Need some buying advice please guys ...

J

Jabbs

Guest
OK I'm looking to buy a projector for a room I have just done out, but have no experience with projectors whatsoever.

I have been told that the higher the lumens the better the quality ?! (Is this true ?)

I plan to play movies/games thru it, and probably and some point connect Sky up as well.

My budget is about £1000.

Can anyone suggest a starting point for me ?

I have been looking at the Infocus X1, which Ebuyer are selling for £686. Is this model any good or is the X2 much better ?


Thanks in advance .....
 
After a bit of nosing about I notice the X2 is now available.

I have discovered that the X1 is a "crossover" or mutli purpose projector, but does anyone the differences between the X1 and X2 (apart from price) ?

After reazding thru some threads on here I noticed that the Themescene H30 seems a popular choice too.
 
Hi Jabbs, our H30 would fit in to your budget and i think you can see from this forum it is a well sort after machine
 
A quick look shows that the X2 has a DVI input which the X1 doesn't. Other than that, it's probably just minor improvements.

How far will you be sitting from the screen? The X1/2 are 800 x 600 so sitting too close may allow you to see the pixel grid (screendoor) and spoil the image. Sitting approx 2x screen width is a good seating distance (i.e 12 feet away from a 6ft wide screen).

Brighter isn't better, as it can elevate blacks to a grey and also show up artefacts from the DVD - idely you'll need a set-up diosk like Avia or Video Essentials to ensure correct contrast and brightness (simple to do and worthwhile IMHO). The X1/2 reduce lumens and contrast in movie mode by switching off the white segment of the colour wheel (it produces colour via a spinning RGBw wheel).

I wouldn't buy a DLP (such as thh X1) without viewing - some people can see the colour bursting as seprations of colour and this can spoil the image. It seems to be a low percentage, but if you do see them, and don't get used to them, then LCD may be the choice for you. There are more LCDs in the £1000 price range too. The X1 that I saw did produce quite a good picture for the price though.

Try to get a demo of the X1 and a couple of other pjs in your price range - some are better than others so it's worth having a look first.

Gary.
 
Thanks both. I think the old "try before you buy" will come into play here.

But after several hours now of scouting about, I think the H30 is the way I will be going, assuming I don't see colour separation or rainbows in a demo.
 
Another thing .....

I have a pale wall on which I will be projecting, but I guess ultimately I will need a screen.

I'm not interested in paying £100's for an electric one. I think its still within my capabilities to stand up and pull it down myself !

Is there much variation when it comes to screens ? I'm presuming not.
 
I think for the actual screen material, a unity gain screen will yield similar results. Even a good matt white paint on a while will give comparable results providing there are no lumps/bumps etc.

The frame/mechanism are what cost the money, and a screen with gain can vary in quality from company to company, so that might be worth considering if you need a higher gain image.

If you want a pull down screen, do a search here and see what the most popular brands are. If you want a fixed screen, the choices are probably greater, and there's also the option of DIY which will work very well too.

What I would do is get the projector first, and project onto your wall. See what size works well for your seating distance (screendoor etc) and then go looking for a screen in the size you want.

Gary.
 
Originally posted by Jabbs
Thats a very good and sensible idea.

Thanks a lot Gary :)

Hi Jabbs, as always Gary's advice is usually spot on and I completely agree with all of his comments.

I would like to add though that the X1 albeit well respected has a 2X colour wheel as opposed to the H30's 4X, the H30 also has no clear segment in the colour wheel as this tends to wash out colour.

The combination of the two results in a DLP projector far less likely to suffer from rainbows and colour saturation formerly only available with comparable LCD projectors.

I havent got a screen yet and frankly I may not bother as the picture is so good as it is.

Personally I think you should demo your favourite PJ's and try LCD as well.

The H30 was a no brainer for me and I am extremely happy with my decision to get one but then I have been using projectors for a few years now.

Regards, MikeD
 
Hi Mike,

Thanks for the kind words. :blush:

I have to say that you also make some points about the colour wheel and its speed. The X1/2 can turn the white segment off, but this isn't as good as not having one in the first place, so the H30 wins here in both cases.

The 2000:1 contrast should also be greater than the X1/2 as it does this without a white segment to boost brightness, and the X1 is only 1400:1 in video mode.

Gary.
 
Thanks a lot guys. I think the H30 is gonna take some beating now.

I jsut have to try and find somewhere where I can get a demo if at all possible.

Thanks again to all who gave feedback :)
 

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