HT setup questions

DigitalReaper · 6 Feb 2009 at 10:30

Please excuse the hastily written post, need to go out soon

Thinking of getting a HT setup in my bedroom but I have a few (ok, a bunch of

) questions...

Is 1080p worth it over 720?

I've heard a lot about the IN80 (1080p) but not many other projectors... anyone have any recommendations?

Is the IN80 including celing mount for £1400 a good deal?

Can someone explain the math involved with screen size and vertical position on the wall.

What height is best for the screen? Center at eye level?

Will I need a blackout blind or will normal blinds be sufficient during the day?

How bad is it if the projector is turned off at the mains without letting the bulb cool? (e.g. power cut) Edit: How much bulb life will I loose if this happens? a matter of a few hours or are we talking major cuts in bulb lifespan?

You see a lot about the life of the bulbs, but very little (none) about the life of the projector itself, anyone know how long projectors usually last for?

Is it possible to calibrate the screen using a digital photo of the projected image and some math instead of buying a proper calibrator?

Would something like this work for a screen? http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/33080380 (stretched over a frame ofc)

Should speakers be placed on the left/right edges of the screen or is it ok to have them underneath?

Does it matter if the center speaker is slightly off center? Say 20 or 30cm at the most.

What height should speakers be placed at? Center of the screen? Ear height?

Oh and my wallet is blaming you for this, easyrider

Hen_Dawg · 6 Feb 2009 at 18:44

DigitalReaper said:
P
Is 1080p worth it over 720?

Should speakers be placed on the left/right edges of the screen or is it ok to have them underneath?

Does it matter if the center speaker is slightly off center? Say 20 or 30cm at the most.

What height should speakers be placed at? Center of the screen? Ear height?

Just a few questions..

1080 vs 720 could be argued forever but mostly depends of how big a sreen you project to and how far away you will be viewing from.
Front speakers should be at around ear hight (for hearing treble better). Rear speakers are best a bit above ear hight.
A general rule for fronts is to have a 45deg agles between the ideal sitting position and them. That may influence whether they sit under your screen or not, but imo it makes sense to have them at the sides.
I had a centre a bit off to the side in an old house of mine and I couldn't really tell but closer to the dead centre the better

Chris1712 · 6 Feb 2009 at 19:01

DigitalReaper said:
Please excuse the hastily written post, need to go out soon

Thinking of getting a HT setup in my bedroom but I have a few (ok, a bunch of ) questions...

Is 1080p worth it over 720?
Depends on your screen size and how far away your sat. Probably would be noticeable with a projector setup, but whether the price difference is justified or not is up to you. Good 720p projectors can be had for ~500 now.

I've heard a lot about the IN80 (1080p) but not many other projectors... anyone have any recommendations?
Sanyo Z700/Z2000/Z3000 Panny AE2000/3000 Sony VPL-HW10

Is the IN80 including celing mount for £1400 a good deal?

Can someone explain the math involved with screen size and vertical position on the wall.

Projection Calculator Pro - Projector to Screen Distance

Find screen size and throw distance for all projectors, as well as seating and lighting recommendations.

www.projectorcentral.com

What height is best for the screen? Center at eye level?
Pretty much. Slouch out at your normal sitting position and stare straight ahead, put the middle there, or slightly higher.

Will I need a blackout blind or will normal blinds be sufficient during the day?
Blackout blind.

How bad is it if the projector is turned off at the mains without letting the bulb cool? (e.g. power cut)
Bad. Its happened to me a couple times and I was quite worried. Luckily, on mine at least as soon as you plug it back in it realises whats happened and ramps the fans up to cool the bulb again.

You see a lot about the life of the bulbs, but very little (none) about the life of the projector itself, anyone know how long projectors usually last for?
Good question! Never thought about that. The main problems other than bulbs are polarisers on LCD's and the colour wheels on DLP's.

Is it possible to calibrate the screen using a digital photo of the projected image and some math instead of buying a proper calibrator?

Would something like this work for a screen? http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/33080380 (stretched over a frame ofc)
I guess so, but when you can so easily paint a wall or use canvas+funky paint why bother. Check out StevenG's screen thread a while back.

Should speakers be placed on the left/right edges of the screen or is it ok to have them underneath?
Wherever is right to make a triangle between you and the speakers.

Does it matter if the center speaker is slightly off center? Say 20 or 30cm at the most.
Probably won't make a huge difference, depends how wide your screen is really

What height should speakers be placed at? Center of the screen? Ear height?
Fronts at ear height, rears usually a bit higher.

Oh and my wallet is blaming you for this, easyrider

DigitalReaper · 6 Feb 2009 at 19:07

Viewing distance would be about 3.5m as the room is only 4m long.

Is this what you meant by having the speakers at a 45 deg angle?

cram · 6 Feb 2009 at 19:48

Re the infocus projector

The infocus website has an image size calculator. General consensus seems to be that this overestimates the size a bit. Whilst a good projector (at a good price) it does need a longer throw distance than some other projectors. This could be a consideration in the room you are in

Chris1712 · 6 Feb 2009 at 19:50

DigitalReaper said:
Viewing distance would be about 3.5m as the room is only 4m long.

Is this what you meant by having the speakers at a 45 deg angle?

45 is obviously best case scenario. In that room, I would still have the speakers against the right hand wall, toed in a little bit and bring the seating forward accordingly. Your trying to achieve something like this.

DigitalReaper · 6 Feb 2009 at 22:34

Updated original post.

Thanks for the recommendations, although sadly most seem to be out of my budget. I do like the look of the Sanyo Z700 though, especially at £1k delivered including a 10m HDMI/DVI cable from a reputable retailer who i've bought from before. Cheap, 1080p, 2x zoom and a decent selection of inputs

Specs here: http://uk.sanyo.com/Products/View/PLV-Z700

I can't really move the seating forward, the size of the room and the amount of stuff in it really restricts the layout. Do you still think I should have the speakers next to the screen, or should I bring them closer to the viewer? (1m or so?) That would be about half way between where they are now and the screen.

Would having the rears so close to the viewer be a problem? They would be spaced slightly closer together compared to the fronts to clear the door.

What would be an appropriate image size for the room? According to Sanyos calc the projector will do up to 3.5m diag (2.58x1.45m), presumably at 2x zoom. Would an image that size be possible in practice or would the high zoom ruin the quality?

Also is there a difference in image quality depending on wether it's ceiling or shelf mounted? If so, which way is best, or does it vary from model to model?

Man those questions just keep coming don't they?

Thanks for your input so far everone

Chris1712 · 7 Feb 2009 at 03:40

DigitalReaper said:
Updated original post.

Thanks for the recommendations, although sadly most seem to be out of my budget. I do like the look of the Sanyo Z700 though, especially at £1k delivered including a 10m HDMI/DVI cable from a reputable retailer who i've bought from before. Cheap, 1080p, 2x zoom and a decent selection of inputs

Specs here: http://uk.sanyo.com/Products/View/PLV-Z700

I can't really move the seating forward, the size of the room and the amount of stuff in it really restricts the layout. Do you still think I should have the speakers next to the screen, or should I bring them closer to the viewer? (1m or so?) That would be about half way between where they are now and the screen.
The only way is to try it out really. You'll get a better stereo soundstage if you try and make the triangle, but whether its noticeable enough for you to care is up to you. I would probably keep them near the wall and toe them appropriately, purely for aesthetics.

Would having the rears so close to the viewer be a problem? They would be spaced slightly closer together compared to the fronts to clear the door.
Should be fine, point them at your ears not back into the room.

What would be an appropriate image size for the room? According to Sanyos calc the projector will do up to 3.5m diag (2.58x1.45m), presumably at 2x zoom. Would an image that size be possible in practice or would the high zoom ruin the quality?
Very hard to say. The great advantage of the Sanyo is ofcourse ease of placement. Lens shift makes it possible to just chuck of a shelf and aim it, pretty much. I would recommend trying the projector without a screen, to get an idea for size. There's nothing worse than buying a screen thinking it'll be 'big enough', and then wanting more! Speaking from experience here! Personally, from your seating distance, I would be looking at at least 92" diagonal.

Also is there a difference in image quality depending on wether it's ceiling or shelf mounted? If so, which way is best, or does it vary from model to model?
Not as far as i know. Ceiling mounting is really just for neatness and lining things up bang on. With LCD a shelf is more than up to the job.

Man those questions just keep coming don't they?
No problem

Thanks for your input so far everone

DigitalReaper · 8 Feb 2009 at 16:44

Found a site that's offering the same projector for £850, but i'm unsure if the site is trustworthy. A quick google turned up nothing about it so I was wondering if anyone has heard of or even used http://www.avpartsmaster.net/?

I found the site via projectorcentral: http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-lamp-suppliers.htm?country=United_Kingdom

Hope they don't count as a competitor, it'd kinda suck if you're asking about a site you can't name

If I do order from it and the site turns out to be a scam/fake/whatever can't I tell the bank to reverse the transfer or something?

cram · 8 Feb 2009 at 16:54

DigitalReaper said:
Found a site that's offering the same projector for £850

The prices quoted on that site are ex VAT

DigitalReaper · 8 Feb 2009 at 17:06

cram said:
The prices quoted on that site are ex VAT

Whoops

*grumbles about blasted marketing trickery*

and thanks

DigitalReaper · 8 Feb 2009 at 21:06

According to the manual the projector needs quite a bit of clearance for cooling whist in a cabinet:

Since I was going to mount it on a shelf, would 20cm clearance from the top of the projector to the ceiling and 15cm at the rear be enough? The cooling sucks air in at the back and expels it from the side.

edit: Is it safe to continue using a bulb past its rated lifetime? I remember reading somewhere about the possibility they could explode in the projector (high pressure bulb).