[aaks38]

I've had a JVC X35 in a dedicated HT type of room but had to redo it into a family room and have moved away from the X35. I have to contend with white ceiling, and light gray walls with some ambient light coming from behind the projector. So I'm looking at the big 3 (ae8000,5030, and hw40). What i wonder is how badly will the contrast be reduced with the ambient light and walls, and does it even make sense to buy one of these or just go with a benq 1075? Right now I'm leaning on the Sony due to the calibrated lumens and given i have a 106 screen which should be easy to light up for these 3 but may paint it gray to help out with ambient lighting..

Thanks for the help

 

[Verge2]

Benq, no point in an ultra high contrast projector without a bat cave. Yea on pure fade to blacks it won't be as dark, but for most viewing you won't see a huge difference other than price.

 

[AV_Integrated]

While I generally agree with Verge on this, the reality is that if you may paint the room a darker color to help out, then the Sony is likely to show a bit better than the BenQ. I certainly see the W1070 as a nice model, but the Sony certainly looks better even in a weak room. It's also nearly dead quiet and has added lens placement flexibility which may be a nice addition.

If you can wait for it to go on sale, then the $2,000 price point, while a good deal more than the BenQ, is certainly more palatable.

 

[aaks38]

I forgot about vertical lens shift as this is important to me which i think the 1075 won't have enough of. So I'm down to one of the three. That being said, which one would provide the best contrast or would all three be equal due to the light ceiling and walls?

Thanks again

 

[invadergir]

I have a pretty similar setup that you are trying to deal with myself. Bedroom setup with dimensions of about 9'W by 12.5' L with white ceiling, window behind projector and about a medium dark grey wall colouring. I went from the Epson 8350 to my current Sony HW40 and love the improvement I got with it. Even with some ambient light in the room i found the picture to be pretty good and this being on Eco mode. When the sun is setting and i have it coming directly in, the screen is pretty much a wash. Now i don't have the tallest of ceiling (7.5') so my screen starts from the top and goes down about 4.5' or so on my 106" screen. In complete darkness the image is great, but could see where the ceiling being darker would enhance the contrast a bit (thinking of stapling some blackout material above to see if it does anything) I haven't seen the ae8000 in action but demoed the Epson 5030 with the Sony in the EastPorter demo room. With that i found the image on the Sony cleaner, smoother and much more realistic thanks to a better shadow detail that the Epson seem to lack.

Here's an old pic of my Epson setup and the grey colour of my wall. Sitting on an old TV wall arm and about 2.5' from ceiling to avoid a ceiling fan that sits in the middle of the room. (using same setup with current Sony)

Epson 8350 with Halo (Xbox One) running (sorry iPad pic) Still the image is pretty good even with the white ceiling in play

 

[AV_Integrated]

I forgot about vertical lens shift as this is important to me which i think the 1075 won't have enough of. So I'm down to one of the three. That being said, which one would provide the best contrast or would all three be equal due to the light ceiling and walls?

Thanks again

The 5030 and HW40ES are very similar in terms of contrast.

In typical use, the HW40ES is said to have a bit better contrast, while the 5030 can best it with the dynamic iris for absolute deepest contrast.

I'm more a fan of the use of LCoS technology which Sony employs and the near dead silent operation and very smooth image of the HW40ES.

The Panasonic, despite advertising, doesn't actually deliver as much brightness as either the 5030 or the HW40ES. So, I wouldn't consider it in this space.

I would limit it to the 5030 and 40ES, both of which will perform similarly, and I lean towards the Sony.

 

[Iceberg86300]

Could motorized curtains be worked into the budget/be acceptable to the family when stowed? This would improve both picture and sound over “hard” walls.

Just a thought.

 

[Steve Dodds]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a JVC RS20 in a dedicated, dark light-controlled room, and my partner wants a projector for our lounge, which is white and has floor to ceiling windows which we will not cover with heavy curtains.

I've bought a Benq W1070 as a kind of trial, and have trying it out against my JVC using varying amounts of ambient light.

The W1070 is much much brighter than the JVC. Unfortunately, so are the black levels.

Even when the room has lights on at the rear, the black levels are noticeably higher.

I've been playing with neutral density filters to bring down the brightness and black level. Using an ND4 filter, the blacks become about the same as the JVC with some lights on, but the image still appears brighter.

However, I'm now thinking projector with an iris might be a better bet. The one I'm considering is the Epson 3500. According to the measurements at the Secrets site, the iris gets the blacks pretty low, and I can handle a bit of pumping in the lounge.

I can't see the point of paying the money for a 5030 or Sony in a non-ideal room.