Light At The End of the Tunnel HT Construction Thread...

wingnut4772

I am going to turn lemons into lemonade here and design a new HT on a budget.

Some of you know my old HT took a bad hit when I discovered the room was poo poo ca ca and needed to be rebuilt.

My Money Pit

So now I have a friend (Eric) who is willing to help me rebuild the room for the cost of the materials and my labor :eek: and I am looking for ideas from you guys to optimally lay out the room for a genuinely dedicated HT.


I am thinking of relocating it to the other end , removing the ductless AC (we dont use it as we put vents from the main in that room) and the single door. I want to install a projector and make an equipment closet in that doorway which leads to the garage. The room is very narrow so I want to free up the front stage and only have speakers and subs and screen for optimal sound. I also would close up that rinky dink 'window' to the kitchen as it is just plain silly.

I want to carpet it and do a nice ceiling as well. The whole 9 yards on a beer budget. This will take a few months so I have some time to save for the gear and plan. We may not even start 'till after hurricane season but I want to have a firm plan in mind.

After that, I would like to drywall it in and make it a true dedicated HT.

How would you guys suggest I do the windows/French doors so it does not look stupid from the outside? I would like to line up the main set of doors with the entrance to the whole room which would give me about another 3 feet or so for the dedicated room and make a prettier line of site for the pool from the inside of the house but I still need to have a balanced look outside...

I am so excited because I am actually going to learn how to do all this stuff. The construction part as my friend Eric will teach me as we go.:D

Serendipity

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I want to install a projector and make an equipment closet in that doorway which leads to the garage.

Go with a CRT projector

wingnut4772

appadv wrote: »

Go with a CRT projector

They are so huge and the ceiling is only 8 feet-ish but I would love to.

engtaz

LCD or DLP projectors do a fine job. LCD have more adjustments. DLP better blacks. I chose DLP.

jdhdiggs

I'm still interested in the labor your supplying in exchange!

Looks like a great project, great turn around from the "HOUSE OF MOLD AND STANK!!!"

wingnut4772

jdhdiggs wrote: »

I'm still interested in the labor your supplying in exchange!

Looks like a great project, great turn around from the "HOUSE OF MOLD AND STANK!!!"

Yes. Hopefully it can be done super cheap. I am meeting some opposition about closing off the room from the other half though... I may have to leave it open and use lighting control on the windows. Maybe some sort of curtains or blinds.

madmax

Is that your system on the right hand side of the first pic?
madmax

wingnut4772

madmax wrote: »

Is that your system on the right hand side of the first pic?
madmax

For now, yes!:D

tonyb

With all the room you have out by the pool,sounds like a good place for a winter polk fest.:p

engtaz

here here great idea.:D

schwarcw

Congrats Darla! I enjoy seeing your excitement again:D Good luck!

reeltrouble1

Darla,

For a true HT, well, windows have no real place. If you must have them then for HT they are going to need some type of covering to block out all the light. The gear and screen need to be arranged to minimize the compromises of the windows. The reflective surface of the window and air leaks are of course a problem. That said I did leave one window in my new HT room, my plan is to eventually install one of those windows that can go opaque at the flick of switch or some other best compromise as I want the one window in the room.

Enjoy putting in your new room.

RT1

wingnut4772

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

Darla,

For a true HT, well, windows have no real place. If you must have them then for HT they are going to need some type of covering to block out all the light. The gear and screen need to be arranged to minimize the compromises of the windows. The reflective surface of the window and air leaks are of course a problem. That said I did leave one window in my new HT room, my plan is to eventually install one of those windows that can go opaque at the flick of switch or some other best compromise as I want the one window in the room.

Enjoy putting in your new room.

RT1

Thanks. I just don't see how I can get around not putting windows there and having it look silly from the outside. At this point I am leaning toward leaving it open and having some kind of curtain system to block out the light. I am not sure if that will be enough for a projector, though? I have been researching automatic lighting solutions and I really am confused. I think that might get a bit pricey as well.

As far as sound control..eh. It's just really me and my roommate and she works mids so she is not around much when I am blasting it.

Oh..and she does not want me to close it off either...which I can kind of understand.

wingnut4772

OK. What about making the doorway into an equipment closet? Any ideas? Or examples?

jdhdiggs

Blackout shades should work. They aren't the prettiest but you can dress them up and it would get around the window issue.

As for equipment closet? Only do it if you can do it right! No half **** on it or it becomes a bigger pain than if you had all the stuff in the room with you.

wingnut4772

jdhdiggs wrote: »

Blackout shades should work. They aren't the prettiest but you can dress them up and it would get around the window issue.

As for equipment closet? Only do it if you can do it right! No half **** on it or it becomes a bigger pain than if you had all the stuff in the room with you.

Thanks....how do I do it right, though?

jdhdiggs

Which part?

Ricardo

Glad to see you taking a positive turn here!!!!!

Sherardp

Being that youre on a budget, look into Carada screens(gorgeous screen, excellent customer service, and one heck of a good price)they are often compared to Stewart and in some cases they are along the same line of performance if not better, and as for your PJ, look into the Sony Pearl(the prices have come down tremendously, now in the less than 3k range and it throws a stunning picture), JVC DLA HD1(best PJ out with near CRT black level, I have this one myself, and it offers flexible mounting, the pq is second to none, now average about 4500-5k in price), Epson Home 1080(Grimster owns this one and can vouch for it, but its been getting great reviews, you can find theses around 2300 bucks, but the Sony is close in price so I would go Sony ). DLPs are nice and all but for the price of those mentioned you cant go wrong. Allot of CRTs owners are switching over to the JVC model I mention, its just that good. You can followup on the products I mentioned over at AVS. As for your screen regardless of what you do, go as large as you possibly can with your room. I cant wait to see how your room turns out, once my new home is finished my room will be 17x22, 126 inch diagonal Carada Screen paired with JVC DLA HD1+Vantage HD Scaler. Good luck.

wingnut4772

jdhdiggs wrote: »

Which part?

um...all of it?:p

jdhdiggs

To me, an equipment cabinet "done right" invloves you never having to open the door to the room and only getting up to change the CD/DVD. To do this, you really need a good remote, light control system, and code repeater in addtion to amps that have 12V triggers and the like. For a stereo one, it's cool to see the rack/room, but for HT, I prefer complety hidden.

There are too many ways to succeed to tell you what to do.

For the black out curtains, you just install two sets of curtains. You install the blackouts as instructed and then mount the traditional/decorative curtains out from the window. Typically, your looking at a three curtain setup:

Window => blackout => filter curtain => decorative curtain

this would give you tons of light control and look nice. There are som "black out" Roman shades and the like as well.

Serendipity

Sherardp wrote: »

Being that youre on a budget, look into Carada screens(gorgeous screen, excellent customer service, and one heck of a good price)they are often compared to Stewart and in some cases they are along the same line of performance if not better, and as for your PJ, look into the Sony Pearl(the prices have come down tremendously, now in the less than 3k range and it throws a stunning picture), JVC DLA HD1(best PJ out with near CRT black level, I have this one myself, and it offers flexible mounting, the pq is second to none, now average about 4500-5k in price), Epson Home 1080(Grimster owns this one and can vouch for it, but its been getting great reviews, you can find theses around 2300 bucks, but the Sony is close in price so I would go Sony ). DLPs are nice and all but for the price of those mentioned you cant go wrong. Allot of CRTs owners are switching over to the JVC model I mention, its just that good. You can followup on the products I mentioned over at AVS. As for your screen regardless of what you do, go as large as you possibly can with your room. I cant wait to see how your room turns out, once my new home is finished my room will be 17x22, 126 inch diagonal Carada Screen paired with JVC DLA HD1+Vantage HD Scaler. Good luck.

+1

Good advice. So the JVC DLA-HD1 has near CRT black level? Wow.

As for the equipment rack, products from Middle Atlantic and Raxxess can make the installation much easier. Although I haven't installed a rack yet, I think the hardest part is getting all the cables under the drywall and to one centralized location. I had to remove part of the ceiling and wall to run my cables.

wingnut4772

Thanks guys. I would like to put the equipment outside as well but the only adjacent space I have besides a kitchen is the garage. There is also a washer and a water heater right outside the door I will have to deal with and a gas line that I see is running under the door.:(

Great tip on the Carada screens. They have a nice site as well. Would I go with the grey screen or the brilliant white?

That JVC looks really sweet but it is 5K street and I definitely can not do that. Maybe it will come down considerably by the time I am ready to put gear in the room. The Sony Pearl looks good for the dough.

wingnut4772

Ok. My basic two options are close off the half entirely and get a projector or leave it open and stick with a large rear projection display.

Or: Media Room VS Dedicated HT

The plus of having the open concept is that guests can watch the game etc...while playing pool at the other end of the room as well.

I think budget wise and house aesthetics are going to have me go with the open plan. I will still have the dedicated 'look' on the one end but I am going to use curtains for the French doors and leave the back open with in ceiling rear surrounds.

I still want to go the equipment closet route and have a proscenium and all that.
Maybe I can make a shelf that could give the illusion of the set being a screen or an enclosure of some sort..The only thing that sucks is that with a projector I could have a 100' screen! Still brain storming though...

I want to put (maybe ) 3 sets of French doors in instead of the one set and the 2 looooooong windows. Or maybe even four? Looking at the outside picture do you think that would work or would you say a french door/ window combo would be better?

Sherardp

You can leave the room open and still go with a projector. You will have to look into one that has more brightness, i.e Optoma, Panasonic, Epson. All these models offer great PQ and will give you the brightness with ambient light. The Carada BW screen is a good choice, same one I have. 100-110 inch screen would look good on that wall.

Systems

Grats!!! Ive been unhappy with my progress so far. Its amazing how home project contractors like to slack off compared to the ones I use at work for buisness. Im at this point now:

wingnut4772

Sherardp wrote: »

You can leave the room open and still go with a projector. You will have to look into one that has more brightness, i.e Optoma, Panasonic, Epson. All these models offer great PQ and will give you the brightness with ambient light. The Carada BW screen is a good choice, same one I have. 100-110 inch screen would look good on that wall.

Reeeeeeeeaaalllyyy? Hmmm. You would tell me that. I like it. I like it a lot.:D


I think I have a rack.....

It's a Middle Atlantic and I can get custom shelves based on the components..
Those Pics are from an AVS thread from someone's HT that he is building and I like the look.

wingnut4772

I emailed Carada and asked David Giles which screen he would recommend considering the windows would have curtains and the only light would be from the opening adjoining the room with the rest of the house. He seemed to think that unless I closed that off as well, I would not be happy with a projector in this set up.

petrym

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I think I have a rack...

Nice rack Wingnut! ;);););)



{smacks myself for saying that one}

:eek::D

Grimster74

Wingnut, another suggestion for screens would be Elite screens. I've owned 2 of there screens and have been very pleased with them. The first one I owned was the gray matte finish which had a gain of 0.8 and I now own the white matte finish with a gain of 1.1, the website is www.elitescreens.com For the same size screen as a Carada the cost was half that of a Carada and the build quality of the Elite screens is amazing. They have the beveled, velvet frame and are very sturdy.

As far as projector, I would have to agree with Sherardp IF your were going to have total light control of your room. If most of your viewing will be done at night, by all means, look into the JVC or the Sony. Right now the JVC and the Sony seem to be the projector of choice for dedicated H/T rooms. The new Sony thats due to hit the market very soon is supposed to have a contrast ration of 35000:1 but only 900 lumens, which if the CR is correct, that should help with the low light output. Beings your room will have some ambient light issues, my suggestion would be the Epson Home Cinema 1080 like I have http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/powerlite-home-pro-cinema-1080/index.php. It is small in size and the flexability in mounting is probally one of the best on the market as far as zooms and hort. and vert. shifts go and the overnight replacement option is nice if the unit is deemed bad. I will try and post some pics later but the Epson is also a light cannon when it comes to watching movies with the lights on. Once I set the projector to one of the higher light output settings its almost light watching a tube television with the lights on. Thats was one of the whole reasons I purchased the Epson, I tend to have alot of people that want to come over and watch sporting events and it's kinda hard to do that in the dark. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

wingnut4772

Grimster74 wrote: »

Wingnut, another suggestion for screens would be Elite screens. I've owned 2 of there screens and have been very pleased with them. The first one I owned was the gray matte finish which had a gain of 0.8 and I now own the white matte finish with a gain of 1.1, the website is www.elitescreens.com For the same size screen as a Carada the cost was half that of a Carada and the build quality of the Elite screens is amazing. They have the beveled, velvet frame and are very sturdy.

As far as projector, I would have to agree with Sherardp IF your were going to have total light control of your room. If most of your viewing will be done at night, by all means, look into the JVC or the Sony. Right now the JVC and the Sony seem to be the projector of choice for dedicated H/T rooms. The new Sony thats due to hit the market very soon is supposed to have a contrast ration of 35000:1 but only 900 lumens, which if the CR is correct, that should help with the low light output. Beings your room will have some ambient light issues, my suggestion would be the Epson Home Cinema 1080 like I have http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/powerlite-home-pro-cinema-1080/index.php. It is small in size and the flexability in mounting is probally one of the best on the market as far as zooms and hort. and vert. shifts go and the overnight replacement option is nice if the unit is deemed bad. I will try and post some pics later but the Epson is also a light cannon when it comes to watching movies with the lights on. Once I set the projector to one of the higher light output settings its almost light watching a tube television with the lights on. Thats was one of the whole reasons I purchased the Epson, I tend to have alot of people that want to come over and watch sporting events and it's kinda hard to do that in the dark. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks Grim. I do most of my movie watching at night but for regular TV viewing and such it's all around. How are the blacks with that projector though? I imagine I would be getting somewhat of a trade off there.
The guy at Carada did not seem to think it would be enough even with ambient light from the entrance behind and to the side of the theater..much lless with lights on.

The idea for leaving the room open was to keep the pool table in line of sight with the screen .

As far as window treatments go..what do you guys think of Panama Shutters of some sort. Would they block light enough?