$6K Front Projector HT System Recommendations

Am in the process of finishing a basement, parts of which will be used as a kids playroom. The basement has approximately 1200 sq ft of living space, of which 350 will be dedicated to a home theater (though not in a separated room) so the lighting will be an issue at times.

With 2 small children (ages 6 and 2) I am cognizant of kids having "access" to equipment and, thus, will have an enclosed rack for the A/V gear and wall mounted speakers.

After careful review and w/in the contraints of a $5-6K budget, I have narrowed my search to the following w/ "a" being my first choice and "b" my second:

Front Projector:
a. Panasonic PT-AE700U
b. Hitachi PJ-TX100

Screen:
a. Da-lite HCCV (gray)
b. Carada Criterion Series (gray)

A/V Reciever:
a. Yamaha RX-V2500
b. Denon AVR-3805

Speakers:
a. Aperion Audio
Center: Intimus 522D-VAC Center Channel
Front L/R: Intimus 522D-LR Bookshelf Speaker
Surround: Intimus 522D-SS Dipole Bipole Surround Speakers
b. Axiom Audio
Epic Grand Master Home Theater

As a "newcomer" to home theater, would appeciate any feedback re: my choices....or other recommendations!

Thx.

i would tend to lean towards the Hitachi due to your lighting situation, however more info* from you would be required to determine a suitable match. As far as the receiver is concerned the Denon would be my personal choice for its versitility in custom applications and performance in movies and music playback. I deal only with Draper and Stewart screen but should you go with the Hitachi projector might i suggest ( assuming size, fixed screen, and price point) Draper model #252104---16:9 92" Hidef grey $995. Speakers are such a personal thing that i shall refrain from any suggestions but advise against in-ceiling and just point out that the best dedicated theaters that i've installed, seen, and heard had unobstructed front towers and matching center

*what is viewing distance from front row of seats?
*will the projector be ceiling mounted- where is equipment in relation to projector?
*what are the source components?
*what is total width and lenght of room?
*how do you plan to control system?

Thanks for your guidance! I was initially leaning towards the Hitachi (was impressed at viewing at local, 6th Avenue, electronics store) but read such great reviews on the Panasonic and thought I could save a few bucks for a similar experience.

Re: your questions....

Viwing distance = 12'-14'

Ceiling Mounted Projector. Equipment wil be located in a rack approximately 10' left from center of screen.

Source = Cablevision IO (Digital); DVD = TBD (recommendations welcome)

Total Room Area = 13' width (projector view) x 23' long

Frankly, had not thought about system 'control' as had assumed that remote for A/V receiver would be adequate...again, any/all guidance welcome!

Thx!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AVMASTER

i would tend to lean towards the Hitachi due to your lighting situation, however more info* from you would be required to determine a suitable match. As far as the receiver is concerned the Denon would be my personal choice for its versitility in custom applications and performance in movies and music playback. I deal only with Draper and Stewart screen but should you go with the Hitachi projector might i suggest ( assuming size, fixed screen, and price point) Draper model #252104---16:9 92" Hidef grey $995. Speakers are such a personal thing that i shall refrain from any suggestions but advise against in-ceiling and just point out that the best dedicated theaters that i've installed, seen, and heard had unobstructed front towers and matching center

*what is viewing distance from front row of seats?
*will the projector be ceiling mounted- where is equipment in relation to projector?
*what are the source components?
*what is total width and lenght of room?
*how do you plan to control system?

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should you go with the Hitachi and assuming a 92 to 100" screen, then ceiling placement should be at 12.5' with lens( not overall projector) aimed top dead center of screen. I know this model has a front IR sensor but not sure about rear therefore even with the equipment in front, you'll still need to be able to operate projector; I would run IR cable from projector and equipment rack to a sensor located somewhere below/above screen. I would also consider a upconversion dvd player and a Gefen DVI switcher. In a darkened room equipment lights can be distracting if not hidden---just something to consider

Please help me w/ your rationale for Hitachi recommendations. Most reviews I've read suggest that the Panasonic, w/ its 2000:1 contrast (vs 1200:1 for Hitachi) beats that pants off Hitachi for black level clarity. However, Hitachi does offer better brightness w/ lumen of 1200 ANSI (vs 1000 ANSI for Panasonic).

Given the $1500 difference in costs, I'm not convinced that the additional 200 lumens will be worth it......yet, as you can tell I'm waffling and would welcome a great argument to go w/ the Hitachi! ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AVMASTER

should you go with the Hitachi and assuming a 92 to 100" screen, then ceiling placement should be at 12.5' with lens( not overall projector) aimed top dead center of screen. I know this model has a front IR sensor but not sure about rear therefore even with the equipment in front, you'll still need to be able to operate projector; I would run IR cable from projector and equipment rack to a sensor located somewhere below/above screen. I would also consider a upconversion dvd player and a Gefen DVI switcher. In a darkened room equipment lights can be distracting if not hidden---just something to consider

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrZeau

Am in the process of finishing a basement, parts of which will be used as a kids playroom. The basement has approximately 1200 sq ft of living space, of which 350 will be dedicated to a home theater (though not in a separated room) so the lighting will be an issue at times.

With 2 small children (ages 6 and 2) I am cognizant of kids having "access" to equipment and, thus, will have an enclosed rack for the A/V gear and wall mounted speakers.

After careful review and w/in the contraints of a $5-6K budget, I have narrowed my search to the following w/ "a" being my first choice and "b" my second:

Front Projector:
a. Panasonic PT-AE700U
b. Hitachi PJ-TX100

Screen:
a. Da-lite HCCV (gray)
b. Carada Criterion Series (gray)

A/V Reciever:
a. Yamaha RX-V2500
b. Denon AVR-3805

Speakers:
a. Aperion Audio
Center: Intimus 522D-VAC Center Channel
Front L/R: Intimus 522D-LR Bookshelf Speaker
Surround: Intimus 522D-SS Dipole Bipole Surround Speakers
b. Axiom Audio
Epic Grand Master Home Theater

As a "newcomer" to home theater, would appeciate any feedback re: my choices....or other recommendations!

Thx.

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Is there anyway you can mount the projector from behind ( utility room e.g. ) and project it on a plexiglass screen? This will give you the optimum clarity. 12' for a 100" picture

in your original post you mention that lighting would be an issue at times, therfore my first thoughts would be to use a brighter projector with the trade-off being contrast. You could go between the two and utilize a Sony vplhs51; of course now you'll be spending more.