Projectors: 720p vs 1080p with a smallish room!

googlebox99

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I've just purchased my first house and I'm moving in in mid-June. Unlike the majority of examples I've seen browsing these forums for the last few months, it's a period cottage built in the 1830s. For this reason I want to keep period features as they are pretty stunning. Also I won't be able to cut holes in the solid brickwork to run cables so I'll have to keep them trunked neatly.

The lounge is not huge (3.8m x 3.4m) and there is a period fireplace in the centre of the wall which would be the only place to mount a TV (above this fireplace would be quite high for every day TV).

I'm going to get an HD projector which will be fed by Sky HD (I mainly watch Sky Sports 1 and 2 HD, and a bit of regular SD TV), my PS3, 360 and Wii via an Onkyo 605.

I am debating which projector to buy, but my real question is how noticable will the difference be between 720p and 1080p projectors. Is it worth getting a Sanyo Z700 1080p over a Infocus x9 in terms of picture quality, lower noise, sleeker unit (ceiling will be kept white).

Throw distance will be around 3.5m.

Any advice would be welcome. I don't want to spend much more than £1000 on the projector itself, so 1080p would be between the Z700, the Infocus x10, Mitsubishi HC5500, Optoma HD800X-LV I suppose.

Any help is welcomed! Thanks in advance.
 
720p in that size room.

infocus x9 :smashin:
 
What's your light control like? I'd imagine that even if you didn't want 1080p that those same projectors would offer better levels of black, be brighter (i.e. more visible in ambient light) and offer a greater depth of colours and what not! Personally I'd get the best possible in order to future proof :)
 
What's your light control like? I'd imagine that even if you didn't want 1080p that those same projectors would offer better levels of black, be brighter (i.e. more visible in ambient light) and offer a greater depth of colours and what not! Personally I'd get the best possible in order to future proof :)

There's only one window in the room with decent curtains, so the room can be almost pitch black. However, I will want to watch sport in the daytime, particularly when I have mates round and a BBQ going outside.

Will the cheaper 1080p projectors fail to be bright enough?
 
You need to be sitting closer than 1.5 x the screen width for the resolution benefit of 1080 to be visible over 720. Scaling 1080 to 720 may also be an issue with the scalers of some devices, though the scalers in projectors these days tend to be pretty good in that regard.

Gary
 
You need to be sitting closer than 1.5 x the screen width for the resolution benefit of 1080 to be visible over 720. Scaling 1080 to 720 may also be an issue with the scalers of some devices, though the scalers in projectors these days tend to be pretty good in that regard.

Gary

The seated distance is the same as the throw, about 3m, maybe a shade over. Looking at projectorpoint screen tool, it would appear the max I can get out of each projector is:

720p
Infocus x9 - 2.27m (89")
Optoma HD65 - 2.27m (89")

1080p
Sanyo Z700 - 2.34m (92")
Infocus x10 - 1.67m (66")
Mitsubishi HC5500 - 2.34m (92")
Optoma HD800X-LV - 1.86m (73")

I wouldn't really want to go lower than 80", so it looks like one of the 720p, the Mitsubishi or the Z700 are the choices.

I've heard Z700 doesn't cope as well for daytime viewing?
 
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