Projector decision help needed (1 Viewer)

[schan1269]

There also is buy the 7000. Buy the 7500 in June/ July, compare...Return the 7500 or sell the 7000. To make the resale of the 7000 easier, get a transferable extended warranty. I doubt a 6 month old projector would cause much of a bath in resale.

 

[TinmanLU27]

I'm not sure if the wife is gonna be happy if I buy two projectors.

 

[schan1269]

Not keeping both though. Like alluded to, the 7500 is likely to need firmware updates.

 

[TinmanLU27]

Do the AT screens affect the picture quality? Also if 16 foot Lambert's is considered minimum, what would a good number be for fL??

 

[FoxyMulder]

The 7500 will likely drop in price within six months too, of course you can buy it when it's released, it will be within your budget, send it to Benq for the firmware updates, that's probably $60 a time or something like that, the firmware updates do tend to make solid improvements to these products though and i doubt there will be more than two updates during the year.

As for screens, another option is monoprice, they are supposed to be good and made by Grandview, their non tensioned ones are better than their tab tensioned variety, link below as one example, i think you also have to consider your room, make sure it's blacked out on the walls and ceiling or you lose so much Ansi contrast and would be compromising the best possible image quality.

Oh and all new projector screens smell a little, as a reviewer points out in the link below, i know mine did.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10829&cs_id=1082912&p_id=6583&seq=1&format=2

You wouldn't want to calibrate above 16 ft Lamberts, that would start to hurt your eyes, that is why having an iris in the secret menu that can be clamped down is a great help to get the light output down and when the bulb dims over time you simply open that iris up a bit more, light meters are pretty cheap so you can buy one to know when it's time to do that.

 

[schan1269]

Do the AT screens affect the picture quality? Also if 16 foot Lambert's is considered minimum, what would a good number be for fL??

AT screens can cause a tad bit of Moire.But those who "might see RBE" Will be more distracted by that.The CenterStage is one of the best at its price.

 

[schan1269]

By the way, most screen makers will sell samples. You could get samples from Seymour, Elite, SMX and Screen Research (amongst others).

 

[TinmanLU27]

I'm using the projection calculator pro for the 7900 and its stating that a 115" screen will give me 16fL or a 120" with a 1.1 gain. Also, on mitsubishi's calculator is showing with lens shift off it will be 11" off the floor, lens shift on it will be 4". I would like it higher than that, can I mount it upside down?? Thoughts??

 

[schan1269]

Yes the 7900 can be ceiling mounted. It has almost 20" offset(without shift)...and can be placed from 145 to 216 inches.

http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/bu/projectors/calculations/prjcalc.html

Have no clue where you are getting the 11" off the floor.

Adding in the lens shift, you can have either...18" off the floor or 15" off the ceiling(instead of the 20" off the ceiling only)

 

[TinmanLU27]

It was a little hard to understand the Mitsubishi calculator, I thought the numbers on the right was off the floor. With a ceiling height of 90", my screen could be 18" off the floor if the projector is mounted flush, correct?

 

[schan1269]

Pick your position first.

I put in 108" for your ceiling. For "pole" I put in 0(to represent flush)

I also chose 120" diagonal.

 

[TinmanLU27]

Would a gray screen work well for this projector??

 

[schan1269]

Gray or white is personal choice.There are 1.2 gain gray...but with AT...hhhhmmmm. You could even to two screens. A bright white 1.2 for day and a nighttime .8(ish) Gray.

 

[TinmanLU27]

Would gray affect the image quality??

 

[Jim Mcc]

Would a gray screen work well for this projector??

Which projector and screen size did you decide on? Normally, a gray screen is used when the room has an ambient light problem, or you are afraid to watch in the dark, and you have lights on.

 

[schan1269]

Which projector and screen size did you decide on? Normally, a gray screen is used when the room has an ambient light problem, or you are afraid to watch in the dark, and you have lights on.

Not exactly(it used to be that way), but with the advent of "high gain gray" it is now a matter of greater contrast. Typically you go gray(anymore) if your projector is lacking in contrast. OR...you just want more contrast.

 

[schan1269]

Not the right size(only spent a few seconds looking), but 1.1 gain gray...

http://www.projectorscreenstore.com/Projector-Screens/Da-Lite-51x67-Cinema-Contour-90262-High-Contrast-Cinema-Vision-Fabric-Square-Projector-Screen-90262V-28810.html

 

[TinmanLU27]

Not afraid of the dark haha, I think I'm going with the 7900...115" would be 1.0 gain, 120" would be 1.1 gain. I would have some ambient light but that would only be when we entertain.

 

[Jim Mcc]

I still say the Mits. 7900 is not bright enough for your 120" diagonal screen, and occasional use of lights, unless you use a 1.1 or higher gain screen. And that is with a new bulb. When the bulb dims, you may have to run it in high power mode, which means more noise. I prefer to use a brighter projector with a 1.0 gain screen, and run it in low power mode.

 

[schan1269]

Those daytime issues is why I have designed twin screen situations...