What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

I am new to the projector world and I plan on buying one in the next few months. As I have never researched projectors, what are some specifications that I should look for that are important?

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

Don't look in a projector if it is turned on. The lamp is very bright and will hurt your eyes.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I think the main specs besides $$$ are contrast, lumens, and resolution. Your throw distance, seating distance, screen size and ambient light will play a factor in how important these specs are.

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

I agree with Dave. Your room is the biggest factor. How much ambient light do you have to contend with. What size screen do you want to have. Have far do you sit back. Do you want to do Hi-Def?

Parker

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

And DLP or LCD? The contrast ratio spec is the most worthless spec to consider. Make sure to do your homework at Projectorcentral.com and Projectorreviews.com.

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

what makes you say that contrast ratio isn't important? i would say that contrast ratio is the MOST important since it basically determines how good the picture looks- how deep your blacks look, how bright your whites are. The resolution is not as important unless you are crazy about having the latest and greatest blu-ray or have an HD cable/satellite box. Usually when you want a higher contrast, the lumens suffer, meaning you need to get the room darker (using blackout curtains, etc.) In my opinion, you should look for higher contrast rather than resolution-although most high contrast projectors come with a 1080p resolution.

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

I should re-phrase that. You should not trust or believe the advertised contrast ratio the different projector manufacturers state. Especially the ridiculously high LCD contrast ratios. READ the new article posted at Projectorcentral.com about contrast ratios, and you'll see what I mean.

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

okay, thanks for clarifying

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

In addition to some of things already mentioned, where you plan to mount your projector in your room is a consideration. Some projectors have more zoom and lens shift giving you more flexibility in positioning the unit in your home theater.

-Keith

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

The problem with other's recommending what to look for is that it really depends on your criteria and without firsthand experience it will be difficult for you to answer the following questions.

1. What is you tolerance for bright black levels? I am what is called a "black-aholic" so I have a Sony G70 CRT. I want my blacks to be as close to "no light from the projector" as possible so it is CRT for me. Some new digital projectors have gotten much better at black.

2. How bright do you want/need the projected image? Is this in a room with windows or a total light-controlled theater room? How bright do you want the image. Occasionally I wish my CRT was a little brighter and it happens to be one of the brighter CRTs. Digital projectors dominate high light output but there still is quite a range.

3. Does the screen door of digital projector's (especially LCD) bother you? I can see screen door at least twice as far away as many claim it is no longer visible.

4. Can you see the rainbow-effect of DLP projectors? This is another personal trait and some DLPs have much high spin rates to reduce this effect so that very few or even no one can detect it.

5. Do you want your PJ to be silent? CRTs are noisy and older digital projectors are noisy. Some of the newer digital projectors are nearly silent when the fan is running and do not have to run the fan continously.

6. What native resolution do you want on the projector? True HD native resolution costs more but doesn't have down-scaling artifacts on HD material.

7. Do you want to be able to change the screen size depending on the quality of the image (smaller for DVD and as big as possible for HDM)? If yes then you will need a projector with a zoom lens, probably remote contolled too.

Your answers to those basic questions plus some others will help you decide. If you don't really care about any of them then it opens up quite a range of projectors and cost. The more you care about each one the narrower and more expensive the list becomes.

I personally have a Sony G70 CRT projector because at the time I bought it no digital projector could touch it. Even now it holds up very well and I can't see replacing it with a new digital projector until one can beat it in every category. If I didn't have it I would be looking at higher end digital projectors as CRTs are a big, heavy, noisy, and a PITA to set up and are not very flexible in configurations.

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

Thx for that reply, Chuck. What direction would you point someone who answers your questions the following ways?

1. Re black levels: Very important. My viewing has historically been widescreen CRT and I want 'very good' or better in this regard.

2. Re brightness of image: I like a bright, eye-popping image. I've calibrated my current display with VE, watched the Dreamgirls HD DVD last night and found many scenes a little dark for my tastes. I have tall glass doors with windows above them in my primary viewing room (which is the living room). Although window treatments are in the offing after a recent remodel to block out/reduce ambient light, I have no problem waiting until dusk to start a movie. That's what I do now.

3. Re screen door effect: I don't have a lot of experience with this particular issue but I am sensitive to visual anomalies.

4. Re rainbow-effect of DLP projectors: See number 3. No experience with this but would prefer to pay a little more to avoid known video quirks such as this.

5. Re "Do you want your PJ to be silent?" Yes! I turn off any noisemakers during critical movie watching and I don't want to be able to hear a fan.

6. Re "What native resolution do you want on the projector?" 1080p all the way. I have both HD DVD and BD players and they will be my primary movie viewing sources.

7. Re "Do you want to be able to change the screen size depending on the quality of the image (smaller for DVD and as big as possible for HDM)?" Yes. And what about the HD DVD/pj interoperability issue I have a vague understanding of WRT subtitles and the pop up menu being projected in the lower black bar on 2.35 movies versus within the frame of the movie proper?

Re: What do I look for in a PROJECTOR ??

Paul S.
I have not been keeping up with digital projectors over the last two years or so except occasionally seeing what is out there. I did just have an experience with a DLP projector, but I didn't know it at the start. We were watching Star Wars on a projector someone brought with them and I noticed the RBE. It was very apparent and happened quite a bit so I figured it was a DLP and then checked to see that it was. No DLPs for me.

I am not in a position to change out my G70 but if I was I would be looking at the JVC RS2. I like the fill-factor of DILA when I first saw the G11. The lines are small enough at one screen width away for me to not care about it much.