assassinat
Hi All!
I'm looking to buy a home theater projector and get off of television once and for all.
I'm looking to spend about $1000, and a used one is ok. I'm looking for quality of picture, how well it works with the lights on, and reliability.
Thanks!
Answer
In general projectors -- like most TVs -- give the best picture in a dark/dim room. If you leave lights on contrast suffers and the "pop" is reduced. That said, bright projectors (which unfortunately also mean you risk shorter lamp life) will work (particularly with a suitable screen) to give a good picture even in a moderately bright room.
I commend you on proposing to replace your TV as the primary display --- it's the best way by far to get a big picture and get an overall movie (or HDTV) watching experience that can even beat a movie theatre. Although ... it's worth noting that keeping a small TV is probably advisable for watching the news or things that don't warrant turning on a projector.
This is because lamps in projectors do wear out (Typically they last 3-4000 hrs) and cost $300 or so to replace. The life of the lamp is maximized if on/off cycles are minimized (particularly short cycles and if the lamp isn't allowed to cool properly). See the 1st link on maximizing lamp life.
Now to projectors. Since needs vary widely I'm going to reference a list of recommended home theatre projectors (2nd link). Many are outside your price point, but there are some that fit your budget. Do some reading on this (and other sites, such as projectorreviews.com) to learn more before you make a decision.
Hope this helps.
In general projectors -- like most TVs -- give the best picture in a dark/dim room. If you leave lights on contrast suffers and the "pop" is reduced. That said, bright projectors (which unfortunately also mean you risk shorter lamp life) will work (particularly with a suitable screen) to give a good picture even in a moderately bright room.
I commend you on proposing to replace your TV as the primary display --- it's the best way by far to get a big picture and get an overall movie (or HDTV) watching experience that can even beat a movie theatre. Although ... it's worth noting that keeping a small TV is probably advisable for watching the news or things that don't warrant turning on a projector.
This is because lamps in projectors do wear out (Typically they last 3-4000 hrs) and cost $300 or so to replace. The life of the lamp is maximized if on/off cycles are minimized (particularly short cycles and if the lamp isn't allowed to cool properly). See the 1st link on maximizing lamp life.
Now to projectors. Since needs vary widely I'm going to reference a list of recommended home theatre projectors (2nd link). Many are outside your price point, but there are some that fit your budget. Do some reading on this (and other sites, such as projectorreviews.com) to learn more before you make a decision.
Hope this helps.
projector screen size question?
kyle
ok so i want to make a projector home theater. my question is how big of a screen should i get. like L x W. the distance from the projector will be roughly 10-10 1/2 feet and this is the projector i want.
http://www.digitalgalaxy.com.cn/e_80i_02.html
if you look guys its also the higher res not just the 640x480
Answer
First, save your money. That projector is a 640x480 resolution (roughly half the resolution of a low end high definition projector) and the native format looks like it's 4:3 (~square). This means you will be watching a low resolution screen, and when you want to watch something in widescreen, it will likely reduce your resolution even further in order to achieve the correct wide format.
Next, your throw distance is fine at ~10 feet, but with a projector you want to balance room light with screen size. The larger the projected screen, the darker the room has to be. If you want a 100" screen, you will need to be TOTALLY BLACK because this projector doesn't have a lot of brightness, but at the recommended 72", you can have some ambient light in the room, it will just wash out the picture.
Once you've determined screen size, and controlled ambient light, you will have to continually recalibrate your projector (correct brightness and color) because as the bulb ages, it's color and brightness output will vary, and negatively impact your watching experience, and you should look at the cost of replacing the bulb as you'll be doing it every ~2000 hours (or less!)
I generally don't recommend projectors for amateur home theater hobbyists because of all the sacrifices and additional investments that are generally required for the projector to function properly. If you want to do it right, expect to pay no less than $5-7000 dollars for projector and room modification to make the experience worthwhile.
Buy a direct view screen unless you have a dedicated room you can make into a home theater, with controlled lighting, a dedicated audio system (the speakers in the projector will be terrible!) and the capability to run wires through the walls and ceiling to make for a clean install.
*Edit*
As mentioned below, the projector scales resolutions down. It is native at 640x480 and that's all it will ever be able to show. It can take in any resolution, but isn't capable of actually SHOWING those resolutions, it just removes information (detail) from the image until it can display whatever is left. This is not an investment I would recommend making, you will be sharply disappointed. Beyond the low resolution, it's a fair bet that the lens is very low quality (poor focus edge to edge, poor detail) the fan is likely very loud (interrupts your movie experience) and as mentioned above, if you plan on using the internal speaker... good luck. It will sound terrible and have zero bass capability.
IF all you ever plan to do is watch standard DVD's or play video games, this unit might function minimally to suit your needs, but it is NOT capable of displaying high definition. You need a projector with a NATIVE RESOLUTION of at least 1280x720 (720p) to be capable of displaying high definition.
Hope this helps!
First, save your money. That projector is a 640x480 resolution (roughly half the resolution of a low end high definition projector) and the native format looks like it's 4:3 (~square). This means you will be watching a low resolution screen, and when you want to watch something in widescreen, it will likely reduce your resolution even further in order to achieve the correct wide format.
Next, your throw distance is fine at ~10 feet, but with a projector you want to balance room light with screen size. The larger the projected screen, the darker the room has to be. If you want a 100" screen, you will need to be TOTALLY BLACK because this projector doesn't have a lot of brightness, but at the recommended 72", you can have some ambient light in the room, it will just wash out the picture.
Once you've determined screen size, and controlled ambient light, you will have to continually recalibrate your projector (correct brightness and color) because as the bulb ages, it's color and brightness output will vary, and negatively impact your watching experience, and you should look at the cost of replacing the bulb as you'll be doing it every ~2000 hours (or less!)
I generally don't recommend projectors for amateur home theater hobbyists because of all the sacrifices and additional investments that are generally required for the projector to function properly. If you want to do it right, expect to pay no less than $5-7000 dollars for projector and room modification to make the experience worthwhile.
Buy a direct view screen unless you have a dedicated room you can make into a home theater, with controlled lighting, a dedicated audio system (the speakers in the projector will be terrible!) and the capability to run wires through the walls and ceiling to make for a clean install.
*Edit*
As mentioned below, the projector scales resolutions down. It is native at 640x480 and that's all it will ever be able to show. It can take in any resolution, but isn't capable of actually SHOWING those resolutions, it just removes information (detail) from the image until it can display whatever is left. This is not an investment I would recommend making, you will be sharply disappointed. Beyond the low resolution, it's a fair bet that the lens is very low quality (poor focus edge to edge, poor detail) the fan is likely very loud (interrupts your movie experience) and as mentioned above, if you plan on using the internal speaker... good luck. It will sound terrible and have zero bass capability.
IF all you ever plan to do is watch standard DVD's or play video games, this unit might function minimally to suit your needs, but it is NOT capable of displaying high definition. You need a projector with a NATIVE RESOLUTION of at least 1280x720 (720p) to be capable of displaying high definition.
Hope this helps!
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