Thinking of getting a projector after years with an oled.

Which screen and projector do you have?
I've got the Samsung LSP9T. It's currently projecting onto a wall while I wait for a 110" Vividstorm motorised UST ALR screen to arrive (hopefully on Wednesday) and even on the wall it's quite amazing (when it's dark). The screen should improve it considerably during the times when it's not dark.

I was shocked with just how good the picture is and I'm 100% happy with this solution.
 
I've got the Samsung LSP9T. It's currently projecting onto a wall while I wait for a 110" Vividstorm motorised UST ALR screen to arrive (hopefully on Wednesday) and even on the wall it's quite amazing (when it's dark). The screen should improve it considerably during the times when it's not dark.

I was shocked with just how good the picture is and I'm 100% happy with this solution.
What was your alternative? ie, how far away could you have put a projector?
 
What was your alternative? ie, how far away could you have put a projector?
I was looking at getting a 77" or 83" OLED but thought it would dominate the room too much. I stumbled upon some online information about UST projectors, which I was previously unaware of, and it looked like a great solution (no big screen to dominate the room and a very neat solution), so I thought I would give it a go and I am very glad that I did.

I sit around 3m away and the way the room is set up I did not consider anything other than a UST. I could not have got such a big image with a normal projector and it would have been far more involved to set up (mounting in the ceiling, power and other cables, etc).

This just sits on the existing cabinet, turn it on and it's ready to go. At some point I'll look into getting a lower cabinet to put it on but I also have a significant HiFi system in the cabinet and it's not easy to find cabinets that can easily accommodate my kit.

I have been astonished by the picture quality, which has exceeded my expectations, and I am excited to see what it is like with the ALR screen.

The funny thing is that my girlfriend was very much against getting a bigger TV of the size I mentioned earlier but she said a couple of nights ago how much she loves this - great picture, a totally different experience to a TV and there's nothing to dominate the room so it's nicer when we are not watching something.

That's probably more information than you needed... :facepalm:
 
I was looking at getting a 77" or 83" OLED but thought it would dominate the room too much. I stumbled upon some online information about UST projectors, which I was previously unaware of, and it looked like a great solution (no big screen to dominate the room and a very neat solution), so I thought I would give it a go and I am very glad that I did.

I sit around 3m away and the way the room is set up I did not consider anything other than a UST. I could not have got such a big image with a normal projector and it would have been far more involved to set up (mounting in the ceiling, power and other cables, etc).

This just sits on the existing cabinet, turn it on and it's ready to go. At some point I'll look into getting a lower cabinet to put it on but I also have a significant HiFi system in the cabinet and it's not easy to find cabinets that can easily accommodate my kit.

I have been astonished by the picture quality, which has exceeded my expectations, and I am excited to see what it is like with the ALR screen.

The funny thing is that my girlfriend was very much against getting a bigger TV of the size I mentioned earlier but she said a couple of nights ago how much she loves this - great picture, a totally different experience to a TV and there's nothing to dominate the room so it's nicer when we are not watching something.

That's probably more information than you needed... :facepalm:


Room decor wise, its a massive deciding factor. TVs look horrible and ugly. I had an LG G series TV with no frame and it still looks like a horrible TV, despite its thin exterior. Yes, better than 99% of TVs but a TV is a TV... and its not pretty.

A PJ can truly open up a room. furniture placement options etc and thats one side of projection which I adore.

However dedicated room wise.. it doesnt matter mate.. cos the speakers and subs and avrs and amplifiers and processors will still take up space :D
 
That's probably more information than you needed... :facepalm:
No it's all good :)


I was looking at getting a 77" or 83" OLED but thought it would dominate the room too much. I stumbled upon some online information about UST projectors, which I was previously unaware of, and it looked like a great solution (no big screen to dominate the room and a very neat solution), so I thought I would give it a go and I am very glad that I did.

I sit around 3m away and the way the room is set up I did not consider anything other than a UST. I could not have got such a big image with a normal projector and it would have been far more involved to set up (mounting in the ceiling, power and other cables, etc).
The UST pjs are pretty new technology, and what a great option they are when you have no other sensible projector choice. When you can fit a projector further from the screen however, I believe you get a better picture from a standard projector, as you'd expect with the number of years they've been developing.
 
No it's all good :)



The UST pjs are pretty new technology, and what a great option they are when you have no other sensible projector choice. When you can fit a projector further from the screen however, I believe you get a better picture from a standard projector, as you'd expect with the number of years they've been developing.


I think USTs are getting more popular in the UK because some people don't have the throw distance for a 130'' image. E.g. an JVC PJ would need a fairly health throw distance (excluding body) to cast a 130'' image. . So although some projectors give a superior contrast + PQ.. they will do it but with a smaller image size; which can for some people defeat the purpose of a projector.

3M away he would probably get a 90'' image or an 85'' image with a JVC.



This is where UST is really advantageous. Especially in a small room where a big TV would also ruin the perception of space in it.

My sister has a small garage so I did suggest she get one for this use-case.

If you have a room with a decent throw distance, its different. My current home cinema room is about 6.5-7M long, so I looked at more long throw solutions. My PJ in my front room has 4M... which I think is JUST about the bare minimum for a 110'' image from an Epson once we take into account logistic issues.
 

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Room decor wise, its a massive deciding factor. TVs look horrible and ugly. I had an LG G series TV with no frame and it still looks like a horrible TV, despite its thin exterior. Yes, better than 99% of TVs but a TV is a TV... and its not pretty.

A PJ can truly open up a room. furniture placement options etc and thats one side of projection which I adore.

However dedicated room wise.. it doesnt matter mate.. cos the speakers and subs and avrs and amplifiers and processors will still take up space :D
In a dedicated room I'd only want a projector - it wouldn't seem worth all the effort to create a dedicated room and just have an OLED sitting there...

The room certainly looks better without the big black screen looming over the room. :D
 
This is where UST is really advantageous. Especially in a small room where a big TV would also ruin the perception of space in it.
The room certainly looks better with the big screen (and it looks even better still with a 110" picture. :clap:
 
Thanks for posting that.

What a tricky little shape. I guess the wardrobe position is fairly accurate, so you don't have space where you've written 1ft 10inch
Which does mean that wardrobe space lends itself to holding a projector, rather than a screen. I'll post my main recommendation at the end, but first = if the walls are all there to stay and can't be adjusted in any way, this is what I think I'd do:

Remove the wardrobe. Put the projector there, and also some bass trapping and other acoustic treatment.
Block up the window as simply as possible (will depend where it faces, and how you need it to look from the outside). Build a false wall there, to take your front 3 speakers. And then I'd install an acoustically transparent screen there.
I'd place the seating so our eyes are about 7 feet from the screen, leaving 2 feet to the back wall.

Now a newcomer may see that and think it's too much for them etc, so my main recommendation:
Find somewhere to demo a home cinema in a dedicated blacked out room. Once you see how good a room can be, you'll be in the best decision to decide how far you want to go with your room. Maybe just a nice size screen with some surround sound will be enough for you. Or maybe you'll want more. But I wouldn't want to do my room, and then later find out what's really possible, and wish I'd gone for more.

Where in the country are you?
 
I'm in Loughborough.
So would you say The Epson tw9400 is a good fit? Also what screen size would you recommend?
Thanks for all your help so far👍
 
I'm in Loughborough.
Perfect - your first job is to ask @mb3195 kindly if you can join his open day (he's showing off his cinema again :D ) - Forum members open day part 2

It's a week Saturday, on the 14th August. It's not too far from you, and if you could get there (ideally with your partner if they're at all interested) it will show you what is possible.


So would you say The Epson tw9400 is a good fit?
It's funny you mention that - when I drew out your room yesterday, it's the 9400 I used to calculate screen size. The 9400 is a great projector. The main problem I have with it, is that it's still as the same kind of price as it was a few years ago, which I think it largely down to covid causing manufacturing issues. I'd be looking at buying second hand, because you can get a lot more for your money. But I'd also try and get the room close to finished before buying something, in case prices go down or new models come out. You should also try and see if there are any good short throw projectors available (not ultra short throw, but shorter than the 9400).

Also what screen size would you recommend?
This is typically the million dollar question. There's a lot of good advice out there, but there's also some god awful advice from some places. For you, it may come down to how large an image you can get with your relatively short throw distance. For your room I worked out that I'd have the screen about 8.5" off the wall, giving me a throw distance of 9'5" (the 9400 is 45cm deep), which would give a maximum diagonal of 95.7" (if 16:9), or maximum width of about 83.5" (I haven't checked these figures, it's what I wrote down yesterday).

Depending on what projectors are suitable for you, so what choice you really have on screen size, we can then get into personal preference on screen size.


Thanks for all your help so far👍
You're welcome :)
 
I'm in Loughborough.
So would you say The Epson tw9400 is a good fit? Also what screen size would you recommend?
Thanks for all your help so far👍

Perfect - your first job is to ask @mb3195 kindly if you can join his open day (he's showing off his cinema again :D ) - Forum members open day part 2

It's a week Saturday, on the 14th August. It's not too far from you, and if you could get there (ideally with your partner if they're at all interested) it will show you what is possible.



It's funny you mention that - when I drew out your room yesterday, it's the 9400 I used to calculate screen size. The 9400 is a great projector. The main problem I have with it, is that it's still as the same kind of price as it was a few years ago, which I think it largely down to covid causing manufacturing issues. I'd be looking at buying second hand, because you can get a lot more for your money. But I'd also try and get the room close to finished before buying something, in case prices go down or new models come out. You should also try and see if there are any good short throw projectors available (not ultra short throw, but shorter than the 9400).


This is typically the million dollar question. There's a lot of good advice out there, but there's also some god awful advice from some places. For you, it may come down to how large an image you can get with your relatively short throw distance. For your room I worked out that I'd have the screen about 8.5" off the wall, giving me a throw distance of 9'5" (the 9400 is 45cm deep), which would give a maximum diagonal of 95.7" (if 16:9), or maximum width of about 83.5" (I haven't checked these figures, it's what I wrote down yesterday).

Depending on what projectors are suitable for you, so what choice you really have on screen size, we can then get into personal preference on screen size.



You're welcome :)
Happy to have you along, I’m 100% certain you’d go away wanting a projector 😂
 
I was thinking he might leave thinking 'sod my son's little room, I'm converting the living room' :laugh:
First thing I asked the wife before deciding on the bedroom. Big fat no.
 
One of my favourite builds on the forum is the Cowshed Cinema, and it's just occurred to me that @kbarnes70 previously had an 11' square Hobbit Theater which he loved, so I wonder if he could give you any advice (since the room sizes are similar) - Keith?
 
One of my favourite builds on the forum is the Cowshed Cinema, and it's just occurred to me that @kbarnes70 previously had an 11' square Hobbit Theater which he loved, so I wonder if he could give you any advice (since the room sizes are similar) - Keith?
Thanks will look through the thread👍
 
Something hit me last night. I've not even budgeted for seating. Any ideas for 3 people? Want it to comfortable but cheap. Thanks
 
Mainly films. Probably 2 of us.

Something hit me last night. I've not even budgeted for seating. Any ideas for 3 people? Want it to comfortable but cheap. Thanks
Hey, where'd the third person come from?

If it needs to be cheap, there are a couple of options. Either a decent sofa from gumtree. We have loads of second hand sofas and they do the job. Or some original cinema seats: As well as the recliners I've ordered, I've got 4 of the fixed version of these: Home cinema seating - Roma | eBay

They're the same as these: Seats for cinemas - Euro Seating
I've sat in similar at the local cinema.

I don't think it's worth getting the cheapest lazy boy style cinema recliners, that won't be up to the job long term.
 
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Hey, where'd the third person come from?

Hey, where'd the third person come from?

If it needs to be cheap, there are a couple of options. Either a decent sofa from gumtree. We have loads of second hand sofas and they do the job. Or some original cinema seats: As well as the recliners I've ordered, I've got 4 of the fixed version of these: Home cinema seating - Roma | eBay

They're the same as these: Seats for cinemas - Euro Seating
I've sat in similar at the local cinema.

I don't think it's worth getting the cheapest lazy boy style cinema recliners, that won't be up to the job long term.
The third place is the wife's idea. When my daughter comes home from Uni there may be a 1 in a million chance she will want to watch a film with us.
What are your thoughts on the BenQ w2700? It's over grand cheaper than the Epson 9400 and has a shorter throw.
 
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The third place is the wife's idea. When my daughter comes home from Uni there may be a 1 in a million chance she will want to watch a film with us.
If there's space for 3, then it makes sense to allow it.

What are your thoughts on the BenQ w2700? It's over grand cheaper than the Epson 9400 and has a shorter throw.
I don't know anything about the BenQ (I have an older 1080p BenQ) except that I'd know about it if it was good as the Epson. For £1k less, then of course you wouldn't expect it to be as good.

2 main things:
1) Image size and seating distance: Work out what you want, and then see what projectors can provide it
2) Budget: Your total budget might be absolutely in stone, or when you find out what is possible, you may find ways to stretch it. If you do, then balancing where it goes is a big deal: image, seating, room design and acoustics, and possibly (although I'd not trying to encourage you to spend more) upgrading your audio at some point.

It may be that going for a cheaper projector allows you to do more elsewhere in the room.

As I said above, I'd really recommend you visit someone else's cinema. Maybe the thought of meeting some weird internet geeks fills you with horror, but if it's at all possible for you to visit Mark's place (as linked earlier), you really should do it. Only then will you know what's possible, how much you're prepared to pay towards it, and which aspects are worth your hard-earned dough.
 

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