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Projector choices (1 Viewer)

KeithTN

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Oct 9, 2008
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Keith Lipford
Hi everyone, kinda new here with some questions. We are about to purchase our project. We already have about a 144" screen mounted on the ceiling. I was needing some ideas for which projector to look at with about a $1000 -$1200 budget. We are planning on using it for dvd movies and PS3 gaming. Any suggestions would be helpful.
thnx, Keith
 

GeorgeAB

Supporting Actor
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Jan 28, 2001
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522
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Denver, CO
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G. Alan Brown
I can't think of a projector in that price range that can produce a proper image on such a large screen. What is the material type and gain of the screen, how dark are the various room surfaces (especially the ceiling), and do you have absolute control of ambient light?
 

KeithTN

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Oct 9, 2008
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Keith Lipford
The screen is the kind that is suspended from the ceiling. It has a motor that lets the screen up and down. I'm not sure of the gain or material. I do n't have much control of ambient light during the day, but I do at night. There's no street or security lights. The project doesn't have to fit the entire screen, but I would like to have a decent size picture.
 

GeorgeAB

Supporting Actor
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Jan 28, 2001
Messages
522
Location
Denver, CO
Real Name
G. Alan Brown
A two-piece front projection display is a system that includes the room. The screen must be matched to the projector and the projector to the screen. This is impossible without knowing and taking into account the screen material type and gain. You still haven't told us about your room surfaces. We can't help you without these critical elements of information. Projecting an image that is smaller than the screen will look really stupid and you won't be happy in the long run.

A poorly designed system will yield poor results. My advice to you is to do this right. It sounds like you know far too little to get your money's worth out of the equipment investment you are planning. I suspect you have started out wrong and have the wrong screen for your intended purposes. You are wise to seek help, but the system design process is not as simple as you seem to presume. Please determine the answers to the questions that have been posed to you so we can proceed intelligently.
 

KeithTN

Auditioning
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Oct 9, 2008
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Real Name
Keith Lipford
I have a white non-reflective ceiling, white satin finished walls with light blue satin finish on the bottom half. The screen is a screen my wife inherited from her late brother. It looks to be made of some kind of vinyl. I have no real idea about the gain. It appears that he threw away any info on it and it's kinda hard to ask him about it.
 

GeorgeAB

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Messages
522
Location
Denver, CO
Real Name
G. Alan Brown
Look for some label or markings that tell you who the manufacturer is. Since it's an electric screen, there is likely to be a model and serial number noted somewhere. Contact the manufacturer to see if they have a record of which material was used and what the gain is. If the gain is relatively high, you can get a brighter image from a cheap projector in a seriously compromised viewing environment such as yours.

Since your ceiling and upper walls are white, you will not be able to achieve very good blacks, color saturation, or contrast in the image. The screen itself will be a large light source in the room whenever an image is being projected on it. Therefore, light from the screen will shine on the walls and ceiling, bounce back onto the screen, and this reflected light will contaminate the image on the screen.

If you don't want to change the colors of your ceiling and walls to something much darker, I recommend that you seriously consider selling the screen on ebay, then purchase the largest rear projection TV you can afford. You will get a much better picture that way.

If you don't care much about image quality, and just want something big to fill your screen, go ahead and get the brightest projector you can afford. Try ProjectorCentral.com to do a search. You won't need to be distracted by manufacturer's claims about superior contrast ratio performance, because your screen is likely too large to achieve a very bright image, and room conditions will prevent the image from producing sufficient blacks.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
G. Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants Affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"
 

SherardP

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
222
as others said you'll need a pj capable handling that size screen and 1500 bucks wont do it, check out the Epson 1080 UB.
 

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