Hi all,

Next year i will be moving (hopefully) to a newly built 3 storey house.

I am planning on turning one of the rooms on the top floor into a home cinema / den. The room is 15ft 4" by 11ft 8".

So what i plan is to have a 42" to 50" screen mounted on the wall.

Everything else i want hidden out of the way.

So what do you guys reckon i should be looking at ??

I know its a year away but if i start to get ideas & maybe pick up some bargains then it makes it all a bit easier & i can get all the cables fitted when the house is getting built.

Also can you get decent surround sound with the speakers mounted in the ceiling ??

Thanks

Stephen

 

Had you considered a DLP projector; or maybe even a CRT beamer?

 

Better place to ask HERE

 

I work in the AV industry. I would honestly not ask a question like this on a forum (especially an AV releated one) as you will get sooooooooooooo many different opinions.

Work out your total budget. Allow around 10% for cables. Allow enough for the installation work (will depend on how much you can/are going to do yourself). Audition the equipment first. Decent dealer will allow home trials if your are a serious customer.
Keeping equipment out of view is simple. Put it all in a central cupboard somewhere. Control is then by using either use IR extenders (simply send the IR signal to the cupboard) or if your loaded, use an RS232 controller such as AMX or Crestron (make sure your equipment will support RS232 first though if you decide on this option!)

Don't buy the equipment with features that you do not need or try to future proof (not possible in this indstry I'm afraid!) but buy the equipment as a solution to your individual needs. If it happens to have extra so be it. I have seen so many people wait for a model that will do "this" or "that" even though they don't actualy have a use for it ut ust so they can say they have it or are covered "in case" technology requires.

Ceiling speaker will give OK results but for a good surround field you can use in wall speakers - same realy just that they mount flush with the wall rather than the ceiling.

Lastly - DO NOT mount the plasma above a fireplace - active or not. It wil be too high. Seen so many people do this and regret it.

 

Christyper - I want to do the same but obviously not spend that much. I'm think of a Yamaha AV reciever and 4 Mordaunt Short speakers. Obviously larger ones either side of the TV and smaller ones either side of the sofa. What i'm trying to achieve is good sound for films and use it as my hifi too. Would you recommend hifi speakers for surround sound or go for the didy ones and a bassbox?

Paul

 

I'd go with the hifi-speakers if you don't mind them taking up the room, get a matching centre speaker from MS and add a sub later for the LFE effects if you want.
Only the very best sub-sat systems are worth their money and only the most expensive are good with music.

Cheers
Lee

 

Where would you put the centre speaker? I have just bought my first place and looking at buying a flat screen. The shelves will be taken up by a DVD player and PVR so i'm not quite sure where it could go.

 

The flat screen will be sat on the stand then? Or is it wall mounted or floating mounted?
You can get slimline centres that will go infront of the TV or even wall mount.
Best option for sound is to use a shelf for the centre and mount the equipment on a seperate stand or in a cabinet.

Cheers
Lee

 

The TV will be mounted on a stand. I'd love to mount it on the wall and have the rest on shelves but being a brand new place I don't want to start taking chunks out the walls. Does the centre speaker make a big difference to the sound?

 

not on the same scale as you lot, but i have my screen mounted on my chimney breast and all the wiring goes into a hole behind the tv into the chimney cavity and my center speaker is in the fire place(great acoustics) along with the cinema system and other electrical stuff. a hole is in the side of the chimney wall where all the wires run into a socket, all nice and tidy

you could always baton out a false wall if you havnt got a chimney

 

Stephen, just remember to check the weight of a 50in plasma before you buy it and try to hang it on a new-build's plasterboard wall!!

 

After seeing you attempt to knock-down your load bearing chimney breast: I do not think that you should be giivng anyone DIY advice Mrs.

 

The centre speaker is probably the most important speaker in a HC setup, it locks the dialogue to the screen and helps position the action. About 70% of a movie soundtrack comes from the centre channel.

I suppose if your front left and right speakers were very close to the screen you could get away with it but anything else is going to leave a hole in the sound exactly where your picture is.

BTW
Sorry to sti-04 for hijacking the thread.

Cheers
Lee

 

False wall would be good but then i'm decreasing the size of my lounge. I have an iMac with a wireless plug. Basically the Imac sends the music to the plug and coming out of the plug is phonos which connect to your amp. You can have this plug situated anywhere in the house. Very Clever. If they can do that i'm sure there must be a way of having wireless surround sound. I hate wires.

 

Brendan,

I got the idea of a 50" from the showhome

I will be getting them to do most of the work required before i move in, thats why i am asking soooooo many questions just now so its all sorted.

 

No worries. All input is appriecated, directed at me or not

In my present lounge i have the pana 42pe50 blah blah plasma with the pana SCT ?? Surround sound system & DVD player. This gives great sound or it seems to.

So anything a bit beefer is what i am after, as this setup will be going into the lounge in the new house.

 

lol, its ok now

 

Would a projector be ok in a room that size ??

Its also going to be a mix between footie, films & so would it work ok with them ???

Whats a CRT beamer ??

 

A beamer is a big 3-CRT projector. I have an InFocus (LCD) projector and a big RCF CRT projector. Its f*cking huge and I wont sit under it in case it comes free of the ceiling and takes me out..... A CRT projector is the very best that you can get; with true blacks and a superb natural colour. The downside is cost; they cost a fortune but you can buy then used for very sensible money if you look. They need to run in a darkened room too, but then, so does any projector. With regards to size, your room is only just big enough! Speaking of size; itll be able to generate an 7'-12' (dia) image easily!


Simon

 

3LCD and 3DLP front projectors are also worth a look but the single panel DLP sets suffer from the rainbow effect which give me headaches.
The new Sony SXRD front projector is supposed to be the dogs danglies but I suspect the price is going to match the performance. Even with front projection you need to be looking at HD-Ready.
If I was going for a dedicated room then front pro would definately be my direction.

Cheers
Lee

 

i have a sony vw10ht projector with a good sound system, the projectors are excellent and mine is already HD ready but i think they get too big !!! i have mine on an 8ft screen but i find more often im looking all over the screen to watch the picture rather than just looking straight at a tv, i would go plasma but none are big enuf for to keep me happy plus i dont have to worry about screen burn etc with my projector just make sure you have a smaller tv underneath to cover most of the day to day grind tv

 

Stephen, just check the showhome didn't do anything sneaky like putting in non-standard reinforcing but if you already have a 42in then you didn't need my comment, ah well.

 

I will do. Thanks anyway, as i said all input is apprieciated

 

why??? you go to the pictures and have to look up???

if anything i hate looking down or level at a tv.

ours (non plasma or lcd) is just above eye height when seated, this allows us to either recline the chairs or snuggle down on the sofa and still get a clear uninterupted view, and it hlps if the sprog is running round during the day...


Mart

 

Line of sight or slightly down is the ergonomic way. Looking up introduces eyestrain and fatigue.

Cheers
Lee

 

Stephen,
Pop in and see Dave at Bang & Olufsen on Bath St. and I'll come and do your install
I would go the projector route if it were me.
My main room is approx 20' x 10' and atm I have a 43" RP set (with a Yamaha amp and Mordaunt Short speakers funnily enough) but I will be looking to upgrade to a circ. 42" plasma and a projector for serious movie viewing in the future.
Have a look here for some inspiration.

 

Might go do that today thanks Paul.

Registered on the AV Forums last night, just trying to get round all the jargon & big words

 

TV stands for television mate

 

 

We've just had our home cinema sorted.

If you can afford it, you must try a front PJ. Our room is exactly the same size as a small garage, with an 8 foot across screen mounted on the ceiling.

It doesn't have to be too expensive either:

(very) Budget Toshiba PJ - £360
Screen - £180
Wires/speaker + PJ brackets/remote downlighters/pro installation - £700
Leather sofa - £800
Budget Dolby digital amp - £200
DVD player - £100
Stand - £100
Speakers (s/h) - £200
Subs (2!!) - £200

I bought most of the gear over the last year, so the big spends were only the installation and the sofa. A lot of more wealthy Scoobynetters will cringe at the cheap specs, but overall it gives a very satisfying cinema experience