Projector dilema
Discussion
Evening all,
I'm having a bit of a dilema at the minute over getting a projector for the lounge. Currently I've got a 42" LCD with Sky HD etc tied up to a BOSE Lifestyle 38. Now it's plenty good enough for what we need but as with most rooms it's sat in the corner.
The plan was to keep that set up for day to day viewing but to add a drop down 100" screen in front the chimney breast (dead centre of the wall) and fit a projector to the opposite wall for movies and footy! I've got an HDMI switch box which I presume I can send a lead over to the projector and hence display SKY / DVD's etc as per on the TV at present.
What is the best approach for this and is the picture quality any good at approx £500 end of the range?
Any advice much appreciated!
I'm having a bit of a dilema at the minute over getting a projector for the lounge. Currently I've got a 42" LCD with Sky HD etc tied up to a BOSE Lifestyle 38. Now it's plenty good enough for what we need but as with most rooms it's sat in the corner.
The plan was to keep that set up for day to day viewing but to add a drop down 100" screen in front the chimney breast (dead centre of the wall) and fit a projector to the opposite wall for movies and footy! I've got an HDMI switch box which I presume I can send a lead over to the projector and hence display SKY / DVD's etc as per on the TV at present.
What is the best approach for this and is the picture quality any good at approx £500 end of the range?
Any advice much appreciated!
There are some decent budget models that will suit, so long as you are realistic about the picture quality (and black levels) compared to a 42" TV, but first a few points that you may have overlooked:
1. If your TV is in the corner then either your TV sound or projector sound won't match where the screen is unless you plan to move the speakers each time you use either display. I also find that when I watch on my projector the sound level has to go up to match the scale of the screen. If you live in a terraced/semi then consider if this is going to be practical since a big screen with small sound is a bit disappointing IMHO.
2. A drop down screen will curl and wrinkle over time: You can buy a screen that is 'tab tensioned' and will remain flat for years, but decent ones cost more your budget for the projector. Therefore if you buy a cheap screen to start with, do it fully expecting it to be a stop gap then you won't be disappointed.
3. The image quality of a projector is greatly effected by the room: Watching in complete darkness is a given (so open plan houses with lighting on elsewhere will be a compromise for example). However, it's the typical light walls and white ceilings in most UK living rooms that also compromise the image: The light reflects back to the screen and washes out dark areas making blacks look grey. If your room fits this description, again go into it expecting not to have such deep blacks as a TV.
This isn't to say that having a projector in a typical living room can't be fun: I do exactly that, but I understand the limitations (and I'm doing something about it too).
I'd suggest looking at some of the Optoma models and maybe Epson. I would strongly urge a demo first because some models use 'DLP' technology which can give some viewers headaches (like me) due to the colour wheel and you may see 'rainbow effect'. The Epsons are LCD which doesn't suffer this effect, but can have less contrast and may suffer uniformity issues. Another option is to look on AVForums classifieds: I recently sold a JVC HD350 DILA projector for £700 and it will produce a much better 2D picture than any sub £1,000 new projector. There have been a few similar models for sale recently, including the older HD1 which sold for around you budget.
1. If your TV is in the corner then either your TV sound or projector sound won't match where the screen is unless you plan to move the speakers each time you use either display. I also find that when I watch on my projector the sound level has to go up to match the scale of the screen. If you live in a terraced/semi then consider if this is going to be practical since a big screen with small sound is a bit disappointing IMHO.
2. A drop down screen will curl and wrinkle over time: You can buy a screen that is 'tab tensioned' and will remain flat for years, but decent ones cost more your budget for the projector. Therefore if you buy a cheap screen to start with, do it fully expecting it to be a stop gap then you won't be disappointed.
3. The image quality of a projector is greatly effected by the room: Watching in complete darkness is a given (so open plan houses with lighting on elsewhere will be a compromise for example). However, it's the typical light walls and white ceilings in most UK living rooms that also compromise the image: The light reflects back to the screen and washes out dark areas making blacks look grey. If your room fits this description, again go into it expecting not to have such deep blacks as a TV.
This isn't to say that having a projector in a typical living room can't be fun: I do exactly that, but I understand the limitations (and I'm doing something about it too).
I'd suggest looking at some of the Optoma models and maybe Epson. I would strongly urge a demo first because some models use 'DLP' technology which can give some viewers headaches (like me) due to the colour wheel and you may see 'rainbow effect'. The Epsons are LCD which doesn't suffer this effect, but can have less contrast and may suffer uniformity issues. Another option is to look on AVForums classifieds: I recently sold a JVC HD350 DILA projector for £700 and it will produce a much better 2D picture than any sub £1,000 new projector. There have been a few similar models for sale recently, including the older HD1 which sold for around you budget.
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Sunday 27th January 09:45
Edited by OldSkoolRS on Sunday 27th January 10:08
Oldskool makes some good points, however I went down the same road as you are about a year ago.
I previously had an old projector in the kids games room, fully wired in with the screen painted onto a wall using special screen paint. With a Sony 5:1 surround sound system wired in, all finished nicely in a cupboard in the corner of the room.
The projector was about 10 years old, failed and it wasn't worth repairing, so off i went to Richer Sounds.....
I have the following in the room
sky+ feed from the box in the study
DVD/Blueray
VCR (yes, we still have those tape thingies!)
Apple TV
Freeview box
I bought an optima DLP projector with HDMI and mounted it where the previous one had been. Unfortunately I had to run the HDMI cable from the Yamaha box in conduit which was a shame as previously cables from the cupboard had been hidden in the wall and ceiling. Next time I'll think in advance and allow room to run more cables in tubing if they're hidden in the walls/ceiling...build in redundancy!
I then painted over the screen paint ant bought a pull down screen. Not a great expense, it's ok and doesn't curled but I'm not sure how long it will last. The reason I painted over the screen paint was simply the ratio of the new screen differed to the new projector, the paint actually worked very well.
So.....Sky+ is fed into the VCR. VCR goes into the Amp.
DVD straight into the amp - HDMI
Apple TV straight into the amp - HDMI
Freeview straight into the amp - HDMI
Amp goes into the projector - HDMI
The image quality is fine regardless of the fact here's three large windows in that room and it's quite light. It's obviously better in darkness but no need to close the curtains if you don't want to.
The speakers my old Sony 5:1 surround sound speakers that are now the same age as the original projector, so 10 years or more, they were there and I couldn't justify changing them!
I did buy a powered bass thingy and that's fed via a cable from the amp and sits in a corner in the room - a must as adding bass makes a big difference.
I suppose the whole 'new' set up cost around a grand and whilst I'm sure it falls short if you know what you're looking at or listening to, it does the job very well.
Films/F1 or normal TV are to watch (oh, and you can of course plug in a playstation et al if need be). When the house was re-built many years ago I soundproofed that room so the kids can have the sound cranked up and not disturb anyone else!
Couple of picture showing the screen, projector and cupboard with av equipment in, unfortunately a friends 4 year old smashed the glass door recently and I've not got around to having a new one made yet!
I previously had an old projector in the kids games room, fully wired in with the screen painted onto a wall using special screen paint. With a Sony 5:1 surround sound system wired in, all finished nicely in a cupboard in the corner of the room.
The projector was about 10 years old, failed and it wasn't worth repairing, so off i went to Richer Sounds.....
I have the following in the room
sky+ feed from the box in the study
DVD/Blueray
VCR (yes, we still have those tape thingies!)
Apple TV
Freeview box
I bought an optima DLP projector with HDMI and mounted it where the previous one had been. Unfortunately I had to run the HDMI cable from the Yamaha box in conduit which was a shame as previously cables from the cupboard had been hidden in the wall and ceiling. Next time I'll think in advance and allow room to run more cables in tubing if they're hidden in the walls/ceiling...build in redundancy!
I then painted over the screen paint ant bought a pull down screen. Not a great expense, it's ok and doesn't curled but I'm not sure how long it will last. The reason I painted over the screen paint was simply the ratio of the new screen differed to the new projector, the paint actually worked very well.
So.....Sky+ is fed into the VCR. VCR goes into the Amp.
DVD straight into the amp - HDMI
Apple TV straight into the amp - HDMI
Freeview straight into the amp - HDMI
Amp goes into the projector - HDMI
The image quality is fine regardless of the fact here's three large windows in that room and it's quite light. It's obviously better in darkness but no need to close the curtains if you don't want to.
The speakers my old Sony 5:1 surround sound speakers that are now the same age as the original projector, so 10 years or more, they were there and I couldn't justify changing them!
I did buy a powered bass thingy and that's fed via a cable from the amp and sits in a corner in the room - a must as adding bass makes a big difference.
I suppose the whole 'new' set up cost around a grand and whilst I'm sure it falls short if you know what you're looking at or listening to, it does the job very well.
Films/F1 or normal TV are to watch (oh, and you can of course plug in a playstation et al if need be). When the house was re-built many years ago I soundproofed that room so the kids can have the sound cranked up and not disturb anyone else!
Couple of picture showing the screen, projector and cupboard with av equipment in, unfortunately a friends 4 year old smashed the glass door recently and I've not got around to having a new one made yet!
Thanks for the info guys. I will be sorting out speaker positions etc to suit. House is detached so no problems with cranking it up! Also it was a self build by myself so all wiring etc is hidden to keep things tidy.
Interesting point on the screen life if it's a drop down, didn't think they would deteriorate so easily. Think I'll give it a whirl and see how it goes!
Thanks.
Interesting point on the screen life if it's a drop down, didn't think they would deteriorate so easily. Think I'll give it a whirl and see how it goes!
Thanks.
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