[Dmiraclejr]

Which of these three projectors would you choose for the following conditions:


60% viewing with some ambient light but not direct, 40% night viewing

110" diag. screen

18 ft throw distance

Wall mount due to 12 ft cathedral ceiling

70% HDTV, 15% movies, 15% sports

To be used main TV and be on about 8 hrs per day


I am really torn between these three and maybe a little less confident in my decision since this will be our first projector.


Thanks for any help/opinions you can provide.

 

[pmuller]

I was about to ask a somewhat similar question but instead of the LG I would include the Panasonic PT-AE4000U. Are you also considering the Panasonic?


Not sure if these bulb pjs are appropriate for this kind of use though (8 hours/day). Seems to me that at least with the 8700UB you would have 2 bulbs in the package, something to consider if you have some budget restriction.

 

[EyeOutThere]

I am in an almost identical situationist as the OP.


I first discounted the Panasonic PT-AE4000U (LCD) becuase it didn't look to be bright enough for a large screen with some ambient light. Same goes for the Epson 8700UB (LCD) to some extent. The Epson also has a reputation for short bulb life (which may outweigh that it comes with a spare). However, of the two, the Epson is brighter and has better PQ according to most people.


Which has had me looking at the BenQ W6000 (DLP)for high light output, contrast, and motion performance. I have not yet looked closely at the LG CF181D (SXRD) though.


Keep in mind, we are dealing with different technologies here that have their own inherent strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Dmiraclejr]

I scratched the Panasonic off quickly since the projector central calculator said it would only give me 10 fL and I needed a brighter projector.


I have read about the Epson 8350 having lots of premature bulb failures but not so much about the 8700UB even though they are very similarly built. I also read that Epson was warranting the bulbs for 2 years no matter how many hours you had on them which would not help you with premature failures past the 2 year mark. Overall I get the impression that the 8700UB should be ok at least for 2 years but do worry a little about the bulbs after that since I will be using it so much. Also projectorreviews.com has a video demonstrating the 8700UB in quite a bit of ambient light and it still looks good to me. I have to admit I am leaning toward the 8700UB but just barely.


I considered getting a refurb W6000 but it only has a 1 year warranty and you can not return them. My family has never used a DLP before so if any of us five see the rainbow effect I would not be able to return it. For that reason I would probably buy it new instead.


The LG sounds like it is a good all around projector with not quite as good of blacks but is a light cannon like the W6000. I am still digging into the details about it.


Finally believe it or not I considered the Casio xj-a240 led since it has 20,000 hours of "lamp" life but ended up feeling that its picture quality would not surfice. If I am going to invest hours of my time for entertainment I want it to be at least at a certain level of quality.


Anyway, does anyone have a particular projector they would pick for my situation?


Thanks.

 

[ack_bk]

I don't own any of the projectors that you mentioned, but I have been looking to upgrade in the near to mid future, and really like everything I have read and seen from the BenQ W6000. I am a big sports guy and will have a big screen (media room is under construction) with some ambient light during the day for sports. My current projector Mits HC4900 is a 1080p LCD, and I am happy with it, but I spent some time not to long ago with the Epson 8700UB and the BenQ W6000 and preferred the BenQ for what I need. LG... I just have a hard time with that company as I have had several friends that had bad experiences with their HDTV's in the past couple years and their customer service was really poor.

 

[Dmiraclejr]

Please help with a recommendation.

Pretty please!!

 

[coderguy]

First recommendation, wait another 30-45 days until after Cedia and some new projectors come out (if you can wait).


Second recommendation, if you don't want to wait, well get a Benq w6000 and pair it with a High Power 2.4 gain screen. Note though that your wall mount for the Benq would need to be pretty low (about 6 feet high if the top of your screen is mounted to 8 foot max). Optimally you'd mount it about 4 to 5 feet high to get closer to the maximum gain. If you are concerned about the warranty, you can get third-party warranties. You will get an insanely bright image by pairing the Benq w6000 with an HP screen. The Benq has an IRIS that can close down quite a bit and reduce the lumens enough as long as you mount it correctly so that even for night-time viewing it shouldn't be too bright. The lens shift is sufficient to get 1.8x to 2.2x gain with a High Power screen. This will give you a best mode of almost 2000 lumens in LAMP high, that is EXTREMELY bright. With the IRIS completely closed and in lamp low, you will get about 1200 lumens. All this depends on where you mount the projector though.


The high power screen gain varies depending on the position you mount the projector in relation to your viewing position. Hence, if the projectors lens was mounted exactly next to your head and the screen was mounted centered, then you'd get the full gain from the screen of about 2.2x to 2.4x gain.


Third recommendation, get a Mits hc4000 and pair it with a High Power screen (or other high gain screen), and then wall-mount it if you can mount it at least around 8 feet high, that is about the right height for a 110" screen I think. With the HP screen and the Mits, you will get about 1.3x gain or so. You can floor mount it instead and get about 1.5x to 1.8x gain depending on how high you sit up.


Fourth recommendation, get the Epson 8700ub and pair it with an HP screen, you can position it perfectly and easily get 1.8x to 2.2x gain. This means the Epson will give you a best mode of about 1200 lumens initially before the lamp wears off.


The Da-Lite HP screen even at 110" can be purchased for much less than $400 for the Manual B-version. The electric and other versions are more.


Disclaimer:

There are a few disadvantages to the High Power screen if you are going to have MANY people in your room at the same time as far as seating arrangements go and viewing cone area. Research it more if needed in the screen threads.

 

[Dmiraclejr]

Thanks coderguy but you keyed in on an important omission I left out in my setup. Lots of viewers with most sitting up to 35 degrees left and right of the center of the screen. My impression is that this situation is not suitable to use with a HP screen. I think I will require a much wider viewing cone.


Thanks for your thorough recs and I will try and hold off until CEDIA. It's sad that my 10 year old 65 " CRT rear projection Mits is still working so well and I don't feel it is adequate anymore! I definitely have the big screen itch and need to scratch it soon.


Thanks again and if you have a screen rec other than the HP I would sure like to know what it is.


Also thanks for your cheat sheet that was so informative.

 

[HuskerOmaha]

I just moved from a Optoma HD72 to the BenQ W6000.


I'm shooting onto a Carada BW (gain 1.1ish) 118".


I use mine for HDTV/Sports 80% / Movies 20%.


I'd say this first: take a trip with your family on the weekend to your local big electronics/home theater store. Ask to watch a DLP with the DC2 chip/or even ask if they have something similar to the BenQ W6000. If they stare at you, just ask to see a DLP.


Then you can find out about rainbows. I think they are becoming less of an issue for most as the color wheels get better.


Anyways, the BenQ has quite the light output. I can have all of the rear lights in my room on, and the picture is nearly that of when I have all lights off at night. When I turn the lights directly overhead of the screen, it washes out a little, but you can still see the image and colors fairly clearly--not that I'd ever have those lights on.


The BenQ is preferably mounted within the height boundaries of your screen. So you'll need to make sure of your drop and figure that out if you choose it.


I have some screen shots and information in my thread here for more info.


I'm happy so far, and at $1500 refurbished, it is kind of hard to beat. You still have the same warranty as a new one (other than the cash back/30 day return).


I guess if you have done this much work, and it is a contender, if you choose it I don't see how you will be disappointed if it is your first projector.

 

[chumpchange21]

Coderguy is right, wait for Cedia, especially since its right around the corner. I think its important that most people do the right amount of prep. reading/understanding and research about projectors and HT. It's not smart to just throw all this amount of money and time into something you won't have your googley eyes. Although most people tend to be amazed at the quality as first time projector owners, you should still do your homework.


See what comes out at CEDIA, and prices might drop all around as a result of clearing old models. The W6000 has been around for a while now and may take a further price drop as a result. The W6000 refurbs were for a while out of stock because it was a such a great steal for price/value. Not sure if they still have them in stock.


If you're going going to consider the HC4000, you should also consider the W1100/W1200. Rest assured, the HC4000, W1100/W1200 all have 4x color wheel speeds so it should be fast enough against RBE. The main difference between the W1100 and W1200 is that the W1200 carries frame interpolation and has slightly better contrast ratio and picture quality; however it has slightly less lumen output as well. For entry level projectors that are of great bang for buck it'd probably be the W1100 out of the rest. It's extremely bright, great picture quality, extremely sharp images and details, got PBP, 4x color wheel. The BenQs also have onboard speakers if you were to ever do a portable set up.


What is your budget exactly? Because it does sound like the best recommendation out there right now is still the W6000 BenQ. Wait till after CEDIA and see if there is a further price reduction on the W6000.