Is a projector the way to go?

mca · « **on:** 21 Mar 2006, 02:30 am »

I have been thinking about replacing my Mitsubishi Diamond 65" RPTV.

I can't seem to find anything new that I like that does not cost a fortune. I have heard great things about the Panny AE900a, but I'm a little hesitant to take the plunge and go for a projector.

I have a dedicated room that can get very dark. I have a free wall that can fit a 90" or so screen. I have power in the attic straight above. It seems my room would be a good candidate for a projector.

Bummer is, there is not one around here that I can demo. Would this be a definite step up from my Mitsu? What would be the drawbacks of a projector? What would be the plusses? How is the PQ with satellite?

Fife12 · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 02:38 am »

Hey there,

That depends on what you watch. If you are a movie buff, a PJ is great. If you watch lots of HDTV, it is great too.

If you watch regular cable tv, not so great unless of you course you get a scaler...etc.

I think the best of both worlds is a PJ with 80+" screen and a small 28-42" LCD tv. ..of course if you could afford it. Perfect for 2 channel buffs and HT maniacs.

slugworth · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 03:17 am »

I agree with Fife12. HDTV is fantastic. DVD is great. Regular TV, even digital is disappointing unless you shrink the image. A projector is not something you turn on for 10 minutes to see the sports scores. It is also a hassle, if all you want to do is program your receiver or dvd-audio player with the OSD. The last Panasonic LCD players had QC issues according to some people. Go to www.projectorcentral.com/, if you have not already.

zybar · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 03:59 am »

Quote from: slugworth

I agree with Fife12. HDTV is fantastic. DVD is great. Regular TV, even digital is disappointing unless you shrink the image. A projector is not something you turn on for 10 minutes to see the sports scores. It is also a hassle, if all you want to do is program your receiver or dvd-audio player with the OSD. The last Panasonic LCD players had QC issues according to some people. Go to www.projectorcentral.com/, if you have not already.

I have two of the Panny pj's and some friends have them as well with no QC issues.

I totally agree with the comments about SD images (especially the highly compressed DirecTV ones) not looking great when blown up to 90+ inches. Heck, I don't like the way it looks at times on 42" plasma!

Personally I love front pj's, but I do agree that you probably want something a little more user friendly around as well.

George

Woodsea · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 04:09 am »

I also have a front PJ. I wholeheartedly agree with all stated above. I could never go back. A 30 inch flat panel HDTV would be optimal for just regular viewing. Especially for the parent with kids. No need to go all out for cartoon network or Nick on the BIG screen.
I love my Panny ae700, the 900 reads even better. Can't do much testing here in UB. I have my Harmony remote taking care of everything, that was one of my better purchases.

mca · « **Reply #5 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.

RichardS · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 04:32 am »

I replaced a Sony 53" rear projector with a Sanyo projector a year or two ago, and I couldn't go back either. Even with the lousy picture provided with standard TV signals, the large image still draws you in in a way a smaller screen can't (have a 32" Panny HDTV in another room that I rarely watch). And with DVDs and the ever-increasing HD content available on cable and satellite, it's really fantastic. I'd say: Go for it!

dwk · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 04:40 am »

I'll emphasize the 'depends on what/how you watch' point, since I've gone the other way. I had a CRT PJ setup in the basement, but it was too inconvenient and we rarely watched it. Went to an LCD pj upstairs, and that got more use, but still not even every week.
For us sports (hockey mostly, some football) is our primary viewing material, and movies are secondary. Went with a Sony Wega RP, and couldn't be happier.

flintstone · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 01:21 pm »

I use my projector for movies and hi-def only (mostly sports). Regular tv picture quality is not worth the wasted bulb use...they don't give those bulbs away.

For hi-def and DVD viewing nothing beats a projector IMHO....pass the popcorn please.

Dave

Jason Nugent · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 01:57 pm »

With the price of single chip DLP projectors at 720p the way they are now, it's hard to justify the price of a high end plasma. Heck, Costco even sells the Optoma H78DC3, a 1280x720p single chip DLP projector that boasts really nice image quality, for around $3K. Too bad Optoma seems to be sucking when it comes to customer support, though. A friend of mine has the H79 (a supposedly "hand picked" version of the H78DC3) and he's been very happy with that and a Dalite Da-matte 106" screen. For about $5K total investment, he's got a picture that is jaw dropping when watching high def TV and movies. for regular TV, he's got a little 27" Sony WEGA.

I took the plunge and went with three chip DLP. I'll be pairing a Sim2 C3X with a 92" Stewart Grayawk RS screen. With that much light, and a relatively small negative gain screen, black levels should be fantastic and I can turn set the bulb to economy mode to lengthen its life.

jermmd · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 02:53 pm »

I disagree with those who don't watch standard def TV on their projectors. The pictures fine on my Panny 900 with a 92" dia. screen. If you watch TV as part of your home theater, it's really no more hassle then turning the projector on and off.

Doug_B · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 03:35 pm »

A projector is also nice if you use the room for critical audio. You don't really want a 65" monster cabinet sitting between your mains.

Most of my standard defn programs are fairly decent qualitywise on my 92" screen. However, most of my non-DVD viewing is in HD, which is fabulous.

I would hesitate to use it for a lot of TV viewing due to bulb lifetime issues. Also, the lifetime is affected by number of times turning it on. As such, I do have a modest 20" LCD in the same room closer to sitting position. Wife uses it now for regular TV viewing. Kids use it as backup location for their PS2. Don't have to use my remote macros now for flipping DVD-A 2ch/mch (when audio button doesn't work), can do quick scan of cable programming, set DVR, flip around music cable channels, etc, all without firing up proj.

Doug

Mike Dzurko · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Mar 2006, 04:24 pm »

Two 1/2 years ago I was all set to pickup a Hitachi 65" RPTV . . . then I started reading about PJs. Bought a Sanyo Z1 for around $1100 thinking it would hopefully get us through for a year. Bought a 102" Carada screen (highly recommended). Well the picture has been good enough we haven't felt compelled to upgrade yet. Planning on moving up maybe in a year or so. I've since spent some time viewing some much more expensive PJs, and yes they're much better, but I'm still getting enjoyment out of the inexpensive Z1.

As Doug said, having a wall mounted screen is much more audio friendly than having a big box in the middle.

David Ellis · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Mar 2006, 02:23 am »

IMO, projectors simply LOOK much better. I hung a humble Optoma H31 from my basement ceiling @ 3 months ago and it's wonderful! I'd never go back to watching a "normal" TV set. I really get that sucked-in feeling when watching a movie on my project. This never happened when watching a smaller TV set. Sure, I'd admire a the nice picture of the TV set, but the "experience" simply wasn't present.

If you have the space, and are willing to watch movies/TV in a dark room a projector IS the right decision IMO.

John Casler · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Mar 2006, 03:31 am »

I recently joined the Front Projection Club and have to say that the perspective is now more realistic.

That is, if you have a large HT Soundsystem and a small screen, the sonics "overpower" the visuals.

There is another "phenomena" that seems to occur...and that is, when the picture is BIGGER, the Sound gets Bigger too.

It is simply engulfing. You are "more" there. You are "more" in the movie, and I (for one) like that.

I'm the nut who gets to the theater 15-20 minutes early and scarfs the 4-6th row CENTER seats, so that I am "IN" the movie.

Luckily, we have a few of the best theaters in the world here in LA, and the projectors, screens, and sound systems are SOTA.

I saw War of the Worlds 4 times because it was better than any ride at Magic Mountain or D-land

And the great thing is now that I have a projector and 5 subs, I can do it all at home. (as long as the neighbors aren't home

)

I don't think you can really call it Home "THEATER" unless it is Front Projection. Everything else is Home TV.

thayerg · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 Mar 2006, 05:32 am »

I got the Sanyo Z1 three years ago and we've never looked back. Two points I kept on reading over and over on the forums:

1) Nobody really says "Wow would you look at that resolution and accurate color tracking" when they see the projected image. The size alone draws you in, and although a tweaked image is nice it's not the compelling factor. So a cheap projector is just fine.

2) Significant others of the female variety won't be too psyched about the projector/home theater thing until it's installed but once they've seen it in action they'll be thoroughly recruited to the concept.

And that's exactly what's happened. We got a Tivo last summer and although image quality took a huge hit the convenience and time flexibility has transformed the video experience as much as the projector itself. The tivo also freed us from ever having to look at opening credits and ads, which alone is worth about ten times the price of admission.

The projector may not be as casual as just flipping on the tv. But that is not necessarily such a bad thing, for those of us who sense they might be watching the tube too much to begin with.

As far as the projector/plasma/LCD debate, I can't help you. It's just a personal decision type of thing.

mca · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Mar 2006, 05:36 pm »

Thanks for all of your comments so far. My plan is to find a compareable unit around here that I can at least demo to get a good feel for a projector setup.

kfr01 · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Mar 2006, 05:42 pm »

Quote from: mca

Thanks for all of your comments so far. My plan is to find a compareable unit around here that I can at least demo to get a good feel for a projector setup.

FYI: This unit should be hitting the streets soon. It looks impressive for the price.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/InFocusIN76DLPprojector.php

After the units are in adequate supply, if current projector release / price trends hold true, you should be able to find this for hundreds less than the $3000 MSRP.

I plan on buying one.

Fife12 · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Mar 2006, 06:02 pm »

MCA,

My thought is this.

Get a decent $1300 PJ (not top of the line) like the Sanyo Z4 or Panny AE900 plus a $500 80-90" screen. Even easier placement is a pullup screen.

Then get a cheap 42" Sony A10 or equivalent.

I am sure you can get both of these setups for less than $4k US if that is within your budget.

zybar · « **Reply #19 on:** 24 Mar 2006, 12:24 am »

Quote from: Fife12

MCA,

My thought is this.

Get a decent $1300 PJ (not top of the line) like the Sanyo Z4 or Panny AE900 plus a $500 80-90" screen. Even easier placement is a pullup screen.

Then get a cheap 42" Sony A10 or equivalent.

I am sure you can get both of these setups for less than $4k US if that is within your budget.

You can get the Panny for roughly $1500 after the current $400 rebate.

George