seventeenmonkeys Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 i am seriously thinking about getting a projector for my ht. can anyone suggest how to go about finding the right one. has anyone ever used one in a home environment. how is the picture quality. at school we got the big NEC projectors (they are hanging from the ceilings of every classroom so i can't see the mdel number) and they seem to do great job. but i'm pretty sure those would be too expensive. i've looked at some specs from companies like sony, viewsonic, NEC, 3M, that seem to be in my price range. oh, if i did buy one i was going to spend around 4K canadian, maybe up to 5k. how are projectors at this price range. the size of the screen would not be over 70 inches, if that makes any difference and it would only be used to watch dvd's so it would also be dark in the room. i was just wondering if it would be worth it. i kinda understand how to read the specs but i have never seen a projector at work other than in a movie theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Boxlight is a pretty good projector company that we used at work. boxlight.com Some things to remember when looking at projectors. Lumens = brightness, the more lumens the brighter your picture. The contrast ratio is also something to keep in mind: the higher the contrast ratio the brighter you can have your whites and still have your black look black, not dark gray. The more inputs the better You will tend to have less signal degredation if you have everything plugged straight into the projector instead of going through a switcher. Component video(RGB)is definetely a benefit if you have to use long cables from your source to the projector. Projectors can be fun but expensive little toys. If your bulb burns out and you need a replacement expect to pay a few hundred dollars for a new one That said I would still love to have a projector. Just some ideas, hope it helps. Peace, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 17 I bought a Sharp projector this summer and did a lot of research. The contrast ratios and Lumens are important. Mine is 1000:1 contrast and 1900 Lumens. Lumens are important if you are not in a totally black room. I also was advised to get a grey screen instead of a white one for high power DLP. I think it looks great. The grey screen makes the blacks look really black. Since the 1900 lumens is very bright, the whites look very white and colors are very colorful. Also go for a native XGA projector, not SVGA. XGA is 1024x768 compared to SVGA 800x600. My projector has both 4:3 and 16:9 native modes. 4:3 is a standard TV ratio. Is important only if you plan to run a 16:9 screen, you can run a 4:3 in 16:9, but you loose 40% of your lines like on your TV. There are a lot of low cost projectors that do 4:3 native. Only a few in the $3K range that do 16:9. Most 16:9's are in the 6K range. I got mine for $2800 something from AVmall.com and am very happy. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Hey, I have the InFocus ScreenPlay 110. Great projector! 1000 lums, bulb life of 2000 hours. Excellent picture quality. They have a new one out that is supposed to just kick some serious booty which is the 7200. My neighbor who works for InFocus keeps trying to tell me about the 7200, but I wont let him because I just bought my 110 and I will end up wanting the 7200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m54 Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 I have seriously considered going this route, as I am tired of aligning the CRT-based rear projector. As far as the screen goes, how about painting that wall? And can you just plop the little projector on your coffee table for "movie-time"?? How far back do you have to get for a 100" diagonal? What about Epson? What is the hands down best performance/price value?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUGIE Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Check out another great forum AVSFORUM.com for the answers to all your questions and will possible bring in another whole slew of questions. Front projection is a great alternative, looks awesome with a huge picture up ta 10 feet diagonal and all from a little box, about the size of a laptop. You can mount it on the celing or just set it on your coffe table. The Panasonic AE 200 or 300 can be found for under 2500 bucks and is said to have a great picture. I'm waiting for the new sony HS 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 ---------------- As far as the screen goes, how about painting that wall? And can you just plop the little projector on your coffee table for "movie-time"?? How far back do you have to get for a 100" diagonal? ---------------- InFocus has a little program on their website that will tell you how far back to set the projector for the screen size you want, or, you can tell it, this is how far back the projector will be, and it tells you the screen size you can expect... VERY COOL AND VERY HELPFUL Yes, you can set it on top of a coffee table. I had done it, but I wanted it out of my way, and out of reach of my two young boys so I mounted it to the ceiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 i'm about to sell my sharp xvz-1u and buy a sony vpl-hs10. there is NOTHING like a BIG beautiful picture.pj tech.has come a LONG way, and i have sold/installed alot of them. pm me or check out posts in less than $5k pj section of www.avsforum.com i post as avman there too. avman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 The AVSForus is a great AV BBS. Lots of good knowledgeable people there. Admin - Like moon states, most MFGr's have setup distances on there web sites. Most have the owners manuals in PDF format. If your looking to set up on a table (or anywhere for that manner) there are two measurements you need to use to position your projector. The first is the distance you are away from your projector, to get the proper size. The other is the distance you lens needs to be above or below the top or bottom of the screen to get the proper image. (depending on table or ceiling mount). All projectors I considered had a clear, easy to understand chart of numbers. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E3T Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 I am an A/V contractor. I sell & install projectors for homes & businesses. Keep these things in mind: lamps ~ depending on the lamp used in the projector you choose, it can cost you between $300 & $800 to purchase a replacement (yes, you can install it yourself); screens ~ all screens (front & rear projection) have light amplification qualities...you don't want to just "paint" a wall; projectors ~ there are only about 6 real manufacturers...everyone else private labels from them, chose one that is around 1000 to 1500 lumens and has an LCD with a resident size of 16x9. There are lots of names to choose from. Which one is best? Which one looks best to you! I can cheat and go to INFOCOMM every year and see all of the models side-by-side and compare. I like SANYO. Just personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 I'll have to visit some of these web sites. The TVs I've been reading up on are around $6,000.00. Maybe I can get a projector for that price. I would prefer a projector and screen, that way I could put a Klipschorn behind the screen. Are perforated, or sound transparent screens any good? I only want a screen that is about 5 1/2' wide. Is that too small? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankhokie Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 another question, what about using a projector as a dedicated device...or do most keep the ole' stand-in tv on a cart nearby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 ---------------- On 11/1/2002 12:13:35 AM tankhokie wrote: another question, what about using a projector as a dedicated device...or do most keep the ole' stand-in tv on a cart nearby? ---------------- Me personally, I don't use my projector for normal TV viewing. Partly because I have a dedicated theater room that consists of nothing but ht gear. Does not even have a cable line coming in. I think the biggest reason I would not watch it for normal TV viewing is because the bulbs don't last forever and can be spendy to replace. Oh I will play XBOX on it from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E3T Posted November 2, 2002 Share Posted November 2, 2002 First: Q-MAN's questions...screen transperency for sound - yes you can get them; but, they are much more expensive and they reflect as well as solid. Second - 5-1/2 feet across...standard sizes for video will come as a 4(h) x 6(w) or 6x9 or 9x12. Square ones are slide format - not for video. Now: TANKHOKIE's question...is it good to use the projector as a dedicated unit for everyday TV viewing - yes it can be. However, remember my coments about the replacement lamp and its cost? How many hours is the lamp good for? 1,000? 1,200? 800? How much would you have it on - how many hours per day/week? @5 hours perday, 7 days per week...thats over 1,800 hours per year. Thats a replacement lamp in less than one year ($300+ ~ $800+ Christmas Present every year). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankhokie Posted November 3, 2002 Share Posted November 3, 2002 everett, thanks for advice on the bulb, i am trying to fit a screen in a room with a fire place in the middle of the wall where the screen should be...thus causing problems with tv size and placement. so now i have built a dolly with casters that i am able to move the tv in the center listening position when sound positioning is important. a projector is ideal, but i hate not having a dedicated tv in the room just for regular watching... as far as the projector hardware (not bulb) what are the life expectancies on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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