[Doublej]

What's a typical screen size for a 10'x13' room and if I put in a 3.1 setup instead of a 5.1 setup how much of the full audio experience would I miss?

[bgewaudio]

DoubleJ, I have seen many 100" screens in rooms similar to size of yours, and they seem to intergrate well, with regards to your 3.1 setup you will still get your separate dialogue channel/effects, and your fronts, main effects, you will just be missing the surround effects, which does play an important role in the ideal home theater.  Basically what you want to do is bring the movie to life and bring as much presence as possible, to do this, you need the enveloping surround ambiance to achieve this.  So ultimately 5.1 or more is the way to go.

Why would you only want to set up 3.1 anyway?

In addition to the screen size, depending on the size of your main speakers and the height of the room you may be able to fit them underneath the screen, you can't really move them off to the sides because you'll only have 1ft to play with and that creates another problem!

[zybar]

What about in-wall speakers?

George

[Levi]

I agree with the rest.  3.1 vs 5.1, you will not get a full audio experience with a good 5.1 encoded DD movies.  You can do lots with your 10' x 13' room.

Here is a good link for suggested surround speaker placement from Bryston website. 

The rear surround speakers are important for ambience and sound effects if you are watching a good 5.1 encoded movies.   The center anchors the dialog to the screen regardless on where you are sitting.  The Left and Right channels are depending on the mix are for dialog and effects.  I would then suggest to go to a friend who has properly 5.1 setup and ask him to remove the rear channel after watching the same movie in 5.1 channel.  If the movie sounded good to you, then 3.1 is you.  Don't forget to bring a copy of Fifth Element.

[john1970]

I agree with everyone here as well definitely go with the 5.1 for home theather.  The rear surrounds adds an entirely new dimension to the movie.  If space is a concern go with in the wall speakers.  They blend into any room and can sound very good.

John

[Doublej]

The challenge I have is it's not actually a room but a U shaped space. Standing so one is staring at the bottom of the U, I have a window at the bottom and window to the left. The open part of the U abuts the stair landing. My choices are not great. Toss in a bit of WAF (i.e. she's not going to be keen on the back of the seating showing at the top of the U and it's a challenge to fit in the rear speakers.

This discussion has me thinking that I could wall mount the rear speakers on 360 degree swivel brackets on the wall behind the seating and angle them down and in towards the couch.

[bgewaudio]

DoubleJ, I think your swivel bracket idea is fantastic!, I would have suggested given your room limitations you could bracket mount the speakers in a ceiling mount fashion (have them hanging), but, if your room is forgiving enough, by all means wall mount approx. 2-3 above ear height.  Remember given the main purpose of surround speakers is to create an enveloping soundstage, so, I would recommend letting the speaker fire overhead as opposed to firing them directly at you.  That's why a lot of dedicated theater rooms will actually employ Bi-pole or Di-pole's as surrounds because they will create a more enveloping soundstage, so if you do orient them in this fashion, you will be able to capture this effect much better.

With regards to the "U" shape of your room, I was actually contemplating building my room that had a flat back wall and then tapered off into a U behind the seats.  Unfortunately I don't have enough room to do this, but acoustically this would help control a lot of unwanted standing waves and get a more overall flat response in the room!

[bubba966]

I'm running a 7.2 setup in a size that big. Going 7 channel isn't needed (I frequently wish I'd not bothered spending the $ to do it). But you should at least go 5 channel.

[Levi]

You are so right about the 7.1 setup.  There is not a lot of 7.1 channel encoded movies.  I would definitely stick with 5.1, hell you can even get away with just 5 if you have full range all around.

I'm running a 7.2 setup in a size that big. Going 7 channel isn't needed (I frequently wish I'd not bothered spending the $ to do it). But you should at least go 5 channel.

[Levi]

I failed to answer your question about the screen size.  I would say go with 58" but that is up-to-your budget.  Panasonic has a neat website that allows you to virtually choose the size of your plasma screen  Cheers- Levi

What's a typical screen size for a 10'x13' room and if I put in a 3.1 setup instead of a 5.1 setup how much of the full audio experience would I miss?

[zybar]

What technology are you looking to use for video?

If you can control light, a nice pj with say an 80" screen would sure look good.

It could also be cheaper than a 50" plasma.

George

[bgewaudio]

To date, there is no 7.1 encoded movie!  DTS ES Discrete is as close as you can get for the present, which utilizes a separate discrete rear center channel.

[Steve Vol]

What are the pros/cons of projectors vs other(DLP, flat panels)?  I had not considered a projector until recently but am starting to look at them.  It seems that the cost can go up more on the projectors, is that correct or not?  I have a dedicated 13 x 22 room with 8 ft ceilings with curtains.  It seems one downside to projectors is that they are not as good for viewing TV, true?  Any advise would be helpful.

Thanks

[bgewaudio]

I own an Optima DLP front projector that was a no brainer as far as I was concerned, Now I am not a videophile by any means, but yes, depending on the performance you demand from it, they can cost significantly more (ie. better contrast ratio, resolution, better blacks), the old saying "you get what you pay for" holds true here.  With regards to watching TV, the only drawback is it sucks the life out of the bulb like crazy.  The reason for this, is that movies don't require as much light output as TV shows (ie. watching a hockey game, most of the screen is white) this puts a tremendous strain on the bulb, as far as output is concerned.  However to me, this is the only downside to projectors.

Pluses:

If you ever have to move, just pack it up, and tuck it under you arm (don't need to bother your buddies to help lift it.)

Less obtrusive than floor standing TV's (mount it out of the way screen can be retractable to maintain aesthetics.

Make the screen whatever size you want (to an extent).

Make new friends (probably have more traffic during superbowl season).

They're relatively cheaper now than they used to be.

And even some of the cheaper models can reproduce a reasonably good image.

PS. CRT's can reproduce some incredible black levels, but you are going to pay!

Hope this is enough to get you shopping, Good Luck!

[Russtafarian]

I've lived with a DLP front projector system for nearly five years.  I've found it's not very convenient for everyday tv because unless it's dark outside I have to prep the room by putting up temporary black theater curtains over all the windows and room openings.  Granted, my projector has only 800 lumens and is way more sensitive to ambient light than the newer, brighter ones.  The upside is that when set up, DVDs and HD sports look pretty darn impressive on a 120'' screen.

So for "event" viewing its great.  For everyday tv, it's a hassle.

Russ

[bgewaudio]

Yes, I forgot to mention that one, seeing how I have a dedicated room, I don't have to worry about ambient light washing out my image............Sorry

[Steve Vol]

Thanks for the feedback, I recently saw a projector in someone's home for the first time, and now am considering one, but still not sure of the costs.  Have seen them advertized from $3000 ish up to $20,000 plus the cost of the screen.  Not sure of the bang for buck comparison to TV's yet.

[jcrane]

Entry point is well below 3K for FP but it can climb pretty damn fast like everything else in the audio world.
Sanyo and Panasonic both make great entry level FP that can be had on line for below 3K. Add a DIY screen if you are handy or say a carada screen and you have both FP + screen for less than 3K.

I would say if you have control over lighting, it is the way to go but should not be used as your only source of viewing. HD and DVD viewing is great but it is a little much for watching SD programs during the day.

GOOD Luck
Jamie