Shopping for projectors - Help! (1 Viewer)

[Patman27]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to both this forum and the home theater scene in general, so I'll try and be as specific as I can, but bear with me if I'm not up to snuff with my terminology and such.

Ok, so I acquired a used Apollo projection screen (6ft wide, haven't checked how tall yet) from my school a while back, given to me because of problems with the spring retraction. I'm in the process of motorizing it at the moment.
Naturally, I want to take this opportunity to set up a small home-theater system in my room. I want the projector to handle movies (over my computer or PS3), computing, and gaming (over a PS3). My computer has a DVI output, and the PS3 has an HDMI output.

So, I want to go for a projector that can handle full HD 1080p if possible, but I'm looking for something as far away from $1000 as possible. Far as in inexpensive. I'm willing to fix an inop unit or convert one to LED if necessary; I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty.
I'm still unsure of how bright a unit I'd need (think relative low ambient light in a [LxWxH] 10'x11'x8' room] or how great a contrast ratio I should look for, so I'm kinda at a loss here. Distance from projector to screen could be between 5' and 8.5'. screen measures about 68"-70" wide, I imagine it's a 4:3.

Where could I find an HD projector on the cheap? How much should I expect to pay? could I repair a unit/ replace a bulb/ convert to LED and expect to pay less?

Thanks so much for anyone who could help me out! I really appreciate any bit of information that comes my way.

 

[Parker Clack]

What kind of projector do you want? DLP or LCD?

Repairing a projector can be very costly. It was probably be in your best interest to look for a good new projector especially if you want to do 1080p. There are several models
available for under or close to $1000.

If your screen is a 4::3 ratio and it is about 72 inches wide it should have a height of about 55 inches tall with a 90 inch diagonal. I am not that sure how well a screen designed for film with look with a projected image from a front projection monitor. It may be too bright or have a hot spot in the middle of the image.

I know that there will be plenty of others with more experience in this than myself that should be able to help you out.

 

[Patman27]

What's the main difference between LCD and DLP? I know that LCD places a small LCD screen between the bulb and the main lens, right?

The screen I have is made for digital projection. I'd say it's about 2-3 years old.

I'm looking at a few refurbished 1080i models on eBay at the moment. Whatddya think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Infocus-LP340B-DLP-HD-Home-Theater-Projector-WARRANTY_W0QQitemZ280486712353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414e4f9421

http://cgi.ebay.com/Infocus-X2-HD-DLP-HDMI-Big-Screen-TV-Projector-LOADED_W0QQitemZ270557151207QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3efe767fe7

http://cgi.ebay.com/Infocus-X3-HD-DLP-HDMI-Big-Screen-TV-Projector-LOADED_W0QQitemZ280487663441QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item414e5e1751

http://cgi.ebay.com/InFocus-LP70-DLP-Projector-Working-condition_W0QQitemZ220579327364QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item335b8d6d84

http://cgi.ebay.com/InFocus-LP70-DLP-Projector-For-Parts-or-Repair_W0QQitemZ350333434077QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item51917ff8dd

 

[Patman27]

I also found this little gem:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-PT-AE700U-HDMI-1080-HD-Video-Movie-Projector_W0QQitemZ200454785407QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2eac09497f

 

[Patman27]

...and these guys

http://cgi.ebay.com/Optoma-EP721-Video-Movie-Projector-2200-Lumens-HD_W0QQitemZ200453622029QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2eabf7890d

http://cgi.ebay.com/Epson-EX30-LCD-Video-Projector-2000-Lumens-HD-1080_W0QQitemZ120549596645QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c1150dde5

http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-LCD-PT-AE900U-Video-Projector-1100-Lumens_W0QQitemZ120551461127QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c116d5107

 

[tintinskoog]

I have an optoma HD200X ,which is a really good projektor for less money, so i can really recommend it as a "low price good performance" projector..

 

[Jim Mcc]

Patman27, your ideas are just not feasible. What is your max. budget for projector? You can buy a brand new 720p projector for $700 or less. You can buy a new 1080p projector for $1000 or less.