Home Theaters -- whadda ya got?

Batutta

Batutta

Major Contributor
So I recently moved to Canada from Los Angeles, and one of the benefits is that I could finally afford my own house with a nice sized basement space, which I've converted to a dedicated home theater. I bought an Onkyo 7.1 surround system for 700 bucks and an Optoma HD65 720p DLP projector for 600 bucks, and with a blu-ray player I am experiencing home theater nirvana. My screen size against the wall is about 100 inches diagonally and I seriously have little reason to ever go to the movie theater again. This cheap little projector puts out a staggeringly good image, sharp, film-like, awesome color and contrast, and it's not even full 1080p. Blu-rays looks spectacular, but the surprise is how good DVD's look. My blu-ray player does a great job upconverting and some of the best DVD transfers are nearly as good as blu-rays. The sound quality from my system rocks too -- clean, well separated stereo and surround, and house shaking bass. My main issues right now are that I need to repaint the room to a darker color, as bright images reflect off the light colored walls and wash out the picture somewhat. I also need to paint a proper screen, although the image I'm getting right now off the eggshell white is way better than it should be.

So who else has a dedicated home theater and what do you got?
 
Batutta said:
That guys speaker set up is insane! Considering I barely have to push my 1200 watt system to half of what its capable of to get the volume to a really uncomfortable level, it seems like overkill for such a small space.
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I tend to agree... but look at the screen and custom curtains...really nice! I'm thinking of doing the same thing and feel that a screen is the best way to go.
I do believe there is a special paint out there for this purpose though?

http://www.paintonscreen.com/

http://www.theaterthings.com/

BEHR - 770E-2 "Silver Screen"
 
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I've got an Onkyo 7.1 amplifier, Oppo upconverting multi-region DVD player, a PS3 for Blu-ray, a 67" 1080p Samsung, Paradigm speakers all around, and bass shakers mounted to the furniture. The Samsung replaced a Panasonic 720p projector and a 9" diagonal screen. I got tired of swapping bulbs.
 
Yeah, I was enamored with the idea of a projector for a while, but eventually decided against it for exactly that reason. 65-70" is plenty big enough for the viewing distance I have, anyway.
 
Zak Forsman said:
I've got an Onkyo 7.1 amplifier, Oppo upconverting multi-region DVD player, a PS3 for Blu-ray, a 67" 1080p Samsung, Paradigm speakers all around, and bass shakers mounted to the furniture. The Samsung replaced a Panasonic 720p projector and a 9" diagonal screen. I got tired of swapping bulbs.
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Yeah, the bulb thing is a pain, but I have an hdtv in the living room that I do most of my casual viewing on. The theatre is only for movies so hopefully I won't wear out my bulb too quickly.
 
I was comparing that Optoma HD65 to the Panny ax-200u.

I hope to buy before Christmas. Any tips about a comparison?
 
Jim Brennan said:
I was comparing that Optoma HD65 to the Panny ax-200u.

I hope to buy before Christmas. Any tips about a comparison?
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The only negative thing I will say about the HD65 is the whole DLP rainbow issue. Basically, most consumer DLP's only have one chip, so to get color, they have a color wheel that spins and flashes each separate color channel on the screen. Your brain merges this into a color image, but some people, myself included, can see odd rainbow artifacts from time to time. It occurs when you have a pure white object or highlight against a dark background. If you shift your eyes from one part of the screen to the other you'll see the white object separate into red, blue and green for a flash. Depending on the type of movie you are watching you'll see them all the time or hardly ever. Something like Dark Knight or Sin City, with dark, high contrast scenes and sharp highlights you can see them a lot. DLP makers compensate by spinning the wheel faster. The HD65 spins at 4x, and that makes rainbows disappear for most people. I myself can still see them on the HD65 but I can mostly ignore them. I would wager a guess that most people in the visual arts could see them too as their eyes are more sensitive to visual stimuli than your average person. I put an ND2 filter on the lens to cut down the brightness, which helps reduce them a lot. I have a totally dark room so I don't need a lot of lumens. It would be best for you to go to a showroom and demo a projector to see if you can detect rainbows. If you can and they bother you, I'd recommend an LCD. Color and contrast is generally not as good as DLP though and you have more screen door effect (more distinct pixels). As far as noise, on econo mode I barely notice the fan while watching a film and that's while sitting right next to it.
 
Thanks Zak. Great forum, even if it makes me feel like in I'm over my head. Those guys argue about projectors the way we argue about cameras. :grin:

Thanks for the tip Batutta. I doubt the DLP would effect me, but it will probably bother my wife.
 
I see the rainbow from time to time. Still, I think DLP gives you the most film-like, least-electronic-looking image.
 
Here's a question. If you have a projector that's native 16:9, does that mean you can only view 4:3 footage squished?
 
No, should be the same as playing to a 16:9 TV. Most DVD players will pillarbox 4:3 material. Most cable/satellite boxes will let you choose how to view.
 
THanks David. I figured that, but I'm not used to feeling this dumb...

The Optoma 65HD retails for under 700 and the Epson HC 720 in just under a grand with the extra bulb. SO the price is almost a wash.

The only other mitigating factor seems to be the size (with the Epson being a lot bigger and heavier.)

I am thinking that either will do fine....
 
Jim Brennan said:
THanks David. I figured that, but I'm not used to feeling this dumb...

The Optoma 65HD retails for under 700 and the Epson HC 720 in just under a grand with the extra bulb. SO the price is almost a wash.

The only other mitigating factor seems to be the size (with the Epson being a lot bigger and heavier.)

I am thinking that either will do fine....
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The Epson can also be put just about anywhere in the room, the HD65 is limited in where you can place it, either near the floor or on the ceilng, with no horizontal leeway and a narrow zoom range.
 
Another Onkyo 7.1 receiver here, but in a 5.1 setup with all Polk Audio speakers, a Panasonic 46" 1080P Viera and a Panasonic BlueRay Player.

Oh yeah, and a WDTV which ROCKS!
 
Batutta said:
The Epson can also be put just about anywhere in the room, the HD65 is limited in where you can place it, either near the floor or on the ceilng, with no horizontal leeway and a narrow zoom range.
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Good to know. I am definitely leaning towards the Epson. The Panny AX200 gets overall slightly better reviews for a film look, but is also more money, even without the extra year on the warranty and the extra bulb. I doubt I will notice the difference since I am upgrading from a ten year old thing that used to be in somebody's office.

I'll probably decide in the next 24 hours.
 
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