Projector or 60" TV for living room

[saumitra]

Vinay: I am sure if you were not a well-known senior member of HFV, by now you would have been banned from this forum for quite a few arrogant comments and remarks that you have made in various threads recently, including this particular thread.
I am sure you know more about everything related to projectors than most members. That is why many of us, especially relatively new and less knowledgeable members used to read your posts with lot of interests and respect your views. Please don't post silly things and lose that respect.

 

[vinay]

Prime Goal

With you or me being sure about something is going to be of no material, be assured on this. It is the over all call of members which matters. Are you suggesting that if you do not like something, others also should feel the same way?

I have always placed the hard facts for what i feel about a home theatre and if you are treating them as arrogant comments and remarks, then you need to take a walk.

It will be better if you quote my writings on silly things etc, then i will be able to reply you point by point, be assured on this.

The prime goal for which i joined this forum was to educate members for whatever i know and how to go about with a home theatre and on a sly i also get something to learn, as i had gone through hell during the making, i was misguided with myths and what not, so i just do not want anyone to go through the disaster.


V.

Vinay: I am sure if you were not a well-known senior member of HFV, by now you would have been banned from this forum for quite a few arrogant comments and remarks that you have made in various threads recently, including this particular thread.
I am sure you know more about everything related to projectors than most members. That is why many of us, especially relatively new and less knowledgeable members used to read your posts with lot of interests and respect your views. Please don't post silly things and lose that respect.

 

[gk@hyd]

Projector screen placement thoughts for living room

Can you post a picture of the door+windows+wall, i.e., the projection screen wall?

Maybe people can come up with lots of suggestions.

Sorry for the delayed response.. i didn't have the recent picture handy at that point of time..

here is the picture of my living room where i plan to place the projector screen.. the available width for the screen is 6ft
the room layout picture is in my first post

I plan to dismantle the existing tv stand that is built in the corner of the room and have a new one built along the 6' wall and window and mount the TV to the new stand..
i need to have a solution for the projector screen that can be mounted to the top of the TV stand and pulled down on need basis.

any comments.. thoughts will be much appreciated.. thanks in advance

 

[Raghav]

Re: Projector screen placement thoughts for living room

If you want to place your speakers also then you will not even have 6ft for the screen. Assuming the screen comes in front of the speakers, then also 6ft width will give you maximum a 4:3 ratio 80" diagonal screen (64" X 48"). This can be mounted on the ceiling to pull down in front of the TV.

Another option (you need to check feasibility) is to not touch the existing setup and install the screen also in corner. This way you will get more width to accomodate the screen.

Sorry for the delayed response.. i didn't have the recent picture handy at that point of time..

here is the picture of my living room where i plan to place the projector screen.. the available width for the screen is 6ft
the room layout picture is in my first post

I plan to dismantle the existing tv stand that is built in the corner of the room and have a new one built along the 6' wall and window and mount the TV to the new stand..
i need to have a solution for the projector screen that can be mounted to the top of the TV stand and pulled down on need basis.

any comments.. thoughts will be much appreciated.. thanks in advance

 

[gk@hyd]

Re: Projector screen placement thoughts for living room

If you want to place your speakers also then you will not even have 6ft for the screen. Assuming the screen comes in front of the speakers, then also 6ft width will give you maximum a 4:3 ratio 80" diagonal screen (64" X 48"). This can be mounted on the ceiling to pull down in front of the TV.

Another option (you need to check feasibility) is to not touch the existing setup and install the screen also in corner. This way you will get more width to accomodate the screen.

Thanks Raghav for your thoughts..

You are right about the speakers.. but what i was hoping for is.. to have the screen mounted on top of a 7' or 8' TV stand(to be built) or from the ceiling as you mentioned.. and the speakers being 3'3" tall.. would not overlap with a 4' tall screen (80" diagonal with 16:9)
while speakers will be placed in front of projector screen.. i am hoping there may not be any overlap as such with that kind of a setup..

infact the 4' height that i mentioned is of overall screen height of which the viewing height is almost 10" lesser.. allowing me to mount it on top of a 7ft tall TV stand (theoretically though!)

but I need consider the viewability with bottom of the screen being almost 3.25ft from the ground.. meaning the middle of the screen is as high as 5ft from the ground.
Incase of existing TV stand.. I ensured that the mid point of TV screen is at the same height as our eye level (when seated in the sofa), which ofcourse is not going to be possible with this kind of a screen setup.. but i am hoping the same need not be done incase of projector screen

can somebody please confirm if such a screen placement(with mid vertical mid-point being 5ft high) in regards to viewability is recommended or not?

 

[manoj.p]

Have you considered an acoustic transparent screen? You can have the TV (assuming its flat panel) on the wall next to door, have speakers on both side. Then mount the pull down acoustic screen to the ceiling in such a way that it pulls down infront of the TV. That will also give you flexibility in the screen size.

Seymourav sells a nice, weave AT screen. From the reports, people don't see weave beyond 9 ft distance. Seymourav sells the screen just as a cut material too.

 

[Raghav]

Re: Projector screen placement thoughts for living room

what you are suggesting is possible and can be done. You will have to live with the screen being placed slightly higher than you would like it to be.

If you want to mount on the TV unit then you are constrained for height as well as width and your choice of 80" 16:9 is the only fit. However if you go for ceiling mounted then your height contraints are removed. It will then be better to go for 4:3 ratio keeping the same width. You will get 80" diagonal for widescreen and for normal 4:3 TV you will end up with around 90" diagonal.

I will tell you how I feel with my screen if it starts at height of 40" from the floor after trying it out.

Thanks Raghav for your thoughts..

You are right about the speakers.. but what i was hoping for is.. to have the screen mounted on top of a 7' or 8' TV stand(to be built) or from the ceiling as you mentioned.. and the speakers being 3'3" tall.. would not overlap with a 4' tall screen (80" diagonal with 16:9)
while speakers will be placed in front of projector screen.. i am hoping there may not be any overlap as such with that kind of a setup..

infact the 4' height that i mentioned is of overall screen height of which the viewing height is almost 10" lesser.. allowing me to mount it on top of a 7ft tall TV stand (theoretically though!)

but I need consider the viewability with bottom of the screen being almost 3.25ft from the ground.. meaning the middle of the screen is as high as 5ft from the ground.
Incase of existing TV stand.. I ensured that the mid point of TV screen is at the same height as our eye level (when seated in the sofa), which ofcourse is not going to be possible with this kind of a screen setup.. but i am hoping the same need not be done incase of projector screen

can somebody please confirm if such a screen placement(with mid vertical mid-point being 5ft high) in regards to viewability is recommended or not?

 

[just4kix]

Hmmm ...

As mentioned earlier, I have stopped going to the cinema halls. Here is a non-exhaustive list of reasons:

• movie times are most unsuitable, especially in multiplexes; the evening show starts either between 8-8:30 pm (too early to finish dinner) or late night after 10 pm (show finishes too late, spoils the sleep)
• tickets are attrociously priced; Rs. 200+ per person
• ridiculous parking charges
• no parking available on weekends; once I had to park my Santro outside on street and after the show it was minus the rear wiper - wiper replacement cost - a cool Rs. 1080/-. Nowadays there is a new phenomenon - manufacturer badges being stolen
• no food allowed inside - not even a water bottle and water is sold at Rs. 25 per bottle inside
• a samosa for Rs. 50!
• the hallway is too cramped inside; after 15 minutes the O2 and CO2 percentages in the air seems to be reversed; no place to sit either
• show begins late by 15 mins minimum invariably adding to the woes
• constantly ringing cellphones inside the hall
• unless you book in advance, you may end up getting the front seats
• too loud sound system; the Indian cineplex operator thinks that modern DD/DTS/SDDS sound means run on full volume
• some (a few) cinema hall owners even switch off the AC halfway during the show to save power - they turn it on and off intermitently so that it is not "felt"

Yesterday, I saw HP-7-II at the local cinema. I have now few more reasons to add to the above (for not going to the cinema):

• An idiot next to me was narrating/translating the whole story to his girlfriend in the next seat
• Lot of immature public - were laughing when serious attention was required
• In the scene 19 years later, people were laughing looking at the grown up Harry, Ron, Hermoine, et al. Now really?

 

[rshri]

Yesterday, I saw HP-7-II at the local cinema. I have now few more reasons to add to the above (for not going to the cinema):

• An idiot next to me was narrating/translating the whole story to his girlfriend in the next seat
• Lot of immature public - were laughing when serious attention was required
• In the scene 19 years later, people were laughing looking at the grown up Harry, Ron, Hermoine, et al. Now really?

I too took my family to see Happy Potter last night. We were lucky for not having serious distractions from stupid viewers and had a great time! Later we also had dinner at the mall. It was a good outing!

 

[just4kix]

Good for you.

Did you like the movie? I felt that it deviated from the plot too much - especially when Part 1 was so close to the book. And what a waste of the Elder Wand!

To all, Sorry. No more spoilers.

 

[rshri]

Good for you.

Did you like the movie? I felt that it deviated from the plot too much - especially when Part 1 was so close to the book. And what a waste of the Elder Wand!

To all, Sorry. No more spoilers.

Not having read the book, I did like the movie! I think it was one of best HP movies with a satisfying conclusion to whole series. Some reviews even say that movie is more thrilling than the book; so I guess to each his own
Wand thing in the end was a cliche; by now I have now seen countless movies in which hero rejects great power in the end to avoid its later falling into wrong hands. Funny thing is - watching it immediately reminded me of the end scene of 'Mask' where Jim Carrey throws off the mask from the bridge

 

[just4kix]

Not having read the book, I did like the movie! I think it was one of best HP movies with a satisfying conclusion to whole series. Some reviews even say that movie is more thrilling than the book; so I guess to each his own
Wand thing in the end was a cliche; by now I have now seen countless movies in which hero rejects great power in the end to avoid its later falling into wrong hands. Funny thing is - watching it immediately reminded me of the end scene of 'Mask' where Jim Carrey throws off the mask from the bridge

About the 'Elder Wand': The Elder Wand has far too much power. Even ordinary wands cannot be broken by mere snapping. It requires great magical force to break a wand.

- Ron's wand was broken by the Whomping Willow in CoS
- Harry's own wand was broken by a very powerful jinx/explosion cast by Hermoine to drive away Nagini, snake at Godric's Hollow

Even in both cases above, the wand really does not break but is held by the magical core inside the wand.

In the book, Harry rejects the Elder Wand also but does not break it. Harry, Ron and Hermoine are in the principal's room after the fight is over. Harry addresses to all the principals' portraits and to Dumbledore in particular. He says that he has dropped the Resurrection Stone somewhere in the woods and is not going to look for it. He is going to keep the Invisibility Cloak. As far as the Elder Wand, he feels that it has too much power and feels that it ought not to be used by anyone let alone him.

He then proceeds to use the extreme power of the Elder Wand to repair his own Phoenix Core/Holly wand. And then he tells Dumbledore that the elder wand will go back to its original resting place (DD's tomb) and will rest there for eternity. So if Harry dies undefeated, the wand will loose its power.

This piece is very significant but was very trivialised in the movie.

 

[rshri]

Book makes better sense! Now I realize how shocked a book reader would be by that movie scene

 

[cmsajith]

Poor thread owner...

 

[cmsajith]

Re: Projector screen placement thoughts for living room

Not so sure about what is behind the curtain and the size of the window, if there is any.

What I suggest is to wall mount the TV next to the window or keep the stand parallel to that wall in the center (more recommended). Keep the left speaker to the left wall at the same distance from the back wall as the right speaker in the the pic. Ceiling mount the screen so that it will come infront of the TV on unfolding. Mount the screen wrt the center of the left/right walls. It wont be a problem as you will be using the screen occasionally and will be keeping the doors closed while watching movies using projector. In this case you can go for a bigger screen than the wall since the screen is 1ft or 2ft from the back wall. Also you will get better separation b/n the speakers.

Sorry for the delayed response.. i didn't have the recent picture handy at that point of time..

here is the picture of my living room where i plan to place the projector screen.. the available width for the screen is 6ft
the room layout picture is in my first post

I plan to dismantle the existing tv stand that is built in the corner of the room and have a new one built along the 6' wall and window and mount the TV to the new stand..
i need to have a solution for the projector screen that can be mounted to the top of the TV stand and pulled down on need basis.

any comments.. thoughts will be much appreciated.. thanks in advance

 

[cmsajith]

For hiding the screen:

- Ceiling mount : Cover the front portion of the living room ceiling with POP or ply with some concealed lighting so that it looks like a false ceiling (use the same paint as the ceiling) and hide the screen inside the box.

- Wall mount with the help of a pelmet: Make a 18" x 5" x (wall-to-wall) pelmet as part of the wall mount TV stand at 7' (or any convenient height) to accomodate the screen. It will not give an impression of a screen cover as it is part / top portion of the TV stand (make sure that it is minimalistic)
Imp Note: Pelmet should be reinforced with iron plates fixed directly to the wall to hold the weight of the pelmet and the screen and the screen pulling force to avoid any sag in future. It can be covered with ply and make it as same finish as the remaining TV stand.

You can easily make it as a kinda dedicated theatre room (temporary whenever it is reqd) as there is only one opening at the side wall apart from the window. Make folding shutters inside the window and cover the wall (maximum possible, not up to the window) with a double thick curtain which is in a mute color.

Make a sliding door (with acoustics, if you are planning for) to close the side opening. For this you can either remove the wall at the remaining end and make a false wall to hide the sliding door. Else the other side of the wall can be used to keep the door in the open position.

This will give you a room almost similar to a dedicated HT room. With a slight amount of acoustics, your room will be far far better than a normal living room for HT purpose.

Hope this helps..

 

[vinay]

Indeed a portable or small screen does not make sense, the correct way is to go for a mounted screen.


It is correct if home environment is not feasible for watching a movie via projector, then it is very important to keep away from such a set up as sooner then later it will lead to frustration and what not.

V.

Isn't 80 inch too small for home projection? Also this portable screen doesn't seem to be an ideal choice for home use; it seems more suitable for outdoor/professional presentations. You may see screen "sags" in this setup.
As you have confirmed, your available home environment cannot be made more suitable for PJ at this point of time. So if I were you, I would re-think my decision to buy PJ.
Is ceiling mount for screen not a feasible option for you?

 

[vinay]

There will always be many sensible reasons by which one would avoid going to a cinema hall, especially if one can afford a proper projector and screen with the room made correctly, etc.

If we are watching movie at home, quality food can be had at home that too sitting in shorts, and not to forget there will be no need to swipe credit card for making the payment for food, etc.

With many of the restaurants their food quality on various terms is not good, no wonder it seems that the restaurant owner's carry their home food. :sad:

V.

Yesterday, I saw HP-7-II at the local cinema. I have now few more reasons to add to the above (for not going to the cinema):

• An idiot next to me was narrating/translating the whole story to his girlfriend in the next seat
• Lot of immature public - were laughing when serious attention was required
• In the scene 19 years later, people were laughing looking at the grown up Harry, Ron, Hermoine, et al. Now really?