Should I buy a 1080 projector in 2019 (1 Viewer)

[drtushar]

hi,
I am planning a HT for my home.
Dilemma is between buying a Sony 1080 or a 4 K projector.
For a viewing distance of 15 feet, and a screen size of 150 inches, will I be able to discern difference between 4K and 1080?
Thanks a lot in advance!!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Tushar!

Welcome to our forum.

I can't give you a qualified technical answer. I will leave that to one of the more knowledgeable members of our group.

I can give you a couple thoughts based on experience.

First, you have a huge screen. That's great. Mine is 110" vs. yours 150". I will talk about that more in a moment...

1080p Blu-ray looks sensational on a projected screen. I was in the same boat as you wondering whether I should upgrade to 4k or not. I don't have to tell you that 4k projectors can be very, very expensive.

I always felt Blu-ray was good enough. And you know what? It wouldn't be completely the wrong choice to go with that.

I think 4k really works for those of us that have large screens. That is where you are going to see the big improvement in resolution.

For me, when I first got my 4k projector I wasn't sure I had made the right choice. There was a slight uptick in picture quality, but at first, I really didn't feel it was substantial.

Now a good 7 months in, I see the difference. Most of the improvements depends on the source. Some transfers are better than others. However, when you get a good 4k title, you really notice the improved detail -- especially in facial features and landscape shots. I was very surprised that many catalog titles look even better than some new releases.

I would switch between a 4k version of a title I just watched and look at the Blu-ray counterpart. I could immediately see that the Blu-ray looked less sharp.

I think you might want to future-proof your home theater. If you go with only 1080p you might very well regret not getting the best format that is available at the moment. Of course, it also means spending more on the projector and then a 4k Blu-ray player, so those are also going to have a huge effect on what you decide to do.

Even if you don't opt for 4k hard disc titles, there's plenty of 4k being streamed on Netflix and other services.

My advice would be to go 4k just to future-proof yourself. Sony is a great choice. I had a Sony 1080p and switched to a JVC 4k.

 

[Jim517]

I would not buy a 1080p projector at this point in time unless my budget was tight. Even with a 15' seating distance, that's a large screen size. I recommend a 4k projector.

 

[DaveF]

Should I buy a 1080 projector in 2019

No.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think it depends on budget and what kind of content you intend to watch.

 

[DaveF]

Entry level 4K projectors are now priced where HD was a couple years ago. Even if you only wanted a quality mid-range HD projector, you’d be getting 4K for free.

But the real answer is: figure out your budget and buy the best projector you can afford. If your budget is under about $2000 you’re probably not getting 4K. If it’s $2500 and up you’re probably getting 4K whether you want it or not.

 

[AcesHighStudios]

No.

 

[John Dirk]

Now a good 7 months in, I see the difference. Most of the improvements depends on the source.

This is something important to keep in mind with audio or video. While I absolutely love my faux K [pixel shifting] projector, I spend the vast majority of my time viewing material that doesn't really benefit from the increased resolution or High Dynamic Range [HDR] features that come with 4K. Why? Because the material I most enjoy watching [source] usually predates any of this stuff. Oftentimes the content you truly love won't be available in the best format.

For a viewing distance of 15 feet, and a screen size of 150 inches, will I be able to discern difference between 4K and 1080?

This depends on your personal characteristics. Namely, how old you are and how sharp your vision is at said age. Most of us here tend to agree that the real advantage of 4K is HDR more so than extra pixels.

That said, personally, I wouldn't recommend 1080P for any new installation today [especially with a screen that size] unless it's a very modest setup with an equally modest budget. There's nothing wrong with 1080P other than it's not state of the art. But why build something new and anchor it with something old?

 

[AcesHighStudios]

If my budget only allowed for 1080p, I would wait until I could make it 4K. I don't believe in going backwards.

 

[drtushar]

Thanks a lot for the insightful replies.
My idea was that for the same price I can get either a low end 4k or a High end 1080 projector .
That’s the primary reason for the dilemma.
Thanks again.

 

[Sam Posten]

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/epson-unveils-new-4k-pro-uhd-projectors.361590/

 

[Ronald Epstein]

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/epson-unveils-new-4k-pro-uhd-projectors.361590/

To ride on the heels of this post, I want to say that Epson projectors give you the best bang for the buck! They are good projectors.

 

[JediFonger]

i'm nowhere near the budget to get a native 4k projectors... but for me HDR, especially Dolby Vision would be thing 'killer' feature of UHD/4k projections and afaik, even the top of the line 4k consumer projectors can't beat the OLED yet.

plus, a huge chunk of UHD discs are upscaled, for example most of DIsney releases (except star wars maybe) are all upscaled.

even if all were native 4K... not all of them are have Dolby Vision

and even if every UHD were native 4k+DV... the OLEDs still outperforms front projections.

so i'd vote for 1080p esp if you're constrained by budget. for me the 'killer feature' of 1080p is rf-based 3D systems

i would not personally get any 'faux-k' projectors.

 

[RJ992]

For me, a display must have 3D. If 1080p were the only way I could get that, I'd be fine with that as I don't consider 4k a major upgrade. But there are now 3D/4k units in the $1500 range (some are lower). Yes it's pixel-shift 4k but youd barely notice any difference between it and native. I know some people who own 4k sets and have seen movies on 1080p pjs that they THOUGHT was 4k because the image looked better to them than on their 4k panels. In the end, it comes down to $ and your personal preference.

 

[John Dirk]

i'm nowhere near the budget to get a native 4k projectors... but for me HDR, especially Dolby Vision would be thing 'killer' feature of UHD/4k projections and afaik, even the top of the line 4k consumer projectors can't beat the OLED yet.

So what I'm hearing is you're a huge fan of Dolby Vision. That's fine but the OP never mentioned it and also [I think] pretty much said he/she is already settled on front screen projection, either 4K or 1080P.

plus, a huge chunk of UHD discs are upscaled, for example most of DIsney releases (except star wars maybe) are all upscaled.

even if all were native 4K... not all of them are have Dolby Vision

and even if every UHD were native 4k+DV... the OLEDs still outperforms front projections.

No one will argue this point but affordable OLED's can't match the screen size of what even modestly priced projectors deliver which is why they are still popular among enthusiasts.

i would not personally get any 'faux-k' projectors.

I once thought the same thing BEFORE I saw the true comparative evidence on screen. Even seasoned reviewers struggle to see the difference and the 4K models are inherently brighter which is a basic necessity for good 3D.

 

[drtushar]

Thanks for taking out the time for the replies.
I have got the message and shall be going for the Sony 4K. Have to stretch the budget but I guess will be stuck with it for a long time.

 

[Sam Posten]

Uh, interesting,. why? Nobody here recommended the Sonys, and although I considered them before buying my JVC I'd have a hard time even justifying that in the face of the new Epsons. What about the Sony is calling you? I thought your choice was between a Sony 1080p or a different brand 4k?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Uh, interesting,. why? Nobody here recommended the Sonys, and although I considered them before buying my JVC I'd have a hard time even justifying that in the face of the new Epsons. What about the Sony is calling you? I thought your choice was between a Sony 1080p or a different brand 4k?

Speaking for myself...

It sounded like this was a financial decision.

So I presumed either he was looking at the top 1080p Sonys or at a low-end 4k projector. The best bang-for-the-buck on the low 4k end would be an Epson.

I would highly recommend a Sony or JVC, but you are going to pay more for the brand.

 

[drtushar]

You are quite right (I can still haven’t put down the advance and can change!).
My options were the higher end 1080p Sony or the lower end Sony 4K.
JVC is not very easily available where I live. Other than that I read that Epson and others make a faux-4K.
I got the sense that buying a 1080p is really akin to buying a film camera in early 2000s.

 

[JediFonger]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnar...rojectors-and-they-look-awesome/#cd73f466cf88
^JVC's got native 4k projectors as well... not sure if they are available now.

Sony options, I assume you know what the native 4k options are.

Most of the other faux-k utilizes DLP DMD chipsets.

re: 1080p & film analogy. i respectfully disagree with that. i actually think purchasing (at such a cost to me) early adopter native 4k projectors is more akin to purchasing film camera in 2000s. why? you are purchasing an increase in resolution from 2k->4k for a small amount of 4k content that is available today and for probably decades to come. whereas... if you purchase a high end 1080p, it gives the most value/bang for bucks since most of video content today we ingest is barely 1080p let alone 4k. there are more film negatives of movies made prior to star wars (1977) than there are movies released on home video on any home media from tape to optical discs to digital streams.

even brand new films, the product workflow is still currently 2k only. again, look at Disney (now the largest video studio in hollywood) most of their disc releases maxes out at 2k and not 4k.

finally, i think the 'killer feature' of 4k isn't the resolution, but HDR, which neither JVC/Sony's native 4k matches OLEDs.

i'd recommend you demo these systems and before living with them permanently. even if you are committed to native 4k. there might be a team of engineers trying to scale down the tech from commercial projectors used in Dolby Cinema to display Dolby Vision and then when that is released... of course your native 4k will now seem out of date... but that's neither here nor there because that's true of any tech in general i understand.

just my 2cents.

You are quite right (I can still haven’t put down the advance and can change!).
My options were the higher end 1080p Sony or the lower end Sony 4K.
JVC is not very easily available where I live. Other than that I read that Epson and others make a faux-4K.
I got the sense that buying a 1080p is really akin to buying a film camera in early 2000s.