[bdunkle]

First, I'm a bit of a newbie here -- I've read quite a bit but haven't posted much. I am amazed at the collective knowledge within these forums and as I enter week two of building a dedicated addition to my house for a home theater, I've got to ask a question regarding what appears to be an unserved market for home theater projectors:


Are there any affordable 1080p DLP projectors that can light up a 120" wide AT screen (assume 1.1 gain) for sports viewing in some ambient light??


Seems like you either have to give up DLP (not good if you want to watch fast-moving sports action), give up resolution, give up an AT screen setup, or pony up some major dollars. Am I right?


I would think that there would be a HUGE calling for an affordable projector that could fill this bill. I also recognize that I'm asking a lot and that only recently have we seen 1080p quality projectors become affordable. Is this then the Holy Grail for projector manufacturers? Who comes the closest? BenQ W5000/W20000? Infocus IN83?


Let me say thanks in advance to all of you who may take a minute of your time to weigh in on this one.

 

[Tryg]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bdunkle /forum/post/14179488


Are there any affordable 1080p DLP projectors that can light up a 120" wide AT screen (assume 1.1 gain) for sports viewing in some ambient light??

1.What's affordable?

2. What's "light up"?

3. How much ambient light?


The answer to #3 is basically no. Front projection is not really made for environments with ambient light. However with enough horsepower and other setup conditions it is possible to get what some may call a decent image.


You need to go see some setups to get an idea of what's possible. There is not "projector" that is gonna solve this issue.



My quest for such a thing starts with my reviews below. Start with the High Gain and work up

 

[millerwill]

From what I've read, it sounds like the Infocus 82 or 83 might be your best bet at the present.

 

[CADOBHuK]

what about benq w5k or w20k ?

 

[millerwill]

I suggested the Infocus' primarily because of their high brightness.

 

[Tryg]

check out the Canon projectors

 

[Daniel Hutnicki]

the main issue with brightness and projectors is contrast and black levels. The better the home theater projector the better the contrast. The price to pay for really good contrast and black levels is brightness. Typically the best projectors have the lowest lumens and best contrast and the projectors with the higher lumens typically dont have the best contrast.


Take the Panny AX-100 which I think has about 2000 lumens. I have been told that those that really calibrate these machines wind up with about 700 lumens. What was the price for the calibration, 1300 lumen.


So yes, you can find projectors out there with 3000-4500 lumens that will do what you want (not sure if they do 1080p, but I cant imagine they wont in the future) but you wont get the picture you are looking for.


At one point they were coming out with two bulb projectors that were much brighter. Not sure what their status is at this point

 

[rsbeck]

You don't have to give up DLP, but it would be advisable think about giving up ambient light and think about a smaller screen. There are single chip DLP projectors that have the brightness to light up a 120" Wide screen while maintaining contrast, but probably not enough to overcome ambient light. What type of screen are you planning?


Short list of single chip DLP's would include;


Infocus


Planar PD8150


Sim2 D80E


For an example, if you have 700 Lumens (New Lamp) and a screen with 1.1 gain (perforated Firehawk?) you will end up with around 13.5 FtLumens from your screen.


In a light controlled room, that's not bad and with a Firehawk you could probably overcome a bit ambient light, but not much -- and as the bulb dims with use, you'd need to do a better and better job of light control.


With a 108" wide 16:9 screen, you'd start with 17 FtLumens from the screen with a new bulb and you'd have a much easier time overcoming ambient light.

 

[bdunkle]

First -- thanks to those of you that took some time to reply with real suggestions...your experiences and opinions are invaluable since I am trying to DIY this projector selection without actually seeing any of them firsthand in my new room-in-progress. And yes, I know that's not exactly the best way to go about spending $5k or so...but circumstances are dictating that approach.


For those that require some more information...


Ambient Light = some level of internal lighting sufficient for myself and guests in the room to be able to easily see each other and talk trash while sporting events are in progress. That's about as technical as I can get with it...I have no idea what that might equal in terms of quantifiable light units. I can tell you that the only external light to the room is from 2 bay doors at the rear and I intend to put a good set of blinds on those. There are no windows around the 20' wide by 31' long room.


Affordable = my budget is around $5k although if there were something between $5k and $10k that would REALLY make a difference, then I might be able to convince the wife to allow the additional expenditure.


"Light up" - not sure this really needs a definition from me, does it? This would be that most subjective area each person defines differently, depending upon their tastes. I'm simply looking for what most people would consider sufficient illumination on the screen to enjoy a sporting event. Let's not make this more difficult than it has to be.


RE: Canon projectors. What Canon projectors? Their website shows LCOS and LCD models but I didn't see any DLPs -- am I missing something?


So...barring any new information I'm hearing that the Infocus projectors might be my best compromise? Any takers on the BenQs? I'll look into the Sim2 closer in the meantime too.

 

[Jason Turk]

120" wide screen isn't too hard, but there aren't really cheap ones. I use a 125" wide SMX (1.15 gain) screen. I have tested man different projectors, all with good results. However, that is with light control. When you have ambient light, there are 2 things you need to consider...light output and how to maximize contrast. It is easy to make a projector put out 4000 lumens for ambient light, but making it look good...not washed out, is more of a challenge.


How much ambient light are we talking?

 

[Craig Peer]



Quote:
Ambient Light = some level of internal lighting sufficient for myself and guests in the room to be able to easily see each other and talk trash while sporting events are in progress. That's about as technical as I can get with it...I have no idea what that might equal in terms of quantifiable light units. I can tell you that the only external light to the room is from 2 bay doors at the rear and I intend to put a good set of blinds on those. There are no windows around the 20' wide by 31' long room.

Install some dimmable can lights directly above where you sit and the coffee tables or whatever that you will use. That way you can have some light but not wash out your screen.

 

[bdunkle]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Peer /forum/post/14198323


Install some dimmable can lights directly above where you sit and the coffee tables or whatever that you will use. That way you can have some light but not wash out your screen.

That's some good advice -- thx. I've also seen some recess their screen back into the front wall area slightly, I assume to block out some of the stray room light coming from different angles(?)


I really like the idea of the BenQ W20000 matched up with an SMX 1.16 gain screen and the room lighting suggested above as a sufficient compromise.

 

[Jason Turk]

The BenQ would work, you'd probably just have to open the iris during high ambient light times. It's easy to do though.

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

I seriously think an Optoma HD80 would be up for that task. Less the ambient light criteria. Real world tests have shown clearly, just a little ambient light has a real bad detriment on PQ numbers, no matter what projector is used.


So in my opinion this market need has been met.