[SonyHome]

I'm at the beginning stages of finishing my basement. I'm thinking about putting in a dedicated HT in 14.5' X 16' corner space that has no windows.


What is good projector to display ~110" screen for ~$3000? How far do I place the projector from the screen? Could I fit two row of 4 seats for total of 8? If I want to use this room as the central media hub (i.e. place DVR, PS3, Blue Ray located here and be able to send the signals to other TVs in the house) how do I accomplish this? What other features or functions should I consider to make this a great media room for our house?


Thanks,

Dan

 

[CADOBHuK]

Imo, for $3k you should consider either epson 6500ub or jvc dla-rs1 (which is more than $3k most places but not all) .

 

[d james]

I'd check out either the epson 6500 or panasonic 3000, both of which have great features.


I think you could go about 12-16 ft from screen with 110. There are pj calculators that will tell you, but make sure the pj has lens shift if you plan on mounting it in the corner, which might still require some keystone to correct if its to far off center.

 

[CADOBHuK]

I'd consider the sony hw10 and mits hc7000 before panasonic. Both have better contrast and sharper picture, with the sony also having a sealed light path and no danger of dust blobs.

 

[Doug G]

Get a used RS1 from someone looking to upgrade to the latest JVC model. As someone mentioned it has a sealed light path (so no dust blobs), adjustable convergence, superior pixel fill ratio (compared with LCD, so no moire issues with AT screens) and is bright. At 14' throw using a 110" mid-gain (1.3-1.6) screen it will be bright enough even as the bulb approaches the end of its life. Only minor drawback is that its slightly louder than some other units. Mine is mounted overhead and a few feet back from my main listening position and I can only hear it during the quietest of scenes, and when I'm totally engrossed in the movie its really not very noticeable. I bet you can pick up a well cared for unit at just about your indicated price point. IMO, don't waste your time with anything made by Epson, they have major quality issues. (I tried to buy a 1080UB and it was a disaster so I ended up with an RS1x and am really glad I did, well worth the 30% premium!)

 

[kevivoe]

Since you appear to be a fan of Sony, you won't be dissapointed by the VPL-HW10 from Sony.

 

[CADOBHuK]

RS-1 can be bought new inside his price range, in regards to used Art of projectorreviews is considering selling his rs-1 for $2k.

 

[Varrius]

Let's step back a moment. First things first, you need to decide if CIH (constant image height) is important to you or not. Read up on it and decide. This will determine the aspect ratio of your screen. In other words, do you want 2.35 cinamascope movies to completely fill your screen with no black bars (this is accomplished with CIH), or do you want 16:9 HD TV from cable or satallite to completely fill your screen with no bars (this is "normal" for now, in other words it's what happens if you buy a 16:9 plasma or LCD, and called constant width)? Whichever you choose, the other one will be a smaller image and will have black bars on your screen (either at the top or sides, depending which you choose). The advantage of CIH is that the 2.35 movies fill the entire screen (you use a 2.35 ratio screen instead of a 16:9 one), and then 16:9 TV will be the same height, with black bars on the side.


I know all of that probably sounds confusing unless your already familiar with it. You could research it a little more in the CIH forums or I could possibly answer any specific questions you have about the difference of constant height or constant width.


If you decide CIH is important, you will want to strongly consider the AE-3000 Panny, because it can do CIH without using an anamorphic lens setup (thousands of dollars more in most cases).


All of the newer 1080p projectors will provide you with a very nice picture, it's just a matter of what features or picture quality aspects are important to you (such as black level, brightness, etc).


I will personally be going with the AE3000, because I want cinemascope movies to be the biggest, grandest picture in my theater. Perhaps that isn't the case with you, then any of the models could be a good fit. I just wanted to point this out in case it is important to you.

 

[SonyHome]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and information. It sounds like I still have lots to learn about the world of FP. I've owned several rear projection TV since 1996 but I've never owned a FP.


Since we are in the process of finishing our basement our new home we decided to allocate little space for a dedicated HT. Just a thought of getting a 120" picture makes me happy. It's going to make our 70" XBR2 look puny.


Right now I'm leaning towards the VPL-HW10 but it's very slight lean and it's mainly because I've had good results from all the Sony rear projection TVs I've owned up to now.


Varrius mentioned some things about CIH but at this time I'm not sure what that means and if that is important to me yet but would like to learn bit more. Also since I'm really at the beginning stages of my HT build I should have plenty of time to read and learn from you guys.


What do you gain by going little more expensive FP say $5000? Is it mostly subjective or can you really see big differences as you go up in price?


Thanks.

 

[Stitz]

I think one of the first things you should do is go out there and look at these pjs in action and decide what technology you like best. I'm preferential to the DLP picture, its bright with lots of pop. Others like LCD or LCOS. Once you know that, then decide what pj will fit your space and your wallet.

 

[SonyHome]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Stitz /forum/post/15579708


I think one of the first things you should do is go out there and look at these pjs in action and decide what technology you like best. I'm preferential to the DLP picture, its bright with lots of pop. Others like LCD or LCOS. Once you know that, then decide what pj will fit your space and your wallet.

I don't know of any local store that have front projector setup for display. Where would you go to see these in action? I live in Minneapolis, MN.

 

[tbodin]

SonyHome - Best Buy Magnolia has FPs on display as does Halsten AV on north service road of 394 just east of 169.

 

[d james]



Quote:
Originally Posted by SonyHome /forum/post/15576503


Thank you everyone for your suggestions and information. It sounds like I still have lots to learn about the world of FP. I've owned several rear projection TV since 1996 but I've never owned a FP.


Since we are in the process of finishing our basement our new home we decided to allocate little space for a dedicated HT. Just a thought of getting a 120" picture makes me happy. It's going to make our 70" XBR2 look puny.


Right now I'm leaning towards the VPL-HW10 but it's very slight lean and it's mainly because I've had good results from all the Sony rear projection TVs I've owned up to now.


Varrius mentioned some things about CIH but at this time I'm not sure what that means and if that is important to me yet but would like to learn bit more. Also since I'm really at the beginning stages of my HT build I should have plenty of time to read and learn from you guys.


What do you gain by going little more expensive FP say $5000? Is it mostly subjective or can you really see big differences as you go up in price?


Thanks.

Thats funy you mention the 70 inch being small. When I was playing around with my pj I zoomed the picture down as far as it would go, from where it was setup, about 13ft back and the screen looked so small, a litte bigger than my 40 ich tv next to the screen, but still punny. Well I went and measured it and it was 72 inches diagonal, so yes with 120 you will be wondering how you could have luived all these years without it.


I don't know what CIH stands for but I think he is refering to the memorized feature of the AE3000 which will zoom the picture to a 2.35 screen so you don't have to see the black bars on top and bottom when watching. This can be done with any pj by simply adjusting the zoom, and refocusing, but the panny will do it with the flick of a button without any fuss. Of course this is only improtant if you have a 2.35 screen, because with a 1.78 (16x9) screen zooming to 2.35 will cause the picture to go over the sides of the screen since it is longer than the 16x9 screen.

 

[Dansyacht]



Quote:
Originally Posted by SonyHome /forum/post/15576503


Since we are in the process of finishing our basement our new home we decided to allocate little space for a dedicated HT. Just a thought of getting a 120" picture makes me happy. It's going to make our 70" XBR2 look puny.

You might find this article an interesting read:

The Most Important Decision to Make For Your Home Theater


Dan

 

[CADOBHuK]

I'd recommend against hw-10, as projectorreviews blog says it's not even close in blacks to a cheaper epson 6500ub . Projectorreviews also put mitsubishi hc7000 slightly ahead of hw10 in contrast and overall picture quality. Having good experience with other sony front projectors would not be a good reason to choose a particular model, let alone rear projection tvs. In that price range I'd personally consider either epson 6500ub , jvc rs-1 , or benq w20000