Best tabletop projector

I'm in the same boat you are, college student with a small apartment. Throw ratio is going to be the key for you here, check out this calculator.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...calculator.cfm

That should give you an idea of what to expect in terms of screen size. Personally, I've been researching for a few months, and I've pretty much made up my mind on the HC1500. From what has been said, it sounds like the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of image quality. Hope this helps!

The HC1500 would be a good projector for table top at 12' lens to screen distance as long as a 101" screen is big enough for you. 101" is as big as it will go at 12'.

The HC1500 has an offset and no lens shift, which means it has to be mounted either below the screen or mounted above the screen and inverted. Bottom line, if you want to not have to look up too high, then you want to mount the projector low, perhaps lower than your desk top. The AW15 has much more flexibility, but the HC1500 has a lot of brightness that makes it excellent for high definition sports and for rooms with white walls and will help if there is any ambient light or if you just like a bright image.

I've had an HC1500 and highly recommend it. It's an amazing value for the money. Do a search in the under $3000 forum to get the latest rock-bottom price.

What about wall mounting it up high with one of these?



http://www.mountdirect.com/PMS_Proje...nt_p/pms_w.htm

the HC1500 sitting on a 30" desk will throw the bottom of a 100" picture at about 46" if digital keystone correction isn't used. That being said, the digital keystone correction in the HC1500 is quite good, and you can use a fair amount of it before you even can notice it in HD video material.

The HD65's offset isn't as steep as the HC1500's. Placing it on a 30" desk will place the bottom of the screen at about 39" without keystone correction. I haven't seen the HD65, so I can't comment on how good it's keystone correction is compared to the HC1500 ( I have an HD1000 ).


The Epson 720 can be much brighter than either the HD65 or HC1500 if needed, and is extremely flexibile with long zoom and generous lens shift. It's 'bigger' than HC1500, and expecially the HD65, but it's not HUGE by any means. As far as weight, all of these units are within a few pounds of each other. I'm not sure I understand your concern there.

I haven't seen the AW15, so I can't comment on it with authority. Most reviews indicate it's not really that bright, and that could be a disadvantage if you want to game or watch tv with some lights on.

Personally, I'd pick the Epson, but I don't think you'll go wrong with the Mits / Optoma, or Epson. I haven't seen the AW15, so I can't comment on it with authority. Most reviews indicate it's not really that bright, and that could be a disadvantage if you want to game or watch tv with some lights on.

Jonathan

Google and check the results against resellerratings.com. Avoid Brooklyn based camera / video sites like Best Price Camera, as they are scammers.

Buying from an AVS sponsor helps support the site and gives you added comfort that you will be supported if you have issues. I suggest contacting them directly once you have found a price you're satisfied with online.

Jonathan

Looks like you might be a prime candidate for the discontinued JVC model AV Science are selling for $900 (even less if you go refurb). Check the Stickies in this forum. (AVS are the only ones allowed to post deals like this since this is their forum.)

It's always helpful to put HC1500 into the "Search this Forum" box to find out as much as you can about the projector you are interested in, whether you want to see if someone has posted advice on where to buy it or you just want to read user reports. Also, check the 'HD1000U Tweakers and Calibration Thread' in the sticky area at the top of this forum. The HD1000 is an earlier version of the HC1500. You can read a review of the HC1500 and the difference between the two versions here:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/mits...1500/index.php

As for forum policy, some members simply say where they bought their projector without giving a price. You do see prices now and then, but much more often on the under 3000 forum than on the 3000+ and 20000+ forums. I could be wrong, but I think the forum sponsors are not that concerned with the competition when it comes to budget projectors. They are a full-service home theater retailer, happy to travel to customer homes to calibrate and install a $3000 to $40000 projector, screen, and anamorphic lens. They do have a lot of projector-only sales, but probably the majority of them are over $3000.

I also have an HC1500 and im curious how you say it would make a good table top projector? My image was either on the ceiling or on the floor (depending on image reverse or not) when I was mouting it about five feet up on a shelf. . At about 15 feet throw distance. To get it right I had to mount it about 6 inches from the ceiling upside down. But of course I also refuse to degrade my image quality by using keystone adjustment. It's an amazing projector but I wouldnt say its a good table top projector.

For a 15" throw distance and a 106" screen, you would have to put a HC1500 on about a 6" high shelf (under a low table?).

I should have read the OP request a little better. I was thinking coffee table not desk or dinner table height. Five feet up on a shelf is rear shelf mount and none of the entry level DLP's have lens shift. If you want to rear shelf mount at five feet and use DLP then you need to look for Marantz VP-8600, Marantz VP-12S4, Infocus 7210 or Sharp 1200 MK II. These projectors are older mid to high end DLP projectors that will throw a better image than any of the entry level DLP projectors and they have vertical image shift.

Ok im a little confused about your question. When I first got the unit (my first projector) I was trying to figure out how I was gonna set it up I initially had it on a shelf about Halfway up the wall. (I have 8 Foot ceilings). I tried all different combinations to get it right without keystone with it being on the shelf. Rightside up, upside down, mirror invert, not inverted...could never get it right.....my image was either on the ceiling or on the floor.....I ended up calling mitsubishi and they advised me of the tolerences without the use keystone. I had to either mount is close to the ground or very close to the ceiling. I chose to go with mounting it upside down about six inches from the ceiling....Hope that made sense...the only point I was trying to make is when i was trying to get mine correct there is no way i could have put it on a coffee table and have it display correctly. But now that I think about it, it may work if the projector is in front of the seating area on a coffee table....But that wasnt an option for me. It had to be mounted behind where I was sitting.

You're in a dorm and you can't wall or ceiling mount? Haven't you ever heard of toothpaste? It's the best dorm drywall patcher available. Comes in all kinds of colors and fools the dorm cops when they check the rooms over the summer.

Jim

That is what everyone here is talking about. The HC1500 is a good projector for coffee table mount.

The Marantz VP-8600 will do exactly what you want and it is available for less than $1,000, but you will not want to be moving it around a lot. It is built like a tank and weighs 26.4 lbs. It will throw a very nice image and has lens shift.