Who knows anything about projectors?
Discussion
Now that the 6 Nations is upon us again I'd like to buy a projector so that I can watch Scotland win in large format on my living room wall 
It seems there's two kinds - those that I would consider "normal" projectors which seems to start at around £300 and go all the way up to over £2000, and mini projectors, which seem to cost around £70 - £90.
If customer reviews on Amazon are to be trusted, the mini ones seem perfectly good for watching movies (and rugby).
Comparing stats like lumens and resolution, there doesn't seem to be much difference.
With basically no knowledge on the subject a mini projector would seem to be a no-brainer. Doesn't require mounting on the ceiling, long bulb lives, etc - but mainly because they're far more affordable.
What am I missing? Will a mini projector be adequate for annual 6 nations watching and the occasional movie?
Thanks!
It seems there's two kinds - those that I would consider "normal" projectors which seems to start at around £300 and go all the way up to over £2000, and mini projectors, which seem to cost around £70 - £90.
If customer reviews on Amazon are to be trusted, the mini ones seem perfectly good for watching movies (and rugby).
Comparing stats like lumens and resolution, there doesn't seem to be much difference.
With basically no knowledge on the subject a mini projector would seem to be a no-brainer. Doesn't require mounting on the ceiling, long bulb lives, etc - but mainly because they're far more affordable.
What am I missing? Will a mini projector be adequate for annual 6 nations watching and the occasional movie?
Thanks!
Edited by Stu-C123 on Sunday 3rd February 09:00
I have a mini projector (a Merlin mini 1080p 3D) which I picked up in Dubai airport a few years ago. Surprising competent although at 500 lumens you really needed to darken the room to get the best out of it. Plus you have to have the likes of a cinema kit (receiver, speakers, DVD system etc) to connect to it as the in-built speakers are useless. But I used mine for DVDs and PS4 gaming for a couple of years and it was excellent - amazing how quickly you get used to a 100+ inch picture. Only reason I don't use it right now is my current place doesn't have a suitable wall/setup for using it.
If you're planning to use it only occasionally, and you have the external kit to hook it up to (even a pair of old computer speakers would do the trick) then I say go for the mini. I had mine set up on an ikea bookcase projecting onto a large white wall around 15 feet away.
If you want something long-term, it would be worth investing in a larger unit and proper projector screen.
If you're planning to use it only occasionally, and you have the external kit to hook it up to (even a pair of old computer speakers would do the trick) then I say go for the mini. I had mine set up on an ikea bookcase projecting onto a large white wall around 15 feet away.
If you want something long-term, it would be worth investing in a larger unit and proper projector screen.
That's helpful, thanks.
The one I'm looking at is a Geargo, 2800 lumens and supports 1080p. It's £84.99.
Indeed it will be for occasional use. Even considering that though I still wonder if I'm missing something - why would you spend many hundreds of pounds when you can have something just as good, if not better, and more convenient for a fraction of the cost?
The one I'm looking at is a Geargo, 2800 lumens and supports 1080p. It's £84.99.
Indeed it will be for occasional use. Even considering that though I still wonder if I'm missing something - why would you spend many hundreds of pounds when you can have something just as good, if not better, and more convenient for a fraction of the cost?
Stu-C123 said:
I still wonder if I'm missing something - why would you spend many hundreds of pounds when you can have something just as good, if not better, and more convenient for a fraction of the cost?
Various reasons, but don't be fooled by the 'HD' input on the specs, that projector probably has a much lower native resolution so it's not displaying 1080p, just downscaling it. In fact the Amazon page I found doesn't mention native resolution, but if it's something like 960x480 then it's going to look fairly 'blocky' when blown up to 100" or whatever.Then the scaling itself maybe not be great, and general processing may be poor giving poor motion (which won't be fun watching sport). The 2800 lumen figure needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt really as it won't measure anything close to that, especially in anything like a vaguely accurate mode. The contrast ratio is pretty low too at 2000:1, so blacks will tend to look grey and combined with the low real world light output darker scenes will tend to look like a grey 'fog'.
Lens quality probably isn't great so focus may not be uniform (ie get the centre in focus and the side(s) could be blury).
Bear in mind that projectors not only need a totally dark room to perform their best, they also ideally need dark decor as much of the light gets washed back to the screen further destroying contrast. You won't get much of a picture in a lightly decorated room with some lights on/curtains open in daytime for example.
Sorry to be such a downer on it, but there are reasons why it isn't 'just as good' as even a £500 proper HD model, let alone something much more (though diminishing returns do kick in of course, like any AV). I'm not saying this as an AV snob, just that adverts can be very clever at avoiding the important details and sometimes it's what isn't written that matters.
EDIT: One of the questions on Amazon asks about the native resolution and it is 800 x 480 which is less than a standard definition LCD TV from 2000.
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Sunday 3rd February 15:00
OldSkoolRS said:
Various reasons, but don't be fooled by the 'HD' input on the specs, that projector probably has a much lower native resolution so it's not displaying 1080p, just downscaling it. In fact the Amazon page I found doesn't mention native resolution, but if it's something like 960x480 then it's going to look fairly 'blocky' when blown up to 100" or whatever.
Then the scaling itself maybe not be great, and general processing may be poor giving poor motion (which won't be fun watching sport). The 2800 lumen figure needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt really as it won't measure anything close to that, especially in anything like a vaguely accurate mode. The contrast ratio is pretty low too at 2000:1, so blacks will tend to look grey and combined with the low real world light output darker scenes will tend to look like a grey 'fog'.
Lens quality probably isn't great so focus may not be uniform (ie get the centre in focus and the side(s) could be blury).
Bear in mind that projectors not only need a totally dark room to perform their best, they also ideally need dark decor as much of the light gets washed back to the screen further destroying contrast. You won't get much of a picture in a lightly decorated room with some lights on/curtains open in daytime for example.
Sorry to be such a downer on it, but there are reasons why it isn't 'just as good' as even a £500 proper HD model, let alone something much more (though diminishing returns do kick in of course, like any AV). I'm not saying this as an AV snob, just that adverts can be very clever at avoiding the important details and sometimes it's what isn't written that matters.
EDIT: One of the questions on Amazon asks about the native resolution and it is 800 x 480 which is less than a standard definition LCD TV from 2000.
Not a downer at all - that's exactly why I asked and that explains it well, so thank you! Back to the drawing board I think!Then the scaling itself maybe not be great, and general processing may be poor giving poor motion (which won't be fun watching sport). The 2800 lumen figure needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt really as it won't measure anything close to that, especially in anything like a vaguely accurate mode. The contrast ratio is pretty low too at 2000:1, so blacks will tend to look grey and combined with the low real world light output darker scenes will tend to look like a grey 'fog'.
Lens quality probably isn't great so focus may not be uniform (ie get the centre in focus and the side(s) could be blury).
Bear in mind that projectors not only need a totally dark room to perform their best, they also ideally need dark decor as much of the light gets washed back to the screen further destroying contrast. You won't get much of a picture in a lightly decorated room with some lights on/curtains open in daytime for example.
Sorry to be such a downer on it, but there are reasons why it isn't 'just as good' as even a £500 proper HD model, let alone something much more (though diminishing returns do kick in of course, like any AV). I'm not saying this as an AV snob, just that adverts can be very clever at avoiding the important details and sometimes it's what isn't written that matters.
EDIT: One of the questions on Amazon asks about the native resolution and it is 800 x 480 which is less than a standard definition LCD TV from 2000.
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Sunday 3rd February 15:00
These are great as a "starter" projector - different world to the cheap mini projectors.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optoma-HD143X-HDMI-Lumens...
There is a customer return for £425 on Amazon - a lot of performance for the money. I used to have one and it's impressive - decent performance even in undarkened room (although a lot better if it is dark)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optoma-HD143X-HDMI-Lumens...
There is a customer return for £425 on Amazon - a lot of performance for the money. I used to have one and it's impressive - decent performance even in undarkened room (although a lot better if it is dark)
As mentioned above, one of the important factors is that you are getting an HD output as well as the ability to deal with an HD input.
If you are projecting a 120" image on your wall, that is the equivalent screen-size of FOUR 55" TVs. Ideally, you'd want it to have more pixels than the TV rather than less.
There is no need to spend a fortune. I have got a Benq W1070 that is 1080p and cost ne about £400. It is virtually always used in preference to the Sony 4K TV in the same room that cost me four times what the projector did.
The TV picture is 'better' in terms of having more detail, better colours, better black level, but it just isn't as good to watch as the projector which is still competent at all of those things but has an image almost four times the size.
If you are projecting a 120" image on your wall, that is the equivalent screen-size of FOUR 55" TVs. Ideally, you'd want it to have more pixels than the TV rather than less.
There is no need to spend a fortune. I have got a Benq W1070 that is 1080p and cost ne about £400. It is virtually always used in preference to the Sony 4K TV in the same room that cost me four times what the projector did.
The TV picture is 'better' in terms of having more detail, better colours, better black level, but it just isn't as good to watch as the projector which is still competent at all of those things but has an image almost four times the size.
Junior Bianno said:
These are great as a "starter" projector - different world to the cheap mini projectors.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optoma-HD143X-HDMI-Lumens...
I wouldn't even say "starter". I have the 131Xe (almost identical), project onto a 135" screen, and there is nothing "starter" about it :-) Stunning DLP projector. I'll need to see something under £1k that is a genuine 4k before I even think about upgrading it.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optoma-HD143X-HDMI-Lumens...
Mister nay sayer here again: Just to comment that single chip DLPs can give some viewers a problem with seeing 'rainbows' or a kind of 'split' to the colours on movement because of the colour wheel and the way they produce the image.
While many people don't see it, I do and watching a DLP for even a short period gives me a headache, so just something to be aware of as a possibility (so just make sure the returns policy is suitable or better yet go to Richer Sounds or similar and have a demo). If you're a gambler then you could take a chance ordering online as I'm the minority, but I'm not the only one.
While many people don't see it, I do and watching a DLP for even a short period gives me a headache, so just something to be aware of as a possibility (so just make sure the returns policy is suitable or better yet go to Richer Sounds or similar and have a demo). If you're a gambler then you could take a chance ordering online as I'm the minority, but I'm not the only one.
RogerDodger said:
I wouldn't even say "starter". I have the 131Xe (almost identical), project onto a 135" screen, and there is nothing "starter" about it :-) Stunning DLP projector. I'll need to see something under £1k that is a genuine 4k before I even think about upgrading it.
Only starter in that 4K is really the standard now...and there are any number of genuine 4K projectors sub £1k now. Junior Bianno said:
Only starter in that 4K is really the standard now...and there are any number of genuine 4K projectors sub £1k now.
The trouble is that 4K projectors are another can of worms just like countless others created by home cinema and hifi manufacturers over the years.All of the 4K projectors under £1k will employ pixel
shifting to make their 1920x1080 pixels mimic the 3840x2160 required for 4K.
Sony and a few others have projectors with real 4K panels, but these are more like £5k at the moment.
That’s not to say tha the pixel shifting ones aren’t better than the non-4K projectors. I downscale 4K into my Benq W1070, but when that fails I’ll probably go for something that can handle 4K directly.
Just wanted to say thanks all for the advice.
Picked up a Benq W1050 from Richer Sounds yesterday after going along to check that I wasn't susceptible to the "colour drag" phenomenon. They were great and a shining example of why it still often pays to shop in a store rather than online.
I'm really happy with the projector. Roll on the weekend!
Picked up a Benq W1050 from Richer Sounds yesterday after going along to check that I wasn't susceptible to the "colour drag" phenomenon. They were great and a shining example of why it still often pays to shop in a store rather than online.
I'm really happy with the projector. Roll on the weekend!
Stu-C123 said:
Just wanted to say thanks all for the advice.
Picked up a Benq W1050 from Richer Sounds yesterday after going along to check that I wasn't susceptible to the "colour drag" phenomenon. They were great and a shining example of why it still often pays to shop in a store rather than online.
I'm really happy with the projector. Roll on the weekend!
Great choice, these represent really good value for money.Picked up a Benq W1050 from Richer Sounds yesterday after going along to check that I wasn't susceptible to the "colour drag" phenomenon. They were great and a shining example of why it still often pays to shop in a store rather than online.
I'm really happy with the projector. Roll on the weekend!
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