The video above is the full walkthrough of this build. This article covers the component decisions and the reasoning behind each one. If you want to replicate this setup, read both — the video shows the calibration process that's hard to explain in text.
1 · The actual build
Total component cost: $1,489. Labor for the install and calibration: $900. That's the $2,400. Here's the breakdown:
- BenQ TH685P projector — $699. 1080p, 3,500 lumens, low input lag for gaming. The sweet spot between price and brightness.
- 100" ambient light rejecting screen — $180. Not a white wall. Not a pull-down sheet. An actual ALR screen that rejects off-axis light so you can watch without blacking out the room.
- Denon AVR-X1700H receiver (used, Facebook Marketplace) — $150. 7.2 channels, Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.1. In perfect condition. This is the category where used equipment makes the most sense — receivers last 15 years if not abused.
- Polk Audio Reserve R200 bookshelf speakers (pair) — $280. Front left and right. Warm, detailed, and efficient enough that the Denon drives them without effort.
- Klipsch R-120SW subwoofer — $180. 12-inch down-firing driver. More than enough for a 400 sq ft room.
2 · Projector choice
A 100" 1080p projection image costs $699. A 100" LED TV — if you can even find one — runs $3,000 to $8,000. The projector wins on size per dollar by a factor of five. The tradeoff is brightness: projectors need a darker room than a TV to look their best. The ALR screen addresses this partially, but if your room gets afternoon sun through large west-facing windows, a TV may serve you better.
Every projector ships with picture settings optimized for the showroom floor — vivid, punchy, and completely inaccurate. The video shows a 15-minute calibration process using free test patterns from Spears & Munsil that gets you to a cinema-accurate image. This single step makes more difference than any component upgrade.
3 · The screen decision
White wall projection works. It also looks washed out in anything other than a dark room, shows every texture and imperfection in the paint, and has zero gain — meaning it doesn't direct light toward the viewer. The $180 ALR screen has 1.0 gain (neutral), a smooth surface, and rejects ceiling and floor light. It's not optional for daytime viewing. Buy the screen.
4 · Audio: the part people get wrong
Most home theater buyers spend on the display and skimp on audio, then wonder why the experience feels flat. In a movie theater, roughly 60% of the budget goes to the sound system. At home, the ratio should be at least 40/60 display/audio. The Polk/Klipsch/Denon combination in this build produces sound that genuinely surprises people who are used to TV speakers or a soundbar.
5 · The one mistake that ruins it
Hard surfaces. Tile floors, bare walls, a ceiling with no treatment — these turn even a great speaker system into an echo chamber. The single cheapest fix for a room with reflective surfaces: place a large area rug behind the seating position. It absorbs the first reflection off the floor and reduces the smearing that makes dialogue hard to understand. One 8x10 rug, $100 at any home goods store, makes a measurable acoustic difference. This is the thing I mention at the end of every theater install and the thing clients most often text me about a month later saying they finally did it and can't believe the difference.