'm at the planning stages right now and am just trying to figure out if this is even a viable project. I even lost my mind for a moment and considered converting the whole car-and-a-half garage to a dedicated HT, but I just can't do without my garage

I think my house is just too small to accomidate a dedicated HT :frowning:

 

[Neil Joseph]

If you are looking at front projection then you would need a front-ported, short throw projector that could mount near the back of the room. Two rows of seating would be pushing it. You could use the recess (closet) for a couch that could just fit in there snugly perhaps. That would basically leave you with the room of 11'10" long by 10'7" wide to work with. Your viewing distance to the screen would be close to 12'. Due to the recess, Your projector would probably need to mount somewhere in front of you overhead if it is in the centre of the room (left to right).

Measure the centre-point of the room (left to right) and tell us the distance from the front wall to the closet recess. Your projector will have to mount in front of the recess. This spec is importabt because this will yield the throw distance you have to work with and thus the choice of projectors and screen size that you have possible for you.

Do not despair. I am pretty sure this can work. The thing I am trying to determine right now is what screensize you will end up with given the details of the room. You have the viewing distance (12 feet) to accomodate up to a 100" 16x9 screen. The thing now is to determine whether or not the projector mounting location will yield those results or whether you have to mount it closer to the front wall, thereby giving you a smaller screen.

The beauty of front projection is no space is wasted on the actual TV, which in most cases takes 2-3 feet away from the viewing distance.

 

[Ron-P]

My first HT was in the extra bedroom. It measured 10'x12' with an 8' ceiling. I had no closet to utilize due to it being on a side wall. I had two rows of theater style seating with the back row on a 12" deck. I also had a 28" deep 46" RPTV in there. If you plan FP you'll have plenty of room and be able to get a decent screen size in as well.


Peace Out~

 

[Lyle_E]

Well I guess I would have the same problem, although my room is 16' x 10' 6". I till love it. I dont have the super system but I think it sounds good. After reading alot in this board i have opted to change a few things. (No need for acoustic panels.) and (add a new 12" sub)

Here are a few photos to give you an idea what i did.
The door is installed now.
home.earthlink.net/~elwe/hometheatre/dsc00010.jpg
home.earthlink.net/~elwe/hometheatre/dsc00008.jpg

I would not recomend the choice of brown paint but I will tell you the room is dark when the door is closed and the shades are drawn.

now to work on the lighting.

 

[CurtP]

Lyle_E - that looks nice. I may pick up some designing software and see what I can come up with for my room.

Ron-P - My GF suggested that I take the 51" widescreen Sony RPTV from the living room and use it in the HT, but I wanted something a little nicer with a bigger picture.

Neil - would I really need a short-throw projector if it was 12-13' from the wall? I was planning on removing the closet wall all-together (it's non load-bearing) to gain some space, or redo it to accomidate equipment. I was going to use the headend of the room, where the closet is, for the projected image, but now that you've brought it up, it may be better to use the opposite wall for the image, since it is a clean wall. On the other side of the headend wall is a hallway, and I could put an access door in the hallway, close up the headend wall (which will make my room approximately 11'6"L by 10'7"W) and keep all my equipment in that space. I could then build a riser for a couch/HT seating in that area against the headend wall. I was hoping to be able to use Berkline 099 HT seating again, but due to space constraints may not be able to make them recline if I have a second row. Should I be considering in-wall speakers, at least for the side and rears?

For the construction, I was considering ripping out the old drywall on the inside walls, filling the cavities with sound control insulation, felt on the studs, and two layers of 1/2" drywall with staggered seams. On the ceiling, I was going to scrape off the popcorn texture and add another layer of drywall. I don't know if I should do anything to the outside walls. Square tile commercial carpeting seems to be the best floor treatment for this application IMO (concrete floor). But where to put the sub?

 

[Neil Joseph]

Curt, you have to account for the length of the projector itself. If you do indeed remove the closet wall and have a completely rectangular room then you could have up to a 100" image in there. You will need a short throw projector to achieve the 100". Just to give you an example, the Sharp 10000U (longer throw projector) would have to be mounted further back to achieve the 100" throw. Some units port their exhaust out of the rear and need a minimum 2 foot clearance to the back wall so I would eliminate those if you wanted a larger image.

To give you a real world example, my current room is 11' wide and 15' deep (also small but dedicated). My projector, a Sony 11HT is a short throw unit mounted with the lens 11.5' away from the screen and this provides me with a 96" image with the zoom near the central part of its range. I have my seating located at 12' from the screen and so, the 96" image is comfortable without being too overbearing.

Now, what budget do you have in mind? I do not think you should rule out lcd but keep crt, dlp and lcd as your options. Also, do you have access to above the ceiling and behind the walls to install your video feeds and power for the projector?

 

[Andrew Pratt]

In a room that size I'd tend to consider a 92" screen which would be plenty large enough and would allow you to easily use something like the Sanyo Z1 or Z2 projectors.

 

[CurtP]

Neil, my name is Curt
I do appreciate the advice -- you keep bringing up things that I didn't take into consideration, and lots of stuff that I just didn't know (like the exhaust ports on a projector).

I can't make the room perfectly rectangular because of the entryway -- it sticks into the room about a foot past the closet wall on the headend of the room. I don't think it would be that big of a deal, the rear seating area just won't go all the way over - need room for a walkway anyway.

Budget for the entire room, including equipment was set at $10k spread out over about a year or so (GAF -- Girlfriend acceptance factor). Don't know if that is low or high for a room this size, but I rarely get a project done within budget anyway (GF doesn't need to know about all my spending indiscretions ). I do have access from above, the headend wall and one inside wall. I don't have a problem ripping into any of the walls if I need to -- I'm quite comfortable with my carpentry skills. Wish I had before and after pictures of my front room (quite a nightmare).

I think 96" image (or even slightly smaller) would be more than sufficient in a room this size. I haven't ruled out any projectors yet, because I don't know enough about them yet to make a decision, but cost, of course, will be a deciding factor.

The only piece of equipment that I may be able to move from the living room into a dedicated HT would be my Denon DVD-3800, although I'm sure I'll hear what a POS it is and I should upgrade

 

[Neil Joseph]

Sorry Curt. I saw the name Lyle in your thread and lost a track of what I was doing.

 

[Allan P]

Curt,

I am in the same boat as you. My room is 11'2" x 13'6"(including the closet) I have an Infocus 4800(aka X1 with a different remote) which is mounted in the closet and throws onto an 84" diagonal 16:9 DIY screen made of silver satin using the matte side. The image looks great and I have no probs at all with the room size.
I say go for it....but digital FP would be the way to go...just my 2 cents.

 

[Don_Goreham]

My room dimensions are identical to yours @ 13X10. when the house was built I opted to have the closet left out. I hate to put a damper on things, but two rows of seating will really be cramped in that small of a space with that large of a screen. I sit about 11'-12', depending on my reclining position, away from a 94" screen and it is a real joy. The upside is you should be able to squeeze in three chairs in the one row you will have.

If I were to try and move the row forward to put in rear seating I would most definately have to reduce the screen size. As a result the people in back would have little leg room and I wouldn't be able to recline.

However, for my purposes the room size is acceptable for the near future. The great thing about PJs is they are portable and if I really did have people over some day for movies I could pretty easily move the stuff in the living room for the evening.

If you have any questions I'll be glad to help.

Don

 

[CurtP]

Don, do you have any pictures of your setup? I'd love to see them.

 

[Don_Goreham]

I do have one pic available right now, but I am changing ISPs right now and it may not be up there for long.

http://home.comcast.net/~dgoreham/desktop.jpg

You can see that the screen is on the 10' wall. My door is on the back wall which will allow me to get two recliners in the room. I plan on putting some black fabric and some columns on the Screen wall. This is after I tear down the sheetrock and do some staggered studs.

I will post some more as soon as I get some new hosting. Keep in mind that it is nowhere near completed in terms of asthetics, but it works.

Later,

Don