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Tell me about your home media/theatre setups


Brian Fantana

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44 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

In that price range are they doing 4k? I know with the standard projectors (last time I price checked) you had to get into that 7-10k range before getting a true 4k image.

 

Most display in 4k on the screen. Internally it's stitching together 4 HD images into a 4k image for the most part. There might be a new-ish samsung that is 4k internally, but they're not real clear on it. It's in the $6k range, but uses the same .47" DLP chip others are using.

I'm not a super a/v enthusiast, but not satiated with entry-level gear either. As long as it's good enough during the day, and even better at night, then I'm fine with that. Not that I haven't been looking through all the models in the range I'm looking to find the better product for me between what's there, but I'm looking in the $3k+/- range for the projector. Exception might be the 120" Hisense that comes paired with a screen and just under $6k. Probably not going with that projector, but would still be just in range with a separate projector/screen option.

I have it narrowed down to 6 or 7 different options. This is also kind of a trial run as well. If it does well enough, I'll go a little bigger when I move a few years down the road and use this one in the bedroom or something. If not, then I'll maybe use a spare room as a light controlled room with a more traditional projector.

Edited by thunderlounge
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Here are a few different owner images of one during the day. I'd say I'm fine with any of those during the day. Especially since my LR doesn't get near the light some rooms in other homes do. If it's just a tick cloudy, you need a light on for the most part. Not because it's completely dark, just dim enough you need that boost. My brightest days are about the same as the amount in the first and last images below.

 

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Considering those are user images, and we know how things look vice a pic like that, I’m plenty fine with something like that during the day.

While ust’s all have built-in sound, and much closer to a soundbar than a panel tv, I’ll add some type of soundbar/surround/sub to the mix. Nothing high end like a full sonos, but probably a mid-range setup. Good enough for my deaf ass. 

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I debated getting a short throw laser TV that was a great deal online ($1500 + $500 for the screen) but couldn't square having the odd look of the media cabinet about a foot or more away from the wall. Wife didn't like the idea of how it would look considering we have the existing projector in the back of the room where it's hard to notice it. In our TV room, you would walk by that cabinet being a foot out each time so that was a bit of a dealbreaker for her. 

The models I looked at in person were pretty impressive when I went out to Nebraska Furniture Mart. The 3 I saw were Hisense, Epson, and LG. All looked good in regular light but incredible in the dark. Only downside is being unable to see live TV with them as the only options to view were the stock 4K demos or apps on the device such as YouTube. I pulled up some NBA and NFL highlights and they looked pretty good. I'll probably just roll with a new Epson or BenQ this year. I would prefer to just move over to a 85" tv but OLED at that size are too much and QLED don't do sports and movies all that well if there's a lot of motion. 

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7 minutes ago, mdmost said:

I debated getting a short throw laser TV that was a great deal online ($1500 + $500 for the screen) but couldn't square having the odd look of the media cabinet about a foot or more away from the wall. Wife didn't like the idea of how it would look considering we have the existing projector in the back of the room where it's hard to notice it. In our TV room, you would walk by that cabinet being a foot out each time so that was a bit of a dealbreaker for her. 

The models I looked at in person were pretty impressive when I went out to Nebraska Furniture Mart. The 3 I saw were Hisense, Epson, and LG. All looked good in regular light but incredible in the dark. Only downside is being unable to see live TV with them as the only options to view were the stock 4K demos or apps on the device such as YouTube. I pulled up some NBA and NFL highlights and they looked pretty good. I'll probably just roll with a new Epson or BenQ this year. I would prefer to just move over to a 85" tv but OLED at that size are too much and QLED don't do sports and movies all that well if there's a lot of motion. 

 

I've been debating the same thing. I'm currently in the camp that the extra 35"+ offsets the slight drawback of oled-level/quality during the day. However I have good news on the cabinet front. First, most UST's only need about 5"-7" between them and the wall, plus the depth of the unit. Also, check this slick little thing out...

 

 

This is one of many brands, but they slide your projector out when in use. They have memory so it sits exactly where you want it each time.

The bigger issue (and I use the term loosely here) is height from the bottom of the projector to the bottom of the screen. Most need about 17" (for a 120" screen), give or take. So with just a 13" high cabinet below, the bottom of your screen is already at 30", and the top is at 88"-90". Most UST's range in the 100"-120" range, with some going down to 90" and some up to 150".

Note, I measured my setup and 150" ain't happening. 120" will be bad enough with the tree up at Christmas, but not bad enough to not do it.

If you're in the mid-range panel tv range, a UST setup will meet that level, maybe beat it in areas (color saturation for sure), and be a little less with a lot bigger picture.

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Black levels were a deal breaker on the STP for me. Just cant go from OLED blacks to a bad PC monitor in those terms. 
 

85 LG OLED can be found for under 3k. If more needed, the 100 inch Samsung is great but pricey (although cheaper than a true 4k projector and black diamond screen)

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With the lights down, you can get close to oled black without going over $4k. Not quite during the day, but they’re advancing this format pretty quickly. Richer colors and size tip it to the UST for me. Also, no glare. Which is probably what “bothers” me the most with any panel.

There’s also the input lag, that may be of interest to some. The answer is it depends on which projector you get. Most are around 40ms, several are in the 17ms range. 

 

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Well shit. Guess I'm starting it off a hair earlier, and in a different order than I planned. Got a new couch and loveseat being delivered the end of the month. Wasn't planning on getting started so soon, but couldn't pass up 50% off on these.

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Now I have to decide about all the other shit on the list to do. Part of me wants to change out the flooring, although 90% of it is in good enough shape. And I don't have time to get that done before the furniture gets here. So it may not get done, which is ok. I can do it another time, and would still be moving furniture around and whatever anyway.

Really, same kind of goes for painting as well. When I do the "TV" later this year, I'll have to fix the wall where the current TV is mounted, as well as some hangers for a mirror that I just covered up with the TV. Nothing big, but not something I can fix and then put the TV back on the wall. Going to have to think that through. I guess I can do the other walls/ceiling/trim first, before the new TV would arrive, and be finishing the last wall when it gets here. So will have to think on that and figure out the timing and order of things to be as minimally disruptive as possible. Figure a day to prep, a day to paint, and half a day to put it back together.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Wasn't ready for it, but found window shades/blinds for 1/2 price. Jumped on it. Double cell blackout, cordless. Was tempted for motorized, but not for another $200/ea, and they won't be moved much anyway.

 

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Also have the flooring picked out. LVT:

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Obviously stock images, but whatever. Second pic you can see the contrast between the darker wall and the floor at least. Should be spot on.

 

Edited by thunderlounge
add flooring, because ou sux
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  • 4 weeks later...

Progress being made this month, albeit slower than I want.


Where it began:

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Had the extension out, messing around. Note the shit ceiling fan. 

 

In progress:

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Wrapping up the painting portion, just have to fix a hand-full of fuck ups:

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Floor will go in the last half of this month, ended up with a light commercial LVP with a 20mil wear layer. Got a deal on it with installation, so doing the kitchen and LR both. Will be starting to paint the kitchen in a week or so. Plan to prep during the week, paint on the weekend. Tough to get much painted when you only have about 3 during the week, and still have to do something about dinner.  Friday night’s a little more open, obviously.

Once all of that is done, I’ll get the good stuff rolling. Can’t really hang a screen when I don’t know where the final height of the floor will be. Also have to still find a new a/v cabinet. Either one that is stupid short (10-12 inches) or has a center shelf that can hold 40lbs, is 8” or taller, and 25” or wider, that is 10-12 inches from the ground. Why? From there to the bottom of the screen needs to be 17 inches. Also the slider is 2 inches tall as well, so end up being 19 inches from the shelf/top to the bottom of the screen. Leaves little wiggle room to hit the 30” mark, where I’d like the bottom of the screen to be. 

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Well shit. Came across a deal on a salamander synergy model 248. Got the cabinet (reg $2499ish) and an auto sliding tray (reg $499) for $1500 + tax. (Manufacturer link: https://www.salamanderdesigns.com/av-cabinets/synergy-model-248/)

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Slider will sit on the middle shelf. Should be about 12" high total, and will slide out far enough to clear the top of the cabinet. Once set, the slider will cycle with the projector power. So out when you turn it on, and in when you turn it off.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well this is going just lovely. /sarcasm

Floor install started yesterday, and stopped. 
 

Long story, but it’s going to take raising the LR floor to the kitchen height, then leveling compound, and some other crap. Plus the floor wasn’t joining tight in several places, so they took up the 6 boxes already laid and bailed. They’re working on getting some osb to raise the LR floor up to the kitchen (had ceramic tile under the laminate, carpet in LR) and are also switching out the flooring lot.

Of course that issue could be/probably was unleveled floors, but they started in the wrong direction anyway, so I’m going to bite my tongue on that. Worst case is they replace the 6 boxes already used, since they probably weren’t careful taking it up anyway. Either way they’re changing direction and going end to end (across the joists) instead of front to back.

Probably adds another 600-700. 🙄

 

Projector comes in Thursday, screen on Friday. Cabinet ships on Friday for the second time. First time wires got crossed between seller and manufacturer, and they somehow sent me a Leon center channel instead of a salamander cabinet. Not bueno. Took some leg work, but the company did a great job to solve the problem.

If anyone needs audio stuff, give Audio Advice out of Raleigh a spin, they’re great peeps.

So contractor hell for a bit, and a delay, but they’ll have to deal with it, as do I. Guess there’s going to be an A/V cabinet (still boxed) for them to also move around when they come back. 

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Casually reading this thread.  I upgraded the den, but I did it with the least amount of planning, fuss, whatnot.  We use an Apple TV and stream everything (Netflix, Youtube TV, Disney)

Replaced the 70" Sharp we have had since 2012 with a 85" Sony X90L.  Room is 23 x 14 (my recliner, when leaned back, is about 13 from the set).   Put bias lighting behind the set, which improved things visually, especially at night.

For audio, I had a Pioneer receiver and a modest 2.1 setup with a sub, but wife complained in the past about the size of the speakers, etc.  Plus, you had to do the remote juggling (yeah, I could have purchased a Harmony, but I digress). So....

Out went the existing setup, and I replaced it all with Sonos.   Arc for the soundbar, a pair of Subs and a pair of Era 300's (with stands) for the rears.  Incredibly easy setup, and it just works.  Judging from Reddit and whatnot people have issues getting Sonos equipment to work properly, but all of that seems directed back at your existing home network and wifi setup.  If it's deficient, Sonos equipment will suffer.  

I did add a Sony UPB-X700 Ultra HD blu ray player, because reasons.   Bought the Ultra HD version of Oppenheimer and it looks/sounds glorious.

Wife happy, although it took her a bit to get used to the rear surrounds.  For a week or so, she would always think something was happening in the kitchen.  

 

 

 

 

 

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20 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

For audio, I had a Pioneer receiver and a modest 2.1 setup with a sub, but wife complained in the past about the size of the speakers, etc.

"It's a grower, not a shower".

My wife was also a bit disturbed by effects from rear speakers mounted near sitting location, but she's gotten around it now. 

My Sonos runs rock solid on our network - Arc is hardwired and creates its own mesh network, including to other nodes upstairs. Only gripe is that the vertical Atmos height effect is very minimal. I have ideal rectangular shaped room with smooth ceilings for the upfiring speakers to bounce, but don't get a real sense of height separation.  The overall audio impression watching something like Dune is amazing still.

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This idiot has a question. My old receiver finally went out, and I replaced it with a hand-me-down. My "passive" subwoofer has only stereo wire and the new receiver isn't compatible (RCA inputs for the woofer). Can I use an adaptor to plug in my subwoofer, or do I need to go shopping for a new one. 

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On 4/25/2024 at 8:23 AM, Francisco 2.0 said:

Casually reading this thread.  I upgraded the den, but I did it with the least amount of planning, fuss, whatnot.  We use an Apple TV and stream everything (Netflix, Youtube TV, Disney)

Replaced the 70" Sharp we have had since 2012 with a 85" Sony X90L.  Room is 23 x 14 (my recliner, when leaned back, is about 13 from the set).   Put bias lighting behind the set, which improved things visually, especially at night.

For audio, I had a Pioneer receiver and a modest 2.1 setup with a sub, but wife complained in the past about the size of the speakers, etc.  Plus, you had to do the remote juggling (yeah, I could have purchased a Harmony, but I digress). So....

Out went the existing setup, and I replaced it all with Sonos.   Arc for the soundbar, a pair of Subs and a pair of Era 300's (with stands) for the rears.  Incredibly easy setup, and it just works.  Judging from Reddit and whatnot people have issues getting Sonos equipment to work properly, but all of that seems directed back at your existing home network and wifi setup.  If it's deficient, Sonos equipment will suffer.  

I did add a Sony UPB-X700 Ultra HD blu ray player, because reasons.   Bought the Ultra HD version of Oppenheimer and it looks/sounds glorious.

Wife happy, although it took her a bit to get used to the rear surrounds.  For a week or so, she would always think something was happening in the kitchen.  

 

 

 

 

 

How are the Era 300s?  I am thinking of upgrading from the Ones for the surround sound and wondering if the cost is justified.

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1 hour ago, Red Five said:

This idiot has a question. My old receiver finally went out, and I replaced it with a hand-me-down. My "passive" subwoofer has only stereo wire and the new receiver isn't compatible (RCA inputs for the woofer). Can I use an adaptor to plug in my subwoofer, or do I need to go shopping for a new one. 

You need somewhere for the power to come from. I don’t know that there’s a way to do that without binding posts for speaker wire.

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6 hours ago, Red Five said:

This idiot has a question. My old receiver finally went out, and I replaced it with a hand-me-down. My "passive" subwoofer has only stereo wire and the new receiver isn't compatible (RCA inputs for the woofer). Can I use an adaptor to plug in my subwoofer, or do I need to go shopping for a new one. 

Your subwoofer isn't powered and the RCA sub outputs on your receiver are ultra low power...it will absolutely not power your sub. Get a new sub.

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Well shit. Came across a deal on a salamander synergy model 248. Got the cabinet (reg $2499ish) and an auto sliding tray (reg $499) for $1500 + tax. (Manufacturer link: https://www.salamanderdesigns.com/av-cabinets/synergy-model-248/)
image.png.3c22b8d46d37fa1e53b24feda2a53790.png
Slider will sit on the middle shelf. Should be about 12" high total, and will slide out far enough to clear the top of the cabinet. Once set, the slider will cycle with the projector power. So out when you turn it on, and in when you turn it off.
 

Is this a short throw projector setup?
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