How much DO I need to spend for a projector? (1 Viewer)

[George V]

Looking to purchase new/used/refurbished lcd projector. Don't want to spend $100k and feel need to spend more than bottom prices. How much DO I need to spend to get a good quality lcd projector (16x9 and close to HD if not)? Will be used in small room with 9-10 throw distance to screen.

Here is low level I'm considering...



EPSON PowerLite Home 10 - Refurbished

V11H127020-N
Our Price: $899.00*
Product In Stock

Wide-panel display (16:9 aspect ratio) for larger-than-life images and HDTV
Remarkable image quality and performance
Outstanding Epson service and support
Easy setup and operation
PowerLite Home 10 Catalog Sheet

The 7.9 lb Epson® PowerLite® Home 10 offers brilliant, big-screen performance at an astonishing value. A 16:9 aspect ratio, combined with a 700:1 contrast ratio, facilitates an authentic theater experience. Renowned Epson reliability ensures a quality product.

Fill a 100" screen from only 8' back with Epson 0.55" wide-panel LCDs. This quiet, 1000 ANSI lumen, 480p (854 x 480) projector offers home entertainment at its best. Four projection color modes mean great color from any source material. And, it's all at your fingertips with the convenient remote control.

 

[Jimi C]

You can get a new projector that is hd capable and 16x9 for less money.

Check out the Infocus X1 and the Sanyo Z1, i know that the sanyo can throw 100" from around 9ft. Im not sure about the Infocus.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

The Infocus X1 uses a 800x600 panel that is 4:3 ...

Not wanting to spend $100,000 and opting for a sub $1000 projector is quite the leap ... how about a $4000 DLP projector that is quite decent then.

Regards

 

[Jimi C]

oops.. well. i tried..

 

[George V]

What are recommendations in the $1000-2500 range and $2500-4000 range? Leaning toward dlp projector. Have small room, only 8-10' throw distance to screen.

TIA,
George

 

[KeithAP]

Hi George,

I recently purchased my first projector, a Benq 7800 (DLP, 5x color wheel) and I would not hesitate to recommend it. I almost went with the Infocus 4805 but finally decided on the 7800 for several reasons...

1) 5x vs 4805 4x color wheel
2) quieter than the 4805
3) built like a tank (larger and heavier than the 4805 which may or may not be a plus for everyone)
4) from my research over on avsforum, those that have seen both said the 7800 projected a better image. (Of course it should because it does cost more.)

I would say the 4805 seems to be an excellent DLP projector for the price and it is cheaper than the 7800, however I did get a great deal on the 7800 and don't regret spending the extra money. Based on the deal I got, I would say you should be able to find a Benq 7800 for under $2,500. Of course, PlasmaDocs (forum sponsor) has the 4805 for $1,299. You might want to give them a call on the 7800 and see what kind of price you can get.

I was looking to keep my purchase as under $3,000 as possible so I didn't look at models in the $2.5-4K range.

Good luck with your search.

-Keith

P.S. You can use this screen size calculator to compare what you might get from different projectors. According to this site, the 7800 will offer a 84" max image while the 4805 with offer a 78".

 

[KeithAP]

Hi all,

George sent me an email about if the 7800 could be ceiling mounted. I replied via email but thought I would post it here as well in case others are following the thread and might find the information useful.

Here is my reply...

They do have a ceiling mount kit. Here is the link to the 7800 page on Benq's site:
http://www.benq.com/projectors/projector_pe7800.html

Click on the link that says "manuals" and a pop up window will appear. There you can download the 7800 ceiling mount manual, as well as the full 7800 manual. The ceiling mount manual has a diagram and measurements that should tell you everything you would want to know about screen position and size. As a temporary solution, I have my 7800 mounted on a small table in front of the main seating position. However, the final location will be on a shelf behind the seating position that I will get set up after the holidays.

One thing I forgot about that you should be aware of, the 7800 does do some cropping (side to side) of the image on its progressive component input. There is a thread over on avsforum.com where some users post their experience with this. Here is the link to the thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=459336

After seeing the cropping myself I decided it wasn't a big deal for me. I don't think it is much worse than the overscan you normally see on many CRT RPTV and I am planning on switching to DVI anyway which doesn't have the problem.

I know you mentioned DLP but Pansonic has a nice LCD projector, the AE700U. I believe it has lense shift as well as more zoom (2x) than either the 7800 or 4805. It is also higher resolution. You might want to look into that unit as well.

I didn't mention it in my post, but I am currently just using a white wall for a screen. After I get my projector in its final location I will decide on the screen. Unfortunately, picking a screen looks to be every bit as involved as picking a projector!

Regards,
Keith