InVeNtOr Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 at first for my ht, i wanted overhead projection. i went to a sony store and just fell in love with the 70" tv. then the price of it all hit me, the projection 1080p was $9000 then i had to buy the screen and the 70" tv was $6000. (now i already checked on line and i can get the tv for $4000). i have noticed here, almost everyone has the projection. there must be a reason. i need to know this reason... my thinking is i don't need a screen 100" across screen, i will only have a 13'x15' room. i would like to get a 1080p because everything is moving that way, even quite a few tv channels. if i go with the projection, what is the optional screen size or is there too many variables to get an answer for that. i just don't want to end up buying a projection and the picture isn't that great because i blew it up too big. if i did do projection, i would most likely put the speakers in the wall, which series of speakers are best? if anyone can suggest a good projection or some info where i can make a good education decision, i would greatly appreciate it. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 "i would like to get a 1080p because everything is moving that way, even quite a few tv channels. " Nope! All of the networks have already settled on formats as well as the DOD (strange that they matter, isn't it?) and all have stated that they are NOT planning on going to 1080p. If you want it for recorded material, fine, but please don't buy it now (as the prices will drop substantially per iSupply, and other industry groups, as production capabilities change from a catch up role to an overproduction role - widely estimated at ~30% a year) if this is for anticipated TV broadcasts. Big is nice, but you might want to buy for the biggest bang for the buck in a rapidly evolving market rather than buying the bleeding edge and paying an exorbitant price for the novelty...but of course it is your decision! It is allot of money! Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon20x Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 I was in the same situation awhile back. I end up getting a projector for 2 reasons: the first one was money, the best bang for your buck.I think you can get those think starting at $499 now The second was the options it opened up, such as choosing the size of the screen to fit my room, being able to readjust that screen for either widescreen or 4:3 without to have to manipulate the picture for the black bands.I also like the fact that is small and out of the way so I can still use the room for other things when needed without to have to worry about the equipment Mine can only do 1080i but since I don't have a HD DVD or a blue-ray player that does not bother me( plus my four tired eyes just can t justify the money for the differnece between 1080i and 1080p).In fact I would wait before buying a 1080p system. The blue-ray players were $1000.00 6 months ago, now if you go to best buy you can pick one up for $699, price will only keep going down, and we still don't know what system or standart is going to win. I think whatever will be format choosen by the DVD rental places will be the winner I'm also waiting 2009 to see what's going to happen once the broadcast system is going to switch from analog to full digital and what kind of fast one they are going to pull on us, and you know they will. I'm really happy with my projector, the quality is pretty good. I'm planning on keeping it for a little while longer, that is until the industry figure out what they are going to do. I use the projector to watch movies , for the rest of the garbage aka so called reality TV and mindless shows I have a 36' inch analog tv. Anyway, I think you need to decide what you want the TV for, and what's important to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RelievedSimpleton Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Firstly I'll say that I am in no way a professional, however, I can offer my experiences and advice. Firstly, I want to point out that there are much cheaper 1080p projectors than $9000. That being said, screens as well vary in prices, a 100" diagonal fixed screen can be had for roughly $700 (cheapest I've found on a good quality screen) while a 114" diagonal (100" across in 16:9 format) can be had for roughly $825. These can be gotten from Carada, an internet based company that produces only two types of screens to keep costs low. They are not inferior in any way and in my experience are far superior to anything the local stores had. That's not to say you can't build your own, as I did with my first screen for roughly $75. Now I understand the attraction people seem to have with Sony products when it comes to TV's, but there ARE other brands out there. One example of an excellent 1080p projector is the PT-AE1000U from Panasonic, it has an MSRP of $6000 however can be found for as cheap as $3500. Now if you are insistent on Sony, just ignore that comment, also note I'm not saying that the Sony projectors are inferior, they are far from it. One Big thing to consider when buying a projector is the lamp life and cost of a new lamp. That is something people don't always consider and can add up if you are a couch potato. As for making an informed decision, all I can say is research, research, research. Don't just jump into a projector without reading reviews from as many places as possible. The benefit of having a projector is viewing size as well as the ability to at any time change the viewing size if you need to. To give an example, I own a 720p projector, the Mitsubishi HD1000U. First I'll say that it's absolutely beautiful, being only 720p, on an 80" screen. When the super bowl came around, my family had a party naturally and due to the flexibility I was able to set it up in the living room on roughly a 120" temporary screen for the game as well as occasionally doing a movie night downstairs. With a 70" TV, you have a 70" TV no matter what, no exceptions. As for optimal screen size, since I don't know which way you plan on orienting the projector, I'll go with the low figure of 13 feet. At 12 feet (factoring in roughly a foot of lost space for depth of projector and distance of screen material off the wall), the diagonal size to fit the THX recommended viewing angle would be roughly 107". One thing to be careful of when buying a projector and screen is to make sure that the projector can do the size you want in the room you want. For example, the maximum screen size I can get for a 12' throw is only about 96". There are definitely a lot of factors that come into play when buying a front projection system. The idea that the picture won't be good looking due to the size is nothing to worry about. With the 80" screen in my bedroom, I sit 12' away for movies, etc but only about 6-8' away when playing video games or doing computer work. The image is stunning, mind you this is with a $900 720p DLP projector. A 1080p projector would only improve upon this. There are a few downsides you should be aware of when it comes to front projection. First and most important is light control. The image will look best if the room is as dark as possible. This isn't to say you can't have a light on or a window open, if that is your plan you would need to look for a brighter projector. I personally leave a window open on gloomy days and while it does have an effect on the image quality slightly, I just turn the bulb from Low to Standard and it looks about the same. Also, it may take you some time to get used to the size of the screen. I moved from a 24" flat screen CRT TV and it took me about 2 weeks to get used to the bigger image. You may adjust more quickly or love it right away. One other thing to consider is if you plan to ceiling mount the projector or have it on a table. I have not personally experienced my projector on a table as it just doesn't seem to "fit" the room correctly on a table, however, when I researched, I noted it was recommended to ceiling mount as more light is reflected off the screen towards you instead of reflected off the screen to the ceiling. Not to mention the fact you're less likely to accidentally knock it out of whack creating the need to realign the projector. To kind of sum things up, it all just comes down to a lot of research. There is no definitive answer on which is better, the only real answer is what you prefer. I recommend trying to view as many projectors as possible in local stores as well as any TV's you have been considering. Give yourself some time to think it over and don't rush to purchase something. Take into consideration the benefits and downsides I have mentioned, they are from my personal experience and a summary of the research I did before I bought my first projector. Below is a link to a viewing distance calculator. This can recommend, based on THX standards, a screen size based on your room if you just enter numbers 1 and 2 and hit calculate. I would then take the "Screen size to achieve THX recommended viewing angle" and enter that into the calculator for the actual projectors you are looking into. Each one will have it's own calculator, usually found on the manufacturers site and if not, www.projectorcentral.com will most likely have it. You would use this calculator to determine if the recommended size would even fit in your room based on the length of the room. Make sure to subtract about a foot, a foot and a half to be conservative, in order to allow for the size of the projector. If it won't fit, it's not a big deal, you can always go smaller. http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html I hope this long post helps you out in some way and I'll be around these forums for the next few days so if something is not understood feel free to ask me to clarify. -RS Edit: One thing I forgot to note and remembered after reading the first reply, as he said, 1080p does not seem to be going mainstream soon. It's mainly hyped up by stores to get you to spend more IMHO. If you plan to play Xbox 360/PS3 on it, there's a slight benefit for you now, depending on the games you like, or in the future when 1080p content is more available. I personally just went with a cheap $900 720p projector, plan on keeping it a year or two and upgrading to a 1080p projector when 1080p becomes more commonplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 If you want to see what good projectors look like for real go to a professional store with all of the rooms set up and you will see the differences between overhead projectors, DLP's, etc. Then make sure you have about 30 grand in your checkbook. With what you want to do "Lumens" is the most important thing to consider at this time. You will need about 3000 to come close to a 1080P DLP set. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake_mooney Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Projection > all. Imo anyways. You just simply cannot get a "true" cinematic experience with anything else. Front end projection just has that genuine "movie theater" feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Inventor, I have the Sanyo Z5 and a 96" screen. I had the PJ ISF calibrated and feed it from the Oppo 971H (981 is new model). The results are superb colours, razor sharp image and just a fantastic movie experience and I am very picky with PQ. The Z5 is IMHO the best "budget" PJ for fully controlled light situations, if you have ambient light then the Panny AE100 may be better, its much brighter but is having some reliablity issues and only carrys a 1 year warranty and the lamps are $150 more to replace . I would suggest that you figure out how wide you can go in your room and then work backwards to determine the diag. screen size. PJ central.com has charts and such for this. Go as big as you can! Ok, I did it for you. a 92" screen will be 80" wide which should leave lots of room for screen frame etc, speakers and so on. This link will give you an idea... http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-PLV-Z5-projection-calculator-pro.htm This PJ has a 3 year warranty and sells for around $1500US and with its phenominal lens shift abilty its very easy to install. Add another $500-$800 depending on what screen, I recommend a matte white 1.0 gain which gives the most accurate PQ and is also the cheapest fabric! ( Carada and Dalite are very good value) you want and away you go, you will love it, I promise! You just don't need 1080p at the moment and 3 years from now you will want to upgrade anyway. Regards Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 i take it no one is buying anything 1080p as of yet. so i should just go with a 720p or 1080i projector for now and wait a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon20x Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Sounds like a wise choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 if you knew what i watch tv on you would laugh, its the old 36" tube analog tv. (i am assuming me and falcon have the same tv-mines the toshiba...lol) i barley watch that much tv in the first place. the main goal is to have a nice ht room that i can enjoy. i also don't want to kill the pocket book either. another question, if i go with the big screen can i put the speakers behind it, like into the wall? which speakers allows for that? does it hurt the sound if they are not at 45 degrees (or atleast the ideal set up dolby digital and thx say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 heres a quick representation in cad. the screen size is 96" (80" across) and all the dimensions are what they should be (80 x .73 for tv viewing distance). heres a new pickle, if i were to mount the sub into the wall, i would need a front firing sub right? right now i have the ksw-12 which is rear firing, that would work in a wall would it? dolby digital set up projection.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Inventor, you can get screen fabric which allows speakers to be placed behind the screen, it is perforated but I'm sure it will cost more, not sure how much. I would go 720p/1080i...they do both actually. but better pq usually from PJ native resolution which is in most cases 720p. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon20x Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Mine is a JVC and I only watch it 5 minutes a day to remind me why I don't watch TV. Inventor you are in Denton aren't you ? I would say if you wanted you could stop by to check out my system ( it is nothing fancy but would give you a an idea) but I'm going to be so busy for the next 2 1/2 weeks that won't have the time. If you can wait until then you are welcome to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 yeah, i live in lewvisville. that would be nice to stop by and have a look see... so having the speakers (at least the center) project through the screen is going to be expencive right? i guess having the center just below it, isn't that big of a deal. so the average screen size is 96" (80" across), what was the link to the canada company everyone here seems to be using and what sizes do they use? what are some specks to look for in a screen? is it best to have one retract or just hang there? i would assume having one that can roll up would be ideal if i want to change screen size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 jet jockey, when i go to that web site, what are some search options i should choose? i am so new to this i don't even know what questions to ask. so far the only option i know to look for is checking the "HD 720." one of the projectors that came up was from 'infocus" and it said it also does 1080p but the projector was around $3000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 "then the price of it all hit me, the projection 1080p was $9000 then ihad to buy the screen and the 70" tv was $6000. (now i already checkedon line and i can get the tv for $4000)." 1080p projectors can be had for *much* less then $9k. Check out the Sony Pearl, Panasonic AE1000U, Mitsu. HC5000, JVC RS-1...etc...etc. You could easily get a 1080p projector and screen for $4500 or even less depending upon how well you shop. If you are willing to play the import game you can get the HC5000 for $2600 for example. I'm hoping to get the JVC in the next few weeks... waiting for my pre-order to be filled. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RelievedSimpleton Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Carada makes excellent projection screens. They also have very friendly and helpful customer support if needed. There site is at www.carada.com As for putting speakers behind the screen, you'd have to look for Acoustically Transparent screens, Carada does no offer these. One thing I just found last night, not 100% sure on the quality as I don't have one, is SMX Theater Solutions. They sell acoustically transparent fabric, no frame yet. With this material you could put the speakers behind the screen with no problem. They are also currently in the final stages of producing frames to go with the material. There is more information on their site, www.smxscreen.com If you're willing to wait a little longer, it's possible you could get one of these for a somewhat decent price. If you only want a 80" across screen in 16:9 format, the material alone will cost only $285. You would of course still need a frame, not sure what people are doing for frames currently but like I said, they are coming out with one soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Da-Lite also make accoustic transparent screens, Indyklipsch knows a dealer in Indy, suggest you pm him for info. Not sure what you are looking for in a PJ Inventor, suggest you start with looking at PJcentrals reviews and or top PJ'. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane_0_mac Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 As a general rule accoustic screens are more expensive. Eventually I am going to get a screen like that because how my room is designed I will be better with an accoustic screen. I got a sharp XV-Z3000 720p profector and am very happy with it. I got it for $2k, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Acoustically transparent screens are nice because you can hide the speakers behind them. Just remember that you tend to compromise the video and/or the sound with an acoustically transparent screen. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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