I am finally getting a house so it's time for a front projector also....finally. I was always a big fan of Runco but there are so many companies out now i'd like a few opinions. Here's the scoop. The basent will be a movie only room (maybe a ball game in hd when it's on) so i was leaning on a CRT. The room is not big...21' x 15' so i need a good small room hd projector. Any thoughts? I don't really have a budget but i'd say $9,000 is the most i'd spend but hopefullu i'll be way under that. I'll be paring the projector with a lexicon mc-1and a sony blu-ray player.

I am finally getting a house so it's time for a front projector also....finally. I was always a big fan of Runco but there are so many companies out now i'd like a few opinions. Here's the scoop. The basent will be a movie only room (maybe a ball game in hd when it's on) so i was leaning on a CRT. The room is not big...21' x 15' so i need a good small room hd projector. Any thoughts? I don't really have a budget but i'd say $9,000 is the most i'd spend but hopefullu i'll be way under that. I'll be paring the projector with a lexicon mc-1and a sony blu-ray player.


JVC RS-1 seems to be the new "benchmark" PJ in that price range... :) I have a dedicated theater room that is almost the same size as yours....I have not got my hands on the projector as of yet primarily since my house wont be done for another 2 weeks...cant wait for July to roll along to get it into the room.....if all that I am reading about the PJ is true then I am in for a PQ feast :p

Also depends on how soon u want one....if not in any hurry could wait until CEDIA in sept to c if anybody has anything new to offer.... ;)

When I read your thread title I thought I might be able to help since my home theater is 10' x 10'. I guess "small" is relative, to me 21' x 15' sounds like a good size room for a home theater. Depending on how big your screen will be and which direction you will be projecting, you may need to get a PJ with a short throw ratio so it will fill your screen. With my setup I am limited to short throw projectors.

Not out yet but if time is on your side this may be a consideration come Cedia.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=863065

When I read your thread title I thought I might be able to help since my home theater is 10' x 10'. I guess "small" is relative, to me 21' x 15' sounds like a good size room for a home theater. Depending on how big your screen will be and which direction you will be projecting, you may need to get a PJ with a short throw ratio so it will fill your screen. With my setup I am limited to short throw projectors.

Can someone give some examples of short throw projectors that would work in a 10' x10' room? Thanks for your help.

Jerry

The throw ratio is usually expressed as the distance from the lens to the screen (throw distance) divided by the width of the screen. In a 10'x10' room the maximum throw distance will be about 8-9 feet depending on how deep the PJ is and how close you can mount to the wall. This may depend on where the cables connect. On many PJs the cables connect to the back so you will need enough back clearance for the cables you use. On some PJs they connect to the side so you can get closer to the wall , but you need to leave some clearance for ventilation as recommended by the manufacturer. In this size room you would typically sit against the back wall directly below the projector, so your eyes will be about the same distance from the screen as the lens.

Many projectors will go down to a throw ratio of 1.35-1.5, but I haven't seen many that go lower. There are a few unusual projectors with shorter throws but I don't remember the brands or models. Assuming 8 ft throw distance and 1.35 ratio the largest 16x9 screen you can use is 71 inches wide. If you want to go larger it is possible add an aftermarket lens in front of the PJ, but good ones are fairly expensive. Navitar makes good lenses that will increase the image size by a fixed 1.25x or 1.5x. There are probably others as well that may be cheaper.

You can also make 2.35 movies larger by going with an anamorphic lens and a constant height setup with a 2.35 screen, but most anamorphic lenses require a longer throw ratio and the ones that work for short throw tend to be really expensive.

Here are some throw ratio ranges that go below 1.5 for a few popular models discussed in this forum. This info came from the Calculator at projectorcentral.com (http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm). You can use that calculator to checkout the PJs you are interested in.

JVC DLA-RS1U = 1.39-2.74
Sony VPL-VW50 (Pearl) = 1.44-2.45
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 = 1.36-2.87
Mitsubishi HC5000BL = 1.44-2.30
Panasonic PT-AE1000U = 1.38-2.80

Great explanation, thanks for the help.

Jerry

Can someone give some examples of short throw projectors that would work in a 10' x10' room? Thanks for your help.

Jerry

Optoma HD7100.

OK so the basment idea is a no go so i'll be using the projector in the living room instead. That room is approx 13'x20' with 12' vaulted ceilings (if that makes a difference). The projector will be mounted along the 20' side so i assume that will be accounted in my throw distance. The room has one large picture window that i'm pretty sure i cover "most" of the light. I'm a huge movie buff but being it's in the living room i'm sure i'll do a fair amount of TV viewing as well. Sorry to change things around you guys. Does this change any of your suggestions for projectors? It seems like the JVC and the Pearl always pop up in conversation.

OK so the basment idea is a no go so i'll be using the projector in the living room instead. That room is approx 13'x20' with 12' vaulted ceilings (if that makes a difference). The projector will be mounted along the 20' side so i assume that will be accounted in my throw distance. The room has one large picture window that i'm pretty sure i cover "most" of the light. I'm a huge movie buff but being it's in the living room i'm sure i'll do a fair amount of TV viewing as well. Sorry to change things around you guys. Does this change any of your suggestions for projectors? It seems like the JVC and the Pearl always pop up in conversation.


Why is your basement a "no go?" I wish I had a room 15 x 21. It's plenty long enough and jschefdog gave a nice list of projectors which will fit your basement. The only unknown consideration will be the ceiling height - how high is your ceiling?

My room is about 11' x 20'.

If a JVC DLA-HD1 has to be mounted closer the back, where would I put the rest of my equipment? Close to the seats, but with super long cables?

By the way, that calculator states that the minimum throw distance is 2.79 m for the JVC DLA-HD1. That means about 9'2". So...

Image width = 2.79 m throw / throw ratio of 1.39 = 2.0 m (6'7")

I think I'll have to head back to the house and do some measurements. (I haven't moved in yet.)

Are there any issues with using the lowest throw offered by a projector? How much are the add-on lenses, and how much image degradation is there?