Projector vs HD TV

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raemi00

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Projector vs HD TV for PC monitor?

I'm thinking about purchasing a projector to hook up to my pc and use it as a monitor. I use my pc as main entertainment source; watching movies, playing games, web surfing and so on.

My main concerns are:

1. Are current projectors dependable and reliable means to use as pc monitor?
2. What about HD TV? If I'm willing to spend under $1000, will HD TV be a better option?
3. Where/what store will be a good place to purchase for selection and price? I only checked out newegg.com so far.

Thanks for any input.
 
May I recommend that you google the AVS Forum for researching projectors. Also a good resource for purchasing.
Quality/longevity: Projector bulbs gradually begin degrading at about 300 hours depending on brand. So, the more you use it the sooner you need to replace a bulb.
I've been projecting movies (only) for the past year and it beats any large screen tv, imo.
That said, I presently have no interest in using a pc/projector combo, though I imagine gaming would be a blast. as always ymmv.
Good luck.
Scratch
 
Like Scratch said AVS forum is an amazing source for this kind of imformation.

I used to have a panny AE700 that I used for PC and DVD's. It was pretty sweet for both but I found that I was eating through the bulbs in no time. I would recommend a separate monitor for regular surfing and that kind of stuff and then use the projector for movies and games.

I ended up picking a Pioneer Elite Plasma in the place of the projector because I wasn't overly impressed with the sharpness of my projector. With that said today's 1080p projector solve that problem with smaller pixels.

If you are really set on the Projector I would recommend Panasonic's AX200 it is rated at 2000(Very bright for Home Theater Projector) lumen and it is said to be one of the sharpest 720p projectors on the market. And the used market sells it for less than $1000
 
I'm using a 1080P 42" Plasma and love it to bits.
A few years ago, I built a projector and was running a 120" screen with only 1024x768 res.
The immersion on that was fantastic.
I'm sad that my Plasma cant give me that same feel, even though it is much higher res.

As long as you have very good colours/contrast and a lack of image issues such as rainbows, twinkling etc, a projector is awesome.
As mentioned running costs must be considered, bulbs are often not cheap and some dont last too long.
So choose a projector that has cheap bulbs that last longer and are readily available.

If you get a bright enough projector, you can project onto a wall or painted surface (using a product like Screen Goo).
If its a lower power projector or its in a bright room, you may want to look at screens with higher gain.

Having a projector has its downsides if you use it regularly.
You tend to find that no matter how good the projector is, you want the curtains closed always as the contrast ratio is much improved.
This was the biggest factor that put me off, I missed the view out of my window for over a year!
 
sphinx said:
I would recommend a separate monitor for regular surfing and that kind of stuff and then use the projector for movies and games.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's possible to hook up both a regular monitor and the projector at the same time. How do I go about it? Do I need double VGA male heads to connect them? Can I use S-video for one and VGA for the other one?
 
Todays video cards have 2 monitor out ports so you can connect both up in the same way.
Switch between them or set up both using the video driver.
 
Nenu said:
Todays video cards have 2 monitor out ports so you can connect both up in the same way.
Switch between them or set up both using the video driver.
Click to expand...

Well, my pc/video card is quite old. It's NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200. I'm pretty sure it only has one monitor out port. I would really hate to plug/unplug between monitor & PJ. Btw, I'm not following you on using the video driver comment. Do you mind explaining that little further? Thanks again.
 
Check your card to see what ports it has.
For a decent picture you dont want to use SVideo, you will need at least 2 VGA outs.
S-video is for older analogue TV's or low res devices like older consoles.

When you install the graphics driver, it will give you an icon in the bottom right of your taskbar.
Click/right click on this to open the driver settings.
You should be able to find the multi monitor setup.
 
I had a 37" 720P LCD which was good... but it's nothing like my projector at all. I am now on an Epson Home Cinema PowerLite 550 (720P HD LCD projector, rated at fairly high quality but not top-end) which has a high lumens rating in a non-light controlled room. The light is enough to read by in the room I use it in during the day easily though it can get to be dim if I close the blinds all the way (still able to read).

The image is noticably worse during daytime BUT this is a bright projector and still maintains a good image except in dark shows like Law & Order. For anything but the darkest shows like that it is 100% fine during daytime, with near-nighttime contrast and brightness. I should note that even in daytime, a show like Law & Order is watchable nicely, but it lacks the punch and depth of image that it would at night, with worse blacks/darks.

I cannot recommend a projector highly enough over an HDTV if your setup allows for it at all. It is an AMAZING jump over a standard HDTV. The depth of image, clarity, size (I run it at 84 inches), contrast, and overall picture quality is just SO much better than any LCD TV I've ever seen regardless of size (I've seen 52" 1080p ones and they just pale in comparison). It goes from being a TV to being a much more immersive, fun experience to watch shows, play games, etc. The picture is just as bright as an LCD TV, which is surprising in a way if you think about how much larger size it is. I have four times the screen area of a 42" LCD :eek: and it is better overall. I simply was awestruck even though I knew what to expect when I got the setup around 8.5 months ago.

As far as reliability, they are generally top-notch... mine arrived with a dead HDMI port and I was overnighted a new one with a prepaid label to ship the old one back under warranty by Epson. It has a 2-year warranty from when I bought it, and has been rock-solid since. The bulb has dimmed VERY slightly from when it was new, and has a 3000 hour expected lifespan though I've heard some users reporting over 3500-4000 hour actual lifespans. Make sure the bulbs are lengthy and priced decently (mine run $350 new, but I can get a new one for 250 on the 'Bay with 25% off making it about 190) + are readily available.

I paid $700 shipped for my projector. I bought an Onkyo SR600B HTIB setup for a receiver/speakers for $180, a screen for $35 off of newegg (84" manual pulldown) which is weighted on the bottom to keep it straight (stock out of factory) and works wonderfully, then a bookshelf for $45ish to put the projector on behind my sofa. It is quiet and works a treat. For under $1k I ended up with a setup that blows away anything else I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of nice LCD's. I'm sure it's not as good as some other projector setups by a longshot especially high-quality 1080P ones, but damn is it nice.

Games are indeed fun as heck on it... and no, the picture isn't too big to play on since I sit at a 12 foot viewing distance :).

My advice: Go for it if you have the means and the room that can handle it. The brighter projectors nowadays work really well with a smaller amount of ambient light (I can keep my windows open and still see it fine for daytime viewing). The quality is INSANELY good, the size is incredible, and the experience is amazing every time I fire it up.

As far as store recommendations, I purchased mine on a firesale off of ProjectorPeople.com. They have excellent customer service, as I had to call them due to my DOA HDMI port before being able to call Epson for an actual RMA (called Epson first and was told to go back to them). Their prices are competitive normally, their pre and post-sales support is friendly + highly knowledgeable (they aren't just random schmucks who are clueless). I actually got an email from them a week after I had called about my HDMI issue, asking to make sure everything got handled properly by Epson even :eek:. That really struck me in particular as excellent customer service to follow up on an issue like that (I had been helped at that point).

IMPORTANT: Make sure you research about how throw distance, zoom, and lens shift work with whatever projector you pick to ensure it works with your room setup. Also ensure you have a straight-on position you can put it in so you don't have to use digital keystoning (which adjusts for angle) that greatly degrades image quality.
 
Nenu said:
When you install the graphics driver, it will give you an icon in the bottom right of your taskbar.
Click/right click on this to open the driver settings.
You should be able to find the multi monitor setup.
Click to expand...

I have a lot more questions so please bear with me.

Found the multi display config on nvidia control panel via Control Panel. But don't I still need to hook up both the monitor and PJ on my video card at the same time? And how can I do that when it has only one VGA port? What the purpose of DVI port on my video card? What about USB port?

Another question on projector native resolution. My pc monitor screen resolution is set to 1280 x 960. So, when a projector's native resolution is 1280 x 720, then I have to change my pc setting to lower to 1280 x 720. Otherwise, I would get the blank screen, right?
 
The DVI port also includes VGA out.
Your card should have come with a DVI to VGA converter.
USB is nothing to do with this.

If you set a different resolution that you are sending to the projector, the projector has to be able to handle that resolution.
Only you can find out what will happen, try it if you like.
Its best to stay always at the native resolution of the projector, always.
Your PCs media player will automatically make all movies fill the screen as appropriate.
 
Wow, thanks for your super fast reply.
I guess, I need to buy DVI to VGA converter since my pc is a hand-me-down and have no idea if the converter was came with pc or not.
 
Yes, that should get you going.
Its not that hard once you have it plugged up.
 
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