Home projectors - teach me oh Wise ones

[Gelmir]

We recently bought a house and it's got an awesome room I'd like to turn into a cinema room. Problem is I don't know the first thing about which kinds of projectors to look for to get this done.

I'm planning to run it from my Hp Microserver to watch movies / stream sports from. The projector would be ceiling mounted.

So I have a few questions:

1. The wall is currently textured, so I either need to Rinolite it, or get a screen. Which is the better option ?
2. I can darken the room with blinds during the day, but it won't be very dark. What kind of lumens are advisable ?
3. Since I'll be streaming Netflix / Supersport / watching movies from the server, super HD quality isn't a massive requirement. What Difference would it make when the projector only supports 800x600 vs 1080 for example ?
4. Any specific ones you guys could recommend ? I don't want to spend a fortune (the house already cost me 1,5 kidneys) but I don't want a pocket LED projector either.
5. What added functionality does a Wifi enabled one really give? Surely you can't connect the video source to it via the network instead of a HDMI or VGA cable ?

I've seen the projectors we have in the boardroom at work, used for presentations and such, can that be used reliably or are there specific ones for movies / gaming ?

 

[DominionZA]

I went through this exercise a few years ago.

After 4 projectors or so, I settled on an Acer 1080p 3000 ansi lumens. It's perfect for my needs. About R12k at the time.

Rinolight is the way forward. Had a 120" 16:10 screen built. After a few colour experiments, we settled on blizzard green. Colours pop nicely.
Instead of a black border, I just painted walls and ceiling black. Few down lights and sexiness.

Remember the sound system is also important. Don't want this kick ass screen and projector, only to have meh sound. I went Sony at first, and been Marantz for a few years now. Excellent stuff.

And then include some nice recliner cinema type couches.

Good luck. Fun journey this, and very rewarding once complete.

EDIT: Depending on the screen size you build, 800 x 600 could look really kak. I would say 1080p min.

 

[Gelmir]

Thanks, though tthere would be more feedback on this topic :sorrow:

Anyway, I decided against redoing the wall. I'm going to be doing a reclaimed wood feature wall with a 100" or 120" screen instead.
Just need to find a suitable projector that won't break the bank