[Waynej]

I've been wanting a projector for some years now, and my room is currently in the process of being decorated, so I'm just pondering over what to do. If I get one, it would not be until sometime next year, but it'ssomething I would like to aim at getting set-up.

The biggest concern I've always had with projectors is the expense of bulbs and these needing replacing. How long do these typically last? If it's going to cost me a couple of hundred every 6 months or so then I won't be going the projector route at all.

Another concern is also scale. Room size, of which mine is not on the large size and the needed distance between the projector and screen - the projector would be mounted literally above my head, so better not fall.

A 1080p projector would be awesome, but cost is something for concern, especially when I am gaming mostly on the Xbox 360, and PS3, though I do often like to watch some BD movies.

I've seen the Z5 mentioned here in a couple of threads, so have got my eyes set on this: Sanyo PLV-Z5 Projector (PLVZ5)
With any luck if it's still available by the time I'm ready, it might be considerably much cheaper too.

[tabs]

i went projector mad after i saw my mates infocus 76, i then bought a optoma HD65, great picture for such an entry level pj, but my main thing was gaming.

after a day it decided to switch itself off if a gnat decided to break wind with a mile of it, so it went back and i went for the sanyo Z5, ... its a great pj for hi def blu ray etc, but absolutely awfull for gaming, and i mean awfull

if you dont suffer from RBE then consider an infocus X9, i sold my Z5 and bought the optoma HD75, it was a revelation, no matter what you put through it, it was stunning .... ive now just sold it and im going for the infocus X10 ... full HD jobby

but in my opinion, if you want it for gaming, dont get a Z5

[Waynej]

Cheers for your input, just looking at the HD75 that you mentioned, it's way above what I expected in price. Whilst googling I noticed the HD65 and found some comments on the here on the AVForums which sound very promising indeed.

£500 here: HD65 : OPTOMA HD65 Projector 1600 LUMENS, 4000:1 Contrast Ratio. HD Ready, Native 720P, : OPT-HD65

Is this something you/anyone else would recommend then, keep in mind it will mostly be used for console gaming at 720p (360/PS3), as well as watching Blu-ray films.

If that PJ gets the thumbs up from you lot, then I need to start looking at a ceiling mount or something for it, and obviously a screen. I don't know what I'm looking for in regards to a size screen for it though. From wall to wall of where the projector and screen will be mounted opposite each other the size is 105". Is there a way to work out from this what size screen for the projector I might be looking at?

Cheers for any advice.

[dwhite]

Use this projector calculator

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Waynej

Cheers for your input, just looking at the HD75 that you mentioned, it's way above what I expected in price. Whilst googling I noticed the HD65 and found some comments on the here on the AVForums which sound very promising indeed.

£500 here: HD65 : OPTOMA HD65 Projector 1600 LUMENS, 4000:1 Contrast Ratio. HD Ready, Native 720P, : OPT-HD65

Is this something you/anyone else would recommend then, keep in mind it will mostly be used for console gaming at 720p (360/PS3), as well as watching Blu-ray films.

If that PJ gets the thumbs up from you lot, then I need to start looking at a ceiling mount or something for it, and obviously a screen. I don't know what I'm looking for in regards to a size screen for it though. From wall to wall of where the projector and screen will be mounted opposite each other the size is 105". Is there a way to work out from this what size screen for the projector I might be looking at?

Cheers for any advice.

if i was you i would go for the HD65 or infocus X9 (which is getting some very good reviews) ....

there a chap on ebay that sells great ceiling mounts for pj's .. for about £20 i used them for my 65 and 75 and they are top notch ...

Ceiling Mount For INFOCUS IN72/74/76/78 Projectors on eBay, also, Projectors, DVD Home Cinema, Consumer Electronics (end time 24-Oct-08 14:35:44 BST)

just ask him for the model you buy, and he will have it..

screen wise you need to work out how far away you will have to play with between pj and screen.

i bought one of these a few weeks back and for the price they are top notch, you need to be looking for a 16.9

DS-9092PMS Optoma Panoview 92 diagonal 16:9 Manual Panoview 92" Diagonal 16:9 Screen (Projectors Projector Screens)

[Waynej]

Originally Posted by dwhite

Use this projector calculator

Assuming I've done that correctly, I should be able to take a 96" screen. Though feel free to correct me if I have ballsed it up, from wall to wall it is 168 1/2cm (105"). Now when measuring for a screen size I presume you are working it out from the lens of the projector to the screen, so there's a good few more inches to knock off, which should make a 90" screen a safe bet, or so I'm thinking.

When looking for screens I'm not sure if you measure it width ways or diagonally, though looking at tabs' post below I would now have to assume it is measure diagonally going off the link to screen he has recommended. Which according to the measurements using the useful projection-calculator link, diagonally according to that I should be able to take a 110" Diagonal 16:9 screen.

Originally Posted by tabs

if i was you i would go for the HD65 or infocus X9 (which is getting some very good reviews) ....

there a chap on ebay that sells great ceiling mounts for pj's .. for about £20 i used them for my 65 and 75 and they are top notch ...

Ceiling Mount For INFOCUS IN72/74/76/78 Projectors on eBay, also, Projectors, DVD Home Cinema, Consumer Electronics (end time 24-Oct-08 14:35:44 BST)

just ask him for the model you buy, and he will have it..

screen wise you need to work out how far away you will have to play with between pj and screen.

i bought one of these a few weeks back and for the price they are top notch, you need to be looking for a 16.9

DS-9092PMS Optoma Panoview 92 diagonal 16:9 Manual Panoview 92" Diagonal 16:9 Screen (Projectors Projector Screens)

My seat is against the wall usually, so the PJ would be directly above my head, so I hope the £20 mount covers it, or it may be off with me head, literally.

I'm sure the mount will be fine, and as I've said I wont be taking the plunge for a while just yet, but it's good to know as the room has just been plastered and will be undergoing decorating soon, so it's good to consider any adjustments that may affect decorating.

Does all that sounds about right? Viewing distance is something of concern, but I guess it shouldn't be much of a problem. This pull down projector, is there a limit to how low it can be pulled down? I mean I obviously don't want to be looking up too high as it is a rather small room. If it could comedown to just a couple of inches or so above my LCD, then that would be most ideal.

[nwgarratt]

PJ's often last 2000-3000 hours. That will last me many years and probably the lifetime of the PJ itself. It will only last a year or so if using say 6 hours each day.

[tabs]

i look at it this way, even if i got a year out of the bulb, its still nay different to buying a tv license, i HAVE to buy one whether i watch BBC or not, i hardly watch BBC and deffo not for 6 hours a day ...

not much of an argument i know, but you get my drift ....

[Waynej]

Well, if I'm into a new game I could play it on and off during the day for over 6 hours. Though it's not a consistant thing, but if I get a PJ it is bound to be switched on (nearly) every day for the next couple of years.

I perhaps may not mind shedding out on a replacement lamp/bulb for it if it were to go down ater a year or so, provided I've had alot of use out of it, so long as it does not vastly exceed the £100 mark.

What I am concerned about with getting a PJ is the replacement lamps/bulbs, are they still easy to get a hold of the correct one for your PJ a year or two (or even more) down the line?

[Waynej]

n a previous post I mentioned the room was under decorating, the walls have been plastered, and all I'm waiting for now is for the ceiling to get sorted. After reading some comments I have noticed some people mentioning that you can project onto a painted wall.

Well, I wasnot planning on wallpapering anyway, and was going to paint the walls. A post on here, someone mentioned painting the wall grey that you are to be projecting onto. Does anyone have any further details on this, is a painted wall as good as using as PJ screen? I hope so, the screens about £90 which would be a nice saving to go towards the actual projector and mount.

[Kostas]

you can get a hd65 replacement lamp for just 95£. the lamp should last 2500-3000 hours in standard (economic) mode. i own a hd65 and i highly recommend it to you.

Lamp for Optoma HD65 (Themescene) Part No: SP.89F01GC01

[Waynej]

Cheers.

Looking back in a thread on here, it seems Currys/PC World were selling these HD65's for around £400 some months ago, I don't want to overpay, it seems they are £500 now...

Anyone know of some good deals, or when a next price drop may be due.