HD Projector HELP!!!

[jrobbins]

I am moving in a few days and was thinking about putting a projector in my living room and doing a whole home theater thing. I don't really want to spend more than 2 or 3 grand on the whole thing, and have gotten so much conflicting advice on what I need/don't need that I figured I might as well ask you guys and gals too.

here is the situation. the room is pretty bright during the day. we would be using the projector as both a tv and for home theater (bluray) stuff, so a good bright mode and a nice movie mode are imporant to us.

we will be sitting about 12-14 feet from the screen. the projector will be about 13 feet from screen and I want to project a 104 to 120 inch image. (I will probably just make a frame on the wall with trim from home depot and paint the inside of it with cinema grey paint)

ok, now here is where I get a million different opinions....

1. 1080p or 720p (will I even notice a difference? some say yes, some say no)
2. 3lcd or dlp
3. is 3d ready worth it or not?

Right now it looks like I have it narrowed down to the Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 8100, the Optoma Home Theater DLP Projector, and the Mitsubishi HC3800. all are around $1000-$1500 which seems to be the a little at the low end, but i went to Magnolia at Best Buy and couldn't tell the difference between the $2500 projector and the $1500 one. the $5000 one looked a lot better, but I am not going to drop 5 grand on a television set....


So, what should I get and why?

 

[Dre]

I can't tell you about all the statistics but what i can tell you is they are no good in a brightly lite room or a room with alot of windows .The darker the room the better the pic.I have a Sony about 4 years old.

 

[batt600]

I belive thay sale a lcd dlp projector . My friend has projector from dell and man it look just like a lcd tv he has a InFocus IN3902LB Projector

 

[Dre]

Check B&H that's where i got mine from, they have a wide variety of projectors and they use to have some hucked up on display.Sorry i can't give you more infomation .

 

[stbarnabas]

also find out how much for bulb replacement that thing cost atleast $400 or less every year or depends how many hrs you use it .. i'd go with 1080p with the right cable (hdmi) youll see the diffrence... the only thing is the cable provider only supply 1080i but its still good ..

 

[albano]

Contact straightjiggy10, I believe he works for Best Buy as an installer/tech...he should know!




.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

I am moving in a few days and was thinking about putting a projector in my living room and doing a whole home theater thing. I don't really want to spend more than 2 or 3 grand on the whole thing, and have gotten so much conflicting advice on what I need/don't need that I figured I might as well ask you guys and gals too.

here is the situation. the room is pretty bright during the day. we would be using the projector as both a tv and for home theater (bluray) stuff, so a good bright mode and a nice movie mode are imporant to us.

we will be sitting about 12-14 feet from the screen. the projector will be about 13 feet from screen and I want to project a 104 to 120 inch image. (I will probably just make a frame on the wall with trim from home depot and paint the inside of it with cinema grey paint)

ok, now here is where I get a million different opinions....

1. 1080p or 720p (will I even notice a difference? some say yes, some say no)
2. 3lcd or dlp
3. is 3d ready worth it or not?

Right now it looks like I have it narrowed down to the Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 8100, the Optoma Home Theater DLP Projector, and the Mitsubishi HC3800. all are around $1000-$1500 which seems to be the a little at the low end, but i went to Magnolia at Best Buy and couldn't tell the difference between the $2500 projector and the $1500 one. the $5000 one looked a lot better, but I am not going to drop 5 grand on a television set....


So, what should I get and why?

Well where do I begin.....Well I would without a doubt go with 1080p....especially if you are using a prgressive dvd player or blueray. There are a lot of variables to consider other than 1080 or 720. Contrast ratio, lumens, quality of procesor and what chipset/color wheel the projector is using. Using your projector during the day will definitely pose some problems with image brightness, detail and wash out. I dont recomend using a projector during the day unless you can truly control the light enetering the room. Get a lcd or led for daytime use and enjoy your projector in all its glory at night. Furthermore if you start running your projector that many hours a day your bulb will wear in no time. Do not go by the hours these bulbs are rated for. Example...my bulb is rated for 2000 hours but i see a noticable diference at 1500 hours. Just something to consider. Regarding a Dlp or lcd projector...well this is a constant debate. Bolth chipsets are great and bolth can produce great images. I happen to think Dlp chips have a slight advantage over lcd. If you can get multipe dlp chips then your are in video heaven....:wink1: Please dont make the mistake of painting your wall. Go with a quality remotely triggered screen. This will make a tremendous diference. Most units have a rs 232 port or a triger port to operate the screens. Look into Stuart screens. You will not be disapointed. Last but not least do not forget about your connections. Invest in very good video and audio interconects. These items also play a huge role in either keeping your image on point or degrading it. Just leave 3d alone period. What I have learned in the 20+ years of being into audio and video is your system is only as strong as your weekest link.

Hope this helps,

Thane

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Now I dont want to be cruel or mean just brutaly honest. Best buy for Home Theater equipment is like going to Petstop for Reefing. Enough said.

 

[fcamargo6thave]

1. 1080p or 720p 1080p Yes You will notice the difference
2. 3lcd or dlp DLP
3. is 3d ready worth it or not? It is still to early to tell because the technology is new in home enviorments so i think it is not worth it

i used to work for 6th ave electronics as a salesman not installer but i do have a few friends who are installers but its a little expensive if you have any more questions i can ask them what they think but those guys like the expensive things but with your budget i think you should be fine

check www.6ave.com

 

[Josh]

DLP
1080P if you can afford it
No 3D

Check pricewatch.com or even look for used ones on Ebay. Also you want to get one that is quiet and has fairly inexpensive bulbs. If you buy from Ebay make sure you find out how many hours are on the bulbs already. And you'll need the keystone feature if you want to make it project diagonally.

 

[bad coffee]

And you don't need a $500 HDMI cable. A $12 one that's long enough will do. All you're doing is putting component plugs on one cable. It's one plug instead of five.

What are you going with for home audio?

B

 

[johnny roastbeef]

What are you looking for, why do you want a projector? If you are just looking for the largest screen of anybody on your block, then have at it, get a projector. If you are looking for a cinema-quality experience, then look elsewhere. Prpjectors between 1000 -3000 lumens are really not very bright. I regularly use 5000 lumen projectors for smallish groups and the brightness is just underwhelming. Anyway, in a small room with all the lights out, I think it might be passable.

Video quality is really where projectors are disappointing. In a word, they stink. I will put any $2000 projector against your run of the mill Walmart Plasma / LCD, and you will find that the projectors just are not capable of accurately reproducing color and contrast. I use $20,000 5K lumen projectors for a living, and still for free, I wouldn't install one in my home theater. They are used for large groups, at concerts, etc because there is no other option, also the audience at those types of events are not generally critical. To my eye, you dont see TV quality projectors until you get to Christie or Sony -digital cinema projectors and these are ~$100K projectors.

For my theater, I bought the largest LCD TV I could buy and it looks freaking great. A projector would have just been a big ugly POS- kind of like the rear projection screens from the 90's.

 

[jrobbins]

And you don't need a $500 HDMI cable. A $12 one that's long enough will do. All you're doing is putting component plugs on one cable. It's one plug instead of five.

What are you going with for home audio?

B

yeah, i never really understood paying $100 for a cable either.

for audio i have a nice stereo surround sound system already, i think i will just use that.

 

[aznt1217]

Jon,

2-3 grand gets you a VERY nice projector. To the point where none of your features matter. You can get a 1080p, 3d ready, 120hz projector and still have cash left on the side. These are the bare minimums for my standard these days. 1080p doesn't make a difference till you get to 55" and larger.

I love my Sanyo PLVZ2000 and it's an old model. The new ones I like a lot more but I don't see a point yet. Bulb life can be short but this varies greatly by conditions of settings, heat, location, and maintenance schedule. It's imperative that you clean these. Also the bulb will show it's life and you will be able to tell when it craps out.

To Jonny Roastbeef's comment. No offense dude, but projectors are more than capable of producing fantastic images. It may only "look worse" because of a poor source and a magnified screen vs. a small screen with high resolution. Switch your comp to 640x480 and you'll see what I mean. Plenty of people come over and see my 3 year old projector and it's always a jaw drop... "man it looks better than my samsung LED I just bought"... "I don't understand." The only down side is placing it so that a lot of ambient light doesn't hit or interfere with the image. This is just common sense and where good planning comes in. Check your lumens, contrast ratio, and processing technology of the projector itself. It's going to make a world of difference.

Thane's advice is good. But what you want to do is plan your room first and factor in the following:
1. The Screen
2. Sound system
3. Wire Installation/Concealment
4. Mounting
5. The actual room itself. How much light? Any objects that can get in the way? Seating placement? etc.

My example: I have a very small place and had very limited placing options. So I needed a projector with a nice throw ratio and lens shift (most important to me because I didn't want to hang stuff on my ceiling). Here is a pic. Tell me if you can spot any wires lol. My screen is about 120 inches utilizing measurement proportions of a 16x9 aspect ratio. I made the screen myself, because I hope to one day move out when I'm rich LOL.

Get exact measurements and then plan accordingly. Feel free to give me a call you have my number. Do not buy a used projector, you do not know what's happened with it or if it has been tampered with. With something like this... you don't cheap out on.

I've been over it before in some guys TV thread. Your cables mean jack squat. Just make sure the version is right for your HDMI and the metal utilized is good. Image quality improvement will be marginal at best. What's going to matter is your calibration of your projector and source. You said you have a Bluray player. Which one? I am assuming a PS3, because that's the best one out currently.

- forget all the places mentioned above... prices are absolute garbage there. Go to Visualapex.com or projectorpeople.com.