Projectors 101

CAvolleyballguy

I think I want a projector...

you all educated me on upgrading my HT...

I want HD. I like watching movies and sports a lot. I watch a few shows on TV but I definitely spend a lot of time in front of the tube, so the unit would have to take some hours and not over heat.

I am thinking of replacing my LCD so if I am going to drop a couple K why not drop a couple more and go big. Room is dark.

Thoughts?

Frank Z

Budget?

hockeyboy

I love my Carada screen that was much cheaper than many competitors. I am also happy with my Mitsu HC5000. It is 1080P. The HC6000 just came out and it is even better since it fixed the auto iris issue. Be prepared to part with a bit more coin however. You need a screen and PJ's just cost a bit more but are totally worth it.

You will have longer cable runs (for ceiling mount), will need a mount & screen, and should consider replacement bulb cost (although that is typically a cost that is overblown since you rarely have to replace a bulb). All in all, I would do it again in a minute. I bet I saved $700 in movie tickets last year alone.

Sherardp

Theres so many options out there its tough to choose. I guess it really depends on your budget as mentioned. The ones that are talked about allot these days are the JVC HD1, Sony VW60, Panny 2000U, Epson 1080UB. These mentioned will run you in the 2000-4500 price range with the JVC being the top performer. As mentioned go for the Carada, best bang for screens out there.

adam2434

I suggest reading up on projectors and reviews at http://www.projectorcentral.com/

CAvolleyballguy

2 to 4k would be cool if I decided to go with it. thanks for the suggestions, I will check those out. also.. how dark does the room need to be during the day to get good visibility play back.

I have two sliding glass doors in room but they open to a center courtyard so I never have light directly through window. Could hang drapes too, but the room is pretty dark as is.

kuntasensei

Sanyo currently has a rebate deal for their PLV-Z2000 1080p LCD projector until the end of March. You get a $300 rebate by mail within 4-6 weeks, then an additional $300 by mail later. I snagged mine from B&H Photo for $2,249 shipped (and I hear you can find them cheaper elsewhere)... so you do the math. That leaves you more money for a good screen.

Hit some sites like Projectorcentral.com to check reviews of the recent 1080p projectors (and projection calculators to see what your options are as far as distance and screen size in your particular room). I can tell you that I went from a 720p projector with 2,000:1 contrast ratio to the Z2000's 1080p and 15,000:1 contrast, and man... I couldn't be happier. I have mine mounted on a $20 shelf on the back wall, not too far from my head, and I can barely hear it. The Z2000 reportedly has the quietest fan of any projector (19dB in eco mode) and I've run it for 9 hours at a time with no issues whatsoever. Plus, it's bright enough in my room that it's still very watchable even with a few lights on. I'm working on tweaking it with a CC30R filter to eke out a little more contrast from it, but I already have some settings over at AVS that line up the grayscale pretty well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Serendipity

Sal,

How did you get the power cable to the projector?

Serendipity

Interesting, my electrician friend said that in NYC (5 boroughs) it is against code to do that, but I would assume that only applies to NYC and not NJ.

He told me that in NYC you must run BX cable to the projector mount since you can't use romex in the wall.

Serendipity

Haha, I wasn't really talking about your install, I was more concerned about doing it right for my setup in the basement.

However, correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that in NJ you don't have to run BX cable in walls and ceilings, romex is allowed???

Serendipity

BTW Sal, do you have any suggestion for my projector setup?

See this thread: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63908

I'm debating which projector to go with especially since I am using a 4:3 screen. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

kuntasensei

Lasareath wrote: »

I just installed a Sanyo PLV-Z2000 at a client's office, It's a very nice projector, they were very happy with it. But I really did not test it out too long, they showed two 15 min DVD's and 2 slide shows and they were done.

But, it is a nice Projector, I had some issues with the keystone but I think that maybe the projector is not high enough or the screen is not low enough. One day I may play with some settings but the client was happy.

Below are pictures from my Install.

Sal

Nice install. Why would you have keystone issues though? If you level the projector (which it definitely doesn't appear to be in those pics) and use the lens shift to line it up to the screen, you shouldn't have any keystone issues at all, regardless of how high or low the projector and screen are.

Serendipity

kuntasensei wrote: »

Nice install. Why would you have keystone issues though? If you level the projector (which it definitely doesn't appear to be in those pics) and use the lens shift to line it up to the screen, you shouldn't have any keystone issues at all, regardless of how high or low the projector and screen are.

I think he ran out of range with the lens shift and had to use a little bit of keystone adjustment to make the screen even.

I too think the projector should be higher or the screen should be lower, as that would require less keystoning to get the picture to be square.

kuntasensei

Sadly, the Z2000 doesn't have digital keystone adjustments (mostly because... well, you shouldn't need them). I find it hard to believe he ran out of range with the lens shift based on those pics. The Z2000 can shift almost 2 screen heights. As close as that screen is to the ceiling (which is about where mine rests), he should still have PLENTY of lens shift left.

Serendipity

Lasareath wrote: »

I have no idea man, this is my 3rd projector install and the only one with a keystone issue.

The previous two projectors had digital keystone adjustments and are perfectly square

Did you run out of adjustment with the lens shift?

Serendipity

Lasareath wrote: »

I finished with the set up of the room an hour before their presentation, I just told the client that's way it's going to be. one person said It looks great!, One said it made it look like 3D and another said nobody is gonna even notice anything is off.

I'm going back next week and I will play with it.

Alex you wanna take a ride down?, they are in Englewood NJ

Sal

Sal,

Sorry but I can't make it. I'm no longer in NYC, I'm living at school. So if we want to do another gathering (maybe at my place this time), it'll have to be either sometime in March or after I get out of school.