My HT Saga and Pics of My Front Projector Installation
07-12-05, 12:37 AM
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My HT Saga and Pics of My Front Projector Installation
I am going to provide the story of my home theater below. It is long and may be boring. However, I have some time on my hands so here goes. I am trying to make this history as complete and informative as possible. If you have ADHD you might want to scroll down and look at the pretty pictures.
In the fall of 2001 two friends of mine made the switch of from loud annoying car stereos to the world of Home Entertainment. One of these guys was living in his parents’ home and he had all the bells/whistles including some ES Sony Equip, B&W Speakers and a 500 lb. 36" inch flat screen TV. My other friend (in his new house) had a bunch of Paradigms (like mine) and 27" TV.
What about me? I was a poor grad student at PENN and I could barely afford a floor model 27" RCA Entertainment Series from the now extinct American Appliance. Although I manage to purchase the infamous Apex 600-A which allowed one to copy DVD's to VHS. I know, imagine that - who would want to do that? I know I sold it for about $300ish on eBay to a minister in Georgia who wanted to copy DVD's to VHS for his youth groups. A TV and DVD player was my meager Home Theater for about 1 year. I was searching for a cheap place to buy DVD's online and BAM I wound up in the DVD Talk Columbia House Thread.
Fast-forward to Fall of 2002, I am now in the "real world" working full-time as a teacher in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Renting a room in a house for $250/month in Norristown (shout out to my homies) I was able to save quite a bit of money and start
posting questions on this board trying to assembly a "decent" but economical system.
Oh, those were the days. I was naive I wanted a Sony receiver and was promptly told that I was a victim of marketing. After much reading I decided that and entry level Onkyo receiver was the way to go, ending up with a Onkyo TX DS-494 (Specs) which I bought from Circuit City for around $300. I asked about subs and ended up with a Sony SA-WM40 I bought this at circuit city for about $120ish (I think). I also bought 4 Paradigm Titans v2 for my fronts/rears and a Paradigm CC-170 as my center channel. I purchased all the Paradigm's from Hi Fi House in Harrisburg where I grew up. Since I sold the Apex 600 on eBay, I was borrowing one of my aforementioned friend’s dual disc Toshiba SD-3109. My first "real" Home Theater was complete!
The above is a pic of my Home Theater described above in my current house. However, when I first had this system it was setup in the room I was renting in Norristown where I basically did everything accept eat/bath/cook. The room was probably 12x10 w/ a queen size bed, desk, computer, dresser, and recliner. I wish I had a picture of this but I don't have one anymore. Each corner had a speaker in it on the custom made speaker stands that me and a friend made that you can see in the pics. My components/TV were stacked on top of my dresser. I have a 4'x2' piece of plywood c-clamped to the top of my dresser with the TV on it. It hung over the corner of the dresser in such a fashion that my component stack was not directly above my dresser. Underneath this half ass shelf was my sub.
In the Summer of 2003 I purchased my first home! Pictured below and above.
I currently have the same HT setup described above, but I have replaced the 27" RCA and replaced it with a
Philips Magnavox MS3652S 36" which I got for a GREAT price of $400 at Circuit City. You can see it in the pic below.
I currently have an Apex Digital AD-5131 DVD Player which is a 3 disc player (non-progressive). I also have a Dish Network PVR and Panasonic VCR. At one point I did have a 300 CD Sony Mega Change but I have since sold it on eBay. Everything is sitting in an el cheapo Sauder entertainment center I got for $60ish from Circuit City.
Now for the part that you are all waiting for... the addition of a projector (PJ) and 100" screen to my real Home Theater.
A little background first. I have been pondering the purchase of a wide screen RP TV for awhile:
2-3-02 and
12-2-03 and
2-2-04 and
more recently a Samsung DLP 6-22-05
After reading up on Samsung DLP's at AVS Forum and
Rear projectors on DVD Talk and
The Man Room and
Projectors on AVS I decided to buy a projector and screen instead of a RPTV.
1. Infocus X1A Projector from Circuit City for $715.49.
2. Draper DRVS6060MW V-Screen - 60 x 60" and T-Bar screen Mounts from www.bhpphotovideo.com for $69.79
3. Python component to VGA cable[/URL] from eBay for $29.90
4. 25 ft. s-video and composite video cable from www.monoPrice.com for $18.38
5. Interlink Navigator Projector Remote Control from www.chumbo.com for $28.49
6. X10 Wireless Keychain Remote Control Kit from eBay for $22.99
7. Infocus Projector Mount from eBay for $33.74
8. Misc: 4 nuts/bolts for T-bar mount, 30 ft. extension cord, 2"x4", handful of 3.35 inch drywall screws.
Estimated Cost for PJ & Setup: $918.68
Now for the pics of the installation. The entire installation took about 8 hours give or take an hour.
Here are the cables that I used. Note to self: Measure, never assume that 25 ft. cables are long enough. I was able to run the cables from the projector, across the ceiling, and down the wall directly behind my TV. I had to move the DVD player back in my entertainment center about 6 inches to make the cables reach. It sucks because I was going to run them from the drop ceiling down the inside of the paneling and out the bottom. Nice clean install. In fact, I fished the Python cable down the wall before I realized that the cables were about 7 feet too short. Now I will have to live with the cables down the wall. I may but them in a piece of loom so they look "cleaner".
First I had to remove the ceiling fan because it was one tile in front of where I mounted the projector. It kind of sucks now cause the fan was directly above my recline and kept me really, really cool. I have yet to remount the fan, but I plan to remount it on the left hand side of the living at some point.
If you look closely you maybe able to see the measurements I made on the ceiling to mount the projector. I used the Infocus Calculator to determine how far back to mount the PJ. I centered the projector aprox. 2.5 inches in from the right side (when upside down) where the lens is housed. BTW a clear clipboard makes an excellent t-square.
Above is a pic of the T-Bar Screen Mounts, Projector Mount, and screen mount on the screen. Yes, the Projector Mount does have a cheap wal-mart speaker stand attached to it.
Here is the T-Bar mounts. Having a drop ceiling really made the entire process rather easy - although quite dusty.
Here is the mount on the PJ and the projector inputs.
Here is the "custom" ceiling mount I made. I screwed in a 6" piece of 2"x4" into the plaster/wood/chicken wire ceiling (circa 192) with about 5 screws. I basically screwed in the screws until I hit something substantial that "held". I pulled on this board as hard as possible to make sure it would stay put.
I than screwed on two more 4" 2"x4" sections. I than attached the speaker mount to the third 2"x4". I used a steak knife to cut a hole in the drop ceiling that was big enough for the speaker mount and the wires.
If I could does this again, I probably would have used another piece of wood to make the mount flush w/ the drop ceiling because it was exceptionally difficult o actually screw the other end of the speaker mount (attached to the PJ) to the ceiling mount.
Above is a close up of PJ's side/rear.
Multiple angles of the final install. It looks "really" clean and unobtrusive. I am happy with the choice of mount as well. The ceiling tile adjacent to the PJ has a hole from the ceiling fan I have since removed. I imagine I could by some sort of drop ceiling trim to "clean up" the mount/wire hole - but it looks good enough for me.
Screen
4:3 @ 75" diagonal
2.35:1 @ 65" diagonal
16:9 @ 68" diagonal (calculated, not measured)
=================
Things to do:
1. I bought speaker mounts to mount all 4 surrounds.
2. Figure out how to mount center channel in front of the screen. I currently have the level of the center so high (so I can hear through the screen) that you can hear it better upstairs than in my recliner.
3. I bought an X10 remote to hook the PJ because it is constantly running a small fan when in "off" or "stand by" mode. Although, you have to let the bulb cool for awhile (in stand by mode) before you can manually turn the PJ off.
4. Think about buying 50 ft cables so I can properly hide them in the wall.
5. Buy a UPS to protect the PJ bulb in case of a power outage.
6. Buy a Progressive Scan DVD Player
7. Buy a fancy home theater remote.
8. Calibrate the PJ w/ Video Essentials
9. Calculate/Calibrate the placement of my surround speakers.
So that is the end. Thanks for all the helpful posts over the years!
Update 12/24/07
New Pics Added 12/24/07 from new house
I have since moved to a different house, I have re-installed the HT into a finished basement (ala 1950's). I used the same mount for the PJ and the same wires from before, however I am not using the Python cable anymore, just the S-video and regular composite cable.
In the fall of 2001 two friends of mine made the switch of from loud annoying car stereos to the world of Home Entertainment. One of these guys was living in his parents’ home and he had all the bells/whistles including some ES Sony Equip, B&W Speakers and a 500 lb. 36" inch flat screen TV. My other friend (in his new house) had a bunch of Paradigms (like mine) and 27" TV.
What about me? I was a poor grad student at PENN and I could barely afford a floor model 27" RCA Entertainment Series from the now extinct American Appliance. Although I manage to purchase the infamous Apex 600-A which allowed one to copy DVD's to VHS. I know, imagine that - who would want to do that? I know I sold it for about $300ish on eBay to a minister in Georgia who wanted to copy DVD's to VHS for his youth groups. A TV and DVD player was my meager Home Theater for about 1 year. I was searching for a cheap place to buy DVD's online and BAM I wound up in the DVD Talk Columbia House Thread.
Fast-forward to Fall of 2002, I am now in the "real world" working full-time as a teacher in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Renting a room in a house for $250/month in Norristown (shout out to my homies) I was able to save quite a bit of money and start
posting questions on this board trying to assembly a "decent" but economical system.
Oh, those were the days. I was naive I wanted a Sony receiver and was promptly told that I was a victim of marketing. After much reading I decided that and entry level Onkyo receiver was the way to go, ending up with a Onkyo TX DS-494 (Specs) which I bought from Circuit City for around $300. I asked about subs and ended up with a Sony SA-WM40 I bought this at circuit city for about $120ish (I think). I also bought 4 Paradigm Titans v2 for my fronts/rears and a Paradigm CC-170 as my center channel. I purchased all the Paradigm's from Hi Fi House in Harrisburg where I grew up. Since I sold the Apex 600 on eBay, I was borrowing one of my aforementioned friend’s dual disc Toshiba SD-3109. My first "real" Home Theater was complete!
The above is a pic of my Home Theater described above in my current house. However, when I first had this system it was setup in the room I was renting in Norristown where I basically did everything accept eat/bath/cook. The room was probably 12x10 w/ a queen size bed, desk, computer, dresser, and recliner. I wish I had a picture of this but I don't have one anymore. Each corner had a speaker in it on the custom made speaker stands that me and a friend made that you can see in the pics. My components/TV were stacked on top of my dresser. I have a 4'x2' piece of plywood c-clamped to the top of my dresser with the TV on it. It hung over the corner of the dresser in such a fashion that my component stack was not directly above my dresser. Underneath this half ass shelf was my sub.
In the Summer of 2003 I purchased my first home! Pictured below and above.
I currently have the same HT setup described above, but I have replaced the 27" RCA and replaced it with a
Philips Magnavox MS3652S 36" which I got for a GREAT price of $400 at Circuit City. You can see it in the pic below.
I currently have an Apex Digital AD-5131 DVD Player which is a 3 disc player (non-progressive). I also have a Dish Network PVR and Panasonic VCR. At one point I did have a 300 CD Sony Mega Change but I have since sold it on eBay. Everything is sitting in an el cheapo Sauder entertainment center I got for $60ish from Circuit City.
Now for the part that you are all waiting for... the addition of a projector (PJ) and 100" screen to my real Home Theater.
A little background first. I have been pondering the purchase of a wide screen RP TV for awhile:
2-3-02 and
12-2-03 and
2-2-04 and
more recently a Samsung DLP 6-22-05
After reading up on Samsung DLP's at AVS Forum and
Rear projectors on DVD Talk and
The Man Room and
Projectors on AVS I decided to buy a projector and screen instead of a RPTV.
1. Infocus X1A Projector from Circuit City for $715.49.
2. Draper DRVS6060MW V-Screen - 60 x 60" and T-Bar screen Mounts from www.bhpphotovideo.com for $69.79
3. Python component to VGA cable[/URL] from eBay for $29.90
4. 25 ft. s-video and composite video cable from www.monoPrice.com for $18.38
5. Interlink Navigator Projector Remote Control from www.chumbo.com for $28.49
6. X10 Wireless Keychain Remote Control Kit from eBay for $22.99
7. Infocus Projector Mount from eBay for $33.74
8. Misc: 4 nuts/bolts for T-bar mount, 30 ft. extension cord, 2"x4", handful of 3.35 inch drywall screws.
Estimated Cost for PJ & Setup: $918.68
Now for the pics of the installation. The entire installation took about 8 hours give or take an hour.
Here are the cables that I used. Note to self: Measure, never assume that 25 ft. cables are long enough. I was able to run the cables from the projector, across the ceiling, and down the wall directly behind my TV. I had to move the DVD player back in my entertainment center about 6 inches to make the cables reach. It sucks because I was going to run them from the drop ceiling down the inside of the paneling and out the bottom. Nice clean install. In fact, I fished the Python cable down the wall before I realized that the cables were about 7 feet too short. Now I will have to live with the cables down the wall. I may but them in a piece of loom so they look "cleaner".
First I had to remove the ceiling fan because it was one tile in front of where I mounted the projector. It kind of sucks now cause the fan was directly above my recline and kept me really, really cool. I have yet to remount the fan, but I plan to remount it on the left hand side of the living at some point.
If you look closely you maybe able to see the measurements I made on the ceiling to mount the projector. I used the Infocus Calculator to determine how far back to mount the PJ. I centered the projector aprox. 2.5 inches in from the right side (when upside down) where the lens is housed. BTW a clear clipboard makes an excellent t-square.
Above is a pic of the T-Bar Screen Mounts, Projector Mount, and screen mount on the screen. Yes, the Projector Mount does have a cheap wal-mart speaker stand attached to it.
Here is the T-Bar mounts. Having a drop ceiling really made the entire process rather easy - although quite dusty.
Here is the mount on the PJ and the projector inputs.
Here is the "custom" ceiling mount I made. I screwed in a 6" piece of 2"x4" into the plaster/wood/chicken wire ceiling (circa 192) with about 5 screws. I basically screwed in the screws until I hit something substantial that "held". I pulled on this board as hard as possible to make sure it would stay put.
I than screwed on two more 4" 2"x4" sections. I than attached the speaker mount to the third 2"x4". I used a steak knife to cut a hole in the drop ceiling that was big enough for the speaker mount and the wires.
If I could does this again, I probably would have used another piece of wood to make the mount flush w/ the drop ceiling because it was exceptionally difficult o actually screw the other end of the speaker mount (attached to the PJ) to the ceiling mount.
Above is a close up of PJ's side/rear.
Multiple angles of the final install. It looks "really" clean and unobtrusive. I am happy with the choice of mount as well. The ceiling tile adjacent to the PJ has a hole from the ceiling fan I have since removed. I imagine I could by some sort of drop ceiling trim to "clean up" the mount/wire hole - but it looks good enough for me.
Screen
4:3 @ 75" diagonal
2.35:1 @ 65" diagonal
16:9 @ 68" diagonal (calculated, not measured)
=================
Things to do:
1. I bought speaker mounts to mount all 4 surrounds.
2. Figure out how to mount center channel in front of the screen. I currently have the level of the center so high (so I can hear through the screen) that you can hear it better upstairs than in my recliner.
3. I bought an X10 remote to hook the PJ because it is constantly running a small fan when in "off" or "stand by" mode. Although, you have to let the bulb cool for awhile (in stand by mode) before you can manually turn the PJ off.
4. Think about buying 50 ft cables so I can properly hide them in the wall.
5. Buy a UPS to protect the PJ bulb in case of a power outage.
6. Buy a Progressive Scan DVD Player
7. Buy a fancy home theater remote.
8. Calibrate the PJ w/ Video Essentials
9. Calculate/Calibrate the placement of my surround speakers.
So that is the end. Thanks for all the helpful posts over the years!
Update 12/24/07
New Pics Added 12/24/07 from new house
I have since moved to a different house, I have re-installed the HT into a finished basement (ala 1950's). I used the same mount for the PJ and the same wires from before, however I am not using the Python cable anymore, just the S-video and regular composite cable.
Last edited by Sloth911; 12-24-07 at 07:57 AM.
I use a pair for rears, and they provide amazing quality for the price.
07-12-05, 01:01 PM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
SWEET! 
Last night I masked off my walls/doors and took down my screen. I'm going to paint the wall where my screen is. Having a HT seems to be a never ending hobby/project, but sure is fun!
Last night I masked off my walls/doors and took down my screen. I'm going to paint the wall where my screen is. Having a HT seems to be a never ending hobby/project, but sure is fun!
07-12-05, 07:50 PM
#5
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Originally Posted by Sdallnct
SWEET!
Last night I masked off my walls/doors and took down my screen. I'm going to paint the wall where my screen is. Having a HT seems to be a never ending hobby/project, but sure is fun!
Last night I masked off my walls/doors and took down my screen. I'm going to paint the wall where my screen is. Having a HT seems to be a never ending hobby/project, but sure is fun!
That sounds familiar. Just last Sunday I finalized the change over from having my screen optimized for 4:3 images to 16:9... much nicer!
07-12-05, 08:56 PM
#6
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by Dead
That sounds familiar. Just last Sunday I finalized the change over from having my screen optimized for 4:3 images to 16:9... much nicer!
I set my up to really leave everything in WS and while it is ok, when watching SD TV it sometimes bothers me.
Of course I LOVE the WS for DVD's and I'm starting to look for a deal for an HD receiver for Dishnetwork so I can get some OTA TV signals in WS (HD).
07-12-05, 09:26 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by Sdallnct
I'm starting to look for a deal for an HD receiver for Dishnetwork so I can get some OTA TV signals in WS (HD).
07-12-05, 10:19 PM
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by jasonr114
Lol - a "deal"? so you are looking for ones that cost an arm as opposed to an armd and leg?
Evidently the deal is thru their retention department so if you mention switching over to Cable to get all the "free" equipment to get HD they make you that offer. Plus they know that the current HD receivers will be obsolete in a year to 18 months due to them switching to a different HD system.
Have not actually tried it yet, but hopefully will give them a call by the end of the week.
07-13-05, 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Sdallnct
I forget, what PJ do you have? Do you leave everything in WS or do you switch back to 4:3 and get bars on the sides?
I set my up to really leave everything in WS and while it is ok, when watching SD TV it sometimes bothers me.
Of course I LOVE the WS for DVD's and I'm starting to look for a deal for an HD receiver for Dishnetwork so I can get some OTA TV signals in WS (HD).
I set my up to really leave everything in WS and while it is ok, when watching SD TV it sometimes bothers me.
Of course I LOVE the WS for DVD's and I'm starting to look for a deal for an HD receiver for Dishnetwork so I can get some OTA TV signals in WS (HD).
07-14-05, 12:37 AM
#10
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by Dead
I've got an X1. I just leave in in widescreen mode, regardless of what I'm watching. Some TV content does look a bit off, but most of the time it's not too bad. Most of the time I use it for DVD's anyway. I'm sure looking forward to football season though.
Yea, some SD TV bothers me more then others. Every now and then someone will look like a munchkin and I notice it...I'm going to try to get OTA HD by Football season so that not only will the aspect be normal, but a good picture as well.
