Projector vs BIG Tv
Discussion
Doing a self build at the mo and we have budgeted for a screen and projector in the living room. The problem is the room has 3 windows and a large set of french doors so will always suffer with light issues. The plan was to buy a projector lift and motorised screen so we are looking at c 3.6k for an entry level set up.
Screen - 800
Lift - 1200
Projector - 1500
Cabling, additional sockets etc 100
For that sort of money I could just go with a 65" LED @ 2.5k or even drop down to a 60 or 55" TV at a big big saving.
Anyone had the same challenge, utilising a projector in a normal family room as opposed to a darkened dedicated room.
Room is 6mx4m btw and the view will be across the room at the shorter point so 3.5 m max.
Screen - 800
Lift - 1200
Projector - 1500
Cabling, additional sockets etc 100
For that sort of money I could just go with a 65" LED @ 2.5k or even drop down to a 60 or 55" TV at a big big saving.
Anyone had the same challenge, utilising a projector in a normal family room as opposed to a darkened dedicated room.
Room is 6mx4m btw and the view will be across the room at the shorter point so 3.5 m max.
We went down the projector route about 8 years ago, and have just upgraded to an HD version. I did consider a drop down screen, but decided against it on cost grounds and the fact that they seem to have inherrent issues with presenting a taut flat surface. I decided to make my own screen, using proper screen fabric attached to a plywood backing, and mounted to the wall so that it could easily be removed if need be. This is 86" diagonal. Given that our walls are white (not ideal for a projector) and there is no frame around the screen, it blends in quite well and is nice and flat. IIRC it cost around £120 for the ply and fabric. In terms of ambient light, we use blackout blinds across the windows and patio doors, which are easily raised when required, but cut down massively on the light entering the room. We also have a small LCD screen on an arm to check programming etc when we don't wnat to fire up the projector.
IMHO if you are having a projector as well as a TV (which is what I have) I don't see the point paying loads more for a really big TV when you can get a decent 50" one for much less. That way you can spend a bit more on the projector set up. 
I saw your price for a projector lift as £1,200. I was looking into this myself but found that the one needed for my JVC X35 would require a much bigger lift and the price shot up to £2,500 (ie about the same as the projector itself). In fact I need a longer drop than their standard to clear a light fitting and that makes it a 'custom' made one and the price goes to £4,000.
While a smaller one might save money in the short term, if you ever upgrade the projector you might be limited to the size of the lift you've bought, so I'd suggest at least considering a slightly larger size than the bare minimum required for the projector you are looking at now.
Also to add that electric screens can be made to remain flat: I have a 4 year old tab tensioned electric screen that is perfectly flat. The material completely disappears when viewing a picture and it seems like it's floating in space rather than being on a screen. Don't under estimate the value of a decent screen and if you buy a cheap one, don't expect it to last forever, treat it as a stop gap to getting something later because it will curl and wrinkle eventually if it's not tensioned or a fixed screen.
I saw your price for a projector lift as £1,200. I was looking into this myself but found that the one needed for my JVC X35 would require a much bigger lift and the price shot up to £2,500 (ie about the same as the projector itself). In fact I need a longer drop than their standard to clear a light fitting and that makes it a 'custom' made one and the price goes to £4,000.
While a smaller one might save money in the short term, if you ever upgrade the projector you might be limited to the size of the lift you've bought, so I'd suggest at least considering a slightly larger size than the bare minimum required for the projector you are looking at now.Also to add that electric screens can be made to remain flat: I have a 4 year old tab tensioned electric screen that is perfectly flat. The material completely disappears when viewing a picture and it seems like it's floating in space rather than being on a screen. Don't under estimate the value of a decent screen and if you buy a cheap one, don't expect it to last forever, treat it as a stop gap to getting something later because it will curl and wrinkle eventually if it's not tensioned or a fixed screen.
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Sunday 13th January 19:57
Yes it was puretheatre lifts I was looking at. Initially I though I'd get away with one for about £1,500 which is bad enough, but would be worth it just to hide everything away when not in use (it's a living room set up unfortunately).
For now I've welded up a strong frame to make a 'floating shelf' which hopefully will look discrete enough once fitted. It's on top of a bookcase at the moment but we want to rearrange some of the furniture so the bookcase is moving, hence the search for alternative projector mounts/lifts.
For now I've welded up a strong frame to make a 'floating shelf' which hopefully will look discrete enough once fitted. It's on top of a bookcase at the moment but we want to rearrange some of the furniture so the bookcase is moving, hence the search for alternative projector mounts/lifts.
I had the exact same dilemma, right down to the twin patio doors at the rear of the room (South facing too, so strong sun all day long)
I ended up going for a 60 inch plasma just before xmas. I couldn't justify the hassles of having the projector in such a compromised room, I will just wait until I can do a loft conversion for the projector.
On a plus side, 60 inch plasma rocks for both big screen movies and normal tv watching.
I cant get over the prices of those lifts!
I ended up going for a 60 inch plasma just before xmas. I couldn't justify the hassles of having the projector in such a compromised room, I will just wait until I can do a loft conversion for the projector.
On a plus side, 60 inch plasma rocks for both big screen movies and normal tv watching.
I cant get over the prices of those lifts!
Trouble is that even 60" looks small especially if it's 2.35:1 aspect ratio content (the type with black bars top and bottom), when you get used to a projector screen. My projector screen is 2.35:1 so it's 112" width is fully filled for those films and no black bars since the screen is the same proportions as the content. 
I agree that it could be disappointing putting a projector in a compromised room (I'm making some changes to mine specifically to reduce reflections back to the screen to improve the contrast). I did once meet a guy who was upgrading to the (then) £5k JVC HD950 projector and he had a totally white room, but maybe he had more money than sense...
I agree that it could be disappointing putting a projector in a compromised room (I'm making some changes to mine specifically to reduce reflections back to the screen to improve the contrast). I did once meet a guy who was upgrading to the (then) £5k JVC HD950 projector and he had a totally white room, but maybe he had more money than sense...
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Sunday 13th January 22:10
Bullett said:
So 72" give or take?
Is it time/money/worth the effort over a 65" TV?
I don't think so....but it's down to the room and how it's used. Is it time/money/worth the effort over a 65" TV?
As far as budget is concerned how much of your AV budget would you be spending on the viewing vs the hearing as it were? I think a but more money spent on the audio would be a better spend than on a slightly bigger screen with the more expensive projector.
For example a good amp (assuming separate processor) and speakers are things that will last longer than the rest of the system and would be worth investing in now.
Audio is a separate budget. I already have a Denon AV Receiver and the plan would be to upgrade this to a system with dual HDMI outputs/Airplay etc.
On the speaker sub front I have KEF Eggs, but am looking at utilising the existing KEF Sub/Centre and going with ceiling speakers for the FL/FR/RL/RR.
On the speaker sub front I have KEF Eggs, but am looking at utilising the existing KEF Sub/Centre and going with ceiling speakers for the FL/FR/RL/RR.
I'd agree with the comments that 72" isn't really worth the bother of a projector if a 65" TV is in budget.
PS. To to poster who suggested buying a white projector, I did and the the X35 is huge, so it doesn't really look subtle. Hopefully once I've finished my floating shelf and some room changes it won't stick out too much, but a lift would be a lot more discrete: A DIY version might be my alternative as it doesn't need to be electric (though it would be nice)...being an Engineer comes in handy for this sort of project.
PS. To to poster who suggested buying a white projector, I did and the the X35 is huge, so it doesn't really look subtle. Hopefully once I've finished my floating shelf and some room changes it won't stick out too much, but a lift would be a lot more discrete: A DIY version might be my alternative as it doesn't need to be electric (though it would be nice)...being an Engineer comes in handy for this sort of project.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
OP - I'll be starting my self build in the next month and this is the solution I am going for.I'm going to wire up the living room for 5.1 sound (I'm going directional ceiling speakers) connected to an AV amp with Blu Ray. This will only be used when the screen drops from the ceiling for watching films. For normal TV I'll have a TV.
I'll have a glass wall in the room but although I'll have blinds and curtains I don't want to have to close them during the day to watch TV as it will become a pain in the arse.
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