AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Projectors - Under $3,000 USD MSRP › OK, its finally time to replace my 4805..........
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OK, its finally time to replace my 4805..........

post #1 of 9
11/23/08 at 4:36pm
Thread Starter 
I have had my 4805 over 4 years.

On the third bulb.

Its been back for a light tube failure about 18 months ago after getting the yellow stripe on the left before finally collapsing giving half a picture!

Its just developed the yellow stripe again so it probably wont be long before
it will collapse again.

I think its gone as far it can, although noisy its been great and I have more than had my moneys worth out of it.

I dont have a huge budget <$1000 for replacement

The placement is tricky because of the low ceiling

Its ceiling mounted 12' 6" from a 100" diag screen (87" x 48" 16:9)

Its hung so its throw misses a flush mount celing fan approx 9 ft from the wall.

I did look at the MIT HC1600. The throw is right at that range although the offset looks a little steeper. (can probably keystone it????)

I looked at the Sharp Dt 510 but the throw looks really short for my set up.

Can anyone suggest a good budget projector that would be at least as good as the 4805 and fit my current set up.

Thanks in advance for any help.
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post #2 of 9
11/23/08 at 6:54pm
I'm looking at the Panasonic PT-AX200U. $999 from AVS, cheaper through a certain site once you factor in the cashback.

I'm about to post a thread on it
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post #3 of 9
11/23/08 at 8:10pm
I was going to say the DT-510 & move your mount, until I realized the fan would probably be a problem for the minimal offset that it has.

Are you against getting an LCD? The AX200 or the HC720 would seem like the choice to dodge a room object and get the image you are looking for. The 720 is a bit more upfront, but you get a bonus bulb to keep you happy! The new Sanyo might be a good choice as well. I'm having trouble coming up with DLP options for you, but maybe these three are enough of a choice???
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post #4 of 9
11/23/08 at 8:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad139 View Post

I was going to say the DT-510 & move your mount, until I realized the fan would probably be a problem for the minimal offset that it has.

Are you against getting an LCD? The AX200 or the HC720 would seem like the choice to dodge a room object and get the image you are looking for. The 720 is a bit more upfront, but you get a bonus bulb to keep you happy! The new Sanyo might be a good choice as well. I'm having trouble coming up with DLP options for you, but maybe these three are enough of a choice???

Thanks for the reply.

I dont know much about LCD, what are the pros and cons over what I have now? (4805)

I have a room where I can control the light pretty well so thats not a problem.

Is mainly use the projector for for TV (dishnetwork HD)
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post #5 of 9
11/24/08 at 4:15am
In order to stay away from the whole DLP vs. LCD debate (this has been beaten to death), I'll focus on a few of the core differences between your 4805 and the AX200 / HC720.

You will find the AX200 / HC720 to be significantly brighter (even though you can control the light, you may still find the flexibility of additional lumens to be helpful, especially if you want some accent lighting while having company over for sports).
As 720p projectors, the image from your HD source will be better. There will also be less pixelation (none for the AX200, due to the Smoothscreen technology).
The ability for you to place either PJ, using both the vertical shift (to avoid that fan) and the placement in the same spot, if you wanted, as your current 4805.

I recommend the you look through this Under $3K forum for additional posts on both of these projectors. You will find much helpful info to make an informed decision.
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post #6 of 9
11/24/08 at 8:00am
Optoma HD65
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post #7 of 9
11/24/08 at 4:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad139 View Post

In order to stay away from the whole DLP vs. LCD debate (this has been beaten to death), I'll focus on a few of the core differences between your 4805 and the AX200 / HC720.

You will find the AX200 / HC720 to be significantly brighter (even though you can control the light, you may still find the flexibility of additional lumens to be helpful, especially if you want some accent lighting while having company over for sports).
As 720p projectors, the image from your HD source will be better. There will also be less pixelation (none for the AX200, due to the Smoothscreen technology).
The ability for you to place either PJ, using both the vertical shift (to avoid that fan) and the placement in the same spot, if you wanted, as your current 4805.

I recommend the you look through this Under $3K forum for additional posts on both of these projectors. You will find much helpful info to make an informed decision.

Thank you for the detailed reply.

I am very much in the research stage so I will try searching for as many posts as I can.

Im also trying to get info about the cost of replacement lamps for each machine plus info on service for each brand should it go wrong.

Thanks again for your comments.
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post #8 of 9
11/24/08 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by reconlabtech View Post

Optoma HD65

I did some reasearch and this is well thought of.

Any details on lamp replacement costs? (and machine/lamp warranty)

Also does optoma offer decent customer support?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
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post #9 of 9
11/24/08 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thunderfire View Post

I did some reasearch and this is well thought of.

Any details on lamp replacement costs? (and machine/lamp warranty)

Also does optoma offer decent customer support?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Lamps can be found for @ $250 currently.

The warranty is one year PJ and 90 days lamp. If you use a major CC for the purchase, you can get the warranty doubled by the card and you can usually find a lamp warranty for @ $100 good for 2 or 3 lamps over a 3 year period if you want it.

Since the PJ is so very small, the fan is a little louder due to the lack of a large heavy case dampening the sound but most folks don't hear it.

The zoom is limited so you can't put it on a wall 20 feet away and expect a 92" screen and it has a permanent image offset of about 17 or 18%.

Customer support? Average, with some good stories and some not so good stories.
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