by: Dave Randall
"My plans for building a home theater started almost two years before it was finally completed. All of my neighbors have large-screen TVs, and I really wanted to upgrade from my existing 35" ProScan. I had every intention of doing the same thing my neighbors did, until a friend of mine talked to me about using a front projector. After seeing this setup in a local A/V store I was hooked! I knew that was what I wanted to do.
I was fortunate enough to make my projector purchase from ProjectorPeople.com. I had originally decided on one particular projector, but after describing my HT room to the sales representative at Projector People, I ended up purchasing the Optoma H77 instead. Wow, was he ever right. This unit produces a really nice picture in my room.
The screen is a Da-Lite 92x52 acoustically transparent screen using a Cinema Contour frame. I have a Denon 2910 DVD and use the DVI connection to the projector. The receiver is a Yamaha HTR-5760. After much study on speaker systems, I decided on the Polk Lsi series. An LsiC for the center channel, which sets on a shelf about 6 inches behind the center of the screen, Lsi9s for the front channels, LsiFXs for the rear surrounds, and the PSW505 300-watt sub. I also invested in acoustic treatments from Auralex, and a ganged set of Lutron Spacer System remote-controlled dimmers for the three lighting zones. One of the zones is rope lighting from Home Depot that sets behind the crown molding. A real nice touch for indirect lighting that makes the room seem more like a commercial theater. When building the room I created a 10" platform in the rear so the rear seats would be above the front row. This worked out well, even with the relatively small size of my room (14'x17').
I am extremely pleased with the way this room turned out. This is the only way to truly enjoy movies. I don't go to theaters any longer. I just wait for the DVD release and enjoy them in my own room. It's a beautiful thing!"
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