Projector advice

[azibux1]

Hi all,

Looking at a projector setup at home and had a few questions.

For mainly video use, DLP seems to be the better choice over LCD? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Currently looking at Optoma... Any other recommended brands for a sensible price? Looking for something full HD, 3D and/or a higher resolution is a bonus but not a necessity

Few questions for now...

1. If the projection area is a flat (cream painted) wall... is a projector screen necessary? What advantage will it provide?

2. In a 5m long room (roughly 5m between projector and wall/screen), will a ceiling fan be likely to obstruct the image?

3. Are majority of projectors adjustable in image size? For example I would like a 100" 16:9 image as that fits the space / screen (I will buy if necessary)... But wasn't sure on whether all projectors are adjustable in such a way

Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks!

 

[azibux1]

Thanks for all responses, please keep any more advice coming!

Seems a screen is a sensible choice then... will check them out and do some reading on the various options

DILA looks nice! But considerably more than what I was willing to spend haha... so looks like it is back between DLP and LCD

I never knew about this rainbow effect, I will have a look into it some more and see

The Ceiling fan drops 'down' about 35cm from the ceiling and is in the 'middle' of the room... So 5m square room, projector at one end, screen at the other and ceiling fan approximately 2.5m 'away' in between if that makes sense. I suppose the projector could just be mounted slightly lower if necessary to avoid it

 

[azibux1]

Re the fan/adjustments... That's good then. It will either be mounted on a ceiling (I'd prefer this) or on a shelf a bit lower down.. definitely can't be close to the ground though as there is a bed below where it is to be mounted

Ceiling is about 2.5m high at a guess (quite a high ceiling)... I wouldn't mind the projector on a shelf at about 2m, but as mentioned ceiling mounted is preferred

 

[azibux1]

Thanks for the detailed answer!

Not sure on budget, but ideally for the entire setup (projector + screen, already have the rest)... no more than £750? Ideally closer to £650.

What do you think of the following screen? As I say I have had the idea for a while, but only started looking into it recently so it's just from a quick search...

The specific one (can't seem to link to it) is the 100" 16:9 221x125 cm... Either matt or glass bead

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxburg®-10...48&sr=8-19&keywords=electric+projector+screen

I'm guessing fan shouldn't be a problem / is a problem that can be worked around by simply mounting the screen and projector slightly lower (by the amount the fan obstructs the image) if necessary

I will do some more research into the zoom range and lenses available

 

[azibux1]

A decent projector screen is as much (and often more) than your entire budget. When I wrote about steering clear of the "the cheap manual/electric rubbish" then the Luxburg and similar screens are exactly the type I was saying to avoid. There's no way to produce a motorised screen, ship it from China, and then chuck in free courier delivery plus pay all the taxes selling fees plus make a profit out of an £80 screen without cutting a lot of corners.

The first corner cut is the surface. It's cheap vinyl so it will be thin and light weight which means it will curl down the sides and ripple easily. Any panning shots will have an "up hill, down dale" undulating look. Next, the motor will be a low torque unit to keep costs down, so it's a good job the screen surface is thin and flimsy otherwise the motor won't be able to haul it up. It's definitely a case of "you get what you pay for". There's nothing in the spec that says anything useful about quality. Most of what's written is either irrelevant or just sales BS such as 1080p/4K. If it was me, I'd save the money and not waste it on something so very cheap. Keep your eyes open for a decent used electric screen from Owl, Screenline, Draper or Da-Lite when funds allow.

Projector-wise you need something with a long throw lens. 100" 16:9 diagonal is roughly 222cm screen width (125cm high, 254cm diagonal).

Allowing 20cm behind the projector for ventilation, and presuming the projector body to be around 30cm front to back gives a rough throw distance of around 4.5m. Divide that 4.5m by the screen width 2.22m means the projector needs a throw ratio of 2.02:1. IOW 2x screen width equals throw distance. For the budget you're talking about there's only really a couple of options worth considering. However, your throw distance is going to rule them out. Optoma HD26 and HD141, and the Benq W1075 all have shorter throw lenses. At your 4.5m projection distance they'll make images 3m wide. The closest match for you is the Optoma HD50 but it is well over your budget at around £1000.

Thanks!

As I say I wasn't sure how good that screen was, but I was also dubious after seeing things like 1080p in the spec of the projector screen haha

Looking at another option, if it will open up more choice of projectors... What is a typical throw distance? I am thinking maybe I could install it either in front or behind the ceiling fan but 'below' it so it is not obstructed by the fan of course. So if in front, it will be approximately 2m from the screen, approximately 3m if behind the fan

Thanks for the details with regards to throw and dimensions etc, quite useful

What do you think of the below projector in the quote??

I have a 92" optoma screen and a Epson TW5900( no warranty left) and celing mount which I'm looking to sell if your interested I will start a thread in the MM

Thanks How old is the projector? To be honest I was looking at a screen a bit bigger than 92"... Is it 16:9 screen?

 

[azibux1]

Thought I'd update this (sorry for late reply, been very busy)

Thanks very much lucid for your advice and calculations... I actually measured my room and did some more calculations and an Optoma HD141x will give me around a 106" image with the space I have (it was actually less than 5m, closer to 4)

Purchased an Optoma HD141x in the Amazon black Friday sales (a genuine discount of over £50 and the cheapest price it has ever been on Amazon)

Arriving tomorrow I just hope that the ceiling fan isn't going to be in the way haha... I will have to work around it if it is (lower the projector and/or screen)