Projector choice

Status
Not open for further replies.

DuncanFisken

Established Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
294
Reaction score
73
Points
110
Age
49
Good morning all

I'm looking for some advice and thoughts, please.

We're currently looking for a projector to go into a living room cinema setup. The walls and ceiling will be white aside from the screen wall which will be dark and a part of the ceiling which will house a starscape.
The windows will also have blackout blinds fitted.
The screen will be an acoustically transparent 120" Grand Cinema.
The projectors currently under consideration are;

Sony VW270
Optoma UHZ65
Epson TW9400

I realise the last option isn't a native 4k projector however I'm moving from a TW9000 and have been impressed with it's HD picture quality. Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Duncan
 
FYI, the only native 4K beamer out of those three is the Sony.;)
 
Good morning all

I'm looking for some advice and thoughts, please.

We're currently looking for a projector to go into a living room cinema setup. The walls and ceiling will be white aside from the screen wall which will be dark and a part of the ceiling which will house a starscape.
The windows will also have blackout blinds fitted.
The screen will be an acoustically transparent 120" Grand Cinema.
The projectors currently under consideration are;

Sony VW270
Optoma UHZ65
Epson TW9400

I realise the last option isn't a native 4k projector however I'm moving from a TW9000 and have been impressed with it's HD picture quality. Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Duncan


For movies there is little difference between native 4K and faux 4K.

Unless the room is treated the black levels will be affected.
Demonstration:


What is the distance from the projector location to the screen?
Viewing distance to screen?
Budget for both?
 
As mentioned the Sony is the only projector in the list which is a native 4K projector, The Optoma uses Laser which will give you the longest shelf life regarding usage of lamp. It also uses a very good DLP chip which is closer to the native 4K projectors that some of the other FauxK projectors.

If 3D is a factor then only the Sony and Epson will work with this format. Optoma mentioned in the early days of the UHD models that they we're hoping to bring 3D to this projector but it seem the complexities are just to difficult which is why you see it one some of the lower models as they use a lesser chip which fits the 3D requirement

Distances would be good as 120" would be good together with the other electronics you will be hooking up to the projector as you may find that the Epson may come on top depending upon the side too
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and the info on the Optoma not being native. Budget wise they're all within scope.
Viewing distance wise it will be circa 4m and the PJ will be around 5m from the screen. Other kit currently it's a Yamaha 3040 receiver so an older model. Not sure if it can pass through the 4k or not.... so this would be a future upgrade therefore I wouldn't want that to be such a limiting factor to the decision making exercise.

Player wise this is up for discussion as I've not selected a 4k unit yet.

Thanks again for your thoughts.
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and the info on the Optoma not being native. Budget wise they're all within scope.
Viewing distance wise it will be circa 4m and the PJ will be around 5m from the screen. Other kit currently it's a Yamaha 3040 receiver so an older model. Not sure if it can pass through the 4k or not.... so this would be a future upgrade therefore I wouldn't want that to be such a limiting factor to the decision making exercise.

Player wise this is up for discussion as I've not selected a 4k unit yet.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Are you limited to just those models?

If the room is not treated then getting a projector with good blacks like the VW270 and the TW9400 will be wasting that feature.

Is the starscape a window?
Because if it is, it would let in a lot of light during the day and make projection very difficult if not impossible.

For screen size the projector should be used for a few weeks on a wall, or something attached to a wall to determine ideal size.
That being said, 120" from 4m/13.12' is a bit on the small side.
A very general recommendation is 10-12" inch in diagonal for every foot in distance. That would give you a screen of 130 to 155" screen.
Again, this is very general and subject to user preference.


There are 3 4K models that can be recommended in this scenario: Epson TW7000, TW7100, and TW7400.
From another thread:

The TW7400 covers DCI-P3 for HDR movies. The filter that enables the extra coverage cuts the brightness, but the unit should have sufficient brightness (in the dark).
The HC4010 has motorized lenses with memory for a 2.35:1 format screen. If your screen is not this format then this feature is not really useful.
The HC4010 has better lenses and other components and is a better movie projector.

The TW7000/71000 are brighter.
They have an 18GB HDMI chip. The HC4010 has a 10GB HDMI chip, so no 4K HDR 60Hz, 4K HDR (30)24Hz at the most. Most video is at 24Hz anyway, the 4K HDR 60Hz is primarily for gaming.
They are also lighter at ~12lbs, which the current mount might support. The TW7400 is ~25lbs. which would require a more expensive mount or a shelf.


Use these links for calculating dimensions:

HC3800=TW7100
The TW7100 and TW7000 have the same specifications throw range wise.
Both have lens shift for easy placement, the HC4010 has more.


If the projector can be placed closer to the screen a DLP unit might be an option.
A small number of people are sensitive to a DLP effect called RBE (rainbow effect). You have to see a DLP projector to see if that is the case.
DLP's are better and handling motion.
The Optoma above would be an ok option for DLP.
Also the Viewsonic LS700-4K.
LG HU70LA 4K is a less bright.

The Epsons have something most DLP's don't, which is lens shift. Lens shift allow the image to be moved up and down, or the projector up and down, giving it more placement flexibility.

If the screen is going to be larger than 130", especially being AT, a brighter projector would be required, like the TW7100.
 
Thanks very much for your comments.

no the starscape is a star ceiling when off it’s black, when on it twinkles like a starry night.
The room will be fairly well controlled for keeping the room dark it will just be the light walls.
I can’t go much bigger than 130” due to throw distance... having said that 120” at that distance is good for my own personal taste.

thanks again
 
hi Duncan

no contest imho, the Epson 9400 would be my choice and the money saved could be spent in other areas of your room which would give you bigger improvements to the overall system.

Allan :thumbsup:
 
hi Duncan

no contest imho, the Epson 9400 would be my choice and the money saved could be spent in other areas of your room which would give you bigger improvements to the overall system.

Allan :thumbsup:

If money were to be saved why get the 9400 in a room with white walls, and not the 7400?
 
If money were to be saved why get the 9400 in a room with white walls, and not the 7400?

light walls not white walls and the 7400 isn’t a patch on the 9400 imo and money saved could go towards a ReAct3 screen making even greater improvements
 
Thanks for your thoughts Allan, really appreciate it. I’m inclined to go with the Epson, but wondered if the additional outlay was worth the money.
Noob is correct the walls bar the screen wall will be white, I mentioned it in my initial post.
The screen wall will be dark and the right side will be black with the blackout blinds down.
The screen is already here so I have no choice there.
Unfortunately I’m in Guernsey and don’t have the opportunity to sample the units in action hence my questions.... I’m been very happy with the 9000 hence one of the options being the epson.
 
light walls not white walls and the 7400 isn’t a patch on the 9400 imo and money saved could go towards a ReAct3 screen making even greater improvements

Thanks for your thoughts Allan, really appreciate it. I’m inclined to go with the Epson, but wondered if the additional outlay was worth the money.
Noob is correct the walls bar the screen wall will be white, I mentioned it in my initial post.
The screen wall will be dark and the right side will be black with the blackout blinds down.
The screen is already here so I have no choice there.
Unfortunately I’m in Guernsey and don’t have the opportunity to sample the units in action hence my questions.... I’m been very happy with the 9000 hence one of the options being the epson.

The walls and ceiling will be white aside from the screen wall which will be dark and a part of the ceiling which will house a starscape.


How much difference do you think a 9400 with a high contrast/alr screen will make over a 7400 with the same screen in that room? Worth the price difference?
And OP doesn't have a HC screen(?).

What is the fabric of the screen?

With a white screen the black levels of the 9400 would be wasted.

The advantage of getting a 9400 would be the 18GB HDMI chip.
From another thread:
The issue is the input to the TW7400 is limited to 10Gbps which means you'll need to feed it 24hz content for the best picture (12bit 4:2:2 color and HDR). ....with some content (4k discs, Amazon prime, and Disney+), but some apps will play at 60hz (Netflix, Vudu) and the picture quality is downgraded (8-bit, 4:2:0 color, SDR) at the higher refresh rate.
 
Screen gain is 1.1 not sure what the actual material is.
 
It’s one of these...


That is not a High Contrast screen.

A TW7400 or TW7000/71000 would be appropriate.

Unless a 18GB HDMI chip is required - as described above.

The TW7000/71000 have an 18GB HDMI chip. So does a TW9400.
The TW7400 does not. The difference is described above.

The difference between the TW7000/7100 and TW7400 is also described above.
 
Best value her for the money will be the Epson.

This screen is the best of all transparent screens. We talk about huge improvements.
Order a sample and try. This is the best transparent screen I have ever seen.
It's almost like a normal screen in structure. Also, obtain better blacks because of layers and super sharp and natural looking screen.

 
Buying without trying first is a seriously bad move, as everybodys perception is different, therefore as you are spending quite a bit of money I suggest you factor in a visit to the mainland to try before you buy.
With light walls the black levels are not that critical and a react type screen is one of the best things you can go for to improve picture quality in this environment, however they are expensive so will eat significantly into your budget.
Out of the 3 you mention, if your budget can stretch to it, the Sony would be the best, however allow funds to have it calibrated as all Sony's suck OOTB.
If detail is very important to you (You can only determine this by trying them out) then the next would be the Optoma with the Epson way down, also the brightness of the Optoma will make up better for the light walls.
The Epson is the cheapest and although big and bulky (Almost as big as the Sony and significantly larger than the Optoma) is highly flexible and apart from detail (It can only put 4.15 million pixels on-screen) it s a cracking projector.
As I mentioned at the beginning put the effort in to try before you buy to reduce the chance of disappointment.
Have fun choosing.

Bill
 
why not suggest painting a screen rather than the react?
 
Buying without trying first is a seriously bad move, as everybodys perception is different, therefore as you are spending quite a bit of money I suggest you factor in a visit to the mainland to try before you buy.
With light walls the black levels are not that critical and a react type screen is one of the best things you can go for to improve picture quality in this environment, however they are expensive so will eat significantly into your budget.
Out of the 3 you mention, if your budget can stretch to it, the Sony would be the best, however allow funds to have it calibrated as all Sony's suck OOTB.
If detail is very important to you (You can only determine this by trying them out) then the next would be the Optoma with the Epson way down, also the brightness of the Optoma will make up better for the light walls.
The Epson is the cheapest and although big and bulky (Almost as big as the Sony and significantly larger than the Optoma) is highly flexible and apart from detail (It can only put 4.15 million pixels on-screen) it s a cracking projector.
As I mentioned at the beginning put the effort in to try before you buy to reduce the chance of disappointment.
Have fun choosing.

Bill
Sony is for shore the best. But a big price difference.
But I would pick the Sony personally.

when it comes to HDR I prefer the Epson.

then between the 2
 
@Diddern @Abacus @aoaaron

OP already has the screen.
The walls are white so any black levels the VW275 and TW9400 will be severely affected.

The Epson's TW7000/7100 are bright and not big.
OP can go for the TW7400 if he wants DCI-P3.
Or the TW9400 if the wants DCI-P3 and a 18GB HDMI chip necessary for using HDR with some streaming services.

The TW7000/71000 have an 18GB HDMI chip but no DCI-P3 coverage.
 
Thanks to all for the comments.

the AT screen was a requirement as the speakers are going behind it. The Grandview was in my budget hence my decision to purchase.
The wall colours are light due to it being a Livingroom as much as a movie room so that’s fixed.

The only open point is the projector hence my original question.
Right now I’m leaning towards the 9400 as I don’t believe the additional outlay for the Sony is worth it.... but still pondering if that’s the right decision.
 
Good morning all

I'm looking for some advice and thoughts, please.

We're currently looking for a projector to go into a living room cinema setup. The walls and ceiling will be white aside from the screen wall which will be dark and a part of the ceiling which will house a starscape.
The windows will also have blackout blinds fitted.
The screen will be an acoustically transparent 120" Grand Cinema.
The projectors currently under consideration are;

Sony VW270
Optoma UHZ65
Epson TW9400

I realise the last option isn't a native 4k projector however I'm moving from a TW9000 and have been impressed with it's HD picture quality. Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Duncan

My 2 cents ... stay well away of the Optoma UHZ65. I saw it at a home cinema happening with various other projectors. With that Optoma ... jc never saw the rainbows so quickly it was really horrible. Strangely in another room there were some UST dlp which did not seem to have that issue or at least not that bad as the UHZ65. And I was not the only person to see it as many other left the room with the UHZ65. So, stick with the Epson, Sony or JVC’s.
 
Last edited:
Thanks very much for your input, that’s really helpful... that was one of my concerns with the DLP.
 
the last comment

stick to what you know, not what you think you know, and that clearly isn’t AV in your case :lease:


Hey,

I've private messaged you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom