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King Hotpants
Apr 11, 2005

Clint.
Fucking.
Eastwood.
Not at all.

I saw the ET-D75LE90 at this year's InfoComm show, and I used the ET-DLE030 for a little while on the PT-RZ670 (the big WUXGA laser model). What do you need to know?

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Gunjin
Apr 27, 2004

Om nom nom
Just curious to how good they look, any softness/distortion/vignetting/chromatic aberrations anything like that? They sound perfect for a certain very restricted space application we have but the client is super picky about image quality.

jonathan
Jul 3, 2005

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN
About to build a 140 or possibly 150" AT screen out of spandex. Projector central's calculator seems to think the Optoma HD33's lighting will be bright enough if I keep the screen gain around 1.0

What other considerations should I be looking at in stepping up to this screen size ? I'm also considering building a stage for the screen.

Other upgrades may include phillips hue lighting, and repainting the walls a neutral non reflective colour.

surc
Aug 17, 2004

King Hotpants posted:

The MH630 is a business projector with a 2x speed color wheel that I'm willing to bet has non-RGB segments (which is how they get 3000 lumens out of it) and lovely contrast. It is a terrible choice for home theater.

Glad I didn't pull the trigger then! Good to know, specs-wise they looked identical when comparing them on a few sites.

Mr. Funny Pants
Apr 9, 2001

Any opinions on the Epson 5030UB? I'll be going with a 100-110" inch picture on a dedicated screen with good light control in the room most of the time. Is it overkill at that price? It will be used primarily for "big" TV shows, blu-rays, and gaming.

Fog Tripper
Mar 3, 2008

by Smythe
Wish I had seen this thread before today. I have a Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8345 Projector sitting in the box awaiting install (once we finish the basement/media room).

Any thoughts on it? Got it for $750 post black friday on Amazon

blugu64
Jul 17, 2006

Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face?
Do projectors usually support universal remote controls? I've got a LG PA70g, and a TiVo that supports universal remote control codes, but 1 none of the lg codes worked, and 2 I can't seem to find codes online for it. Any pointers?

Aeka 2.0
Nov 16, 2000

:ohdear: Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.




Dinosaur Gum
I'm going to need to sell my Mitsu HC9000D, King, do you have any idea what I should sell it for? It has around 1500 hours on the lamp on high mode. If anyone here is interested I'll put up a formal post in the for sale forum.

King Hotpants
Apr 11, 2005

Clint.
Fucking.
Eastwood.

Gunjin posted:

Just curious to how good they look, any softness/distortion/vignetting/chromatic aberrations anything like that? They sound perfect for a certain very restricted space application we have but the client is super picky about image quality.

I mean, it looked pretty fantastic when I saw it, but manufacturers are very careful to make their trade show presentations look good. I haven't had a bad experience with Panasonic lenses before, but I don't have any kind of hard data for you. Sorry.

jonathan posted:

About to build a 140 or possibly 150" AT screen out of spandex. Projector central's calculator seems to think the Optoma HD33's lighting will be bright enough if I keep the screen gain around 1.0

You should ignore those brightness numbers. They are approximations derived from the projector's brightness specification, and the HD33 never met its brightness specs. It's advertised at 1,800 lumens and actually produced about 1,000.

The recommendation for brightness off the screen is 12-16 foot Lamberts, assuming a room with no ambient light and few reflective surfaces (no white walls, no white ceiling, no glossy paint, curtains around the screen).

The HD33 puts out 900-ish lumens in Cinema or Reference mode with a fresh lamp at full power. Using a 1.0 gain screen, you'd get 15 fL at 140" diagonal and 13 fL at 150" diagonal. That's the good news.

The bad news is this:

If you use Eco lamp mode, light output drops by 20ish percent. That brings you to 11 fL @ 140" and 10 fL @150". Not bright enough.

Also: High-pressure lamps lose 20-25% of their brightness in the first 500 hours of operation, so ideally your "fresh lamp" setup should be brighter than you need. I don't think you can do that with this projector unless you bring in a high-gain screen or swap out lamps every 500 hours.

Mr. Funny Pants posted:

Any opinions on the Epson 5030UB? I'll be going with a 100-110" inch picture on a dedicated screen with good light control in the room most of the time. Is it overkill at that price? It will be used primarily for "big" TV shows, blu-rays, and gaming.

Unless there's a reason it won't work, I'd recommend the Sony HW40ES over the Epson 5030UB for your purposes.

Fog Tripper posted:

Wish I had seen this thread before today. I have a Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8345 Projector sitting in the box awaiting install (once we finish the basement/media room).

Any thoughts on it?

Great projector that's starting to show its age (it's essentially the same as the 8350, which came out in 2010). $750 is a good deal, though.

Aeka 2.0 posted:

I'm going to need to sell my Mitsu HC9000D, King, do you have any idea what I should sell it for? It has around 1500 hours on the lamp on high mode. If anyone here is interested I'll put up a formal post in the for sale forum.

I know very little about the used projector market, but I would not expect to get more than $1000 out of it.

Aeka 2.0
Nov 16, 2000

:ohdear: Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.




Dinosaur Gum

King Hotpants posted:






I know very little about the used projector market, but I would not expect to get more than $1000 out of it.

I saw a cosmetically damaged one going for 1500, but that doesn't mean it will sell.

Alright, well here is an HC9000D for sale:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3688280

Aeka 2.0 fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Dec 16, 2014

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta
Please recommend a projector for me. Looking for:

- 1080p
- Less than $1500, preferably at or below a thousand dollars
- It will start out in a room with an 9-foot throw but may move to a larger room in the future
- I'd like a 100" screen, and I'll be painting a rectangle on the wall
- Definitely want not-DLP
- Projector will be mounted right at ceiling level, if that matters

revmoo fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Dec 18, 2014

wolfbiker
Nov 6, 2009
W1070 checks all those boxes, except the DLP requirement.

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta
drat that is cheap. It might be worth forgoing my dislike of DLP for that. The only other thing I don't like is that it's listed at 2200 lumens and there seems to be competing offerings with 3000 or more. Are lumens apples-to-apples or are they not worth comparing?

Is there a way to figure out throw distances on projectors? like 100" @ 5 feet, 200" at 15 feet or something? Seems like a spec that should show up on product listings.

EDIT: I found a throw calculator on Optoma's site and according to it I'm looking at a 80" screen from 9 feet. Looks like I can get over 100" with a short throw so I guess I probably should go for one of those.

EDIT2: This unit looks pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-GT1080-Gaming-Projector-Enabled/dp/B00M9D4CAK

EDIT3: Doh, it's too short of a throw, the screen would be larger than the wall haha. It's looking like I need something with zoom I guess?

EDIT4: gently caress waiting for advice, bought this: http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/DH1009

I spent a long time messing around with the Optoma throw calculator and this seems to fit all my needs quite well. Too bad it's DLP but it seems like LCD just isn't there yet.

revmoo fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Dec 18, 2014

Aeka 2.0
Nov 16, 2000

:ohdear: Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.




Dinosaur Gum

revmoo posted:

drat that is cheap. It might be worth forgoing my dislike of DLP for that. The only other thing I don't like is that it's listed at 2200 lumens and there seems to be competing offerings with 3000 or more. Are lumens apples-to-apples or are they not worth comparing?

Is there a way to figure out throw distances on projectors? like 100" @ 5 feet, 200" at 15 feet or something? Seems like a spec that should show up on product listings.

EDIT: I found a throw calculator on Optoma's site and according to it I'm looking at a 80" screen from 9 feet. Looks like I can get over 100" with a short throw so I guess I probably should go for one of those.

EDIT2: This unit looks pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-GT1080-Gaming-Projector-Enabled/dp/B00M9D4CAK

EDIT3: Doh, it's too short of a throw, the screen would be larger than the wall haha. It's looking like I need something with zoom I guess?

EDIT4: gently caress waiting for advice, bought this: http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/DH1009

I spent a long time messing around with the Optoma throw calculator and this seems to fit all my needs quite well. Too bad it's DLP but it seems like LCD just isn't there yet.

High lumens usually are only good for conference rooms as you end up with a piss poor contrast ratio. High dollar projectors are usually mid 1000s lumens.
Were you looking for home theater or conference style, because you got a conference style projector.

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta
20,000:1 is bad?

KillHour
Oct 28, 2007


revmoo posted:

20,000:1 is bad?

That contrast ratio is measured "Full On / Full Off", which is essentially the same as "dynamic contrast" (In other words, it's meaningless).

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta
Well I guess if it sucks I'll send it back. I feel like I'm getting old because every time I sit in a conference room I'm amazed at the projector image quality.

Kameh
Apr 27, 2004

Resident Sergio Apologist
CHAMPION
Any recommendations on where to get a replacement bulb for an Optoma HD20? I've had the "replacement suggested" message coming up for months now. I think we're just shy of 5,000 hours, but I run it on eco mode almost all of the time.

sethsez
Jul 14, 2006

He's soooo dreamy...

revmoo posted:

20,000:1 is bad?
First, never trust official contrast ratio claims. They're always bullshit.

Conference projectors generally have very bright whites at the expense of dimmer colors. This is great for your average presentation (which tend to emphasize text legibility above all else), but terrible for watching movies. The Benq W1070 might be dimmer on paper, but the brightness it does have is maintained equally across all colors so you get a vivid, properly-saturated image. That Optoma is engineered to make Powerpoints look great in a lit room, not to make movies look great in a dark room.

Also, if you hate DLP because of rainbows you'll probably hate that projector since it's almost certainly got a two-speed color wheel, rather than the six-speed wheel of the W1070.

King Hotpants
Apr 11, 2005

Clint.
Fucking.
Eastwood.

revmoo posted:

drat that is cheap. It might be worth forgoing my dislike of DLP for that. The only other thing I don't like is that it's listed at 2200 lumens and there seems to be competing offerings with 3000 or more. Are lumens apples-to-apples or are they not worth comparing?

Is there a way to figure out throw distances on projectors? like 100" @ 5 feet, 200" at 15 feet or something? Seems like a spec that should show up on product listings.

EDIT: I found a throw calculator on Optoma's site and according to it I'm looking at a 80" screen from 9 feet. Looks like I can get over 100" with a short throw so I guess I probably should go for one of those.

EDIT2: This unit looks pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-GT1080-Gaming-Projector-Enabled/dp/B00M9D4CAK

EDIT3: Doh, it's too short of a throw, the screen would be larger than the wall haha. It's looking like I need something with zoom I guess?

EDIT4: gently caress waiting for advice, bought this: http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/DH1009

I spent a long time messing around with the Optoma throw calculator and this seems to fit all my needs quite well. Too bad it's DLP but it seems like LCD just isn't there yet.

Oh boy.

You couldn't contain yourself for less than a day and ended up buying a garbage projector.

Now that it's too late, here's some words:

With (very) few exceptions, projector specifications are untrustworthy. Assume that lumens and contrast are rosy at best and outright lies at worst. You can generally compare specs only within one manufacturer's line (i.e. you could compare the Optoma GT1080 against the Optoma HD26), but not across brands.

Video projectors are for video. Business projectors are for business. Business projectors are optimized for white brightness, whereas video projectors are (mostly) optimized for color accuracy and contrast.

You mention that the W1070 has only 2200 lumens, and that's bad, because there are other models with over 3000. Do you know what a lumen is, or how to determine how many you need? How do you know that more = better? On a 100" diagonal screen, you only need about 500 lumens. Too much light will give you a headache, and it usually requires a high-wattage lamp, so it'll cost more to run and act like a space heater. A loud space heater.

Another point to consider: those lumen specifications are maximum output in "who gives a gently caress about color or contrast" mode. In Movie mode, the W1070 puts out almost 1,800 lumens out of the rated 2,200. The nearest comparable Optoma video projector to the thing you bought (which is the HD26) puts out less than 1,000 lumens in Movie mode despite being rated at 3,200.

DLP Projectors use color wheels, which is why you were trying to avoid them. I recommend the W1070 over and over again because of its fast color wheel with no non-RGB segments. The projector you purchased uses a slow color wheel, and I'll guarantee there's a sizable white (clear) segment in there. Slow wheel + white segment = RAINBOWS AHOY.

If you want an LCD option, you can get either the Epson Home Cinema 8350 or the Epson Home Cinema 3000, both of which are under $1,500.

For throw information, Google "projector calculator." Click first result. Ta-da. While you're there, maybe read some reviews from people who know what they're doing.

I'm proud of the rest of the thread regulars for explaining all of this, but I answered all of your questions several times over in the thread already and it's only three pages long.

Return that poo poo and get something worthwhile.

Aeka 2.0
Nov 16, 2000

:ohdear: Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.




Dinosaur Gum
Like the one I have in the SA mart :awesomelon: Which is perfect for a 100" screen. I'm selling it since I run a 135" screen and at that size the bulb brightness drops hard after 1000 hours, which is kind of a big deal at that size. Not so much on a 100.



Close up on a 100" screen seems to be the sweet spot according to this calculator.


edit: aww, just saw the 9' room. It will only project an 80" screen at a 9' throw, so even smaller in a 9' room.

Aeka 2.0 fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Dec 19, 2014

sellouts
Apr 23, 2003

I really want to make my projector fantasy a reality just because I know I can do it right via research + King Hotpants' willingness to answer even dumb questions.

Thanks for this thread. My wife hates you. :)

King Hotpants
Apr 11, 2005

Clint.
Fucking.
Eastwood.

sellouts posted:

I really want to make my projector fantasy a reality just because I know I can do it right via research + King Hotpants' willingness to answer even dumb questions.

Thanks for this thread. My wife hates you. :)

Answering dumb questions is like 50% of my job. I have a lot of practice.

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta
Yeah so I'm a big dummy. Anyway I have this unit and I'm actually pretty impressed except for one critical issue; the keystone adjustment leaves behind shaded areas that outline the display area.

Is this a common problem? I don't recall seeing this issue on any other projector in the past, but it's completely awful. For all I know it's a config setting somehow, but pushing brightness to zero doesn't make it go away.

I'll happily order the W1070 on Monday if it means I don't have this lovely keystone effect.

ShotgunWillie
Aug 30, 2005

a sexy automaton -
powered by dark
oriental magic :roboluv:

revmoo posted:

Yeah so I'm a big dummy. Anyway I have this unit and I'm actually pretty impressed except for one critical issue; the keystone adjustment leaves behind shaded areas that outline the display area.

Is this a common problem? I don't recall seeing this issue on any other projector in the past, but it's completely awful. For all I know it's a config setting somehow, but pushing brightness to zero doesn't make it go away.

I'll happily order the W1070 on Monday if it means I don't have this lovely keystone effect.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.

You bought a business projector. It is designed to sit on a table and project a bright, readable image on a screen. It doesn't have lens adjustments because it is a BUSINESS PROJECTOR. The projector you bought, and most other business projectors, adjust for angle by setting some of the pixels to black and smashing the rest of the image down into an area that looks square from whatever angle it is sitting out. You lose a significant amount of resolution, but maintain brightness.

If you had done any research or, I dunno, read the last three pages, you might realize that many home theatre projectors, of which the BenQ w1070 is a sterling example, have built in lens adjustments that allow you to adjust for a certain range of angles without losing resolution

Then again, you probably won't read this either, so :getout:

ShotgunWillie fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Dec 20, 2014

sellouts
Apr 23, 2003

Maybe this will help him, it is the first google result for "how keystone adjustment works".

http://www.theprojectorpros.com/learn-s-learn-p-keystone_correction.htm

ShotgunWillie
Aug 30, 2005

a sexy automaton -
powered by dark
oriental magic :roboluv:

sellouts posted:

Maybe this will help him, it is the first google result for "how keystone adjustment works".

http://www.theprojectorpros.com/learn-s-learn-p-keystone_correction.htm

Dude, it's obvious he doesn't know how to use google. What makes you think an article with big words, like "digital" could help?

blugu64
Jul 17, 2006

Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face?
All I want is a LED lit home theater projector :(

sethsez
Jul 14, 2006

He's soooo dreamy...

revmoo posted:

Yeah so I'm a big dummy. Anyway I have this unit and I'm actually pretty impressed except for one critical issue; the keystone adjustment leaves behind shaded areas that outline the display area.

Is this a common problem? I don't recall seeing this issue on any other projector in the past, but it's completely awful. For all I know it's a config setting somehow, but pushing brightness to zero doesn't make it go away.

I'll happily order the W1070 on Monday if it means I don't have this lovely keystone effect.

Never use keystone, always get your projector properly aligned with the wall. The W1070 has some lens shift to make this easier.

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta

sethsez posted:

Never use keystone, always get your projector properly aligned with the wall. The W1070 has some lens shift to make this easier.

Yeah so that was a result of the ghetto placement I did yesterday just to play some video games. I set it at table level and the keystone issues are gone. The projector actually works really, really nice and I like it alot...

HOWEVER, the mounts are totally stupid and I can't get the mount kit I bought to connect to it at all. I'd probably be willing to get a different unit but I have one concern; this projector which is supposedly blindingly bright is what I would call adequate. I'm very concerned that if I switch to a "cinema" projector it's not going to be bright enough with the blinds open. I think in this case I'm willing to trade picture quality for brightness, as I want to be able to use this thing in bright daylight for tv watching. Compounding this quandary is the fact that apparently manufacturers all lie on their lumen output levels. So I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to shop for another unit without being able to know how bright it is.

ShotgunWillie
Aug 30, 2005

a sexy automaton -
powered by dark
oriental magic :roboluv:

revmoo posted:

Yeah so that was a result of the ghetto placement I did yesterday just to play some video games. I set it at table level and the keystone issues are gone. The projector actually works really, really nice and I like it alot...

HOWEVER, the mounts are totally stupid and I can't get the mount kit I bought to connect to it at all. I'd probably be willing to get a different unit but I have one concern; this projector which is supposedly blindingly bright is what I would call adequate. I'm very concerned that if I switch to a "cinema" projector it's not going to be bright enough with the blinds open. I think in this case I'm willing to trade picture quality for brightness, as I want to be able to use this thing in bright daylight for tv watching. Compounding this quandary is the fact that apparently manufacturers all lie on their lumen output levels. So I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to shop for another unit without being able to know how bright it is.

If closing your blinds is an issue, consider a regular TV. I hear you can get great deals on CRTs these days! GREAT for gaming.

sellouts
Apr 23, 2003

Just keep the projector and move on from this thread. Please.

revmoo
May 25, 2006

#basta

sellouts posted:

Just keep the projector and move on from this thread. Please.

Yeah definitely doing one of those things. You guys are rude as poo poo

sethsez
Jul 14, 2006

He's soooo dreamy...

revmoo posted:

Yeah definitely doing one of those things. You guys are rude as poo poo

You're ignoring every single piece of advice you're given and have made it clear that you didn't bother to read anything here before posting. What did you think would happen?

Projectors are not made to be run in direct sunlight. There are specialized ones that can, but they're around ten times your budget. Likewise, as I said in my first reply, you bought a projector that sacrifices color brightness for white brightness, so of course video content looks dim... that's just standard for the projector you got. If you absolutely MUST run a projector in daylight then your requirements don't change, you still want something with bright colors, not just bright whites, and for that you need a home entertainment projector, not a business projector.

The Benq W1070 is, once again, built exactly to do what you're looking for (it IS bright enough to handle things like sports with some sunlight, since it emphasizes color brightness over white brightness), and I really don't know why you're dead set on sticking with your blind buy rather than going with the best-reviewed and most-recommended home entertainment projector out there, especially when there isn't even a price difference.

You asked for car advice, ignored everyone and bought a riding lawnmower, and are now reporting all the reasons the lawnmower sucks as a car while trying to stick with it anyway. Yes, that tends to irritate people in an advice thread.

sethsez fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Dec 20, 2014

King Hotpants
Apr 11, 2005

Clint.
Fucking.
Eastwood.

revmoo posted:

'd probably be willing to get a different unit but I have one concern; this projector which is supposedly blindingly bright is what I would call adequate. I'm very concerned that if I switch to a "cinema" projector it's not going to be bright enough with the blinds open. I think in this case I'm willing to trade picture quality for brightness, as I want to be able to use this thing in bright daylight for tv watching. Compounding this quandary is the fact that apparently manufacturers all lie on their lumen output levels. So I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to shop for another unit without being able to know how bright it is.

King Hotpants posted:

Another point to consider: those lumen specifications are maximum output in "who gives a gently caress about color or contrast" mode. In Movie mode, the W1070 puts out almost 1,800 lumens out of the rated 2,200. The nearest comparable Optoma video projector to the thing you bought (which is the HD26) puts out less than 1,000 lumens in Movie mode despite being rated at 3,200.

It's like I'm talking to a wall.

ShotgunWillie
Aug 30, 2005

a sexy automaton -
powered by dark
oriental magic :roboluv:

King Hotpants posted:

It's like I'm talking to a wall.

Let's all stop feeding the troll.

lionlegs
Feb 16, 2005
Ask me about my lego spheres!
I'm looking for a new projector, for around €600, for watching movies / TV from my laptop. I currently have a pretty crappy Optoma business projector which has been doing the job for the past couple of years. I have a shelf perfectly positioned at the back of my living room on which the projector sits and projects onto the white wall opposite (about 3 metres away).

The BenQ W1070 looks great for my requirements, with one exception: the shelf I can put the projector on is only 26cm deep, and the BenQ is 24cm deep with all the ports on the back...Can you recommend either a slightly less deep projector, or one with the power and connection ports on the side?

wolfbiker
Nov 6, 2009
I have the W1070 and it's in a tight space as well, I ended up getting a right angle HDMI connector so it would fit. Maybe that would work for you. Also the W1070 seems pretty tiny to me, I can't imagine there would be (m)any that are much smaller than it.

ShotgunWillie
Aug 30, 2005

a sexy automaton -
powered by dark
oriental magic :roboluv:

wolfbiker posted:

I have the W1070 and it's in a tight space as well, I ended up getting a right angle HDMI connector so it would fit. Maybe that would work for you. Also the W1070 seems pretty tiny to me, I can't imagine there would be (m)any that are much smaller than it.

This. Get some right angle connectors and you should be fine. The W1070 is remarkably small for a projector of its type and quality.

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jonathan
Jul 3, 2005

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN
So in planning my revision of my dedicated theater, I'm considering having the projector placed on/in a piece of furniture instead of being ceiling mounted. As some of you know I have pretty good bass capability and around 10hz I tend to knock the projector off aim. It's not just a mount issue, I'm moving the entire ceiling.

Anyways, I'm thinking I could do individual chairs upfront with a table in between that houses the projector, and use my existing reclining sofa as the rear row, possibly on a riser. But I havent run a projector this way and not sure of the downsides.

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