Hi, I'm looking for a quiet projector that will be used for a computer monitor in a studio. the projector will be located in the primary control room of an audio recording studio, so the noise level is a definite concern. here are the specs of the installation, your recommendations would be most appreciated.

- projector will be ceiling mounted and can be located from 3 to 8 feet from the screen
- the screen will need to be no more than 50" widescreen format
- screen will be used for common computer usage - audio editing, text etc. the most important thing is that text is readable from approx 10 feet away. Being that this is not for a home theater setup, hd resolution is not needed.
We're basically looking for the screen real estate equivalent to a 24" widescreen lcd at minimum.
- the area of the room that will hold the projection surface is reasonably dark, however, the room does have dim lighting constantly, so something that funtions well in less than optimal lighting situations would be good.
- any type of screen may be used, we have nothing in mind yet, so if a certain type of screen is better optimized for this setting, we can use that.

thank you very much for your time and advice!
jeremy

Hi, I'm looking for a quiet projector that will be used for a computer monitor in a studio. the projector will be located in the primary control room of an audio recording studio, so the noise level is a definite concern. here are the specs of the installation, your recommendations would be most appreciated.

- projector will be ceiling mounted and can be located from 3 to 8 feet from the screen
- the screen will need to be no more than 50" widescreen format- screen will be used for common computer usage - audio editing, text etc. the most important thing is that text is readable from approx 10 feet away. Being that this is not for a home theater setup, hd resolution is not needed.
We're basically looking for the screen real estate equivalent to a 24" widescreen lcd at minimum.
- the area of the room that will hold the projection surface is reasonably dark, however, the room does have dim lighting constantly, so something that funtions well in less than optimal lighting situations would be good.
- any type of screen may be used, we have nothing in mind yet, so if a certain type of screen is better optimized for this setting, we can use that.

thank you very much for your time and advice!
jeremy



Your better off going with a 1080p LCD if all you need is 50".. I can gurantee an LCD is going to be way quiter compared to an projector.. I've heard good things about the 1080p Westinghouse being used as a computer monitor..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8346685&st=westinghouse+1080p&type=product&id=1175902657231

that was my recommendation initially, but the guy doing it is extremely particular about the acoustics of the room and insists that the large glass surface would cause reflections that would be detrimental to mixing etc., whereas a canvas screen wouldnt present that problem. i dont know a whole lot about acoustic design myself.

thanks for the advice though!
jeremy

I would look at an lcd like the sanyo z5 which is very quiet and very sharp.

I was going to suggest just an LCD monitor, but it sounds like you have one of those clients that is super anal.

any Bright (~2000+ lumens) will be ideal. Going with an LCD projector will reduce the actual noise generated by the PJ itself. Since you don't really need anything fancy for movie watching, a business projector might be better suited, do you need widescreen or 4:3? LCD will also allow for a more flexible install with its high amount of lens shift.

The ax100 will put you at 80FL (holy cow) with a 4' 10" throw for a 50" 16x9 screen.

Hi Jeremy,

I think you'd really want to go with an HT projector, as they have the emphesis on low noise. You may still want to investigate a hush box though, as even the quietest HT projector makes some noise. I've read very positive posts about www.whisperflow.com. I think they do custom work.

Jonathan

Sony Aw-15 or HS60 (this one off ebay) are both the quietest and put out the least amount of heat. PQ is also one of the best and for that screen size the lumen is perfect.

Sony Aw-15 or HS60 (this one off ebay) are both the quietest and put out the least amount of heat. PQ is also one of the best and for that screen size the lumen is perfect.

I'd say just go with the AW-10 if he goes the Sony route he may as well save some cash and get the Aw 10 since it is just going to be used for text. The extra contrast wouldnt really be needed for computer monitor needs. I dont think anyway.

So your client is willing to have the fan noise from the projector added into his monitoring studio, but finds a reflective surface intrusive.

The client is always right, I'm just glad he's not mixing my album.

-
jay

Your better off going with a 1080p LCD if all you need is 50".. I can gurantee an LCD is going to be way quiter compared to an projector.. I've heard good things about the 1080p Westinghouse being used as a computer monitor..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8346685&st=westinghouse+1080p&type=product&id=1175902657231

I'm with Jay. Projection is for the BIG image. It would be a waste at 40 inches.

I think your client will end up jumping through too many hoops for a PJ to throw a 50" image.

You might want to mention to him that many rear projection LCDs and DLPs (if not all) do not use a glass surface.

Your client is an idiot...

There's my 2 cents

No one said clients were smart, however they are smart when it comes to writing the check, and therefore we treat them as if they are smart giving our advice (which is usually more correct) whenever the client will listen.

Check the Db levels on different LCD projector and what mode they run in, it will be hard to actually change the clients mind about this, but you might try bringing up the added noise being worse than the reflected sound?

thanks a lot for all the input, you guys have been very helpful. im definitely going to try to talk him into the rear projection lcd, thats a really good point about the surfaces on those. The projection noise definitley seems more ridiculous to me than the reflected sound that would come from a screen 6 feet behind the monitors, but whatever. seems to me the huge glass window from the control room into the main studio would be much more of a reflection concern... i dont really see what another 50" of glass (or other material) located directly above that window would do to audibly worsen the sound.

upcoming sanyo plv-z2000 is rated at 29db...doesn't get any quieter than this. also a major reason why I will buy it, provided it is half as good as it looks on paper. about to be released in a month... oh...I will throw 100", not 50".

also, the samsung LED RPTV DLPs are cheap and good at 50-60". they use low-heat LEDs rather than a heated bulb, and therefore should be almost quiet. then again, I have not heard it. also, this is the wrong forum for it.

/iaw

I believe Mitsubishi makes fanless projectors...can't imagine that something is quieter than that

thanks a lot for all the input, you guys have been very helpful. im definitely going to try to talk him into the rear projection lcd, thats a really good point about the surfaces on those. The projection noise definitley seems more ridiculous to me than the reflected sound that would come from a screen 6 feet behind the monitors, but whatever. seems to me the huge glass window from the control room into the main studio would be much more of a reflection concern... i dont really see what another 50" of glass (or other material) located directly above that window would do to audibly worsen the sound.

Well the big window should be tilted so as not to be at a right angle to help with it's reflections. I owned and operated a pro recording studio for decades and I would not want a projector in the control room. :) Go with a flat panel direct view and tilt it like the control room window.