Hello all,
I built purchased a home that has a bonus room upstairs and had it pre-wired for a projector. The room is light controlled. We presently have a 42" Panasonic ED plasma TV but with a recent bonus, I can now purchase a projector and screen. My wife has been against the idea from the start because of picture quality. I have taken her to several home theater stores but the on projector setup the colors appeared washed out.

Today we visited one store that had a Sharp projector showing the same program as a 65" DLP tv and that proved to be the final blow to my idea. The colors on the TV were more vibrant and not dull like that on the projector screen.

I have shown her several pictures that members of this forum have posted but that does not convice her.

Did anyone have the same problems? How did you eventually convince your wife?

Need some help please?

Hello all,
I built purchased a home that has a bonus room upstairs and had it pre-wired for a projector. The room is light controlled. We presently have a 42" Panasonic ED plasma TV but with a recent bonus, I can now purchase a projector and screen. My wife has been against the idea from the start because of piccccture quality. I have taken her to several home theater stores but the on projector setup the colors appeared washed out.

Today we visited one store that had a Sharp projector showing the same program as a 65" DLP tv and that proved to be the final blow to my idea. The colors on the TV were more vibrant and not dull like that on the projector screen.

I have shown her several pictures that members of this forum have posted but that does not convice her.

Did anyone have the same problems? How did you eventually convince your wife?

Need some help please?


You need to find a HT near your home where the owner can showcase his projector and HT. Most dealer showrooms do not have the expertise to properly demonstrate a correctly calibrated projector system. Remember that a front projector HT needs a dark theater like environment to adequately produce an impressive image.

I have a 42" Panasonic HD plasma and a projector.
There is no way my family will watch DVD's on the Plasma.
My projector screen is roughly 100", more than 4x the size of the plasma.
It isn't as sharp, but it does look very good, and much more immersive. I'm talking about a standard DVD resolution here. HD must be rediculous good. Buy a projector from a place that you can return it, or buy a used projector. If you have a dedicated room then the projector will make her jaw drop.

Make sure you have a top quality DVD player or HD input. A standard definition DVD player that doesn't have top quality de-interlacing chip will kill your projector nirvana. Oppo is the current favorite brand I believe. Some projectors have great scalers in them as well though.

I bought a used Optoma DV10 with a built in DVD player and it has a great picture.

Store set-ups are almost always terrible. I think if more people knew what a projector could actually do then the projector market would be huge.

Good luck.

Hello all,
I built purchased a home that has a bonus room upstairs and had it pre-wired for a projector. The room is light controlled. We presently have a 42" Panasonic ED plasma TV but with a recent bonus, I can now purchase a projector and screen. My wife has been against the idea from the start because of piccccture quality. I have taken her to several home theater stores but the on projector setup the colors appeared washed out.

Today we visited one store that had a Sharp projector showing the same program as a 65" DLP tv and that proved to be the final blow to my idea. The colors on the TV were more vibrant and not dull like that on the projector screen.

I have shown her several pictures that members of this forum have posted but that does not convice her.

Did anyone have the same problems? How did you eventually convince your wife?

Need some help please?

If you have a Costco near you, buy it and try it. If not happy, return it.
But if you buy it, rent a *"chick flick", get a cozy seat and lower the lights. Then see if that changes your minds. Just like in a "real" movie house, you must have a dark environment to enjoy the home theater experience. Of course, the final product will require a good screen and maybe a new color scheme-that can come later.

* the action flicks and sports are a future choice, but for now, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!

Good Luck!

Your bonus room sounds perfect for a PJ. 100% light control is what a projector needs in order to shine. (pun intended :D )

We have an 2 LCD flat panel sets and their PQ is excellent, but the PJ is what we watch movies on. Try a Mitsubishi HD1000U or Optoma HD70 on a 100" or better screen. The colors and impact will blow your mind. Really.

Enjoy!

Thanks all,

I have been considering to purchase a projector and if it did not convince my wife return it. But I hate to return stuff to be honest.

I do not have any friends that have a projector setup in their home so I will be the first to attempt this. Most people I know are looking forward to their first big screen tv.

After seeing me calibrate our tv and talk about different aspects of home theater for years, I am afraid that I have educated my wife and now she can use it against me.

Thanks for your advice thus far. I will need to buy it, watch it and keep or return it (depending on her response).

I doubt you are going to find a store that will have a pj setup correctly when they can get you to spend thousands more on a panel.

As for convincing my wife, I borrowed a pj and showed Meet Joe Black on an 84" screen.

No problem!

The Panny ED plasmas of a few years back have outstanding contrast and black levels (better than the Panny HD sets). The Bl on the ED sets rival CRTs. The HD PQ on a Panny ED can be striking.

Having said that...a decent budget HD 720 PJ can produce an impressive big image that will please the heck out of your wife. Problem is...most stores don't have these things set up properly.

She is going to have to trust you/us that she will love the PJ.

95% of the time if a retailer happens to have a projector running - e.g some of the Circuit Cities, Tweeters now and then - and certain BEST BUYs - the entire idea of the projector is TO NOT SELL PROJECTORS -its to sell you that plasma or other TV and extended warranty you are looking at

Retailers in general only have projectors to make the buyer believe they have covered the waterfront - usually a single token running projector, often overpriced, in high light condions, or just not setup properly

I don't know where you live, but in many areas there are companies who install home theaters, and have them set up to demo. Check your yellow pages and search one out, if you, and the wife experience the image and the sound you will both be hooked for life. The usual brick and mortar stores can't do a projector justice. JD

The reality is for the low cost/high impact HD consumer front projectors like the (world's best selling) Pan AE700/900 class and followup models, and Sanyo Z3's/4/5 etc - you simply have to buy them sight unseen

Home theater stores (the few that demo front projectors) tend to push overpriced projectors along with overpriced screens and install services

For less than 2k today one can buy an easy setup (e.g. shelf mountable) high peformance projecctor, an either shoot to a wall or add a 200 dollar professional screen and all someone then needs is a 10 x 12 ft room with light control -however few know this - because the regular BIG BOX electronics stores (BEST BUY, CIRCUIT CITY, TWEETER) simply don't want the competition.

Accordingly the best stategy is to buy one of the better high peformance/budget models from one of the reputable internet vendors - however this doesn't fix the issue for ther person who needs spousal (viewing first) approval - they will be stuck for a few years watching smaller screens I'm afraid

Where are you located ? Perhaps you are near someone in the forum who can show theirs off to you/your wife ?

The situation with lack of in-person demos on front projectors is actually getting worse, at least in our area in southeast Massachusetts near Rhode Island

About 18 months ago when the Magnolia section was added to the Best Buy store in our area, the TWEETER across the street started building a special theater room -and then for a year or each store had a projector on ceiling mount, generally never running, with no price tag, and in fact very hard to even identify the model, perhaps a Sony at Tweeter and maybe a Sharp at Magnolia - there was little doubt about the purpose of that projector, it was to be used to convince (for example) the 5000 plasma buyer that he was making a proper choice, should he actually ask about projectors. I recall seeing the Tweeter projector actually running once, and it look absolutely horrible even though the model was clearly in the 7k plus range.

Now over the last few months (strangely enough) both stores have ripped out these projectors, with the Best Buy offering a few low end/mostly business class DLPs under a glass case or shelf in an obsure corner - hoping no one will notice. Nothing hangs from the ceiling now

Now as for the Circuit City, next to the Tweeter, it does have a constantly up and running (with an absolutely horrendous looking picture) (optima or infocus i believe) running in high light conditions probably being fed some rock concert sub-480p source, with no price tag of course, and when one inquires as to the actual details of the projector with the salepeople they consult some huge catalog and then say they really don't know what it is, and really don't know how to find out any more info. ANY PERSON SEEING THIS PROJECTOR WOULD NEVER BUY IT BASED ON THIS DEMO, and in fact would probably avoid ALL PROJECTORS from that time forward -which obviously is what Circuit City had in mind

"My wife has been against the idea from the start because of picture quality"

That is amazing and highly understandable given the lack of in-person retail displays as I've cited above

However, you can tell your wife that front projectors are equal and better than the best televisions - offering twice the picture at half the cost - assuming you have a theater-dark room available

WATCHING an HD MOVIE is better than the movie theater - way better in fact except for IMAX

In our case we are running a Pan 700 in theater-dark setting, setup for a dead level straight shot, and due to the Panasonics close-in viewing capability, it's actually pretty much equals IMAX in terms of the overal impact and I will be adding a 2nd projector at some point, most likely the AE1000u 1080p

You should read all of Evan Powell comments on front projectors over the past several years at projectorcentral.com - where he lays out the breakthroughs that have occured in the past few years - whre today 2k buys what 20k would have cost 5 to 10 yrs back with far better peformance

Cheap, mega-sized, high performance front projection HD home theater is available right now

95% of the time if a retailer happens to have a projector running - e.g some of the Circuit Cities, Tweeters now and then - and certain BEST BUYs - the entire idea of the projector is TO NOT SELL PROJECTORS -its to sell you that plasma or other TV and extended warranty you are looking at

Retailers in general only have projectors to make the buyer believe they have covered the waterfront - usually a single token running projector, often overpriced, in high light condions, or just not setup properly

Thats so true. I went to bestbuy lookin at a demo of pj since ive been thinking about it for a while. they had a demo running with lights barely dim running a blurry sd film. looked horrible

Forget color accuracy.

Get a da-lite highpower and put the projector in bright mode. It'll pop just like the RPTV, and will be just as accurate color wise!

my projector (ax100) in bright mode with an highpower will burn your retinas. I'm quite happy with the ax100u in eco mode, cinema 1 with the highpower though.

When we bought our house, i told my wife (didn't ask) that I was getting a projector.
It wasn't a matter of me telling me wife "this is how it is". Rather, it was more compromising (you get this, I get that type of thing). I made sure the house we bought had a dedicated, light controlled space that would meet my theater requirements.

We looked at two in-store demos. Horrible. I don't think I ever really questioned myself though. I went based on the pics posted on these forums and tons of reviews.

We don't use our theater as much as you'd expect, but with young kids and a theater in a detached garage, that makes it a tad less convenient. But when we do go 'out' to the movies, it only takes about 1 minute to get there.

As far as color accuracy, our theater has it. You've got to experience it for yourself.

don't worry about buying and returning. You WON'T return it. You'll immediately be in love.

When the room is dark, it looks like I have a 100" plasma on my wall. I went to Best Buy last night and laughed at the televisions.

We have a 50" plasma in the family room, but we still watch movies on our 480p projector... 100" screen and better sound make for a better experience. We also have one or two football parties a season down in the HT.

We watch TV on the plasma.

What kind of budget were you looking to spend? What kind of sound system do you have today? Are there any other issues that your wife is having?

My wife "tolerated" me getting a projector when we finished the basement. Prior to having everything fully set up, we popped in The Notebook... she loved it... it was the first (and not the last) compliment she'd even made on the HT.

My wife was as skeptical as yours, but had a bonus beef with a projector. "Why do we need a picture that big?" It took me two years of being obsessed to get her to even think about it. Then it happened, I convinced my brother-in-law to pick up the H27 and a 92" screen. We helped him set it up and when the thing came on my wifes jaw hit the floor, "THAT LOOKS GREAT,I COULD DEAL WITH THAT" and now I'm the proud owner of an IN72 and a 92" screen. I have actually went home with the intention of not watching a movie just to give her some attention and arounf 8:00 she says, "So what are we watching tonight?" Trust me dude, bite the bullet, pick one up and you will never look back.

The situation with lack of in-person demos on front projectors is actually getting worse, at least in our area in southeast Massachusetts near Rhode Island

About 18 months ago when the Magnolia section was added to the Best Buy store in our area, the TWEETER across the street started building a special theater room -and then for a year or each store had a projector on ceiling mount, generally never running, with no price tag, and in fact very hard to even identify the model, perhaps a Sony at Tweeter and maybe a Sharp at Magnolia - there was little doubt about the purpose of that projector, it was to be used to convince (for example) the 5000 plasma buyer that he was making a proper choice, should he actually ask about projectors. I recall seeing the Tweeter projector actually running once, and it look absolutely horrible even though the model was clearly in the 7k plus range.

Now over the last few months (strangely enough) both stores have ripped out these projectors, with the Best Buy offering a few low end/mostly business class DLPs under a glass case or shelf in an obsure corner - hoping no one will notice. Nothing hangs from the ceiling now

Now as for the Circuit City, next to the Tweeter, it does have a constantly up and running (with an absolutely horrendous looking picture) (optima or infocus i believe) running in high light conditions probably being fed some rock concert sub-480p source, with no price tag of course, and when one inquires as to the actual details of the projector with the salepeople they consult some huge catalog and then say they really don't know what it is, and really don't know how to find out any more info. ANY PERSON SEEING THIS PROJECTOR WOULD NEVER BUY IT BASED ON THIS DEMO, and in fact would probably avoid ALL PROJECTORS from that time forward -which obviously is what Circuit City had in mind


This was my experience as well. I went to the Dedham MA Tweeter last week, and they have this incredible show room setup, with JBL Performance Speakers, Accoustic Panels, Berkline's w/built in buttkickers, 120" Firehawk screen and a Yahmaha Projector (I didn't get the model number but the salesman said it was $4K), and it looked like crap. They were displaying a concert on MHD, and it was not impressive what so ever, though it did sound damn good.

I went to a tweeters and looked at a display (so i've actually seen 3 in-store displays).

The tweeter's was definitely the best by a wide margin. The room was setup pretty decently, with either a sony or yamaha receiver, and a football game on the screen.

The projector being used was most likely a $4000 720P projector and I was told the screen was a $2500 110" screen.

While the room setup was pretty good, the TVs in the showroom did look better/brighter and the color was much more accurate. The projector was watchable and the big picture was nice, but it wasn't the best picture in the store.

My setup for way less than 1/2 that price is 100 times better.

And I painted this weekend. Black behind the screen. Dark brown for the ceilings and walls. With as fast as movies are released on DVD, I can't think of any movies I'd rather see anywhere other than my own theater.

If you've got the dedicated space, a projector is the ONLY way to go.

It sounds like you are trying to convince your wife of something you yourself are not yet convinced of also and that’s a very tough sell when the other person has some preconceived ideas going into this and things are compounding each time you see a lousy demo.

First off everything I just read above and I read the whole thread is mostly correct. There is no conspiracy of people posting screen shots misrepresenting the PQ they are getting.

Think about this one the demo you saw where they were feeding a flat screen display and a projector the same feed and they had them set up so that both could be compared side by side. Why would anyone in their right mind do that unless it was to sell the bigger markup flat screen units. And what kind of an apple to oranges test would that be. First the flat screen is one forth the image size so the distance you should use to compare should be doubled. The flat screen had I’m guessing 4 to 10 times the Foot Lamberts of the projected image and my guess would be the ambient light level was way above what the projector wanted to see. I’m willing to bet the screen was a plain white screen and the projector was throwing a smallish image. (extra bright / poor black levels) not to mention if it was at all calibrated. Our eyes adjust to different light levels and allow us to perceive them as being close to the same but when being confronted with a bright image beside a lower one the bright one wins out and the lower one looks much worse. If there is any conspiracy it with some of these retail outlets.

My solution to the wife acceptance factor was a bit similar to the poster above. I told her I don’t question anything in the rest of the house but the basement room is being called the “Man Room” a place to put your feet on the coffee table and set beer down without coasters, black ceiling, big ugly speakers, the works. Well the man room went my way pretty well until the theater like picture quality and sound became apparent. Now I’m getting the request for entertaining in the man room and even as far as would it be possible to have a special showing of a chic flick for the club girls. The high testosterone level is being somewhat diluted but there are still no lace doilies allowed. :eek:

PQ compared to an ED Plasma?

Trust all of us, in-store demos at standard outlets are criminal and completely miss the mark. Do you have access at all to a business level projector? If you do take it home and set that up against the wall, that will still blow away in-store demos that BB or Fry's have by a long shot and most people are impressed with just that. Then tell yourself the 16:9 projector I would buy would be even better.

People like Projector People have a 4-hour limit (I hear) in which you can return for no cost to you. It will only take 5 minutes for you to decide. Do you and yours like the movie theater? Chances are you will have a better picture at home and nearly the same effect with the size increase. Add a HD DVD or BD player and you'll be in Imax land in terms of quality. Ed plasma? Ed Plasma?

FP's are plenty bright enough in a proper room.

I can confirm what others have said about demos. set up in the big box retailers - they usually look horrible, and present a very compelling case to convince anyone who takes a look that "plasma/LCD is much better". I don't think my sub-$1000 projector could be adjusted to look that bad, even if I tried!

Buy that projector, and you will be amused when you too see this phenomenon. Once you have a projector you will also marvel at how small those "big" plasma/LCD screens look in the store!

Speaking of the man room...

My wife doesn't normally like dark colors. She let me paint (and even helped pick out the paint colors and she picked out the really dark burgundy carpet) the front wall black and the ceiling/walls a dark brown.

The compromise is she gets to pick out all the colors for the rest of the house. Works for me.

To the OP – everything we say is just words. You really have to see a properly set up and calibrated late model projector to know what we are talking about. I saw one for my first time about 5 years ago and I was HOOKED instantly! That is all it will take.
Since then I have hooked several others. At least 3 have built home theaters after they have seen mine in action.

Hello all,
I built purchased a home that has a bonus room upstairs and had it pre-wired for a projector. The room is light controlled. We presently have a 42" Panasonic ED plasma TV but with a recent bonus, I can now purchase a projector and screen. My wife has been against the idea from the start because of piccccture quality. I have taken her to several home theater stores but the on projector setup the colors appeared washed out.

Today we visited one store that had a Sharp projector showing the same program as a 65" DLP tv and that proved to be the final blow to my idea. The colors on the TV were more vibrant and not dull like that on the projector screen.

I have shown her several pictures that members of this forum have posted but that does not convice her.

Did anyone have the same problems? How did you eventually convince your wife?

Need some help please?


My wife was all against it too It took me me about a 1 year or more to convinced her but you know what? the first night (this was with my sanyo plc-xw15 about 5 years ago) I plug in my first pj her first word was why did we wait for this for so long I answered her back helloooooo you were against this idea. But anyway seems like you have a perfect set up already. Take the members advised. Try it and then return it if your wife still not convince but make sure you atleast get a projector that will blow her away. and now we just upgraded to hd pj. I got mits hd1000u but you can also try optoma hd70 those are really have a very good picture quality. with a less value and both are HD.

Goodluck and updates us if you can,

Peter

There's no substitute for a good light-controlled environment to demo a PJ--something most stores don't have. My local BB has the HD70 running in a fully-lit showroom and it looks pretty awful.

I brought a 70 home with a 106 inch GW screen and set it up while my wife was out. When she came back in the evening, I fired up the PJ and her jaw dropped (there's nothing like a 70 for that plasma look!).

We've had the unit for a few months and she just encouraged me to spring for a Sony Pearl so we can watch 1080p! She's a real HD afficianado.

The good news--it's amazing how well the 70 holds up in direct comparison to the Sony. With the Mits 1000 and the 70, we have some really attractive choices at this end of the market.

Brian

I'll get another RPTV when it can do anything remotely close to something like this:



http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/841594/spidermanbig11op3-12.jpg

12' WIDE with a $500 480p Infocus 4805 Projector with one shaded light on (I can read in the room with no problem, despite how dark the room looks). The projector is in low lamp mode too. The image is on my matte pale grey wall and was taken with an old digital camcorder (not a digital still camera) @ 1/30th shutter. I blurred the image a little in post to get rid of camcorder grain, so it's not nearly as crisp and clean as what I see in person (but you get the idea). Also, this particular shot was using crappy composite cables instead of my HTPC.

Zero -

I feel your pain, but let me tell you, in the right conditions, a front projector will be on par or blow away a plasma any day of the week. I know this because I own both a 50" NEC plasma and a Panasonic 900u projector. A while back I knew deep down that I wanted a projector, but because of WAF fears (I never caved to them before, I don't know why I did then) I relented and got the plasma. I was sick of the small screen, especially when watching HD DVD and Blu-Ray titles, so I bought the Panny. I built a DIY 101" 16:9 screen for about $80 with the help of my brother, and came up with this:

SD DVD of Pixar's cars:

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1038/8517/149271.jpg

HD DVD of The Hulk:

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/1038/8517/149273.jpg

These are totally uncalibrated shots. The projector is as exactly as it was from the factory. I need to tweak it, but you get the idea.

Panny 900u - $1K
101" DIY screen - $80
Having a picture that is 4 times the size and at least as good as my plasma for less than 1/3 of what I paid for said plasma: Priceless

Do it and you won't regret it. Even my wife was/is blown away and now wants to use it for more than just the occasional movie or sporting event. ;)

I'll get another RPTV when it can do anything remotely close to something like this:

Agreed, except for I'm never buying another TV again, period. All FP from here on out. :cool:

How can you watch this on a little panel?

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q139/johnsbin/HD70/100_0821.jpg

Not me!

For small I always like to recommend the video iPod. Just hold it close to your face.:)

Would you all recommend a pj for someone w/o a dedicated light controlled room? I've been toying around with the idea for a while, but because I'm in an apt Im really reluctant. I know watching during the day would be out of the question tho.

The two screen shots below are about as opposite as you can get the first was lifted from a web site showing the PQ you can get from a $40,000 projector projecting to the best screen money can buy. The room was state of the art light control and the photograph was taken by a professional. The second screen shot I took of an image projected from my $750 “business” projector projected to my $120 homemade screen using my digital camera.

I know screen shots are not to be considered perfect examples of PQ. But the image I offer is very close if not exactly what I normally see when my projector is calibrated and running. I scanned these two images looking for clues as to what percent of the contrast spectrum they show and the top end screen shot exhibited about 98% of the total range between perfect black and perfect white while my screen shot came in around 96%.

You don’t really have to measure them just viewing the two screen shots you will see the closeness to full range between them. Depending if your monitor is halfway calibrated. Now if I was to turn some lights on in the room and retake that same image I might quickly drop to 75%. And the images you saw in the demos at the stores could have been at 50%.

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/1019/2658110040068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2658110040068493142MdAiqJ)

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/20/2021147720068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2021147720068493142OBVzGy)

There are a couple points I’m trying to make here first being spending more money on a projector wont guarantee better PQ. The interaction of the projector, the screen and the room share equally in what you see. And IMHO the biggest bang for your buck is the room. Followed then by a careful match up between projector and screen, both type of screen and size should be considered based on room lighting and colors and projector model.

Would you all recommend a pj for someone w/o a dedicated light controlled room? I've been toying around with the idea for a while, but because I'm in an apt Im really reluctant. I know watching during the day would be out of the question tho.

Bdizzel

I set my man room up around the concept of ambient light from the beginning. Slightly different in my case than yours. In my case I made my room bat cave dark (total light control) and then added controlled ambient light back in based on my viewing needs. I don’t like watching sports with the guys in pitch blackness in rows of seats. So I went for the den feel (sectional couch etc.) and then lighting that could do what I wanted. The projector was selected based around these levels and the screen designed to maintain black to white contrast better with ambient light. Some people call this ambient light rejection. I’m not easy with that term for some reason. And prefer ambient light friendly. All that I have documented in the links below in my signature and if you have a free evening take a read.

In your case you have some ambient around your room to deal with. Rule one eliminate it. Rule two control it. Rule three work around it.

I’m reluctant to recommend a projector for ambient light, mine is a Sharp XR10X below is a room shot taken with (8) 60w ceiling flood lights on full and several other light sources. About 50 times brighter than I would ever view the screen but it shows its possible to maintain some black white contrast even at these extreme levels. :)

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/918/2087790580068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2087790580068493142lHjFUp)

ANy half way decent projector these days is more than capable of displaying a great picture. They can produce very vibrant, sharp images. When I first built my theater 6 years ago my wife thought I was crazy. A couple months ago when I decided to redo the theater I think she was more upset than me that it would be out of commission for a month or so!! There is NOTHING like fromt projection. With the HD models these days the picture is just amazing.

Ok so I have not experience running a HT but I have been long interested in the PJ phenomenon since I have been going to school for the last 12 years (it seems).

I always think to myself: "how does a front projector in moderately large amounts of ambient light shine a 25' diagonal image with the same clarity as a std. TV broadcast?" Sure, these PJ's, when they were top of the line, cost $30,000 USD + but the same quality is available today for (much) cheaper than a plasma.

This thread gives good credence to what I have suspected all along: a front projector gives the most bang for the buck. A 50+" plasma may look vibrant but look at the cost. I'll take 4x the screen size for 1/4 the cost with the PQ possible out of today's $1000 pj's. My buddy's talkin' about a 70" DLP rear projection TV and I'm like "what they hell for?, you can have 140" for 1/2 the price"

Ok so I have not experience running a HT but I have been long interested in the PJ phenomenon since I have been going to school for the last 12 years (it seems).

I always think to myself: "how does a front projector in moderately large amounts of ambient light shine a 25' diagonal image with the same clarity as a std. TV broadcast?" Sure, these PJ's, when they were top of the line, cost $30,000 USD + but the same quality is available today for (much) cheaper than a plasma.

This thread gives good credence to what I have suspected all along: a front projector gives the most bang for the buck. A 50+" plasma may look vibrant but look at the cost. I'll take 4x the screen size for 1/4 the cost with the PQ possible out of today's $1000 pj's. My buddy's talkin' about a 70" DLP rear projection TV and I'm like "what they hell for?, you can have 140" for 1/2 the price"
Shhhhhhh don’t tell your buddy…… :o

And whatever you do don’t tell him it cost you under a grand. :eek:

Front projection is a well kept secret, the other well kept secret is you don’t need a $1000 screen…. $40 in paint will get the job done. :D

Truth be told, projector's don't have a much of a price benefit as they used to *when compared to 42" & 50" plasmas. You can get some nice plasmas in those sizes for $1400-2000.

It'll cost close to $1400 to get a projector setup (projector, screen, speakers - which are built into a plasma).

Projectors definitely give the best bang for the buck, and comparing a 120" picture to a 42" or 50" picture is ridiculous, but those are still the main comparisons - projector or that nice 50" plasma.

I'd also be willing to sacrifice a small amount of quality to go that large, but with today's HD Projectors, you don't even have to do that!

Bdizzel

I set my man room up around the concept of ambient light from the beginning. Slightly different in my case than yours. In my case I made my room bat cave dark (total light control) and then added controlled ambient light back in based on my viewing needs. I don’t like watching sports with the guys in pitch blackness in rows of seats. So I went for the den feel (sectional couch etc.) and then lighting that could do what I wanted. The projector was selected based around these levels and the screen designed to maintain black to white contrast better with ambient light. Some people call this ambient light rejection. I’m not easy with that term for some reason. And prefer ambient light friendly. All that I have documented in the links below in my signature and if you have a free evening take a read.

In your case you have some ambient around your room to deal with. Rule one eliminate it. Rule two control it. Rule three work around it.

I’m reluctant to recommend a projector for ambient light, mine is a Sharp XR10X below is a room shot taken with (8) 60w ceiling flood lights on full and several other light sources. About 50 times brighter than I would ever view the screen but it shows its possible to maintain some black white contrast even at these extreme levels. :)

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/918/2087790580068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2087790580068493142lHjFUp)

Thanks bud, I'll take a look at those links later on tonight. Even though I have a lot of ambient light, I'll be doing 90% of my viewing at night time since i work fulltime during the day and go to school fulltime during the evening. Hopefully I can get some thick drapes to block out most the lights so i can use it during the day on the weekends

Truth be told, projector's don't have a much of a price benefit as they used to *when compared to 42" & 50" plasmas. You can get some nice plasmas in those sizes for $1400-2000.

It'll cost close to $1400 to get a projector setup (projector, screen, speakers - which are built into a plasma).

Projectors definitely give the best bang for the buck, and comparing a 120" picture to a 42" or 50" picture is ridiculous, but those are still the main comparisons - projector or that nice 50" plasma.

I'd also be willing to sacrifice a small amount of quality to go that large, but with today's HD Projectors, you don't even have to do that!

Fair enough, but let's face it, why spend $2,000 on a 50" plasma (FWIW I spent nearly twice that a year ago) and listen through the tinny supplied 2-channel speakers?

Projectors will continue to be a niche market because the average consumer wants a "plug & play" experience like they have now with CRT/LCD/Plasma technologies. And of course the big box stores and boutique stores aren't going to say that you can get comparable quality for a fraction of the cost, because, well, that just doesn't make fiscal sense.

The "unwashed masses" are oblivious in their bliss, and content to stay that way. There isn't anything wrong with it per se, but as a consumer myself, I'd sure want to know if I were getting a 4th of the product for (at a minimum) twice the price.

Of course FP isn't for everyone. But as my pictures illustrate (FWIW, my screen hangs down on chains and is affixed by hooks when not in use), anyone with a little imagination and a little bit of money can have the best of both worlds.

I could have purchased my projector, built my screen, bought both my HD DVD player (20 movies) and PS3 (25 movies) for less than I paid for my plasma and it's stand.

I think the best thing we can do as FP fans is to educate our family/friends and let them decide. At least they'd have the whole story before jumping in. :)

Your comment on speakers on a lcdtv vs a 5.1 on an pj is a very unfair comparison. youre comparing apples to oranges

I know. But comparing a pj with an approx 100" image to a 50" plasma is also an unfair comparison.

Still, with a projector, you NEED some kind of speakers and receiver, even a $60 HTIB. With a plasma, you don't.

not necessarily, they're both displays; just of different sizes. the fact that a tv has speakers and tuners give it an "advantage" over a pj. your post insinuated that the tiny 2 channel speakers on a tv was somehow and advantage to pj's.

pj's have plenty advantages as we all know, i just couldnt see the reasoning behind mentioning audio as one of them

not necessarily, they're both displays; just of different sizes. the fact that a tv has speakers and tuners give it an "advantage" over a pj. your post insinuated that the tiny 2 channel speakers on a tv was somehow and advantage to pj's.

pj's have plenty advantages as we all know, i just couldnt see the reasoning behind mentioning audio as one of them

Alright, point made. Let's move on. :)

I also recommend taking the front projection plunge. My wife and I had a 53" Hitachi CRT HDTV calibrated with Time Warner Hi-Def. The picture was breathtaking to say the least. I purchased an Infocus X1 projector (800x600, when in hi-def it was 800x450 which is 360,000 pixels) and set it up in our basement using a $25 DiY 80" screen. Needless to say we sold the Hitachi to my brother almost immediately! We're talking a non-HD projector! Now, look at the 720p projectors out now. 1280x720 = 921,600 pixels, over 2.5x as many as my X1. I just purchased the Mitsubishi HD1000U projector less than 30 minutes ago on my way home from work (guy from Projectorpeople.com called me back on the highway!) and I'm getting ready to sell my X1. For under $1000 you'd be crazy not to give it a shot.

Also, please let your wife read this thread as I think there's a 100% rate of members saying to take the plunge. I guarantee you won't regret it. :p

I just purchased the Mitsubishi HD1000U projector less than 30 minutes ago on my way home from work (guy from Projectorpeople.com called me back on the highway!) and I'm getting ready to sell my X1. For under $1000 you'd be crazy not to give it a shot.
:cool: Good for you!

I upgraded from an X1 (3.5 years - 2700 hours) to an HD70 4 months ago. It's still wowing us. :D

I was recently in the same boat. I had a 42" Sony rp lcd which is now in my bedroom. I bought the HD70 as I hadn't had a pj(or really seen one for that matter) before so I didn't want to dive in too deep, but it needed to be HD. Best decision ever.

It looks fantastic and there is nothing like watching a movie on a 106" screen. I didn't expect it to keep up with my 42" quality wise but it does and at half the cost of what I paid at the time. Colors/sharpness, the whole bit.

Buy a pj from somewhere you can return it if necessary and at least give it a shot in your own home.

I did not see you guys in a boat. I was there too. :D



---these prices should encourage anybody to go with front pj.---
proud owner of mits hd1000u ($880.00 shipped purchased 01/27/07
sony 42 plasma ($4,800.00 purchased 11/12/02 for family room.
sanyo plc-xw15 (xga pj $1785.00 purchased 07/23/02.

I am convinced. I will give it a try. Thanks for your experiences and comments thus far.

This then brings me to the following question.

My room is 15ft wide by 16ft long with a 9ft ceiling. My plan is to keep the plasma mounted on the wall and mount the screen infront the tv. The screen to projector distance will be about 13ft. Sitting position will be about 12ft from the screen.

I am interested in getting the Mitsubishi HD1000U but I can't seem to figure out what screen size would be apropriate for that viewing distance. I was looking at purchasing an electric drop down screen.

Based on the above dimensions, what do you recommend?

I am convinced. I will give it a try. Thanks for your experiences and comments thus far.

This then brings me to the following question.

My room is 15ft wide by 16ft long with a 9ft ceiling. My plan is to keep the plasma mounted on the wall and mount the screen infront the tv. The screen to projector distance will be about 13ft. Sitting position will be about 12ft from the screen.

I am interested in getting the Mitsubishi HD1000U but I can't seem to figure out what screen size would be apropriate for that viewing distance. I was looking at purchasing an electric drop down screen.

Based on the above dimensions, what do you recommend?

I would recommend 92-100 inches at around 13 feet. I am currently using my hd6800 projecting on a 100inch screen at around 13 feet back. I cant notice any SDE at all.

I am convinced. I will give it a try. Thanks for your experiences and comments thus far.

This then brings me to the following question.

My room is 15ft wide by 16ft long with a 9ft ceiling. My plan is to keep the plasma mounted on the wall and mount the screen infront the tv. The screen to projector distance will be about 13ft. Sitting position will be about 12ft from the screen.

I am interested in getting the Mitsubishi HD1000U but I can't seem to figure out what screen size would be apropriate for that viewing distance. I was looking at purchasing an electric drop down screen.

Based on the above dimensions, what do you recommend?


110"

When you start looking at screens, read the HiPower thread in the screens forum.
A very good read.

My suggestions would be:

1) If you're going to get an electric screen- get a good quality one. Wavy material or poorly performing mechanisms will ruin it when you face an uphill battle already with WAF. I don't own an electric screen but have been researching acoustically transparent ones from SMXscreen, SeymourAV and some DIY options. These allow you to cover your speakers (if that's needed) and they still sound fine.

2) You didn't mention what your sound system or other components were. When I first got setup- I had the remotes for the projector, sound system, DVD player, cable box and Media Center PC all lined up with carefully written instructions on how to do each function. She almost launched the remotes at me the second night. Ughhh! :) I quickly brought in a Harmony (now Logitech) 659 Universal remote that allows you to easily set-up functions such as "watch a movie" that will turn on all needed components and set them to the proper inputs with the press of one button. Money very well spent.

My $.02. Good luck!!

110"

I'd second that. I'm 12 feet from 112" (panny AE700 projecting on an unfinished brown wall) and it looks great. So from 13 feet I'd say you don't want to go much under 110"...but you might want to go larger if you can. I'd recommend purchasing the projector first and playing around with the size of the image until you're satisfied...then get a screen. In my case I got to that part and said the pic looks so good why even bother with a screen...but that's just me. Good luck...I promise* you won't regret going FP.

Once you go FP you can never go back!!!


*As long as you have an HD cable box/satellite receiver, HD-DVD or Blu Ray player. SD isn't going to cut it at 100+ inches.

mine is 106'' about 13 ft away

--------------------------------------------------------------
hd1000u

Great arguments for HD front projectors

1. they are rock bottom cheap relative to most LCDs and Plasmas, can be shot on walls if need be, and can be used in very small rooms at ultra-close viewing distances if need be (e.g with Panasonic FPs)

2. the qualitative experience is so much better and satisfying (e.g like IMAX in some cases) - that some people actually watch LESS television - as one becomes very selective about the kind of shows and events one watches - especially if for example one as a Comcast Hi Def DVR or something similar

note: it does help to have a cheap/low cost HD direct view LCD - to avoid excess bulb use and for DVR setup and miscellaneous incidental viewing - however these are nearly being given away at Walmart these days anyways

I was in the same situation as you. I had never really seen a good enough HD projector in person to believe it was possible for them to beat a regular set. But I took the chance and the advice from everyone on here and picked up an Optoma HD72 and a 92" screen. I was floored with the results, and have since moved up to a 106" High Power screen, and it's even better. My room is about the size of yours, I'm shooting to a 106" screen from 13.5 feet away.

Here's my favorite shot of it I've taken so far (Xbox 360 playing)
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a150/IkariWarrior/IM000289.jpg

Gents-

Case in point to this thread, I took back a 60" SXRD Sony several weeks ago and am instead on the hunt for a pj.

The sony had the best pic I've seen yet with today's technology but I didn't want to live with 1/2 the screen size I could really attain.

More importantly, the wife agreed to the new plan. Part of it is that we can have a dedicated theatre area in the basement and she can still have the lcd in the main family room upstairs.

The other part of it is that you know who wears the pants in this family! :D

The Man Room!! LMAO

My basement is also "The Man Room", I spend alot of time down here, listening to music, computers, and of course watching TV/Movies....
I bought a Hitachi 57S700 CRT RPTV a couple of years back(looks sweet), I then decided I wanted to get a PJ, to which she replied" You just bought a BIG TV", after her complaining for awhile, I just told her that I WAS going to buy one when I decided it was the right time, I also told her that I wasn't asking for her permission (that didn't go over well, but it was true, so I just said it point blank to get it over with).........

Well I bided my time, kept my eyes open,read alot of threads regarding different PJS, had various PJ's (at various websites) in my "Cart" at one time or another, but just couldn't hit submit..
I FINALLY bought one(Sharp DT-500), and she wasn't too happy about it(well, maybe it was partly because I was watching it down here, and she didn't even know I had it for like 3 days!! :eek: :D), I had to move the whole room around, and it was a mess(still is a bit because of the logjam of stuff moved to other areas, and painting my wall)......

She ventures down here to do laundry(2/3 finished basement), and has accepted the PJ(she only watched the Corpse bride, that very first night she saw the PJ, which she almost fell asleep during), and has started making comments lately like " Wow, that picture looks really good"(I bought her a 42" Panny Plasma for Xmas- which she loves).
She came right out yesterday and said " I'll watch movies down there if you hurry up and finish cleaning the room".

Well guys..... should I hurry up? :D

If you setup the PJ correctly, she will most likely LOVE the quality of the image, and you just can't substitute size for immersion in a movie IMO.

Whats the worst that can happen? You'll have to return it, I hate returning stuff, but it was worth the gamble to me, and I'm not returning it.

EDIT:FWIW, I do have ONE regret, that I MUST mention........

I SHOULD HAVE DONE IT SOONER!!!

*As long as you have an HD cable box/satellite receiver, HD-DVD or Blu Ray player. SD isn't going to cut it at 100+ inches.


I think SD looks pretty good at 120”

HBO SD

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/134/2791862680068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2791862680068493142hBjJfs)

Discovery SD

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/868/2174742960068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2174742960068493142xHgSYv)

(placing this post in the proper thread - this one)

Was just here and noticed at Best Buy in the Magnolia section I see that it was a Sharp projector (not sure of the precise model) they ripped out of the ceiling and it's now sitting in the corner like a piece of junk - apparently waiting to be hauled away -or who knows what

So much for Magnolia and projectors

I confirmed the awful looking display powered by a projector (previiously mentioned above) at Circuit City is (some model of) an Optima - of course we know they can look excellent but this setup obviously is designed for people to hate projectors

Last front projector I've seen setup properly in a retailer was in Portland, Maine TWEETER about 4 yrs ago and they had some heavyweight 100 lb CRT on the ceiling - not as good as projectors today -but at least it looked like they were trying to make it work properly

hey - that's a pretty good SD picture above

Bud,

I don't know how you get those fabulous SD PQ shots from the X10. SD looks like crap on my X10.

Some sorta Voodoo :)

One thing to keep in mind about store displays is that it is very difficult to keep a good projector set-up running for 12 hours a day. Think about it, if the store is open from 9am-10pm 7 days a week thats 364 hours a month. Now that means in three months thats 1092 hours and if that projectors been up there for a year its been runing for 4400 hours, Thats why DLP TVs always look like crap too. If you run them all day every day your going to get a dim, expensive to replace, bulb real quick and without a dedicated room well.....you've seen the results.

A good pj wins everytime! :)

I have purchased the Mitsubishi HD1000 and will be receiving it next week. Now I have to decide on a screen. It will not be a fixed scrren because I want to keep my plasma tv mounted behind the drop down screen.

Thanks to everyone for helping me make my decision and hopefully I can set it up correctly to convince my wife.

no man should be influenced by WAF. Good luck with the mits

I think SD looks pretty good at 120”

HBO SD

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/134/2791862680068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2791862680068493142hBjJfs)

Discovery SD

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/868/2174742960068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2174742960068493142xHgSYv)

I don't get that quality of SD in my house and I'm going to go on a limb here and say most don't. Sorry but I'm skeptical.

It's a 120" screen, those pics are probably 6-8" on your monitor, and I'm going to guess a pretty decent camera with a high DPI was used to take those shots, and so the process of shrinking the pics would make for the illusion of a high quality picture when its probably a lot worse.

Man, those look like hi-def!

My SD programming looks basically like that. I don't understand the controversy.

All my SD programming comes from an HTPC, so it's all scaled before it's sent to the projector.

Projectors are the only way to watch movies...I could never go back to watching a little "toy" tv. And all flatscreens are toys to me now... :D Get a good projector with alot of lumens like the Panny AX100 and you'll be in heaven...You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner,,, :)

I am in the process of buying a projector and screen for our new home, and have involved my wife every step of the way. Believe it or not, we had a pretty decent demo of the Pearl on a 92" Firehawk screen at Magnolia this weekend. All it takes is convincing the poor salesman to vacate the premises and let you take over the controls. The picture WILL improve dramatically I assure you.

Jim

I agree it is true that in practical terms a typical electronics chain store could not run projectors the way they run TVs for many hours- however there is absolutely an ongoing de facto nationwide Hd FRONT projector display/demo moratorium - and in fact it I were running these companies I would do the same thing - because popularizing projectors and ratcheting up consumer interest would only hurt these stores margins

Their businesses depend upon margins not just volume, and their current approach is optimally designed to keep those margins and existing lines of business performing well

Any move to actually demo projectors in a real way would cause them to end up in a cut-throat commodity battle with internet vendors - with projector weights typically 10 lbs and low shipping costs, easy handling for consumers at shipment address, and point and shoot capability of many new geneation HD front projectors - they are near ideal for such mail order type retailers

If the strategy were otherwise - they would have most of the new high performance/low cost HD front projectors (Pan, Sanyo, Sony, plus some DLPs) lined up ready go -e.g from a high shelf - lets say maybe 3 on any given time in a room pointed diferent directions - probably 9 models or more total and they would rotate their use- some on and some off at various times with screens down or permanently on a wall - and they would at least be shooting them 6 hours at a time during especially during high traffic flows - whiich for Big Box stores comes down to probably about 35 high traffic core hours of the 90 plus hours they are typically open for business

Ok bulbs are expensive -so they would limit their running - but basically they could easily run them 6 hours at a shot during max customer volume- andthere are ways that stores could handle the special needs of bulbs and still show demo them

This is not going to happen for a long time - so meanwhile one just has to buy sight unseen

Oh, I read this and had to put my 2 cents in since I seem to be the only female poster to comment so far!

As you all know, nothing happens on a permanent level without the woman giving the final approval (sorry guys)! Another truth is that she'll appreciate your decisiveness on this, so find it in yourself to be committed.

Given these basic truths, and the incredibly wonderful support you'll find here, go ahead and buy a projector! Jump in with both feet, trust in what you've read here.

Also, you'll have to handle it all, with no complaining, for her to really appreciate it. If funds are not a big issue, then let a store take care of it all for you. If you do it yourself, once your wife sees what you've created and the money you've saved to create it, she'll be very impressed with you. Also, follow sgibson's advice above about the movie choice.

I did start the process by buying the sam's club projector and found it so lacking that I returned it and did some proper research to get the best projector for the money I could spend. If you are going to do this, do it right the first time out.

I am not technologically inclined in any way shape or form but I bought a Panny 900 with a screen made out of a white board from Home Depot. I decorated the frame and wall with black velvet and bought my ceiling mount, projector and cables all online. I did this all based on the advice I got from this forum. I purchased most things online, mostly through the links found right here because they offered the best prices.

I even set up and installed everything myself. By the time I was all done I had spent just over 2k including an Onkyo surround sound system. (I already had the dvd player). I am actually very proud of myself for doing all of this, but really, the people here helped me and got me through it all.

You must have a dimmed to dark room for the full effect, then you will be the talk of your neighborhood if you're the first one to do this. (That will also make your wife happy - it's fun to have the coolest set up on the block).

Because you can't see it on exhibit in a store, you just have to jump in and do it. I bet your wife will be jumping up and down with excitement by the time you woo her with the first chick flick!

All the best,

Skier-Girl

PS - I didn't see that you had decided to go for it until after I wrote this. I sit about 13 feet away from a 100 inch screen. Sometimes a shot that pans too fast or a really busy background makes me dizzy, so I wouldn't go too much bigger. Again, the girl perspective....just because you can go bigger doesn't mean you should!

It's a 120" screen, those pics are probably 6-8" on your monitor, and I'm going to guess a pretty decent camera with a high DPI was used to take those shots, and so the process of shrinking the pics would make for the illusion of a high quality picture when its probably a lot worse.

I can assure everyone there was no shenanigans or voodoo in the screen shots I posted above. They were taken in total light control with a digital cam a HP845 set to the one meg setting and placed on a tripod all the settings were left to auto exposure. The photos are actually thumbnails and if you click them you will be directed to a page where they can be viewed larger.

The projector is a Sharp XR10X as posted above running in eco mode. It is native XGA 1024x768. And the screen is a DIY neutral gray screen I built to work with the XR10X.

I have a few things working in my favor in my SD PQ. First and most important is a good quality clean SD signal from my cable company. And not all the channels are as good of a signal as the photos above show. That is a on going battle with my provider.

I then take the SD from the cable box and thru S- video (the best they will provide on the box) I run that into my Panasonic DVD burner/ player the player is set output 480P that change of the signal helps a fair amount on the PQ of the SD. I then run with component into the projector.

DVD is cleaner than SD in almost all cases but the best SD compared to a poor transfer DVD the SD is as good or better.

The next thing that I believe helps my SD viewing is the contrast enhancement I get from the high lumen projector and the neutral gray screen.

All the above mentioned things seem to help a really good signal look better but when feeding it a poor quality SD it smoothes out the blocky pixel look but at the cost of sharpness. That’s what I see when playing VHS in or VHS converted to DVD in. in those cases I view in border mode very much like 16:9 projectors do when fitting a 4:3. when I do this the combination of the DVD burner converting to 480p and the XR10X scaling, plus the increased seating distance as compared to image size makes poorer quality and VHS very easy to watch.

As to the issue of can a still cam make a projected image look better than it does in real life. I’m sure that can be done to some extent. I have always tried to post pictures that look as true to what I see as I can while viewing. And as posted above viewing a 6” image of a 120” image is going to compress the data and in effect its like viewing my screen from a greater distance. But then there is also a case to be made for each time the image is converted until it reaches your monitor it could see losses. If you view the thumbnail at full screen size and put your eyes a couple feet from your monitor I have to say you will be seeing about what I see.

Each pixel on my screen is .094” or 3/32” that doesn’t change if I’m watching SD or HD any scaling that can take place ether thru a device like my DVD burner or in the projector is going to help blend the bigger SD pixels into in my case XGA pixels. As mentioned above a PC can also be used to help with this.


Skier-Girl
Good to see you back …and as always great insights…. :)

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to give you all an update. I received my projector today and presently have i projecting against a wall of my media room. I have not purchased the screen as yet.

I was very impressed with the picture straight out of the box, even in low light mode. Later in th evening I turn it in for my wife and we watched a scene from CARs. She was totaly impressed to the point that she is asking me to get the bigest screen possible with my setup.

I want to thank you all for you input. Here's to many happy viewing.

Thanks.

What is this WAF you all talk about?

signed,
Life Long Bachelor

sorry guys had to...

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to give you all an update. I received my projector today and presently have i projecting against a wall of my media room. I have not purchased the screen as yet.

I was very impressed with the picture straight out of the box, even in low light mode. Later in th evening I turn it in for my wife and we watched a scene from CARs. She was totaly impressed to the point that she is asking me to get the bigest screen possible with my setup.

I want to thank you all for you input. Here's to many happy viewing.

Thanks.

Hello:

I went through the same exercise - I brought an InFocus X2 home from the office the other night and I used it on a beige, textured wall in my living room. The picture was far better then I expected. It certainly helped push us over the edge for the decision.

Splotto

PS I am in homebuilding and my team always calls the guys play area that we either put in the house or that the customer puts in (tweaked garage, woodworking area, HT, etc) the Man Cave. :-)

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to give you all an update. I received my projector today and presently have i projecting against a wall of my media room. I have not purchased the screen as yet.

I was very impressed with the picture straight out of the box, even in low light mode. Later in th evening I turn it in for my wife and we watched a scene from CARs. She was totaly impressed to the point that she is asking me to get the bigest screen possible with my setup.

I want to thank you all for you input. Here's to many happy viewing.

Thanks.

Zerodebt, as you noted, this is a great group to learn from. After lurking/posting here and seeing reference to the "man room...(cave?)", I'm reminded of the Geico commercials...."so easy a caveman can do it!"

Welcome to the club...bro!

As mentioned elsewhere around here, the builder I bought from only does detached, 2, 2 1/2, 3 or 4 car garages. They also offer the option of unfinished storage above the garage, or a finished 'game room'.

When I saw the finished game room in a model, I immediately knew it'd make a PERFECT theater room (Depending on garage option, the room could be either 30 by 14 or 40 x 14 (minus space for stairs, optional bath and AC chase ... our 40 x 14 room is useable 29x14 due to all 3 of those).

This builder has been doing this for years - the garages w/ the various options.
Suprisingly, I'm the first buyer (that they know of) that saw the (obvious) media room potential and turned this room into (IMO) a first class theater.

The sales guy asked me if he can start bringing folks to my room to take a look. Most guys love these homes anyway (because of all the garage space) but I gotta believe the media room (man room/cave) would certainly help.

Sorry, I just had to comment :p


As you all know, nothing happens on a permanent level without the woman giving the final approval (sorry guys)!

No it's not, I'm single. ;)

me too... although i have a GF. she didnt get why I wanted one but when she saw it setup she said "your such a guy! i love you" she hates the Big theaters now she wants to stay home and watch the PJ. she didnt get it either untill she saw it and was able to relax at home and enjoy it. but wether she approved or not i was going to do it!

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to give you all an update. I received my projector today and presently have i projecting against a wall of my media room. I have not purchased the screen as yet.

I was very impressed with the picture straight out of the box, even in low light mode. Later in th evening I turn it in for my wife and we watched a scene from CARs. She was totaly impressed to the point that she is asking me to get the bigest screen possible with my setup.

I want to thank you all for you input. Here's to many happy viewing.

Thanks.

Those of us who have been there are not surprised by the response.
Welcome to the DARK SIDE!!!!