Anyone got a projector TV thingy ?

[Shooms]

Been looking at plasmas but frankly until the prices come down/products get more reliable I cant be bothered with them...

However I am swayed by the idea of a projector beaming a 5 foot sqaure picture on me white wall Ooooh yes

Anyone got one that they can give me hints/tips/prices/models that are worth considering ?

Sound is not an issue as got a seperate 5.1 system... however I will need to plug in a DVD player, Sky +, X Box & maybe an old vid player until I can find someone to convert me tapes to DVD/SVCD...

Cheers in advance for any help

[sirius]

::The One:: who comes on here sometimes has a projector......he got his well cheap I think from a liquidation thing or a bootsale (not sure) cos otherwise they are very expensive indeed . Talking a good couple of grand for a new one easy I reckon.


Next time I see him Ill ask how he gets on with it. As far as know he did/does run his computer/dvd/xbox etc through it for a massive image! lol.

Sirius.

[DJ Qual-e-T]

PROJECTORS:- (used quite a few in current and past jobs)
you can pick them up for just over £500 !

the only thing with them is the price of the bulbs (some can cost around £300 for a new bulb)

For a decent one you can expect to pay aound £800 - £1200. The thing to look out for is ansi lumens (brightness). Look for on around 800 - 1000 Ansi Lumens (or higher).

Anything less than this and you will need the curtains closed in bright daylight.

[Phil]

Check out Richer Sounds for Plasma's mate!. I'm so happy with mine!. I've got it wired up to my DVD Recorder, X-Box, NTL Set-top and it's all brilliant. Watching DVD through component output has to be seen to be believed. I too considered the Projector route, but only for a few seconds!...

[dj_jam]

so are they good????

i want one

[HairyACIDHelmet]

Originally Posted by Shoomster

Been looking at plasmas but frankly until the prices come down/products get more reliable I cant be bothered with them...

However I am swayed by the idea of a projector beaming a 5 foot sqaure picture on me white wall Ooooh yes

Anyone got one that they can give me hints/tips/prices/models that are worth considering ?

Sound is not an issue as got a seperate 5.1 system... however I will need to plug in a DVD player, Sky +, X Box & maybe an old vid player until I can find someone to convert me tapes to DVD/SVCD...

Cheers in advance for any help

A pal of mine has got one but imho the picture quality is crap!He paid £1500 aswell.My mother in law has got a 52" rear projection tv(that was cheaper than his projector) & thats crap aswell.It's all down to how sharp you want the picture at the end of the day.I've got a 36" Toshiba that i've had for about 5 years & again imho it cant be beat

[Shooms]

Cheers all the help & pointers peeps

[fugjostle]

When buying a projector there are four main things to check:

1) Type of projector (LCD, DLP, CRT)

DLP is the future of home cinema but is still very pricey and the cheap DLP projectors only use one chip which makes them sucky poo poo. You really want to get a a three chip DLP projector but you can pay up to 10,000 squid for these babies.

LCD projectors are far cheaper and tend to out perform the low-end DLP projectors but you may get more pixelation. A top-end LCD is recommended if you can't afford a top-end DLP projector. Mid-range DLP projectors own but ensure they have a DDR chip

The CRT projectors are those used in the massive rear projector TV's and quite frankly I wouldn't bother. The technology used is also used in front projectors but they require a lot of maintaince. These are the type you see in pubs and clubs.

2) Lumens output

This is the brightness of the lamp. If your looking at LCD projectors then you need to get something in the region of 800-1000. DLP around 1000 is good. As a general rule of thumb, keep below 1500 or the colours will look pap. Most projectors come between the 600-2000 mark.

3) Resolution

Many of the cheap projectors use VGA or SVGA. Don't bother, spend a little bit more and get a XGA or WXGA projector. It's worth every extra penny you spend.

4) Contrast ratio

300:1 is crapola and anything black looks grey. 700:1 is acceptable but you really want 1000:1 or as close to that ratio as possible. Typically, its around 800:1 for LCD projectors

Some additional tips:

You can narrow your search by using the screen size calculator: http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/proj...calculator.htm which will determine what screen size your projector will have to support.

You want to pick a projector with native 16:9 aspect ratio otherwise you'll get tons of pixel wastage.

Bulbs tend to have an average life of 2000 hours (the maker quotes the life of the bulb in the spec). You can find some with a life of over 6000 hours which would be better (considering bulbs can cost £350).

[Shooms]

Fuggy - you are the mack daddy sir

[fugjostle]

no worries matey !!

I tried to keep it brief.. it ya want to know what the real differences are between between DLP and LCD (and how they work) and why a DDR chip is important or just a more indepth explanation then give us a shout. I'm no expert but I've been looking at them myself.

[Shooms]

Originally Posted by fugjostle

no worries matey !!

I tried to keep it brief.. it ya want to know what the real differences are between between DLP and LCD (and how they work) and why a DDR chip is important or just a more indepth explanation then give us a shout. I'm no expert but I've been looking at them myself.

Nice one.... I'm looking at this I think if I can find one cheapie

http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/Epson_EMP-TW10H.htm

LOL - gutted... saw the price & thought "I'll have some of that !" then realised it was ex-VAT.... damn & blast

Who's VAT registered on here heh heh ?

[fugjostle]

The spec looks good with the exception of the noise output. The projector needs to run a fan to keep it kewl and you should be aware that they make noise. The one you picked has a fan running at 38db's which is on the noisy side.

Fans cause two types of noise, first caused by it spinning and the other caused by the actual air flow. Good design and expensive parts make them much quieter (as do lower rpm's) but it also increases the cost.

20 - 27 dB's can be consider silent in fan terms, 28 - 32 dB's is considered quiet. After that they start to increase in noise which can get annoying as they increase. 38 dB's is a bit louder than (or about the same as) a normal PC fan and will be noticeable... so you might want to keep your eyes on those dB ratings.

I think you want to look around the 32 dB mark for the projector as this is probably as silent as your going to get it within your budget. Don't ever go above 40 dB's as it will ruin your enjoyment of movies.

Regards.
f.

[fugjostle]

as a side note... you can get a top end 36" flat screen TV for a lot less than either a projector or plasmoid gizmo. Personally, I'd always advise that because unless your paying top whack they tend to be on the sh*te side

imho of course

[Shooms]

Originally Posted by fugjostle

as a side note... you can get a top end 36" flat screen TV for a lot less than either a projector or plasmoid gizmo. Personally, I'd always advise that because unless your paying top whack they tend to be on the sh*te side

imho of course

Cheers fella but whats really swaying it for me is the space saving side.... I've currently got a 32" widescreen & the depth that bastard takes up is incredible I've only got a small-ish flat so space is a major consideration to me...

LOL I could sell up & move to a much bigger house but with me mortgage repayments low it means that I can spunk money on tunes & boys toys... which suits me fine....

[Shooms]

I'm soooooooooooooooo chuffed

I did the dirty deed n got this

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=62929

sold me 32" widescreen n freed up loads of space in me lounge n am currently watching tv on a projection thats 7 foot by 4 foot (or thereabouts)

porn has never looked so good

plus I can plug me lappy into it n all

& its comparable pricewise to a new tv...

I couldn't be more happier if I fell into a barrel full of tits...