How do I watch cable on a Projector? (1 Viewer)

[JimRang]

I am definitely a newbie to the hometheatre scene, so I am sure these questions are pretty dumb. But I couldn't find anything on the internet that said how one watches cable with a projector. (I am a poor law student so I am looking at the inexpensive infocus X1.) So I guess I have a few questions:

1) How do I watch cable with my projector? I have looked at the inputs that are on the X1 and I can't see one that would allow me to watch TV with it. (I thought that maybe I could run the cable to my VCR and then use the component out to my projector, but is that a good way? I have been trying to get away from using a VCR for a couple of years now so if there is a better way I would like to hear about it.)

2) I saw another post where the person said that he had a projection TV behind his screen so he could watch TV in the proper format. So my question is if I watched cable using my projector is the image going to be terrible? I don't watch that much TV anyway, but if I am watching the football game I don't want the players looking deformed. I would like something with at least a passable image.

I am looking to get rid of the bulkiness of a large TV so if there was anyway that using the projector would work I would like to hear about it.

3) Also, I looked at the ceiling mount for the X1 and say that it was $150. Is there a less expensive way to mount the X1 on the ceiling, or another unobtrusive way to mount it that is not on the ceiling?


Thanks for your help,
Jim

 

[ChrisWiggles]

for #1) you need a tuner, from something like a VCR. Almost no projectors (actually none that I know of) have built-in tuners like most TVs do. TV quality is poor though, so blown up big it will, well, look like crap, relatively speaking.

 

[Jed M]

If you are a videophile, you will be disappointed. If you are a regular person like the majority of us, you will be flat out floored by the size of the picture. I watch a lot of directv on my projector and to me it looks good. No, its not as crisp as my 27", but at the same time if I wanted to watch a 27" image I wouldn't have bought a projector. I have never had anybody complain about the picture during any sporting event, in fact everybody always suggests my place to watch the game because of the projector.

 

[Sami Kallio]

Add one to the list, I have a Seleco SVP-350 with built-in PAL tuner (and text-TV).

Jim, if you have a cable receiver, you can connect that to the projectors inputs (SVHS, composite, component depending on the receiver). Picture quality is OK but that varies from channel to channel. Don't expect anything near to DVD quality though. I use mine mostly to watch sports when my friends are over. Formula One, NHL and NFL are decent on the big screen but when I'm alone I tend to watch them more on my regular TV than on the projector.

 

[Eric Hahn]

You can use a vcr if you have one, or I use a dvd burner, and output through the svideo on the burner.

If you can recieve digital OTA stations you could get a reciever and watch hd and sd programming on the x1,

you could check if you have a cable box, it might have a svideo out?

as far as mounts, you can check ebay, or check avsforum, and they have several ideas on how to make one yourself.

 

[Ralph B]

you need the component to vesa adapter for cable HD, if your watching standard cable use s-video and its not half bad.

mounts, well I bought mine off ebay and 3 projectors later I have been able to mod it by drilling holes to fit a particular projector. one guy on ebay sells them for $65.00 shipped and they are very much a decent product.

X1 displays 4:3 properly as its a native 4:3 projector.

im sorry but the word "videophile" is a word I never liked only to claim that certain people have better eyes than others. we all have the same eyes and can see the same thing. its all about preference and opinion and never liked that word.

my opinion is the X1 displays HD content in not true HD resolution but sure still looks damn good!!!!!!!! alot better than I thought it would and light years better than progressive and reg cable. obviously he is looking at an X1 and if he had more to spend and wanted more he wouldnt have even mentioned it. he did say he was a student.

sure I would love and can tell the difference between a $5000 projector and a $1000 projector but the X1 is def a nice projector for the budget minded.