jeffhhsu

I don't have a lot of money, but I'm looking into either buying a budget project or a decent direct view Tv with a limited budget. My question is, with only so much money, should I just go for an above-average 34" flatscreen TV or a budget projector? With a projector, I would also have to spring for a projector screen. (given that they're about the same price) Note: I have a 32" TV (not flatscreen) for watching regular TV programming already.

also, what do you guys think about the 5:1:1 ratio that I 've read about in magazines? (5=money spent on projector, 1=money spent on DVD player, 1=money spent on projector screen)

JimRochester

Before I bought a low end projector I'd go with an RPTV. But if you can swing it and you have a TV for regular TV anyway, why not make the jump?

gotapex

If you have good light control, go for a projector. If not, go for a regular TV.

zargon

Direct view TVs will have the best picture period. With that being said, RPTVs, if properly calibrated (ISF is best, but at least use Avia or Video Essentials) they can look damn good. RPTVs have come a long way and the major benifit of a RPTV is you can't get those sizes from a direct view TV. Your basiclly going to have to base it on weather you want a big TV or not.

I personally would go with rear projection since, like I said properly calibrated they look really good. Then it is the fact that I am not going to get a TV smaller than 46" which you just can't get in a direct view TV. I will be getting one around July and I have my eye on a Mitsu, they have some great RPTVs.

ckolchak

the problem with the budget pj's, like the one i have, is that to really shine, you need to calibrate the whole room.
having absolute light control is just one aspect of this.
also, i would say you don't NEED to spend a lot of money on a screen. i have a DIY that i made from fabric purchased at the local fabric store, and it has served me quite well, at a total cost of about $40.
also, i use a $250 dvd player (which you can get now for $200), and the picture (with decent discs) is quite impressive.

i think dropping money on a flat screen direct view at that size would be a bit of a waste of money.
they're nice, but as a total investment, a pj (or RPTV if you don't mind having a huge appliance in the room) will give you more bang for the buck.

plus, the pj is much, much easier to unload at a decent price than a year old (or 4 year old tv).

X

You can say you like the picture best from a direct view TV but I disagree that they have the best picture period. Of course the lighting conditions matter, so you could say one looks better within a particular lighting situation, but if you are looking for the best resolution of DVD and HDTV source material you cannot get that with a direct view set.

Frank S

I agree with X that Direct view TV's DO NOT have a better picture then RPTV ( of course were talking HDTV's)! The only advantages Direct view has over the RP/HDTV's is a brighter picture for very brightly lit rooms and a better viewing angle up and down. When you are viewing HD or DVD's a RP/HDTV will give you a much better filmlike picture and the added size gives you a more theater like feeling.

macsax

A conditional nod to Frank S, X and Zargon. Technically, direct view TVs (or to be exact in this case, monitors) give the best picture quality when it comes to color accuracy and resolution. At this objective (vs. subjective) point of quality however, I refer to broadcast quality monitors, which are available in high res flavors. Due to production concerns (mostly tube yield: how many picture tubes get rejected after production for this application), the high resolution capable products can get up to $30,000.00 and above. These direct view products are literally the standard by which other products are judged and in many labs are essentially treated as reference and test equipment and I have not heard of any that get up to the size of some of the largest direct views out there.

With that hair split, there are large tube, direct view products that look bad and these are easy to single out. One of the aspects of a "home theater" many of us want is the big picture. But the question you need to know the answer to is: How big is big enough for you? Price and technology will put a limit on direct view's size and I feel a good RPTV will give you increased image size and excellent color accuracy for the same price range as a good or excellent direct view that may have a slight edge in color accuracy. The physical size of an RPTV can be a drawback though.

An LCD or DLP projector will give you a larger image yet, and depending on your budget can still be bright enough that room lighting control becomes less critical. But color accuracy is not as good. You may be able to find a used front projection CRT projector which will give you good color accuracy and screen size, but room lighting control is very critical with these and if HDTV comes into play it will be difficult to find a high res model to fit the bill.

Take the time to check out and physically look at the different types of products available and know or make an educated decision on what the important feature of those above is most important to you.

I personally would love to have a nice 9" gun, front projection CRT projector system, but it is really too expensive for me right now and certainly doesn't fall in the price range we are talking about here (unless you stumble upon a mythically great deal; in which ask if they have two and let me know). So my personal preference is a good RPTV.

-Shawn

gotapex

Hey, if you're going to dream big, why not dream really really big?

Barco 12" CRT projector

macsax

Amen my brother! Why not indeed?

jeffhhsu

Thanks, guys, for the enthusiastic replies. I would like to dream big too. Except that I need to upgrade my computer, pay the rent, put the food on the table, etc. (looking into getting a second job) On the other hand, I can almost imagine a big projector screen hanging in my new apartment. Almost! Gonna have to do some serious thinking on this.

jflynn

Look into Panasonic AE100 LCD projector, under two grand and can DIY screen for now.

gotapex

With a $2k budget, you still can get a quality big screen experience with the AE100 like jflynn suggested. It's definitely worth looking into. I find myself having a very hard time going back to a normal TV (even RPTV) after seeing a projector. For awhile, I had two projectors at home and decided to temporarily use one for a TV. The walls in my house are white (which isn't ideal), but the experience was still very enjoyable, especially at 180" diagonal. It was so hard to step back down to a 36" tube. Ugh.

Anyhow, while we're still dreaming... check out this home theater some guy set up in his basement:

jeffhhsu

gotapex, what do you mean that white walls aren't ideal for projecting video images? I thought white would be perfect. Please reply before I begin the repainting of my new apartment.

gotapex

Well, white is perfect for well adjusted CRT projectors which have low, deep, inky blacks. For most LCD, DLP, and even LCOS/D-ILA projectors, gray is ideal. What that does is it dramatically increases the perceived contrast. Now, one thing to definitely consider, for some of us, is the WAF of a gray wall, of course. But if you can, some sort of gray is best.

Depending on what projector you get, how big of an image you plan to project, and how much ambient light you have, you'll probably want to paint the walls around a .8 to .95 gain neutral gray.

Something like this is ideal:

ScreenGoo for Digital Projectors

jeffhhsu

thanks for the info, gotapex!