I have an 8300 HD DVR and am thinking about getting a projector. I watch TV 95% of the time. My basement is 20 X 20 and I sit 13 feet from the wall.
I cannot move my seat. Light control is not a problem.

Would a projector be a good choice for HD cable?

How much should I expect to spent to get good quality equipment? Which brand/model should I look at?

What scrren size should I consider?

I know very little about projectors. Any bit of advice will be appreciated.

13 feet from the screen, you can watch a 120" screen no problem. You can find a 720p PJ for @$800 and you can put up a DIY screen for about $50. You will also need a good 5.1 surround sound system with a powered sub to provide the audio half of the equation.

HD cable works just fine with a projector, I also have a S.Atlanta 8300 HD DVR box, its hooked up to my Epson 720 projector along with my BluRay and HD DVD players.

As far as what projector to get thats a real tough question, everyone is going to pretty much say the projector they have is the one you should get.

Personaly my favorite projectors, the Panasonic AX200 and the Epson 720, but for HD cable the best of those two would be the Epson (in my opinion).

Screen size, the bigger the better, but average screen size seems to run 100" to 120" for most projector users.

Best thing to do since your new to projectors is do a whole bunch of reading on this forum about projectors, also www.projectorcentral.com and www.projectorreviews.com are two good projector websites to look at.

Be aware that once you go with a projector you will be hooked and wont be able to go back to watching what you have been using in the past.
I have a very nice 60" Pioneer plasma that almost never gets turned on.

Good luck and have fun.
Cheers
Davyo

I watch from 13ft on a 135 screen, so you'll be fine. HD tv looks great on a pj, but Sd sucks big time as the crappy signal is amplified and shows all the problems with SD. I prefer tv for SD, but since you won't watch that, then your fine. All the other advantages of PJ outweight a regular tv anyday in my opinion

The Epson 720 gets very positive reviews from Projector Central. What would be a good screen to match it?. I can easily control lighting in my basement.

Would a 1080p projector such as the Panasonic AE300 offer a significant and cost effective improvement in picture improvement for cable HD?


I already have a good 5.1 system.

The Epson 720 gets very positive reviews from Projector Central. What would be a good screen to match it?. I can easily control lighting in my basement.

Would a 1080p projector such as the Panasonic AE300 offer a significant and cost effective improvement in picture improvement for cable HD?


I already have a good 5.1 system.

The short answer to your question is no, but if you sit closer than 1.5 screen width then the answer is yes it can offer improvement.

If you are JUST watching HDTV, I would go with the 720p.

If you are JUST watching HDTV, I would go with the 720p.

Me too.

At this point, price of 1080p is so close to 720 I'd recommend a 1080p pj. The 720 standard will be gone in a year or two at the most. You'll then have a relatively new but obsolete unit. Your question was repeated often about 4 years ago, when the choice was between 480 vs 720 units. HD cable was brand new and the 480 of dvd was the standard. 480p units were around $1000 and 720 around $1500-2000. In my case I went with a 720 unit for slightly more money, but a year later I was able to get and project hd from an hd dvr, which I couldn't have done had I gone with a 480p projector. My projector has given me 5 years of service and I will hopefully get another year or two at 720p high def. If i'd have bought the 480p unit, I'd have been shopping for a new projector in 2005 or 2006. If cost an issue, the sanyo z700 can be had for around $1500. If you buy a 720p unit, your not getting much better than I did in 2003 (pricewise or performance wise). We'll both be looking in a year or two when 720p goes away.
Just my opinion.
ArtT

At this point, price of 1080p is so close to 720 I'd recommend a 1080p pj. The 720 standard will be gone in a year or two at the most. You'll then have a relatively new but obsolete unit. Your question was repeated often about 4 years ago, when the choice was between 480 vs 720 units. HD cable was brand new and the 480 of dvd was the standard. 480p units were around $1000 and 720 around $1500-2000. In my case I went with a 720 unit for slightly more money, but a year later I was able to get and project hd from an hd dvr, which I couldn't have done had I gone with a 480p projector. My projector has given me 5 years of service and I will hopefully get another year or two at 720p high def. If i'd have bought the 480p unit, I'd have been shopping for a new projector in 2005 or 2006. If cost an issue, the sanyo z700 can be had for around $1500. If you buy a 720p unit, your not getting much better than I did in 2003 (pricewise or performance wise). We'll both be looking in a year or two when 720p goes away.
Just my opinion.
ArtT

The difference between your argument of four years ago and now is the programing. Even four years ago there was 720p and 1080i programing available. Today still the only HDTV programing available with cable is 720p and 1080i and none of the cable companies are talking about going to 1080p. So four years ago a jump to a 720p projector got you a big improvement with your cable service. Currently a jump to a 1080p projector does not get you much if any improvement with cable.

Added:
You are also talking about spending twice the money to go from 720p to 1080p if you compare the cheapest 720p to the cheapest 1080p projector. That is assuming that you are fairly competent in looking for good projector pricing.

At this point, price of 1080p is so close to 720 I'd recommend a 1080p pj. The 720 standard will be gone in a year or two at the most. You'll then have a relatively new but obsolete unit. Your question was repeated often about 4 years ago, when the choice was between 480 vs 720 units. HD cable was brand new and the 480 of dvd was the standard. 480p units were around $1000 and 720 around $1500-2000. In my case I went with a 720 unit for slightly more money, but a year later I was able to get and project hd from an hd dvr, which I couldn't have done had I gone with a 480p projector. My projector has given me 5 years of service and I will hopefully get another year or two at 720p high def. If i'd have bought the 480p unit, I'd have been shopping for a new projector in 2005 or 2006. If cost an issue, the sanyo z700 can be had for around $1500. If you buy a 720p unit, your not getting much better than I did in 2003 (pricewise or performance wise). We'll both be looking in a year or two when 720p goes away.
Just my opinion.
ArtT

There are several good 720p PJs available right now for $600 - $800. This is half the price of the cheapest 1080p PJs AFTER a large rebate.

The 720p PJs from 2006 - 2008 are much better than most offerings from 2003.

I seriously doubt 720p will be gone in a year.

For those who are on a limited budget, 720p is still the best overall value and will provide performance for most people very close to what the lowest tier 1080p PJs will provide.

and the jump from an SDTV to 720p is a giant jump. 720p to 1080p is not so giant. Considering for TV id rather watch HDTV on a friend's samsung 720p than another's LG 1080p....Blu Ray is a different story.

Basically its all in the eye of the beholder.

And to throw out that all too common phrase "If you are sitting further than 1.5 screen widths, why not go with 720p"