derrickdj1 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) I am thinking about how I can upgrade the man cave HT. I have adequate speakers and other gear for a bigger screen effect. First, I don't want a full HT with 120 in. screen and need for a major construction project. I would like to keep the TV in the room and was thinking of a small, 65-80 in. diagonal drop down screen. I could wall mount the TV and be able to pull the screen down for movies. Need a good budget projector and screen suggestion for a view distance of around 10-13 ft. What type of things should I be thinking of? I have read up very little on this subject other than most people going for the real large screens and dedicated HT. I am looking for something I could get up and running in a few days after equipement purchase. This is in a basement with virtually no windows in the viewing area. There is one window that is covered by a deck. All suggestions are welcomed and shoot me some good questions. Edited November 17, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Well first let me ask you why would you hang a 65-80inch screen but not a bigger. Upgrading from a 50" or whatever to you have to a 80" is not gonna be an upgrade. Well I mean yeah technically. But not really. 10-13 feet sounds about right for a 120-130" drop down screen as long as you can fit it there without moving gear. And there is zero extra construction. They all hang on the ceiling the same. What projector are you looking at? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Nevermind. Seen you asking for suggestions. Panny 8000 at projector central for 1699 with three year warranty upgrade. Gets you the zoom feature that you want. Elite manual pull down screen. M128UWC-E20 276.75$ 1975.75$ If you don't wanna mess with zoom then also I'd look at the Sony 40 Es. NEVERMIND pieces back at 2500. Wouldn't even consider that at that price when the panny is so much less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathos Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I have a manual screen and pull it down over the TV when I want some big screen action. I hung it from the ceiling so it would clear the TV... Wall mounting was a bit close. I would rather get an electric and a 4k projector, but this was my "cheap" step 1 and it sounds like what you are doing. IMO, with your room being dark you don't have to worry about high dollar screens or getting a light cannon. That screen Scrappy listed is probably fine. The projector is easily decided by what you want to spend. $800.00 BenQ 1070 is probably the best sub 1k HT projector. The Panny 8000 for $1,700.00 and then you jump up in price to the Epson, Sony, and JVC...$2,000.00 and beyond. My biggest problem was running the cables. I bought the Sony that has the IR 3d so I had to run HDMI, Power and an Cat 5/6 cable for the IR extender. I split my signal also and send it to another TV in the back of the room, but the splitter has to be taken off when I watch 3d. Order your cables and projector mount beforehand...running to Best Buy and other Brick and Mortor stores can end up costing you a bunch. Just shooting you a couple of my own lessons learned and suggestions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Nevermind. Seen you asking for suggestions. Panny 8000 at projector central for 1699 with three year warranty upgrade. Gets you the zoom feature that you want. Elite manual pull down screen. M128UWC-E20 276.75$ 1975.75$ If you don't wanna mess with zoom then also I'd look at the Sony 40 Es. NEVERMIND pieces back at 2500. Wouldn't even consider that at that price when the panny is so much less. Got one for sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) What is the height and width Rodney? I don't want something that goes to the floor because I will have to redo the entire room and move away from the 20 amp circuit that I had installed. I would also like to not have to move the speakers and subs. Just two of us live in the home and the majority of use will be just me, except when family and friends come over. I know I want at least 1080 quality from the projector. I have been reading on some of this stuff but, I need help so the project will not take a longtime. Edited November 17, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) This would work and I would not have to redo the room: Elite Screens Electric100H Spectrum Series Projector Screen - 16:9 - 100" Diagonal (87.2"W x 49.0"H) - Black Casing Here are some pic's of the space I have to work with (18.5 ft wide X 50 in height). I can mount the TV to the wall and make a long amp rack stand, slightly short than the present TV stand. The second pic is a larger wall and I may get rid of the couch and tables to make room for the screen and gear. This will take moving everything to redo the room layout. This is not my first choice. This area would allow a larger screen. Edited November 17, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ceiling drop down looks like it could be difficult for mounting purposes. How about a pull down at screen? Then you can go in front of the center channel and go a bit bigger without rearranging the room. Shame to have all your subs worked out then have to move them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 The ceiling should not be a big problem. Just trim some ceiling tiles to mount some bracket to the studs. Moving all the wires is a bigger pain than the subs since most of them are on risers with wheels. The screen I posted should be an electric pull down. This project is still going to be a bit of work and the need for new gear console 7-8 ft. wide custom job. The larger I can go screen wise the better with option one. I am in and out of town quit a bit and just don't want a long drawn out project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Need recommendations on projector Zoom, lumens, DLP, LCD, aspect ratio. What to look for on the projector as far as connectivity, bulb life or any other thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) I purchased the Elite electric screen with 100 in. diagonal, BenQ projector 3D, 1080 p, 1.3 zoom and ceiling mount. This should bring some oomph to the movies. Everything has a 30 day return policy if I want to makes changes and don't like something. Thanks for the suggestions. Edited November 18, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I purchased the Elite electric screen with 100 in. diagonal, BenQ projector 3D, 1080 p, 1.3 zoom and ceiling mount. This should bring some oomph to the movies. Everything has a 30 day return policy if I want to makes changes and don't like something. Thanks for the suggestions.well that didn't take long. Lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) I purchased the Elite electric screen with 100 in. diagonal, BenQ projector 3D, 1080 p, 1.3 zoom and ceiling mount. This should bring some oomph to the movies. Everything has a 30 day return policy if I want to makes changes and don't like something. Thanks for the suggestions. Sorry I wasn't following this post and just saw your question . 92x54 Edited November 18, 2015 by A1UC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) well that didn't take long. Lol. I keep looking at the big wall and may redo the whole room in the spring. It a lot more work but, if I am in the mood, it will be OK. For now, I was to get things up and running and for the holidays. Edited November 19, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 My concern would be that as soon as you get used to that screen, you're not going to be using that TV. The electric functionality is probably unnecessary if so, especially given that frames mounted on the wall look better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) Metro, I have not thought about watching regular TV on the big screen. I guess you can. I will have to see how things go. In the spring I may redesign the room to utilize a subwoofer array system, not like I need more woof. The gtg from this past weekend is what finally pushed me into getting a screen. My buddy has a big screen that hides four 20 cu ft subs. His setup is great and got me thinking, I have everything else for a big theater except the screen and projector. Speaker, sub and gear wise I am ok so, time to focus on the room. My goal is not to have a dedicated theater and keep the room for multipurpose. I listen to way more music than watching movies. Edited November 18, 2015 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 Well, the projector arrived today and most like I will have the screen and mount by Saturday. I can already see this is going to be a little more work than I was looking for. I showed the wife 100 in. diagonal on the measuring tape and she just shook her head, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 If you don't wanna mess with zoom then also I'd look at the Sony 40 Es. NEVERMIND pieces back at 2500. Wouldn't even consider that at that price when the panny is so much less. The Sony VPL-HW40ES can currently be found at Overstock.com for $1825. If you do a Google search for it, there are other places selling it for even less (although I don't know how reputable they may be -- e.g. Bob's TVs has it for $1,397). I see that you already ordered one though, but for anyone else there seems to be good deals out there. I'd suspect at these prices there must be a newer model coming out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cradeldorf Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) Glad to hear you went with a Ben-Q I'm betting it's gonna be a great choice. I think I paid about 800 for my Epson and about 700 for my Ben Q 1070 which I haven't even opened yet. Epson has been great and the Ben-Q has a pretty good reputation. Not a fan of screens, Just paint your wall with flat white ceiling paint and don't waste money on those screens. Sorry, you asked for opinions. Edited November 20, 2015 by cradeldorf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 All opinions welcomed. I am new at this projection / screen business. Next week I will get the projector up and see how the pic looks. I was trying not to make this a big project but, now I will move all the speakers to another wall, re-do all the sub locations, move old wire and put up some new will, cable TV outlets, ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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