Talk me out of the Epson Homelite 10+ deal? (1 Viewer)

[MikeHerbst]

OK, is there anyone who can offer me a compelling reason why I shouldn't jump on the TVA Homelite 10+ bundle deal?

Here's my thinking on this, in no particular order, as I attempt to justify or talk myself out of this deal:

* The 80" Dalite pull-up screen is exactly the screen I want. The projector will be only used for "special occasions" like movie night (1 or 2 times per week) and will perfectly fit the "temporary" setup of the home theater. WAF says no permanent or even electric screens at this point... working on that. Plus, we'll only be sitting about 10-12' from the screen, so I don't want it any bigger.

* Our combo living/dining room has only mediocre light control. At night its fine, but in broad daylight, the best effort at darkening the room is not 100%. We mostly watch at night, but for the few late afternoon "screenings" I'm inclined to get a projector higher on the brightness spectrum. The 4805 and other "budget" DLP systems just don't have the lumens I think I'll need.

* Speaking of budget, I'm on one. Can't justify having "great" equipment when the room is just "so-so". When I get a dedicated space, I'll re-invest in better equipment. Its not a case of spending more now to get better gear, its a case of either getting something budget-minded now, or NOTHING until I have a better space...

* HDTV is a long, LONG way out for us. Again, I don't mind re-investing in better gear when that rolls around. Not sure its worth it for the scant amount of programming available right now, especially since we wouldn't watch live TV anyways. The one possible exception would be to borrow an OTA reciever for the Superbowl... (TiVo people).

* The 10+ is short enough throw that I can use it on the coffee table or behind the couch, and we'll be pretty much at 2x screen width at that range, so I'm not worried about SDE. I'm leery of DLP rainbows since it would be a major drag to have anyone from my LARGE family be affected. Maybe in a couple more years...

* Its minor, but I also happen not to own the StarWars or LOTR Box sets. I've been buying the LOTR:SE stuff up till now, but I hear there's other content on the theatrical releases. As for the Star Wars stuff, I'm just been watching my non-SE VHS copies. (Han fired first, dammit!)


So, my rambling aside, any GOOD reason why I should keep watching DVD's on a 32" TV from 12+ feet away?

Thanks!

 

[Paul-D]

I also am vary curious as to what others opinions are on this topic. Is the Epson pj better than the 4805? Which one should I buy and why?

 

[MikeHerbst]

Since the Homelite 10+ is an older LCD model, it has a lot of disadvantages versus the 4805 (which is part of what is hanging me up on this decision).

Most notably:

Lower contrast ratio (800:1, versus 2000:1)
Lacks the Faroudja Deinterlacer on the 4805
Lacks a Digital Video Input port


The first is the biggest deal to me, I'm sure most people are going to say that the image on the 4805 is just BETTER.

The second is sort of a big deal. I wouldn't mind buying a good progressive-scan DVD player, but having the deinterlacer in the PJ means that you can feed it from a lot of other (non-DVD) sources and have it work its "magic".

Lack of a DVI port means shortcomings in the future. HDTV, newer upscaling DVD players, etc. all have some sort of digital input...


For me, the "upsides" to the Epson bundle are the Dalite screen that I already wanted, and the added brightness for my less-than-ideal room. Oh yeah, and cost.

If you subtract out the cost of the screen (and the movies), its like getting the projector for $800 or so... (based on the list price of the screen, not sure what the street price is).

Decisions, decisions...

 

[Mark Larson]

What is the deal with the Home 10+? How much is it?

 

[MikeHerbst]

Its the TV Authority deal in the sticky thread up at the top entitled "TV Authority - HTF Epson Powerlite Deal"

Its a Powerlite Home 10+ projector, a Da-Lite 80" pull up screen, and the StarWars and LOTR trilogy box sets, for $1299

 

[Kin]

Hey guys,
We are authorized dealers for both Epson and InFocus. Both those are great projectors. You can't beat the price of the 10+ package deal. But what we are really dealing with here are two different technologies. If you are interested, go ahead and call us, and we can discuss the pro's and con's of each. We can even put together a 4805 package for you, if that's the way you want to go.

Kin Beliakoff
[email protected]
1(888)286-5353 EXT 522

 

[Rik P]

Best deal ive seen so far

InFocus 4805 Digital Home Projector with 106" Draper Pull Down Screen for $1399 (not sure what shipping is?)
@ shopathometv.com

 

[Kin]

Hey Guys,
I've had a few questions posed to me recently about the deal we are offering. What I'd like to do is open a general Q&A session about the projectors in this range. I check the forum frequently, and live by my e-mail. If you have any questions at all, let me know. If I do not know, I will find out for you.

BTW... It's not listed in the bundle deal, but the screen material that the pop-up screen is matched with is called "Wide Power" It has a gain of 2.2 while keeping a 45 degree from center viewing angle.

[email protected]

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Hi guys.

The pop up screen is quite kewl

On a side note the Epson has a very short throw distance so that would be useful in close quarters where the Infocus would not be useable.

Regards

Gregg

 

[MikeHerbst]

Yeah, I think its a pretty good low-buck setup for the "temporary" installation movie night. A pop up screen in front of the fireplace and the PJ on the coffee table should work brilliantly for us. Can't wait until mine shows up.

The throw is pretty short though. I got confused with the projectorcentral calculator when I was researching the unit and thought I'd have enough flexibility to put the pj on the coffee table -or- on the half-wall behind the couch, but in re-visitng the calculator I see that if you want to stick to the ~1.8-2.0 times screen width, this particular PJ needs to be in front of you, or over your head.

I'm still optimistic I can make it work. Like I said, can't wait for it to show up!!

 

[MikeHerbst]

WOW! Talk about service. I ordered my bundle on the 17th, and assured myself that a "late" present to the family would be acceptable.

Well imagine my surprise when the UPS guy shows up last night with a pile of boxes for me. Christmas a day early!

Fortunately I was able to sneak everything into the garage, and I've got a wicked surprise in store for the family. Santa's going to be good to us this year.

Thanks much to Kin and TVA for everything!

 

[Kin]

That's great, Mike!

How did the Christmas presentation to the family go?

 

[MikeHerbst]

Went over pretty well! The wife was caught off guard a little, espeically since we'd only talked about projectors in the abstract sense. But the pop-up screen was a big hit because it solved all of the WAF issues. She doesn't have to see the screen housing when we're not watching movies, and its easy to store out of the way the rest of the time.

The projector itself is pretty much what I'd expected/hoped for. The brightness is sufficient (in dynamic or living room modes) to watch a movie at mid-day in our living room with only moderate light control. After dark the Theater Black mode is more than bright enough and everything looks fantastic. Its my first projector, so my expectations are based on a 32" tube screen, but the blacks look fantastic, and I get very minimal SDE at my viewing distance. My wife's eyes aren't quite as sharp, so she gets none! All of this is with minimal tweaking of the settings, by eye. I just got a copy of DVE, so I'll spend some time with that when I get a chance.

After a little dinking around with various placements, we've found a solid setup or everything. Moved the center channel above the TV (was below on a shelf) so now its also right above the screen at full height. Found a suitable location just in front of the arm of one of our loveseats that fits the throw of the projector perfectly. (As I feared, not quite enough throw to put the projector behind the couch, unless I went to a bigger screen).

So far, we've only noticed one "dead" pixle. (Stuck on red, only visible on a black background.) Going to check it for a couple of more days to be sure.

All in all, this was a very solid deal. Glad nobody talked me out of it!


Cheers.

 

[Kin]

That's great Mike! A great example of how a front projector setup doesn't have to be a bank buster, or a brain teaser.

FYI --- As your wife gets accustomed to the FP, she will start caring less and less about needing a portable screen. The screen will shrink, in her eyes, and some day she might even request a larger pull down screen