Is a projector the way to go?

RoadTripper · « **Reply #20 on:** 24 Mar 2006, 02:29 am »

Watching Duke go down to LSU on a 8' diagonal HDTV (Panny AE-700) is very fine.

Doug_B · « **Reply #21 on:** 24 Mar 2006, 05:40 pm »

...and watching UCLA pull out their game on a similarly-sized proj system was equally disappointing.

The13thGryphon · « **Reply #22 on:** 4 Apr 2006, 01:40 am »

There I was, feeling like I had a front row seat. My beloved Zags going up against UCLA. The picture was incredible. I couldn't have been happier from that standpoint. But man oh man did Gonzaga break my heart.

Watching the Seahawks self-destruct (with more than a little help from the Ref's) a few weeks earlier was also quite painful. Though, again, the picture was fantastic... and watching in surround sound made me feel like I was sitting in the stands there in Detroit. Hearing the crowd cheer beside me and behind me sent chills up my spine.

Anyway, the losses of my favorite teams aside, I wouldn't trade my Panasonic AE-700U and 108" acrylic screen for any RPTV, plasma, LCD, or whatever. I'm hooked for life.

David Ellis · « **Reply #23 on:** 4 Apr 2006, 01:54 am »

Quote

I'm hooked for life.

Me too.

I feel that watching a normal size TV is only partially satisfying. I can't really describe this, but a bigger screen really pulls me into the events.

Dave

Biggalo · « **Reply #24 on:** 30 Jan 2007, 04:19 pm »

Quote from: mca on 21 Mar 2006, 04:27 am

I would be happy if I could find something in between. I really like the new Sony 60" XBR, but the cost is over what I am willing to spend.

I did see a Vizio 50" plasma that looked good for the price. Just not sure about the brand. Plasma sets also seem to put off a lot of heat.

I would be happy staying with a 60" or so set. That would put me in the DLP range, but I have not seen one that really floats my boat yet.

If they still have it on display, go to BB and A/B the 71" Samsung Dlp (there is also a 67" Samsung available) against The 73" Mits. Compare the pic quality and the price........you may become a believer.

robert1325 · « **Reply #25 on:** 30 Jan 2007, 04:28 pm »

I've been using an infocus sreenplay 4805, very cheap but really nice picture quality! It's not HD, just SD ... I like the way projectors show movies , just like the cinema .

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #26 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 03:48 pm »

I am building a theater room and was planning on using my Sony 50" LCoS, for a year or two anyway, but this thread has got me thinking about projectors again.

I see that my TV, for which I paid $3K a year ago, now sells new for about $1750, meaning that mine's worth around $1k used. Ouch.

If I wanted to spend $2K total on a projector & screen, would people care to provide some recommendations?

ctviggen · « **Reply #27 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 03:56 pm »

The Epson TW700 would be a good choice:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=755687

(The 810 is the US's version, but is about twice as expensive as the TW700, so most of that thread discusses the TW700 and not the 810.) As for screens, do you need a pulldown/electric? Fixed screens are much cheaper.

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #28 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 04:28 pm »

No need for a pull-down screen. Dedicated room. All I care about is image quality (and price).

Since the room will be about 21' long, with viewing couches at about 10 and 15' back, I'm thinking about 8' on the screen. Stupid question - are screens measured diagonally as with rear projectors and so on?

zybar · « **Reply #29 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 04:39 pm »

Quote from: PaulFolbrecht on 4 Feb 2007, 04:28 pm

No need for a pull-down screen. Dedicated room. All I care about is image quality (and price).

Since the room will be about 21' long, with viewing couches at about 10 and 15' back, I'm thinking about 8' on the screen. Stupid question - are screens measured diagonally as with rear projectors and so on?

Yes, screens are measured diagonally.

If you want an 8' wide 16:9 screen, it will be a 110" screen.

George

ctviggen · « **Reply #30 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 04:41 pm »

Yes. Typical screen sizes range from around 90 to about 110 inches. They also come in 16x9, which is what most screens are. But, you can get others (4x3, 2.35:1, etc.). If you're not familiar with the screen/projector area, you need to know some terms. One is screen gain, which is referenced to some standard that is 1.0. Higher screen gains are generally beneficial. The highest screen gains are around 2.8-3.0. Low screen gains are around 0.8. Another term is lumen output. A projector produces a certain lumen output. This lumen output is then divided by the area of the screen. This will give you a number called the foot-Lambert, which is an indication of the brightness reflected from the screen. 12fL-16fL is what is typically recommended for a projector/screen combination, and the screen gain factors into this calculation. I have an excel spreadsheet I can send to you that performs these calculations. You also need to know "throw", which is basically where you need to put the projector in order to fill the screen. There is usually a range of distances from the screen to the projector that the projector supports. There are yet more terms, such as vertical and horizontal lens shift, which defines locations where one can place a projector relative to the screen.

If you hang around this forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

You can find information on inexpensive projectors. This forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=23

Has information about screens, including do-it-yourself screens, if you have the time and energy to go that route.

Mike Dzurko · « **Reply #31 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 04:42 pm »

Quote from: PaulFolbrecht on 4 Feb 2007, 04:28 pm

No need for a pull-down screen. Dedicated room. All I care about is image quality (and price).

Since the room will be about 21' long, with viewing couches at about 10 and 15' back, I'm thinking about 8' on the screen. Stupid question - are screens measured diagonally as with rear projectors and so on?

Yes, measured diagonally. Check out Carada for screens, they sell a very high quality screen consumer direct, very happy w/ mine.

bpape · « **Reply #32 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 04:58 pm »

Here is a good thread on how to make DIY frames.

http://www.smxscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201

The SMX material is also excellent and a great value if you're looking for a perf screen with excellent audio and video performance for a reasonable price.

Bryan

John Casler · « **Reply #33 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 05:10 pm »

Quote from: PaulFolbrecht on 4 Feb 2007, 03:48 pm

I am building a theater room and was planning on using my Sony 50" LCoS, for a year or two anyway, but this thread has got me thinking about projectors again.

I see that my TV, for which I paid $3K a year ago, now sells new for about $1750, meaning that mine's worth around $1k used. Ouch.

If I wanted to spend $2K total on a projector & screen, would people care to provide some recommendations?

Paul,

You do have interesting options.

If the wall your going to shoot at is white, you would be surprised at just how good the picture can be on the wall. I mention this as a "temporary" situation that will let you put more money into the projector. It is much like buying two good speakers for your HT then adding the other 3 as budget allows.

I didn't even have a good wall and ended up stretching and tacking up some bed sheets. In a light controlled room this can be quite good.

The Optoma, Panny, Mitsubishi, Samsung, NEC, BenQ, and other brands are all quite good, and for $2k you can be made quite happy.

The wall or sheet screen can also then allow you to see just what size picture you will like, and play with the throw distances. Do remember though that a textured surface like a wall or sheet will "slightly soften" the detail, so you may not notice pixels and such at closer distances.

I am a "size" freak, and sit only 10 feet from the picture 120" (diagonal) image.

It is breathtaking.

The other option is DIY, and you can find many great suggestions at Audio Video Sciences forum.

If you wish to get both screen and projector at the same time, Optoma which is known for their lower priced projectors also has a "budget priced" but great perfroming screen selction (although small)

Make the leap. Once you have sat in front of a projected image in a darkened room, screening your latest or favorite DVD, it is hard to go back.

I would also suggest you keep a 32-36" tube around to watch the news and other TV fluff, so as not to waste "bulb time".

Anyhow just a couple thoughts, and options

ctviggen · « **Reply #34 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 05:30 pm »

Here are some places with projector and screen reviews.

I personally think this site has some dubious reviews, but they also have calculators for placement:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/

I think this site is good, but it has reviews only:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/

This is probably the most technically advanced site:

http://www.cine4home.com/

Heck, they show the spectrum of the bulbs being used! That's a lot of info.

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #35 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 05:49 pm »

John & others - thanks for the extended thoughts and the links.

I'm now in "buy something" mode - doh! With me, this usually means I have to - uh - shoot my (cash) wad before I can really think about something else.

Maybe some baking soda...

I'll have to take some time to research (obviously). I do think the 50" rear would be quite a compromise in this room.

I came across the Sony Pearl early on - now under $3500 - still way above my stated budget. But - 1080p. Isn't that nice to have? I would really like to buy a PJ I can keep for 5+ years at the least (no, seriously). As always, it seems to make sense to shoot high technically to avoid "obsolescence" (though really upgrading is just a matter of choice).

That is my primary question right now - is a 1080p PJ worth it or not - I'll have to study up on that one.

John Casler · « **Reply #36 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 05:54 pm »

Mitsubishi, and BenQ, also have 1080p in that range.

ctviggen · « **Reply #37 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 06:10 pm »

The current "next great projector" is supposedly the JVC DLA-RS1:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=752351

However, this is a very interesting thread where they put two BENQ projectors, one 720p and one 1080p, side by side:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=799340

Personally, I can't tell the difference between the two, but maybe in person the difference would be more apparent.

I also think that I might get into the lower priced projectors until they come out with brighter 1080p projectors (most of these aren't bright enough if you want to use an acoustically transparent screen with lower gain).

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #38 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 06:15 pm »

Quote from: John Casler on 4 Feb 2007, 05:54 pm

Mitsubishi, and BenQ, also have 1080p in that range.

Actually, who cares about 1080p? I think 1080i is still a worth goal, unless I am really missing something - 1080i is going to look substantially better than 720p at these screen sizes, no? But until one of the new formats wins (and maybe not then) 1080p is rather pointless.

My current 50" LCoS Sony does 1080i and looks amazing with a relatively cheap upscaling DVDP.

If I could get a decent 1080i PJ and 110" screen for under $2K I'd be there.

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #39 on:** 4 Feb 2007, 06:18 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 4 Feb 2007, 06:10 pm

However, this is a very interesting thread where they put two BENQ projectors, one 720p and one 1080p, side by side:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=799340

Personally, I can't tell the difference between the two, but maybe in person the difference would be more apparent.

Thanks - maybe you're right. When I bought the Sony last year, I decided that 1080i was "must-have" because it looked so much better than the 720 sets I viewed - but that could have been due more to the tech (LCos vs LCD or DLP) than anything else.