Projector newb!

[AlanJ]

Hello chaps. I'm looking to fit a projector and screen to my living room. Ideally I'm going to mounting it ceiling level and will be sitting 11ft away from the screen. Can anybody recommend a projector as im pretty clueless about them.

Are they decent enough for watching sd tv? I will be using a humax hd freesat stb, xbox360 and bluray player.. I already had speakers and av unit and currently have a 50 lg plasma, which I'm going to put in the bedroom and strictly use the projector in the lounge.

Budget wise would be £1000 for screen and projector. And don't really want a screen bigger than 100"

Cheers

 

[ssmacc]

I've got a Optoma HD 25 and I love it, think there are better around now, but I'm personally very happy with the 1080p picture, it upscale's SD signal better than my LCD TV (even at 120"!)...I purchased the cheapest electric screen i could (from e-bay) and again very happy with it, it cost £100+ vat

 

[AlanJ]

Cheers do you use the projector instead of a tv? Or do you have a tv as well? I'm thinking of getting rid of the tv and using the projector all the time.

Will only be used about 3/4 hours per evening

 

[Rroff]

It'll depend a bit on your viewing habits TV wise - I only tend to watch top gear and 1-2 other programs now and again so either use the projector (top gear) or my PC monitor now for other stuff and don't bother with a TV. If you spend quite a bit of time every day watching general TV though projectors don't tend to be as convenient for that. For watching movies though I would no way go back to a normal sized TV now.

 

[Zefan]

I'm not eure how short a throw that is for wanting a 100" screen- look in to the differences between DLP and LCD projectors. LCD tend to offer far greater flexibility in positioning using lens shift to throw the image at an angle whereas DLPs generally like to be straight on.

 

[FARGO]

Just a though - will your landlord be okay with you mounting it on the ceiling? (If that's what you meant).

As someone else that lives in rented accommodation, I'd love a projector but cannot go drilling in to walls, etc. I don't know if it's wise/worth it to buy one anyway and try to make a makeshift place for it to project from

 

[Firestar_3x]

Optoma Hd131xe is fantastic for the cost imho, it's what i'm looking at buying atm.

 

[Pabl0]

Optoma Hd131xe is fantastic for the cost imho, it's what i'm looking at buying atm.

I'm also looking at this, although also the benq w1070...

Any reason you'd go for the optoma?

 

[Firestar_3x]

Picture looks better, i've read the 1070 looks washed out, only downside with the Optoma is making sure you get your throw distance right, i think the 1070 is better for smaller rooms.

 

[Pabl0]

Ah right yeah I've read a lot and decided both will be much of a muchness.

I've only got 2.6m of throw so the w1070 will give a bigger picture.

 

[AlanJ]

Just a though - will your landlord be okay with you mounting it on the ceiling? (If that's what you meant).

As someone else that lives in rented accommodation, I'd love a projector but cannot go drilling in to walls, etc. I don't know if it's wise/worth it to buy one anyway and try to make a makeshift place for it to project from

Cheers but its my house luckily

 

[FARGO]

Cheers but its my house luckily

Apologies! I think I had my threads crossed - best of luck!

 

[Rroff]

Ah right yeah I've read a lot and decided both will be much of a muchness.

I've only got 2.6m of throw so the w1070 will give a bigger picture.

I've never found the Optomas to struggle with relatively short throws with reasonable picture size depending a bit on your requirements.

IIRC that Benq uses the same image processing chipset as the equivalent optomas (DarkChip3) so on the face of it they should be similiar though thats not always the whole story. Generally my experience of Benq monitors and projectors (though I've not used the w1070 myself) is that they tend to be bright and colorful at the expense of more subtle detail which is great if you want something thats just vivid but can be an eye sore if you've got an above average interest in the finer points of image quality. (The optomas aren't always perfect out the box but they usually respond well to calibration).

 

[Firestar_3x]

This thread is well worth a read:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1484644/o...ome-theater-projector-sub-800-new-budget-king

Quite a few people have returned the 1070 due to being unhappy.

 

[Pabl0]

I did some more.digging and calculating last night and actually the optoma might be a better shout.

I will only be sat 2.5m from the screen so the benq would actually be to big as it will pretty much take up the entire wall, the optoma will give an image around 10 inches smaller but will suit the room.

I may order the optoma from Amazon to test although I'd prefer to buy from richer sounds for the 5 year warranty.

 

[Firestar_3x]

Bulb costs seem cheap too, which is another bonus, i'd buy from RS, it's prob what i'm going to do this weekend.

 

[Pabl0]

Yeah, I would but if I get it and decide I'm not a fan then I'm stuck with it, I'd rather buy it from Amazon and if I'm a fan then send it back and purchase from RS.

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

Make sure you aren't susceptible to the rainbow effect - a big issue with DLPs...

 

[spoffle]

Yeah, I would but if I get it and decide I'm not a fan then I'm stuck with it, I'd rather buy it from Amazon and if I'm a fan then send it back and purchase from RS.

Richer Sounds allow no questions asked returns

 

[Pabl0]

Really, tried to find out but couldn't find any info apart from if you buy you have to pay a restocking fee if returned.

Either way I'll sort the room over the long weekend as it needs some decoration and then decide, hopefully firestar will have his and can share a quick review.