Making use of my Loft as a Home Cinema

[itn]

Hi, I had my loft completed a couple of years ago, but didnt think of making it a home cinma at the time, was going to put a plasma in it instead. but, with prices being reasonable I would like to use a projector up there for sports, and a ps3, and stream hd videos via a LAN.

Here is my starting point:, and truth be told I done know where to start!!

See pictures below!!!

Window is a Velux M08 and placed lower for health and safety. I believe I can get blacckout blinds for this.

On viewing wall I have 2 double sockets either side, and on rear wall where we come up the stairs there is a double socket.

Whats your thoughts guys, help mucch appreciated....

Im looking at having a prjector, screen (if wall is no good), ps3, and a ntl digibox, and ill stream movies via ps3 from my htpc which is downstairs...

thanks

itn

[IWC Dopplel]

Originally Posted by itn

Hi, I had my loft completed a couple of years ago, but didnt think of making it a home cinma at the time, was going to put a plasma in it instead. but, with prices being reasonable I would like to use a projector up there for sports, and a ps3, and stream hd videos via a LAN.

Here is my starting point:, and truth be told I done know where to start!!

See pictures below!!!

Window is a Velux M08 and placed lower for health and safety. I believe I can get blacckout blinds for this.

On viewing wall I have 2 double sockets either side, and on rear wall where we come up the stairs there is a double socket.

Whats your thoughts guys, help mucch appreciated....

Im looking at having a prjector, screen (if wall is no good), ps3, and a ntl digibox, and ill stream movies via ps3 from my htpc which is downstairs...

thanks

itn

It might be worth looking at 2.35:1 sreens given the room and you will need a lot of black velvet

[itn]

Originally Posted by IWC Dopplel

It might be worth looking at 2.35:1 sreens given the room and you will need a lot of black velvet

sorry to be a pain, can you explain further?... black velvet to darken room or for sound!!...room does get very dark with lights off...again room is carpeted.

what type of screen is that?.. i want to maximize the viewing area. I though I could just make the biggest rectangle and use that area.

[IWC Dopplel]

Originally Posted by itn

sorry to be a pain, can you explain further?... black velvet to darken room or for sound!!...room does get very dark with lights off...again room is carpeted.

what type of screen is that?.. i want to maximize the viewing area. I though I could just make the biggest rectangle and use that area.

Firstly check this site out Projection Screens - Home Theater Projector Screens by Carada - FAQs There is a little talk about screen aspect ratio's

In simple terms TV's are now 16:9 (1.78:1) this is the normal aspect ratio for screens and HD displays. However films are usually 2.35:1 ot 1.85:1 ie narrower for the same width (black bars top and bottom)

One option if you are height restricted is to buy a screen that is 2.35:1 as you can fit a larger screen in and most films are this size anyway. The only bummer is that when you play 1.85: or 16:9 you will have to zoom your projector and refocus


Rgerarding black velvet. A fully light controlled room is step 1 stop ALL ambient light entering the room, Step 2 reduce light reflections in the room

Dark coloure and fabrics do the second step. The second step is as important as the first and makes a shocking difference, ever wondered why there are a lot of dark drapes and black/dark material in cinema's

[itn]

makes sense.... but how realistic is it to have drapes or curtains on the sides of the roof...doesnt look nice....

screen size ill have to look into?...

how much gap do you leave off the floor before the screen starts??? and what projector mount is reccomended for a wall and not a ceiling??

[Gary Lightfoot]

I converted the loft for home cinema in my last house back in 2000 and initially had a 7ft wide 16:9 screen. I wanted to go wider but couldn't due to the ceiling slope which would put the screen on the floor. I Could go wider with a Cinemascope screen so then bought an anamorphic lens and made a 2.35:1 screen which was 8ft wide (16:9 was 6ft wide). I used a simple corded curtain track and black velvet curtains to mask down to 16:9 when not watching a scope movie (which wasn't often).

The screen wall was black carpet, and the walls below ear height were covered in grey carpet that was a close match to the rest of the room which was painted in Kodak 18% grey (to neautralise light reflections that would bounce of the walls and ceiling and end up back on the screen). Later I used some Maplin black felt speaker cloth to cover the walls and ceiling and that made a huge improvement to both the image quality (ANSI contrast doubled) and the viewing experience. I had previously used the speaker cloth to cover the speakers because I only like to see the image and not the equipment. With the black walls and ceiling you couldn't see anything except the image which I felt was much better.

You can use the zoom method to view scope movies rather than an anamorphic lens but that's a personal preference. Both have pros and cons, but if the pj has the zoom range that would be the cheaper option. I'd always recommend an anamorphic lens though.

There are some pics in my sig.

A rule of thumb for screen height is to have the eyes fall at around one third of the way up the screen when seated. In my last place my eyes were between a third and half way. The screen was around 18ins from the floor IIRC. Having a screen too hight can be uncomfortable to watch after a period of time and the eyes naturally want to fall lower than higher unless you're reclined.

Gary

[Sawdust]

My attic setup might give you some ideas about equipment storage and cabling.

Mike's attic cinema and games room

I fitted a blackout blind to my Velux roof window - you will need the serial number off the window and then put it into their website. They aren't cheap but they are good.

I haven't painted the whole room black because I still use it as a room. I'm sure it would improve the picture if I did but as long as you can black it out completely, you will still get pretty good results.

Good luck with the conversion, it looks like a really nice space to work in.

Mike

[blasted]

just a quick question,

what is the height from the floor to the ceiling at the center? and what is the width and length of the room?

my loft is of similar dimensions and i'm trying to visualize what mine would look like should i convert it.

thanks

[itn]

Hi, thanks for reply, ill measure up tonight and post measurements later....

[itn]

Hi, sorry for the delay in my reply:

The height from the floor to the ceiling on the screen wall is height 191cm /75" and width is 335cm/132" or 11ft.

and width of room is 355cm or 11.6 ft and length of room is 530cm/208" or 17.4 ft.

and viewing distance from sofa is 14.3 ft

what are the realistic prospects of a descent projector room based on the measurements above.....i.e screen size etc..and good projector with food throw etc etc..

[blasted]

Thanks for that, similar in dimension to what i would be looking at doing. As for projectors and screens you should have a look here

Projection Calculator - Throw Distance and Screen Size

select a projector and it will show you what screen sizes you can expect.

[Gary Lightfoot]

Those dimensions are almost identical to my old loft room. I'm not sure how high your side walls are or the angle of slope compared to mine, but if you do some measuring you might find that you can accommodate a similar sized screen to those I had.

I used to sit at 12ft, (1.5 x screen width) then later 10ft away from the screen (1.2 times sw). I've since found that I can quite happily sit at 1 times screen width away from a scope screen with no problems, and find it a more immersive experience, so try experimenting with seating distance to see what suits you. With a 720 resolution pj you may find that 1.2 is a limit due to the pixels becoming visible, but with 1080 it shouldn't be a problem.

Gary

[itn]

Ok, thanks for that!!.. what screen did you have mate. Also Is it better to buy the projector first then the screen?? Also can anyone reccommend a good wall mount for a projector. I would like it on the rear wall and not on a coffee table.

also what projector is reccomended for my distances?...

[Gary Lightfoot]

I made my own screens (see link in my sig) but Beamax and Carada get good reviews (as do others).

If you buy the pj first, you can experiment with screen sizes by projecting onto the wall where you want the screen to be and decide which is best for you.

The JVC HD1 has had good reviews and is available new for under £2000. It's being replaced by newer models but at the price the HD1 is a good deal. It might be an idea to read some reviews or better still, get a demo before buying. According to this calculator, you should be able to get a 7ft wide 16:9 screen (if your wall can fit it OK) with the JVC mounted on your rear wall:

Projection Calculator - Throw Distance and Screen Size

There are others but that would probably be a good choice for a first pj. It's not perfect, but no pj is.

Gary

[itn]

£2k is way over my budget i was thinking more around the under £500 mark.... but im working out and planning by fit...and so need the best way to mount the projector. It has to be a wall mount and not a ceiling mount. Also how hight the the projector need to be mounted.