Ive been deciding on a new tv for almost a year now. I bought a 56 inch rear projection for my room back in february but it was so big i thought I was going to go blind within minutes.

Then I was just looking at lcd tv's ever since, but I came across the new epson projector on the main page and thats a pretty good deal for a 720p $1,300.

But is a projector right for me?

I have a small room, it's about 12 by 12 I would say. I am not looking for a 100 inch screen on my wall, but knowing that i can move the projector into another room or someones house where i would be able to is great.

I game A LOT and are projectors good for 360? and i would also use it for blu-ray
is image burn a concern?
How often do you have to clean the lense and replace the bulb, and is it hard cleaning the lense?
How much do replacement bulbs cost and are they hard to replace?
and are the projectors loud, if you want to compare it to something I would say to compare it to the 360 fan noise, because it gets LOUD

and would this new epson projector have as good PQ as a 37 toshiba regza lcd 720p?

oh yea and 1 other thing, do they give off a smell, because i wast hinking of buying the optoma projector with a built in dvd player about a year and a half ago but people said it would give off a bad smell

thanks

A 12 x 12 room can give you up to a 100 inch screen if you want it. My room is that size and I show a 92 inch screen.

- The Xbox360 projected that size will be amazing but could make you motion sick!
- Cleaning is little to none depending on the PJ.
- Lamps are supposed to last 2,000 hours but have been known to fail after 500 and some not after 5,000. They can cost $200 to $500 each.
- The fan on a PJ can be noticeable but probably quieter than your 360.
- All new electronics give off a smell for a few hours. Some people like it. Whoever told you the Optoma would smell bad was trying to get your money spent elsewhere.

Digital PJs don't get image burn although leaving an LCD PJ in a blackbar mode or on the same pic for many many many hours could cause a persistence that is temporary.

You can get a 720p PJ for as little as $600 on up to the $1300 you were quoting. Depends on what you want or need.

Can you control the light in the room? If not, better go with a tv. Here's mine with the window shade pulled:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q139/johnsbin/HD70/NFLHD-EF06-Ambient.jpg

Yes, I can cntrol the lightiing in my room and its usually pitch black all day unless i open up the shades and stuff for some air or whatever.

The lamp life is the only thing that turns me off of the projector. So I would basically have to spend 200-500 dollars every year on it:(

Do you think its worth it having your projector over a HDTV?
and regarding the PQ question i mentioned in my first post, do you think the new epson projector will have worse better or the same PQ as a 37 inch 720p lcdtv like a sammy or a toshiba regza ?

oh and i totally forgot to ask this question. What about the height of the projector. does it have to be hanging from the ceiling or can i have it projecting aginst a wall at about 3 or 4 feet high on a night stand or something like that

Yes, I can cntrol the lightiing in my room and its usually pitch black all day unless i open up the shades and stuff for some air or whatever.

The lamp life is the only thing that turns me off of the projector. So I would basically have to spend 200-500 dollars every year on it:(

Do you think its worth it having your projector over a HDTV?
and regarding the PQ question i mentioned in my first post, do you think the new epson projector will have worse better or the same PQ as a 37 inch 720p lcdtv like a sammy or a toshiba regza ?

oh and i totally forgot to ask this question. What about the height of the projector. does it have to be hanging from the ceiling or can i have it projecting aginst a wall at about 3 or 4 feet high on a night stand or something like that

Lamp Cost:
Yes, it can be a dealbreaker if you don't know ahead of time what the costs are. The key is that if you KNOW you will burn through lamps fairly quickly, get the lamp warranty that will provide 3 bulbs in 3 years. For the cost of half a bulb you will get three.
My take on it:
If I bought a flat panel, I would not buy the cheapest panel on the market but somewhere in the midrange in cost. I bought my PJ for $800 so in order to match spending $2500 I would have shelled out for a panel, I would need to buy 6 or 7 lamps to break even, and that is without the warranty.

PJ over HDTV:
From a pure PQ/Image standpoint, it would be near impossible to beat a 1080p panel and pretty hard to beat a 720p panel. However, from a viewer standpoint, the PQ is very good to excellent on a PJ and a panel will never beat out the experience of life size or larger than life cinema effect a PJ has. I will not watch another movie much less my favorite programming on a tv.

Most projectors can be set on a low table instead of hung from a ceiling if you want to. LCD PJs are very flexible in this regard however good planning can allow you to add DLP PJs into the mix. If you are going to transport a PJ, let it cool off for at least 30 minutes before travelling. You might hear different but a hot lamp is more fragile than a cool lamp.

Do you think its worth it having your projector over a HDTV?
and regarding the PQ question i mentioned in my first post, do you think the new epson projector will have worse better or the same PQ as a 37 inch 720p lcdtv like a sammy or a toshiba regza ?



If the size of the image isn't the most important thing to you, I would discourage you from getting a projector. IF it is the most important thing, then you will be more willing to accept certain sacrifices that come with using a projector.

In regards to image quality, one major advantage of a flat panel lcd is the ansi contrast (which is how much brighter the whites are in comparison to blacks, AT THE SAME TIME). The measurement is what can really give a display the "pop" that many people talk about. I'm not sure exactly what the ansi contrast ratio is on the units you mentioned, but lcd's today have upwards of 1,000:1 to 2,500:1. On the other hand, an lcd projector will only have an ansi contrast ratio of 250:1. Especially if you are a gamer, ansi contrast is a big factor in choosing a display.

Dlp projectors can have an ansi contrast ratio of 700:1. Most are in the 500:1 range.

That being said, though, not very many people will be disappointed with image that todays pj's throw. Just don't expect it to look like a 100 inch flat panel.

The bulb issue could be very costly as well if you use your display for a few thousand hours a year.

For many in this forum, though, the immersion factor of a projector is so impressive, that all of these technical specs fly out of the window once the projector is on. Once you have a projector, it will be very difficult to go back to "tiny" 50 inch tv.

Yea I just measured my room and it would be 9-10 feet from the projector and the wall. and the size of the screen that i would use would probbly be about 80-90 inches
So you would say that the PQ of a projector (especailly the new epson coming out soon) in HD would be the same as a lower end brand like comparing a vizio to a samsung?

now regarding PQ to a big screen, it wouldnt really bother me if its not super crisp and clear like a sammy or sony lcdtv if i have a really big screen because then it would be like a movie theatre feel to it.

but it wouldnt be that bright right? like when i bought my 56 inch rear projection my eyes were killing me.

and when it comes to the bulbs i would probbly use 1 a year if it had 2,000 life to it.

and if i can get that warranty thing where you get 3 bulbs for the price of 1 then i think it would definetly be worth it

Ive been deciding on a new tv for almost a year now. I bought a 56 inch rear projection for my room back in february but it was so big i thought I was going to go blind within minutes.

Then I was just looking at lcd tv's ever since, but I came across the new epson projector on the main page and thats a pretty good deal for a 720p $1,300.

But is a projector right for me?

I have a small room, it's about 12 by 12 I would say. I am not looking for a 100 inch screen on my wall, but knowing that i can move the projector into another room or someones house where i would be able to is great.

I game A LOT and are projectors good for 360? and i would also use it for blu-ray
is image burn a concern?
How often do you have to clean the lense and replace the bulb, and is it hard cleaning the lense?
How much do replacement bulbs cost and are they hard to replace?
and are the projectors loud, if you want to compare it to something I would say to compare it to the 360 fan noise, because it gets LOUD

and would this new epson projector have as good PQ as a 37 toshiba regza lcd 720p?

oh yea and 1 other thing, do they give off a smell, because i wast hinking of buying the optoma projector with a built in dvd player about a year and a half ago but people said it would give off a bad smell

thanks

Many of us enjoy both. PJs for movies and flat panels for daily/TV viewing.

Yea I just measured my room and it would be 9-10 feet from the projector and the wall. and the size of the screen that i would use would probbly be about 80-90 inches
So you would say that the PQ of a projector (especailly the new epson coming out soon) in HD would be the same as a lower end brand like comparing a vizio to a samsung?

now regarding PQ to a big screen, it wouldnt really bother me if its not super crisp and clear like a sammy or sony lcdtv if i have a really big screen because then it would be like a movie theatre feel to it.

but it wouldnt be that bright right? like when i bought my 56 inch rear projection my eyes were killing me.

and when it comes to the bulbs i would probbly use 1 a year if it had 2,000 life to it.

and if i can get that warranty thing where you get 3 bulbs for the price of 1 then i think it would definetly be worth it

I think you would be very surprised at how good the image will look. Your screen is an important factor in that appearance. You can project on a wall but you will get better results from a smooth, properly colored surface.

As far as brightness is concerned, PJs have several modes that can be calibrated to what you need. I have two modes setup on mine; one for day and one for night. If I used the day mode at night, I would get a headache pretty quick. Depending on your selection, there are people who can give you a rough set of settings to use and then you can use a Pixar dvd with the THX Optimizer on it to adjust your brightness and contrast for your day mode and your night mode.

Get on the phone with a few of the forum sponsors that sell PJs and talk to them about what bulb warranties they have and let them know you hang out here on the AVS Forum. Tell them what you are trying to do and you will find they can be very helpful.