Projector or TV

arctine

arctine

arctine

Soldato
Joined
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Ok, so i wanna turn my room into like a home cinema type of thing. I have a wall space of 80" and want to know is it better to get a TV or a projector to fill that space? I'm thinking why not fill the whole wall with an 80" projector screen but then i'm told the bulbs on projectors don't last and they're expensive. I know nothing about this sort of thing myself so advice is needed, thanks.
 
Bulbs on projectors last a bit better these days and aren't quite so expensive to replace as they were... still expect to pay £130 odd for a new bulb tho depending on the projector...

I was worried about the bulb life on mine when I got it but I've only put around 700 hours out of a possible 3000 or so in the 2 years I've had it.

I deff. prefer my projector + 100" screen for movies its so much more immersive and the novelty still hasn't worn off 2 years on... with a decent DLP you should get acceptable enough contrast in a medium daylit or lamp lit room and very decent quality in a darker room.
 
Pretty much got everything i wanted to know out of that one post there, thanks!

Next question though, could you list some decent 1080p projectors? Not too sure about the prices of these things but obviously, the cheaper the better.
 
I just recently bought the Optoma HD65 which is a 720P DLP projector; extremely pleased with the results :D As mentioned the wow factor of watching movies, sports and playing games on 100" + is superb and totally changes the viewing experience.

The Optoma HD20 is also another very good projector in the 1080P market.

The Optoma HD200X is also a bit cheaper and still 1080P but the contrast is lower and so is the brightness.

I bought the HD65 as it was at a good price £500ish and user reviews were superb.
 
arctine said:
I do now ;)

http://www.optoma.co.uk/projectordetailshe.aspx?ShowMenu=HE&PTypedb=Home Entertainment&PC=HD700X

What about this one then? I dunno how these things work but can you sort of make the display whatever size you need?
Click to expand...

The HD65 has effectively replaced the HD700X and the HD200X / HD20 is the next step up.

What I liked about the HD65 is that it takes a 1080P signal so there is no messing around with input etc the Projector sorts itself out. I looked around quite a few places for the HD65 as pretty much all major retailers had sold out and stock is low.
 
Cheers for the suggestions there.

EDIT: Too late you beat me to it.

But still, would that HD65 support an 80" display? I'm still not sure how the projectors work? Do you set them as far away as necessary for your screen size and then adjust the zoom?
 
With 80" wall space I would go for a decent 50" - 60" Panasonic plasma. Hassle free and it will look great.

Projectors are excellent - i've been a slave to front projection for the last 4 or 5 years - but take some work to get good results and at around 80" I personally don't think it's worth it.
 
Interesting point, cheers Warbie. Still, the projectors seem to be a lot cheaper than the TVs so i reckon i'm gonna go with and 720p projector for around £500.
 
arctine said:
Cheers for the suggestions there.

EDIT: Too late you beat me to it.

But still, would that HD65 support an 80" display? I'm still not sure how the projectors work? Do you set them as far away as necessary for your screen size and then adjust the zoom?
Click to expand...

The size of the image depends on the distance of the Projector from the screen. The HD65 has a short throw ratio but limited zoom. To get 80" I would say the projector would need to sit around 4m from the screen.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-ThemeScene_HD65-projection-calculator-pro.htm

The link above has the official throw distance data from Optoma.
 
J.D.K said:
The size of the image depends on the distance of the Projector from the screen. The HD65 has a short throw ratio but limited zoom. To get 80" I would say the projector would need to sit around 4m from the screen.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-ThemeScene_HD65-projection-calculator-pro.htm

The link above has the official throw distance data from Optoma.
Click to expand...

That may be a problem... The room isn't very big. I'd say it's only about 380cm long... :(

edit: that calculator says the projector would need to be 2.87m from the screen for 80". Not so certain the picture quality will be any good at this display size anymore though.
 
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I have the HD20 and HD70 here and I would reccomend either any day - tho the HD70 has since been replaced and out the box is a little rough - but with calibration for 6500K color it looks really nice. I love the darkchip tech on them.

80" will be decent but you will need to be viewing the screen from atleast 5 foot away imo for optimal viewing - too close and you will see the screen door effect.

As above whatever you do don't be tempted to go for a business projector - they will be very dissapointing for gaming and movies.

EDIT: Oh and the HD70 at 720p projecting a 80-100" image from both DVD and Blu-ray looks excellent - I don't actually notice that huge a difference if any between 720p and 1080p except on very good quality blu-ray like sincity.
 
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Rroff said:
I have the HD20 and HD70 here and I would reccomend either any day - tho the HD70 has since been replaced and out the box is a little rough - but with calibration for 6500K color it looks really nice. I love the darkchip tech on them.

80" will be decent but you will need to be viewing the screen from atleast 5 foot away imo for optimal viewing - too close and you will see the screen door effect.

As above whatever you do don't be tempted to go for a business projector - they will be very dissapointing for gaming and movies.

EDIT: Oh and the HD70 at 720p projecting a 80-100" image from both DVD and Blu-ray looks excellent - I don't actually notice that huge a difference if any between 720p and 1080p except on very good quality blu-ray like sincity.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, i'll be viewing from my bed on the opposite side of the room...so at least 12 feet away.

I've had a look for that HD70 but i can't find any. Do you reckon the HD65 is any good?
 
HD70 is getting on now - it was replaced by the HD700X which I think is now being replaced by the HD65.

I've not used the 65 only the previous 2 - but as it uses the newer darkchip which has good reviews I'd imagine the quality is better than those 2 - think it uses the same version as the HD20 which looks very nice.
 
Sounds good. Thanks for all the advice everyone! Very informative, much appreciated.

I think my best bet is with the HD65 then. Just another quick question though, I know someone showed me a thread explaining how to make your own custom screen using art canvas and some wacky paint but is it worth buying one pre-made? I ask because i think i'd prefer a sort of pull down screen instead of one that just hangs on the wall. I'm just worried it won't hang flat on the wall if i get a roll up style screen. Any suggestions?
 
With your wallspace limitations, I'm going to suggest the plasma route, and that's despite using a projector 100% of the time for TV, movies and games. Plasmas have big advantages in their usability during normal lighting conditions and also their contrast ratios. Don't get me wrong, if you have a wall space say 100"+, then a projector is the only sensibly priced option, but for your space, I'd look at a Panny plasma.

My view on the bulbs is so what. Depreciation costs for any TV screen (plasma, LCD or projector) are all so high because of the turnover of new models, that even £200 on a bulb is not that much of a killer.
 
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