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Budget HD

Home Theater DIY Projection HD

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - Podcast #485: Painting Your Projector Screen

Painting a projector screen onto a wall can reduce screen costs by up to 95% compared to commercial options like the $2,700 Ara Black Diamond II, using specialized DIY kits from Goo Systems or DIY Theatre priced between $194 and $279, or a basic Home Depot approach for under $20. Proper wall prep with fine-grit sandpaper and a quality primer are critical to achieving a consistent image without hot spots. For viewers on a tight budget, this approach offers a custom-sized, fixed-screen solution that one user has relied on for six years after calibrating his projector for optimal picture quality.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
Home Theater Buying Guides Blu-ray

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast #336 - HDTV Starter Systems

Two complete starter home theater systems are spec'd out for budget-conscious buyers, anchored by either a Samsung LN46A550 46-inch 1080p LCD at $1,225 or a Mitsubishi WD-65735 65-inch 1080p DLP at $1,440, each paired with a 7.1-channel receiver supporting HDMI 1.3 and HD audio decoding formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. Both builds include a 5.1 speaker package, a 1080p Blu-ray player with BD-Live capability, and a Logitech Harmony universal remote, bringing total system costs to $2,405 and $2,534 respectively. Readers looking to enter the home theater space can use these curated bundles as a practical, tested roadmap for assembling a full system without overspending.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts