need pj advise for games

If you give Mike a call, he is the man to go to for these types of questions. We can help you in here, but the back and forth of a forum isn't as good as speaking to an expert on the phone like Mike.

www.projectoreviews.com has a lag testing section in their gaming reviews area. There are also a couple lag testing threads in this forum, although I do not have the link on me at the moment.

Mitsubishi and Epson are easier to deal with, but places like Optoma, I wouldn't say it's bad, it just takes longer and is more waiting and more hassle. Every projector does have trade-offs, sometimes it's customer service, sometimes it's lamp life, other times it's contrast, sometimes it's just a gamble across the board. The Optoma 3300 comes with an added warranty benefit.

The chances of needing the warranty are there, but the odds are in your favor that you will probably not need to use it on a DLP, or if you do probably not more than once. Even most places with lesser CS aren't likely to stick you with something, it's just more hassle.

You can buy an inexpensive HDMI switch and bypass the receiver, there are other options as well for 3D.

The lag you're talking about on LCD projectors is very overemphasized. At most, we're talking about less than 1/20th of a second (more like 30-60ms), and in real play, it really isn't noticeable. It's the kind of thing you wouldn't even realize was there if someone didn't measure it. I've been gaming on LCD projectors for around eight years and I've never had a single problem at all. Your internet bandwidth is more of a factor than lag on an LCD.

Competitive gamers can tell, it surely wouldn't bother someone like me, but it does bother some. Gamers get serious these days.

Some projectors lag over 100ms, upwards to near 150ms or higher.
The other thing with gaming on a DLP is added sharpness, but it is a trade-off for worse black levels in some games.

It does not bother the vast majority of people, and projectors like the ones in the Epson line don't approach 100ms at all.

Like I said, the lag issue is overemphasized. It's like saying you shouldn't buy a DLP because it has the rainbow effect.

There are a lot of people in the forums that notice it, but I have no idea as I am not a heavy gamer, we just have to go by the consensus. It could be mostly the placebo effect, but I haven't looked into it enough.

RBE is a bit different, and it is wise to warn people about the Rainbow Effect with DLP in case they may need to return the projector if it really bothers them.

You can notice it on several console games, but there are certain games that hide it well. When you plug a PC into your projector its another ballgame as games that are typically controlled with a mouse tend to show it more (FPS games are the best example). Hell, you can easily notice and be annoyed by 100ms lag from simply moving the mouse cursor at the windows desktop.

How fast can your brain process information? 100ms may be a split second, but our brains and eyes dont process data once a second, so you'll move the mouse and then watch as the cursor lags behind your hand movements as it moves on the screen. Get bad enough lag on a TV or Projector and one can get annoyed just trying to click the "OK" button at a prompt window.

You are right about RBE. You should mention the possibility of being affected by RBE every time you recommend a DLP projector to someone.

I do warn people about RBE and eye-strain with DLP unless they already know. They'd be hard-pressed not to know as many times as it is mentioned in this forum.

You can't go wrong with the 3010e. I think it'll be a great choice for you.

Go dlp,I would not use the 3010 for any gaming.Give mike a call he knows what he is talking about.

Mike Garrett, AV Science Sales
Call Me: 585-671-2968
Email Me: Mike@AVScience.com