I'm considering purchasing a projector for our small church and being as the budget is *very* small (will have to foot it myself) I'm naturally looking for the most economical route to take. Here's the info...

We have a small congregation and normally about 35 members will attend movie/video viewings. The movies are shown in our fellowship hall/kitchen area which is roughly 24'x40'x9'. The screen for the pj would be on the 24' wall with a 2'x5' window on either side of it (should be no problem blacking them out). Folding chairs are simply positioned the best we can for folks to see the 27" tv that we're currently using.

The pj would probably need to be portable being as we have had (as much as I hate to say it) some theft from the church.

The majority of the members are older seniors and I think the bigger screen would delight them with the easier viewing while the "movie atmosphere" might help attract more of the young people into coming to "the movies", too. Mostly what we've watched in the past have been documentaries, etc., and most (if not all) has been in SD format so I'm seeking a pj with HDMI for the upconversion of the SD DVDs (will be using a Tosh HD-A2). This isn't to say, of course, that there will not be any HD content in the future...and maybe even a Super Bowl Party! :)

I would like to get a decent pj that will give us good quality viewing. I feel that any of them should last us a long time being as we probably won't be using it but maybe 3-4 hours a month. This also makes a used pj appealing in that a pj with some hours on the lamp isn't necessarily a bad thing for us...we're not going to be racking up lots of hours quickly. One thing I am concerned about is carrying the pj back and forth to the church...can this (vibration) be detrimental to lamp life?

Here are three pjs that I've been looking at:

Mitsubishi HC1500 (New, eBay) ~ $860.00
Acer PH530 (New, eBay) ~$635.00
Optoma HD70 (Used, eBay) ~$650-~$750

I'm tending to favor the Acer, but... ??

Note: The pj will probably be placed on a table/cart rather than ceiling mounted.

For now I'm figuring on making do with an old, smaller screen I've got or either one that the church already has...will work on that aspect later. HDMI cables from Monoprice will connect the Tosh HD-A2 and I will have to rig something up for the sound.

I probably haven't given the best information here and will gladly share what info I can with you if you let me know what you need. Any thoughts or suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Ed

Personally I will be going with the Acer or one with similar features in the near future, so that one has my vote. As far as carrying it back and forth just find a decent carrying case and you should be fine.

-getme

I think you find all of these are good projectors. How big an image are you going to project? The HC1500 is significantly brighter than the others and can get had for $800 new from www.projectorpeople.com with "save50" coupon code.

Do not buy from ebay. I have links on where to buy each of those projectors on this post on my blog.

http://thetechhunter.blogspot.com/2007/03/prey-captured-projectors.html

PORTABLE PJs- NO FUSS-NO MUSS: optoma has a couple pjs w built in dvd players. one is a sd version (dv10), the other is hd (edit-dv11 is not hd, only sd-i was incorrect) version (dv11). i think they're both under a grand. i think they also have amp and speakers onboard w option to use external amp, spkrs, and dvd player.

they're dlp pjs, they should look pretty darn good. also very portable, all in one unit.

see circuitcity.com or the ce vendor of your choice.

Forget the all in one units. They are all low resolution except for an Epson that isn't out yet. If you need a portable sound and don't want to get a cheap 5.1 system get a zvox and hook it up to your dvd player.

www.zvoxaudio.com

Forget the all in one units. They are all low resolution except for an Epson that isn't out yet. If you need a portable sound and don't want to get a cheap 5.1 system get a zvox and hook it up to your dvd player.

www.zvoxaudio.com
i thought i'd read, a while back, that dv11 was hd but after rechecking specs, i see i was mistaken. thanks.

dont forget that the acer comes with a carrying bag and is the lighest & smallest of them all

I concur that the HC1500 (or HD1000u) is in another category of brightness and if the screen is going to be big (ie. much over 100" corner to corner) then you'll want the brightness so you can have some ambient light - you don't want a totally dark theater I'm guessing with a group of people trying to move around - taking bathroom breaks etc, so you can go big and still have more ambient light with the Mits.

And if you're not going to ceiling mount, who knows, you might end up watching the Mits at home a lot, too :) I know my first projector was a 'ministry first' machine with occasional weekend 'film festivals' and then the second became dedicated to teaching in my Bible school (ceiling mounted in class room) and I have a HD1000u ceiling mounted at home now as well, although I have the school over for movie nights regularly :)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and recommendations.

getme and hypez604, roger on the carrying case. I think my primary concern was with possible vibration/shock to the lamp filament. The weight and size isn't that important...my wife has trained me well in being a beast of burden. :)

gwlaw99, thanks for the info. I had been looking at the PH530 at Nerds, but with the coupon code and it's brighter specs the HC1500 creeps back into the picture. The Zvox looks interesting, I was thinking of rigging something from an old tuner of some kind....budget is tough. :o Zvox would be a simple solution. I'm looking at probably a 100" max screen.

westgate, thanks for the clarification on the all-in-one's.

nightfly13, very legit points on the "bathroom breaks". I can see that the brighter projectors are a definite "plus" with ambient light present. As for watching at the house....I'll probably just stick with my 50" Panny 9uk...but, you never know! ;)

Well, after looking some more I see that the HC1500 appears to be the better pj in the group. The price spread betweent the Acer PH530 and the HC1500 pretty much moves the choice to the HC1500 with lamp-replacement cost being a "wildcard" to consider. Being as I don't anticipate the hours getting quickly racked up on this unit I don't think lamp-replacement will be a big issue. The big issue, it appears, is the initial funding. :o We'll see how big of an interest I can get in the project. If I get quiet a bit of (non-financial) interest I'll probably go ahead with my plans. :)

Thanks again for your feedback and send more if you feel so inclined. I'll post back what I decide.

Ed

I just thought I'd let everyone know that I opted for the HC1500. It should be here the first part of next week. Now to decide on the sound system and screen setup.

Thanks everybody for your help.
Ed