Recommend me a Projector

Supersimo0

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 19, 2009
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Germany
AKA
Martin
We are moving in to a newly built house with a basement room which is about 40m2. (approx 7mx5.5m). I will be using a projector which will be attached to the ceiling in the centre of the room. This means the projector will be approx 3-3.5m away from the screen/front wall. I expect a sharp screen image of around 2-2.5m wide. HDMI cable and LAN cable already wired in to the roof plaster.

I have a budget of around max. 1.500 GBP.

At first I'll be running it in 2.0 mode or maybe 2.1. I'm not really bothered about surround sound or 3D pictures. I'll be watching mainly films, football and live concerts.

What should I look out for? I've read that "lens shift" is important in order to get a properly lined up picture.

Any tips greatly appreciated 'cos I haven't got a clue about projectors :^ :)

 

Clubsport911

Wammer
Wammer
Jan 19, 2013
1,814
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Cheltenham
AKA
Steve
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Ceiling mount

Led or DLP

full HD need not cost you more than 600. - 700 squids

4000:1

2000 lumens

With all projectors, you will need to calibrate to get the max... Do not rely on out of the box settings....

Try the Viewsonic Pro 8200. 3 yr warranty and massive lamp life.

No lens shift on this model you can project very bright images and as it's a 7 colour wheel, the rainbow effect is minimised and the blacks are black.

Do not forget.. For the screen, you do not want white.. But a well corrected Grey. Most modern Projectors have more than enough brightness but it's the blacks that make the difference. A correctly calibrated grey screen is the way to go.

google uk black widow paint and follow the thread for the best screen ever.. Bar none.

Good luck

steve

 

Chumpy

Wammer
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Dec 3, 2005
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Bristol UK
AKA
Charlie
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Check around e.g. online web-stores/local real emporia for what tickles YOUR fancy.

Have fun/a great buy.

Obviously, ensuring service/e.g. economical lamp-bulbs can be bought years later is a consideration.

 

Supersimo0

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 19, 2009
1,223
11
0
Germany
AKA
Martin
Ceiling mountLed or DLP

full DH need not cost you more than 600. - 700 squids

4000:1

2000 lumens

with all projectors, you will need to calibrate to get the max... Do. It rely on out of the box settings....

Try the Viewsonic Pro 8200. 3 yr warranty and massive lamp life.

no lens shift on this model you can project very bright images and as it's a 7 colour wheel, the rainbow effect

is minimised and the blacks are black.

Do not forget.. For the screen, you do not want white.. But a well corrected Grey. Most modern pjs have more than enough brightness but it's the blacks that make the difference. A correctly calibrated grey screen is the way to go

google uk black widow paint and follow the thread for the best screen ever.. Bar none.

Good luck

steve
Thanks Steve that really helps me! If I can get way with spending less then I'll do it.

The grey screen thing is new to me so I'll have to do some research!

 

mr marcus

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 4, 2013
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right here right now
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Marcus
my last one was a benq w1020 full hd dlp ......great pictures

a word of warning...you need to have a look at one or 2 in the flesh up and running really

dlp can cause the 'rainbow' effect for some people which is a massive problem ! ....quick google will tell you more

in which case you'll be looking at a lcd.

also the screen size and distance to the projector needs to be worked out....'throw ratio'...another google will tell you more

fan noise can be a problem for some too...especially if its mounted above your head...not so bad if you've a set up which allows for a bit of volume but can be a problem during quiet scenes.

best place for info in my opinion is avforums....I'd look there for a low hours used model on there...people upgrade all the time and you'll get a get deal for your budget....plus if they live near you, you can most likely see it up and running.

projectors are great and I was gutted I had to sell mine....new house didn't have the room

plenty of research for you there!

 

Chumpy

Wammer
Wammer
Dec 3, 2005
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Bristol UK
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Charlie
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Yes, it is always a pleasure when spending one's money to look around at the relevant time/buy great-value superb solution.

 

Supersimo0

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 19, 2009
1,223
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Martin
Right I've narrowed it down to 2 or 3 models so I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again for the help and recommendations.

I have one more question which I will start a new thread for......

 

Chumpy

Wammer
Wammer
Dec 3, 2005
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Bristol UK
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Charlie
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
We hope for a great big suitable beautiful moving-pic outcom (with replacement lamps ecomical/easy to obtain etc).

 

opusover21

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 7, 2007
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Next door
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Mrs Brown
Just a quick one, have a think about how far the projector is from the viewer...a lot of projectors pump out a decent amount of heat and fan noise...this can be quite distracting...a low db one is one of the major factors I look for...I went with a Sanyo HD z series a few years back and it has gradually upped in noise but one of the quietest in its day..

 

Supersimo0

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 19, 2009
1,223
11
0
Germany
AKA
Martin
well if you find yourself suffering from the dreaded rainbow effect....2 of those would be going back to the shop
Which 2?

Other alternatives are BenQ W1400 or an LCD Epson EH TW3200 as they have lens shift.

 

Chumpy

Wammer
Wammer
Dec 3, 2005
14,040
112
0
Bristol UK
AKA
Charlie
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Synthesize relevant advice from above, and you will enjoy what is right for you in your context.

 

mr marcus

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 4, 2013
279
1
33
right here right now
AKA
Marcus
as mentioned before...a quick google will tell you all about rainbows and have pictures etc...better explained than I could probably do

...DLP projectors cause rainbows and if you suffer from them its gonna be a problem.

never really saw them myself....occasionally when I was tired I might get the odd flash...when I upgraded my old projector to a benq which was 1080p and miles ..miles brighter I saw them a bit more ...then it settled down a bit.

think colour wheel speed of the projector can effect it too

dlp and lcd projectors have come on massively over the last 5 years so the problem might not be as bad with the new projectors?

another option is the jvc and sony projectors which use different technology from dlp and lcd

the jvc are really popular in projector owner circles...never seen one running myself

going back to the original budget these are an option.

once a technology is decided.....if it was my money I'd go second hand.....likely to a big a huge drop in price over new and still low hours on the unit.

when I first bought one I walked into a shop and saw one up and running......appreciate people cant always do this.

you might end up with a 1500 quid fan heater!

 

Supersimo0

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 19, 2009
1,223
11
0
Germany
AKA
Martin
Thanks very much for the help and recommendations chaps.

I demo'd an Epson EH TW7200 at the weekend and got an offer including installation and callibration. I think that I will go for this. My dealer also demo'd a 5 Grand Sony projector next to it so that I could compare. Really nice!

I'll keep you posted!

 

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