Advice on screen and projector please

willgotthepower

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Hi guys,

I’m currently about to build my first cinema room and would appreciate any views on potential kit.
I have a 8ft 4inch square bay window in my living room which I am hoping to fit a tab tension 92 inch sapphire electric projector screen.
Sapphire SETTS200WSF-AW

It’s a shame as I’d like to go bigger than 92inch, but I’m limited space wise. Il be sitting about 11-12ft maximum away from the screen.
The projector I’m not sure about as of yet, I’d love a Sony 4K but at £5k odd they will be out of my budget. I’m looking at a Optoma UHD65 (£2500) but am aware it’s a couple of years old now. The next model up in the optoma range is £3500 but is a laser 4K machine. (Whatever that is).
Anyhow, my question to everyone is, would 92 inch be ok for a cinema experience in a smallish living room for family viewing or would a 85inch tv be a better bet? Probably going to come in roughly the same money. I do have a radiator under my window in the bay and a projector does seem to work better as it can be left closed up when not in use so visually looks nicer than a big tv left in front of a radiator...
I will be getting a new denon AV and have a 5.1 tannoy speaker setup so am sorted in that regard...
Any tips would be most appreciated.
 

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I too have a bay window 2.28m wide. Currently has a 2m wide screen just inside the bay, but going to a 2.43m wide screen across the bay opening. Projector max zoom will manage 2.37m wide picture, approx 108" diagonal. All a tight fit!!
 
If you are going for a 92" projected screen size I would go for the 85" tv instead. If you were going 100"+ pj is better.
 
As Broadsword has said at like for like size (92"/85") tv has better contrast, colours, no noise(fan) instant on, no bulb to dim or replace, can be used in daylight so no need to blackout room.

But once over 100" tv gives over to pj on cost and is more immersive which gives more wow factor.
 
TV's are better dude, contrast, colours & running costs.

Can the screen not go outside of the bay instead?
If you could kindly look at my photo of the room, do you think it would look silly if we went over the bay and not inside of it? I’m all for increasing the screen size but I did want to originally keep the projector in the bay. I’d be happy to go a size up to the 106inch screen which is only £50 more expensive but I would have to mount it outside of the bay..
 
Ok some of the guys are giving you the advice to go the TV route but I’m guessing from time to time you would like to look out that window which was why you were considering the PJ and retractable screen option.

Ultimately only you can make that decision but if you prefer the PJ/screen option then don’t be put off that it’s somehow inferior because in many ways it’s the nicer image and can produce truly amazing clarity. The Sony 295es which is the cheapest UHD projector they do doesn’t have enough lumens (light output) to give you a convincing picture to watch with some light in the room and the killer with the Optoma UHD65 is it’s got crap blacks, the Epson 9400 is the same price but has decent blacks, lots of brightness and has huge lens adjustment, in the sub £3K price bracket it’s the absolute best projector brand new.

The real problem I have is the choice of screen, it’s a decent enough screen but you really need to look at an ALR screen to allow you to use it with some indirect lighting. The problem is they aren’t as cheap as a plain white one for obvious reasons so ideally you need to budget about £1.2-1.5K for a screen, I know big bucks but a screen will last you many, many years even if you change your projector several times. You could look the classifieds on here to see if anyone is selling theirs Secondhand for a bit cheaper otherwise it’s the price mentioned for new.

Here’s a handy Website that allows you to pick your projector and screen size and see if the combination will fit in your room.
 
Man, I’m sure it’s great having a screen like that but I would never ever spend that much on one.

It’s all relative, spending a grand or so on a projector I wouldn’t expect someone to spend the same again on a screen and to be honest with you if it’s a dedicated room with dark walls and ceiling you will get away with an electric tab tension screen half that price but if you want to get the best possible picture with some ambient light in the room you need to get an ALR screen and the technology isn’t cheap unfortunately.

I always think visual explanations are better than words



The point I was trying to explain was you don’t have to pick a projector with poor blacks because that’s all you will ever get in that room, pick the right screen and then projectors with really good blacks become the preferred choice because you’ll be able to get a cracking image.
 
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Ok some of the guys are giving you the advice to go the TV route but I’m guessing from time to time you would like to look out that window which was why you were considering the PJ and retractable screen option.

Ultimately only you can make that decision but if you prefer the PJ/screen option then don’t be put off that it’s somehow inferior because in many ways it’s the nicer image and can produce truly amazing clarity. The Sony 295es which is the cheapest UHD projector they do doesn’t have enough lumens (light output) to give you a convincing picture to watch with some light in the room and the killer with the Optoma UHD65 is it’s got crap blacks, the Epson 9400 is the same price but has decent blacks, lots of brightness and has huge lens adjustment, in the sub £3K price bracket it’s the absolute best projector brand new.

The real problem I have is the choice of screen, it’s a decent enough screen but you really need to look at an ALR screen to allow you to use it with some indirect lighting. The problem is they aren’t as cheap as a plain white one for obvious reasons so ideally you need to budget about £1.2-1.5K for a screen, I know big bucks but a screen will last you many, many years even if you change your projector several times. You could look the classifieds on here to see if anyone is selling theirs Secondhand for a bit cheaper otherwise it’s the price mentioned for new.

Here’s a handy Website that allows you to pick your projector and screen size and see if the combination will fit in your room.

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I’m really grateful.
You are quite correct in that I would like to make the room dual purpose in that if the projector screen wasn’t in use ie in the daytime, the room could be a peaceful retreat from our kitchen diner (kitchen/diner has a dedicated lounge area with our 55 inch tv).
The ability to open the shutters etc would come into play to let in natural daylight etc which you just couldn’t do if you plonked a 85inch tv in the bay. You’d basically lose the whole window/shutters to the tv which I think is a shame hence the projector idea. When in use would be a cinema room, when screen stowed away, just a peaceful room with ability to open shutters and also listen to music via the surround sound system.
Regarding the screen size, I’ve had a helpful chap out this morning from richer sounds. He seems to think in the bay at 92inch is his preference for neatness etc as opposed to my growing preference for a 102 inch but fitted over the bay so not quite as neat and tidy.
I’m leaning towards the Optoma UHZ65 projector now as opposed to the UHD65 as it appears to get more favourable write ups...do you have any advice on this particular projector? There seem to be a few “open box” zero hour examples kicking around for £3k as opposed to £3500 new. (All with warranty of course). I’m actually lucky in the sense that I’m going to claim the vat back for the equipment so all of my costs are currently minus 20 per cent which all helps..
Anyhow to recap, the equipment in the running is as follows;

Either 92inch/106inch tab tension sapphire screen (£1049/£1100)

Optoma UHZ65 (open box £3k)

Denon AVC-X3700H (£999)

Tannoy DC6/DC4lcr Speakers (already have these unopened)

Tannoy sub (already have this, unused).
 
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^I hate to keep coming back to your preferred projector choice but they don’t have great blacks and funny as it sounds blacks make your colours pop. The benefit the UHZ65 has is its laser but I use my Epson about 2-3 nights a week to watch a movie and I’ve had it more than 18 months and only have 500 hours on the bulb which will be good for a bare minimum of 3500 hours. It this rate I’ll have changed the projector before I’ll need to change the bulb. LOL

If you don’t intend to use the projector during the day and it’s purpose is lights out movie/TV watching at night then you DO NOT need an ALR screen. You could use a regular white screen but if you don’t want to alter the colour of your walls and ceiling (why would you) you should consider a screen with grey material instead of white, they help combat light reflection off your walls/ceiling by boosting your black levels.

May I suggest contacting @Rickyj at Kalibrate and ask him about their own branded screens, you might find the price similar or slightly dearer than the Elite but the quality is top notch, I’m using one of his grey fixed frame screens and the image I’m getting from my Epson is truly mind blowing. Ask him what projector he would recommend in your price bracket and your viewing environment because not only does he sell the equipment he’s a calibrator of projectors too, he’s extremely helpful.

This is my screen

E95C135C-12E3-46BB-BC6C-BEAD1725917A.jpeg

And the kind of image the Epson + screen can produce.

AD1CC1E6-42C5-45E3-BF6C-521B25814EE7.jpeg
DABD99D2-6153-4F56-AF00-4DFA176C865B.jpeg
CF2CBD04-E57D-42C8-AD3B-B51E4EA2EFC1.jpeg
 
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You have a room where you intend to put the screen in the bay so I can see you don't want an 85" screen blocking out the light during daylight hours or when not viewing a/v content.

I presume your room has other walls is it not possible to have an 85" tv on another of those walls and move your room orientation round.
 
You have a room where you intend to put the screen in the bay so I can see you don't want an 85" screen blocking out the light during daylight hours or when not viewing a/v content.

I presume your room has other walls is it not possible to have an 85" tv on another of those walls and move your room orientation round.
It’s not possible due to the door location and wall lengths..Thos would work best for size of sofa we require..actually, we’ve already bought the sofa so we are stuck with projector or tv in the bay!
 
I have a twopence:
1. I bet you won't see a difference between 4k and FullHD on 92'' from 11ft. I know it's hard not to go for the latest tech, but honesty can save you ££ :)
2. Buy a blackout cloth the whole width of the room for £20 and experiment with your pj before you decide on an expensive screen!
 
I have a twopence:
1. I bet you won't see a difference between 4k and FullHD on 92'' from 11ft. I know it's hard not to go for the latest tech, but honesty can save you ££ :)
2. Buy a blackout cloth the whole width of the room for £20 and experiment with your pj before you decide on an expensive screen!
Actually the reviews for the optoma say that you see 4K up to 12ft away if I recall correctly on the laser projector whereas with a tv they reckon once you are 5ft or so away your out of the optimum viewing range for the detailed pixels or whatever it is..
What’s the blackout cloth for? I have no natural light coming in if shut the shutters over the windows and close my door. I’d imagine il be watching the projector with the lights off as well or maybe just a small lamp in the corner...
 
Actually the reviews for the optoma say that you see 4K up to 12ft away if I recall correctly on the laser projector whereas with a tv they reckon once you are 5ft or so away your out of the optimum viewing range for the detailed pixels or whatever it is..
What’s the blackout cloth for? I have no natural light coming in if shut the shutters over the windows and close my door. I’d imagine il be watching the projector with the lights off as well or maybe just a small lamp in the corner...

I haven’t do the comparison between 1080P and 4K but I have compared Epson’s e-shift which is 2K compared with Native 4K and you really need to be within 7ft from my 100” to start and see the increased resolution of 4K proper.

I think the Blackout cloth suggestion was to hang it up from the ceiling and use the white side as your screen so you can see what size of screen you can get and what you feel comfortable with in the room.
 
I've ordered a Celexon Dynamic Slate ALR electric tab tensioned screen 243cm visible width, so 253cm with borders. 110" diagonal, max zoom on PJ is 108" diagonal, unless I cut hole in wall for back of projector!!
Box is 275cm wide, so has to go outside bay window, but will be able to inset mounting brackets in bay. Screen is £779.
Bay windows have black out roller blinds plus curtains. So daytime watching is fine.
 
I've ordered a Celexon Dynamic Slate ALR electric tab tensioned screen 243cm visible width, so 253cm with borders. 110" diagonal, max zoom on PJ is 108" diagonal, unless I cut hole in wall for back of projector!!
Box is 275cm wide, so has to go outside bay window, but will be able to inset mounting brackets in bay. Screen is £779.
Bay windows have black out roller blinds plus curtains. So daytime watching is fine.

Try projecting the 108” onto the screen to see if it’s worth your while cutting the hole in the wall. An ALR is naturally darker than a regular screen so it might give the appearance of a thicker border as is.
 
Think I'm fine with the loss of 2"😁
 
Think I'm fine with the loss of 2"😁

I have no doubt you will be happy with the lose of 2”. The question is whether your wife will be. :laugh:
 
My current 2m wide screen in window bay, with distinct edge curl. New 2.75m wide screen housing will be across bay under ceiling and 2.53m wide screen itself about 7cm wider each side than nearest and outer edge of the opening. Viewing distance will be about 2.7m.

CS_20201019_094139[1].jpg
 

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