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Lets start easy

879 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by speed32219, May 16, 2007

Blue Chip

Discussion Starter · May 16, 2007

Hey guys - I've been using this forum for a long time as an almost exclusive tool to guide my purchases - most recently an LG PC1D 60" plasma.

I'm getting ready to move into a new house with a 17 X 21 bonus room. I have complete control over the ambient lighting as well - the screen will likely go over the only window in the room.

That being said - I'm looking for a projector as this will be a dedicated theater room - likely not used for every day TV however, football, movies, some HD programming will all be watched in there. I have been reading for days on end about projectors, etc... there is simply too much information for me to process... and I realize that you all have forgotten more today that I will be able to learn in a month....

A few questions first -

DLP or LCD? I am VERY sensative to noise - as I had an RCA DLP that I sold due to the sound of the color wheel.

After reading the Mitsu thread - I am gathering that tuning is a bit of an issue for the black levels.

I'm planning on a ceiling mount - likely above the back row of seating.

I'd prefer to keep the projector under $2K and the screen around $1K... am I missing something? If I can rationalize the difference of a few hundred dollars for a CLEARLY superior screen or pj I will -

So - short of "what's the best screen and projector combo in my price range" question.....

What's the best screen and pj combo in my price range?

Thanks all!

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gwlaw99

· #2 · May 16, 2007

I think you are going to have to go LCD if you are going to mount it at 17 or 21 feet. Only LCD projectors in your price range have a long enough throw. LCDs are also quieter.

Personally I would get a $2800 Epson Home Cinema 1080p projector and make or buy a cheap screen. Otherwise an Epson TW-700 if you dont mind buying internationally with a world wide warranty (I am not sure where to buy). Or perhaps a panasonic ax100. I suggest these two as they are bright and you will need more lumens for a long throw. A Sanyo z5 might work if the room is completely dark.

If you really want to spend 1k on a screen, then a Firehawk or Silverstar (if you want a lot of brightness) are good choices.

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Blue Chip

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 16, 2007

Also - I don't really care if it is 720p or 1080p - from what I understand - it takes a trained eye to really see the difference - the reality is much of what is watched is still in SD.

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CodecKing

· #4 · May 16, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by gwlaw99 /forum/post/0

I think you are going to have to go LCD if you are going to mount it at 17 or 21 feet. Only LCD projectors in your price range have a long enough throw. LCDs are also quieter.

Personally I would get a $2800 Epson Home Cinema 1080p projector and make or buy a cheap screen. Otherwise an Epson TW-700 if you dont mind buying internationally with a world wide warranty (I am not sure where to buy). Or perhaps a panasonic ax100. I suggest these two as they are bright and you will need more lumens for a long throw. A Sanyo z5 might work if the room is completely dark.

If you really want to spend 1k on a screen, then a Firehawk or Silverstar (if you want a lot of brightness) are good choices.

Hey Gwlaw99, can you take a look at my post over at the Epson 1080 Cinema thread (it's on the very last page, third to last post)? I posted some specifics on how I'm setting up my HT and was wondering what your thoughts on it?

Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

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speed32219

· #5 · May 16, 2007

Before making any suggestions on type of PJ as well as screen, we would need some additional information. Kinda basic PJ 101 stuff.

What screen size are you looking for or would like?

How far back is the seating? (!st row and last)

How high is the ceiling?

With this info one could recommend a PJ/screen combo that would work great in an ambient controlled environoment. Many of us love OUR pj's (biased naturally

) and some keep up with the latest reviews but haven't really seen comparisons's including me, so take our answers and do some research.

Some good info can also be had from on-line reviewers like projectorcentral and projectorreviews dot com that actually review some of the PJ's and even do side by side screen shot comparisions.

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Blue Chip

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 16, 2007

The room has 9' ceilings. I'm looking for a screen in the 106" range. Seating will be as far back as is reasonable - first row at maybe 12' or so and second row elevated by 18" and a few feet farther back.

I like what I am reading so far on the Epson 1080 model - however wonder if I could "get away" with the 720....

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speed32219

· #7 · May 16, 2007

It seems you already have one concern and that is good. Your conern is noise. Fan noise can be bothersome to most, so you should look for a whisper quiet one say around 23-25 db. this narrows your search even more. And sitting 12+ feet back brings 720 to the table. Higher resolution is good for ppl who sit closer than 9-10'. At 12' the 720 crop of PJ's is perfect and you can wait another 2+ years for the 2nd/3rd generation of 1080P units. MHO

Now, you decide if black level, CR and detail are important to you and you will narrow your search even more. I like good blacks/CR because it makes the image more 3D, like it is jumping off the screen. Some like higher lumens at the expense of Blcak level/CR mainly because they can not totally control the ambient light.

There are some very good 720P units out there and some good threads here that are in the 1.5K to 2K dollar range if not lower that you would be very pelased with.

Also, I have my seating 18' back with the PJ mounted 13.5 feet from the screen. A lot of PJ's expel their heat from the front and I did not want that feeling of heat coming from the back. In fact I have a ceiling fan located about 2 feet or less in front of the PJ to help circulate the heat away from the PJ and ceiling.

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