Need Help Configuring What Projector I Need (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Boyd]

I'm a newbie at displays and home theatres in general, I'm more into computers which leads me to have some knowledge about this subject. Anyways, I've been really looking into revamping my HTS, and I want to start by getting a front projector.

I need some certain specs for this projector though. I will be moving into a new room (attic) soon and it's fairly large. I'd say the area I'm going to set this up would be 30' x 20' or roughly that size with the actual speaker and speaker placement being focused on about 20' x 20'. I need a projector that will hook up to my computer and act as a monitor as well. I would also like to run some toslink from the Fortissimo III (sound card) to the receiver, and then toslink from the receiver to the projector if that's possible. I realize that the computer would display very horrid with s-video, but I've heard that it looks decent with a vga connection via an adapter (using Radeon 9800 Pro). Would the resolution be capped at what the projector is (looking at 1024 x 768) or would the display, show what the computer shows?

I'll stop right now to further the confusion I'm probally bestowing upon your brains but I am on a budget. I would be willing to go up to about $1,600 for the projector. Also would I be able to use a white wall as a screen for a while... say until christmas? I am going to be starting a new job then.

I'm looking at the Hitachi CP-X275W Projector as of now. Doesn't have all that I want but it's $1,595 and seems rather good.

 

[ChadLB]

How about the infocus X1 or Sany plvz1 or panny 200....

 

[Andrew Boyd]

The InFocus one looks very nice. I'm not to sure about the 800x600 Native, and only 1024x768 max though. Also do any projectors come with a S/PDIF jack? I've only seen RCA Components...

 

[Neil Joseph]

Take a look at this projector... NEC HT1000 @1024x768 with DVI/D.

 

[Andrew Boyd]

Neil-Wow that's a very nice NEC, I love their computer monitors. That is pretty much what I'm looking for (I realize that toslink would be uesless on them now), but the price tag is quite high.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Hitachi CP-X275WA:

LCD Projector
1024x768 Native
400:1 contrast
1200 ANSI lumens
34dB noise
5.0 lbs
no DVI input


Have you ever viewed any DLP projectors before?

 

[Neil Joseph]

Keep in mind that the price shown on projector central is MSRP from when the projector came out. The street would be significantly lower than that.

 

[Andrew Boyd]

Gabriel-I'll be honest, I've never seen any projector in action. There aren't any stores around here that sell them. The Best Buy and Circuit City in Rochestser were some of the first in the country and seem rather outdated. I could go again and check but a Plasma Tv to them is some "insane product". I may wait for LCoS even though it'll be pricey.

Neil-Yep, I realize that. The lowest I saw it was still over $3,000. However this particular projector started at around $6,000 correct? I may wait until, say January-February and see the price then.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Yeah, you want to make sure that DLP's don't give you headaches & also that you either don't see the rainbows or aren't bothered too much by then. I'd suggest doing your best to watch at least 30 min to 1 hour on a DLP before making your purchase.