If you bought a 50″ plasma and receiver with surround sound a few years ago and you want to kick it up a notch for the upcoming football season here’s an idea…
Thanks to the fact that HDTV projectors are far less expensive than they used to be, you can turn your TV room into a full blown Home Theater for as little as $3,000.00. Here’s the concept….use your plasma for most TV shows and when it’s time to watch the big game or movie, turn your room into a home theater by sending your HDTV signal to a projector that shoots an image 120″ diagonal on to a screen mounted in front of your plasma.
How to Do It
Screen: You are going to mount a retractable HDTV screen above and just in front of your plasma and mount a HDTV projector in the back of the room. The most common size screen is 120″ diagonal. Determine what screen size you should purchase, go to mountsandmore.com
Projector: Sony is the biggest player in the front projector market. Two favorites are:
Sony VPL-VW60: Home Theater magazine says the “SonyVPL-VW60 is a” great projector at a great price”. It projects a beautiful1080P image and sells for about $5,000.00.
If you’re tight on money, the Sony VPL- AW15 is an incredible deal at about $1,100. No kidding, no typo! Although this model is only capable of projecting an image in 720P format, (1080 is best) Home Theater Magazine says “No rear projector or flat panel at anywhere near the cost can offer a big screen experience like this!”
Projector Mount: Due to variables like ceiling height, you’re going to need a little help here. I suggest contacting projectorpeople.com and have them help you determine the correct projector mount.
Connections: Your HDTV projector only needs two connections, power and HDMI (high definition multi media interface).
Power: If you can afford it, have an electrician install a power outlet near the location you will be installing your projector. If you don’t have the budget, just buy an extension cord that closely matches the color of your wall and run the wires as cleanly as possible to the nearest outlet.
HDMI: You will need to run a HDMI cable from your receiver to your projector. It looks best if you run your wires in the wall or under the carpet. You may want to have a home theater installer handle this for you.
You will need to purchase a HDMI switch as most receivers have only 1 HDMI out connection.
Black Out Curtains: The black in a projected image comes from the black in the room so you need to keep your room as dark as possible when you are in Home Theater mode. I suggest logging on totarget.com/ where you can purchase black out curtains and rods for as little as $29.99 each and install yourself.
If you’re a do-it-yourself person, you can save some money installing yourself. If not, I recommend contacting finding pre screened contractors through the use of an online service called servicemagic.com/ Service magic is an on line contractor referral service that will get you three bids on anything you need to get done.
Project Specifications and Budget
HDTV Projector:
Model 1: Sony VPL AW15
Price: $1,000.00
Model 2: Sony VPL VW 60
Price: $5,000.00
Where: shopzilla.com
Screen:
Model: Da-Lite Model C – Video Spectra, HDTV Format 119″ diagonal
Price: $480.00
Where: mountsandmore.com
Projector Mount:
Model: Varies by application
Price: Varies by application ($250.00 – $500.00)
Where: mountsandmore.com
HDMI Cable:
Model: HDMI 1.3
Price: Varies by length ($50.00 to $100.00)
Where: mycablemart.com/
HDMI Switch:
Model: 3 port Enhanced HDMI switch
Price: $50.00
Where: mycablemart.com/
Black Out Curtains:
Model: Target Eclipse Suede black out curtains
Price: $300.00
Where: target.com
Installation:
Price: Varies by application ($500.00 – $1,000.00+)
Where: servicemagic.com