Scott7's Pixel Palace Theater

[Scott7]

We bought our house and about 6 months later, I started working on turning the basement into a dedicated home theater. With the help and dedication of a very good friend, we built a home theater complete with a media/projection room, as well as a small lobby.

Here are some pics of the theater. Please let me know what you think!

 

[Scott7]

Thank you all for the compliments! Right now, there are two Iron Man statues sitting in the lobby. One is being exchanged for another (the original had some factory-born imperfections). It's pretty funny, having "Iron Men" in the lobby (temporarily). I'll post a picture a little later.

 

[Scott7]

Here are some pictures of both statues, as promised in the post above. Mark VI times two!

 

[leoo]

Wow that's awesome!! Super jealous.

 

[Wreck]

looks great!

 

[chunk]

Wow, Scott, I absolutely love it all. What you have created there is any movie lovers perfect dream screening room and lobby..(I've always wanted something like that, who wouldn't) the amount of detail and thought gone into it, It's simply amazing!! You must be super proud of all your hard work. Thank you for sharing

 

[Scott7]

Wow, Scott, I absolutely love it all. What you have created there is any movie lovers perfect dream screening room and lobby..(I've always wanted something like that, who wouldn't) the amount of detail and thought gone into it, It's simply amazing!! You must be super proud of all your hard work. Thank you for sharing

Thank you so much @chunk! Like many/most here, I've loved movies and the "escape" they provide for as long as I can remember. And, I've always been fascinated by good video and audio quality. But, the thought that I could someday have a theater like this in my home did not really take hold until about 15 years ago. However, once it did, I spent years planning for it and waiting for the right situation. Now that it's a reality, I really enjoy it and am down there all the time to watch movies, sports, and to listen to music. And, I really enjoy our family time down there and the times my daughter and I go down there to watch the Philadelphia Flyers or to watch movies together.

The lobby changes I've been making started last Summer and have been heavily influenced by HDN Members (I'm looking at you, @Wreck and @Drum18), and there is more to come. I'm starting to get into collection of Hot Toys 1/6 scale figures and have a few on order. I might use the candy counter's display shelves for them. And, I have a few other things I may do, too. The theater is about as finished as it can get, so I use the lobby and media rooms as my places to make changes (hopefully improvements).

 

[chunk]

Thanks for the info, I was gonna ask you how much you use the room etc, so happy you get to enjoy it with the whole family, I don't know how old your kids are but they must absolutely love it. Do you do the whole bit, tickets, popcorn, intermission? So much fun!
I'd be sad to see your sweet shelves emptied though, I think that was a great touch to the movie experience, from childhood, that's was the first counter we'd run to after getting the tickets.but I don't blame you for thinking about kicking out the sweets to make room for hot toys, they'll be a great addition to your cinema. I'm just getting my first hot toys too, which ones will you be adding? Those iron man statues are brilliant, do they rip the ticket stubbs on your way through.
Really look forward to seeing what you've changed, in future photo's. It's so impressive what you've done, never seen anything like it. Awesome!!!

 

[digitalbabe]

Looks awesome @Scott7!

 

[STARKILLER 1138]

Love those 1:1 IM statues!

 

[Scott7]

Thanks for the info, I was gonna ask you how much you use the room etc, so happy you get to enjoy it with the whole family, I don't know how old your kids are but they must absolutely love it. Do you do the whole bit, tickets, popcorn, intermission? So much fun!
I'd be sad to see your sweet shelves emptied though, I think that was a great touch to the movie experience, from childhood, that's was the first counter we'd run to after getting the tickets.but I don't blame you for thinking about kicking out the sweets to make room for hot toys, they'll be a great addition to your cinema. I'm just getting my first hot toys too, which ones will you be adding? Those iron man statues are brilliant, do they rip the ticket stubbs on your way through.
Really look forward to seeing what you've changed, in future photo's. It's so impressive what you've done, never seen anything like it. Awesome!!!

@chunk: yes, I do use the room a lot. I designed it with one goal in mind: as theater-like a movie experience as I could get. I had a number of design considerations I stuck to, in order to achieve as much of that effect as I could. But, a secondary goal was to create a room that also was as good as possible for dedicated audio listening. Everything done in the space was with those two goals in mind. Now that it's finished, I find myself with lots of "reasons" to go down there and let out my inner HT/audio geek. But as I said, I also end up down there each week for "Family Movie Night" and for other "guys' movie nights" as well. It's a lot of fun; my daughter even had her birthday party down there last year. And, I could spend hours down there attempting to wring out sonic improvements. It's amazing what minute changes will do to the sonics in the room!

The popcorn machine does work, but to be honest, we never use it for that purpose. It ends up being decorative in nature, to (hopefully) enhance the "lobby feel." I do have/had an application that can create movie tickets. In fact, I made a number of them for the "grand opening" and have them laying on the ticket booth counter (you might be able to make them out in one or more of the pics in this thread). I've often toyed with emailing tickets to friends as a means of inviting them over, but haven't done that yet. I also have some theater intermission music and customized theater intro DVDs that I sometimes use, too. You are absolutely right; it's all a lot of fun!

I agree with you on emptying the candy out of the candy counter shelves. I'm torn on that one, to be honest with you. Trouble is, the lobby is not very big and I'm running out of space. I have been throwing around the idea of keeping candy on the top shelf, and using the bottom for the Hot Toys. I'm just not sure what I'll do, and I may experiment before making a final decision. I'm open to suggestions. By the way, those candy displays are just that - displays (empty boxes). The actual candy is in the drawer below the display.

Like you, I'm most interested in the Iron Man statues. I have a couple of them on order but they haven't shown up yet. I'm expecting one or two this week and I can't wait to see them in person. They look amazingly detailed and life-like online and I hope they end up looking that way in-person. I also am going to get at least one Thor and one Cap, and maybe a few other characters. Others have said that getting into 1/6 Hot Toys is addictive, and I'm already feeling that!

I'm back down to just one Iron Man lifesize statue now (the other is boxed up and ready to be returned). I've always dreamed of having a piece like that in a lobby one day.

I'll keep posting updates to this thread. This community is great; I've gotten so much help here and it's really enhanced my love of this hobby.

Looks awesome @Scott7!

Thanks @digitalbabe! I really appreciate it.

Love those 1:1 IM statues!

Thanks @STARKILLER 1138! Yes, that is the one thing in the lobby that draws the most visceral reaction from guests. I still go down there from time to time, just to look at it!

 

[Wreck]

I still go down there from time to time, just to look at it!

Hell yeah thats what I like to hear!

@Scott7

alright man here is my recommendation! So you got some hot toys coming ... so you're basically into that right now but got no where to put them. You got 2 options ... either you can display them in some areas in place of some steels in your closet .... or, you can buy a $60 glass case cabinet from ikea called a detolf. If you dont have ikea near you see how far your nearest one is ... maybe next time you take a trip to that town area you can grab one then. It allows you to display figures very nicely, and protected. Since you say you dont use the popcorn maker you could pack that up and put that case there if you like ... this would allow you to display the figures as long as your heart is content and last quite a while depending on how you display inside .... then at later point if you ever get "over" the figures (which is hard haha ... I tend to take breaks buying but never get over the ones I have) or find a diff spot you can put the popcorn maker back. My extended family always oohs and awws at the figures cause they look so dog gone real ... kinda a nice touch for my theater. So while the popcorn maker is more of a classic feel I think your figures displayed would still add a different feel and experience all the powerful as the popcorn maker just of course different.

Or could go with runner shelves that go along like 1.5 - 2 ft from the ceiling (small shelves) that hold the figures displayed ...

 

[STARKILLER 1138]

I agree with Wreck, detolfs are a very popular case for HT figures. The 7" deep Billy bookcases from Ikea are a good choice too. There's something about having your favorite characters, props, etc. from your favorite films displayed in your HT that adds a little something.

 

[C.C. 95]

Super Nice! We all want that room somewhere down the line!
Very very nice!
I like that you use it for family time too.
(A lot of guys make it a 'man cave' for just themselves and their friends!)
The kids must love it, and I'm sure your theater room will be a place to be for Birthdays!
Question:
Did you do the new home Atmos sound system?
And please tell me you made a Preview/Intermission Disc that plays this: (a must!!)

 

[Scott7]

Hell yeah thats what I like to hear!

@Scott7

alright man here is my recommendation! So you got some hot toys coming ... so you're basically into that right now but got no where to put them. You got 2 options ... either you can display them in some areas in place of some steels in your closet .... or, you can buy a $60 glass case cabinet from ikea called a detolf. If you dont have ikea near you see how far your nearest one is ... maybe next time you take a trip to that town area you can grab one then. It allows you to display figures very nicely, and protected. Since you say you dont use the popcorn maker you could pack that up and put that case there if you like ... this would allow you to display the figures as long as your heart is content and last quite a while depending on how you display inside .... then at later point if you ever get "over" the figures (which is hard haha ... I tend to take breaks buying but never get over the ones I have) or find a diff spot you can put the popcorn maker back. My extended family always oohs and awws at the figures cause they look so dog gone real ... kinda a nice touch for my theater. So while the popcorn maker is more of a classic feel I think your figures displayed would still add a different feel and experience all the powerful as the popcorn maker just of course different.

Or could go with runner shelves that go along like 1.5 - 2 ft from the ceiling (small shelves) that hold the figures displayed ...

I agree with Wreck, detolfs are a very popular case for HT figures. The 7" deep Billy bookcases from Ikea are a good choice too. There's something about having your favorite characters, props, etc. from your favorite films displayed in your HT that adds a little something.

You guys are awesome; I really appreciate the suggestions. I had been giving Detolfs a thought, and had looked at some of the other popular Ikea options for displaying these kinds of figures. The problem I have is one of where to actually put them. @Wreck, your idea of putting the popcorn machine away and utilizing that space for the Hot Toys is certainly a possibility, but it's one I'd have a hard time with. I love what that machine does for the room!

I had not thought of using the shelves in the Media Room for display of the figures...that is a really interesting idea. It would work, but it would also diminish their "display utility" in that they would be somewhat hidden away from typical view, since I and others spend more time in the lobby than in the Media Room. Still, I can't ignore that it would work very well, from a functional perspective.

You and @STARKILLER 1138 both recommend the Detolfs and I do really like that idea. I've been down in the lobby a bunch of times trying to figure out how to work them into the room. I'm still not sure that is possible without removal of something else.

Here is another idea I've been kicking around: As @Wreck knows, last year, before I acquired the 1:1 Iron Man Mark VI statue, I pre-ordered a 1:1 Mark XVII bust, which, at last count, is due to ship sometime in March. I've been torn as to whether I should keep it, now that I have the full-size statue. On one hand, if it looks half as good as the pre-release photos, it would be a heckuva piece...one I had planned on displaying on top of the candy counter. On the other hand, if I didn't have it to display, I could use the top of the candy counter for the Hot Toys. What do you all think?

Another option, as I had mentioned earlier, would be to use the bottom shelf of the candy counter display for Hot Toys, and to keep candy on the top glass display shelf. I don't know that I'm in love with that option, however.

@STARKILLER 1138, I also want to say that I took a look at your room thread, and while I haven't had a chance yet to formally comment on it, I was highly impressed. Those bookshelves where you keep your figures are awesome. I wish I had the room for those in my lobby!

Please keep the ideas, opinions, suggestions, and comments coming. They are helpful!

 

[Scott7]

Super Nice! We all want that room somewhere down the line!
Very very nice!
I like that you use it for family time too.
(A lot of guys make it a 'man cave' for just themselves and their friends!)
The kids must love it, and I'm sure your theater room will be a place to be for Birthdays!
Question:
Did you do the new home Atmos sound system?
And please tell me you made a Preview/Intermission Disc that plays this: (a must!!)

Thanks @C.C. 95; I appreciate the compliments! While I will admit that it's kind of my sanctuary and that I spend the most time down there, I certainly love sharing it with family and friends, too. My wife is wonderful and has let me go wild down there in terms of setting it up. But, she occasionally has "girls' movie night" down there too, which I think is cool.

I do not have Dolby Atmos in my system, at this time (I'm running a 9.1 set up at the moment). I've been doing research on Atmos, but I'm not ready to transition to it yet. Realistically, there's not much Atmos-enabled content available yet. That doesn't mean I won't continue to research and maybe consider an upgrade at some point in the future.

As for the preview/intermission disc, I believe I have that "Let's All Go to the Lobby" video as part of a customized intro DVD I had made a few years ago. It's part of a whole package of throwback cinema videos and media that came on the disc.

 

[C.C. 95]

Thanks @C.C. 95; I appreciate the compliments! While I will admit that it's kind of my sanctuary and that I spend the most time down there, I certainly love sharing it with family and friends, too. My wife is wonderful and has let me go wild down there in terms of setting it up. But, she occasionally has "girls' movie night" down there too, which I think is cool.

I do not have Dolby Atmos in my system, at this time (I'm running a 9.1 set up at the moment). I've been doing research on Atmos, but I'm not ready to transition to it yet. Realistically, there's not much Atmos-enabled content available yet. That doesn't mean I won't continue to research and maybe consider an upgrade at some point in the future.

As for the preview/intermission disc, I believe I have that "Let's All Go to the Lobby" video as part of a customized intro DVD I had made a few years ago. It's part of a whole package of throwback cinema videos and media that came on the disc.

Love it! By the way, I am a pretty hardcore audiophile (35 year studio musician) and as neat as Atmos is, it is kinda beyond the beyond! 7.1 does me fine! I giggle at the idea of 22.2 surround! ( a little much!)
Just make sure you get what you want and not what an expert tells you you need to have. That's a good rule of thumb. After all, your eyes & ears never lie to you!

 

[Scott7]

Love it! By the way, I am a pretty hardcore audiophile (35 year studio musician) and as neat as Atmos is, it is kinda beyond the beyond! 7.1 does me fine! I giggle at the idea of 22.2 surround! ( a little much!)
Just make sure you get what you want and not what an expert tells you you need to have. That's a good rule of thumb. After all, your eyes & ears never lie to you!

I agree with everything you said! Truth be told, I'm running 9.1 only because I set up the room with three pairs of side surround speakers run in parallel, so it was easy to convert the front-most pair to Wides (they were placed in a spot that is close to what is recommended for Wides). My pre/pro had that capability built right in. But honestly, the difference in sound between 7.1 and 9.1 is fairly marginal, at least to my ears.

As a studio musician, do you have a type of speaker, or a particular manufacturer, that you are fond of? I love the smoothness and detail of ribbon speakers.

 

[STARKILLER 1138]

Thank you for the compliment, Scott.

IMO, keep your 1:1 IM bust order. It will be an amazing piece, and a great addition to your 1:1 IM statue. As for the HT's, there are plenty of options other than floor standing display cases. You could always go the floating shelf route. My middle child (she's 18) has all her HT, GG, and misc. stuff on floating shelves and it definitely frees up floor space. Just a thought. There are also wall wedge shelves that can hold alot of weight, and are something a little different than your typical shelf.

Here are a couple links to give you an idea:

Floating shelf - http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10282179/#/50193732

Wall wedge shelf - http://www.artdisplay.com/wall-wedge.html

The best advice I can give is not to rush it. Take your time and find something you really like and will work with the room you have.

 

[C.C. 95]

That set up sounds great! As I'm sure you know, your sound is a highly subjective affair. I actually have very different speakers for studio vs. Home theater. I have always enjoyed Paradigm and Polk Audio. But, I can't stress enough how subjective and tricky audio gets. For instance, I am aware of my tastes & hearing, I prefer to push high and low frequency and cut mids. Some people hate that!! I learned long ago that I have to mix to my hearing. After all, I am not a public venue and this is for my own pleasure. (If I was a public venue, I would bring in diagnostic equipment and calibrate professionally).
The great thing about home audio now, is how great you can sound with very little (in size & money).
10 years ago I would have chuckled if you said I could decently cover LCR channels with a soundbar!
And even the new Atmos installs I've seen diagrams of are really cutting edge- using small, hidden, directionally bounced speakers to achieve a sound matrix that would have cost you a small fortune in very labor intensive carpentry and installation. (People with funky-shaped rooms can now get a decent surround home theater!)
It really is exciting. A great home theater is no longer for the very wealthy!
And the technology is so good now (dummy-proof, as it were),
that you would actually have to work at screwing it up!!
I think you did a great job on that space!!
I will take notes as I am one move away from doing my own!
I also want to mix in actual 35 and 16 Millimeter prints!!
I want a celluloid library!
I'm not getting younger so....
I'm going to leave you with this very important article on the future of cinema.
James Cameron explains:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/james-cameron-says-future-of-movies-will-be-watchi,35935/

 

[Scott7]

Thank you for the compliment, Scott.

IMO, keep your 1:1 IM bust order. It will be an amazing piece, and a great addition to your 1:1 IM statue. As for the HT's, there are plenty of options other than floor standing display cases. You could always go the floating shelf route. My middle child (she's 18) has all her HT, GG, and misc. stuff on floating shelves and it definitely frees up floor space. Just a thought. There are also wall wedge shelves that can hold alot of weight, and are something a little different than your typical shelf.

Here are a couple links to give you an idea:

Floating shelf - http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10282179/#/50193732

Wall wedge shelf - http://www.artdisplay.com/wall-wedge.html

The best advice I can give is not to rush it. Take your time and find something you really like and will work with the room you have.

This was very helpful guidance - thank you. I really like the way those bright red floating shelves look in the pictures; they would be really cool to add to the lobby. Ultimately, I am going to do as you suggest: take some time, consider possible ways to display them, and try to keep an open mind about how to squeeze more toys into a pretty small space.