digital projector advice?

[Gerald Cooperberg]

Okay, guys... I am going to do a little cross-posting since I rarely venture into any of the equipment forums here.

I recently moved to a new apartment and decided not to bring a television... just a personal choice for a number of reasons. I do have a DVD player still and a number of DVDs, and I'd like to be able to watch movies... I also recently inherited an old projector screen in fairly good condition. This sparked the idea in me that a digital projector might be a good option. I'm no gearhead and have never owned any kind of a "home theater" system, so I guess I don't know if this is a ridiculous idea out of hand. I suppose what I'm looking for is some feedback about whether this is the route that I should really go, and if so, what I can expect to get for my money. Is it best to buy new or do you think I could get a good value on a used projector? Would it be reasonable to find something for under $500? Under $1000? What kind of speaker setup would I need? How big or small of a room? Is projecting onto a white wall a terrible idea? Aside from the DVD player I already have and something for sound, what else am I going to need? Any advice and a minimum of derision would be appreciated.

-Coop

[GMichael]

Okay, guys... I am going to do a little cross-posting since I rarely venture into any of the equipment forums here.

I recently moved to a new apartment and decided not to bring a television... just a personal choice for a number of reasons. I do have a DVD player still and a number of DVDs, and I'd like to be able to watch movies... I also recently inherited an old projector screen in fairly good condition. This sparked the idea in me that a digital projector might be a good option. I'm no gearhead and have never owned any kind of a "home theater" system, so I guess I don't know if this is a ridiculous idea out of hand. I suppose what I'm looking for is some feedback about whether this is the route that I should really go, and if so, what I can expect to get for my money. Is it best to buy new or do you think I could get a good value on a used projector? Would it be reasonable to find something for under $500? Under $1000? What kind of speaker setup would I need? How big or small of a room? Is projecting onto a white wall a terrible idea? Aside from the DVD player I already have and something for sound, what else am I going to need? Any advice and a minimum of derision would be appreciated.

-Coop

Hello Coop, how's it going?

Yes, a projector can be great to have. I have two of them and I'll never go back to anything else. But there are some things to consider. The room will need to be dark. Can you control the lighting in the room it's going into? I paid $2k for each of my projectors. That included the screens, mounts, and two sets of good cables each. You said that you already have a screen. Not sure why you'd want to use a white wall instead, but it can be done. The link at the bottom of this post has a lot of information on how to paint your wall, as well as a ton of other info.
Std definition projectors can be had for $500. 1080p projectors start around $3k and go up, and up, and up......
Speakers? This could be it's own thread. It could take several threads. Not sure where to start.
The room size needed depends on how big your screen is. How big your picture can be will depend on how far back you need to sit. Etc etc etc...It's a viscous circle. I think your best bet is to read through the Projector Central site for awhile and then come back to see the other replies you get to this thread. You may need to start new threads about speakers though.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/

Mike

[Gerald Cooperberg]

Thanks for the response, GM. Looks like this is one more nail in the coffin for the argument in favor of specialized forums-- no one responded at all over in Home Theater. The link you provided is great & I spent some time reading through the educational materials there. Cursory searches on CraigsList show that I should be able to get a decent entry-level projector for the price range that I had in mind (around $500). I guess my speaker question didn't make a ton of sense-- I'd probably try to figure out a way to run it through my (fairly ****ty) stereo system, although that'd require a little rearranging of the furniture...

Anyway, thanks for the advice & I'll let you know how it turns out if I decide to take the plunge.

-Coop

[Kam]

Thanks for the response, GM. Looks like this is one more nail in the coffin for the argument in favor of specialized forums-- no one responded at all over in Home Theater. The link you provided is great & I spent some time reading through the educational materials there. Cursory searches on CraigsList show that I should be able to get a decent entry-level projector for the price range that I had in mind (around $500). I guess my speaker question didn't make a ton of sense-- I'd probably try to figure out a way to run it through my (fairly ****ty) stereo system, although that'd require a little rearranging of the furniture...

Anyway, thanks for the advice & I'll let you know how it turns out if I decide to take the plunge.

-Coop

coop, you can defn find something in your proce range. that site GM linked is great and was my own starting point back when i was researching projectors too. it really is one of those, you will just love this purchase, type buys. BUT defn do your research so you dont outgrow your projector too fast either.

projectors rule!

[Gerald Cooperberg]

So I finally went through with this and bought one! It is an Epson PowerLite 76c purchased straight from the Epson site.

It seems like it projects just fine on my bare wall even in daylight. Don't know what I was worried about. I broke it in this afternoon by having a stoned buddy over to watch the Lightning Bolt - Power of Salad DVD. Next up is The New World... gigantic!

-Coop

[bobsticks]

Coop,

Congrats on the new toy. As you're finding out sometimes things that seem cost prohibitive are so because of the "next big thing" syndrome. My buddy paid next to nothing for a Benq projector being auctioned by a school that had just upgraded. Coupled with an upconverting DVD player it does a solid job (at 568p?) for a last-generation unit.

In any case good for you and I hope you have quite a few fantastic movie nights.

Cheers

[GMichael]

Congrats Coop,

Welcome to the bigger than big club.