I'm a complete projector novice, and I don't know anything about black levels, contrast ratios, etc. I did read up a lot on placement flexibility, since I have to ceiling mount from a 12 foot ceiling about 15 feet from the screen. I wanted to keep the cost below $1500 for my first projector, so the placement issue pretty much dictated LCD. I ordered the Viewsonic Pro8100 and cracked the box yesterday.

My ceiling mount isn't here yet, so I "ledge mounted" it about 11 feet from the screen. BTW, right now I don't have a proper screen. I painted the front wall in Behr Silver Screen. The rest of the walls, and ceiling, are painted midnight blue. The room is a bat cave. Anyway, I plugged in the projector, adjusted the screen size, focus, and position, and popped my "3000 Miles to Graceland" DVD (not Blu-Ray) into the PS3. It was incredible how good it looked. The 110" diagonal image, combined with a decent sound system, made the heist scene come alive in a way I haven't experienced before. I really love that movie, especially the heist scene. Later, my wife and I watched "The Soloist" DVD, and it was equally engaging, though not nearly as exciting as Graceland.

For those of you on the fence about whether to get a projector, just do it (or wait until prices drop after new models are announced, and then do it). The main thing is to do as much research as you can here and at the other websites mentioned here, and then pick a model that's appropriate for your situation and budget. You'll be glad you did.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the world of projectors. Now if only they had a cure for the upgrade bug............

Just bought A Viewsonic PRO8100 on Friday....my first projector. I can't wait for that thing to get here! :D

Can you tell me how sports looks? I was considering this pj.

I'm a complete projector novice, and I don't know anything about black levels, contrast ratios, etc. I did read up a lot on placement flexibility, since I have to ceiling mount from a 12 foot ceiling about 15 feet from the screen. I wanted to keep the cost below $1500 for my first projector, so the placement issue pretty much dictated LCD. I ordered the Viewsonic Pro8100 and cracked the box yesterday.

My ceiling mount isn't here yet, so I "ledge mounted" it about 11 feet from the screen. BTW, right now I don't have a proper screen. I painted the front wall in Behr Silver Screen. The rest of the walls, and ceiling, are painted midnight blue. The room is a bat cave. Anyway, I plugged in the projector, adjusted the screen size, focus, and position, and popped my "3000 Miles to Graceland" DVD (not Blu-Ray) into the PS3. It was incredible how good it looked. The 110" diagonal image, combined with a decent sound system, made the heist scene come alive in a way I haven't experienced before. I really love that movie, especially the heist scene. Later, my wife and I watched "The Soloist" DVD, and it was equally engaging, though not nearly as exciting as Graceland.

For those of you on the fence about whether to get a projector, just do it (or wait until prices drop after new models are announced, and then do it). The main thing is to do as much research as you can here and at the other websites mentioned here, and then pick a model that's appropriate for your situation and budget. You'll be glad you did.
8100pro is a very good projector. However, according to my experience, pretty much when everyone got their first projector will say "wowww"

8100pro is a very good projector. However, according to my experience, pretty much when everyone got their first projector will say "wowww"

Yeah the fact that he's wowed by SD DVD, that's a first timer alright. But it's damn good projector to start on that's for sure.

Yes it's the size of the image that kills. I was use to a 65" CRT RTPV as a big screen TV then went to my first projector a XGA NEC LT150z and I was amazed just like you. If the image is huge, has color and sharpness you can't help but to feel video nirvana. Welcome to the screen sizes we judge by feet not inches. enjoy

Yeah the fact that he's wowed by SD DVD, that's a first timer alright. But it's damn good projector to start on that's for sure.

LOL...:D Wait till you see HD and your wow will go to total shock..I think he is blown away more by the size of the picure and not the picture quality. I remember the same reaction when I got my first projector. Once you go HD those DVD are gonna look like crap...no offense...I have huge dvd collection and oppo 983 and they still cant come close to HD...:)

Yeah the fact that he's wowed by SD DVD, that's a first timer alright. But it's damn good projector to start on that's for sure.

I am not so sure that is uncommon. The upscaling on my HD 70 seemed so good when I first got it that I did not bother getting any HD source for quite a while. Perhaps it was the price of BD players at the time or the initial wow factor more than the upscaling, but I was happy for quite some time.

In fact I still have not bought a BD player and my only true HD is from a tuner. I occasionally get the urge to add a BD player, but just refuse to take the plunge until they offer a bit more. I refuse to add another box to my already over complicated system, so until there is a BD player with an ATSC tuner and perhaps a hard drive and a few other things built in I am waiting.

I got my first projector in 1995, a Runco CRT (one of the cheapest at the time). Since then I have pretty much watched all tv (and of course movies) on a 100 in. screen. For me the big screen is addictive. It is just so engaging. When I first got it I was enjoying everything, including TV commercials, for the excitement and imagery. Then eventually it became normal, and I can't get too excited about small screens. For me a 42 in. TV is a small screen. I do struggle with ambient light when doing daylight viewing--I have to have a bright projector with a good bulb, and a high-power screen helps.
It's great to hear comments from a new convert. It used to be a tremendous investment (my cheapo projector was $5000 in 1995 $). The quality you get now, for a low price, is amazing. I recently upgraded to the Optoma HD20, my third projector.

i got my first "big screen in 1996. it was a 52" pioneer rp. it was great !

jan 2009. i got my mitsu 65" dlp rp tv. it blew me away :eek:
Sd DVD is for non action movies. action movies, SiFi, etc. BD is AWESOME :cool:

now. my dlp is barely big enough in 1:85 mode. letterbox, forget it, no way.
i always zoom to fill the screen.

i am here researching a projector.

My first projector was a Sanyo LCD I brought back in my luggage from Japan in 1993. Since then, I've been addicted. I'm now enjoying 1080p with an InFocus X10.

One thing you can do right off, is get a calibration disc, they have them in the menu of most recent THX movies(just rent one), or do a search for "Get Gray' a disc made by poster here and down loadable for ($20-$25) and burnable to DVD even for a novice. Maybe you have but if not its so simple you need to do it ASAP and get you brightness and contrast set correctly. Find out through post what your sharpness setting on your pj would be "Zero Enhancement" and set to that and leave it alone. Of course you can calibrated to D65 for the best picture your pj is capable of, but for now if you haven't, get a calibration disc and get your brightness and contrast set correctly. Front projection has a long life ahead of it.

PLEASE HELP
We are in the process of turning out university daughters old room into a home theater.First does that make us bad parents lol? The room is 18x13. We were thinking of a 120" screen. That is all we have confirmed yet. There's so many reviews and options for screen brands and projectors and we feel a bit overwhelmed. Here is wht we think we need. a HD scareen, and a 1080 P projector. Is this right? My husband is an avid call of duty player and so we need a projector that is good for gaming, we have a blue ray player, satellite, wii, and xbox. plus the surround sound. the room is completely darkened so light is not a problem. Any advise would be gretly appreciated. oh and we want to use hdmi cables. Oh and if you haven't guessed I know NOTHING about this stuff.

PLEASE HELP
We are in the process of turning out university daughters old room into a home theater.First does that make us bad parents lol? The room is 18x13. We were thinking of a 120" screen. That is all we have confirmed yet. There's so many reviews and options for screen brands and projectors and we feel a bit overwhelmed. Here is wht we think we need. a HD scareen, and a 1080 P projector. Is this right? My husband is an avid call of duty player and so we need a projector that is good for gaming, we have a blue ray player, satellite, wii, and xbox. plus the surround sound. the room is completely darkened so light is not a problem. Any advise would be gretly appreciated. oh and we want to use hdmi cables. Oh and if you haven't guessed I know NOTHING about this stuff.

The panasonic ax200 would be perfect.Under 1K to,I would do a 110 screen if your walls or 13ft.You need room for speakers on side.Their are 2 sites for fp review'PROJECTOR CENTRAL AND PROJECTOR REVIEWS.Carada makes the best screens for the money.:)

debell, you are the perfect AVSer wife! I still have WAF issues, but lately have just been reduced to comments along the lines of "...we could have paid this bill off, but instead we bought the new projector..."

Give some more specifics, and you'll get some more answers. For example, budget, viewing room lighting (will be used with some ambient lighting during day, will be a batcave...), etc.

Happy hunting, it's (dare I say it)...'freakin awesome"!

[EDITED] Oops, just read your post again. Research LCD and DLP pros/cons, then decide which way you want to go with the recommendations hereabouts. For the screen, again depends on your budget. Budget-wise, the Dalite HP screen is great for gain and "pop", otherwise the Dalite HCMW is good to boost perceived contrast.

The screen we were looking at was a Maxstar the stats are as followsFeatures Screen Material Type
16:9 Aspect Ratio, HDTV Format, Aluminum Frame Professional High-Grade Cinema Fabric

Aspect Ratio Frame Type
16:9 Deluxe aluminum cove with Black Velvet

Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Over All Size
110" x 1.5" x 65 " / 45 lbs H 65 " x W 110" Diagonal 125"

Product Description Image Diagonal Size
MaxStar EliteTM - Fixed frame projection screen - 120 in 120 inch

Projection Image Size (Height Width) Static resistant
62" X 107 " Yes

Mildew resistant Fireproofing any good?

Howdy debell.....a couple of things to be aware of. The 2 main types of projectors are LCD and DLP. Many people LOVE DLP but a certain percentage can't stand them because of something called The Rainbow Effect. This is caused by the spinning color wheel in the projector. It can cause headaches and eye fatigue if you're succeptable. I think it would be safe to say at least 25% are affected by the rainbow effect.

LCD....the main problem with most LCD projectors is that the lcd panels or polarizers can be [and usually will be] damaged by heat and cause blue cloudy areas to develop in the image. Some of the newer 1080P LCD's have a new type LCD panel called inorganic which is supposed to greatly lessen or eliminate this problem [time will tell].

That said, the Viewsonic Pro8100, which is the projector this thread was started about, is an LCD with the newer panels. It is being cleared out at a very good price and you can get an additional discount bu using Bing Cashback. You can search "pro8100 bing" ,without the quote marks, on AVS for more info on this.

PLEASE HELP
We are in the process of turning out university daughters old room into a home theater.First does that make us bad parents lol? The room is 18x13. We were thinking of a 120" screen. That is all we have confirmed yet. There's so many reviews and options for screen brands and projectors and we feel a bit overwhelmed. Here is wht we think we need. a HD scareen, and a 1080 P projector. Is this right? My husband is an avid call of duty player and so we need a projector that is good for gaming, we have a blue ray player, satellite, wii, and xbox. plus the surround sound. the room is completely darkened so light is not a problem. Any advise would be gretly appreciated. oh and we want to use hdmi cables. Oh and if you haven't guessed I know NOTHING about this stuff.


only thing i will say is BUY A FIXED FRAME SCREEN!!! (or make your own...much cheaper) to avoid the dreaded WAVES that WILL develop in almost any screen (non fixed frame)

as for projectors, consider the Benq W5000 as it is an amazing projector for the money.

The screen we were looking at was a Maxstar the stats are as followsFeatures Screen Material Type
16:9 Aspect Ratio, HDTV Format, Aluminum Frame Professional High-Grade Cinema Fabric

Aspect Ratio Frame Type
16:9 Deluxe aluminum cove with Black Velvet

Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Over All Size
110" x 1.5" x 65 " / 45 lbs H 65 " x W 110" Diagonal 125"

Product Description Image Diagonal Size
MaxStar EliteTM - Fixed frame projection screen - 120 in 120 inch

Projection Image Size (Height Width) Static resistant
62" X 107 " Yes

Mildew resistant Fireproofing any good?

you can EASILY fit a 120" screen on a 13ft wall with tons of room left for speakers. I have a 120" in a 12ft area, with 2 Onix Rocket towers on either side. no issues there at all. i wouldn't go smaller than 120" if you are sitting 15-18ft away from the screen. just my .02

here's a couple images of my set up so you can see what to expect at 120". the space between the walls is 12 feet. and just in case you ask, that is a 120" screen that i built myself. easy to do, and about $130.00 in material and 1 day to make it using actual screen material, 2x4's and black velveteen

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/jinxfrt/DSC00726.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/jinxfrt/DSC00725.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/jinxfrt/cod4b.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/jinxfrt/DSC00228.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/jinxfrt/DSC00111.jpg

so in the picture, is it 12 ft from the left wall(my left) to the half wall? and 120" is the diagonal measurement of the entire screen including frame?

so in the picture, is it 12 ft from the left wall(my left) to the half wall? and 120" is the diagonal measurement of the entire screen including frame?

that is what he is saying

so in the picture, is it 12 ft from the left wall(my left) to the half wall? and 120" is the diagonal measurement of the entire screen including frame?

yup. you got it. a 120" screen is only 105" Inches wide...so just over 9 feet wide, and about 59" inches tall.

and just for clarification, the only reason i went with 120" screen 1.78:1 (16x9) was when i went bigger, the picture was just overwhelming in my room, and i'm sitting 18 feet back. so,....keep that in consideration. you shouldn't feel like you are at a tennis match while watching your tv/movies. although bigger is certainly more impressive on some levels, the image will get dimmer, a little more washed out, and a little less crisp the bigger you go depending on your projector and it's lumen capabilities.

in all honesty, i have found that 120" is the perfect size for me, and probably for most...unless you have a MASSIVE room in which case, go as big as you like, but realize you will be running in BRIGHT mode and burn your lamp up faster for sure. and that is even with complete light control. the other option is to get VERY high gain screen material, but then you might run into hot spotting (do a search) and i would not be able to live with that.

Hey Thanks for all the info, it is very helpful indeed. I think we have decided on a 110. i think it will be plenty large enough for our first screen and if in a few years we want a larger one we can do that. Screens are a bit confusing to me though. We get the 16:9 HD and that white screen but beyond that we know nothing. They all look good to me. We are seriously considering the viewsonic pro8100 for the projector. Have read A LOT and this one seems to be a good one. I'm think the gain on the screen should be 1.1? And is there really a difference between the 1000 screens and the 300.00 ones? I know that those who are really in the know on this one ,will prob see a difference in picure quality but will the average guys or in my case gal?

Hey Thanks for all the info, it is very helpful indeed. I think we have decided on a 110. i think it will be plenty large enough for our first screen and if in a few years we want a larger one we can do that. Screens are a bit confusing to me though. We get the 16:9 HD and that white screen but beyond that we know nothing. They all look good to me. We are seriously considering the viewsonic pro8100 for the projector. Have read A LOT and this one seems to be a good one. I'm think the gain on the screen should be 1.1? And is there really a difference between the 1000 screens and the 300.00 ones? I know that those who are really in the know on this one ,will prob see a difference in picure quality but will the average guys or in my case gal?

110 is a perfect screen size.It will blow you away.Yes their is a difference in screen quality.Check out Carada Screens'They are the best screen for the money to me.Also call AVS here they have great screens as well and help you get what you need.:)

Hey Pure-Evil, LOL - that (soon to be killed - go get 'em, Eowyn & Merry!) Witch King pic - it looks like his right hand sword is coming out of the screen - I did a double-take when I saw that!
:D

Hey Pure-Evil, LOL - that (soon to be killed - go get 'em, Eowyn & Merry!) Witch King pic - it looks like his right hand sword is coming out of the screen - I did a double-take when I saw that!
:D

ya everyone says that... that image was actually taken with my 720p Mitsubishi HD1000U and not my Benq W9000 1080p...but it's pretty cool for sure


as for screens...i still say BUILD YOUR OWN!!! do a quick search and you'll find the company that sells screen material..build a frame with 2x4's and wrap those with black velveteen, then stretch the material on the back. VOILA you have a $1000.00 screen for less than $100.00

Hey Thanks for all the info, it is very helpful indeed. I think we have decided on a 110. i think it will be plenty large enough for our first screen and if in a few years we want a larger one we can do that. Screens are a bit confusing to me though. We get the 16:9 HD and that white screen but beyond that we know nothing. They all look good to me. We are seriously considering the viewsonic pro8100 for the projector. Have read A LOT and this one seems to be a good one. I'm think the gain on the screen should be 1.1? And is there really a difference between the 1000 screens and the 300.00 ones? I know that those who are really in the know on this one ,will prob see a difference in picure quality but will the average guys or in my case gal?

if you use ANYTHING other than a tensioned screen you WILL get waves in the screen, and thus see them in your image. my .02 is just DO NOT DO IT! no electric, or manual pull downs unless you have NO other choice. go with a tab tensioned if you buy one, or build your own fixed frame which is easy as pie to do..

debell -- A 110" screen is a good choice. We sit at 11.5' from our 106" screen, and with a 1080p PJ, the picture is perfect (I get the "Can we turn on the PJ now?" from my other half, almost every evening :D). For DIY screens, go read the DIY screen forum (the main Screen forum is good for purchased screen recommendations, too. Remember, screens last a lot longer than PJs do. Therefore, it pays to get a good one. If you think you may want to replace the screen in a couple of years, then the suggestion of a DIY screen is a very good one.

For purchased screens, I would recommend sticking with the major brands (Da-lite, Draper, Carada, Elite, Vutec, and Stewart Filmscreen). AVS sells all of them except Carada (which is factory direct only - Carada is an ID company). I agree that Carada has one of the best screens and they compare favorably with the Stewart screens (the Rolls-Royce of screens). The Elite screens are the lowest cost (their ezFrame versions).

You might want to read up on PJs and screens at www.projectorreviews.com. Art does a very comprehensive job on reviewing PJ products. Projector Central has a very good projection calculator (http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm) which can be used to find out if the screen size and distances will fit into your room (some PJs have a very long focal lengths, and may need to be placed too far away to fit).

Pure-Evil -- Waves on all, non-tensioned, pull-down screens is not quite (100%) true. I followed Tryg's recommendation and got a 106" Da-Lite High-Power, Model C, pull-down screen (I can't use a fixed screen in my LR/HT room, and in 2004, the tensioned screens were too expensive). I've had it for almost 5 years (and 4 PJs), and no waves.

With the 3" rollers of the Model C (most manufacturers use 2" rollers, including Da-Lite's model B) and the very heavy duty High-Power screen material, it is very resistant to the formation of waves. My old 100" 4:3 Draper screen did form waves, so I know what they look like :eek:. However, in debell's case, her room would be perfect for a fixed screen, and then she wouldn't be restricted to one type of screen material.

Yeah...my 120" high power model c doesn't show waves. Very nice screen.

Debell, another possiblity, and can be extremely cheap- is to paint your walls. Just about all of today's ht projectors have incredible contrast so I'd simply recommend bright white (like Behr ultrapure white) and paint to the maximum size of your image.

Victor

ok..well i'll re state that then..i have never seen a manual or electric screen that did not have waves (other than a firehawk by stewart) however, most of these screens are not going to be in most ppl's budgets.

The Da-lite high power pull downs are surprisingly affordable.

Model B's very affordable, model C's a little more.

k well we are nearing completion, I'm excited as scared all at the same time lol. Question... we got a 110 screen and a viewsonic 8100. our ceiling is 8 feet and our room is almost 19 feet long. How far up the wall should the screen go and how far down the ceiling should the projector mount? We are going with a projector box rather than ceiling mount. thanks so much for all the help. It has made it so much easier.

k well we are nearing completion, I'm excited as scared all at the same time lol. Question... we got a 110 screen and a viewsonic 8100. our ceiling is 8 feet and our room is almost 19 feet long. How far up the wall should the screen go and how far down the ceiling should the projector mount? We are going with a projector box rather than ceiling mount. thanks so much for all the help. It has made it so much easier.

2 feet off the floor is good as a general rule for screens. If you want to get precise, eye level should be about 1/3 up the screen. So measure how high your eye level is when sitting down, then figure out how high the bottom of your screen will be given that a 110" screen is 54" high.

For best performance, you want the pj closest to the middle of the screen, both vertically and horizontally. That puts it 4.75 feet from the floor, given the bottom of your screen is at 24". That's pretty much where I have my Pro8100 but it's above my head....you have to mount it in front of you so it will probably be in the way a little. The zoom on the Pro8100 would get you back 18' 3" from the center of the lens(which would put it above your head), but I'd try to avoid the extreme end of that zoom. At 15' 8" the pj would be still within it's optimal, so you can have it back pretty far. Add another 15 inches for the length of the pj and you have the back at 16' 8". If you're head is at that distance from the wall then you're all set:)

Just one thing. The Pro8100 draws air in one side and vents out the other side so you need to make sure the sides have adequate ventilation..don't box it in.

now very confused, are you saying no more than 16 8 from the screen and 3 feet from the ceiling? making it 5 feet from the floor. that would mean no wall shelf? the wall is at 18 .something. so the projector would have to sit on a stand In front of seating? The ceiling mounts don't look like they come down that far. I guess I just thought they were mounted higher.

now very confused, are you saying no more than 16 8 from the screen and 3 feet from the ceiling? making it 5 feet from the floor. that would mean no wall shelf? the wall is at 18 .something. so the projector would have to sit on a stand In front of seating? The ceiling mounts don't look like they come down that far. I guess I just thought they were mounted higher.

Go ahead and ceiling mount it.

I don't really want to ceiling mount it I just wanted it to disappear lol I thought It could be placed at around a foot from the ceiling on a shelf.

I don't really want to ceiling mount it I just wanted it to disappear lol I thought It could be placed at around a foot from the ceiling on a shelf.

You can..I'm giving you ideal conditions for the best image from your pj. At the extremes of lens shift and zoom you are going to sacrifice a little image quality. How much, I don't know. I do know that one owner of a Pro8100 had his mounted very high, above the top of the screen. When he moved it down and used almost no lens shift, the image became noticeably sharper. The further your pj is from the screen the less light it will throw as well. So your down to 10fl if you're lens is 17' 6" from the screen(which would put the projector on a shelf against your 19' wall distance

At 1 foot below ceiling height you are going to be 1/2 foot above the top of your screen if you have the screen 2 feet from the floor. It's doable with the lens shift of the PRO8100 but I say you're losing sharpness.