VAVA projector using a IKEA Besta TV Hack with Telon screen

[@alexalexis7899]

This is easily the most intelligent and elegant solution to keep your central channel in place, hide the projector when not in use and provide an extra level of dust protection to the lens. So many people spending a lot of time and money on custom made furniture to fit their projectors when this sliding shelf solution takes care of everything (and then some) for a fraction of the price. Very nicely done. Thank you for sharing!

[@USAFonz]

Ive been scratching my head trying to figure out what kind of shelf to build for my vava and im glad i ran into this video. You just sold me on the besta wall mount unit.

[@USAFonz]

Question for you, did you mount the screen first? or the besta first?

[@michaelferreira8729]

Thanks for making this video! I followed your plans exactly for my “For Movie Theatre” projector. It also fit the Besta perfectly. I chose to place the Besta on the floor rather than wall-mounted, to allow for the screen to be a little lower to the ground.

[@dimitribrahim8064]

Hello Michael, Could you give me the size of the tablet in cm please?

[@0xVeniVidiVici]

I also am getting the Formovie Theater projector. Did you use the same holes for mounting the drawer slides or did you have to adjust for the height of the projector?

[@michaelferreira5420]

I adjusted to make it a nice snug fit.

[@FutureMrsThayer]

What size screen are you able to use for this set up? We mounted a 150" screen and are now thinking we will have to pull the Bestå away from the wall a few inches, even with the drawer fully extended.

[@michaelferreira8729]

@@FutureMrsThayer we have a 120 inch screen and the shelf is almost fully extended, but not quite. Yes, I imagine with a 150 inch screen, you’d have to place the besta a few inches away from the wall.

[@shanecorrea1970]

Very informative video. Your project is sleek and modern looking. I'd say you'll have a lot of people doing this project for themselves. I enjoyed the video.

[@fabiog4009]

Thank you very much for this idea, i was actually going to return mine because i was disappointed that i couldn't get 150 inch screen, I didn't wanted to move my entertainment center from the wall just to get the 150 screen sizes, but this idea of yours is awesome!!

[@SFBenjaminK]

BOUGHT VAVA CHROMA , cant wait to arrives in couple of months , gonna do the same with stand

[@edv9142]

Bought my Vava projector and Telon 120" ALR screen today. Thanks for making the video.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

No problem, you will love it!

[@edv9142]

@@MrPolskiOgorki Hey are you able to get your Vava to play 4k files? My Firestick 4k and KZbin app only go up to 1080p on it.

[@edv9142]

@@MrPolskiOgorki Nevermind. I'm a moron lol. I forgot my niece took my Amazon Firestick 4k and I was using an older one. Found a different Firestick and I'm getting 4k now.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

@@edv9142 Try a Shield Pro - it's more expensive but it really has a nice upscale feature, can act as a dedicated Plex server and easily runs 4k at 60 fps. It's debatable whether the cost upgrade is worth it, for me it was due to factors I mentioned.

[@edv9142]

@@MrPolskiOgorki Thanks yes I was thinking about getting one too. I'll do some more research. Just watched Jurassic World 4k last night. I kept laughing because it looked so amazing , I just couldn't get over it. Hooking my 7.2.2 surround back up today, but I was genuinely shocked by how good the built in speakers are. Superbowl is gonna be awesome today lol.

[@dotnetdevni]

Would the drawer work for the Epson ls 800 b and am wondering could u use one of those electronic sliders it’s a shame they stoped doing solid wood

[@victorxppp]

could you let me know how many screws you used for the rails? you mentioned that the drawer has pre cut holes but the slides only reach the front and middle holes. it's too short to reach the back holes. This won't hold the weight so I wonder if you used anything special to reach all the way to the back or if you just used a bunch of screws all along the rail.

[@iph2]

Think I might do this when I make a ust setup , but I don’t have a receiver so I’ll prob have door mounts that open down to floor so I can actually hide the projector when not in use

[@dotnetdevni]

Would the drawer work for the Epson ls 800 b and am wondering could u use one of those electronic sliders

[@timperry8961]

Had this in mind for my Hisense l5hd, but the besta is just a tad to narrow to house the projector 🤦🏻

[@agustintajch]

Thanks for sharing, this was a great inspirational reference!

[@omnomnymous]

Can you share how you installed the front clips for the drawer slides? In all the videos I have see, the drawer front needs a front lip to screw in the drawer clips.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

actually all I did was connect the clips to the rails and then just "sit" the drawer on top of everything. I then adjusted the drawer to where it would be centered across the slides. Once I had it in a good position, I marked the clip screw holes with a pencil. I then drilled small holes and installed them.

[@dilliansoddsandends809]

Very neat, the only room for improvement would be to make it motorized with a stepper motor and a linear rail, possibly with some automation

[@edwardipp]

I think you did a great job! I want to do the same thing. I have the Besta and the two shelves it came with. I've been studying your video and the only thing I'm not sure of is where to mount the Blum Slides? It looks like it is set back from the front of the cabinet and the latch is some distance away from the front of the shelf. I haven't done this before and maybe the measurements will be obvious when the slides come. Thanks you for posting this!!!

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

To be honest, since this is only a flat drawer, the easiest way to install this was to insert the clips into the slides, then lay the drawer on top. Make sure it's all the way back inside the cabinet; you can use a clamp to hold the front clips in place. Then make your pencil marks underneath for the screws. Remove the clamps, install the clips and you are done.

[@talhart]

Thanks. Just did this for my Samsung the premier SLP9T projector. Fits perfectly. The only issue is thatbto clear the obstruction i need to pull the shelf out quite a lot which with this projector results in a 140 inch image..

[@KartikBhandariKB]

This is one of the best DIY explanation videos. Thank you! I wanted to know about what kind of hdmi cables you are using? I did some measurements and I am not sure if Besta will fit my current HDMI cable running to the VAVA projector. Can you measure the internal depth of the besta and comment on the HDMI cables you are using?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

The internal depth is over 15". I found that using 3' or 5' HDMI ultraslim cables from Monoprice worked really well (I put them in the description). But most of my stuff is running from and to the receiver below. I would say if you are running from receiver (below) to VAVA then 3' would work, anything going to the side compartments would benefit from some extra length so go with a 5'

[@BijuToronto]

Great video and amazing idea. just one question. my projector weighs 21 lbs. when it is fully extended, will it hold this up?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Yes, as per the manufacturers website, the slides hold up to 50 lbs

[@procekim]

I got the Ikea Lack and made the 10cm legs smaller at least I do not have to shuffle in and out all the time. but hey good job.

[@bizzy511]

What do you mean you made the legs 10cm shorter?

[@procekim]

@@bizzy511 My sofa is low and I wanted to have a good 1/3 of the screen in eye level. Therefore I cut off 5cm from the legs. Table is great for UST projector.

[@bizzy511]

@@procekim oh I understand what you're saying. Thanks for the clarification.

[@st89]

Appreciate the explanation, I replicated this for my own set up based on your video and it looks great. One question, do you have any issues with the projector sliding around slightly every time you push the shelf in and out? I'm facing that and having to manually adjust re-set the projector every time I start it up. Did you need to do anything to keep the projector from moving around on the shelf?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

No, I don't have issues with the slides, but then again we rarely push the projector back in. It's our daily watcher so it gets used multiple times a day. If the projector is moving around and not the shelf itself then I think it's an easier fix. Try and use some high friction pads under the legs of the projector to keep it stable. If it's the slides, then it's a bit more difficult to keep the slide in the correct position. I haven't dealt with the latter problem, but I'm sure there are solutions out there on the web to find.

[@eb2350]

Is this usuable for 100" screen or would there not be enough air flow

[@joecnelson77yes]

Great video! What's the distance between the front (nearest wall) of the projector to the screen? Thanks!

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

I have re-done my setup so unfortunately I cannot calculate this anymore.

[@quantumcalamari]

What is the height of your centre channel? I am trying a similar build and worried there's not going to be enough clearance over the top of the centre channel so that it casts a shadow on the screen.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

I have this model of center speaker: www.jamo.com/speakers/center-channel-speakers/s-83-cen

[@jim60631]

Excellent video and setup, however it says you are projecting onto a 120" screen, how far away from the wall (at the max distance) is the vava to get 120"? That seems like it's REALLY far to me. I also have some older BESTA IKEA cabinets/console and currently have a long throw projector setup and i was under the ASSumption if i switched to UST that for a 110" screen i would be able to have it much closer than what it appears yours is. Thanks for help/insight.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

You are correct the projector does need to be pretty far away from the wall to achieve 120" and even more to get 150". Measuring from the back of the wall to the very front of the VAVA, I get 28" to achieve a 120" picture. I assume a 150" would be in the 30"-31" range using this measurement approach.

[@codito14]

@@MrPolskiOgorki I just got a 135” screen for my Chroma. Do you think it will be possible to do this same setup for it? Maybe just have to pull the projector out just a bit more?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

@@codito14 yes my projector is not all the way out. I can extend further, not sure if it would do 150" but 135" seems like it would work without issue.

[@KungFuMojo]

The vava vents pretty much run the entire length of the sides, so even with this full extension, I take it the vent is still partially covered, right?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

yes my vent is slightly covered, maybe an inch, but the majority is expelled in the open.

[@paulk9534]

Could you please tell me the depth of your centre speaker… the measurement front to wall please

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

I don't have this speaker anymore but it was this from Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JJP96NT/ You can find dimensions for the center channel somewhere online.

[@IPeeOrange]

Excellent video Filip, thank you very much! Do you think you could show an update with the AWOL projector please? Thank you!

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

It's on my list as a to do...

[@jameshuynh3588]

Thank you my for sharing your project. I have a question about the undermount slides. In the video got mentioned they are Blum brand but the link you provided is from another manufacturer called Salice. Can you confirm it’s the same product? Also this is a push style but is it also soft close? Thank you.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

My slides are actually for reference only. In the end, I purchased slides from a local cabinet maker. Any heavy duty slides within this size should work just fine. Soft close or not - it doesn't matter.

[@weikra2023]

Hey, what is the distance between the bottom edge of the screen and the top edge of the Besta board and what do you think about the vava fan noise? Thanks!

[@dotnetdevni]

Would the epson ls 800 b fit this

[@joentell]

What an awesome idea!

[@DeFiDuke]

Love it! will this fit the epson ls100 ? thanks!

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

it could, the VAVA Original LT002 has these dimensions, (LWH): 21.0 x 14.5" x 4.2". As long as you are less than those you should be good, although there is some wiggle room in either direction.

[@ralphcarrafiello7105]

Hello and thank you for sharing. I have my VAVA on order now along with their 100" ALR screen. The link to the BESTA cabinet indicates that is is 16 1/2 " deep> However, the VAVA unit is almost 21" deep. How did you get your drawer to close flush? What am I missing here...thank you : )

[@KungFuMojo]

You're thinking width. The Vava is less than 15 inches deep.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Hi the unit is 21" WIDE, not deep. Dimensions (W x H x D): 533.0 x 107.0 x 368.0 mm

[@1976vinodh]

hi, Can I put this stand on the ground instead of hanging? How far the distance should be to get 150 inch? Thanks much

[@aaronbriggs6365]

Is all the runners and Shelf from IKEA! Sorry I watched this muted as was thinking of doing this but wanted to know if what I’ve got can do it

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

No, I purchased shelf from Home Depot and drawer slides from a local tradesman - but you can buy those online. Links are in the description.

[@kacperurbanski7564]

I'd like to ask how consistent is your solution, does it always end up in the same place after sliding out the projector? Or maybe there is a variance, so you would need to correct it via keystone i.e. every time you slide out your projector? One more thing I'd like to ask is if there is any side to side movement of the drawer if you push it to the side when it's fully extended?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

The reality is that I rarely slide the projector in. However I did consider adding some stops to make sure the slide was in the same spot. When I do slide it back and forth, yes you can get it to stop at the same spot you will just tweak it based on where the picture edges hit your screen. I'm thinking my next version will simply be a fixed shelf because we just don't use the slide often enough.

[@kacperurbanski7564]

@@MrPolskiOgorki Thank you, I ended up trying to do almost exactly the way you did, but on top of that I'll add stepper motor and lead screw to make accuracy of the system a little bit higher, and to have control via smart home. I'll let you know how it works after it's done.

[@kacperurbanski7564]

@@MrPolskiOgorki So I actually did motorize it, it works really good this way, I only had to adjust screen once and it stays pretty much in the exact spot every time I open/close it.

[@BijuToronto]

@@kacperurbanski7564 did you do the automation? can you share the details please?

[@kacperurbanski7564]

@@BijuToronto I actually did, what do you want to know?

[@fluxcapacitor]

I know everyone wants the biggest possible picture, but due to physical constraint at home I need to know what is the _minimum_ image size you can achieve with this technique (because obviously, the frame of the furniture will block the beam at some minimum point). In particular, can the image width be less or equal to the width of the BESTÅ stand?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

good question. I know from previous comments on this video that 100" was not achievable due to the Besta frame blocking the picture. You are likely going to have around a 110" as the smallest size picture.

[@fluxcapacitor]

@@MrPolskiOgorki Yes, this is my conclusion also. I drew a pyramidal beam in SketchUp according to the information available for the projector an saw it collides with the top part of the Besta frame for smallest screen sizes, due to projector being too close to the TV stand in this case.

[@pascalv.3673]

can you use the rails to set how far you pull out the drawer so that it always has the right setting? or is that not possible with rails?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Not without some modifications. I was thinking of doing that too - it would be nice to have a set mark for how far out it needs to pull. It also should have a "backstop" since sometimes when you pull it out, it wants to spring back - so you would need some sort of snap feature that would lock but requires a harder effort to slide back in.

[@ayau6653]

Nice idea and set up.. Do you have the exact part number for the blum sliders you have installed.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Sure thing. 14” sliders in metric are equivalent to 350 mm sliders. Here they are: www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/slides/undermount/55149-tandem-plus-slides-with-blumotion?item=02K5135

[@ayau6653]

@@MrPolskiOgorki great.. thanks

[@FRin323]

Mind if I ask what is the measurement from top of the screen to bottom of the Besta is? Also the top of the screen to the floor? I have about an 8 ft ceiling that I would want to do this with and wondering just how much space it takes vertically.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Top of screen to bottom of Besta is 85” add another 6.5” and you are on the floor

[@FRin323]

@@MrPolskiOgorki What is the distance from lens to screen to get 120"? I am reading conflicting information. Some places say 11" other "calculators" say 2'. The depth on the besta is 16.5 so I'm assuming the 2' is the more accurate information?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

@@FRin323 2' is actually perfect from back of wall to beginning of projector lens.

[@davidbeiler6364]

cool idea but your speakers shoudl be on stands and the media console should be wider then the projector sceren

[@michael-4k4000]

Wow, simply wow. Can this hold the Samsung projector?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Not sure, best way to find out is to get the exact dimensions of the VAVA from the website then get the dimensions of the Samsung and compare. You are mostly looking for the height and width since there is maybe a 3/4 inch tolerance to grow on each side. However note that the throw ratio of the Samsung is much lower, meaning it will need to hug the back of wall more than the VAVA. This may mean the blocking of the vents on the side.

[@codito14]

Do you think the new Vava Chroma would fit? It’s just tiny bit larger. It’s 21.25”* 14.88”* 4.33”

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

100% the new VAVA will fit. I ordered one and it will be arriving in Dec of this year.

[@codito14]

I finally got my Chroma and am starting to look for the parts to do this customization now. Your link to the slide says it’s 13”. Is that the correct one? This: A6557 Futura Push Frameless Mounted. Also, it’s out of stock, but if I can’t find it somewhere else is there another one you’d recommend?

[@jandutch4245]

Great video planning on doing this soon for your 120 inch screen how much lower is your vava compared to the bottom of the screen ?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Bottom of the screen to the top of my projector is 11-3/4"

[@tjdehya]

Thanks for the video. Could you please provide a link for he screen that you have? Is it an ALR screen?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Sure - I added a link in the video description.

[@IPeeOrange]

Did you end up using the same panel for the AWOL?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

yes I did, however it can no longer slide in and out. I just had to use the keystone and zoom feature to get it correct but it works very well

[@varundeshmukh3211]

Can I do this setup with a 100" screen?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

of course, you can do any size in the 90"-150" range, it all depends on the distance of the rear of your projector to the wall. Lots of ALR/CLR UST screens on Amazon in the 100" range now.

[@NezzyNesbitt]

Just to let everyone know i've built this for my 100" Vava screen and unfortunately you cant get the clearance to reduce down to 100". Best I can do is get about 110" image size.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Thanks for the tip and sorry to hear you can't make the 100" work. I assume you are at the highest point in the middle without the VAVA hitting the top. If so, the only other option you would have is to cut out some of the top of the Besta.

[@chrisc3825]

@@MrPolskiOgorki what about putting the Besta right on the floor and all the way against the wall? That’s still ~110”? I have a hanging screen so I think I might be able to do this without issue.

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

@@chrisc3825 certainly. I have seen lots of approaches with the unit directly on the ground. Join the VAVA Owners Facebook group and you can see all the images of different setups by people.

[@ArniLochner]

I was hoping to do this with the Optoma P2, but it's slightly wide than the VAVA. So will have to find another solution :(

[@ignatius95]

i have the P1, so same issue here :( have you found a solution?

[@DanielLiuzzi]

You could pull this off with their PLATSA line. They can take drawers up to 80cm wide. This should be plenty for even the largest projectors. For instance www.ikea.com/es/en/p/platsa-tv-bench-white-40381390/

[@PraveenKumarAhameelpur]

how much you ended up paying for screen including shipping? apart from Telon are there any other good quality screens?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

$750. There are a few good manufacturers, such as XY and Elite. I suggest joining the VAVA 4K Projector Facebook group. Lots of good suggestions, pictures and tips.

[@ronyrobert4919]

Give me the footage of the projector space rack and distance to the screen if possible ?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Are you looking for the length from the VAVA shelf to the bottom of screen?

[@darshanpandya3600]

Do you have a link for this Besta?This besta looks like standard 15” tall and 16 1/2” deep if I am correct. You mount this on the wall. I would like to get some dimensions. 1. How far is besta lifted from the floor? 2. How high is the top of shelf from the floor? 3. How far the chroma came out from the wall to get 120” projection? 4. What is the distance from the bottom of the screen edge to the top of chroma? Thanks

[@NezzyNesbitt]

Going to do this hack next month. Do you think it's possible to have the middle door on too? Perhaps it will need to pull down so the draw has clearance to open?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Yes for sure you could. I had drawn this up for someone already. You need to add some extra thickness to the bottom front of the shelf so that you can screw the door to it. I think a 2x2 would work. Just make sure to use the right screw length. This would however, leave the bottom of the shelf hard to get at so I wouldn’t recommend putting a receiver in that spot.

[@meenashi]

very informative.

[@nkojima]

thank you

[@matthewharrington5526]

I like that screen. Easy to install?

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

Took me about an hour to get it put together and at least an hour to hang it. Once you have it put together, broadcast your image on the bare wall and get the broadcast image size to the size of the screen. At that point, tape or draw lines around the corners of the image. Then you adjust for the screen bezel size and hang from there. Being very handy it might go quick but for someone that doesn't do much DIY around the house it will certainly take longer.

[@prg4533]

Low audio volume makes it difficult to hear

[@m.e.g.a.100]

I wish it had a motor !!

[@weinopolice]

mate take that sticker off the receiver!

[@MrPolskiOgorki]

lol - still there