Cheap projector vs. expensive RPTV

Try doing a cost analysis:


Price of RPTV vs. PJ


I included with my PJ the cost of replacement lamp bulbs, then looked to see when the prices were about the same.


Example:


HD 52" TV = $6,000


X1 PJ = $850


[Note that prices will always vary, as technology is always evolving, supply & demand needs change, etc.]


At about $300 per lamp, you'll reach the cost of $6,000 for the PJ after purchasing a little over 16 lamps, which you'll burn up at a rate of about every year or 1 1/2 years - so if you go with replacing the lamp every year, you'll catch up with the cost of that HD TV in about 16 years.


The HD TVs I researched have the possibility of getting "picture burn-in" after what, 5 years? (This may not be a major issue, and may actually be a statistically improbable event, but I personally dreaded what the cost might be to get something like this fixed! I went with the mindset that it would probably be safer to simply replace whatever appliance broke down, once the item was no longer covered by warranty...)


Of course, there's other variables involved, and I'm generalizing a lot, but you're going to need to consider what's your primary concerns, such as:


1) Quality vs. size of displayed media,

2) Life expectancy of the technology,

3) Costs of any possible repairs/maintenance

4) [FILL IN YOUR PREFERENCES HERE]


Good luck!

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I watched 24 and Medium last night on my 4805. Wife will watch Idol tonight. Lost tomorrow night, maybe West Wing as well....


I love watching TV on my 4805.


I'm not tooo concerned with bulb life though. Even with DLP RPTV's, you've got to deal with bulb life.

Great Question Dave.


I'm in the same spot.

I'm building a new room 17 x 20 and I'm leaning towards getting one of the new Samsung 61" 1080P for about $4500 or putting together a Front Projector for the same price. It appears dollar for dollar you get a higher picture Quality with the DLP. If I wanted a 1080 picture in projector I'm in the $7000 to $10,000 range. Also I watch about 80 percent TV and 20 percent Movies. Do most people watch there regular shows on these big screens too?


I watch alot of HD currently on my 36 CRT in my my family room and I see me doing the same in this HT room. I Think I'm going to run a wire run to were I would drop a projector in someday, if I change my mind. Maybe I could drop down the screen on movie night. Can't tell the Wife that now she would be all over me...


P.S

Not sure if the comparison a couple above me was a fair one....Thanks Mike

Check out these projectors: Panasonic Home PT-AE700U and Sony VPL-HS51. The Panny is only $2200 bucks street then Sony is around $3200. Both run off three 720p LCDs. The Panny will toss a 100 inch screen no problem, and the Sony can toss a larger one. They are not state of the art DLP but you probably will not be able to tell any difference, especially in a light controlled room. As long as you are not a picture-snob both of these projectors will do a good job in a consumer level media room.


A good thing/concept to keep in mind is look at your room and decide how big you can go and how big you want to go. 65 inches or less go rear projection; more than that go rear. As a side note both of the projectors above (especially the Panny) can be zoomed in our out to change screen size without moving the projector, that way you can watch movies on a big screen and watch sports or play video games on a smaller screen (watching sports or playing games close to a giant screen will cause eye strain due to the amount of eye movement requires to move across a large screen) without moving around the projector.


Be careful on these boards, because people will often brag about their state of the art high end gear and act like you cannot get a decent picture out of something that costs less that 4-5 grand. You do not need state of the art to get a great picture, a lot of the state of the art gear just gives incremental or subjective improvement for a much higher price. I'd check out this site for a summary review of a lot of projectors: projectorcentral.com/home-theater-multimedia-projectors.htm


Just remember you do not have to get the latest greatest to get a good picture.


Also, with regards to lamps: both rear projection DLP tvs and front projectors require lamp replacement. The lamps in front projectors typically last 2000 hours or so. That is 5.5 hours per day for a year. So you should not reduce your TV watching to save lamp life, unless you are watching a lot of TV, and if you watch that much the lamp replacement won't be a big deal.

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Just as a comment on waiting: I am all for waiting for what you want/need to become available but if you are watching 80% TV then paying the premium for 1080p probably isn't worth it since the vast majority of TV is in 720p and then 1080i. 1080p will be good for HTPC/computer display and HD DVD/BluRay movies but we are not even sure of that yet because they are not yet available. And that is going to cost a ton on top of the already premium priced 1080p TV. I know you want the best tech available but it may not be the best bang for your buck considering your uses. Of course I would want the 1080p too if money was no object!

Another thing about bulb life: Not all are created equal. My SP-4805 has a bulb life rating of 4000 hours in eco-mode (which is the default, and often too bright for many), which translates to 2 years of 5.5 hours a day. Every day.


In the end, I don't worry a bit about bulb life, and watch TV on it all the time. $300 for a bulb in 2 years, that'll restore my DLP projector to like-new performance? Small price to pay, I'd say.


The Panny AE700U seems to be a popular choice in this price range, but make sure you demo some DLP units as well. Everyone is different in what they like & dislike about certain images, so make up your own mind. Most here will extoll the virtues of their individual projector, so take it with a grain of salt. There are certain ones that have really attracted huge followings, tho, so they bear looking into.


The idea about a plasma & a 480p DLP projector is pretty spiffy, tho. Why not have both?

Thanks Flash and Everyone


Based on this tread and my long conversation with the Wife last night. One of many more to come. We are going with the FP.


Flash or anyone

It funny you mentioned projetorcentral.com. I found it last night when I searching the INTERNET. It's a great site. Last light I put a short list of projectors. 2 of them are the ones you mentioned were on my list. I know I'm changing subjects a little bit. But what would be Plus/ Minuses to these units. I've placed them in order of what I read about them.


1. Sony VPL-HS51

2. Panansonic PT-AE700u

3. Infocus 4508


Couple of General Questions.


Is one type perform better that the other DLP vs LCD?


I also noticed the Sony unit shows a contract ratio of 6000 to 1 and the Pany is 2000 to 1. Is this a big difference in picture quality? My CRT in my family room is a Panny and I like there video stuff a great deal


I know alot of this is subjective stuff. I know I have a lot of reading to do and plan on searching this site...Thanks Mike

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They're all pretty highly regarded in their respective price ranges. You're basically looking at $1k, $2K, and $3K projectors, and all have their own relative merits.


As far as LCD vs DLP, that's an individual taste thing, like supercharger vs turbocharger. Both give great performance, but there is a ton of info on this site about the relative merits of each. Both have their champions and detractors. The only way is to let your own eyes decide.


Yes, all else being equal, higher contrast=better picture, but the manufacturers claims need to be taken with a grain of salt. Not everyone measures the same way, and I don't think there is a consumer-level projector that will measure anywhere near an actual 6000:1 contrast ratio.


Bottom line, though, is that you really won't go wrong with any of the 3. 4805 is the only DLP of the 3, and is the superior bang-for-the-buck projector. AE700 is the current most highly-regarded LCD 720p entry projector. HS-51 is... well, there's a lot of controversy there, but the majority feel that it is an outstanding HT projector. Also LCD.


General rules of thumb are that DLP will be more expensive for the same resolution as LCD. What this also means is that for $XXXX, you can get a higher resolution LCD than DLP. DLP, however, tends to have a better contrast ratio, which makes the images brighter & have darker black levels, while LCD tends to have a great color saturation. The comparisons go on and on.


Like I said, tho, there isn't really one clear and definitive choice overall. How much do you want to spend? That should dictate which one you buy. If you plan on watching a large amount of HDTV, you should opt for one of the 720p projectors, as the added lines of resolution only really come into play for HD; DVD resolution is 480p. While the 480p projector will give you a great HD image, the added pixels of the 720p projector will show in good HD content.


Heck, flip a coin, man!