Home Theater in the Garage?

From time to time we’re presented with unusual requests for home theater installations and more often than not the two that present the biggest hurdles are in bonus rooms above garages and or in the garage itself. Bonus rooms are fine for rear projection televisions, plasmas and LCD’s but in many of today’s homes the roof pitch is too steep to allow for a proper front projection screen. The garage on the other hand is workable, but presents its own set of problems.

Garages can indeed be transformed into home theaters but there are three (maybe more) areas that will need to be addressed before the space is suitable for use as a home theater. Keep in mind we’re talking about smaller two car garages not a full blown four to five car garage in newer homes.

First we’ll need to address the heating and air concerns. If like most garages the central air is inadequate, to keep us comfortable for hours at a time we’ll need to bring that up to scratch. This may include adding more air returns and or stand-alone heating and air conditioners.

Secondly we’ll want to install carpet if the floor is bare concrete (ok that one was obvious but it never hurts). Lastly the actual renovations to the room itself can include securing the doors, sealing off any direct light from hitting the screen and insulating any bare interiors walls (for the acoustic benefit).

As you can see, transforming an unused garage or even a portion of the garage into a home theater is no small task, but it’s one worth considering especially as a means of reclaiming unused space.

Control Your PS3 with a Standard Infra-Red Remote

The PS3 has become the Blu-ray player du jour for many and with good reason, it’s highly versatile, relatively easy to use, relatively inexpensive and one of the few profile 2.0 players available, it is not however perfect unto itself. The omission of any inherent ability to be controlled via infra-red makes it difficult to be integrated into home theaters with IR universal remotes, luckily though third party manufacturers have supplied solutions to this problem.

There are several different solutions to use a IR remote with the PS3 but one of the cleanest has to be the IR2BT (IR to Bluetooth) converter. In a nutshell the adapter receives PS2 IR commands (those remotes are still available) and converts them into the PS3’s Bluetooth commands. It really couldn’t get much simpler than that, well that is unless the PS3 already worked with IR. The device sells for $55 and is available direct from the manufacturer.

The other solution, specifically the Nyko “Blu-Wave” infra-red remote uses a IR dongle to receive the Nyko’s remote commands but from what I’ve been able to gather the Nyko remote lacks a few functions available from the PS3 controller, functions that are available with the PS2 IR controller as well. So in essence, if you just want to integrate basic shuttle commands into your universal remote the Nyko may be the way to go, on the other hand if you want 100% functionality with IR source codes, the IR2BT is well worth a look.

Samsung LCD’s with HTPC’s

These tips are somewhat brand specific but I just wanted to share a few things that might be helpful to those of you with shiny new Samsung LCD televisions. First off and this shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone familiar with consumer displays, but just keep in mind that just about every type of consumer grade display be it LCD, plasma, LCoS, front or rear projection will need to be calibrated; to get the best image the set is capable of displaying.

One of the biggest adjustment problems with off-the-shelf displays has to be brightness and contrast settings cranked up into the ionosphere. Honestly some of these televisions could light a small home, don’t be afraid to take the brightness down a notch or five. Getting to the HTPC specifics, if you’re using a VGA cable to connect to a recent “LN” or similar series Samsung (LCD television) you’ll want to select setup and then select “Home Theater PC”.

If you’re using HDMI and or a DVI to HDMI converter you’ll simply want to select “Just Scan” via the picture size control, this allows the display to operate in a 1:1 or pass-through mode which is preferable with HTPC’s. Note if you do use the 1:1 mode you may need to tweak the over scan controls of your HTPC to get an exact screen size match.

How-to: Install a Front Projector & Screen (Part 2)

Read the First Part of the Article: How-to: Install a Front Projector & Screen.

So with our projection screen mounted and waiting for video, it’s almost time to mount our projector. But before we do (you guessed it) there are a few tasks we have to accomplish first, one of them is determining the screens centerline, centering a projector is critical for proper optical alignment. I’ve seen and heard dozens of methods for determining true center in relation to a fixed object but none of them seem as easy or ultimately accurate (no, using a tape measure isn’t accurate, that assumes your room is perfectly symmetrical, it’s not) as the one I use.

For this part you’ll need an assistant, a ladder, the nylon string and pencil I mentioned previously. Pull off a long piece of the string and tie a knot at one end, have your assistant hold that knot in their hand and hold it up to one end of the screen frame (fig. A - at the top of the screen). Now, pull off enough string to make it back far enough so that you’re into the projector manufacturers recommended throw distance (Fig. P) for your particular screen size. (Note: the throw distance can either be found in the owner’s manual or on-line by searching for brand/model + throw distance).

Once you’re certain you’re back far enough into the recommended throw distance (preferably ¾ into it), tie the string around the pencil and pull the string tight. Once you’ve done so point the pencil toward the ceiling and make a light mark in an arc motion. Have your assistant move to the other side of the screen (Fig. B) with the string and then make a second, complimentary mark from the other side. As long as all the variables were minimized, i.e. the assistant held the string at the same position on each side of the screen and you pulled the string tight, you’ll have a perfect center mark.

Now a bit about cabling, of course you’ll want to run a HDMI cable from your equipment to the projector, and for good measure I’d recommend a component cable as well but go ahead and run a CAT5/6 cable as well. You may use the CAT5 cable as a screen trigger, you may use it as an IR emitter, you may never use it at all, but there is no time like the present to build in a little future-proofing. Now, since we’re on the subject of cables, we need to talk about getting power to the projector.

Electricity isn’t something to play around with and neither is the longevity of your projector. As such I recommend that you hire an electrician to pull a supply cable to your projectors location. I do not recommend running extension cables across your attic or sub-floor as they (1) aren’t intended for permanent use and (2) might not deliver enough current to the projector. That said we’re all adults here and should be able to decipher the real-world implications of using an extension cable to power your projector.

Ok with cabling issues out of the way it’s time to talk about what type of mount we’ll use.
I’m a proponent of universal mounts over model specific mounts (in most cases) but not for the reasons you may think. Yes, if you have a heavy projector, an unusual projector, and or your model specific mount is significantly cheaper than a universal mount, by all means use one. But there’s something you can do with universal mounts that you can’t do with model specific mounts. That something is shifting the projector around slightly whereas otherwise you’d be “stuck” in one spot praying you got your calculations right

The specific type of mount I’m referring to is often called a spider mount (it will have 3 or 4 arms) and its arms can be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise to give you a little extra push left or right. I’m telling you from experience this small amount of play can be invaluable in a crunch. Ok now, we’re ready to attach the mount to the projector and likewise attach the mount to the ceiling but there’s one last piece of business to consider, the height of the projector in relation to the screen.

Again, I’m working on the assumption that your projector doesn’t have vertical or horizontal lens-shit, (if it does skip down to the next passage) we need to factor in the projectors vertical off-set, or in other less technical terms where the lens needs to sit in relation to the top of the screen. This is an important measurement (again often found in the owner’s manual) because if it’s off even just a little, it will cause the image to keystone and trust me that’s not something you want to happen.

In a nutshell, if the top of your lens is 14” above the top of the screen and your specification calls for a flat or zero off-set, you’ll want to drop the mount/projector down roughly 14” (add or subtract to that number for the actual drop of the lens to the top of the projector case). Basically you just want to add or subtract extension until you’re within the recommended vertical off-set. A few words about extensions, Home Depot can custom cut and thread pipe extensions to fit your projector mount. But remember the golden rule, measure twice, cut once. Or in other words, you don’t want to make a second trip to Home Depot for a slightly longer or shorter extension.

Remember when we talked about not mounting the screen any higher than necessary? This is another good reason for that. It’s relatively easy to add an extension pipe to your mount but what do you do when you (1) don’t have the luxury of lens-shit and (2) already have the screen higher than you can push the projector? The unfortunate answer is to start over or switch gear.

Ok, screen in place, mount in position and vertical off-set factored in, you my friend are ready to attach your mount to the ceiling. I recommend using heavy “anchor” bolts or galvanized decking screws. It’s not the weight of the projector that really matters (these days anyway) but the mounting, maintenance, and eventual adjusting can stress the screws over time. Trust me, just use a relatively heavy anchor bolt or decking screw and sleep well knowing your projector is securely attached to the ceiling.

Now it’s time to mount the projector, with your assistant go ahead and put it up into position, bolt it down (loosely) and plug the cables up. Once that’s done you’ll want to turn the projector on and make sure the image is squared with the screen. As long as you minded your P’s and Q’s and followed the manufacturers distance recommendations you should be fine. If things are a bit askew not to worry, loosen the mount arms a tad and nudge the image into position. If you need a little extra shift to the left or right you may have turn the arms around 180 degrees.

Once that’s complete tighten everything else down and reap the rewards of your hard work. I’ve tried to present this information, in the simplest manner possible, but of course specific projector and screen combos can present unique problems. As always, I will be happy to answers any questions in the comments I can. By the way, don’t forget the last item in my list of recommended tools and materials.

How-to: Install a Front Projector & Screen

As far as I’m concerned nothing says home theater like a front projection system, there’s just something about a 2-piece system that really captures the magic of going to the movies. The beautiful thing about front projection is that even in this day a 50” Kuro plasma’s and a 40”- 1080p LCD’s for under a grand, front projection still provides the best bang for the buck in screen size, and with fuel prices continuing to climb that trend will likely continue.

As much as everyone around here loves projectors, it’s obvious that they aren’t for everyone. There are multiple reasons for this but two of the biggest are the need for a relatively dark environment and the fact that installing a projector really isn’t seen as a do-it-yourself project. Well, I can’t help with the dark room but I assure you that if you’re even moderately handy around the house, you can install your own front projector and screen.

First things first, I like to start with the screen. The screen should be your anchor, not the projector. Think of it this way, the screen is what you’ll actually be looking at, so it’s important to have it where you want it in the room and then worry about how to get the projector where it belongs. I fully acknowledge that there are other schools of thought on which comes first (the projector or the screen) but after having installed an upwards of 125 front projection systems over the years, I have come to know, love and embrace the path of screen first.

So with that we need to establish the proper height to mount the screen at. Even though we’re installing the screen first, take a quick look over your shoulder at the area where you’ll mount the projector and look for any obstructions. If you see a heating and air vent, smoke detector, ceiling fan or anything else that might be in the path of the projector or mount, you’ll need to factor that in. i.e. if the true center of your room is offset by 2” to the right due to an obstruction, you’ll want to shift your screen over to the right by 2”.

Ok back to height, it’s tough to talk in general terms here as we all have different rooms but I can give you a starting point. In my nearly 18 years of doing home theater and specifically front projection I’ve rarely mounted a screen lower than 30”. By this I mean the bottom of the viewing area (not the frame) in my installations is almost always higher than 30”. This is due to many reasons, ceiling height, equipment racks, center speaker stands, etc., etc., but for whatever reason, unless you have a pretty unusual circumstance the bottom of your screen should be at or over 30” from the floor.

Now that we’ve established loose criteria for how low to mount your screen we should talk about how high. Unfortunately this one isn’t as easy to nail down as again, we all have different needs, rooms and expectations. The best general rule of thumb I can give here is to try to aim for the bottom three-fourths of the screen at eye level. Let your sore neck (hopefully lack of) be your guide. Yes, we need factor in things like seeing over the front row’s head, if you have two rows that is, and making sure that your own feet don’t obstruct your view while reclined, but I want to strongly suggest that you don’t go for the mile-high installations we’ve all seen in magazines. Those installs just aren’t very practical in the long run.

We’re far enough along now to draw some distinctions, if your projector of choice has lens shift you’ll enjoy a lot of flexibility that a fixed-lens projector won’t afford you. Or in other words, a fixed-lens projector really has one exact spot in relation to the screen where it should be installed, whereas of course a projector with lens shift has quite a bit of play as to where it can be installed. Ok, so for the rest of the article I’m going to assume you have a fixed-lens projector. You may or may not but a fixed-lens install is a bit more demanding and requires more explanation.

A Quick List of Recommended Tools and Materials:

Basic Hand Tools

Cordless Drill / Screw Driver

Long Nylon String / Pencil

Carpenters Level

Decking Screws or Anchor Bolts

Step Ladder (One Minimum, Two Recommended)

Adult Beverages Upon Completion of Project

By this time we’ve narrowed down where on the wall to mount the screen now it’s just a matter of how. Again just like projectors and rooms, very few are exactly alike but they do share a lot of things in common. With the screen frame assembled and the screen itself attached to the frame (typically with Velcro or snap-on buttons) it’s time to mount it to the wall. Often times the included hardware acts as a cradle or perch for the screen frame. Or in other words, picture a wall-bracket that attaches to the wall and then the screen-frame attaching to it, very few screen manufacturers deviate from this method and as long as you read the included directions before! you start you’ll do just fine.

In essence you’ll mark the walk where you want to install the brackets and use the included anchor bolts to lock them into position, once that’s finished you and your helper will place the screen into position and then secure the screen to the brackets. I’d liken the difficulty of this task somewhere on the order of a little harder than hanging a picture on a wall but not as hard as painting a room. Just make sure you have a helper and you’ll be fine. Caution: The vinyl screen material is delicate, once its punctured, stained or smudged it’s tough to get it back to prior pristine state, so take your time hanging the screen and be careful, it’ll be worth it in the long run.