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A shout out for projectors.

J

JohnVF

Lunatic Member
Banned
Ok, so I'm mostly a vintage stereo guy. I used to be into HT but that was ten years ago, have a 42" plasma, blah blah blah...

Well, my local "audiophile" store was having a sale on it's vintage trade-in stuff, as well as some new stuff, so I went in looking for another turntable to ad to the pile, and walked out with an HT projector. (Vidikron/Runco model 15). It was 1/6 of its MSRP because it was 720p when everybody dropping the kind of cash this thing went for when new wants 1080 now. I have a vast collection of DVDs, so 1080 wasn't a huge deal to me.


ANYWAY...after what I saw last night after hooking it up, I don't know why ANYBODY would use a TV for home theater. I can't believe how easy this was. I was just kind of screwing around, roughly hooking it up to see what size screen I'd need and I turned it on (playing Raiders of the Lost Ark) and BAM...my wall was a movie theater. I have white walls, and the picture just on the paint was as clear as any theater I've been to recently. Holy crap! My wall blew away my Plasma TV, and the picture was 9' across! The whites were bright white, the blacks were better than a lot of LCD TVs I've seen. The picture just glowed. On white paint. I must add that this was a very expensive projector about 6 months ago, but I paid about what 42" plasmas are going for these days, and for the first time, movies at home actually have the impact of movies in the theater.

So, that's it really. Just wanted to say to anybody looking at new TVs for their HT to consider a projector. Deals are out there on quality 720p projectors if that's enough resolution for you (and your 480p DVDs).

-john
 
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Cool and congrats. Sounds like a fantastic deal/

I have always wondered why projectors were not more popular.
 
Use mine in the Great Room daily.
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You can get some great 720P units for as little as $500 that will be plenty entertaining for a new theater. I have a 8ft screen with a Panasonic 720P unit thats a year old and love it, many think its for the rich and its not.
If you can control the ambient lights and dont need it on all day or turn it on and off every hour there is little downside to the compared thrill of a big ass picture. 1080P units are flooding the market as folks upgrade or need the cash and my father has a Mitshubishi Diamond series 6000 I beleive and his was only $2400 after rebate it it rocks..............you dont have to spend big money for big fun.
 
One of the reasons I have never understood why people will pay those very high prices for the newest, largest flat-screens (other than ego/'bragging rights') is... projectors! By far the easiest and most economical way to get a truly theater-like experience in your living room.

Movie theaters all use projectors. Want a theater-like experience at home? Want a really BIG screen to watch? Bigger than ANY television screen out there? Use a projector! It seems like a no-brainer to me, and I'm with Robie on this: I just don't understand why they aren't more popular. Once installed, it's easy to turn one on, and the impact of the so-much-bigger screen is just so much greater.

I've gone through three used projectors in the past 2-3 years, mostly just for the fun and variety of it, as secondhand, non-hi-def projectors are quite cheap now, and even the very newest/best non-hi-def ones are cheap, as everyone is upgrading to hi-def.

I mostly watch LDs and DVDs, so the (non high definition) picture is fine. I do have broadband TV with movie channels, which offers HD, and there is HD television broadcast free-to-air here, too, but I haven't bothered upgrading to that yet (I mostly listen to music, anyway), so I don't really miss having that, but at some point I will upgrade to an HD projector. Probably in another year or two, when their prices have fallen a bit more. They aren't all that much even now, but the movie experience just isn't important enough to me, to be worth spending much on. At least, not when I already have such a nice theater-like experience as it is, and I could spend that extra money on more records and audio gear, instead!

Projectors are great! :yes: :thumbsp:
 
Yep, I can't understand anymore why anybody looking for home theater wouldn't go this route.

As much as I like my 42" Plasma, movies never felt like movies in my home until I fired up this thing two nights ago. Watched Wall-e last night...beautiful. And Kill Bill. And "The Wall' on..the wall! My girlfriend and I couldn't stop watching movies.

Movie night? I don't know..me thinks it would still turn into a stereo listening party with what's laying around my apartment. If I had more room, I'd love to invite you guys over.
 
cougit25 said:
Welcome to the "Projector Club." :D

By the way, 720p and blu-ray are a great combination as well.
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I've been thinking about upgrading...HD broadcast looks pretty good on this thing, and I've heard good things about the Oppo player. But that's less $$ for stereo then....
 
Yup! gotta agree wid yawll. PROJECTORS RULE!

i've had my panasonic PTL500, a 720p LCD pj, for 5 years as of 7/8/09, got about 820 hours on it, and i love it! black level could be a little better but not a problem as it is.

using pj with an 84" screen, blu ray, and hd dvd players.
i have an inexpensive lcd flat panel for news, mash, weather, etc, but for movies and concerts the pj/screen is the only way to fly.

i also don't understand why more folks don't use them. the usual excuse is 'aw, it won't fit into my living room', 'not enough space on wall for a screen', won't match the decor, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada....'

they must not know what they're missing.

edit-84" (used to have a 108" screen but new apt 18 mos ago dictated a smaller one) screen shot of h. ford in 'air force one', blu ray.
pardon the crappy pics, i'm still new at the digital camera thing.

more edit-didn't think i'd like the 84"er cuz too small but it turns out to be pretty decent. don't miss the bigger screen at all.
it's still bigger than most tvs 'cept for pannys 105" and 150" plasmas.
 

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I have been using projectors since 2004 and they are awesome. I recently purchased a Panny AX200 and it is awesome to say the least and much better than previous projectors I owned. The black levels aren't as good as the better 1080 units, but for only $950 shipped it was a bargain, especially with all the light it throws out as compared to 1080 units.

There is no comparison in terms of visual impact when comparing a projector on an 8' wide screen and an LCD/Plasma TV. It's like being at the movies, the same can't be said for a TV.
 
datsunmike said:
I have been using projectors since 2004 and they are awesome. I recently purchased a Panny AX200 and it is awesome to say the least and much better than previous projectors I owned. The black levels aren't as good as the better 1080 units, but for only $950 shipped it was a bargain, especially with all the light it throws out as compared to 1080 units.

There is no comparison in terms of visual impact when comparing a projector on an 8' wide screen and an LCD/Plasma TV. It's like being at the movies, the same can't be said for a TV.
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ya got that right!
 
I'd agree projectors are cool in the right condtions.

But, why are we amazed that a projector with a MSRP of $5k (just a guess) has a better picture than a tv with a MSRP of probably $800?
 
jayk said:
i also don't understand why more folks don't use them. the usual excuse is 'aw, it won't fit into my living room', 'not enough space on wall for a screen', won't match the decor, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada....'

they must not know what they're missing.
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Or, maybe they like to watch TV sometimes without the blackout shades in place. :scratch2:

Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against projectors but sometimes they're not the best solution depending on the typical use.
 
whoaru99 said:
I'd agree projectors are cool in the right condtions.

But, why are we amazed that a projector with a MSRP of $5k (just a guess) has a better picture than a tv with a MSRP of probably $800?
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I paid no more for my projector than a 42" plasma of ok quality costs, simply because it was 720p. It doesn't have a better picture...though it's just as good in the dark...but it's much much bigger, which in my thinking is necessary to have an ideal 'theater' experience. It's just much easier than I thought, and much less expensive than even a year ago

Also, I'm strictly talking theater duty here...I can totally see why it's impractical to black out a room to watch the news.
 
that's why for tv watching i have a tv. 2, actually.
for movies and concerts, etc, i watch on the pj/big screen.
 
JohnVF said:
I paid no more for my projector than a 42" plasma of ok quality costs, simply because it was 720p. It doesn't have a better picture...though it's just as good in the dark...but it's much much bigger, which in my thinking is necessary to have an ideal 'theater' experience. It's just much easier than I thought, and much less expensive than even a year ago

Also, I'm strictly talking theater duty here...I can totally see why it's impractical to black out a room to watch the news.
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I think the point was missed, but that's OK. Sounds like you got a hell of a deal on the projector. :thmbsp:
 
jayk said:
that's why for tv watching i have a tv. 2, actually.
for movies and concerts, etc, i watch on the pj/big screen.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I understand.

However, that leads back to the point of why more people don't have projectors...not everyone wants to have two or three different setups for different situations.

IMO, most people just want something that works for them most of the time. "Us guys" and perhaps their significant others aren't like most people in these regards.
 
However, that leads back to the point...not everyone wants to have a dedicated/special setup for two or three different situations.
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I also think room layouts have a lot to do with it. Most people can fit a 42 inch TV into most of their rooms without difficulty. A projecter with a large screen is a bit more difficult...
 
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