[Darkstar_surfer]

I have been looking at buying a projector once I moved in to my new house. Now that the date is set I decided to try and view a couple so phoned round my local retailers. They did not want to know me as I was asking about the big four Japanise LCD projectors in the £1,000 to £1,500 range. One even said decent projectors start at £3,000 with the Sim2. Am I missing something.

I was also told if that was my price range then wait for the Infocus IN76, due next month at £1,700.

To have one shop turn you away is understandable, but three.

[throwit]

silly people

probably just doing the usual - trying to push what they had not what you want

the trouble with these purchases is that there's ALWAYS something else just around the corner, buy or wait, but don't don't let yourself be pushed either way...but remember that the one you didn't choose will always make you wonder what you're missing - life's like that as you'll know

there are excellent projectors available today, you can buy direct from the maker or all over the internet, or you can wait...the choice is yours, one choice i personally wouldn't make is to buy such a thing from a shop

[Darkstar_surfer]

The big problem I am facing is how do I see If I like what I can afford if no local retailers stock them. Everyone keeps saying go and demo before buying, but how can I.

[throwit]

if you post your shortlist for us, you can get some feedback about them, and although it's only heresay, i can tell you what i've read

[Darkstar_surfer]

My short list was

Sanyo Z4, my preference
Panasonic AE900
Hitachi PJ-TX200
Sony HS60, a little out of my price range.

Since I did not plan to buy till May a little wait will not kill me but I don't expect my budget to grow much over £1,500 and I still need a screen. I will be sitting about 11' from the screen with the PJ either ceiling mounted or shelf mounted directly behind me. The room will never be totally dark and I would like a 92" diagonal screen. I will be pulling the screen down over a 42" plasma so I am expecting a real cinema experiance to justify the outlay.

[Timbo21]

People like 7oaks don't do LCD projectors. I think most of the Sim2 Domino range are not great VFM, since they've been out a while, & even their 3 grand ones like the 30H, I think it is, don't have the DC3 chip in.

Where abouts are you?

[throwit]

i have read review after review, and user post after user post about the z4 and 900, and bearing in mind the sheer quantity sold of these two, i would discount the small grumblings, and be both reassured and excited about the prospect of owning either, but i'm not in the position to be buying right now

both of those are held in very high regard, although apparently, the 900 needs true centering to the screen or fuzziness is the outcome, the z4 is very well liked indeed, but it is wise to clean the filters frequently, and as silly as it sounds, if you have a warranty issue, claim that you clean the filters every 2-3 hours use so they don't welch

don't know about the other two, but sanyo or panasomic should = you very happy !

[Darkstar_surfer]

That had been my assumption regarding all four and all I wanted to see was if we were suseptible to any of the draw backs with LCD. Also I wanted to get a feel for what screen size I should be considering from first hand experiance. Now I am not too sure whitch way to turn. Still hope to get a PJ but it may be bit latter when I understand a bit better.

[Oakleyspatz]

Originally Posted by throwit

one choice i personally wouldn't make is to buy such a thing from a shop

Strange comment! I would say with an item such as a projector, two things are important. How it performs and, often overlooked, how big it is. Pictures on the net cannnot tell you the size of the unit and some are huge ( Sharp XV-Z12000 for one) so if you intend to place it on a shelf, you need to know its size and there is no substitute for actually seeing it in the flesh. Also both DLP and LCD have their fair share of picture problems (rainbows and verticle banding springs to mind). The thing is, not all projectors suffer from these problems and not all people can see them even if they do so a demo is essential in my opinion.

To spend £1500 only to find verticle lines running down your image or rainbows filling your vision would not be much fun. Demo the models you're interested in at a shop. The other advantage of a shop is that you don't have to worry about a courier throwing a unit with delicate optics and electronics around his van!!
Most places that advertise on the net have a shop front too so why not go along, have a look and walk away with the projector you know is right for you, not one that you buy blindly and hope is right for you.

As for price, there are £1000 projectors around today that out-perform £5000 projectors of just a couple of years ago so whoever said you cannot get a decent projector for under £3k is talking rubbish.

[throwit]

is it so strange ?

i'd certainly look at projectors in shops, but i'd be more likely to be able to buy the right one direct

now if a shop actually had the exact model i wanted at the right price, then sure i'd buy from them no problem...but that doesn't seem to happen for many forum frequenters that often

it's the rubbish often told by shop sellers that is my main reason for my comment

[Darko]

If your room is never gonna be in pitch black as you say, maybe the Hitachi would be better suited as it is a fair be brighter than the Z4 and its equaily as popular also might wanna consider the optimo H72i which is also in your price range and the guys in this forum think its the nuts.


Good luck with your choice.

Darko

[Oakleyspatz]

Originally Posted by throwit

it's the rubbish often told by shop sellers that is my main reason for my comment

On that I am in total agreement with you. Finding a decent shop to buy from is harder than it should be, but there are some around. Our friend may need to go to a few to demo the models he wants but I certainly wouldn't recommend buying a pj without demo'ing it first. Buying direct though, you will still be told that the model you are enquiring about is the best one on the market and better than anything else in that price range just as a shop seller will say the same about the models he stocks. That's just the nature of business so you need to see for yourself and make up your own mind and that may be difficult to do unless you visit a shop

[throwit]

i would be wrong to contradict a single word, so here goes !

from my (limited) experience (lp240/sp5000), and mostly from what i've read in the "mines bigger than yours" regard, any of these top selling pjs is the equivilant of buying an eight grand ford fiesta by mailorder, which happens to have bugatti veyron performance (but without sitting in it first)

the issue of course, is "will i get a good one", now, as most of us know, there are good 'uns and bad 'uns of nearly all the major players, that's where, if there were loads of "projector supermarkets" around, you could squeeze your grapefruit first, so to speak

mixed metaphors aplenty

[Oakleyspatz]

Originally Posted by throwit

from my (limited) experience (lp240/sp5000), and mostly from what i've read in the "mines bigger than yours" regard, any of these top selling pjs is the equivilant of buying an eight grand ford fiesta by mailorder, which happens to have bugatti veyron performance (but without sitting in it first)
mixed metaphors aplenty

Yeah and what if if this hyper performing Fiesta turns out just too big to fit in your garage and has stripes running down the windscreen. The trader tells you that some windscreens just come like that and it's within tollerence and as for the size....Tough! You should have measured one before you bought it...Oh and is that a scratch down the side which occured in transit? You'll just have to wrap it all up again and have it returned and replaced for another one which may well suffer from the same problems......

Now if only you'd gone down the showroom and actually test drove one to start with!

See, I can play at this metaphor lark too !!!..lol

[throwit]

ba ha ha ha
how are you gonna explain to the traffic cop (if there are any left) when you're stopped whilst sitting in the road on a projector ?

[Oakleyspatz]

Originally Posted by throwit

ba ha ha ha
how are you gonna explain to the traffic cop (if there are any left) when you're stopped whilst sitting in the road on a projector ?

Now that's funny !!!!!

[davee]

IMHO a good shop with good well informed salepeople who are prepared to demo a variety of units without making you feel as though you are a pain in the butt and offer you after service when needed, and are there to have a chat with when you need advice about how to sort your cables out or whatever is worth more than the differance in cost between the digi-amazon etailer delivery driver, sign ere please.
That said you wont exactly find them littering every high street, and they certainly havent got big red fascias.

[Darkstar_surfer]

Just as I thought I need to view before I buy, but I can't as none of the shops in Glasgow will demo any of the projectors I am interested in, including the HD72i.

So where does that leave me. Oh yes without a projector.

Just a pity there are no decent hi-fi retailers that I can sensibly drive to, Manchester is a bit out of the way, for now.

[Oakleyspatz]

Originally Posted by Darkstar_surfer

Just as I thought I need to view before I buy, but I can't as none of the shops in Glasgow will demo any of the projectors I am interested in, including the HD72i.

So where does that leave me. Oh yes without a projector.

Just a pity there are no decent hi-fi retailers that I can sensibly drive to, Manchester is a bit out of the way, for now.

Then try and get an agreement from an online seller that if you are not happy with say, the rainbows or verticle banding (should these be a problem, they may well not be) that you can return it for either a refund or exchange. I think you have a 7 day cooling off period anyway with things bought through the post so open it carefully so you can repack it and return it if you're not happy. Personally, I'd go for the H72i or another DLP in your price range. But that's because I prefer the image from DLPs rather than LCD but I'm sure there will be plenty who say otherwise!

[throwit]

i'm with Oakleyspatz

it is quite normal nowadays to purchase on this "on approval" basis, that's what i'd do next time i buy a pj, without wanting to make you nervous about handling a unit you might not keep, just be real careful with it, and carefully unpack by shallow cutting the tape on the boxes etc...if the first one you try is all you want, and in your price range, i'd say keep it (it's so easy to have greener grass syndrome with these things)

good luck