[KHeon]

Hello!


Please forgive my ignorance here, I am new to the world of projectors. I currently have a home theatre setup in our living room that consists of a Sony 32" Trinitron (about 5 years old) that has served us quite well. It is on pretty much all day long (kids watching tv or playing games). Recently the set died. I am currently waiting to hear back on whether or not it is fixable but in the meantime I am looking for options should it not be.


The living room is 17' x 12'. I have been reading lots of reviews on the Sanyo PLV-Z2 projector. It sounds very promising, giving me the large screen I would like as well as HDTV.


My biggest concern is this: does it make sense to buy and use a projector as the main source of television viewing? How do others use their projectors? Are they strictly for movie viewing or are they complete television replacements? We play a lot of video games (PS2, Xbox), watch a lot of [digital cable] televsion as well as movies.


I look forward to any and all your thoughts on this matter. I was pricing the hi-def rear projection lcd screens (50" and up) and given the prices for thos units compared to the price of the projector, with the possibility of a picture twice that size it really looks like the projector could be a smarter way to go but I wonder about long term cost going that way (ie: bulb replacements, servicing, etc).


Thanks again!

 

[fray]

I have a sony VPL-HS10. It has become a replacement for the TV that used to be in this room.


Things that you need to know if you plan to use the projector full time.


1) Consumables.. cost of light bulbs/air filters and be aware they DO need to be changed!


2) Light Control. You need to light control your living room.. (I don't mean "blackout".. I mean no direct sun-light)... If you can't do that, or arn't willing to do that when watching TV.. a Projector isn't for you.


3) Black/Gray level. Be aware that compared to a tube or even projection TV.. the blacks and grays are slightly washed out (in my opinion) on _ALL_ projectors, except the most expensive.


4) Resolution. Most projectors that I know of are 720p max, while most TVs are 1080i capable. (To me this should not be a deal breaker.. but some people may consider it to be.)


5) Finally, it's a monitor vs a TV.. The projector can only do that.. project images, while a TV may contain a tuner, speakers, volume control, etc... If you are happy with using a set top box for channel tuning, then no problem for you.


--Mark

 

[aamiic]

I have just put up my Sanyo Z2.. last week in fact. I haven't figured out how to bring up how many hours it's been in use, but I can only guess it's fairly high. We got rid of our Sony 35" (and moved homes at the same time) .. the room is a dedicated room .. we call it the media room.


My concern would be the bulb costs if you were running it all day long. I'd also be concerned about the stress this may cause on the projector, I don't know what their intended duty cycle would be. Kids + projectors doesn't make a lot of sense in my books.


As your aware, the Z2 will do 720p HD res (like Mark mentioned above, and covers off a number of other concerns very well).


The wife and I decided to ditch the TV in favor of this. We don't watch a huge amount of TV, but we do watch some -- probably a few hours a week - and it's watchable -- I'm very much looking forward to getting an HDTV receiver when they get them a bit cheaper and with PVR (Around the corner for my neck of the woods apparently).


Black levels are not black.. picture doesn't 'pop' quite like a TV will - but it'll look good, damn good, and huge. I've found that having 4 pot lights, none of them directed at the screen (all pointing more or less sideways at the outer walls) seems to be ok for watching TV.. I turn all the lights off for movies though... the light from the screen is enough to light upt he room anways..


So to sum it up, kids would freak me out.. and hte amount of overall use. Otherwise I'd say go for it.

 

[madpoet]

Keep in mind also that bulbs aren't cheap. If you watch a LOT of TV, you might be burning through bulbs faster than you thought.

 

[DB2]

As aamiic touched on just a bit, keep in mind that there will be an adjustment period going from a tube tv to a projector. The black levels are much better on a tube tv and the image just looks "different". I'm not saying a CRT is better, just different.

 

[markam]

A lot of people (especially those of us with kids) keep a cheap tv off to the side, or behind a removable screen, for useless tv viewing, then save the projector for movie, high def viewing. You might think it is kind of nuts to have 2 tvs in the same room, but I think it is the best solution if you have a projector.

 

[ScottF]

To kind of echo markam, my wife and I look forward to Friday night movie night on the projector (if I ever get my new HT finished!). Watching a 106" big screen all the time for regular viewing would kinda take the fun out of movie night. Well, to me anyway. I have a 38" RCA for regular TV watching and HD.

 

[jontyrees]

I concur - pull down screen in front of a large-ish TV. My TV is sunk into the wall, screen comes down flat in front of it - best of both worlds. For my money, regular old direct view CRT TV is still BY FAR the best option for watching regular analog cable. Friends of mine have plasmas, DLP, LCD and CRT RPTVs, and none of them work as well as a DV CRT for TV.


You can get a decent 32" replacement for

 

[UnknownShadow]

Is there really THAT much of a difference in black levels between regular TV's and the newer DLP projectors like the Optoma H30?


From all of the H30 reviews I have read, people are blown away by the black levels and shadow detail of that PJ. Especially in a room with total light control.


Besides, I have seen many cheap TV's that have horrible black levels as well. Probably worse than some of the newer DLP's!

 

[AVSJester]

I think that the key to black levels is calibration. A properly calibrated CRT will put any projector to shame because a CRT only puts light (thanks to the reality of an electron gun) where it is needed. This makes black truely the absence of light.


An LCD projector (like the Sanyo Z2) on the other hand must block the light from the bulb in order to produce black. A little always sneaks through and you end up with a "contrast ratio" between pure white and the really dark grey that fills in for black. The contrast ratio of a properly calibrated CRT is infinity. A DLP projector is kind of a hybrid because is does not block the light, it reflects the light for each display pixel, but because of the way the light is dispersed, the effect is the same.


However, keep in mind that a movie projector works the same as a DLP or LCD projector - the film blocks the light from the projector. That makes a front projection experience much closer to the movie theater than the tube.


Personally, you would have to pry my Z2 from my cold dead fingers to stop me from watching movies on it. We watch regular TV programs on a 57" Hitachi widescreen.

 

[KHeon]

A big thanks to everyone here. I am overwhelmed with the feedback, as it is incredibly helpful to hear from people that have gone this route.


It almost sounds like now isn't the best time for me to move to a projector. I was worried about the bulbs burning out too frequenttly (given hour usage estimates I could see us going through 3-4 bulbs a year -- not something I can really afford at this time).


On top of that, our current HT setup is in a room that is not well light controlled (in the morning it is really rough to block the light coming in from outdoors). We rent a townhouse so we can't do much to change things.


Almost sounds like my best bet is to stay with a 32" CRT (to avoid having to completely upgrade the entertainment center at this point in time).


Any recommendations for good HD, Flat Screen, CRT 32" TVs? Having 16:9 would be nice but not necessarily required. I checked out the Sony KV32HS510 which had an incredible picture compared to the other models around it. Any other options?


Thanks again!

 

[kiwi2000]

I would say that a projector is not a replacement for a tele but a useful addition for movies.


I have not been able to watch much broadcast television as it is so inferior to DVD. For me, it is not enjoyable with my LCD projector.

Can someone explain why there is so much motion artifacts when watching analog broadcast cable and analog satellite, on every channel?


Its the worst with fast action. To try to describe it is like just before a superhero is about to go real fast, the screen action stops, then kind of blurs as the hero sets off at incredible speed.

This happens ALL THE TIME when watching broadcast tele. If the scene is stationary it is sharp and colorful, but if there is ANY movement the picture blurs until the on-screen action is stationary again. Then the cycle repeats, this make viewing difficult at best.


I do not understand why this does not occur when viewing fast action on DVD. If it was a limitation of LCD then this should show up for all sources. Originally I could not watch tele at all because it was so dark but that turned out to be the supplied cable that was causing the dark picture. My replacement cable has cleaned up the artifacts and improved brightness but not the problem with movement.


Is anyone else experiencing this? I am hoping that HD cable will cure the problem. Maybe digital cable might also do the trick.

 

[cpc]

When I got a front projector, I sold my 32" TV and replaced it with a 20" TV. I watch TV once in a while, but mostly watch movies on the projector. If you really want, you could get a projector and downsize your TV to a 24 to 27" TV, or like me, just get a 20" TV for the little bit of TV viewing you may do. You could also watch TV on the projector sometimes, it just takes an iScan Pro and a TV tuner (a vcr will do). Digital cable probably looks the best. Perhaps the line doubler in the projector is good enough.

 

[dty]

Im in the same boat


same 32 inch trintron, kids, all of it.


I plan on throwing the 32'' in the bedroom, put the 25 inch in the same room as the projector. I dont want anyone using the projector when Im not around.


girls and kids just dont think about turningoff then back on right away, etc. (no offense to the ladies of course...If your in here, you are not the type of ladies I'm speaking of) I would put the cheapest tv you can find for the kids to watch, they dont care

 

[nsxlover]

I use mine everyday and couldn't imagine going back to a regular tv. You spent a lot of money for a nice setup. Enjoy it all the time.

 

[GreenMonkey]

If you leave the TV on all day, a projector as your sole display is not a good idea. Bulb replacements, dust build up, etc. PJs have a bit of upkeep - not good for somthing that runs 8 or 10 hours a day. Projector is not great for daytime viewing anway, without controlled light. Tolerable, but not good.


If you keep your TV for normal TV viewing, the pj for other stuff, it's excellent.


We don't watch TV unless it is coming off of DVDs. I did watch standard analog cable on it a few times. TV quality depends on using an external scaler or having a quality scaler in your projector. Our X1 has a good Faroudja scaling chip, so cable looked quite watchable on it.