Quiet projectors

rccarguy3

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I'll be getting and money soon so thinking of getting a projector . Ceiling mount.

I have option of ultra short throw , can these work on the ceiling also? I don't think I'll get rid of the oled so the screen will pull down or automated screen in front of the TV.
Ceilings are Victorian so likely wooden slats/plaster. I'd want a professional to install projector mount and screen.

What projectors are sub 30db?

Budget around £3000
 
You can get UST projectors that are ceiling mounted but these tend to be business/education versions.

I've got an Optoma UHZ65UST which was rated at 26db under lab conditions (circa 30db in real life), which it can be ceiling mounted as Optoma released a few ceiling mounts recently - one is a close to ceiling version and other is a pole mounted version. I've not dared as I'm also in Victorian house and have old plastered ceilings!!

How far away will you be from projector?

Not sure whether BENQ or Samsung USTs can be ceiling mounted. Check out www.projectorcentral.com for comparing various projector specs etc.
 
There's a beam above my head could be fitted onto that. That would be greater distance from projector to screen haven't measured bit probably 11' or so

I guess ultra short throw projectors are more expensive
 
I think they are getting more reasonable. More models are being released. You need to factor in screen costs as well. I used mine on wall for a few months...USTs are sensitive to any bump/imperfection, Victorian houses don't have flat perfect walls!!! I've now got an ALR fixed screen but that added to the overall cost.

I used to have an Optoma short throw and trialled an Epsom long throw - the issue in both scenarios was noise. I went for UST to keep the projector as far away as possible. The UHZ65UST worked well. In quiet scenes you sometimes hear the fans but nothing like it being above head and no colour wheel whine etc and normally the sound of movie/programmes drowns it out.
 
Screen will be about 1m from front wall/window so I don't think wall bracket will work or be safe.

What about shower curtain type pole from side wall to side wall then projectors mounted on that? Not pretty but that could work
 
You need to think about position of projector....offset etc
 

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I'll be getting and money soon so thinking of getting a projector . Ceiling mount.

I have option of ultra short throw , can these work on the ceiling also? I don't think I'll get rid of the oled so the screen will pull down or automated screen in front of the TV.
Ceilings are Victorian so likely wooden slats/plaster. I'd want a professional to install projector mount and screen.

What projectors are sub 30db?

Budget around £3000


I would not get a UST screen. They're not very good PQ wise compared to the long throw projectors which have much better contrast. What size image are you projecting?

At £3000, I'd be looking at any second hand Sony or JVC in their low lamp modes as they are very very quiet. Sony being quieter in low lamp modes.

Budget of £3,000, you should be able to get a second hand X7900 or X5900 comfortably. Sony wise, just see whats available. Prices seem to vary wildly.

If you're not including a screen in your calculations, if your room does NOT have black walls and ceiling, a Draper React ALR screen will give you the best improvement to perceived contrast and allow you to watch the image with some ambient light. For this, budgets vary wildly but second hand, think £700-£1000, for new; contact a dealer like idealAV or Ricky @ Kalibrate.

You don't want to scrimp on a screen as it has to be tab tensioned and high quality to ensure you don't have imperfections on the screen like ripples. If you do, panning shots will look horrible.
 
Walls are white. I did size a 77" oled and that fits between the speakers so that sort of size
 
Projector mount wise, I suggest a peerless projector mount ceiling wise. Its known as one of the best with excellent ergonomics.


If you wanted it for cheaper, I have one I had offered to someone in a deal with my Epson 9300 in the classfiields so I could do you a good deal on one.

Otherwise a shelf is probably really good and easy.

If you find your budget is stretched at £3,000, your other option is to move down to an Epson 9300 or 9400. If you go for the 9300, I'd definitely suggest investing in a MADVR HTPC with the savings and using that as a dynamic tone mapping solution. It can trade blows and probably offer 80-90% of the performance of a Lumagen (RRP £5000+) for the money. If you go for the 9400, I'd still sadly suggest MADVR.
 
Walls are white. I did size a 77" oled and that fits between the speakers so that sort of size


If the walls are white, you'd be better off investing/saving for a Draper React screen and buying a cheaper projector if it doesn't fall within budget. It allows you to watch the projector with ambient light very comfortably and will also provide an increased perceived contrast and black floor when the lights are off.

If you can't do this or don't want to, don't bother buying a JVC or Sony projector. Instead get a light cannon like an Epson 9300 or 9400 as they'll combat the ambient light a lot better.

Even if you go for a draper react, if the room is really really bright, the Epson might end up being a slightly smarter option at least in the medium-term as the JVC's will probably have old bulbs which need replacing.
 
Just to give you a brief guide in projectors.


Projectors

JVC - best contrasts, best blacks, most expensive bulbs, least forgiving throw distance, very dim on 'low lamp mode' but comparable brightness on high lamp mode BUT they're noisy at this stage (lets say 3.5/5 noisiness), expensive bulbs £399
Models: X5900, X7900

Sony - second in class contrast and blacks but best motion and picture processing (IMO they're really good at this). They normally lack the lumens unless you're going for their lasers which are around £8,000
Models: VW550ES+

Epson - very quiet in medium or eco mode, as bright as the JVC in high lamp mode (well near enough) without being as loud, contrast and black floor are worse than the two above, very flexible in terms of placement, very very bright in dynamic and high lamp modes which is great for white walls, cheap bulbs £99
Models: 9300, 9400

Room treatments

Getting the best from your projector IMO has two easy paths:
1. Paint the room black and black velvet
2. an ALR screen

Painting and treating the room is the best and allows you to get the most from your projector.

ALR screen's combat ambient light by rejecting light from the sides. they're good if you want to watch a PJ with the lights on. However, if the throw distance is short, you can have some hotspotting (centre of image brighter than the peripheries) and poor viewing angles (not an issue for one person IMO).

If you cannot paint or treat your room, you leave a LOT of performance on the table re: contrast and blacks - in which case a JVC or Sony might be money down the drain where you'd be better off treating your room or getting an ALR/grey screen.


HDR

HDR on projection is a minefield. Basically dynamic tone mapping is needed on projection to make the bright images look good without blown out highlights and the dark scenes look good whilst maintaining shadow detail.

There are 4 common solutions to this:
1. a JVC N series projector or above £5000+
2. MADVR HTPC £1000+ (also doubles as a PC and a gaming computer and a media server and media player but will not apply HDR to any non-local source; has to be played via the MADVR player)
3. Lumagen £5500+
4. MADVR Envy £7500+


UST vs Long throw

Generally UST are for very very casual people. They aren't very smart solutions for an audiophile such as yourself as the centre channel position is going to be horrible and will impact performance, no matter what someone tries to convince themselves. They also offer inferior contrast and PQ compared to the longer throw more cinematic projectors.



Pair the right projector with the right room and treatments. As your setup changes, you can always trade up gear.
 
Great knowledge from @kenshingintoki. Ultimately comes down to use of room.....are you looking at casual projector setup along with OLED etc or dedicated type room. Epsom 9300/9400 could be the solution in your budget - they are very quiet in eco mode.

Based on what you've stated above - I don't think a UST would work for you.

Agree with comments above RE: centre channel.....my MP950s fit perfectly into offset between projector....my new MP300 doesn't 🤦. I've got a change coming up in the plan ☺️.
 
If you’ve only got space for a 77” screen then just get a bigger tv, a lot less hassle and you won’t get any projector benefits if going for this size.
 

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