Projector

[J_Lee87]

Could some one tell me what a good projector is to get for about a 100" screen any advise would be great.

[scragham]

well, your budget would be a good start. you can get quality ones all the way from 3k to 30k depending on what budget you have and what features you want.

[Durentis]

In what price range?

Grab a DLP projector such as the BenQ W10000. Price has come way down since I bought my W9000 and it's a most excellent projector as far as I'm concerned.

If money's no object, you'll want to consider the 3-chip DLP projectors. Pretty sure the W10000 is still 1-chip DLP.

Whatever you get though, make sure it has HDMI input, 1920x1080 native resolution (not just 'compatible' or 'ready'), and can display 1080p@24fps and 1080p@60fps. (fps = frames per second)

Avoid any projectors labeled as 'Data Projector' as they're usually high lumens low resolution for office and classroom presentations in lit rooms and will not have the specs for Home Theater use.

As far as a screen is concerned, I still have my W9000 projecting on a beige wall. Surprisingly, it still looks pretty good but ambient lighting and a few dings are really annoying. Given how inexpensive screens are compared to the rest of my system, I'm not sure why I'm still watching movies on the wall.

Anyhew, I did a lot of reading on screens a while back and, from what I gather, a 0.8-1.0 gain grey screen is the way to go. Projectors can easily give bright white on a grey screen and it's supposed to give better blacks in brighter rooms/daylight. The higher the gain (above 1.0), the more mirror-like the screen gets and you'll get image distortions and, if you go high enough, a view of your projector lense (doh!).

[J_Lee87]

I would like to get something in the 2-3k range but be able to watch it on a regular basis maybe play the PS3 and not have to worry about bulb life or is bulb life always a issue with projectors

[Durentis]

Bulb life is always an issue with projectors but they last a long time. If you can get bulb replacements worked into an extended warantee, get it.

[Banjo]

Originally Posted by J_Lee87

I would like to get something in the 2-3k range but be able to watch it on a regular basis maybe play the PS3 and not have to worry about bulb life or is bulb life always a issue with projectors

PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 would be an excellent choice. I own one of them and I'm happy with it.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/c...s&oid=63068239

[J_Lee87]

Thinks for the help

[Durentis]

I haven't had my projector long enough to have to replace the bulb. On Normal mode, it would take just shy of a year using it 6h a day before I hit the life-expectancy. On Economical, expectancy is about a year and a half.

I have a couple roommates, so it gets a lot of use. No problems, just means the bulb will wear out a bit faster. Especially with the PS3 getting a fair bit of attention.

A few hundred bucks to replace a bulb every year or two really isn't that big a deal when you consider the cost of home theater stuff in general. And regardless of the projector you get, the bulb is pretty much a constant. (All projectors should have the expected bulb life in the specs - the W10000 is 2000h on normal mode.)

[Downhere]

The new Panasonic PT-AE2000U looks to be a winner and would work great with a 100" screen. The Epson would also be a great choice, or the new Sanyo.

[J_Lee87]

I have one more thing to get out are the bulbs like universal or will you not be able to find the bulbs that fits your projector eventually

[Downhere]

Bulbs are usually specific to the model projector you have.

[Durentis]

You'll have to find one that works with your projector. See here and scroll down past the irrelevant categories.

Here's a direct link to the W10000 bulb ($367 CDN).

[lexm]

I have a Sim2 Domino 30H and love it. Its a DLP projector and, yes, its only a 720p projector, but the image is fantastic. There is a lot more to a projector than just resolution. You also have to take into consideration color accuracy, contrast, refresh rate, and the optics of the projector.

Sim2 has now replaced the Domino 30H with the Domino D35. Also the Sim2 Domino D35 is just a little over the budget you had, but I think it would be a good reason to stretch your budget just a little bit.

Oh, yeah! My projector is projecting on a 110" screen, so its pretty close to the size you were looking for.

I'll eventually get a 1080p DLP projector, but not until prices drop down to $4K to $5k, and then it would have to be another Sim2.

[HDJK]

This is a good site recommended by fellow blu-ray.com member (sorry, I can't remember who it was ).

[TheWave]

I have the Panasonic PT-AE2000U connected to a PS3 and about a 100 inch diag screen. I have been very happy with it, avsforum displays over $3,000 section has lots of info. I paid about $2,700.

[BryanHyde]

i think i lucked out with my set up.
although its definitely not high end, i know it rivals those 3k dollar and up home theatres.
this was basically my first entry into the home theatre market.

Optoma DV10 + Free 100 inch Greywolf Screen - $500
PS3 - $300
Philips 5.1 - $150

Video is hooked up through the sony ps3 component cables outputting video to 1080p (thats what it says on the screen and i know the optomas are hd ready, however i dont know if its true hd...if anyone knows thatd be great)

audio is hooked up via optical

this is in a 20x10 room which is acoustically set up with auralex foaming etc.
(i produce music as well and use this room for music production)

all i need now are movie theatre seating :]

and maybe a higher end set up, but, i dont have a huge budget and im completely stoked with this set up as ive compared it to others of way higher budgets that have had similar results, (to my naked eyes perhaps).

maybe i dont have golden eyes/ears, but it works

[BryanHyde]

[yellowblanket]

i would recommend the Optoma hd70
at 13 feet, the 100" throw is exelent!

[AlaskaDon]

Take a look at this one:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/opto...tor_review.htm

I actually bought one of these but had to return it because I couldn't meet the required throw distance (13.5' for a 100" screen) and I ended up spending more money on a Sony Pearl which doesn't have quite as good of a picture as this one. Was very disappointed that I couldn't make the Optoma work. I was even going to mount it in the room next to my theater room and project thru an opening I was going to cut in the wall. When I went to cut the hole, I found a main support beam for the house right where I needed the hole to be

Also, you can check out the review thread over at AVS on this pj. Basically nothing but great comments provided you can work with it's placement issues.

[gvortex7]

I have the Mitsubishi HC3000 which I've had for about a year and a half now, and I absolutely love it. I am projecting onto a 106" screen from about 14'. Even though its native resolution is only 1280X768, at 1080i/60 Blu-rays look phenomenal on it. They no longer make this one, but it's successor the HC1500 can be had for $900. It's basically the same projector.

On the other hand, if you really want a solid 1080p projector then look into the Optoma HD80. You can get it for less than $2500.