Hi,

I am in the market for my first projector, of course did some researches online. Kind of debating between Panny AX-100U and Mit 1000U.

My room is a living room (not in basement), next to my kitchen (so the light is not controlled, I guess I have to get a very bright projector). It has 8 feet ceiling. I plan to do ceiling mount. The room is about 21' long and 15' wide. I guess the throw distance (the distance from the projector to the screen) is about 20'.

I plan to get the Panny from Costco at here.

I know the price is not the cheapest, just worry about if it's not fit, I can easily return it at costco.

My questions are:

1. how large can the screen be? I am thinking about 100" screen, about 48" high and 86" wide. Is this the largest screen I can get given the room size? What kind of screen should I get, white or gray? Is this one good for this projector? Which size should I get 4:3 or 16:9? I guess I will use this for TV at the most of time. Plan to get HDTV from the local cable company as well.

I can not post URL, search for Draper Targa 106" White or Gray screen $849.

Or is it too expensive? I heard people are getting screen for around $100. However, I also read the screen will be sort of long-term investment, so should get a better one. People tend to upgrade projector in 2 or 3 years.

2. how about mount? I guess for the 1st user, I want some flexibility of mounting. so at costco, which one should I get?

I can not post URL, click projector mount under projector/screen.

3. replacement lamp, I heard the typical life is about 2000 hours (about 1-2 years). Do you guys usually buy a new projector or just replace the lamp?

Please help a newbie. Thanks much.

I don't know much about screens so others will chime in on that, but I personally wouldn't buy such a great screen just for a 720p pj. If you are going to spend that much, why not just go with a 1080p projector?

According to the mits calculator, at 20 feet you could have a screen size from 137" to 166", depending on how much zoom you utilize. If you want something closer to 100", you would need to mount the projector closer to the screen.

Most just buy a replacement bulb when theirs goes, but some people are finding they could upgrade to a much better pj for only a few hundred more.

Also, check out ProjectorPeople.com, they'll help you find a pj that really fits your needs. Much better than Costco.

I am sort of a newb also, but here are some things I have found to consider:

The HD1000U does not have lens shift, and projects the image above/below the actual projector. on an 8 foot ceiling (be sure to measure it, my townhome said 8' but is actually 92"). the Mitsu will force your screen lower so if you are planning on doing 2 rows, your back row's riser will need to be higher. The AX100 will allow a much more flexible install.

The screens you read about for $100 usually tend to be DIY, mine has cost me about $180 and is a DW Laminate on an aluminum frame @ 102" Diag.

I am running a 102" Diag in a 11' x 20' room so 100" will be a good size for you, unless you have the room to go larger (106" will be fine), its more about how far back you plan on sitting, the suggested distance to start from is 1.5-1.7 times the width of the screen in 16:9.

Since your not 100% light controlled, a grey screen will help with your blacks and reduce the effect of ambient light compared to a white screen.

Are you set on costco? have you considered an online dealer? If you go with the the mitsu you may want to get a ceiling mount that allows you to make small adjustments due to the lack of lens shift, I personally have been considering a ceiling mount by peerless which can be found on multiple online sources.

Lamp life: how much do you plan on watching your projector...3hrs per day = 1095hrs per year, figure $400 per lamp, since these are 720p projectors in 2-3 years 1080p may be in full swing and priced like the 720p's are today so you may decide to upgrade your projector when the lamp finally dies so plan for replacing the lamp but you may end up upgrading later.

The panasonic will give you a 100-200inch image from 20 feet. So if you want to stay around 100" that is a much better choice.

Since your screen is in your living room, it may make your wife happy to have a retractable screen. I mounted mine in a custom valance that holds it 3" off the wall allowing pictures to remain in place. When we aren't watching the projector, we roll up the screen and our living room isn't a theatre. I have a light control issue, but found window treatments resolve this for the few times we watch during daylight hours. Creative lighting with dimmers and directional shades allow complete use of the adjoining rooms without affecting our picture. I won't claim to be a screen expert, but my medium is the theatre-grade highly reflective white glass-bead. I have seen similar projections on to other mediums and feel mine produces the best true color - blacks are maybe a little challenged if ambient light is present. My screen is 94" diagonal (4:3) and my viewing distance is 15'. I project from 16' with a ceiling mount recessed into the rear wall.
Hope you make the right decisions based on the replies here and the info available from site sponsors.

Since you cannot control the lighting completely I think a grey screen will work best for you. As far as projectors go I have the Mitsi HD1000 and love it. I have a completely light controlled room though and even though the HD1000 is a very bright projector I am not sure I would want it or any projector in a room with very much light unless I only wanted to watch at night.

I would be tempted to go with a 60" Plasma in a high light situation.

I don't know much about screens so others will chime in on that, but I personally wouldn't buy such a great screen just for a 720p pj. If you are going to spend that much, why not just go with a 1080p projector?

According to the mits calculator, at 20 feet you could have a screen size from 137" to 166", depending on how much zoom you utilize. If you want something closer to 100", you would need to mount the projector closer to the screen.

Most just buy a replacement bulb when theirs goes, but some people are finding they could upgrade to a much better pj for only a few hundred more.

Also, check out ProjectorPeople.com, they'll help you find a pj that really fits your needs. Much better than Costco.

into getting a panasonic ax-100U. I dont like being said your basically stupid for not getting something.

i am now getting a sanyo Z5 from Visual Apex. but nicer people and not forceful and are open to other models.

just a FYI.

ttyl
rex

thanks for everybody's reply.

The room has a bay window facing east and 2 windows facing south. I have thick drapery to cover all windows. So I wouldn't say the room itself is very bright.

As far as the projector goes, I guess panny is a better choice than mit given the light condition I have as it has 2000 lumens.

I have sofa circle around the screen, the distance will be about 10 - 15 feet. The facing one will be around 15 feet. So I guess the width will be 120" - 80". I guess I will use 100". Then I will have 3-4 feet at each side for the main speakers.

I plan to use it for movie and watch HDTV. So the diagonal of screen will be around 120" (100" is OK, but I really love to have a bigger one to impress my family, to prove the money well spent). The height will be around 60". Plus the ceiling amount, I guess the total height of the screen will be less than 6 feet. I plan to have a 21"high tv stand (to put my big center speaker - 10" high - inside). I guess this will give me perfect fit for the space.

so, is the gray screen do better than white given my current situation? should I get the flat one or glass-bead one? Which one do you guys recommend? I checked around online and found a lot of vendor charge a lot on the shipping. I will get free shipping from costco, but they don't have too many choices. They have either a panoview 106" gray manual for $400 or a Draper 133" grey/white auto for $900. which one shall I get?

where do you guys get the wall plate for ceiling, I guess I need a HDMI, a VGA and a COMP and a SVIDEO.

Do I miss anything? Oh, cables, I guess I will get them from monoprice. And the mount, I found costco has peerless(?) mount for $90.

Usually I don't shop locally for big items, but I am not sure about PJ stuff, I guess this time I will shop at costco or sams club.

Thanks in advance.