92" screen + projector... OR... 65" 4K TV?

[Legend]

How many sources are you likely to have? Most projectors have 2 HDMI inputs and TVs typically 4 so video switching on an amp is not really needed. If you go s/h on audio then incredible sound is relatively inexpensive and I always recommend the same amp time and again, a Yamaha dsp a1 can be had for £100 and still beats most modern day AV amps on audio quality upto £1200. If I didn't need the 2 HDMI outputs on my new amp then I'd use my a1 again

Will have x3 sources, including PS4, PC and Virgin TV box.

Do you have free reign to treat the room how you like and can you paint a screen straight onto the wall?

//wall of text incoming

For what it's worth I've had a bunch of pj setups - home made screens with purchased fabrics, specialized paint and diy Black Widow, to budget and high end exotic fixeds and drop downs. High gain, neutral gain, various shades of grey. There's so many options it gets super confusing! Given this and if you can treat the room and paint straight onto the wall, this is my suggestion. Sand the screen wall down - don't have to spend ages but the more you do the better the result - and paint a massive 16:9 Dulux Lumitec Light and Space White screen. Go for as big as the wall/pj will allow given the room setup (this first part I suggest to anyone considering a fixed screen pj setup btw). Now paint everything else matte black. Doesn't have to be black, but it will look better the darker it is. This last bit will make a cheap pj look as good as one costing considerably more. Personally, i'd also buy some decent, non sheen black velvet - devore - staple it onto foam boards and velcro it to the walls and ceiling. Again, doesn't have to be the whole lot - but treating the screen wall along with the ceiling and side walls coming out a few meters makes a big difference. And it looks ******* smart as hell Ofc, black carpet - or failing that, black rug/carpet coming out a few meters from the screen wall. Your screen suddenly becomes what looks like a 100"+ plasma floating in space. Very few people have experienced this as it's not something you get at the cinema due to the low lighting and exit signs everywhere, and it looks amazing. In fact it can make you feel weirdly disembodied. All of this will set you back a few days work and a few hundred quid and will look better than a £2000 fixed screen in your average home cinema room. Now blow the rest of the budget on the best possible low contrast pj you can afford (i'm assuming the sound side of things is sorted?). JVC is usually the easy choice. If gaming is a concern, probably a Sony. But there's a whole load of pjs around - I like Epson too - so do some research. Also, get some black tape to cover the leds on your av equipment - don't want to go through the hassle and have evil little lights all over the place. Burkas are an option. And now you're good to go - it will already look fantastic. Better than the cinema and anything you'll get with a traditional panel. And this is where the fun really starts - play with image size for a few weeks/months and see what works best for your seating position/eyes. Be wowed by it. If you decide the sweet spot is a little smaller, paint in the new border and live with it for a while longer. Mess around with pj settings. Dabble in calibrating it. The screen can totally wait. In fact, buying a fixed screen and a pj at the same time is the biggest mistake, imho, that you can make. I made it, everyone makes it. Once you're settled and know what you want size wise, start saving for a screen. DIY or bought - things will looks crisper and colours more accurate, but it will have less impact on how good things looks than the stuff mentioned above. This may all sound like hassle, but it's the difference between walking into a room with a big tv and being in space watching movies through a massive floating window!

I do have free reign to do anything. Some of the projectors I've been considering so far are the Epson TW-6700W (wireless which seems like it would be VERY handy), the Sony VPL-HW45ES (bit over budget but it seems very solid) and I've got an eye on the upcoming Optoma 550X (which is 4K but DLP therefore rainbow effect likely) but not much is known about that yet so I will await reviews. Screen wise, I found THIS ONE at Richer sounds which is as big as the space can take and gets good reviews. I have noticed that once you hit 100"+ the price of screens seems to sky rocket. Your painting suggestion is interesting, although sounds like a lot of time consuming work (and which isn't cheap either), especially if I'd be looking to get a screen further down the line anyway.

Audio is a bit of a conundrum currently, but all reasonably priced options are on the table. As stated, I am not an audiophile, so I'm not looking for an uber expensive set-up here. Seems there are quite a few affordable options around for all-in-one kits (receiver, speakers, sub etc), but I don't really know what's what. Could easily blow my budget (and then some) on audio alone of course, but that's not an option, and as mentioned above, I don't need to remortgage to get something decent that I'll get a lot of enjoyment from.

 

[tom_nieto]

If you take any advice in this thread for a dedicated room please please follow Warbie. You're taking the trouble to make a dedicated room. Get the surroundings right and you'll not need to spend tens of thousand of pounds on AV kit to get a really impressive setup. Are you willing to do any work at all for yourself i.e. painting? Most of us on this forum would kill for the opportunity that you have!

 

[Legend]

If you take any advice in this thread for a dedicated room please please follow Warbie. You're taking the trouble to make a dedicated room. Get the surroundings right and you'll not need to spend tens of thousand of pounds on AV kit to get a really impressive setup. Are you willing to do any work at all for yourself i.e. painting? Most of us on this forum would kill for the opportunity that you have!

Of course I am willing, but his advice is a touch confusing... a painted screen is better than a £2000 fixed screen, yet I should then save up for a screen after I've painted one? I'm not going to spend £2000 on a screen. Ever. I know what I want size wise, because the biggest I can fit is 92-100" MAX. I don't see how I'd ever want smaller... the room is quite long so there's no danger of being forced in to sitting too close.

 

[Warbie]

Of course I am willing, but his advice is a touch confusing... a painted screen is better than a £2000 fixed screen, yet I should then save up for a screen after I've painted one?

I didn't explain things well. I didn't mean a painted screen is better than a 2k option, but that a painted screen in a bat cave is compared to an expensive screen in a room that hasn't been treated. It's the room that's key. Regardless of how good someone's pj and screen combo is, if they have to deal with ambient they're going to kill their blacks levels. You're already a step up from someone with two or three times your budget and can't treat their room. I wasn't suggesting you save up for an expensive screen btw, rather that if this was my budget and if I had your options, I would put all the money into treating the room (a few hundred pounds) and getting the best pj available and worry about the screen later. And if you can fit a 100", go for it mate. You'd be surprised how much bigger that looks in the flesh - almost 20% more than 92". Again, personal choice, but i'd rather have a 100" painted screen than a 92" bought option. In fact I've sold expensive screens in favour of diy solutions that took one evening of sanding and painting to put together and considered it an upgrade.

This is the kind of thing i'm talking about btw (not mine):

My next setup will be similar, but with velvet covering everything

 

[Legend]

I didn't explain things well. I didn't mean a painted screen is better than a 2k option, but that a painted screen in a bat cave is compared to an expensive screen in a room that hasn't been treated. It's the room that's key. Regardless of how good someone's pj and screen combo is, if they have to deal with ambient they're going to kill their blacks levels. You're already a step up from someone with two or three times your budget and can't treat their room. I wasn't suggesting you save up for an expensive screen btw, rather that if this was my budget and if I had your options, I would put all the money into treating the room (a few hundred pounds) and getting the best pj available and worry about the screen later. And if you can fit a 100", go for it mate. You'd be surprised how much bigger that looks in the flesh - almost 20% more than 92". Again, personal choice, but i'd rather have a 100" painted screen than a 92" bought option. In fact I've sold expensive screens in favour of diy solutions that took one evening of sanding and painting to put together and considered it an upgrade.

This is the kind of thing i'm talking about btw (not mine):

My next setup will be similar, but with velvet covering everything

OK gotcha. I will need to check on the screen size... 100" is definitely the max, IF that's do-able. Room isn't even ready yet, it's still a garage, so I have plenty of time to plan this out properly. You mentioned Dulux Lumitec paint... I can't seem to see that anywhere except references to it that are 10 years old... does it now go by a different name or is there an equivalent product? And you say a painted option would be better than a decent quality fixed screen? I always thought it was the other way round based on what I've seen on other forums, but that may be more down to lack of prep and not doing it right.

 

[Warbie]

And you say a painted option would be better than a decent quality fixed screen?

If both the same size i'd go for bought, but i'd go for painted if it allowed for a noticeably bigger screen and always paint first when trying out a room for the first time. pj setups are all about screen size - for me anyways.

I haven't used it for a while, but it's the Dulux Light & Space range. You want a mat white. It's handy as it has a slightly positive gain that keeps the image bright and is ready out the pot.

 

[Legend]

If both the same size i'd go for bought, but i'd go for painted if it allowed for a noticeably bigger screen and always paint first when trying out a room for the first time. pj setups are all about screen size - for me anyways.

I haven't used it for a while, but it's the Dulux Light & Space range. You want a mat white. It's handy as it has a slightly positive gain that keeps the image bright and is ready out the pot.

Thanks. Given my width restriction, the problem I think I will have is the added width of the frame of a fixed screen, so although I may fit 100", by the time I add the frame to that, it's too wide. I also need to factor in speaker placement though, so I don't want to be going very close to the edges of the room... needs to be a reasonable gap either side of the screen I would imagine. I'll know more when the room is done.

 

[tom_nieto]

If you extend the black material to the walls you probably don't need much of a frame really to give a great effect. Speaker placement is important but that will depend on what speaker configuration you're looking at. Speakers positioned tight up against a wall won't sound as good as those in more space but there are designs to compensate - I'd look at smaller speakers for the front 3 and a more capable sub for example rather than huge floorstanding fronts.

 

[Legend]

If you extend the black material to the walls you probably don't need much of a frame really to give a great effect. Speaker placement is important but that will depend on what speaker configuration you're looking at. Speakers positioned tight up against a wall won't sound as good as those in more space but there are designs to compensate - I'd look at smaller speakers for the front 3 and a more capable sub for example rather than huge floorstanding fronts.

Thanks. Yes, speakers are something I need to do more research in to for sure... lots of options there!