I'm planning on getting the Mitsubishi HD1000U and a 80" Classic Cinema White Carada screen (small room).

What are the disadvantages of me getting this set up pertaining to projectors as opposed to a lcd or plasma?

The room will be totally dark, so that isn't a problem. Thank you for your time.

I have the HD1000 on about a 90" screen in a pretty small room. I am watching it on a DIY screen that I have experimented with quite a bit. Long story short, if the screen is good you will be amazed! It doesn't have the "plastic, glossy" look that the plasma, lcd etc have, but it has a great "pop" off of the screen. If you get up close the quality isn't as good as a 40-50" plasma, but then again it is twice the size, I am pretty sure a 90" plasma wouldn't look any better. Make sure you have HD programming, SD just doesn't look very good at all that large. I can also watch the projector fairly well with the lights in the room on, no complaints at all, go ahead and do it!

The disadvantages....

It's not a TV and shouldn't be used like a TV. You can't turn it on and off at will. You should generally turn it on for at least 90 minutes of viewing time. If you turn it off, you should wait at least 30-60 minutes before turning it back on. This is to maximize the life of the bulb.

You will have to replace the bulb after 2000-3000 hours. Bulbs are an expense you'll have to budget for.

But you're getting an 80" image that's way cheaper than any comparable 71" TV, with a picture just as good as that TV. A 71" TV (70/72 inch, whatever the common model is) costs at least 5K, probably closer to 7 or 8K. You can do your setup for about 1200-1500. (maybe less). You have plenty of money left over to buy replacement bulbs, you're getting a great pic, and you're getting a bigger pic to boot.

As a recent foray into projectors, I cant see any disadvantages.

I could hook my tv up to the projector, but I choose not to waste my bulb on TV content.

I average about 33 movies a month and if my bulb lasts about 1.5 years I will be happy. The bulb for my unit is cheap $199

I use my HD1000U every night during the week and even more on the weekend and use it as our primary "TV" and not looking back... (up-converted DVDs, HDTV, SDTV, Nintendo Wii, XBox 360)

Disadvantage.... When I go to someone else's house and watch a movie or show..... it's just not even close to being the same...... plasma/lcd/whatever..... Once you go big, there's no going back in my mind!

I have the HD1000 on about a 90" screen in a pretty small room. I am watching it on a DIY screen that I have experimented with quite a bit. Long story short, if the screen is good you will be amazed! It doesn't have the "plastic, glossy" look that the plasma, lcd etc have, but it has a great "pop" off of the screen. If you get up close the quality isn't as good as a 40-50" plasma, but then again it is twice the size, I am pretty sure a 90" plasma wouldn't look any better. Make sure you have HD programming, SD just doesn't look very good at all that large. I can also watch the projector fairly well with the lights in the room on, no complaints at all, go ahead and do it!

Just a little correction to put more emphasis on your points. A 90" image
is 4 times the size of a 45 " image!!!

bqmeister has pretty much touched on the main up-front issues
since you have little ambient light. I would also mention that
cabling can be somewhat more of a chalenge for a front pj.

If you check page 98 of the HC3000 thread, you'll see my experience with my 3100 and support.

In summary, Mitsubishi support is great, although they told me that my warranty registration card is essentially thrown away and they don't use it for anything. I was required to fax a copy of my point of sale receipt to the RMA service as proof of purchase.

Dealing with Mitsubishi RMA service (separate and possibly outsourced) has not good at all. They only have one person who handles RMA paperwork processing, and she's not in today. Since I use my HC3000 (edit: not 3100) as my primary display, this is very, very frustrating.

I’ve been looking for a good thread to ask my question in. This seems the best fit so far!

I’m looking to make the jump from a four year old 50” LCD RPTV to a front projector. If I had to choose my biggest issue with my current TV, it would be that the image, relative to a plasma or LCD panel, appears very soft. I’ve come to learn I don’t much care for this softness. I see this same characteristic in every RPTV I view in store.

Does front projection exhibit similar softness? My guess would be yes. I’m more than willing to live with that for the size advantage, but would like to know what to expect.

Much appreciated!

I average about 33 movies a month and if my bulb lasts about 1.5 years I will be happy.

That's insane!!! :eek:

I didn't know there was a downside!
Three years ago we bought a 51" RPTV and thought it was great. Always used it on 16:9 mode even though tv was 4:3-- kind of got used to the big heads. This of course was because of the fear of burn in.
A month ago we purchased a Hitachi PJTX100, mostly because of the price, but because in it's day it was a superior projector. All I can say is we should have done it sooner!
The 92" screen is in front of the RPTV and whenever we watch a movie and then turn on the tv, the reaction is "wow that certainly is a small picture."
The smaller the screen, the brighter the picture will be and the less you will need to darken the room-- though just like my RPTV, you will need to keep direct light off the screen.
The downside would be routing the cabling, the cost of replacement bulbs, and the interference in a short throw situation when people pass in front of the screen.
Any 'softness' in the image is more than made up for by the sheer size of the picture.
Brian

The disadvantages....

It's not a TV and shouldn't be used like a TV. You can't turn it on and off at will. You should generally turn it on for at least 90 minutes of viewing time. If you turn it off, you should wait at least 30-60 minutes before turning it back on. This is to maximize the life of the bulb.

You will have to replace the bulb after 2000-3000 hours. Bulbs are an expense you'll have to budget for.


This the biggest issue I've run into, if you're one of the people who just likes to flip the tv on to see if anything is on and turn it off 5 minutes later, make sure you have a tv to do that with. Also since you usually mount projectors on shelves or to the ceiling you usually have to run longer cables and you usually have to figure out a way to either hide the cables or minimize their appearance. Projectors also usually have fewer inputs so you have to have either a switch or a good av receiver to handle all of the inputs and send the video to the projector. These can add to the expense.

Before you buy a projector make sure to have a very solid plan of how you plan to hook everything up, and if you need to buy more equipment or cables as the costs of the extras tend to add up, but still not nearly to the cost of a good >50" tv.

With all of the PJs I've had (over 20 years), I've never experienced any "softness" in the picture. My 20+ year old CRT PJ was the worst, in terms of "softness". The Mits HD1000U should be "sharp as a tack".

Here is the link to Art's (Projector Reviews) Image Quality page of his review: http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manufacturers/mitsubishi/HD1000U/imagequality.asp. His review screen is a 106" Carada Brilliant White model. His links to his other HD1000U pages are at the top and bottom of each review page. You should read the entire review. Check with Carada (call them) and ask for their recommendation on screen material for your viewing conditions, before you commit to their Cinema White (although it should be fine for an 80" size).

However, I think you will be "blown away" by the quality of the picture that the HD1000U puts out (beats the pants off a flat panel display, IMHO).

The other members have posted the "downsides" (you should remember that turning the PJ on will use up about the equivalent of 2 hours of operation). The only downside that hasn't been mentioned is the large negative, fixed, offset [= about 32% of the screen height (= 12.5" for an 80", 16:9, screen)]. This means that the center of the HD1000U lens will have to be 12.5" below the bottom of your screen (mounted on a low table? - or 12.5" above the screen top for ceiling mounting).

I think there is no real "trade-off" for evening viewing with controlled lighting - we usually have some ambient light turned on, so we can see what we're doing. Using the PJ (for TV and DVD movie viewing) will be so good that I don't think you'll ever want to watch it for less than 4 hours at a pop (I don't). My current PJ doesn't have as good a picture as the HD1000U and we rarely have it on for less than 6 hours at a time. BTW, we have a 32" LCD flat panel display for watching TV (it's on for 24/7 except when we decide to use the PJ instead).

I have to agree with all of the above. And there isn’t much to add.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the down sides are it’s a bit more work getting it set up and making the choices of what to use as a screen and sound system. The selection of screen and screen size can impact your PQ to a large degree. Also environmental factors such as room colors and lighting placement and control will effect PQ much more than with any of the other displays.

On the issue of sharpness comparing plasmas etc to projected images. There was a good thread a week or so ago dealing with this. But the basic answer to this IMO is that the two are two totally different viewing experiences. The term you will hear a lot relative to projectors is “film like”. It’s not better or worse than the bright lighted displays but it is a different way our eyes see under low light levels.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=814099

The biggest down side to front projection IMO is you will never want to go out to a movie theater again, and when you do you will constantly be thinking throughout the movie how much better it would look and sound at home.

I'm planning on getting the Mitsubishi HD1000U and a 80" Classic Cinema White Carada screen (small room).

What are the disadvantages of me getting this set up pertaining to projectors as opposed to a lcd or plasma?

The room will be totally dark, so that isn't a problem. Thank you for your time.

Lamp life and light control. You already licked the latter.

That's insane!!! :eek:

What's insane? :confused:

The time I expect from the bulb?

Or the amount of movies I watch? :D

I replaced my TV with a 80" DIY screen and an Optoma HD70 in my living room and never looked back. And my projector is on about 12-15 hours a day.

Downside could be wiring and equipment placement. I total gutted my living room when I decided to go with a projection to run wires and insulation.

The biggest down side to front projection IMO is you will never want to go out to a movie theater again, and when you do you will constantly be thinking throughout the movie how much better it would look and sound at home.

My youngest kid has never been the movies. My wife says we should take him for the experience. I think we should spare him the experience.

A friend of mine took his kid to the theater recently to see the "Robinson's" flick.
He told me the movie was listed to start at 4:15. After sitting through 45 minutes of commercials and previews, the movie started just after 5:00PM. He told me they left at 5:30 because his son was bored/tired of sitting still for over 75 minutes.

I agree with Bud. I have no desire to go back to a theater. I'd rather wait for the DVD.

another downside.... It can be a never-ending hobby.
I'm seriously considering putting together a 2nd home-theater. Luckily I have most of the equipment I need already. My expenses should really only include: a) 40 feet of COAX cable b) 50-75 feet of HDMI cable, c) terminator for the coax cable, d) 2nd identical projector ceiling mount

Basically I can throw this 2nd theater together for about $150-$175 bucks. But it is a hobby, so eventually I'll add even more expense.

My plans for my 2nd theater - I want to build an outside theater. I realized last night that I have the perfect location for it. I probably won't use it that frequently, but I think for some summer get-togethers with the neighbors this would be ideal. My theater can comfortably seat 10 people. My outdoor theater could probably fit 20-30 people pretty easily. And if I have a bunch of neighbors over, I can keep all of their kids outside instead of upstairs trashing my theater room.

I'll post more of my saga over in the outdoor theater forum. To keep this thread on track though, suffice it to say this hobby is never-ending.

I'll agree with bqmeister!!!

The biggest downside...this hobby is more addictive then CRACK!!!

I was jumping up and down when my buddy got his plasma over the weekend. Not because he got one, but it was because he allowed me to set it up and install surround speakers. My wife is tried of me forever tweaking the picture, buying new equipment, speakers, remote controls and now I want to try a DIY silver screen. The isolation I feel when I am running coax cable, stripping for the connections, tying up the loose ends, and finally turning on the set and watching a cool part of any movie...is just AWESOME!!!

I love to "show-off" my system to people who haven't seen it or haven't seen it in a while.

I'm not sure I'd call the offset a downside per se. That would depend on whether you can work with it or not, and of course it's not a downside to projectors in general, because different models have different offsets and ways of dealing with placement (lens shift). It may not be a problem at all for some, and I actually prefer the larger offset because it allows the screen to be lower when the projector is ceiling mounted.

If you're somewhat flexible with regards to screen placement, the best thing to do would be to mount the projector first and then place the screen to fit, rather than the other way around.

My youngest kid has never been the movies. My wife says we should take him for the experience. I think we should spare him the experience.

A friend of mine took his kid to the theater recently to see the "Robinson's" flick.
He told me the movie was listed to start at 4:15. After sitting through 45 minutes of commercials and previews, the movie started just after 5:00PM. He told me they left at 5:30 because his son was bored/tired of sitting still for over 75 minutes.

I agree with Bud. I have no desire to go back to a theater. I'd rather wait for the DVD.

Amen. My daughter (soon 5) can barely make it through a movie at the theater. And my 10 month old son may be much older before he ever gets to go.

I have a popper at home with the same buttery topping as the theater. I have nice seats with cupholders. I have nice sound. And now I have 106" screen and a HD1000U that looks amazing. It will have to be a pretty big event movie to get me to the theater again anytime soon.

How about screens? Is there anything I could put on the wall where the projector will display to turn the whole wall into a screen and which I could write on (with chalk or those sharpie type pens) What kind of screens do you all use? This is gonna be in a conference room. Appreciate any tips

How about screens? Is there anything I could put on the wall where the projector will display to turn the whole wall into a screen and which I could write on (with chalk or those sharpie type pens) What kind of screens do you all use? This is gonna be in a conference room. Appreciate any tips

I think this enquiry would be best fit for Google, I did a quick search (http://www.google.com/search?q=projector+white+board&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

In college I saw the brand of "SMART Board" used in a bunch of classrooms.

How about screens? Is there anything I could put on the wall where the projector will display to turn the whole wall into a screen and which I could write on (with chalk or those sharpie type pens) What kind of screens do you all use? This is gonna be in a conference room. Appreciate any tips

WilsonArt Laminate, Designer White.

What are the disadvantages of me getting this set up pertaining to projectors as opposed to a lcd or plasma?

I've gotten badly out of shape from spending so much time sitting on my butt watching movies.... :D

The only other downside (in a room that's already finished) is attractively mounting and running cables to the PJ. The way my ceiling supports cross it's not an easy fish job....

This could be an up or downside, depending on your viewpoint...
Your wife and young children wont be able to work it.
Your older kids and teenagers and their friends will want to use it continuosly.

My youngest kid has never been the movies. My wife says we should take him for the experience. I think we should spare him the experience.

A friend of mine took his kid to the theater recently to see the "Robinson's" flick.
He told me the movie was listed to start at 4:15. After sitting through 45 minutes of commercials and previews, the movie started just after 5:00PM. He told me they left at 5:30 because his son was bored/tired of sitting still for over 75 minutes.

I agree with Bud. I have no desire to go back to a theater. I'd rather wait for the DVD.

I have to kind of disagree, I'm setting up a little home theater for my movies and games and I'm gonna take everything to college with me next year and set it up in my apartment and I imagine it will be great and me and my friends will all love it, BUT I'll continue to go to the theater. The thing with the theater compared to a home theater is it's a much more social experience, instead of "Hey buddy come over to my place tonight and we'll fire up the projector" everybody gets together and goes to the movie and you talk and laugh through the previews (and what's wrong with the previews anyway? I like seeing trailers for next summers big upcoming blockbusters) and then you get to watch the movie on that HUGE screen with the big booming surround sound (and no matter how big your home theater gets or how nice your surround sound is it's hard to match the theater in either department) and then as you're all walking out back to the car you discuss the movie and talk about and reenact all your favorite parts and it's just a really fun unique time. Plus do you really wanna wait for 300 to come out on DVD when you can see it now?

I have to kind of disagree, I'm setting up a little home theater for my movies and games and I'm gonna take everything to college with me next year and set it up in my apartment and I imagine it will be great and me and my friends will all love it, BUT I'll continue to go to the theater. The thing with the theater compared to a home theater is it's a much more social experience, instead of "Hey buddy come over to my place tonight and we'll fire up the projector" everybody gets together and goes to the movie and you talk and laugh through the previews (and what's wrong with the previews anyway? I like seeing trailers for next summers big upcoming blockbusters) and then you get to watch the movie on that HUGE screen with the big booming surround sound (and no matter how big your home theater gets or how nice your surround sound is it's hard to match the theater in either department) and then as you're all walking out back to the car you discuss the movie and talk about and reenact all your favorite parts and it's just a really fun unique time. Plus do you really wanna wait for 300 to come out on DVD when you can see it now?

Bkchurch

Thanks for reminding us all there is a positive side to the going to the movies thing. I was always one of the first people into the theater (Get a good seat and enjoy the pre movie viewings.) and the last out (For some reason I have always enjoyed movie credits music.) I’m a lot older than you and remember double features and cartoons before the features etc. and the theater I went to a lot was one of the Warner Theaters that was akin to a palace.

It’s easy to overlook the good social benefits of the theater when you remember popcorn being 25 cents and now they want 8 bucks on top of the 10 bucks to get in now. For some reason little things bother some of us more now people showing up late, people talking etc. And a little one squirming thru the whole feature is never a good time.

But you are correct as nice as personal theaters are and watching alone is there is also something about movies, that social interaction that is special. That may be a something we should post in the plus and also the minus column on hiimLowell’s list. And that is a home theater is a bit like putting in a swimming pool and being the only one on the block or in your family with one. Plan on both you wanting and also others wanting to enjoy the theater with you. I have really great seating for 6 and I can squeeze in 9 and I have had as many as 12 packed in before and it was really a fun time. :D

In fact I’m planning an expansion this summer. A kind of balcony seating on a raised platform behind my sectional couch. As luck would have it I’m able to get a row of the original seating (6 seat section) that came out of the original Warner Theater I went to as a kid. Seats need recovered and the bases repainted but the brass row number plates are still intact. So I should be sitting or could be sitting in the same seat I did as a kid in a few months.

And I might be tempted to throw popcorn on the people below. And I wont get kicked out this time….. :eek:

Below is a recent photo of the old place. :)

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/5647/2204671360068493142S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2204671360068493142kebRdd)

I have to kind of disagree, I'm setting up a little home theater for my movies and games and I'm gonna take everything to college with me next year and set it up in my apartment and I imagine it will be great and me and my friends will all love it, BUT I'll continue to go to the theater. The thing with the theater compared to a home theater is it's a much more social experience, instead of "Hey buddy come over to my place tonight and we'll fire up the projector" everybody gets together and goes to the movie and you talk and laugh through the previews (and what's wrong with the previews anyway? I like seeing trailers for next summers big upcoming blockbusters) and then you get to watch the movie on that HUGE screen with the big booming surround sound (and no matter how big your home theater gets or how nice your surround sound is it's hard to match the theater in either department) and then as you're all walking out back to the car you discuss the movie and talk about and reenact all your favorite parts and it's just a really fun unique time. Plus do you really wanna wait for 300 to come out on DVD when you can see it now?


Since you're getting ready to go to college, Yeah, I can see the social aspect of it for you.

Me, I'm an old geezer (to you anyway - 37). I'd rather socialize at home.
I also agree, previews can be good, but for 5 year old and 8 year old, 45 minutes of previews is too much. They get bored quickly.

Pic quality - My HT blows the cinema away. Size - relative to seating distance, I like my theater, but yeah, the theater screen is bigger. I'll chalk that one up to the cinema.

Sound? theaters are hit & miss in this department. I think my sound is better. I may not have as great of equipment as they do, but relative to my room size, I think my acoustics are better. I can also control the volume on my own, pause to go to the bathroom, instant replay if i miss something, etc.

But I will agree with you on one point - when I was 17-24, I loved going to the movies.

I am about to start with this adventure, and I already know it will kill my social life at least for 6 months or until the WOW effect starts fading a bit.
My neighbours will LOVE my 800 watts, 6.1 sound system.

And to reply to bkchurch, most dedicated home cinemas here in europe and in italy DO beat the acoustics and power of a real cinema. Audiophiles have a real obsession about those things here..

just look at this http://www.mdlht.it/home.htm
8000 watts in a home theater :rotfl:

There's always gonna be an event movie that will get me to the cinema - the latest was 300 & GRINDHOUSE. I stay away from the Cinema when dramas and quieter films are there. I reserve those for my HT.

My cinema going has dropped big time though because I know I will get the "big screen" effect when it hits dvd - and MY projector.

I now average going to the movies about once or twice every two months and have no qualms about sneaking in my own popcorn and soda. I refuse to pay those prices even if its where the movie houses need to make their profit. Being slightly taken advantage of is one thing, being price raped is another.

Just a little correction to put more emphasis on your points. A 90" image
is 4 times the size of a 45 " image!!!

bqmeister has pretty much touched on the main up-front issues
since you have little ambient light. I would also mention that
cabling can be somewhat more of a chalenge for a front pj.
Oiler
The 90" screen is four times the area of a 45" screen. Like putting 4 45" screens in one. But the size of a person in a 90" screen will be "only" the double (ie: double tall). The height of the screen is 2X. The wide is also 2X.

Bkchurch

Thanks for reminding us all there is a positive side to the going to the movies thing. I was always one of the first people into the theater (Get a good seat and enjoy the pre movie viewings.) and the last out (For some reason I have always enjoyed movie credits music.) I’m a lot older than you and remember double features and cartoons before the features etc. and the theater I went to a lot was one of the Warner Theaters that was akin to a palace.

I'm the same way. If I venture to a theater, I'm there early so I get a good seat and I stay through the credits.

It’s easy to overlook the good social benefits of the theater...

But you are correct as nice as personal theaters are and watching alone is there is also something about movies, that social interaction that is special.[/quote]

Watching alone? I'm the father of a family of six. I haven't been alone in years. I personally never had any social interaction during a movie. That was beside the point of the experience. I go there to be entertained by the story. The outright rudeness of people today makes enjoying movies a lot less fun. The worst are pre-teens, followed closely by the teenagers they are trying to mimic but turned up to 11.

With a home theater, I don't have to worry about any of those things. My kids know how to act in the theater (from the 8 year old on down to the 21 month old), and it's a pleasant experience. And I can make hotdogs, popcorn, and drinks for the price of a single admission to a theater now.

All displays have disadvantages.

IMHO, the biggest that pj have is that they are not plug and play. You really need to plan for a pj and be ready to do some adjusting. This is unlike a tv in which you are often 100% up and running in minutes.

However, the planning stage and set is generally a one time event. Spend some time up front and then use your pj pretty mush like a tv.

Since no one has said anything about this I'll throw in MHO.

I hate the fact that my image needs constant adjusting because of the aging of the bulb. I hate that the brightness seems to go down daily. Not at all happy with the $400 I have to shell out for a new bulb every 6-8 months. Seems the image is good for about 500 hours and goes steadily down hill from there. Colors deteriorate very quickly as well.

Can't wait for new illumination technology, LED etc.

I have to say that my theater although small its better than most of the Theaters around here(wichita, kansas), the picture and sound are superior by far. Yes its very addictive but I do take time out with a friend every sunday to take a trip east of wichita to the Augusta Theater. its completely lit iside and out with neon. it was built in 1935 and is in the process of being restored. Its a place I love to go. I wish my theater could resemble it, but I do love that theater.