Peterman's HT 2.0

[Tony V.]

The other question was related to heat from the electronics. I plan to mount the electonics flush in the rear wall where there will be a space under a stairway adjacent to the back wall. My builder has said we could probably run an HVAC return duct above the back of the room, pulling heat away from the projector and front side of the gear rack. I plan to use some kind of temp triggered ventilation system for the cavity behind the gear/under the stairs. There will also be a small closet sharing that space so I plan to make it as easy as possibly to access the rear panels of the electronics after installation.

As long as you have air being pulled through the rack space you should be fine, Thats how I do it and Ive never had a heat issue. The return duct back to the A/C will pull cool room air though the rack and thats all you need. Just make sure the receiver/processor and amps have a space between them (not rack mounted directly on top of other equipment with no space).

 

[Peter Loeser]

Thanks Tony - I'll start there. I can always add ventilation to the gear closet later if needed.

 

[Peter Loeser]

So here's something I could use some help with. I'm a relative noob when it comes to projector setup and nearly blew it the first time around. I had chosen a screen size and somehow miscalculated throw distance for 2.40:1 ratio. Like, way off. I had to cut a hole in the back of the room and mount the projector in a (very inconvenient) section of the attic. It worked at full zoom, but barely, and I'd prefer to go into this build with more confidence in my numbers.

I'd like to confirm that I'm safe with my current projector (AE8000) but also give myself room for an upgrade in the future (Todd and Sonnie have me eyeing JVC). What throw distance/zoom vs picture size are you guys using, and can I rely on calculators like Projector Central to get me close? Does an anamorphic lens gain me anything vs changing ratio within the PJ menu? I'm attempting to get a 138" (2.35:1) / 110" (16:9) picture with roughly 15ft of throw if possible (for best scenario front speaker layout). Depending on how acoustics work out, I may have more throw distance to play with, but I guess I'd like to know worst case. Any guideance is appreciated.

 

[Tonto]

I hope the next tech advances will be in wireless transmission. 11 speakers is enough for great sound in the average size room. And UHD/HDR, do we really need better than that. I don't know what's in store, but wireless connectivity would be a great addition to the tech.

 

[Todd Anderson]

So here's something I could use some help with. I'm a relative noob when it comes to projector setup and nearly blew it the first time around. I had chosen a screen size and somehow miscalculated throw distance for 2.40:1 ratio. Like, way off. I had to cut a hole in the back of the room and mount the projector in a (very inconvenient) section of the attic. It worked at full zoom, but barely, and I'd prefer to go into this build with more confidence in my numbers.

I'd like to confirm that I'm safe with my current projector (AE8000) but also give myself room for an upgrade in the future (Todd and Sonnie have me eyeing JVC). What throw distance/zoom vs picture size are you guys using, and can I rely on calculators like Projector Central to get me close? Does an anamorphic lens gain me anything vs changing ratio within the PJ menu? I'm attempting to get a 138" (2.35:1) / 110" (16:9) picture with roughly 15ft of throw if possible (for best scenario front speaker layout). Depending on how acoustics work out, I may have more throw distance to play with, but I guess I'd like to know worst case. Any guideance is appreciated.

It really varies by projector. Did you check in the manual? That should have your throw distance charts in it...

As for an anamorphic lens... they aren't cheap.

 

[Peter Loeser]

As for an anamorphic lens... they aren't cheap.

I know... that's why I'm hoping to avoid using one. I also prefer to have remote switching between 16:9 and 1.40:1

 

[Peter Loeser]

Looked at the manuals for a couple different models and it seems like around 15ft ± a few inches will be the absolute minimum throw required for my screen size. I'll be close but I think I can make it work.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I know... that's why I'm hoping to avoid using one. I also prefer to have remote switching between 16:9 and 1.40:1

I guess a purist would say anamorphic is the only way to go... and I'm fairly sure your panasonic can accommodate it. But, I'm not totally convinced you'd ultimately see the difference.

As for distance... they have 150" diagonal at 15' 7" minimum... and 120" diagonal at 12' 5"... your is 138", which is about 1/2 way in between. Assuming their calculations are liner, I'd say you're looking at somewhere in the 14' to 14' 3" (off the top of my head). If you can settle at 15', you should be okay (I think).

The good news is that closer = better brightness ;-)

 

[NBPK402]

I will tell you that if you don't have over 20' of projector throw you will need a curved screen. I had a bow on the screen due to being to close, and mine was at 19' with the ae8000. I would call the manufacturer of the lens you want and ask them what throw you would need to not have any bow. I did get more lumens though which to me was worth it.

 

[Peter Loeser]

I don't recall perceptable bowing on my flat screen, though I don't know for sure what throw I ended up with. It was definitely right at the absolute minimum, probably under 15'. I was pretty particular about 16:9 and 2.40:1 pictures lining up perfectly with the screen borders.

Regarding brightness in a dark room. Is that best for contrast? What about black levels?

 

[NBPK402]

My Panamorph 480 gave me about 3 or 4 inches of bow in the center... I was told by Panamorph to expect that as I was close to the minimum throw for my size screen. I contemplated converting my screen to a curved, but a local shop said it would be over $1k to curve some new T channel as they would have to fabricate a piece to fit in the groove that would allow the groove to still work properly after bending. No guarantee they would be successful either.

 

[Peter Loeser]

The basement rooms have been framed. The electrician will be out later this week or next to run outlets, wall swtiches, light fixtures, etc. for the basement rooms. Any additional/custom lighting in the HT will be done by me. He's going to wire a dedicated circuit to the space where my gear will go. He'll also install an overhead outlet for the projector and a short conduit down to the AV closet for HDMI and probably an IR blaster. Once electrical is done, our contractor is going to rough sheetrock the portion of the basement that will be finished, except probably the interior of the theater space, so I have freedom to run wiring, in-ceiling speakers, etc. Once I have power my plan is to try to locate my projector, screen, mains, and subs to start playing with the overall layout and front stage. There will have to be soffits in the back and along one side for some plumbing and HVAC, so I'll probably do soffits around the whole perimeter and use them to run speaker wire.

I'm planning to have an opening framed in the back wall where the AV rack will go and I'm hoping I can purchased the rack mount rails pre-drilled and tapped so I can basically build the rack into the wall itself. The back side will be completely exposed within a closet that will open from the other side of the cavity under the stairway. I have to remember my tape measure to take a few measurements so that opening can be framed. I've started a CAD model with speaker and seating positions for ATMOS. I'll likely wire for 9.1.6 again, just to give myself flexibility to run pretty much any configuration available on current consumer level AVRs/processors. Maybe someday there will be an affordable processor that can do full 9.1.6. Maybe not. Either way, I've already got enough speakers so I might as well put them in.

Here's the shell of the theater space, viewed from what will be the entry door at the rear corner.

HT Framed

• Peter Loeser
• May 18, 2017

 

[NBPK402]

Are you going to insulate the walls too... I recommend Roxul instead of pink fluffy if you do. I would do the walls, and ceiling with the Roxul to prevent the sound from exiting your room as much.

 

[NBPK402]

I guess a purist would say anamorphic is the only way to go... and I'm fairly sure your panasonic can accommodate it. But, I'm not totally convinced you'd ultimately see the difference.

As for distance... they have 150" diagonal at 15' 7" minimum... and 120" diagonal at 12' 5"... your is 138", which is about 1/2 way in between. Assuming their calculations are liner, I'd say you're looking at somewhere in the 14' to 14' 3" (off the top of my head). If you can settle at 15', you should be okay (I think).

The good news is that closer = better brightness ;-)

The only bad thing I have to say about using zoom, and memory is that some movies wreak havoc on it and it keeps changing the aspect and zooming. We had a couple of movies like that.

 

[Peter Loeser]

I'll likely insulate the full perimeter of the room for that reason. It's below the master bedroom and adjacent to a guest bedroom (which will not likely be used a lot) and another family room downstairs.

Lens memory worked ok for me in the previous setup, but I did notice in 2.40:1 mode I could see a the faint outline of the 16:9 frame beyond the screen, which bothered me when I paid attention to it. Maybe my brightness settings were not right. I plan to do a better calibration this time around, so hopefully that helps. I know what you mean about some movies mixing different ratios. A couple that come to mind are Tron Legacy and (I think) Interstellar.

 

[NBPK402]

When I was little, and living in Michjgan... I remember the basement always being the coolest part of the house. We had a finished basement, a day I swear it was cool year round...are you sure you will need AC in the basement?

 

[Peter Loeser]

Maybe not AC but heat for sure. The ducting is there for the whole house to be heated or cooled. And yes, so far the basement remains significantly cooler than the rest of the house. Our builder (who lives in the same model we are constructing) says typically for all but the hottest summer days they run just the central fan and it circulates the cool basement air up into the rest of the house and keeps it comfortable enough not to need AC.

 

[Tonto]

How long is the run from your panel box to the equipment. Make sure your electrician is pulling large enough gauge wire. If you are planning to use amps, I'd run a line for each of them as well while you have it all open. I'd also run a dedicated line for each subwoofer. And make sure you use a whole house ground and that it's connected correctly. So much easier to do now.

 

[Tony V.]

I would run two circuits to the A/V rack, the cost is negligible and the benefit is good. I would also run a dedicated circuit to the projector and have it set up so you can put a small UPS in line so if the power ever goes out while your watching a movie you have time to shut it down properly and do a cool down.

 

[Peter Loeser]

The plan is to run heavier wire and a 30A circuit to the A/V closet. What would be the real benefit of running an individual circuit for each amp and sub?

I hadn't thought about a UPS for the projector but that's not a bad idea. Why couldn't it share a circuit with the other outlets in the room, or even the 30A circuit? Just to keep it isolated from noise from the other components?

 

[NBPK402]

Make sure the gauge wire is correct for the circuit. As I recall building code has specific gauge wire for 30amp vs 20amp.

 

[Tony V.]

I wouldn't bother with the 30amp, just do two 20amp circuits and you will have more than enough for what you use.
The issue with running a 30amp is in reality if there was a short or some overload your breaker would not trip soon enough and could cause a fire in your equipment. Most if not all consumer equipment is only rated at 15amps unless its a really big amp where you would need 20amps.
Isolation is one reason for dedication but its also about future upgrades. You have the walls open now so to have more is better then not enough.

 

[NBPK402]

I wouldn't bother with the 30amp, just do two 20amp circuits and you will have more than enough for what you use.
The issue with running a 30amp is in reality if there was a short or some overload your breaker would not trip soon enough and could cause a fire in your equipment. Most if not all consumer equipment is only rated at 15amps unless its a really big amp where you would need 20amps.
Isolation is one reason for dedication but its also about future upgrades. You have the walls open now so to have more is better then not enough.

I don't want hijack the thread, but I have one question...if the equipment, and the projector are on the same end of the room, how would you suggest wiring IT? Would 2 20amp circuits be enough...or should I go with 3 20amp circuits, and run the UPS for the projector off of one of them?

 

[Tony V.]

Two 20amp circuits would be more than enough unless you plan on running more than one external amps.
The UPS can run off of one of the two no issues. But do not run an extension cord above a drywall ceiling (to the projector) as that is not allowed. It would need to be hard wired in.

 

[Tonto]

The gauge will depend on the length of the run. You can increase the gauge if you only want 1 run, but it's cheaper to run another line. And it depends on the external amps if you are going to use them. You'd be surprised how much power the can draw when you are really pushing them! How far is it to your panel box?