Newb to the projector market... (1 Viewer)

[Dave Voros]

Ok, after reading a bunch of posts about different models of projectors, it seems like the concensus of alot of people here for a decent, low'ish cost, first projector, would be the infocus 4805? Am I correct in this? I have really been thinking alot about jumping in and getting a projector but the
cost is what has been keeping me from buying. It seems the infocus is starting to come into my grasp, price wise.

The only other concern I have about these projectors is the replacement bulb costs, i think around 500 dollars? Also I am not aware of the bulb life of the 4805, anyone know?

Thanks to any help.

Dave

 

[Citizen87645]

Replacement lamp runs around 300.00. Lamp is rated for 3000 hours of use. If you figure 4 hours a day of use then the lamp will last two years or 41 cents a day.

 

[Leo Kerr]

One of the things I've also found useful when you take the projector plunge is...

...unless the projector is immediatly unsatisfactory, don't go looking for trouble by looking at prices for the next few months or year. There always will be a better one for less than you spent. It's a fact of life.

Bulb life is a painful sort of thing when you actually need to replace the lamp.

Some notes on replacment of lamps:

...sometimes, it's obvious. The lamp goes 'poof!' with a little tinkle of glass. This can be bad, but generally just needs to have the glass carefully removed. If it gets into the fan gears, that's bad. If it gets into the light path, that's bad. Other than that, no big deal.

Sometimes you just need to: the color has shifted; the brightness has fallen off so far..

But the lamp life is a guesstimate based off of median lamp life. And, I'd add, the number of 'starts.' If, at the end of your three thousand hours, the image is still just peachy, feel free to reset the hour counter without changing the lamp.

Things to watch for, however:

1. time for the arc to establish (should be

 

[Dave Voros]

Awsome, thanks for all the helpfuil advice folks, now i have to get the wife on board hehe

Dave

 

[Scott L]

One thing to know is you need a light controlled room. I kinda miss having 4 48" flourescent light bulbs turned on in my basement while watching TV. I've been contemplating geting a cheap 27" for casual TV watching.

 

[Dave Voros]

Ahh ok, good tip. How dim is the infocus 4805? Can you see the screen with any lights on?

Dave

 

[Scott L]

I can't say right now because I'm still projecting on the wall. I plan to trek out to Alexandria tommorrow because that's the closest Lowe's in my area that carries that Parkland Plastics material. I went to both Lowe's & Home Depot in my town, neither had PP or Do-able. :frowning: These are the popular cheap DIY solutions for screens btw.

 

[Citizen87645]

Even in your typical fluorescent-lit office environment it can be seen, but does it look the best? No. Like someone mentioned, it's probably not the best use of the thing for casual TV viewing, especially during the day with all the shades open or with all the lights on in the room. Getting a projector is really for a theater experience. I've been to a few cinema showings when they forgot to dim the lights and that just felt unnatural.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I have several friends that have made the projector transition and none have come to regret it. One of them just got his 4805 this weekend and his previous screen was a 47" calibrated Panasonic. Go for it.

 

[Steven_Jobe]

Well everyone keeps harping on the 4805 but you can also consider the Sanyo Z1 or the Infocus X1 for cheaper and both do a great job as well. I haven't been in this section of the forums for a month or so but those two were getting tons of love and now I just see stuff bout the 4805. These boards have phases people get in to and right now it's the 4805 phase.

 

[Dave Voros]

Ok, i just checked out the Sanyo Z1, and the Infocus X1. Their prices are better then the 4805, now i just dont know how to decide :frowning: between the 3 projectors heh.

Infocus 4805
Infocus X1
Sanyo Z1

i am going to take a break now to get the all these terms outta my head heh, any reccomendations on these three would also help

Dave

 

[Steven_Jobe]

A good place to look is projectorcentral.com. They usually have extensive reviews on all of them. Last time I checked there, and even here, everyone recommended the Z1. Now I see alot here bout the 4805 though and I haven't done much research on that one.

 

[Citizen87645]

Here is my take on X1 or 4805 from another thread:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...62#post2282062

 

[Dave Voros]

Ok, i just got back from projectorcentral.com and the reviews for the Sanyo Z1 are indeed higher than the 4805's. Seems alot of people like em. Maybe i am leaning a bit towards the Z1.

Dave

Heh, anyone in San Diego who has a Z1 I could see? heh, thought id try

 

[Dave Voros]

Well I am now heavily leaning towards the Sanyo Z1, I found a dealer, Visual Apex, that is selling them for about $899, that is making it hard for me to say no Arg!! the decisions.... hehe

Dave

 

[DaveGTP]

The X1 and 4085 are popular because DLP has better contrast ratios. LCD (like the Sanyo Z1) will have less capability to produce dark blacks.

The only issue with DLP is possible sensitivity to see rainbows. The DLP works (simple explanation) by spinning a color wheel in front of the light. Physiologically, most people see what they are supposed to see. Some people's brains (like me) sometimes catch the spinning and see a brief rainbow flash of color. The faster the wheel, the less likely anybody sees rainbows.

I can't see any on a 5x wheel. I see them in white on black/dark on my X1's 2x wheel. The 4805 has a 4x wheel.

The X1 has frequently been as cheap as $750ish after rebate from Dell lately, given a little patience.

 

[Stephen Bort]

Why are bulbs so expensive? Hand made by the Amish?

 

[mark alan]

It not really an issue regarding black. The Z1, in a light controlled room, will produce what appears to be very black blacks. The problem is that you lose image detail in dark scenes because the contrast performance of the Z1 is not high enough to pick out fine gradations of black.

I have had the Z1 for over 18 months, and have been basically happy with my black level detail. I know it could be better, but it is good enough.

 

[Dave Voros]

i need to find someone or a retailer that has one working so i can see the image myself. Im sure the Z1 should be ok for the price.


Dave

 

[Steven_Jobe]

There's also the Sanyo Z2, I believe that's the one I meant when I said Z1 before, although both are good.