Pasky M
I have a few questions about projectors, I am going to get one to put in my room that I want to hook my computer up to to play games on a huge screen, i want to wathc movies on it through my computer, and I want to be able to watch local t.v. chaneels on it somehow. (my budget is I'm trying to keep it under $1000 including projection screen; I already have a sound system so that's not in my budget)
Q1: What projector should I get?
Q2: I get that the amount of lumens means how bright it can get, so what would be a good amount of lumens?
Q3: What would be a good contrast ratio? (I know the higher the better, but what is minimum amount the projector should have?)
Q4: What brand?
Q5: Where should I get it (Newegg, Bestbuy, Tigerdirect?)
Q6: Is a projector worth it instead of a tv? (I have enough space for up to 200 inches, so I thought a projecter would be a good idea, because then I could roll up the screen when I didn't need, and use the space, and it's cheaper than a big t.v.)
Ummmmm.. one thing I forgot is: is there anyway I can hook my projector up to local t.v.? (like bunny ears). I also understand that all t.v. will be digital by february of next year, so could I use a digital box to get local channels to play on my projecter?
Answer
Lets see If I can help
Q1: What projector should I get?
You want to make sure that the pj you get has a native resolution of at least 1280 X 720 so you can experience 720p HD. You should be able to find one for less than $800 and I actually just picked up an Optoma HD70 for about $650 after rebate.
Q2: I get that the amount of lumens means how bright it can get, so what would be a good amount of lumens?
Anything between 1000 and 1200 should be good. You get too many Lumens and you risk washing out the picture.
Q3: What would be a good contrast ratio? (I know the higher the better, but what is minimum amount the projector should have?)
I'd look for at least 2000:1
Q4: What brand?
There a gazillion of them but I prefer Infocus, Optoma or Epson and have had good experiences with all of them.
Q5: Where should I get it (Newegg, Bestbuy, Tigerdirect?)
For gods sake not Best Buy. Personally I have bought a few from Tigerdirect, but before I do I will do a search for the specific item on Yahoo Shopping so I can compare all of the online prices.
Q6: Is a projector worth it instead of a tv?
Absolutely! Watching HD on the big screen will BLOW YOU AWAY! I have been slowly replacing ALL my TV's with projection
weeder
Lets see If I can help
Q1: What projector should I get?
You want to make sure that the pj you get has a native resolution of at least 1280 X 720 so you can experience 720p HD. You should be able to find one for less than $800 and I actually just picked up an Optoma HD70 for about $650 after rebate.
Q2: I get that the amount of lumens means how bright it can get, so what would be a good amount of lumens?
Anything between 1000 and 1200 should be good. You get too many Lumens and you risk washing out the picture.
Q3: What would be a good contrast ratio? (I know the higher the better, but what is minimum amount the projector should have?)
I'd look for at least 2000:1
Q4: What brand?
There a gazillion of them but I prefer Infocus, Optoma or Epson and have had good experiences with all of them.
Q5: Where should I get it (Newegg, Bestbuy, Tigerdirect?)
For gods sake not Best Buy. Personally I have bought a few from Tigerdirect, but before I do I will do a search for the specific item on Yahoo Shopping so I can compare all of the online prices.
Q6: Is a projector worth it instead of a tv?
Absolutely! Watching HD on the big screen will BLOW YOU AWAY! I have been slowly replacing ALL my TV's with projection
weeder
Which Projector is brighter?
Andrew
So I am wanting to buy a projector and I have a limited budget. There are two that I was looking at. The place I will be using the projector is a fairly brightly sun lighten room so I want as bright of one as I can get.
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/optoma-optoma-wxga-3d-led-data-projector-ml500-ml500/10184240.aspx?path=ea6eacd86906c3251c62017a7e2977f7en02
This one has 500 ansi Lumen
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/vivitek-vivitek-xga-3d-dlp-home-theatre-projector-d535-d535/10189073.aspx?path=3dea81ff2fb99c63ba2449432271c0a1en02.
This one has 3200 peak lumens
I know peak lumens and ansi lumens are measured differently and that ansi has a better Standard of testing. Which one would be better/brighter?
Thanks Chris. Good, detailed answer. I can't find that projector on amazon for 535, I found it for 650 which is about 100 over my budget. If you find the one you were talking about could you put a link. If not then which would be better. I'll give you more details. This projector is for a Youth group for kids to watch things on. High HD quality is not a big issue, though I want the best I can get. My budget is 600 (that has to include taxes/shipping etc.) Any others you would suggest? Again the room we will use it in has some big windows so it's quite bright.
Answer
Peak lumens is only significantly different with CRT projectors. They have the ability to illuminate a small portion of the screen very brightly. Digital projectors, be it DLP, LCD or LED, produce about the same brightness whether lighting part of the screen or the whole area.
The Vivitek is significantly brighter than the Optoma, but neither would make a particularly good home cinema projector.
The Optoma uses and LED light source. This makes it very compact because there's no much need for fans and ducts for cooling. However, LED lamps don't produce a lot of light, so this isn't a good choice for you.
The Vivitek (and the Optoma for that matter) is a business projector. The XGA 4:3 resolution panel better suits PowerPoint laptop presentations rather than 16:9 Blu-ray, HD TV etc. . It's also tuned for raw light output rather than picture quality. I also see that it is billed as 3D but only has HDMI 1.3 so that suggests it is only compatible with the NVidia 3D graphics cards rather than 3D Blu-ray players that you'd really like.
They're a little more money, but Optoma make a range of 16:9 panel home cinema projectors with the sort of light power of the Vivitek but with picture quality that would put your local cineplex to shame. Have a look at the Optoma HD66 (2500ANSI Lumens 4000:1 3D-Ready DLP Home Theater Projector - White) on Amazon at $535.
Optoma home cinema projectors have HD in the model number. Those with GT in the name are designed for gaming. They have very short throw lenses (big picture at very short projection distance) but no zoom. The rest are business projectors with the same limitations as the Vivitek.
Peak lumens is only significantly different with CRT projectors. They have the ability to illuminate a small portion of the screen very brightly. Digital projectors, be it DLP, LCD or LED, produce about the same brightness whether lighting part of the screen or the whole area.
The Vivitek is significantly brighter than the Optoma, but neither would make a particularly good home cinema projector.
The Optoma uses and LED light source. This makes it very compact because there's no much need for fans and ducts for cooling. However, LED lamps don't produce a lot of light, so this isn't a good choice for you.
The Vivitek (and the Optoma for that matter) is a business projector. The XGA 4:3 resolution panel better suits PowerPoint laptop presentations rather than 16:9 Blu-ray, HD TV etc. . It's also tuned for raw light output rather than picture quality. I also see that it is billed as 3D but only has HDMI 1.3 so that suggests it is only compatible with the NVidia 3D graphics cards rather than 3D Blu-ray players that you'd really like.
They're a little more money, but Optoma make a range of 16:9 panel home cinema projectors with the sort of light power of the Vivitek but with picture quality that would put your local cineplex to shame. Have a look at the Optoma HD66 (2500ANSI Lumens 4000:1 3D-Ready DLP Home Theater Projector - White) on Amazon at $535.
Optoma home cinema projectors have HD in the model number. Those with GT in the name are designed for gaming. They have very short throw lenses (big picture at very short projection distance) but no zoom. The rest are business projectors with the same limitations as the Vivitek.
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