Budget Home Theater Setups?

[SlimKlim]

We're moving into a new place soon, and we thought it would be fun to set up a home theater in the basement since it seems like you can put together a pretty decent setup for the cost of a 60" flatscreen.

I've been trying to teach myself about projectors to see how little we can get away with spending, but it's hard to tell what features are important without actually seeing them. I figured some of you guys might've gone down the same path and could give me some advice.

It seems like at the <$1000 price point you have two basic choices, 3-chip LCD or 1-chip DLP. The DLP offers better contrast ratio for the price, but you can get a "rainbow" effect during fast scenes due to the color wheel. I used to have a DLP TV and never noticed it, but I'm not sure if projectors are different.

I think I want 1080p but some articles I read say 720p on a 100+ inch screen still looks really damn good, seems logical, especially if you could get a much higher contrast ratio and lumen rating for the same or less money. I don't care about having 4k or 3D capability.

The room has a window and double door that leads outside, but it won't get direct sun because it's under the porch, and we can put up some curtains, so I don't think we need a ridiculously high lumen rating. That being said, it would be nice to not have to black out the room so the picture doesn't look washed out. I'm guessing we want at least 2500 lumens. I have no clue how much of a contrast ratio we need.

Here's a 720p LCD for $375: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-H5380BD-720p-...0155283011

A 1080p LCD with a slightly lower contrast ratio for $600: http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Cinema-Brigh...ctor&psc=1

And a 1080p DLP with a much higher ratio for $549: http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD141X-1080...+projector

Beyond the projector, it looks like I can build up to a 120" screen for about $50-60, and get a ceiling mount for the projector for about $20, but I need to make sure I mount it in a way that doesn't require lens shift, because none of the projectors in my budget have that feature. Not sure how to do that exactly.

For sound I'd probably pick up something similar to the Vizio 5.1 soundbar kit we have now, unless anyone has any new suggestions in the $250 price range. It would be nice to move the current setup we have downstairs and pick up a cheap multi-zone receiver for the upstairs living room, so we could run speakers all over the house, but that might start tearing the budget to shreds, so another fairly basic setup is fine.

Is there anything else I'd need that I'm not thinking about? It seems like I could do this for $800-900 all in, which is what you're looking at for a decent LED TV. Seems like a no brainer since we have the space for it. :dunno:

[WRXtranceformed]

I have never put together a projector setup, but some of my friends have. I don't think I have ever seen a budget projector setup that has really looked that good, and even the high end installations I've seen (and gamed on) require a stupid expensive screen and the room to basically be completely dark for it to really look good.

Big TVs are so cheap now, if it was me I would just pick up the biggest nicest LED TV you can afford and go with that Vizio sound bar setup. We have the biggest one (46"?) and I think Mike and maybe Chris have it too. PLENTY loud and clean for most spaces, bass so loud I have to keep the subwoofer at the lowest level and it has the added benefit of being about to connect to your phone / tablet / laptop through bluetooth. For the price you can't go wrong.

You can "finish it off" by getting a nice set of cabinets or entertainment center around it. We picked up the Hemnes TV storage center from Ikea. It's this one: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29103597/">http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S29103597/</a><!-- m -->
Except the two large cabinets on either side of ours have double doors with half coverage / half glass, these: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70227118/">http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70227118/</a><!-- m -->
That entire setup is pretty big, it takes up our entire wall in the big living area we have, +/- 14-15 feet

This is all anecdotal and personal opinion so YMMV...I know there are audio/videophiles that swear they can build awesome projector setups but in my opinion the only ones that are really worth the effort are built in / professionally installed and in the 5 figures.

[BLINGMW]

I set mine up ~1.5 years ago, similar low budget goals as you. Horrible pic and some info here:

<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9482&p=246165">viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9482&p=246165</a><!-- l -->

I was insisting on 1080P because I was going to sit really close, but I would still suggest you do too at that size even if you're not yet feeding it 1080P content all the time. Here's another one that's well reviewed and meets your lumen target, which is reasonable for 100". IIRC the black levels were not great (though nothing in this price range is going to be really great and you cannot trust the manufacturers' contrast ratio specs):
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-PJD7822HDL-1080p-Theater-Projector/dp/B00BBM4A52">http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-PJD7822 ... B00BBM4A52</a><!-- m -->

The homemade screen will work well and yes without lens shift you just have to have the projector approx level with the top of the screen; the spec sheet for the projector should tell you exactly. Spend a few bucks on the mount so it has lots of adjustments. It is worth avoiding keystone correction.

For sound, a soundbar is pretty mediocre, a fine compromise for a living room. For a little more you can get a HTIB kit such as this
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S3700-5-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B00LU0GPAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1454780080&sr=1-1&keywords=htib">http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S3700-5- ... words=htib</a><!-- m -->
I had the older, smaller kit to that one years ago and it was way better than any soundbar, assuming you care about having some depth of field, stereo separation, and much better music performance. Audiophiles will still poo poo HTIB but there's no way you/they can do better for the $.

All that being said, for about the same cost as the projector and screen, especially considering the time involved in setting it up, running cables, blacking out the room, I would prefer to watch a movie on a $700 Vizio 60" LED. Sit 6 ft away instead of 10 and it'll look the same size. Cheap projectors just don't approach the picture quality of even a cheap TV.

[Apoc]

I've had my share of plasma, LCD, and a DLP projector with 120" screen. The projector was great for the Superbowl, movie night, or video games, but I wouldn't want to watch it every day. The picture quality is nice, however you're just not going to get the same quality blacks and motion than a bigger LED. While there are quite a few projectors that do well in relatively lit rooms, they just cannot compete with LEDs. It's also kinda annoying to sit in a dark room all the time; sometimes you want to do other things while you're watching TV. It can also lead to eyestrain after longer viewing sessions. I still have a quality projector, however we only use it for backyard movie nights. If I was buying a new primary TV on a budget, I'd get a 60" Samsung or similar on special for $700. Just keep an eye on slickdeals and pick up whatever pops up in your budget with decent reviews.

I'm not a fan of sound bars, but people have had good luck with them. I think Mike got an open box with satellites for like $200 that he really likes. I'm old fashioned and just can't see myself without at least a 3.1 set up, which is what I have (for now) paired with an Onkyo receiver. I did downsize from floor speakers to KEF bookshelves for aesthetics when we moved into our current house. They're great value for money, but definitely out of your budget.

[JPolen01]

Another vote for the biggest LED/plasma you can find and the Vizio 5.1 soundbar set up. Emilys dad has a projector on 120 inch painted on screen. It's good for sports but regular TV and movies don't look that great.

[SlimKlim]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

I think the vizio soundbar I have now is like 48" or 54", with three speakers in the bar itself, plus a subwoofer and two rear satellites. I'm no audiophile and it works just fine for me. I think Polen has the same setup if I remember correctly.

It sounds like I need to find a way to actually see a projector in action that's in my budget so I can form my own opinions about the brightness and contrast ratio. We will still have our Sharp 60" upstairs for casual TV watching, this setup will be exclusively for mancaving/video gaming/movie watching, but to your point I'm not 100% sure I want to have to black the room out to use it, especially during the winter when I occasionally hole up and play video games all day.

At any rate, we move in next weekend and I'm not going to be setting this room up immediately so I have some time to figure out what I want to do. Maybe I can find a local home theater shop that has some demos set up or something.

[JPolen01]

I've got the biggest Vizio bar with the 2 rears and sub. Like others said blacking out the room makes a big difference. It does suck when you have no natural light and lose track of time.

[WRXtranceformed]

I've got the biggest Vizio bar with the 2 rears and sub.

That's the same one I have. It's pretty boss.

[Mike]

I've got the biggest Vizio bar with the 2 rears and sub.

That's the same one I have. It's pretty boss.

as do i. it can't compete with a proper setup, but it's about 1/10 the size and cost. very pleased.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Oh good a technology project that I am interested in.

We have a room in our basement that we were going to use as a pool room. After the realization that it wouldn't be used at all and we didn't really want pool sticks destroying our new walls; we decided a different path. Home Theater. Ceiling mounted projector, wall mounted screen, means that nothing is on the ground aside from couches leaving tons of floor space. Kids will be coming along in the next few years so a nice open room for a playroom serves a double purpose.

We are going projector, after some research, it is either spend a couple $k or get an LED.
Reading up, I am most likely to going to buy this Sony projector VPL HW40ES 3D - 1080p SXRD Projector. Biggest bang for the buck.
On sale now...
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.magnoliatvs.com/Sony-VPL-HW40ES-3D-1080p-SXRD-Projector-1700-lumens/p-1692">http://www.magnoliatvs.com/Sony-VPL-HW4 ... ens/p-1692</a><!-- m -->

I am also going to buy a pre-made screen. Again...bang for the buck. Lots of great reviews
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/STR-169100-Silver-Ticket-100-Diagonal/dp/B00HZRM9K0?SubscriptionId=AKIAJM4NKIQGABP2PIRA&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00HZRM9K0&tag=thewire06-20&ascsubtag=WC34271">http://www.amazon.com/STR-169100-Silver ... ag=WC34271</a><!-- m -->

That brings me to sound. This is tricky. I was originally thinking a nice "sound bar esque type" setup with wireless rear speakers. Realized the projector and base station were going to be behind me when on the couch, so wireless rear speakers were backwards from the setup I want. My friend also convinced me into look at building an ATMOS setup. Although it is double the price, (and 5x the work to install), I think I am going that route because of sound quality unless somebody can enlighten me. I don't know much about "latest technology" so I could definitely use the help.

[Apoc]

I guess everyone's idea of budget is different. :lol:

My entire system was wired, included the rear speakers. You need to run the AV cables for the projector anyway, so get some decent bookshelves, wall mounts, and run speaker wire when you run the HDMI cable.

I'll reiterate what I said. Even with ~$8k in a theater room, it still only got used like once a month. They're cool, but you're probably not going to see your return on investment. I also wouldn't want to have kids unmonitored in the room because a screen looks like a great place for a kid to do their best Picasso impression.

[JPolen01]

I'll reiterate what I said. Even with ~$8k in a theater room, it still only got used like once a month. They're cool, but you're probably not going to see your return on investment.

This x1000. My uncle built an addition on his house and added a theater room in the process. Separate room with french doors, no windows, couches, etc. No projector, but at the time an extremely pricing LCD big screen. He invited us over a few times to watch sporting events and movies. After the first few months it was never used again. I don't think the doors of the room have been opened in years. Not to mention theater rooms kill resale values. People don't want a room with rows of couches that can only be used for watching movies.

[SlimKlim]

Yeah you guys most likely talked me out of the idea, chances are I'll just pick up more or less a duplicate setup of the 60" + 5.1 setup we have now, but we'll see.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.magnoliatvs.com/Sony-VPL-HW40ES-3D-1080p-SXRD-Projector-1700-lumens/p-1692">http://www.magnoliatvs.com/Sony-VPL-HW4 ... ens/p-1692</a><!-- m -->

Is 1700 Lumens powerful enough? The articles I was reading made it sound like you need 2500-3000+ if you don't want to have to completely black the room out.

Speaking of TVs, is it just me or is pricing on lower end flatscreens kinda fucky right now? Over 2 years ago we picked up our Sharp 60" 1080p non-Smart TV in an open box special for $800 (Off from $1k). Now you can get a 55-60" 4k TV for $1k-1200. You would think that would destroy the price of 1080p, but a lot of them are still $7-800 in that size.

Also, it seems like every crazy asshole on CL with a half decent TV thinks its worth $50 less than they paid for it three years ago.

:dunno: I just want a decent 1080p with a large screen for movie nights and gaming, not trying to spend tons of money for something that won't get used all that much.

[navin]

I'm thinking of part ways with the home theater setup we have in our house now if any of you guys are interested... I have to go back and check the specs on everything but off the top of my head..

- 110' projector screen
- Epson 8570 1080P Projector + Ceiling Mount
- Def. Technology 5.1 surround sound (it's a smaller system, but good for a townhouse/smaller sized room)
- Onkyo Receiver that needs some work (capacitors need to be fixed/replaced... believe Onkyo offers it for free now).

[SlimKlim]

^ Price?

[D_Eclipse9916]

I'll reiterate what I said. Even with ~$8k in a theater room, it still only got used like once a month. They're cool, but you're probably not going to see your return on investment.

This x1000. My uncle built an addition on his house and added a theater room in the process. Separate room with french doors, no windows, couches, etc. No projector, but at the time an extremely pricing LCD big screen. He invited us over a few times to watch sporting events and movies. After the first few months it was never used again. I don't think the doors of the room have been opened in years. Not to mention theater rooms kill resale values. People don't want a room with rows of couches that can only be used for watching movies.

Again, the whole point is to have an "open play room for kids" AND a home theater. The room wouldn't be used for any other purpose. The budget way to do it would be to spend $0 and just have it sit as an empty room. That would drive my wife crazy. We have guests every now and then stay in the guest bedroom all the way downstairs, and we have a small flatscreen there now. They use it, its nice to have privacy and not feel segregated to bedrooms.

Not sure how it would kill resale value. Move out couches, patch up hole in ceiling for projector mount and tv screen and bam...open room. If you have ever sold a house before, you realize those are the LEAST of your worries and expense in selling a house lol.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Is 1700 Lumens powerful enough? The articles I was reading made it sound like you need 2500-3000+ if you don't want to have to completely black the room out.

According to all the research I did, its not a problem at all. I also don't have any windows in my downstairs sooo :dunno:

[navin]

^ Price?

I need to double check the specs on the items I listed and make sure I have the model #'s correct so I can price it accordingly. Shoot me a message on facebook if I forget to get back to you.

[SlimKlim]

Will do. :thumbup:

[Apoc]

The budget way to do it would be to spend $0 and just have it sit as an empty room. That would drive my wife crazy.

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