How much do I need to spend on a projector?
Discussion
We’ve got a TV room that we’ve got a decent LG 55 inch OLED in, bought the other day thanks to some advice in another thread on here.
We only sit in there for a couple of hours in the evening, and only to watch TV. We have another bigger room, imaginatively known as ‘the big room’ that we spend a lot of time in over the weekend, we don’t want a TV in there, but very occasionally it would be nice to watch a film in there.
How much do I need to spend on a projector to make it worth while? We’re not big film watchers, and aren’t fussed about super image quality, there’s a wall to project on to, and space to hang a roller blind type screen if that turns out to be necessary, but minimum fuss is wanted.
What’s everyone’s thoughts and experiences please…..
We only sit in there for a couple of hours in the evening, and only to watch TV. We have another bigger room, imaginatively known as ‘the big room’ that we spend a lot of time in over the weekend, we don’t want a TV in there, but very occasionally it would be nice to watch a film in there.
How much do I need to spend on a projector to make it worth while? We’re not big film watchers, and aren’t fussed about super image quality, there’s a wall to project on to, and space to hang a roller blind type screen if that turns out to be necessary, but minimum fuss is wanted.
What’s everyone’s thoughts and experiences please…..
I bought a cheap projector and screen to see if we would actually bother to use it for movie nights. We don't, therefore I saved a lot of money by not buying an expensive one. If you are not big movie watchers then I suspect you may have a similar experience. Personally I just didn't find the setup worth the hassle.
We bought a wimius Q2 pro a couple of years ago. That connected to a Bluetooth speaker, such as soundcore anker 2, projected onto a 60" screen is perfect for garden movie or concert nights.
Outlay is about £200
England first world cup game was in daylight and we could just about find the ball. The 2nd half, as it got darker, was far better.
Outlay is about £200
England first world cup game was in daylight and we could just about find the ball. The 2nd half, as it got darker, was far better.
You can get a good DLP optoma projector for less than £500 and they are astonishingly good (and still at 1080p - my last one was).
120" screen, and never did we see screendoor or notice it wasn't 4k (in terms of, never hankered for more). Truly cinematic.
(caveat , I know 4k is better, but for true 4k you need to spend, and we really never felt 1080p was lacking, though of course 4k is better)
120" screen, and never did we see screendoor or notice it wasn't 4k (in terms of, never hankered for more). Truly cinematic.
(caveat , I know 4k is better, but for true 4k you need to spend, and we really never felt 1080p was lacking, though of course 4k is better)
^Disagree with the above.
We have a projector in our TV room that we use 3-4 times a week for films and I use everyday for gaming. The immersion from a 100inch+ screen versus a 55inch TV is night and day. We have only shutters for light control in the room and I'm not allowed to paint the room black but even during summer at noon it works fine.A 100inch TV would also work, but it would literally take over the room, not something we want.
I also have setup a cheap projector I had from my Uni days in the small gym we have. Again a TV would do the job but it would than become the focus of the room.
Coastwise like all AV gear it's a law of diminishing returns, I went for a none laser 4K projector £700 as a runout model, more than happy with it. If you wanted to you can spend £3k+ easily be on a laser 4k one.
Do plan the sound and how you will feed in video source, its never as easy as you think, and sound in particular for films/gaming is as important as video. Some of the newer projectors have streaming built in, but you than still have work out sound staging.
In the TV room the projector is connected to the AVR with cabling running in the ceiling and the screen pulls down just above the central speaker. In the gym it's to my old gaming Logitech speakers feed by 3.5mm plug via USBC hub that sends video to the projector through HDMI. Source in anything that does video/sound output via USBC.
For me the faff of setup (and cost) is well worth it, both projectors in the house gets used constantly without having the house look like a TV show room. Lamp replacement at some point will be needed but that's just a sign of something getting used lots
.
We have a projector in our TV room that we use 3-4 times a week for films and I use everyday for gaming. The immersion from a 100inch+ screen versus a 55inch TV is night and day. We have only shutters for light control in the room and I'm not allowed to paint the room black but even during summer at noon it works fine.A 100inch TV would also work, but it would literally take over the room, not something we want.
I also have setup a cheap projector I had from my Uni days in the small gym we have. Again a TV would do the job but it would than become the focus of the room.
Coastwise like all AV gear it's a law of diminishing returns, I went for a none laser 4K projector £700 as a runout model, more than happy with it. If you wanted to you can spend £3k+ easily be on a laser 4k one.
Do plan the sound and how you will feed in video source, its never as easy as you think, and sound in particular for films/gaming is as important as video. Some of the newer projectors have streaming built in, but you than still have work out sound staging.
In the TV room the projector is connected to the AVR with cabling running in the ceiling and the screen pulls down just above the central speaker. In the gym it's to my old gaming Logitech speakers feed by 3.5mm plug via USBC hub that sends video to the projector through HDMI. Source in anything that does video/sound output via USBC.
For me the faff of setup (and cost) is well worth it, both projectors in the house gets used constantly without having the house look like a TV show room. Lamp replacement at some point will be needed but that's just a sign of something getting used lots
.Edited by gangzoom on Saturday 19th September 07:09
How much of the above is based in fact or 2nd hand knowledge?
Under £200 on Amazon, Chinese led over 20000 hours of life in the led non replaceable bulb
Works as soon as it's dusk in our heavily glazed sun room, does get better the darker it gets
Says 4k support, sky box via hdmi looks sharp and says 2160p on our 100 inch screen
They're great for films and makes it more special and a half way house to a cinema, but if you don't watch films what do you expect to get from it
Under £200 on Amazon, Chinese led over 20000 hours of life in the led non replaceable bulb
Works as soon as it's dusk in our heavily glazed sun room, does get better the darker it gets
Says 4k support, sky box via hdmi looks sharp and says 2160p on our 100 inch screen
They're great for films and makes it more special and a half way house to a cinema, but if you don't watch films what do you expect to get from it
I would agree the room needs to be dark, darker the better.
I'd say to answer your question you need to spend around £500 to get something worthwhile. It might even be worth going second hand.
I started off going 'budget' for my set up at home, but its a slippery slope. Big screen needs big sound IMO. And once you start going down AVR/Speakers/Sub it can get very expensive.
Watching a film on a big screen via projector is immeasurably better than a TV screen for me,
I'd say to answer your question you need to spend around £500 to get something worthwhile. It might even be worth going second hand.
I started off going 'budget' for my set up at home, but its a slippery slope. Big screen needs big sound IMO. And once you start going down AVR/Speakers/Sub it can get very expensive.
Watching a film on a big screen via projector is immeasurably better than a TV screen for me,
I’ve got a Hisense 4k UST laser projector with an ALR screen and the picture is extremely vivid even in very light rooms making it usable irrespective.
Yes it’s more than the above posters have mentioned at £2k but it’s excellent and night/day better than the Optoma UST projector it replaced that was very good but did require a room that was less bright.
Yes it’s more than the above posters have mentioned at £2k but it’s excellent and night/day better than the Optoma UST projector it replaced that was very good but did require a room that was less bright.
I'm pleasantly surprised how bright the more recent projectors are. The Epson one we have is barely mid range but it projects absolutely fine in a room with reasonable light control. I use ours at any time of the day.
I think though sound is just as important as the visuals for immersion/escape you want from a film or games etc. The speakers and AVR I have hooked up to the projector are over 11 and 20 years old but turn the volume up and they still sound absolutely superb.
I suspect you can pick up some fantastic used audio gear/AVR off eBay for sub £500 that will make any new soundbar sound very inadequate. The main issue would be faff of setting everything up versus something new which would be just Bluetooth or wireless etc.
I think though sound is just as important as the visuals for immersion/escape you want from a film or games etc. The speakers and AVR I have hooked up to the projector are over 11 and 20 years old but turn the volume up and they still sound absolutely superb.
I suspect you can pick up some fantastic used audio gear/AVR off eBay for sub £500 that will make any new soundbar sound very inadequate. The main issue would be faff of setting everything up versus something new which would be just Bluetooth or wireless etc.
gangzoom said:
Do you see rainbow effect with these projectors?
Flippant response, what is rainbow effect?It was a low cost experiment as we were building an extension, it's fine, great picture once it's dusk (no blinds and roof lantern and mainly glazing). It's all physical cables so don't need to rely on any connectivity etc
It's probably like a phone, yes a £1k android phone will be great but most people most of the time are happy with a £150 one, the Chinese are awesome at copying tech at low prices. I'm sure more expensive projectors are better but hooked up to some big floorstanders it's superb for us, picture is as good as a cinema
I really miss using our projector now we have moved. I had 2, both 1080p, a Mitsubishi and and a Benq. Mitsi slightly better PQ but thr Benq was 3d.
Brilliant for watching movies and never felt the need to upgrade to 4k.
If I ever get round to doing another HC room id def have a PJ again.
Brilliant for watching movies and never felt the need to upgrade to 4k.
If I ever get round to doing another HC room id def have a PJ again.
v8notbrave said:
Flippant response, what is rainbow effect?
If you haven't noticed it than it probably doesn't effect to you. As others have said if when you see a 'rainbow' when you move your head. I find it quite distracting especially when gaming, hence going for an Epson 3LCD projector rather than DLP.I didn't know if newer DLP projectors still suffer from it.
We've gone the other way. Used an Infocus Screenplay 5700 with a good quality portable screen with a very white sintered surface and haven't used them since we got a 55" LG OLED.
As others have said my set up needed to be dark but the quality was as good if not better than contemporary (2005) TVs and was really immersive with the surround sound.
I'm listing them soon but projectors don't make much £ on eBay. 2-3000 hours left on the bulb. PM me if interested - could be a cheap way of testing your hypothesis. Pre HDMI but can connect via M1DA to HDMI adaptor. I wouldn't be surprised if unless you want a permanent screen you won't need to upgrade.
As others have said my set up needed to be dark but the quality was as good if not better than contemporary (2005) TVs and was really immersive with the surround sound.
I'm listing them soon but projectors don't make much £ on eBay. 2-3000 hours left on the bulb. PM me if interested - could be a cheap way of testing your hypothesis. Pre HDMI but can connect via M1DA to HDMI adaptor. I wouldn't be surprised if unless you want a permanent screen you won't need to upgrade.
There’s a fair bit of mythology around projectors in this thread.
You really don’t need to spend a fortune. I’ve lived without a television for well over ten years now because the projector didn’t just replace it, for us it was a significantly better solution.
You don’t need to sit in pitch darkness either. Obviously a projector looks its best in a darker room, but reflections can actually be worse on a glossy TV screen. And brightness isn’t everything. Mine is in a completely normal living room and I actually use a filter to reduce the brightness.
If ambient light is a real issue there are brighter projectors and ALR screens, but personally I’ve never felt the need.
And I just prefer the picture. I’m sure a decent TV wins plenty of technical comparisons, but to my eyes projection is simply a nicer, more natural experience. A bit like vinyl really.
Plus, when it’s off, you don’t have a huge black rectangle dominating the room.
You really don’t need to spend a fortune. I’ve lived without a television for well over ten years now because the projector didn’t just replace it, for us it was a significantly better solution.
You don’t need to sit in pitch darkness either. Obviously a projector looks its best in a darker room, but reflections can actually be worse on a glossy TV screen. And brightness isn’t everything. Mine is in a completely normal living room and I actually use a filter to reduce the brightness.
If ambient light is a real issue there are brighter projectors and ALR screens, but personally I’ve never felt the need.
And I just prefer the picture. I’m sure a decent TV wins plenty of technical comparisons, but to my eyes projection is simply a nicer, more natural experience. A bit like vinyl really.
Plus, when it’s off, you don’t have a huge black rectangle dominating the room.
Hisense M2TUK Pro 4k Laser Projector at Costco Edinburgh: £599.98 inc. VAT
Usual Costco price: £749.99 ex. VAT / about £899.99 inc. VAT
Amazon now: £1,071.61, and its lowest-ever tracked price: £849 by camelcamelcamel.
That is about £300 under Costco’s usual VAT-inclusive price and £249 below Amazon’s historical low.
Usual Costco price: £749.99 ex. VAT / about £899.99 inc. VAT
Amazon now: £1,071.61, and its lowest-ever tracked price: £849 by camelcamelcamel.
That is about £300 under Costco’s usual VAT-inclusive price and £249 below Amazon’s historical low.
gangzoom said:
v8notbrave said:
Flippant response, what is rainbow effect?
If you haven't noticed it than it probably doesn't effect to you. As others have said if when you see a 'rainbow' when you move your head. I find it quite distracting especially when gaming, hence going for an Epson 3LCD projector rather than DLP.I didn't know if newer DLP projectors still suffer from it.
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