HD Elvis' Home Cinema Project

HD Elvis · 05-10-2009, 8:23 PM

Hi

At last, after years of begging the wife and after recently moving house, I now have a space I can use as my own dedicated Home Cinema Room.

As you can see by the photos, the space (one of two converted loft rooms) is basically a blank canvas and needs decorating etc, the dimensions are around 17ft long by around 9ft wide. Its going to be a long project but hopefully worth it in the end. I'm thinking about recreating an old fasioned Cinema in style and adding old 30's 40's film posters on the walls.

One problem I have is that I can't decide whether to go Projector or Plasma/LCD for the display. I am aware Plasma would win for movies over LCD however I have to factor in costs

Also having no experience in designing/building a Home Cinema I am not sure whether a projector would be ruled out by not having a flat wall at either end of the room. As for Plasma ideally I would love a Pioneer lx6090 but again the cost is just to steep for me at the minute. I would like to have a big display but still allow for speakers/sub either side of it (the end where the tv stand is, stand used to house my 428xd to give an indication of size)

Basically my budget is around 2.5k and I would need Display, Receiver, Speakers and cables. Any suggestions/comments on placement and equipment welcome.

mudstuff · 06-10-2009, 7:06 AM

I shall be watching this with interest as I move soon and the lounge will be of similar dimensions (16"x10"). Will be good to see what you do with the space.

Personally, I'm thinking of getting a unit such as the BDI Marina and a Panasonic V10 - a 50" to begin with but ideally I'd like bigger. I also plan to add a projector at a later date. Already have a respectable bit of kit (see sig below). I'll also be on a budget when I move in so will likely get a 50" V10, put that on my current stand and move the 40" LCD to the bedroom. When I can afford to, I'll look at swapping the stand and buying a PJ and going from there.

As regards Plasma/LCD, I'd personally go for plasma if this is a dedicated room. LCDs are less reflective and pretty versatile and would be my general recommendation for an everyday room but if this is a home cinema, which it is, I'd say plasma all the way!

Good luck!

HD Elvis · 06-10-2009, 5:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudstuff

I shall be watching this with interest as I move soon and the lounge will be of similar dimensions (16"x10"). Will be good to see what you do with the space.

Personally, I'm thinking of getting a unit such as the BDI Marina and a Panasonic V10 - a 50" to begin with but ideally I'd like bigger. I also plan to add a projector at a later date. Already have a respectable bit of kit (see sig below). I'll also be on a budget when I move in so will likely get a 50" V10, put that on my current stand and move the 40" LCD to the bedroom. When I can afford to, I'll look at swapping the stand and buying a PJ and going from there.

As regards Plasma/LCD, I'd personally go for plasma if this is a dedicated room. LCDs are less reflective and pretty versatile and would be my general recommendation for an everyday room but if this is a home cinema, which it is, I'd say plasma all the way!

Good luck!

Hi Mudstuff

I have just started to take a closer look at the Panasonic V series myself along with the G's. I have seen on U.S sites that a 54inch G series exists but can't track one down in good old Blighty, (tbf haven't rang around dealers etc just did a quick search online.) I wondered if a 54inch G series ends up being around the same price as a 50 inch V? The 50V is certainly on my list of displays to audition. I will let you know my thoughts on the 50V when I get the chance to give it a try. By the way, nice camera

mudstuff · 06-10-2009, 6:40 PM

I noticed that in your sig too

Recently got an LX3 as well which is great. You're right about the 54", UK sizes are 50", 58" and 65". I/we were looking at a 3 storey town house which had a 12"x9" room which was going to be my room and I planned to eventually put a 65" in there. I know it'd be massive but less fuss than a projector and with the same immersive appeal - I planned to put 2 slim 80cm wide electric recliners in there and a pc desk at the back of the room. That fell through and the new place we're buying doesn't have a room suitable so no boys room

.

A 16"x10" lounge is a fair compromise for the time being though and there is a room downstairs which could be a games room and there's hopefully the possibility of converting the loft as the roof seems high enough.

HD Elvis · 06-10-2009, 7:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudstuff

I noticed that in your sig too

Recently got an LX3 as well which is great. You're right about the 54", UK sizes are 50", 58" and 65". I/we were looking at a 3 storey town house which had a 12"x9" room which was going to be my room and I planned to eventually put a 65" in there. I know it'd be massive but less fuss than a projector and with the same immersive appeal - I planned to put 2 slim 80cm wide electric recliners in there and a pc desk at the back of the room. That fell through and the new place we're buying doesn't have a room suitable so no boys room

.

A 16"x10" lounge is a fair compromise for the time being though and there is a room downstairs which could be a games room and there's hopefully the possibility of converting the loft as the roof seems high enough.

Good luck then. Only been in my place a week so might be a while before the Cinema Room is complete

So if there is no 54 G and the 54V I believe is well over the 2k mark, the 50V maybe the way to go. There are others on my list including the LG608000. However the more I spend on the display the less I have for the Receiver and speakers. If I went for a lx5090 I would have £500 for speakers and amp!!

mudstuff · 07-10-2009, 7:47 AM

Yeah it's a challenge. We've bought right at the top end of our budget and borrowed the deposit so I'm not going to be able to do hardly anything for 2-3 years. It's worth about £30k more than we paid for it and is only going to go up in value with the changes we make, not that I have plans to move for a long time.

Personally, I'd go for the Panasonic as it's a fair compromise on a Kuro and a lot better than the LG. The price is appealing, and the calibration options but they suffer bad image retention. I think they could be good in a few years time but they're not quite there yet and I'd rather have a smaller Panny.

I'll hopefully pick up a 50V10 for around £1350 online (hopefully less by the time I come to buy in a couple of months or so) and another Sky HD box for multiroom. The V10 will go in the lounge and my Sony V3000 in the bedroom. Then that's it basically.

We plan to take in a lodger since the layout of the house means we can rent the ground floor out and not really notice too much - they'd have their own room, en-suite, lounge and utility room with fridge and combi so would be self sufficient apart from occasional use of the kitchen on first floor. If we rent for 2 years, We'll be able to pay the deposit back and save about £7k. Good news is that rather than re-fitting the kitchens and bathrooms, the Mrs agrees converting the loft would make sense as that's the biggest job and at the top of the house (obviously

). The house is only 4 years old so the kitchen and bathrooms are fine, just nothing special and we plan to be here sometime so will work through every room eventually.

So I'm hopefully only 2 years away from a dedicated AV space! Then I just need the money to put some decent kit in it!

alz2605 · 08-10-2009, 9:07 AM

Congrats in getting a room to your self in your wifes' new houses, at least thats what they think

My opinion is TV's are for the Living Room and the only option for a dedicated Cinema room can only be a Projector. You can get a decent 720p PJ for around £500 and a 1080p one for just under £1K these days. Its a cheaper option to the Plasma you mentioned. Plus a lot easier getting it up stairs to your loft.

As for the screen plenty of people on here have made their own DIY screens to start with for less than £100. Theres plenty of good budget screens too.

As for mounting it with your vaulted ceilings you could use tension wires like Magic Mirror did (My 1st Home Cinema Room). Or as your room is quite long build a false wall further out from the end wall to get a larger flat surface area. You could then hide all the kit behind the wall or incorporated in it.

Just my suggestion mate!

HD Elvis · 08-10-2009, 5:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alz2605

As for mounting it with your vaulted ceilings you could use tension wires like Magic Mirror did (My 1st Home Cinema Room). Or as your room is quite long build a false wall further out from the end wall to get a larger flat surface area. You could then hide all the kit behind the wall or incorporated in it.

Just my suggestion mate!

Great ideas, many thanks!! This is exactly what I wanted, people suggesting things that I just wouldn't have thought of. Looking at the pics I have put up and if I was to create a false wall, what screen size would you estimate I could get away with?

gareth_alien · 09-10-2009, 9:50 AM

I agree with what alz2605 said. If you've read AlBriscoe's enormous thread (I think in part 2) he completely blacked out the screen end of the cinema with black fabric which also covered the speakers. He found that not only did it improve the picture quality (with a large black border) but there was also a perceived sound improvement now that you couldn't see where the sound was coming from.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/home-...ml#post9231797
From the looks of your pics, a false wall where that beam is would work well. I'd love to do a cinema build from a blank canvas like yours, it's going to be awesome!

HD Elvis · 09-10-2009, 10:13 PM

Just seen a Sony 52W5500 at a friends and have to say I was blown away. Recently looked at this display in Sony Centre and while the pq wasn't poor by any means just didn't have the wow factor I was expecting. Just shows how settings in stores often do not show a display in its full potential. This maybe the one

gareth_alien · 09-10-2009, 11:14 PM

Noticed a similar thing myself. Visited the Sony Centre and they had a standard HD flat next to a 100Hz flat (Plasma/LCd - no idea) and the 100Hz had noticably better quality. Whilst I didn't notice any flicker from the stadard, the 100Hz was so much smoother I was amazed.

If this was nonsense, it's because I'm drunk.

Dorian · 09-10-2009, 11:54 PM

I moved house a fortnight ago and have a room to myself

The room is about 11ft by 7ft so is very small. I bought an Optoma HD700x projector and it fills the 7ft wide wall with picture.

I'd recommend it, I'm very happy indeed with the setup. I can see how you might have difficulties though with the wall not being square, so you might be better off with a large plasma or LCD.

The image quality on a projector takes some beating though, to my eye they seem to mess with the picture much less than a TV so you get smoother motion and no smearing.

Good luck with what you decide to do

HD Elvis · 10-10-2009, 9:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorian

I moved house a fortnight ago and have a room to myself

The room is about 11ft by 7ft so is very small. I bought an Optoma HD700x projector and it fills the 7ft wide wall with picture.

I'd recommend it, I'm very happy indeed with the setup. I can see how you might have difficulties though with the wall not being square, so you might be better off with a large plasma or LCD.

The image quality on a projector takes some beating though, to my eye they seem to mess with the picture much less than a TV so you get smoother motion and no smearing.

Good luck with what you decide to do

CHeers Dorian, even with a false wall I still think a screen would look off centre for a projector. Think an LCD/Plasma is the way to go for me. So far the 52w5500 is winning the race. However by the time I decorate the room ready for the display a new contender may of emerged

mudstuff · 23-10-2009, 11:14 AM

Any updates? Just bought a Panasonic 50" V10 for my new lounge, should be moving soon. Now I can run it in and tinker with it so it's good to go when we move. Christmas come early

.

Still set on the Sony? Depends on viewing condition as while I find LCDs brighter in the daytime and with decent "looking" contrast, when you turn the lights down, you can see the grey "black" bars against the frame of the tv. I viewed the Panasonic instore and while it wasn't quite as bright and punchy as some LCDs (though arguably they may not be accurate colours and oversaturated), the salesman dropped the lights in the demo room and all you could see was the image. No black bars clashing with the frame at all.

Normal + Eco did a good job in daylight for general viewing and the THX mode with the lights off was stunning.

HD Elvis · 25-10-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudstuff

Any updates? Just bought a Panasonic 50" V10 for my new lounge, should be moving soon. Now I can run it in and tinker with it so it's good to go when we move. Christmas come early

.

Still set on the Sony? Depends on viewing condition as while I find LCDs brighter in the daytime and with decent "looking" contrast, when you turn the lights down, you can see the grey "black" bars against the frame of the tv. I viewed the Panasonic instore and while it wasn't quite as bright and punchy as some LCDs (though arguably they may not be accurate colours and oversaturated), the salesman dropped the lights in the demo room and all you could see was the image. No black bars clashing with the frame at all.

Normal + Eco did a good job in daylight for general viewing and the THX mode with the lights off was stunning.

Just painted the room "Urban Obsession" grey.

Need to get a carpet down and then dress the room I can then start to put plans into action!

As things stand, however I do still intend to get the Sony W525500. I have seen one setup in a home and have to say simply stunning, plus the extra two inches seemed to really make bigger difference than you might think, to my eyes any way. Will get some shots of the room up soon now the paint is on

Good luck with your V series!! Great choice.

HD Elvis · 25-10-2009, 5:12 PM

Stage two complete!!

As promised photos of the room looking "Urban Obsession" grey.

Just need the carpet and a few finishing touches on the walls etc then I will start to buy the kit, which is obviously the best bit!

mudstuff · 26-10-2009, 8:12 AM

Looking good, good luck with the Sony!

HD Elvis · 07-11-2009, 8:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudstuff

Looking good, good luck with the Sony!

Well, you say that, but...blow the budget!!

I'm going for the Pioneer lx5090!!

Getting the carpet fitted Tuesday morning so will be able to dress the room during the week. Got to ring back Mon to confirm but getting the lx5090, the side mount speakers and pedestal plus 5yr Pio warranty for 2.2k. Can't wait to get it set up!!

HD Elvis · 10-11-2009, 9:39 AM

Carpet now down, I'm now waiting for delivery of my lx5090!!

alz2605 · 10-11-2009, 6:12 PM

Like the colour in your room and you are a lucky boy in getting a Kuro. Infact where are you people still getting them from as I thought they were pretty much sold out everywhere.

hoppaz · 10-11-2009, 7:03 PM

Enjoy the new kuro!

HD Elvis · 10-11-2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alz2605

Like the colour in your room and you are a lucky boy in getting a Kuro. Infact where are you people still getting them from as I thought they were pretty much sold out everywhere.

Got mine from my local dealer, Newcastle Hi-Fi. Excellent service, really take their time to advise you. They were up there with Henry at CRT for me. They only had a few panels left though so if you want one, be quick!!

HD Elvis · 10-11-2009, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppaz

Enjoy the new kuro!

Thanks, av receiver is next!!

Will post some more pics when I've tied the cables a bit and finished dressing the room.

Slackadder · 11-11-2009, 8:13 AM

Elvis,

Enjoy the LX5090 - I have one which replaced a Sharp LCD - the picture is immense.

Do make sure that you check out the 9G owners thread on the forum for settings etc - they buzz a bit if you don't use the power save (Mode 2) settings...

Enjoy and I will keep an eye on the thread to see how it progresses.

Anthony

HD Elvis · 11-11-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slackadder

Elvis,

Enjoy the LX5090 - I have one which replaced a Sharp LCD - the picture is immense.

Do make sure that you check out the 9G owners thread on the forum for settings etc - they buzz a bit if you don't use the power save (Mode 2) settings...

Enjoy and I will keep an eye on the thread to see how it progresses.

Anthony

Thanks! Been too busy tweaking settings tonight so haven't had time to upload some photos of the room as it has come on a bit since the last shots. I am looking at a receiver and a good set of speakers next, are you impressed with the arcam at all? Would love the new 500 or the 600 if the budget could stretch with some decent PMC's to go with it.

I have saved the Excel spreadsheet with all the settings posted within the owners thread and have used a mixture of each. So far, well I would like to say suprised at the quality but, with having a 428xd I knew what to expect

Slackadder · 11-11-2009, 11:06 PM

Elvis,

AVR300 is great - very good for 2 channel as well. Tempted by the new receivers but £2500-£3500 is a bit much at the mo (should be saving for a house but still spend too much on hifi gear as it is!!!).

If you can find an AVR350 I believe the power supplies are better - plus you can use the HDMI for video (not audio) which is good if you are running out of HDMI inputs on your TV!!!

Anthony

HD Elvis · 12-11-2009, 9:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slackadder

Elvis,

AVR300 is great - very good for 2 channel as well. Tempted by the new receivers but £2500-£3500 is a bit much at the mo (should be saving for a house but still spend too much on hifi gear as it is!!!).

If you can find an AVR350 I believe the power supplies are better - plus you can use the HDMI for video (not audio) which is good if you are running out of HDMI inputs on your TV!!!

Anthony

My PS3 doesn't bitsream the new HD codecs

so would need a new player which can. Having said that, could probably pick up a decent new player and the 350 for a lot less than even a AVR500 lol. Hmmm, might look into that.

HD Elvis · 13-11-2009, 6:50 PM

Well, after a few nights of tweaking

I have settled on Bumtious' settings. I tried quite a bit of experimentation however Bumtious' settings were genuinely the best to my eyes. The wife came in tonight with some great movie posters for me so will have to get them framed and put up. Hopefully will have some time over the weekend to upload some more pics.

HD Elvis · 15-11-2009, 6:08 PM

Right, here we go, a few more pics of the last few stages of the main project. I now just need a few more film posters framed and put on the walls, the cables tidying up, somewhere to sit! oh and an av receiver and a good 5.1 setup.

alz2605 · 15-11-2009, 7:19 PM

Wow thats well nice mate! Wish I had a dedicated room like that!