My $500 HT, The importance of ANSI Lumens spec? (1 Viewer)

[bmadams]

OK, I'm new at this Home Theater stuff...
I just completed a complete HT for under $500..
That's
Projector: Epson PowerLite S5 $350 + tax (Holiday sales)
Projector mount: $30 e-bay,
Cables: S-Video $15, Composite $10 Fry's
AudioVideo: RCA RT2600 $40 used (very thing goes thru this to the Projector)
Screen: Wall $free, came with house
TV/DVD: Older pre owned items
Wii: daughter got us this for Christmas

I can't tell you how happy I am with all this, I have friends with systems that cost $2k to $5k. Now I will admit that theirs are nicer, but the difference (to my eyes and ears (and years)) is minimal and I just can't justify the cost difference...
(I admit the higher dollar spenders do seem to be prouder and happier with themselves)

I was looking at specs for the projectors and I am confused as to the Lumens spec and importance.
My $350 Projector specs at 2000 Lumens
The $8000 Sony VPL-VW11HT specs at 1000 Lumens

I thought brighter was better? How can a unit at such a high price have such low Lumens? How does this effect the picture quality?

Help me understand Lumens in the HT world..

Brian

 

[chris.big.money]

Well i'm not an expert, but i can clarify this a bit. Contrast ratio be greatly affected by the lumens if the projector has an adjusting iris (the iris opens and closes more to allow more/less light into the picture). When watching movies in a dark room, which is essentially the only place the Sony would be used, the lumens are not as important. Most dedicated 3k+ hometheater projectors don't get over 1600 lumens unless you go way out into the 10k+ "huge screen market" where 5000-10000 lumens is the norm. So three factors can influence the lumens: higher contrast ratio, market you're looking at, and size of screen possible (more lumens allows the screen to be bigger if focus allows it).

 

[bmadams]

Thanks, So I am assuming that the high dollar ones have an adjustable iris? and thus project better detailed images at the 2 extremes of the spectrum (dark scenes and bright scenes) and balance out better in lit rooms)..

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Brian:

Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you're happy with the system, and you certainly got yourself a bargain. But in comparing the Epson to the Sony, you are deep into "apples to oranges" territory. As for the difference in lumens - No brighter isn't always better, just as bigger and faster aren't always better. (If you're single and have a short commute, a giant pick-up truck or SUV probably isn't the right vehicle for you. You can make a tractor go really fast, but what would be the point?) It all comes down the application. Wondering why the Sony costs more than the Epson when the Epson has more lumens is a little like wondering why a Maserati costs more than a Chevy Caprice when the Caprice has more trunk space.

Your Epson is a data-grade portable projector designed for use with PCs and sometimes video sources in business settings where it is often difficult to control the lighting or impossible to completely darken the room. It needs a higher lumens rating to produce an adequate image under these conditions. At the same time it is a 4:3 aspect-ratio, native 800 x 600 SVGA resolution system that can accept HD sources up to 1080i but which cannot acutally display those resolutions. It has to downcovert them to something it can handle.

The Sony is a true HD, dedicated home theater projector. It has a native resoultion of 1366 x 768 pixels. (720p/768p resolution) Anyone buying such a projector is going to use it in a room where the lighting can be controlled and the room almost totally darkened, so 1000 lumens is just fine. 2000 would be overkill.

The only video source you list is your DVD/receiver combo. How do you watch television?

Regards,

Joe

 

[bmadams]

How do I watch TV, signal picked up from a mounted outside antenna sent to the TVs via coax....all TVs are old and use the HD Converter boxes purchased with the Uncle Sam coupons...except 1 19" LCD my son got us for christmas....I am 51 yrs old, raised 3 kids and have never had cable/sat TV...ever

and really don't feel I have missed anything and my kids seem to still love us

when I visit friends with cable, they do the same thing we do....surf the channells...they just have more to surf..

soooo we mainly watch rented movies (Walmart Redbox $1)

sooo you can see you are dealing with a real tightwad here...but..

with all that was said about all the technical differences...the bottom line is the watching and viewing experience....and I just cannot hear or see $3k difference in my system and others.. and I don't have to have a total dark room...and my friends that visit all say "ooohh aaaww" and we enjoy the movie and popcorn...

 

[chris.big.money]

if you've achieved what you set out for, then you have nothing to worry about. Just enjoy your big screen movies and be happy that you were able to accomplish it on such an impressive budget. I know i'm impressed.

 

[bmadams]

thanks, i hear you

 

[jjordan27]

If you're happy, thats all that matters. Also realize that some people either see more detail, or appreciate more detail than others. For instance, when my dad first got surround sound for us when I was young, the only difference my mom said she could tell was that it was "louder." Clearly the system sounded 10 time better than just the tv sound. It just all depends on what makes you happy. Peace.

 

[bmadams]

I think you have well summed up "the bottom line"

personal satisfaction trumps the specs..

my message to others is that you don't have to bankrupt the home to enjoy the "Home Theater" experience....find balance, within your budget!!