OT: Video guru's ... need help.

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JohnnyB

JohnnyB

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I know there are some people here that are knowledgable on video and so on. Here is my question.



My friend wants to set up an "entertainment" thing in his basement for watching movies and all that. He does not have the money to buy a big screen TV, LCD TV and the like.



He wants to get one of those projection things that you mount on the ceiling (I guess) and project the signal from a DVD, player, cable TV and so on onto a sceen. He has been looking at Best Buy and places like that but he is afraid that they will lead him into getting something he does not really need.



anyone here have any opinions, reccomendations, ideas on where to start looking for good info on buying & getting a decent system up and running? Anyone have an idea of good brands/models?



THANKS!
 
If the room is going to be bright he will want LCD projector. If it will be dark DLP.



In general I believe DLP is better. It can produce a TRUE black and white. Whereas LCD can only produce shades of grey.



Higher contrast ratio means, greater difference between the blacks and whites.



Higher lumens means better/brighter picture in brighter rooms.
 
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whatever brand you get. make sure your projector has at best 2500 and up ansi lumens...

any lower than that and its not worth it.
 
I work for an Audio Visual staging company, for home use, anything near and over 2000 ansi Lumens would be a nice bright projector, and a scan rate of 1024 x 768, therefore you have a more dense panel with more pixels, and a cleaner image.



The easiest thing to project on is a Flat wall, sand it and paint it a high gloss white.



As for your inputs, on the industrial models, you have VGA inputs and RCA inputs, so you can put your computer signal into the projector also.



Prices of $700 and up are what you will be looking at spending, at work we just bought 6 new projectors, from NEC Model, VT 580 at $1000.00 each, great prices for these and we will make our money back in 6 rentals.



best of luck



Don Monkeyboy
 
A projector is one way to go, but a good one will cost you near $1000 and then you need a good screen to project on, which is at least another $200 or so. Sure, for $500 to $700 you might be able to find a cheap projector, but you get what you pay for.



I don't know what your friends budget is, but the following 51" Hitachi projection TV is $1299 through Circuit City (see link below)...and you can find similar caliber projection TVs at that price. That's a bargain when compared to similiar sized LCD and Plasma, and a good way to enter the market and not spend THOUSANDS. Couple it with a cheap home theater package and DVD player and you can have a really nice setup for well under $2K.



I have a 55" CRT-based HD projection TV (it's going on 5 years old, and it's a Mitsubishi), and they have come down a LOT in price and now have HDMI input (meaning you can use HD DVD when it comes down in price).



If you are going in a basement, you should be able to keep it more than dark enough for such a screen.



BTW, that Circuit City deal had free basic delivery and financing of "No Interest for 18 Months". That's $78 a month, paid each month, and the whole thing is paid off, on-time, with no interest. Deals like that are pretty sweet and affordable for almost anyone.



TJR
 
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I know that Costco has a a mini projector that is about 800.00, it will go from about 13" up to 8' and doesnt require any special equipemtn, just a flat wall, has a awesome pic too, i believe that it is DLP too.



Duece

I will try and find the profuct number and brand for u

 
Hi Def another way to get more money out of people.



I have been doing AV for over 15 years, If you have the money sure Hi Def is great but remember the amount of money this fellow has and how low his budget is.



How many channels are broadcasting in HD in your area, here outside of Toronto, we have 28 channels that can send HD, now how many programs are filmed in HD?



Remember your weakest link, Junk in equals junk out.



Tubes still have the cleanest picture.



Don Monkeyboy
 
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i have a benq dlp it is nice but you do not want full light on when it is on i also have a nec lcd which works great i use this in my bed room connected to a Bose wave radio it also is my portable when we go to other peoples houses to watch movies or a game and it does not need to be dark.

 
Costco.com currently has the Optomo DLP for 999.99, but that's a native resolution of 480p (854x480 resolution), which is okay for DVDs, but won't cut it for HD.



To get HD you need at least 780p (1280x720 progressive) and that means the Panasonic PT-AE900U HDTV projector at Costco.com, which is $1899, or $1499 after rebates.



If all you want to do is watch DVDs you can probably go under $1,000 for a projector. But if you want to watch sports or other programs in HD, than good projectors under $1500 are a rarity. And, projecting such images on a blank, painted wall won't look as good as projected on a high quality screen, and they are pretty costly.



That's the reason I was saying that IF your price-point is $1500 or less (but not much less) AND you want a good, large HD image, I would look at rear-projection TVs. Look for HDMI input, and you might find some older sets (18mo old, closeouts) that are pre-DLP era that have dropped in price SIGNIFICANTLY.



If REALLY set on a projector, do your research. www.avsforum.com is one good site for video enthusiasts.



TJR
 
I know not all stations are HD yet.. but the FCC (US) has set 2008 as the deadline for ALL stations (if I remember correctly)



So if $1500 is too much now is he going to want to spend it again in 2 years? I know prices will come down but it's hard to say which is smarter.. buying non-hd now then hd later or just biting it now and getting hd.



The otherside of it would be depends on what he wants to hookup. I use my HD tv as a computer monitor also, and with blue-ray/hd-dvd coming just around the corner makes another reason to go HD.



Just thoughts and I know it all depends on details but I would spend the money for HD.
 
OK, guys, Thanks alot. I will have to talk to my friend more and see exactly what he would like to do. I dont know what kind of budget he is thinking about. I'll probably be back with more questions. :)
 
Man, it's amazing the projector you can get these days for the money. What I spent $2500 on 4 or 5 years ago, goes for about $250 now. A friend of mine bought this one recently and really likes it. Just remember, the most expensive part of a projector is the bulb (or lamp) and they do wear out. So you can't just leave it on all the time like a regular tv. And yes, you can just shine it on a wall but you'll want a good quality screen for a decent picture.
 
Ah, TomT, you are aware that you gave a link to a $14K projector, right?



I only ask because JohnnyB said he thought his friend was on a budget.



TJR
 
Beware of the LCD projectors on Ebay that "only need a bulb" because there are dozens of LCD units that the bulbs are not made anymore. DLP is not immune from this problem either.



My home theater has a NEC XG75A CRT projector in it running at 960p. CRT is the ONLY way you can get true blacks - DLP doesn't. CRT projectors are getting hard to get, in good condition, but run for 10-15,000 hours before needed re-tubed. Plus they are big, which is the reason I no longer sell them (too hard to move around).



Just for kicks, I attached the URL to my theater webpage.
 
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eledhel:

Well after reading your statement I did a little more research you are right in saying that DLP can't produce pure black.



I'm finding mixed results on CRT's though so I'm not sure that they can either.







 
CRT projectors are the only type of projector that has true black level. I have repaired/installed all types of projectors over the years and the contrast ratio of the CRTs usually starts at 25,000:1.



I own a big BARCO 2100LC LCD projector that I use to project movies on the side of the house in the summer, but you can't beat the picture quality of a CRT running high-def for true theater quality.
 
eledhel, great system. My friend would love something like that. How much do you have invested in components, if you dont mind me asking?
 
LOL thanks TJR. I meant this one, not the 14K one. :D:D i think it's the same one you mentioned earlier: Panasonic PT-AE900U.

Don't know what happened with that other link. Hell, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a 14K projector these days.
 
Ballpark:



Projector ~$750.00

Scaler (to upscale DVDs to 960p) ~$500.00 (Ebay)

THX 100Wpc receiver ~$400.00 (Best Buy Closeout)

Speakers (fluance) ~$300.00 (from fluance.com)

Screen material ~$30.00 (Ebay)



I went the extra $1K to get the theater recliners instead of the couch I originally had in there and it was well worth it.
 

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