recommend a projector please!

D

davecochran

Audioholic Intern
Please help me find the perfect projector! I have done SO much research and come to the conclusion...what do lumens do and why does the higher number mean the better? I am looking for something good, quiet, and affordable.

Realistic price for a projector alone would be between 1000-1500. If you have one that fits just a bit more expensive, please feel free to list it.

I am about 70% games, 30% movies...and I am looking for something that is going to look good.

Thanks guys!
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
Please help me find the perfect projector! I have done SO much research and come to the conclusion...what do lumens do and why does the higher number mean the better? I am looking for something good, quiet, and affordable.

Realistic price for a projector alone would be between 1000-1500. If you have one that fits just a bit more expensive, please feel free to list it.

I am about 70% games, 30% movies...and I am looking for something that is going to look good.

Thanks guys!
Epson 8100, just don't make the picture to big or you will have eye strain. Gaming is hard on the eyes. PJ gaming is even harder.
 
D

davecochran

Audioholic Intern
im assuming PJ is projector? and thanks ill look into that one..any other suggestions?
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
Lumens = brightness of the projector.
Contrast = difference between blackest black and whitest white

REALITY: Most manufacturer claims are seriously overrated - you must read reviews or simply trust us.

BEST: Two of the absolute best projectors are the Panasonic AE4000 and the Epson 8500UB. Both are in the $2,000 range, but they are significant upgrades from the $1,500 range for projectors.

At $1,500 while the Epson 8100 is a good model, the Mitsubishi HC3800 I believe is a bit better. It is FAR more limited for placement flexibility so you will need to describe your exact setup (room size, projector mounting location, etc.) before we can determine if the Mitsubishi will work for you.

Don't forget to get a decent screen.
 
D

davecochran

Audioholic Intern
The room is pretty big I would say 30x25 feet minimal..white walls..and the screen I was gonna do a DIY..I want blu ray movies to look good and xbox 360 to look good as well. the room can be as dark as I need it to be.
 
J

jostenmeat

Audioholic Spartan
The room is pretty big I would say 30x25 feet minimal..white walls..and the screen I was gonna do a DIY..I want blu ray movies to look good and xbox 360 to look good as well. the room can be as dark as I need it to be.
What does "need" mean? The darker, the better. Everywhere. If that looks ugly or uninviting, then your needs are comprised of compromises. If you are ok with the looks, use the flattest blackest paint.

Coming from someone who likes it big, which I think works very well for blurays, you have to be careful with gaming. Yet another compromise. The only REAL way to know what works for you is to simply get the PJ first. Fire it at the blank wall, play around for AT LEAST a few days, using both games and movies. Then you will find your best compromise.

As for the PJ budget, that extra $500 goes a long ways at this budget. For the next step up, you're talking about another $2,000 after that. So, this is well before the knee in terms of "diminishing returns". Do it.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
The room is pretty big I would say 30x25 feet minimal..white walls..and the screen I was gonna do a DIY..I want blu ray movies to look good and xbox 360 to look good as well. the room can be as dark as I need it to be.
You are incorrect with this statement.

A white room is a giaint reflector, and a projector is a huge flashlight. When you introduce a single candle into a room, you can take a projector with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio and drop it down to 50:1. Imagine what white walls do to the same room?

The number one recommendation for improving audio quality in a room is acoustical treatment.

The number one recommendation for improving video quality in a room is optical treatment.

This means that if you do care about your video quality, then you go to the store, with your wife (if the case) and you pick out a dark paint color you like. For our basement, we went with a burgundy color and dark grey carpet and dark grey ceiling paint.

People say they don't want to live in a cave, which is fine, but it actually turns out that you just add lots of lighting to a room like that and it is plenty bright enough when you need it to be. But, for home cinema it's far more like the movie theater experience.

You also want to always be very careful with making a screen yourself. Simply painting a wall is not appropriate as a screen. Walls are not flat - none of them - unless you really know how to do it. So, you should be looking at a truly flat surface that is large enough or making a blackout cloth screen yourself.

Likewise, screens from www.htdepot.com are relatively inexpensive and will provide you a very good experience for not a lot of cash - or wasted time making a poor quality screen.

I've made a blackout cloth screen before and for about $200 in decent parts and about 10 hours of labor I got a screen I was happy with. But, if I were to do it again, I would have gotten the Focupix screen because it actually is a better screen for about $400.
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
I would most certainly accent the walls if possible though some of us live in apartments and are stuck with annoying white walls. In this century white walls aren't in style so you'd be making a wise move by painting them. Painting a screen isn't too difficult if you can follow the instructions on how to do it properly. For some it's easier to use a substrate, but black widow paint mix is very good stuff for a room full of white walls. It provides a very neutral gray screen according to colorometer testing plus it's very simple require only two ingredients. Paint is a lot cheaper than 200 dollars. ;)
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
Paint doesn't smooth the wall properly, it doesn't provide a true velvet border, and doesn't respond nicely to drywall cracking right under it. If someone bumps the wall, then soap and water often do not fix a painted wall. If the screen is 2" high, then it's tough to move a wall.

:)

Just playing devil's advocate a bit. I have nothing against paint, but people often turn to it thinking it is a 'simple' solution, when there are many limiting factors and many issues with paint which they VERY often have no considered.

A properly prepped and painted wall should take 10-20 hours to complete.

This may be time which someone could spend working a paying job and just go out and buy a fixed frame screen instead.
 
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