PJD5133 vs EX5200 projector (1 Viewer)

[Jim Mcc]

Weedy, you need to save more money. If you can't spend at least $500 for the Optoma HD66 or Acer 5360, forget it. I've seen them as low as $400 I think.
And placing your 2 speakers on the end of your little TV stand is going to sound terrible.

 

[weedyweidenthal]

I am sorry I am coming across as so ignorant... Projectors and TV's are just not really something I know a whole lot about. I am really just trying to find something better than my 32 inch TCL TV. Basically I am stuck with having to have my projector 15 feet away from a 7.5 foot wide wall and I can't spend a ton of money. I don't really have a budget in mind, but I do know I don't want to much above $500. All the projectors that I keep seeing that are in my price range that are HD have low Lumens or the throw ratio won't work. I do appreciate the advice you guys have given. My fiancee and I are just casual watchers/gamers... From what I gather, you guys are way more experienced than we are with displays.
Jim Mcc, If I had speakers on the ground that were the full width of the wall, would that also sound bad?

 

[schan1269]

What do you mean speakers "full width of the wall"?
You are missing the entire point about presentation vs Home Theater when it comes to projectors...
Lumens is only 1/3 of the story when it comes to a projector. Another 1/3 is contrast. The other 1/3 is a combination of screen/room/ambient light.
Lumens is only a statistic to use to compare projectors within the same brand. Meaning...2000 lumen Vivitek does not equal 2000 lumen Epson.
There is a reason you do NOT want a presentation projector. The contrast sucks.
There are a bunch of HT projectors that have "less lumen" but they make up for it in contrast. Essentially, watching a movie or playing a game on any of the projectors you've picked is "not going to be a pleasurable experience".
Save some cash for the HD66 or the Acer 5360.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Weedy, forget what I said about the Optoma HD66 and Acer 5360. Neither can work with your long throw distance and screen size. In fact, when I entered your 90" diagonal screen size and 15' throw distance at Projectorcentral, there were ZERO projectors under $700 that will work. The only way that space will work with a projector is if you can move the projector WAY closer to screen.

 

[Jason Charlton]

If you're trying to do better than a 32" set and only have $500, you should shop Amazon or Costco for a budget flat panel display. There will be options for LCD displays in the 42-47" size. Personally, I prefer plasma over LCD or LED LCD, but they're getting harder to find at sizes under 50" and at prices close to $500 (Best Buy had a few 720p plasmas from Samsung and LG for $550). Costco online has a 46" Vizio for $500.

Edit: I see Sam linked to this LG 720p plasma at Amazon for $450 in another thread... thanks, Sam!

I think it's becoming clear that a projector may not be the best solution for you. Previous posters asked about your plans for a screen and you never answered. You can't expect to project on that color wall and not have it affect the picture. Even a cheap DIY screen could cost another ~$100 in materials, plus your time.

A bigger flat panel would literally be plug and play.

 

[schan1269]

I'm thinking of snagging one or two of those LG plasma for the house. Still have 2 bedrooms on an SD tube...granted they would get used maybe 10hrs a month...but for $450...
Tell you how good a deal $450 is. If you noticed I used to sell this stuff wholesale. I sold LG...
I have to drive 75 miles to buy that TV wholesale. Subtract out my "time" having not left the house...and no sales tax...I'd rather get it from Amazon. The company I sold for sells to Amazon...
What does that tell you...???

 

[weedyweidenthal]

Thanks guys. I am no longer considering any of those projectors, but just so I can understand fully... If it is the contrast ratio that sucks about the business projectors, then is the only problem with the BenQ MX660p the resolution? The lumens are 3000, and the contrast ratio is 5000:1, so the only thing I see lacking in that one is the resolution (It is XGA). Is there another spec that I am missing?
Jim Mcc, did you see one that was $700 that would work? Just for clarification, the diagonal range could be as much as 103"... 90" was the width of the wall. I looked at the BenQ EP5920 and I was thinking that if I had a screen on an easel 1 foot in front of my wall, that would work, it is just really low on lumens.
I haven't given up on finding a projector (I keep imagining Star Wars on a giant display), but I did go over to Best Buy today and looked at some TV's. They have some really good deals right now also on some LCD TV's. (Even saw one 1080p for $450 and a 46" screen if I remember correctly) Would you guys recommend that 720p plasma over a 1080p LCD?

 

[weedyweidenthal]

Oh, and when I said speakers the width of the wall, I meant the front speakers separated by the width of the wall instead of sitting on the TV stand that I have now.

 

[schan1269]

[quoteWould you guys recommend that 720p plasma over a 1080p LCD?[/quote]
Yes.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by weedyweidenthal /t/325801/pjd5133-vs-ex5200-projector#post_4010825
then is the only problem with the BenQ MX660p the resolution? The lumens are 3000, and the contrast ratio is 5000:1, so the only thing I see lacking in that one is the resolution (It is XGA). Is there another spec that I am missing?

The challenge with projectors is that you simply can't go by specs alone. In "real world" situations, the actual performance of any projector will NOT match the specs posted on the side of the box.

To make matters more complicated, a projector's performance will also depend on your room - what throw distance you have, your final screen size, what degree of lens zoom you're using (this affects brightness), the amount of ambient light, wall colors, etc.

Reading the detailed reviews of projectors on sites like www.projectorcentral.com and www.projectorreviews.com is highly recommended because they take the time to measure the projector's performance AFTER it's set up and properly calibrated. This provides you with a better idea of how a projector is likely to perform in your room.

Of course, sites like those tend to review projectors that are intended for home theater use, not business presentations (the latter being not terribly concerned with image accuracy and fidelity). The end result: if you intend to use a projector for home theater, you need to buy a projector that is intended for home theater use. Anything less and you're virtually guaranteed to suffer from buyer's remorse as soon as the novelty of the big screen wears off and you come to understand that you're only realizing a fraction of the potential that a modest HD projector and Blu-ray player would provide.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Thanks guys. I am no longer considering any of those projectors, but just so I can understand fully... If it is the contrast ratio that sucks about the business projectors, then is the only problem with the BenQ MX660p the resolution? The lumens are 3000, and the contrast ratio is 5000:1, so the only thing I see lacking in that one is the resolution (It is XGA). Is there another spec that I am missing?
Jim Mcc, did you see one that was $700 that would work? Just for clarification, the diagonal range could be as much as 103"... 90" was the width of the wall. I looked at the BenQ EP5920 and I was thinking that if I had a screen on an easel 1 foot in front of my wall, that would work, it is just really low on lumens.
I haven't given up on finding a projector (I keep imagining Star Wars on a giant display), but I did go over to Best Buy today and looked at some TV's. They have some really good deals right now also on some LCD TV's. (Even saw one 1080p for $450 and a 46" screen if I remember correctly) Would you guys recommend that 720p plasma over a 1080p LCD?

Thanks guys. I am no longer considering any of those projectors, but just so I can understand fully... If it is the contrast ratio that sucks about the business projectors, then is the only problem with the BenQ MX660p the resolution? The lumens are 3000, and the contrast ratio is 5000:1, so the only thing I see lacking in that one is the resolution (It is XGA). Is there another spec that I am missing?
Jim Mcc, did you see one that was $700 that would work?

No. The $700 one was also a 4:3 business projector. If you can't shorten the throw distance, buy a TV. If it came down to a 720p plasma or 1080p LCD, I'd buy the 1080p LCD(depending on the brands, of course).

 

[weedyweidenthal]

Thanks guys for all the advice. I think I am going to bite the bullet and get a Viewsonic Pro8300. It has a wide range for the throw ratio, speakers that I can use until I can afford to get a real sound system in another month or so, and is supposed to be able to produce a bright image for living room areas. On projector central, it is rated in the top 10 in the home video category (not the home theater category). I think it will be a considerable upgrade over what we have now with our TV. Is there any reason you guys would advise against this projector?

 

[Jim Mcc]

1) It is a Data/Text" projector
2) It is WAY TOO BRIGHT for your situation.
3) It does not have lens shift. The image would be on the ceiling.

 

[Jim Mcc]

The Pro 8200 would be a better choice IF you can mount it properly. That means mounted to ceiling(upside down) or on a low table, upright. I've seen this done where they put the projector on a low table shelf, between the front seats. That room is not good for a projector setup.
By the way, won't the light switches on the right side of wall be in the way of the screen?

 

[weedyweidenthal]

Those light switches will get in the way. Originally I thought I could work around it, that was why I started thinking about the screen being on an easel. I had been planning on applying keystone correction for a shelf mounted projector, but I see people advising against doing so.
I may have to scrap that whole plan and project onto a screen in front of the larger wall to the right and set it on a coffee table. If I do so, I need to find a way to hide all the cords which might be a challenge with hardwood floors. I could put down a rug and run the cords underneath. That would also give me more options on projectors since I wouldn't be so limited on where I could place it.

 

[Jason Charlton]

You really seem dead set on using a projector in an environment/room that is ill-suited for one. In fact, you're making so many compromises on the hardware and setup that I'm starting to wonder if any of our advice is really necessary.

Since your goal is clearly "big screen" at the expense of just about every other facet of the home theater experience, you should simply pick a model that fits your budget and be done with it. If the option of switching walls is on the table, so to speak, then you can experiment when you get it with combinations of placement, zoom and keystone correction until you find something that is as big as you want it.

Best of luck.

 

[schan1269]

now we are up to $800...cool
Now you can quit playing around with something that won't work...and buy something that will...
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P55UT50-55-Inch-Plasma/dp/B00752VLB8/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355077587&sr=1-4&keywords=55%22+plasma
Sears also sells a less expensive version of this...that has been as low as $600...
http://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Z60PV220-60-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B0065KT9LK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355077650&sr=1-1&keywords=60+zenith+plasma

 

[Jim Mcc]

I love my projector, but I would not buy one if that room was my only choice. I would use a flat panel TV. Check out today's Sears sales paper. They are closing out a 60" LG plasma, 1080p, for $799.

 

[weedyweidenthal]

I am listening to your guys advice. Could someone explain to me why the room is poorly suited for a projector? I thought that turning to the larger wall, I would get some comments in support of the projector. In fact, I was thinking it was well suited for the Benq 710ST. At 7.5 feet, I could have a big screen in 720p. The projector would sit on a coffee table similar to this one (http://huntsville.craigslist.org/fuo/3459898810.html) and I could hide the cords under a rug and I could drill the coffee table so that the cords would run straight through the top rather than go around. My fiancee wanted to make a screen using this (http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Screens-DIY133H-Outdoor-Projection/dp/B007X90XG2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1355101464&sr=8-5&keywords=diy+projector+screen). It is true that I do really want a projector to work, but if there is a reason why it wouldn't, I would really like to hear it. I feel like you guys have already saved me from multiple bad decisions and if using a projector is actually that bad of an idea, I would go with a large TV. I just want to fully exhaust my options first with a projector.

 

[schan1269]

At your budget...
A projector will just plain suck. Period.
You are better off finding a Mits DLP for under $1000...(or one of the aforementioned Zenith/LG/Panny plasma)
http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD73C12-Cinema-73-Inch-Projection/dp/B007TGKLXO/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355102015&sr=1-4&keywords=mitsubishi+dlp+73
That one is just an example. I've already seen deals for around $850 on the basic 73" at B&M stores(that would be Brick and Mortar)