My finished theater room

[Ryan Peddle]

Well, I can finally say that the theater section of my basement is finally finished.   It was fully usable approximately 1 year ago, but had finishing touches to be done.   The whole basement still has some work to be done, but the theater viewing area is completed.   It was a 2 year process which I literally did all the work myself except the laying of the carpet for obvious reasons.

 

I have been doing this as a hobby for 20 years now.   I have adored movies all my life and remember setting up a mono VCR and Commadore 64 computer monitor in my bedroom when I was 15.   Then I got a Toshiba mini stereo system and a stereo VCR and my love grew.   But the key point in time was watching Stargate at my friends house whom had a full Dolby Prologic system in 1995.   I remember hearing sounds coming from behind me and I was hooked.

 

When I finished highschool, I worked full time for a while and started to build my first serious system.   I started with 4 Paradigm MiniMonitors, CC370, and a PW2200 with a Yamaha receiver.   There were some other systems before this, but this was the benchmark one for me at age 21.   This system stayed with me for a decade.   

 

Then when I was 29, I found my career at Liptons Audio Video in Newmarket ON.   That is when the true illness of home audio/video took hold.   I started a full system upgrade that included every single part of my system and the thought of finishing my basement for a nice theater room.

 

When I first started, I struggled with the shape of the room.   I had many different things in mind.   Originally I planned on a more open concept entertainment room with a pool table or air hockey table.  And each time to laid things out, I got stumped with space issues.  But I started framing the outside walls.   But the more and more I framed, I just kept getting pulled towards a dedicated theater room.   And to be honest, that has always been what I wanted from when I was that 15yr old kid.    

 

So the project continued, and continued.   Doing all the work myself (exaggerated, with my father) was a challenge.   I had to research and learn how to do certain things.   I had a full working workshop which was a big help.    And I had an ongoing joke with my Dad that I must have fired him half a dozen times because of the fights we got in over how things needed to be.   

 

But in the end, I couldn't not have dreamed of having something turning out so good.   Sure there are small things that I would have done a little different.  But nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of my theater room.  

 

I have updated and cleaned up my galleries.   You can check out the finished project, the complete build, screen shots, and my system before it moved to the basement.

 

 

This is the basement just as I started framing:

 

 

 

 

And this is what I turned it into:

 

 

 

The Speaker System

 

As I mentioned above, I am now using Paradigm Reference Studio series speakers.   When given proper power, these things sing.   Their build quality is fantastic.  I love the rosenut veneer on mine and really make a statement about their quality.    So my system consists of a pair of Studio100, CC690, ADP590s, all powered by the NAD M25 Master Series amp.    Supplying the foundation of for all the speakers is the Paradigm Sub15.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ryan Peddle]

 

 

The Projector

As for projector.   I bounced around a few choiced before I settled.   I thought about a Runco, then a Sony, and was pretty set on the Sony until I got a great deal on the Mitsubishi HC5 (rebadged HC9000).   This projector is stunning to say the least.   It is a bit older (first generation 3d) but man does it have a stunner of a picture.   The 3D is good, but having access to 3rd and 4th gen 3D projectors at work, I can see its shortcomings.   But the 2D picture is a pure winner.

 

 

 

 

 

When I was almost finished the building stage and was getting ready for paint, I had to make some decisions on the seating.   I am not a small guy, and while it would have been great to have two rows of three seats, I just wanted to more plush seat, so I converted to two rows of two seats.   The width of the room just simply wouldn't let me put three of the plush seats side by side.

 

The back row is on a riser, and there is space behind this row for something.   The plan is to put a storage bench padded on top for additional seating.   The storage part will house all my bluray discs once I get my media server built, which I am in the process right now.

 

 

 

Tying my home system together is Control4.   I use this automation system to control all the equipment in my system, to control the lights (both individually and in specially programmed scenes), to stream and organize my music, and soon all my movies.   It also controls the music zones (living room, garage, backyard deck) via the C4 4 zone amp.

 

 

 

For the screen, I chose to use a Screen Innovations Black Diamond Screen.   If you are unfamiliar with this screen, it is a combination silver and grey screen with a unique light rejection surface.  It is a screen that is designed to work in many different lighting conditions.    I can have all the lights on and still get a great picture that looks plasma like.   Or I can have all the lights off and get a jump off the screen pop to the picture.    There are pros and cons of this screen though. It is not the most perfect screen for colour accuracy, and it does suffer from minor sparklies (the silver screen part), so resolution isn't always ultra fine.   But what it does really well, contrast and picture pop.   Man does it have a lot of pop.

 

 

This is a image from Prometheus that I like to use because it has a lot of contrast, and a lot of brightness all on the screen at the same time.

 

This is with all the lights on (6 overhead potlights.)

 

 

 

 

This next one is with the four rear pot lights off, but the front two pot lights closest to the screen on.   This is how I generally watch tv shows and play games.  

 

 

 

When it is movie time, especially "first time watch" all the lights are off and the stage LEDs are on.   The LEDs (besides looking neat) help with the strain the bright image can give your eyes in a dark room.

 

 

 

As I mentioned, despite the small drawbacks of the sparkly effect on the Black Diamond screen, when combined with the Mits projector, this 2D image is stunning.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my theater story.   You can see the build process in my full galleries, as well as other screen shots.

 

Leave a comment if you have any questions.

 

Thanks

[ILoveC4]

Looks like a nice room. We sure use ours a lot.

Those Black Diamond screens are sweet. I thought about one, but ultimately needed an acoustically transparent screen.

Sent from my Droid MAXX via Tapatalk.

[HookedOnC4]

Very nice...

[Mark LaBelle]

Love those Studio 100's.  I have the same ones with a CC-690 and 4 ADP 590's powered by Anthem MCA50 and MCA20 with two Velodyne DD-15's.  Those 100's sing like birds with 2 channel and awesome for an impressive theater sound.  Looks great!!!

 

Mark

[Gary Leeds UK]

Looks the dogs 

[mstafford388]

Looks pretty sweet to me!

[JakeCowan]

Well done sir!