Should I consider a Front Projector? (1 Viewer)

[Evan M.]

I am an audio guy so this video stuff is very new to me. I have a very good audio set up but my video is lacking. I have a 27" panasonic pure flat tv that actuall has a great picture and is more than adequate for t.v. viewing. My needs may be kind of unique so hang with me for a second:
I don't really care about how good my t.v. experience is. I do not watch a lot of t.v. so what I have now is fine. I could care less about HDTV. I live in Maine and we get things up here last. I know people will say once you see it you'll want it.....but honestly I don't care about it until I NEED t have it when I don't have a choice. I do love to watch movies though and would want something STRICTLY for that. I was thinking that having my T.V. set up how it always is and having a front projector with a drop down screen over the T.V. might give me what I want. My living room receives a lot of light but I only watch movies at night-time anyway. Does anybody else do this? Watch a "regular" tube t.v. and for movies have a screen that lowers in front of the t.v. and use a front projector? If so what projectors would you recommend. It will ONLY be for DVD movies. Maybe a little football but that is really it. Id there anything for about 1000$ that would serve this purpose for for the next 4 years when I have to upgrade to HDTV? I am in the VERY beginning stages so any advice would be great. Thank you in advance.

 

[Todd Durham]

That is exactly what I use mine FP for. I have a 10 year old 36 inch tv for most tv and kid movie watching. When its time for me to watch a movie I pull down a screen and watch it from my ceiling mounted projector. We are rather limited in size in this room so the diagonal measurement of the screen only is about 65-72 inches. Even with that size it can be a jaw dropping experience. I will always have some type of front projector at the house. I have a Panasonic PT-711XU which is a couple of years old but still does the job for us quite nicely. Its not great during the daytime but at night the picture is gorgeous. I also have the TV and XBox hooked up to it for special occasions. I have not regretted this purchase one bit.

Todd

 

[Chester II]

Dude,

I would recommend the Plus Piano HE-3100 projector which is now on sale for $999 at the Plus Home Theater website. It's strength is in projecting DVDs (which is what it was designed for) at up to 7 feet in width. It does T.V. very well and is not compatible with High Definition sources. The He-3200 accepts high definition but costs $1999. This projector blew people away a couple of years ago and it stills impresses despite all the new models available. I have the 3200 and I know you will be impressed when you see the image projected for the first time. You can find more information about it at Projector Central which carries a lot of user and expert reviews.

Good luck dude,

Chester II

 

[Sheldon-m]

GO WITH THE X1 FROM INFOCUS. 900 BUCKS

 

[Eric Hahn]

I am thinking of doing the same thing, the infocus x1 great price right now at dell, and the benq6100 are 1st on my list, but I want to check out the lcd pj's, like the sanyo z1 and the panisonic lu300(i think that is the #)

all are supposed to look awsome for the prices, the 1st 2 are dlp, so you need to see if rainbows are an issue..

hope it helps, also the 6100 has a long throw lens, whitch means at the same distance, it gives a smaller pic size, but if you can go back past 12 ft you can get a big screen just like the rest..

and 2 new ones coming out the infocus 4805 and benq 6200 I do not know much about them, but it might be worth the wait, but the prices the 1ast 2 are going for right now seem like a steal.

just my .02

 

[KalaniP]

I seriously have been considering the front projectors as well, lately. I have a 65" Mitsu widescreen in the living room, but was considering a proj for the bedroom system, because my 32" sony trinitron is getting a little long in the tooth, and it's huge. Plasma or LCD would be perfect, but way too spendy at this point. So I have been considering an X1 as a cheap, interim solution.

I've kinda decided to hold off for a couple reasons.

First, rainbows on the slower-wheeled DLPs make me nervous... I dunno if I'll see them or not, but I'm the type who will be driven insane if I notice them, ruining the system for me. Faster wheel in units that will come out down the road will help with that, but then, LCD/Plasma prices are dropping fast, too, so who knows. Second, believe it not not, is noise. Maybe it's not an issue in a larger room, but the DLPs I have seen have all emitted a slight high-pitched whine (I think it's a combination of the cooling fan and the color wheel spinning)... and those were like $4k+ units, not the cheap X1s and their ilk (which I have yet to lay eyes on). In a small bedroom, that sound will be VERY noticable, during quiet passages, at least. Larger rooms may have no problem, as you can put it farther from the audience, but again, this was for a bedroom.

The final reason I held off is the cost of the screens. Sure, you can use a white wall, if you have one. Otherwise, as a minimum, you're looking at using some specialized wall paints that aren't free... or a home theatre screen made for the application. Those screens definitely add to the cost of the unit, making it not quite as cheap as it seems at first blush, and the high end ones can be *really* expensive... and the motorized units that make then uber-cool cost more than the X1!!!

All things considered, I've decided to stick with my CRT for now. But again, your circumstances are different, so that conclusion may not be the one for you.

-Kalani

 

[Evan M.]

Thanks guys and ......dude,
I will have to check out that x-1 and benq6100. A buddy of mine is acyually deciding between the same two. Maybe we can get a 2 for 1 deal . Anone compare the 2? Actually I should do a search on that one.....I have been around here for awhile....I should know better . Thanks again, anymore advice would be great.

 

[Ron-P]

Evan, just FYI, but the X1 is native 4:3. If this is going to be "strictly" for movies, I'd seriously look into PJs that are native 16:9.


Peace Out~

 

[Chris PC]

Panasonic L200 is still available and can be found for $995-$1100.00. If I didn't have a PJ I wouldn't hesitate to grab the Panny LCD L200.

 

[LouAR]

Anyone know if you can REDUCE a PJ image when the PJ must be located further away than the calculated distance? I want to go this route but the calculated distance for the 45" screen height (cannot go bigger) requires 12 foot PJ distance and the only place I could put the PJ is 14.5' or more - giving a picture bigger than the screen. Can I reduce the image from a greater distance? It would not be a perm install, only come out for movies.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

You would want to do this with lenses, as using shrinking the image loses resolution big time.

 

[Chester II]

Evan dude,

The Plus Piano He-3100 is a dual mode model meaning it has BOTH 4:3 format and 16:9 native format. Pretty sweet dude. Ron P. is correct when he says you should choose a native 16:9 projector if you are only going to watch dvd movies. Many of the 4:3 native projectors create distracting masking bars to create the 16:9 image. Pretty lame dude....

Dude,

Chester II