Thinking of getting a projector as my next display but am rather clueless as to how I would set it up. I will most likely be in a rental property so mounting it to the ceiling would require doing the least possible amount of permanent damage. How do people normally set these up? Would it be at all possible to set one up in my present apartment, possibly mounting it on the wall above/behind the sofa? I know you also need an external tuner to get off-the-air TV, but those seem to be easier to find than I thought (real HD tuners with HDMI output, not those "converter boxes" for older standard-def TVs.)

While many people ceiling mount them, there are others like me who just put them on a table/cart.

I made a simple one specifically to the dimensions, and elevation needed for my particular projector, but any end table would likely work. You could even just get cement blocks and a slab of flat wood. That would actually be better than going with a pre-fab table because you could adjust the height by adding or subtracting blocks.

The only issue with table mounted projection is that the 'sweet spot' is unusable. All seating is going to be off axis. And the closer to the screen you want to sit, the farther off axis you'll be to be out of the path of the image.

Another thing to keep in mind if you are table mounting is you will likely be sitting closer to the pj so get one that runs quiet or it will seriously infringe on your enjoyment.


You can set some of them on a shelf, but the may need room in the back to vent or for cabling so that will add another 4-6" to the depth dimension when you factor that in.

I don't mount mines either for fear of Dust Blob.

It's absolutely ridiculous that any LCD proj has a dust blob these days. Sanyo produced the simple workaround for it over a decade ago but no one else will implement it.

Wouldn't a small shelf be adequate and be a minor alteration?

Another option that might work for you is an ultra short throw projector. Something like the LG PF1000U or the revised version the PF1000UW that can throw a 100" picture sitting about 10" from the wall. There are some downsides you wouldnt get as bright/big of a picture as you might from the PF1500 which uses the same light engine but it eliminates alot of the placement issues.

Just looked at that LG projector- very tempting, but the deal-breaker there is it isn't UHD. Looks like they dropped 3D from the newer model as well.

Without knowing your budget, check out the 2017 JVC 420. It seems to be the perfect combo of picture quality and no-lag gaming.

If anyone is looking to pick up a projector, this is a damn good deal

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

When I was looking for a 3D solution several years ago, I expected to pick up the w1070 and just use it as a dedicated 3D projector.

But eventually I realized I wasn't going to appreciate having to go back to re-positionable cart to make up for the projectors lack of lens shift (when using a constant height/variable width set up).

I ended up going with the JVC 4910. Great pj, but I was just a year to quick on the trigger as the major improvements in the JVCs 3D performance were still another model away. At some point, I would like to trade up to at least that generation...but that's probably still another year away at least.

But if I were just starting out or getting my feet wet, the BenQ would definitely be a contender. Especially at around $600. It's DLP though which may be a problem for some viewers.
My first two pjs early on were DLPs and at this point in my life, I much prefer LCoS.