Which Vivitek Projector (1 Viewer)

[Type A]

The JVC 250 is WAY TOO DIM to work with his 15' throw and 120" diagonal screen. It would only put out 9 foot lamberts, and the desired minimum is 16.

Throw distance is very flexible

If the throw is "very flexible" are you saying a 250 couldnt handle a 120" screen in a light controlled room? What throw would he need?

 

[sean51892]

To clarify on my plans on where to mount the projector, I am planning on mounting it at 14.5-15' back afterall on the ceiling. I have a little space off to the side for my DVD player and everything to keep it all organized this way.
Now for the screen, I was looking at getting an electric screen because I have a little guy running around the house getting into everything. But they seem to be a good bit pricier for a quality one at 120".
There is a store here specializing in home theaters and they recommended the DragonFly 120" fixed screen for me. I saw the 106" version and it seemed to do quite well. I had the sales guy turn the lights up in the room to see how it looked with a little light and you could see the screen just fine. He said it is a very bright screen and will allow there to be some light in the room without afecting the picture quality much. Also he was saying if it is too bright with my projector that I can run it in the less bright setting and extend the life of my bulb without suffering from a poorer picture.
The price for the 120" on sale was $699 I believe. I might be able to ask if they will take $600. But do you all think that would be a good choice on the screen or should I go another route? I was glad I got to see this screen in action, but on the downside it is pretty much the only screen I have seen up and running so I don't know how cheaper models perform. The only other ones they had on display were in the very high end showrooms.
Any opinions on the screen?
Thanks for all the input by the way. I still haven't ordered the projector yet but I am getting ready to in the next few days I believe. I know the projector choice plays a factor in screen choice, but the sale does end today so I was trying to decide if I should go this route or not.

 

[Type A]

The only connection to the projector is hdmi. If it came down to a better projector Id buy a longer cable and mount closer.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Sean, I know nothing about that screen, sorry. Which DLP projectors are you considering? Are you buying from the local shop or online? I was just checking the "Search by Feature" at Projectorcentral.com and these are the 2 DLP's I would recommend: Benq W7000 and Acer 9500. They are more than bright enough for your 15' throw and 120" duagonal screen also. Check out the reviews at Projectorcentral.com and Projectorreviews.com.

 

[schan1269]

I still have no idea why the JVC 250 isn't being considered...
I've yet to come across a JVC(or Sony for that matter) that couldn't get the job done...even in the worst room.
Give you an idea why the HD250 is worth considering. It is, essentially, the RS10. Who here on this forum wouldn't buy a RS10 on the used market at $2000?

 

[Jim Mcc]

I still have no idea why the JVC 250 isn't being considered...
I've yet to come across a JVC(or Sony for that matter) that couldn't get the job done...even in the worst room.
Give you an idea why the HD250 is worth considering. It is, essentially, the RS10. Who here on this forum wouldn't buy a RS10 on the used market at $2000?

Like I said above, the JVC 250 is WAY TOO DIM. It's pretty simple really. Sean is limited by his throw distance and 120" diagonal screen.

 

[schan1269]

This doesn't make any sense. The HD250 "is" the RS10, yet the RS10 has the same lumens but has a much greater throw and can handle 5% rooms at well over 100", yet the HD250 only handles 1% at anything over 100"...

Matter of fact, at 100", the RS10 handles 8%...
The HD250 at 110 needs a 1.8 gain screen to work with a 6% room.

 

[sean51892]

Sean, I know nothing about that screen, sorry. Which DLP projectors are you considering? Are you buying from the local shop or online? I was just checking the "Search by Feature" at Projectorcentral.com and these are the 2 DLP's I would recommend: Benq W7000 and Acer 9500. They are more than bright enough for your 15' throw and 120" duagonal screen also. Check out the reviews at Projectorcentral.com and Projectorreviews.com.

Jim I am looking at buying from projectorpeople believe. I will check out the Benq and the Acer, I haven't looked at either of them yet. I watched some youtube videos showing a few projectors lined up side by side playing and they were doing a comparison and I actually really liked the Vivitek H5080 compared to the other two for the money. But I am going to look at that Benq and Acer as well. I still have some looking to do because I am not familiar with that many models.

 

[sean51892]

I still have no idea why the JVC 250 isn't being considered...
I've yet to come across a JVC(or Sony for that matter) that couldn't get the job done...even in the worst room.
Give you an idea why the HD250 is worth considering. It is, essentially, the RS10. Who here on this forum wouldn't buy a RS10 on the used market at $2000?

I will look this one up as well I am not familiar with it either

 

[sean51892]

I haven't found a review on the JVC yet but the Benq and Acer both had high reviews for sure

 

[Jim Mcc]

I will look this one up as well I am not familiar with it either

The JVC 250 is way too dim for your screen size and throw distance. And please DO NOT buy a projector based on some You Tube videos. If you cannot see a projector in person, all you can do is go by the reviews at Projectorcentral.com and Projectorreviews.com(Art does the best, most thorough reviews out there). And of course customer reviews here and at Avsforum(but beware most projector owners think their projector is the best, that's why they bought it).
The Vivitek 5080 got a very good review at Projectorreviews.com but it's right on the edge of brightness for you. With your throw distance of 14.5' and 120" diagonal screen, it shows 16 foot lamberts(16 is the desired minimum). So when the bulb dims a little, you will have to run the bulb on high power mode. And that cuts bulb hours down to 2000 hours, instead of 3000. And in Art's review, he lists the 5080's noise level as one of it's cons. There's nothing worse than sitting near a noisy projector.

 

[sean51892]

Ok guys haven't updated in awhile I've been busy with bigger details on the house. Anyways I have all the wires run through the ceiling for the surround sound, and also put my hdmi chord through as well. The distance from projector to screen is going to be 14'10" roughly I can move a few inches if need be to mount it well. My screen is a 120" dragonfly by Snap AV I believe. Now the final step, time to buy the projector!!!! Any different suggestions based off the Updated specs?
Thanks for the help!

 

[Jim Mcc]

It seems like we've been thru this before.
1) Budget
2) LCD, DLP, or LCos?

 

[sean51892]

Haha I know I just am being indecisive!

 

[Jim Mcc]

Haha I know I just am being indecisive!

What are your choices?

 

[sean51892]

I have been looking at the Vivitek 5080 as well as basically everyones suggestions. I haven't looked them all up in awhile so I can't recall all the pros and cons. I will need to go back through them because I'm planning on ordering sometime this week I believe

 

[Jim Mcc]

The Vivitek 5080 is already 3 years old. You should scratch that off the list.

 

[sean51892]

Ok well that settled that internal debate lmao. Well it was about 2k. That's the price area I'd like to be in and I don't care about 3d really for it

 

[Jim Mcc]

Ok well that settled that internal debate lmao. Well it was about 2k. That's the price area I'd like to be in and I don't care about 3d really for it

And do you care which type of projector technology?
Your screen size is 120" diagonal?
Throw distance is about 15' ?

 

[sean51892]

Nope I just want solid picture quality and preferably a decent bulb life lol. And yep 120" and a 15' throw.