Advice on dedicated home theatre

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Advice on dedicated home theatre

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#271784 26-May-2020 21:19

I'm excited to be putting in a dedicated home cinema in our new build house, and am wondering about curtains across all the walls (except the wall with the projector screen of course) to help improve the sound and I think it's quite a nice look.

This is the room:

But it'll be with a projector and screen instead of a TV, and I've already got 5.1 surround sound in our current place which I'll re-use and I have a second subwoofer to use. Would love to add something to use Atmos too, but anyway to the point, I read online that ideally the curtains should be 3 times the wall length to work well. That would mean we need about 45 meters x 2.4 meters high, which is 108 square meters of curtains (give or take a few and for the door). At $75 a square meter just for example, ouch, thats unfortunately well out of budget.

Does anyone have any recommendations of sources for cheap curtians that would do the job well? Happy to order online or overseas etc if needed, but we're located by Christchurch.

Ideally sound absorbing curtains would be a nice bonus, but the key for curtains around the room to be an option is pricing.

Thanks!

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

4689 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2492327 26-May-2020 22:15

LOL. I just did the same thing. Projector in a dedicated theatre room with a fixed screen on one wall and curtains on the other 3 - floor to ceiling.

I got these : https://www.bunnings.co.nz/home-style-2-3-3m-width-x-2-20m-drop-como-triple-weave-eyelet-curtain_p0037800

but I managed to find them (at Bunnings) with a 2.4m drop which is total floor to ceiling. It's made a huge difference to the room. I still need to paint the front wall and ceiling though - but I also got some black mats for the floor as the carpet was white.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Mighty Ape

Shop Mighty Ape for electronics, games, computers books and more (affiliate link).

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2492332 26-May-2020 22:25

Thanks so much, and that's awesome to hear it made the room so much better :)

Great you were able to find them with a 2.4m drop, I'm hoping we will be able to as well. That's the type of price I was looking for too, nice!

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

AceVPD

137 posts

Master Geek

#2511664 24-Jun-2020 19:03

Curtains look good and will help absorb reflected light for better projector contrast but may not be as good for as some diy sound absorbtion panels for sound. I have yet to build mine but plan on using 50mm rockwool 50mm out from the wall at the first reflection points.
I have a similar size room.

sen8or

1611 posts

Uber Geek

#2511987 25-Jun-2020 09:11

Get your electricians to run wire in the walls for the speakers (including for 4 atmos speakers, 2 behind seating position, 2 in front), at nearly 6m long, you can have the couch a good distance into the room so having rear atmos should work.

For the door, can you do that as a cavity slider? It may give you more options for seating if you aren't considering the door swing.

Do you have a projector / screen in mind?

At 3.5m wide, you are a bit limited as to overall size, can probably get away with about 120 inch, but unless you go for audio transparent screen, you'll need to allow for speakers at the side and not really any closer than about 50cm from the corners (so screen about 2.5m wide).

Going from a single 15 inch Velodyne to x2 13 inch SVS Subs was a glorious move, highly recommended to run dual, tight deep and loud.

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2511990 25-Jun-2020 09:17

AceVPD: Curtains look good and will help absorb reflected light for better projector contrast but may not be as good for as some diy sound absorbtion panels for sound. I have yet to build mine but plan on using 50mm rockwool 50mm out from the wall at the first reflection points.
I have a similar size room.

Thanks, yeah I've been reading up on those and it does sound like the way to go. It looks like GreenStuf® AAB Autex Acoustic Blanket 20-100 Black would do a great job, how do you find the 50mm Rockwool?

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2511998 25-Jun-2020 09:27

sen8or:

Get your electricians to run wire in the walls for the speakers (including for 4 atmos speakers, 2 behind seating position, 2 in front), at nearly 6m long, you can have the couch a good distance into the room so having rear atmos should work.

For the door, can you do that as a cavity slider? It may give you more options for seating if you aren't considering the door swing.

Do you have a projector / screen in mind?

At 3.5m wide, you are a bit limited as to overall size, can probably get away with about 120 inch, but unless you go for audio transparent screen, you'll need to allow for speakers at the side and not really any closer than about 50cm from the corners (so screen about 2.5m wide).

Going from a single 15 inch Velodyne to x2 13 inch SVS Subs was a glorious move, highly recommended to run dual, tight deep and loud.

Thanks :) I'm glad that they're fine with us to put in cables etc (that aren't power cables of course), so I'll be putting in the network cables around the house and I aim to put speaker cables in too. That sounds great, I'm really looking forward to having Atmos.

Good question about a cavity slider, I'll try and plan the seat layout tonight and attach a screenshot. I've been watching videos about comfortable viewing distance from screens etc.

A wee while back we got a good deal on a second hand Stewart Studiotek 130 screen so we grabbed that, but yeah I think 130 inch is likely 10 to 20 inches too big. Technically my speakers will fit either side of the 130, but probably not with toe-in. I might have to re-sell the screen and get a smaller one yeah. I haven't thought about specific projector models yet, but quite keen for a native 4K one if possible, like a Sony, but then it seems JVC have a reputation for better black levels and really good 4K despite not being a native 4K projector. Do you have any recommendations in that area? Since it'd be a blacked out room, I'm probably more tempted by the JVC. No matter what this will all be an amazing upgrade over my 10 year old 63" 1080p Samsung Plasma.

Thanks!

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

Talkiet

4689 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2512004 25-Jun-2020 09:51

I've got a 4k Sony and compared a JVC model when purchasing. They will both blow you away. The JVC does have blacker blacks but the Sony picture was (to me) more vibrant and I simply enjoyed it more. Mine was an upgrade from a cheap 4K projector which I had only had a few months, but before that had a Panasonic AE7000 for a few years.

I also have to say that I had a couple of issues with my Sony which would often be a negative point, but in this case all it highlighted was the extraordinary lengths to which Sony NZ went to make sure I was happy. They went above and beyond what I ever expected and any time I have to buy anything electronic now I see if there's a suitable Sony product that will do it and give it first shot at my money.

I'd say that today projectors are one of the more likely bits of electronic equipment you can buy which could have issues - so confidence in the support is important to me.

Support aside, the projector is incredible and I don't regret spending a fair amount of good money on it for a moment. (dedicated room, curtained wall, fixed frame screen)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2512011 25-Jun-2020 10:03

Talkiet:

I've got a 4k Sony and compared a JVC model when purchasing. They will both blow you away. The JVC does have blacker blacks but the Sony picture was (to me) more vibrant and I simply enjoyed it more. Mine was an upgrade from a cheap 4K projector which I had only had a few months, but before that had a Panasonic AE7000 for a few years.

I also have to say that I had a couple of issues with my Sony which would often be a negative point, but in this case all it highlighted was the extraordinary lengths to which Sony NZ went to make sure I was happy. They went above and beyond what I ever expected and any time I have to buy anything electronic now I see if there's a suitable Sony product that will do it and give it first shot at my money.

I'd say that today projectors are one of the more likely bits of electronic equipment you can buy which could have issues - so confidence in the support is important to me.

Support aside, the projector is incredible and I don't regret spending a fair amount of good money on it for a moment. (dedicated room, curtained wall, fixed frame screen)

Cheers - N

Ah I remember seeing your posts now about how Sony went to extraordinary lengths to help you. I was really curious what projector model you ended up with :D It was good marketing for Sony too, as nothing beats confidence in after sales service.

I can vouch for Sony cameras by the way, in case you're into photography.

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

Talkiet

4689 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2512019 25-Jun-2020 10:08

Heh. 1d4, 7d, 1d, 300 2.8L IS, 70-200 2.8L IS, 24-70 2.8L, many others, multiple flashes etc :-) Yep, I'm into photography but have been into since before Sony was a usable sporting option and I am now so invested in the Canon system that changing isn't an option.

I ended up with a Sony VPL-VW870ES but honestly the 260ES was spectacular as well.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2512184 25-Jun-2020 14:49

Nice!! That's an awesome kit. Mine used to be 5d Mark II, 16-35mm 2.8L, 24-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8L and a few others like Macro etc. Completely agree on it being a huge pain to jump ship though, even when I just had one body.

You ended up with the VPL-VW870ES ? Wow, that's amazing! Yeah I imagine my budget will be more around $10,000 or a little more. Some of the 2nd hand Sony's come up pretty cheap on eBay (compared to buying new at least), so I've always been curious about that too. I'm not sure if buying 2nd hand is wise or not with a projector.

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

Talkiet

4689 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2512251 25-Jun-2020 15:04

I'd say that if there was one electronic item I would NOT consider buying secondhand, it would be a projector. It's worth going new. They are fragile, get hot, built to incredible fine tolerances... Not worth the lack of support.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2512278 25-Jun-2020 15:30

That sounds like good advice yeah. I'll focus on choosing a model I can get new. Sorry to keep asking you questions, but do projectors come up on big specials sometimes? Maybe it's worth having models in mind to get one in boxing day sales?

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

Talkiet

4689 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2512285 25-Jun-2020 15:41

When shopping around I found I didn't have to ask particularly hard to get good discounts, also depending on time of year and what the new models look like, new old stock can be a bargain.

I got mine from AV World in Auckland and was very happy with their offering/pricing and support.

https://www.avworld.co.nz/shop/category/projectors/home-theatre-projectors

Bluntly I wouldn't pay the $9k they are asking for the 270 at the moment. Phone them and talk - they were very helpful, especially in looking for an offering options related to new old stock (maybe less likely now).

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are the product of my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

LostBoyNZ

543 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2512311 25-Jun-2020 16:30

Thanks :) I'm still a wee while away (our build is due to start late next month, finished maybe around Christmas) but that gives me plenty of time to research and then ask about / wait for a good deal yeah. Thanks!

Virtual Reality rentals for birthdays, gaming weekends, trade show booths, holidays, family gatherings & more

https://www.virtualrealityrental.co.nz/ - Including the Quest 3, Varjo Aero, Steam Deck and more...

sen8or

1611 posts

Uber Geek

#2512569 26-Jun-2020 08:15

My projector is the 270 and I too compared it against the N5 JVC when I bought it (also from AV world, I was in Auckland last christmas so was able to see them both in person at their demo room),

When fed quality 4k content, either is stunning. I felt the Sony had a bit more pop and the fine detail it can render is great. I have mine hooked up to xbox x for streaming from netflix, hulu, HBO. Unfortunately there is only a limited amount of 4k on them, so most of what we watch is upscaled 1080p, but it still looks great.

What part of Christchurch are you building in?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4