Projector Recommendation £2k budget

[bizarrefish]

Hi all,

I'm new to this area of the forum as I have been avidly following the LCD TV section for years however now that the recent crop of LCD TV's have arrived I'm left a bit dissapointed.

The reason being is that I wanted a larger picture than my 32" Sony CRT can offer but not necessarily too big a reduction in SD PQ. As much as these LCD TV's are good for HD content the bang for your buck wasnt there to warrant replacing a perfectly good TV with.

This led me onto thinking about getting a projector which would mean I keep the 32" TV for day to day viewing but get a projector for those movie moments, PC / Media Center use and for the new crop of consoles soon to be coming out. I believe this would give me far better value in the long run.

My only concerns are;

1. Which model for the budget, havent thought about it until now so lack medium term knowledge on the subject matter.

2. In my 6m x 3.5m room I would need to place the projector on a shelf at the back or side but all my equipment is located on a rack next to the TV. Is there a way for the recommended projector's to have a single cable run to the front that everything can connect to easily?

3. Are there asthetic screens that roll up to the ceiling and hide themselves well? I do not mind if these are manual in operation.

So many questions, I am hoping some of you can help .

Cheers!

 

[Neil in Bristol]

Getting a projector is a good idea. By saving it for movies, games and special shows, you won't lose the impact like you would if you were watching everything on a (say) 40" television.

I really can't understand why more people don't do the same.

Anyway. You'll certainly be able to get a good projector for that budget. Your choices are LCD and DLP. Each has its advantages and drawbacks, so you'd rpobably be best off going to see a demo. I don't know much about DLP, but there are four very good LCD models in the £1300-1500 price range about to arrive in the shops - see http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245960 for more info.

 

[bizarrefish]

Thanks Neil, yeah it seems the best way to spend the money, yeah eventually I'll get a flat screen tv when they are good enough for day to day viewing but for the 50+ inch sizing it has to be projector. That means I just reverse my purchase order to get projector first. I am guessing as long as a good model has the ability to have a media box break out for the av connectors I dont even mind it ceiling mounted. See if I can get that past the wife...

 

[Knyght_byte]

dunno where you are, but sevenoaks hifi shops are doing the Infocus 5700 refurbished for £1,500, i think like my 7205 it comes with a 3 year gold warranty (if it breaks they come the next day and leave you another one..heh). this would leave enough for a couple hundred pounds screen and cabling and some new movies to enjoy it with...lol....
however although this is HD ready from the point of view that it can take HDMI or DVI signals, its not a HD resolution, its native is DVD (1024x576).
If you want DLP in native HD res (1280x720) then you need to spend a bit more....(7205 is around £2700 refurb or a few hundred more brand new)

DLP generally gives a better picture quality than LCD in cinematic terms....providing you can control the light in the room.....however like LCD it has its problems, something called the Rainbow Effect, search for it, some people dont suffer, some a little, some a lot.....just like the Screen Door effect on LCD.....

but its worth waiting a month to check out the newest models and possible drop in prices due to new technology coming around.....dont wait much longer than a month tho or you'll be waiting forever..lol

golden rule tho, make sure you demo the things......its a lot of money to spend to end up not enjoying it...lol

 

[bizarrefish]

Thanks Knyght for the sound advice.

Would prefer to spend more to get the right equipment, especially at least native 720. I'm near Cambridge where there is a Sevenoaks so I can go in and take a look. Still debating whether to get the short term 32" LCD fix then save for a nice projector for the larger stuff

 

[Anim]

If reading the forums correctly then DLP's across the board are about to drop in price.

I have read that a DLP contrast of 2000:1 is on par with an LCD contrast of 4000:1 and anything above that is hardly noticable to the average user. I can't confirm this as its just something i've read on the web in the many reviews I read.

DLP rainbows are something you and your family should check (the black and white film casablanca shows them almost straight away apperently)

To reduce rainbows manufactors increase the speed that the DLP projector spins its colour wheel. 4 speed colour wheels are the reccomended minimum so anything higher than that decreases your chance to see these artifacts.

LCD Screendoor effect is the visible black area around each pixel that appears as a grid on the screen. Also known as Chicken Wire. Newer projectors try and remove this effect by slightly blurring the picture (e.g. Panasonic's Smoothscreen technology) or using higher resolution LCD panels. There is a point away from the screen that this effect vanishes though.

Look up Screendoor and Rainbows in this dictionary for examples.
http://www.hifi-writer.com/he/dictionary.htm#r

I personally stick with LCD because I don't want to risk my mates getting headaches when watching movies but thats just me.

Sevenoaks only sell DLP projectors but you can demo them there and then usualy.

My advice would be:

A) Work out the desired screen size (projectors come in two flavours, long throw and short throw).
B) Create a short list of DLP and LCD projectors you like the sound of.
C) Use the Screensize calculator at www.projectorcentral.com for your chosen projectors.
D) Search these forums on the models you have chosen.
E) Check the online prices from forum sponsors or look in the classified section of the forum.

Into your costing you should also factor

A) Screen
B) Projector Mount (if mounting on ceiling)
C) Cables

You can easily spend hundreds on the above alone.

Then see what you have left over for the projector itself.

Edit: Answering your questions

1. Which model for the budget, havent thought about it until now so lack medium term knowledge on the subject matter.

You probably need to decide if you want DLP or LCD first.

2. In my 6m x 3.5m room I would need to place the projector on a shelf at the back or side but all my equipment is located on a rack next to the TV. Is there a way for the recommended projector's to have a single cable run to the front that everything can connect to easily?

You can place some projectors to the side (in line to left or right edge of screen) if they have Horizontal "Lens Shift" You need to check the specs.

If placing on the back wall then it might be a good idea to make sure the Projector exhaust (fan) is at the front or sides to stop it over heating.

You could have a single cable run into an Amp at the front and use that to switch your sources but you need to check your amp, connections etc. A single 10 meter component lead might cost you from 50 - 180 quid for example tho. You need to read up on cable runs here in the forum. Some people insist on quality cables to avoid noise or interference.

3. Are there asthetic screens that roll up to the ceiling and hide themselves well? I do not mind if these are manual in operation.

Many screens roll up into there attachment tube yes, this is quite common for screens. You can also pay extra and get an electric screen that comes down when the projector turns on for example. There are fixed screens that don't roll and then there is the DIY route if you want to design your own curtained theatre screen

Good luck
Anim