I would like your experienced advice (1 Viewer)

[Natalie M]

Hi Everybody,

I browsed this site most of yesterday, and I got a good look at some of your HT's. They look very nice.

I have a question for all of you out there. My husband and I live in an apartment at the moment, but we are planning to get a house in the next year or so. He's come up with the idea of a dedicated HT. So with that in mind:

Currently, we have all audio equipment necessary, in fact we just finished the last of the replacements on equipment.

We plan on getting a much bigger TV, but lately my husband has mentioned the projectors. As I mentioned before, I got a good look at some of them on this site.

This is an area totally new to me and my husband, and I would like to request some advice.

Ive seen CRT, LCD projectors mentioned. Ive seen the screens, but dont quite understand what makes one better than the other.

I would like an idea of some of these items, as well as the costs of them. We'd like to do this right, but we're still on a budget.

Husband says he would spend about 3-5000 on a projector. Is this possible? And is it quality? I would also love some ideas on prices of the screens and why. My husband has mentioned 16:9, somewhere in between 65"-100"

I hope you can help me, since most of you have already gone through this stage. I would really appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance.

Natalie

 

[steve nn]

Natalie welcome to the HTF. It is nice to see a post from a female. I knew there had to be a few wives out there who enjoyed HT. Sorry I can't answer your post but am sure much help and advice is on the way.

 

[Natalie M]

Yes, I think there are more of us out there than we get credit for. LOL

 

[Joe Tilley]

Natalie, First off Welcome to the form you will find a lot of good information here. I just thought I'd tell you you may wont to post in the Display Devices area on projectors you will probley get a lot more hits over there.Good luck

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Natalie: The "HT and Construction" fourm will give you lots of suggestions/advice for a dedicated media room.

Scroll through several weeks of posts and make notes about things that confused you. At the end, then the things that sound fun, but are not explained can be poised as questions.

And the "Display Devices" fourm will tell you about projectors.

I'll try and give you some help with the other issues.

Dimensions: your standard TV is 4x3. But movies are typically shot wider for commercial movie theaters. A 16x9 ratio is very common.

They now make Televisions that are 16x9 (that look very wide), but when watching a widescreen movie, nearly the entire area is used.

But watching a widescreen movie on a ordinary 4x3 TV leaves black-bars at the top and bottom of the screen which annoys some people.

So a 16x9 television is better for movies.

Read the "A Primer for Home Theater Newcommers". A lot of this is covered in there in great detail.

Good Luck.

 

[Greg_R]

Natalie,

Welcome to the forum! With front projection systems, light control is critical. This means that you should be able to block sunlight from entering the room. DILA and LCD are brighter than a typical CRT but still require good light control. CRT will give you the best picture but is more difficult to install and setup properly. You can pick up a quality, low hour 8" CRT projector (with excellent support) for ~$3500. LCD and DILA are _much_ easier to install but have their own problems (picture not as good, more expensive vs. used CRT, bulbs don't last as long as CRT tubes, etc.). Don't get me wrong... LCD and DILA technology can produce a great picture. It's just that CRT can be (after proper setup) even better.

Screens will have a gain associated with them. The higher the gain, the more light is reflected back at the viewer (giving you a better picture). The disadvantage is that the viewing field is more narrow and you could get something called "hotspots" (more perceived light in some areas vs. others). Some screens are optimized for specific projectors (Stewart Grayhawk, etc.). It should be mentioned that good results can be had by using a wall (painted a specific white). One of the best

 

[Mike Matheson]

Natalie,
After perusing HTF and gaining a basic understanding of things, you might try poking around at the AVS Forum. Beware, though, the water there gets deep pretty quick.
As stated above, FP (front projection) systems aren't quite as straight forward as RPTV (rear project TV's)--more details to consider. But the end-result can be incredible. Not only would it dazzle you, but it can be a lot of fun watching friends' jaws drop. . .
It make take some time to get comfortable with the terminology, technologies (projectors and video processors), design/install considerations, cabling/connections, etc. Worth it though from a $$$ and final-product perspective.
Have fun,
Mike