Newbie To Projectors. Advice would be much appreciated after 3 weeks of mind boggling research.

[AndySound87]

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read and help. So for 3 weeks I have been pulling my hair out everyday looking into getting a projector for my bedroom.
There is SOOOOOOO much to take into consideration and there are SOOOOOO many projectors out there is mind boggling. Essentially I have a throw distance of 3m.
but I don't want to get a projector that's limited to that either. I have a shelf installed ready for said projector. The room I have on my wall at the moment is 70 inches wide. But I would also like to be able to use this on the side of my garage which is painted white and is substantially bigger than the bedroom wall space. Budget is anything under £1000. I think my throw ratio is 1.7?? So questions...Is it worth investing in the 4k pixel shifting? Is 1080 native enough? Do I get DLP,3LCD,LED? I would very much appreciate any advice on what projectors I should be looking at. I have my eye on a few . 2 from Epson and one from Benq. Fan noise is quite important as I have quite sensitive hearing. I the rainbow effect something I should worry about in DLP projectors? Essentially I want something that is quite flexible too. With some lens shifting options. I know keystone is not advised as it effects res or something? Anyway , please send help. Many many thanks.

 

[swiftpete]

Hi for that budget the BenQ projectors are decent. They’re bright, colourful and sharp. They’re not the quietest but unfortunately quiet projectors cost more. Once the film is going they’re alright though as you don’t tend to notice the fan then.

Rainbow effect is something some suffer from but when I had a dlp loads of people saw it and not one ever pointed out rainbow effect. I’d only heard about it from the forums but in real life no one ever noticed it. It’s worth seeing a dlp in action if possible but I never had an issue.

Do you have a sound system in place already? Projectors are for picture only so you’ll need a receiver and speakers, plus a media player of some type. That can eat up more budget than the projector.

I’ve had projectors for years and wouldn’t bother in a bedroom, I’d just get a tv. In a dedicated room though, yeah they’re great.

 

[AndySound87]

Hey Pete, Thanks for the reply.
I tend to move around a lot with my normal non pandemic job. So the thought would be that a projector is way more portable and space saving than lugging say a 75 inch tv around. And the flexibility of having movie nights in the garden with huge display is also a win. I have a sound system here already, and a 4K fire stick.

After 3 weeks or researching, I'm still no closer to really finding one. The thing with the DLP is I wouldn't want to take the risk. Knowing me I would probably see this rainbow effect. I hear the 3LCD from epson is quite good? I also have no idea how much a bulb would be to replace etc.

Just at a loose end .

Thanks again for your reply

 

[Joe Fernand]

LCD is the 'safer' option if you are worried about rainbows with DLP.

Projector lamps for a sub £1k projector are likely around £100 (assuming you got an OEM replacement) - though you'll usually take a long time to require a new lamp unless you are using the projector as a daily 'TV' screen.

You can look up most projectors on a Lamp reseller website to see the current pricing and OEM vs third party alternatives - Home | LampsDirect.co.uk

Manufacturers such as Epson usually list the replacement Lamp in the accessory section for all products - as an example, EH-TW5700

Outdoor movie nights are great fun but not the most practical option in the UK!

Joe