Projector for children?

[AVKix]

Hi,

My kids need a projector in their bedroom, as i do not want to spend too much on a fancy lcd/led/3d tv and it ends up being destroyed or a very expensive projector I have come up with the following.

They would like to play the PS3 and Xbox 360 on it and a few films. My budget is around £100-£130 - they are not that picky on it being HD 1080p or 720p.

I have searched around and found:-

Optoma Pico PK 201 Projector - Its and LED projector and very small. Puts out around 20 Lumens

MANUAL LINK:- http://www.optoma.de/uploads/manuals/PK201-M-en.pdf

Spec:-

Product Description: Optoma Pico PK201 - DLP Projector
Device Type: DLP Projector
Built-in Devices: Speaker
Dimensions (WxDxH): 6.1 cm x 11.2 cm x 1.7 cm
Image Brightness: 20 ANSI lumens
Image Contrast Ratio: 2000:1
Resolution: WVGA (854 x 480)
Native Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
Bulb type: RGB LED array
Bulb life cycle: 20000 hour(s)
Video Input: RGB, composite video, component video ( NTSC, PAL ) - MPEG-4, AVI, 3GPP, MOV
Supported Flash Memory Cards: microSD
Digital Video Standard: High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) (Mini)
Video Modes: 480p, 720p, 1080i, 480i
Audio Output: Speaker(s) - integrated
Sound Output Mode: Mono 0.5 Watt

I've seen some videos on YouTube and it looks decent - i just have a few questions:-

1. It is stated on the website it can project up to 70 inches - I was hoping for around 90-120 inches - Could this be achieved? Room will probably have to be really dark?

2. It is priced at £100 and comes with 6 months warranty? Is this a good price i think the projector is a year old.

3. On YouTube it looks like it handled movies and gaming well. Has anyone any thoughts on how it would hold up. I understand its meant to be used as a presentation projector but I was really impressed by the YouTube videos.

4. Will they be able to play at 16:9 widescreen?

Reason i picked this as it boast 20 000 hours of life in the bulb and the kids probably will grow out of it so do not want to spend loads on changing the bulb every year or so.

So what do you guys think? Solid purchase? done my research so i am hoping I was going along the right lines. I have seen the models above like the pk301 but the price soars quite a bit.

Room Information -

Kids Bedroom Dimensions

3.5m by 2.6m - Looking to project a 90-100" image maybe more if possible

Room lighting switched off, room goes completely dark

 

[AVKix]

anyone?

Did i miss some information out?

 

[ZedEx48K]

anyone?

Did i miss some information out?

No, you just need to give people a chance to wake up etc

 

[SteveCritten]

You mention buying a fancy led/lcd/3D TV in one breath but then say you only want to spend £100-£130 on a PJ? Can you point me to the website that sells TV's that cheap. Despite that you have come on an AV forum asking for advice and my advice would be do not get any of the above. Yes they are cheap and adequate in a very dark room but they give a rubbish picture and I would urge you to up your budget slightly and get a 2nd hand 720p proper PJ. You still wont be able to watch in a really bright room but the picture will be far superior.

If you wish to use it in the day I would suggest the Epson EH TW 450.

 

[SteveCritten]

oh by the way the pocket PJ's cannot project much bigger than 70" due to the brightness issue it just runs out of lumens any bigger.

 

[SteveCritten]

Why havent you replied yet?

 

[True Romance]

Have you considered sound? PJ speakers tend to be very poor and of little use. Also how much TV will the kids be watching? You may end up changing bulb often, they can be more than the cost of the PJ you listed above! Don't forget you need to connect up the ps3, xbox etc so you will need to run cables to the PJ.

Your better getting a cheap LCD tv imo.