[Shane J]

I was looking for suggestions on a projector in the $1500 price range. It will have an Svideo run to it from receiver. The projector will sit about 12' back from the screen and is mounted about 7.5' from the floor (overhead). Any and all suggestions are welcome.

If more info is needed, just ask.

Thanks

[James Phung]

How big of a picture do you want? How far do you plan to sit from the screen? I'm guessing you're limiting yourself to just standard tv and dvd if you are only going to use svideo. I'd recommend using component video connections to connect to a projector for most optimal viewing and for future hdtv compatibility.

[Shane J]

well, the simple answer is...the bigger the better...haha. I do not have HDTV currently at my home. I currently have an Svideo cable run through the walls. It would be no trouble to run component video cables. Although, it would be 30ft of cable. Is that still ok? I didnt want to run the component cables yet for the sole fact that idiots tend to steal stuff out of a home that is being built.

The wall it is being prjected onto is 8' tall and 12' wide. If I can get 72-84" diagonal, that would be great. The only thing that limits the size is my center channel speaker being mounted toward the bottom of the wall.

Since the room is somewhat small, I will, unfortunately, be sitting directly under the projector at about 10-11' from the screen.

[James Phung]

Your room sounds like it would it would work great with 480p DLP projectors like the Infocus 4805 or Optoma H31/H27 which are perfect for dvd/tv watching. It is recommended you sit 2x the width of your screen for optimal viewing. I know you can get a max of 92" diagonal with the 4805 at 12ft and it can be found for around $1000. I would recommend you do use component cables and 30ft runs shouldn't be a problem as long as you have decent cables.

Another alternative is the new Optoma Movietime portable projector. Though its best for tablemount setups and for its portablility, its a projector with a built in dvd player and speaker and is the same as the h27 internally.

[Shane J]

i see those projectors are rated at 750 and 850 lumens. Is that enough for a fairly light room?

i see $1000-$1200 1500-2000 lumens projectors at commercial stores. Maybe I should ask...what features should I be looking for?

[James Phung]

Those projectors with 1000+ lumens are business projectors that need the lumens in order to do presentations in a well lit room. In order to get close to those rated lumens, color accuracy is sacrificed and will be washed out. In most home theater projectors, "real" lumens is around 300-600 lumens after they are properly calibrated. You will find that most dedicated home theater projectors have less than 1100 lumens. Depending on your screen size and room conditions 300-600 lumens is all you really need.

If you plan on using your projector in the day time or with a lot of lighting, then you shouldn't be looking into getting a projector. Though I'm not saying your room needs to be pitch black, but put up some curtains and keep most of the light away from the screen and it should be ok. You must remember blacks will only get as dark as the screen when you have ambient light.

[Shane J]

*noted


Thanks a lot.