# QX1, HD-SDI Theater



## ptrubey

OK folks, I've been hinting in these forums over the past year about what I've been building, and now it's done. First, here's what the theater entrance looks like:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallMarquee.jpg 


From the back:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallFromBack.jpg 


And from the front:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallFromFront.jpg 


With curtain up:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallScreen.jpg 


Concession area:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallConcession.jpg 


Closeup of the projector porthole:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallPorthole.jpg 


We decided early on to use the JVC QX-1 projector for the 11' wide 16x9 ratio screen. You can see the small projector porthole above the exit sign at the back of the theater. Those black grilles at the back top are the rear speakers while the front has Dunlavy SC-IVs for L/R and a pair of modified Dunlavy SC-IVs for 2 center channel speakers (one above and one below the screen, placed horizontally).


The QX1 delivers 7000 lumens with 2048x1536 resolution, so we actually use only part of the panel when showing full HDTV resolution. The projector is bright enough to watch football games with the lights on, but we always dim the lights for movies. Contrast ratio, color and pixel structure are all great in that the blacks look really black, with nice shadow detail (but not awesome shadow detail, might have something to do with the negative gain screen we have), the colors are superb, and the picture looks continuous, no screen door, no pixel structure, no color blocking (on HD material anyways).


The projector is heavy at 200 pounds, so we bolted a 1/4 steel panel to the concrete ceiling to act as its base - the projector is housed in a permanent hush box with sound deadening flexible lead imgregated foam material on all interior surfaces. We have a dedicated chiller unit blowing cold air onto the projector and into the main AV rack.


One of the architectural requirements (ie we screwed up in the planning) was that the projector was mounted higher than the top of the screen. The QX1 does have a lens downshift, but this only allows the projector to be at the same level as the top of the screen. Most of the remaining distance above the screen was made to work by the fact that we only use the bottom 2/3rds of the LCOS panel (it has 1536 vertical pixels and we only use 1024 even for HD). We still needed to tilt the projector downwards a little bit, but the internal trapazoid corrector works and doesn't seem to impact the image noticbly.


Currently, the only recommended input into the QX1 is HD-SDI (DVI is still several months away), a broadcast video standard. This pretty much dictated the choice of an upconverter to a Teranex or a Snell&Wilcox Ukon. For complicated reasons, we ended up using the Snell, but recently, I had a chance to demo a Teranex and after some A-B comparisons, the Teranex seemed every so slightly better for video quality. I'll post more info if people are interested.


You'll notice the chandelier which happens to clip the top of the image, so we put the chandelier on a winch and steel cable - it lifts up when the curtain goes up to watch a show.


All lighting is controlled by a Vantage lighting/dimmer control system and the electronics are controlled by a Crestron. The Crestron tells the Vantage to do things via an RS-232 control connection.


One of the things I wanted to do is to provide a true cinema experience for movie showing parties. So I have three DVD players. One is used to show the theater intro (Welcome to the Regency Theater, etc.) which was done by Digital Forge, the other DVD player is used to show a movie trailer as a preview of an upcoming movie, and then the third DVD player shows a DVD if we're playing a DVD that night (alternatively, we show movies on the JVC 400 D-VHS player). The main DVD player was modified by JVB Digital to output SDI for the Snell. Anyways, I have a Crestron program that does the whole movie playing experience: raise curtain/chandelier, dim lights, start theater intro, switch DVD source and play trailer, switch source again and play rest of theater into ("Feature Presentation" display), switch source again and show main movie. I have to set up all the sources at the right spots and pause the players beforehand, but it all works.


I opted not to use subwoofers, just using the 25hz woofer drivers in the Dunlavy SC-IVs. The speakers are driven by 4 McIntosh amps. THe big McIntosh 602 is used just for the woofers L/R drivers. Three McIntosh 352s are used for the L/R, center and rear channels respectively. This seems to work just fine - makes music very tight (stereo imaging in the theater is awesome!), wile giving enough rumble for the movies.


Enough for now, more later.


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## Michael Grant

Holy cow.


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## Art Sonneborn

Absolutely incredible ! Could you give us some room dimensions ,riser heights, and a pic or two of your screen wall. Real tough to top this theater !


PS When did you say you were having your home theater meet ?


Art


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## tzucc

Not what I would do with that budget, but truly stunning nonetheless.

I haven't studied the Dunlavy's, but I am surprised you didn't opt for sub-woofers. For me, the woofers in the Wilson X-1s wasn't near enough, though impressive. And my room is smaller than yours to be sure.


Anyway, great work. Would love to see that HD picture from the QX-1....

Just watched U571 last nite, er this morning (some folks insisted we roll the DVHS tape at 0100) and the SX-21 never ceases to amaze me with it's image quality. But the QX-1 and the Snell together must just leave people slack jawed.


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## ptrubey

The theater is 16' tall at the front (slab to concrete ceiling), and 11 1/2' tall at the back. About 21' wide and 29' long. This was an addition to the house - we basically dug this huge hole in our front lawn and partially into the driveway, while also gutting a study on the main floor. From the main floor, you have steps down to the basement where you see a sitting area where the marquee is and thenonto a concession area and theater. So the superstructure of the theater is a 12" to 18" complete concrete shell.


In 20-20 hindsight, we should have made the theater 2-3' longer (to accomodate the recliner chairs better on the 2nd and 3rd rows and to give more depth for the center channel speakers), and 1' higher (which would have allowed us to raise the screen higher resulting in no projector tilt). The architecture and design really drove the theater with the equipment doing the best it can to fit in. In the end, the compromises haven't impacted (that I can tell anyways) the A/V results.


I was wondering if the Dunlavy's would be enough without the subs and so far I'm happy. I'm not a true earth shaker kinda guy anyways. But the chairs do shake during explosions, so that's pretty good. The fact that the woofers have a massive dedicated amp probably helps.


More pictures soon.


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## cmacclel

So your theater made it on JVC's website?? What approximatley was the budget anyway?

http://www.jvcdig.com/QX1_Home_Theatre.htm 


Mac


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## Mac The Knife

Very sweet.

But, I think you could have bought one the theater chains that went into bankruptcy for the same price.


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## ptrubey

OK, I added three pics to the original post up above one of which shows the theater front with the curtain up.


Yes, JVC's technical folks asked for pics to show off what a QX1 can do for your theater 


And yes, a friend of mine also pointed out (correctly I think) that buying a real theater would have been cheaper. But it wouldn't have been as much fun!


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## Tryg

This is connected to your house? I thought it might be Disneyland or something Stunning accomplishment!


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## Mr.Poindexter

I would have replied sooner, but I was stunned.


The only thing you need to add to that theater is an Odyssee motion simulator. In fact, it would be a travesty not to have one, considering you have arguably the most top end HT on the board here.


In the future, you will find people who claim they will be able to surpass the performance, but I seriously doubt that many would ever pass the aesthetics and style.


Sorry Art, but you are no longer top dog in the style category.


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## CINERAMAX

That trully is the finest projection system in any Home. Congrats. And the Decor was well executed to boot.


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## ptrubey

Thanks for the kind words guys. I agree, over time the equipment in this theater will become pedestrian, which is one more reason why we spent the time and effort on the architecture, which if executed properly, can be timeless.


We thought seriously about Odyssee (we got a great demo at Widescreen Review), but in the end decided we can add version 3.0, or whatever, later. One negative of the first version that we looked at was that it raised the chairs a not-insignificant amount. Anyways, we'll take another look at it when the dust settles some more.


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## Mark Seaton

ptrubey-


That's quite an architectural accomplishment there, and I'm sure a wonderful room to "get lost in." Might I inquire as to the team assembled to pull everything together so far as design, installation and calibration?


Congrats,


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## longshanksdvd

Again STUNNING!!


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## Defiler

That is the most ridiculous home theater I have ever seen. Congratulations.


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## Jerry Pease

Absolutely fabulous!



What type of acoustical consideration where taken?


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## rlindo

I too would love to know the "ballpark" figure with respect to cost simply because I am always curious about what different rooms cost to construct/set up.


Oh and you're a pro athlete/celebrity, aren't you?


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## JJay

Only for the sake of the other forum members  and since I live very near you, I will be happy to come over to 'critique' your theater ....


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## ptrubey

We didn't put in any specific acoustical treatments. Actually, the room sounds fairly dead - I was worried that given it's start as a concrete box, that it would be too live. But I guess due to the room volume, and the side drapes, the side fabric (between the side drapes is padded fabric), and the nooks and cranies everywhere, the room calms down.


JVC calibrated the projector in their facilities and the theater installer did the final tweaking (although I've done some little tweaks too). At some point when I'm happier with the DVD display path, I should get a proper calibrator in here. James Conlin of the Home Theater Store in San Diego did the initial design concepts. He basically drew great front, side, and ceiling flat 2D drawings. Our architect just didn't "get it" and by this time had fobbed us onto a draftsperson, so we gave up on him producing proper architectural drawings for the finish work from James' drawings. So we relied on our general contractor (Wardell Builders) and a few talented sub-contractors to pull it off - building prototypes of the ceiling coves, for instance, and a lot of on-site meetings to design by the seat of our pants. While this was a frustrating experience sometimes (more for the workers, I think, than us), it did result in us incorporating lots of finish detail that we otherwise wouldn't have thought of (these good subs kept suggesting different ideas). The coves in particular were very time consuming to pull off since they are constructed of three different elevations of plaster (and each plaster layer is composed of three coats), along with a lot of curved wood.


If you guys are that keen, I'd love to have an AVS night. Sometime in the new year.


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## rlindo

Just out of curiosity, how old are you?


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## adidadi

I live in Beverly Hills. I would love to see the theatre, so please do organize a theatre night. I'll cook some incredible Rigatoni Bolognese with crispy Porcini mushrooms and truffle oil to do my part in the event. It will also help to counter the drooling ;-)

Let us know, we'll organise something nice.


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## HTJunkie1

I'm Drooling!!!!


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## CINERAMAX

"At some point when I'm happier with the DVD display path. "


May I make a suggestion to help improve the DVD chain?

http://www.miranda.com/pdf/datasheet/DT-4101.pdf 


Contact: Michel Poirier.


I guarantee you will enjoy a 12-15% improvement if you try Mirandas mosquito noise reducer in between the SDI DVD and the Snelly Wilcky. While it makes wonders on highly compressed s-vhs DSS images, it has a knob (which I forget now what is called) that used very slightly clicks-in a very filmlike mode on dvd's. I would not recommend this for dlp, but it is ideal for the QXILA.


We are continously incrementaly more impressed with the MNR capacity to complement a Theta-to- InterpolatorG- to Roger G. Calibrated G-90 on a 11 wide Torus screen, which is the closest CRT projection is ever going to look to QXILA, imho after spending 2 hours with a QXILA watching Chicago.


I think Dunlavy's are the ideal D'appolito home theater speakers too. Specially in a semi in-wall version which they claimed 10 years ago could be built.


I guarantee you that the MNR will add film warmth to MPEGGY DVD's, which your projector will greatly enhance into a film like experience.


Why don't you get William Phelps involved in the calibration, that is your best bet. Although in totally separate stratospheres, I was surprised to find that there are many similarities in the "look" of a QXILA and a G-90, you will benefit from someone expert on both, I think.


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## uzun

Wow, a stunning accomplishment. What was the first movie you watched once it was all complete? Is your only HDTV source the JVC 400 or do you have a Time Warner or cox cable box hooked up to it? Do you use firewire or component out of the JVC 400?


A fantastic setup by all standards, especially the architecture.


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## ptrubey

Thanks for the tips guys. The JVC 400 is connected via component to an AJA transcoder which outputs HD-SDI. LIkewise for our Samsung 160 Directv receiver - HD video is stunning. I'm 40 Rob, why do you ask?


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## kevinp8192

Absolutely wonderful. Congratulations to you and the team of artisans and technologists you assembled. I love the attention to detail, like the Tiffany-style stained glass exit sign. What was your inspiration for the theme? A Tuscan village?


Quick question: the Dunlavy's were a great choice for speakers, but where did you get them? Were they new or did you already have them? Just wondering since I don't think Dunlavy has been in business for a while now.


BTW, kudos to you also for avoiding the tacky price/budget questions posted. Obviously deep pockets were required, but vision, talent, and persistence are the biggest factors for making an undertaking like this successful. Well-done.


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## SVonhof

I would love to find out how much it cost to do something like that, but would never ask, since that is a personal thing. I can only imagine if one person was to do all the work, instead of a team, how long it would take to finish.


Fabulous theater, my compliments to the visionary mind behind all this and the artisans who pulled it off.


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## SVonhof

ptrubey, One thing I forgot to mention is that I would love to see pics of the rest of your house! If it is anything like the theater addition, it would be an amazing place! I would love to make the drive down to San Diego for a meet if you have one, to check the whole thing out. I just showed my wife and it blew her away. Also, the fact that you raise the chandelier is just crazy!


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## CptnRandy

Wonderful beyond words.


What a terrific space and wonderful project.


Love to see more, but go watch some movies in this terrific theater!


Randy


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## QQQ

Quote:

_Originally posted by rlindo_
*Just out of curiosity, how old are you?*
Quote:

_Originally posted by SVonhof_
*ptrubey, One thing I forgot to mention is that I would love to see pics of the rest of your house!*
And could you post a picture of where you hide the key outside? Also a few of your wife please.


p.s. Bank account information would also be appreciated.


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## CINERAMAX

Good One, I too would stop volunteering data. Keoo it technical.


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## rlindo

yeah heaven forbid if people ask some questions instead of just saying the EXACT same thing: "oh I am havign an orgasm over your home theater. It is amazing. Can I come over?"


Sheesh.


I asked age because the look of the theater seems like it would be chosen by someone who may be middle aged rather than someone who is in their 20s or early 30s.


Oh and is it a sacrilege here to say I think the projector chosen seems like a waste for an 11 foot wide screen? But of course my opnion has no value since I can't afford ot buy a projector than costs 200K. Right...I'll use that logic that the elitists on this forum use.


I think the theater is nice but it isn't something I would ever do. Not my cup of tea as I prefer dark rooms without all the wall design. Also, I think some of it (ie the projector) is more of a "look at what I can get with my money" thing rather than practical use. But hey, people can do whatever they want with their cash. I personally would have just got a top of the line DLP for the time being until 1080p projector really hit the market.


Time to go do some identity theft from asking a guy's age.


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## SVonhof

QQQ and CINERAMAX, you are taking this the wrong way. I only say that I would like to see the rest of the house because it must really be an amazing place to match up with the theater. Nobody should, in their right mind, add a theater like that to a 1200 sq ft house that looks like the Beverly Hillbilly's left when they found their fortune. I would like to see if the house matches the theater as far as decor and overall look.

I don't want ptrubey to submit his house address, phone number and SSN on this board so others can take advanage of it.


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## CINERAMAX

We are not talking about you or anyone who has written here. It's the sneaky lurkers that you have to worry about. Happy Holidays.


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## QQQ

Quote:

_Originally posted by SVonhof_
*QQQ and CINERAMAX, you are taking this the wrong way. I only say that I would like to see the rest of the house because it must really be an amazing place to match up with the theater. Nobody should, in their right mind, add a theater like that to a 1200 sq ft house that looks like the Beverly Hillbilly's left when they found their fortune. I would like to see if the house matches the theater as far as decor and overall look.

I don't want ptrubey to submit his house address, phone number and SSN on this board so others can take advanage of it.*
Actually Scott, I think you're taking this the wrong way, as my attempts at humor can sometimes be misinterpreted. I did not mean to suggest there was anything wrong with your question. I took your question as nothing but sincere enthusiasm to see the rest of a house that one can only assume also looks impressive .


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## ptrubey

We ordered the Dunlavy's a year ago (I wanted to make sure they would fit in the framing that was being built, and I didn`t entirely believe the 6" depth of the modified SC-IVs) - I think the day we got them was the day I went to Dunlavy's web site and saw they had shut down - I think we got the last production pieces 


Some of the architectural ideas came from a particular theater in Los Angeles - come on, can anyone here guess which one? The exit sign in particular is pretty much an exact copy of that theater's exit signs. We saw a closeup of the exit sign in a book and gave it to a stained glass person who charged us $50 to make it - probably the cheapest thing in the theater and it adds a lot (we had a wood frame made for it and put rope light behind to light it up). Most of our other ideas came from the several excellent books on the old picture palaces, like "The Best Remaining Seats", "The Last Remaining Seats", "American Picture Palaces" and a few others. These are fun books to learn more about the history of movie theaters.


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## CINERAMAX

El Capitan?


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## rlsmith

Your choice of the QX1 is impeccible. It is the best electronic image I have ever seen.


I also like your avoiding subwoofers. I find that they muddy the whole presentation. Bass is somewhat directional, and I can generally tell where the subs are located.


Have you considered adding a 70/35mm projection system? I had a chance to get a Century machine circa 1968 for free a few years ago, they are available. A few 70mm prints and some IB Tech 35mm prints would provide the image your theatre truly deserves.


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## ptrubey

Quote:

_Originally posted by CINERAMAX_
*El Capitan?*
Nope, but nice try. Here's a hint - the theater still exists, but doesn't show movies regularly.


With regard to 35mm film, that would have been an interesting idea, but we made no provision for a projection booth that that would have required. Someday, it might be interesting to get a portable projector and use it to show occational reels for comparison purposes.


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## CoryW

That is a truly gorgeous theater. The architecture, colors, and lighting exude a nice sense of warmth and nostalgia.


Concerning the exit sign, my guess is either the Orpheum Theatre or the Pantages Theatre (now the Arcade). Both have similar exit signs.


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## ptrubey

Correct, Orpheum! Check out http://www.laorpheum.com/ - the side wall coves that curve into the ceiling were also inspired from the Orpheum.


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## CoryW

Woohoo! And I'm from Texas! Do I win a free trip to LA?


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## Chris Dallas

I can't believe this! Someone broke into my home and took pictures! I just hope everything is in place when I get back!


Congrats! EXCELLENT job on everything! All I can say is WOW!


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## Requis

Dam and I just got finnished building mine....Back to the drawing board!


Ditto to Michael grants comment "Holy cow"


Cheers,


Requis


PS: Can't have Home Theater Meet without Canadians I'll bring the poutine.


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## isamu

 http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/jawdrop.gif http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/jawdrop.gif http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/jawdrop.gif http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/jawdrop.gif http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/jawdrop.gif http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/jawdrop.gif 


That's the dopest **** I ever seen!!! *YIKES!*


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## typo

What a great achievement!! How can anyone not be green with envy.


It's kind of funny that at the same time individuals of means are creating nostalgic movie palaces in their homes, the "real things" are falling into disrepair, closing down or being demolished.


In the small town I live in there is a theater that at one point in the distant past must have been a real spectacle. Unfortunately, it's in jeopardy of collapsing under its own weight and the owner doesn't seem to have any interest in a renovation. They don't even show movies, just a comedy show once in a while.


I hope you have lots of friends and family to enjoy your great theater with.


On the technical side, why don't you up-convert your source to take full advantage of the projector's resolution?


typo


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## Shift

Stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Stunning!!!


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## getoffb

Incredible!


Looks awesome!


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## TimSchirmer

That is quite amazing! You must throw some awesome parties.


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## Ghydda

I'm speechless... No doubt about that.

The level of enthusiasm displayed here and elsewhere is simply breathtaking.

I'm sure most of us have an ht-setup we enjoy and perhaps even are proud of. I know I am. However I can't help but feel totally envy and jealous off the people:


1) Who can afford these grand setups

2) Who have adequate space they can dedicate exclusively to HT

3) Who have the patience, endurance and expertise to pull off such a job

4) Who doesnâ€™t compromise one iota


Anyway, I'll stop sobbing now and go find a movie to put on and prettend to have a good time in my poor excuse of a HT.



Cheers

Ghydda


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## Rob2NY

Kudos to all involved in this incredibly beautiful project. It really takes me back to the theatres of my youth (I just turned 60) and your attention to detail is to be commended. I've been fortunate in my career to see some really fantastic home theaters but this appears to top the list and would love to see it firsthand if you decide to have an AVS event.


As regards your waiting until Series 3 to join the Odyssee Motion Team you'll not have to wait too long as we're hopeful of previewing it at CEDIA this year. What's probably going to work best in your theater would be the new vertically-oriented Actuators that get integrated directly into the arms of the seating as they don't raise the height at all when at rest and only by about 1/2" when the system is on and the pistons are at their midpoint.


You've truly raised the bar and I'll join Art in saying that "more pics would good, an invite would be better!".


May you enjoy your creation for many years to come.


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## Ingeborgdot

What is the decibel level of the jvc you have?? You must be a teacher to be able to afford such an outstanding masterpiece like that.


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## uzun

The JVC is a Front Projector, the output of which is rated in Lumens (generally). You are confusing the projector (JVC), with the amp(Macintosh) and speakers (Dunlavey). So although the JVC is probably far from silent, it's most likely isolated acoustically in some manner that makes its decibel level irrelevant, unless you're in the booth with it for some reason.


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## Ingeborgdot

What the heck are you talking about? I KNOW that the JVC is a pj. No the decibel level is revelant. There are many pj's out there that sound like air conditioners etc. Do you have a front pj? I just sold my other one because it was too dang loud. So decibel level is revelant. I know the DILA are louder than most others on the market. I was just wondering if they have quieted them down some.


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## SVonhof

The JVC that was used here is in a projector room with a window for it to shoot through, so for him, the noise doesn't count against it. I wish I had something like that, since you could also isolate the heat that comes with a projector.

I don't know the decibel rating on this projector, just adding my two cents to the mix. Oh, and I have no idea who uzun was responding to, hopefully not you, Ingeborgdot.


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## uzun

I misunderstood your post, and I apologize for that, but I addressed the issue in my response. Since the projector here is isolated from the viewing area, its decibel level is irrelevant unless you are in the projection room with it for some reason.


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## Ingeborgdot

Understood. For a normal user and not a millionaire some people don't put their pjs in a back room. They just mount it on the ceiling. I was just curious about the db level for a ceiling mounting. I thought 35k was a lot for my theater. Gees, mine is great but embarrassing to this guys.


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## Thomas Marshall

Super achievement and congratulations.


Seeing your HT makes me feel like I was conservative on my spending. My wife is still recovering from our expenditures on the HT, I'll just show her yours and she should feel much better.


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## uzun

I'm sorry for misinterpreting your initial post, I see your point now. If one didn't have a sonically isolated location to put that projector, it probably would be impractical. The flip side is in 5 or so years, the performance of that projector will probably be lower than consumer grade FP's that wll be much quieter. Of course by then there will also be similarly improved professional grade FP's that can be used to replace the JVC. That's one more reason spending time and money on the architecture, if possible, is a good investment. The architecture remains impressive and practical, while the equipment can be replaced as needed to keep up with the times.


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## ptrubey

I've been away for a little while ... the hush box we built for the projector isolates the projector sound quite well. Heavy construction along with lead and acoustic foam sound deadening material (neat stuff - comes in rolls and is about 1/2 inch thick and does a good sound absorbing job - kinda heavy though!).


Unfortunately, you *can* hear the separate cooling system for the projector when the cooling system turns on. In a perfect world, we would have had the cooling blower in the adjacent mechanical room and ducts for the cold air and return. But by the time we were installing the cooler, the mech. rm wall was looking like swiss cheese since the contractor abysmally failed at putting enough holes for all the other ducting we needed for regular HVAC and ventilation. Anyways, we ended up squeezing a chiller with integrated blowers right into the hush box.


I've never heard the blowers during a movie, but when listening to music, during low volume periods, you can hear a faint blower sound.


The hush box and main AV rack with the AV source gear are linked via ducts, so the same chiller also cools the AV rack, which is kinda nice. The McIntosh amps and misc. gear are in a separate open air rack in the mech room.


I still want to have an AVS night - stay tuned!


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## Frans

Extraordinary accomplishment. Let me know in time when you plan to do an AVS night. The Netherlands is not around the corner, and I need some time to arrange the plane tickets


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## TCB

Stunning achievement. I applaud your artistic vision. Congratulations.


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## TCB

One more thought:

This home theater hobby is all relative. I look at other's theaters (dedicated, FPs, RPTVs, CRTs) and think about how each person is passionate about their hobby and each is proud of her/his setup. We all have different means, but the the passion for film and the desire for an immersive experience is the same. This is a consuming yet highly enjoyable hobby. It is also a freakin' expensive hobby. Yet when the lights go down and the movie begins, we are all pretty much the same: women and men who love movies and the escape they provide.


Again, well done.


P.S. Someone earlier joked about making your theater on a teacher's salary. Well, I made mine on one! I'd never be able to afford a show palace, but I do like our Evergreen Theater. Furthermore, working with high school kids has plenty of rewards built in. I laugh dozens of times each day (far more than when I was in business). I also get to watch lots of movies in the summer!


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## stevejenkins

Yeah! This theater rocks HARD! My wife thought I was a nutcase for building ours, but I can now show her yours and say "See? Here's someone who is even crazier than ME!"


Very nicely done. You've certainly raised the bar! Thank you so much for sharing the photos. They are beautiful!


Steve


P.S. I'll be in San Diego during spring break. If you get to Seattle before then, I'll show you mine and you can show me yours!


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## Rob2NY

TCB - very nice theater which only proves that a passion for movies, a little research and some reasonable handyman skills are all that's needed to make your home theater dreams come true (although it didn't hurt that you had Dennis Erskine's help in the design).


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## mas2475

@ptrubey: My sincere compliments, absolutely amazing.!!

With just the warmth that you're theatre is breathing, I can imagine it makes you forget you're at home instead of in the cinema.

Did you desgin the theatre's interior yourself, besides the mentioned inspiration of a theatre nearby?


As my Dutch friend on the forum already mentioned before, please let us know if you plan an AVS meeting. I would surely make a lot of effort to be able to join in. A flight from MÃ¼nich should not be the biggest difficulcy.


I wish you great enjoy in your theatre, and hope to see some more pics in the future or maybe even be able to visit.


Kind regards from a dutchman in Germany,


Mark Singendonk


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## Frank J Manrique

Incredible...simply incredible looking "home theater" (or theatre, as some insist is the proper term) you got there, pal! A million+ bucks investment, am sure.  Congratulations are in order, Sir!


Too bad that for what I hope becomes a real good thing for videophiles and film lovers from around So. Cal. (in the form of a moving pictures film society) the place where we intend to hold our meetings will only be able to do 35mm and 70mm movies and not Hi-Def video (yet!)...that venue being the old Hemet cinema house in the city of Hemet, California, an ancient relic edifice of the past that a good friend of mine recently purchased for much, much less than a million bucks (btw, he's re-opening the theater this week--Friday, Saturday, and Sunday--with a showing of 1959's version of Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, my favorite big screen movie of all time. Yippee!  ).

Oh, well...at least we'll be able to do REAL theatrical DTS and Dolby digital sound... 


-THTS


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## Darkshadow

Talk about rich.


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## Frank J Manrique

Originally posted by Darkshadow:


"Talk about rich."


Undoubtedly you've heard of buying on credit, yes?... 


-THTS


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## javry

That has got to be the most impressive piece of HT work I've seen yet. congrads on your achievment. You could probably hold a concert in that thing....and charge admission!

Javry


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## dennisgg

Quote:

_Originally posted by stevejenkins_
*Yeah! This theater rocks HARD! My wife thought I was a nutcase for building ours, but I can now show her yours and say "See? Here's someone who is even crazier than ME!"

*


Well, I tried that arguement on my wife and she said "Just because someone is crazier than you, it doesn't mean you are not crazy!" On that, she has gotten into the fun - when I had the cellar finished, I left an area for storage. She came up with the idea of making that a concession and arcade/game area - this has not been done yet though. I find my theater is a work in progress.





---------------


ptrubey - WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      






Enjoy!



Dennis


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## javry

Quote:

_Originally posted by ptrubey_
*.......I opted not to use subwoofers, just using the 25hz woofer drivers in the Dunlavy SC-IVs*
I think you need a sub for movies......in fact, how 'bout 2 of them.

Javry


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## demon

Yiakssss,...


This is the most amazing homecinema Ive ever have seen...






Cheers

Daniel

Demon Dungeon


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## thesaintjim

I am speechless.


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## basshead760

Hello Mr. Trubey,


I was one of the lucky ones who was apart of the prewire for your Beautiful Theater. I was just curious, did you ever get your Cell repeater to work in your theater. I will never forget the challenge it was getting that huge coax cable from the antenna on the roof to the equipment room. I'm sorry to say that I didn't work with the HT Store long enough to see your theater for my self.


Congrats and Enjoy,


Tom C.


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## King of Pain

WOW!!


I think that HT room is as big as my enitre house!!!! Good job on that room. Does it have the smell of stale popcorn and a sticky floor just like in the real movie theatres? Oh wait, that is a real movie theatre.


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## niklas555

I can just say : omg


This is damn nice


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## cmont

 http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/ima...es/bowdown.gif


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## dougcs

Over the top!


Great job, you set a standard that will be hard to match.


DS


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## Covetous3

I cannot really think of any adjectives to use that havent already been said...Postmodernism was never my cup of tea anyway...


Very nice job.


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## panhead4life

well, very nice job, but i'm just fine and dandy w/ my 50" LCD grand wega, and knowing that I didn't spend tons of money on it, well, it makes me happy  I'd go buy a car or something, a Corvette


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## steakdaddy

I'm late to the party and just now seeing this, but wow!! fantastic.


And I'd like to say thank you for allowing me to show my wife evidence that there are others passionate about building a beautiful HT.


we just moved into our home and i made the mistake of not building a totally separate building to house my HT. who knew that she wouldn't let me turn on the sub?


sheesh.


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## dmoeller17

good lord, that is amazing. just add a couch with a flip out bed and i'd live in that room. just add cell phone blockers and that would be in idea of heaven, okay also add the ability to stream in any movie or music from a central server that contains every movie or cd ever made


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## cybertec

Quote:

_Originally posted by ptrubey_
*OK folks, I've been hinting in these forums over the past year about what I've been building, and now it's done. First, here's what the theater entrance looks like:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallMarquee.jpg 


From the back:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallFromBack.jpg 


And from the front:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallFromFront.jpg 


With curtain up:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallScreen.jpg 


Concession area:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallConcession.jpg 


Closeup of the projector porthole:

http://www.trubey.net/images/SmallPorthole.jpg 


We decided early on to use the JVC QX-1 projector for the 11' wide 16x9 ratio screen. You can see the small projector porthole above the exit sign at the back of the theater. Those black grilles at the back top are the rear speakers while the front has Dunlavy SC-IVs for L/R and a pair of modified Dunlavy SC-IVs for 2 center channel speakers (one above and one below the screen, placed horizontally).


The QX1 delivers 7000 lumens with 2048x1536 resolution, so we actually use only part of the panel when showing full HDTV resolution. The projector is bright enough to watch football games with the lights on, but we always dim the lights for movies. Contrast ratio, color and pixel structure are all great in that the blacks look really black, with nice shadow detail (but not awesome shadow detail, might have something to do with the negative gain screen we have), the colors are superb, and the picture looks continuous, no screen door, no pixel structure, no color blocking (on HD material anyways).


The projector is heavy at 200 pounds, so we bolted a 1/4 steel panel to the concrete ceiling to act as its base - the projector is housed in a permanent hush box with sound deadening flexible lead imgregated foam material on all interior surfaces. We have a dedicated chiller unit blowing cold air onto the projector and into the main AV rack.


One of the architectural requirements (ie we screwed up in the planning) was that the projector was mounted higher than the top of the screen. The QX1 does have a lens downshift, but this only allows the projector to be at the same level as the top of the screen. Most of the remaining distance above the screen was made to work by the fact that we only use the bottom 2/3rds of the LCOS panel (it has 1536 vertical pixels and we only use 1024 even for HD). We still needed to tilt the projector downwards a little bit, but the internal trapazoid corrector works and doesn't seem to impact the image noticbly.


Currently, the only recommended input into the QX1 is HD-SDI (DVI is still several months away), a broadcast video standard. This pretty much dictated the choice of an upconverter to a Teranex or a Snell&Wilcox Ukon. For complicated reasons, we ended up using the Snell, but recently, I had a chance to demo a Teranex and after some A-B comparisons, the Teranex seemed every so slightly better for video quality. I'll post more info if people are interested.


You'll notice the chandelier which happens to clip the top of the image, so we put the chandelier on a winch and steel cable - it lifts up when the curtain goes up to watch a show.


All lighting is controlled by a Vantage lighting/dimmer control system and the electronics are controlled by a Crestron. The Crestron tells the Vantage to do things via an RS-232 control connection.


One of the things I wanted to do is to provide a true cinema experience for movie showing parties. So I have three DVD players. One is used to show the theater intro (Welcome to the Regency Theater, etc.) which was done by Digital Forge, the other DVD player is used to show a movie trailer as a preview of an upcoming movie, and then the third DVD player shows a DVD if we're playing a DVD that night (alternatively, we show movies on the JVC 400 D-VHS player). The main DVD player was modified by JVB Digital to output SDI for the Snell. Anyways, I have a Crestron program that does the whole movie playing experience: raise curtain/chandelier, dim lights, start theater intro, switch DVD source and play trailer, switch source again and play rest of theater into ("Feature Presentation" display), switch source again and show main movie. I have to set up all the sources at the right spots and pause the players beforehand, but it all works.


I opted not to use subwoofers, just using the 25hz woofer drivers in the Dunlavy SC-IVs. The speakers are driven by 4 McIntosh amps. THe big McIntosh 602 is used just for the woofers L/R drivers. Three McIntosh 352s are used for the L/R, center and rear channels respectively. This seems to work just fine - makes music very tight (stereo imaging in the theater is awesome!), wile giving enough rumble for the movies.


Enough for now, more later.*
I am available for adoption , my emediate family won't mind, trust me


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## kherman

I'm still scraping my jaw off the floor. VERY well done.


I can easily see this theater costing $XXXK-$YYYK without any equipment. That's for the foundation, room, details, etc. I hope i can put on addition like that one day and not get divorce papers filed against me.


Oh, does the HT match the rest of the home? That owuld be nice to have in a victorian home. Maybe one day .... 


Any word on the get together? I can't come but I'm sure others here would still be interested in a show


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## javry

Quote:

_Originally posted by steakdaddy_
*we just moved into our home and i made the mistake of not building a totally separate building to house my HT. who knew that she wouldn't let me turn on the sub?
*
with a name like "steakdaddy" you'd think she'd let you turn on anything you wanted

Javry


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## PamW

I cannot believe I am just now seeing this magnificent piece of work - Congratulations!!!!! Absolutely incredible!


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## Dan Forsyth

AMAZING is all I can say


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## folabi

amazing... I wonder why all the skeptism and sarcasm....?


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## 3ems

Am, yeah what they said!!!


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## Robert Clark

Quote:

_Originally posted by ptrubey_
*I've been away for a little while ... the hush box we built for the projector isolates the projector sound quite well. Heavy construction along with lead and acoustic foam sound deadening material (neat stuff - comes in rolls and is about 1/2 inch thick and does a good sound absorbing job - kinda heavy though!).


Unfortunately, you *can* hear the separate cooling system for the projector when the cooling system turns on. In a perfect world, we would have had the cooling blower in the adjacent mechanical room and ducts for the cold air and return. But by the time we were installing the cooler, the mech. rm wall was looking like swiss cheese since the contractor abysmally failed at putting enough holes for all the other ducting we needed for regular HVAC and ventilation. Anyways, we ended up squeezing a chiller with integrated blowers right into the hush box.


I've never heard the blowers during a movie, but when listening to music, during low volume periods, you can hear a faint blower sound.


The hush box and main AV rack with the AV source gear are linked via ducts, so the same chiller also cools the AV rack, which is kinda nice. The McIntosh amps and misc. gear are in a separate open air rack in the mech room.


I still want to have an AVS night - stay tuned!*


Still any plans for an AVS night?


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## audvid

ptrubey,


Please consider communicating with forum member Odyssey - perhaps with a private message. I know he had placed an order for a QX1 but instead went with a 3 chip Barco (temporarily!). He uses JM Lab Grand Utopias, etc. In case you both did not communicate, I thought I would point it out. If you even need a techical chat, he is among the few who is not only in your league of a system but is also, techically, a very knowledgeable about them.


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## SVonhof

I think ptrubey bailed on this thread a long time ago, or has been a silent lurker.


You may want to send him a PM.


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## Robert Clark

I think you may be right, and I can't say that I blame him...


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## SVonhof

I know people took offense to some of my comments that I made, but I never felt I was saying anything bad, it was just construed to be that way by others.


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## javry

I'd like to think he's just busy watching movies on his long awaited theater. I mean....why hang out on the threads when you've got something like that to enjoy movies with. I looked back over my comments just to make sure I didn't say anything to chase him away. I hope my comments about subwoofers wasn't taken wrong

Javry


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## arad

Listen to Phil Trubey talk about his home theater on our latest podcast ( www.htguys.com ). New pictures too.


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## SVonhof

Once again. Wow. http://www.tlplanet.com/forums/images/smilies/hail.gif


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## ptrubey

Hey, I thought this thread had died by now!


Just a quick note about Tom's earlier question about the cell repeater.


If anyone ends up in a similar situation of building something in a deep basement with no cellular access (our theater really is in a rebar/concrete box including the ceiling, so no signals), or you have spotting cellular coverage at your house, you can in fact buy and install your very own cellular repeater. I bought mine in a 'kit' form that included a small Yagi antenna for outdoors, a small omnidirectional attenna for indoors and an active 800-900 Mhz repeater. Cost about $2K. They are marketed for warehouse/manufacturing use primarily. The only gotcha is that you have to make sure there is sufficient db loss between the two antennas (ie they must be separated suffciently).


So in the theater, I have two antennas behind the screen - the cellular one and a 2400 Mhz one for 802.11b wireless ethernet.


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## Mike Littrell

Wow, awesome theater. NASA uses the QX1 to analyze shuttle data, but your use of it is far better.


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## kromkamp

Thanks for popping this thread up - I had never seen it. Your theater is breathtaking!


Two things pop into mind though:


1)Probably time to upgrade the QX1 - A Qualia (or the new Ruby) would be an upgrade if you dont mind dropping from 7000 lumens 


2)My heart breaks a little bit when I see all that effort put into a theater with absolutely no consideration to acoustic treatments. Included in this statement would be the mandatory use of subwoofer(s) to help balance the bass response.


EDIT: I'm listening to your podcast - dual center channels (one above, one below) is a big big no-no. You'll get combing artifacts as they interfere.


Andy K.


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## DeepFreeze451

1. Theater is nice. first time ive seen this one. good architecture though.


2. people asked how much he spent. Well, a local business owner here who is self made, had one built , and then attached to his house. with 3 foot thick concrete walls, and also custom design on the entire room. Its not really about the money at this stage because he is already rich. So is Ptrubey i would assume. but to qual some of the $$ comments, my friend les, spent $80,000 on the structure alone. another $290,000 in speakers and audio equipment. And around $120,000 in video and projection equipment.


3. Les owns a few stores in the area. he is a millionaire.


4. his house is $2.5M


5. I want, scratch that, I Deserve to be that rich.


6. i dont live in SoCal anymore, but if im ever out. I will PM you.


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## Art Sonneborn

Quote:

Originally Posted by *kromkamp*
Thanks for popping this thread up - I had never seen it. Your theater is breathtaking!


Two things pop into mind though:


1)Probably time to upgrade the QX1 - A Qualia (or the new Ruby) would be an upgrade if you dont mind dropping from 7000 lumens 


2)My heart breaks a little bit when I see all that effort put into a theater with absolutely no consideration to acoustic treatments. Included in this statement would be the mandatory use of subwoofer(s) to help balance the bass response.


EDIT: I'm listening to your podcast - dual center channels (one above, one below) is a big big no-no. You'll get combing artifacts as they interfere.


Andy K.
Only a QX1 or a three chip DLP throws enough stable lumens with reasonable CR. There are forum members who after 250 hours had to open the iris on the Qualia on 10' wide screens. Even opened up one click they are doing 8 fL only now but probably only about 1000:1 CR.


Art


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## lwid

Pturbey, amazing!


I am an Associate Producer with HGTV. Would you be interested in doing a walk and talk about the theater. Let me know at the email below, and provide contact info.


Best,


Pirooz Kalayeh

lwid[at]wellergrossman[dot]com


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## 99th_Obsidian

Absolutely amazing! I've been trolling the net looking for inspiration for my HT. Pturbey, yours is easily the most fabulous home improvement project I've ever seen. I like the theatre entrance the best. Truly a night out without leaving home!


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## ShadowVlican

holy crap.


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## blake18

How about posting some pics with a movie running? PLEASE!


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## OliverB

Post Screen Caps!!!


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## low

okay sorry if im bringing up an old thread, but are you open to the public, ptrubey?? i dont know whats better, the weather we have in san diego, or being indoors in your home theater, my god!


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## ToneDefJeff

Quote:

Originally Posted by *low*
okay sorry if im bringing up an old thread, but are you open to the public, ptrubey?? i dont know whats better, the weather we have in san diego, or being indoors in your home theater, my god!
I don't want to check out the theater as much as I'd like to be on his next .com/software project idea. Another successful one of those and you could build several of these theaters on your own home if you wanted.


Jeff


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## Prehjan

wow


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## SimpleTheater

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Prehjan*
wow
I'll second that.


--SimpleTheater


----------



## Prehjan

Very impressive! ptrubey


...by far the largest I have seen in a private home...(this is in your house... right?)


What would/could you possibly update to from here? (hehe)


Great work...did you do all that work yourself?


Martin


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## jaseman

What do you do for a living?

Are you a doctor, or a drug dealer?

Oooops, same thing. ;>)


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## ToneDefJeff

Quote:

Originally Posted by *jaseman*
What do you do for a living?

Are you a doctor, or a drug dealer?

Oooops, same thing. ;>)
Ever heard of the software called Websense (if your not IT or recently in college probably not). Certainly not his only stream of income but had to be a really good one for him. The software was pretty revolutionary when it came out.


----------



## jaseman

Quote:

Originally Posted by *ToneDefJeff*
Ever heard of the software called Websense (if your not IT or recently in college probably not). Certainly not his only stream of income but had to be a really good one for him. The software was pretty revolutionary when it came out.
Yes I use Websense where I work and I HATE it! It works "most" of the time but can be a real pain in the #$%^&* also. So this is the guy who created it and made a bundle making my life miserable. Just stinkin great!


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## jamieuk23

may I ask what was the total cost for this build from start to finish ??


I am guessing 700.000


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## mburnstein

one billion dollars!


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## David Susilo

have anybody seen my jaw? I dropped it around here recently.


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## rx-8

I just came across this thread and the home theater sounds like it is from another world... unfortunately the links no longer work.


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## QQQ

Quote:

Originally Posted by *rx-8*
I just came across this thread and the home theater sounds like it is from another world... unfortunately the links no longer work. 
It IS . Maybe he'll see this and repost the links.


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## SVonhof

Try this one:
http://htguys.com/archive/2005/September192005.html 


pics and podcast to listen to.


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## rx-8

Unbelievable HT...thanks for the link!


----------

