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

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?

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

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?

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).