Lounge/ Discreet Home Cinema Build

nij_83

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So I've been meaning to write this post for sometime now but just never found a bit of spare time to actually get down to it and give it the attention it deserves.

As with many of you, I've been after my own dedicated home cinema room. Thankfully my wife was on board from the start as her dad has a home cinema so she expects a good setup! Her only clause...make sure it's not an eye sore and keep it discreet.

So tasked with my requirements I set out on my journey...for me I wanted a home cinema room that was also discreet but gave you an immersed experience, everything had to be discreet as I'm not a fan of huge speakers being on display, and as much as possible everything should be hidden or flush mounted.

Room plans designed in Visio (nothing fancy for me!)
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A projector and screen was a must over a large TV, and after some research and investigation, I decided on the BenQ W1400 projector...I was against having a projector ceiling mounted using the typical ceiling mounts which drop down from the ceiling - this partly drove my choice in projectors as i needed a PJ that would throw 115" @ 14ft...I'm happy with the one chosen. Trawling this forum gave me many ideas, and I went from thoughts of a projector lift to being more realistic with a ceiling soffit (inspired by @gary71 ) which I'm glad I went for as it helps me to house speakers and lights.

The kit:
BenQ W1400 Projector
KEF T305 5.1 set
KEF Ci50R x2 for Atmos
Marantz SR6010 AVR
Minix Neo X8-H Plus
Synology DS215+ NAS
Filmex AT Screen material courtesy of @Jag @ Epic Home Cinema

more posts to follow showing the rooms progress...
 
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The room before...

the wall opposite the window is where the projector screen will sit flush in a false wall.
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Work kicked off...

first thing to go was the fireplace, to be replaced by a wood burning stove

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Before I got a chance to get more pictures, they builders had already put up the false wall and run the cabling through the room:

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Next up was re-skimming the walls and prepping the room, shocked at how quickly these guys move with their work:

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cinema screen wall is looking good, this weekend was spent getting the positioning of the projector right so the work could continue

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the moment I'd been waiting for, all lighting was now in place...still needs to be finished off but its all starting to materialise now. ceiling tray is 75% in and once again thank you @gary71 for the idea
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Final post for the moment, double checked the projector placement yesterday and it's all ok, slightly short on the sides but ensures theres no overspill onto the walls

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Been at home today while the builders were working, got them to paint the space where the screen will sit in black as recommended by Jag. I have to admit now I'm starting to get excited as it's all coming together and can't wait to watch the first movie - still undecided what that should be

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Thanks spacecat, how did you find getting it onto a frame? Was it easy to work with?
My builder is going to build me a frame to fit fully into the black painted part of the wall, but I'll be stapling the filmex onto the frame myself one all work in the lounge and rest of the house finishes - don't want any dust or marks getting onto the screen
 
Looking good, glad my build thread was helpful to you :) We still use ours every week and love it.
 
Your thoughts/experience please:

I want to control as much of this room ("movie" lighting scene; projector on; AVR on; Minix on) as possible through an iPad.

Marantz have an app to control the AVR
Minix have an app to control the Minix

I originally planned to put Fibaro in to control the lighting with a view to extending that throughout other parts of the home but after ready reviews about their buggy HomeCenter2 I looked into SmartThings.

I'm now thinking to use the SmartThings hub paired with the Harmony Hub for controlling things and then use Fibaro Dimmer 2 modules to control the lighting.

Anyone have experience of this set up or combo of products?
 
Looking good. Can I ask, is the pelmet secured to the wall at only one point (the horizontal batten?)
 
Your thoughts/experience please:

I want to control as much of this room ("movie" lighting scene; projector on; AVR on; Minix on) as possible through an iPad.

Marantz have an app to control the AVR
Minix have an app to control the Minix

I originally planned to put Fibaro in to control the lighting with a view to extending that throughout other parts of the home but after ready reviews about their buggy HomeCenter2 I looked into SmartThings.

I'm now thinking to use the SmartThings hub paired with the Harmony Hub for controlling things and then use Fibaro Dimmer 2 modules to control the lighting.

Anyone have experience of this set up or combo of products?
I use SimpleControl (formally Roomie) to control everything. Worth looking into.
 
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@BobbyBrown yes the pelmet is secured at one point only. It's build using 12mm mdf and seems to hold up fine, though time will tell. Thankfully I use my builder regularly and consistently so any issues in sagging and he'll sort it out.
I don't believe there is too much weight to it as its been on for about 2 weeks and looks ok stil
 
Steroc- I've come across the roomie but it'll need to be able to control Fibaro z-wave modules. I picked up the smartthings and harmony hubs over the weekend and have Fibaro dimmers being shipped. Will let you know my findings, and may try to bring it all together with the roomie
 
A few steps closer to the end goal...
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Wife came over to inspect and is loving it.

Next steps are to have the Fibaro modules installed and the fireplace.
 
been a while since I've posted an update...things had slowed down quite a bit. We were waiting for 6 weeks for bricks to be shipped in from Europe, but they finally arrived last week and the builders was back to fit them and finish off the pointing.

fibaro modules still haven't been installed but the team are wrapping up a couple of other bits today so hopefully get the time to do this today.

Fingers crossed I can set up the projector this weekend along with connecting and equalising the speakers :)
 

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