College Student in need of advice... (1 Viewer)

[Anthony_L]

It has been a while since I have posted here, mainly due to my home theater not going anywhere. =) I am back, and now I have a two simple questions...
1. How many lumens in enough? I see LCD projectors with lumens at about 300, but is that enough for a non-completely dark room? What should I be looking for?
2. Being a college student I don't save a lot, but this is something I have always wanted. I have the audio setup perfect, now all I need is the LCD or CRT projector and screen. Does anyone have any experience buying projectors from EBAY? It seems as that I cannot afford a new projector, and that is the only alternative...
Just looking for some friendly advice, thanks for your help!
Anthony Longo

 

[TimG]

If you are not going to have total light control in the room I would suggest you go with an LCD or DLP projector. It would also be easier to move if the need arose. (I moved 4 times in 5 years in college.) I don't know that I would go the E-Bay route personally, but then I am not much of a gambler either. Check the avscience board,http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi under DLP, LCD projectors and check the classifieds there also. There is also http://www.projectorcentral.com that sells used projectors. There is a thread a few down from this one that talks about them. Hope this helps, and good luck.
Tim

 

[Anthony_L]

I guess my biggest concern is not knowing what I am looking for in a projector. I see all these different specs and do not know what I want? What resolution, brightness, etc... Are there any faq's on this? Can someone tell me what is better then what
Thanks again
Anthony

 

[Dan Hine]

Anthony,
First off, how much are you willing to spend? Sure a 12,000 lumen 1920x1080 projector would be nice....if you have $120,000. http://www.avsforum.com
Dan

 

[Anthony_L]

Honestly I don't want to spend more then 1500-2k I figure I can get something decent for now until one day when I can spend 30k on a projector.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...cfm?part_id=68
This place has this projector
(Electrohome EPS1024) for $1750 used... Is that something that will at least give me a nice enough picture in a dark but not pitch black basement? This has 700 lumens, but is that enough in a partially lit room?
Anthony

 

[Dan Hine]

Anthony,
While I cannot refer to you a better deal right off hand, I have to say you could probably do better. I'm certain I have seen 1000lumens and better native resolution for around the same cost. Keep and eye on the classifieds here and at the avs forum. If I run into anything I'll be sure to let you know. Good Luck.
Dan