Sony - VPL-XW5000ES

I think the AVR and Projector screen are a little high depending on what they have picked out. Is it going to be a fixed screen or a drop down? Black ash subwoofer seems like its an SVS, so they are likely matching the in ceilings to match that quality. If you want it done for less, buy your own equipment, and have them install it or find another company that will. Sony makes a great 4k laser for about 5k so that will cut the cost dramatically

It’s your life and your money. Do whatever you want. But you’re asking the void for free advice. So IMO any TV screen would be a huge downgrade in immersiveness and audio quality in that room. If you want better image quality, get a better projector (and screen, if necessary). You’re apparently in the UK so options and prices may vary. But a JVC DLA-NZ500/ RS1200 is $7k. A Sony VPL-XW5000ES is $6k. I’d choose either one of them over the Epson. A $30 EZCOO SP12H2 HDMI splitter with custom firmware can unlock Dolby Vision capability, and with an AppleTV set to always output Dolby Vision, you would see a big improvement with a lot of streaming content. A custom gamma curve and other calibration tweaks will take it even further. I’m not familiar with BenQ projector and whether you can manually force that projector into an HDR compatible picture mode in BT.2020 color space. But maybe do your research and give it a shot if feasible. That might give you the ROI you’re looking for. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/alternative-devices-for-enabling-lldv-please-read-posts-1-2.3254266/#replies The next step up in price would be an HDFury device that might allow you to add the HDR info frame to automatically switch your BenQ into a HDR compatible picture mode to make the LLDV EDID trick work. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/dolby-vision-including-hdr10-conversion-w-dtm-on-projectors.3097934/#replies If the price of a new decent quality (albeit still entry level) 4K laser long throw projector is giving you heartburn, there’s always the used market. You could score a deal on a used Sony laser or JVC laser or JVC w/ bulb that will serve many people well at relatively low cost. https://www.avforums.com/forums/projector-projection-screen-classifieds.90/ https://www.avforums.com/threads/sony-xw5000es-laser-projector.2541005/ A used Lumagen Radiance Pro 4240 or 4242 could be found for a few grand that will give you excellent picture quality with 4K upscaling capability and DTM for all source devices and all content no matter whether SDR, HDR10, DV or HDR10+. There are still some caveats and limitations. But picture quality is generally not an issue unless you happen to be a 0.001% videophile type person for which only OLED will suffice and you’ll gladly sacrifice audio quality for it. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/new-lumagen-radiance-pro-series.2172017/#replies

Lumens alone don’t tell the whole story. Far from it. Reflected images are primarily dependent on the projector, screen, throw distance, viewing distance and ambient lighting. Other factors include calibration, external anamorphic lens for CinemaScope presentations, etc. All work together in concert to determine the image quality and how your eyes perceive that reflected image. Each person has subjective preferences and sensitivities (e.g. film grain, motion blur, color accuracy, contrast/ black levels, etc.). Ergo, there is no one definitive “best” projector, just differences to consider and tradeoffs to manage. I happily chose a Sony VPL-XW5000ES and a Seymour Screen Excellence Reference Motorized Enlightor Neo screen. My throw distance is about 15ft. My viewing distance is about 9ft. While HDR10 performance could be better, SDR and HDR10 and Dolby Vision are all capable of blinding brightness. And I’m not even using full laser power or using calibration settings that maximize brightness (as that would come at the expense of other picture quality metrics that I care more about). In fact, I purposely watch at maximum luminance of ~330 nits. The image quality and value of my Sony was the best choice for me. I’m very happy with it and have no plans to change it anytime soon. Your mileage may vary. While objective measurements tell much of the story, they don’t tell the whole story. Subjective preference plays a huge role. We don’t yet have the means to measure every performance attribute nor consensus on how to prioritize those attributes to determine an absolute best. All we have groups of people each with their preferences and priorities and biases. An $88.5k Sony VPL-GTZ380 would look amazing in my room mostly because of the lens. While the extra lumens can be put to good effect for HDR content, it’s not going to be $82.5k better to me than my $6k XW5000ES. Same deal with a Barco or Christie. Maybe someday if I ever build a 20 person home theater in a 24,000ft3 room.

People pay professionals good money to help them with answers to your questions. Equipment choice alone is barely half the equation. Good design and good integration are critical to achieving high performance. This isn’t something you should just freestyle, as there are many tradeoffs to manage based on your subjective preferences. Design informs equipment choice. It’s an iterative process as you converge on design and equipment choice simultaneously. Long throw projectors generally offer better image quality than UST at the same price point. UST are nice if you’re worried about people casting shadows or if this is a general entertainment space hosting karaoke night and dance parties. If it’s just for watching motion pictures while seated then get a long throw projector. For $5k I’d try to score a deal on a B-stock Sony VPL-XW5000ES or a lightly used JVC D-ILA projector, preferably with laser light source but if you’d rather spend less then a bulb is fine. You can find some screaming deals if you don’t mind bulbs and fake 4K pixel-shifting. If your viewing distance is >10ft then it shouldn’t matter. https://www.avsforum.com/forums/front-projector.252/ Fixed screens are cheaper than motorized screens. Acoustically transparent screens are nice because you can place the LCR speakers behind the screen, which not only looks better but sounds better. But this is also where you need to be careful as there is interaction between viewing angles/ screen size and speaker positions and seating distance. All have to be in harmony. Woven screens usually look and sound better than perforated screens, but this depends on the exact screen material, budget, viewing distance and preference. Like I said, there’s lots of tradeoffs to manage. I’d recommend minimum 7.1.4 speaker configuration, even if you have to built it in stages as funds allow. My preference in that size room is 9.1.6 but that’s going to break your budget in terms of AV processor capability, speaker count and amplification requirements. You’ll want a minimum of two subwoofers. What exactly do you mean by “sound conditioning is already taken care of?”

God no!! Upgrade to one of the laser based 4k projectors! My fav is the Sony, but there are several to choose from. I think you’d be so disappointed losing that much screen! It’d feel like….. you know, A TV instead of a theater!

You say budget isn’t a concern, but balked at $10k. Which is totally reasonable, but I think it’s important to set expectations. There is a sea of not-particularly-good projectors under $5k. At $5k you have a few decent options where color volume and black levels significantly improve. Above that, things sort of jump to $10k, where black levels and color volume either continue to improve or at least stay flat, but brightness increases. Above $10k, things explode in to the 10s of thousands. Largely for the purpose of going really big (165”+) and of course the Christie Eclipse at $400kish. This also doesn’t factor in the screen, which can cost as little as $300 and as much as $6k or more. Given you aren’t willing to properly light control, but need good brightness, image quality, fan noise, and low input lag, you’re going to have a hard time hitting all of that under $10k. I would have serious reservations about getting excited for HDR. You might find SDR content looks better. A JVC NP5, Sony XW5000ES, or Epson LS12000, and Epson QB1000 should all be on a shortlist. There are plenty of comparisons between them. Pair one of those with a positive gain ALR screen and you should have a good experience *most of the time*. Ultimately though, these still prefer a dark room, and the ALR screen will largely combat light colored ceiling and walls. You could also look at UST projectors. These kick out a shit load of light, though usually at the expense of contrast in a dark room. UST screens tend to offer better ALR effects as well. I like the new Epson QS100, as well as the LS800, but I’ve heard good things about the Hisense. Realistically though, you should strongly consider a 100-115” TV.

If you watch a lot of movies with dark scenes I’d look into a jvc rs1200(nz500.) having demoed the the ls1100, ls1200, and Sony xw 5000es I would definitely spend the extra on the ls1200. I preferred the Sony to the Epsons. Better contrast and a bit sharper but that could be due to Sonys processing

I have the Sony 5000 and it lights up and a 140” screen no problem. You could consider it vs the 5001 and save a lot of money. Do you have to go with in-wall speakers? Depending on room size and how loud you like to listen, three bookshelf speakers across the front will sound great. Or two towers and a beefy center channel.

Sony VPL-XW5000ES Projector when it’s on sale or an epson LS 12000

JVC wins in black levels and is best with 4K Blu-ray. Sony is a close second but much better with processing, detail, streaming, motion, sports, and gaming. Epson is brighter, but is insanely green. Once you have it accurately calibrated the brightness drops off lower than the Sony or JVC with none of the benefits.

The Sony XW5000ES has better blacks, color, contrast, and motion vs the Epson and can is very good for gaming with some limitations. It has very low input lag at 4K60 and even better... Around 12ms at 2K120. However, it will not ruin at 4K120.

This looks like a great system from Starpower. They are a competitor of mine, but the pricing here is fair and everything is of high quality. If you want to stay closer to $15K drop down to the XW5000, drop the Revel speakers to a more cost effective speaker and maybe drop the universal remote. The extended warranty is expensive, but is not out of line for the price of the system. However, I've seen the XW5100 and the performance jump is HUGE. I would stick with this if possible.

Yep, Sony was the first with 4K back in 2011 and along with JVC are still the only native 4K projectors. Everything else is simulated 4K using LCD or DLP. The XW5000ES is a great laser 4K and even as the base of the Sony lineup it’s an incredible projector. My favorite bang for the buck is the new Bravia Projector 7 that uses the same XR processor as their best TVs. The tone mapping color, contrast, detail, and motion is the best I’ve ever seen for under $15K and it’s only $8,000. If you want a real beast check out the GTZ380. 10,000 lumens, 150lbs, 220v, and as a dealer I have to be licensed by the federal government to sell and install this beast!

why not Sony xw5000es?

sony is standard throw. for some reason ultra short throw such as Hisense is a hot topic right now. which I understand, its new and more compact, but almost 100% wont work as expected without screen. standard throw are more forgiving, however given sony is not cheap its worth considering screen, too. but anyway, sony should be way way better than hisense. I saw video of that youtube blogger that is referenced all the time here, but HDR works ok on Sony if using external source, it's just internal playback processor sucks, optics are first class

Epson will be brightest and average contrast and blacks. Sony will be less bright but better contrast. JVC is lowest brightness but incredible blacks and contrast. Pick what you prefer.