What budget projector?
Discussion
I am looking to put a projector and screen in my games room and am a bit confused what to look for if anyone can advise.
Room is a 7m x 7m basement so no issues with excess light, it's as dark as i want it to be.
This would be for occasional use, maybe if the guys are round to stick the sports on in the background, to watch the occasional fight/game or have a game of the PS4 on so it doesn't need to be perfect picture quality, as long as it's decent.
Screen size will be approx 120", devices i'd have attached are apple TV/PS4 and i'd like to run it off the current Kenwood Series 21 AV stuff that is in there (so RCA output/cabling i presume)
I'd like an electric screen but not too bothered if it's manual to be honest. For talking sake i'll start with a budget of £5-600, if that is unrealistic it can be increased.
Room is a 7m x 7m basement so no issues with excess light, it's as dark as i want it to be.
This would be for occasional use, maybe if the guys are round to stick the sports on in the background, to watch the occasional fight/game or have a game of the PS4 on so it doesn't need to be perfect picture quality, as long as it's decent.
Screen size will be approx 120", devices i'd have attached are apple TV/PS4 and i'd like to run it off the current Kenwood Series 21 AV stuff that is in there (so RCA output/cabling i presume)
I'd like an electric screen but not too bothered if it's manual to be honest. For talking sake i'll start with a budget of £5-600, if that is unrealistic it can be increased.
You could probably do very well for that price if you went used. I have an Epson EH-TW3200 which gives a very good picture and was more than your budget new a couple of years ago. But I am intending to put it up for sale, and it looks like they go for a bit over £300.
I'd advise buying a decent screen. Mine is motorised, but it was cheap for an electric screen and although it's fine 90% of the time, on light images you can see some grain on the screen.
I'd advise buying a decent screen. Mine is motorised, but it was cheap for an electric screen and although it's fine 90% of the time, on light images you can see some grain on the screen.
I have the Optoma HD141X for occasional use, and I'm very happy with it, great picture for such a reasonably priced projector.
I also have this screen https://www.amazon.co.uk/PCW120MET-120-Projector-S...
I'm sure there are better screens, but I'm happy with it.
I also have this screen https://www.amazon.co.uk/PCW120MET-120-Projector-S...
I'm sure there are better screens, but I'm happy with it.
I use a BenQ W1070 and it's a fantastic piece of kit.
It's hugely versatile and it's performance - even in high ambient light areas - is superb. My cinema room is underground so there's no issue with stray light for me. It's kept on an eco setting and the depth of colour and contrast is just awesome. It runs pretty quietly, too.
One feature I like in particular is that you can have individual settings for different inputs so I can maximise the picture performance across the three different sources I use - Oppo Blu Ray, Humax and PS4.
It's hugely versatile and it's performance - even in high ambient light areas - is superb. My cinema room is underground so there's no issue with stray light for me. It's kept on an eco setting and the depth of colour and contrast is just awesome. It runs pretty quietly, too.
One feature I like in particular is that you can have individual settings for different inputs so I can maximise the picture performance across the three different sources I use - Oppo Blu Ray, Humax and PS4.
Keep your eye out on AV forums for bargains ... JVC, Sony and Epson all come up now and again at decent prices. I bought my JVC HDLA1 for about £450 around 4-5 years ago ... it was in excellent condition having being circa £5k when new. Just rebuilt my cinema room and re-used the JVC ... performs really well still and would only swap out if it gives up or when I move to 4K.
One word of warning about buying used. Projectors can be very expensive to repair .... we've had (I run an AV company) a few JVC's returned their authorised dealer which require out of warranty repair. Some just proved uneconomical to bother with .... we're talking £1k to repair a 5 year old £3k projector in one case. Parts are replaceable so I suppose anyone with a decent electronics brain in their heads could potentially replace parts.
One word of warning about buying used. Projectors can be very expensive to repair .... we've had (I run an AV company) a few JVC's returned their authorised dealer which require out of warranty repair. Some just proved uneconomical to bother with .... we're talking £1k to repair a 5 year old £3k projector in one case. Parts are replaceable so I suppose anyone with a decent electronics brain in their heads could potentially replace parts.
Thanks for the advice all, i'm going to go down to richer sounds at the weekend and see if they will do me a deal as i need to get a few things (projector, screen and another AV receiver) and hopefully they will have one working i can see.
I'm glad they have moved on from the blurry mess you used to see in pubs for the football!
I will put up a build thread of the room, there's not much to photo at the moment as it's stripped bare but the basic plan is pool table, bar, lounging area with the projector/PS4/etc
I'm glad they have moved on from the blurry mess you used to see in pubs for the football!
I will put up a build thread of the room, there's not much to photo at the moment as it's stripped bare but the basic plan is pool table, bar, lounging area with the projector/PS4/etc
Grumpy old git said:
I have the Optoma HD141X for occasional use, and I'm very happy with it, great picture for such a reasonably priced projector.
I also have this screen https://www.amazon.co.uk/PCW120MET-120-Projector-S...
I'm sure there are better screens, but I'm happy with it.
I also have this screen https://www.amazon.co.uk/PCW120MET-120-Projector-S...
I'm sure there are better screens, but I'm happy with it.
Optoma is a great brand for affordable projectors.I got a Optoma HD142X and it's fantastic. Screen size is about 90" but that's because we're limited with space. It's super sharp with deep blacks and rich colours and I know it's got more in it.
We don't use a screen as our wall is painted in a good neutral colour and works fine. I'm sure the display would be even better if projected onto a screen. It's also 3D but I'm not a fan so haven't even tested it.
We don't use a screen as our wall is painted in a good neutral colour and works fine. I'm sure the display would be even better if projected onto a screen. It's also 3D but I'm not a fan so haven't even tested it.
Edited by ashleyman on Saturday 18th February 22:14
I have an Optoma 141X and it's excellent.
The reason I discounted its closest rival (BenQ W1070) was the BenQ was too short throw and therefore couldn't project an image that would fit my screen. Definitely worth checking if you have mounting/room constraints.
Also, I found brightness to be to total red herring. These days they're all bright enough and in a dark room you'll have more trouble getting the projector to go dark enough rather than bright enough. Mine is on about 10% brightness!
The reason I discounted its closest rival (BenQ W1070) was the BenQ was too short throw and therefore couldn't project an image that would fit my screen. Definitely worth checking if you have mounting/room constraints.
Also, I found brightness to be to total red herring. These days they're all bright enough and in a dark room you'll have more trouble getting the projector to go dark enough rather than bright enough. Mine is on about 10% brightness!
Edited by page3 on Sunday 19th February 10:00
Frances The Mute said:
I use a BenQ W1070 and it's a fantastic piece of kit.
It's hugely versatile and it's performance - even in high ambient light areas - is superb. My cinema room is underground so there's no issue with stray light for me. It's kept on an eco setting and the depth of colour and contrast is just awesome. It runs pretty quietly, too.
One feature I like in particular is that you can have individual settings for different inputs so I can maximise the picture performance across the three different sources I use - Oppo Blu Ray, Humax and PS4.
I have got the same and find it brilliant.It's hugely versatile and it's performance - even in high ambient light areas - is superb. My cinema room is underground so there's no issue with stray light for me. It's kept on an eco setting and the depth of colour and contrast is just awesome. It runs pretty quietly, too.
One feature I like in particular is that you can have individual settings for different inputs so I can maximise the picture performance across the three different sources I use - Oppo Blu Ray, Humax and PS4.
It is definitely worth using the online calculator to check that you can have the screen size you want at the throw distance you can accommodate in your room. There are big differences between models.
The Benq range was literally the only one that gives me the image size I want in my room and the W1070 was by far the best value for money of all of their models.
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