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New member Username: TransonicPost Number: 4 Registered: Mar-05 | I am new to this field and am getting into a Home which already has a room setup as movie Theatre, Its maybe 10 X 14 . As everyone our aim is to get the best picture quality and sound, closest to the movie theatre Exp. I dont know jack about this field..i.e. simple things like what is the Diff. btw LCD Technology and DLP Technology...which would be better suited for watching movies!! I did a little research this is what i found: Infocus Screenplay5000 Proj. NAD or Marantz Rec. Paradigm Speakers Da-Lite screen 119" Diagonal (this was fitting the room for the previous owner ) HELP and FEEDBACK appreciated..by the way am planning to buy before May05! |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 205 Registered: Nov-04 | for the tv info i would go to the home video section and ask there although you might find the same people that post here you will probably get better info. my dad is actually in the market for a new tv, once he pays my sister's and my college tuition. anyway, he found that dlps have lag and it can be very noticable. i forget the draw backs of lcd tvs but i know there are some. one of course is they are a couple thousand more expensive then dlps. one question i have, is the price range for the whole system including tv or just for audio? a decent ht system can go for 3 to 4k and a decent tv can be just as expensive. but i would wait for other people's advice before you take mine. |
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New member Username: TransonicPost Number: 6 Registered: Mar-05 | Hi Christopher, First sorry about my Ignorance, but do i have to buy a TV too? I was thinking a HomeTheatre is just('Projector, reciever,screen (da-lite),DVD/VHS and speakers/sub) I put a budget 3 to 4K for the above including cables and fixtures. Thanks for ur input though.. |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 207 Registered: Nov-04 | well atleast from my experience, the little that i have, if you are going to use a projector you better have one kick @ss audio system to back it up. i would say that most people that use projector screens, i am assuming yours is larger than any widescreen tv, have thx stuff, and crazy systems. i would stick with a widescreen tv and not go the projector route. i asked about the price range because people usually post here with a budget just for their audio system excluding the video equipment. sorry i cannot provide anything substantial or good for you. i am still exploring this stuff so i am just as curious as you are. |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | $3-4K should buy you a DARN good HT system...no worries! There are only 2 major negatives to a projector: 1. the room must be darkenable if you want to watch during the day, and 2. if you have the TV on 12 hours a day every day then the replacement bulbs may get expensive. There are however a huge number of positives: 1. HUGENESS picture that no widescreen TV will ever match in size and sometimes in visual quality 2. When you move it's much easier to transport than a 200-300 lb. projection tube and less fragile than a plasma/LCD/DLP TV. 3. Incredibly high price-to-picture-size ratio: $2000 will buy you a very good projector these days, and a lousy 30" no-name LCD TV. 4. WAF: the projector takes up way less space than a TV (especially if it's ceiling mounted; plus the screen can be rolled up or taken down) Go to hometheaterforum.com they have a lot of info on projectors...these are EXACTLY what the people at Best Buy and Circuit City don't want you to know about, that's why they usually place them way in the back, next to the business projectors. I don't understand Chris's assertion that "if you are going to use a projector you better have one kick @ss audio system to back it up." A friend of mine has a projector with a lousy $250 Sony HTIB system and it still looks and sounds 10x better than most people's standalone widescreen TVs. Here's how I'd budget: $300 Onkyo 601/602, jr.com $850 3 Front L/R/C Ascend 340s, ascendacoustics.com $500 Hsu subwoofer, ascendacoustics.com $1300 Infocus 4805 DLP projector, crutchfield.com $200 4 pairs Polk R15s for surrounds, jr.com $50 Toshiba 3960 DVD player, jr.com $60 cheapest possible assorted cables, wiring & interconnects, accessories4less.com Throw an extra $100 to upgrade to a Pioneer 1014, it will be better than the Onkyo. |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 210 Registered: Nov-04 | i made that comment because of the systems i have seen with projectors, its usually for dedicated home thearters where people have spent well over 20k on the entire system, furnishings etc. i personally see projectors being for the very serious HT people. again, i said i dont know much and told him not to quote me on my advice. i know im being picky, but how would the system sound better if you have a tv vs a projector? also, as you mentioned, it needs to be dark to use a projector. how many people are willing to have a room completely dedicated for an ht that you would need to turn the lights off to watch the 6 oclock news? maybe it wont be for cable tv use, but most people dont have that extra space, but im guessing he does. |
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Silver Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 387 Registered: Jan-05 | I bought a 65" tv about 4 months ago and wished I had looked into projectors...... Oh well..... I never even considered one..... At least now I know what I'll get for my next upgrade. BTW, I think room darkness is overrated with the many good 'bright' projectors of today. So long as you have drapes to close over your windows, closing them should be plenty dark for most situations. In spite of disadvantages that projectors have, having a 8-10ft screen makes up for many of them. Whoah...wish I had one now.... |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | > i made that comment because of the systems i have seen with projectors, its usually for dedicated home thearters where people have spent well over 20k on the entire system, furnishings etc. Yeah I think this was true about 5-10 years ago but projectors now are getting way better for way cheaper really fast. A 52" LCD can run you $7000 right now which blows my mind, esp. when you can have 5 times that picture size with a $1300 projector. > again, i said i dont know much and told him not to quote me on my advice. i know im being picky, but how would the system sound better if you have a tv vs a projector? I meant his cheapo Sony HTIB still sounded better than most people's widescreen TVs using its own speakers. Yeah, the room darkening is the key issue that stayed my own hand, because my living room has two triangular skylights that would be VERY hard to cover up! We may be moving in 6 months so if we get a more normal living room I may start looking again. If I had only normal rectangular windows, there is a wonderful product that can turn day into night: http://www.hunterdouglas.com/hdg_product_detail.jsp?id=7 They have a "blackout" or "opaque" version that blocks out 99% of exterior light...I can personally testify that it works! My sister has some. |
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Silver Member Username: MarkuspToronto, ON Canada Post Number: 109 Registered: Apr-04 | $3 to $4K can get you into a decent system where you'll prefer to watch all your movies at home and skip the movie theater altogether. Since you are building a dedicated area anyways, I think you'll have a lot of fun with this project. The trick is not to skimp in any one area in favor of another. A $4000 projector matched with a HTIB is not the way to go. A few questions: • Will you be viewing Hi Def TV on the projector or is this mainly for dvd viewing? • What size of screen do you plan on using and how close do you plan to sit to it? A great place to research different projectors is projectorcentral.com - they have virtually every projector listed with reviews, opinions, projection distance calculators, screen size calculators etc. They also have a terrific primer on the difference between LCD and DLP projectors. Different projectors have different screen size to distance ratios so research carefully. Also, I recommend skipping data grade projectors if you can and sticking to dedicated home theater products as color rendition, light spill, fan noise and connectivity will generally be better (example, have component video inputs as opposed to just vga in which you will need to buy an adaptor). One of the best projector values on the market today is the Infocus 4805. Another is the Optoma H30. Both are DLP projectors that are perfect for dvd viewing (cannot display true hi def resolution though) but require you to sit 10 to 12' from the screen to avoid pixelation. Most LCD projectors in your price range cannot display blacks to the degree a DLP can but can display full resolution Hi Def tv. Some such as the Epson series can be placed as close as 8' from the screen and still give you a massive picture. For a receiver, the Pioneer 1014 is a decent choice but if you can, try to step up to the Denon 2805. This receiver has a ton of slam for movies. Speakers are a personal choice - I just recommend staying away from tiny satellites as they won't deliver the impact you would want when watching something on the big screen. Paradigms are good speakers and the monitor series are a good value. You might also want to check out PSB speakers, a direct competitor to Paradigm in Canada that are equally as good. You can generally find great deals on slightly blemished models (rarely can you see any problems at all) from dmc-electonics.com. Buying these can save you a bundle and they sound great as well. Don't forget that you will need a screen as well. These can be very costly (upwards of $1000) but most people find great results when they build their own using blackout cloth etc. See avsforums.com on building a custom screen. I did this, then bought a da-lite screen but just kept using my custom screen as I liked it just as much. You can generally build your own screen to your own dimensions / needs for approx. $100. Good luck and have fun. |
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Silver Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 400 Registered: Jan-05 | If you're 100% into movies only, and want a "HUGE" sound like a movie theater........ I'd consider something bigger than bookshelf Acends and forgo the sub, and soundtest a set of Classic Series CLSC-215s. http://www.cerwinvega.com/products/homeaudiovideo/index.html If you want a movie theater sized soundstage, you wont get it with bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer. I've tested $3500 front/sub combos for my own system, and thought they all sounded 'small' by comparison. I have an old set of Cerwin Vegas similar to that style, and recently went speaker shoppng because mine needed work. Listening to several much more pricey models, I didnt like a single one. I had mine fixed instead, but if I were forced to buy new, those suggested above would be the first set I would listen to in person. It's an added bonus that a big set of speakers like those are cheap compared to many of the 'botique' speaker manufacturers. I pair of behemoths like those only cost around $600-$900/pair which is nothing in todays speaker market. |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 213 Registered: Nov-04 | edster, i think we are talking about two different things. ill stop the bickering after this post. first i think what you are discussing is an area that is more or less dedicated to HT use meaning watching of movies or tv. i would think most people have their tvs or what ever their entertainment center in a common living area. this will obviously negate any benifits of a projector considering its rather hard to darken a family room or basement that may be open or have other purposes that don't allow for it. a projector may be smaller and have better WAF but its rather boring to show off to your neighbors and friends, unless you have a neat setup with retractable things and such. if i was to dedicate a room to any single purpose i wouldn't want to skimp on the quality which is why i asserted and still feel so that a HT with a projector is for serious people. i see it as a progression from having some system in a common area which i would assume most people have. |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | Chris, You are partially right, actually. I use my TV 95% for DVD viewing and mainly at night, and showing off to neighbors and friends is very very low on my list of priorities when buying audio or video. So I am coming from a different perspective. However, I still don't see why having a projector, whether in a common living area or a separate room, necessarily entails having a high-priced HT sound system to support it...my idea of an adequate HT sound system would be $1500-2500. I've known plenty of people with a dedicated TV room with $7000 LCDs or plasmas who are running some junky Sony or Kenwood HT setup, so why not with a $1300 projector? Oh well, just a difference of opinion... |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | Chris, You are partially right, actually. I use my TV 95% for DVD viewing and mainly at night, and showing off to neighbors and friends is very very low on my list of priorities when buying audio or video. So I am coming from a different perspective. However, I still don't see why having a projector, whether in a common living area or a separate room, necessarily entails having a high-priced HT sound system to support it...my idea of an adequate HT sound system would be $1500-2500. I've known plenty of people with a dedicated TV room with >$5000 widescreen TVs who are running some junky Sony or Kenwood components...kind of like putting a Bose stereo into a BMW, ludicrous but it's done all the time. So I don't see anything wrong with spending an extra couple of hundred dollars (not thousands of dollars) for a better sound system with a $1300 projector. Oh well, just a difference of opinion... |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | ah yes, the Cerwin Vegas...if you're planning on throwing loud rock/rap/dance-music parties and listening to movies primarily to hear explosions and car crashes, Paul is right they'll do just fine. If you want something better than hollow mids and screechy treble however... See, even cheesy Hollywood action flicks often will have ORCHESTRAL soundtracks or at least a few segments with orchestral music, or at the very least keyboard versions...if you buy a party speaker like the CVs then be prepared to have the remote handy because you'll need to turn down the volume whenever nothing's getting blown up onscreen, both dialogue and instrumental background music will come across very thin and wailing rather than deep and rich. Now it will be difficult to notice all this if you audition speakers by putting your head about six inches from the drivers in some cavernous chain store showroom without even bothering to check the source or settings of the output, LOL! |
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Silver Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 403 Registered: Jan-05 | LOL..... I've listened to the weak specialty speakers, and was left uninspired. I wouldnt take the $3500 Klipsch front/sub combo I tested if they gave it to me for free. If you like your movies and music 'petite', they'll probably be perfect. |
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Bronze Member Username: XsoundMyrtle Beach, SC United States Post Number: 47 Registered: Sep-04 | Paul, do you want my D2's or not? X |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | I dislike the Klipsch myself (too bright and undefined) but if that was the only high end speaker you have ever listened to aside from the entry-level Infinity and Polks at the big-box chain stores, I don't blame you for thinking your Cerwin Vegas are gold. You remind me of a long-time Miller Lite drinker who finally decides to try some imported beers but knows nothing about them. So he goes to his local supermarket and picks up the most expensive imported beer they carry---perhaps a $9 pack of German or Czech pilsner. He gets home and opens it and says, "Yuck, this is gross" and in some ways he's right because pilsners don't travel well, they've been exposed to heat and light in transit and seen temperature swings that have ruined their flavor, and the supermarket carries them mainly for prestige value but very few people buy them so they might be months old inventory. Had the same Miller Lite drinker gone to a specialized wine and beer shop with knowledgeable staff they might've steered him towards some quality domestic microbreweries whose pilsners don't suffer the same transatlantic transit problems, who unlike mass brands Miller/Coors/Bud use 100% malt not 40% cheap rice and corn fillers, and who are more reasonably priced, say $7 a pack instead of $9. Ah, the tragedy...poor Mr. Miller Lite goes home and pats himself on the back for having already discovered the be-all and end-all of beer all this time, thumbing his nose at all those sissy imports and specialty brews while contentedly guzzling up his watery pseudo-beer the rest of his life. |
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Silver Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 404 Registered: Jan-05 | No thanks X..... If you're looking to sell something, you might want to try Ebay or one of the various audiomarts on the web. |
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Silver Member Username: Paul_ohstbucksPost Number: 405 Registered: Jan-05 | Edster, They had lots of stuff in that front/sub price range. You'll have to excuse me for not taking notes since I didnt like what I heard. I only mentioned the Klipsch because I think they stood out as the best of the lot. |
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New member Username: TransonicPost Number: 8 Registered: Mar-05 | WOW.. First of all..Thanks guys for all the Advice!! Edster ~ Fun and Informative ~ As I said Iam moving to a Home with room which was used as HT, so it is already Dedicated..i.e room is Dark and he has a Black cloth behind the Screen(which he is gonna leave as is). "the Cerwin Vegas...if you're planning on throwing loud rock/rap/dance-music parties and listening to movies primarily to hear explosions and car crashes" we would be watching lotta movies..maybe 95%..yet I dont want to have only those booms and crashes to be sound perfect but also that richness in Voice and trebble too!! So not 90% for Boom Boom and 10% for Tinggg..but maybe 60-40!! Looking at ur disc. above I get the Idea though! Markus: A few questions: • Will you be viewing Hi Def TV on the projector or is this mainly for dvd viewing? ---- Mainly for DVD viewing...maybe next year for hi def TV..would lovvvve to watch NFL by projector. • What size of screen do you plan on using and how close do you plan to sit to it? -----Here I dont have much choice cause the room is 10x14 and Was satisfied by 119" Diag. screen. Paul: Thanks for ur input and advice Paul, When I first saw the HT room, I dint know much(anything) about projector HT..knew about TV HT though...somehow I was wowed by the Proj. HT a lot more times than the TV HT. Atleast thats what my personal choice is! Again Thanks a Ton guys!! cant wait to watch Gladiator and play Medal of Honor!!! whoaaa!! |