bobib
Standard Member
Please help me choose the right projector and screen. I have spent most of my free time for the last week going through this and other forums and online material, and gone down to Richer Sounds, but still overwhelmed by the amount of information and choice.
This is going to be my first home theatre, which I am going to also use to watch boxsets and other online streaming content, and some gaming (though these are unlikely to be of the kind that would need super fast response). I don't own a TV.
The room in question will unfortunately have to be my living room, which will mean off-white walls and ceilings and two largish bay windows. "Luckily" north and east facing, so get very little direct sunlight. There will obviously be blinds (though perhaps not blackout), and I my plans are to use the projector mostly at night. The lights will be happily switched off, though there are some brightish street lights outside.
Room is roughly 5.3m x 3.7m. The screen will be hanging from ceiling or mounted on the 3.7m wall (it will have to be retractable). Most of the viewing will probably be done from between 3m and 4.5m, though something which works for 4m viewing distance should be fine. I don't think ceiling mounting is going to work (pendant light in the middle of the room), so projector will have to sit on a table, preferably low enough that it out of sight. The projector can sit anywhere between 2m and 3.5m from the screen, though my preference is for closer side of that range. (and lower if that works).
I am thinking a 120 inch (16:9) grey screen, so happy to go wider or narrower if you guys think I should.
Budget wise, there is no hard budget, but I am not wealthy, so I rather spend less than more. I have done quite a bit of reading, and from what I can gather the BenQs are highly regarded in the lower price ranges. My thinking is that I will go for something entry level, and wait 3-4 years for the price on the laser and 4K projectors to drop (or I am a bit better off). Regarding the screen, unless you guys think otherwise, I was looking to go for something on the higher end and keep it when I upgrade the projector (I am assuming that there is not the same constant advance in screen tech).
The problem I am having is that there are so many different entry level BenQs and conflicting reviews from different times and based on different prices that I am finding it hard to decide which is the best purchase for me right now. I am also open to projectors from other manufacturers if you think that would be a better fit. Btw, I don't really seem to suffer the rainbow effect (based on briefly viewing some of the models below), but I do seem to be very sensitive to jerky movement.
So the models I am considering are:
- BenQ 1070 (Best price £500 from Richer Sounds)
- BenQ 1070+ (best price £600 from EBuyer.com and £700 from a few other online stores)
- BenQ 1090 (Between £650 and £750)
- BenQ 1110S (£600)
- BenQ 1400 (£600)
- BenQ W2000 (£800)
I have also looked at:
- Optoma HD27 (£550)
- Optoma HD50 (£1100)
Grateful if you could let me know:
- Which of the above projectors is the best for my use?
- Which would you choose given the above prices?
- Would you get the wireless addition with these or is it not worth it?
- Is 120 inch (16:9) the right size/aspect to be going for?
- Which screen do you recommend (tab tensioned and retractable, and preferably motorised)?
Sorry for the long message, and thanks.
This is going to be my first home theatre, which I am going to also use to watch boxsets and other online streaming content, and some gaming (though these are unlikely to be of the kind that would need super fast response). I don't own a TV.
The room in question will unfortunately have to be my living room, which will mean off-white walls and ceilings and two largish bay windows. "Luckily" north and east facing, so get very little direct sunlight. There will obviously be blinds (though perhaps not blackout), and I my plans are to use the projector mostly at night. The lights will be happily switched off, though there are some brightish street lights outside.
Room is roughly 5.3m x 3.7m. The screen will be hanging from ceiling or mounted on the 3.7m wall (it will have to be retractable). Most of the viewing will probably be done from between 3m and 4.5m, though something which works for 4m viewing distance should be fine. I don't think ceiling mounting is going to work (pendant light in the middle of the room), so projector will have to sit on a table, preferably low enough that it out of sight. The projector can sit anywhere between 2m and 3.5m from the screen, though my preference is for closer side of that range. (and lower if that works).
I am thinking a 120 inch (16:9) grey screen, so happy to go wider or narrower if you guys think I should.
Budget wise, there is no hard budget, but I am not wealthy, so I rather spend less than more. I have done quite a bit of reading, and from what I can gather the BenQs are highly regarded in the lower price ranges. My thinking is that I will go for something entry level, and wait 3-4 years for the price on the laser and 4K projectors to drop (or I am a bit better off). Regarding the screen, unless you guys think otherwise, I was looking to go for something on the higher end and keep it when I upgrade the projector (I am assuming that there is not the same constant advance in screen tech).
The problem I am having is that there are so many different entry level BenQs and conflicting reviews from different times and based on different prices that I am finding it hard to decide which is the best purchase for me right now. I am also open to projectors from other manufacturers if you think that would be a better fit. Btw, I don't really seem to suffer the rainbow effect (based on briefly viewing some of the models below), but I do seem to be very sensitive to jerky movement.
So the models I am considering are:
- BenQ 1070 (Best price £500 from Richer Sounds)
- BenQ 1070+ (best price £600 from EBuyer.com and £700 from a few other online stores)
- BenQ 1090 (Between £650 and £750)
- BenQ 1110S (£600)
- BenQ 1400 (£600)
- BenQ W2000 (£800)
I have also looked at:
- Optoma HD27 (£550)
- Optoma HD50 (£1100)
Grateful if you could let me know:
- Which of the above projectors is the best for my use?
- Which would you choose given the above prices?
- Would you get the wireless addition with these or is it not worth it?
- Is 120 inch (16:9) the right size/aspect to be going for?
- Which screen do you recommend (tab tensioned and retractable, and preferably motorised)?
Sorry for the long message, and thanks.