Looking to get into projection:)

[dukenukem]

I am thinking of buying a projector later this year or maybe some time next year after doing taxes.This would be my first projector and i was thingking of maybe the optoma hd65,not sure on othermodels.I was thinking of spending around upto 700$ but the highest i may consider in price would be the optomahd65.
i hope that many othereshere who have projectors may be able to help me decide.

[Beta Man]

As I found out, I was fortunate enough to have a wider variety of projectors to choose from because I had complete light control, virtually unlimited throw distance available, etc...

A lot depends on your rooms' limitations, and if there are any

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by dukenukem

I am thinking of buying a projector later this year or maybe some time next year after doing taxes.This would be my first projector and i was thingking of maybe the optoma hd65,not sure on othermodels.I was thinking of spending around upto 700$ but the highest i may consider in price would be the optomahd65.
i hope that many othereshere who have projectors may be able to help me decide.

For review of projectors, check these sites:
http://www.projectorreviews.com/
http://www.projectorcentral.com/

There are also multiple threads on projectors. These are some of them:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=56629
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=56474
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=55329
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=55404
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=53536
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=55087
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=7090
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=56878
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=55195

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by dukenukem

I am thinking of buying a projector later this year or maybe some time next year after doing taxes.This would be my first projector and i was thingking of maybe the optoma hd65,not sure on othermodels.I was thinking of spending around upto 700$ but the highest i may consider in price would be the optomahd65.
i hope that many othereshere who have projectors may be able to help me decide.

Some others in that price range worth considering are the Mitsubishi HC1500/1600 of which are several owners here (Jhodi, Beta Man, etc), the BenQ W500, Sony VPL-AW15, and the Epson HC720

For just a shade more, you might also want to consider the Sharp DT-510 or the Panasonic PT-AX200U.

Your specific room size (including ceiling height), options for projector mounting (stand, ceiling), screen size, & light control might give us a better idea of what might work for you.

[cathexist]

$725 projector in my signature, 720p, great projector.

[dukenukem]

it will be placed in the living room and only used at night.i will not be mounting the projector.

[Jhodi]

Not two months ago I thought high definition was a new type of mascara and blu-ray was a kind of sea mammal....and now my NAME is getting referenced for gear referrals!!!!

How cool IS that??? Thanks Sturge!

[AlaskaDon]

Originally Posted by dukenukem

it will be placed in the living room and only used at night.i will not be mounting the projector.

When you say that you won't be mounting the projector, do you mean that you want something that you can place on a table or the floor? If so you probably want to pay attention to how loud the projector is when you do your shopping. You'll probably end up having to sit fairly close to it and projector noise can be distracting. You also might want to look at which way the exhaust fan blows so you can get something that blows the hot air away from rather than towards you. Some exhaust to the front, and others to the rear. I would suggest going with LCD/LCOS since they generally are more flexible in placement. It's easier to shift the lens than it is to move the projector around when trying to get your image lined up on the screen.

[Jhodi]

Dude, you gotta paint that room before you do ANYTHING.

[Beta Man]

what's that tube thing A-La' E.T. going through the card-board duct taped to the wall by the window??? Dehumidifier???? You may need to "create some space" to get a projector in there! (painting the room darker, would help too, for a projector/light etc but it hurts asthetics in "most" cases.... but I think you'll be alright )

I see a table/chairs..... do you have a separate dining room??? you gotta get the room cleared out to know what you have to work with.... and if you DO decide to ceiling mount.... the ceiling fan could be an issue.

[theshadow1234]

I wouldn't go any more bigger that a 90" screen by looking at that room boss. What are your dimensions of the living room?

[dukenukem]

That's one of those prtable ac's.I know i will be sitting pretty close to the projector and will be using about 90-92 inch screen.

[sticks4legs]

As you see i my signature I have a Panasonic Projector....Couldn't be happier. I haven't had a single problem with it
The only other projectors I had direct comparison where the sonys vpl 50 series, and my preference was towards the panasonic.

You may want to throw a panny in the mix of choices

[Beta Man]

I picked up the HC1500, despite it's limitations, because I have a room where I can totally control light diffusion (and because I got it for $599 ) I just got it the other day, and it's still in the box..... I need to get a screen etc.... and move before I set it up.... but I know that given my room, the ideal screen size will be 90-100" diagonal, on a 16:9 screen..... and that room looks pretty small, so you should measure the wall, to a foot from the wall (lens-to-wall) to figure out what you're looking at, to narrow down the search.

[AlaskaDon]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I picked up the HC1500, despite it's limitations, because I have a room where I can totally control light diffusion (and because I got it for $599 ) I just got it the other day, and it's still in the box..... I need to get a screen etc.... and move before I set it up.... but I know that given my room, the ideal screen size will be 90-100" diagonal, on a 16:9 screen..... and that room looks pretty small, so you should measure the wall, to a foot from the wall (lens-to-wall) to figure out what you're looking at, to narrow down the search.

If you have just 12' to work with, you should be able to get a 100" image out of the Sony VPL-VW40. I'm doing exactly that with the VW50 and I don't think the zoom levels are any different between the two. I'll be moving sometime between now and next summer, and a bigger HT room is definetly one of my priorities when I go house shopping.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by AlaskaDon

If you have just 12' to work with, you should be able to get a 100" image out of the Sony VPL-VW40. I'm doing exactly that with the VW50 and I don't think the zoom levels are any different between the two. I'll be moving sometime between now and next summer, and a bigger HT room is definetly one of my priorities when I go house shopping.

A theater room was a priority, large one was high on the want list, as were many other things......

If I ever find a house with "Everything" I want, I'll have to find 25 extra jobs to pay for it all

Technically, the theater room is Bedroom #6 These are all numbers dished out by the county auditor of course..... who likes to rape us on the taxes....... One of the "bedrooms" is an in-law suite, and we'll be turning that into a family room, so it'll really be A "living Room" "Family Room" and "extra" family room, with a kitchen, bath, Closet, formal dining room, extra "room" for a computer, etc, and hallway closet, on the first floor.... then four bedrooms and a bath on the second floor, and finally the theater with bath on the third floor.....

the basement has a half-bath, but it's not a finished basement, and we have more house than we can use already, so finishing the basement isn't a priority.

sorry to take this WAY off topic. Either way, every other house we looked at would have delegated a bedroom for a home theater anyways, since I couldn't find a good basement....

Open Floor-Plans, and 100 year old houses don't go hand-in-hand

I'm strongly considering just doing the 90" screen..... the biggest screen I've ever had is my current 37", so I think I'll be content I've never been a "Videophile" anyways..... but I like the idea of going BIG now

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by dukenukem

it will be placed in the living room and only used at night.i will not be mounting the projector.

Duke,

It does not look like your room is square is it? That wall next to the dining room table looks like it's on an angle from the pic, and is that a hearth below that mantle with the pics? That might limit your placement options somewhat.

Where are you proposing to put the screen? If you keep the couch where its at for your main seating, I presume you would have to move that dining room set and put a screen on whatever wall is next to that set.

If you had a simple drawing and some room dimensions, that might help narrow your PJ choices. If you're not mounting the PJ, a projector like the Mitsubishi HC1500 probably won't work for you because of the fixed offset. You would need a PJ that can be placed directly in front of the screen, firing from above your head/shoulders in seated position.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

...
I'm strongly considering just doing the 90" screen..... the biggest screen I've ever had is my current 37", so I think I'll be content I've never been a "Videophile" anyways..... but I like the idea of going BIG now

Beta-- always go bigger on the screen. You will not regret it. You will find a ton of people who wish they had gone with a larger size. Rarely will you hear someone complaining that the screen is too big. With the brightness of your HC1500, it can handle a bigger screen easy. It really doesn't cost much more to go bigger and it will bring a more theater like experience to your room.

Before you settle on a size, just mark out a screen size on your wall with painter's tape and project the image onto that square. Experiment with sizes to see what you and the wife like best. I'll bet it will be the bigger one. The bigger size is really addictive once you get it up there.

Cheers mate!

[Beta Man]

I can't really project onto the wall, but I won't go into that...... it's an angle, so I'll be putting a fixed screen, dropped down, from said angle... to the ground (but leaving it a couple feet from the ground)

Any good recommendations on a fixed screen? I will be putting brackets on the wall to hang the screen from, so it will be like this

/|


first slash being the wall angle, straight drop-down screen.....

[jomari]

beta man,

like to post another thread so we can help you on this one?

its called a french cleat method.



heres a simple pdf file called, well, you get the point...

point

i use a little secret back then called the doable board. 16 bucks and as long as you're not east of the rockies, your set to go. for a 100" screen.

here


duke,

whats your room dimensions?
im sure its not a square.

second, id actually consider what jhodi was suggesting, your walls a 'tad' bright.

not that its er... anyways... to each his own.

the walls may cause a little problem, due to the light diffusion given by the pj. first, if you get your room to be 100% ambient light controlled (no outside light, no disturbing lamp turned on or what not, just plain ol pitch BLACK ), your walls will still be showing off the light in the room.

lets use a simple example.

we have a flashlight in a very very dark room. if you use that flashlight and it has enough lumens or is bright enough, it might be able to show the corners and details of the room when the walls are painted in a lighter color (white for example)...

if its a darker shade, it wont reflect the light as much as the first room i mentioned.

i know its difficult to do this because this is also a living space for you as well, so, finding something that can be a 'matte' finish instead of glossy, or compromise and get a semi-matte to help out the reflectiveness of your walls.