# Where to place projector wiring



## jerryh3

You'll at least need to know the throw ratio of the projector. This will help determine the distance from the screen based on your desired screen size. I would definitely run conduit as you suggested. Check this page out for some additional info. 
http://www.theprojectorpros.com/learn-s-learn-p-theater_setting_up.htm


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## dstylez

jerryh3 said:


> You'll at least need to know the throw ratio of the projector. This will help determine the distance from the screen based on your desired screen size. I would definitely run conduit as you suggested. Check this page out for some additional info.
> http://www.theprojectorpros.com/learn-s-learn-p-theater_setting_up.htm


That was very helpful!
Thanks...any other resources for HT setups?


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## jerryh3

dstylez said:


> That was very helpful!
> Thanks...any other resources for HT setups?


Try www.avsforum.com. There's more information over there than you could ever imagine. Some of those guys are truly obsessed with HT. If you need help with the construction aspects, I would ask them here, but check over there for help with components and setups.


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## Morndenkainen

I put up some crown molding in my room and ran all the wire behind it. Looks great, and because it covers all 4 walls, it also made it REAL easy to hide the wiring for the 7.1 surround sound. If your in a basement, you might want to check into a drop panel ceiling and run all the wiring above the panels. Looks like nothing's there when your done, and adding wires is as simple as moving a panel, plus its a nice look for a finished basement, and easier on your back than drywalling the ceiling.

That being said, as for placement on your projector, I definatley reccomend a roof mount. Now here's where it gets tricky.. The bigger you stretch out your picture, the less light you have available for a bright image... Its like painting a wall, You've only got so much paint, and as you spread it out, the coat gets thinner... Im not saying its going to look bad, Just keep it in mind. Personally, im running an epson 6100UB on a 160" screen right now, and Im happy. One thing I reccomend though, is try to keep the seating below, or only slightly in front of the projector. The reason for this is that when someone gets up for another drink or to go pee, if they walk in front of the beam, you get a momentary shadow. Also, try to mount the projector level, unless it has "Keystone" correction, otherwise your screen edges will look like / \ instead of [ ] The vertical shift on nearly all of the newer projectors compensates for keystone correction, but it requires the projector to be level.

The best way to find your light lines, is to take a peice of string and run it from the bottom of the screen to your lense. If something's close or going to be in the way (Such as seated people) you might want to move the projector a bit, or the furniture. Setting up a good home theater is more of an art than a science. Also, try and ensure that your projector is mounted as far as possible from sources of vibration, dont put it on a wall next to stairs, or a door that gets opened/closed alot, or a washer/dryer, as the vibration will transfer and the projector will shake a little, which gets really distracting.

Hope this helped.


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## dstylez

Morndenkainen said:


> I put up some crown molding in my room and ran all the wire behind it. Looks great, and because it covers all 4 walls, it also made it REAL easy to hide the wiring for the 7.1 surround sound. If your in a basement, you might want to check into a drop panel ceiling and run all the wiring above the panels. Looks like nothing's there when your done, and adding wires is as simple as moving a panel, plus its a nice look for a finished basement, and easier on your back than drywalling the ceiling.
> 
> That being said, as for placement on your projector, I definatley reccomend a roof mount. Now here's where it gets tricky.. The bigger you stretch out your picture, the less light you have available for a bright image... Its like painting a wall, You've only got so much paint, and as you spread it out, the coat gets thinner... Im not saying its going to look bad, Just keep it in mind. Personally, im running an epson 6100UB on a 160" screen right now, and Im happy. One thing I reccomend though, is try to keep the seating below, or only slightly in front of the projector. The reason for this is that when someone gets up for another drink or to go pee, if they walk in front of the beam, you get a momentary shadow. Also, try to mount the projector level, unless it has "Keystone" correction, otherwise your screen edges will look like / \ instead of [ ] The vertical shift on nearly all of the newer projectors compensates for keystone correction, but it requires the projector to be level.
> 
> The best way to find your light lines, is to take a peice of string and run it from the bottom of the screen to your lense. If something's close or going to be in the way (Such as seated people) you might want to move the projector a bit, or the furniture. Setting up a good home theater is more of an art than a science. Also, try and ensure that your projector is mounted as far as possible from sources of vibration, dont put it on a wall next to stairs, or a door that gets opened/closed alot, or a washer/dryer, as the vibration will transfer and the projector will shake a little, which gets really distracting.
> 
> Hope this helped.


Thanks! Those are some good tips.


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## Morndenkainen

*Quick question...*

What were you thinking of doing as far as a screen goes?

For mine, I built a fixed frame out of 1X4's and built it directly into the wall.. The reason I did this, is because once the cloth is stretched on the frame, you can have a fan blowing on it, and it wont "ripple" Also, the edges wil never "curl" in, and you dont have to worry about a pull-down screen... There's tons of pro's and cons between the setups, but this one is definatley the least expensive to do for the size.

I also bought a single sheet of blackout cloth about two feet bigger than what I needed vertically, and 6 feet wider than I needed. If your building your own frame, I really reccomend you do the same. The cloth can be damaged during shipping, and sometimes there's a blemish on it near the edges, Its much easier to have some excess to work with and trim off.. Plus, when you stretch it, it does make it easier when you have excess material that your going to cut off to pull on. You want to try and keep your screen as clean as possible, because theyre a pain to clean.

If you want some help with building a fixed frame screen, all you gotta do is ask, I've built a couple of em, and made a few mistakes, so I can definatley help when it comes with what NOT to do. :whistling2: Course, now that I know a bit more about what im doing, I can definatley say I didnt make the mistakes the second time around.


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## dstylez

Morndenkainen said:


> What were you thinking of doing as far as a screen goes?
> 
> For mine, I built a fixed frame out of 1X4's and built it directly into the wall.. The reason I did this, is because once the cloth is stretched on the frame, you can have a fan blowing on it, and it wont "ripple" Also, the edges wil never "curl" in, and you dont have to worry about a pull-down screen... There's tons of pro's and cons between the setups, but this one is definatley the least expensive to do for the size.
> 
> I also bought a single sheet of blackout cloth about two feet bigger than what I needed vertically, and 6 feet wider than I needed. If your building your own frame, I really reccomend you do the same. The cloth can be damaged during shipping, and sometimes there's a blemish on it near the edges, Its much easier to have some excess to work with and trim off.. Plus, when you stretch it, it does make it easier when you have excess material that your going to cut off to pull on. You want to try and keep your screen as clean as possible, because theyre a pain to clean.
> 
> If you want some help with building a fixed frame screen, all you gotta do is ask, I've built a couple of em, and made a few mistakes, so I can definatley help when it comes with what NOT to do. :whistling2: Course, now that I know a bit more about what im doing, I can definatley say I didnt make the mistakes the second time around.


I was actually thinking of getting a pre-made screen and putting it up (after assembling). I've ready some pretty good reviews and they seem easy enough to put together. If I do decide to go the DIY route I'll definitely be in touch - thanks for offering!

I think I've decided on the projector now - Epson Home Cinema 8100. The reviews look pretty good and its got a rebate going right now..


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## Morndenkainen

The 8100's a good unit, I hope you bought the 5 year plan that also covers the bulbs with it. You'll make your money back after the first year on it and after that, a free bulb every year is a nice bonus. Just remember to set it to "livingroom mode" in the menu, I cant remember what its on by default, but it will boost the light output a bit, and give you a much brighter picture without sacrificing the black levels. The pre-made screens are definaltey easy to setup, but remember, your screen can easily be as big as your wall, and pre-made screens rarely fill the whole thing properly. As impressive as the picture can be, just remember, you can go floor to ceiling with the screen size.  And yes, epson does have some kick-ass rebates from time to time.. I got my 6100UB on sale for like $1700 (5 year warranty included), and there was a $500 mail in rebate on top of that. Dowside to the rebate... Your going to get e-mails from the epson store.


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## dstylez

Another related question...what is the best way to run the conduit across floor joists? Do I cut a slit in the floor joists on the ceiling so that the conduit is flush? Anybody happen to have some pictures?

Thanks!


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## Morndenkainen

Your running the conduit along the "roof" of the basement correct? Keep in mind, that unless you do a drop ceiling, your going to have a hard time putting drywall up over ANY obstacle. You really dont need to hide the HDMI / Component cable in conduit, nor do you need to put speaker wire in it... I really dont reccomend running speaker wire next to a "power" wire in any case, because it CAN cause a slight feedback effect in some cases. (I dont know how sensitive YOUR speakers are.) I reccomend just drilling about a 1" hole through the joists and running the electrical/ AV cable through the holes. (power wire being laid next to a video cable does not seem to affect picture quality in any way.) That way if your doing a drywall ceiling the conduit doesnt get in the way. Also, as bizzare as it seems, cutting out a square notch in a board seems to weaken it alot more than drilling a hole. I have no idea why, but it does. Im pointing that out, because I have no idea whats above the floor joists your thinking of notching.


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## dstylez

Morndenkainen said:


> Your running the conduit along the "roof" of the basement correct? Keep in mind, that unless you do a drop ceiling, your going to have a hard time putting drywall up over ANY obstacle. You really dont need to hide the HDMI / Component cable in conduit, nor do you need to put speaker wire in it... I really dont reccomend running speaker wire next to a "power" wire in any case, because it CAN cause a slight feedback effect in some cases. (I dont know how sensitive YOUR speakers are.) I reccomend just drilling about a 1" hole through the joists and running the electrical/ AV cable through the holes. (power wire being laid next to a video cable does not seem to affect picture quality in any way.) That way if your doing a drywall ceiling the conduit doesnt get in the way. Also, as bizzare as it seems, cutting out a square notch in a board seems to weaken it alot more than drilling a hole. I have no idea why, but it does. Im pointing that out, because I have no idea whats above the floor joists your thinking of notching.


Yeah this is for the video wires going to the projector on the ceiling. The reason behind the conduit is for replacing or adding wires later once the ceiling is drywalled in.


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## Morndenkainen

Just a thought, but you might want to run a channel on top of the drywall to make it look like a peice of trim going to the projector for that. Reason being, is that none of us know what the connectors are going to look like in the future, or what size hole theyre going to need to pass through. Also, once you've already got a couple wires in the conduit, its going to be a real pain to fish new wires through it. Paint the channel the same color as the drywall, and you'll hardly notice it. Best part about it, when its time to swap/upgrade/add cables, just loosen a screw to drop the channel an inch or so. (Helps if you use 4" screws.) If your determined to run the conduit, depending on how big of a notch you need to cut out of the floor joists, I definatley reccomend reinforcing them... Nothing would suck worse than finishing your project, leaving to go get some pizza and beer, and coming home to find out that your livingroom floor collapsed onto your nice finished theater. You still havent mentioned what size conduit you were thinking of running, but the trim/channel comes in all different sizes and styles. I'd reccomend a 1" 90* L type peice (Where both ends of the L are the same length, in this case 1" You can buy it at home depot or lowes.), you can drill your screws through at the point of the L, countersink em, and its real easy to put up.


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