Projectors?????

Question

OK I'm confused!

I was thinking of buying a projector for games and movies especially when I have friends over. So if I want to use it in a darkish room i.e. in the evenings for games (xbox 360) and movies (not hd or blu-ray) what should I look for e.g. contrast ratio, ldp or lcd, rear or front etc...

Also how much do you have to pay to get a decent projector and will a cheap one do if I don't use it regularly. Also anyone who has a projector how often do you use it.

If you need any more information just ask and i'll add it.

Answer 1

with projectors the darker the room the better. with lighting in mind consider a projector with a higher lumen output, preferably above 1500 for brighter rooms. contrast ratio can also be of a big help, the higher the ratio the clearer the image. infact a higher ratio can sometimes offset a lower resolution ie. 1080p vs. 1080i. this in the purchasing phase can save you money. dlp seems to be the hot technology for projectors today. this model from panasonic would be an excellent choice for you. read the specs below

Developed in collaboration with leading filmmakers, Panasonic's Hollywood tuning process produces images that mirror the director’s artistic vision and intent. This process is now further aided in the new Panasonic PT-AE2000 by maximizing the image quality of the full-HD content in Blu-ray discs and HD broadcasts for large-screen viewing. The carefully tuned optical system teams up with a newly developed Detail Clarity Processor to dramatically boost image clarity. The Panasonic PT-AE2000 offers the ultimate home cinema experience with crisp full-HD images in remarkable detail.

High-Precision Optical System

High 16,000:1 Contrast Ratio and 1500 Lumens of Brightness

Almost all the key components in the optical system have been renewed to unleash the beauty of full-HD expression with an outstanding contrast ratio of 16,000:1 and brightness of 1,500 lumens.

hope this helps

Answer 2

things to look for include:

True widescreen resolution, (since most movies are at this scale)



ANSI lumens brightness, (higher is better a low one makes atmospheric movies hard to see e.g avp2 or sin city)

ratio of contrast 1500:1 (at least higher is better again or picture sharpness)

the rest is not as important

I use mines a lot it cost me just under £2000 but no TV can match the gaming aspect (4 player CoD4 is awesome) however a good projector will set you back £600-£1200 usually, HD is a must since it only adds £200-£300 to your price tag but will give you much much more use and longetivity as everything is now coming in HD/Blu Ray also they double up as PC monitors since they have great resolution capability (yes WoW on a 70" monster)

since you are using it infrequently a cheap option may suffice try to get one with the above info, (cheap ones can be £200-£400) just remember cheap ones tend to be cheap for a reason there clarity/brightness is questionable over moderate distance but they should do the job in a dark enough room with clean clear screen.

if you are from UK www.pricerunner.co.uk is a good site (my fav for new purchases) along with the usual ebay, kelkoo etc.

Answer 3

To me a projector is a front projector. Rear are dying out.

See the article at the 1st link. The author is right .. front projectors are a great way to see a BIG picture, BUT they require more effort than a normal HDTV to choose and set-up.

I spent months learning about projectors before buying ... and the main thing I concluded is you have to define your needs carefully because projectors are all different. It's like buying a car.

So things like brightness, contrast ratio, resolution etc. are important, but you can't afford to ignore other factors like zoom lens range, presence and range of lens shift, offset, connectivity, fan noise, projected lamp life, etc.

In addition you need a screen to get optimum results. They can vary from a <$100 DIY screen to a commercial model costing $thousands.

The choice of type of projector (DLP, LCD, LCOS) is to some degree less important, but there are significant issue to consider.

DLP projectors tend to be a bit less expensive than LDC or LCOS (the latter is a variation on LCD), often less flexible in terms of mounting due to narrower zoom lens range (1.2-1.3 vs 1.7-2.0 on many LCD models), lack of lens shift (ability to adjust the projected image up/down or left/right relative to the projector)and high lens offset (upward angle the projected image is directed relative to the projector). More fundamental, DLP projectors use a spinning colour wheel that can generate "rainbow effect" (RBE, visual field disturbance/headache) in susceptible individuals (a small minority of viewers), particulalry with older models with slower spinning (<4X) wheels. On the other hand black levels are generally better than LCD models, and they are not as prone to "screen door effect" (SDE, an impression similar to looking at panorama through a screen).

LCD projectors don't generate RBE, but are more prone to SDE  

LCOS projectors tend to give the most film-like images, but are more expensive. There is no SDE or RBE. Contrast ratios have traditionally been lower than DLP, but this has changed in modern projectors (all three types can exhibit CRs in the 15,000:1 and up level.)

Projectors suitable for home theater use (vs buisness projectors which tend to have poorer video processing, among other differences) fall into three basic groups based on resolution: 480p ($500+), 720p ($900+) and 1080p ($2000+).

The ideal way to use a projector is along with a small HDTV for general use (news, etc).

I use a projector for movies and normal HDTV viewing (HD Satellite) ... 2-3 hrs most days. I've had it running now for 18 mo or so and would trade for a small HDTV (under 70" for anything). I built my own screen for <$100.

Hope this helps.

See projector central (2nd link) and projectorreviews.com (3rd link) for reviews and further info.

Answer 4

Looking at your purposes. Movie and gaming you dont seem like you need one that has a perticularly high contrast ratio. You will want at least 1800 lumens generally speaking and as the answer before said HD input is a must these days. LCD generallyhas been considered slightly better than DLP as you do not get the rainbow effect or the matrix effect in LCD that exhists with DLP.

For your purposese i suggest the best solution for money and quality is to go for an SVIC model from HIXLEY ELECTRONICS for the S720 H or if you would like USB and card reader input for playing things like divx and avi movies then go for the S720 HDC. Link below will send ya there to check these models out!

Napoleon