[wings516]

Ended up with a horribly nasty taste of an LED TV I bought and it looks like I am not going to reach any compromises in that market. Not really sure I want to go back to plasma, so I thought I would check out the projector scene.

The room I watch/play media in is almost always dark (walkout basement) and dark movies/shows/games would always show the horrible flashlighting on my led tv. Done. My biggest concern is that my viewing space is too small for something like this.

Question is, is a projector the way to go in these types of setups? I scanned posts here and most people are either playing them directly onto a wall or using them in very large rooms. Being in the basement, my usable viewing area is about 6' up and ~8' wide. I do game, want 3D and my wall is a light beige color. Will I still need a screen? I think I want what everyone wants. A big viewing zone, dark blacks, quick response and great color.

My seating arrangement is about 10-15' from the wall.

That being said, I THINK the BenQ w0170 or the Optoma 141x may be the right choice for me... Can anyone set me on the right path? I don't really mind spending up to $1,800 on a setup, as that's what I bought my now returned TV for.

 

[kyle85]

You can get a benq w1070 and a 110" diag screen for less then 900 on amazon so you well under the budget, all though you might have to go with a 100" screen if you have exactly 8ft wide and no more. Both of those will fit in your height requirement though

The benq has low input lag so it will be fine for games and also has 3d. The colors look great to me even on my satin grey walls till i decide what size screen i want.

I don't know much about the optoma 141x but i believe that is a 2x color wheel which is worse then the benq 6x.

 

[Tedd]

Ever consider an acoustically transparent screen and wall?


Something like Pocoloco's basement?

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/19-dedicated-theater-design-construction/1036161-pocoloco-theater.html

 

[wings516]

You can get a benq w1070 and a 110" diag screen for less then 900 on amazon so you well under the budget, all though you might have to go with a 100" screen if you have exactly 8ft wide and no more. Both of those will fit in your height requirement though

The benq has low input lag so it will be fine for games and also has 3d. The colors look great to me even on my satin grey walls till i decide what size screen i want.

I don't know much about the optoma 141x but i believe that is a 2x color wheel which is worse then the benq 6x.

I can take some solid measurements tonight and report back. Probably my best bet rather than ballparking.

Ever consider an acoustically transparent screen and wall?


Something like Pocoloco's basement?

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/19-dedicated-theater-design-construction/1036161-pocoloco-theater.html

Extremely awesome idea, but might be more than I certainly could undertake. This would probably work since I have a finished basement and the walls have about 12-16" of clearance behind them before hitting the brick, but I just don't have the functional ability to do this.

 

[ertoil]

according to HDTV Test none of them pass the "blacker than black" and "white" exams

Optoma is only 2x wheel and has poorly accurated skin tones........

I bet a HD ready projector has better "price/quality" ratio for 84-92 or 106 inches

You can also forget the LED tv and search a good big Plasma
from Samsung

 

[Tedd]

Build out from the finished walls. BigMouthinDC has a two goal post method that is pretty easy to do.

Here's my room with some measurements.

Or you could go with a painted screen. MississippiMan has all kinds of formulations in the Screen DIY sub forum.
And there's a commercial paint product called Screen Goo which produces an excellent screen.

 

[wings516]

The viewing dimensions to remain centered on where the sectional is...
6'8" High and 10' Wide

according to HDTV Test none of them pass the "blacker than black" and "white" exams

Optoma is only 2x wheel and has poorly accurated skin tones........

I bet a HD ready projector has better "price/quality" ratio for 84-92 or 106 inches

You can also forget the LED tv and search a good big Plasma
from Samsung

Heh, the 8500? Unfortunately the $3,800 price tag is wayyyy out of my budget. I think they are the way to go 100% as well, but I'm also not as educated in them to say this is a good plasma outside of what amazon reviews says; I am willing to look into others, but it doesn't seem like many pass with flying colors for the price tag on them.

When you say it doesn't pass the "blacker than black" test, is it better than or equal to an LED tv? What about the clouding/flashlighting you get? Does it look like the whole thing is under a flashlight and you can't really see the black? I have seen some pictures on here of black scenes but it is hard for me to tell...

Build out from the finished walls. BigMouthinDC has a two goal post method that is pretty easy to do.

Here's my room with some measurements.

Or you could go with a painted screen. MississippiMan has all kinds of formulations in the Screen DIY sub forum.
And there's a commercial paint product called Screen Goo which produces an excellent screen.

I may go with a screen. I don't really have a ton of light coming in as the window and door are a good 20+ feet away from the viewing area as it is.

 

[kyle85]

This is a w1070 on a plain grey satin wall that's I didn't paint with anything special for a screen and looks pretty good to me

 

[ertoil]

The viewing dimensions to remain centered on where the sectional is...
6'8" High and 10' Wide




Heh, the 8500? Unfortunately the $3,800 price tag is wayyyy out of my budget. I think they are the way to go 100% as well, but I'm also not as educated in them to say this is a good plasma outside of what amazon reviews says; I am willing to look into others, but it doesn't seem like many pass with flying colors for the price tag on them.

When you say it doesn't pass the "blacker than black" test, is it better than or equal to an LED tv? What about the clouding/flashlighting you get? Does it look like the whole thing is under a flashlight and you can't really see the black? I have seen some pictures on here of black scenes but it is hard for me to tell...



I may go with a screen. I don't really have a ton of light coming in as the window and door are a good 20+ feet away from the viewing area as it is.

well, yes you re right...a good big plasma is pretty expensive !

Yes, today LED TV,s(good ones) have better blacks and white than these entry level projectors, i mean Sony, Panasonic;Samsung


Plasma black level : 0.01 - 0.02 cd/m2
Led black level : 0.05 cd/m2

Benq w1070 black level : 0.07 to 0.12 cd/m3 (Digital versus review-depends on the screen quality and other factors)

problem with this Benq is that maximum white is 90 cd/m2
for example the plasma Samsung F8500 can be calibrated
at 200 cd/m2 with 0.01 cd/m2 blacks....in a pitch black room this is astonishing much better than a real cinema theather

For less than 90 inches a HD Ready projector can do the job
very cheap

 

[wings516]

well, yes you re right...a good big plasma is pretty expensive !

Yes, today LED TV,s(good ones) have better blacks and white than these entry level projectors, i mean Sony, Panasonic;Samsung


Plasma black level : 0.01 - 0.02 cd/m2
Led black level : 0.05 cd/m2

Benq w1070 black level : 0.07 to 0.12 cd/m3 (Digital versus review-depends on the screen quality and other factors)

problem with this Benq is that maximum white is 90 cd/m2
for example the plasma Samsung F8500 can be calibrated
at 200 cd/m2 with 0.01 cd/m2 blacks....in a pitch black room this is astonishing much better than a real cinema theather

For less than 90 inches a HD Ready projector can do the job
very cheap

Very useful information! My argument is that LED tvs may have better blacks, but is that only in the areas where flashlighting/clouding is not occurring? I would say it is probably a better thing to have a set level of black that is slightly less black versus a highly contrasted level of black across the picture... thoughts there?

I did find an old Samsung 5300B plasma at my local Samsung. Only gripe being no 3D, but its only $600....

What kind of price range am I looking at for deeper black? I'm ok with going up to $1,800 if there is anything in that range.

 

[ertoil]

you said it is for an almost always dark room :

then search a top of the range Panasonic/Samsung Plasma (60 inch) (Expensive) or a Sony home cinema projector (entry level model) (Less Expensive)

If you want to try a Led...read HDTV Test reviews on the web for black level and price analisys