Who has Front Projection Setup?

[Sherardp]

I just wanted to start this simple thread for knowledge of who here has front PJ setup. I know of some members but not all of you. Perhaps we can use this to share knowledge with those wanting to get into this type of setup and just dont know where to start. Front PJs have gotten so good as of late, that they actually surpass LCDs and plasmas for sometimes even a fraction of the cost. Dark rooms are not required anymore as allot of these PJs are light cannons and can handle some ambient light. I'm into the market and technology big time and was hooked the moment I visited Grimster while my very own room was in the building stage. The big picture is to die for and it really does put you just that much closer to a real theater experience. So with that said, post up anything you wish to share.

My very own setup

126" Carada Criterion 16:9 screen in Brilliant White
Projector is JVC RS 10
Throw distance @ 19 feet from lens to screen
1st row seating @ 12.5 feet
2nd row seating @ 15 feet
Total light control using Black Low gloss window blinds and black out curtains

[Lasareath]

I had a PJ set up in my apartment. Now that I bought a house I have not set one up yet because my permanet HT room is not built yet.

But I have a very cheap projector, it does 1080i and only costs around $350

Since it's so cheap I own a spare.

It's an HP EP7120

It works very good for how little it costs.

Here one right now on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=270373911713&

When I had it set up, my screen was painted to my wall with a product called Screen Goo, it worked very well.

Since work is slow right now I will not buying an expensive Projector, I will be using my HP.

Sal

[Grimster74]

Sup bro, here is my setup which you probably know by heart.:D

My setup consist of the following:

- JVC-HD1 projector throwing from 10' to an Elite 92", bright white screen with a gain of 1.4 I think.
- First row of seating at 12.5 feet
- Second row of seating at 15 feet
- Total light control via Harmony One remote.

[engtaz]

Love mine.

[kuntasensei]

My living room setup:
- Sanyo PLV-Z2000 1080p LCD projector (6500k calibrated using EyeOne, tweaked to all hell)
- 100" Elite Matte White screen.
- 14' throw to screen, seating at 13'.
- JustBlinds blackout shades on all windows.
- 6500k backlight behind screen, ND filtered down to around 10% of screen brightness.
- 7.1 Polk setup (RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi28 surrounds)
- SVS 20-39CS+ (12.3 driver) and Buttkicker LFE powered by Samson 1000 amp.
- Onkyo TX-SR705 AVR

My only regret is that everything's running off component video right now. In the next month or so, I'm gonna rewire for HDMI, which means I'll have to get a new Xbox 360 (since both of mine are pre-HDMI). Also considering ditching my ISF'd 43" RPTV for a nice AV stand and throwing in an Emotiva XPA-3 for the front soundstage.

[Sherardp]

When I had it set up, my screen was painted to my wall with a product called Screen Goo, it worked very well.

Since work is slow right now I will not buying an expensive Projector, I will be using my HP.

Sal

Hey Sal how did the screen goo work for you as I know it is a DIY application. Any problems with it? Nice little HP as I have never seen this before, how is the color on it, and how does the image look.

My living room setup:
- Sanyo PLV-Z2000 1080p LCD projector (6500k calibrated using EyeOne, tweaked to all hell)
- 100" Elite Matte White screen.
- 14' throw to screen, seating at 13'.
- JustBlinds blackout shades on all windows.
- 6500k backlight behind screen, ND filtered down to around 10% of screen brightness.
- 7.1 Polk setup (RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi28 surrounds)
- SVS 20-39CS+ (12.3 driver) and Buttkicker LFE powered by Samson 1000 amp.
- Onkyo TX-SR705 AVR

My only regret is that everything's running off component video right now. In the next month or so, I'm gonna rewire for HDMI, which means I'll have to get a new Xbox 360 (since both of mine are pre-HDMI). Also considering ditching my ISF'd 43" RPTV for a nice AV stand and throwing in an Emotiva XPA-3 for the front soundstage.

Very nice setup, since youre in the market for HDMI here soon, I suggest monoprice of Bluejeans, I personally have the bluejeans Belden cables and they are excellent, thick and capable of fairly long runs. Perfect example of 2-way system.

[kuntasensei]

Very nice setup, since youre in the market for HDMI here soon, I suggest monoprice of Bluejeans, I personally have the bluejeans Belden cables and they are excellent, thick and capable of fairly long runs. Perfect example of 2-way system.

I'm going with that Monoprice 22AWG. Since it's like a 40 foot cable run (up one wall, across, then down), I'm gonna get a repeater/extender to throw in the middle of two cables, then do wall plates. Hopefully, it will work out okay. Frankly, I'm surprised at how well my 45' component cable has performed to that projector, but analog color decoder issues make me want to go HDMI. I'm currently using a 1dB attenuator on the red component cable to correct excess red.

[Lasareath]

Hey Sal how did the screen goo work for you as I know it is a DIY application. Any problems with it? Nice little HP as I have never seen this before, how is the color on it, and how does the image look.

The screen goo was OK to put down. As with any painting job the starting surface needs to be perfect. I was working with a wall with lots of bumps and bruises. I tried to smooth it all out but wall compound is not my specialty.

My Dad is a very good painter, so if I use screen goo again I will enlist his help.

People are amazed by the HP, They can't believe that it costs so little. Several polkies saw it at my house, Face, Moonpie, Appadv maybe they will chime in and let you know what they thought.

I wish I had some extra funds now because I would buy another one from that guy on eBay.

[Face]

I agree, it did look great.

[Lasareath]

I agree, it did look great.

That HP is very Good Starter Projector. If someone doesn't have the cash to buy a $1200+ projector you can get one of these HP's to start with.

I've also read that the bulb in the HP lasts 4000 hours. I have no idea if this is true or not, my current projector is at 2040 hours.

[hockeyboy]

I have been very happy with my setup. If I were in the market today, I would pickup the new Mitsubishi HD8000 or a used HD7000. I painted the walls and ceiling black in there so it get's pitch dark.

[DannyD]

A front PJ has been a long term goal for me for a long time now and it keep's getting pushed back. Just bought a house so money's tight but I can't wait to one day have one. Has anyone heard of these new LED Projectors. Will it be worth the wait and probably the really expensive price tag?

[Sherardp]

A front PJ has been a long term goal for me for a long time now and it keep's getting pushed back. Just bought a house so money's tight but I can't wait to one day have one. Has anyone heard of these new LED Projectors. Will it be worth the wait and probably the really expensive price tag?

DannyD there is always something on the horizon. LED based projectors will be the next big thing, or laser. My suggestion to you would be to take your time, buy what the budget allows and just start piecing together your system. I bought my PJ 1st and finally a screen. 1080p PJs have come down allot in price with some being under 2k, case in point see the flea market for Grimsters Epson. Good screen will cost you 200-300 for nice electric screen.

For those looking for high quality screens minus the expensive prices check out Carada, Focupix (www.htdepot.com), Elite, and Da-lite.

[kuntasensei]

Go with Elite over Da-Lite. I had a 92" Da-Lite and when I went from 720p to 1080p, the pattern on the screen was just perfect to cause all kinds of rainbow moire artifacts. The Elite has been a freakin' dream by comparison, and uses a staggered texture that won't cause problems with a 1080p grid.

[hockeyboy]

Another option that I have been very happy with is my Carada bright white.

[Sherardp]

Another option that I have been very happy with is my Carada bright white.

Same screen material I'm using HB, Carada offers excellent customer service. I was very happy that they would even ship my screen to Japan as some others would not.

[Sherardp]

Does anyone have thoughts on a masking system, I was thinking the Carada Masquerade but at 3k, its almost like buying another projector.

[TECHNOKID]

I just wanted to start this simple thread for knowledge of who here has front PJ setup. I know of some members but not all of you. Perhaps we can use this to share knowledge with those wanting to get into this type of setup and just dont know where to start. Front PJs have gotten so good as of late, that they actually surpass LCDs and plasmas for sometimes even a fraction of the cost. Dark rooms are not required anymore as allot of these PJs are light cannons and can handle some ambient light. I'm into the market and technology big time and was hooked the moment I visited Grimster while my very own room was in the building stage. The big picture is to die for and it really does put you just that much closer to a real theater experience. So with that said, post up anything you wish to share.

My very own setup

126" Carada Criterion 16:9 screen in Brilliant White
Projector is JVC RS 10
Throw distance @ 19 feet from lens to screen
1st row seating @ 12.5 feet
2nd row seating @ 15 feet
Total light control using Black Low gloss window blinds and black out curtains

At this point, there is no way PJs would surpass LCDs or plasmas. The big screen effect is quite an experience but you definitely give up on the image quality with the bigger size provided by a screen (pixels much farther appart).

I opted for a PJ because it is portable and provides me for the summer deck movies by the pool and the glorious theater effect in the basement. I presently use an optoma DLP PJ and it is fantastic. A cheap pull down screen was part of the package when I bought but will be eventually replaced by a Dalite or Elite (I was looking at kuntasensei's advice) as both can be acquired for decent price through work. I have noticed monoprice has some available at decent pricing and was trying to find out what was the actual brand (who was making them for monoprice) but their reply was that the brand is monoprice. If someone wants good pricing and with their return policy, they could try them.

The HT isn't fully completed at this time, but the PJ's distance is approximately 12.5 - 13' (tested and proven efficient at that distance) with 1st at roughly 13' and second row +/- 15'. The key is to avoid keystone unless the PJ has adjustable lens in lieu of keystone.

Cheers :)

[TECHNOKID]

I had a PJ set up in my apartment. Now that I bought a house I have not set one up yet because my permanet HT room is not built yet.

But I have a very cheap projector, it does 1080i and only costs around $350

Since it's so cheap I own a spare.

It's an HP EP7120

It works very good for how little it costs.

Here one right now on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=270373911713&

When I had it set up, my screen was painted to my wall with a product called Screen Goo, it worked very well.

Since work is slow right now I will not buying an expensive Projector, I will be using my HP.

Sal

Seems like a great deal, the cheapest I've seen that one in Canada so far is 650$! At the price you paid, I could have bought 2 of them!

[steveinaz]

Projectors for dummies question here: The projector is suspended from the ceiling right? If you have heavy textured walls, could you use a framed out piece of drywall to paint with the screen coating stuff as a screen?

I was thinking like using a nice oak framing around the drywall to both hide the attachment screws, and to give it a nice look? Can that work as a screen?

[TECHNOKID]

Projectors for dummies question here: The projector is suspended from the ceiling right? If you have heavy textured walls, could you use a framed out piece of drywall to paint with the screen coating stuff as a screen?

I was thinking like using a nice oak framing around the drywall to both hide the attachment screws, and to give it a nice look? Can that work as a screen?

Yes you could do that as you could then do the appropriate GOO painting over this and it would definitely look good too. If you wanted, you could hang the frame instead as this would make for a removable screen frame (IE: if you sell the house and want to keep your screened frame or decided to move it elsewhere... redesign the room). You could even use lighter material than drywall if you wanted too as long as it is a nice finished mat flat surface. I believe even canvass type cloth could be used... Heck, I even used a cheap mat plastic table cloth for outdoor projection with great result, the main thing is to enough tension to the material to eliminate any potential wrinckles in the screen area (the exact same way proffesional Fast Fold screens are made using snap on in front or behing the frame).

http://www.dalite.com/downloads/HOW_Front_Selection.pdf

http://www.da-lite.com/products/index.php?cID=11

Cheers :)

[Sherardp]

At this point, there is no way PJs would surpass LCDs or plasmas. The big screen effect is quite an experience but you definitely give up on the image quality with the bigger size provided by a screen (pixels much farther appart).

Cheers :)

Although this is your opinion I would have to disagree. I had the JVC DH1 and currently the RS10 and will say the PQ is right there or above LCDs and Plasmas. Not sure about the model PJ you have but I suggest you get out and do some viewing as todays PJ when setup correctly will be equal to or better than to an LCD or plasma but with a bigger picture. Again not shooting down your opinion, just telling ya there are some good PJs out there that are very capable of doing so, I'm proof positive of such.

[Sherardp]

Projectors for dummies question here: The projector is suspended from the ceiling right? If you have heavy textured walls, could you use a framed out piece of drywall to paint with the screen coating stuff as a screen?

I was thinking like using a nice oak framing around the drywall to both hide the attachment screws, and to give it a nice look? Can that work as a screen?

Sure this would work with the Screen Goo application. I would suggest that you mask out the area and size of screen, use the goo, then mask out a border using matte or flat black paint then frame it out from there using your wood trim or molding, should come out very nice. Just make sure your wall is free of imperfections and you should be fine. You can shelf mount or ceiling mount the PJ so you have a few choices there as well.

[Sami]

Although this is your opinion I would have to disagree.

With a bigger screen you're always sacrificing a little on the quality. With the new projectors out there this isn't really an issue as they are very capable of providing a beautiful picture. TECHNOKID does have a point though.

I have Epson 1080UB with 116" Da-Lite screen. LSi15's, 7's and SVS PC-Ultra. HK AVR7200, Sherbourn 5/1500 & PS3.

[Sherardp]

With a bigger screen you're always sacrificing a little on the quality. With the new projectors out there this isn't really an issue as they are very capable of providing a beautiful picture. TECHNOKID does have a point though.

I have Epson 1080UB with 116" Da-Lite screen. LSi15's, 7's and SVS PC-Ultra. HK AVR7200, Sherbourn 5/1500 & PS3.

Well on a smaller screen Im sure you gain some quality with the image and may sacrifice a tad with the larger screen, but I will still say image quality is still right up there with some LCDs/Plasmas. I personally feel I have'nt lost a bit of quality with these JVC projectors, I get a near 3d image and excellent inky blacks.

Nice PJ in your setup also, Epson PJs throw a stunning image.

[steveinaz]

Thanks fellers. I have been wondering about going this route....

[Grimster74]

Let me introduce my latest peice of gear, I give you one of the "King of Blacks". A million thanks goes out to my brother Sherard for introducing me to the JVC projectors. He sent it from Japan to here for me to give it a trial run and the minute I got it fired up, I was hooked. Thanks again brother and here's your damn pic. :D Review coming soon.

Rob

[steveinaz]

schweeet.

[Sherardp]

Let me introduce my latest peice of gear, I give you one of the "King of Blacks". A million thanks goes out to my brother Sherard for introducing me to the JVC projectors. He sent it from Japan to here for me to give it a trial run and the minute I got it fired up, I was hooked. Thanks again brother and here's your damn pic. :D Review coming soon.

Rob

Took you long enough man, very nice. Enjoy the show. HD1 is a fine PJ.

[hockeyboy]

At this point, there is no way PJs would surpass LCDs or plasmas. The big screen effect is quite an experience but you definitely give up on the image quality with the bigger size provided by a screen (pixels much farther appart).
Cheers :)

It is my experience that my home theater is the best picture in the house and 106 inches. That is comparing to plasma, lcd and dlp. Just MO.