Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Aug 21, 2010 8:50 am I am building a house with metricon, which will be handed over in November. I have a Rumpus room which i want to make it as a theater room, dimensions are 5.4 * 4.6. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Distance between the wall and sitting space is 5.4m. I am new to all this and don't understand anything about projectors, amplifiers or sub woofers. please do help me with the information i need. What will be a comfortable screen size? I was thinking of 120 Screen, is it too big for my size of room? I went to Big picture people and looked at few packages, i saw one which has Yamaha RXV-565 AV receiver, Mitsubishi 3800 full Hd projector, 105 Grandview screen , Samsung BluRay player, Yamaha subwoofer, paradigm in wall speakers , HD set Top box for $6500 including installation. Is this package good enough for my size of room? should i upgrade any of them for better quality? The same package with Ben Q 1000 Full HD Projector instead of Mitsubishi 3800 he quoted for $5500, is it worth upgrading to Mitsubishi 3800 Projector for an extra $1000. I only know big picture people, is there anyone who does this kind of installation cheaper than what big picture people quoted? Do you think it be cheaper buying all these items individually and installing by ourself or is it better doing it by Professionals? Re: Please help me with my theater room questions 2Sep 03, 2010 3:37 pm Hi Sandil I was looking at the same a few months back and thought id share some knowledge. As a rule of thumb its recommended to sit three times the distance from the TV as its size. So if the TV is 50" (127cm) then you should sit 150" (3.81m) away. That's the theory anyway. We bought a 55" (140cm) TV and sit 4.5m away and its just fine! Still a very big screen. Two quick things you may have already considered: 1. With a projector you'll need to have blackout blinds or curtains to stop the sunlight from fading your picture. 2. If your getting built-in speakers make sure they are really good quality, same for the speaker cables, as once they are in they are going to be a nightmare to get out. Also, if your speakers cant handle the load then they wont do justice to that nice new Amp or Bluray player. I cant help with the spec of the kit your looking at, not that tech'y, but good luck! Re: Please help me with my theater room questions 3Sep 05, 2010 10:26 pm Hi there, I will try to help you as much as I can. What will effect the responses is what you want the room for. Is it going to be an dedicated room to use for movies or a more general purpose room where the TV will be on all the time? Do you want to play loud movies and music in the room or more subdued, as soundproofing will be a consideration. If you are after a room where you can watch movies day and night, then maybe look at a larger plasma (60 inch +) which is Ok to run at any time. If you want a bid screen experience, then a projector is the only way to go, but they have limitations, mainly the need for a dark room. If you are looking to have a large screen and powerful audio experience, then my first recommendation would be to ditch the sliding cavity doors. They leak massive amounts of sound from the room. Replace with solid core exterior grade doors with rubber seals. Check the raven.com.au site for the correct seal. This is your most economical soundproofing tip. If you want to truly isolate the room, you could spend thousands literally just doing that. My feeling is that you just want a basis set-up that sounds good and is a comfortable way to watch movies on the big screen at home. With that in mind I will try to answer your questions as best I can... What will be a comfortable screen size? I would suggest that screen size is the last thing that you decide upon. Viewing size is very much a personal thing. Some people like full immersion in the picture with a big screen whereas others like a more modest screen. I would suggest that you set up all of your equipment, shine the picture on the wall and see what you like. You may be happy with a 100 inch, you may prefer 120 inches plus. Bear in mind, however, that to fill a larger screen, you will need a brighter projector. Also bear in mind that your picture will be sharper and the colours will 'pop' more when the screen is smaller. With full HD (1080P) this is less of an issue than with earlier projectors but you will need to be mindful of this. You also need to decide if you want a 16:9 projector or one that is capable to display 2.40:1. Most of the newer movies are in 2.40:1 (Cinemascope format) which is more like a movie cinema. You will get a wider screen but will need a projector that is capable of displaying this signal without add on lenses. Both the Mitsubishi HC-6800, Mitsubishi HC-7000, Panasonic PT-AE4000 and the BENQ W5000 is capable of performing this (I think). The Panasonic and Mitsubishi models can be bought for under 2k US now and are much cheaper sourced overseas than here (Yes, we do get ripped off here!) I was thinking of 120 Screen, is it too big for my size of room? Again, this is a personal thing. I can quote a million mathematical formulas but ultimately it will be what appeals to you. My only advice would be to look at nothing less than 100 inch dia screen as you will want to upgrade soon afterwards to a larger screen. I went to Big picture people and looked at few packages, i saw one which has Yamaha RXV-565 AV receiver, Mitsubishi 3800 full Hd projector, 105 Grandview screen , Samsung BluRay player, Yamaha subwoofer, paradigm in wall speakers , HD set Top box for $6500 including installation. Is this package good enough for my size of room? should i upgrade any of them for better quality? The same package with Ben Q 1000 Full HD Projector instead of Mitsubishi 3800 he quoted for $5500, is it worth upgrading to Mitsubishi 3800 Projector for an extra $1000. In terms of processors, Yamaha make a very nice receiver and depending upon how much power you want, it may be fine for what you want. However, having more watts is not just about going louder...it is about driving your chosen speakers correctly with plenty of reserves, without the amp running out of steam. Most speaker damage is caused by insufficient amp power and not too much. If you are open to looking overseas for equipment, check out a company called Emotiva. ( emotiva.com ) I know I crow on about these guys but I have a rack of their gear and I am thrilled with it and the value is spot on. I am using a UMC-1 processor and an XPA-5 amplifier. This gives me 5 x 200W RMS power with all of the latest surround formats. You should be able to land these two from the USA via Fedex for about $1800 Aussie with a 5 year warranty. All of their international orders are pre-tested and set for 240v. If you want everything in one simple box, go for a receiver like the Yamaha. If you want something more that will give you heaps more performance, well worth checking out options. Projector: I am using a Mitsubishi HC-6800 projector. The Mits 3800 is their entry level projector. It is a DLP model and not LCD so make sure that you watch the projector first before you commit. Some people are susceptible to what is called 'the rainbow effect' which is a smearing of colours across the screen. I have owned both DLP and LCD projectors. LCD generally will give better placement options (better zoom ratio) but DLP can give better blacks and a very very slightly sharper picture. Hardly noticeable difference. Blu-Ray player: Why not consider a PS3? It is still one of the best Blu-Ray players and comes with the benefit that it doubles as a games console. A software upgrade is coming that will allow it to play 3D material soon. In fact, it's ability to wirelessly update via the internet makes it a very versatile machine. Good value at less than 500 bucks with remote and extra controller. In-wall speakers: Paradigm make some beautiful sounding speakers but you need to bear in mind that sound will leak out of these speakers into other rooms of the house. Yes, they can get loud. I had previously used in-walls and while the sound quality was fine, sound did leak into other rooms and in the end became an annoyance. Room allowing, I would always go for a floor standing speaker or a high quality bookshelf speaker. You will be happier with the sound and so will other family members when they are not disturbed. I only know big picture people, is there anyone who does this kind of installation cheaper than what big picture people quoted? Sorry, can't help you with this. You may need to do a bit of ringing around in your area Do you think it be cheaper buying all these items individually and installing by ourself or is it better doing it by Professionals? Again, may need to do some shopping around. I am certainly one who is quite happy to buy my gear from OS. I have sourced my projector from the USA for just over 2K ($4500 over here). I have also bought all my Emotiva amps, speakers, CD player and processors and have been really happy. Many on here make the (correct) statement that you take a risk doing this, but you can save a fortune. If you are concerned about warranty, check out a company in Melbourne called PriceUSA.com.au . They offer a buying service for 5% of the value of the goods. For a small extra, you can pay for a return insurance policy so that if the unit is defective within the warranty period, it will be shipped back to the USA and returned to you at no charge. Pretty good option I reckon. hope that has been of some help. Please feel free to PM me if you need more info or pointers in various directions. Greg Re: Please help me with my theater room questions 4Sep 10, 2010 12:47 pm Hi Sandil, How did you get on? Cheers Greg Can anyone help with the layout of my living room, it seems that no matter what I do it never looks right. 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