[CJsieve]

Hi all

I'm looking for the best projection solution considering these constraints: room with all white walls, large blank wall of about 15x15 foot for projection, sitting 15-16 feet away for viewing. Constraints are not going to change (rent). Screen not an option. To add insult to injury, quite some daylight coming in through huge windows - evenings and nights OK regarding light control.

What would you recommend based on these "handicaps"? Is there any high end projector that would maximise experience (I realise it won't be optimal - I'm looking to get the best I can get considering circumstances)? Should I go with a budget one considering it's going to be bad anyway? Or is any projector a waste of money?

Many thanks

 

[Mike Garrett]

Hi all

I'm looking for the best projection solution considering these constraints: room with all white walls, large blank wall of about 15x15 foot for projection, sitting 15-16 feet away for viewing. Constraints are not going to change (rent). Screen not an option. To add insult to injury, quite some daylight coming in through huge windows - evenings and nights OK regarding light control.

What would you recommend based on these "handicaps"? Is there any high end projector that would maximise experience (I realise it won't be optimal - I'm looking to get the best I can get considering circumstances)? Should I go with a budget one considering it's going to be bad anyway? Or is any projector a waste of money?

Many thanks

Budget?
What are you wanting to use the projector for, movies, sports, gaming, 3D?
Are you planing on using a lot of hours as in this will be your TV?
Are you covering the windows, any at all?
How much ambient light do you have? A picture would help.

 

[CJsieve]

Budget?
What are you wanting to use the projector for, movies, sports, gaming, 3D?
Are you planing on using a lot of hours as in this will be your TV?
Are you covering the windows, any at all?
How much ambient light do you have? A picture would help.

Projector is for movies / TV. It will be my only "TV" but I don't spend that many hours in front of one anyway.

Windows are covered by light curtains - daylight comes through relatively well. Very little ambient light at night.

Budget around 4K (the amount, not the resolution ;-) for TV or projector. I'd rather have the projector because it's such a huge wall.

thanks

 

[blee0120]

I would grab something cheap like a Benq W1070

 

[Mike Garrett]

Projector is for movies / TV. It will be my only "TV" but I don't spend that many hours in front of one anyway.

Windows are covered by light curtains - daylight comes through relatively well. Very little ambient light at night.

Budget around 4K (the amount, not the resolution ;-) for TV or projector. I'd rather have the projector because it's such a huge wall.

thanks

Take a look at the Sony HW40ES or HW55ES. If we can help you, give us a call.

 

[Seegs108]

If you were to pick up some cheap velvet-like fabric and tack up (it doesn't need to be permanently installed) about 3-4 feet wide across the entire length of the ceiling above the image (to help reduce reflections back on to the image which would wash the image out) you could easily get away with using a white wall and still get a decent image. I agree with Mike. Check out the Sony VPL-HW40ES or 55ES. The 55ES is quite a bit better due to a massive advantage in contrast performance. Well worth the premium over the 40ES. Give Mike a call if you're interested in the Sony. He'll have great pricing on that unit.

 

[zombie10k]

Projector is for movies / TV. It will be my only "TV" but I don't spend that many hours in front of one anyway.

Windows are covered by light curtains - daylight comes through relatively well. Very little ambient light at night.

Budget around 4K (the amount, not the resolution ;-) for TV or projector. I'd rather have the projector because it's such a huge wall.

thanks

Can you post of a photo of the room with the average amount of light it will have during viewing, it will help determine what it's going to look like with the recommended projectors being discussed.

 

[Ron Jones]

Hi all

I'm looking for the best projection solution considering these constraints: room with all white walls, large blank wall of about 15x15 foot for projection, sitting 15-16 feet away for viewing. Constraints are not going to change (rent). Screen not an option. To add insult to injury, quite some daylight coming in through huge windows - evenings and nights OK regarding light control.

What would you recommend based on these "handicaps"? Is there any high end projector that would maximise experience (I realise it won't be optimal - I'm looking to get the best I can get considering circumstances)? Should I go with a budget one considering it's going to be bad anyway? Or is any projector a waste of money?

Many thanks

Can you change out the window drapes, shades or what ever. Remember that when you look at that white wall with the room lighting you are going to be dealing with, then that is how dark that any blacks in the projected image can appear. If the wall appears fairly bright then the projected image is going to have very low contrast and is going to look washed out.


A fairly high light output projector, like the Sony models suggested above, can help, but you will really need to control the light coming thru the large window. Also if you are allowed to hang pictures on that wall then you may be able to use a fixed frame screen since some of these only require a couple small brackets be attached to the wall and then the screen hung from these brackets.


Even though I'm a "projector guy" and have used one for a home theater for the past 41 years (that's not a typo), for a situation like yours a large flat panel may be a better solution. For example, Costco has the Vizio P70 (70" 4K/UHD) on sale for $2K until the end of this month. It's certainly not large enough for a real home theater (by those of us on the "projector" forum), but would be better for dealing with significant ambient light than would the projector/white wall alternative. That being said, if you are willing to accept not so great daytime results from a projector/white wall setup, then at night when the ambient light issue goes away, the projector setup would get you closer to a real theater experience.

 

[mark haflich]

The white wall for a screen presents several issues. A gain screen would help reduce the half angle and will reject light bouncing off the screen, hitting room boundaries, and bouncing back to the screen washing things out to some extent. Further, sheet rock is a rough surface and that surface will degrade the image. Hanging a screen will damage the wall no more than hanging a few pictures. I would go with a screen gain of at least 1.3 and there are fabrics such as Firehawk (with a gain of only 1.1 but a very reduced half angle anyway) that would help your ambient light situation.

 

[Deja Vu]

Here's an alternative solution:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/paint_perfect_screen_$100.htm?page=Paint-the-Wall.

 

[chrisreeves]

Go for it, you'll love it. Once you have it the bug will hit and you'll figure out creative ways to darken your floors or ceilings without permanently changing them - like Seegs said.The velvet stretch fabric tacked to the wall is a great idea - I've done it before myself.

 

[lespurgeon]

In your situation light output is more important for you than contrast on the projector. Something like an Epson 8350 or Panasonic AR-100u would be as good as a $4k unit in your case. There are screens that can help a bit, I've heard talk of but not used a black diamond screen. Putting a dark, flat area around the screen, even a 6" flat black frame around it, will help.

 

[James of Az]

Epson 3600e /3500
Great light output 2500 lumen
$100 on paint
http://youtu.be/GhKZakwEup0

http://youtu.be/aSgsGAyT1nE

 

[mark haflich]

In your situation light output is more important for you than contrast on the projector. Something like an Epson 8350 or Panasonic AR-100u would be as good as a $4k unit in your case. There are screens that can help a bit, I've heard talk of but not used a black diamond screen. Putting a dark, flat area around the screen, even a 6" flat black frame around it, will help.

Will help exactly what? All a frame does that doesn't hold the reflective material is it ensure a black sharp border and hide any overscan which isn't an issue with a screen bigger than the image projector. Many cheapsters like to save money by using a painted wall as a screen. And they are so proud. In reality a sheet rock wall is a very rough surface and is not a good choice to use with a high quality projector. I suggest one get a piece of sheet rock, paint it with whatever magic paint, and then compare the image shined on it to the image shined on some decent screen material samples. Put a sharp grid up, an o off pixel pattern, whatever, and examine the contrast transitions. I have done this and while painted sheet rock will work as a screen and make people who did it happy, a DIY project to save bucks, but they are really cheating themselves by significantly lowering image quality. You can save work and money by using a white bed stretched tight to the wall instead of some $100 paint.

 

[stanger89]

Even though I'm a "projector guy" and have used one for a home theater for the past 41 years (that's not a typo), for a situation like yours a large flat panel may be a better solution. For example, Costco has the Vizio P70 (70" 4K/UHD) on sale for $2K until the end of this month.

Yeah, I'm kind of with Ron on this one. If this is your only TV, and those are your room constraints I'd just get a TV. Projectors (unless you get an LED one, and those are expensive and/or not very bright) don't really make great TVs. They've got extended warmup periods, and shutdown periods. "Striking" the lamp causes the most wear so you really don't want to just flip it on for 5 minutes to catch the news/weather. And on top of that, any projector, no matter how bright, is going to be worthless in a white box with ambient daylight.

This is really key, and shouldn't be forgotten:

..when you look at that white wall with the room lighting you are going to be dealing with, then that is how dark that any blacks in the projected image [will] appear.