Back in the home cinema game, struggling to justify a projector purchase

Kostas

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I used to have a 1080p projector and 100" screen and it was impressive indeed. That was back when the maximum size of TVs was 50", no HDR, FALD and 4K. These days you can get an 85" 4k HDR 10 smart TV for around the same price as a "fake" 4k projector that cannot do HDR properly. You also don't have to worry about blocking light, bulbs, high latency, fan noise and projector placement.

It seems to me that TV technology has advanced in such a rapid pace that has made projectors pretty much obsolete. Am I missing something?
 
I am mostly in agreement with what you say here but there is still less magic than when watching a good action movie or sports event on a pj with a 100" or larger screen:D.

I have a 65" 4k tv which I watch from 6ft and still prefer for movies to watch on my 108" screen with my JVC X35 1080p pj from 6ft. It is just so much more immersive and feels like going to the movies which you can't capture just yet with a tv IMV.:)
 
Agree PJ is much better but in general more faff. If you (or your other half) don’t mind the faff then job’s a good’un. If you can’t stand the rigmarole or your other half wears the trousers and is not so sympathetic to the idea then stick with the TV. PJ is a different thing, much more immersive, theatrical and for the event, but as said not as advanced with the latest HDR standards as it simply can’t go as bright due to the way it works. If you just want to enjoy a good immersive film then a PJ is great, if you want the latest HDR to the best it can be then buy an LCD TV. I don’t think OLED is as good as LCD for HDR but then again LCD is not as good for blacks, so it’s all a bit of a compromise.. So what is preferred for one may not be for the other..
 
Check the price of a quality 85" TV and you will find it is more expensive than native 4K projector with 120" Screen, plus you can fold a screen away when not in use whereas the TV will always stick out like a sore thumb.
As has been mentioned there is also no substitute for the immersion you get with a projector and screen.

Bill
 
I think that tv is going to struggle past 85 inches until component micro LED is established but if your happy with that you should definitely settle.

I have 132 inch 16:9 with panels to reduce to 2.40:1 and an AT screen that conceals speakers both of which are features you can’t do on a tv.

I love the romance of projected light. Projectors although a faff seem to be less chavvy than having a massive tv. I also think there is a lot of room for improvements to projector tech which I find exciting unlike tv which has basically peaked.
 
I move from my 65vt60 to runco rs1100 ultra with 116" scope screen. For sdr movies only a 88" oled would acceptable upgrade from the vt60, still looks tiny compared the scope screen. Even a 100" lcd for a price of apartment looks small compared 120-150" screens. Of course you have to reach a certain PQ with projecton, but beyond that nothing compete with immersion.
85" hdr tv is a fun, but when it comes to evening movie time in total dark room, it just a toy compared to a good projector. Maybe large rollable oled screens will be the game changers in the future, however the reflected projected image is a different feeling.
 
If I had the money, I would have bought JVC-N5 (ideal choice for ex-OLED owners like myself) but settled down for an Epson 9400.

No TV under 75 inches can match that immersive experience of a big projector.
 
I guess if you are projecting at 120" plus screen its still worth it but that's a tiny minority even among projectors owners. The biggest screen I can accommodate is 100" and I don't think 15 extra inches is worth the hassle of a projector. Plus a 85" HDR10 TV must be a sight to be behold.
 
I guess if you are projecting at 120" plus screen its still worth it but that's a tiny minority even among projectors owners. The biggest screen I can accommodate is 100" and I don't think 15 extra inches is worth the hassle of a projector. Plus a 85" HDR10 TV must be a sight to be behold.
40 percet larger area on 100 inch compared 85. It is considerable difference.
 
Had this very dilemma myself recently. As a past projector owner, (JVC HD-1) I was considering getting back into the game but the tech just hasn’t moved on fast enough for an acceptable budget. By now I was hoping for 4k native projectors with laser light sources and non DLP tech for under 5k. However with a room without perfect light control and not willing to turn it into a black cave, decided to take the 75 inch TV route and have not been disappointed.

Projectors are great but are more work to integrate seamlessly, don’t do HDR justice, slow to start up and unless your viewing distance mandates for a larger size their days, I fear could be numbered.

Native 8k, 4000 nits @ 75 inches for under 3k. No current PJ does that. Ideal for non perfect light control room within my 6-8ft viewing range. Besides in my previous black cave home cinema the wife would always fall asleep.

However for immersion and feel, nothing beats a projected image. When the tech is ready at sensible money, 4k native & laser, I’d be willing to sacrifice HDR performance and come back to 100 inches plus, but until then I’ll enjoy the advantages of the tech I currently have and hope it’s not too much longer before Epson, Sony or JVC, come up with another game changer like the JVC HD-1 was back in its day.
 
TV sizes are now hitting the THX / 20th Century fox recommended viewing angles for immersion (very roughly for 16:9):

At 8ft THX ideal ~100", THX min ~70", 20th century fox ~90"
At 7ft, THX ideal ~90", THX min ~65", 20th century fox ~80".
At 6ft, THX ideal ~75", THX min ~55", 20th century fox ~70"

with 75" budget TV now sub £1000 and perfectly capable of good 4K if not yet HDR, its very difficult to justify a projector for small dedicated set-ups.
 
TV sizes are now hitting the THX / 20th Century fox recommended viewing angles for immersion (very roughly for 16:9):

At 8ft THX ideal ~100", THX min ~70", 20th century fox ~90"
At 7ft, THX ideal ~90", THX min ~65", 20th century fox ~80".
At 6ft, THX ideal ~75", THX min ~55", 20th century fox ~70"

with 75" budget TV now sub £1000 and perfectly capable of good 4K if not yet HDR, its very difficult to justify a projector for small dedicated set-ups.

I sit 11ft from 116" scope screen (93" 16:9 for series). On 85 inch 16:9 screen I'd get half size for scope movies, damn small, especially after 16:9 tv content. Not even close to cinematic experience.
 
Pfft, there are very noticeable DSE and backlight issues with EVERY single LCD TV I see these days (OLED is nice, but that's a different ballgame)... no way would I want to endure that with an 85" screen as these issues can totally ruin certain content. PJ all the way if you have the right environment for it... and a dedicated space is obviously ideal. I think if we're talking lounge set-up with natural light to deal with etc. the argument may swing more towards TV.

Projectors won't have a REAL rival until MicroLED arrives at 100"+ sizes... and that's many years away, especially at affordable price points.
 
I sit 11ft from 116" scope screen (93" 16:9 for series). On 85 inch 16:9 screen I'd get half size for scope movies, damn small, especially after 16:9 tv content. Not even close to cinematic experience.

Agree - you would have to sit closer - 8.5 ft from an 16:9 85" would give your the same scope size as 116" scope at 11ft ..
 
I'm in the same quandary and already have a 55" OLED and looking for that cinematic wow of a projector screen. I originally I'm sitting only 3 Meters from the wall so according to projector throw calculators a screen of 100"-90" is suitable for such distance. Not fussed about 4K for projector as would mean having to buy a new Anthem receiver and obviously a 4K projector. I was gonna go the route of a 65" OLED but again I don't think I would be satisfied
 
Pfft, there are very noticeable DSE and backlight issues with EVERY single LCD TV I see these days (OLED is nice, but that's a different ballgame)... no way would I want to endure that with an 85" screen as these issues can totally ruin certain content. PJ all the way if you have the right environment for it... and a dedicated space is obviously ideal. I think if we're talking lounge set-up with natural light to deal with etc. the argument may swing more towards TV.

Projectors won't have a REAL rival until MicroLED arrives at 100"+ sizes... and that's many years away, especially at affordable price points.

I think this is a really good point - if you're looking at 75"+ TVs then any flaws such as banding are likely to be obvious. One real advantage of a projector is that they don't suffer from banding or other associated TV issues. You do very occasionally get colour fringing at the edges (as you do with TVs) on some models, but I've not had that issue in years with the projectors I've had.

Of course you are constantly looking to improve the room to improve the black level but when you get there, I don't think anything beats a PJ for immersion.

Down the line though I can see this changing - if TVs get to 85" plus with top quality at a relatively affordable price then they will be hard to beat for HDR and easier to live with in a light coloured room. But again, that is a MASSIVE screen to have sitting in a lounge so again the projector has something to offer!
 
I think this is a really good point - if you're looking at 75"+ TVs then any flaws such as banding are likely to be obvious. One real advantage of a projector is that they don't suffer from banding or other associated TV issues. You do very occasionally get colour fringing at the edges (as you do with TVs) on some models, but I've not had that issue in years with the projectors I've had.

Of course you are constantly looking to improve the room to improve the black level but when you get there, I don't think anything beats a PJ for immersion.

Down the line though I can see this changing - if TVs get to 85" plus with top quality at a relatively affordable price then they will be hard to beat for HDR and easier to live with in a light coloured room. But again, that is a MASSIVE screen to have sitting in a lounge so again the projector has something to offer!

Yes, but LCD will never offer that kind of quality... the standards of perfection it would have to adhere to are just beyond what is feasible really. At the sizes we're talking about, panel flaws are extremely obvious. Even at 65", sat a normal distance away, minor DSE can totally ruin certain content. OLED is obviously in a different league, but will never be affordable at these kinds of sizes. MicroLED offers promise, but I think we could be a decade away from 100"+ screens that are anything near affordable. PJs won't be around forever, but won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
 
I'm really surprised that some people refer to projectors as being a faff and a hassle. To watch something on the projector I have to push 2 remote control buttons as opposed to one for the TV, one for the screen to come down and one to turn on the projector. Yes, I had to ceiling mount both the screen and projector but then many people will wall mount a TV so no real difference.
I have a fair amount of 3D Blu rays and these look amazing on the projector and unlike TVs projectors are still being made that are 3D capable so when I upgrade my projector at least I can still enjoy 3D.
Size does matter. I used to love going to the Odeon Marble Arch before it was converted to a multi-plex. I believe at the time it was the biggest screen in London. The Empire and Warner Leicester Square both had better sound systems but for sheer size you couldn't beat the Odeon Marble Arch.
 
I tend to agree and love mine, it's a cinch to use as you say, 2 button presses etc..
I can see what people may think though, I guess mainly around it's trickier to buy (if less experienced) and setup in the first place.. Things like throw, screen type/gain, long cables, brackets, room prep, sound system etc, harder than just plugging in a single TV in the corner with no screen required or AVR for sound, no lights off or curtains or batcave etc.. For me the lights off and screen down is part of what makes it special event, if the screen comes down in our house the kids run in waiting to see what film's coming on, they don't do that when the TV comes on for the news.... :) Akin to going out in the MPV / estate or the drop top sports car or 2 seater, yes ones more practical and cost effective but the other is more fun and to some worth the extra effort / faff as it brings out the smile on your face and hairs on the back of your neck and is more of an event....
 
I have a decent 65" 4K TV (even though it is LCD It is capable of a stunning picture IMO), but still prefer to watch films on the 120" screen from the 1080p projector with its inferior blacks and lower resolution.

Other than pulling down the screen (I really need to change it to a motorised one) it’s one button press on the remote or one spoken phrase to Alexa/Siri to turn everything on.

Even the hassle of setting it up wasn’t much more than setting up the TV (mine is not in a dedicated room, it is still a lounge). A few bolts/screws into walls and ceiling, little bit of trunking (I did enough chasing of walls when putting the TV up - no more) and it’s done.

Almost 2 and a half times bigger screen area beats the TV for immersion into a film every time for me.
 
I paid £899 for an Epson TW7300 and if I wanted I could project that on to a 150" screen. It hits nearly 100% of the P3 colour space. What would I be able to achieve at the same price with a TV? Its a no brainer for me to use a projector. Plus there is just something cinematic about a reflected image as apposed to a direct view one.
 
I’m a big advocate of both - I have had a 120” PJ screen for movies , and recently updated the PJ recently to a 3 year old JVC from my JVC HD350 that I bought new around 10 years ago.

I use a 55” oled for most TV and general use , but still prefer films on the PJ, even if yes technically it’s an inferior display - the size for me is a key factor and you can get good results without spending 5-10k on a projector.. my JVC x5000 I bought recently for £1200 and I wouldn’t look back. I’ll upgrade to a native 4k when the Sony/JVC units are sub 2k on the used market in a couple of years.

Would I spend 5-7k on a new projector though, no chance ... hard to justify indeed.

My 2 cents
 
I'm in the same quandary and already have a 55" OLED and looking for that cinematic wow of a projector screen. I originally I'm sitting only 3 Meters from the wall so according to projector throw calculators a screen of 100"-90" is suitable for such distance. Not fussed about 4K for projector as would mean having to buy a new Anthem receiver and obviously a 4K projector. I was gonna go the route of a 65" OLED but again I don't think I would be satisfied
3m ? That's far too far away, move your seating or TV to 1.6m and you'll have the immersive picture you're looking for. I say 1.6 as that's where I sit from my 55 inch.
 
3m ? That's far too far away, move your seating or TV to 1.6m and you'll have the immersive picture you're looking for. I say 1.6 as that's where I sit from my 55 inch.
And from 30 cm from your cellphone you also get that immerse...
You can't cheat your brain getting closer to smaller screen. And 3m is comfortable for 3-4 person, 1,6m is barely for two. Better view movies with girlfriend than some dude on 55" inch tv.
 
I used to have a 1080p projector and 100" screen and it was impressive indeed. That was back when the maximum size of TVs was 50", no HDR, FALD and 4K. These days you can get an 85" 4k HDR 10 smart TV for around the same price as a "fake" 4k projector that cannot do HDR properly. You also don't have to worry about blocking light, bulbs, high latency, fan noise and projector placement.

It seems to me that TV technology has advanced in such a rapid pace that has made projectors pretty much obsolete. Am I missing something?
After speaking to people on the forums what I've found is that if you have always liked PJs then even a great HDR TV won't necessarily be what you like because you like feeling immersed by a large screen. I'm fine with a 55" TV because with HDR I love the extra colours, detail and realism.
 

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