I just thought I'd start a thread on designs for lighting you home theatre without hurting your projection.

Wanted to hear everyones oppinions.

Three things in my oppinion need to be avoided for adequete lighting without dimming the projetion.

1. Keep all light sources from shing directly onto the screen. Never allow any light to have a clear unblocked view of any portion of the screen and I don't mean lamp shades, I mean a solid opaque shield.

2. Prevent any nearby lightsources to enter into your field of vision while watching. Keep all light bulbs where you cannot see them. If you do then the shutters in your eyes will close letting in less light, thus making the projection appear dimmer. So make sure you can't see any light bulbs from your location.

3. Make the room as black as possible. If you can't paint it, cover it with black cloth. Use black rugs, black furtniture if possible and where black clothes (lol, just kidding) make everything possible black. If you use a white room, even if light isn't shining onto the screen, or in your eyes, light will reflect off of the white walll and illuminate the whole room. So keep everything as black as possible.

So long as you follow these 3 rules, you should be able to provide bright lighting in your theatre without hurting your projection quality.

One thing I intend to do is put a bulb directly above my sitting location shining down with a dome reflector. The reflector will keep the light from hitting the screen, and it will be directly above me so I won't see it. Then if I can I want to cover my chair with a black cover and put a black rug underneeth me.

i suggest you look at Skanmyth's PJ and Theatre room - VERY nice looking room indeed with subtle lighting!

Can't find it. Where is it?

Right here Skanmyth Plog

lol. Thats funny. I saw that one and it inspired me to create this thread. When you mentioned it I thought you were refering to that one but I couldn't find it again. l

Anyway, that is a beautiful hometheatre. I only hope I can have a room like that some day.

But I'm afraid it breaks all three rules. lol. There is light shining directly onto the screen, lights in your field of vision and a lightly colored room. Beautiful set up, but imagine what kind of projection quality you'd get if you followed the three rules.

Heres what I'm talking about.

As far as the lights as long as they are different circuits then they could be switched off during projection but still avialable during other uses for the room. Same for second point.
Light colored walls will be limiting but making the room too dark may be unacceptable to the wife/gf or both

Interesting. You mean better to keep other lights off while projection as not to blow a fuse?

I'll remember that.

Well the point of this is to illuminate the room without shinig light onto the projection screen or in your eyes. Making the walls and floor as dark as possible will help.

I just don't like being in total darkness and having to feel around when moving.

No, the lights that might shine on the screen. Like in many confrence rooms where lights near the screen are turned off but lights at the rear are only dimmed so people can still take notes. Minimum lighting that might wash out screen but maintaining room light.

I see. But at any rate, I think so long as these three rules are followed you will be able to illuminate the room quite nicely without hurting your projection.

With my projector up and running I have tested "The Three Laws" lol its like "I, robot" and I found they could not be truer. Technically I only used two and a half. I prevented any light sources from having a clear shot at the screen. (and I don't mean lamp shades, I mean blocked) and from the viewing position there are no lights in sight (so your pupil stays wide open to let the most light in) the third law is less inmportant and I only half obeyed it. Using a dark floor and dark furniture. My basement floor is grayish brown, (stone) and my chair is kind of white.

Basicly I only have one light bulb in my home theatre directly above me and about 1 foot back. I have a piece of cardboard hanging in front of it so absolutely no light shines on the screen. There is a flourescent light in the back of the basement but it doesn't have a clear shot at the screen. Therefore I have achieved high brightness in my vieiwing location without sacrificing any image quality. (I hate being in the dark and having to feel around for things.) I can see the buttons on the remote and where my drink is. Its nice.