Plasma V Projector

[Dirty Sanchez]

I had a Panasonic Plasma until fairly recently (A 42" PW5), sold it to a mate due to a change around in the lounge, it didn't really fit, awkard shape etc and I wasn't prepared to rip the room apart to get it an the optimum viewing position.

Bought a projector and banked the difference (quite a few moolah).

Went round my mates gaff over the weekend, put on Shrek 2. I couldn't believe this was the same film i've been watching, so much of the detail is lost on the plasma, shading/solarisation was evident too.

I would find it difficult to go back to a plasma for movie watching now, the quality of the delivery would be one thing, the cost another.

[koenshaku]

Which one did you get mate?

I'm looking at getting a projector in the near future, maybe a Panny PTAE500 or a Domino, if my budget allows. The Panasonic has a very convenient connection setup tho and is much cheaper.

Was the plasma really that bad?

The more opinions the merrier before I splash out the dosh.

Thanks.

[mid]

Plasmas are ideal for those in a situation where they cannot reduce light levels in a room. Clearly, with a projector, the darkest colour you can display is however dark you can make the unlit screen look.

If you can do the necessary to your room in order to use a projector, then you'll pretty much always end up getting more for your money that way than with a plasma, in both size and image quality. Lots of people can't, though, so plasmas do have their uses.

[Bleeders]

I have a Panasonic AE200 Projector and it's easily the best ?700 I've spent.

When I have friends round, we usually bundle into the lounger, pull down the screen and watch a flick with the SS cranked up. It's handy for games as well, WE8 on a 8ft screen is a sight to behold.

[beecee]

Sanyo Z1 here and its the best ?700 quid i spent on AV gear, i was going to get a plasma but as soon as i seen a projector in action i changed my mind within a second!

you need total black out conditions to fully appreciate the pj though, i am lucky to have a dedicated room to help with this so getting the right decor was easier.

pound per inch a pj outperforms a plasma easy, but bulb life is something you will need to address though, most last 1500-2500 hours, but when they go they can be very expensive to replace (?150 - ?500 depending on which PJ you have) so a pj isnt really for day time or regular tv viewing i wouldn't even play games on mine its a movie only machine in my house. i did stick on my x-box via the hi def lead and i must admit Halo on 82" diagonal screen is lurvely

good luck!!! what ever you decide!

[Darwock]

I nearly went the PJ route a while back - having now moved house I' m considering it again. Problem is the ideal room for using a projector for movies would be my living room, which has the problems of a 11 foot floor to ceiling window and a sloping back wall...

Also all my consoles (bar one) are kept in the second bedroom, which is only 7 feet wide.

[Dirty Sanchez]

I've got the AE300, not the most cutting edge machine but for the money it is superb value.

The plasma wasn't that bad, but after the pj it was shocking how big the difference was in quality.

I've got the PJ set up in the bedroom (wife was surprisingly compliant, she loves it now, daughter calls it the cinema), have total control over blackout. I agree that the plasma comes into its own in ambiant light conditions but the type of stuff I watch downstairs/during the day doesn't warrant spending $$$$ on it. I'd rather have the movie experience upstairs, games are a real treat too, although FOV can be a problem on some games.

I've only used 190 hours on the bulb, on low with a projected life of 5000 hours, it could be a long time before an upgrade is called for.

[JibberX]

I am considering both routes atm, the only plasmas I've seen are just tooo freaking big, nothing except decent DVDs can match the size to quality ratio.

I was wondering about maybe a 32 inch kinda plasma? They decent quality, or is it the same ball game?

[mid]

At 32", you hit the problem that a CRT is going to blow the plasma away in terms of quality, and for less money, too. You might not have room for the depth of a 32" CRT, is the only problem.

[JibberX]

thats precisely the resoning, y'see you go for a flat no size taking up plasma, but then where do you store the DVD, and other set top boxes?

Brand wise what should I be looking at for plasma and projector?

[NeilMcRae]

Projector is great if you can have a setup installed and are able to black out everything - if you can't its crap. It also has the same issues with plasma and quality of the source, low quality source == crap image big. I don't understand how you can install a projector without ripping the house apart but not a plasma?!

If you are telling me that you get a better picture with an LCD projector over an Plasma then you are also telling me that you didn't calibrate the screen properly. You won't get it 100% as good on the AE-300 but you will get it close, and you will also get screen door in a typical living room viewing distance. Solarisation is an known issue with plasma screens, and fan noise on projectors still hasn't been solved in my view but has got better, and then there is the cost of the bulbs.

I'm looking at a change in my house that would allow me to have the plasma with an electric screen dropping down infront of it for projector. Looking at a Panny PTAE500.
I had a play with an HD DLP projector from Panasonic, A real huge mother at this conference centre. I thought I'll have a look at getting that one -> Check the price!!!

http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp...odel=PT-D9610U

Cheers,
Neil.

[NeilMcRae]

thats precisely the resoning, y'see you go for a flat no size taking up plasma, but then where do you store the DVD, and other set top boxes?

Brand wise what should I be looking at for plasma and projector?

Plasma:

Panasonic or Pioneer - don't bother with the rest and I'd try to go for
the business models as they tend to offer more flexibiliy. Also worth looking at a high definition model such as the Panny TH-42PHD6.

Projectors LCD

Sanyo Zx series
Panasonic
Sony HS

If you really want a good picture look at a CRT projector.

Watch out for cabling and screen issues with a projector. Typically you need very long cables and these can be pricey. A good quality screen is a must
also.

Regards,
Neil.

[Dirty Sanchez]

The setup in the bedroom was an easy fit whereas the plasma in the lounge required far move shifting around and move extensive cable runs. Projector sits above the bed, all cables screened inside tubing and concealed by voil, the screen is at the foot of the bed, manual pull down over a picture. All the AV stuff is housed in a unit next to the bed, all neat and tidy.

The plasma was calibrated 'correctly', the image size is a major factor in that some of the detail is just not possible to be seen on the plasma at normal viewing distances, getting close enough to see it made the pixels viewable. Vertical banding on the proj is viewable on very light scenes but very few movies/games have great expanses of light for any period of time. The cost of the bulb is negligible when you consider then number of actual hours of use, I will probably just replace the proj before the bulb goes.

The noise of the fan on the proj can be annoying, it's one of those things that you just treat as white noise, it just disappears after a couple of minutes.

[VR46]

Got me interested in Projectors now, was going to get a Plasma early next year but now prefer the Projector option, got any decent sites/links please.

Ta.

[VR46]

[QUOTE=Dirty Sanchez]
Went round my mates gaff over the weekend, put on Shrek 2. QUOTE]

Surely you mean Shrek, Shrek 2 isn't out yet