[cue03]

I would like to get a projector to basically replace my TV in my living room. Are there any that will work fairly good in a moderatly lite room. Some light will be coming in from around the vertical blinds. Price range is about $5k or less. What key components in a projector should I be looking at? I am just curious as to my options.


Thanks in advance.

 

[JeffDM]

Some people keep a small TV for daytime or lights-on use, and use the projector during the night time.


If the only light leaking is the tiny cracks from between the blinds then I personally think you should be fine. I guess it might not be best for a CRT unit, but most or all digital units can't achieve "perfect" black anyway.


Of course, there are those that will disagree that the light is too much, but without actually seeing your situation, none of us can provide that answer, only opinions based on guesses and personal preferences.


I suggest trying to borrow an inexpensive one some how and seeing how it looks.

 

[kevinsmith]

Cue03

Since I am not sure what you mean by "some light will be coming in from around the vertical blinds" it is hard to say.


Things to look for in a digital pj setup to use with ambient light are high lumens and a high gain screen, of the top of my head the panny 711xu with 1700 lumens combined with a 2.x gain screen would be about as bright as your budget will allow, you can audition something like this in your house to see if it is enough.

kev

 

[kevinsmith]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am not necesarily recomending the 711 with a 2 gain screen, this willl not necesarily give you the ht experience you may be looking for, what I meant to say was that you should check this setup to see if it is bright enough. If it is not then you know fp are not for you, if it is then you can start shopping for a pj accordingly.

kev

 

[Pablo M]

Well I have the same situation... Worst case you can wait till the sun goes down.. Once you see that giant screen, you'll know it was worth it.

Keep a regular tv for daytime viewing.

 

[Carl Brinkman]

CUE,


You will never find a projector/screen that can replace a TV set for all around viewing.


However the new Firehawk screen (starts at about $1k) will let you view with more ambient light than any other screen by far. I have a Marantz DLP with an 82" Firehawk. Got the smallest size to maximize brightness and watch with as much ambient light as possible. I can view any time of the day by pulling reasonably transparent curtains.


But there are still a lot of times when I want to watch something while enjoying the view out of our family room. For those times a projector sucks, you will want to keep your TV.


You need to actually get out and look at some of the cheaper projectors to see if you can live with their limitations of resolution, contrast, potential rainbows, etc. etc. Luckily you are in the Miami area where there are lots of dealers. Over 20 years ago I bought my first audio system from Sound Components in Coral Gables. If they are still in business they have my highest recommendation.

 

[cue03]

Guys, thanks for the info.


Carl, Sound Components are still around. As a matter of fact, that is where I bought all my Paradigm Active Speakers and my Anthem pre/pro.

They are pretty good at taking care of there customers. I will look them up and see what I can work out.


Thanks again to all that has replied so far.

 

[QQQ]

Lots of discussion of this topic below.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2&pagenumber=1