[coregmrconman]

So I got one shot to buy a decent projector/television and I am about to literally flip a coin on the decision. Can you please help me in deciding?


My Room--

10x12, drop ceiling, no windows, brown walls, full light control.


What I Watch/Do--

DirectTV HD

Games (360-ps3)

Sports

Blu-Ray


What I like--

really enjoy the pop effect of an HDTV. The feeling of the item is almost 3D. Is this obtainible through Front Projectors?


I was at a local store yesterday and they had 3 pj's running. they all looked so dull. the hd picture looked as if it was standard def on my older hitachi lcd rptv. It was pathetically bad. there was a huge amount of SDE from about 15 feet away on about a 150" screen. i played with the settings the best i could b4 i got yelled at by the salesman for fiddling with stuff, but all my attempts failed.


my options now are a 52" samsung 650 series lcd, optoma hd80, or the Epson 6100. i have to be honest, after seeing the projectors, i'm hugely disappointed.


can you guys talk me down from the lcd without the size argument?

 

[Jim McC]

I love my projector, but I wouldn't buy one for a room that small.

 

[schroedk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jim mcc /forum/post/15408573


i love my projector, but i wouldn't buy one for a room that small.

+1

 

[kcb]

I just bought my first projector, a Sanyo PLV-1080HD. My room is also light controlled 12x10 and I'm projecting a 103" image that is quite good with a Black Widow painted screen. I'm still tweaking but so far I'm impressed. Has just as much "pop" as my 1080P 42" lcd or my 60" Sony SXRD set.


I think the projectors look dull in the store because of the ambient light. Seating is around nine feet and I do not see any SDE until you get about four feet away.


I watch Directv HD, Blu Ray and HTPC. I really couldn't be any more happy for the small amount of money I have into this setup.

 

[coregmrconman]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim McC /forum/post/15408573


I love my projector, but I wouldn't buy one for a room that small.

i plan on using an ~80" screen. would that make your decision the same.

 

[JasG]

Other than high end AV stores, I have never seen a store projector that displayed well....


My room is 14 x 12 and I have a 92" diagonal screen, so your room size should be fine unless you want 4 rows of reclining theater seating

.


I recently bought an HD71, my 3rd DLP - second Optoma and was blown away by it. It is like a big plasma with the light controlled, watchable with moderate lighting.

 

[mjg100]

There are a lot of people that have projectors set up in small rooms. If you go to the dedicated room thread you will find a thread dedicated to small room theaters. There are pictures of a lot of rooms and many of them are smaller than yours. I have a small dedicated room. My room is 13'-5" deep and 11'-5" wide. I project a 106" image. I prefer to watch in this room with my projector rather than my 50" SXRD 1080p TV even though the TV set up has much better audio equipment.

 

[donatelloa]

My .02 ... I would get the TV and the speakers set up just the way you want and perfect. Then a year from now or even more you can get a projector and have the screen drop down in front of the TV with an Acoustically Transparent surface so the sound will go through. Then you get both! That is what i did and now I have an awesome 60" plasma and kick ass B&W speakers (last year) and for this x-mas I got a epson 6100 and a Seymour av 97" screen. going from 60 -100" is crazy! 1080P on a 6100 on a high gloss screen is truly amazing.

 

[coregmrconman]

i already got my audio covered. n ive saved for the past two years for this purchase. thats why i am stressin out.

 

[ondaedg]

Are you going to use a wall for a screen? How far back from where the screen/wall are you going to be sitting? Can you mount to a ceiling?

 

[coregmrconman]

putting a shelf on rear wall to mount a pj. walls are 12 feet apart. i.ll be sitting between 6 and 9 feet away.

 

[nigel_ht]



Quote:
Originally Posted by coregmrconman /forum/post/15408521


What I like--

really enjoy the pop effect of an HDTV. The feeling of the item is almost 3D. Is this obtainible through Front Projectors?

Art's blog of the recent Epson 6500UB was gushing, touting the pop and depth of it's image. It's a bright projector with good black levels.

Quote:
I was at a local store yesterday and they had 3 pj's running. they all looked so dull.

Yes, I had the same experience at the local Magnolia. Did you see the Epson 6100?


A large part of the pop is brightness. I'd be surprised if the 6100 lacked pop even from a big box store since they tend to overdrive anything because pop sells and it's a bright projector to begin with.


The decent 52" LCD will typically show more depth/pop than most projectors because it's image is so much brighter. Showing side by side the projector will look dull...especially if properly calibrated in low power mode.


On the other hand, even with a 52" screen, it's hard to get immersion for movies. Size matters.

 

[reconlabtech]

My room is 12 x 12 and my PJ projects 10'8" onto a 92" screen painted on the wall:


Middle of the day with the shade pulled:

Later on in the evening:

 

[gwlaw99]

Are you sure the projectors were calibrated with at least an AVIA disk?

 

[jumbo11]



Quote:
Originally Posted by coregmrconman /forum/post/15409365


i plan on using an ~80" screen. would that make your decision the same.

My room is 10x12 and I have an 83" screen. I sit 7-8 away from the screen and it's huge. Anything bigger is an overkill unless you're going for a 2.35:1 screen.


My projector is 720p and it looks great @ the given distance.


If I were you I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[mjg100]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jumbo11 /forum/post/15414528


My room is 10x12 and I have an 83" screen. I sit 7-8 away from the screen and it's huge. Anything bigger is an overkill unless you're going for a 2.35:1 screen.


My projector is 720p and it looks great @ the given distance.


If I were you I wouldn't hesitate.

I agree. My room is 13'-5" deep. I lost 3" of the depth due to the sound panels and screen mounted on the front wall. The projector is large (Planar) so I lost 18" there. I have a 11'-8" throw onto a 106" screen that i view from 11 feet. I am using a 720p projector. No way I would want a TV in place of the projector.

 

[FremontRich]



Quote:
Originally Posted by coregmrconman /forum/post/15408521


So I got one shot to buy a decent projector/television and I am about to literally flip a coin on the decision. Can you please help me in deciding?


My Room--

10x12, drop ceiling, no windows, brown walls, full light control.


What I Watch/Do--

DirectTV HD

Games (360-ps3)

Sports

Blu-Ray


What I like--

really enjoy the pop effect of an HDTV. The feeling of the item is almost 3D. Is this obtainible through Front Projectors?


I was at a local store yesterday and they had 3 pj's running. they all looked so dull. the hd picture looked as if it was standard def on my older hitachi lcd rptv. It was pathetically bad. there was a huge amount of SDE from about 15 feet away on about a 150" screen. i played with the settings the best i could b4 i got yelled at by the salesman for fiddling with stuff, but all my attempts failed.


my options now are a 52" samsung 650 series lcd, optoma hd80, or the Epson 6100. i have to be honest, after seeing the projectors, i'm hugely disappointed.


can you guys talk me down from the lcd without the size argument?

I would never judge a projector based on seeing one at a brick and mortar store. Most projectors they exhibit are incorrectly calibrated and consequently the image sucks. They are biased against projectors and will pressure you to buy a flat panel.

 

[coregmrconman]

why do they hate fpj?

 

[XaNe]

Cause they want your to fork out more money for a flat panel.

 

[reconlabtech]



Quote:
Originally Posted by coregmrconman /forum/post/15427628


why do they hate fpj?

I don't think anyone hates PJs but there are those who prefer a high quality flat panel over a PJ. There is a whole area in this forum dedicated to flat panels and that's where you can find great info about which to buy, what to expect, calibration, and other tips and help when they break.


This area of the forum is for PJ folks and we will usually help you figure out how to set yourself up with one except in those circumstances where because of your particular room and restrictions, you really would not be able to benefit from the best qualities of having a PJ.


Stores however are interested in moving the products that make the most profit and require the least amount of effort for the customer so that after-sales support doesn't kill them.