Howdy all

I'm moving in my new house in 3 weeks and was about to purchase a 65" 1080p DLP set but since the new home has a decent size bonus room, Im now considering converting that into a dedicated home theater room.

After some browsing here, I guess the Epson 400 and the Panny AX100 fit my bill as they are both around $1500 and within my budget.

I'm totally new to a projector setup (never owned or operated one either) and my local stores don't really carry any demo kits either:(.

My throw distance would be around 12-15 feet and I'm thinking about going with a 92" fixed 16:9 screen such as this from Ebay:

http://cgi.*********/92-45-x-80-45-x80-16-9-FIXED-FRAME-PROJECTOR-SCREEN_W0QQitemZ260156768275QQihZ016QQcategoryZ48655QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


1) Would 92" be enough for my viewing distance? Or should I go bigger?
2) Are my projector choices pretty decent for my throw distance?
3) Extended warranties....are there any third party companies that provide projector+bulb coverage? I was leaning heavily towards the Panny (friend owns one and recommends it highly) but the one year warranty (plus early reported issues) scare me away. The Epson's 2 year sounds reasonable.
4) Would the Epson/Panny fare well with console gaming (XBox 360 via VGA)?

My bonus room does have some smaller windows and I sometimes watch movies, play 360 games, during the day so some ambient lighting will be present and hence why I'm going with the Epson and Panny.

5) Any benefits of wall-mounted vs rack-mounted for the projector?
6) And last of all, should I be going for a 1080p projector over a 720p one for the long run?

Mind u, I dont really have the budget but I also tend to keep my equipment for a while so if the need is there, I may revert to my trusty Amex card;)

Appreciated
Frag

Hi Frag,

1. General rule of thumb is a seating distance of 1.5x screen WIDTH. A 92" screen is 80" wide, so, an idea 10' seating distance. In our livingroom theatre we sit 12' from a 92" and it's still quite immersive. The best advice I can give you is get the projector and try it out on a white wall first so you can judge what size picture you like best. Then get the screen that fits your needs ( or just paint the wall with a DIY or commercial screen paint ).

2. Both the AX100 and HC400 are very flexible for placement, and would work for your 12-15' throw. The AX100 has a 2:1 zoom, so at 15' back would give you a picture size range from about 75" diagonal to 150" diagonal. The Epson zoom is 1.5:1, so the image size at 15' would be about 106" to 150" diagonal.

3. Many resellers offer 3rd party extended warranties. Do a search here, and check the sponsor sites. Bulb warranties are a little trickier, as the wording in the warranty leaves them a lot of loop holes, but I've read posts of people receiving their replacement lamps with no problems.

4. I have an Epson 400 and feed an XBOX360 via component to it without any problems. I haven't tried VGA, but I think there's a few threads here on the topic. I don't remember reading about any problems.

5. I asssume you mean shelf ( wall ) mount vs. ceiling mount. The majority prefer ceiling mount as it gets the projector up and out of the way. There's also less chance of someone blocking the beam when standing up.

Personally, I prefer shelf mounting for the following reasons.

- You can group and your source components and projector together and thus have short cable runs.

- You don't have to run signal and power cables up to the ceiling, locate studs, drill holes etc.

- Easier to get at the projector to clean the filter ( LCD's - DLPs generally don't have filters to clean )

- Works with high-gain retro-reflective screens. This is useful if you're battling ambient light ( from the sides )


6. A very hotly debated topic now that the 2nd wave of budget 1080p machines are coming to market. My personal opinion and advice for a 1st time buyer is to go with a budget 720p. While the 1080's are better in both the resolution and contrast department, the 720's are generally brighter, and there isn't a 'night and day' difference between the two resolutions. 720's are the best bang for the buck ( with rebate the Epson can be had for about 2/3rds of your budget ), and image performance is at a point in the current models that you won't get lunchbag letdown. Digital projector technology is evolving so quickly that there will always be better / cheaper next year. A couple of years down the road, there will be 1080's with better specs than todays models at the same price as 720's are now.

Just my opinion,

Jonathan

For the lamp warranty check out PP's site. I've read good things about Warrantech/Repair Master.

There was a thread about the "terms and conditions" outlined by them, but I've yet to read a post from anyone that had trouble getting a lamp replacement, and my understanding is they don't even ask you to send the blown lamp back to them.

Thx a bunch, guys....just what the doctor ordered ;-).

Frag