aktick

I'm still not positive, but I'm probably going to get a projector shortly after I move into my new house in a few weeks. I was originally going to just use my 42" Panny plasma, but I think I'm just going to finish off a room in the basement right from the start and get a projector for down there, and keep the plasma up in the living room.

Anyways...Those of you that have projectors - 720p or 1080p? My use will be probably 50% HDTV (DirecTV/locals OTA), 25% games (360/PS3), 25% Blu-ray, and the room is looking like it will be about 22x13' with one egress window that I'll black out probably.

I'm willing to spend a couple thousand if there is going to be a noticeable difference and to be more future-proof, but at the same time, given that half of my viewing will probably be HDTV (which is of course all 720p/1080i), is it worth that extra thousand $ or so?

Not sure how ideal that room size is - I know a rectangular shaped room is best - but how about throw distance/screen size? If there's plenty of room, it would be nice to have a little half-assed snack or refreshment area in the back. And I think it would be pretty easy to add a little equipment room if that's recommended (vs. putting everything in the back).

Any advice or recommendations? I'm all ears (or eyes, I suppose ). Thanks.

parrotheads4

This is what I'd get:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana...tor_review.htm

Right now you can get it under $3000, and if you start with everything else first it'll be even cheaper when you're ready to install.

Go for it!

Edit: Just did a quick search and found several places selling it for $2,499. Bargain!!

Spiky

Equipment closet is a definite boost. Starting from scratch, there's really no reason to do anything but a hidden space.

1080 is a definite desire, but it really is a money thing. If you like DLP, you can get a 720 PJ for under a grand. That's about a third the price of the above model. And a 100" screen is more important than the resolution. Now, to me, great audio is very high on the list. So I will always recommend a large (50%?) portion of the budget go to audio.

And it always depends on what you are starting with.

aktick

As far as sound goes, I've already got about $2,500 stuck in my Rockets and a receiver.

I know it's easy to say what I "plan" on doing, since opinions will change over time, but I really would prefer getting a projector that I can keep for many (5+) years. But then again, maybe it would make more sense to get a good 720p PJ for now and wait a year or two to get a 1080 unit, when they've got most issues worked out and prices are lower?

Just perusing projectorcentral.com, looks like about the cheapest 1080p PJ is the Sanyo Z2000, around $1600 after rebates. Or, like you said, plenty of 720p units under $1000.

I think I may take a drive this weekend to a higher end HT store that's a few hours away...I know they carry Panasonic and Optoma video components, it'd be nice to see some PJ's in action before making a decision one way or another.

Sdallnct

Funny...I'm going thru similar. My HD70 bulb blew. Well it literally blew out and now the pj doesn't work. I could send the new bulb back for a refund and just get a new pj. But what to get? Another HD70 that I have been happy with? Or a 720p LCD for a change? Or 2 grand for 1080p?

I'm leaning towards getting another HD70 to get me by another 2 years (I've had this one three). There are some great deals on 720p pj's out there.

RichC2

My Mitsubishi HD1000U 720p projector is more or less a budget projector these days (if you can still find them, they've been updated to I think HD1600 now). I love it to no end but would definitely read up on black levels -- there have been huge advancements in black level reproduction in the last 18 months.

Videogames look absolutely spectacular in 720p. HD looks fantastic though the black levels on my proj are a bit weak and darker scenes don't pop as much as I'd like. That said, with over 1600 hours on the thing, I couldn't be happier with the purchase (made that much better when I got the Da-Lite High Powered Screen).

The big thing though is to remember and budget for a good screen. While Blackout Curtain works great in general, just remember if you ceiling mount your projector, you will be losing a great amount of light.

Edit: I goofed, the ceiling mounting won't effect BOC as negatively as I commented, it's more for specialized screens, such as High Powered or Glass beaded ones.

RockyMtnBri

I put a Sony VW60 1080p projector in my media room in March (I planned for a projector two years ago when my house was being built) and I haven't looked back. Like RichC2 said, make sure you get a good screen as well - I'd say 1/3 of your cost should go to it.

Sdallnct

I'm looking at just getting another HD70 new for $750 or refurbished (with warranty and new bulb) for $620.

I'd go the Mit, but I don't want to cut new holes and move wires.

chipmac

Why do you say that ceiling mounting effects light output? This is the first I've ever heard this mentioned.

I bought a Mits HC1500 10 months ago and for the first week had it sitting on the floor until my mount arrived. After mounting it on the ceiling I noticed no difference in light output due to placement. The only issue I do have is light spill from the reflection off the ceiling but I plan on darkening the ceiling tiles to control that.

RockyMtnBri

My projector is ceiling mounted, and my ceiling is painted flat black. My walls are dark gray.

chipmac

That's what I'm planning as well. But the light output doesn't change for you when you table or ceiling mount it does it?

RichC2

It's more noticeable on some projectors than others, the HC1500, especially in Normal mode, is a light cannon (1600 ANSI Lumens). In general, screens reflect a majority of the light back to the point of origin. Think of it like shining a flashlight in a mirror, the brightest reflection will be that in the vicinity of the actual flashlight and it scatters from there. As such, ceiling mounting the projector causes the light to bounce back to the point of origin, in this case, back toward the ceiling.

They make different types of screens to remedy the issue, and it may not be as noticeable with different setups.

This won't really be a huge issue for everybody, but in terms of maximizing quality, ceiling mounting does have its negative points depending on the type of screen you have. My projector is setup in my living room with an abundance of ambient lighting, I need ever lumen I can get. That said, ceiling mounting makes everything much cleaner and nicer in terms of cables

aktick

How about in a hush box in the back of the room (mounted on the rear wall)?

RichC2

That'd probably be fine. I'd just go ahead start with a Blackout Cloth ($18 for 54" x 108") screen and adjust accordingly. Since it is in your basement, I'm assuming you will have no problem with light control. At the very least, it's a good temp screen until you figure out the ideal screen for your setup.

Larry C.

Please remember as important as a projector is a good quality screen is just that more important. Get a good one it will make all the difference in the world. As far as projectors go Sony's are good but I think the Yamaha's are excellent and I would recommend a dlp 1080p projector.

chipmac

Ok I understand your reasoning but I don't understand your logic. Regardless of the point of origin the screen will bounce some light back to the projector so what difference does it make if that point of origin is the ceiling or a table. If you can control ambient light which you should be doing anyhow it seems like it would make no difference. You won't lose any light output or light reflecting off the screen based on placement but you might have more light spill from the more reflective surface of the ceiling vs the floor.

If your sample pics are supposed be an example of what you're describing that looks more like a viewing angle problem and not a loss of output from the projector as you originally stated.

RichC2

That's exactly what it is. The light reflects directly back to the projector, you aren't sitting on the ceiling and are getting the angled light bounced back which is not the maximum amount of light that you could be getting.

And I didn't say you lose output from the projector, that would make absolutely zero sense. You just lose it in the final product which is, when all is said and done, what you see on the screen.

That said, I goofed pretty badly in a prior post. BOC is a diffusion-style screen, so the placement isn't quite as important, it has an extremely broad distribution of light and as such has one of the bigger viewing angles. It won't be an issue for placement in completely light controlled rooms. I don't have a light controlled room, and so you end up doing a few additional things to get the most out of your setup, with my current setup I can have the sun shining in and still have extremely good results unless I'm sitting on the ceiling. (The projector was a carry over from a prior living arrangement)

So in otherwords, this won't come up again unless aktick is underwhelmed by the brightness of his projector and needs a higher gain screen Or is in the market for acoustically transparent material.

chipmac

You're right you didn't explicitly say you would lose light output from the projector but you did say "just remember if you ceiling mount your projector, you will be losing a great amount of light." which I took to mean that the projector was more dim if mounted on the ceiling. I think we agree this isn't the case.

But it sounds like you are saying that with your setup of some ambient light and the type of screen and projector that you own, you found this was the result you had. This won't be the result that everyone will find because their pj might output more light like mine and have a different type of screen with more controlled lighting.

Just for the sake of explaining my results my pj is mounted on a 7 ft ceiling 13ft from the screen. I can sit on the floor, sit in my chair directly under the pj or stand up and find no difference in light reflected from the screen which for now until I build my frame for the BOC is a white painted wall. The reason I haven't rushed to make my screen is that when the BOC is held to the wall the color and light reflection seem to match pretty close so there would be little gain.

But this discussion was good as it points out the need to plan carefully for a PJ and there can be many variables.

Spiky

He said it poorly, but it is a concern for any "high-power" type of screen, and the glass/bead types. They are designed to reflect back, not at normal angles. This is why the best choice for the little digital PJs is generally a standard grey screen of some sort.

Aktick,
you likely won't need a hush box. They are very quiet. As soon as you crank up the Rockets, you'll hear nothing from the PJ. Even if you sit directly under it like me.

dan30oly

I have 2 panasonic 720p projectors (bedroom and theater room). If you can hear the projector, your sound is waaaay too low. And, by that I mean turned off completely and you're focusing on the projector. I sit directly under mine and can't hear it at all.

I bought my 106" screen from ebay and I think I went with a 1.5 grain (it's been too long and I don't recall exactly). My only issue is that I went with a tripod mount and there's a little "wave" at the bottom. It's not really noticable unless whatever I'm watching is moving across at just the right speed.

Sdallnct

Sure, if you got the budget, buy a nice screen. But you can build a pretty nice one relatively inexpensive if on a budget. AVS has an excellent DIY screen section.

I built my screen and am pleased with it (you can see in my signature). I've been toying with the idea of building another one (slightly bigger and different material). But I just haven't found the time.

MrVette99

I agree, Audio is a high priority. Second should be comfortable seats/chairs, third a large screen, and fourth the projector/screen. I had the new female friend over and she couldn't believe we were watching just standard dvds (007 Casino Royale) -- and this with my 720p Mitsubishi projector with only component video signal (nothing fancy, just the basics).

Sdallnct

Yup, I couldn't agree more...in a dedicated room the ambiance and comfort can be as important as the audio/video.

I really wanted my room to be a room "to use". Go ahead and eat popcorn or pizza in there. Whatever. One of my latest editions to the room was to replace the wall to wall carpet with commercial carpet squares. These things are near indestructible, and easy to replace a single one should that happen. Plus they now have a variety of colors and patterns.

Don't forget the details. I get a lot of comments on my custom Dolby and DTS signs. I simply d/l high res images off the net and added my theater name in MS Paint. The burned to disc, took to Target and printed on their Kodak machine. Picked up some $5.00document frames....and looks good.

Even my cheap Wal-mart poster frames with some posters from popular movies get a lot of comments.

aktick

I'm leaning more towards 720p for now, and wait a couple years until 1080p prices are much lower. If I did go for 1080p now, it'd probably be the cheaper Sanyo (~$1550 after rebates).

I know everybody has a different opinion, but thoughts on LCD vs. DLP? I realize TV is different than projector viewing, but all I've ever had is plasmas and CRT TVs, so not sure if screen door or rainbow effects will be a problem for me.

Sdallnct

Well the differences are a lot closer then they use to be, so you really need to look at individual pj's. But in general,

LCD's are brighter while DLP's have better black levels.

Tho one huge advantage to LCD's is they usually have bigger zoom lenses and often have lens shift making their placement a lot easier then DLP's.

For example when I narrowed my choice between the Optoma HD70 and Mit 100U, I went with the HD70 as I thought the throw on the Mit would not work as well in my room. Neither have lens shift so I had to measure and remeasure for placement.

Many would agree to pass on the cheap 1080p's at this point. Many are picking up the top of the line 1080p's from a couple of years ago used for the same price as the cheap one's now and feel they are getting a better image.

A link to look at for the currently available models (tho not of them of course)

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

BTW when I thought I was going to have to buy a new projector (turns out mine is still under warranty) I called projector people looking for a deal. They have the Panny AX200 for right at a grand. I'd ask about shipping or anything, but that is a good price on an excellent unit.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana..._projector.htm