Projector in daylight/as main TV?
Discussion
Following on from my 'how high' thread it seems I may have to re-think my TV setup.
Rather than have the TV on the fireplace wall as it will be too high.... I have 2 options. Either put a TV on a stand in the corner of the room (not very aesthetic bering in mind the open plan nature) OR just use a projector with a screen dropping from the ceiling when required.
Bearing in mind most of my TV watching is Bluray films or evening TV (only daylight TV probably grand prix or football) would a projector be a viable solution?
Thanks
Gary
Rather than have the TV on the fireplace wall as it will be too high.... I have 2 options. Either put a TV on a stand in the corner of the room (not very aesthetic bering in mind the open plan nature) OR just use a projector with a screen dropping from the ceiling when required.
Bearing in mind most of my TV watching is Bluray films or evening TV (only daylight TV probably grand prix or football) would a projector be a viable solution?
Thanks
Gary
My first one (10 years ago) needed a darkened room. My last InFocus ( 4 years old; don't recall the model) was absolutely fine in daylight. The only time it would struggle was in very bright direct light, at which time I'd shut the curtains. Which you would probably do with a conventional TV anyway. It's still going strong in my old house. I had a motorised 90" screen and the picture was equal to the Panasonic I had at the time.
I imagine anything current would be fine.
I imagine anything current would be fine.
LED light source and a high lumens should do the trick.
There are a increasing number of high end units which have high colour content combined with a high brightness (lumens) value, you won't know he difference, unless in direct sunlight. This is also typical of plasma or LCD tv screens.
There are a increasing number of high end units which have high colour content combined with a high brightness (lumens) value, you won't know he difference, unless in direct sunlight. This is also typical of plasma or LCD tv screens.
LED light sources with genuine high lumen outputs are pretty expensive (and don't be taken in by advertised figures either since lumens is more misleading than any car manufacturer's mpg figures. 
I don't make a habit of it, but I have run my projector in daytime, but we have blackout linings on the curtains: One pair being behind my screen, the other being across a patio door at the back of the room. As soon as the patio curtains are opened the picture starts to look really washed out, not what you would want to watch as a day to day TV replacement IMHO.
I actually prefer to keep my projector just for films and certain occasions (like the Olympics opening ceremony and that kind of thing). Otherwise it just loses it's wow factor. I happen to have a 2.35:1 (22:9) projector screen so that further adds a difference to my day to day TV which is 16:9 as is 99% of my viewing on it.
You also have to be careful as some makes of projector state in the manual that they aren't designed to be used for extended periods. I know the old 720p Panasonics had this hidden in the manual and a few people got caught out as the polarisers burnt out and they weren't covered under warranty...
Just to give an idea of how far my curtains are from the screen and yet the picture is still impacted badly by the sunlight:
An older picture of the screen end:
I don't make a habit of it, but I have run my projector in daytime, but we have blackout linings on the curtains: One pair being behind my screen, the other being across a patio door at the back of the room. As soon as the patio curtains are opened the picture starts to look really washed out, not what you would want to watch as a day to day TV replacement IMHO.
I actually prefer to keep my projector just for films and certain occasions (like the Olympics opening ceremony and that kind of thing). Otherwise it just loses it's wow factor. I happen to have a 2.35:1 (22:9) projector screen so that further adds a difference to my day to day TV which is 16:9 as is 99% of my viewing on it.
You also have to be careful as some makes of projector state in the manual that they aren't designed to be used for extended periods. I know the old 720p Panasonics had this hidden in the manual and a few people got caught out as the polarisers burnt out and they weren't covered under warranty...
Just to give an idea of how far my curtains are from the screen and yet the picture is still impacted badly by the sunlight:
An older picture of the screen end:
The fronts are an older picture as the left/rights were DB1+ in that picture. Now I have TB2+ across the front three. The Wafer 1 surrounds were bought recently for less than half new price:All the PMCs were bought used since there is little that can go wrong with a speaker.
I'm looking to replace that Monolith sub with a 15 or 18"/3000 watt sealed sub made locally. I'm going for a demo next Sunday and can't wait.
I'm looking to replace that Monolith sub with a 15 or 18"/3000 watt sealed sub made locally. I'm going for a demo next Sunday and can't wait.
Typically projector lamps last around 2-3000 hours but by the end they will have dimmed considerably. However, it's hard to tell by eye (until you put a new one in) since it's a slow decline. I have a Lux meter to measure mine and also to adjust the light output since my JVC has a variable aperture so I can match the light output for 16:9 content and 2.35:1 content for example. It's been handy to check on my new X35 lamp since the last generation had a bad name for lamp dimming, but JVC seem to have sorted it with the new lamp/power supply on this model judging by mine and other's measurements.
However, lamp dimming is a fact of life (even with LED but to a much lesser degree). You need to factor in at least 10-15% drop in the first 100 hours to ensure that the lamp will still be bright enough for ambient light use.In a fully darkened room it's surprising how low the light level can be: When I first got my Lux meter I found that I'd been watching at 5fL whereas typical recommended figure is around 15fL. I hadn't thought it was dark either.
If it helps here is a link to a projector calculator that will allow you to play with screen size, gain, zoom and of course which projector. They make some allowance for the light output not being as high as the manufacturers claim, but I still find it a little bit optimistic, so err on the brighter side especially if you are going to watch in ambient light.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calcula...
@ Redleicester, the TLE is a bit of a low point in PMC's range IMHO. Even my existing BK Monolith can go deeper and louder, plus it cost less than 25% of the TLE. The subs I'm looking at go to a genuinely low frequency (ie well under 10Hz) and can exceed reference levels (105db +10db peaks). It should be a good step up from the Monolith and even in a veneered Oak finish should come in under £2k so still less than the TLE.
@Magic919: Just be aware that sometimes old lamps will shatter if used well after their expected lifetime (occasionally before). It doesn't usually damage the projector since the lamp is usually sealed in it's own 'pit', but the noise is pretty frightening by all accounts and the release of mercury vapours not the best thing to breath in. Won't somebody please think of the children?
However, lamp dimming is a fact of life (even with LED but to a much lesser degree). You need to factor in at least 10-15% drop in the first 100 hours to ensure that the lamp will still be bright enough for ambient light use.In a fully darkened room it's surprising how low the light level can be: When I first got my Lux meter I found that I'd been watching at 5fL whereas typical recommended figure is around 15fL. I hadn't thought it was dark either.
If it helps here is a link to a projector calculator that will allow you to play with screen size, gain, zoom and of course which projector. They make some allowance for the light output not being as high as the manufacturers claim, but I still find it a little bit optimistic, so err on the brighter side especially if you are going to watch in ambient light.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calcula...
@ Redleicester, the TLE is a bit of a low point in PMC's range IMHO. Even my existing BK Monolith can go deeper and louder, plus it cost less than 25% of the TLE. The subs I'm looking at go to a genuinely low frequency (ie well under 10Hz) and can exceed reference levels (105db +10db peaks). It should be a good step up from the Monolith and even in a veneered Oak finish should come in under £2k so still less than the TLE.
@Magic919: Just be aware that sometimes old lamps will shatter if used well after their expected lifetime (occasionally before). It doesn't usually damage the projector since the lamp is usually sealed in it's own 'pit', but the noise is pretty frightening by all accounts and the release of mercury vapours not the best thing to breath in. Won't somebody please think of the children?
We use our projector for all evening viewing, but have a small (22") TV for daytime stuff. This works really well, the biggest problem was finding a decent small television set, as no-one seems to want to produce anything of quality (aka freeview HD + 1080p) at small sizes.
Watching old programmes on an 86" screen can be fun, as you see things that you were never intended to!
Watching old programmes on an 86" screen can be fun, as you see things that you were never intended to!
It seems that you can get special screens designed to be high gain for use in well lit environments:
http://www.anthemavs.co.uk/product/s-i-black-diamo...
http://www.anthemavs.co.uk/product/s-i-black-diamo...
marctwo said:
It seems that you can get special screens designed to be high gain for use in well lit environments:
http://www.anthemavs.co.uk/product/s-i-black-diamo...
Solid though - not roll-up.http://www.anthemavs.co.uk/product/s-i-black-diamo...
Check the price of those screens too since they are likely to be more than the projector the OP was considering.
Draper do an electric 'ambient light' screen called the ReAct II but this is still pretty expensive too. Even then there are some compromises with 'special' screens like these such as texture and a darker image if off to one side. You can't beat a matt white screen in a room with jet black walls and ceiling for ultimate picture quality, anything else is a compromise in some way.
Draper do an electric 'ambient light' screen called the ReAct II but this is still pretty expensive too. Even then there are some compromises with 'special' screens like these such as texture and a darker image if off to one side. You can't beat a matt white screen in a room with jet black walls and ceiling for ultimate picture quality, anything else is a compromise in some way.
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