Choosing the right projector - advice needed

[Genga]

Hi all

I've decided to go for a projector rather than a plasma and bought a few magazines to help narrow down the field. With a budget of around £1-2k for the projector these are the models that seem to be highly rated.

Themescene H30
Themescene H57
Infocus Screenplay 4805
Infocus Screenplay 5700

I read that the 4805 and 5700 are noisy but have a lot of input options. Any recommendations? The room is quite bright so should I go for a high ansi rating to compensate?
I was under the impression that DLP was better than LCD (from the mags) but many of you seem to be using Panasonic or Sony LCD models. Am I missing something?

Do the models I listed have keystone adjust capabilities? (not mentioned in spec)

My plan is to have it ceiling mounted and the screen will be about 9ft away. I want to get a picture of about 7ft wide. That should be fine for most projectors shouldn't it?

With it being ceiling mounted I don't want lots of wires going to it but do want to watch cable and dvd's. Is there just one lead (other than the power) required to connect to it if the others are in a receiver i.e. the dvd, telewest lead. Should I look for a specific input type and if so what lead should I get?

I already have a Sony DAV500 all-in-one home cinema system that I bought a few years ago. Could this tide me over until next pay day or do I need to invest in a receiver with more input/output options?

Sorry for all the questions. The magazines are fine but cover a broad range of topics.

Any help would be appreciated.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Genga

Hi all

Hi!

Originally Posted by Genga

I've decided to go for a projector rather than a plasma

very wise!

Originally Posted by Genga

I was under the impression that DLP was better than LCD (from the mags) but many of you seem to be using Panasonic or Sony LCD models. Am I missing something?

Not so long ago DLP was the only show in town, but recently the LCD's are stealing their thunder a bit especially at sub 2K end of the market, Panny AE700 and Sony HS50 seem to be the machines of the moment but I wouldn't swap either of them for my TX100... well, the HS50 perhaps...
Before you buy a DLP get a demo, some people find the picture starts to give eyestrain/headaches because of the way it asks the brain to do RGB mixing, and you may see rainbows, but you mention a light room and if you don't see an issue with DLP it may be the way to go...

Originally Posted by Genga

Do the models I listed have keystone adjust capabilities? (not mentioned in spec)

Not sure on the models you mention, most do have keystone correction, you'll find optical lens shift another extremely useful feature...

Originally Posted by Genga

My plan is to have it ceiling mounted and the screen will be about 9ft away. I want to get a picture of about 7ft wide. That should be fine for most projectors shouldn't it?

That might be pushing it, think in terms of a 6ft wide picture from that distance...

Originally Posted by Genga

With it being ceiling mounted I don't want lots of wires going to it but do want to watch cable and dvd's. Is there just one lead (other than the power) required to connect to it if the others are in a receiver i.e. the dvd, telewest lead. Should I look for a specific input type and if so what lead should I get?

Depends on what type of connector your receiver uses, if it's like mine its S-video which isn't bad but you'd be better with component as a start point. I have component, S-VHS and composite into mine, it doesn't look too busy... just enough room for DVI-D in the future.

Originally Posted by Genga

I already have a Sony DAV500 all-in-one home cinema system that I bought a few years ago. Could this tide me over until next pay day or do I need to invest in a receiver with more input/output options?

Take things steadily, get the PJ aspects sorted first, you'll need to sort out a screen and ceiling bracket too!

Good luck...PJ

[KraGorn]

Hi Genga, not much to add to what PJ said.

DLPs will produce a better picture due to their ability to generate better blacks an generally better colours. However, the potential problem with 'rainbows' is alsways a concern unless you've seen a DLP in action and as PJ said, recent LCD machines have closed the PQ gap.

The only other thing I'd note is that all projectors (AFAIK) have keystone adjustment but you DON'T want to use it unless you really, really have to as it'll seriously degrade your picture qualityif you're feeding it with a native size image (ie. the resolution of the input signal matches the size of the pj's panel).

Look for LENS SHIFT if you need to mount the projector off-centre, this is done optically rather than by massaging the image itself, which means a negligible impact on PQ.

[Genga]

Thanks Guys. I'll check out the spec and make a decision. The keystone question was because it is to be ceiling mounted and projecting down at a bit of an angle. Should be fairly central though so from your comments might not be too much of a problem. I've borrowed an old projector from work and put Shrek 2 on the wall for the kids at the weekend. It may be an old Epson LCD but still looked great to me. Don't know how much better these projectors get the more money you invest but whatever I get I'm sure will be fine. It's all the other bits that you can invest in around it that can make it a seriously expensive hobby. Loads of fun though and watching the football will never be the same again!

Cheers for your help.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Genga

Thanks Guys. Loads of fun though and watching the football will never be the same again!

Cheers for your help.

Depends on who you support...
...PJ

[Genga]

P.S. The Hitachi you have is ranked no1 in Digital Home magazine (Xmas 04 Issue 20)

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Genga

P.S. The Hitachi you have is ranked no1 in Digital Home magazine (Xmas 04 Issue 20)

Doesn't surprise me. Most of the modern PJ's you see mentioned regularly around here (Panny, Sony, Sanyo etc etc) all give stunning pics for the money. My main surprise was how relatively little the Hitachi was/is mentioned in this peerset. WXGA, stunning pics, all for a grand (UK). The money I "saved" went on a new DVD player (Pio 575), and I'm about to buy a sub too - and I'll still probably be in pocket.

Enjoy your journey of discovery, you won't look back!

Cheers...PJ