Bit of advice with my projector/screen please

Bit of advice please.

I have a Sony VPL-HS1 in the 7 months that I've had it, I've only used it for 36 hours!!

My little boy will not leave it alone if I leave it anywhere and setting it up is a bit of a pain. It has to be in the middle of the floor on a table.

I usually watch it on the free screen that came with it, about 50" wide, approx 9 feet away.

I would like to site it on a unit I have, so keeping it out of reach of my little 'un, and have the screen on the opposite wall. Problems are;

1, The wall is about 18 feet distance which gives an image of about 7 feet wide, nice, so a new screen required.

2, The wall is the fireplace end, so the wall has two alcoves. The width of the fireplace is 5 feet. So the screen will be 1 foot wider either side with the alcoves behind them. So a fixed screen is not possible.

I was thinking about getting a pull down screen and although the the unit will jutt out 1 foot either side, because it will be up high it won't look so stupid!!

Has anyone else had to compromise like this, or has anyone any suggestions that might help ( no I will not foster out my little boy or send him to boarding school )

It is not practical to site the projector anywhere else.

Cheers

 

Thanks for the reply Nigel.

I think this will be the best option. Although I may have to put it on the wall, it's an old building with lathe & plaster ceilings.

As far as I know the Sony VPL-HS1 can't be ceiling mounted, but even if it could I would be reluctant to do so, because of the age of the ceilings.


Has anyone had any experience with a Sony VPL-HS1 with a 7 ft wide image. Is it Ok.

I think I will need a good quality screen to get a good image from that distance.

 

You don't necessarily have to worry about the old ceilings. Depending on how confident you are with DIY you can either fix directly to the joists above (if you are lucky and they are in the right place) or most probably you can remove the floor boards above (assuming there is a floor above) and fix additional timber between the joists and fix to that. That way you are not placing any load on the old lath ceiling.

 

It always starts off like an easy task, then nothing but problems. You can bet your life that the ceiling would fall down

 

It always starts off like an easy task, then nothing but problems. You can bet your life that the ceiling would fall down