Project Projector

Trikky

Established Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2004
Messages
280
Reaction score
15
Points
56
Hey guys,

I'm looking to take my first leap into home cinema projectors, I have about £1500 available for the screen and projector.
I have been reading reviews and looking at specifications of all kinds of projectors.
1080p is a must as 95% of source material will be Blu Ray with the odd HD Grand Prix thrown in for good measure, nothing else will be viewed. :smashin:

The first projector I'm considering is the Optoma HD20 - For the price point it is VERY hard to resist.
Does anyone know what is the difference between the HD200x and the HD20?
What worries me about these Optoma projectors it the 4000:1 contrast ratio with 1700 lumens, other projectors boast 75000:1 contrast ratio with 1600 lumens... am I missing something here?? Are these real word differences or are they just useless manufacturer numbers?
Is there any mileage to be gained in a 120Hz projector, will the motion handling be smoother at this level? :confused:

Can anyone recommend any other second hand or brand new projectors that would fit my budget and requirements? :lease:

Cheers!
 
Nothing really to choose between the 20/200 other than colour and warranty & price.

The 20 is white with 3 yr warranty £900 the 200 black with 12 months £800.

Forget the quoted contrast levels they generally are very exaggerated.You need to look at ANSI conrast levels (real world) the Optoma is about 400.

The Optomas are great value for money and if you want to spend less than £900 there ain't nothing else around.

However if you have up to £1.5k you have more options.

What sort of room do you have and what screen size do you want to get to and room dimensions.

Most pj's in your budget are DLP so have you had a demo of any DLP machines yet to see if rainbow is an issue.If not that's your first priority,where are you in the Uk.
 
Yeah, in east midlands - I haven't had any demos yet, it's proabably going to be quite tricky living in Lincoln, there's only seven oaks. I'll give 'em a bell.

I'm looking at a 2m wide screen, I don't know what the diagonal size would be.
Room size is about 4mtrs x 7mtrs, I have no issues mounting it to the ceiling except not being able to lift the floor boards above.

...rainbow effect? :confused:
 
2mtr wide screen will give you about an 80" diagonal you could go to an 8ft screen to give you an 100" diagonal.

For rainbows just put rainbow effect into your search engine,not everyone sees them but you will need a demo.

Maybe a local forumite with a DLP pj will give you a demo.:thumbsup:
 
Tikky I do know that seven oaks at Lincoln have an Infocus IN 80 for there demo machine. If you want to demo a DLP you are quite welcome to come out to my place and see my Infocus X9 in action.
 
Tikky I do know that seven oaks at Lincoln have an Infocus IN 80 for there demo machine. If you want to demo a DLP you are quite welcome to come out to my place and see my Infocus X9 in action.

Thanks, Steve!! :clap:
I live in Bardney so not too far away... when are you and your X9 available?
 
Any night but Thursday this week then next week I am nights Wednesday and Thursday. PM me and we can sort something out.
 
Cheers - PM will be sent shortly.

I've ruled out the Optoma HD200x because at my throw distance the minimum image width would be 3.03m which is nealy a meter too large. :thumbsdow

The Epson TW3500 is looking very good as an alternative tho. :facepalm:
 
I've ruled out the Optoma HD200x because at my throw distance the minimum image width would be 3.03m which is nealy a meter too large/QUOTE]

I had a similar problem with my son's Epson TW10. I used some double drawer rails so it could be pulled from a housing to the correct distance.

I'll try and post some pics tomorrow.
 
The TW3500 I'm looking at has a decent throw, using the zoom it will go down to 1.8m wide @ 5.5mtrs - The image width when setup should be around 2.3mtrs.
Also considering the Sanyo PLV-Z700 a it has a similar throw and lens shift.

Are the black levels on a DLP better than an LCD?
 
I think black levels and colours are better with DLP and generally contrast levels are also better than LCD.

LCD has a couple of advantages over DLP one being they are quieter and they have easier placement in that they have more zoom and lens shift.

Other than that DLP's in your price range will give a better picture than LCD in that same price level (£1k-£1.5k).
 
Photo's attached.
The screen width was governed by a bunk bed, so i had to site it quite far into the room. As he was only 9 at the time (ignore the date on the photos, they were taken in 2005) i thought it might be a bit vulnerable hanging out in the open, plus the ceilings are quite low.
Don't know if it will help your situation.
 

Attachments

  • Projector 049.jpg
    Projector 049.jpg
    225.3 KB · Views: 99
  • Projector 050.jpg
    Projector 050.jpg
    193.3 KB · Views: 126
Hi Trikky just a point when you go for your demo, if you ask they will set up the amp and speakers of your choice too!!
 
Photo's attached.
The screen width was governed by a bunk bed, so i had to site it quite far into the room. As he was only 9 at the time (ignore the date on the photos, they were taken in 2005) i thought it might be a bit vulnerable hanging out in the open, plus the ceilings are quite low.
Don't know if it will help your situation.

I think black levels and colours are better with DLP and generally contrast levels are also better than LCD.

LCD has a couple of advantages over DLP one being they are quieter and they have easier placement in that they have more zoom and lens shift.

Other than that DLP's in your price range will give a better picture than LCD in that same price level (£1k-£1.5k).

Hi Trikky just a point when you go for your demo, if you ask they will set up the amp and speakers of your choice too!!

Thanks for all the info guys... Willsy, that's genious!!
I'm gonna mount the projector above a window in the living room. The 5.5m throw should be fine and as I don't have any kids (yet) and because it's sitting so high in the room I'm just gonna leave it on the shelf permenantly set in the correct position. :thumbsup:
 
I have taken the plunge and bought an Epson TW3500 - Very pleased.

I am going to be setting it up correctly next week with a DVE setup disc, I have watched Casino Royale on it and was constantly annoyed by the black level (or should I say grey or cream levels) :thumbsdow

Black is not a colour, it's an absence of light - What I'm finding is that a bright part of the screen is shedding light on a dark part of the screen, this is extremely noticable in bright scenes. Is this because the walls in my living room are cream and reflecting the light back on to the screen or is this just the way the technology works? :confused:

Cheers,
Rick
 
It will be the reflections, keeping these to a minimum is the only way you'll be able to attain convincing looking blacks.
 
It will be the reflections, keeping these to a minimum is the only way you'll be able to attain convincing looking blacks.

Convincing the Mrs to paint the living room because of the black levels on the projector she didn't want in the first place is going to be difficult to say the least... :suicide:

I though this might be the issue - any advice on how to get round it or the Mrs?!?! :rolleyes:
 
Some guys have used removable panels and sheets but that could get quite costly and not always convenient.

Painting the room darker will help, unfortunately you'll never get the best from the projector unless you plan your whole room around it.
 
you could also consider a grey screen to help with ambient and reflected light...
 
you could also consider a grey screen to help with ambient and reflected light...

Do the grey screens work well and is this the type of application you would use one for?

I've never seen one in action, it would be an easier way to go. I did think about these but didn't think it would help that much. Are there any disadvantages to using them and can you get differing levels of grey?
 
the grey screen helps by absorbing reflected /ambient light.

if you cannot control reflections then it is a route to consider. a grey screen will darken the black level.
the disadvantage is that it causes loss of brightness to the same amount aswell.
IMO the improvement in blacks outweighs the loss of brightness for overall picture quality.

i have my wall painted grey for a diy screen and its that colour for exactly the same problem that you have.

try searching the projector screen forum for grey screens. you should find loads of info.

heres a picture comparing white and grey in ambient light.
13.jpg
 
the grey screen helps by absorbing reflected /ambient light.

if you cannot control reflections then it is a route to consider. a grey screen will darken the black level.
the disadvantage is that it causes loss of brightness to the same amount aswell.
IMO the improvement in blacks outweighs the loss of brightness for overall picture quality.

i have my wall painted grey for a diy screen and its that colour for exactly the same problem that you have.

try searching the projector screen forum for grey screens. you should find loads of info.

heres a picture comparing white and grey in ambient light.
13.jpg

Thanks Custard!!

Looks like I need a grey screen!
My projector has plenty of power for bright whites, I don't think it'll have any problems with a grey screen. At the moment the whites are well and truly over the top, hopefully this should calm them down a little.
 
If you aren't already, try using 'Theatre Black 2' with eco lamp mode when calibrating, the Epsons are very bright and this can cut down a lot of the light output.
 
Convincing the Mrs to paint the living room because of the black levels on the projector she didn't want in the first place is going to be difficult to say the least... :suicide:

I though this might be the issue - any advice on how to get round it or the Mrs?!?! :rolleyes:

...well, it seemed painless enough!! :thumbsup:

I managed to convince the Mrs that the light reflections from the walls and ceiling were destroying the depth of the projected image. She has agreed that this was the case and that I could put up some chocolate room height curtains along the walls that were causing the problems (had to be chocolate to match the room decor)I'm also going to be using Ikea Dignitet curtain wire with matching clips to try and be a descrete as possible.
I've still got to purchace a chocolate spring loaded roller blind for the ceiling above the screen.:rolleyes:
I'll post a few pics when it's all up and installed later this week.

I'm not going to bother with a grey screen until I have a better image (it seems to be getting better the more I run the projector anyway...:confused:)
Grey screen will be last resort (I think I will end up with one)

Cheers,
Rick
 
...well, it seemed painless enough!! :thumbsup:

I managed to convince the Mrs that the light reflections from the walls and ceiling were destroying the depth of the projected image. She has agreed that this was the case and that I could put up some chocolate room height curtains along the walls that were causing the problems (had to be chocolate to match the room decor)I'm also going to be using Ikea Dignitet curtain wire with matching clips to try and be a descrete as possible.
I've still got to purchace a chocolate spring loaded roller blind for the ceiling above the screen.:rolleyes:
I'll post a few pics when it's all up and installed later this week.

I'm not going to bother with a grey screen until I have a better image (it seems to be getting better the more I run the projector anyway...:confused:)
Grey screen will be last resort (I think I will end up with one)

Cheers,
Rick

Where can you get spring roller blinds, i can only fine the ones with pull string
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom