So, I'm finally going to get to put a projector in my place.

- 12.5' x (approx) 11' room
- screen will need to be on the 11' wall
- over 9' ceilings
- usage will be movies and games
- room will be light controlled, but tolerating some daytime light would be a definite bonus

A 92" looks to me to be the best fit for a room this small, but with the relatively short throw distances my options are limited. Ceilings are over 9', which means I'll likely need to do (inverted) rear shelf.

My short list is HD65, HC1500 and AX200.

On the screen I'm leaning towards the High Power. Using the spreadsheet it looks like I'll get 1.4 gain or so even with the projectors high on the rear wall, and the HP should help reject some ambient light without being fully grey.

My ideal would probably be the HD7100, both for DC3 and lens shift to use a high gain screen more effectively, but the defects reported on that unit have scared me away.

Since it's likely I'll move ~2 years from now and upgrade at that time, I'd rather stick to good budget values rather than jumping to say vw40 or the like.

Any other suggestions for projectors I should look at?

Sharp DT-500/510 , better IQ than HD65 , HC1500 and AX200 plus it's short throw so you can get the screen size that you desire no problem ;) .

-- Jason

I read in a couple of threads that the Sharp DT-500/510 can be loud.

Do you have any experience with them?

I have auditioned a Sharp DT-500 and in Economy lamp mode it is not very loud IMO , I was standing right under it . Certainly there are quieter PJ's out there but for the current cost of a new DT-510 (about $800) it will be tough to beat for IQ .

-- Jason

I have a 92 inch screen (1.1gain) and my Epson 720 is rear shelf mounted with a throw distance of @ 13 feet. You should have no issue throwing a 92 inch image from around 12 feet or so. Not saying its THE projector for you just that that screen size and shorter throw seems to work fairly well for me (with both PS3 Games and HD movies) The AX200is a good choice to avoid SDE at your shorter viewing distance. I don't see SDE at 13 feet with my 720

I also have a 13' x 11' room with a 95" screen on the 11' wall. Seating is about 10-12' back.

I've had a BenQ W500 (720p LCD), InFocus SP-7210 (720p DLP), Mitsu HC1500 (720p DLP), and currently a BenQ W5000 (1080p DLP).

I can tell you right now you can cross any LCD off your list unless:

1) You will only be viewing in daytime
2) You're looking at mid-range 1080p LCDs

You will not be satisfied with the black levels/contrast of budget LCDs.

If you can afford to take the plunge, a sub-$2.5K 1080p unit will hold you off from a higher end upgrade for a long time, if not I understand.

I'd place the Mitsu HC1500, and Optoma HD65 on your short list, but I'd focus on researching/finding a higher quality 720p DLP unit such as the Sharp DaGamePimp recommended, the InFocus 7210 comes highly recommended from me and many other owners on this forum, or something like the Marantz 4001, etc...

The trick is finding those ones, and at a decent price. Hope that helps...

If not the BenQ W5000, then th Sharp DT-500/510. I have the 500, and sit directly below it. I can hear it during quiet scenes...barely, and it's not annoying, and honestly, I can only hear it during quiet scenes if I listen for it.

Marantz VP4001...if you can find one.
Or a Sharp equivalent.

I also have a 13' x 11' room with a 95" screen on the 11' wall. Seating is about 10-12' back.

I've had a BenQ W500 (720p LCD), InFocus SP-7210 (720p DLP), Mitsu HC1500 (720p DLP), and currently a BenQ W5000 (1080p DLP).

I can tell you right now you can cross any LCD off your list unless:

1) You will only be viewing in daytime
2) You're looking at mid-range 1080p LCDs

You will not be satisfied with the black levels/contrast of budget LCDs.

If you can afford to take the plunge, a sub-$2.5K 1080p unit will hold you off from a higher end upgrade for a long time, if not I understand.

I'd place the Mitsu HC1500, and Optoma HD65 on your short list, but I'd focus on researching/finding a higher quality 720p DLP unit such as the Sharp DaGamePimp recommended, the InFocus 7210 comes highly recommended from me and many other owners on this forum, or something like the Marantz 4001, etc...

The trick is finding those ones, and at a decent price. Hope that helps...

That's really just untrue imo. Every year the "budget" LCDs get better, and while they won't compete with the inky blacks of a CRT, they are more than adequate for just about all but the most picky videophiles.

I also have a 13' x 11' room with a 95" screen on the 11' wall. Seating is about 10-12' back.

I've had a BenQ W500 (720p LCD), InFocus SP-7210 (720p DLP), Mitsu HC1500 (720p DLP), and currently a BenQ W5000 (1080p DLP).

I can tell you right now you can cross any LCD off your list unless:

1) You will only be viewing in daytime
2) You're looking at mid-range 1080p LCDs

You will not be satisfied with the black levels/contrast of budget LCDs.

If you can afford to take the plunge, a sub-$2.5K 1080p unit will hold you off from a higher end upgrade for a long time, if not I understand.

I'd place the Mitsu HC1500, and Optoma HD65 on your short list, but I'd focus on researching/finding a higher quality 720p DLP unit such as the Sharp DaGamePimp recommended, the InFocus 7210 comes highly recommended from me and many other owners on this forum, or something like the Marantz 4001, etc...

The trick is finding those ones, and at a decent price. Hope that helps...

Before I put the money down for the Marantz VP-4001 I would do a little bit of comparison between it and the Sharp DT-500/510.

Not to steal the thread, but LilGator, how does the W5000 compare to the SP-7210. Both of those are good projectors. Why did you get rid of the 7210?

I agree with broadwayblue. LCDs are excellent at this point. It sounds like Lilgator has some sort of axe to grind.

That's really just untrue imo. Every year the "budget" LCDs get better, and while they won't compete with the inky blacks of a CRT, they are more than adequate for just about all but the most picky videophiles.

I just bought an Epson 720 budget projector. The one thing I had expected is horrid blacks. That was definitely not the case. They could be better, but it stands up fairly well to my 46XBR4 and my CRT RPTV. The black levels was/were going to be the deal breaker for me, but I am pretty darn satisfied for what I paid (less than a grand). I won't be returning it anytime soon.

I just bought an Epson 720 budget projector. The one thing I had expected is horrid blacks. That was definitely not the case. They could be better, but it stands up fairly well to my 46XBR4 and my CRT RPTV. The black levels was/were going to be the deal breaker for me, but I am pretty darn satisfied for what I paid (less than a grand). I won't be returning it anytime soon.

Many of the LCD's look good. I enjoyed the image from my Epson HC400, but the blacks were gray. With my 12S4 the black look black and the image has a lot more depth.

I agree with broadwayblue. LCDs are excellent at this point. It sounds like Lilgator has some sort of axe to grind.

Many of the LCD's look good. I enjoyed the image from my Epson HC400, but the blacks were gray. With my 12S4 the black look black and the image has a lot more depth.

I rest my case.

The OP indicated a preference for DC3 over his short list. If he's wanting better contrast/blacks than HC1500/HD65 provide, he sure ain't going to find it in LCD's. You can't argue against that.

Not to steal the thread, but LilGator, how does the W5000 compare to the SP-7210. Both of those are good projectors. Why did you get rid of the 7210?

Like others, I was 1080p curious :) The W5000 has shown me how spectacular the 7210 really was, though I very much enjoy the increased resolution and sharpness. I still consider the W5000 a solid upgrade because I can sit ~9-10ft away comfortably (95" diag) vs. 11-12.5ft away comfortably with the 7210. The contrast/blacks are close enough that I wouldn't say one is worse than the other.

As a 7210 owner I can say that a 92' screen you may want to get the ND2 filter to lower the brightness when watching at night (light control) and then remove it when light control is not possible, that way you get the deeper blacks during night viewing and then the PLASMA brightness during the day. :-)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mjg100 View Post
Many of the LCD's look good. I enjoyed the image from my Epson HC400, but the blacks were gray. With my 12S4 the black look black and the image has a lot more depth.

I rest my case.

The OP indicated a preference for DC3 over his short list. If he's wanting better contrast/blacks than HC1500/HD65 provide, he sure ain't going to find it in LCD's. You can't argue against that.


But the 400 is an older projector, blacks were much improved with the 720 and later Epson models.

I have a Panny AE900U which is perfect for that......great price too!!

I want a 1080p! OP do you want a slightly used Panny?

thanks guys, lots of food for thought.

at the end of the day, i've got hc1500. my rational is that nothing in my range atm is going to be superlative, so i should go for the best value and keep saving for the next generation of 1080dlp and lcos that should be out in a year or two.

i'll post what i think once it's here and where i go from there.

But the 400 is an older projector, blacks were much improved with the 720 and later Epson models.

The 400 is a year older than the 720. The 720 (10,000/1) did have improved contrast over the 400 (5,000/1). Of course those numbers mean nothing. My 12S4 has 4,500/1 contrast as it's published rating and it crushes the HC400 in black level. If you read the owner's thread for the 720 you will find many people that say the blacks still look gray. Don,t get me wrong it is a nice projector. The HC720 is the projector that I suggest for anybody shopping for a 720p LCD projector. From all of the reviews that I have read the only LCD that can even compete with the DLP DC3 is the Epson 1080UB.

thanks guys, lots of food for thought.

at the end of the day, i've got hc1500. my rational is that nothing in my range atm is going to be superlative, so i should go for the best value and keep saving for the next generation of 1080dlp and lcos that should be out in a year or two.

i'll post what i think once it's here and where i go from there.

You won't be disappointed for the money spent/saved- good choice and enjoy :D

thanks guys, lots of food for thought.

at the end of the day, i've got hc1500. my rational is that nothing in my range atm is going to be superlative, so i should go for the best value and keep saving for the next generation of 1080dlp and lcos that should be out in a year or two.

i'll post what i think once it's here and where i go from there.

You will like the HC1500. Since you will be rear shelf inverting you should be able to get a 92" image in your 12'-6" room. You need a minimum of 10'-11" lens to screen distance measured horizontally.

Go for the hd65, nice and bright, and at 12 feet you'll be getting a 100 inch image size

Well, so far I'm pretty happy. I waited on the screen to be sure of what size image I wanted, so for now it's just throwing against the olive grey wall. I'm happy with the image. Brightness is high enough for it to be usable during the day with blinds open, though you do lose quite a bit of shadow detail. Black level isn't stunning, but unless you're staring at the edge between the black bars and wall it's not objectionable. Pixel structure is a little more visible than I would have thought, but it's not a problem at my viewing distance. It's rather quiet... far quieter than the xbox360.

So far quite happy... this should tide me over quite well until I move.

The 400 is a year older than the 720. The 720 (10,000/1) did have improved contrast over the 400 (5,000/1). Of course those numbers mean nothing. My 12S4 has 4,500/1 contrast as it's published rating and it crushes the HC400 in black level. If you read the owner's thread for the 720 you will find many people that say the blacks still look gray. Don,t get me wrong it is a nice projector. The HC720 is the projector that I suggest for anybody shopping for a 720p LCD projector. From all of the reviews that I have read the only LCD that can even compete with the DLP DC3 is the Epson 1080UB.

You know a lot more about the subject than I do, so no arguments from me! ;)

Well, so far I'm pretty happy. I waited on the screen to be sure of what size image I wanted, so for now it's just throwing against the olive grey wall. I'm happy with the image. Brightness is high enough for it to be usable during the day with blinds open, though you do lose quite a bit of shadow detail. Black level isn't stunning, but unless you're staring at the edge between the black bars and wall it's not objectionable. Pixel structure is a little more visible than I would have thought, but it's not a problem at my viewing distance. It's rather quiet... far quieter than the xbox360.
So far quite happy... this should tide me over quite well until I move.

Yikes! id hope eny PJ is quieter than the 360 :)