Buiding a Home Theatre - From Scratch

[rdksrk2013]

Hi All,


I am new to starting a thread but have been religiously following this space for the past 6 months. I understand that lot of threads were started but I believe each HT can be build in a different way and forum members will get lot of ideas to benefit and share with these efforts.

I had this obsession to make my own HT. My house is under construction and has room on the terrace which I am planning to have a dedicated HT.

Bare room is almost complete(Snaps attached) and I had decided to start preparing for starting work on the HT. I thought of starting a dedicated thread and inviting from everyone their suggestions for making a simple Home Theatre.

At the start I would like to make clear the following:

1. Am not seeking a perfect Home theatre. Just make a decent good looking HT with a bit of acoustic work thrown in.
2. I am not a audiophile
3. Keep the budget as simple as possible within the constraints which I have eg: dimensions, budget etc.,. I know it is impossible ! more we go deep into details, more we keep spending.
4. No specific budget in mind but resources are not unlimited ie limited availability of resources ( almost drained money in building the house itself!!). I think 2 lakhs is what I am foreseeing.
5. As usual I am a technical person and like everyone has only the weekends to spend on this hobby. Planning to Keep busy with this hobby as a diversion from work pressures .
6. Till date did not purchase any equipment for HT. Exception is I have a set of monitor speakers(8 Ohms) which are more than 15 years old used in a Dolby Pro-logic HT using a VCR at that time. These are in good condition(packed) and I am planning to use these as surrounds.

With the limited knowledge I have, I had listed below the sequence of the components to purchase:
1. Projector ceiling mount
2. Power cable, HDMI cable & speaker cables
3. AVR
4. Speakers
5. Acoustic material
6. Audio rack
7. Projector
8. UPS
9. Screen
10. BDP/Media player

I am planning to purchase in the above sequence.

Attached below is the sketch of the proposed room layout. I have the following questions:
1. How much far should I get the ceiling mount fitted from the screen?
2. How much far from the backside wall/window(in this case) should the ceiling mount be placed?
3. What will be size of the screen for this distance?

I am planning to select a projector with lens shift.

Thanking in advance for advise from everyone.

 

[rdksrk2013]

Repeating the layout again as the picture is not clear! Forgot to mention Room Dimension is 15 x 10 ft.

 

[m.a.sara]

The projector model should be chosen first to answer all the 3 queries. And you can easily check them from projectorcentral.com using the distance calculator.

For 10 ft wall, you can traget ideally a screen size of 8ft wide. Also try to visit FM's in your city to get an idea.

I was in a similar phase last year. Since HT room is in construction, few things you can plan for.
- Lay the conduits for speakers (7.1 even if you are going 5.1 for now)
- Make provision for DTH cabling for future.
- Plan for some lighting points too. A false ceiling with few LED lights will greatly increase the ambience factor a lot. Get a mount and install it while false ceiling is getting done (if going for it)
- Wooden flooring or tiles covered with carpets(if going for wooden just bare floor without tiles is good enough).

All the best, you will have an exciting time for sure.

 

[rdksrk2013]

The projector model should be chosen first to answer all the 3 queries. And you can easily check them from projectorcentral.com using the distance calculator.

For 10 ft wall, you can traget ideally a screen size of 8ft wide. Also try to visit FM's in your city to get an idea.

I was in a similar phase last year. Since HT room is in construction, few things you can plan for.
- Lay the conduits for speakers (7.1 even if you are going 5.1 for now)
- Make provision for DTH cabling for future.
- Plan for some lighting points too. A false ceiling with few LED lights will greatly increase the ambience factor a lot. Get a mount and install it while false ceiling is getting done (if going for it)
- Wooden flooring or tiles covered with carpets(if going for wooden just bare floor without tiles is good enough).

All the best, you will have an exciting time for sure.

Thank you for the suggestions.

I am yet to decide the projector. I had used the distance calculator and yes you are correct a 8 ft wide screen can be accomodated.

Answers to your queries:

- Lay the conduits for speakers (7.1 even if you are going 5.1 for now)

Reply: Agreed. Please suggest how many conduits are to be laid and what type of cables to be run from the projector celing mount.
Any suggestions of ceiling mount used by you.

- Make provision for DTH cabling for future.

Reply: Yes builder has provided a point for the same in this room.

- Plan for some lighting points too. A false ceiling with few LED lights will greatly increase the ambience factor a lot. Get a mount and install it while false ceiling is getting done (if going for it)

Reply: Yes I am planning to have false ceiling lining along the corners to cover the conduits for cables. I will not go for full false ceiling since I am planning for some acoustic material on the ceiling on some places

- Wooden flooring or tiles covered with carpets(if going for wooden just bare floor without tiles is good enough).

Reply: Builder has provided marble flooring and I plan to lay a existing carpet which is thick to cover the all the middle portion of the flooring. I think this should take care of the acoustics of the floor.

Please suggest type of cables to be purchased.

I think the following types from ceiling mounts should be sufficient:

A. Power Cable for Projector
B. HDMI Cable version 1.4 - to cover 3D signals also
C. Composite cables - as a backup if any problem with HDMI
D. 1.5 Sq mm pair cable for Trigger ( If option used!)

Regarding speaker cables - I do not have idea which type need to buy. I need to do some research.

Thanks in advance

 

[sdurani]

Am not seeking a perfect Home theatre. Just make a decent good looking HT with a bit of acoustic work thrown in.

The first plan of attack on acoustics is also the cheapest: placement (seating, subwoofer, speakers). The biggest and most noticable problems in home theatres are in the low frequencies (bass), which means fixing those problems will make for the most noticable improvements (for all listeners). Problems in the bass range are the hardest to fix, because they require very thick acoustical treatments (bass traps) and precise equalization. You can minimize the need for those things by sticking to a few simple placement rules.

If you blow across an empty Coke bottle, you can get that small chamber to resonate (make that booooooooh sound). Enlarge that space to your 10x15 room, and that chamber will still resonate (just at different frequencies than the Coke bottle). These resonances (room modes) will result in very uneven frequency response, which you will hear as large peaks & dips across the listening area. Loud peaks will mask softer sounds and deep dips will bury other sounds. Addressing those problems won't cost you anything.

Your 10ft wide room will resonate at 57Hz, 113Hz, 170Hz, 226Hz, 283Hz, etc. If you place your pressure generators (subwoofer, speakers) where sound pressure is lowest in the room (nulls), you can cancel these room modes so that all listeners hear smoother frequency response. To do that, place your subwoofer at the midpoint of room width (either middle of front wall or back wall) and place your L/R speakers 20 inches in from the side walls (assuming you're using a centre speaker).

To further improve the sound, place your seating (technically, the listeners ears) at one of the 1/3rd divisions of room length. These are the locations where various frequencies are closest in volume level to each other, so you can hear all sounds equally (smoothest response). In your case, 1/3rd of 15 feet means the listeners should be 5 feet from the back wall.

So without having spent anything on acoustical treatments, you'll have some of the smoothest/cleanest bass and mids compared to any home theatre you'll visit. Just with proper placement. If you're willing to place some acoustical treatment in the room, then you'll be able to clean up the mids and highs as well.

 

[rdksrk2013]

thanks Sanjay for the suggestions.

I was thinking on the same lines. Let me try and see

 

[m.a.sara]

I have posted here http://www.hifivision.com/home-thea...20-dali-concept6-rxv571-just-another-guy.html
some details of my HT.

Initial set up for the mount took some time but once installed no issues (unless I disturb it say remove/close the lens cover which distubrs the alignment)

how many conduits - if it's 7.1, then for speakers + sub - fronts, 4 is fine. Now you just lay the pipes (with some cheap wires or some thread) so when you buy your actual cables later, you lay inside the pipes (1inch pipe will do for speark cables). For projecotr power and HDMI cables, for 1.5 and 2 inch pipes as they are a bit thicker.

There are many popular brands available, you can check AV cable section. I have profigold for the fronts/sub (around 100Rs/m I think) and 30rs/m for surrounds.

Reg the cable items you've mentioned (ABCD)
these are good enough I think. I have ABC and no D. Also I thought C will not be useful much as even if HDMI gets faulty, we will replace with another HDMI and not go for composite. But it could be useful until we buy a new one!.

 

[jpmlore]

Hi There,

i was planning on a living room-home theater. i made sure of the following (yet to buy stuff as other things became priority)

wiring for 9.2 system (just in case; 7.1 suffices but then never know when u will get rich and indulge in front heights )

separate power line from the MCB / ELCB (preferred) with separate earth wiring to the AV points (not shared with lighting)

CAT 6 cabling to overhead projector point (you need two CAT-6 wires in case you want to use them instead of pulling / using HDMI; it can be used for playing from LAn conneted devices too)

using double cable for DTH (required in case you used TS HD+ recording feature)

power point for the powered screen mount

power point for powered projector hoist

plan for Fan point not interfering with projector

also, please use separate duct for power and speaker cables

 

[rdksrk2013]

Hi There,

wiring for 9.2 system (just in case; 7.1 suffices but then never know when u will get rich and indulge in front heights )

You are right. I am planning for 5.1 but taking your suggestion I will wire for 7.1

 

[rdksrk2013]

Hi There,

separate power line from the MCB / ELCB (preferred) with separate earth wiring to the AV points (not shared with lighting)

CAT 6 cabling to overhead projector point (you need two CAT-6 wires in case you want to use them instead of pulling / using HDMI; it can be used for playing from LAn conneted devices too)

Accept your suggestions. WIll check the wiring and get it done if its not.

CAT 6 - I haven't come across anyone wiring this !

 

[sdurani]

I am planning for 5.1 but taking your suggestion I will wire for 7.1

IF you do wire for 7.1, this is roughly where the speaker locations should be.

 

[rdksrk2013]

IF you do wire for 7.1, this is roughly where the speaker locations should be.

Thanks Sanjay for the efforts in redrawing the sketch.

I am thinking of making the window on the back as a french window(foldable) so that we can see movie from the balcony side at night.

Then in that case I will not have anything to hang the surronds on the back at ear level. Only provision is nearer to the ceiling. Anyway will leave the speakers wires upto that point on the back.

can anyone suggest for my question on earlier post - how much distance needs to be left from the back wall for fixing the projector mount from ceiling?

 

[sdurani]

If you're going to use the back window for balcony viewing (I like that idea), then the back speakers can be mounted in the corners, either near ear level or near the tri-corners (where the back corners meet the ceiling). This way, they won't be in the way of the window, but will still anchor certain sounds behind you (as opposed to the sounds at your sides).

 

[rdksrk2013]

IF you do wire for 7.1, this is roughly where the speaker locations should be.

Sdurani - My room is only 15 ft in length and if 3 ft is left from the back window literally the positioning of the seat will be at approx 12 ft from screen.

with this small room I think if I implement 7.1 surround then the seating should be moved closer to the screen in comparison if we go for speaker postions with 5.1 as earlier posted sketch.

I had given a lot of thought to your suggestion and came up with this plan:

1. Place the 7.1 surround speakers on pedestals and place them at the back if we are using the balcony sitting facility.

2. In normal circumstances ie viewing in daytime, in which case we need to close the window, use the 5.1 mode and disconect the 7.1 surrounds.

I had made a sketch with this configuration. Pls comment if it is possible for me to select a AVR which can play 7.1 surround and can selectively play in 5.1 or 7.1 mode as I wish.

Thanks in advance.

 

[vinay]

The 7.1 could be a over kill for your room length.

V.

 

[vinay]

You actually may not require a audio rack because it seems you are mainly going to watch movies.

Furthermore if you are going to use a media player then all the more a rack requirement falls dead.

While for many of us it may be a good idea to be with a media player or a blue ray player instead of having both.

V.

With the limited knowledge I have, I had listed below the sequence of the components to purchase:
1. Projector ceiling mount
2. Power cable, HDMI cable & speaker cables
3. AVR
4. Speakers
5. Acoustic material
6. Audio rack
7. Projector
8. UPS
9. Screen
10. BDP/Media player

 

[rdksrk2013]

The 7.1 could be a over kill for your room length.

V.

I agree with you. 7.1 in a 15 ft length room - looks like trying to accomodate too much in a small space.

 

[sdurani]

I had given a lot of thought to your suggestion and came up with this plan:

1. Place the 7.1 surround speakers on pedestals and place them at the back if we are using the balcony sitting facility.

2. In normal circumstances ie viewing in daytime, in which case we need to close the window, use the 5.1 mode and disconect the 7.1 surrounds.

Seems unnecessarily complicated (placing speakers inside and outside the room, disconnecting certain speakers some of the time, firing speakers through a window, etc) and will make for a worse sounding setup.

If a poorer sounding set-up with bad frequency response is not a problem, then I think you will be OK putting your front speakers near the corners and firing your rear speakers through the window. Your main priority seems to be having the seating 12 feet away from the screen, with other aspects (good sound) not being a consideration. To that end, I think what you've sketched out will accomplish that.

7.1 in a 15 ft length room - looks like trying to accomodate too much in a small space.

My first 7.1 set-up was in a 13.5 ft long room. Since my seating was well away from the back wall, I ended up with excellent rear-vs-side separation in the surround field and seamless wrap-around envelopment. But if you're not willing to sit away from the back wall, then it is better to stick to a 5.1 set-up and sacrifice the kind directionality and envelopment that 7.1 delivers.

 

[rdksrk2013]

"sudrani: My first 7.1 set-up was in a 13.5 ft long room. Since my seating was well away from the back wall, I ended up with excellent rear-vs-side separation in the surround field and seamless wrap-around envelopment. But if you're not willing to sit away from the back wall, then it is better to stick to a 5.1 set-up and sacrifice the kind directionality and envelopment that 7.1 delivers.
"

I appreciate sharing this info. I will try this config after completing my project.

 

[Swamy_HT]

Any progress on your project?