Help me with projector purchase!

[Colin]

All these AV setups have me itching to buy a projecter and screen! Could I get a decent one with a decent screen for ?1k or less, and if so what do I go for, type, make etc. (Or do I need to increase that budget?) I had one years ago, but things have moved on a lot since then. Audio wise i'm sorted, just the actual projecter I need advice on really. Will be using a PS3 with it for gaming/movie watching. Cheers!

[Decider-VT]

The first thing to decide is whether or not you want a DLP or an LCD projector- DLP will be the cheaper technology and will give you deeper blacks but it's also susceptible to the "rainbow effect". LCD omits this problem but the blacks generally aren't as good. Would you be satisfied with a 720p model or do you want to go for a 1080p one?

[Colin]

To be honest I haven't looked in to it at all, so have no clue regarding the different setups or prices. I like my blacks "black" when gaming and watching films, so DLP sounds good, but not sure what you mean by rainbow effect? The pictures people have had up of 720's recently look pretty good, but obviously 1080p sounds better, but i'd imagine that goes to a substantial price hike. I want it only for films and occasional gaming when we've got people round for parties and stuff.

[dataDave]

Just buy mine!

The rainbow effect is when you shift your head left to right really fast and you see the individual R.G.B trails. It never really affected me unless someone shouted from the kitchen and I turned really quick to answer them whilst playing a game.

DLP also doesn't go yellow after a couple of years, which LCDs were/are prone to.

[Decider-VT]

The rainbow effect is something that occurs when you're watching a projected image and your eyes quickly move to another part of the screen- sometimes you can see red/green/blue shadowing when your eyes move. It's distracting if you notice it but not everybody does. A friend of mine has a DLP projector that has this effect and playing Uncharted 2 on it was maddening. He had never noticed as he's not susceptible, so DLP could still be a good option. As ever, it's probably for the best if you try both technologies out first-hand so you can see what works for you before committing to anything. If you're near London at all, I believe that Ask Computers on Tottenham Court Road has a projector room. Worth having a look in there to get a better idea of what you want.

You're correct about the price hike for a 1080p projector- it's exactly that which prevents me from investing in a 1080p LCD PJ myself. A 720p model should be more than suitable for films and occasional gaming.

[Colin]

Cheers mate, i'll maybe nip down TCR tomorrow as I have nothing else on really. I'll get down early, make the inevitable purchase. Get home and set up by afternoon, kicking back and viewing by evening.

Any other features I should definitely make sure it has?

[dataDave]

I couldn't tell the difference between 720 and 1080 at over 100 inches to be honest.

[Decider-VT]

Obviously you'll want to make sure it has the connections you need- SCART is scarce (if non-existent) on newer models. You'll also want to check the throw distance of the projector vs. the size of the room you'll be using it in, as well as the brightness level and whether or not it'll be appropriate for the level of light your room receives. You might also want to look into anamorphic PJ tech if you're a film buff but it'll put you above your £1000 limit, I'm sure.

[Matt]

I choose LCD - rainbow bothers me, and the pj I have gives goood lens shift so didn't have to be central on the screen. That allowed me to put it in an alcove, about 40cm further back, which let me get a larger screen. Also the LCD I have gives me a large amount of zoom. If you get say the Optoma HD65 my friend has, you're severely limited on placement and screen size. But in his case it's the perfect distance for his converted garage so works perfectly

See what you can afford and look here to get an idea on distance and screensize:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm

I'd not get too hung up on "real black blacks". All recent pjs are very good, and at the Under A Grand you'll get something OK but not that amazing. You're looking at the JVCs around £3k plus to really get into that I think. Plus, unless you're in a pitch black room with black velvet lined walls and ceiling, you get so much reflection that you won't get the deepest blacks anyway. Build a batcave and you're away though.

Me, I settled on deep chocolate brown wallpaper on two walls, and a non reflective taupe-suede textured paint on the others. Even my ceiling has some brown mixed into the standard matte white Eventually I'll build a "tent" from black velvet I can throw up along the walls and ceilings for the first 1.5m, which will greatly improve contrast ratio. Blacks are all about perceived darkness, and go hand in hand with contrast ratio. Besides, you go to a cinema, the blacks on the screen are noticeably greyer than the black surround.

In other words, it's not the end of the world, but if you can increase contrast ratio, great.

Consider a grey screen over a white one. Unless you're viewing straight on all the time I'd avoid screens with increase gain though. Alas my screen didn't come with grey material, the only downside about it.

Decide what aspect ratio you want. For me, it was only 2.35 really - I have a monster 84.66 inch 16:9 screen for gaming and HD TV, and then can open it up (because I have a large enough zoom on my pj) so scope 2.35 / 2.4 films (most in my experience) are larger, not smaller than my gaming screen, at 106 inches. It's what I wanted and looks stunning. From my seating distance, the 16:9 size is more than enough for gaming.

FYI, look for the pc106met screen on google. I think that's the one I got. £180, tab tensioned and electric. Absolute BARGAIN. You go tab tensioned normally, you'd be looking at 4 or 5 times that price and up.

[Matt]

Obviously you'll want to make sure it has the connections you need- SCART is scarce (if non-existent) on newer models. You'll also want to check the throw distance of the projector vs. the size of the room you'll be using it in, as well as the brightness level and whether or not it'll be appropriate for the level of light your room receives. You might also want to look into anamorphic PJ tech if you're a film buff but it'll put you above your £1000 limit, I'm sure.

LOL yeah. By the time you've got a PJ worth having a decent lens on, and bought the lens and system, I think you'll be on £5k It's what I'd like now though, lol, but it's not happening.

I have a 720p pj. When I'm zoomed out to my screen, I guess I'm using only 550 or so of those lines? I see aliasing on some things, particularly text in title sequences. End of the world? Not really. Movies look STUNNING.

1080p would be better, guessing I'd get 850 or so on 2.35 then? Go anamorphic and you can get all 1080, but then you can argue about 1:1 pixel mapping

Screen size, apparently you can only tell the difference, in a movie, between 720 and 1080 if you sit 1.4x the screen width away or closer. In my case I do, but really, given the bargain prices I paid, I'm not worried about it. In a few years time, when my bulb is dead, I can pick up some top 1080p tech for £500 I'm sure

[koopatroopa90]

I paid £450 for my optoma HD65 about a year and a half ago and have been really really happy with it. I just project onto a white wall and PS3 games still look awesome - wipeout HD for example, and super stardust both look amazing (as do disc based games, just those are two that have always stood out to me).

I'm new to these forums and therefore am unsure of the general attitude/knowledge of AV equipment on here, but all I'd say is don't look too much into it (I just went on price, a couple of quick review searches and a quick comparison of specs) - everyone I have shown the HD65 to (the opening scenes of Motorstorm and Motorstorm Pacific Rift are very good for this) have been blown away by the quality!

[Lyris]

The first thing to know is that a projector needs you to make changes to the room to get the most out of it.

You CAN get a projector and a screen and just use it as-is (I did for a good while), but unless your room is already dark, the thrill of the screen being large will only tide you over for so long. We're used to high contrast TV displays, so putting a projector in a room with a bright screen area (bright walls and ceiling) will look noticeably dimmer and less contrast-y.

For the best image quality, black out the ceiling and walls around the screen with non-reflective velvet. I did this in this cream-coloured room and there's no way I could go back.

FWIW, I love some aspects of DLP but I couldn't own because of the rainbows. Since you're new to this site I should point out that I do this for a living and I am an anal-retentive videophile

[NeoStuey]

Well my Optoma HD70 was a completely blind purchase from avforums. £310 including next day delivery. Bulb time 435 hours rated to do 2000-3000 hours. Replacements around the £150 mark, this was my main driver to be honest.

It'll get heavy use now I've got it and I didn't want a PJ that wouldn't prove cost effective to buy a replacement lamp for as and when the time comes.

To be honest for my screen size (home made 67 inches diagonal, wall is only 93 inches across!) 720p is plenty adequate. I'm also lucky to have reasonably dark walls and black out blind on the window and skylight so can achieve near total darkness with the exception of the ceiling. I find the brightness ample and the contrast and dynamic range has been impressive, everyone that has seen it running has been impressed by it too, not bad for a model that is four years out of date.

I have noticed the odd RBE but I am training my eyes and brain to compensate, and it's certainly no DLP deal breaker for me.

Best to do as you plan to and get a demo, just make sure the projectors are set up to your taste and not stuck on some factory default. Get a chance to see what adjustments you can make to ensure that one particular model hasn't been set up to bias over another. Also it goes without saying to make sure they demo the same material on the different projectors and I would make sure that one scene is a dark scene with some fast motion like the miami museum scene in Casino Royale, should help see if you can detect RBE, and then something really bright and colourful with lots of dynamic range, just pick your favourite scene and take your discs with you.

I did my set up for less than £350.00, projector with delivery, the materials to build my screen and a 10m HDMI lead from eBay.

[koopatroopa90]

FWIW, I love some aspects of DLP but I couldn't own because of the rainbows. Since you're new to this site I should point out that I do this for a living and I am an anal-retentive videophile

LOL - well you're probably in a slightly better position for giving advice in that case You'd probably run in horror at my setup - the projector isnt even parallel with the wall and is at an odd height so is balanced on bits of card/cd cases! The thrill of playing Bomberman 2 on the SNES on an 82" screen is too much for me to care at the moment, but one day when I've got a bit more space I'll make a proper setup.

The rainbow effect is a funny old thing - at first I really noticed it, whereas my girlfriend only sees it if I really point it out to her. These days I don't see it even a quarter as much as I used to!

[Matt]

You have to be careful with the rainbow effect and DLP. I do find I can get eye strain if I watch one for too long. It's not so much I'm noticing the rainbow effect constantly; on recent DLPs that have the wheel spinning 3 times the original speed - I believe - the effect isn't that bad, and only a little "flash" on credits and other high contrast areas. I find I can overlook it TBH, as I can most slight "issues" these days as I've grown older and learned to let perfection go But DLP does hurt my eyes after a while, and I have no such issues with LCD (and now I'm up and running, I have it running 5 hours a night, lol).

I can't imagine ever going to DLP to be honest, but DLP does represent the best value and the low cost Optoma 1080p (HD80 is it?) represents fantastic value. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with a 720p DLP projector. I've only been running my PJ just over a week buit it's probably the best entertainment purchase I've ever made. The enjoyment with film viewing is incredible. Sure, I see aliasing on titles and harsh contrast areas, but the experience is second to none. I genuinely believe my setup to be of better quality than my local cinemas now. I get superb contrast (I have the bright PJ going I understand) and can happily watch Cars with the kid with the curtains closed during the daytime. When I eventually get a black velvet tent system hooked up, I know it'll look even better.

So happy with my setup, let me assure you any PJ you get will give you great happiness Just avoid the cheapy Chinese ones floating on ebay, get a brand name