Should i go LCD or projector

Sparky

Right so, the attic is being converted and as a gift for the family i decided i should get us some HD stuff, now the thing is should i go with an lcd television
like this one

or go for a projector thats hd ready aswell here

now the attic wont be completed till probably mid september, so id assume prices will drop some bit.

if anyone knows anywhere else to get a better deal on lcd's in dubin or the net tell me.

anyways which one should you think i should choose?

thanks people.

Ciaran500

If you have a room dedicated for it go for the projector. You get a huge and high quality image for the price of a 32" LCD.

Sparky

Ciaran500 wrote:

If you have a room dedicated for it go for the projector. You get a huge and high quality image for the price of a 32" LCD.

yea was thinking that, but im sure it would be used nearly everyday for sky etc, and the bulb lifetime is 2000 hrs, so it wouldnt be long till its gone

i havnt a clue of what price of new replacement bulbs

pH

The hitachi tx100 is equivalent to my panny ae500, and compared to a 32" lcd tv - well there is no comparison!

The projector needs a fairly dark enviroment, for best results it needs cinema levels of darkness - not compatible normally with your average front room at 1 in the afternoon.

The projector needs to be ceiling mounted to get it out of the way. Also as the projector goes at the rear of the room it means that the equipment needs to be placed at the back of the room (the opposite end than where you'd put your DVD/sky box with a normal TV).

If you can get the low-light environment then get a PJ, you'll not look back.

Sparky

pH wrote:

The hitachi tx100 is equivalent to my panny ae500, and compared to a 32" lcd tv - well there is no comparison!

The projector needs a fairly dark enviroment, for best results it needs cinema levels of darkness - not compatible normally with your average front room at 1 in the afternoon.

The projector needs to be ceiling mounted to get it out of the way. Also as the projector goes at the rear of the room it means that the equipment needs to be placed at the back of the room (the opposite end than where you'd put your DVD/sky box with a normal TV).

If you can get the low-light environment then get a PJ, you'll not look back.

well the windows are velux windows so im sure i can get some blinds for them also im planning on putting the equipment in a flush cupboard in the side wall, but having the projector on the ceiling is going to be a though decision because it right up at the top of the roof.

ailsa craig

Hi in response to buying either a LCD or a back projector, the bulbs in a back projector will need replacing after 2 years at a cost of 80 euro or so. Also if you are building a home theatre in the attic and are converting it, I would strongly suggest that you get the builder to do a double layer of plasterboard on the rafters of the roof. You may lose a couple of inches but a THX-qualified engineer said it was the best way to sound insulate. Also get a very good quality carpet underlay for the floor.

I am in the market for a 26 inch LCD TV and a cinema surround system for my sitting room and a 15 inch LCD TV for my bedroom. Budget is Eur1500-1700 all-in. I have the Creative CD radio for my bedroom which is really worth the Eur270 I paid for it at Christmas. I went to DID and Power City and am going to Peats tomorrow. Any assistance anyone.

Ailsa Craig

Tom Dunne

ailsa craig wrote:

the bulbs in a back projector will need replacing after 2 years at a cost of 80 euro or so

I think you are a bit off with those figures - a bulb will last for a certain number of hours, not years. If you use it 3 hours a day, 7 days a week, it ain't gonna' last 2 years.

80 Euro for a replacement bulb :eek: - please enlighten me as to where I could find one for that price. The bulb for my lowly Infocus X2 projector costs 219 POUNDS STERLING ex vat (example link)

Maxwell

The blubs cost between 200-500 sterling and are quite costly.

In response to your question, it really depends on what you will be using the LCD/PROJECTOR for and as you seem to be using it for a TV, then the LCD is the way to go.

The projector is really just a movie luxury - well it is for me anyway.

Jammer

ailsa craig wrote:

Hi in response to buying either a LCD or a back projector, the bulbs in a back projector will need replacing after 2 years at a cost of 80 euro or so. Also if you are building a home theatre in the attic and are converting it, I would strongly suggest that you get the builder to do a double layer of plasterboard on the rafters of the roof. You may lose a couple of inches but a THX-qualified engineer said it was the best way to sound insulate. Also get a very good quality carpet underlay for the floor.

I am in the market for a 26 inch LCD TV and a cinema surround system for my sitting room and a 15 inch LCD TV for my bedroom. Budget is Eur1500-1700 all-in. I have the Creative CD radio for my bedroom which is really worth the Eur270 I paid for it at Christmas. I went to DID and Power City and am going to Peats tomorrow. Any assistance anyone.

Ailsa Craig

32" LG LCD - 1299
20" Samsung LCD - 469

Currys/Dixons

or 26" Samsung LCD is 999 if your spce limited...

dub1dude

Go on. Spoil yourself. Get the projector. They are getting better and cheaper. Using a bulb 3 hours a day, 7 days a week with a life span of 2000 hours would be 7x3=21, 21x52=1092 hours a year. So 2 years isn't that far off. It would be great for the fights and the football or whatever sport you want, even it is chess or waterpolo.

Projectors don't have to go on the ceiling, it just has to shine the light onto the screen. So it could go on top of a wardrobe or under a chair. It doesn't have to be directly in front of it.

LCD's tend to burn the image into the screen if left on too long and can only stay the same size you bought them. The projector can get up 80 or more inches.

My advice, spoil yourself. You'll easily save up for a new bulb in 1 or 2 years and who knows they may be cheaper by then.

Good luck.

blorg

Definately a projector if it is mostly for movies, wouldn't be so great for standard TV though.

Edit: Komplett have my projector on sale for €979 which is a fantastic deal, was ~€1,700 a year ago (note it's refurbished, but 0 hours on bulb and comes with a full warranty.) This is a very nice projector, I'm certainly very happy with it.

pH

Just on the old TV watching thing ...

I have an AE500 and a 42" LG Plasma, and I watch TV on the projector all the time in preference to the plasma.

I agree that an aeriel/ntl analog picture would not look great, but Sky via RGB to the ae500 looks great.

djmarkus

If you wer feeling up to it you could use an old 15' TFT and an over head projector to make a digital projector?

Sparky

djmarkus wrote:

If you wer feeling up to it you could use an old 15' TFT and an over head projector to make a digital projector?

yeah i seen that on THG's website, interesting.

In view to the other posts, this tv would be on at least 5-7hrs a day, and isnt just for the movies, we've decided it to be more of an entertainment room, just as a case of interest i measured the distance of the wall and with the planned door going at the side wall there, which would mean for the image to be displayed fully on the wall it would be nearly on the ground, because of the v in the roof, so ive decided to go with the lcd, more for the fact of it being used everyday. I would of loved to get the projector, damn it.

PWEI

Which is better for watching dvd's,a projector or a high definition Plasma like
the Hitachi 42PD7200 that Maxwell was going to buy.I also just finished an attic conversion last week and was planning on buying a Plasma next month.I plan to only use it for watching dvds that's why I'm curious to know would I be better off buying a projector?

gonker

Was just about to post the same question so Ill hijack your thread hope you dont mind. I have a room on the back of my house approximately 26foot by 16 foot maybe bigger. Its sitting there doing nothing just a junk room basically. I want to get a projector for it set it up as a home cinema other half wants a lcd/plasma dont know the difference but I reckon that its such a big room a projector would be cool in it. (Already have 7 other televisions in the house I know I know just short of one in the loo but two are very old ones over ten years old they broke down we bought to replace then got them fixed ) So anyway what would be better. We already have a 30something inch widescreen in the living room.

Tom Dunne

I don't have any experience of a plasma screen, but I can wholeheartedly recommend a projector. You can't beat the size of the image. I have mine in the garage conversion - it's a long room, so the image takes up almost all of the back wall (I don't use a screen). Hook it up with a 5.1 speaker system and it's heaven. Games, internet and the odd TV show looks good (though I find East Enders @ 7 foot tall quite disturbing).

pH

If you've got the time then I'd say go projector, with the following caveats:

Projectors (the ones mentioned here ae500/ tx100) cost around 1,500 euro. This is a lot cheaper than a 1280x720 lcd panel. Expect to pay 300ish euro every 4,000 - 5,000 hours for a bulb.

You won't watch the projector with the curtains open, while a Plasma will be fine.

Projectors have a hot bulb and a fan. Also the projector tends to sit back in the room with the viewers making fan noise noticable in very quiet scenes.

A projector will come with no RF tuner and no teletext. You really need a digital source (sky/ntl) or DVD/HTPC.

You'll need a completely separate sound system (amp and speakers)

Because the PJ sits at the rear of the room you need to position your AV kit here or have long cable runs.

You'll need some sort of screen.

For best results you should ceiling mount the PJ. Modern PJs have a lens shift but my ae500 needs to be positioned almost level with the top OR bottom of the screen (no keystone!). Bottom of the screen would be knee high and just wouldn't work.

There's nothing worse than an ugly HC installation, cables everywhere! - just ruins the point of doing any of it!

If anyones interested in seeing an AE500 installed in dublin then PM me.

PWEI

Thanks for the info.
Is there any company in Dublin that would install the full kit,ie
the projector,amp,speakers for a reasonable fee? Its sound like a fairly big job.

Tom Dunne

I don't know of any company that would do it, but you could be sure they would charge you through the nose for the privilege.

Ask an electrician - it really consists of burying a load of wires, mounting the speakers and mounting the projector. I would imagine a good electrician could do this.

Sparky

well im a sparks as they say and ive installed a few LCDs and plasmas, but most of the places we deal with have a consultant so we do the dirty work like chasing the walls and trunking the cable and sometimes getting in a plasterer to skud a finish on the wall.
Then the consultant does the tidy job of opening up the boxes and connecting the amps decoders etc. and tweak's the system to its full advantage.

But as mentioned there is companies who do the whole job, one i know of is Instacom
http://www.instacom.ie/
i was involved in a job with them, so i only came across them once.

SouperComputer

PWEI wrote:

Thanks for the info.
Is there any company in Dublin that would install the full kit,ie
the projector,amp,speakers for a reasonable fee? Its sound like a fairly big job.

Back From The Future on Aungier St might do it. They have a small demo room out back and two of the guys there do installs in the after hours.

PWEI

Thanks.
I went to Back To The Future at lunchtime.
Their own don't install Projectors anymore,they used
to but now just recommend people who do.They
have a number of people they recommend but one
in particular is excellent and very reasonable. About
€300 for a full installation, Projector, screen and home
cinema.They had a Sanyo PCL-SW35 on special offer,
normally €2000 but for sale for €999.Anybody know
anything about this model?

PWEI

Here's the spec;




Image Contrast Ratio 400:1

Bulb type UHP 160 Watt ( 2000 hour(s) )

Video Input RGB, S-Video, composite video, component video ( NTSC, SECAM, PAL, PAL-N, PAL-M, NTSC 4.43 )

Video Output RGB

Audio Output Speaker(s) - integrated

Sound Output Mode Mono 0.8 Watt

Input Device Remote control

Power AC 110/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )

Power Consumption Operational 250 Watt

Manufacturer Warranty 3 years warranty

Product Description Sanyo PLC SW35 - LCD projector

Device Type LCD projector

Form Factor Portable

Built-in Devices Speaker

Dimensions (WxDxH) 27 cm x 19 cm x 7.8 cm

Weight 1.9 kg

Image Brightness 1500 ANSI lumens

Max Resolution 800 x 600

Colour support 24-bit (16.7 million colours)

blorg

That sounds like a very old model, might have been €2,000 three years ago but certainly today you could do a whole lot better for your €999. Sounds like surplus that has been sitting there forever and they just want to shift. It also sounds more like a data projector one suitable for home theatre: 4:3 with decent brightness but very poor contrast ratio (and poor resolution.) Contrast doesn't matter for presentations in lit/semi-lit rooms, what you need there is brightness. And vice-versa: brightness doesn't matter so much for film watching in near-darkness, what you need there is contrast. I'd suggest this instead, for €979: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=305439&view=detailed - 16:9, 1300:1 contrast, 1280x720 resolution (e.g. 720p HD). This is refurbished but comes with a 0-hour bulb and full guarantee. Have the very same projector myself, cost €1,700 a year ago and _very_ happy with it. The new model is even nicer but costs €1,459, don't know if it is worth an extra ~€500 over this refurb.

PWEI

blorg wrote:

That sounds like a very old model, might have been €2,000 three years ago but certainly today you could do a whole lot better for your €999. Sounds like surplus that has been sitting there forever and they just want to shift. It also sounds more like a data projector one suitable for home theatre: 4:3 with decent brightness but very poor contrast ratio (and poor resolution.) Contrast doesn't matter for presentations in lit/semi-lit rooms, what you need there is brightness. And vice-versa: brightness doesn't matter so much for film watching in near-darkness, what you need there is contrast. I'd suggest this instead, for €979: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=305439&view=detailed - 16:9, 1300:1 contrast, 1280x720 resolution (e.g. 720p HD). This is refurbished but comes with a 0-hour bulb and full guarantee. Have the very same projector myself, cost €1,700 a year ago and _very_ happy with it. The new model is even nicer but costs €1,459, don't know if it is worth an extra ~€500 over this refurb.

Thats what I thought also.
I found a guy who does installations.A sales assistant
in Harvey Normans gave him his number.He was in
my neighbourhood on Friday so called over.He
advised me to buy a DLP projector ahead of an LCD
projector.To make sure the Lumen Output was over 1000
and the Contrast Ratio was as high as possible,over 1000.
Does anybody know any such models that fit that spec?

gqma0

Hi Sparky_s

I'd go for the projector. Waiting for the house to be built to get the Infocus SP5700. In the meantime, I borrow the LCD projector (3M MP7750) occasionally from work to watch movies (LOTR is really impressive on a 7' widescreen). The quality is astonishing and I have to say it's still sharp and clear during daylight. The only thing I'd be cautious about is the fan noise level but they can be switched into silent mode.

Seen in your posts that you've done some installations and I'd like to get your advice there. My house is being built and I'd like to get it prewired but I'm trying to get the best cables in the market and the best ones are Monster cables but where can I get them ?

thanks in advance
Cheers

elbow01

Hallo there,
Thanks for the advertisement,I actually work for Instacom and my advice to you would be if you are going to be using the installation as a tv room
and watchin sky,ntl,etc.I would not get a projector(cheapest bulbs retail are around 200 euro and up) and therefore go for a flatscreen.Although I can't recommend getting an LCD,generally a decent plasma will give you a better picture even though most don't come with built in tuner boards.If you are watching an LCD from any sort of an angle you usually come across a deterioration in picture(might be worth finding a retailer that has the screen you want on display and cheking that out)where as you would not with a plasma so you might consider if wall mounting,using a swivel bracket.On the other hand if you want the big screen home cinema effect nothing beats a projector.Hope that was of some help to ya.

JacoStanley

I just bought this baby and it just gets better every day. http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/catalog.jsp?fhquery=fh_secondid%3D32pf5320_10_gb_consumer%26fh_location%3D%2F%2Fconsumer%2Fen_GB%2Fcategories%3Ccatalog_gb_consumer%2Fcategories%3Ctv_gr_gb_consumer%2Fcategories%3Cflat_tv_ca_gb_consumer%2Fcategories%3Clcd_large_30_40_su_gb_consumer%26&productId=32PF5320_10_GB_CONSUMER&activeCategory=TV_GR_GB_CONSUMER&fredhopperpage=detail.jsp&language=en&country=GB&catalogType=CONSUMER&proxybuster=NJVBJIDKEOJ2RJ0RMRESHP3HKFSEKI5P

I have a south facing house and our old crt was in the front room. I had to close the curtains every time I wanted to watch tv. The lcd is amazing. No matter what angle I am in the room, you get a clear bright picture and no matter how sunny it is I don't have to close the curtains. And it's HD ready so I'll be purchasing the cheapish HD dvd player for what I expect to be a pretty amazing picture. I love lcd.

irish_stu

i have sony projector over year and half,with just over 450hrs on bulb.bought it for 1500 euro at time,some sale,its great for tv,dvd,and xbox,getting 12ft wide screen.only cos wall limits me,and with vast array of options on the menu.was going to mount it to ceiling but sony wanted 299 for ceiling mount,yeah right,went for sweet little chrome tv bracket for portables in argos and bought a cheap video player from power city,just so that i could view tv on projector.tv in and rgb out on video.great for watching porn,nuff said.but multi player on xbox is great.no squinting at tv split up into 4 boxes.so i would favour projector over lcd.i have lcd,but just for viewing during day or for playing pc games on .but if ya have space in attic and want to maximise the viewing area,go big.impress the mates.

Sparky

elbow wrote:

Hallo there,
Thanks for the advertisement,I actually work for Instacom and my advice to you would be if you are going to be using the installation as a tv room
and watchin sky,ntl,etc.I would not get a projector(cheapest bulbs retail are around 200 euro and up) and therefore go for a flatscreen.Although I can't recommend getting an LCD,generally a decent plasma will give you a better picture even though most don't come with built in tuner boards.If you are watching an LCD from any sort of an angle you usually come across a deterioration in picture(might be worth finding a retailer that has the screen you want on display and cheking that out)where as you would not with a plasma so you might consider if wall mounting,using a swivel bracket.On the other hand if you want the big screen home cinema effect nothing beats a projector.Hope that was of some help to ya.

Well hello, i assume ya know Ken, is he back from his holidays yet?

Fallschirmjager

sparky,

i have a sony projector and here is the facts

bought it 2002 (i think) and i still have not replaced my bulb! and before you ask i am a movie nut!!!

here is what i know.

decide your budget -- after all that is what is going to make your mind up for you!

the projector is great. anyone who tells you otherwise does not own one! i am waiting for the 'is black ona projector, black brigade!' but i digress.

i ran sky thru my projector for a while but i stopped. i have a 90 inch screen and wht you find is that the quality of a tv signal spread over that area starts to look very grainy. yes you can limit the size of the image to inrease the qualitty but be aware looking a grainy image all night is hard on your eyes. certainly thats what i found anyways. i have not tried it recently so maybe the signal is better now

movies on a projector are the only way to go!!!

you will need the room dark and the way you save your bulb is to reduce thepower or brightness to it (its a setting on your projector) i have mine at 70% and it is still going strong. also buy your erplacement bulbs in the US..they are dollar for sterling matched (a complete ripoff in europe TBH)

here is what i would do. get a projector for your movies and good tv. wire both of them up (so you can watch either on a tv or projector-- allowing you to watch the big tv events, football etc on the projector) and as for wiring...jesus i dont honestly know why people make such a big deal of this. get all your gear at one end and your screen with your projector at the other (dont forget a good screen will save your bulb life as well -- and for jaysus sake get it the US, i got mine shipped for 30 dollars!!!) the one in the sony shops here was 300 notes -- i got it for 100!!!

i personally think plasma is excellent but it is still too expensive and also remember it doesnt last forever either. i would never ever watch a movie on a tv or plasma (perhaps 60 inch if you want to remortgage your hosue and sell your kids) anymore and neither would my better half.

also dont buy the official projecotr mounts-- i got mine off a canadian company for 90 canadian dollars!!! whereas in irelandthe sony one was 300 euro!!!

a bit of planning, you save yerself a packet...

so the summary : get a good ordinary tv (until plasma comes down again) and a good projecotor...once you watch a big screen movei (star wars, gladiator etc) you will never look back.

if you need any help -- pm me dude...

Maxwell

Completely agree with Fallschirmjager

I actually now have a 42" plasma and a projector and in my opinion there is only 1 winner in the watching TV stakes - the Projector is a dream!! If you are into movies and do your homework on purchasing them on the web (prices in Ireland are crazy) - you will not be disappointed.

I mainly use my plasma for TV and the projector for movies - the best of both worlds in my opinion.

irish_stu

what model of projector do ya have Fallschirmjager,any info on what largest size screen you can get,at moment i have one wall painted in a matt off-white colour,with image projected onto it.looking for suggestions how to conserve bulb life time,have mine running on eco mode since i painted the wall,experimented a bit with different types and colours of paint,cos i didnt want to run bulb at maximum all time,due to heat and noise of fan,so any suggestions greatly taken on board.

Fallschirmjager

irish_stu wrote:

what model of projector do ya have Fallschirmjager,any info on what largest size screen you can get,at moment i have one wall painted in a matt off-white colour,with image projected onto it.looking for suggestions how to conserve bulb life time,have mine running on eco mode since i painted the wall,experimented a bit with different types and colours of paint,cos i didnt want to run bulb at maximum all time,due to heat and noise of fan,so any suggestions greatly taken on board.

Irish_stu,
dude its a sony vpl-something-11ht -- its is 1000 ansi lumens so its not too bright by modern standards and ehre is what i did..

i bought in that shop beside the hapenny bridge (a curtains,clothes,fabric place-you can see if from the hapenns bridge) and i bought black out curtains. this is a kinda plastic,cloth based material. the slight mistake i made was i added that to my curtains (well my better half did because otherwise it would have been hand done with 10,000 hotel room sewing kits). the reason this is a mistake (IMHO) is that the curtains are 5 or 10cm from the window and let some light in (sorry childish i know but its just one of those things that really bugs me!). so i supose if iwas doing it again i would get a nice way of attaching it to the window,. For Sparks here i think Velux do a line in those curtains, otherwise you can always use VELCRO (designed by men for men!)

the projector screen i bought was from Da-Lite and i got it on ebay. i checked, the guy that i bought mine from is no longer selling them now. but there appears to be quite a few german companies selling them for 100 or so euros, which doesnt strike me as bad value. the shops here were just ridiculous pricing...

as for the screen info when i checked it out here is what i found. i did find this site and it seems to be a good review

http://www.projectorcentral.com/screen_reviews_summary.htm

basically the way i remember it is -- if your screen can reflect more light-- you need less bulb power (so you will read about some materials using a microscopic glass beads blah blah blah)-- but like all things it gets a bit wanky at the top.

i know one mate of mine swears that walls are just as good...the issue for me is i hang mine from the cieling and cant leave it down all the time..due to terrible access kitchen design!!!!

as for the largest screen size -- i have it working on the full 90 inches of pure heaven...that was the largest i could find at the time -- but i dont think it could go much bigger

one other thing i did find is that cheap cables (DESPITE WHAT THE CABLE NAZIS say here!!) do make a difference...again you dont need to go mad -- but 90 dollars or so for a 14 foot cable and yer laughing...

..i have my projecotr and dvd and amp at one end and the screen obviously at the other...and since it hanging from the cieling there is no setup again and again...once you focus and align...you just leave it alone...it also keeps your projector away from dust..so i only change my dust filter once per year

hope that helps.

Fallschirmjager

Maxwell wrote:

Completely agree with Fallschirmjager

I actually now have a 42" plasma and a projector and in my opinion there is only 1 winner in the watching TV stakes - the Projector is a dream!! If you are into movies and do your homework on purchasing them on the web (prices in Ireland are crazy) - you will not be disappointed.

I mainly use my plasma for TV and the projector for movies - the best of both worlds in my opinion.

MAXWELL...you luck git...

ALL HAIL MAXWELL...

ZENER

i ran sky thru my projector for a while but i stopped. i have a 90 inch screen and wht you find is that the quality of a tv signal spread over that area starts to look very grainy. yes you can limit the size of the image to inrease the qualitty but be aware looking a grainy image all night is hard on your eyes. certainly thats what i found anyways. i have not tried it recently so maybe the signal is better now

Agree 100%, Watching Sky <anything> on a large screen is painful - especially football. They use way too little banwidth for it to work. DVD's are a different story altogether - unless you buy the pirate ones - a sight to behold !

I bought the Panasonic PAE500 from Komplett and am delighted with it. I strongly suggest you don't plumb for the cheapest screen, you will be dissappointed. Obviously to go with this you need some decent sound or the whole thing is spoiled.

My situation is different in that I have a better half and a couple of quarters so I don't have a dedicated room only the sitting room which has the Corry/Emmerdale/Eastenders display unit in the corner. But we make an occasion out of watching DVD's a couple of times a week on the 80" screen.

ZEN

Fallschirmjager

ZENER wrote:

Agree 100%, Watching Sky <anything> on a large screen is painful - especially football. They use way too little banwidth for it to work. DVD's are a different story altogether - unless you buy the pirate ones - a sight to behold !

I bought the Panasonic PAE500 from Komplett and am delighted with it. I strongly suggest you don't plumb for the cheapest screen, you will be dissappointed. Obviously to go with this you need some decent sound or the whole thing is spoiled.

My situation is different in that I have a better half and a couple of quarters so I don't have a dedicated room only the sitting room which has the Corry/Emmerdale/Eastenders display unit in the corner. But we make an occasion out of watching DVD's a couple of times a week on the 80" screen.

ZEN

panasonic....niiiicccceeeeeee

PWEI

I've been looking for a projector now for over a month and can't make up my mind what to buy.I was advised to buy a DLP Projector instead of an LCD projector.But I was chatting to a chap in Peats and he said that LCD was much better.I'm after something that has a high contrast ratio and Lumen Output over 1000.Does anybody know anything about DELL projectors? They're selling one at the moment,a DELL 1100MP Micro Portable Projector that has 1400 Lumens and 2100 contrast ratio?.

Maxwell

I have heard many opinions more in favour of DLP over LCD - by a mile.

I would advise you visit www.avforums.com and go into the projector section - loads of advice there from experienced people!

ZENER

Technology wise DLP is better than LCD - higher contrast, brightness etc but sample before you buy.

DLPs designed for PC Powerpoint presentations and data display may not be suitable for fast moving images. Robbie who used to post here warned about them.

When you're looking at the picture you may notice rainbow effects as your eyes dart over the image, I noticed it on the units in the view room at Harvey Normans - it gets annoying after a a very short while. DLP projectors designed for movies are a little different so view before you buy.

ZEN

blorg

PWEI wrote:

I've been looking for a projector now for over a month and can't make up my mind what to buy.I was advised to buy a DLP Projector instead of an LCD projector.But I was chatting to a chap in Peats and he said that LCD was much better.I'm after something that has a high contrast ratio and Lumen Output over 1000.Does anybody know anything about DELL projectors? They're selling one at the moment,a DELL 1100MP Micro Portable Projector that has 1400 Lumens and 2100 contrast ratio?.

LCD has got very good now, I wouldn't by any means discount it. I have a Panasonic PTAE500 myself and am very happy with it, absolutely no screendoor/chickenwire effect at all like my previous LCD projectors. That Dell sounds like a data projector and would likely be unsuited for movies.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/ is a very good site for reviews, comparisons, etc., and includes an article explaining the differences between LCD and DLP.

Edit: You can't just say 'DLP is better' as there are (obviously) individual LCD projectors that are better than individual DLP projectors. Rather, you should be comparing projectors at around the same price point and asking 'is _this_ LCD projector costing €1,500 better than _this_ DLP projector costing €1,500.'