Upgrading my Theater (1 Viewer)

[Dvan]

I just recently discovered these forums and quickly realized I was in the right place to get good information unfortunately I bought most of my stuff before I stumbled in here, so hopefully I did ok..... Anywho..... Im upgrading my theater , everything is about 6 years old so it all needs to be updated. I have a question regarding the projecter installation. I will be using an Optoma HD20 (goodbye DLP TV!) mounted to the ceiling, right at 12' from the screen. I want to keep it as close to the ceiling as possible to keep the projection up high. (I have 8' ceilings) Its my understanding that the projector will need to be hung upside-down, is that correct? If so, does it need any clearance for cooling on the bottom ( now the top) of the projector? I wasnt going to spend the money on a ceiling mount, I will probably just mount it to some MDF and paint it the same dark brown as my ceiling and then fasten the mdf to the ceiling. I hope that all makes sense: Theater size: 13' wide x 24' long, 8' ceilings, first row of seating on the floor, next row up on an 8" riser. First row of seats are13' from screen, second row is 18' back. I think I will go with 7.1 since the depth of the room seems to suit it. Optoma HD20 Favi 16:9 120" electric screen Def tech ProCinema 600 speakers ( I will need to get something for the rear for 7.1) Panasonic Blu Ray DMP-BDT 21OP with built in wi-fi ( should make netflix more bearable) Yamaha RX-V571 AV Tuner 7.1 15 year old sony laser disc player xbox 360 PS3 Wii Directv HD - DVR

 

[Jim Mcc]

Yes, the projector gets hung upside down. You can make a ceiling mount pretty cheaply. Mine cost me about $20. It's a piece of lexan, 3 bolts with washers and wing nuts, 2 pipe flanges, and 1 pipe nipple. The bolts and wing nuts alow you to level the projector. You can also use a piece of MDF instead of lexan. Mine is based on the DIY mount by "Monkey_Man" at Avsforum, but my pipe nipple is shorter because I have a low ceiling. Enter his name in a search in the Projectors under $3,000 section for pics.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by Jim Mcc

The bolts and wing nuts alow you to level the projector.

Just want to reiterate this point, Daryll, since you are new to the world of front projectors.


The ability to make subtle adjustments to the orientation of the projector is a pretty crucial ability. It's imperative that you get the projector perfectly level and properly aligned to preserve ideal geometry. Don't assume the ceiling is level...


Many projectors have some ability to correct minor geometric anomalies, but these digital tools should be used sparingly as they can compromise the picture quality.

 

[Dvan]

Got it, thank you both for your replies,and I will search for that thread, much appreciated!

 

[Jim Mcc]

You can buy a cheap mount at Monoprice.com but there's mixed reviews about them.

 

[Dvan]

Checked out a bunch of pics of homemade mounts and I can see how slick the wing -nut adjustment theory is. I will definitely be using that method. Thanks again for your help

 

[Dvan]

Well, everything is installed and up and running. I must say the HD20 is pretty impressive right out of the box! The mount suggestions were quite helpful and it worked beautifully, again thanks for your suggestions. Now that everything is hooked up, I want to fine tune as much as possible and being my first projection system, I will rely on the pro opinions to help me out. Ive done some reading and its seems DVE is a good way to go to get some calibration done. Does anyone have any tips on how to do some basic fine tuning? Im afraid I will just make it worse if I dive in without any direction. Thanks in advance..... BTW.... I also added a Harmony 1100 to the mix, what a delight that thing is, a bit over priced , but Ive been able to program some pretty intricate activities e.g. "Watch a Movie" : Screen comes down, projector comes on, Blu ray comes on, AV comes on, and after a 60 second delay, the lights go out! Anyone that has been hedging about getting one I would recommend it. I really like the fact that its not the same shape as a regular remote, but square and the touch screen is easier to play with that way.

 

[Jim Mcc]

I recommend the Disney WOW disc. It's highly recommended and great for beginners also. Until you get it, you can use the THX Optimizer on certain DVD's like Pixar films. Set the brightness, contrast, color, tint and sharpness. Before you start, have the projector running for at least 30 minutes. The first thing I would do is set the bulb to low power mode, and choose Cinema or Movie mode(whatever optoma calls it). You can get specific advice for your projector at Avsforum.com

 

[Dvan]

Thanks Jim, that sounds great, I will check that out !