3D Projector (1 Viewer)

Hi Guys,

One of my good friend is getting married soon and the grooms men were thinking of getting him a gift. He mentioned he was interested in a 3D projector for his home theatre but we don't really know what features/specs we should be looking for in one. I was hoping the if I could get some help on how to pick one out. Also if there are any recommeneded models I would be all ears.

Thanks

DLP unless you'll spend the money on a Sony.Without knowing...Throw distanceSeating distanceCeiling heightImage size We are pissing in the wind with morning wood.

Yeah, if the guy is a home theater buff, the last thing he will want is to have somebody else pick out his projector. It might be better to forgo the surprise and let him in on picking it out. And don't be surprised if what he wants is way out of your price range.

BUDGET?

We're not sure what the measurement of his man cave is, we'll stealthily get those numbers and post them up when we do.

As for the budget we were thinking around $3000.

Sony HW40 or wait and see what this new Optoma HD50 is capable of, it will be using an RGB/RGB colour wheel and looks like it might provide some stiff competition for the Sony and Benq projectors, it's got superior RF 3D and triple flash 144hz.

The Epson 5030 is also a contender, another member of this site bought that and reviews all say the 3D is very good, more importantly it's one of the brightest for 3D, it also has good native contrast and should be great in 2D, my only concern would be dust blobs as the light path is unsealed, i discount any second hand JVC projectors because i don't think they are great for 3D.

FoxyMulder said:

Sony HW40 or wait and see what this new Optoma HD50 is capable of, it will be using an RGB/RGB colour wheel and looks like it might provide some stiff competition for the likes of the Benq W7500, especially since it's RF 3D and triple flash 144hz.The Epson 5030 is also a contender, another member of this site bought that and reviews all say the 3D is very good, more importantly it's one of the brightest for 3D, it also has good native contrast and should be great in 2D, my only concern would be dust blobs as the light path is unsealed, i discount any second hand JVC projectors because i don't think they are great for 3D.

Click to expand...

Perfect world would be a JVC for 2d and a bright DLP/LCD for 3D.Or...buy a Sony.If he games...DLP or Sony.(Yes JVC is great...but it seems like they put their complete effort into 2D that 3D and input lag are barely an afterthought)

schan1269 said:

Perfect world would be a JVC for 2d and a bright DLP/LCD for 3D.Or...buy a Sony.If he games...DLP or Sony.

Click to expand...

I agree.

They have a budget of $3000, i guess that would include a decent screen and 3D glasses so the budget drops for the projector.

Unless of course he already has a 2D projector and a screen.

He already has a 2D projector and a screen.

I totally forgot about 3d glasses lol.

The only Sony one we can find here in canada is from the Sony Store. Whats you take on this one?
http://store.sony.ca/economical-full-hd-3d-home-cinema-projector-zid31-VPLHW40ES/cat-31-catid-HT-Home-Theatre-Projectors

gagoko2001 said:

He already has a 2D projector and a screen.

I totally forgot about 3d glasses lol.

The only Sony one we can find here in canada is from the Sony Store. Whats you take on this one?
http://store.sony.ca/economical-full-hd-3d-home-cinema-projector-zid31-VPLHW40ES/cat-31-catid-HT-Home-Theatre-Projectors

Click to expand...

That's a good one, can you also get the Epson over there, you will get more brightness and better 3D from the Epson.

The absolute best 3D is from DLP tech, zero crosstalk, all other techs will have some even if viewers do not notice, for DLP and the price you mention i'd look for a high brightness one which uses RF, NOT DLP link, choices are limited with DLP, older models have less brightness, if you go DLP i'd go for the announced Optoma HD50 over a Benq W1070, reason being is it should have better black levels and now they are using an RGBRGB colour wheel it will be much more accurate with colours out of the box, faster colour wheel also means less chance of seeing rainbows, another consideration should you go DLP.

Whatever you get, my suggestion is to get it calibrated, 3D calibration makes all the difference, you can even do it yourself by buying an i1 Pro 3 meter with Calman or Chromapure, it's fun to calibrate but does take time at first when you are learning.

Much thanks for the recommendations

Yes its seems we can get Epson projectors here in Canada (not sure if we get everything but its seems stores do carry the brand), which model would you recommend?

I tried looking for the Optoma HD50 and it seems like its only been released in Asia, Australia & NZ. Is there a release date for it for North America?

gagoko2001 said:

Much thanks for the recommendations

Yes its seems we can get Epson projectors here in Canada (not sure if we get everything but its seems stores do carry the brand), which model would you recommend?

I tried looking for the Optoma HD50 and it seems like its only been released in Asia, Australia & NZ. Is there a release date for it for North America?

Click to expand...

I have heard that the new Optoma could be out in August.

As for the Epson, the only one i'd get for decent 3D is the top of the range one, the Epson 5030 model, you can also buy it as a 6030 model with an extra bulb and better warranty, i'd take the Sony HW40 model you linked to over the cheaper Epsons.

There is no way I'd take an LCD projector if you are that close to LCoS(Sony).

schan1269 said:

There is no way I'd take an LCD projector if you are that close to LCoS(Sony).

Click to expand...

I wouldn't either but that's because i'm concerned about dust blobs, this is for 3D and i think the Epson will perform better in 3D.

Hmmm waiting till August might be too late as his wedding is near the end of that month. The guys are now starting to adjust the budget again. We may just got for something around $1500 -$2000 range.

What about this Sony:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sony-VPL-VW600ES.htm

gagoko2001 said:

Hmmm waiting till August might be too late as his wedding is near the end of that month. The guys are now starting to adjust the budget again. We may just got for something around $1500 -$2000 range.

What about this Sony:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sony-VPL-VW600ES.htm

Click to expand...

If you have $14,999 to spend.

Maybe the BenQ W7000

http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-W7000-300-Inches-Quality-Projection/dp/B006HIKIKQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405520656&sr=8-1&keywords=w7500

Sub $2000 and for 3D way better than LCD.

Wayne_j said:

Maybe the BenQ W7000

http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-W7000-300-Inches-Quality-Projection/dp/B006HIKIKQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405520656&sr=8-1&keywords=w7500

Sub $2000 and for 3D way better than LCD.

Click to expand...

It's DLP link for inferior 3D, i would not recommend any DLP link projectors, RF is the way to go, DLP link affects image quality and contrast levels. Benq need to stop with DLP link and provide an RF option for future projectors.

If you buy the Benq you need to buy the Optoma ZF2100 3D glasses otherwise you see the flashes creeping in, i wouldn't recommend the Benq 3D glasses with their own projector and frankly the performance is not much better than cheaper DLP units, indeed it's using a Dark Chip 2, an older chip, the lens is slightly better but some of the other tech isn't.

If the budget is now $1500 to $2000 then i'd personally get the Sony VPL-HW40ES, sealed engine so no dust blob issues will rear up and the 3D is not too bad, it's got good brightness levels and decent native contrast, just don't buy the Sony recommended 3D glasses but instead buy the optional emitter and get the Sony TDG-BT500A glasses, the Sony IR glasses are not good.

If he already has a projector my advice remains consistent with what I have been telling people for about 7 months now: DO NOT BUY A 1080P HIGH END DEVICE IN 2014. Prices are crashing as 4k steps from the shadows.Look, as a wedding gift you guys can find him something that he can enjoy for years rather than buying a high cost transition era device and which duplicates something he already likely spent thousands of dollars acquiring and does 90% of what your gift will do.Just my nutter opinion.

What Sam said You're plotting a generous wedding gift. Which is really awesome!I suggest checking his registry for big-ticket items they need to start their new life together. Or power tools.$2k in quality tools will last him the next 10-50 years and be of significant benefit in the many home repairs to come