Just Got My Feet Wet!!

[lojack1976]

Well fellas...as some of you know I picked up a Pioneer Kuro KRP-500M back in August and of course I love it...BUT...something still bothered me. Its just not big enough!!! LOL! I decided to get into the projector world. Now, I originally was going to go with one of the new 3D projectors, but then I got to thinking that even though they are affordable the 3D thing is still a bit on the gray side of things, and at the end of the day there is still a chance that neither of the current 3D projectors will suit my needs in the near future. I also wanted to do this on a budget for my first foray into projectors. Either way I'd be looking at an upgrade down the road.

I knew that I wanted a motorized screen and I was looking for an 84". I also wanted the best price I could get. After a lot of searching I found very good compromise...a 106" for $140 shipped! This thing weights nearly 35lbs. and it works flawlessly. I would prefer a tensioned screen but those are pricey. I'm very happy with this one though. For the money I don't think I could've done better.

I then kept thinking about my room size and at best I could get an 84" picture with the prospective projectors. Of course that would leave a lot of space on the screen, but hey...I would still be happy. Then...after spending a few weeks looking...I stumbled onto a certified refurbished 3M 710R super short throw projector on Newegg for $400 shipped! This allowed me to fill out my 106" screen. Though its only XGA resolution it does accept 1080i over HDMI and the results are very good. With the $30 HDMI splitter that I picked up on Ebay and a $15 HDMI cable that also picked up from Newegg my cost was less than $600.

Of course because of the short throw I had to get a new coffee table to get it set up right...$140 for a TV stand that I'm using as a coffee table. Its actually added some convenience for me though. I won't consider that a major added cost since I could've done something much cheaper...just not as attractive IMO. I'll attribute the bulk of the cost to my own visual appeal.

To avoid buying extra long cables to run which could result in HDMI signal problems I went ahead and got an area rug...something that I've been putting off for a good two years anyway. The new setup ended my delay in getting one so there...another $50. Well this is my story of my first foray into the projector world on the cheap and I'm totally happy! So check out my gallery fellas and I hope you like what I've done.