I say down because of the size decrease.

I currently have what I would consider to be a small front projection setup at 84" which has definitely spoiled me. I'm going to be relocating soon to a new job and plan on leaving the proector and screen with the house when I sell it.

I'm considering getting a 52" - 57" flat panel in my new house, but am worried I will come to regret it.

For background, there are some disadvantages with my current setup. My projector is my main display. That means I go through bulbs like water (1 every 6-8 months). I've also had some issues maintaining proper framing on my screen. I have to adjust the mount every 3-6 weeks because the picture is no longer framed properly on the screen, having shifted slightly. I have a light controlled room, using black-out shades, though it sometimes feel like I live in a cave.

With the flat panel I don't have to worry about framing, bulbs, or light control. I would sacrifice significant size though (short of spending 5 figures for a comparable flat panel). Whichever I choose I'd want to go ahead and spring for a 1080p display.


I'm thinking I might start with a flat panel with the intention of adding a projector and a tensioned drop screen for nighttime movie viewing at a later time. If I do go with a projector I'd also probably increase my screen size to 100-110", so there is some additional size "opportunity cost" when you compare a 52" to a 100+" screen.

So that all said, has anyone else ever gone from a front projection setup to a flat panel? I'd be interested in your experience.


Please let me know if this is the wrong forum, but I wasn't sure where to put it, and I figured I'd have more feedback in the projector forum than the flat panel forums.

Thanks.

I feel that having both is the way to go. Use the flat panel for casual watching and use the projector for movies/sporting events. That is the best of both worlds.

I have my old, but still great, Pioneer Elite RP CRT below the 120" screen for the projector. I have high ceilings so I was able to use a fixed screen. If I didn't have that I would have gotten a flat panel and a pull down screen.

Agree with Beekermarker. Both.

We enjoy our 56in HD TV for casual movie and day-to-day tv watching but ain't nothin' compares with our front projector for true Home theater WOW and no tv can compete with that.

TVs have a different application than projector - Both.

I have a Hitachi Home-1 848x480 700 lumen low contrast projector that I have loved and used in a light controlled room. I recently purchased a Panasonic 42" plasma and Bluray player. I used a 7 foot wide home-made oak frame screen with

Current circumstances require that I use the plasma and not the projector. I love the TV. It is crystal clear and bluray discs and DVD's upconverted are both gorgeous. However, I do miss my 7 foot screen. I won't trade the clarity and sound of Bluray so I am planning on a 1080P projector ASAP.

I am constantly looking at TV's and asking myself if I would be happy with a larger plasma.

I would not be satisfied unless the TV was over 72"! 720p is so gorgeous at 42" I realized that you need something really big to take advantage of 1080P!! 52 or 57" is not enough! Anything under 50" don't bother with 1080P.

I say down because of the size decrease.

I currently have what I would consider to be a small front projection setup at 84" which has definitely spoiled me. I'm going to be relocating soon to a new job and plan on leaving the proector and screen with the house when I sell it.

I'm considering getting a 52" - 57" flat panel in my new house, but am worried I will come to regret it.

.

Let me get this straight... your gonna leave the projector set up in the house to sell... if your gonna do that send it to me... I would be more than happy to pay the shipping!!!!!!!!!!!!

And... basically your gonna get a smaller TV (like a yardstick smaller)???? It sounds to me that your doing your best to really talk yourself into doing this...

I relocated from Texas to the US Virgin Islands... there was a community TV in the lobby where I was first staying... maybe a 42" flat lcd... I watched the news once and forced myself to watch a TV show for an hour another time...

My first rental... I was basically paying someone to house sit... a steal of a deal... but he had like MAYBE a 30 something inch Tube TV...

de la Hoya fight last year... there was one bar I found that was showing the fight on island... on a 42 inch... I damn near slit my wrists in fustration of the minimetv!!!!

In Texas... I would watch news, quick and BS stuff on my tube tv's (sometimes)... but when I sat down to do movies, ppv, sports, drink beer and couch potato... it was almost always the da lite 8 footer pull down (white case hides well)... and UFC and boxing was always outside on the cedar fence with an ice chest full of beer and several pounds of on the grill... and all my bar room buddies...

ANYTHING ELSE WAS LIKE TORTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally got my babies on island and couldn't be happier!!!

So...
The bulbs okay... yeah expensive... but cheaper than blowing on a new big azz tv... and paying cover at a bar to watch ppv and sports... plus the piece of mind is priceless...

The readjusting of the stuff... COME ON!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU FOR REAL?!?!?! it comes with the terrtorry... and its not like your moving the furnituer around the house... just lil love taps... if not there was something wrong with the set up or your just to anal...

The cave thing... yeah... maybe... you can open the curtains a lil and deal with a just lil wash...

If your gonna get a big tv okay, but explain to me why your gonna get rid on your projector...

I tell you what... go to someone elses house to watch movies or a bar to watch a ppv on a "minimetvs"... your disease is terminal and there is no cure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry...;):p;)

I think this is something you'll do best to decide in advance. If you're quite sure you'll buy another projector, then maybe scale down the TV you get (42" is a good value point) bearing that in mind. Of course I'm assuming you're dealing the budget of a mere mortal :) If not then by all means get a huge plasma and a pull down as well.

If it were me, I'd watch most daily television on the flat panel and then evening movies/sports/special HD on the big screen. I don't know your viewing habits or if this works, but if you really go through lamps as fast as you say, then a Flat Panel will pay for itself in saved lamps in 2-4 years (depending on how much you spend on it!). We watch 98% of our TV on a 29" CRT and almost all our movies on the projector above it.

I watch a lot of movies on my 30" computer monitor. It's double 1080p resolution (not that I have anything that source, but the point is it's very sharp) and even sitting close, in some epic dramas I do often stop and think 'oh man I should have watched this downstairs on the projector' and I'd think it would suck to not have that option at all.

I tend to agree with most poster's here. Save your money and get a smaller flat panel TV (like 40" to 47") for general TV use, and plan on putting up a PJ with a large screen for movies, etc.

We have a 32" flat panel TV (a little small but it's the largest that fits the "TV" spot for it) for watching TV (it's on 24/7), and "made for TV movies" on rare occasions. We have a 106" pull-down screen that drops in front of the TV set, and use that with our PJ for watching movies and some of the better HDTV shows, at night. We sit 11.5' from the screen, and wouldn't even consider having a "large" flat panel TV set (over 50"). A large set is way more expensive than a good 1080p projector (and a waste of money, IMHO).

It is hard to beat having both. But as for choosing between the two it really is a personal choice.

I have an old Epson 500 that was a high-end lcd in its day but by today's standards is a bit of a dino. I also have a new 42" Pio Elite plasma. The picture quality on the plasma is great. Watching it makes me see every flaw in the Epson. The good news is that after about 2 minutes of watching a good movie on the 120"+ screen I am once again a happy camper. The immersive experience of the large size picture makes me forget about the flaws.

Even better, today I could buy the Pio and a very nice 1080p projector for about what I paid for the Epson.

I use both also. I have a 50" Sony SXRD TV. My entertainment center is built into the wall so everything is flush and hidden behind French doors when not in use. For movies I drop a 106" High Power screen down in front of the TV. This way I am using one sound system for both and I am not putting a huge amount of hours on the projector using it as a TV.

Thanks for all the input. I didn't think of going with a smaller flat panel in order to also have the projector.

As far as leaving the projector, I'm hoping it will
1) add a unique feature to help sell the house or at least get people in the door to look
2)I had an outlet put in the ceilng so taking it all down while having the outlet up there could hurt me as people wouldn't want a random outlet in the ceiling
3)I'm not sure how well the screen will move (I didn't keep any of the packing as I was planning on staying here a number of years, but an opportunity came up I can't pass)
4)I'm also itching to upgrade to 1080p and larger screen if I still go the projector route

I need to discuss it further with my agent, but #2 above concerns me the most.

Forgot to mention, I haven't decided if at my new location I will buy or rent. If I rent I'm not sure if I'd be able to do the projector setup since I prefer ceiling mount with all that requires, mount, fishing wire, etc.

I have a 26" 720p lcd to watch commercials interupted with shows ocassionally. It only draws 85 watts which is great since it is on my dedicated solar powered circuits. I would not ever give up my 7ft screen in a dedicated room.

Both. I've a Mistu 1000 with a 92 inch screen in the LR for movies and sports, and my wife a 42 inch plasma in the FR for "regular" tv shows and movies I left on for background noise...

I feel that having both is the way to go. Use the flat panel for casual watching and use the projector for movies/sporting events. That is the best of both worlds.

I have my old, but still great, Pioneer Elite RP CRT below the 120" screen for the projector. I have high ceilings so I was able to use a fixed screen. If I didn't have that I would have gotten a flat panel and a pull down screen.

I have to agree with this. I use my 37 inch westinghouse as main htpc monitor for casual viewing and internet. Then use my projector connected to the pc as an alternate video source for new movies and games.

Definitely go for both - in my living room setup I use the 46" HDTV for morning news, shows during the day, etc. When dusk comes the 156" PJ image shows up and just makes everyone SMILE!!! :D

So that all said, has anyone else ever gone from a front projection setup to a flat panel? I'd be interested in your experience.I have a 1080p projector with a 110 inch screen and recently purchased a 61 inch LED DLP set for the den. I upgraded from an older 55 inch HD set and as such I have spent a lot of time recently viewing the new set. Including movies I typically only watch in the theater.

After a couple of weeks I got used to the smaller screen and could certainly get used to it as my only display. If I could only have one I would pick it over the projector.

However when I went back to the theater for my first movie in a quite a while it was just like going to the real theater. :) The image appeared so large I could hardly believe it.

I don't really see how one competes against the other as they are two totally different experiences with their own benefits and weaknesses.

--- SNIP ---
Forgot to mention, I haven't decided if at my new location I will buy or rent. If I rent I'm not sure if I'd be able to do the projector setup since I prefer ceiling mount with all that requires, mount, fishing wire, etc.Although you prefer a ceiling mount, don't discard a shelf/table mount out of hand, if you do rent. With the right PJ, putting the PJ on a bookshelf, or equivalent, behind your seating would work just fine and the cables can be "hidden" along the walls. That's the way I have mine set up, with no problems.

The biggest problem would be the screen, but that is workable too (Elite has some good, low cost, and reasonably large, screens on a tripod - for example). It would be a temporary setup anyway, wouldn't it? You can get good prices on screens from the AVS Store (http://www.avscience.com/contact.htm).

BTW Da-Lite also has tripod screen models too, they are more expensive than the Elite models, but you have more choices of screen material. I would prefer the Elite models for a temporary/portable solution.

I recently moved into a new house, and left my screen / hush box at the old house in my "theater". It was a 100" home-made unit. At the same time I sold my old 50" CRT RPTV, and used the the money (and stimulus package :) to pick up a 52" LCD.

I thought I'd hate the 50% drop in screen size, but it turns out I'm not as motivated to build a new theater as I once was. Going from a 720p projector to a 1080p LCD (the 650 series samsung) was a night and day difference. The brightness and color blew me away. there's also something to be said about not having to adjust the focus and scale the size all the time . Seemed like my FPJ was constantly wandering out of focus, as I had it just free-sitting inside the hush box, not screwed down or anything.

Over time I do plan on constructing a proper, floating-room theater, once I get some funds put together, but for now I find watching TV, movies, and sports perfectly enjoyable on the LCD.

So for my vote, go with the TV first, and then save your money up for a real good PJ.

I guess that's the drawback too. Getting a real nice LCD these days really spoils you in terms of brightness / contrast. I'm going to have to sink some serious funds into a FPJ to match my expectations after having watched the inky blacks and vibrant colors from a flat panel.

Thanks for all the input. I didn't think of going with a smaller flat panel in order to also have the projector.

As far as leaving the projector, I'm hoping it will
1) add a unique feature to help sell the house or at least get people in the door to look
The average home buyers are Lemmings... and as most people think they are cool... almost all will say "bulbs are too expensive"... plus many see it as a waste of space... you have to remember that we are the exception to the rule... and people tend to be afraid of what they don't know/ understand...
2)I had an outlet put in the ceilng so taking it all down while having the outlet up there could hurt me as people wouldn't want a random outlet in the ceiling
Maybe... I doubt it... Most people base their decisions of buying on some of the dumbest things... ask most first time home buyer (especially that haven't had a lot of experience in renting or living in different places) but you could always buy one of those pretty hanging lamps or something way cheaper and put up there or just leave it... I doubt it will make the deciding vote on to buy or not...
3)I'm not sure how well the screen will move (I didn't keep any of the packing as I was planning on staying here a number of years, but an opportunity came up I can't pass)
Just roll it up in bubble warp as neatly as you can
4)I'm also itching to upgrade to 1080p and larger screen if I still go the projector route
Then you can put your current one in the bed room...
I need to discuss it further with my agent, but #2 above concerns me the most.

Forgot to mention, I haven't decided if at my new location I will buy or rent. If I rent I'm not sure if I'd be able to do the projector setup since I prefer ceiling mount with all that requires, mount, fishing wire, etc.
I've been several rentals and done a set up... apt, duplex, house, cottage, and a loft... all ceiling mounted the excption being the cottage (I didn't trust the cottage celing) and the loft has catherdral ceilings, I just bought a nice dark wood media tower with a door (at K-mart too)... the wires I have taken the ugly cords out and spray painted them the color I needed and some tacking with the lil clips and a pull down with a white case has been pretty stelthy for me... almost never noticed, unless actively look for or after some time of being in the room... ususally people would see the hooks (that I never got around to painting white)

Thats my 98 cents... Like I said before, you really seem to be tring to talk yourself into dumping the projector...

You can always wire nut the outlet wires and spackle the hole in the ceiling from removing the outlet. I wouldn't tho. Better to have too many outlets than not have enough :)