Need Advice: Media Room Equipment/Layout (1 Viewer)

[Jim Mcc]

ok so if these 3 are still the best options with my new dimensions and budget, any suggestions on the best place to get the best price? 1) Panasonic AR100U - LCD, 10' throw, 104" diagonal max, lens shift. 2) Epsom 8350 - LCD, 10' throw, 103" diagonal max, lens shift. 3) Benq W1070 - DLP, 10' throw, 120" diagonal max, lens shift(but VERY limited). Only allows vertical shift of 10% of image height. It may work, but it depends on where you want the top of your screen.

Do you want us to do everything for you? I bought my last 2 projectors from Projector People. Great company to deal with.

 

[djtech2k]

Do you want us to do everything for you? I bought my last 2 projectors from Projector People. Great company to deal with.

Well feel free to go ahead and purchase it for me too I just thought I would ask about buyer experience. Normally I will just search bing for a vendor that has it, but that's the luck of the draw. I think I am going to shop for those 3 to see what I can find them for. I need to shop for audio also.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Just make sure you buy from an authorized dealer. If not, your warranty will be worthless.

 

[djtech2k]

Just make sure you buy from an authorized dealer. If not, your warranty will be worthless.

ok thx. I'm starting to look for deals now.

 

[djtech2k]

Ok, well I am really trying to compare these 3 projectors and figure out which is best in my situation. It sounds like the Benq is newer and has nice features, but it is very inflexible with placement. Everyone seems to complain about the lack of lense shift. With that in mind, what is the normal picture placement? I mean I can lower it on my ceiling mount by about 10 inches (precise measurement is earlier in this thread). Will that be enough to have proper picture placement? I am also concerned about noise since it is rated with higher noise. Does anyone have any feedback on that? The 8350 gets very good remarks but some seem to say its not very bright. It gets good remarks for its dark colors. The Panasonic AR100U also gets good remarks for its extreme brightness. It seems to get mixed reviews for its colors though. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions about these 3. I am doing comparisons anywhere I can find it and reading a ton of reviews.

 

[schan1269]

Pick your poison. You are the one with the

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by djtech2k
It sounds like the Benq is newer and has nice features, but it is very inflexible with placement. Everyone seems to complain about the lack of lense shift. With that in mind, what is the normal picture placement? I mean I can lower it on my ceiling mount by about 10 inches (precise measurement is earlier in this thread). Will that be enough to have proper picture placement?

Like Sam mentioned, you face compromises with all of the options - only you can decide which compromise is the least objectionable.
In terms of placement issues for the DLP projector, I will add that more than likely, you will need to "raise" the projector, rather than lower it. DLPs tend to have large offset parameters - which dictate how far outside the image area the lens needs to be. If the top of the screen is 18" from the ceiling, then the projector may need to be only 6 or 8" from the ceiling (those are total guess numbers, BTW).
For what it's worth, my Mitsubishi projector is a DLP (720p) and my basement ceiling is on the low side (7' 8" I believe). Even with as "flush" a mount as I could produce with my projector, the image was too low on my wall (the bottom was only about 12" off the floor).
I wound up tilting the projector up slightly and using digital keystoning to correct the trapezoidal image.
Some image purists around here will say that using ANY keystoning is "the absolute worst thing you can do to a projected image" and "what's the point, why not just use VGA" and "the world's going to end", and yadda yadda yadda. Well, maybe not the last one, but a few have gotten close...
Personally, I am not able to discern any image degradation and have had several HT enthusiasts remark on the image clarity (they did not know about the keystoning), so take that as you will.
If you buy from a place with a good return policy, you can always try one and if it won't work in your space, return it and try another. You won't need a screen to determine whether or not it will "work" in your room.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Ok, well I am really trying to compare these 3 projectors and figure out which is best in my situation. It sounds like the Benq is newer and has nice features, but it is very inflexible with placement. Everyone seems to complain about the lack of lense shift. With that in mind, what is the normal picture placement? I mean I can lower it on my ceiling mount by about 10 inches (precise measurement is earlier in this thread). Will that be enough to have proper picture placement? I am also concerned about noise since it is rated with higher noise. Does anyone have any feedback on that? The 8350 gets very good remarks but some seem to say its not very bright. It gets good remarks for its dark colors. The Panasonic AR100U also gets good remarks for its extreme brightness. It seems to get mixed reviews for its colors though. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions about these 3. I am doing comparisons anywhere I can find it and reading a ton of reviews.

If you want to make the install easier, get the Epson or the Pan. You don't have to worry about the possibility of seeing rainbows either. You can't go wrong with either of those 2. Make your decision based on features, price and warranty. Epson is known for GREAT customer service and warranty.