best home theater projector under 600 image
tjs323
I am buying a new projector but I cant decide which one to get. I have looked at tons of them. I see a good one and then the next one I see its either better or worse. I want one with a GREAT picture, it has to be quiet, it has to be able to connect to my computer, it cant be more than 600 dollars, It has to be able to project a picture close up, and it has to be a nice projector. What would you recomend I get?
Answer
I hate to dissapoint you, but at $600 you have limited choice if your intent is games, HDTV or DVDs ... but you didn't specify.
Projectors fall into three resolution classes: 480p ($500+); 720p ($900+); and, 1080p ($1900+) ... all US prices. Unfortunately the bulk of under $7-800 projectors (and many more expensive) are aimed at business users.
They will work for home use, BUT generally have poor contrast ratio, relatively low resolution, poor video processing, and (often) noisy fans and poor colour accuracy.
Inexpensive projectors are usually DLP based models (rather than LCD), which means they have a spinning colour wheel which -- unless fairly fast (>4X) -- will cause "rainbow effect" (headaches/visual field issues) in susceptible viewers (a small but not insignificant portion of the population). DLP does give a better contrast ratio than LCD though.
You can read more at the projectorcentral.com site you were directed to by another respondent, but the bottom line is at that price range -- unless you want a projector for business presentation type use -- you would be advised to look for an end-of-line, refurbished or used Home Theatre projector.
For example, I came across an ad for a BenQ 8700+ projector for $800 the other day. New, that projector cost over $5000 ... and it even came with a spare lamp. That raises the main issue with used projectors ... the lamps are $300+ so unless you know the lamp is in good shape you could be in for an expensive surprise not long after you buy.
Or, try the InFocus store ... they often have refurbished projectors at very reasonable prices.
I'm not going to suggest a specific projector, but (assuming you are after one for game and movie watching) look for the following characteristics:
- 1000-1500 ANSI Lumens
- fan noise: <28 dB
- VGA, composite, S-video, component (sometimes it's via an adapter to the VGA input) ... and if possible DVI or HDMI (HDCP compliant).
- 800x600 resolution (4:3) or 854x480 (16:9) or better
Read reviews and specs at projectorcentral.com or projectorreviews.com (See link). Projectorcentral.com has a handy calculator to help you determine how big the image will be at a specific distance (2nd link).
Finally, see the last link for a list of used projectors that may be of interest.
Hope this helps.
Has you ever used an overhead LCD panel projector? Did you ever try to play movies on it?
bjmarchini
I was thinking about getting a projector for the living room. I stumbled accross plans to build a projector using an overhead, an lcd panel projector and a casing to put it all in. Seems like most cost under $200.
I remember a professor using one of those panels in a class i had. I am wondering how movies look when played off of it.
Answer
Unfortunately regular overhead LCD panel projectors were not designed to handle/process video, much less movie DVD's very well. This type of projector will normally project static slides very well, however, when it comes to movies and videos you will be very disappointed in the actual outcome due to the projector not having any sort of deinterlacer to smooth out the screen door, pixelized noisey moving images. Even if you were to attach a separate DVD device with its internal deinterlacer, which is suppose to process the 480p, 720p or 1080p DVDs, you may be able to process the jaggies but the screen door images will still be noticeable. And then there is no heightened contrast level processing of the video images since most overhead LCD panel projectors by their initial design, have very low contrast levels, mostly between 600 to 1000:1. There is also the issue of fading of the LCD panels [especially the blue one] over time since most overhead LCD panels projectors have panels made of "organic" material that will fade over time. So, as a consequence, you will have to purchase another projector in the very near future.
Perhaps you should reconsider your choice of technology and look into acquiring a DLP projector which is the choice of many home theatre owners - due to their very high contrast levels usually starting at 2000:1 and moving upwards therefrom.
In conclusion, you will be greatly disappointed in the final video images projected by an overhead LCD panel projector. The image will be full of jaggies and will appear very gray and low in contrast.
Good luck!
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