Two screens with one home theater setup

[admin_exported]

I recently purchased a Panasonic PT AE 4000 projector, and about to upgrade my receiver and speakers. However, I would like to both use my old LCD and the projectors in the same room with one hi-fi system. The projector screen will be on one wall and the LCD will be on an other wall that is perpendicular.

I would like to use one receiver to run two home theater configurations in this room with 2 center speakers, 2 front, 2 rear and a sub. One center speaker will be right under the LCD and two front speakers will be on the right and left where two rears is at the back, which will be the Primary System

Second center speaker will be right under the projector screen, where the front left speaker for this system will be front right speaker of the Primary System, front right speaker is the rear right of the Primary system etc.

I can make this work through replugging the speakers at the back of the receivers everytime, which will be very cumbersome.

Is there any type of switch for the job? Or is there a receiver that has this feature already built in?

 

[The_Lhc]

You'd need a ten channel receiver that can run two 5.1 zones, there are some around or at least there were but they tend to be the top of the range jobs. You'd also need two HDMI outputs, unless you want to run an HDMI switch, which wouldn't be too onerous.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a very unique setup. It seems like you would be severely limited with speaker placement options, however.

If indeed you would push through with this, you can use a bunch of speaker A / B switches to do the job. Each speaker would A or B to a different amp output... just double-check the settings before you fire up.

 

[Andrew Everard]

And of course you will also have the problem of having to switch the speaker connections - not a good idea to have different channels of the same receiver connected to the same speaker.

 

[The_Lhc]

Ah that'll teach me to read a little more closely... I'd assumed seperate speakers for the two systems. No I don't like the idea of using one speaker for two jobs at all!

 

[Anonymous]

As an alternative solution,

I have my old Sony 5.1 receiver and planning to buy a Denon 1910. Although it is not a good solution as I would like to use the new Denon for all of the jobs, can I connect both receivers to each of the speakers and use one receiver at a time?

 

[Tonestar1]

U could use speaker switch box with both sets of speakers connecting to the switchbox and the switchbox connected to the amp.

Have you thought of pulling the projector screen down in front of the LCD. Surely this would be a lot cheaper than buying an additional six speakers cluttering up the room.

 

[matengawhat]

seems like a major hassel with loads od speakers all in one room and cables everywhere - i run a projector and tv in the same room and to be honest the tv is prob on for about 10% of the time if that so just suffer with stereo for that the other 90% of the time I'm on the projector with full surround

are you asking because the projector is new and your wondering how often you will use it as i found it very quickly became the norm and prefer to watch it than the tv and find it easier on the eyes - if your thinking about trying to save the bulb life and only use it for movies don't bother just get it up and running and run everything through it tv, games consoles movies ect - the extra your going to spend will by you loads of bulbs!

 

[Amyl Right Mate]

How about a projector screen positioned such that can be pulled down in front of the TV when required?

 

[Anonymous]

Projector screen is too large and almost covers the whole wall, there is no rooom for TV there. One solution may be moving the TV out of the way when using the projector, which leads to other complications. (Cables, center speaker etc.)

A speaker swithcbox is the best solution, if there exists such a device, I have neet seen anything for 5.1 system.

I fully agree, and I do not have any intention to buy 6 additional speakers cluttering the room, rather I am trying to buy identical fronts and rears. Only extra will be additional center.

 

[matengawhat]

why don't you move the tv then to the other wall where projector is going - buy a ceiling mounted screen so can bring in to the room 6 inchs and cover the tv - there is about 8 inch befind my screen where i could place a tv - althoough i have a load of canvass prints behind it so goes up to ceiling just leaving the artwork or in your case a tv

the screen casing is same thinkness as my coving so you don't really notice it when up

my tv is at 90 deg to the screen on the side wall but like i say i nearly never use it - only times its on is if gf wants to watch something quickly and can't be bothered to turn everything on

set of blinds nad curtains and rooms very quickly become blanked out

 

[Tonestar1]

As previously stated I thinks some room re-arragement (ie position the LCD underneath a pull down screen is the best solution. However if the is not possible you could buy 5 of these or a higher end version from QED or the like.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=97927

 

[Tonestar1]

Tonestar1:
As previously stated I thinks some room re-arragement (ie position the LCD underneath a pull down screen is the best solution. However if the is not possible you could buy 5 of these or a higher end version from QED or the like.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=97927

If you could post a diagram it would make it a lot easier for me to visualise and suggest a suitable switch box solution. I also think all your speakers would have to be same size or you would need to recalibrate the receiver every time you wanted to switch source. Unless your receiver can support multiple configurations, I doubt if this is a common feature on AVRs.

 

[Andrew Everard]

dmkt:can I connect both receivers to each of the speakers and use one receiver at a time?

No, that's even more likely to cause all sorts of electronic damage.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for their suggestions and help.

I decided to move the tv behind the projector screen, which will lead to re-installation of the screen away from the wall to the ceiling as suggested by Tonestar1 in the first place. Buying an higher end amplifier or use identical surrounds and fronts with switchbox and hassling with even more cables are just very overwhelming, and as I understand would not result in an ideal set-up. As per the "parsimony" principle, moving the screen seemed to be the best solution.

Having this decided, I bought a Denon 1910 and Jamo S506 speaker set which I will set-up tonight after moving the screen. Anybody having a bad opinion about Jamo S506s, please say it before I open the box tonight or save it for eternity

 

[The_Lhc]

dmkt:Having this decided, I bought a Denon 1910 and Jamo S506 speaker set which I will set-up tonight after moving the screen. Anybody having a bad opinion about Jamo S506s, please say it before I open the box tonight or save it for eternity

Some people might have thought to ask that question BEFORE making the purchase...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

This is my first message to a forum such as this, so please excuse any variation to accepted etiquette!

I am intregued to hear your advice for a problem I face that is similar to dmkt's. I have a new room that has been completed as a sitting room / home theatre combination. The room has a fireplace, above which has been sited a plasma screen, however to the immediate left of the fireplace is a walkway through to another part of the L shaped room therefore it has proved impossible to site the projector screen to lower in front of the plasma or on the same wall. We have been forced to site the screen to lower from within a ceiling void on the wall at 90degrees to the left of the plasma. The projector screen lowers infront of a shuttered window (this feature making it impossible to site the plasma on this wall. I therefore have no choice but to site the plasma and projector screen on different walls and at 90 degrees to each other and the room has been constructed to accommodate this configuration.

I have been expecting that the issue of changing the speaker delay timing would be my biggest stumbling block in finding an audio solution for the changing orientation of the room to suit the change from TV to Projector viewing. I believe I might be able to overcome this issue by installing eight, ceiling mounted, Speakercraft Time Five speakers (in addition to the sub-woofer) arranged in a square and arranged with one speaker in each corner of the square and one speaker half way down each edge of the square, thereby maintaining the speaker to listener distance even as the orientation changes.I had envisaged that I would be able to accomplish a 7.1 configuration with front speakers, side effects and rear surrounds. If you can envisage this "Square" arrangement, I had anticipated that the same speaker set could be used for both configurations with only the definition of which speaker represented each position relative to the listener changing between the two orientations ie the speakers would all be similarly specified and their role would change with the front left, centre and right speakers for Plasma viewing would become the front right, right effects and right rear speaker when watching the projector etc...

I am sorry if an extended message,such as this, to the forum is inappropriate, but given that I now have the structure of the room in place and am seeking to procure the tech to make it happen, I would be grateful for whatever constructive advice is available from the well informed.

I thank you in advance

 

[Anonymous]

Heading toward a solution here - perhaps

I have identified the following two items that might help with this dual orientation need;

1. It appears that the higher end Pioneer AV receivers/Amp have the ability to store multiple and selectable listening position configurations and, my understanding is, that these configurations can be selected as required when viewing. The example from the Pioneer documentation is that of sitting back to watch movies or sitting up close to the screen for gaming.

Does anyone have experience of this?

Does it work for significant variations in seating positions?

Also, my preference is for a Denon amp, do you know if there is a similar ability within the Denon camp? Older marketing materials for previous models suggest there is, although more recent documentation doesn't mention it?

2. I have found an eight way relay switch from ADA (Audio Design Associates) in the USA called an MORB-1 (Morb standing for Mother Of Relay Boxes), http://www.ada.net/products/bb/morb_1.php , which seems to be built for the purpose of switching speaker configurations for a change in room orientations. their example is for a screen on a swing out arm, but I am hoping the principles are the same.

Unfortunately, whilst I can find RBGComms.co.uk are the UK distributor, I have as yet been unable to locate a local dealer that might confirm the cost, so perhaps this option might get excluded as being not economically viable? Anyone come across this before or know a UK dealer?

Thanks for your interest

 

[jaffamuffin]

Hi Woofy

How did you get on , i know it's been a few years since. You've probably moved house lol.

Anyway I have a similar problem just now in that I can't have my projector screen on the wall as my plasma, and I can't put the plasma on the wall where I would like to put my screen. (there's a window in the way for a start)

So I have my screen and plasma essentially at 90 degrees and If I could 'rotate' my speaker config 90 degrees this would solve the problem very nicely indeed. It looks like the MORB would be ideal for this. It seems for the future anyway I'm going to have to accept a 2.0 setup rather than surround as that seems to be the path of least resistance, I really can't be unpluggin and pluggin in.

Also, this thread seems to be the only one on the internet I can find that people have this same problem?

Surely some AV amp makers by now, have made a amp that can dynamically re-assign what physical speaker is which logical surround output? Surely it's all just software these days.

 

[kikiso]

If it helps I'll describe my setup which is similar. At one end of my room I have a TV, sub-woofer, left & right stand mounts and centre speaker, in the middle of the room I have two satellite speakers which can be turned to face towards the TV or 180 degrees to the other end of the room that has my projector screen. Either side of the screen I have my floor mounters and another centre speaker.

The floor mounters are driven from a stereo amp which itself takes the pre-out from the Pioneer AV AMP. If I want to watch the projector, I switch on the stereo amp, I turn the front speakers off on the Pioneer (which is done via the remote), I turn the satellites around to face the right direction and I ensure that the centre speaker at that end of the room is connected to the amp, today I do this manually but I'm considering buying a switch. I have also got a speaker calibration for that end of the room so I also select that on the Pioneer amp. Now the woofer which is still enabled is still heard, but my floor mounters also have reasonable bass and so it all sounds good.

Whilst not ideal, this is the best I could come up with that minimises the speakers, cabling manual changing of speaker connections. The stereo amp that drives the floor standers was needed anyway for my vinyl and also to drive the floor standers which I don't think the Pioneer can do very well.

Issues are that I need a checklist to ensure I remember to turn it all around properly, and unless I switch the satellites around, when watching the TV the left & right surround are the wrong way around, this is easily fixed if I really want to by simply switching them over, but 90% of the time when watching TV I'm not bothered.

So, in effect all I needed was an extra stereo amp, extra centre, left and right front speakers.