Large TV or Projector?

Born2BSlow · 20 Jul 2018 at 09:36

I'm thinking about setting up a Home Cinema setup, nothing extravagent just a large TV or Projector & Screen and separate audio 7 or 5.1..

I can get a 65" OLED 4K TV for a little over £2k, for a decent projector and screen which would get me to 100" but most likely only 1080p/HD, I'd have to spend roughly the same maybe a little less depending on the projector. Downside is the fan noise and sorting out window covering etc. the TV would be easier to use, projector screen may have to be retracted when not in use...

Has anybody got any experience of this particular conundrum? I'm really on the fence but leaning toward the projector setup, but the missus is pretty clear that most projector reviews on Gadget show etc. she's seen state that the fan noise from a projector is intrusive.

Choices choices choices....

Mr_Sukebe · 20 Jul 2018 at 12:33

It's a question I've been pondering about since OLEDs have started dropping to vaguely sensible prices (don't like LCDs).
I've been a projector only user for 10 years, the last 7 with a JVC DILA unit.

From what I've seen:
- Clearly you don't have the issues with needing to create a darkened room with a TV. I have blackout curtains to resolve that in our lounge
- At the money you're talking about, 4k projectors are simply not in scope, so you're looking at a 1080p projector (probably the Sony ES45 or whatever it's equivalent is now). As such, fine detail resolution are simply not going to be on par with a good OLED. Having said that, that'ts partly going to be driven by your content source. If you mainly watch 1080 material, then so what?
- OLEDs IMO definitely have the edge over my DILA projector for colour rendition, mainly because of their ability to create a good black
All the above probably makes you wonder why I'm still running a projector.
Problem is that everytime I look at even a 65" TV, I still come away with a feeling of "that's a bit small isn't it".

And really, that's all it comes down to. Do you want better colours, or size. I find the size and an acceptable level of colour rendition better for immersion, but hey, that's just me.

Born2BSlow · 20 Jul 2018 at 12:37

@Mr_Sukebe thanks for the reply, anything to say about fan noise? It seems to be the thing that wifey's got in her head...

Mr_Sukebe · 20 Jul 2018 at 12:45

Born2BSlow said:
@Mr_Sukebe thanks for the reply, anything to say about fan noise? It seems to be the thing that wifey's got in her head...

There is fan noise, and be aware that my projector is sat on a shelf directly above where I sit. Whilst it's noticeable on warm up, once the sound from the movie/programme kicks in, frankly I've never noticed.
I'll say that with the caveat that I don't tend to watch at very low volumes.

ssmacc · 20 Jul 2018 at 12:51

Agree with you...I've got a 55" TV with a 100" projector screen that comes down in front of the TV for films etc. As the projector is not used everyday it always feels like a treat and the size always amazes...As much as I'd like a 65" OLED I just don't think I'd get the same wow factor with such a "smaller" screen.

lucid · 20 Jul 2018 at 13:41

It's hard to beat the sheer scale of a projected image.

Fan noise used to be a problem with older models, but unless the machine is poorly made or unsuitable for home cinema, then the sound from most decent machines once properly set up just melts in to the background.

One comment about fan noise from a dealer sticks in my mind. This is going back a couple of years to when the Optoma HD50 launched. I was getting to grips with calibrating this new model compared to the previous HD30.

Out of the box the noise was high because it was on High Power mode. We switched to standard power mode which improved things, then he left me to work. I went through it and switched off a lot of the Picture Enhancement features which really weren't doing that much except messing up the colour tracking or adding picture noise. Once finished, I called the dealer back in so we could have a look. He said "What have you done? It's a lot quieter. How have you done that?"

I hadn't noticed the gradual decrease in noise as each of the unnecessary processing modes was switched off, but to him, hearing the before and after, the difference was tangible.

I wonder whether the reviews commenting on fan noise are running with the basic settings, or perhaps it's just journalists being unrealistic or over-picky?

Having said that, very small projectors have small fans that need to run fast and so the pitch can be high even though the dB sound level isn't too much different to a bigger fan running at a slower speed.

Pottsey · 20 Jul 2018 at 16:01

Born2BSlow said:
I'm thinking about setting up a Home Cinema setup, nothing extravagent just a large TV or Projector & Screen and separate audio 7 or 5.1..

I can get a 65" OLED 4K TV for a little over £2k, for a decent projector and screen which would get me to 100" but most likely only 1080p/HD, I'd have to spend roughly the same maybe a little less depending on the projector. Downside is the fan noise and sorting out window covering etc. the TV would be easier to use, projector screen may have to be retracted when not in use...

Has anybody got any experience of this particular conundrum? I'm really on the fence but leaning toward the projector setup, but the missus is pretty clear that most projector reviews on Gadget show etc. she's seen state that the fan noise from a projector is intrusive.

Choices choices choices....

Fan noise can be a problem on some models but most are ok. Fan noise can often be reduced by turning dynamic black off and/or turning brightness down to eco. With my projector you do not notice the fan with one exception. During a heatwave on high mode the fan is noticeable when sound is off or low. During normal days I do not notice the fan.

If you are after 4k with HDR a UHD60 projector is around £2k or a UHD550X is less. They do not have the best blacks but compared to a 1080p projector they are massively sharper due to 4k and the HDR while not the best is still pretty good. Richer sounds will demo them in store and I recommend that instead of listening to the people who say they are not true 4k. From a sharpness point of view they are massively ahead of 1080p projectors.

An alternative to a screen is projector paint. http://www.pourascreen.org.uk/ this stuff amazing and better then some screens and when the projector is turned off you have a normal wall. the paint also counters to much light and enhances contrast.

Warbie · 20 Jul 2018 at 20:24

I'd go for the 65" oled if you can't batcave the room. Light coloured walls/ceiling are a big problem. If you can batcave, large pj setup is a good option.

Rannoch · 20 Jul 2018 at 23:44

PJ all the way for me. Nothing can touch a 120” or larger screen, fan noise is drowned out by my speakers anyway. A decent amp and speakers if you can get away with having it loud

4K projectors are pretty affordable and having seen a BenQ W1700 tonight I will be upgrading very soon.

bayo000 · 21 Jul 2018 at 07:23

Both.

I'm no pro and both my projector and TV are mid range at best but the main issue with projector is that the room gets warm. Which is nice in winter but makes it uncomfortable to use in summer for long. So we tend to use projector in my "man cave" in colder months and then TV in living room rest of the year.

Jez · 30 Jul 2018 at 10:38

Vargas said:
PJ all the way for me. Nothing can touch a 120” or larger screen, fan noise is drowned out by my speakers anyway. A decent amp and speakers if you can get away with having it loud

4K projectors are pretty affordable and having seen a BenQ W1700 tonight I will be upgrading very soon.

Wow at how these have dropped, perhaps time for my upgrade to 4K if that model is any good?

I am still running a very early 1080p model (Sony vpl-vw50 pearl, must be well over 10 years old) which i have been happy with, but 4K would be very welcome on a large screen.

ssmacc · 30 Jul 2018 at 11:38

Vargas said:
PJ all the way for me. Nothing can touch a 120” or larger screen, fan noise is drowned out by my speakers anyway. A decent amp and speakers if you can get away with having it loud

4K projectors are pretty affordable and having seen a BenQ W1700 tonight I will be upgrading very soon.

I didn't realise 4k was that cheap now...The main problem I assume I have is getting a 4k signal to the Projector...I'm currently running a 20 metre HDMI 1.4 to my projector and it would be a right pain to upgrade that....I assume it would have no chance of "carrying" a 4k signal via a 20m 1.4 HDMI cable?

Firestar_3x · 30 Jul 2018 at 13:07

I have a similar issue, a 4k projector upgrade is now a tempting prospect but have 20m of HDMI 1.4 cable buried in the floor joists above.

I however have raised staging for my two tier seating, thinking about the option of moving the cinema gear under the staging at the back of the room removing the need for the integrated cable.

ssmacc · 31 Jul 2018 at 12:49

Firestar_3x said:
I have a similar issue, a 4k projector upgrade is now a tempting prospect but have 20m of HDMI 1.4 cable buried in the floor joists above.

I however have raised staging for my two tier seating, thinking about the option of moving the cinema gear under the staging at the back of the room removing the need for the integrated cable.

(Sorry this is off the main topic)
Yeah, I thought about moving my gear to the projector but I've not got the room and all the other AV equipment, surround sound cables terminate behind the TV etc. I'd need re-route them...I'm wishing for a wireless 4k projector....think I'll be "putting up" with 1080p for a while yet

Chris1712 · 31 Jul 2018 at 16:42

Firestar_3x said:
I have a similar issue, a 4k projector upgrade is now a tempting prospect but have 20m of HDMI 1.4 cable buried in the floor joists above.

I however have raised staging for my two tier seating, thinking about the option of moving the cinema gear under the staging at the back of the room removing the need for the integrated cable.

Can you not pull a new cable through the trunking? If not, HDMI 1.4 technically can do 4k@24hz so movies are fine, bit janky for UI etc. & no Rec 2020 or HDR though I'm not sure you can get a convincing effect from any current projectors.

Firestar_3x · 31 Jul 2018 at 19:23

Chris1712 said:
Can you not pull a new cable through the trunking? If not, HDMI 1.4 technically can do 4k@24hz so movies are fine, bit janky for UI etc. & no Rec 2020 or HDR though I'm not sure you can get a convincing effect from any current projectors.

The cable takes a few turns so i'd not fancy my chances of getting a new cable through, i do however have 2x CAT6 leads running alongside so could utilise those i suppose.

Rannoch · 1 Aug 2018 at 01:06

ssmacc said:
I didn't realise 4k was that cheap now...The main problem I assume I have is getting a 4k signal to the Projector...I'm currently running a 20 metre HDMI 1.4 to my projector and it would be a right pain to upgrade that....I assume it would have no chance of "carrying" a 4k signal via a 20m 1.4 HDMI cable?

I’m lucky I only have a 10m cable, it has given me the upgrade itch though.

Jez said:
Wow at how these have dropped, perhaps time for my upgrade to 4K if that model is any good?

I am still running a very early 1080p model (Sony vpl-vw50 pearl, must be well over 10 years old) which i have been happy with, but 4K would be very welcome on a large screen.

Seeing a 4K image on a big screen is a big step up, and pretty affordable now.

I’ve got my finger on the Amazon button lol

Eurofighter · 2 Aug 2018 at 02:49

TV all day

Rroff · 2 Aug 2018 at 06:01

As per a recent thread on here a lot of the cheap 4K projectors are faking it by outputting multiple slightly offset overlapping frames very fast - depending on the actual native resolution and technique used some are closer to an actual 4K image than others but there is some degree of fidelity lost versus a true native 4K.

Some are outputting 2-3x 1080p images at 60Hz per "frame" others like the UHD50 use 2-3x 1440p like resolutions or slightly higher but short of 2160p.

Jez · 2 Aug 2018 at 09:12

Rroff said:
As per a recent thread on here a lot of the cheap 4K projectors are faking it by outputting multiple slightly offset overlapping frames very fast - depending on the actual native resolution and technique used some are closer to an actual 4K image than others but there is some degree of fidelity lost versus a true native 4K.

Some are outputting 2-3x 1080p images at 60Hz per "frame" others like the UHD50 use 2-3x 1440p like resolutions or slightly higher but short of 2160p.

Ah, turns out that the W1700 is actually a 1080p native producing 4 fields per frame

Large TV or Projector?

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