First Projector – does this sound OK?

Yandros

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I’m in the lucky position that my girlfriend has given approval for a projector…in fact, since she’s a serious Tolkien geek, she’s INSISTING on a PJ in time for ROTK-EE. :clap:

Our existing HC kit consists of a Sony KV32FX60 TV and a Sony 725 DVD (along with amp, speakers, sub etc of course). We’re planning to continue to use the TV for everyday viewing, and the PJ for movies, which we only really ever watch in the evening. We’d be watching in either darkness or with just a single uplighter on a dimmer. The walls are currently magnolia, but I’ll see if I can go a shade darker (but it’ll probably still be pretty pale) . The screen would need to be ceiling mounted to drop down in front of the TV, which is in front of patio doors, and the projector ceiling mounted above our viewing position, about 11 ft from the screen. In the cinema I’m a “half way back” kinda guy…hate to be too far away or in the front row.

So, the plan is…

Sanyo Z2, on a fairly short ceiling mount (possibly LMP fully adjustable)
Profigold PGV332 10m component lead
Projecta cinema electol 92” diagonal 16:9 screen with 65cm extra drop, matte white (gain 1)

I’ll probably chicken out and get a professional in to do the mounting of the screen and PJ.

So, is there anything obviously wrong with this? Is the Z2 the most suitable PJ for us ? Is a £70 component cable good enough quality for this length of run? Is the screen size and gain ok, and are there any suggestions for alternative screens with a good extra drop and about £600?
 
Two comments:

1) IMO, £600 is a lot to spend on a screen if you have light walls which will destroy the contrast.

2) How many meters of cable do you actually need? Mark Grant (on these forums - here) is doing broadcast reference component cables for silly money. Have a look and see what you think. I don't know about the quality of Profigold component cables, though I suspect you could do better.

BTW. Congrats on choice of girlfriend. Mine doesn't object - I just have to pay for everything!

Cheers,
Joel
 
Thanks Joel,

I've not really got a specific cable in mind to be honest, I was just giving an idea of budget. I need about 9m, so it looks like Marks price is about £130... a bit more than I'd expected, but it looks like really good stuff. I'm very tempted. Thanks for the link!

As for the screen. HMMMMMM. Yeah the pale walls are the weak link (cream curtains as well). I can see than I'm going to need to do some serious arm twisting to go a bit darker when we decorate this year. We've got a dark carpet and black suite, so going very dark on the walls too would create a real "cave" - not so good for a lounge!
I'm still tempted to get a mid priced screen and hope we can sort out the decor later (or move house!).

Sounds like Z2 doesn't have the brightness for a grey screen either, so I can't boost the contrast that way.
 
Build a DIY screen, spend £100.00 on it

Get a £20.00 pair of curtains from Argos to hide it when not in use, then spend the rest of the original £600 on DVD's :clap:
 
Good plan, like your thinking...small snag....

Only suitable wall has patio doors (32" widescreen TV in front at the moment). Only option therefore is a pulldown/electric screen
:(
 
It's not unusual for people to start out using a blackout blind from IKEA or similar as a screen ... for a small outlay you get something that's a lot better than a wall and it's always possible to find a use for it if you decide to get a 'real' screen.

Use SEARCH on here for 'blackout', you'll find many threads discussing this idea. :)

Nice PJ to start with. :smashin:
 
I like Kragorns idea. :)

Try something cheap like he says, then you'll see how the decor affects your room. If you're happy with the picture, then you won't necessarily have to go for a grey screen which help reduce the effects of reflected light.

You could of course paint the screen grey later (Duluxe Icestorm 5 or 6) when you decide to buy a screen, and then you'll be able to decide if the grey works better for your room. You could even paint half and see what you prefer.

I'm using the Profigold component for one of my dvd players, and I think it performs well for the money.

Gary.
 

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