AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Projectors - Under $3,000 USD MSRP › Plasma or Projector?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Plasma or Projector?

post #1 of 47
12/20/06 at 7:51am
Thread Starter 
I'm in need of some expert advise. I have about $2500 to spend on a plasma or projector.

My room is 10' wide, 7.5' tall, and about 20' long. The seating is 11.5' from the viewing wall. The room is dark with only a small window that doesn't let in much light so controlling room brightness is easy. The room is used for watching SD TV broadcasts (I will be upgrading to a HD dish), watching movies and playing Nintendo Wii. The current TV is a 36" direct view that gets about 3 hours of use a day.

I've been looking at the 50PX60 Panasonic plasma's and they have an amazing picture and I was almost convinced I was going to buy it but I started seeing yellow and green flashes on content with white on black scenes. The worst is white credits scrolling on a black background. It's bearable but I have to sit and stare at the screen without moving my eyes. Perhaps I could get used to it. I'm not sure. I have looked at many plasma's and they all exhibit this effect with me except for the 65" 1080p Plasma. Which I absolutely cannot afford.

My other option is a LCD projector. I'm thinking about the Panasonic PT-AX100. My concern with a projector is the lamp life with it being used by the whole family 3 hrs a day. The other issue is using the Wii. It may present a problem because I will have to mount the projector directly on the low ceiling. Anyone standing up playing a game may block the image. It would be real nice to be able to display a 7' 16:9 image on the wall. I only have one room for TV viewing so the display has to accomodate all the needs.

Help me out here, please.
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #2 of 47
12/20/06 at 8:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd Scott View Post

I'm in need of some expert advise. I have about $2500 to spend on a plasma or projector.

My room is 10' wide, 7.5' tall, and about 20' long. The seating is 11.5' from the viewing wall. The room is dark with only a small window that doesn't let in much light so controlling room brightness is easy. The room is used for watching SD TV broadcasts (I will be upgrading to a HD dish), watching movies and playing Nintendo Wii. The current TV is a 36" direct view that gets about 3 hours of use a day.

I've been looking at the 50PX60 Panasonic plasma's and they have an amazing picture and I was almost convinced I was going to buy it but I started seeing yellow and green flashes on content with white on black scenes. The worst is white credits scrolling on a black background. It's bearable but I have to sit and stare at the screen without moving my eyes. Perhaps I could get used to it. I'm not sure. I have looked at many plasma's and they all exhibit this effect with me except for the 65" 1080p Plasma. Which I absolutely cannot afford.

My other option is a LCD projector. I'm thinking about the Panasonic PT-AX100. My concern with a projector is the lamp life with it being used by the whole family 3 hrs a day. The other issue is using the Wii. It may present a problem because I will have to mount the projector directly on the low ceiling. Anyone standing up playing a game may block the image. It would be real nice to be able to display a 7' 16:9 image on the wall. I only have one room for TV viewing so the display has to accomodate all the needs.

Help me out here, please.

Hi Todd,

I think you would be much happier buying a projector over Plasma as long as you can control light effectively. I have an apartment setup with a 120'' screen and the only light control I really need is blinds.... as long as you have bright projector. The PT-AX100 started a new breed of bright HD projectors that will display a plasma like image. I was going to purchase the Panny as well until many users reported issues with the bulb flickering and becoming very annoying and almost unwatchable. Many other issues have come up regarding this projector and I just decided since I live in Canada and couldn't get a competitive price on this projector + warranty....... I kept researching.

I & many others on this forum discovered the Epson 810 (TW700) which is an amazing new projector with equal the brightness of the panny & throws an amazing bright plasma image without the quirks of the panny. There is an entire thread devoted to each of these projectors.... just take a peek around & do some reading.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 47
12/20/06 at 11:58am
Hi Todd,

I may be one of the few (maybe not though ) that have both a HD projector and a plasma. I have a Samsung HP S4253 plasma and an Optoma HD70 projector. I also have a HD satellite and a Wii.

I just got the projector 2 days ago and put it into our basement family room. It is about 14x14 with 7.5' ceilings. We love the projector! The wii does have some issues with the projector, but if you stand either side of the beam, you will be ok. n your case, if your seating can be moved back maybe 4-5', then you would be standing behind the projector (based on a 92" screen). We use the plasma for our living room (mounted above the fireplace) and we enjoy it for our day to day TV viewing.

If you have to choose one, there are many pros and cons. The plasma will be more maintenance free for many many years, but the bulbs in a projector will have to be changed every 3 years or so at about $300+. I find the plasma delivers a much more smoother, clearer picture with SDTV. With HDTV, they both produce great images. You can't beat a projector for movies and video games though. You won't want to go to the movies again!

Plus, it's a lot more likely the wii remote will damage the plasma over the PJ screen when it flies from your hand!!
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 47
12/20/06 at 12:10pm
I have a theater with about the same dimensions as your room, and I started with a 42" plasma with the primary viewing row being at 8' from screen...it was fine but didn't give that theater experience. I replaced the plasma with an 85" 16:9 greywolf screen and a panasonic ae900 and have been extremely pleased since I did it. MUCH more theater like experience.

I love my plasma(s) (I have 3) but for an immersion experience, you can't beat a good PJ. Also, as others have said, light control is key, but my ae900 is very viewable with the overhead lights on (dimmed to about 70%). The key is strategic light positioning...dont have lights shine directly on the screen.

Goodluck!

Reply
Reply
post #5 of 47
12/20/06 at 12:28pm
Ditto the above - I went from my 42" Panny plasma to the HD100U - with a LOT of anxiety that I would be "losing" something - man was I wrong. I am watching an 80" image that is better than the 42" plasma and now I have the "theater feel" I always wanted. If I had a poloroid of friends and family that have been over to see it I could have a hilarious coffee table book...

The plasma has since been moved upstairs to be used for kids movies, Gamecube, etc. I might get a cable run up there and another box here soon for it...

The good thing for us is that our viewing habits are not every night or more than 4-5 hours when we do watch either HDTV or a movie (really have not watched any SD shows for over a year now.)

I was very hesitant about the entire bulb thing - it freaked me out for a long time - especially when a decent PJ was very expensive. But I have accepted it now as part of the trade off of having a theater experience in my home versus paying $40 - $50 a pop to go to a movie. If I put that same money we used to occasionally spend going out to the theater in a jar and stayed home to watch the movie, I could easily finance a new bulb or four.

Hmmmm....
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:27pm
You really should go with a projector, that is a great room for a projector. Plus you are sitting 11.5' back so you do really need a big image 90"+ to get the best experiance. Heck you can get a HC1000u for under 1k, then when you need to replace a bulb you can and it still won't cost you much to own it. Or better yet in a few years when you need a new bulb instead just go witha new projector. You should be able to get a new one for under 1500 in a couple years thats 1080p, even better contrast, brightness and black levels. And you don't have to spend the 2500+ for a plasma which won't be that big.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by willise View Post

....Plus, it's a lot more likely the wii remote will damage the plasma over the PJ screen when it flies from your hand!!

This would be a SERIOUS reason for going projection. Especially since my 8 and 6 year old boys will be using the Wii. On the otherhand I wonder what sort of hijynx they will be up to with a projector screen? I envision coming downstairs one evening to see pencil tracings on the screen of their silhoettes.

These are all great opinions BTW. I am still on the fence.
I'm sure my wife will push me off to one or the other very soon.
Basically if she doesn't like the projector idea then I'll be forced to buy the plasma.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkhorror View Post

You really should go with a projector, that is a great room for a projector. Plus you are sitting 11.5' back so you do really need a big image 90"+ to get the best experiance. Heck you can get a HC1000u for under 1k, then when you need to replace a bulb you can and it still won't cost you much to own it. Or better yet in a few years when you need a new bulb instead just go witha new projector. You should be able to get a new one for under 1500 in a couple years thats 1080p, even better contrast, brightness and black levels. And you don't have to spend the 2500+ for a plasma which won't be that big.

Good point on the bulbs. I spend about the same money on replacing my metal halide reef tank lights on a yearly basis. It wouldn't be much different than that.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:38pm
Another option would be to get both. You could get a 42" plasma for SD, some HD viewing and game play and also get a pretty good 720p projector for movies and HD. You can mount a basic pull down screen that would hang in front of the plasma when needed. IMO trying to make a projector work for all TV viewing needs is difficukt and expensive when considering bulb replacement costs.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kadeeu View Post

Another option would be to get both. You could get a 42" plasma for SD, some HD viewing and game play and also get a pretty good 720p projector for movies and HD. You can mount a basic pull down screen that would hang in front of the plasma when needed. IMO trying to make a projector work for all TV viewing needs is difficukt and expensive when considering bulb replacement costs.

This is also a good idea but the problem would be convincing the wife I need buy both. She's being nice now and might not let me drop another $2500 on a projector later. Movies are watched about 20% of the time. The rest is 4:3 SD material and 16:9 SD material off the dish.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:52pm
I have both a plasma and projector. The projector is great for movies, but may not be practical for typical TV viewing depending on your viewing habits. A projector can't just be turned on and off like a TV. When you turn the projector on the bulb takes about a one hour hit on the bulb life. So, if you use the projector for a 2 hour movie and turn it off, you've used up 3 hours of bulb life. Also, when you turn the projector off, you should really wait about 2 hours before turning it on again. If the projector is not completely cool when turned on you can blow the bulb (even a brand new one).
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 47
12/20/06 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by crussader View Post

....When you turn the projector on the bulb takes about a one hour hit on the bulb life. So, if you use the projector for a 2 hour movie and turn it off, you've used up 3 hours of bulb life. Also, when you turn the projector off, you should really wait about 2 hours before turning it on again. If the projector is not completely cool when turned on you can blow the bulb (even a brand new one).

Ok. This would be a deal breaker for the projector then. The family is constantly turning the TV on and off. Looks like I'm getting a plasma and making a lexan shield to protect it from flying Wii-motes. Thank-you for all your opions. You guys are great!
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 47
12/20/06 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd Scott View Post

Ok. This would be a deal breaker for the projector then. The family is constantly turning the TV on and off. Looks like I'm getting a plasma and making a lexan shield to protect it from flying Wii-motes. Thank-you for all your opions. You guys are great!


That is really an unscientific statement. Bulb life is certainly affected by how many times it is lit though.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 47
12/20/06 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd Scott View Post

This is also a good idea but the problem would be convincing the wife I need buy both. She's being nice now and might not let me drop another $2500 on a projector later. Movies are watched about 20% of the time. The rest is 4:3 SD material and 16:9 SD material off the dish.

I was actually saying to get both at the same time for the $2500. That's why I said get the 42" since that would give you enough money left over for a 720p lcd or dlp projector. Good luck with your decision.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 47
12/20/06 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwlaw99 View Post

That is really an unscientific statement. Bulb life is certainly affected by how many times it is lit though.

I wasn't trying to be scientific. If a projector bulb cannot handle multiple on/off cycles in an evening for my family then it's not going to last a year in my house. So plasma would be a better choice.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 47
12/20/06 at 2:34pm
Todd,

I think you would be doing your family a disservice by not getting both for your $2500. It can be done if you are careful, although your cable costs would add a bit.

My personal choice would be an LCD TV for everyday viewing and a DLP projector for movies, special events, etc.

Doug
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 47
12/20/06 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taperwood View Post

Todd,

I think you would be doing your family a disservice by not getting both for your $2500. It can be done if you are careful, although your cable costs would add a bit.

My personal choice would be an LCD TV for everyday viewing and a DLP projector for movies, special events, etc.

Doug

Ditto that!!

If you were to do a DIY screen (simple) or buy a pull-down screen and an Optoma HD70 or Mits HD1000U and also a 42" or so plasma or LCD - you CAN do that for $2500 EASY if you shop around just a bit. For $2500 you can do all that plus cables (monoprice, etc is your friend)

To spend $2500 on just a plasma screen around 50" or so when for the same money you can easily do BOTH a 42" plasma AND a (who knows) 80" 90" 100" (?) screen (that WILL look like a plasma!) would be insane.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 47
12/20/06 at 4:05pm
I am planning on doing the flat panel TV and projector combo thing next year. Personally, I think this will be the ultimate setup for my viewing habits and room. I willl probalby get a 42" LCD TV and a cheaper 720p LCD projector (I need lens shift) for now, and upgrade to a 1080p projector later. I was thinking about doing a pull down screen in front of the projector, but am now considering installing a powered TV lift to raise the flat panel up in front of a fixed projector screen. SWEET!!
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 47
12/20/06 at 4:38pm
If you want the best experience front projection blows away a plasma. You could easily have both for under $2,500. I have an Infocus 4805 which is about $500 projecting at 10.5 x 5.9' right now and it is awesome. With a shaded light and a light grey screen it looks a lot like a massive plasma tv. It's only 480, but the quality and sharpness with FFDShow is great and downright amazing for the price.

A true HD HD1000U + a plasma could be had for under your budget. It is actually better for you to leave the projector on for several hours before turning it off. For instance, instead of turning it on, playing with it for two hours and then shutting it off only to do it again a couple hours later it would be better to just leave it on.

Having a spare plasma tv or any tv could help take some use off of the projector, but make no mistake about it, the projector offers a far more immersive and greater experience.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 47
12/20/06 at 4:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd Scott View Post

I wasn't trying to be scientific. If a projector bulb cannot handle multiple on/off cycles in an evening for my family then it's not going to last a year in my house. So plasma would be a better choice.


I think he was referring to the other guy's statements that you replied to. However, it's true you don't want to give a projector multiple on/off cycles in a single day. It's best to just leave it running if you plan to use it later on in the same day. You can always put the lens cap on it when not in use. When I turn mine on I run it for 4-8+ hours. If you have $2,500 to spend having both a projector + a plasma is a great idea though. Much better than spending most of it on one HD plasma.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 47
12/20/06 at 7:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd Scott View Post

Good point on the bulbs. I spend about the same money on replacing my metal halide reef tank lights on a yearly basis. It wouldn't be much different than that.

YA EBAY COULD BE YOR FRIEND WHEN IT COMES TO THE METAL HALIDES..THATS WHERE i GET MINE NEW FOR LIKE $30 A PIECE FOR MY 150GALLON REEF TANK JUST READ THE FEEDBACK BECAUSE THERE ARE SO CRUMMY BULBS OUT THERE WITH POOR CRI...YOU COULD ALWAYS GO WITH A PULL DOWN SCREEN AND JUST HAVE THE WALL BEHIND IT PAINTED WHITE FOR GAMING SCREEN OR UNSUPERVISED KIDS...(CEILING MOUNTED PROJECTOR IS THE BEST BECAUSE KIDS CAN'T REACH IT UNLIKE PLASMA PLUS ISN'T BURN IN A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THOSE YOU USE THEM FOR GAMING?
BTW i LOVE MY HD70 I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO A STANDARD LITTLE TV FOR MOVIE VEIWING...THE HIGH OFFSET PROJECTORS ACTUALLY HAVE THE ADVANTAGE FOR THE WII BECAUSE IF YOU STAND LIKE 10 FT BACK FROM THE SCREEN YOU WON'T BE IN THE WAY OF THE IMAGE AT ALL EVEN IF ITS ABOVE YOU (JUST PUT IT AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE.)
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 47
12/20/06 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by crussader View Post

I have both a plasma and projector. The projector is great for movies, but may not be practical for typical TV viewing depending on your viewing habits. A projector can't just be turned on and off like a TV. When you turn the projector on the bulb takes about a one hour hit on the bulb life. So, if you use the projector for a 2 hour movie and turn it off, you've used up 3 hours of bulb life. Also, when you turn the projector off, you should really wait about 2 hours before turning it on again. If the projector is not completely cool when turned on you can blow the bulb (even a brand new one).

I think 2 hrs is a bit over kill....you just have to wait for the bulb to cool close to room temp..15 20 mins is plenty to not effect bulb life.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 47
12/20/06 at 10:15pm
Could someone offer a bit more info on the on/off bulb issues?

I'm looking into a projector, and I don't want to accidentally kill the $350 bulb because I didn't wait long enough... or take the bulb life from 3000 hours down to 2000 hours because of turning it off and on. I will probably use it for 1-3 hours at a stretch, typically not more than once a day (maybe 2-3 times a day, but spread out- that is, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and again at night). Would I noticeably reduce the bulb life (or worse, have it just flat out burn out) with these viewing habits?
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 47
12/20/06 at 10:45pm
Twenty minutes is all the more you really need to wait. The bulbs get super hot but they cool down quickly.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 47
12/20/06 at 11:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EocThermos View Post

Could someone offer a bit more info on the on/off bulb issues?

I'm looking into a projector, and I don't want to accidentally kill the $350 bulb because I didn't wait long enough... or take the bulb life from 3000 hours down to 2000 hours because of turning it off and on. I will probably use it for 1-3 hours at a stretch, typically not more than once a day (maybe 2-3 times a day, but spread out- that is, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and again at night). Would I noticeably reduce the bulb life (or worse, have it just flat out burn out) with these viewing habits?

The bulb is nowhere near as 'fragile' as some seem to indicate. I replaced mine at 2700hrs just to get the 'as new' brightness back. It had mixed use - sometimes multiple times a day sometimes turned off whilst having dinner and back on afterwards etc. Never had any problems at all. I would say my usage was much as you are proposing in your post.

I havent seen any of these 'facts' being presented using actual facts so its hard to tell what are urban myths and what is scientific fact.

If these lamp usage guidelines are actually printed somewhere by a manufacturer could someone give me a link to research?
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 47
12/20/06 at 11:31pm
Best strategy is to have running in parallel a small (20 to 26") LCD direct view (real cheap now) for misc and frequent on/off use, and DVR setup, and reserve the front projector HD setup for the blockbuster shows or events

A few years from now front projectors will be so cheap - I suspect many will have 2 setup in parallel - one for ready use and one as a backup

In case they are not ideal for frequent on/off type use
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 47
12/21/06 at 4:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EocThermos View Post

Could someone offer a bit more info on the on/off bulb issues?

I'm looking into a projector, and I don't want to accidentally kill the $350 bulb because I didn't wait long enough... or take the bulb life from 3000 hours down to 2000 hours because of turning it off and on. I will probably use it for 1-3 hours at a stretch, typically not more than once a day (maybe 2-3 times a day, but spread out- that is, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and again at night). Would I noticeably reduce the bulb life (or worse, have it just flat out burn out) with these viewing habits?


If you plan on viewing it once in the morning then again in the afternoon it would be better to just leave it on. That way you could only have two lamp strikes if you use it three times in a day.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 47
12/26/06 at 6:27am
I'm a newbie, so pardon my ignorance. I'm in the same boat, plasma or projector, but need something explained to me. I understand the concern with frequent on off cycling of a projector as might be the case when using it for a main TV, but why is a rear projection TV any different? Is the cooling better on a rear projection set?
I was watching a SXRD 50" rear projection set yesterday at a relatives and liked the picture, but the off center viewing was a real issue, so for me plasma would be better, but I have such a nice room to install a projector, it seem a shame to limit the experience to 50" (my budget).

Thank you,
Joe
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 47
12/26/06 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taperwood View Post

Todd,

I think you would be doing your family a disservice by not getting both for your $2500. It can be done if you are careful, although your cable costs would add a bit.

My personal choice would be an LCD TV for everyday viewing and a DLP projector for movies, special events, etc.

Doug

I second everything said here. We have an HD70 w/DIY screen in the HT (cost: less than $1K.
Elsewhere we have a 32" LCD TV. Cost a year ago $1500. Cost now less than $1K. And 42" models (Vizio is one to look for) are very inexpensive. LCDs last for a very long time (40 - 60,000 hours) are light and have, to my eyes, excellent PQ. LCDs can even be mounted on articulating arms and can be moved close to the audience. I would not want to put a Plasma on an articulating arm mount.
And Plasmas do have the burnin issue, although perhaps it's not as bad as earlier versions. IDK.

You need light control (100% to get the best PQ) for the PJ. The LCD can look pretty good with ambient light.

Good luck.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 47
12/26/06 at 8:18am
Get the four year warranty and forget about the bulb or turning it off and on.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Projectors - Under $3,000 USD MSRP › Plasma or Projector?