mufaddalh

I would like to set up home theater in my finished basement. I want to buy a front projector to get the maximum image size. I would like to get one with DLP technology and want to spend under $3000. I am looking for one that is of good value, ie. at a good price point for the features. Any opinions from people who have one would be appreciated. Any websites which have reviews on a good one would be welcomed information. Thanks in advance!

Brian Shannon

Might want to try this thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=413254

or this thread

http://www.projectorcentral.com/home...projectors.htm

Psych1

Agree that you should prowl around on the AVS forums & maybe chance it on Ebay. But, you really need to spend more. New is better, used is chancy, bulbs are expensive, repairs impossible. Under $300 will probably not get you much. Try $800 and you are in business.

drmoze

He said $3000, not $300!

abintra

Roughly what type of life span can one expect on mid range units?

Looking at the projectorcentral link it seems 3000 hours is about the best case which means one might need to replace it every year or two.

milwaukee_mike

I've been researching this stuff on and off for about a year. I plan to make a purchase by x-mas.

To answer your question/statement, the 3000 hour life is for the bulbs, not the whole projector. Bulbs last anywhere from 1000-4000 hours depending on the projector. The replacement bulbs run $250-400.

So, while there is a regular maintenance cost for bulbs, you won't be throwing away a >$1000 piece of equipment every few years.

To answer the orignal posters question...

I am looking in the

Sonicflood

I bought a BenQ PB6100 in January of this year and have really enjoyed it. There are many great reviews on the AVS forum. It all boils down to what you will use the projector for as to which will best serve your needs. What % will be DVD, Satellite/cable, gaming, other?

I'll be upgrading to a BenQ XGA projector in a couple of months. My parents want my projector, so it'll be time to upgrade as I'll be giving them mine. I've been happy with and will buy another BenQ.

Sonicflood

mufaddalh

Appreciate everyone's input. Is there one projector that has a better reputation for quality/reliability than others? One poster BenQ as one company they liked. I want to use it mainly to watch DVD movies, but will use it for TV/Satellite reception as well. So for Home Theater use for watching DVDs, then there must be a "highly rated" model. I will take the advice and search the AVS forum for info. Thanks.

Sdallnct

I think I going with the X1 for that very reason. Almost all talk and reviews about the X1 mention that due to the chip inside it, it showes TV signal better then any of the other lower cost projectors.

While I mainly want a front projector for DVD's, no doubt I want to watch sports on it as well.

Josh Z

Yes, and to further put this in perspective, a 3000 hour bulb means you can watch a 2-hour movie a night for 4 years before you need to replace it. While it's true that you may wind up using the projector for more than 2 hours at a time when you turn it on, it's also true that you aren't likely to actually use the projector every single day, so it all evens out.

abintra

I would use it much more than 2 hours daily unless I bought another tv and used the projector exclusively for movies.

nekobus

It's because the X1 has the Faroudja chip.

FWIW, there is a new X2 model replacing the X1.

Anyone who is considering purchasing a DLP projector should try (along with their family members) to spend time watching one in low light conditions to see if they are sensitive to the rainbow effect.

Here is a helpful article on LCD and DLP technology:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/lcd_dlp.htm

gotapex

Didn't they take the Faroudja processor out of the X1a and X2?

Josh Z

Using a projector for daily TV watching is not a good idea for a number of reasons.

1) You need strong light-control to use a projector. You'll need to completely black out your room if you plan to watch during the day.
2) TV sources from broadcast, cable or satellite are poor-quality signals that look terrible when blown up to a large screen size.
3) You're wasting precious bulb-life on disposable programming. Do you really need to watch the evening news on a 100" screen?

Nothing beats a projector for duplicating the theatrical experience at home, but it should be reserved for worthy programming. I only watch movies and HDTV on mine. Everything else gets watched on an old 27" set that I keep off to the side.

If daily TV watching is a priority, a projector is probably not for you. You might want to check out RPTVs or plasmas instead.

abintra

Thanks for the info.

A decent projector and HDTV is probably out of my budget so will probably end up doing what you say (going the HDTV route instead). Light control isn't a problem but having to replace bulbs yearly would add too much cost for it to be feasible for me.

I would definitely want to watch more than just movies if I did own a nice 100" projector. Stuff like the news wouldn't be the reason but being forced to stick within a specific amount of time and limiting anything but movies on it would be.

I wouldn't want to spend that kind of money and not be able to watch as many sports games and tv programming as I would desire in order to save bulb life. I still would end up wanting to watch sports, dramas, and comedies on it if I had it which would push the lifetime cost dramatically over $3000.

Psych1

Well, I guess I misread that because I'm basically a low budget guy - started with a $50 projection panel. Anyway, now that I have been corrcted and see that you are willing to spend, I second all the X1 talk and recommend not the X2 but the new 4500 (or some such number) that just came out and is about $1500. You will have to spend a lot more to get a little more. And, this technology is moving quickly so you will likely want to upgrade in a year or two.

nekobus

Yes, they did.

Psych1

That's one of the reasons to go with the new one -Infocus 4805 - it kept all the good stuff and added some HT features.

But, Faroudja processing (deinterlacing) is also done by a lot of new DVD players so you don't really need it in the projector.

If you are new at this think sound systems. You are limited by your weakest component and you don't need multiple components that do the same thing.

GreenMonkey

I have standard analog cable, and it looks quite decent blown up to 80" on my X1. Faroudja scaling at its best. I hear lesser scalers are much iffier.

Bulbs are 4000 hours. @ ~6 hours a day that's ~2 years. That's a lot of hours. I've had mine since January and have clocked about 600 hours on it.

nekobus

Yeah, that's fine if you only watch dvds, but if you watch other sources, it is helpful to have Faroudja processing in the projector.

FWIW, not that many new dvd players have Faroudja processing (especially at the lower end of the market), only a handful of models have it.

Sonicflood

1) Not true! I have a BenQ PB6100 and I have no problem watching during the day, with just the blinds closed! I even have a set of french doors that open to a sunroom behind my den area & it is not hard to watch at all! It depends on the LUMEN RATING! What projector do you own?

2) Not always true! Depends on the processor.. Faroudja, Pixelworks.. they DO make a difference!

3) Why shouldn't he enjoy EVERYTHING on his projection system? I use mine daily for DirecTV, HD OTA Tuner, DVD. It only works out to pennies per day, depending on your daily usage.

I'll never go back to a small screen! The best advice I can offer him is to try one out in his home. There are several places that will offer an in-home trial period. Infocus is one. Please don't disuade him based upon the above info that is only your opinion (not fact).

Personally, I bought my front projection system to be enjoyed daily and that's what I do. No small TV sitting beside my screen to "get me by".

To each their own... the above is my opinion. Check out www.avsforum.com

Sonicflood

Josh Z

My projector is rated at 2000 lumens. I still find the picture unwatchable if the room isn't dark.

I have a $1500 iScan-HD video scaler. It helps, but if the source signal is low-quality cable TV there's nothing that can magically make it look good at 80" or bigger.

To each their own. I don't think this is practical for most people, and I don't recommend it unless you are willing to replace a $400 bulb every 6 months. Yeah, if you break it down that only works out to about $2 a day, which is a swell way of putting a nice face on a $400 expense. I still don't think too many people are going to be happy about it.