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The March Hare posted:Hey there, just moved into a new place. It's a railroad apt. with a big middle room that we are using as a livingroom space and my gf just stepped on the TV so now we are considering maybe grabbing a projector. We've got a maximum ~11.5' throw to a brick wall that is ~9' long and ~12' tall. Since it's the middle room in a railroad the room isn't super bright during the day (there are openings but its still a good 15' on either end of the walls to this room before you hit a window) and at night it is basically totally dark, so it seems like a decent environment for one. Throw - is that 11.5 wall to wall or did you already account for the PJ size/venting? If you are looking to mount it off a rafter I assume you did but just checking. Is 11.5 the furthest rafter back then? Seating - what is your actual seating distance going to be? Eyeball to screen distance. If you are mounting off a rafter you need to factor in the cost of a mount. Even a cheap one will run 70-90 USD, and you'll need to factor in a drop pole. Chief makes quality mounts that aren't too expensive but all in you are probably looking at $125 USD or so. Also how are you going to get power/cabling up there? You can also table mount it, like in between your seats, or put it on a bookshelf behind you if that's easier. Deciding which option has an effect on which PJ you should get. These days you can get a surprisingly good looking PJ for well under $1k USD new. More money gets you better black levels (but todays budget PJs are still better than all but the best high end PJs of just a few years ago), quieter performance, better placement flexibility (horizontal/vertical lens shift, power zoom, wider throws, etc.) and usually some image processing doodads that a lot of people turn off anyway. If you can live without/work around those you'll be fine. That's why knowing placement and viewing distance up front is important, because different budget PJs do certain things better than others. Some have very short throws and are great if you want a fairly large image but need to put the PJ close to the screen, but aren't bright enough for longer distances. Some have wider zoom angles and better brightness but have very loud fans making them more appropriate to mount further away from you. Etc. For example the Optoma HD26 is a great little 1080p PJ that you can get new for $600 and throws a clean bright image but can sound like a hair dryer if you are sitting next to it or directly under it. Finally, don't cheap out on the screen/save it for later. If you are going to bother with a PJ at all get a screen too otherwise you are wasting your time OMHO. You can get an Elite screen off Amazon that is easy to put together and hang for around $200 and it will be just fine for a budget PJ. And a shitload better than a wall or sheet. Size recommendation, like the PJ, depends on the answers to the questions above.
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Aug 8, 2016 18:04
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Ixian posted:Throw - is that 11.5 wall to wall or did you already account for the PJ size/venting? If you are looking to mount it off a rafter I assume you did but just checking. Is 11.5 the furthest rafter back then? The furthest rafter back is roughly 11.5' on center from the wall the projector will be throwing to. The couch will be up against that wall, probably 12' from the wall–I'm not at home to measure it, but its just a touch back from the last rafter basically. Don't mind spending the extra hundo or so on the mounting, had already thought about it but probably should have mentioned that. If we can do the projector and the screen for sub 1k, that's fine, but otherwise we don't mind dealing with a bad picture for a couple of weeks while we gather of skrilla to throw down on the screen. Just looking to get some kind of thing going so we can watch some Stargate while we continue to unpack and stuff for the next month or so :~).
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Aug 8, 2016 21:30
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The March Hare posted:The furthest rafter back is roughly 11.5' on center from the wall the projector will be throwing to. The couch will be up against that wall, probably 12' from the wall–I'm not at home to measure it, but its just a touch back from the last rafter basically. I'm going to help you though "hundo" and "skrilla" earned you a eyeroll  With a viewing distance about equal to the PJ - let's call it 11.5 - you could probably get a 120 inch diagonal 16x9 image with a PJ that has a short throw. Possibly larger - people do it - though I'm not personally a fan of images so large they go outside my field of view at the distance I view them. Finding a budget PJ that can throw a 120 inch image from 11.5 feet and be bright enough for you to enjoy it without blacking the room out like a cave is another story. So in the end you'd probably be just as happy with a 100, or even a 106, inch screen - both are pretty common sizes (and way bigger than any TV you can get) and have a much easier time getting everything to work. Any good budget PJ can handle 100 or 106 at that throw distance. Your second issue to consider - and another reason to think about going a little smaller - is you'll be right under the PJ, meaning you don't want one with a loud fan. As a very general rule of thumb, the brighter a PJ the louder the fan, relative to cost (meaning you can get very bright PJs that are also very quiet, but not for under a grand). The smaller the image, the less light the PJ has to pump out over the screen, and the less you have to worry about this. You may even get away with being able to use the PJ's lamp in "eco" mode, with which most brands will significantly extend the lamp life and lower the cooling fan noise. With all that said, my pick would be the BenQ TH670 for you: It's $600 USD new, with a two year warranty Fan noise is very low for a budget PJ Excellent picture quality for TV and movies Bright enough for your room/placement Bulb life is claimed at 10,000 hours in eco mode, which is extreme. I would take this with a slight grain of salt but it's still very long. It has pretty low lag in "gaming" mode - it's fairly popular with console gamers. Like all budget PJs it has its shortcomings. For most, the biggest is placement flexibility - there's no lens shift of any kind, only digital keystone correction (which you don't want to use) which means you'll need to place it, or the screen, or both, exactly where you need the image to go. Since you are talking about a ceiling mount on a rafter you probably have more placement flexibility then most, since you can adjust the mount side to side (before permanently attaching it, naturally), and if you get an adjustable drop pole, up and down. Protip: You'll want one of those. A few things to keep in mind as a new PJ owner: They aren't TVs - they can take up to a minute to fully warm up when you turn them on, and you need to make sure to turn them off (or let auto-off do it for you). Generally, and especially on the cheaper ones, you can't turn them back on immediately after turning them off or you'll blow the lamp. You need to let it cool for a couple minutes, at least. Most PJs have a mode that goes in to standby and runs the fan when you first turn them off. They can work ok in ambient light, but they don't look nearly as bright as a TV does if you have lights on or outside light shining in. The darker the room the better and, it should go without saying, the less light that isn't from the PJ shining on the screen the better. There are PJs and screens that mitigate this to a large degree but they are way outside your budget. Like a lot of budget PJs the BenQ comes with little speakers but those are meant for presentation/etc. use - you won't like them for watching TV. Meaning, you need an external sound system to work with this setup. Don't forget about cables and power to the rafter. Doing that right (i.e. so it's not some swag-wire POS setup) can take more time than anything else, and can get expensive if you bring an electrician in because there's no outlet in the ceiling. Finally, setting this up properly, particularly a budget PJ without lens shift and limited offset/throw, is harder than you think. Read up on it online and be prepared to spend some time mounting it correctly, squaring it off, etc. Otherwise your image is going to come out looking janked. If all this sounds like a complete pain in the rear end to you I should also point out that if you are willing to drop up to a grand you can get a pretty solid 55-65 inch TV these days that will look great and be a shitload easier to set up in all regards. I still wouldn't recommend waiting on the screen - you really aren't going to like it projected on a brick wall - but do what you have to do. "Skrilla" as it were. At least make sure you place it correctly and measure/try the zoom to see how big an image works for you before you buy one. Keeping in mind that it's going to be hard to judge the end brightness result without the screen in place.
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Aug 8, 2016 22:31
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So projectors don't do sound, and they sit behind and above the viewer. It's usually simpler to keep components (of which the PJ is one) close together for cabling reasons, but if you want to control something with IR it needs to be line-of-sight, which is usually easiest in front of the viewer. Further, most components (esp. the receiver) want to live on the ground, not on the ceiling. The standard TV setup is very simple: put everything (ignoring speakers) up front with the TV. The right way to do things doesn't seem so straightforward to me with a projector. Is there a standard way of doing things so you can control your components (the PJ, a receiver, and at least a content-supplying gadget like a stick/HTPC/Apple TV), route the sound sensibly*, and keep cable runs to a minimum? How are people squaring the circle? I'm probably missing something simple (or it's just a PITA and I have to suck it up if I decide on a projector), but at this point I think I stress about this more than choosing a projector. * To clarify my issue with audio routing: Right now I send all my AV inputs (which are all HDMI) through my TV, then send TV audio out to my old no-HDMI-inputs receiver, which I just use as an amp and distributor. I get that I need to reroute things with a PJ, so all my HDMI inputs come into a (probably new) receiver which sends video out to the PJ and routes audio. That seems to make the cabling problem worse though. If I put it up front I'm running a giant fuckoff HDMI cable run to the PJ, and if I put in back I have the IR-remote problem.
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Aug 22, 2016 03:31
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why couldn't you use a Harmony smart hub and a few IR blasters and put everything wherever?
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Aug 22, 2016 07:50
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I have my projector, htpc, and receiver all in a media rack to the right of my couch. We just point our remotes at the screen and the IR bounces back towards our gear. No issues. You'll probably want to make sure you have fresh batteries in your remotes.
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Aug 22, 2016 13:42
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sellouts posted:why couldn't you use a Harmony smart hub and a few IR blasters and put everything wherever? I could, but it adds complexity/budget. I may go down this road eventually, but it would be nice to think about it later, after the main projector/screen buy/install is done. revmoo posted:I have my projector, htpc, and receiver all in a media rack to the right of my couch. We just point our remotes at the screen and the IR bounces back towards our gear. No issues. You'll probably want to make sure you have fresh batteries in your remotes. You know, I hadn't really considered that I'm going to have a wall-sized reflective surface right in front of me when I'm doing all this. So, uh, yeah. Good point. Guess I'll just park things within LOS of the screen and I should be good to go.
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Aug 22, 2016 20:59
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Yeah I think you'll be just fine, our remotes have worked flawlessly with this method for like two years now.
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Aug 22, 2016 21:32
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pgroce posted:So projectors don't do sound, and they sit behind and above the viewer. It's usually simpler to keep components (of which the PJ is one) close together for cabling reasons, but if you want to control something with IR it needs to be line-of-sight, which is usually easiest in front of the viewer. Further, most components (esp. the receiver) want to live on the ground, not on the ceiling. I used to have my things in a cabinet on a back wall. This worked fine with a Harmony, I've since removed the cabinet and put everything to the left of the screen on an adjacent wall where the IR bounces fine off the screen as well, or I can point to the equipment, or just use the Harmony, so I've got choices. I've got a ceiling mounted outlet and a 35 foot HDMI cable that runs in the walls to the PJ. It seems to be good for 4k60 @ 4:2:0, but a little glitchy at that rate so I like to run it at 4k24hz when I can. or just 1080p @ 60hz. And to answer your sound question all HDMI video and sound runs through the receiver, there are exceptions to the rule, but this is generally how it goes. Anyway, this works for me right now, I plan on building some kind of side bar or something to box this rack in: 
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Aug 24, 2016 06:49
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Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.
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I got the OK from my Fiancee for a projector, once our wedding is over with. She's not a fan of the furniture setup for the room that would be most conducive to a projector (putting the PJ 4-5' behind us) so I'm looking at getting a smaller form factor that would sit above our couch. As such, my question is: how loud is going to be too loud? Should I go for something like a LED ultra short throw, or just get the quietest one that I can afford? BenQ's HT2050 seems to top a lot of Budget lists... a larger/quieter one might be too big for being over our heads (ceiling height is 6' 5"). The room will be very dark, so I can get away with lower brightness settings I think. I don't have a screen, so I can also get a low gain screen if that will help things...
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Aug 24, 2016 20:33
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I'd get the LG PF1000U personally. LED, quiet, ultra short throw means no weird furniture arrangements.
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Aug 27, 2016 00:20
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pgroce posted:Is there a standard way of doing things so you can control your components (the PJ, a receiver, and at least a content-supplying gadget like a stick/HTPC/Apple TV), route the sound sensibly*, and keep cable runs to a minimum?
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Aug 29, 2016 16:09
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A friend of mine who knows nothing about home theater is looking to me for advice. Ive got projector smarts, but the models hes looking at, Im unfamiliar with. Im looking to get some input from the thread. Hes putting in a 123" diagonal 16x9. his layout requires a 184" lens to screen throw. the projector will be on a shelf, about 12" off center of the screen. So basically, he needs a 1.72 throw ratio lens and a projector with vertical and horizontal digital keystone. This eliminates the popular LG LED, The W1070, Epson 5030, and many other popular PJs. He knows keystone compromises, but he has no options. Budget is $2000 for projector. Looking at projector central it looks like the only two machines that meet this criteria are the Epson 3500/3600/3600e and the BenQ HT4050. Both of these are well under his max budget. So which of those two would be recommended? something else? seems like either one is good choice. maybe it just comes down to rainbow sensitivity on the DLP? any input is appreciated. Cornjob fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Sep 6, 2016 |
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Sep 6, 2016 17:22
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Cornjob posted:A friend of mine who knows nothing about home theater is looking to me for advice. Ive got projector smarts, but the models hes looking at, Im unfamiliar with. Im looking to get some input from the thread. Hes putting in a 123" diagonal 16x9. his layout requires a 184" lens to screen throw. the projector will be on a shelf, about 12" off center of the screen. So basically, he needs a 1.72 throw ratio lens and a projector with vertical and horizontal digital keystone. This eliminates the popular LG LED, The W1070, Epson 5030, and many other popular PJs. He knows keystone compromises, but he has no options. Budget is $2000 for projector. Looking at projector central it looks like the only two machines that meet this criteria are the Epson 3500/3600/3600e and the BenQ HT4050. Both of these are well under his max budget. Uh, the 1070 and the Epson 5030 both have psychical lens shifts (vertical and vertical/horizontal, respectively) which eliminate the need for keystone. For instance, I have a 5030 which hangs on my ceiling in line with the TOP of my screen. I can shift the image down to fill the screen without using any keystone; the lens shift keeps it in square. A 12 inch VERTICAL difference should be fine for the lens shift of any of the BenQs, all of which have vertical lens shift. If you are talking about a 12 inch horizontal offset, the Epson 5030 would have no problem shifting the image over that amount using the horizontal lens shift.
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Sep 6, 2016 17:53
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ShotgunWillie posted:Uh, the 1070 and the Epson 5030 both have psychical lens shifts (vertical and vertical/horizontal, respectively) which eliminate the need for keystone. Good to know. He said 12" but ill verify. It might be more. Edit: i measured for him. Looks like its actually 21" left of center . Cornjob fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Sep 6, 2016 |
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Sep 6, 2016 18:58
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Cornjob posted:Good to know. He said 12" but ill verify. It might be more. IIRC, the Epson 5030 can horizontal shift like %50 of the final image size to the left or right. 21 inches at that size screen is doable, without using keystone correction.
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Sep 6, 2016 19:56
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ShotgunWillie posted:IIRC, the Epson 5030 can horizontal shift like %50 of the final image size to the left or right. 21 inches at that size screen is doable, without using keystone correction. awesome. thanks. Im sure i could have figured that out if i read the manual, but if we all read manuals, we wouldnt need the internet. Whats your opinion on the 5030 vs other machines in this price range? W1070, 3600e, HT4050, etc?
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Sep 6, 2016 20:27
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Cornjob posted:awesome. thanks. Im sure i could have figured that out if i read the manual, but if we all read manuals, we wouldnt need the internet. Whats your opinion on the 5030 vs other machines in this price range? W1070, 3600e, HT4050, etc? I love my 5030, and I think it is the only one of those models with horizontal lens shift. Now that the 5040 is about to come out, you should be able to snag some deals.
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Sep 6, 2016 22:44
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ShotgunWillie posted:I love my 5030, and I think it is the only one of those models with horizontal lens shift. Now that the 5040 is about to come out, you should be able to snag some deals. yeah thats why the 5030 is a contender. good deals to be had. it looks like my buddy can make either the 3500 or the 5030 work in his application. either one looks to be a winner, with the 5030 winning out for critical viewing. if its just sports on a sunday afternoon, either gets the job done. hes a movie guy, so ill tell him the 5030 is better choice. thanks for your help.
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Sep 6, 2016 23:22
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Hello thread, I don't have any HDTV solution at the moment and live in a small Japanese apartment, and most of my friends have tiny HDTVs for gaming (22-30") and I'm looking to spruce up our gaming days with some big-rear end projections I can bring to their place as well as add a TV-like presence to my room without taking up extra floor space. (I'll deal somehow with handling screens at my friends' places - probably by getting as cheap as possible a floor-sitting screen) My main room is 3.5m long, 2.7m wide, and 2.1m tall. I plan to project on the long side of the room, from behind/above my sofabed, meaning I'll be projecting from roughly 2600mm - [depth of projector]. I'm looking at budget-end market stuff that does 1080p natively. My room can be made pitch black as I have completely opaque black curtains, and I don't plan on using this much during the day so ambient light is not much of an issue. The primary purpose of the projector is gaming with 2nd being Netflix. A 60-80" image on my wall is the target. I've been looking at 2 used projectors I've spotted around and 1 new one that fit my budget: - BenQ W1070+ (315h lamp usage) - BenQ TH681 (unknown lamp usage) - Epson TW5200 (new) Thoughts, advice, recommendations? I've been leaning towards the W1070+, and I think DLP is the right choice since I'll be gaming and they tend to have better motion resolution than LCDs. (and LCoS seems more expensive?) LiquidRain fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Sep 21, 2016 |
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Sep 21, 2016 02:10
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I'm not a projector savant but can you guys tell me why the LG PF1000u would not work great for that situation?
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Sep 21, 2016 02:17
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blugu64 posted:I'm not a projector savant but can you guys tell me why the LG PF1000u would not work great for that situation? Yeah that and the PF1500 are fantastic LED projectors if you can get the room pitch black as you say. Do note that they outright lie about the lumens though so if you try to use them in anything brighter than a dimly lit room they suck hard.
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Sep 21, 2016 04:55
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mediaphage posted:I'd get the LG PF1000U personally. LED, quiet, ultra short throw means no weird furniture arrangements. I actually have this projector. No one really had any feedback from this thread for it, and I love it. You really need a screen for it though, it'll pick up any imperfections in the wall. I had to get black out curtain for the room its in. Due to the way LG designed the mirror, it isn't quite as crisp as I would like it to be, but everyone else who has seen it in person doesn't notice. Its got decent colors, though I really need to actually calibrate it. I use the $200 fixed silver ticket screen from amazon, in white. Here are some pictures (please excuse the dog, he is a ham). This is the 50" Panasonic V10 it replaced:  This is it on the wall before the screen arrived:  Here is just after the screen showed up, but before I got black out curtains-- the windows are to the left, above the sofa, you can see just how uneven my walls are:  And here are some (bad cellphone) pics of it in use, there is a lamp in the other part of the room that is turned these pics, so not a completely dark room:   Don't know why it uploaded them sideways, sorry.... But all in all I love the LG. Almost no warm up & cool down time, its relatively small (about the size of a loaf of bread), does 1080 (and is 3d capable) is way more economical to run compared to my plasma. And at about 14" away from the wall, it throws about a 100" picture, and it didn't require me to run cables and mounts to the ceiling, or right next to a seating area (i just reused my existing a/v cabinet). Downsides, its not quite as sharp as I wish it was, its very dependent on placement for focus, and the LED isn't quite as bright as say the BenQ. But the benefits of the LED (increased bulb life, short warm up/cool down, low energy/heat) outweigh that. I'm extremely happy. I don't use any of the smart functions, or the internal audio (I have a pioneer receiver, and roku/apple tv/ps4/xbox 360). I also got it on sale at Micro Center, and including the cost of the screen, it was about $1200, which was less expensive than the Visio 75" tv I was looking at. I am extremely pleased, and I have a screen size that fits the massive family room its in. Edit: Yes I know it doesn't quite fill the whole screen, I'm thinking about ceiling mounting it at the distance required to fill the screen, it keeps getting bumped by the roommates, and I keep having to align it. I'm just a bit lazy, and there is a ceiling fan that may be in the way.... alternate.eago fucked around with this message at 15:55 on Sep 27, 2016 |
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Sep 27, 2016 14:58
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alternate.eago posted:I actually have this projector. No one really had any feedback from this thread for it, and I love it. Drop pole. Probably need one anyway if you ceiling mount since that PJ doesn't have lens shift (and you don't want to use any digital shift, or digital keystoning, it will reduce the image resolution). Ceiling mounting might be a bit much for that PJ...kind of defeats the purpose of ultra short throw. If you can go back further and ceiling mount in the first place there are better options in that price range. Whole point of that PJ I thought was to sit it on a table close to a big screen and let it rip Not that you couldn't ceiling mount it anyway if it works better for your environment (even a cheap mount will do, that PJ is light). Consider that you'll A) Have to deal with cables/power (either run them in ceiling or have them running outside it which probably won't look that great) B) You'll need a much longer HDMI cable if you have external sources (though I suppose if you are using the wireless sound/streaming/etc. you could get away without that at least) and C) You'll be drilling holes in your ceiling - and with the weight of the mount you probably want to avoid drywall screws and may need to find a stud, which will affect placement. In other words you may just want to find a way to have a more secure table mount setup that is a little further back.
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Sep 28, 2016 02:17
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So after 5 long years of faithful service my Epson 8700UB has died. I loving love the thing, and would never go back to regular TV for movies and stuff... Unfortunately, it's kind of old and out of production at this point, so I was wondering if any goons could point me in the proper direction of where to find a better/comparable protector that's perhaps more modern. I'd say $1200-1500 is my sweet spot and I've got a throw of about 11-12 feet. Should I just suck it up and get a refurbished unit?
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Oct 10, 2016 19:02
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dorkasaurus_rex posted:So after 5 long years of faithful service my Epson 8700UB has died. I loving love the thing, and would never go back to regular TV for movies and stuff... Unfortunately, it's kind of old and out of production at this point, so I was wondering if any goons could point me in the proper direction of where to find a better/comparable protector that's perhaps more modern. I'd say $1200-1500 is my sweet spot and I've got a throw of about 11-12 feet. Should I just suck it up and get a refurbished unit? Come check out my 5030ub?
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Oct 10, 2016 20:28
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Went to an RV park, never did the RV thing (I'm a tent guy), and we did a movie night for the kids with my old projector against the sun shade.
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Oct 28, 2016 03:40
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Aeka 2.0 posted:Went to an RV park, never did the RV thing (I'm a tent guy), and we did a movie night for the kids with my old projector against the sun shade. fun! I think I've already decided on doing movie nights in the summer next year, outside. I've been looking and it seems like the Epson HC1040 might be what I go with - cheap, bright as hell, and replacement bulbs are only $79. Not my first choice for primarily inside watching, but it should be great for outdoors, since it'll be bright enough that it won't need to be hugely dark.
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Nov 1, 2016 17:53
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I'm new to this, but I'm just trying to scope out my eventual basement remodel. Are there quality screens that are acoustically-transparent enough to hide a center speaker behind, or is that a bad idea?
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Nov 8, 2016 16:58
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eddiewalker posted:I'm new to this, but I'm just trying to scope out my eventual basement remodel. Extremely common, not an issue. If you want to get baller and feel like discarding a whole room you could do a rear-projection theatre. I've always wanted to try that.
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Nov 8, 2016 17:20
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eddiewalker posted:I'm new to this, but I'm just trying to scope out my eventual basement remodel. If you want a high quality AT screen that isn't at a completely stupid price look at Screen Innovations. I have a non-AT screen from them (the Slate) and it is the best screen I have ever owned. Depends on your price range. Expect to pay about 2k for a quality AT screen at the most common sizes. You can certainly find some cheaper, but with AT in particular you really don't want to go too cheap. Lots of people skimp on the screen; they'll drop 2, 3, or 4-5k on a PJ and then paint their wall or buy a $200 screen from Amazon and wonder why the PJ doesn't look as good. Good screens are important. You don't need to drop 4k+ on a Stewart Firehawk but if you have invested in your space and a decent PJ you don't want to go with Silver Ticket or something from Monoprice either. Again, this goes double for AT screens, since they are harder to do right without visible patterns, etc. revmoo posted:Extremely common, not an issue. Rear projection - which is pretty niche, even among home theater nuts - and speakers behind the screen don't mix for what are hopefully obvious reasons
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Nov 8, 2016 22:38
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I went the AT route. I fittled with fabrics. I had a brand name one that just sucked, the pattern was too noticeable, I ordered samples of others, they all lost a ton of light. Later I asked around and vinyl screens were brought up. They were all very expensive. I then looked to cut length options. The perforations were very large. I thought I reached a dead end until I found this:http://www.rosebrand.com/product341...2bPVC%2bScreens I retrofitted this on my current frame and have been very happy.
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Nov 22, 2016 07:07
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So over the summer I moved into a new place with a giant open concept living/dining/kitchen area you could play basketball in. I was looking to move in right away so declined the landlord's offer to repaint, puzzling at why a big square on the wall was painted white, until a friend clued me in as to what the previous tenants must have used it for. Makes sense with such a big space. Well, recently my LCD TV stopped taking HDMI signal about the same time as I saw a coworker put up a classified for a Sony VPL-AW15 with a brand new bulb for $150. I figured it was kismet. Talked him down to $100, picked up a decent 5.1 in a box system, and God-drat have I been having fun with this guy for gaming and movie watching. Throwing the picture like 20 feet you don't even notice the 720p resolution until you get within 8 or so, and with the distance I have to work with it's like probably a 10 foot or more diagonal screen, easy. I don't think the "screen" was painted with actual screen paint but rather gloss white, because it gets some strong reflection/ specular highlights where the light hits, but it works alright until I get a chance to go over it. Right now it's on a portable projector stand on the far wall, but I'll probably install a shelf to put it up a good 7'. Don't really want to deal with ceiling mounting.   Since I'm using it a lot, I'm basically considering replacement bulbs a thing to keep on hand and part of the operating cost of such a great home cinema experience. Gonna pick up one or two, and hope they remain generally available for an older model projector. Here's where I need the advice: The prices for non-OEM bulbs are like 25% or less of the "real deal," but come with dire reviews claiming they'll explode and catch fire and everything. How many grains of salt should I take these warnings with? Even if I buy two of the no-names and one fails in an immediate (but not projector destroying) way and the other has a decent lamp life I'm still paying half as much as I would for the OEM. Owlbear Camus fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Dec 18, 2016 |
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Dec 18, 2016 14:44
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Just buy lamps as you need them instead of stocking up; they only get cheaper over time, and there's pretty much no model bulb that will stop existing because there's always new-old-stock and good margins involved. You should buy from Amazon so you can get a refund if it detonates a day after you get it. If you're just keeping a bunch in a drawer for a year and they turned out to be DOA, no one will refund you. Plus Amazon can overnight them to you or whatever. I see bulbs fade out slowly over time much more often then they suddenly implode, and projectors keep a tally of bulb hours so you can have a good idea when it's time to freshen up.
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Dec 19, 2016 00:22
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Anyone have a good source for fabric to do a DIY screen in Canada? I'm eyeballing Carl's flexiwhite, but shipping and the exchange rate starts to make things pretty expensive. I'm rocking a 110" Ultra short laser that I got, but I'm just putting it on blackout cloth and want to upgrade.
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Jan 4, 2017 01:47
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Thinking of buying a used projector, is there anything I should specifically look out for? Its a PT-AE3000U for under $400 instead of $3000 which is an amazing deal if I don't also get murdered. goodness fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Jan 19, 2017 |
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Jan 15, 2017 23:08
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What's a good upgrade from a 1300 lumens projector these days with contrast ratio 30000:1 ? I use my current projector for gaming and movies, but noticing the color does not seem that rich, compared to current monitors, so was thinking I need a unit with better color and contrast. Currently I've got a 6-year old InFocus SP8602, which is DLP, and I never noticed any screendoor effect with it. I need at least WUXGA (1920X1200) and 1080p support. I have the projector sitting under the screen so need a unit I can adjust the picture upwards. This Epson Home Cinema 5040UB ($3,000) appears decent but I don't know need the 4K support (not watching anything in 4K anytime soon). This Epson model appears to have been released back in July, 2016. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IO0QWJA/ref=psdc_300334_t2_B00BN3QEIU?th=1 Any equivalent performance projector that would be less expensive?
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Jan 18, 2017 05:43
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I'm looking to turn my garage into a cyberpunk lounge where shadowrunners can come after a job to blow off steam. Are there any appropriate ~100$ led projectors that would allow me to stream github code off a raspberry pi for the next 30000 hours?
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Jan 20, 2017 05:56
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nnnotime posted:What's a good upgrade from a 1300 lumens projector these days with contrast ratio 30000:1 ? I use my current projector for gaming and movies, but noticing the color does not seem that rich, compared to current monitors, so was thinking I need a unit with better color and contrast. Currently I've got a 6-year old InFocus SP8602, which is DLP, and I never noticed any screendoor effect with it. If you don't care about 4k (it's actually e-shift, which is not true 4k BUT does do a good job - I have a JVC with e-shift) then look for good deals on the predecessor to the 5040ub, the 5030ub. That was one of the top 2k projectors. You can probably find a good used one with low bulb hours for around $1200 these days. It will be head and tails better than your current PJ in all aspects. The Sony VPL-HW45ES was (is) slightly better and has even lower input lag for gaming (the 5030 isn't bad) but that one is harder to find used. New it's $2k. Both are great choices for 1080p. The 5040ub is one of the better "4k" PJs however for a few hundred dollars more you can upgrade to the JVC RS420, which was just released. This is the top PJ overall you can buy for under $4k. The RS420 (also called the DLA-X570R, same PJ, just depends where you buy it) is a refresh of last years model that includes a new low-lag mode for gaming, even at 4k/HDR. It has the best picture quality and superior contrast ratios to the Epson.
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Jan 20, 2017 16:09
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Ixian posted:If you don't care about 4k (it's actually e-shift, which is not true 4k BUT does do a good job - I have a JVC with e-shift) then look for good deals on the predecessor to the 5040ub, the 5030ub. That was one of the top 2k projectors. You can probably find a good used one with low bulb hours for around $1200 these days. It will be head and tails better than your current PJ in all aspects. Related, I was hoping by this time I would be able to switch over to VR for my movie and gaming needs, but due to my vision issues I'm going to wait for the next generation. So for now I don't mind upgrading to a newer projector.
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Jan 22, 2017 06:45
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