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Thinking about getting a projector...

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ocelittle

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I've decided to stay away from screens, more because I don't have the room than anything, but I was curious. I would like a fancy screen that can go up and down from the room electrically.

Where would I find such a screen? Also, what's the price point that I need to spend to get a good projector. I don't want crap, and I don't need amazing, I just want something with all the features.
 
I'd definately be interested in everyones opinion also. I plan on moving out soon and would love to have such a setup.
 
Aw man, if I wanted to search through differnet boards, I would have just googled it.

I like my answers like I like my breakfast...brought to me by a GA.
 
A few questions:

Widescreen?

HDTV ready? (720p)

Any windows in viewing area?

Plan to watch in total darkness or with some light?

Can you spend as much as $4000 USD?

How large is the viewing room? (WxDxH)

How far from the screen is the viewing area?

Mounting projector on ceiling, behind you or on table?

Will be just for watching movies and playing games....or do you plan to watch TV on it too?
 
Sanyo Z3
Panasonic AE700
Infocus 4805

all < 2k, all 720p. Get one with HDMI/HDCP to protect yourself for bluray/HD-DVD etc.

Screen you can get from lots of places. I have a simple pull down screen - electrics are a little more expensive, but not hugely more.
 
Infocus 4805 isn't native 720p, so some scaling will be involved (it can accept 720p signals though).
 
Kleegamefan said:
A few questions:

Widescreen?

HDTV ready? (720p)

Any windows in viewing area?

Plan to watch in total darkness or with some light?

Can you spend as much as $4000 USD?

How large is the viewing room? (WxDxH)

How far from the screen is the viewing area?

Mounting projector on ceiling, behind you or on table?

Will be just for watching movies and playing games....or do you plan to watch TV on it too?
Click to expand...

I have one question if anybody knows, do any projecters to better than 720p?
 
I would like to buy one, but I would need to replace my old TV with the projector because of space issues.. (I can watch TV on my PC) but I still need to play a load of PS2 games.. those games will look utter crap on a 80" screen with component cables I guess? :(
 
Alcibiades said:
I have one question if anybody knows, do any projecters to better than 720p?
Click to expand...

they'll take better than 720p, but they don't have native resolutions better than 720p.

No need to worry about it though, as 1080p is a while off yet. I have a 480p projector that still looks great, and brings out details in DVDs I don't notice on a small screen. I'm going to try and wait for 1080p before upgrading, for HD movies.
 
Gamedude said:
I would like to buy one, but I would need to replace my old TV with the projector because of space issues.. (I can watch TV on my PC) but I still need to play a load of PS2 games.. those games will look utter crap on a 80" screen with component cables I guess? :(
Click to expand...


why space issues? My pull down screen takes up no space when its tucked away - just a few centimetres on the ceiling, and my projector is ceiling mounted and quite discrete. Moving from a big CRT widescreen set to an LCD on the wall + projector has actually given me more space in my lounge.


As for PS2 games. I generally only use my projector for DVDs, and they are 480p and look great. If you have progressive scan PS2 games, no reason they shouldn't also look great.
 
A few questions:

Widescreen? Of course

HDTV ready? (720p) Of course

Any windows in viewing area? Haven't moved yet, but there probably will be (they will be coverable)

Plan to watch in total darkness or with some light? Both, I guess.

Can you spend as much as $4000 USD? That's a little much, I was thinking around 2500 US.

How large is the viewing room? (WxDxH) No clue yet, your standard apartment living room.

How far from the screen is the viewing area? I'll say 10 feet.

Mounting projector on ceiling, behind you or on table? On ceiling definitely.

Will be just for watching movies and playing games....or do you plan to watch TV on it too? I'll be watching TV on it, hopefully. Don't want to have a TV AND a screen...that's overkill.
 
My fam has a Dell projector. Its pretty good for movies but always has the darkness issue. But thats all I know. Otherwise, they love it. Splinter Cell was tough to play on it but burnout 3 was awesome.
 
Will be just for watching movies and playing games....or do you plan to watch TV on it too? I'll be watching TV on it, hopefully. Don't want to have a TV AND a screen...that's overkill.
Click to expand...

Thats optimistic :)

Worth trying, but IMO projector images that are the right size for movies, are too big for TV viewing. And usually you need too much light control.

Still, the AE700 and Z3 are in your price range and HD ready and have short throws (so you'll get a good size at 10ft away)
 
ocelittle said:
A few questions:

Plan to watch in total darkness or with some light? Both, I guess.

Can you spend as much as $4000 USD? That's a little much, I was thinking around 2500 US.

Will be just for watching movies and playing games....or do you plan to watch TV on it too? I'll be watching TV on it, hopefully. Don't want to have a TV AND a screen...that's overkill.
Click to expand...


My current picks would be the Toshiba MT700, and the Panasonic AE700.

The Toshi is a HD DLP projector (1280x720) and it streets for ~ $2500.

The Panny is also HD, (1280x720), but it's an LCD. The contrast ratio and black level won't be quite as good as the Toshiba; but it's still a great little PJ for the money ~ $1800 - $2000.

One thing to keep in mind is that you'll have to choose your screen accordingly if you want to watch either of these PJ's in ambient light. Even then, your best viewing condition is in low light.

If you care to wait a bit, you might also check out this PJ: LG AN110 (check out my post near the bottom of the page).
 
I will definitely be waiting about 6 months before I make this final decision, I just want to see what's out there. And I'm a huge Panasonic man and would love to stick with their products...so is there something nice coming out in the near future from them?
 
If you have a dark room, projectors own. I love mine (PT-L300U, getting a bit old now, but still kickin)
 
Definitely wait until early September. That's when the CEDIA show is and a bunch of new projectors will be unveiled there which should drop prices on current models.
 
Suikoguy said:
If you have a dark room, projectors own. I love mine (PT-L300U, getting a bit old now, but still kickin)
Click to expand...
I can make my room really dark, does a projector owns for gaming purpose? I know it will be nicer on the next-generation of gaming with 720p standard.. but what about current PS2, Gamecube, Xbox games? What about a game like Metal Gear Solid 3 (I'm a huge fan of this franchise) in 480i on a 80" screen, won't it look like crap?(on a Sanyo Z3 projector or let's say.. a Toshiba MT700)
 
Sorry to bump this thread but I am looking to compare differents projectors here.

- Infocus LP640 or LP540
http://www.projectorcentral.com/InFocus-LP640.htm
http://www.projectorcentral.com/InFocus-LP540.htm

These are marketed as professionnal PJs. Is there a difference between a professionnal PJ and a personal PJ? Is a pro PJ suitable for gaming?

And someone has to explain me something. I know what resolutions are (1280x1024) but I don't have a clue how it converts to 480p, 720p and 1080p. What are the resolution for those modes?

And what's DLP? And I see that better PJ have high Lumens, what does it mean?

I heard that plasma TVs can burn (like a life bar printed on screen), is there any danger with a PJ?

And in case it might help someone to recommend me something:
A few questions:

Widescreen? Yeah

HDTV ready? (720p) Yeah

Any windows in viewing area? No

Plan to watch in total darkness or with some light? Darkness

Can you spend as much as $4000 USD? Ahahaha no

How large is the viewing room? (WxDxH) It's my basement, let's say 18x36x8 ft

How far from the screen is the viewing area? < 12ft

Mounting projector on ceiling, behind you or on table? Ceiling if possible

Will be just for watching movies and playing games....or do you plan to watch TV on it too? Mostly games/DVDs
 
You don't want either of those, the contrast ratio is terrible. 400:1 is not suitable for movies.

Lumens is brightness, higher the better usually.

DLP is a display technology, like what you see in TVs and stuff. Generally offers better contrast and black levels over LCD projectors.

I don't think projectors can burn in, almost 100% sure on this.

If you give us a budget it's easier to narrow down a projector.
 
You're probably going to be looking at the current crop of 720p LCD projectors in that price range. Several of them will be getting replacement models from the upcoming CEDIA show so prices will drop on them for sure.

The Sanyo Z3 and Panasonic AE700 are both great 720p LCD projectors, but there's so many to pick from right now that it's hard to narrow it down.

I would suggest reading up here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

And definitely take a look at this topic: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=549660

CEDIA happens in less than a week so expect to see prices dropping soon.
 
if anybody wants to try an AE100, you buy mine - then I'll buy a 700 :)

Most of the new projectors at Cedia will still be 720p, which means 1080p is still 12 months off. So grab a Z3 or AE700 before they get discontinued.

Spend a couple of hundred on a good screen. You can ceiling mount with a few bits of MDF - so easy even I could do it.

And factor in some budget for good cables - long runs of quality component, VGA or HDMI can be expensive.
 
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