• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Projector Recommendations

S

screwmesa

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 19, 2005
Messages
1,024
I'm looking for a projector to go in my home theater and would like some suggestions. I'd like to stay right around (or under) $1000. My current choices absed on specs are: InFocus 4805 and BenQ PE5120.

Anyone have experiences with these or any similar projector?
 
I have an Infocus x1 and 2 of my friends have BenQ 6200s. so far we all seem to like the infocus colors more. the benq's are nice, but I would go with the infocus. the 4805 is a good projector from what I have heard.
 
I also need a dvd player. I have a basic pioneer with component out, but it's starting to skip non scratched discs, so time for a better one....any suggestions there? :)

Any B&M stores sell the sanyo? I'd like to see it in action.
 
Personally i'd hold off on getting a dvd player till you've decided what projector you'll be buying.

It's all about the features, resolution and inputs ; component? dvi? hdmi? upscaling? native resolution of projector? you get the idea ;)

DVI/HDMI > VGA > Component > Svideo > RCA

I guess it'll also depend on if you're using an htpc or not.
 
I either go with a cheap DVD or an HTPC. those highpriced DVD players aren't worth it compared to an HTPC IMHO
 
As side not...I need you to be concerned about something I don't care what other people say...getting a PJ for the first time is like getting your first PC. You think it is the best in the world until you fnally figure out "there is something better". Remeber the first time you found your first hardware forum and realiaze how much you F#$KED up? Same goes for PJ.s

A $1k PJ is like a $500 PC. Does the job but it will eventually leave you wanting more. A $2k PJ is where you start feeling okay and $3k+ PJ is where you start feeling content. There is a consolation prize though...A last years PJ (like the 4805/Z2/AE500) for $1k will always have a great WOW factor. If you go this route...don't look for flaws, you WILL find them. This is why I still like my Z2...I don't look for issues.

So if you do buy a $1k PJ....just be happy. If you don't...the upgrade itch is even worse for a PJ...you can't OC a PJ :D

My HT with a Sanyo PLV-Z2

ht_chairs_back.jpg


The following picture gives you and idea of blacklevel. Look at the wall (which is nearly pure black paint (like 18 oz of lamp black per gallon). and the bottom of the image which is PJ black.

tn_P5240236.JPG





-tReP
 
I don't mind flaws, I'm going to be upgrading from a 8 year old Sharp 27" TV, so almost anything will be better than what I have. Also, the PJ will be in my living room until I build my home theater room off of my master bedroom. I plan on having either a 106" or 120" screen depending on how big I make the room :D .

Trepidati0n, how big are your screen and room? What is the distance between your PJ and screen?

I can't tell wether the Sanyo would be a better buy becuase of the better resolution (1280 x 720 vs 854x480) or if the InFocus would be becuase of it being DLP. I need to see these things in person :confused: .... :p

I borrowed a projector from work (Hitachi CP S210) just to get an idea of what a large image would be like in my house. Granted the projector is native 4:3, but it gave me a good idea of what 120" movie was like :D and was enough to convince me that I needed one.
 
I would go witht he z2 based on what I have seen. I went DLP because everybody said the blacks were better. mine aren't that good, so I don't see it as much of a benefit if I am still unhappy. with any low cost projector, it will need total loght control in the room, and full light viewing is impossible.
 
screwmesa said:
Go ahead, I'm interested in getting some ideas.
Click to expand...


me too, because now I want to sell my Sony KF-50XBR800 LCD and get a projector.

Damn you guys! :p
 
lol, I was about to throw down $1200 on a toshiba 51", then I borrowed the projector from work and decided I couldn't justify a "tiny" 51" tv. :D
 
Check out avsforum.com if you haven't already.

Also, you can get the 4805 at costco in-store for $899 to $999 with 72" pull down screen with CostCo's great no questions asked return policy if you don't like it or happen to see rainbows.

Note that there is no DVI out on the 4805, it has a proprietary pinned connection that comes with VGA and Component out. You have to order the connection with DVI separately.

Good luck, I bought a 4805 and it looked great but ended up wanted a true HD resolution projector so i returned it.
 
bah, pull down screens. I have a 106" screen made of parkland plastics. very nice colors. great for games and most movies. only weakness I have seen is the blacks can look a little greyer. only really bothers me in night scenes.
 
Yes we do have a post your theater thread up above in the htpc gallery.

I am a fanatic for black levels, thus the reason I have a CRT projector. THe digital's I have liked the most that are not in the Qualia, 3 Chip DLP range are the Optoma projectors. They great units in a variety of price ranges. In the range your looking the Optoma H31 is a great little dlp that gives a very nice picture.

The infocus is also a good unit but I notice rainbows on it more than other dlp pj's I have seen. I also have had to do a lot more repair/replacement service calls on infocus projectors than others, though none of them are perfect on a service standpoint.

My theather is listed in the post your theater thread for those that are interested.
 
Bighitter said:
The infocus is also a good unit but I notice rainbows on it more than other dlp pj's I have seen. I also have had to do a lot more repair/replacement service calls on infocus projectors than others, though none of them are perfect on a service standpoint.
Click to expand...

I have only seen rainbows on mine once, but I only watch movies and play game son mine. no sports or anything like that.

as far as the service, could it just be that there are tons of infocus projectors out there? Like I have had mechanics tell me they work on more Ford trucks than any other brand, but that's becuase there are more Fords on the road in my area than any other brand. the ratio is still the same, just higher numbers.
 
Bighitter, that's a very nice theater room! Since I don't have the money to do anything quite as fancy, I think I may give the InFocus a try (30 day money back gaurantee) and see how it does for my application. If it does not fair well, I may give the optima or benq a try.

As far as designing goes, I think I have my plans done for my room. How does this sound: The room will be 13' wide and 19' in length. The screen will be 120" with the front speakers about 1.5' from the side walls. The rears will be 12.5' from the screen wall, as will the couch/seating (haven't decided yet). The projector will be 17' from the screen (as per InFocus' calulator) and the subwoofer will be built into a cabinet underneath the screen, with the center channel above the screen.

I'm really excited about building this room myself so I can wire everything and put up acoustic dampening materials and the whole nine yards, hopefully save a little bit of money and be able to buy better speakers (I have Vidsonix right now and a KLH center channel :mad: ). I've had my eyes on a Klipsch system for a looong time now. :D
 
Screen size is 101"

Ratio back is based upon 80% visual coverage (about 12' back)

Screen material is blackout cloth from a fabric store for $5/yard w/ coupon. Yes, can build a nice screen for $50 :D

I would aim for a minimum of 1280x720...then extend your budget beyond that. The 4805 is nice...but all the people who say they can't tell their missing resolutin make me wonder if they are saying tht to say that so they feel good about their purchases. I've seen the 4805...it is nice, but definately no Z2 when it comes to detail.

What is funny, is I upgraded from a Sony 27"...small world...

-tReP
 
Thanks Trepidati0n, are there any B&M stores that have the Sanyo Z2 in stock to see?

Edit: this would probably help: I'm in Arizona and have a best buy, circuit city, costco and ultimate electronics nearby. I'm looking at their websites, but if you happen to know, by all means...
 
I miss the resolution. would much rather have a true 1280x720 pj than my 800x600 with a rigged up 800x453 res. my biggest regret is not getting a 1280x720 pj.

screwmesa - how far from the sceen will your seating be? for a screen that big, you will need to be about as far back as your pj to get a good image.
 
The seats will be approx 15 feet from the screen. I was assuming that would be ok due to the supposed 1.5x screen width rule....with 120" screen should be 13 feet. (15 feet is 1.73x the screen width)
 
After reading all day today :p

My favorite articles have come from this site:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/masterindex_televisions.html

I have begun to lean heavily toward the sanyo plv-z2 because I think think I will regret not buying the highest resolution that's in my price range and the warrranty is a year longer than infocus, which makes me feel more comfortable. Also it has a real DVI-I input, so no messing with adapters. I also like the menu and remote on the sanyo better. :eek:
 
I would make the same choice, as a matter of fact i may actually buy the Z2 myself.

I'm still debating between an old school crt projector and the Z2, its been a slow debate, but since i already have a PJ, i can wait.

I doubt you'll be sorry, out of the dozens of Z2 threads i've read, i've yet to hear any serious complaints about picture quality.
 
I am in the same boat. I have a PJ I like, so I am waiting until I can make a signifiant upgrade to do anything.
 
IDversusEGO said:
I am in the same boat. I have a PJ I like, so I am waiting until I can make a signifiant upgrade to do anything.
Click to expand...

Well..that day is coming...I think the D5 panels are in the next gen of LCD PJ's (I.E. Z4 and AE900 effectively). They will nearly double real-world contrast for LCD's. The current gen (Z3,AE700) and last (Z2, AE500) used the D4 panels which weren't bad, but were not great. Sony on their next gen has shipped out a few "betas" to select people and they have measured 2500:1 calbirated CR with an LCD (Sony is using a 4th panel just for CR). That is out standing. That is a bit over 3x what I have now. What I'm waitng for is the gen after that though. If I don't skip gens...the upgrade bug will have a permanent bite in me.

-tReP
 
SJetski71 said:
I doubt you'll be sorry, out of the dozens of Z2 threads i've read, i've yet to hear any serious complaints about picture quality.
Click to expand...


Yeah, the only thing I've seen has been negative comments about warranty work and lack of customer service. :eek:
 
IDversusEGO said:
I have only seen rainbows on mine once, but I only watch movies and play game son mine. no sports or anything like that.

as far as the service, could it just be that there are tons of infocus projectors out there? Like I have had mechanics tell me they work on more Ford trucks than any other brand, but that's becuase there are more Fords on the road in my area than any other brand. the ratio is still the same, just higher numbers.
Click to expand...

Rainbows are not something everyone will see so I just mention it as a warning.

The service comment I made is in regards to the limited amount of Infocus units the small custom install company I work for has had to service. We have sold/installed as many if not more optoma units and the install to service ratio is absurdly low on the infocus units we have used. When the infocus units work they are great, when they need service it usually comes about in a spectacular fasion, like the time the bulb blew up inside projector and the whole thing had to be sent back.
 
screwmesa said:
Bighitter, that's a very nice theater room! Since I don't have the money to do anything quite as fancy, I think I may give the InFocus a try (30 day money back gaurantee) and see how it does for my application. If it does not fair well, I may give the optima or benq a try.

As far as designing goes, I think I have my plans done for my room. How does this sound: The room will be 13' wide and 19' in length. The screen will be 120" with the front speakers about 1.5' from the side walls. The rears will be 12.5' from the screen wall, as will the couch/seating (haven't decided yet). The projector will be 17' from the screen (as per InFocus' calulator) and the subwoofer will be built into a cabinet underneath the screen, with the center channel above the screen.

I'm really excited about building this room myself so I can wire everything and put up acoustic dampening materials and the whole nine yards, hopefully save a little bit of money and be able to buy better speakers (I have Vidsonix right now and a KLH center channel :mad: ). I've had my eyes on a Klipsch system for a looong time now. :D
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment, it has taken a lot of hard work to get the theater to where it is currently. (currently because it is never finished, working on my Lutron Radio Ra lighting now)

Now the room dimensions you listed are not much larger than my room which is around 18 Lx12W. I only have a 114" screen and it dominates the room, make sure you want a screen that large before purchasing. You will also want to consider your projectors resolution before going that big, especially at 1.5x distance.

Be careful of putting subs in cabinet's, nothing worse than having a great system that sounds like crap cause the sub is wrattling the cabinet its housed inside.

Doing stuff yourself can help a ton and save a lot of money. Whenever you get stuck as a question here or at AVS and I am sure someone will be able to help. I am spending less and less time online these days as I am finally getting my company started up.
 
Thanks bighitter, the sub in the cabinet was just an idea I've been throwing around, but probably will go out the window because a) I'm lazy and b) I'd rather put that time/money/effort into better equipment.

I'll keep everyone updated with progress and hopefully get a worklog going on my website.
 
What acoustic dampening material did you plan on using?

If you plan on building the room from scratch i highly recommend two layers of drywall. Its made a profound difference in my basement/ground floor theatre area.

I have two layers of 3/4" drywall btw, but i'm sure even two layers of 1/2" would make a good difference, zero complaints from my good neighbors, even with the volume jacked up :). Fill the rest of the room with carpeting, drapery/curtains, furniture etc and you'll have even more isolation.

my 2c\
 
A good recommendation there SJetski71. One thing that is common when doing 2 layers of drywall is to use 2 different depths of drywall such as 3/4 and 5/8, which is what I did and recommend to others. The reasoning behind this is that supposedly the diferent thickness absorbs different frequencies.
 
I'd also heard to use 2 different thicknesses of drywall. I was told that 3/4" and 1/2" in opposite directions (one vertical, other horizontal) is a good way to go.

I also planned to carpet the floor and use some acoustic panels in strategic locations to keep things under control.
 
an epson s3 would be perfect.. ive had an s1+ which is basically the same thing, slightly larger and 200 lumens less and it works great, i can only imagine the new s3 to be even better
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top