This past Father's Day, the wife and kids gave me a Samsung Blu-Ray player. It was a nice gift, but as we didn't own a Hi-Def television, I considered returning it. Instead I decided to finally get the home theater going.
I should explain some technical stuff and my reasoning on this project. My projector has a resolution of 1024×768. Blu-Ray discs can have resolutions up to 1920×1080. Many HD televisions match that resolution. This means that Blu-Rays and HD televisions have superior resolution and, in theory, superior image quality to my projector. But in practice, when factoring in viewing distance, the image quality from my projector comes close... well, acceptably close to rivaling a HD television.
Viewing distance is an important quality equalizer in video, much as it is with print media. Generally, the further away you get from the source, then less resolution is necessary. At two feet from a printed page the human eye can't tell the difference between 300dpi and 1200dpi (except in representation of gradients, but I digress). The entire ink jet printer industry was based on this principle.
In my opinion resolution isn't nearly as important as pitch. Pitch is the space between pixels. Excessive pitch produces what I've heard called screen door effect. Fortunately, viewing distance does help minimize this effect some. About the only time I really notice pitch with my projector is during brightly lite scenes with little camera movement.
There are a few other considerations with projection. Ambient light needs to be controlled, and by controlled, I mean eliminated, otherwise the image will be washed out. Even reflective surfaces need to be minimized. Now if you're setting up a home theater, you probably won't have any objections this, because you're trying to emulate the cinema experience. Projector location matters, too.
Sound like a lot of trouble? Well, yes and no. Yes, there are plenty of consideration. But no, despite what AV geeks might tell you, it doesn't take a millionaire or a rocket scientist to set up. It's mostly a matter of trial and error, hopefully not too much error.
I purchased an affordable projector mount online. The mount has four points of articulation and was very easy to attach and position. I secured the mounted projector to the ceiling about 13 feet from where the screen would be.
For the screen I used an eight feet by four feet sheet of masonite, with a wood frame for rigidity. I brush painted the smooth side bright white. I'll very pleased with the results, however, someday I may redo the screen using a reflective paint, specifically for projection screens, which I believe should be sprayed. But for now, I'm very satisfied.
I hung he screen from the ceiling with adjustable eye-bolts and leveled it. Then I adjusted the projector and quickly setup the surround sound. That's where I stopped for awhile. I watched a couple movies on Blu-Ray. I was okay with the size, and positioning, but the picture quality... Well, it sucked. Why? I didn't happen to have the correct cable, so I was using RCA video. The guys at Radio Shack really wanted to sell me three separate adapters to go from HDMI to VGA, totaling $85. It took me a week, but I finally located a component to VGA for $12. It worked perfectly and instantly the image appeared perfect.
We decided for my sons ninth birthday to have a movie party. This made all the difference because it made me hurry to get currents strung behind the screen, as well as a valence across the top. I also cleaned up the surround sound cabling.
Now, I can honestly say the experience at home is so good I have little desire to go to the cinema. I still have a long way to go with remodeling, and I'm seriously considering upgrading to the Espon 6100, a true 1920×1080 projector, but for now, I'm just going to sit back and bore my co-workers with my constant bragging. If you have a basement, I encourage you to do the same.
