Discreet living room cinema

Thanks @Smurfin

I'm actually planning on changing a couple of things at the moment.

I'm planning to change my screen to a bordered scope screen. I find I prefer watching 16:9 boxset/TV content on a slightly smaller screen - around 90" - rather than the full 125". But I still want a big scope image. So a 108" (or so) scope screen would be perfect, and I can use the Lumagen to manage changing aspect ratios.

I've asked @Rickyj at Kalibrate for a quote and will take it from there. Which may mean my 125" ends up in the classifieds for some lucky buyer!

I'm also trying to resist a pj upgrade. Unfortunately the new Epsons aren't looking very interesting, so I may hold onto the 9400.
 
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I decided against a screen change, at least for now. Invested the money in a X7900 instead, which I picked up today.

Wow this thing throws a great image! This is the first time I've experienced the famous JVC blacks in my own room - now I see what the fuss is about.

I was concerned it wouldn't be anywhere near as bright as the 9400, but so far that doesn't seem to be an issue. It actually looks brighter if anything, which might be down to the vastly improved contrast.

The only downside is I'll have to spend money on a new calibration. I'm sure that'll be worth it, but right now it's difficult to see where the improvements could be made.
 
That’s great that you’ve noticed a difference with blacks even though you have a white ceiling.
I have a room similar to yours, dark walls but white ceiling and an ALR screen.
Im really tempted to go for a 7900 instead of the new Epson LS12000 and would be cheaper too :thumbsdow
 
I was in the same boat - either the 12000 or 7900, or possibly N7. Ultimately I saw a 7900 in the classifieds with ~300h on the bulb and a year's warranty so that seemed the best call, and significantly cheaper than the other two options. I'm thrilled with it so far.

I was also worried the 7900 would be a batcave-only projector and that I wouldn't notice the benefit in a living room, with ALR. But that's not at all the case - the difference is far from subtle. "Night and day" is a bit cliche in AV chat, but really that's the case here. The blacks and contrast are amazing.

Tbh, my living room is quite dark apart from the ceiling, so I was confident I'd see some benefit, I just didnt expect it to be so pronounced. I think @Thatsnotmynaim also has an ALR in a living room, with light walls, and saw a big difference between the Epson (9300) and x7900.
 
Today I finally got around to building a box for the projector. I'd been planning this for about a year but never found the time/motivation.

Anyway, step one is a plain MDF box:
20211205_182850.jpg
 
Today I finally got around to building a box for the projector. I'd been planning this for about a year but never found the time/motivation.

Anyway, step one is a plain MDF box:
View attachment 1614393
No concerns in terms of overheating mate?
 
None. The box is open on both the front and back, so plenty of airflow.
 
Actually, now I am a bit concerned! Think I might go back to the drawing board on this...
 
It looks like you have your projector off centre, have you noticed any loss in picture quality with using lenses shift?
My projector is dead centre but I would prefer it to be further back but it would be off centre due to our open staircase at the back of the room.
 
Actually, now I am a bit concerned! Think I might go back to the drawing board on this...
be interested to see what you do here, am thinking of building a box around my 7900 with sound dampening, but heat dissipation is my biggest concern
 
If you have good airflow it should be fine, I have had no problems with my HD10500 and the previous JVC in a open ended cover, my box is also lined with absorbent foam as well

Cinema Epson 1.jpg
 
I presume that box is open both ends @IWC Dopplel ?

When you mention airflow, do you have ac or fans running?
 
I presume that box is open both ends @IWC Dopplel ?

When you mention airflow, do you have ac or fans running?

Yes open both ends, no AC, I did buy a 12V super Quiet fan but have never fitted it. The PJ seems to stay pretty cool as the only ventilation is ai in at the back and out at the front. I re-used this case and had to mount the PJ into a small raised plate in the ceiling as the Epson mounted was too deep without sinking the PJ into the ceiling by 2" or so. I would recommend the front lip or base extends so the fan is not in direct line to the seating position
 
cheers for that, i'm considering leaving the 7900 attached to its mount on the ceiling as it, and just building a box around it,secured to the ceiling but won't be touching or taking the weight of the projector.
 
cheers for that, i'm considering leaving the 7900 attached to its mount on the ceiling as it, and just building a box around it,secured to the ceiling but won't be touching or taking the weight of the projector.

My 'box' is just a U shape so separate to the PJ mount. I did use it to stabilise the mount a little with some foam under the bottom as I found the ceiling can have some small movement
 
exactly what i was considering, and has the advantage of being quickly removable if heat did start to build up.

sorry if we have derailed your thread @DLxP , but it seems somewhat relevant:)
 
It's all good, not derailing at all!

I'm fairly sure I'm going to pull the box off the ceiling and just affix the projector to the flush mount I have for it. It was only there for aesthetic reasons, so it's not worth the risk.

Whilst there's a good chance it'd be fine in the box, I'm not willing to chance it now that I've dug into it a bit. The manual says it needs:

Screenshot_20211206-181517_Drive.jpg


I felt the projector last night after using it for 2 hours, and the left side (facing the front) felt a bit hotter than it probably should.

I guess I could make a box out of white fabric, to hide the projector, and that would allow heat to dissipate. But I'm not sure that would look as good as I'd like.

Ideally I'd have found a white X7900! But I'm not complaining- very happy with the one I've got.

It looks like you have your projector off centre, have you noticed any loss in picture quality with using lenses shift?
My projector is dead centre but I would prefer it to be further back but it would be off centre due to our open staircase at the back of the room.
Nope, it looks great edge to edge. It's only about 20cm off centre though, if that, so I don't have to use loads of lens shift. I had to use a bit more on my TW9400, which was further over, but that was fine too.
 
I dont think you will need quite as much side clearance if the back is open but you could line with soundproof foam and reduce the fan noise. I wish my unit was silent its much quieter in its box but on silent parts of the film I can hear it
 
I find I tune out the fan noise, but some other sounds can be annoying if the pitch is too high. The JVC seems fine on that front though. The Epson was good too, as long as I didn't use it on high, aka jet engine mode.

At some future point, when I finally build a dedicated room again, I reckon I'll either locate the projector completely outside the room or build a proper hush box.
 
Today I finally got around to building a box for the projector. I'd been planning this for about a year but never found the time/motivation.

Anyway, step one is a plain MDF box:
View attachment 1614393
Really wanting to build a box like this for my room. But concerns over the heat lead my to just have a shelf.
Maybe a fan into the rear of the box would help?
 
Maybe a fan into the rear of the box would help?
I thought about that actually, and wondered whether I could run a Noctua or similar fan either off the 12v trigger (a bad idea, apparently) or some other way.

In the end, pulling it out the box was the easiest approach. I'm actually quite happy with that too, as it's a pretty projector. I just need to finish filling in/painting the holes I made in the ceiling.

1639052621507.png


Also, I ended up repurposing the MDF for my daughter's school project, so it all worked out in the end!
 
I find I tune out the fan noise, but some other sounds can be annoying if the pitch is too high. The JVC seems fine on that front though. The Epson was good too, as long as I didn't use it on high, aka jet engine mode.

At some future point, when I finally build a dedicated room again, I reckon I'll either locate the projector completely outside the room or build a proper hush box.
I'm considering the same tw9400 to x7900 change.

Would you say noise is similar between the two under none high mode?

Anything you prefer on the Epson?

And naive question while I'm here. I have a generic ceiling mount for the Epson - how do I check requirements for jvc, or are they pretty interchangeable?

Lovely room btw - nice work.
 
Would you say noise is similar between the two under none high mode?
It's not even close - the Epson's much louder in high. I actually use the JVC in high quite often, whereas I never would with the Epson, it was too loud. In low lamp mode the JVC seems to be quite similar to the Epson in Eco.

Anything you prefer on the Epson?

The JVC has a slightly softer image than the Epson, so in that respect I probably preferred the Epson's sharpness, but there's very little in it. In every other image aspect the JVC is significantly better.

And naive question while I'm here. I have a generic ceiling mount for the Epson - how do I check requirements for jvc, or are they pretty interchangeable?

Can't help you with this one I'm afraid - I bought the JVC with a ceiling mount, so I never had to think about it. From recollection, the UK Home Cinemas low profile mount I had on the 9400 would fit either the 9400 or some Sony pjs, so I'd be surprised if Epson and JVC mounts were interchangeable - but that's just a guess.
 
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I must say, your room is looking awfully nice. I'm torn now with mine if I should go super pretty or hard core black !! Loving those surrounds too - holly molly !! Love to know what you paid for them and where you got them - pm me perhaps ?

Not quite sure geographically where you are but if you'd ever like to borrow a pair of 8340a's or 8350's your welcome but they are BIG !!

I have been watching this guys videos which I have found so easy to understand and this one was interesting when it came to amplifiers ( ) as I'm playing around with unconventional (but cheap) amps at the mo.
 
Thanks mate! I couldn't get away with all black in the living room, but if it was a dedicated room I'd go as dark as possible.

The surrounds were pricey - £1200 a pair - but that's less than half RRP so not too bad relatively. They are hands down the best surrounds I've ever heard, so money well spent!
 

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