I have been looking at my first purchase of a projector. I have focused on the Z2. The one failing it has for me is the throw distance is to short. My room is 5M (17ft) wide and I only want to have a 100" wide screen. I had planned to mount it on rear wall.

My questions are :- Is it possible to increase the throwof the projector? Or alternative is there a alternative projector I should look at.

My main use for the project will be DVD movies with some games either from a PC or a games console.

Ian

[buns]

unfortunately without some sort of other lens, the Z2 will be throwing something about twice the size that you want. I dont know if there is a long throw lens available to be honest, i sure havent heard of one.

I know the sony HS20 is a longer throw machine, however i dont know it is long enough for your use...... have you had a play with the thrwo calculator at www.projectorcentral.com ? It will give you a good idea what most of the popular machines are capable of.

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[jamiev]

hi, go to www.projectorcentral.com and use the projector calculator to play about with screen sizes and distances etc.
the panny 300 or 500 has a shorter throw lens!
i am thinking of purchasing the panny 300!!
waiting for the new 3 piece suite to arrive first!!!

good luck

Thanks for your sugestions

[hornydragon]

I think Sharps although more expensive are longer throw and Sim2 aree LONG throw so something else to consider. in fact 17' throw on Sim2 Domino will only give you a 66"-91" Wide screen in 16:9!
Infocus Screenplay 4800 could be the unit for you 17' throw gives 90"-108" Wide screen in 16:9.

[buns]

unfortunately the new sharp is actually quite short, alot shorter than the older and more expensive xx000 series

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[MAW]

Infocus in general tend to be long throw, but IMHO the 4800 is not worth it, it has nothing significant to recommend it. The Z1 was even shorter than the Z2, it makes it tough to put one in anything but a small room without a huge amount of installation engineering. Still, it's good for business! All the 'budget' projectors are designed for small rooms.

[hornydragon]

5700 is better unit and saame throw as 4800 but has native 16:9 panel and is better PQ but at twice the price of a Z2!
4800 is same money if a bit less than Z2, AE500 but throw is perfect for 100" wide image at 17'

[MAW]

Yes it's perfect for throw, but have you seen it run? A client of mine told me to take his away a few weeks ago, and I couldn't argue, for the money it wasn't up to the job. Compared to the Z2, it was nowhere. It's a bit of a dilemma at this price point, the 4800 may be the only sensible choice that fits the budget and the room dimensions, but the results may disappoint. My client mortgaged the cat and upped to the 5700.

[hornydragon]

5700 is far better machine no doubt MAW but if it costs too much then its out of the equation! i have seen 4800 and yes a Z2 or AE500 will look better but if they wont fit the room without alot or redecorating, messing around then they arent an option!
SONY VPL-HS20 has same sort of throw but lacks the zoom ability so you need exact lens to screen distance before deciding it will fit. again over budget but less this time, if the HS3 has similar throw this would be another option. but less than Z2/AE500 at £1200 ish

Thanks Guys,

the genral concensus is that the Z2 is good value for money. I will stick with the Z2 and look at relocating the pj to either a coffee table in the room ore using another room.

Once again for helping me confirm my choice.