first time purchase of projector

bonkers

i have an old enough laptop a dell latitude d600, and im looking to buy a projector instead of buying a tv.

ive moved over to toronto so maybe id get a better deal on them here. if anyone has any advice.. wouldnt like to spend more than say 300dollars.

thanks

barochoc

You won't get much life out of a projector compared with a TV.

The bulbs last anywhere between 1000-2000 hours. That's about the same as a standard halogen bulb.

If you are using it instead of a TV every day then you'll be replacing that bulb in about a year to 18 months depending on usage.

To replace the bulbs is a very expensive process. Most good quality replacement bulbs cost at least €200 but can be a lot more expensive depending on the projector.

You won't get much for €300. You may get a nice little portable projector but the lumens (brightness) won't be great for that money meaning your picture won't look too good or the projector can't be too far from the screen or wall.

A projector is great when you want a big picture or if you want to do a presentation for maybe an hour or two max every so often but if you're talking about replacing a TV you're looking at much bigger money than €300.

Hope this helps.

pixmaina.ie is not bad for cheap projectors & I'm sure they give a 2 year warranty!

bonkers

yea it does help thanks.. noot great news.. have also brought an xbox over here that dont work on canadian power..

barochoc

bonkers wrote: »

yea it does help thanks.. noot great news.. have also brought an xbox over here that dont work on canadian power..

Assuming it's 110v like in the states you should be able to pick up a converter to step down the voltage from 220/240v.

Try the web or a local electrical store.

[HTML]http://www.amazon.com/Power-Converter-220-110-Volt/dp/B000A1QKSU[/HTML]

Cmar-Ireland

Don't get too hung up on projector bulbs.
They typically quote 2-3000 hrs life, but this is for brightness.
They won't suddenly go pop at 3000hrs.

They will be reduced to approx 50% brightness after this time and thats if your running at max brightness.

For a decent projector, the bulbs are expensive, but you should get a good while out of one before you really notice the image is getting dim and muddy.

Biro

Cmar-Ireland wrote: »

Don't get too hung up on projector bulbs.
They typically quote 2-3000 hrs life, but this is for brightness.
They won't suddenly go pop at 3000hrs.

They will be reduced to approx 50% brightness after this time and thats if your running at max brightness.

For a decent projector, the bulbs are expensive, but you should get a good while out of one before you really notice the image is getting dim and muddy.

True, but "decent projector" and 300 dollars don't go well together!!

trabpc

My bulb went after 140 hours. Luckilly i argued with Panasonic and the replaced it for free. Id agree they are brilliant for the ocassional film but every day use and the bulb wont' last long.