I have a relatively small room (about 12x12) that we use for our theater room. It can easily be totally dark; there are no windows. What light does come in doesn't hit the wall where the TV or screen will be. Currently, I have an old 53" SD RPTV that is soon to be replaced. I've upgraded the audio portion of the setup and realize now much the video side is lacking. I'm considering a 50" Panasonic plasma (G-series) or a projector with a 32" wall-mounted LCD behind the screen for casual viewing. From what I can tell, there's not going to be much difference in cost between the two options. Given the space I have, what would those who are more experienced in HT suggest? Thanks.
Projector or Plasma
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Not sure how much you have read up on front projectors but the wall and ceiling color can really effect your image quality.. There may be no outside light but the reflected light from a white ceiling and light colored walls will reduce your contrast considerably. For that small a room you may want to look into a Dalite High Power screen with the older 2.8 Gain fabric. There are a several thread in the screen section on this product and I Highly recommend it if your setup matches the screens requirements. Good luck and have fun!
Not sure how much you have read up on front projectors but the wall and ceiling color can really effect your image quality.. There may be no outside light but the reflected light from a white ceiling and light colored walls will reduce your contrast considerably. For that small a room you may want to look into a Dalite High Power screen with the older 2.8 Gain fabric. There are a several thread in the screen section on this product and I Highly recommend it if your setup matches the screens requirements. Good luck and have fun!
Now that I think about it, I think i just need to 'play' with a projector to help decide. I've got a very old Epson (can't remember the model) that I think is VGA only. I'll give that a shot to see how it 'feels'; I know it's probably not going to look all that good. It'll be easy to run a VGA cable to my notebook and play a DVD through it. I also have a friend who raves about his projector... maybe I can talk him into bringing it over for a demo.
We have State surplus property sales where I work. Occasionally, a pretty nice projector comes up for sale, but not so often these days due to the economy. There are often screens for sale very cheap, though... Dalite being the most common. Some have a slightly prismatic texture, if that's the best way to describe it. Others are typical ones you'd see for projectors in schools. What do I need to look for, in terms of screen material, to know if one's going to work well? Thanks for the input guys!
We have State surplus property sales where I work. Occasionally, a pretty nice projector comes up for sale, but not so often these days due to the economy. There are often screens for sale very cheap, though... Dalite being the most common. Some have a slightly prismatic texture, if that's the best way to describe it. Others are typical ones you'd see for projectors in schools. What do I need to look for, in terms of screen material, to know if one's going to work well? Thanks for the input guys!
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My room is 12 x 12 and is not a dedicated PJ room. My HD70 works fine in it even with the less than ideal conditions you want for the perfect theater room: (92" diagonal painted screen)
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Isn't there a lot of 'bounce off' light in those very small rooms painted light colors? doesn't that kill the picture in scenes that are bright with lots of contrast?
Guys, I can paint the room a bit darker if needed, so let's not let that be an issue.
I wheeled the old RPTV out of the way, dragged out my old projector, and hooked it up. It's a Sharp XG-E650UB. It will only display standard VGA through that input, so I couldn't use it with my notebook. I did connect it to my AVR with an S-VHS cable. On my slightly off-white walls, it looks pretty good... certainly better than the old RPTV. I have it displaying around a 6.5' image due to not having a real place to mount it. Plus, it doesn't have a zoom. With any lights on in the room, the image gets pretty weak, but it's only got a 150 lumen output. Newer projectors seem to be anywhere from 1200 to 2500 lumen. That should certainly allow for some light in the room.
I wheeled the old RPTV out of the way, dragged out my old projector, and hooked it up. It's a Sharp XG-E650UB. It will only display standard VGA through that input, so I couldn't use it with my notebook. I did connect it to my AVR with an S-VHS cable. On my slightly off-white walls, it looks pretty good... certainly better than the old RPTV. I have it displaying around a 6.5' image due to not having a real place to mount it. Plus, it doesn't have a zoom. With any lights on in the room, the image gets pretty weak, but it's only got a 150 lumen output. Newer projectors seem to be anywhere from 1200 to 2500 lumen. That should certainly allow for some light in the room.
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Not as much as you think. Ambient light has more effect than light reflection from the screen. With light control, OP will still have an excellent picture.
Not as much as you think. Ambient light has more effect than light reflection from the screen. With light control, OP will still have an excellent picture.
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OK this is a projector forum section, so we are mostly biased that way - but for good reason. A decent projector coupled with a decent LCD screen for daytime weather alerts is the best best best of most worlds. Without any doubt. The only question is how much to pay for your projector - how much contrast and resolution you really need - but the projector beats any other TV easily once you are in a dark room sitting down.
I'd personally say projector and LCD, I don't think you will regret it. I have a shorter depth room than you, but wider. My projector wall to screen wall is only 11".
Went with an 84" Elite electric screen, and an old 42" plasma I had on the wall behind it. I couldn't be happier with the room. I do think dark paint is a must though. I haven't gotten to paint yet.... my room is a light tan with white ceiling and there is quite a bit of reflected light. Enough for me to notice, but probably not people who aren't looking for it.
Went with an 84" Elite electric screen, and an old 42" plasma I had on the wall behind it. I couldn't be happier with the room. I do think dark paint is a must though. I haven't gotten to paint yet.... my room is a light tan with white ceiling and there is quite a bit of reflected light. Enough for me to notice, but probably not people who aren't looking for it.
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because small LCDs are cheap. He might be able to afford a 42" 720p plasma though.
because small LCDs are cheap. He might be able to afford a 42" 720p plasma though.
I'd probably go with less than 42". I picked up a nice Toshiba 32" from NewEgg for less than $330 a while back. It's only 720, but that's not a problem for its intended use. I felt better going with a brand name with good reviews than the cheapest LCD I could find (though it was about the cheapest price I've seen for a 32"). Saving on the LCD will allow me to put more into the projector and screen. There's also just not a lot to choose from in plasma's these days. Of course, I've seen the 50" Panasonic 720 plasmas for less than $600... that might be a good starting point for all this!
I'd probably go with less than 42". I picked up a nice Toshiba 32" from NewEgg for less than $330 a while back. It's only 720, but that's not a problem for its intended use. I felt better going with a brand name with good reviews than the cheapest LCD I could find (though it was about the cheapest price I've seen for a 32"). Saving on the LCD will allow me to put more into the projector and screen. There's also just not a lot to choose from in plasma's these days. Of course, I've seen the 50" Panasonic 720 plasmas for less than $600... that might be a good starting point for all this!
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42" 720p plasma at 550 bucks is a million steps up from a budget 32" lcd. But its still 200 dollars you can spend towards you projector. it depends on how much viewing you will be dong. consider how much viewing you will be doing on it or how much you will be doing on the projector. Some people rack up 2.5K+ hours of casual viewing and you can't really do that with a projector and might not want to do that on a 32" lcd. You might get tired of watching in pitch black eventually.
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