[mab34]

I need some help narrowing down choices. Yes I've spent a couple weeks reading now, but the learning curve is steep and I'm hoping for some suggestions. I have never owned a PJ before.


I have a modified Sony DVPNC685V DVD/SACD/CD player with SET tube output that is my current source(audio). The specs say it outputs 480P. I will likely be using it the most with the PJ. I can foresee myself wanting eventually to hook up my computer and maybe cable/HDTV, but for awhile I'd be happy just watching DVD's. I do not play games so any features that are particular to that are unecessary for me. I plan to ceiling mount and have a room that is only 11.5' deep. I know this limits screen size but if I could get a 57X40 image (or a little wider) I'd be happy for now. Much bigger and I could not sit more than 1.5X the distance back from the screen. DLP or LCD is fine with me, I think with such a small image some of the problems with each should be less problematic. Ambient light shouldn't be a huge problem- there is some but I can control it if necessary. I see advantages to both 16:9 and 4:3 but I'm not sold on either. The vertical offset may be an issue as I would like this to project as near to the ceiling as possible.


My budget for this needs to stay under about $2500 but I'd certainly be happy spending less. In time I may finally move and get a bigger room but for the next year or so I'll be staying put. I'd guess that nearly 100% of my viewing would be DVD's for now but I may try to venture into HDTV. Cable would be nice but I get the impression it won't look very good?


Any help setting me straight would be appreciated.

 

[jacksonian]

You have a lot of choices here and I think you'll need to give a little more info or narrow down your priorities to get what you want.


57x40 is about a 70" diagonal 4:3 set. That's pretty small for front projection, you could certainly go bigger than that.


1- Have you seen either DLP or LCD? I recommend you see at least one of each, most people seem to like one image or the other. I'm not sure that a smaller image will lessen the chance of rainbows, although it should help some with screendoor.


2- Do you have access to HDTV? Regular cable will look very good at that size, it often looks very good on my 106" screen. I would strongly consider going HD soon if you can, it looks amazing on that big screen.


3- For $2500 you could get a 1280x720 LCD like the Sanyo Z2 or the Panny 500, both excellent contenders. Or you could get the NEC LT240K, a 1024x768 DLP machine.


4- So what's really important to you? For $2500 you can have about anything you want.