Projectors seem expensive

I have a large high ceiling family room that would make for a great
theater using a projector, but at first glance they seem more expensive
compared to their plasma/lcd counterparts and offer less functionality
(no tuner, no display area, no/poor speakers, etc).

Am I missing something here? Yes you can project a larger image, but
that depends my infrastructure. Seems like price pressure on the
projector market is not yield good deals.

Philip

On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:48:40 -0700, Philip wrote:

I have a large high ceiling family room that would make for a great
theater using a projector, but at first glance they seem more expensive
compared to their plasma/lcd counterparts and offer less functionality
(no tuner, no display area, no/poor speakers, etc).

Am I missing something here? Yes you can project a larger image, but
that depends my infrastructure. Seems like price pressure on the
projector market is not yield good deals.

Philip

You can now get a projector and screen with an excellent 106 inch picture
for about $3000. You have to get separate speakers and a receiver but
everybody does that for home theater, anyway.

How much does this size plasma or lcd cost?

"Philip" wrote in message
...
I have a large high ceiling family room that would make for a great theater
using a projector, but at first glance they seem more expensive compared to
their plasma/lcd counterparts and offer less functionality (no tuner, no
display area, no/poor speakers, etc).

Am I missing something here? Yes you can project a larger image, but that
depends my infrastructure. Seems like price pressure on the projector
market is not yield good deals.

Philip

How big a picture do you need? A 65" Mitsubishi WD-65736 DLP is under
$2000. Mine was under
$1500. And, since its rear projection, room lights dont wash it out.

D

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:52:49 -0500, "Deke" wrote:


"Philip" wrote in message
...
I have a large high ceiling family room that would make for a great theater
using a projector, but at first glance they seem more expensive compared to
their plasma/lcd counterparts and offer less functionality (no tuner, no
display area, no/poor speakers, etc).

Am I missing something here? Yes you can project a larger image, but that
depends my infrastructure. Seems like price pressure on the projector
market is not yield good deals.

Philip

How big a picture do you need? A 65" Mitsubishi WD-65736 DLP is under
$2000. Mine was under
$1500. And, since its rear projection, room lights dont wash it out.

D
The thing you have to worry about with large DLPs is your eye level
being too much below the center of the screen. Side angle viewing is
not much worse than an LCD but DLPs are the worst when viewing higher
or lower than the height of the display -- the image washes out
terribly. A projector may have the problem of where to put one in
your room and still be able to connect it to your set top box, AVR,
VCR, DVR, game player, power. Think it all through before you buy.

Ricky Jimenez wrote:
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:52:49 -0500, "Deke" wrote:

"Philip" wrote in message
...
I have a large high ceiling family room that would make for a great theater
using a projector, but at first glance they seem more expensive compared to
their plasma/lcd counterparts and offer less functionality (no tuner, no
display area, no/poor speakers, etc).

Am I missing something here? Yes you can project a larger image, but that
depends my infrastructure. Seems like price pressure on the projector
market is not yield good deals.

Philip
How big a picture do you need? A 65" Mitsubishi WD-65736 DLP is under
$2000. Mine was under
$1500. And, since its rear projection, room lights dont wash it out.

D
The thing you have to worry about with large DLPs is your eye level
being too much below the center of the screen. Side angle viewing is
not much worse than an LCD but DLPs are the worst when viewing higher
or lower than the height of the display -- the image washes out
terribly. A projector may have the problem of where to put one in
your room and still be able to connect it to your set top box, AVR,
VCR, DVR, game player, power. Think it all through before you buy.

Thanks for the responses.

I was thinking of movie theater like set up, with the projector
displaying on a screen hung from an opposite wall. As the area is fully
shuttered, we can black out the area even during the day. I was think we
could get quite a large screen as the room is a fair size and the screen
could be more 20' away from the projector. So this would not be anything
like a rear-screen projection set up and the resulting viewing angle
restrictions. The display would be a reflective projection.

One thought is that the current lot of projectors are 1080p and start
around $1200. The older 720p models are still around and can be had
starting at $600.

Would anyone notice a difference between 720p and 1080p with a projector
displaying on a screen 20' way? Are the optics really that good that you
would see each pixel clearly? Why spend for the extra resolution if it
will not really be noticeable.

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:54:55 -0700, Philip wrote:

Would anyone notice a difference between 720p and 1080p with a projector
displaying on a screen 20' way? Are the optics really that good that you
would see each pixel clearly? Why spend for the extra resolution if it
will not really be noticeable.

There are several screen size/distance calculators online. Does this
one answer your question?
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/v...alculator.html

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:37:21 -0400, Ricky Jimenez
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:54:55 -0700, Philip wrote:

Would anyone notice a difference between 720p and 1080p with a projector
displaying on a screen 20' way? Are the optics really that good that you
would see each pixel clearly? Why spend for the extra resolution if it
will not really be noticeable.

There are several screen size/distance calculators online. Does this
one answer your question?
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/v...alculator.html

Probably this one is better:
http://carltonbale.com/home-theater/...er-calculator/

Ricky Jimenez wrote:
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:37:21 -0400, Ricky Jimenez
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:54:55 -0700, Philip wrote:

Would anyone notice a difference between 720p and 1080p with a projector
displaying on a screen 20' way? Are the optics really that good that you
would see each pixel clearly? Why spend for the extra resolution if it
will not really be noticeable.
There are several screen size/distance calculators online. Does this
one answer your question?
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/v...alculator.html

Probably this one is better:
http://carltonbale.com/home-theater/...er-calculator/

Yes these helped a lot. Gave me some insight to projector specifications
I had not thought of.

Thanks

Philip wrote:
Ricky Jimenez wrote:
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:37:21 -0400, Ricky Jimenez
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:54:55 -0700, Philip wrote:

Would anyone notice a difference between 720p and 1080p with a
projector displaying on a screen 20' way? Are the optics really that
good that you would see each pixel clearly? Why spend for the extra
resolution if it will not really be noticeable.
There are several screen size/distance calculators online. Does this
one answer your question?
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/v...alculator.html

Probably this one is better:
http://carltonbale.com/home-theater/...er-calculator/

Yes these helped a lot. Gave me some insight to projector specifications
I had not thought of.

Thanks
I see one problem with prospective theater is that most projectors seem
to have a fixed throw ratio which I was unaware of.

With my set up, I had planned to put the projector in a tall built-in
entertainment console and display on an opposite wall mounted screen 18
feet away. Commercial 120 inch screens would dictate a throw ratio of
about 1.8:1. Most of the projectors I looked at were near 1;1, with no
adjustment. Going to an 18 foot screen seems ridiculous. I did not want
to suspend the projector from the ceiling midway across the room, the
ceiling is about 30 feet high at that point.

Are there projectors with 1.8:1 TR or attachment that allow allow TR
adjustment?

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:00:41 -0700, Philip wrote:

I see one problem with prospective theater is that most projectors seem
to have a fixed throw ratio which I was unaware of.

With my set up, I had planned to put the projector in a tall built-in
entertainment console and display on an opposite wall mounted screen 18
feet away. Commercial 120 inch screens would dictate a throw ratio of
about 1.8:1. Most of the projectors I looked at were near 1;1, with no
adjustment. Going to an 18 foot screen seems ridiculous. I did not want
to suspend the projector from the ceiling midway across the room, the
ceiling is about 30 feet high at that point.

Are there projectors with 1.8:1 TR or attachment that allow allow TR
adjustment?

Most LCD projectors can do what you want.

Here is a list of popular projectors:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/home...projectors.htm

Select one and use this calculator:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...ulator-pro.cfm

Is it worth getting 1080p instead of 720? I have one of each. I sit 12 feet
from a 100" screen and I can tell the difference, although both look great.