[Malky1903]

In a bit of a quandary at the moment. As I will be moving house soon, I have to decide whether I use my Benq 5120 as the TV or invest in a plasma/LCD instead. Unfortunately I can only have one or the other . Does anyone use their PJ on a daily basis for normal TV viewing? I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons of PJ bulbs and a plasma/LCD. A decent 42" plasma for instance will set me back in the region of £1300 whereas a PJ bulb is about £300. A rough working out of 5 hours TV viewing per day, I'd expect to change the PJ bulb every two years.
So, a one off £1300 with a small 42" screen (HD) or 4 x £300 for a 72" screen (SD with downscaled HD), that is the dilemma.

[Lizard]

Yea i use my PJ for watching TV with (its my only display), takes some getting use to at first (have to remeber programes are film for small screen size not large!) Only real down side is having to be in a darkend room all the time when watching anything, plus side though is at least i save on the lighting bill.

[Darko]

my advice is to get a pj with cheap lamps you will be buying them

[Bert Coules]

I've used my projectors (AE100 and latterly Z2) for everyday TV watching ever since I first had them, and wouldn't go back to a conventional (even if large-screened) set now.

I do have a small LCD monitor though, which I use for setting up Sky+ and other recordings. It doesn't make sense to fire up a projector just for a couple of minutes.

It seems to me that there are three factors to consider:

You have to be able to achieve a reasonable blackout or near blackout, and (just as important) you have to not mind doing your casual TV watching in those conditions. (Though I do find myself sometimes using my monitor as a background TV, which is another good reason for having a second smaller screen.)

You have to accept that you'll get through projector bulbs faster than a user who just watches the occasional movie.

With an LCD projector you have to be aware that in some circumstances prolonged use can cause deterioration of the polariser filters and possibly the LCD panels too. Ventilation and airflow are important, also regular cleaning.

But - as I said - I wouldn't go back!

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

[NicolasB]

I think the main question to ask is: are you willing to put the room into total darkness every single time you want to turn the TV on?

[gazlang]

Im planning on buting a new PJ at the end of the month for this very same use..

Which projectors around the £500/600 mark would have the cheapest lamps?

[Bert Coules]

Originally Posted by NicolasB

I think the main question to ask is: are you willing to put the room into total darkness every single time you want to turn the TV on?

Personally, I find that I'm willing to accept a less-than-complete blackout - and therefore a less-than-perfect projected image - for quite a lot of TV watching.

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

[Malky1903]

Originally Posted by NicolasB

I think the main question to ask is: are you willing to put the room into total darkness every single time you want to turn the TV on?

As it turns out, the room will not be very bright anyway so that shouldn't be a problem. The 5120 fairs quite well in a room that's not in total darkness.

[Mac Man]

Originally Posted by Malabbey

In a bit of a quandary at the moment. As I will be moving house soon, I have to decide whether I use my Benq 5120 as the TV or invest in a plasma/LCD instead. Unfortunately I can only have one or the other . Does anyone use their PJ on a daily basis for normal TV viewing? I'm trying to weigh up the pros and cons of PJ bulbs and a plasma/LCD. A decent 42" plasma for instance will set me back in the region of £1300 whereas a PJ bulb is about £300. A rough working out of 5 hours TV viewing per day, I'd expect to change the PJ bulb every two years.
So, a one off £1300 with a small 42" screen (HD) or 4 x £300 for a 72" screen (SD with downscaled HD), that is the dilemma.

Why only one or the other? It's not as if either of them take up a lot of space. Or get a smaller TV and still keep the PJ.

Just curious... I have a PJ and an old (but still good) Panasonic CRT in the same room. I used to have a PJ for all TV viewing but it got over used and the panesl degraded and it got a lot of dust blobs. The new PJ will be solely for movies and the occasional big screen TV programme.

[Gary Lightfoot]

Lamp costs aside, my personal feelings on this are that a movie should have a bigger visual impact than a tv program. Otherwise you may find that a cinemascope movie such as Independance Day or Star Wars for example (or even 16:9 movies like Saving Private Ryan ete) has less visual impact than Coronation Street, and after a while the big screen 'wow' will wear off quite rapidly and the inconvenience of having to have the room dim everytime might start to wear thin.

That's just my personal opinion and not one that everybody shares of course. I do like to make watching the pj a bit of an event though, so everytime I watch it it's something a bit special to look forward to and not a run of the mill everyday experience.

Gary

I have had a AE100 for almost 4 years and use it as my everyday TV. Clocked up over 3000 hours and the original lamp is still going strong. Just started to have a few demos of new projectors as I want to upgrade to an HD model. Not found a issue with having a darkened room for watching TV - have some black out curtains which do the trick.

[UZUBAIRU]

I used a Z2 for 2 years and now use a Z3 as my main display in the lounge.

I wouldn't go back to a smaller display (eg 42" plasma) and watching in a darkened room isn't a problem for me.

[calibos]

I have had a AE100 for almost 4 years and use it as my everyday TV. Clocked up over 3000 hours and the original lamp is still going strong

I have had an AE100,300&900 for almost 4 years and use it as my everyday TV. Clocked up over 15000 hours............(3300,9970&2000 so far)

3000 hours?? Pah!! Call yourself a PJ TV watcher?? You light weight!!

Originally Posted by calibos

I have had an AE100,300&900 for almost 4 years and use it as my everyday TV. Clocked up over 15000 hours............(3300,9970&2000 so far)

3000 hours?? Pah!! Call yourself a PJ TV watcher?? You light weight!!

That is a lot of hours....you must leave it on when you go out!

[reevesy]

Originally Posted by Gary Lightfoot

Lamp costs aside, my personal feelings on this are that a movie should have a bigger visual impact than a tv program. Otherwise you may find that a cinemascope movie such as Independance Day or Star Wars for example (or even 16:9 movies like Saving Private Ryan ete) has less visual impact than Coronation Street, and after a while the big screen 'wow' will wear off quite rapidly and the inconvenience of having to have the room dim everytime might start to wear thin.

That's just my personal opinion and not one that everybody shares of course. I do like to make watching the pj a bit of an event though, so everytime I watch it it's something a bit special to look forward to and not a run of the mill everyday experience.

Gary

....listen to this man he speak wise words

[Louis Mazzini]

Originally Posted by Gary Lightfoot

Lamp costs aside, my personal feelings on this are that a movie should have a bigger visual impact than a tv program. Otherwise you may find that a cinemascope movie such as Independance Day or Star Wars for example (or even 16:9 movies like Saving Private Ryan ete) has less visual impact than Coronation Street, and after a while the big screen 'wow' will wear off quite rapidly and the inconvenience of having to have the room dim everytime might start to wear thin.

That's just my personal opinion and not one that everybody shares of course. I do like to make watching the pj a bit of an event though, so everytime I watch it it's something a bit special to look forward to and not a run of the mill everyday experience.

Gary

Completely agree with you, Gary. I'd hate to use the pj for regular telly, partly because of the wear & tear to the projector, but mainly because watching a film on DVD would lose that "special" feeling. After over two years with my AE500 I STILL get a bit of a buzz every time I power it up to watch a film.

[Neil in Bristol]

With TVs so cheap, I think it makes a lot of sense to buy a cheap 21" CRT for watching the news, soaps etc. and a projector for films.