UST vs Long Throw Projectors: Choices and Experiences (1 Viewer)

[Worth]

Darbee processing is the one feature I think I will miss the most when I upgrade (?) to a new projector as it is pretty fantastic for many different applications such as gaming, theater, etc.
I'm going to be sad to see it go.

You can always get a stand-alone doohickey:

DVP-5000S units are NOT available from DarbeeVision, but may be purchased from our valued resellers and partners. — DarbeeVision

USA Resellers Cable Solutions Calumet B&H Photo European Resellers UK Amazon DE Amazon FR Amazon IT Amazon SP Amazon Japan Reseller K. Kato, Universal Business Technologies Corporation, Tokyo [email protected] U

www.darbeevision.com

 

[bobclampett]

I recently had a chance to review an UST projector, and it got me thinking about how diverse and varied our preferences and setups can be. I'm genuinely curious about your experiences and eager to learn from the collective wisdom of this community.

The choice between Ultra Short Throw and Long Throw Projectors often reflects more than just hardware; it’s an interplay of values, spaces, and the experiences we seek.

For anyone with a UST, what has driven the choice beyond just physical space? Is it the aesthetics, the convenience, or something else that resonates with your lifestyle?

And for those who swear by Long Throw Projectors, I wonder how often people use them in a general living space? Is it a dedicated home theater room scenario or have you found creative ways to integrate them into day-to-day living areas?

Moreover, have there been any trade-offs or unexpected benefits in choosing one over the other?

I also wonder how the installation process played a part in your decision. Was it a decisive factor, or more of an afterthought once you were set on a particular type?

Interested to absorb your insights.

Hello Jonathan. My setup is and was budget conscious. Living room setup, blackout drapes to darken the room, long throw projector under a small coffee table between seating. Screen is homemade. Painted MDF board, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, with adjustable masking made from black cloth glued to hardboard attached to two sets of drawer slides that can adjust down to 2.76:1 aspect ratio. Projector is a Benq X3000i. Best color of any projector I've owned. 100% of DCI-P3. The 4 LED light source coupled with the larger .65" DLP chip works great. As a bonus it has great 3D. No offset adjustment, so the projector is on an adjustable shelf. If the screen has black masking it will hide a trapezoidal projected image if some projector tilt is required to vertically center the image on the screen. Not sure exactly what it is, but I much prefer a reflected projected image to a transmissive flat panel image.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

I appreciate all of the responses in this thread.

We are looking at buying a house this year (perfect timing too because nothing hits quite like those 7-8% interest rates on a $500k house!) and while a dedicate theater/media room isn't a year one project, it will be a year two project.

My original plan was to just buy the biggest panel TV I could afford and then eventually upgrade over the years, but the biggest panel I can afford right now is about 85" and this particular UST projector really isn't that much more expensive (I do have to get a screen though). I can only think this type of technology will get better and cheaper in the next couple of years.

An overhead projector hasn't been on my mind all that much, but I do occasionally think about them.

I just mentioned this to my wife and her immediate objections were based around how "horrible" projectors look in houses. I honestly don't think she's seen a projector in our time together (10+ years) so she isn't familiar with the advances. Well, we do have one set a friends who are making a "theater" by projecting from their loft to a plain white wall with no dark window treatments and no screen. I think the distance is about 75 feet and it looks horrible. I told them I would have just made the loft their "theater" but they complained the screen wouldn't be big enough. It's all about the size I guess rather than the quality of the image.

 

[John Dirk]

My original plan was to just buy the biggest panel TV I could afford and then eventually upgrade over the years, but the biggest panel I can afford right now is about 85" and this particular UST projector really isn't that much more expensive (I do have to get a screen though). I can only think this type of technology will get better and cheaper in the next couple of years.

Do you anticipate having a dedicated or shared room? If it's the former I wouldn't rule out standard [long throw] projectors. UST's are not inherently cheaper. In fact I'd say the opposite is usually true. UST's are a great option where environmental factors are key but there's a tradeoff in quality per dollar compared to long throw models.

 

[DaveF]

I appreciate all of the responses in this thread.

We are looking at buying a house this year (perfect timing too because nothing hits quite like those 7-8% interest rates on a $500k house!) and while a dedicate theater/media room isn't a year one project, it will be a year two project.

My original plan was to just buy the biggest panel TV I could afford and then eventually upgrade over the years, but the biggest panel I can afford right now is about 85" and this particular UST projector really isn't that much more expensive (I do have to get a screen though). I can only think this type of technology will get better and cheaper in the next couple of years.

An overhead projector hasn't been on my mind all that much, but I do occasionally think about them.

I just mentioned this to my wife and her immediate objections were based around how "horrible" projectors look in houses. I honestly don't think she's seen a projector in our time together (10+ years) so she isn't familiar with the advances. Well, we do have one set a friends who are making a "theater" by projecting from their loft to a plain white wall with no dark window treatments and no screen. I think the distance is about 75 feet and it looks horrible. I told them I would have just made the loft their "theater" but they complained the screen wouldn't be big enough. It's all about the size I guess rather than the quality of the image.

We've got this chain that sells UST, and has a couple on the showroom floor. You might find a electronics retailer near. you to take your wife and get a feel for how they look in a bright room.

The Big Screen Store - Big Screen TVs | Home Theaters | Lowest Prices

Shop now and save at The Big Screen Store. Low Price Guarantee. Cheaper than Best Buy. Amazon, other big box stores. Double the warranty. Best service!

www.thebigscreenstore.com

 

[Bryan^H]

For anyone with a UST, what has driven the choice beyond just physical space? Is it the aesthetics, the convenience, or something else that resonates with your lifestyle?

I'm getting a UST, and most likely will never go back. The reason is really pretty simple: Busy life of all my friends, family, and myself. It is a very rare occurrence to get a group of friends, and family together for anything.

So, 99% of the time the viewings are simply for me, and no one else. Sad to say. My dream of owning my own home theater complete with rows of theater seating/risers, snack bar, and everything else has diminished to a simple set up, a couple speakers, and screen that vanishes when not in use. It is practical, easy, and will serve its purpose.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

Do you anticipate having a dedicated or shared room?

The plan is to have a dedicated room. We are hopefully going to find a house with an unfinished basement with about 1100 square feet. My wife needs a crafting/streaming room; I need an office. Will need to decide on how much space to dedicate to a theater room, and the rest will end up being for built in bookcases (we have a ton of books - plural tons I'm sure.)

I figured an UST would be easier to install, but I'm not against LTPs. I know I want something that can do 4k and I'm torn about HDR - how much of a must have is that for us?

We've got this chain that sells UST, and has a couple on the showroom floor. You might find a electronics retailer near. you to take your wife and get a feel for how they look in a bright room.

That's a good idea - I'll have to see if there's something around us here. I'm not too worried about the daylight since the plan is to have this all in a dedicate room in our basement and to just keep our existing 75" Vizio for the living room (and get a soundbar instead of 5.1.2 speakers and all of the wiring. I'm the only who cares about immersive sound.)

 

[Josh Steinberg]

So, 99% of the time the viewings are simply for me, and no one else.

I am finding that is essentially true for myself and our friend/family group as well. Our friend group has spread out a little since prior to the pandemic and we’re no longer all living in the same neighborhood of the same city, so now we have to plan our get togethers.. and when we do, the last thing anyone really seems to want is to sit together, not talking, looking at a screen.

Now that I’m a parent, family gatherings are now centered around the children. Everyone wants to visit with the kids, not watch a movie.

My wife and I still watch movies together but far fewer than before pandemic and kids. Other things take priority.

So that leaves me. So I now imagine in the next house, whenever that might happen, it’s probably gonna be a kid’s playroom by day that can be converted to a movie watching room for me at night. I’m sure many others in similar situations have done the same: it starts out as a multipurpose room as the kids are young, and as they grow up and pick up hobbies and activities outside the house and need less space at home, it’ll one day transition into an actual single purpose movie room.

 

[John Dirk]

I figured an UST would be easier to install, but I'm not against LTPs. I know I want something that can do 4k and I'm torn about HDR - how much of a must have is that for us?

You're not wrong but the long throws aren't prohibitively difficult either. They just require some planning and research. You can shelf mount them to avoid cutting into the ceiling if you prefer. Projector Central has an excellent tool that simplifies the process.

You'll likely get varying opinions on the importance of HDR. Personally, I would place it at the bottom of my list unless you're using an OLED or willing to spend serious money [5K or more I'd think] on a projector that can do it some level of justice.

 

[John Dirk]

So, 99% of the time the viewings are simply for me, and no one else. Sad to say.

The same is true for me and I'd suspect many of us here. It initially bothered me when my wife didn't want to watch movies with me in the HT on a regular basis but that room has now become my fortress of solitude, an important requirement in marriage.

We have our movie nights but they are sporadic and infrequent. Even more rare are actual movie nights with guests. It doesn't bother me in the least anymore as I still love the feel of a dedicated room and the challenge of optimizing it.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

You're not wrong but the long throws aren't prohibitively difficult either. They just require some planning and research. You can shelf mount them to avoid cutting into the ceiling if you prefer. Projector Central has an excellent tool that simplifies the process.

You'll likely get varying opinions on the importance of HDR. Personally, I would place it at the bottom of my list unless you're using an OLED or willing to spend serious money [5K or more I'd think] on a projector that can do it some level of justice.

Since I'll be starting with an unfinished basement, I will have the flexibility to do pretty much whatever I want.

Thanks for the link - I've bookmarked it for later - definitely look into more options (and probably solicit opinions here) when I am ready and able to do something.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

So, 99% of the time the viewings are simply for me, and no one else.

I have a feeling this will be me later. I still enjoy the immersive experience at home - I like all the speakers and volume and the giant screen. No phones, no distractions - just pure movie.

And like John said, having that fortress of solitude is important, especially since my MIL will be living with us - I need that escape. Another reason that I'm making sure I have a nice reading nook in the basement later too.

 

[Bryan^H]

The same is true for me and I'd suspect many of us here. It initially bothered me when my wife didn't want to watch movies with me in the HT on a regular basis but that room has now become my fortress of solitude, an important requirement in marriage.

We have our movie nights but they are sporadic and infrequent. Even more rare are actual movie nights with guests. It doesn't bother me in the least anymore as I still love the feel of a dedicated room and the challenge of optimizing it.

I used to dream of having a dedicated home theater in the mid 90's already, when everything was super expensive. I used to buy the magazine 'Home Theater Interiors' which was an amazing resource of looking at great theaters installed in home. I still like the idea of having a dedicated movie room (which will always be the best). A place where you can escape into your hobby.

I made a dedicated retro game room in my home, and have had zero people interested of all my family and friends...then one day a service tech came to fix my TV in another room, and saw my game room and was really impressed. I thought finally someone other than me cares LOL. Made my day.

 

[DaveF]

Movie nights with friends are rare: it’s as much me as anyone else due to normal life being busy. so we’re much more likely together at the patio bar of the local Alamo to have drinks and catch up.

But my wife and I watch TV in the theater room together. I will watch some tv and movies without her. And I used to video game there. But “my” theater is 90% used together nearly seven days a week.

 

[Jonathan]

This thread has brought up some really interesting points about projector choices. Personally, I believe that if UST projectors gain wider acceptance and tap into a larger market, it could spur unexpected advancements. This might enable UST projectors to compete more effectively with traditional projector setups.

For those using long throw projectors: What would make you consider switching to a UST projector? Performance? Cost? Or do you feel there's no real benefit if you already have a dedicated space designed around a LTP?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

For those using long throw projectors: What would make you consider switching to a UST projector? Performance? Cost? Or do you feel there's no real benefit if you already have a dedicated space designed around a LTP?

The latter - no real benefit.

Long throw performs better and costs less than short throw when looking at comparable models of each type. The advantage to short throw is that it can be used in a space that isn’t, or can’t easily, be set up for a long throw.

Offering a short throw to someone with a dedicated room and already installed long throw is a solution in search of a problem.

On the other hand, a short throw could be a perfectly viable solution for someone who wants something larger than a 65” flat panel but doesn’t have the space or desire to install a long throw projector on the ceiling or back of the room, or where obstructions in the center of the rook would make long throw operation difficult. The upgrade path to buying a short throw is going from flat panel to projection. Long throw to short through in a dedicated room is at best a lateral move but more likely a downgrade.

 

[DaveF]

This thread has brought up some really interesting points about projector choices. Personally, I believe that if UST projectors gain wider acceptance and tap into a larger market, it could spur unexpected advancements. This might enable UST projectors to compete more effectively with traditional projector setups.

For those using long throw projectors: What would make you consider switching to a UST projector? Performance? Cost? Or do you feel there's no real benefit if you already have a dedicated space designed around a LTP?

JVC NZ8 performance for $5000 would make me think hard about the choice. otherwise, I don’t see a reason is ever switch to UST. They don’t solve my problems better than TVs or regular projectors.