Projector help (again)

[fuse]

Have read all of the advice here but am feeling greedy and want a thread of my own I am moving to a new flat and figure in terms of both display size and actual space used that a projector is a pretty decent idea. Any thoughts / ideas / suggestions are massively welcome. This is the wall I'm aiming to use;



It is opposite a window but the blinds seem to do a good job of keeping light out. I measured today and figure that 80 inches across would be ideal. My friend has recommended me this but it looks like it'd definitely be at the higher end of my price range, and I'm not sure if it'd be worth going for something a bit less crazy (3D for one seems particularly OTT) and perhaps having the money to spend on a screen or something else instead?

Any money saved here could potentially be used on a new sound system, and even away from the electronic side of things I'm likely going to need some kind of unit to store the projector on to avoid it just projecting onto the back of my head. Also given the lack of inputs on a projector, I am guessing some kind of splitter is recommended?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[browngirl]

http://www.optoma.co.uk/projectordetailshe.aspx?ShowMenu=HE&PTypedb=Home%20Entertainment&PC=HD200X

ive this one, and played all the world cup matches via sky hd and everyone that watched was gobsmacked, pc, ps3 and xbox360 all hooked up look amazing, and blu ray is gorgeous in 1080p

some nice screens at www.drhscreens.co.uk

[fuse]

That one is sadly out of my price range, but it brings up another question. I know when TheShend was looking for a projector for 3S usage (on his PS2) he had to pay close attention to lag and so forth - was this problem down to the upscaling process, or with one of these would I have an issue playing HD fighters / shooters etc?

[browngirl]

i play modern warfare 2, superstreetfighter, fifa 10 and forza 3 on it all the time, and the occasional guitar hero session with the full band going and have noticed no lag, im using a 110" screen, and a 15m hdmi cable from the amp to the pj, got it on 12 months interest free credit for £750 last year.

heres a quick set up and the screen after i first installed (my facebook photos should be viewable to anyone)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115005&id=746541887&l=8cb4fdfea9

[TheShend]

That one is sadly out of my price range, but it brings up another question. I know when TheShend was looking for a projector for 3S usage (on his PS2) he had to pay close attention to lag and so forth - was this problem down to the upscaling process, or with one of these would I have an issue playing HD fighters / shooters etc?

Yeah, upscale process adds to the lag but it's only an issue if you're running last gen machines and time sensitive titles on HD projectors. It won't be an issue with HD consoles running on HD projectors.

It just depends on what your primary use for it is going to be?

For sound you'll want to run it through a dedicated system, any system, as the on-board speaker in my projector is pants.

It's easier if you've one long HDMI cable going to the projector from a splitter to save you spending lots on long cables going from your consoles to a splitter near the projector.

I don't have a screen either, if the wall isn't white but flat without any marks you can get away with it.

I got my projector off ebay for ?150 including courier selivery, but a couple where on private sale on avforums too. AV heads tend to keep their kit in top condition too so you should be able to get a well looked after and decent HD projector in budget. You just need to research which older HD model projector will provide what you're after for the price you can afford.

[browngirl]

double 0 over at rllmuk has a pj for sale ?300 ,

http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?showtopic=228361

[fuse]

Cheers for headsup, shall give it some thought but not sure it's what I'm after. Wouldn't mind knowing where you got yours from on interest free though if you don't mind sharing?

It'll likely be purely HD content so it sounds like there won't be any issue on that front either. Good news. The wall I'm using is white, flat, and no marks, so I am hoping I should be ok to not worry about a screen for starter until I'm at a point where I'm ready to upgrade.

[browngirl]

got mine from dixons online, not sure if its still on interest free though

http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/optoma-hd200x-full-hd-video-projector-03701314-pdt.html

[analog dog]

Play.com have it with a free screen too

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/-/2167/1434/-/11102957/Optoma-HD200X-Full-HD-1080p-Home-Cinema-Projector-with-FREE-84-Screen/Product.html?searchtype=genre

[fuse]

I went back to the drawing board in terms of budgeting. I had the option of the Optoma HD20 for about £650, but ended up snagging a HD700X off eBay for just over £300. Am looking forwards to it! Looking at dropping a similar amount on a sound setup too, so should be a very happy camper

[browngirl]

you will be well chuffed, can remember the first time i had a pj (sanyo z2) even being a 480p pj i was still impressed, dont forget to put some pics up when you get sorted