First Projector Advice

MoogPoo

Hi, just started thinking of getting a projector but not too sure yet. I don't really want to get one for over €500 so was just wondering if the ones less than that are any good at all. I would mainly use it for movies and with my laptop maybe. Has anyone had experience with cheap projectors for home use. I was thinking that they must be mainly for business and schools as they have low resolution.

I don't have any idea how good the quality would be on a large screen. Would 800 x 600 be awful? I was mainly looking at cheap dell or argos ones at the moment, seem to be cheapest there. I know it wouldnt be great but tbh I'm not willing to pay twice the price for slightly better quality.

Also, how is the setup? Is it difficult to place it, does it need to be secured in place on ceiling or could standing it on a shelf work, how noisy are cheap ones, how far does it need to be placed from wall, are screens really much better... etc. What are the main problems with them? I can imagine buying one and having some small annoying thing going wrong with it (like noise from fan or warmup time) and I'd end up not using it. Any advice would be great. Any other considerations or problems I havent thought of?

eddiem74

Have a look here to get an idea on some home cinema projectors around your price range. If you see something you like you can google around for reviews/user feedback, before making a final call. You can also review prior posts or ask opinions/questions here.

Most projectors can be ceiling mounted, placed on a shelf or table, it really depends on your room, and what you need. However some projectors do not allow lens shift which means you will require a relatively accurate screen to projector set-up.

On screens, I would say if you have a white/light coloured wall, that will do to get you started, and also help you figure out what screen size you want/need. You can also then dabble with diy/painting a screen or buying once you have a better idea of what size/type you need.

jmal

As eddiem says, I would not worry about a screen starting off.

All modern projectors can be mounted on a table, Ceiling or Shelf. What you need to watch is that different projectors have different throw ratios which decides how far the projector need to be from a specified screen size.

SVGA reolution is the lowest resolution available on most modern projectors (800x600). Depending on the source you intend to use (DVD or Blu-ray) will deterning the quality. As DVD resolution is lower than SVGA then picture quality is not going to improve alot unless you start to look are the higher priced 720p home theatre projectors. One solutions is to look for a projector with a HDMI connection. If a projector has a HDMI connection and you connect to Blu-ray Hi-Def content the picture will look very good no matter what the native resolution of the projector.

I have tested the Vivitek D510 with a PS3 for gaming and Blu-ray and the picture quality is excellent for an "SVGA" over HDMI.

Dont get me wrong, it is no match from my 1080p Home Threatre projector or even a 720p HT PJ, but at 25% the cost something has to give.

By making sure the projector you get has a HDMI connection, you will be making your investment future proof.

BArra

i think you should spend the bit extra and get a 720p projector, it will futureproof your setup somewhat.

u shouldnt blow your budget too much with something like an optoma hd600x

always factor in the bulb replacement cost also though!

do you know the diff between a DLP and LCD projectors?

DLP's can suffer from what is called rainbow effect, essentially what your eyes see, though not everyone suffers from it

somesay LCD is inferior, but i would disagree, i got an epson eh-tw450 720p lcd projector in may, and it gives an amazing picture, with the epson 3 year warrenty on the unit and bulb, and a free portable 80" tripod screen it swung it for me

im still awaiting the screen to be delivered but have it setup on a white-ish wall and its giving me a 130" image, HD looks great, SD obv not as good but still very good

WilliamEgan

I am also on the look out for a cheap projector?

One question I have what min screen size should I look for or are most about 100".

have been looking on ebay. Looking at those shipped from the UK I found this http://cgi.ebay.ie/HD-720p-1080i-LCD-Projector-Home-TV-Xbox-PS3-Wii-EU-/170511122027?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_AudiVideoElectronics_Video_Electronics&hash=item27b3413e6b#ht_9000wt_1138

You guys know more than me, is this a dud?

jmal

That projector is a piece of c**p. You wouldn't get a Pico projector for that money.

Stick with the main projectors manufactures like Mitsubishi,BenQ,Optoma,Vivitek,Epson,Sanyo,etc. You should expect a 3 year warranty on all good projectors. Watch out as some manufactures dont cover the same warranty here as you will get for the same model in the UK, Optoma-BenQ-etc.

HTH

slave1

Avoid DLP technology, rainbow effect not good and not worth risking if you're not sure

polts

Nothing wrong with DLP projectors had my infocus x9 for nearly 2 years and only seen the rainbow affect a few times.

jmal

Avoid DLP technology, rainbow effect not good and not worth risking if you're not sure

This is bad advice!!! DLP is better than LCD on many levels, colours, contrast, brightness, picture depth,life span of a projector and most modern DLPs are filter free. Maintenance Free except lamps. LCD require filter changing and cleaning. Rainbows are not an issue for 99% of people. I have seen rainbows before on my DLP Optoma but it never an issue.

DLP is the best choice under €5000.

mackey087

looking for some advice. thinking of getting a projector for watching dvd's, hooking up the xbox and wii. looking at the Epson eb s72 or the Acer x110 both 300 euro on pixmania.
are they easy to set up.
can i have the projector at the side of the room and screen in the middle.
cheers.