Which projector to buy?

Question

Hi all. I live in the UK and want to buy a projector for my living room. Mainly to be used for gaming on PS3, Blue-Ray movies etc. I want like to mount it on the ceiling, and project to a screen mounted on a partition between the dining room - approx 3.8 meters from the projector. I have good curtains to keep the room dark when using the projector. The image size I would like would be a maximum 1.8 meters in width. Can a projector create an image this size from this distance? The articles on the internet I have been reading give much larger images from this distance. My budget is up to £800 for the projector. What is the best projector for this price ? eg, will create an image the correct size, best resolution, contrast ratio, best brightness etc...ive seen reasonably price projectors on Ebay -are they any good? any help appreciated!! thanks

Answer 1

if you u really wanna enjoy hi def image i wont recomend a projector.. and its noisy too.. there are hi def projetor r available but its way too expensive .. dont forget bout the screen, its expensive too.. over all.. a projector is not suitable for home use.. get a big lcd tv rather.. yet u wanna buy one..dont buy LG.. go for top of line brand - SONY.

Answer 2

I am in the US so you may have to convert dollars to Euros.

I was looking for the most bang for my buck 2 years ago and purchased a Sharp XR-11XC projector. Cost was $799.00 US then.  I see them on sale for less now.

Upside? I installed it in the ceiling and puchased a pull down screen.  At a 14ft (4.27 meters) distrance from screen I have a 103 inch picture when measured diagonally which is how all screens are measures.  Thats 2.62 meters diagonal or about 7feet (2.13 meters).  

It's great for sports and flixs.  Friends who come over for the superbowl are in awe.

Things you need: If you want HD you need 1024x768 ro 1080i resolution.  Also minimum lumens should be 2000 and contrast ratio should have a minimum of 2000. Look for DLP technology and avoid LCD.  You will also want something that can project 16.9 aspect ratio. Mine is 4.3 native aspect and allows me to change to 16.9 which is widescreen.

LCD will get dimmer with time.  DLP will also dim with time but when you replace the lamp it will be bright again.  LCD will not.  Also LCD on a projector give a screen door effect.

The projector is just that a projector.  If you want HD you will need an HD source such as cable HD or Satellite, or blue-ray dvd player.

You will need to invest in some quality cables to carry the signal from source to the projector.

After projector, mount, screen, cables and some casing from the local hardware store to hide the cables I spent about $1100.00 total.  WHen not in use the screen rolls up and is out of the way.

I don't recommend a projector for daily TV watching.  The bulb lasts 2000 to 4000 hrs.  This is good for several years of view. Replacement lamps run $250.00-$300.00 US

At 10hrs of viewing a week that's several years usage.  Beside don't watch TV all the time, get out and do something, chat with friends, read etc.

But for sports and movies projectors really do create a home theater.  Nothing like sitting in a darkened room watching images of light and shadow projected on a big screen.

Answer 3

my choice is to go for samsung company

Answer 4

You certainly can find a projector that will work at that distance for that size image (See below). Furthermore a projector is a great choice as long as you accept the need to have a dim/dark room (which you are aware of) and the occasional need to replace the bulb (~200 pounds every 2-4000 hrs of use).

The respondent that said the picture is poor has obviously never seen a good projector setup. That said, at your budget you probably will need to consider a 720p model (rather than 1080p), and while the picture can still be very good it won't be as good as a top end HDTV.

Things to look for ar a contrast ratio as high as possible (>2000:1), although ambient light reduces effective CR above that level very quickly, so don't worry overly about trying to squeeze out an extra 500:1 or so -- you won't notice it except in a completely dark room.

Brightness (~1000 lumens) shouldn't be an issue at that distance/screen size ... in fact you may have more of the opposite problem: a too bright image. Plan on a neutral screen gain (~1.0). This actually allows for a light grey screen (which would improve CR) which is usually associated with slightly lower gain.

The link is to the results of a search against an online database of projectors using the critieria: throw range, 3.8m; image size, 180cm; contrast, >2500.

One of the 30 models on the list may be suitable, or you can change the critieria if you like. Of the ones listed the Panasonic PT-AX200U would be high on my list. See the review at the linked site.

Hope this helps.