I have two main viewing area’s in my house.  A living room for daily use and a dedicated theater.

The living room, which I have included a couple of pictures of, consists of a 42” Pioneer Kuro Plasma, and a dedicated theater which features a JVC-RS1 front projector.  The theater room was put together in a spare room/study in my townhouse.  Given that my stay in the house was going to be finite I had the unique challenge of making everything look as clean as possible, but also reversible.  I think the room came out quite well considering both the limited size and somewhat temporary nature of the project.

Here is a slideshow with pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27730338@N05/sets/72157605674772695/show/

Detailed Description:

Living Room
The living room houses a Pioneer PDP-4280 – the first generation (8th really) Pioneer Kuro and is for day to day use.  The reputation of these units is well known…all I can say is that I’m a huge fan.  This TV is, quite simply, the best I’ve owned.  In terms of everything else: Denon 2910 SDI DVD player, Scientific Atlanta HD-DVR, and a Lumagen HDP Video Processor.  Sound is handled by my old Denon 3802 and PSB Stratus Mini’s.  The 3802 still works great – lack of HDMI really isn’t a concern currently as I’m only using cable and SD-DVD and there isn’t surround in this room.  This unit might get upgraded in the future (as Bluray becomes more common or something displaces the PS3 from the theater) but for right now it sounds great.

The DVD player used to be in the theater and is probably a bit overkill, but my new VP doesn’t have SDI it pairs nicely with the HDP which does.  I use the HDP for both calibration of the set (the non-Elite units don’t have the same controls that the Elite’s do) as well as calibration of the inputs.  It stays on pretty much all the time, operating in the background.  As you can tell I’m a huge fan of video processors.  Once you go that direction, its hard to go back J

Theater Room
I started this project several years ago to capitalize on a study/spare bedroom on my first floor that just wasn’t getting used.  I had always known that my spare, and chronically unused, room would make a nice dedicated room, but the project seemed overly daunting.   I had no idea about screens, projectors, light control, etc.  I decided to start by taking advantage of many local AVS forum members who graciously welcomed me into their homes to see their set-up before I started.  Several inspections around the fall of 2003 told me that I wasn’t ready yet…I saw a handful of projectors that defined screen door effect to me very quickly and I just wasn’t happy with what I was seeing.

Then came the winter of 2003 where two landmark projectors were released (I still remember them): the Sanyo Z2 and the Panasonic AE500U.  These two units represented the first time 720p came to a reasonable price point.  I went to a few AVS members houses and decided it was finally time.

I had a few constraints: I’m not going to live in this house forever so I had to make sure everything that I was planning would be semi-permanent in nature and would come down easily.  At the same time I wanted a clean look to my set-up.  I had to make sure that everything was as set-up as possible as I would be moving equipment and I didn’t want to be down for too long.

The first step was prepping the room.  This was essential to making sure my downtime was minimal (I would be relocating all of my equipment from my living room set-up into the theater).  Speaker wire came first.  As I have a crawlspace this wasn’t a terribly difficult project.  My next step was cabling for the video.  The room had a closet which meant that I was going to have a central hub that was distant from the projector.  I ran a DVI and component cable from the closet up to the ceiling.  I used an on wall conduit from a company called Panduit to accommodate the thick video cables.

As I had all of the equipment in my living room, the only equipment I had to procure was the projector and mount.  For a projector I decided on LCD.  The pricing was right for HD (DLP still carried a significant premium and I had had trouble with rainbows in the past) and more importantly, they provided the installation flexibility that I knew I’d need for my first time.  I opted for a slightly used Z2 specifically because it had lens shift.   I chose to look for a set-up that could be wall mounted in order to avoid any damage to my popcorned ceiling.  I bought a mount from a forum member who was making mounts in his house specifically for the Sanyo Z2.  It was very inexpensive compared to commercial mounts and mounted cleanly and easily to studs in my wall.

That was 5 years ago.  Since my initial set-up I’ve owned or demoed 5 or so projectors in the room.  I’ve incrementally upgraded almost every piece of equipment in the theater room and have gotten to a point that I’m really really happy with.  Below I describe my current equipment set-up:

My current video chain consists of two primary sources: an Oppo 980 and a PS3.  I use the Oppo for SD-DVD’s.  This particular Oppo unit is capable of outputting a native 480i 4:2:2 component signal over HDMI and replaced by SDI player when I upgraded video processors to a unit that didn’t have SDI.  It provides a nice, pure, un-tampered with MPEG stream from the DVD allowing the video processor to do all of the heavy lifting (deinterlacing, scaling).  Some on the AVS forum would argue that it pales in comparison to SDI, but it is working just fine for me.

I use a PS3 for blu-ray playback.  I have loved owning this unit despite having a historical bias against Sony for some reason (there stuff just always seemed to cost more for no good reason).  It is lighting fast, incredibly well supported by Sony, and gives me access to great HD video and all of the advanced audio codecs.

Other sources include a rarely used Pioneer CLD-59 Laserdisc player and a Pioneer DVD changer that I use just for music.  I have connections for cable TV in the closet in the close as well (a coax cable, HDMI cable and power).  When needed I poach the cable box from my bedroom – installation takes about 2 minutes + boot up time of the box – last time was the super bowl – mostly movies watched in this theater.

All video sources pass first into a Lumagen RadianceXD Video Processor.  From there the signals are de-interlaced and scaled if necessary, corrected for color, and then passed onto a Denon 3808.  Because the Radiance is HDMI 1.1 only, all HD audio formats (DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD, etc) are decoded at the source.  The Radiance is a great, very flexible unit.  Many would argue that its an essential pairing to the RS1 given its oversaturated colors and lack of a built-in Color Management System – that’s an argument for the forums…but I have become accustomed to having a video processor in my set-up and can’t imagine living without one now.  The Radiance unfortunately doesn’t have SDI inputs so my old SDI player was moved to my living room.  We’ll see whether that configuration stays when the Lumagen SDI-HDMI converter comes out…the SDI player is a bit overkill in my living room.

Video is handled by a JVC RS1.  I love this unit.  Great blacks and a beautifully calibrated picture – on top of that (and probably most important) was that this unit has incredible installation flexibility.  This is my 4th projector – I started with a Sanyo Z2 back in the day as I described above.  I am very happy with this current unit and don’t plan on upgrading for a while.

The sound in the room is provided by PSB Status Series speakers in the front (Silver i’s and C5i center).  The surrounds are PSB Image 1B’s and the sub is a PSB Subsonic 7.  I have had this speaker set-up for almost 7 years now and they have served me well but are probably getting a bit dated.  I have focused for quite some time on incremental upgrades in electronics – speakers are probably next but it’ll wait until I land in my next house.  These speakers are plenty of oomph for the sized room and still sound great despite their age.

All electronics are plugged into a Running Springs Audio Haley Power Conditioner.  I was turned onto this company by a local friend/dealer.  I liked what they were about and decided to go for one of their smaller units (the larger ones get quite expensive).  It is plugged into the wall by a JPS Labs AC+ Power Cord.  This is a decidedly audiophile product and one that my set-up probably doesn’t benefit from all that much – but it is protecting the gear from a standard surge point of view and not having and detrimental impacts while doing it.

My screen is a Carada Brilliant White, 92”.  I sit about 9 feet back from that which puts the size right at about the THX recommended viewing angle.

As for the rest of the room: I have addressed light in the room a couple of ways.  The ceiling has black felt out to about 4 feet.  This had a dramatic effect on the picture quality that I was getting.  The fabric is pretty basic stuff from wall mart.  I used tiny finishing nails to attach it to the ceiling.  Additionally, there is a black carpet directly in front of the screen covering the light carpet and both the door and window have dark curtains that can be drawn during viewing.

I have a few nifty accessories as well.  In the closet you’ll see a Buffalo Technologies Wireless Access Point.  This is a great little unit that essentially allows non wireless components to access my wireless network.  Linksys and others make these, but this unit has multiple Ethernet inputs.  I initially purchased it for my HD-DVD player (which I obviously no longer have) but use it now for my internet capable receiver for both firmware updates and streaming internet radio.

I use a Univeral Remote MX-900 remote control.  I know the HT-Guys love the Harmony Stuff, but I actually think that the URC stuff is a little more powerful – albeit a bit more difficult to get set-up.  I can customize and program macros with this unit using my PC to a far greater extent than Harmony allows.  There is a bit of a learning curve and it certainly isn’t easy the first time through, but I end up with a bit more customized (and robust) experience than I think Harmony gives.  This communicates via RF to the equipment in the closet by an RF-IR converting unit.  I also have a IR2BT converter so that the PS3 can work via the remote as well.

Lastly, I installed some basic lighting control.  The ceiling light in the room as a Lutron Maestro IR switch.  This responds to IR commands that are sent out from the MX-900.  Basically for each task (Blu Ray, SD-DVD, Cable)  the main screen of my remote displays lighting commands (ON, OFF, UP DOWN, PRE-SET).  This was such a great addition and gives things a small level of refinement for a DIY set-up.

Some things I’ve learned and can pass on:
A front projection set-up can be daunting…especially if you have to buy everything at once.  I started with very basic questions: what is the bare minimum I need to do to this room to get it ready (in my case it was wiring for sound and video).  Next was the projector and mount, then the screen.  It’s nice to have everything done in a weekend but that simply wasn’t feasible.  Take your time, figure out the best order that things need to be done and work in steps.  I used to sit in the couch in the room and visualize exactly what needed to be done long before any equipment was purchased.

Make due with what you have and upgrade in increments.  I was lucky as I started with an existing theater that I was moving to a front projector set-up.  All I had to do was wire the room and take care of the projector and screen.  I started with a used projector to keep initial costs down.  I have been able to make incremental upgrades as my timing would allow and have gotten to a set-up that would have involved a major cash outlay if purchased all at once.  By going in steps I was able to improve my gear at about the same pace that I’ve learned the nuances of front projection.

Make use of AVS forum members in your area.  I can’t stress enough how helpful it was to be able to meet people and see some DIY set-ups first hand.  Speaking with people who understood the process and the pitfalls was essential in getting me through the initial steps. Demoing front projectors, especially budget ones, is extremely hard.  Forum members can be a great place to get started.  I hardly ever see postings titled: Looking to demo projectors in Houston, etc – the AVS Forum members are, for the most part, extremely gracious – make use of them as a local resource.

Lighting control is important but not overly critical.  You don’t need a basement or total cave to enjoy front projection.  A cave can increase some aspects of the experience but isn’t necessary to get your feet wet.

Coffee tables for a front projector are a fine place to start...use your existing set-up and a basic screen and you can enjoy front projection without any construction.

Don’t be afraid of used gear – just be careful of the who, what and where.  You’ll be surprised how much you can find locally that you’ll be able to touch, feel and see before you actually purchase it.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but educate yourself before you make a posting on a forum.  You will be ignored if your question falls along the lines of: I want a front projection set-up; what should I buy?  What should I do?  Read, get educated and turn to making your own threads only when you are ready to ask specific questions.  Also, be as brief and simple as possible, it’ll get you more responses.

Familiarize yourself with the look and feel of the prominent projector technologies (DLP, LCOS, LCD).  They each have a different look (like flavors of ice cream) and have their own set of positives and negatives.

For the first time, I can’t reiterate enough how important lens shift is.

Use your local high end stores, but don’t abuse them.  If you have no intention of purchasing gear from the store, it probably isn’t fair to pick the brain of a salesman, but many of the high end stores will have a few projectors on display.  Do you see rainbows?  A local store is a great place to find that out.

So I guess that’s pretty much it.  It’s been a fun project.  I have about another year in this house to enjoy things before I move on.  My next house will hopefully be a bit more long term and thus give me the flexibility to build (or contract) a much more permanent installation.