I am looking at getting a projector. I had a Sharp about 8 years ago, it started wigging out after almost 2 years of use (still on the original lamp), so I am not very fond of Sharp, although im sure it was just bad luck mine went out. I paid about 1500.00 for it back in the day, and when I started checking prices to get it repaired, between getting it repaired and buying a new lamp, I could have just bought a budget 800.00 projector for the same price with a better picture, and I couldin't afford to do that, so it basically turned into junk. Now with the technology that has occured I am very excited to see get a new one and start enjoying some movies!

It looks like the best place for me to buy it is at Costco because of their return policy and selection, and the fact it's local. I am looking to keep it under 2k, preferably around 1k unless paying an extra 800.00 or so will make an amazing difference.

The farthest I could realistically get the projector from the wall I want to project onto is about 10', and I am looking for about 90"+ picture size. The bigger the better. The room is long and I want to project onto the "long" side of the room. I was thinking of actually cutting a hole in the top of the wall and placing the projector on a shelf in the other room, and making it project through the hole. I could place a piece of glass in the hole which would elimate all noise, so thats not an issue.

I don't have a preference between DLP or LCD, my old Sharp was DLP, and I was ok with that. Which ever quality is "best", is whichever I will go with. If I find I see rainbows or whatnot, I could always return it and go with another right (costco)?

A few models im looking at are:
Sharp DT-510
Optoma HD71
Optoma DV-11
Mitsubishi HC1500U
Panasonic PTAE1000U (1080P)

Between the top 4, which one do you like best? How does it compare to the Panasonic? Will it work in my room dimensions? Are there any other models Costco carries which I didn't mention which you like better? I took those models I listen from their "Home Cinema" selection, which from what I can see means DLP.

Thanks!

Hey there! I would go to projectorreviews.com and read their reviews. I don't know why, but this site does not like Costco, and this may account for your lack of replies.

I second the trip to Projector Reviews to read some reviews. Also take a look at Projector Central for reviews.

I don't see the Panasonic AX200U on your list.

You have such a range ($750 to $2,500) and two types of projectors. You need to decide on which technology you want to use and then start narrowing down your list. Also it depends a little bit on what your sources are. If you watch a lot of SD DVD's then a projector like the DT-510 is a good choice. Do you want or need the ease of lens shift? If you do then the Panny AE2000U is a good choice. Also projectors are pretty quiet now, so I do not think you will have a noise problem even with the projector mounted in the room with you.

I read up on the reviews and basically they all came out as great projectors. I would like some personal opinions. I have read here that a good 720p is likely to have better quality then a entry 1080p, how does that PTAE1000U compare to the others above it?

Also, in those reviews I couldint see any 1080p vs 720p reviews, the only reviews that I could find were apples to apples. Well, I don't know if I want an apple or an orange, hense the reason there is such a great price range and two types of projectors.

I watch a lot of sources that are compareable to DVD quality, it's generally encoded from HD sources but shrunk down to DVD quality. But, if I were to get a large 1080p screen, I may start going for the HD sources. As it stands now my 1080p 37" LCD TV is so small, that I don't notice the detail going from 720P to 1080P, but with a 100" screen from 10' away, I think the 1080p would make a difference.

But if I am going to sacrifice color quality, brightness or contrast, then I would prefer to stick with a 720p. That is where I would like some personal opinions.

Since you're looking for personal experience, I have a Mits and think it's soundly the best budget value proposition. The more expensive ones are better, but I think the severely diminishing returns start right after the Mits. Also I think with Costco it comes with a screen. Hope that's the screen you want, otherwise the Mits can be found much cheaper (under $800) online.

For people with expensive dedicated home theaters, who spend thousands on audio and acoustic treatments and screens and are hardcore, then spending $2-3k on a better projector is worth-while. For people with more limited budgets, the Mits will give you an astounding 'popping' bright image that's definately HD for the cheapest.

Because of it's fairly strong, non-adjustable offset, you'd probably have to ceiling mount it on the other room and shoot through a hole. I personally love that idea if you have a room of little consequence behind it - it gives the theater space even more mystique with the light just beams out from the other room. Another idea I've read about is people bouncing the image off a mirror on their rear wall to extend the distance - ceiling height is a factor then, though.

Thanks for your input. I usually buy all my computer stuff through newegg.com, and realized, i should check them out. Sure enough they had the Sharp-510 for 800.00 with free shipping, and for 200.00 more I get a 100" motorized screen for a total of 1000.00. No tax too that way.

Anyone else have any input on what they like? The Mits has awesome ratings and is only 100.00 more at 900.00, but it doesn't have a combo deal where I could get a big discount on the screen. The Optoma HD72 does however, and I can get that projector and the screen for 1100.00

Anyone have any advice on which one to buy if I forget about buying from costco and go with newegg instead?

Edit: I just noticed how inexpensive the screens are. Back when I had my old sharp it was like $1k+ for a screen, they have really come down in price. So forget about the combo deals with the screen. I really like the motorized screen, and for only 200.00 it seems like a steal. I would really like to get the 125" motorized screen but 150.00 shipping is also a steal, but the bad kind :(

So, just looking at projectors and not worrying about the screen combos, I am trying to figure out which is the best one, especially if I go with a larger screen (106") http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16824996315

While I also love Newegg, their deal on the Mits sucks. Buy.com has it for under $800 and check out google.com/products and see 8 places that do. I believe forum sponsors might also low-ball the pricing if you call 'em up. The chances of the screen you want happening to be packaged with the projector you really want a slim. Buy 'em separately, use AVS to help. Also have a good look at DIY screens.

Well, I looked at buy.com and saw the HC5000 for about 2k. Looking at the reviews, it seems to be the best 1080p projector you can get for 2000.00, is that an agreeable assessment?

I wonder if any of the forum sponsers would be able to hook me up with that projector with a lower price. Thanks again for all the advice you have given me, the links and information have really helped to open my eyes. I was thinking of going with an 800.00 projector at first, but I really wanted 1080p. I could see myself doing alot of gaming on this with my PC, and the 1080p would really stand out.

I was all planned on getting the 200u from Costco (I {hart} Costco) then when i went to order it, they were out. They have them back now. The 1000u for 1899 is another options now, if you HAVE to have a 1080P. I did get the graywolf II from Costco and have been real happy with that and actually am thinking about upgrading to a 108 from the 92 I got. Another reason mentioned that I like Costco, the return policy.

The Sharp DT-510 is the best projector in that group performance wise. It is also a short throw projector so it should work very well in your room. The Mitsubishi, as has been mentioned in many places, is a great budget projector but the Sharp has a distinct contrast advantage. The Sharp is a little dimmer than the Mitsubishi in its high contrast mode and about the same or brighter in its high brightness mode. The Mitsubishi is quieter.

Moe

Do check out monoprice.com for screens - they have great prices on motorized and if I were buying today, I'd likely buy there. Also check out the AVS forum on 'screens' for a link specifically describing how well they perform...

If looking for 720p DLP projector under $1,000 I would look at this: www.secondact.com/product/VP8600RB/Refurbished_Marantz_VP8600_DLP_Refurbished_Projector__Model_ VP8600.html

Do check out monoprice.com for screens - they have great prices on motorized and if I were buying today, I'd likely buy there. Also check out the AVS forum on 'screens' for a link specifically describing how well they perform...

i thought about oen of the motorized screens, but for my application, I couldn't justify 2x the price.

Well, I think I am going to go with the Sharp 510. I can get it at newegg with free shipping and no tax, so 800 is the total I will pay. I will probably get a screen from monoprice.

In a year or two when there is new 1080p technology out, i will buy a nice 1080p and give this one to my parents. I will probably place the order tomorrow unless someone says something to make me lean a different direction.

I'm not really looking to change your mind, but I don't see a lot of info available on the 510. If you've had a positive experience with Sharp, then you may want to go ahead. But...

Just for grins, I went to one of the sponsor sites (Visual Apex). They have the Epson HC720, with a free lamp rebate that puts it down into that territory as "net price" (lamps are expensive, after all). Do what you want, but I find it tough to believe there are many deals better than this.

And, yes, I am a former Mits HD1000 owner, so it's not like I am picking "my PJ". If I were to buy a PJ tomorrow morning, it would be that Epson. :cool:

That Epson does look like a killer projector, but im worried about the visible pixel structure. If i am sitting 8 to 10' away from a 100" screen, I think it would be pretty visible. I am going to to do a bit more research.

That Epson does look like a killer projector, but im worried about the visible pixel structure. If i am sitting 8 to 10' away from a 100" screen, I think it would be pretty visible. I am going to to do a bit more research.

8 to 10 feet from a 100" (diagonal) screen is sitting pretty close. That is a screen factor of 1.1 to 1.38.

That Epson does look like a killer projector, but im worried about the visible pixel structure. If i am sitting 8 to 10' away from a 100" screen, I think it would be pretty visible. I am going to to do a bit more research.
In hind site, I am glad the 200u was out of stock at Costco. I really like the Epson and with the $100.00 rebate and free bulb, it was a no brainer for me. I have it set up w/ a 11' viewing distance and 92" screen and couldn't be happier with the picture. I am real tempted to return the 92" screen and get the next size up...Gotta love Costco's return policy.

In hind site, I am glad the 200u was out of stock at Costco. I really like the Epson and with the $100.00 rebate and free bulb, it was a no brainer for me. I have it set up w/ a 11' viewing distance and 92" screen and couldn't be happier with the picture. I am real tempted to return the 92" screen and get the next size up...Gotta love Costco's return policy.

With the 11 foot viewing distance to a 92" screen I would go with the Epson also. Your viewing factor is 1.65.

Stupid question about Costco but are you ordering from them online or in the store?

8 to 10 feet from a 100" (diagonal) screen is sitting pretty close. That is a screen factor of 1.1 to 1.38.

No kidding :eek: Everything you watch will be like tennis with your eyes bouncing all over the screen.

Everyone is different. I sit 10' from a 106" screen. That's about 1.3x. I can probably move in another foot without being "extremely close" by my standard. I like it that way - gives you that immersed in the picture feeling.

Everyone likes a different viewing distance. I used to sit closer than my current 13' from a 100" screen but it is not the screen door problem that bothers me as much as the 'artifacts' in the source material that bothers me more.:)

SMTPE reccomends a 30 degree horizontal field of view.

THX specifies a minimum of 26 degrees and a recommended of 36 degrees.

This works out to width/distance ratios of 1.54 and up. You probably can't get far enough from a projected screen in a home theater to violate the THX minimum.

Everyone has different tastes, but 1.5 is probably a good number to start with, since this is big but still at near what the film makers were assuming. I think 1.3 would drive me crazy except for perhaps driving games.

SMTPE reccomends a 30 degree horizontal field of view.

THX specifies a minimum of 26 degrees and a recommended of 36 degrees.

This works out to width/distance ratios of 1.54 and up. You probably can't get far enough from a projected screen in a home theater to violate the THX minimum.

Everyone has different tastes, but 1.5 is probably a good number to start with, since this is big but still at near what the film makers were assuming. I think 1.3 would drive me crazy except for perhaps driving games.

26 degrees convert to more than 2.1x. To my taste this is in 'why bother with a big screen' territory. I agree that 1.5x is considered comfortable to big for a lot people. Since they put in a minimum degree, did they put in a maximum degree? (With your nose on the screen it is about 180 degree.) ;)

Hello All,

Hope you are all well.

The recommended THX angle of view at the back wall of the auditorium is 36 degrees, the minimum recommended angle to meet THX specs is 26 degrees. Big difference between recommended and minimum recommended. Front few rows are around 61 degrees angle of view, middle is around 45 degrees in a THX certified auditorium.

20th Century Fox recommends a viewing angle of 45 degrees at the prime seating position for CinemaScope films.

Depending on where you sit in a real theater can give you an idea of what angle of view you prefer.

Hope this clarifies.

Later,

Tony


SMTPE reccomends a 30 degree horizontal field of view.

THX specifies a minimum of 26 degrees and a recommended of 36 degrees.

This works out to width/distance ratios of 1.54 and up. You probably can't get far enough from a projected screen in a home theater to violate the THX minimum.

Everyone has different tastes, but 1.5 is probably a good number to start with, since this is big but still at near what the film makers were assuming. I think 1.3 would drive me crazy except for perhaps driving games.

So my 1.3x 42 degree isn't that freakish. Phew. Thanks for the clarification!

Hello Rickster,

Hope you are well.

Not freakish at all, 42 degrees is just fine for many middle of the theater folks. Shoot, the very front row in a Theater is very close to 180 degrees, and in my opinion completely unwatchable, yet you see some people sitting that close. Preferred viewing angle is a very personal thing.

SMPTE recommends nothing wider than a 61.8 degree angle of view, with the narrow end at a 33.3 degree angle of view. However theaters still put seats closer and farther out, creating greater and narrower angular fields of view to suit peoples personal taste.

Later,

Tony

So my 1.3x 42 degree isn't that freakish. Phew. Thanks for the clarification!

Hello All,
The recommended THX angle of view at the back wall of the auditorium is 36 degrees, the minimum recommended angle to meet THX specs is 26 degrees. While I am certain the 26 minimum applies to the back row, nothing I have read ties the 36 degree recommendation to the back row as well.

Do you have a reference I could look at that states that the 36 applies to the back row only?

For example:
http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/Tv-viewing-distance.html
http://www.thx.com/home/setup/display.html

While those sources vary a bit more than I'd like, they do generally agree with the 1.5 number I'm suggesting as a starting point. I can't dig up the pdfs here at work, but I recall the dolby and smtpe 5.1 mastering room manuals using similar figures as well.

In your own house, it's definitely a matter of taste, so please don't read me as "1.3 is wrong". :P But I think the industry group numbers are a good starting point to be sure you don't plan yourself into an unwatchable situation.

As an aside, I'm very happy to see that the THX folks seem to have noticed Fred Toole's research on subwoofer count and placement. The 4 way setup in that image is almost ideal. Ideal would be if the two side subwoofers were moved to the midpoints of those walls.

Jason,

I am very comfortable with my viewing distance of 1.3x. And I don't think of it as right or wrong. It is my preference. These recommendations are open to different intepretations. IMO there should/need not be a 'optimal' or 'recommended' fixed degree of view angle. As Tony stated viewing angles in a theatre range from 26 degree (2.16x) to 61 degree (0.85x). So my seating preference in a theatre (around a few rows back of center) matches very well with my home theatre set up.

Hello Jason,

Hope you are well.

THX does not specify a maximum viewing angle for certification, or most theaters would have to remove a lot of seats. They only state a recommended minimum viewing angle at the rear of the auditorium, and they state a bare minimum to the rear and still be within THX specs.

Here is the cinema specification for THX from the THX website, as you can see that 36 degree angle of view is to the rear seats, all those seats closer will have a greater angle of view. It also states in the text "THX recommends having a 36 degree viewing angle from the farthest seat in the auditorium." This clearly disagrees with the article from the Practical Home Theater Guide reference you linked to. There is a lot of confusion on this topic, unfortunately, and there need not be.

http://www.thx.com/cinema/builtTHX/screen.html

Here is a large reference on THX and shows both an optimal auditorium with 36 degree angle of view at the rear seats, and also shows an auditorium with a minimum THX spec to the rear of 26 degrees.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/thx.htm/printable

THX Home recommendation, that you linked to, recommends a 40 degree angle of view or less based on a 1080p display device. They are taking into account not just best angle for CinemaScope but are taking into account the resolution of the screen to minimize viewing artifacts.

http://www.thx.com/home/setup/display.html

Another reference stating that it is 36 degrees to the back of the auditorium.

http://contract.muztorg.ru/standarts/THX%20Horizontal%20Viewing%20Angle.pdf

Here is a large source of information backed with references. Has some nice auditorium diagrams also, and a calculator for pixels per degree.

http://home1.gte.net/res18h39/calculator.htm

My personal preference at the theater is to sit in the middle in a middle seat. This would correspond with optimal viewing for CinemaScope from 20th century fox of around 45 degrees horizontal viewing angle.

If someone sits in the back then they are probably at 26 degrees, since most auditoriums are not THX auditoriums, middle around 45, closer 60 degrees, absolute front around 170-180 degrees.

Hope some of this clarifies.

Later,

Tony


While I am certain the 26 minimum applies to the back row, nothing I have read ties the 36 degree recommendation to the back row as well.

Do you have a reference I could look at that states that the 36 applies to the back row only?

For example:
http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/Tv-viewing-distance.html
http://www.thx.com/home/setup/display.html

While those sources vary a bit more than I'd like, they do generally agree with the 1.5 number I'm suggesting as a starting point. I can't dig up the pdfs here at work, but I recall the dolby and smtpe 5.1 mastering room manuals using similar figures as well.

In your own house, it's definitely a matter of taste, so please don't read me as "1.3 is wrong". :P But I think the industry group numbers are a good starting point to be sure you don't plan yourself into an unwatchable situation.

As an aside, I'm very happy to see that the THX folks seem to have noticed Fred Toole's research on subwoofer count and placement. The 4 way setup in that image is almost ideal. Ideal would be if the two side subwoofers were moved to the midpoints of those walls.

Cool, thanks Tony

Hello Jason,

Hope you are well.

No problem on the references for your perusal.

Later,

Tony

Cool, thanks Tony