Living Room Help Required for Potential PJ Install

BobbyMac

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Background

Got a 50" ST50 Plasma and looked at upgrading to a 55", however after seeing my dad's 65" ST50, decided that I definetly wanted to go 65" minimum :cool:

Worked out the money required to "upgrade" and realised I could spend the "difference" on a PJ and keep my 50" ST50 :clap:

Other than some reading up over the past few days, not really au fait with what type of screen/gain/throw etc :blush:

Also throw into the mix that I've got an awkward room (see plan below), I'm not sure if it will be feasible

If it is budget is £1000 for PJ, cables, Screen & blackout curtain (if required)

mF7vj.png


What the plan doesn't show is that the ceiling height is lower for the first 600mm depth into the room from the window (3260mm high), the ceiling then opens upto 3500mm high for the rest of the house

The Star in the middle indicates a 900mm dia fancy light fitting that drops approx 350mm down from the ceiling (roughly in the middle of the ceiling - not sure if I'd need to replace it with a smaller light??)

I also need to fit my AV Stand (1100mm wide x 550mm deep x 640mm high) in the middle of the window c/w 50" Panny TV, along with my 2 x Audiovector Speakers & SVS 20-39PCi Sub (approx 420mm Dia)

Not sure if it's feasible to run a PJ (I'm hoping to get a 100" picture diagonally)

My walls are a mushroomy cream colour and the floors are walnut laminate flooring

The BenQ W1070 seems to be getting good press (although I'm not interested in 3D at all)

I'm also not bothered about buying second hand if I can get a "much" better picture for my money

All advice is welcome, cheers! :smashin:
 
Not sure where you plan on putting the screen or the projector (or is that what you're asking?).

Looking at the light fitting, you won't have enough throw distance to get a big enough image if you go in front of the light, so you either need to get a ceiling mount with a longer pole (which then means the PJ hangs right down in the middle of the room which IMHO would look crap in a living room) or change the light for a flatter fitting. I have some lights that are only about 8" down from the ceiling for example, so my projector can clear them, but my projector is mounted on top of a bookcase/shelf at the back of the room, so it is lower than the lights anyway.

You should have a play with the projection screen calculator to see which models in your budget will produce a big enough image from the throw distance you plan. It might even be that the image is too big as I found with the new Sony VW50ES so I couldn't have one in my room.

Projection Calculator Pro - Projector to Screen Distance
 
Not sure where you plan on putting the screen or the projector (or is that what you're asking?).

Looking at the light fitting, you won't have enough throw distance to get a big enough image if you go in front of the light, so you either need to get a ceiling mount with a longer pole (which then means the PJ hangs right down in the middle of the room which IMHO would look crap in a living room) or change the light for a flatter fitting. I have some lights that are only about 8" down from the ceiling for example, so my projector can clear them, but my projector is mounted on top of a bookcase/shelf at the back of the room, so it is lower than the lights anyway.

You should have a play with the projection screen calculator to see which models in your budget will produce a big enough image from the throw distance you plan. It might even be that the image is too big as I found with the new Sony VW50ES so I couldn't have one in my room.

Projection Calculator Pro - Projector to Screen Distance

I can only put the the screen in front of the window, hence the question would I need a blackout blind behind the screen (and is it feasible)?

The light fitting I can easily swap so that's not an issue

Screen wise would a screen like this be ok and would my amp be able to use it's 12V trigger to bring the screen down automatically rather than using the supplied RC?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-120-C...Projection_Accessories_ET&hash=item5d3744b691

Next question which is subjective, would a £700 second hand "legacy" PJ be that much better picture wise than say the Benq W1070?

Sorry for all the questions :blush:
 
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I don't have a black out blind behind my screen, but the curtains have a thick lining. So long as the room is dark enough it shouldn't be a problem as the light doesn't go through the screen if that's what you mean, but you may need the black out blind to stop light getting into the room if you have bright street lights outside or want to watch when it isn't fully dark.

You might be able to use a 12v trigger, but you'd need to check with the supplier. It might be an extra cost item and I doubt you'd be able to connect the 12v trigger into the remote sensor for example.

That screen looks like it might be a 4:3 format which is rubbish for use with a 16:9 projector: Everything you watch will have black bars top and bottom. If you watch a lot of action films or other films in 2.40:1 aspect ratio then you find nearly half the screen will be used up with black bars with a narrow image in the middle of the tall 4:3 screen.

TBH it looks like the usual cheapie eBay option. If you can find a 16:9 version fair enough, but treat it as a stop gap: It will wrinkle and curl after a while and may not even be perfectly flat even when new. There is a reason that some screens cost more money and tab tensioning is one of them. Mine is 4+ years old and is completely flat. However, it cost a sight more than the eBay example, but unfortunately Beamax seems to have gone bust so I can't even recommend one now for you to save up for. :( Unless you can accommodate a fixed screen which shouldn't wrinkle or curl then you should be aware that this will happen.

Personally I'm not a fan of using a 12 volt trigger, but that is because I'd be concerned that a family member might press the wrong button on the amp and trigger the screen to drop while the TV is on behind it. I could imagine the panic and frantic button pressing that would ensue if I wasn't there when it happened. Also, we have a cleaner who loves to rearrange our various ornaments so I always have to check that they are out of the way of the screen before I lower it. Maybe these issues wouldn't effect you, but just my concern.

I think you already know my thoughts regarding buying used. ;)

You can get a new projector within budget (though I'm not familiar with models in this price range, Keith might be able to recommend some options). You could buy a used JVC HD350 like I just sold for £700 which will have much better black levels than the new option, but as I said in the other thread, I think you have to accept that it is a gamble and if you can't afford to write off £700 then I'd strongly urge you to buy new.
 
I watch my Optoma HD300X in a room that isn't blacked out. The screen comes down in front of the patio doors and watching during the day isn't too bad, not perfect but perfectly acceptable. To be honest, if your walls aren't a dark colour (mine are a cream colour) watching a movie with lighter scenes will bounce as much light around the room as you get from stray light getting through the curtains even in a fully blacked out room.
 
I watch my Optoma HD300X in a room that isn't blacked out. The screen comes down in front of the patio doors and watching during the day isn't too bad, not perfect but perfectly acceptable. To be honest, if your walls aren't a dark colour (mine are a cream colour) watching a movie with lighter scenes will bounce as much light around the room as you get from stray light getting through the curtains even in a fully blacked out room.

Good to know, cheers.

My walls are a mushroom colour :blush:
 
Any other alternatives to the Benq W1070?
 
Hello BobbyMac,

I do not see from your diagram how the satellite cable, or free view cable, is going to be led around the room. Also, with a projector, to get sound, I have to run a wire around the room to the amp from the equipment over the other side of the room where the projector is next to the sky box, DVD, blur ray etc boxes.

It would be nice to see a diagram where the free view / satellite cable comes in the wall. I have an extension kit on mine so I can have it set up how I want, and I cover the cable with furniture to hide it.

If you go to the optoma website, their projectors have a throw ratio which indicates how big the picture is going to be in regards to how far the projector is from the wall. A 1:1 means for every metre from the wall, the picture is 1 metre wide. A 1:2 would mean that for every metre from the wall, the picture is .5 metres across. I currently have mine 3.5 metres from the wall, and it has a ratio of 2:1 so the picture is 1.75 metres across. You can then work out the height based on the native resolution of the projector, if you see what I mean.

I worked out mine by reversing the equation on the instruction manual to workout where a 2:1 meant the picture would be bigger at 1 metre away or smaller as I did not know.

The light fitting, in my eyes, should not be a problem. I have a big light right in the middle of the room where the projector goes under and it is not a problem.

Hope this may help a bit. I just know that Optoma specify the throw ratio on their projectors with a variety of distances. You just need to plug your information into it instead of the specified distances.
 
If you need more help, I will try to aid you. I am no way a geek in this field, but I can aid with what I know.
 
Hello BobbyMac,

I do not see from your diagram how the satellite cable, or free view cable, is going to be led around the room. Also, with a projector, to get sound, I have to run a wire around the room to the amp from the equipment over the other side of the room where the projector is next to the sky box, DVD, blur ray etc boxes.

It would be nice to see a diagram where the free view / satellite cable comes in the wall. I have an extension kit on mine so I can have it set up how I want, and I cover the cable with furniture to hide it.

If you go to the optoma website, their projectors have a throw ratio which indicates how big the picture is going to be in regards to how far the projector is from the wall. A 1:1 means for every metre from the wall, the picture is 1 metre wide. A 1:2 would mean that for every metre from the wall, the picture is .5 metres across. I currently have mine 3.5 metres from the wall, and it has a ratio of 2:1 so the picture is 1.75 metres across. You can then work out the height based on the native resolution of the projector, if you see what I mean.

I worked out mine by reversing the equation on the instruction manual to workout where a 2:1 meant the picture would be bigger at 1 metre away or smaller as I did not know.

The light fitting, in my eyes, should not be a problem. I have a big light right in the middle of the room where the projector goes under and it is not a problem.

Hope this may help a bit. I just know that Optoma specify the throw ratio on their projectors with a variety of distances. You just need to plug your information into it instead of the specified distances.
All my sources are plugged into my Anthem Amp, so I'll need to use a HDMI splitter (the amp only has one HDMI OUT) and run a cable to the PJ from the amp (carries sound and picture)

The amp/sources will all be housed in my AV Stand in front of the window (middle of the room)

The AV stand is roughly 550mm deep, so I'll use the 600mm deep alcove to mount the PJ Screen just in front of my Plasma TV

Probably need a 10m HDMI to route it around the room tidily :blush:

Once I decide which PJ to go for I'll double check throw, however I'm looking to get a 100" minimum from a 4m/4.2m viewing distance

Might hold off for a few months as I saw an "assured advertiser" stating that a new PJ is coming to market soon I'm my budget :cool:

Don't think I'll be buying 2nd hand due to potential warranty problems unless I can pick up an ex-legacy bargain that's not a JVC (non-transferable warranty puts me off)

TBH I could always swap the light fighting with the dining room one if it causes an issue ;)
 
I cannot say for sure, but from what I have read, if you get a 10 metre HDMI cable and you don't get white specks on the screen, you are :thumbsup:.

If you do, get a better quality cable and it should, hopefully, solve your problem of white specks on the screen and you are :thumbsup: because it is all in the digital domain.

Doing it the way I am, I have analogue rca cables going around the room, each from the individual devices to the hi-fi over the other side the room. I have DVD, TV box and laptop (so 6 cables). I then have S-VIDEO going from the devices to the projector (which is next to them) for the picture. This is because it is an analogue projector. There is no delay in picture after sound which was quite lucky really because I did not think about that when I set it up. It might be to do with the fact it is all analogue and no digital involved.

There is next to no hum from the cable, but turn it up max on the amp, and there is, but I never listen to it that loud anyway.

I am not sure if you have thought about this yet, but have you considered de-interlaceing material that is fed to your projector or by your projector. This is because your projector is progressive and, at least in my PAL region, most DVDs are interlaced and have artifacts on the projector if not de-interlaced.

As S-VIDEO carries interlaced only, I watch films on my laptop with a de-interlacer installed on the computer and hooked up via VGA to the laptop. This makes them look better than S-VIDEO not only because it is RGBHV component, but because it is de-interlaced, too.

I don't have one for the TV box, but for some reason, no interlaced artifacts despite there not being a de-interlacer on the projector and it being an interlaced signal. Again, luck , as I did not know this stuff when I bought all the equipment for it. It might be that modern TV standard def broadcasts do not produced interlaced artifacts despite the signal being so. Old DVDs, however, might not be so good.

If you use HDMI, your TV box and DVD / blu ray player might have a de-interlacer built in for 1080i / 480i / 576i content, if not the projector will have to do the work.

The reason I mention this is because most modern TVs have them built in and people don't really need to know because if all TVs have them, then it covers all grounds. I cannot say the same for projectors.

Either way, good luck with the set up, and if you need more help, let me know. I will try to help, but maybe not take it as fact as I have a lot to learn myself and I cannot gurntee what I am saying is correct.
 
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