Dept: Assembly Required
Tech: Front-projection home theater
Retail: $4,956
Street: $3,527 (H2.0 estimate)
Time: 5 hours
Steal | | | | | Splurge
Movie buffs looking to build a home theater typically have four choices: traditional CRT sets, LCD displays, plasma screens and hulking rear-projection units. Some are five-digit expensive, some so heavy that it takes three linebackers to carry them into the house, and some lose brightness from any viewpoint but a small sweet spot directly in front. Even the most gigantic offer an image no bigger than about 6 feet diagonally.
But conspicuously absent from this list of usual suspects is a semisecret but spectacular setup with a vastly bigger display that is often higher-resolution and less expensive than the plug-and-play boxes. It’s called front projection. I installed one in our bedroom, and the projected image is 8 feet diagonally and better than the local multiplex. Best of all, I’m in the theater business for under $5,000. Tickets $5 before 6 p.m., popcorn on demand.
These systems are built around powerful digital projectors of the kind originally developed to blast out PowerPoints but now optimized for home-theater use with display chips capable of HDTV quality.
So why doesn’t everybody have one? Because it’s not plug-and-play. Setting up one of these systems requires a little carpentry (projectors are typically hung from the ceiling) and a little understanding of such things as why a trio of red, green and blue video jacks are labeled Y, Pb(CB) and Pr(CR). Oh, and a spouse who can tolerate some inevitably exposed wiring.
While a video nerd could do it in an hour, the whole setup took me closer to 25. But when I finally slid in a DVD and got a bright, sharp picture in place of the infuriating no-signal box, and magnificent sound where there had been but squawks, it was an epiphany. Hobbits were bigger than life-size, I could practically feel Seabiscuit underneath me, and Salma Hayek in Frida was...well, let’s just say it was worth all the effort.
Front-projection equipment tips
Projector:
>>For true HD-compatibility, get a projector with native widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) 1,280-by-720-pixel resolution.
>>If you have a small room, ask about “throw distance,” which refers to how big an image can be projected at a given distance.
>>Budget for replacement projector lamps, which start to dim after 1,000 to 4,000 hours and cost $300 to $800 to replace.
>>Use the highest-quality video connection available: DVI, component video, S-video and composite video, in descending order.
Screen
>>If your projector will sit on a table, use a retro-reflective screen. If it will be ceiling-mounted, use a reflective screen.
>>For the best image, use a screen that is pasted to the wall (like wallpaper) or has a frame to keep it taut, instead of a roll-up screen.
>>You can skip the screen and just project onto a neutral gray wall, but your image will not be as bright as it would be on a screen.
Speakers
>>Mount the center-channel speaker above or below the screen—both spots produce similar sound. Or, for the most realistic audio, get a microperforated screen, which has tiny holes that allow you to put the center channel behind the screen.
>>Place rear (surround) speakers above ear level, either on the sides pointed toward the listener or facing forward behind the listener.
Stephan’s home theater
Da-Lite “B” model pull-down screen: $256
Sanyo PLV-Z2 projector: $3,000
Denon AVR-2803 receiver: $800
V Inc. Bravo D1 DVD player: $200
Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 60 Speakers: $700
Total retail: $4,956
H2.0 street estimate: $3,527