Anyone able to compare 85inch TV and 120inch projector?

RoyMi6 · 30 Aug 2021 at 17:29

I'm torn between 85inch QLED or 120inch SXRD projector...

I've had a projector before and loved it, but trying to fit it in the new house is turning out to be less than straight forward.

Previously I was 3m away from a 120inch screen. I know I'm happy with that experiance, and I'm trying to replicate it in some way.

As such I worked out that my previous setup gave me around a 51degree FOV coverage (the 3rd seating position marked on the image with the 25.5 degree angle marked. The problem with that in this room is that it puts the sofa in an awkward sport compared to where my computer and computer chair is going to sit.

I can push the sofa backwards into the window, but unfortunately it won't really solve the problem. However, I can go forward, and this is where my suitably firstworld problem arrises. Will it be too big? If it's too big, what if I went with a smaller screen... and if it's a smaller screen, what if I went with OLED/QLED so can maximise picture quality...?

As such, if I push the sofabed all the way forward to about 2m I can get similar, if not bigger, FOV with only a 85inch TV.

My problem is that while technically FOV would be the same, has any one got any experiance that suggests the experiance is similar in how it feels? I know it's totally subjective so LOGICALLY it should be the same, but hoping someone can comment that might have experianced sitting close to an 85 inch TV and compare that to a further away experiance with a larger screen.

RoyMi6 · 30 Aug 2021 at 18:44

Sorry, budget is £5k mark for whatever video solution. Ive been happy with "ebay tab-tensioned" electric screens that i can get for sub £500 and thinking of making a fixed one to keep convince factor high.

Yeah, we've got a 55inch TV in the lounge that we're 3.5m from, so this setup has got to fill the "cinema experience" that separates it from watching regular TV. Other thing im doing is going full 7.2.4 atmos to increase the filmic experience.

Short throw doesn't really solve many problems for me... It means i need a unit to put it on pushing my sofabed backwards. Unless... Can they be ceiling mounted? Do short throw projectors have better hdr performance?

RoyMi6 · 31 Aug 2021 at 14:03

Cheers guys, talking it through the with the Wife and it looks like it's going to be the projector route

Now just to decide on saving a little money (which could be spent on the audio) by going for the Epson EH-TW9400, or going balls to the walls and picking up a Sony VPL-VW290ES...

RoyMi6 · 1 Sep 2021 at 10:25

Called Richersounds and they do 14 day at home trials now. I mean... you still have to buy the thing outright (so not sure how it differs from the distance selling regulations :rolleyes:

) but if you want to return in 14 days they'll arrange collection for you.

So looks like I'll be buying both seeing if the £2k difference in price is worth it

RoyMi6 · 1 Sep 2021 at 11:16

Yeah, for sure. You're right that a 1080p projector is kind of "cheated" with films because of the 2.35:1 aspect ratio means your using only 2/3rds of the vertical resolution. Like you, I was more than happy with a 1080p projector for a long time. I could still see the difference with a film that was mastered in 4k but that came in other ways, usually in just a crisper picture and less compression artifacts.

Techspec wise the Sony obviously beats the Epson in many regards, but the Epson reviews well and has a larger throw ratio meaning I can get a slightly bigger picture (123" with the Sony, 127" with the Epson) with the space that i've got - that might come out to be the winner all else being comparatively equal when it comes to actually using it. Ultimately I think I might just let the wife decide as I'll admit to being biased even before I start because of what the Sony represents in terms of pure home cinema performance.

But, I also keep trying to tell myself that the Sony will last longer because I won't get the itch to upgrade so soon compared to the Epson (like needing to spend another £2-3k in 5 years on a 4K projector) - but knowing me I'll probably get the itch to upgrade in 3 years regardless of what I get! :rolleyes:

RoyMi6 · 1 Sep 2021 at 11:58

whitecrook said:
is your throw distance about 4m ?

Yeah, worked it out at about 3.8m to where the lens will be from the wall.

EDIT: If you're asking because you're looking for alternatives, it needs to be 3LCD. Can't use DLP - I have massive issues with the rainbowing from colours wheels and with a big screen it just makes it even worse as it gets super bad when I look from side to side on the screen.

RoyMi6 · 1 Sep 2021 at 12:35

Screen is going to be a fixed one against the wall, projector is going with its back against the opposite wall (which is a window)

Obviously I'd love to maximise the use of the wall, but don't think I've got any other options to be honest.

RoyMi6 · 1 Sep 2021 at 13:21

I'm actually going for a fixed 16:9 screen, but because I'm DIYing it I'm going to make sliding covers for the top and bottom that I can move into place to cover the "black bars" to solve that problem and allow me to trim to basically any aspect ratio (apart from 4:3

)

RoyMi6 · 2 Sep 2021 at 10:35

If you're going pull down, just get an electric one. For me they it really set the mood of "getting ready for a movie". Search ebay for 120inch tab tenssion screen and you can pick them up for less than £300.

I'd say my non tab tensioned screens in the past don't really have waves, it's more than the sides curl up making the picture a little out of focus and obviously that adds bit of weird warping to the image on the edges (that isn't always visible but is definitely highlighted when the camera pans left to right)

I'd say tab tensioning isn't essential, but is more important than it being electirc if you're really trying to save money.

You're facing the same problem as me with the bay window. Mouting the projector lower in the bay window however is likely to be a bonus because you likely won't need as much vertical lens shift (an optical solution that retains maximum picture quality without having to use digital keystoning). But @whitecrook is right, get yourself on https://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm to find out what size screen you can acheive and what the various limitations will be in terms of offset between the screen and the projector.

I'd also agree that sound is an issue with projectors. Again, @whitecrook is right that bigger can mean quieter, but I've also experianced the exact opposite. My firend has a dinky "office" projector that they set up on a table and it's the quietest projector I've ever heard... but some of the multiple £k projectors I'm looking at are slated for being too loud...

It's part of the reason that I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated room that lets me put the sofa essentially anywhere I want, and I want the sofa closer to the screen and further away from the projector at the back of the room explictly to avoid this issue of having the projector directly overhead.

One saving grace is that it looks like at least one or two places are letting you do a 14 day trial with no quibble return policy. So it might be worth picking something up that fits in your price range and seeing if it's something you could put up with.