theater on a 15ftX15ft room (1 Viewer)

[jan_c]

can i set up a home theater in a 15x15ft room with a front projection tv and 2 rows of seats?

 

[Colin Dunn]

It is likely possible from a purely technical standpoint, but you will need to plan your layout and research the equipment you wish to buy ahead of time.

Most projectors have a certain "throw distance" required to put a picture on the screen. That distance is some multiple of the screen size. Make sure the throw distance is short enough that you can get your desired picture size. (Example: If you want a 100" diagonal screen, and the throw distance for that picture size is >180" or 1.8 X the diagonal screen size, that projector won't work in your room.)

Two rows of seats will take up a lot of room. You will probably want the back row very near the back wall, and about 2-3' of leg room between rows. The two rows of seats will probably take about 8-9' of the 15' depth of the room just by themselves.

To fit this all in that size room, I suggest you look at an LCD or DLP projector, preferably mounted from the ceiling. Combine that with small "bookshelf" speakers that can be mounted on wall brackets, and a subwoofer. If you do that, you should maintain adequate floor space for the equipment rack and seating.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Jan,

I have a smaller room and have front projection and 2 rows of seats. It's a bit cramped- but workable. My only issue is that the speakers are a bti too close to the outside walls- so it creates a slightly "wubby" sound. No one else has ever mentioned it- but I notice. I would say if you only have 15 feet of width- be prudent on screen size- don't go nuts. Allow yourself a good couple of feet from the outside walls for your speakers!

With a small DLP projector (like my NEC LT150) you should be able to make it work (depending on intended screen size). My screen is about 65 inches wide (16x9) and the projector has to be about 110 inches back from the screen. The bigger the screen, the further back the projector will have to be.

Hope that helps

Vince

 

[jan_c]

i think i saw one setup featured in a magazine with 133" screen on a 15X9ft room.

ideally how far should the first seats be if the screen is around 100"? 133"?

 

[jan_c]

vince,

do you have a website of your setup? i would like to see how you set it up....

jan

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

do you have a website of your setup? i would like to see how you set it up....

No, unfortunately, I don't. I've been meaning to do so as soon as it is "finished"-- but as many people know- it's never finished. I have vowed to setup a site with pictures as soon as I have the new seating in place (I bought and refurbed a row of theater seats)-- hopefully next month.

But trust me- in a room about 11 or 12 feet wide, a 5 foot+ wide screen looks plenty big!

-Vince

 

[Pat]

The only thing I can add is...it is a known fact that square rooms have horrible acoustic properties.