Looking for some suggestions. Have a room that is only dark at night...during the day it doesn't have direct sunlight, and can be darkened somewhat, but still would be light enough to read a paper without that much squinting. Looking to throw a 120 inch 16X9 picture....and want something really bright. Any suggestions for projector/screen combos. Would like to stay below 5k for the two combined.....was thinking of the Panasonic AE2000 but afraid it would not be bright enough.

I am not concerned if I don't have the blackest blacks..and know that is difficult if I am driving a bright picture...would take 1080P if I could, but not absolute deal breaker. Would be great if it had two settings so I could turn the brightness way down at night, when the room is pretty much pitch black.

thanks for any thoughts!!

projectorreviews.com just published an article about some of the top units and rated them. As for 1080p, it appears that the Infocus IN82 and Optoma HD81 units have significant amounts of lumens to power a room with ambient light. I would start with those and see if they suit your needs.

First, if you're considering a projector for a room with daylight, most projectors throwing on to a 120" screen will have a problem producing a bright enough image to be worth it (larger image = less bright). You might want to consider a smaller screen, like 90-106", if you want a workable picture during the daytime.

The first projector that might be bright enough in your price range that comes to mind is the Panasonic ax200. It's a 720p LCD model, which will give you more flexible placement options (due to more lens shift). It's got some issues, but very few projectors are truly problem-free. Depending on your seating distance, many people are more than happy with a 720p projector. If you insist on a 1080p projector, you might want to consider the Epson Home Cinema 1080UB.

I'm sure others will offer some good suggestions, too. Check out projectorreviews.com for some good reviews, comparisons, and screen shots of these and many other projectors.

Oh, and most projectors offer multiple modes that can be calibrated, and that offer differing brightness levels for daytime and nighttime viewing, just FYI.

Use the High Power screen, and 120" will still be bright enough, and the ambient light will have less effect on the picture.

Definitely consider a Dalite High Power. I have a similar room but honestly I don't bother attempting to watch anything during the day.

Agree with the High Power. I have a RS1 (800+ hours) with 119" High Power and can watch with the lights on.

thanks for the tips guys! Will read the projector review site...and check out that screen. I have an older projector now which is CRT based (that is pretty old!) and there is no way I can get away with any light. I had figured watching during the day was out, but was at a presentation being done in a pretty bright room using a portable projector and it worked well. Guess i had some hope!!

If you have an "under 5k" budget, I'd strongly consider applying some creative thinking to your light sources. Being able to read a newspaper means there is an awful lot of light.

I have seen discussions of 3 chip DLPs in bright rooms, but you will exceed you budget by a lot without getting the screen.

I went under 5k myself, with a vw60 and a 120" Elite screen, but that was because the screen itself comes down and blocks out the light of a big bay window behind it. I have a shade on the other small window in the room. I definitely don't have enough light in there, even in daytime, to read.

If you want under 5k, you ought to consider methods to make the room darker. There has to be a way. If you don't, under your budget, you might end up disappointed

If you want under 5k, you ought to consider methods to make the room darker. There has to be a way. If you don't, under your budget, you might end up disappointed

I think this is pretty good advice. One possibility though: I have a RS1 on a 126" diag HP screen, and the room is usually completely dark; but by my (and my wife's) recliner I have a very focused reading light that that sheds very little light on the screen. It's fine for watching sports, etc., though for movies we usually have them 'off'.

I live in an apartment and while I have similar concerns about ambient light in the room, I've learned its way cheaper to get a pair of drapes for my windows (even though I don't own) than it is to try and fight every ounce of light. I'm still looking at a screen that can help the situation (SI Black Diamond) and keeping my eyes on bright projectors. All in all, you get the projector set up and your wife gets to choose the drapes.

If you don't have a wife, then you choose the drapes. :D

Looking for some suggestions. Have a room that is only dark at night...during the day it doesn't have direct sunlight, and can be darkened somewhat, but still would be light enough to read a paper without that much squinting. Looking to throw a 120 inch 16X9 picture....and want something really bright. Any suggestions for projector/screen combos. Would like to stay below 5k for the two combined.....was thinking of the Panasonic AE2000 but afraid it would not be bright enough.

I am not concerned if I don't have the blackest blacks..and know that is difficult if I am driving a bright picture...would take 1080P if I could, but not absolute deal breaker. Would be great if it had two settings so I could turn the brightness way down at night, when the room is pretty much pitch black.

thanks for any thoughts!!

Totally agree...should consider darkening (light controlling) the room. Talking about drapes, if you guys are'nt aware (unlikely..but still here it goes)...some stores have pretty awesome blackout drapes. I got couple pairs from Linen & Things (that were right length in my situation). I turned my gameroom which had open "wall" into the lobby area ... got a huge drapes rod (could only find that long of a rod at Ikea) and with black out drapes on over the day...its super dark. Pretty economical and quick way to enjoy a super bright movie experince over the day (on low lamp mode: sony vw60, 136 diag screen).
ionsite

I bought very cheap so called "blackout drapes" and they turn out to leak some light through. They do make it pretty dark inside but I can still see a bit of light coming through them.
So is there any good but cheap shades that actually block the light completely?

I can blackout the room...and easily can do it at night. The problem is that during the day it is not always practical to close the space off. It is a great room in a Florida style house...people walk through it, and might be nearby eating lunch etc. I want the flexibility to close the blackout drapes when we want to watch the big movie...but also to have CNBC on in the background...or the news with some ambient light. I have started shifting to a different thought. ...

what if I get the Panasonic PT-AX200U and use it with the Dalite High Power. I would think the combo would be super bright and might even allow pretty good ambient light viewing. I would be giving up the 1080P of the Panasonic AE2000u, but the PT-AX200U is much brighter. Has anyone tried out this combination yet?

It's really hard to know how it will work in your own room, with your own conditions. That's one good reason to buy the pj from AVS, for you have a 30-day 'no hassle' return policy (as well as excellent service, advice, and prices), and thus the time to try it out thoroughly to see how it performs for you. And shipping a pj back is not such an expense if you want to change.

Rather than looking for a brighter projector or a screen fabric with a really high gain maybe you should check out a screen from DNP? It's method of redirecting ambient light away from the viewer results in better black levels and a better picture perception than just trying to make the image brighter and having your blacks actually be a dark gray color.

If you had a speaker with poor bass response would you just turn down the treble on your EQ to compensate for that? Get the right screen for the room first and then worry about the projector later.

checked out the supernova sight...the DNP screens do sound impressive. Will have to find one to check out and read some reviews. Screens can be overwhelming as there are so many choices!!

Rather than looking for a brighter projector or a screen fabric with a really high gain maybe you should check out a screen from DNP? It's method of redirecting ambient light away from the viewer results in better black levels and a better picture perception than just trying to make the image brighter and having your blacks actually be a dark gray color.

If you had a speaker with poor bass response would you just turn down the treble on your EQ to compensate for that? Get the right screen for the room first and then worry about the projector later.

I can't agree with what you're saying, High Power is not only good for boosting brightness, it also sheds the ambient light. The light that doesnt come from the same direction as viewer's eyes, will not reflect as brightly as the light that does (the projector). So High Power does more than boost the brighness in this application. The only thing that would kill the picture would be windows right behind the viewer.
And the black will look blacker on the High Power, simply by the virtue of brighter whites and other colors. The percieved contrast is higher, not lower, than a regulare matte white screen.

checked out the supernova sight...the DNP screens do sound impressive. Will have to find one to check out and read some reviews. Screens can be overwhelming as there are so many choices!!

I used to have an 84" DNP screen. I think the Screen Innovations/DNP screens do an amazing job of combatting ambient light, especially if that light comes from the side or above of the screen. There are a few downsides to be aware of though. The DNP screens costs more and lots-more as you go larger, the screens have a bit of "hot spotting", and similar to the hot spotting those who sit off center will see a less bright picture as you move further and further away from the center.

If you can live with these downsides I think the DNP screens are a really worth while option to look into.

good luck

I used to have an 84" DNP screen. I think the Screen Innovations/DNP screens do an amazing job of combatting ambient light, especially if that light comes from the side or above of the screen. There are a few downsides to be aware of though. The DNP screens costs more and lots-more as you go larger, the screens have a bit of "hot spotting", and similar to the hot spotting those who sit off center will see a less bright picture as you move further and further away from the center.

If you can live with these downsides I think the DNP screens are a really worth while option to look into.

good luck

A 100" Supernova Core retails for $2800, and if you get it in the new 08-85 fabric you get a wider viewing angle but only if you use that in a dark room. 0.8 gain, 85 deg. viewing angle to half-gain.

The original Supernova is called the 20-20 which is a 2.0 gain, 20 deg viewing to half-gain. Higher gain screens have a narrower viewing angle as they cannot create more light returning to the viewer they can only direct the projector's light back to the viewer.