Draven

I bought a refurb ScreenPlay 4805 about 3 years ago when I was doing my home theater remodel. It's been a great projector, but it's looking like I'm going to have to buy a replacement bulb soon (for the second time). Which is $300 or so, depending on where I get it.

That got me thinking that it might be time to switch to another projector but I haven't been following them for years.

I have a Blu-ray player and my Xbox 360 hooked up to this, so it would be great if I could get something with a higher resolution than the ScreenPlay. I probably have about $700 or $800 to play with.

Anyone have any recommendations or am I better off just paying $300 for another bulb?

Anubis2005X

I just replaced my 4805 with an Epson 720 for less than a grand. The blacks aren't quite as nice since it's LCD, but i'm loving the higher resolution. Plus, Dynamic mode is so dang bright, makes it a lot easier to watch during the day.

Naturally I would like a 1080p like the Panasonic AE3000, but didn't want to pay that much.

GreenMonkey

I used to have an X1. Good projector. Replaced with an Optoma HD72 a few years ago when the bulb hit about 3700 hours. The HD72 hasn't been as good on bulbs though for me.

I'm not a huge fan of TigerDirect but they are decently reputable and I've dealt with them before. They have the relatively new Infocus X9 for $579

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...7BBTkwCjCECjCE

details:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/InFocus-Play_Big_X9.htm

3% Fatwallet cash back also available if you do cashback

Review:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/infocus/X9/index.php

X

There's this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...482&CatId=4252

And I think you can get up to 15% off using Live if you search for the correct term and then shop through there. I searched "LCD" and got an ad for 10.3% off projectors at Tiger Direct. A search for "super talent" or "motherboard" got an ad for 15% off.

Funny! We were typing the same deal at the same time.

spainlinx0

Does anyone have a decent bargain on a screen I can pair with this? I have never purchased a projector, but I think this is going to get me to finally bite the bullet. Now to look at surround sound packages...

Draven

Hmm...that looks like a real possibility. Thanks for the info.

Spiky

Do you have a wall that is big enough and flat enough? You can find mixtures listed on AVS and other forums that will cost you a few bucks for paint and rival any screen. Probably better than most screens up to $500. Add some gaffer's tape for a border and you have an excellent screen for well under $100.

There are other cheap screen options, too. I built mine for under $50.

spainlinx0

You seem knowledgeable about this stuff from reading your posts. I have about a 12 foot seating distance. I am looking to buy a projector or tv, receiver, and speakers. I have a 360, BD player, cable, Wii etc. If I have a budget of $1,500 to $2,000 what would you recommend?

I would love to have 1080p, but I think a larger picture is preferable. I am able to block out all ambient light, as the room this will go in has a small window (apartment). Obviously I have a budget, but if you were to put together a system at that price, what would you recommend?

Spiky

You are looking at some sacrifices to get both the audio and video with that budget, but it can be done. However, my advice would be to split up some purchases if you have the ability. Buy the video this year for maybe $1500 and save up to buy the audio next year, perhaps. That way you can get the 1080 that you want now and add pretty good audio to the mix once you can afford it. That's how I got my system over 3 years or so.

A big issue with projectors is the location of the projector. It's not the same as throwing a little 42" flatscreen on the wall. (yes, I call 42" little ) Every projector is a little different. They have to be a certain distance from the screen, depending on the size of the screen. And they have to be a certain height. projectorcentral.com has a good calculator that has most projectors, or you can do it on paper. So you can compare what you need and measure your room. For a 12' seating distance, 100-110" would be a great screen size.

So, if you want to do all of it at once, look at the links above for a nice 720 Infocus X9 and build yourself a grey screen. Add an Onkyo HTiB for $5-700 and you'd have a halfway decent setup. It would certainly impress people. And come in at under $1500.

Or for better quality you could look at the 1080 Infocus X10, also at TigerDirect, for $1300. That would be under $1500 also. You could save up to get a better receiver and speakers later. We've had lots of threads recently on speaker sets for $1000 and receivers for $500.

You can look at TVs, also. In this forum we tend to recommend Panasonic plasmas. But you aren't going to automatically see a price drop by going to a TV instead of PJ. The main reason to pick a TV over a projector is the hassle. Projectors take more work, and they will require a lamp purchase ($300 probably) after every few thousand hours of use. But there's nothing like a big screen.

There are also other projectors, of course, but Infocus does offer a very good picture in the X series for a low price. Panasonic makes some of the best LCD models due to their own tech they put in, although most LCDs actually use the same Epson LCD panels.

PlumPeach

My first projector was the ScreenPlay 4805. I had it for about three years and considered it a great projector until it developed a light tunnel issue which caused ugly yellow streaks on the right side of the image. I was always pleasantly surprised how well it handled high definition.

I now have the Optoma HD65 and have had it for about a year. It's an awesome little projector and I've been very happy with it. I use a wall for my screen painted with Behr Silverscreen paint. It measures out at 153" diagonally. I use it for blu-ray, gaming, and watching hi-def sports via cable. The good thing about this Optoma is that it will handle quite a bit of ambient light in bright mode. This is helpful when people are over watching sports as they don't have to fumble around in the dark so much.

Sdallnct

Yes, you can do a "nice" home theater on a budget. Look at my signature. When I originally built my home theater, I had a $2,000 budget (not including furniture). I came right in at that. Of course that was with the iconic Infocus X1. I have since upgraded to the HD70. I recently put a new bulb in it and still enjoy it.

I built my own screen (94" diagonal WS). I bought the material on ebay for like $60 shipped and have another $60 or so in wood and hardware. I basically build an artist canvas and then an outer frame for the black material and attached the two. Took me all of 3 hours, maybe. I've been toying with the idea of building another one for a while. I'm interesting in using formica counter top material for a screen. If you go over to AVS there are sever thread where this material is used successfully. As Spikey says you can also use a gallon of paint. I SUCK at painting, and HATE painting, so pretty much do anything to avoid it...LOL

Now is a great time to buy. I saw a deal on Slickdeals.net for a 1080p projector for like $1,200. Don't get to excited. As we TV's quality matters. Many argue that a nice 720p pj will give you an overall better image then a crappy 1080p one. As with TV's, black level, contrast and color are important, maybe more important. Vann's is still running their deal on Mirage Nanosates I think. Receivers are at an all time low. Especially if you skip the lossless (I've seen nice Denon receivers for $200 new just because they didn't do lossless). I wouldn't skimp on the sub. A sub is HUGELY important in home theater. Many (including myself) don't use a sub for music. But movies/home theater is a different matter. It is a requirement if you have smaller speakers and getting a nicer one can really make a home theater. I keep toying with upgrading my speakers, or getting a lossless receiver. But I know, upgrading my sub will have a huge difference and is on my priority list right now.

I've never been a fan of total black rooms for watching. Movie theaters don't do that (yea, I know part of it is safety) I'm more concerned with controllable light. A simple mechanical dimmer on your lamps can make a huge difference. I have my lights on a Lutron remote dimmer switch that is tied into my universal remote. So it automatically sets the lights to a "movie watching level". Of course I can turn them down more or even off if the mood hits me.

To me part of the enjoyment was putting together the room. But it is never done. I'm always coming up with new things. Speaking of painting, I need to find time to paint...LOL

Sdallnct

Damn...now that is a big screen! I'm a little surprised the Optima can handle going that big.

Draven

Still haven't decided what to do about the projector, but I'm looking at the Optomas. Will keep you all posted.

I also built my own screen - bought a $40 piece of 4x8 Polywall from Home Depot (I think it's supposed to be some kind of shower liner) and attached it to 1x2s on a frame and put thin black trim around the outside. It's big but pretty light, as I actually hung it to cover up my egress window in my basement. Which cuts down on the light but still provides easy access if we needed to get out (it's just hung to the wall with picture hangers). So I probably spend $75 total and it's pretty awesome.

PlumPeach

I was a little surprised at first too. The Optoma HD65 seems so small and unassuming, but it delivers a tremendous larger image.