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Projector recommendations needed!

A

Ali Man

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
Messages
1,551
Well guys, my dad is looking for a projector to setup in the basement. The room is around 20' by 30'. This would basically be for HD movies and as there are tons of brands out there, I really don't know which would be a good one for the price.

Although I wanna keep the budget till 1K, but if there's something better for even higher than that price, then do still recommend it. Something probably higher than 1800 lumens would do, that's as much as I know.
 
Epson 8350 if you need to stay within budget. Its pretty old tech now however, so if you want to spend a tad bit more and get something more current the Epson Home Cinema 3020 will fit the bill nicely.

Keep in mind screens are expensive. You would most likely want to spend around $1000 on the screen. Dont cheap out and buy a $300 screen, they suck the life out of the image and are like putting rotten old tires on a new sports car.

If you are DIY there are screens you can make, it will take some time to plan, acquire supplies and paint. You cant roll this type of paint on if you want great results, its best sprayed from a HVLP gun (~$70 home depot for a cheapie).

If your drywall is perfectly flat you can sand, prime, and paint directly onto it. Most likely it is not however and you will have to skim it with drywall mud. All these things are techniques that you cant just pick up and ace correctly the first time so it takes some trial and error + effort.

Spend a little more money and you can buy a substrate such as thrifty white hardboard to paint directly on which will avoid having to sand drywall until its smooth. Obviously you will want to source this locally as its going to be a huge single sheet of board, hopefully you can find somewhere that will cut it to size for you.
 
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Look into the BenQ W1070, excellent bang for the buck.

Someone on EBay is selling projection screen material by the foot. I went with a 18% gray to manage my higher lumen projector.
 
Bumping an old thread. Gonna probably make the move this week. Checked out both the above mentioned projectors, both are looking great, but I'm still double minded on which to make the move on.
 
I checked out the reviews, looks like Epson has short bulb life in 8350. W1070 looks good for the price and features.

What do you think about Optoma HD33?
 
The epson probably has the longest bulb life out of them all - you cant go by the manufactures rating, typically you will replace the bulb at 1500-2000 hours.

Also you are comparing two different technologies now, low end DLP projectors and low end LCD projectors. If you can see the "rainbow effect" (which you will not know until you see one of these in person) then the DLP might be bad for you. the HD33 is another great budget projector and I would choose it over the benq if you want DLP.

It seems most people prefer the LCD for film and the DLP for more fast paced action like sports and games.
 
VulcaN said:
The epson probably has the longest bulb life out of them all - you cant go by the manufactures rating, typically you will replace the bulb at 1500-2000 hours.
Click to expand...

+1. I've owned my 8350 over two years now, and did have to replace the bulb once so far. Running in dynamic mode (non Eco), I got about 2400 hours life from the before the bulb had to be replaced. Considering that's one of the high lumen output settings (and it does have a very nice pop in my living room) I can't complain at all about bulb life.
 
I appreciate the input guys, but how do I get around this rainbow effect thing without being able to view it before I order it.
 
I love my 3 year old Epson HD 720... the entire Epson line is great. They are reliably, cheap bulbs, long bulb life, good brightness and good customer service.

I own 2 Epsons, one Home Cinema line that we use daily and a business class that I use a couple times a month.

Both are 3 years old and have not had 1 problem with them.
 
Ali Man said:
I appreciate the input guys, but how do I get around this rainbow effect thing without being able to view it before I order it.
Click to expand...

You go to a store that sells DLP projectors with the same type of colorwheel you are considering buying and test it out as not all color wheels are equal. They make 3 chip DLP projectors that dont have the effect but unfortunately they are outside of your price range.

Or you order your projector online from a reputable seller who has a good return policy. Amazon or projector people to name a few.
 
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