Good Projector

xsouthparkx

xsouthparkx

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Hey anyone see a good projector on sale? I'm talking about a $500-$1000ish

BTW I know little to nothing about projectors. If someone could educate me about some good brands and other important info just let me know :cool:

TY

EDIT:
Or should I just purchase an hdtv?
 
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I was in the market for one and well... You might be better off with an HDtv. What is your reason for getting a projector?
 
I own a projector. Let me tell you it's an extremely nice novelty. Now this may differ from the use you would use it for but we use ours as our main TV in the living room. BAD choice. I've replaced the Lamp twice now ($300+ EACH time) and I just replaced the polarizing plates (also $300). Now I have to send it in to get calibrated so my screen isn't all red anymore. Which will most likely run within the $180-$250 range. So I would stay away from a projector unless you have disposable income and you like throwing your money into the toilet.

BTW - I spent nearly $2500 on mine and with all of the added expenses I'm nearly at 1/2 of what I paid for the thing 2 years ago. STAY FAR AWAY from a projector unless your plan is to use it for 8-15 hours a week.
 
I have to agree they are more of a Novelty than anything else. Here are the problems with any projector.

1. How bright can it get?
2. How long does the bulb last?
3. Cost.
4. Where and how are you projecting the image?

The problem is projectors probably only have about a 2000-4000hrs. bulb life and replacement bulbs are really expensive. The other problem is clarity of the projection because of how your room is setup. If you're planning on using it every day or for long periods of time I'd say pass and get an HDTV. You'll be less frustrated in the end.


As for me, I bought an Aiptek Portable projector ($250) and while it's not going to be anything too serious it's been a fun little device. I don't have to worry about the bulb either since it's LED and has a life of 20,000 hrs.

http://www.amazon.com/Aiptek-PJV11X...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1234345420&sr=8-6
 
I was a huge projector-only guy for a long time, but i can only recommend one if its not your main display. The bulbs die fast and are expensive to replace. Once the Laser projectors come out at a reasonable price, i will buy one and never use a hdtv again. The bulb stops the projector from being the ultimate display device. My old setup was 92" Greyhawk II screen (AWESOME) then i moved up to a 106" setup with the epson 720p. Man it looked amazing, playing Gears 1 online with it i could see people from farrrr away, it was awesome.
 
I couldn't we using much under normal daytime livin room conditions. You really need to have controlled lighting. If you're looking for a cheap alternative to. Buying an HDTV a projector is not it.
 
Just thought I'd post this.

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Ok so first off,
everyone is going to have different experiences with different projectors.. I have had two, my first one was bought in 2005 and is still running very strong. I paid 2,800 for it on bestbuy.com, and just recently saw it in a best buy ad for 699.00 Since 2005 I have had to replace the bulb ONCE. I bought a warranty for 350.00 and essentially it paid for the bulb. Since the warranty is 4 year on top of the manufacturers first year, it is covered until 2010. I use it around 20 to 40 hours a week. I absolutely love mine.
In fact everyone I hang with now loves my projector so much they all have gotten one too. Well three of them at least. BUT heres the catch. My friend bought one and it has been a piece of junk. So id say read a bunch of consumer reports and customer reviews. As for tech stuff get the highest contrast 10,000 to 1 type stuff you can, and stay away from anything under 2,000 very hard to see. Mine is ok in daylight, but with the light on its very faint and hard to see. these things are meant for total darkness so keep that in mind. Essentailly have a Entertainment room just for it. As for screen vs paint, I bought that 14.00 reflective gloss recomended for projectors and it worked amazing. With the light on you cant tell its there, But when the light is out and the projector is on you can see the edge of where i painted. Screens are relativly cheap though .. hope this helps, message me if you have any questions..
 
Was thinking about taking the projector plunge and came across this thread. A lot of you talked about the good and bad but never mentioned the model you are using. Is there a brand to steer clear of? One to look at?
I can control lighting and I'd like to get something in the sub $1,000 range. Any recommendations? This will be mainly for video gaming and movies. For video gaming do I need to worry about input lag?

Above poster, I'm glad to hear the reflective paint works well. Has anyone else used that stuff here?

Thanks.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']Was thinking about taking the projector plunge and came across this thread. A lot of you talked about the good and bad but never mentioned the model you are using. Is there a brand to steer clear of? One to look at?
I can control lighting and I'd like to get something in the sub $1,000 range. Any recommendations? This will be mainly for video gaming and movies. For video gaming do I need to worry about input lag?

Above poster, I'm glad to hear the reflective paint works well. Has anyone else used that stuff here?

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

I recommend Panasonic or Mitsubishi if you're serious about something like this. Good luck at sticking under $1000 though. I've got a Panasonic AE-1000u, which does 1080P in my theater. I've had it for quite some time now (about 3 years) and haven't had to replace the bulb yet. I have perfectly controlled lighting and a custom built screen, but I've used the wall before and it came out fairly okay, PQ wise. There is zero lag.

I would not recommend reflective paint.
 
eh every brand has issues amongst its models. some models are better than others.

sticking under $1000 isnt hard at all. if thats your price point there are a lot of options. very few of them are 1080p options though. ive been tossing which projector to get for almost a year. pending a good deal over the holidays im leaning towards the optoma hd65 its well-liked, has a good track record of reliability, its dlp, and its cheap ($650 or so)

my issue is its a 720p projector and im a big blu ray fan.
the next tier of 1080p projos are at the $1k mark.

like most a/v questions that come up here i reccomend avsforum. they have a forum for projectors under $3k its excellent, the guys are very helpful and like all their forums, theres a ton of knowledge.

also you can buy a mack warranty for about $100 that covers bulb replacements for 3 years.
some projos even include vouchers for bulb replacements from the manufacturer.
 
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