# Finished Home Theater build



## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

I'm trying to locate some old pics of what it used to look like, but basically it was all wood paneling with no carpet on steps, and REALLY thin glued down carpet for the rest. 

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Saving money for actual decent towers now. 

Anyway, PICS!














































Still need to build the platform for the rear most seats, and finish up a few tiny things here and there, but for the most part, its all done.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Nice, man! 
What size screen and what projector are you running?

I'm shopping right now. I'm looking at the epson 6100 or 6500 and a 106" screen. I just keep putting this off because I'm thinking I'll catch a deal. So, I'm curious what you're running and your impressions. I'm thinking of going with a DIY screen and saving a few hundred bucks.

I found a REALLY cool DIY site for acoustical traps I can link you to. If you're interested at all, shoot me a pm.

What's the rest of your setup?


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

106" screen with the Epson 6100. I got the screen, ceiling mount, projector, 25ft. HDMI cable, and a 25ft y/pb/pr cable shipped for $2070. Super happy with it, though that sucker does put out a TON of heat. In fact, while the playstation, receiver, and projector are running it can up the temps about 5-10 degrees in the basement. 

I'd love to get some sound damping panels or the like, but funds are now at an all time low. Blew the wad on crown molding, base molding, and carpet.

Have a Pioneer 1019 7.1 with the HDMI switching. 

The speakers are not the greatest.........spent all mah moneys on car audio........so

Main L/R - Blows 9.1s
Center - My custom made with a Seas 6.5" and a Diamond Silk tweet with Diamond x-over.

All the others - Polk audio cheapo Circuit City stuff, with 6.5" and tweet.

Sub - My obviously custom box with the 2 cheapo ED EHQS 12" 8ft^3 tuned to 19hz with the P.E. 240W amp.

Blue ray - Playstation3


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

I think I'm going to leave it open. I have a feeling I'll be needing to get in there and fuss with things all the time, so no panel. 

No noise. Only thing I can "kinda" hear is the projector.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Man, where did you manage to get that price for the screen/projector setup? That's a really good deal, man! And it sounds like we're on the same page here.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Man, where did you manage to get that price for the screen/projector setup? That's a really good deal, man! And it sounds like we're on the same page here.


Looked at the reciept.......was $2,200. 

From Projectionguys.com


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Looking good, but be careful. If you think car audio can get expensive, home audio is freakin insane. I can't complain though, my theater is my sanctuary. Every time I go in there, whether for a movie or to listen to music, I just love it. Heres a few pics, and please, no word about the board the projector is on. It has since been replaced with a shelf and a new projector.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

You know, the one thing that does kinda get me a little is the whole black bars on the screen thing. I thought that the PS3 and the 1080p projector was supposed to take care of all that. 

A little disappointing to see those black bars still on many of the blue ray movies.

Edit: Did a bunch of reading. Kind of bottles the mind. Especially in the projector arena, why anyone would produce screens/projectors that show the standard 16:9 format, when most of all the newer stuff is shot in this 2.35:1 aspect ratio. 

I didn't buy the projector and screen to watch regular TV. Movies dammit! 

Black bars it is!


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Yeah, I know the feeling. Getting an anamorphic lens is about the only way around that problem, and the biggest bummer with that is the lens cost way more than the projector. I'm just gonna suffer with the bars. I did see a guy who had a wider boarder that he could remove to change from widescreen to cinemascope.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Hey bikinpunk, if you're interested in a DIY screen, take a shot at using a laminate. I built a 109" laminate screen and it worked very well. I only replaced it because it had some build flaws and I got a great deal on an Elite screen. There has been extensive testing done on laminates. If you go over to the home theater shack they have a screen diy section. Wilsonart makes a few popular colors. I used the fashion gray, it work well in a room where you might have a little ambiant light. Check it out, it was chap, easy to build, and worked great.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

Was looking for that projector deal again for those that were interested.......now its less than I paid. 

1. Epson610092AccuScreens

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 Package with a AccuScreens 92" Diagonal (45" x 80") with Acoustically Transparent CineGrey Material Fixed 

Frame Screen, Mount and Cables. $100 Projector Rebate and Free Replacement Lamp! $50 Mount Rebate! HUGE Double Savings! $300 Off Instantly PLUS Free Shipping Using Coupon Code EXTRA300 During Checkout! 
Package Items 

PG-COMP-25 25' 3-RCA Component Video Cable (RG-59/u) - 1 piece 
PG-HDMI-25 25' HDMI Gold Plated Copper Cable - 1 piece 
MV-PROJSP-FLATW Mustang Universal Flush Ceiling Mount (White) - 1 piece 
V11H291120 Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 Projector - Now with $100 Rebate and FREE Replacement Lamp! - 1 piece 
SC-F92G169 AccuScreens 92" Diagonal (45" x 80") Fixed Frame Cloth Grey Material, 2" Velvet Frame, Acoustically Transparent - 1 piece 

Only $2,249.00 after $150.00 rebates

1 $2,399.00 Remove Item 

Coupon Applied Coupon Value Items Price w/o Coupon 
EXTRA300 $300.00 $2,399.00 
HUGE Double Savings! $300 Off Instantly PLUS Free Shipping Select Packages! Sale Ends 7/21 Or While Supplies Last! 

Items price: $2,099.00 




» Total: $2,099.00


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

nice deal, man!

I'm leaning toward the 6500ub but the difference is about $800 after MIR. I had planned to wait a while, but I'm actually thinking about picking up the 6100 at that package price. Thanks for the heads up.

FWIW, this is the room it's going in:










Still need to buy a center. Will be using my old Denon receiver for a while, but eventually hope to upgrade to something with a little more umph. 
Sub will be replaced at some point, but not in the near future.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> nice deal, man!
> 
> I'm leaning toward the 6500ub but the difference is about $800 after MIR. I had planned to wait a while, but I'm actually thinking about picking up the 6100 at that package price. Thanks for the heads up.
> 
> ...


Good starting point with the room!

I looked at it like this:

The projector prices have come down so much recently, and the fact that I think there will be something new and more awesome within the next 5 years, I wanted something that did the latest and greatest, but not something that was the most awesome of the latest. 

I picked up a cheapo P.E. center channel over the weekend. Everything I have now gets WAY louder than I ever want it. 

The Pioneer 1019 receiver was like $412.....supposedly the best bang for the buck......120w/channel. From all the research I did, apparently you can't get TRUE dolby digital HD sound without the HDMI cable. Everything else won't hold the bandwidth that the true HD sound requires.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I hear you. I still need to purchase my center, which is going to run around $300 shipped. The towers I have were purchased used for $380 shipped which is a friggin’ steal that I couldn’t pass up. And they sound very nice.

Doing some research, I found the 6100 would be about $2100 after MIR and the 6500 would be about $2700 after MIR for the same package deal.

So, now the deciding factor... if you have the money, but prefer to spend as little as possible, which one would you go for? The nicer one for about $600 more, or the lower one and put it towards the center? My thing is, I won't use this room a whole lot (once a week, or so) and I will be moving from this house in about 2 years and plan to likely leave all my gear there if the buyer wants it (selling point). So, I'm not sure that I really need the latest and greatest 6500, unless it's REALLY a step up. 
Guess I’ll have to do some refreshing on my memory, because it’s been a month or so since I looked at this stuff.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

Given that situation.......6100 all the way.


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

Very Nice ! 

Foglight.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

yea, that's the way I'm leaning, for sure.


so, what are your thoughts on the screen? I'm actually looking at the exact same one.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

The screen is nice. I can't really compare it to anything else though. I did read a couple of pages after googling for a while on the elite screen. Apparently, it does well vs. the more expensive ones. My biggest issue at this point is getting a disk to actually set up the projector colors properly, becuase I know they aren't "on."

Don't get me wrong, the picture looks great, but like with audio, something just seems slightly off and I know it can look better with some tweaking.

The guy on the phone said the grey screen is better for regular lighting, in case you have peoples over to watch football or whatever with the lights on. If you are ONLY watching movies, and its dark down there, go for the white screen.

I looked into the paint as well, but the elite screen is pretty nice, and I don't have to screw with paint drying.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I would think the grey would help with contrast, as that epson model has only 18k:1 ratio. 

Our HT is actually upstairs. We had to put a window up there because we plan on selling it, and having an upstairs room without a window wouldn't look right. But, we are going to black that out. It's a dedicated HT room for us. I've got all the wires ran in the walls for it, and termination boxes at all those points. The next owners hopefully will use it for the same... otherwise they're going to have a whole lot of blanks. 

Yea, you'd have to cal that unit. It's something I had thought about in the back of my mind. I dont' have access to some of the tools that pros do to get the R/G/B levels just right, though I do have an Avia setup disc.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Nice looking room. Are those Swan Diva's?


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Mine are, yes.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Nice, I've always heard good things about them.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

The reviews were good. I found a guy selling a set and he agreed on $380 shipped. Each box was 62 pounds, so total shipping weight was over 120#. At that price, they were flat out a steal. They have plenty of volume and sound very nice to me. Image and stage VERY well. Stage width is pretty good, but I haven't done much critical listening in that area.

Overall, for what I paid, I feel I couldn't have done better.


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

I agree, that price is hard to argue against.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

foglight, how long did it take you to get your rebates? Also, what did you think of projectorguys' service?

Got the all clear for the 6500ub. For $600 difference, I think it's the most logical deal.. especially given that it's contrast ratio is nearly 4x better. After reading some reviews from folks who have owned both, I think I can deal with working a couple overtime shifts to pick up the extra $. 
Haven't ordered yet, but will soon because the deal ends tonight.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

they said it was a mail in rebate, but I never had to mail anything in. I just got all the discounts up front.........unless my package was supposed to be less than the $2,200 I paid and I forgot about the rebates, which is entirely possible.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> I would think the grey would help with contrast, as that epson model has only 18k:1 ratio.
> 
> Our HT is actually upstairs. We had to put a window up there because we plan on selling it, and having an upstairs room without a window wouldn't look right. But, we are going to black that out. It's a dedicated HT room for us. I've got all the wires ran in the walls for it, and termination boxes at all those points. The next owners hopefully will use it for the same... otherwise they're going to have a whole lot of blanks.
> 
> Yea, you'd have to cal that unit. It's something I had thought about in the back of my mind. I dont' have access to some of the tools that pros do to get the R/G/B levels just right, though I do have an Avia setup disc.


All the reading I did on contrast ratios said that you really get to a point of diminishing returns past about 4k:1 contrast. The contrast junk is goofy like car audio as well. There is dynamic and something else.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

hmmm... 

Man, this is stressful, lol.

The 6100 isn't even in stock, but I suppose you still get the deal.

The epson 6500 has a $400 MIR, and the 6100 has a $100 MIR. Both of those rebates also include getting a free replacement lamp. Maybe when you bought your setup the rebates were different.


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

some people talkin . . . 

Epson 6100/TW3000 Calibration. - Blu-ray Forum


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Thanks for the link, Jim.

I did some more digging and found this:
Compare Projectors: Epson Home Cinema 6100 vs. Home Cinema 6500UB

so, again, the black levels is the main difference. Also the 'bulb' life is one too.


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## rekd0514 (Sep 24, 2006)

Keep the Mitsubishi HC5500 in mind as well. You can get a really good deal on it with the $300 rebate and free extra bulb. We happened to get 1 stuck blue pixel on our and got credited an extra $350 for it if we didn't return it. The rebate arrived pretty quick when we bought it, but the bulb takes 12 weeks to get. It is definitely worth considering if you can make it work in your room. We love it so far. 

Amazon.com: Mitsubishi HC5500 1080p LCD Home Theater Projector: Electronics


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Thanks for the link, Jim.
> 
> I did some more digging and found this:
> Compare Projectors: Epson Home Cinema 6100 vs. Home Cinema 6500UB
> ...


Either way, you win.......



> Two excellent values here. As I see it, I can think of only three reasons, however to choose the Home Cinema 6100: First, your budget. Anyway you slice it, (at least in the US), the Home Cinema 6500 costs about 1/3 more - roughly $600 at this time.
> 
> The second reason for buying the 6100 is that you just want a really good projector and aren't concerned about the black level performance difference. The Home Cinema 6100 is an excellent projector in its own right, it's just that the 6500UB is better, primarily thanks to the black level performance difference.
> 
> ...


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

yea, true.

I've decided to hold off indefinitely. The deals on that site were really good, but it's not worth the headache. Hopefully in the next few months I can do some in home testing to decide what works best for me.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> yea, true.
> 
> I've decided to hold off indefinitely. The deals on that site were really good, but it's not worth the headache. Hopefully in the next few months I can do some in home testing to decide what works best for me.


headache? Those guys were really easy to deal with, and helpful. Just call them.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

I mean the headache of trying to figure out which direction I want to go with this. I also have some other things on my plate and adding this would just be taking on too much. I'd rather wait until we get moved in and settled in to the new house and have some time to do some in home testing with the two. I guess you can say I had an epiphany last night, lol. I just felt like I was rushing myself to make a decision, which is not how I want to go about this.

The wife cleared the 6500, but I'm just not ready to spend that $ yet. Not when I've got some other lingering purchases.


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## Need-sq (May 26, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> nice deal, man!
> 
> I'm leaning toward the 6500ub but the difference is about $800 after MIR. I had planned to wait a while, but I'm actually thinking about picking up the 6100 at that package price. Thanks for the heads up.
> 
> ...


--------------------------------------

Bikin,

Looks like a great room for a HT setup.......and man what a steal (almost literally) on those speakers...............BTW You've got a really nice crib goin on there...wish I could afford a place like that up hears in yankee land (No not New York: the Yankees SUCK!):laugh:, but you know what I meant cuz your from the south. If it's as big as it looks, you'd have to drop anywhere from 2-6+ million up hear outside of Boston to get into somthin like that. Pretty sick really..........Only pointing it out cuz I just moved back to the Boston area from North Carolina. We were renting a beautiful 4 bed two big full baths, ~2600sq ft with almost a 900sq ft of wrap around porch and massive yard for under $1000.00/month......Now we're in 700sq ft for $1500.00:faint:.......at least we have work up hear.....was unemployed for most of the year in NC. I'll STFU now...Nice house man! and good luck with the build.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Thanks, man. 
Yea, it's def cheaper to live in the south... well, rural south, anyway, lol.


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## vladi627 (Sep 22, 2008)

nice theater, all u need now is popcorn machine.


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## fastlane (Apr 6, 2009)

Very nicely done. Don't know if you've been over to AVS forum yet, but it's a great place to chat HT. HT has been my life for the last 10+ years, I'm just now getting serious into car audio. 

You can always do a poor man's CIH and use the zoom method. Most 1080 projectors nowadays have good enough black levels, you won't even notice them if you zoom off the screen. This will obviously only work with a 2.35 screen.


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## Foglght (Aug 2, 2007)

I usually just go to AVS when I need to research products. Like when I chose the receiver. The 1019 got REALLY good reviews. Plus it was under $500.


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