[aztec dragon 4]

I am new to the home theater projector world. I currently own a 65" rear projection HD tv, but want to research projectors in advance. I am an avid gamer and love to watch movies in the best resolution possible. The room I have is not overly large, but I would like some info from anyone on what specs I should keep in mind before purchase (HD is a definite). Worried about burn in from the games, though. Do projectors support 720p as well as 1080i? What HD specs do I need to especially consider? Thank you for any assistance you can provide me with.

 

[japanesegeek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aztec dragon 4 I am new to the home theater projector world. I currently own a 65" rear projection HD tv, but want to research projectors in advance. I am an avid gamer and love to watch movies in the best resolution possible. The room I have is not overly large, but I would like some info from anyone on what specs I should keep in mind before purchase (HD is a definite). Worried about burn in from the games, though. Do projectors support 720p as well as 1080i? What HD specs do I need to especially consider? Thank you for any assistance you can provide me with.

Need the answers to some questions before we can help you with most of your questions.


What are the dimensions of the room you would like to use for front projection?

How good is the light control in the room? This refers to whether or not any light is in the room when the projector is off, and how light-colored the walls and ceiling of the room is.

What price range? For $30k, you can get a 1080p front projector but no point suggesting that if you only want to spend $5k.

What is your time frame for buying? CEDIA is coming up quick, and there may be some nice new projectors announced.


Any HD front projector is going to take both 720p and 1080i as an input. Aside from that, I recommend you get one with either HDMI or DVI-HDCP (as the high-def successors to DVD are coming to market in the Q4/Q1 timeframe and not work as well without this). The four technologies front projectors use are CRT, LCD, LCOS, and DLP. All of them have advantages and disadvantages.

 

[miltimj]

Your best bet is probably a 720p DLP, (or LCD if you want it a bit cheaper)... They are typically in the $3-4K range.


There's not much that's going to come out soon that's going to significantly drop the prices of these units. Perhaps in a year or so, but not now.

 

[rboster]

I would ask the mods to move this thread to one of the projector forums depending on your price point...you'd be better served and may get more responses.


Good Luck

Ron

 

[aztec dragon 4]

Thank you all for your input. The size of the room would be about 16x16, give or take. I plan on having the room as near to pitch black as possible with dark colored walls. I'm just trying to get a general idea on a good projector that's not going to cost an arm and a leg. I do realize that they are somewhat pricey, but my main concern is to find a the clearest possible HD picture, both for gaming (especially) and watching DVD's and satellite. Although I certainly don't want to spend 30k on the project, I would be somewhere in the 3-4k range. Thanks to you guys, I did find out that projectors use both 720p and 1080i. Also, any recommendation on a good place to purchase said projector would be most welcome. Thank you again for your excellent advice, guys!

 

[japanesegeek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aztec dragon 4 Thank you all for your input. The size of the room would be about 16x16, give or take. I plan on having the room as near to pitch black as possible with dark colored walls. I'm just trying to get a general idea on a good projector that's not going to cost an arm and a leg. I do realize that they are somewhat pricey, but my main concern is to find a the clearest possible HD picture, both for gaming (especially) and watching DVD's and satellite. Although I certainly don't want to spend 30k on the project, I would be somewhere in the 3-4k range. Thanks to you guys, I did find out that projectors use both 720p and 1080i. Also, any recommendation on a good place to purchase said projector would be most welcome. Thank you again for your excellent advice, guys!

First place to shop is AVS, they are great.


I would definitely wait until CEDIA is over to buy, but in the meantime you should try and look at well-calibrated examples of all projector technologies in your price range (singe-chip DLP, LCD, LCOS, and CRT). For LCOS, try to see the Canon SX50, it's very bright and 4:3. It's likely to be different then the other home theater projectors you see (as it is oriented towards business), and may help you decide what factors are important to you.