[earl_roberts]

My interest in projectors started about a year ago when I saw a Sony HS1 playing The Matrix in a shop. Got all the info I could without ever actually seeing a price. When I saw the £1400 tag I knew that I could never afford it and my interest in projectors dropped until now. I'm going to university in September and should be getting my student loan soon. Can you guess what I'm gonna buy

Been reading on here all day and it seems that the best beginner models are the Sony VPL HS2 and the Panasonic AE100. A lot of the stuff I've read hasn't even made sense to me! I am pretty much completely clueless when it comes to projectors but basically I'll have a six foot wide wall to project onto in a 3 1/2 meter long room. Is this enough space? Also I have a Toshiba SD220E which has component video {I think!} is this the best way to connect? Do both of the projectors have component video?
Basically if anybody can post experiences with both models, links to pictures, etc then that would be EXTREMELY helpful.
And I know there are a million threads on these two projectors but I can't find a definitive answer yet!
And one more thing {that's it, I promise!} I read that a few people picked up their AE100 for £600! Can they still be got at this price?
Once again, thanks a lot for any replies!!!

[Messiah]

My first recommendation would be to take a look at the Projector FAQ thread at the top of this forum. IT contains links to technical and thread info for both these pjs and will even turn up pictures, certainloy for the AE100, in a few of those threads.

All the questions you have asked above have answers which can be found either directly or indirectly through the FAQ.

Good luck.

[theritz]

You need to see them in action to make a choice - lots of AE100 owners here, follow Messiah's advice about checking out the FAQ.

AE100 prob cheapest new from Komplett.com. You should be fine with a six foot wide image ina room that long, I'd go for the AE100 instead of the HS1 - having seen both (and own an AE100)I think the AE100 is a much better performing PJ, is native 16:9, has better colour and better LCD panels. This is not an AE100 bias over-riding everything else, btw, AE100 owners have had problems - reading the threads in FAQ will give you an idea, but I think its a better choice for performance reasons.


Good luck with choosing - its your money, so you should make an informed choice - see them in action, see if a nearby member will give you a demo of their kit, I would not recommend that you "buy blind" first time out.


All the best,

Sean G.