Max budget of £2000, so that rules out OLED (unless you count the LG OLED55B6V but that's only 55" and too small for the room in question really). Max screen I can fit is 92". Would the extra 27" be worth it for the loss in resolution? What would you do??
92" screen + projector... OR... 65" 4K TV?
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Caporegime
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does the room suit a projector? i take it you already have sound covered. as a projector usually comes with zero sound or 1 crappy mono speaker.
if the room suits a projector then you can get away with projector only. can you control all lighting and blackout windows, etc?
tv's suit pretty much any room. projectors on the other hand suit custom made rooms. there is a reason why cinemas are pitch black.
if the room suits a projector then you can get away with projector only. can you control all lighting and blackout windows, etc?
tv's suit pretty much any room. projectors on the other hand suit custom made rooms. there is a reason why cinemas are pitch black.
I just got a projector to replace our aging TV, couldn't be happier with the results. I watched the grand prix the other day with just the thin blinds drawn and could see the screen just fine. This is just projected onto a white wall with a £450 1080p projector. You can afford to get a much better projector and a proper screen for it. I doubt you'd notice the drop in resolution, I have the 1080p at a 126" image size and only see pixels when in the menu. Films appear crystal clear.
Is this just going to be used for movies and maybe sporting events or regular viewing? Sharpness drops off on a projector by a noticeable amount when compared to a TV, contrast ratio and colour reproduction aren't as good either but who looks at this stuff when you're actually watching a film.
You can actually see more detail because its blown up so big in front of you, you can see texture in people's complexion.
You definitely need the sound tho, if it was a choice I'd absolutely go with small screen and big sound than big screen small sound.
Buying second hand would get you all my equipment for less than half your budget so I would do some research on what were great speakers 5-10 years ago, great amp from 3 years ago and spend 800 on a projector or 1200 on last years discontinued tv
You can actually see more detail because its blown up so big in front of you, you can see texture in people's complexion.
You definitely need the sound tho, if it was a choice I'd absolutely go with small screen and big sound than big screen small sound.
Buying second hand would get you all my equipment for less than half your budget so I would do some research on what were great speakers 5-10 years ago, great amp from 3 years ago and spend 800 on a projector or 1200 on last years discontinued tv
Caporegime
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i'd have both personally. a large tv with a larger pull down projector screen in front.
unless you do the full job properly. even a £500 tv will beat a £2000 projector when it comes to brightness, contrast, black levels, etc.
size vs quality.
if I was OP I would pick quality 65" tv isn't exactly small either. hisense 65M7700 for around £1K then the other £1K on a 5.1 system
unless you do the full job properly. even a £500 tv will beat a £2000 projector when it comes to brightness, contrast, black levels, etc.
size vs quality.
if I was OP I would pick quality 65" tv isn't exactly small either. hisense 65M7700 for around £1K then the other £1K on a 5.1 system
Sounds like its pretty much a purpose converted home cinema room?
Cinemas use projectors, TV's are for living rooms, get a projector
A 92" screen also has a viewable area 100.3% bigger than a 65" TV
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It depends on use whether a 65" screen is small, for broadcast and sporting events that use full screen it's not but for movies that use aspect ratio then depending on how far back you sit it can seem quite small.
Another consideration is what source will be used, Sky TV where a typical film is about 4-5Gb can look a little soft at 92" fed with a bluray modern films look awesome
As I said a bluray source looks fantastic on a 1080p projector at 92". The trouble is if you put poor quality or low quality in then that's what you'll get out, money is better spent on the decor in the room when it comes to projectors so how bright your room is can have a dramatic effect on contrast and colour saturation
If you're in a converted garage with no ambient light then a projector is perfect. What are your walls like? If you could paint on a permanent fixed screen you'll save lots of money versus a roll up or fabric screen. Sound from a projector will be non-existant, however a £1000 projector and £800 sound system with £200 left for decor will be lovely. You can spend the earth, but the fact that you've got a dedicated room will mean the wow factor will be much greater even with a more modest setup if you take the time to set it up properly. Second hand kit will also save some cash.
Yes I had seen that one, although it would add nearly grand to my budget with screen factored in.
The room hasn't been done yet, all in planning stage at moment, so walls can be anything. Plan is for recessed spotlights, so no fear of lights hanging down.
Speakers are certainly a big factor I know, so need to do some research on cost effective solution there. I would like everything hidden away best as possible, just so as to maximise the space.
Well you want to try future proofing and taking advantage of 4k sources that are becoming and will just get more common. If it were me i would get the screen later thereby saving money and try it on a nice projector friendly wall colour. Easy to paint and get the best out of the environment without spending a fortune. Sure down the road get the screen if you like.
Caporegime
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i'm sure you can buy specialised projector paint. it isn't cheap but it's not dear either when compared to a proper decent screen. in fact it's rather cheap but dear for paint.
if you want to make the most of the space then you want speakers built into walls and ceilings however it's a catch 22. decent wall or ceiling speakers are very expensive. also sourcing them second hand is pretty much impossible people tend to install once then leave them in there forever.
your £2K budget is the limiting factor here. you can't have everything for that budget.
paint your own screen - £100ish (factor in black wooden panel borders wrapped in fabric, etc)
then blow £2K on a projector and just use a £100 set of pc speakers (2.0 or 2.1) until you can do your audio set up properly. maybe even get z5500's second hand for £100 as a stop gap.
it depend son how much you value quality. if your building a dedicated room then i assume you want good mid range stuff. £2K i'm afraid doesn't really cut it.
if you want to make the most of the space then you want speakers built into walls and ceilings however it's a catch 22. decent wall or ceiling speakers are very expensive. also sourcing them second hand is pretty much impossible people tend to install once then leave them in there forever.
your £2K budget is the limiting factor here. you can't have everything for that budget.
paint your own screen - £100ish (factor in black wooden panel borders wrapped in fabric, etc)
then blow £2K on a projector and just use a £100 set of pc speakers (2.0 or 2.1) until you can do your audio set up properly. maybe even get z5500's second hand for £100 as a stop gap.
it depend son how much you value quality. if your building a dedicated room then i assume you want good mid range stuff. £2K i'm afraid doesn't really cut it.
That is valid. There are some new 4K Optoma projectors due soon, including the UHD550X which is priced just under £2K... they are DLP so will suffer from rainbow effect, but I will check out reviews when available. That said, I don't see any issues staying at 1080p, it still looks great. Of course, if it's a choice between 2 similar quality projectors and one has 4K for not much more, that makes sense.
I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, so I will be more demanding of picture quality than the ultimate sound experience, but again this is something I do need to look in to further just to see what the options are and at what cost. Typically, would speakers be wired into the projector? Or would you have an amp or receiver of some sort wired in to the projector and the speakers off that?
Caporegime
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you would have a hdmi cable from your source go to your avr then to your projector.
so sky into yamaha avr into projector.
the thing is you can get a really great 5.0 setup for very little money. denon amps are very cheap too for what you get. second hand your talking about £300-£500 for 5.0 speakers and really good ones.
then £200-£300 on a brand new amp.
this will then mean you don't have a sub. a decent sub brand new or second hand will be £300-£600. so that is why i'm speccing without a sub. there is no need for one as your not an audiophile and if you get decent enough floorstanders for fronts you won't really miss one either. then in a few years time you can think about a sub.
so £500-£800 will get you a really good 5.0 setup. as in a setup you will never need to upgrade in your life apart from the amp when resolution changes come about to 8K, 16K, etc. but you will be upgrading your projector at that point too so you will do both at the same time to compliment each other.
however than only leaves you £1100 - £1400 to spend on a projector. which is enough if you stick with 1080P and budget range. that means you could even pick up a second hand AVR instead as plenty now upgrading to 4K and selling their 1080p models for cheap. so that will free up around £200 on the amp. so only £400-£600 for a decent 5.1 setup second hand.
so sky into yamaha avr into projector.
the thing is you can get a really great 5.0 setup for very little money. denon amps are very cheap too for what you get. second hand your talking about £300-£500 for 5.0 speakers and really good ones.
then £200-£300 on a brand new amp.
this will then mean you don't have a sub. a decent sub brand new or second hand will be £300-£600. so that is why i'm speccing without a sub. there is no need for one as your not an audiophile and if you get decent enough floorstanders for fronts you won't really miss one either. then in a few years time you can think about a sub.
so £500-£800 will get you a really good 5.0 setup. as in a setup you will never need to upgrade in your life apart from the amp when resolution changes come about to 8K, 16K, etc. but you will be upgrading your projector at that point too so you will do both at the same time to compliment each other.
however than only leaves you £1100 - £1400 to spend on a projector. which is enough if you stick with 1080P and budget range. that means you could even pick up a second hand AVR instead as plenty now upgrading to 4K and selling their 1080p models for cheap. so that will free up around £200 on the amp. so only £400-£600 for a decent 5.1 setup second hand.
A £1000 1080p projector is where my money would go. At this budget 4K is probably not achievable but let's be honest £2,000 is plenty for a perfectly good projector and sound system. The sky is the limit as far as budget goes, but you don't need to remortgage to get something decent which you will enjoy. I would also avoid buying bits and pieces and get the whole lot in one go. This will avoid the gradual budget creep that I'm sure we've all experienced with PC and audio hardware before. If you only buy the front speakers and wait to buy the surrounds later you'll end up spending more in the long run etc etc. There is plenty of fun to be had shopping around for kit but you really need to be able to enjoy it once you've got it!
How many sources are you likely to have? Most projectors have 2 HDMI inputs and TVs typically 4 so video switching on an amp is not really needed. If you go s/h on audio then incredible sound is relatively inexpensive and I always recommend the same amp time and again, a Yamaha dsp a1 can be had for £100 and still beats most modern day AV amps on audio quality upto £1200. If I didn't need the 2 HDMI outputs on my new amp then I'd use my a1 again
Do you have free reign to treat the room how you like and can you paint a screen straight onto the wall?
//wall of text incoming
For what it's worth I've had a bunch of pj setups - home made screens with purchased fabrics, specialized paint and diy Black Widow, to budget and high end exotic fixeds and drop downs. High gain, neutral gain, various shades of grey. There's so many options it gets super confusing! Given this and if you can treat the room and paint straight onto the wall, this is my suggestion. Sand the screen wall down - don't have to spend ages but the more you do the better the result - and paint a massive 16:9 Dulux Lumitec Light and Space White screen. Go for as big as the wall/pj will allow given the room setup (this first part I suggest to anyone considering a fixed screen pj setup btw). Now paint everything else matte black. Doesn't have to be black, but it will look better the darker it is. This last bit will make a cheap pj look as good as one costing considerably more. Personally, i'd also buy some decent, non sheen black velvet - devore - staple it onto foam boards and velcro it to the walls and ceiling. Again, doesn't have to be the whole lot - but treating the screen wall along with the ceiling and side walls coming out a few meters makes a big difference. And it looks ******* smart as hell
Ofc, black carpet - or failing that, black rug/carpet coming out a few meters from the screen wall. Your screen suddenly becomes what looks like a 100"+ plasma floating in space. Very few people have experienced this as it's not something you get at the cinema due to the low lighting and exit signs everywhere, and it looks amazing. In fact it can make you feel weirdly disembodied. All of this will set you back a few days work and a few hundred quid and will look better than a £2000 fixed screen in your average home cinema room. Now blow the rest of the budget on the best possible low contrast pj you can afford (i'm assuming the sound side of things is sorted?). JVC is usually the easy choice. If gaming is a concern, probably a Sony. But there's a whole load of pjs around - I like Epson too - so do some research. Also, get some black tape to cover the leds on your av equipment - don't want to go through the hassle and have evil little lights all over the place. Burkas are an option. And now you're good to go - it will already look fantastic. Better than the cinema and anything you'll get with a traditional panel. And this is where the fun really starts - play with image size for a few weeks/months and see what works best for your seating position/eyes. Be wowed by it. If you decide the sweet spot is a little smaller, paint in the new border and live with it for a while longer. Mess around with pj settings. Dabble in calibrating it. The screen can totally wait. In fact, buying a fixed screen and a pj at the same time is the biggest mistake, imho, that you can make. I made it, everyone makes it. Once you're settled and know what you want size wise, start saving for a screen. DIY or bought - things will looks crisper and colours more accurate, but it will have less impact on how good things looks than the stuff mentioned above. This may all sound like hassle, but it's the difference between walking into a room with a big tv and being in space watching movies through a massive floating window!
//wall of text incoming
For what it's worth I've had a bunch of pj setups - home made screens with purchased fabrics, specialized paint and diy Black Widow, to budget and high end exotic fixeds and drop downs. High gain, neutral gain, various shades of grey. There's so many options it gets super confusing! Given this and if you can treat the room and paint straight onto the wall, this is my suggestion. Sand the screen wall down - don't have to spend ages but the more you do the better the result - and paint a massive 16:9 Dulux Lumitec Light and Space White screen. Go for as big as the wall/pj will allow given the room setup (this first part I suggest to anyone considering a fixed screen pj setup btw). Now paint everything else matte black. Doesn't have to be black, but it will look better the darker it is. This last bit will make a cheap pj look as good as one costing considerably more. Personally, i'd also buy some decent, non sheen black velvet - devore - staple it onto foam boards and velcro it to the walls and ceiling. Again, doesn't have to be the whole lot - but treating the screen wall along with the ceiling and side walls coming out a few meters makes a big difference. And it looks ******* smart as hell
Ofc, black carpet - or failing that, black rug/carpet coming out a few meters from the screen wall. Your screen suddenly becomes what looks like a 100"+ plasma floating in space. Very few people have experienced this as it's not something you get at the cinema due to the low lighting and exit signs everywhere, and it looks amazing. In fact it can make you feel weirdly disembodied. All of this will set you back a few days work and a few hundred quid and will look better than a £2000 fixed screen in your average home cinema room. Now blow the rest of the budget on the best possible low contrast pj you can afford (i'm assuming the sound side of things is sorted?). JVC is usually the easy choice. If gaming is a concern, probably a Sony. But there's a whole load of pjs around - I like Epson too - so do some research. Also, get some black tape to cover the leds on your av equipment - don't want to go through the hassle and have evil little lights all over the place. Burkas are an option. And now you're good to go - it will already look fantastic. Better than the cinema and anything you'll get with a traditional panel. And this is where the fun really starts - play with image size for a few weeks/months and see what works best for your seating position/eyes. Be wowed by it. If you decide the sweet spot is a little smaller, paint in the new border and live with it for a while longer. Mess around with pj settings. Dabble in calibrating it. The screen can totally wait. In fact, buying a fixed screen and a pj at the same time is the biggest mistake, imho, that you can make. I made it, everyone makes it. Once you're settled and know what you want size wise, start saving for a screen. DIY or bought - things will looks crisper and colours more accurate, but it will have less impact on how good things looks than the stuff mentioned above. This may all sound like hassle, but it's the difference between walking into a room with a big tv and being in space watching movies through a massive floating window!