Nice room, Shawn!  You demonstrate that you can have a dedicated room for a reasonable investment.  Part of winning the WAF I need to proceed depends on convincing my wife that it can be done affordably while still achieveing a good end result.  I’m going to show her the pictures of your room as an example of how a nice HT can be done on the cheap.

Big Wes, thanks for the comments. Today the cost of HD projectors and full Sound systems in a box makes the total cost very affordable for an HD home theater. And if you can do the labor for little extras like the lit crown molding, risers and can lighting; then it doesn’t cost much more to add high impact theater visuals. You can contact me on the AVSforum as user Xenon2000 if you would like to hear about some of my construction tips.

I think that Shawn did a great job for a low cost. Shawn the bottom line is that you are enjoying the big screen effect. I have a 720p and I like what I see. We all try to upgrade a bit here and there and still try to keep within our budget.Enjoy.

Great job Shawn. I too am a budget home theater fan and the net results are very good for a portable theater you can quickly remove and upgrade when ready.

The color of the walls is the same color I used on my screen wall to get better contrast with my PJ and screen.

The one thing I would take a look at is the color of the carpeting. It seems too light and reflective of light in the room. I put down some temp dark rugs to make my theater darker which helped a lot. Also, those carpets will wear out a pattern so throw rugs can help you make them last longer.

With the Onkyo receiver, just wait for some close out sales and upgrade the speakers as the budget allows.  You can also listen to music there and relax so spending money on better speakers will also be something you will be taking with you to the next house

To PKinSFLA, the light carpet and ceiling are because it had to be as neutral as possible if I ever had to reverse the room to sell the house. And I am very happy with the sound. The model I chose was specifically because it had the best sounding low cost speakers that are very low profile. Less than 4in deep and they include keyhole mounts. Kept cost low and visual impact minimal on the room while still having 2 drivers and 1 tweeter each times 7. All other speakers where big and did not meet the Wife Approval Factor. And for this size room, it’s been awesome.

We are super happy with the results. But I am hoping that my 2nd Theater will be a permanent one which will have dark floors, seats, and ceiling. As well as acoustical treatments, larger front drivers, etc.

My wife and I are very happy with how well I was able to dress up a low impact removable ultra low cost HD 100” theater.

Nice room. I saw a wireless keyboard in the picture. Is it a keyboard/mouse combo? I’m looking to buy something similar to that. Could you share the brand and model? Thanks!

To JW87c, BTC 9019URF , go to btc .com’s site. The updated version is a USB dongle instead of a PS2 connector if you want. I got the keyboard 2 years ago. Battery life is great. But because it goes to sleep super fast, like 10-30 secs. Which is annoying. Other than that, it has great range for my entire room with the receiver under the sofa. And it works great with media buttons for direct control. And it was very cheap. I have a wired mouse under the rear sofa for gaming and long computer use. Otherwise the RF keyboard with built in pointer is great for media, slideshows, etc. Not many cheap options with built in pointers. And RF instead of IR. I originally got mine from Fry’s, and I think they still sell it.

I have both types and the 1080p pj is clearly better even at 92” and 11’ away then the 720p pj ever was [though it does look good.]

I’m sure it still looks great though and either case its still big screen and totally enjoyable and that’s ultimately what counts until you get picky.

The room looks nice for what you spent.

I def could tell when i got a 1080p projector on my 106” from 14 ft away, i definitely believe its pointless to have 1080p 50” tvs and everything, but at 100 inches and up, you really can see the difference, but is it worth the additional 1000 or so?  Hard to say, prob not, contrast is still the most important.  It is nice not seeing any screen door though! (which dlps usually dont have, just dizzy rainbows)

“additional 1000 or so?”, “pointless to have 1080p 50” tvs”

Even though I don’t totally agree, you are right in that since your 720p pj is working great there’s no need to buy a 1080p one and probably isn’t worth the money.

I would like to know the material utilized in the DIY screen ? - thanks

To Mike, DIY Screen is made of Black Out clothe from JoAnne’s Fabric store, black felt for the border, and some lumber from Home Depot. Screen is 2 parts. The stretched canvas style frame as the actual screen. And then a cover frame that slips tightly around the screen. 4 Keyhole mounts on the screen amount me to keystone the screen slightly right at the wall to avoid digital keystoning.

Your crown mold lighting looks great and the light
appears very even. What type of lights are you using there?

Nice job Shawn!  The best value I have seen.  This is where frugal meets high-tech!  I wonder if the white window coverings give you daytime light control, or you only watch after dark?

To Ken, the lights are just the cheap rope light kits from Home Depot. I needed 63 feet but didn’t want to buy it by the foot. Extra rope goes into the AV closet. Regular rope lights allow me to use a normal dimmer switch for control.

To Andrew, the window coverings are 100% light blocking foil inside the honeycomb structure. Thin adhesive low density foam weather strip on the bottom of the shade prevents light leaking. Sides are so close that there is very light light leaking there. Pitch black during the day. Full light control.

Great Job!!!!!!!!