I am just learning about all of this technology and have a couple very basic (stupid) questions. I understand that HD projectors are the closest thing to a movie theater experience, but can you watch TV through them also? What is the price range for a decent setup?

We are building a new house with a bonus room above the garage that will serve as our home theater and I am trying to decided what we want to do up there.

Thanks in advance,
Brian

I bought a projector and have been very happy with it. Its a more cost effective way to get a huge image.
Only downsides are the room has to be dark, or it doesn't work as well. Also, the fans inside it can be a little loud, but its hardly noticable once the movie starts.

Its very possible to watch cable through a projector, but I doubt if any of them have a coaxial input to plug it in straight from the wall. If you cable company gave you a set top box, then that will have composite and s-video outputs (and component ones too, if its an HD box). Those will hook up to a projector just fine.

Price wise, you really get what you pay for. I consider myself lucky for finding one with 1500:1 contrast for $800 CDN. Generally the more you spend the brighter the contrast will be. Higher contrast is better because the room wont have to be as dark to get a good image.

Good luck

You certainly can watch TV on a projector. And with the brighter projectors the room doesn't need to be dark to watch TV-- for the most part you aren't watching TV for the mood content, i.e. dark scenes in thriller movies. Sports are fantastic on a 92" image.
One consideration to using a projector for all viewing is the cost of replacement lamps. The replacement lamp for the projector I just bought is about $300 and is rated for 2000 hours. Assuming I actually get 2000 hours out of the lamp, that's 15 cents an hour. I already have a 51" TV so we use the projector mostly for movies and sports.
Right now I'm using an old VCR through the composite input from my local analog cable company. The picture varies wildly from channel to channel-- some are quite watchable.
The key to ambient light with the front projector is keeping direct light off the screen. The use of recessed lighting or any other indirect lighting does 'wash out' the picture slightly, but, hey, its just TV. Law and Order isn't any more or less enjoyable because I don't have the maximum contrast ratio.
The picture I believe shows what I'm talking about. There is recessed lighting to the right, the reflection in the picture to the left of the screen is a window in the kitchen. There is a picture window to the left that has the drapes drawn.
I paid $600 for the Hitachi pjtx-100 (there's a thread with a bunch of happy owners), $30 for a CC filter, $30 for longer cables and made the screen for about $40 using the instructions over on the DIY screen forum.
I am in the process of upgrading my DVD player-- I've come to the conclusion that the quality of the DVD player is just as important as the projector. Unless you already own a quality dvd player plan on spending at least $100 to $200.
So for $8-900 you can enjoy a theater like experience.
Brian

Thank you for the replies. Which forum is the best to research the different projector models? Is this the correct one? Is the PJTX-100 a good choice? Our bonus room is about 15' x 25', the screen would probably be on the 25' wall.

Look at www.projectorcentral.com for home theater projector reviews and comparisons.

Are you a Penn State alumni?

Thank you for the replies. Which forum is the best to research the different projector models? Is this the correct one? Is the PJTX-100 a good choice? Our bonus room is about 15' x 25', the screen would probably be on the 25' wall.

if you have never owned a projector before; just drop everything and buy the hitachi before your brain starts to fry from reading this forum and searching the web and reading reviews over and over again. The hitachi is by far the best bang for the buck and just because it is cheap doesn't mean its just a budget projector (it used to cost close to 3 grand less than a year ago but you can get it now for around 599 with a mail in rebate or still less than 700 without the rebate).

I promise you that you will be in awe and so will all your friends anf family who come over to watch movies and football game. And don't listen to any of the dlp fanboy who want to flame the hitachi for a supposed lack of contrast and black levels because it is a lcd projector.

by the hitachi and spend the extra money you save on the rest of your future setup including the screen, seating, cables, masking and audio equipment. You will be wondering why you didn't buy a projector a long time ago.

Nittany77,

This is a good forum to start with if you are new to the world of front projection and want to learn. This particular section is for folks on a budget. I would suggest reading through the official threads for the PJs and get a good feel for what would fit your application. You will find a lot of emotion and minute detail that can give you an uneasy feeling but rest assured, these emotions and details are because the owners enjoy their PJs and want to get the best out of them for themselves and others who come here.

The PJ is just the start of a great experience. You will also need a good source for the signal you will feed the PJ, a screen that will work in your room, a good surround sound system, and comfortable furniture to enjoy your experience in. You might not have the budget to address these issues all at the same time BUT you can learn how to do it right and then get it done as you can afford it.

Good luck and welcome aboard!

The advice of rebconlabtech is right on.
I'm went with the Hitachi because of the flexibility it offered over some of the other sub $1000 projectors, and I couldn't be happier.
I'm sure the owners of those other projectors feel the same way.
When I gave a summary of what I've spent on the projector, I didn't mention the sound system, which IS just as important to the movie experience as the rest. I've built some speakers, found great deals on others-- the bottom line is that a reasonable sound system is going to cost at least $3-400-- I've probably spent $700 on my system.
But that's the topic for another forum.
Brian

Thanks for the advice, I will do some reading on the different projectors. What do you mean by the signal source to feed the projector?

Sorry for asking so many dumb questions.

And yes, I am a PSU alumni.


Thanks,
Brian

Signal Source:
-DVD Player
-Cable STB
-Satellite Receiver
-OTA HD Broadcast TV
-HTPC

Don't be sorry, ask away!

I generally keep the lights on above the seating area when watching TV (except for Lost - I need full lights out for that).

But all other shows with the lights on are no problem.