[randytsuch]

My current HT is in the family room, and I don't have a dedicated room where I can put a projector.

I have a wall mounted 52" Sony LCD, which looks good, but is not big enough for the real movie theater experience.

I have been watching a few HDDVD's lately, Transformers, and the Matrix series, and I have no complaints about the sound, so with a bigger picture I would be set.

So, I am wondering if it would make sense to buy a projector, which I could set up on my coffee table, and a portable screen. 
I would set up the screen in front of my LCD, and then run a HDMI cable from the closet where the HT gear is.  I would need a HDMI splitter or switcher, so I could feed HDMI to the projector or the LCD, along with my receiver.

This is obviously something that I would only setup to watch movies with, probably on weekends.  I could store the stuff behind the sofa in the same room when not in use.

Coffee table allows a 9-10 projection distance, figuring I could get a screen 80-100".  Normal seating is around 14" away.

I was thinking of getting a now very affordable 720p projector, there is a Sharp DLP, DT-510 which is supposed to be good for the money.  Around $300 for a screen, and I'm set for less then $1000.

So, is this crazy, or reasonable?

Randy

[GHM]

I wanted to do something similar. I don't have a dedicated HT either. But I still want the projector mounted on the ceiling in the great room. I considered dropping in a motorized screen that will come down a few inches in front of my wall mounted LCD when viewing movies. As enticing as the cheaper 720Ps are , I think I'll wait till I can get a 1080P unit. I've just grown accustom to the vividness of Blu ray and do not want to make a step backwards.

Mine would only be used for movies as well. Any decent 1080 PJs with good contrast ratio out there for under $2000? I've found a motorized 84" screen for around $170 new.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Two things come to mind about potential bad things happening.

#1 As hot (and fragile) as these bulbs are, one good kick to the leg of the coffee table may be enough of a shock to blow your bulb.
#2 Spilled drinks splashing in the unit.

Other than that, you're "golden".

Check out the "CalculatorPro" on ProjectorCentral.com to see what projectors will work with your particular throw distance and what size screen options you'll have.

You could also permanently mount a manual pull down screen to the ceiling, like a lot of schools use to have.

Otherwise......Rock on Brother.   The introduction of a projector will make everything else seem puny.  aa

Bob

[randytsuch]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Motorized means running power to it, which rules that option out.  If I would have thought of this a couple years ago, when we were remodeling the room, I could have installed a motorized screen, and put in a place for a ceiling mounted projector, but it would cost too much now.

But a manual, permantly mounted screen in front on my LCD may be an option.

This coffee table is marble, weighs a ton, if someone kicks it, they'll break their toe, not the projector

I did look at the projectorcentral calculator, and the Sharp will be fine at this distance, with a screen size in the 80-100 inch range, although 100 inches was pushing it, 90 is probably a better fit.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Well heck, it sounds like you're done and have your bases covered........Whatcha waitin' for?   

Bob

[randytsuch]

Well heck, it sounds like you're done and have your bases covered........Whatcha waitin' for?   

Bob

I still need approval from my chief accountant 

Still have a few questions.
How loud are these things, if they are a few feet away from you.  Worried about fan noise.

How much gain would I need for the screen?
The sharp puts out 1,000 lumens, with a 4000:1 contrast ratio.
And, I need to figure out the viewing angle still.
Room is bright during the day, but this would be for night time use.


Randy

[John Casler]

Be prepared to sell your Sony LCD  aa

You can always get a smaller LCD for daytime watching.

No longer will you be "watching a movie".

You'll be "Screening a Film"

Anything less is not Home Theater, it is Home TV.

[Phil Taylor]

I like the way you think. 

Seriously OP - you'll be glad you got a projector and will probably be wanting a more permanent type setup - meanwhile be careful with the drinks and you should be fine. I have had PJs on tables with no issues but the screen was mounted to pull down over the picture window in the family room.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Most of the dedicated HT projectors I've seen around around 30-35 dB.
Some of the presentation projectors are a little louder.
You can always prop up a "backstop" behind the unit to block the fan noise. Picture one of those things they raise up behind passenger aircraft when they spool the engines up for take off. 
Just don't block the air flow. 

Bob

[randytsuch]

Most of the dedicated HT projectors I've seen around around 30-35 dB.
Some of the presentation projectors are a little louder.
You can always prop up a "backstop" behind the unit to block the fan noise. Picture one of those things they raise up behind passenger aircraft when they spool the engines up for take off. 
Just don't block the air flow. 

Bob

30 db should be OK, I will see how it sounds.
I may end up building a stand for it, and could add the backstop to the stand.  I might want it a little higher than the coffee table.

And, my finance director agreed to it
Although she also reminded me that she wants a new fridge, so I agreed to put this off until next year, when we recover from christmas and the holidays.  We are taking a couple of vacations this year too, which isn't helping.  I am also planning to sell some "stuff" next year, to help finance this project.

Still have screen questions.
I am thinking a DaLite High power screen.  The retro reflective feature is supposed to be perfect for this type of setup, as it reflects the light back to the source.  Since the source is a little lower then eye level, this will work well.
Are there any other retro reflective screens to consider.  The one drawback to the high power is that it's gain falls off pretty quicky when you are off axis, which will happen in my setup, if there is more then a couple people watching. 
I did find one other retro screen, the greywolf, but it had mixed reviews.  But, the greywolf seems to have a wider viewing angle.

And, I am not sure if I can hang a screen from the ceiling.  I can't find a stud on one side to mount it to.  Any suggestions? 
Or, do I just live with a tripod/portable that I need to setup when I watch a movie? 
I need either a tripod, or ceiling mount so I don't block the center speaker.

Randy

[Bob in St. Louis]

"And, my finance director agreed to it "    

Check that CalculatorPro page. It will have projector specific information regarding screen gain levels. The recommended screen gain will depend on:
- Throw distance
- Diagonal screen size
- Ambient light levels
- Projector make and model chosen

Other than that, I don't know much about individual screen choices available.

I'd highly recommend against having the screen on a tripod. You're already having to set up the projector, and wiring. If you make this a "big event", you're going to get tired of having a huge production to watch a movie.
Not sure why you can't find a stud. Depending on how they're oriented in relation to your viewing angle, there should be one every 12" or so inches, or you should have one continuous stud running perpendicular to your viewing angle. 
Do you have an electronic stud finder?
If you can't find one, you could put molly bolts (drywall anchors) about every 12" across the width of the screen mount area. Then use a nicely painted 1"X4" piece of lumber attached to the bolts. This would give you something to secure the screens enclosure to.
But personally, I'd prefer to find a stud to mount to.

Bob

By the way, forget that whole vacation thing dude. Once you get "projected", your living room will be your new vacation destination. aa

[Watson]

I borrow a projector from work every so often and use it on my coffee table. It's a fantastic experience (even though these projectors are designed for presentations... I'd imagine HT projectors would be even better). This is actually what has kept me from splurging on a big screen TV... once you've got a whole wall to watch a movie on, nothing else compares. The one caveat is that you have to watch at night or have blinds that close very well, or the picture gets a little washed out.

[John Casler]

One other consideration of having it in front of you, is "light leaks".

Many (especially the cheaper and older) models allow light to escape other than from the lens.

This too might offer a distraction that needs addressing if the projector has that issue.

[nicksgem10s]

Hi Randy,

I used a projector on my coffee table for about 2 years with awesome results.  I recently ceiling mounted my Mistubishi HC3000 to get the wires out of the way and improve the WAF since this is our living room/2 channel music/home theater area.  

Once you live with a high quality HD projector for a few movies or more it makes it hard to get involved in viewing movies or programs on anything else.  We also have a 57" Hitachi HDTV for casual tv watching.  If it is something I really want to watch or a movie I fire up the projector and watch it in 106" of high definition.

I can't say enough good things about my screen.  I went with a 106" DaLite Fixed Frame High Power screen and it really helps the image pop off the screen.

You may be able to contact different screen companies for some samples that can be attached to the wall where you will be projecting.  I did this when I was just using a painted wall and for my preferences the high gain was just was I was looking for.  There was no charge for the samples.  

Everyone who comes over to visit or for dinner always wants to watch a movie.  It is a blast.  My wife doesn't really understand my obsession with 2 channel audio but she was thrilled with the last projector upgrade.

It is absolutely amazing how much performance can be had for such low cost with projectors right now.  I have been very close to pulling the trigger on a new 1080p projector but then I watch a movie on my Mits HC3000 and realize how enjoyable bluray is even on my 720p machine.  There are also many bargains on very high quality 720p machines.

Remember there are many things that determine the image quality in addition to 720p vs 1080p such as quality of optics, contrast ratio, technology (LCD, DLP, etc).  

With the choices available today I don't think you can really make a wrong decision as long as you make sure the projector you choose will work for your particular room/seating/viewing environment.

AVS forums is where I have learned a great deal.  I am on my 2nd pj and will eventually move to a 3rd during 2009.

Let me know if I can be of any help deciding.  I have helped several family members & friends get new projectors & home theater gear recently.

Happy Holidays.

-Nick

[Bob in St. Louis]

Randy, John and Nick speak the truth. All good information.
I forgot about light leaks. The "backstop" would prevent this too.
Also, in addition to the AVS forum, I learned everything I needed to know about projectors on the ProjectorCentral.com forum.

Bob

[randytsuch]

I can't say enough good things about my screen.  I went with a 106" DaLite Fixed Frame High Power screen and it really helps the image pop off the screen.

-Nick

Nick
So you have the screen that I'm thinking about getting.
I know you can get samples, but I was not sure if you could really tell much from a little sample.

The thing I am most worried about with the High power screen is off axis viewing. 
My family room as a small sofa against the side wall, and a big one a little off the rear wall.  If you are on the small sofa, the angles will get pretty big.

How does the screen look, at say a 45 degree angle?
Is there much difference, if you are a little off center, versus being dead on?

I was running this program
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=966057

and it gives you numbers for gain, based on your room geometry, position of projector and screen, and viewing position, but they are only numbers, not sure how that translates into watching movies.

Bob,
I have been using the calculator at projectorcentral.
So far, the Sharp is the only projector I found which will let me do a 80" wide screen. 
Projector will only be 9' from the screen, but that was figured with a tripod.
If I do a dropdown manual, I can move it about a foot closer to the wall, to 10 feet out.  Most projectors seem to want to be farther away then the Sharp.
I do have a stud sensor, and will try again tonight.  The left side of the screen is close to an opening in the room, and for some reason there does not appear to be studs in the ceiling near the opening.  If all else, I could install heavy duty anchors on one side, and find the stud on the other side.

Everyone else
Thanks for all the comments.  Kind of a bummer that I have to wait a few months to buy this, but at least I know I am going to have it eventually.
I have always seen pics of other people's projector setups, and lusted after them. 

My setup will be far from ideal, off white carpet, white ceilings, a big window behind the sofa, and other big windows in adjacent rooms.  Makes for a nice, light great room, but a lousy room for a projector. 

But, I figure it will be really cool at night, watching movies on this thing.  At least the room lights are dimmable, so I can set them to where they need to be.

Randy

[Bob in St. Louis]

Regarding ambient light, you'll be fine at night unless there's a monster street light shining in your window.
If necessary, you can get some room darkening drapes and blinds if need be.

I can't help with the screen particulars, but otherwise it sounds like you're in good shape.

Well, except for the part where you tell the wife you're not going on vacation, but instead spending the time and money painting the ceiling and walls flat black.

 



Bob