Looking for the best < £550 Projector + 100" Screen (2.5m-3m throw)

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Hi,

Apologies in advance as I guess that there will have been hundreds of threads like this already. I've wanted a projector/home cinema room for a while now and I've just moved house and I'm going to take the plunge.

I'm looking for a projector which will project to a (ideally) 100" screen from around 2.5-3m away (3m at an absolute push) which is under £550?

I'm looking for:

  • 1080p - I watch Bluray/1080p movies & TV.
  • I'm Not bothered about 3D (It would be nice but isn't a huge selling point to me).
  • Throw distance ideally would be around 2.5m but the length of the room is around 3m
  • No speaker needed - I have my own speakers for this.
  • Occasionally used for gaming... mainly PC.


Possible Options I've found:

Epson EH TW5100 @ £459 (Amazon)
Epson EH TW5200 @ £590 (Amazon) - Is there much difference to the TW5100? Also out of budget.
Optoma HD141X @ £449 (Amazon)
Optoma GT1070X @ £570 (Amazon) - Also over budget but 1m throw sounds good?
BenQ W1070+ @ £599 (Amazon) - Pretty much out of budget I think..
BenQ TH681+ @ £459 (Amazon) - Is 144Hz an advantage (it is when using for FPS gaming on Monitors but won't be playing FPS on this...)

I'm also looking at screens, I would like an electric screen but don't want to break the bank a huge amount - this would be a cost on top of the projector costs above, am I being unrealistic wanting to spend under £100?

I've found these:

Homegear 100" for £75 (Amazon)
Ebay #1 for £65 (Ebay)
Ebay #2 for £75 (Ebay)
Ebay #3 for < £50! (Ebay)

That said - screen wise I've barely looked in to them at all so any other recommendations which are low cost would be ace!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to read this and I'll welcome any recommendations!
 
I have a 77" Sapphire screen from Richer Sounds, it's pull down a lock, great quality. I sit 3 metres away and I wouldn't want a bigger screen at that distance.

Thanks for the input - I do however really want the larger screen, this way I can move it in to a larger room if I need to too.
 
A few suggestions:
  • Try looking for the BenQ W1070 (no plus). This is the previous model. It may still be sold some places, and will probably be a bit cheaper, as the retailer will be looking to shift the old stock.
  • The Epson TW5200 has reduced in price since your OP. Don't know how good it is, but it's within budget now at least.
  • Forget an electric screen. You don't have the budget, and it's unnecessary anyhow.
  • Try just projecting onto a white wall to begin with. If you're happy with that, no need to splash out on a screen, at least, not straight away.

I've found the W1070 for £469 on Richer Sounds

Why would you recommend this projector, Also the TW5200 is now £509 yeah.

If I have to raise the budget a little more for an eleccy screen i'd rather do that, I can't imagine the price being that much different between manual and electric?
 
I couldn't tell you, but isn't your argument rather like saying why spend £1000 on a PC when you can get one for £200 that has more lights on it?

Congrats on the 666, but no. You will see a very noticeable difference between a PC worth £200 and one worth £1000...

The answer is because you're an enthusiast who appreciates the difference. Most people wouldn't, and that's OK, they don't need to spend the money.

I understand the enthusiast side of things, always getting the best of the best, etc, everything looking perfectly and running nicely however how good can a projector screen get? If a movie looks great on a £100 screen how much better can it look on a £1750 one?

I'm great with computers and anything tech, however when it comes to projector screens I really can't differentiate between what is £100 and what is £1750 and this is where I'm stuck.

I guess the smoothness and noisiness of the electric motor comes in to it, one might be quick and silent, one might take 30 seconds and sound grunty but I won't care about that as saving £1000 is more important to me than waiting 30 seconds to watch a movie at home, do you get what I'm saying?

I'll be unable to project on to a wall as the projector screen will be coming down in front of my current screens when being used for home cinema.

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Otherwise I'd possibly be looking at something along the lines of a screen which mounts to the wall.
 
I bought a screen from eBay when I got my projector last year, it went right back, screen quality makes a difference. I'm borrowing a new W3000 this weekend so I'll see if it's better than my w1070.

Yeah I totally understand this but I just mean if I'm starting out why not buy a cheaper one? Are there any screens which you would recommend?
 
I'm not being an ass here, but when you have £500+ sitting around to be spent, you woulda been better clearing that room out, plastering it, painting it and having a nice place to be. THEN buy and put up a screen.

Seems mad to do such a thing.

I'm redecorating the room soon - it doesn't need plastering, just decorating. The thanks for your input.....
 
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