Norm de Plume

I have an Optoma projector that's several years old with a 120" screen I got about 20 years ago when I bought my first pj (Sharpvision H35U). I'm itching to get something with which I will finally be eternally fully satisfied; something approximating a true cinema experience.
I guess the two most well-considered sub-$5000 pjs right now are still the AE8000 and 5020. One of them might do the trick for me, but I'd like to wait and see what great wonders OLED and 4K and 8K will bring, and how soon they will become affordable. I'd be willing to go down to 100", but no smaller, really.

Spiky

Didn't you see the Imax home theater thread? LOL.

Norm de Plume

I don't frequent this subsection. I just happened to see the thread on the main board and popped in with my 2 cents. Besides, I'm talking about affordable.

kvrdave

This thread makes me sad now. I got rid of my projector after finding I wasn't watching much. Turned the manroom into a gym. Even got rid of traditional tv. We find that the kids are much easier to handle, actually do their homework etc. But fuck, I love tv and movies. There are times I really miss it.

Spiky

Oh, AFFORDABLE. My mistake.

With that price range you may want to check out LCoS tech, it throws a nicer pic than LCD or DLP in the opinion of many. If I had piles of cash laying around right now I'd probably upgrade to a JVC D-ILA projector. And they have one or two models that have dropped below $5k. Sony SXRD, too.

Norm de Plume

Right, the DILAs are an option since they came down in price a few years ago, but are they that much better than the 3LCDs costing $3000 less? I'll check out LCoS. I've never liked DLP, not really because of the rainbow effect, which I don't notice that much. I like LCD, but poor contrast was an issue with the LCDs I had in the past.
I'm going to wait and see.

Spiky

Well, there is a JVC for $3500 retail. And the LCDs you mentioned are $3000 MSRP. Sonys can be found even cheaper. Last year, kvrdave and I picked up an LG for $1600, which has a Sony SXRD engine. So, the prices aren't that different, anymore.

The difference in LCoS is the natural skintones, for all colors at once, it's just fantastic. Although, I haven't looked at these latest LCDs, so I am not sure what the difference is today. Maybe they've caught up.

kvrdave

That LG was simply fantastic. Aside from the picture, it was an absolute light cannon. The only one I could watch with all the lights on and barely notice any difference. And the only one I could stand on "eco" mode for the lamp. I loved that damn thing.

Looks like a refurb can be had for around $700. http://www.rakuten.com/prod/lg-cf181...ngId=284888204

If I were in the market again, I'd snap that fucker up so fast.

Norm de Plume

Thanks for the input, guys. Sounds like you're in mourning, kvrdave. Go shoot a dog. It'll cheer you up.

kvrdave

It always does. *sigh*

Superman07

New LG laser projector / tv? Finally some news this week, but $9k in Australia...so probably a bit cheaper here when it launches? I'd guess still $6k.

http://hdguru.com/lgs-2013-hdtv-fron...eaking-lasers/

Spiky

Does that include the screen? Black screens are usually a couple grand themselves, if not four.

Sdallnct

I'm so sad for you. I feel that not only will Angels not get their wings, but some Angels just had their wings shrivel up and fall off. ;( I feel a tear welling in my eye.

Did you see my post on the biggest loser thread? I "added" a gym to my theater room.

Basically I had a walk in closet we used just for storing crap. I told everything out, reboxed for garage or threw away or gave away. I then put in some wire shelving and dumbbell rack. I also bought a weight bench that folds and has wheels. I then mounted a suspension trainer bracket in the media room itself.

Oh here...

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/11725751-post872.html

I did it to supplement my workouts at gym. But I can get a damn good workout in when needed. The only thing left in the media room itself is the ceiling bracket that no body notices.

but also, understand. We all got to do what we got to do.

Sdallnct

Still loving my projector...all good...

However, it appears my PS3 has died. I might pre-order a PS4....annoyed.

kvrdave

Well, that laser LG might get me back in the game.

kvrdave

Damn, look how close that is to the screen and how awesome it still is.

Lastblade

Woah, that's really close!! How big is your screen?

kvrdave

That's 100" screen. The pic is from the article.

Norm de Plume

Yes, I remember seeing that. Looks great, but price is a little steep, at least for me, especially if I'm downsizing screen size.

aktick

I'm turning part of my large garage into a football viewing zone for the fall/early winter...is there a projector that would be worth looking into (since there will be plenty of light in there - south facing garage and main double wide door will often be open to enjoy the weather), or should I just save my time and get a large screen TV? It's only going to be used from September-December...picture quality isn't really that big of a concern, it's going to be more of a party area, so used or older models would be just fine.

kvrdave

I would look into the LG CF181D. It is several years old and should be available used quite easily. That thing was super bright with an amazing picture. It will really depend on how much light comes in and how direct it is. Sun directly on the screen will be bad. But sun in the garage with the screen on a wall not getting direct sun should be fine. Buy some screen material and make your own 130" screen yourself for under $100.

Spiky

Pretty much any of them rated at 2000 lumens or more, basically the higher the better for this usage. Lumen ratings are not always perfectly consistent across manufacturers, but this should give you a decent range. The last few years of LCD models intended for home theaters have actually been quite bright, like the LG mentioned. But if you really don't care too much about color quality, you can look into board room models, they have always had higher lumen ratings.

You may want to consider a grey screen to help with the colors and black levels for this kind of usage.

Bran329

Projectors are awesome

Numanoid

I just checked the lamp hours on my Epson 6500UB. 10,213 hours, and going strong (original lamp)! And it has been saying "Replace Lamp" on startup for at least 3 years.

RichC2

Yeah I still have the original bulb in my HD1000U as well, somewhere around 12,000 hours and still going strong. I've had to reset the "low bulb" counter several times. I've had it for about Six years now.

I was curious if anyone has seen an Optoma HD131Xe in person, I'm a cheap Projector fan and that one seems to check off all the boxes as a replacement for my HD1000U: DLP, 3D, 1080p, etc;

I'd love to wait out for the LG Hecto but I'm looking at sub-$1000 projectors