WHat components do I need in a home theatre?

[Shannon Nash]

Gudday,

Borrowed a Data projector from work yesterday. New model NEC only about $1350. Worked beautifully in my 7m*5m Lounge room.

Am considering updating the 1993 Idiot box with a projector.

What are the components I should be looking at, and how much do I need to spend on each to get good quality.

Who has the best displays in eastern melb?

Thanks
SN

[Glenn_M]

Shannon, you are heading into a minefield here.

I did the same thing a bit over 12 months ago. There are so many things to consider with beamers. Here are *some*

Light - will the viewing area get direct sunlight at any time when you are likely to use the projector?
Room - Ambient light. Can the room be completely (or nearly) from external light? Although new generation projectors are brighter than old ones and deal with lighted rooms some are still better than others. Although they *can* deal will greater ambient light the darker the better.

DLP vs LCD - Do you suffer from the rainbow effect of DLP projectors. Although some will argue if it exists or not, if you get a headache after watching a DLP for 20 minutes or so then it doesn't make viewing fun.

Aspect 16:9 or 4:3 - advantages both ways. Depends on what you intend to watch most.

Connectivity - different projectors offer different options in terms of number and type of input/outputs.

Screens - are you intending to use a screen or a painted surface or DIY screen? Rather than get into a debate on which is better just the point that evaluating a projector on a surface you are not going to use at home may lead to disappointment.

Distance - from the projector to the screen. ie Do you want a projector with better short throw or long through lens. Also the size of the screen in relation to the distance as well. Shorter distances and larger screens make the 'screen door' effect of LCD's more visible.

Also the distance from the video source to the projector. I run a 15m DVI cable with no problems but have so image distortion with a 10m SVHS cable. Again, not debating the merits of each just that you may need to consider this in conjuntion with the point above about connectivity.

Lamps - replacement cost and availability.

Mounting - how you are going to mount the projector for use. Mine is inverted from the ceiling (as are many) but the cieling is very high. Thus a projector with good vertical and horizontal lens shift capability was a plus. Allows to position the image without needing to use Keystone correction which causes aberations (at least is does on my 100" screen).

There is also a noise component to consider. As stated mine is mounted overhead (but over the seating area) when the room get warm in winter the fan noise gets a little loud. Not a problem for many things but could be. This raises the issue of heat. Projectors have fans that can send the heat out of the unit in many directions. If you are mounting in a cabinet or wall cavity etc then one that vents in the direction of open space would be desirable.

I visited many places in Melbourne when trying to choose. It was difficult as different rooms / screen etc made comparison all but impossible. Good rooms and screens can make bad projector look OK and conversely a bad set up can make a good porjector seem not worth the extra money.

In the end I was choosing between the Panasonic AE700 and the Hitachi TX-100, both widescreen LCD projectors with 1280x720 resolution.

I chose the Hitachi because of the lens shifting and ability to handle short throws better and (i think) greater connectivity options.

But the final decision was that for me (and it is an individual choice) the Hitachi gave the best image with the least 'screen door' effect at the viewing distance my house dictates. Mine is 'powered' by a HTPC connected by DVI cable. If you are using existing DVD player/video/Foxtel/STB again check you connectivity or consider a switch box. These range considerablly in price and performance again determined to some extent by what you want to connect to what.

If you ask 100 people you will get 100 opinions but it is you who has to watch it!

Good luck, I love my beamer:D

Cheers,
Glenn

[wilco]

Here are some sites to help you out.....

http://www.avsforum.com/

http://www.avtalk.co.uk/

http://www.diyaudio.com - for some DIY action

http://htguide.com/

[Barry_White]

Or have a look here. www.lumenlab.com (http://www.lumenlab.com)

[Master Splinter]

Rough figures to warm your credit card with, without being too extravagant...

Projector - $1,500 to $2,500
(bulb life is about 2,000-3,000 hours, replacement bulbs are anywhere from $300 to $800)
Multi-channel amp - $800ish
5.1 speaker setup - $1,500 to $3,000

Plus you may need extras such as:
Amplified subwoofer (if you really like to feel your movies)
Room soundproofing (if that amp is a bit too loud for your neighbours)
Other room acoustic treatments (to get rid of vibrations, boom, reflections)

Most of the Japanese speaker sets are...somewhat lacking.

If you are on a tight budget, I can recommend speakers from theloudspeakerkit.com (http://www.theloudspeakerkit.com/) if you can cope with putting them together yourself. (they have a Melbourne dealer so you can do a look/hear).

Things you don't need:

Speaker wire costing over about $2.00 per meter. (actually, anything over about $0.80 per meter is overkill, I just like the look of the chunkier style wires.)
Interconnects costing over about $20 per set.
Despite what salesmen and various over the top stereo magazines hype, there have not been any blind tests showing that $90 interconnects work any better than the cheap stuff. Let alone the $10,000 interconnects. Buy them if you like the 'bling' factor that they bring, but no, they won't improve the sound. (this goes double for 'digital' interconnects...they either work, or not. There is no 'better')

And if someone wants to sell you a US$6,700 power cord (http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/the-6700-power-cord-016074.php)....just say no!

[bigc]

I have a projector and screen setup which works well and the video is carried via shielded cat5.

Some things to think about.

Are you always going to use it, i.e. tv dvd.

If not is the tv behind the screen, would you have to move the lounges, is the center speaker behind the screen, can you get the remote to work for the dvd if it's behind the screen??? (I suffer most of these issues)

Those flatscreens are getting cheap!

Then again take the projector out to the garage and throw a state of Origin party.

[GraemeCook]

Hi Shannon

Are you really sure that you want a projector TV?

In January the financial press ran a series of articles that suggested that the price of flat screen TVs was likely to drop by half by next Christmas. Their prophesy is well on the way to being true. It may well drop by more than that.

May I suggest that you go to a couple of quality audio shops and have a look at some of the new High Definition wide screen TVs. The picture quality is amazing, and so is the sound quality. (For inspection purposes, avoid Harvey Norman and other bulk stores as they rarely have them set up properly.)

Also be wary that there are several types of screens that can legally be called HD. Only 1820x1024 pixels is true HD; others are really medium definition. Also look at the "refresh rate" and the "contrast ratio". These should be under 8 micro-seconds and over 3,000 respectively. Just look at different pixel counts, refresh rates and contrast ratios, and you will soon see the advantages and costs.

Take your time, the technology is improving rapidly and the prices are falling.

Cheers

Graeme