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Selecting a Projector... $2K Budgetish

1K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  markr89 
#1 ·
I am looking to buy my first serious home theater projector. My panasonic plasma i bought in 2008 has been acting quirky as of late and, at 42", the size is becoming an issue. I'm looking to spend in the $2K region, and as of now my main candidates I am considering are:

1. Used JVC X35
2. New Sony HW40ES
3. Used Sony HW50ES
4. Used Epson 5020/5030

There are others as well, but I am mainly between the JVC and Sony HW40 at this point.

The room: Basement, 10ft ceilings... I have a lot of room and I will be posting dimensions later tonight. The light: There are 3 - 3'x4' windows but these have curtains. There are 6 high hats in the main area on a dimmer. I rent, so I can't change the paint (I probably could but I just don't want to) and it is a beige color with white ceilings.
The Screen: Initially when I thought about this 'project' I was going to project (unintended pun) on the wall and paint a section. Now, because of the rent-scenario and the 'texture' effect, I think I will try to find a cheap screen ($
 
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#2 ·
For that budget the Sony HW40ES buy a wide margin. Why chance used when its on sale for 2K now. The black level on the JVC would be a waste with the poor room color. You might even save some money and get the BenQ 1070, great motion handling for sports and video games, and the better black level from the Sony won't matter much with the bad room and the better placement options of the Sony won't be needed for a custom room..
 
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#7 · (Edited)
You might even save some money and get the BenQ 1070, great motion handling for sports and video games, and the better black level from the Sony won't matter much with the bad room and the better placement options of the Sony won't be needed for a custom room..

This is advice that should be taken into serious consideration.

The reason: I've seen high-end projectors (including a JVC and a Sony) in sub-optimal rooms; and even the smallest hint of screen-projected light bouncing off of a reflective (ie white, gray, beige, light-brown, etc) wall or ceiling absolutely hammers contrast ratio and raises the black floor whenever there's anything light on the screen (which is just about always...)

In this case you're giving up two of the Sony's strongest points: contrast ratio and black level.

The Sony still makes sense under some poor-room circumstances: if you need whisper-quietness; or aren't able to ceiling-mount in the center of the screen (then you need it's lens shift). But that doesn't sound like the case...

There's one other factor that applies here, too: the Sony's lamp is rated at just 2000 hours on Normal mode; which delivers the full 1700 lumens of brightness. You'll likely need/want that brightness in ambient light or of you want to drive a large screen.

The BenQ offers 3500 hours at this same level of fixed brightness (Normal mode). That's over 50% more lamp life.
More so, the BenQ offers an additional 'SmartEco' lamp mode (a type of dynamic brightness mode) which is as bright as Normal mode for bright scenes (dimming it unnoticeably for darker scenes) - and is rated at a massive 6000 hours - for effectively full brightness. (Heck, we've seen lots of reports of comfortably over 5000 hours in this mode; even up to 7000 hours...).
Personally I'd probably call it a day at 5000 hours and replace the lamp there, just to be safe... But that's just me ;)


In a dedicated theatre (proper light control, dark painted room), the Sony HW40ES is absolutely the best choice.
In a sub-optimal room, it's less clear-cut whether tripling the sticker price is worth it.

If you're able to, I'd recommend trying both out in your given room to determine if the difference is worth it in your case. And share your findings here if you do, of course. ;)
 
#3 ·
I am looking to buy my first serious home theater projector. My panasonic plasma i bought in 2008 has been acting quirky as of late and, at 42", the size is becoming an issue. I'm looking to spend in the $2K region, and as of now my main candidates I am considering are:

1. Used JVC X35
2. New Sony HW40ES
3. Used Sony HW50ES
4. Used Epson 5020/5030

There are others as well, but I am mainly between the JVC and Sony HW40 at this point.

The room: Basement, 10ft ceilings... I have a lot of room and I will be posting dimensions later tonight. The light: There are 3 - 3'x4' windows but these have curtains. There are 6 high hats in the main area on a dimmer. I rent, so I can't change the paint (I probably could but I just don't want to) and it is a beige color with white ceilings.
The Screen: Initially when I thought about this 'project' I was going to project (unintended pun) on the wall and paint a section. Now, because of the rent-scenario and the 'texture' effect, I think I will try to find a cheap screen ($
 
#11 ·
I personally went with the $699 BenQ w1070 .

I could have bought the Sony, and I'm in a 100% light controlled room so it would have CLEARLY been better for films.

However, I could buy almost three BenQ's for the price and since my next most recent projector was a Sanyo Z2, getting my full screen/projector for under $1k was the right choice for me. The BenQ destroys the Sanyo.
 
#12 ·
Thanks all for the input.

Newegg Flash has the W1070 for $710
http://www.neweggflash.com/product/N82E16824014321

I would have jumped on it already but the refund policy is not so great:

Return Policies
This item is covered by neweggflash.com's Limited Replacement Only Return Policy.
Return for refund within: non-refundable
Return for replacement within: 30 days

So I may or may not jump on this before it ends on monday
 
#15 · (Edited)
Newegg's deal is actually a bit worse than the special Amazon was running up until Wednesday... ($699 brand new; full warranty)

But that ProjectorPeople deal is just outstanding! Enjoy!
 
#17 ·
Aaaah well.

I suppose you'd still be saving $600 in any case. And in your given room, image-quality-wise, they wouldn't be all that different. Plus there's all that extra W1070 lamp-life ;)

Let us know how you go...
 
#19 ·
Just placed my order for the W1070 on newegg flash, ordered the mount and accessories from monoprice last week; so now everything is scheduled to get here by thursday!

My roommate just got a 55" LG LB6000 today so i obviously need to more than double that... LOL
 
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