Should I be thinking about a projector instead of an RP DLP?

[itschris]

Here's where I'm at on the revamp... the new family room is nearing completion and I was all but finally set on the Mits Diamond 65833 65" DLP. After looking at 100's of consoles, I quickly realized that what I want and what will look good in the house will cost about $1,200 - $2,000 minimum. So I add that to the cost of the tv and get about $4K on average, less... maybe more. That got me thinking I should just get a flat panel at that point, but I can't really find a 60" 1080P out there for that kind money, or at least there's not a lot to choose from in that price range. So I thought, maybe I'm going about this all wrong and should just get a projector and screen and call it a day.

Is outrageious to think that I can get a 65" 1080P picture that's just as good as the Mits DLP for about $4K-$4.5K including screen? The total distance from wall to wall is about 14 feet.

 

[techguy]

To be honest with you I picked this one up http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-HLT6187SAX-Slim-Engine-1080p/dp/B000N53TDM/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1204225970&sr=8-1

and I think its fab. Stay away from LCDs at that size you will see artafacts... I spent 5 hours in PC Richards with my friend playing 20 different DVDs and BluRays to see how sports would look etc on it...

if you have the room get a DLP if you dont get a new generation plasma but it will cost you mucho.

i picked up my 61" for 1800 dollars I figure the money I saved in 3 years I can buy an even better one...

 

[jostenmeat]

Here's where I'm at on the revamp... the new family room is nearing completion and I was all but finally set on the Mits Diamond 65833 65" DLP. After looking at 100's of consoles, I quickly realized that what I want and what will look good in the house will cost about $1,200 - $2,000 minimum. So I add that to the cost of the tv and get about $4K on average, less... maybe more. That got me thinking I should just get a flat panel at that point, but I can't really find a 60" 1080P out there for that kind money, or at least there's not a lot to choose from in that price range. So I thought, maybe I'm going about this all wrong and should just get a projector and screen and call it a day.

Is outrageious to think that I can get a 65" 1080P picture that's just as good as the Mits DLP for about $4K-$4.5K including screen? The total distance from wall to wall is about 14 feet.

Tough cookie. I just got a projector and am still in the middle of figuring it out. That healthy budget will totally get you PJ + screen. However, this stuff requires a ton more research than a typical tv ever would.

But I am using a bookshelf to fire the PJ from. If you need a cieling mount, thats more money. If you need a pro install to make all the wires go away, even more money.

Then, ambient lighting is the killer. You want good looks? Well, if your walls are white, they are going to distract you. I can tell already from my preliminary testings. Also will decrease perceived contrast or black levels or something. There are those that are happy with light colored walls, but everyone would agree that black, or at least very dark, walls and cieling is preferable.

other considerations:
- throw distance
- zoom, vertical, horizontal shift capabilities of any unit
- lumens
- screen size
- screen type
- speaker placement

If you watch with more ambient light than typical, or use a huge screen, or have a weak light output, or very long throw, you can consider DaLite high power (gain 2.8). However this represents an extremely narrow viewing cone, and on-axis PJ mounting is desirable as its retro-reflective.

 

[itschris]

I get that it's a really tough call because budget-wise I'm within reach of different solutions. I don't thing the throw would be bad probably about 12' and the "tv" wall is going to be painted an eggshell muted green... kinda like a seafoam green. I don't know, it always comes down to "if I spend just a bit more I can get x"

I just don't want to spend $1500 on a console that will house no equipment and just keep the tv off the groiund. The problem is, decor-wise, it has to fit in with the rest of the room so it has to be more of a furniture pieice as much as a stand. I like the stuff from BDI and Furnitech, but agian, it's just $$$ I'd rather put somewhere else I think.

 

[jostenmeat]

A closer throw means a limit on how big the screen can be, depending on the unit. Its not just a judgment call with money, but the hassle of PJ and typical ambient lighting. PJs are typically louder with fan noise than TVs as well. Add the cost of bulbs over time, even if pennies a day, it adds up over the year. You might want to recalibrate every 200 hours or so, like some videophiles do.

Regarding green wall, the darker the better. And matte or flat style is much better than the glossier type. You did say muted. Perhaps try a Costco PJ to test run... they are pretty good about returns.

If you're that picky about a TV stand, just what would you use to mount PJ?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, I'm still waiting for Mitsubishi to come out with a 83" DLP.

Guess I'll be waiting for a while, huh?

I used a $10K SharpVision projector for about 10 years. The 100" screen was really cool, but the brightness and contrast will never be close to any DLP, LCD, or Plasma TV, especially if you like some ambient lighting.

 

[itschris]

A closer throw means a limit on how big the screen can be, depending on the unit. Its not just a judgment call with money, but the hassle of PJ and typical ambient lighting. PJs are typically louder with fan noise than TVs as well. Add the cost of bulbs over time, even if pennies a day, it adds up over the year. You might want to recalibrate every 200 hours or so, like some videophiles do.

Regarding green wall, the darker the better. And matte or flat style is much better than the glossier type. You did say muted. Perhaps try a Costco PJ to test run... they are pretty good about returns.

If you're that picky about a TV stand, just what would you use to mount PJ?

It's not about being picky as much as pure requirements. I need it to be 60 to 70" wide (can't be bigger or smaller due to size of tv and size of tv wall which I still need room of for the towers and subs) It has to have a center shelf big enough to accomodate a large center channel about 24". There's just not a lot out there that fits those criteria and is still a decent looking piece of furniture. I did find some, but like I said, they're about $1500. I'm not opposed to spending the money, but gave me pause when I began realizing I was in the price range of other solutions.

I'd have about 12 to 14' throw to the screen and would like mount it on rear wall shelf which is about 24" deep. It could easily sit right up there and would not be at adverse angles to the screen.

It probably is more pain than it's worth and I doubt I could do it right for less than $5k or $6K the more I think about it. It's probably not the right room for it. I'll probably just stick with the RP DLP and have a console made.

 

[jostenmeat]

I see. At 12 ft viewing distance, THX recommended screen size 107" (16:9)diagonal. Obviously, the bigger the screen you get, the more interesting the value becomes from FP.

If going RP, and you have more to spend, I would take a hard look at Sony SXRD XBR-2 70". IMO, the Sony's have smoother, better video processing, and just simply look better than most dlps. The issue is that Sony is dropping RP altogether to concentrate on LCD's where profit margins are better. The fact they are pulling out of RP is a sad thing for the value-minded, size-minded videophile. I think msrp is about 5k, maybe you can find good discount, if you can find one at all.

At 14" PJ mounting, you can go very big indeed. But at 12ft viewing, your screen should be of the "modest" proportion.

 

[itschris]

The way the room is setup or going to be, I thing 65" is going to be about the max I can go on an actual TV... if it were a screen or a plasma hanging on the wall, that'd be a bit different. I think a 70" rp would just be too big overall... actual physical size along with the cabinet in taht room. Our house is kinda odd. It seems like they took the floor plan of an 8000 sqr foot home and just threw the plan in MS Paint and and shrunk it down to 3000 sq ft. The layout just doesn't work well at 3k... which is why I actually walled in one of the glass doors to begin with since we have very little wall space. I guess I'm going to stick with th 65" rp. In a few years, we'll get a new house and I'll just make sure I have a nice 20x20 room for a true dedicated theater/bar.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hey sounds like the plan. Im sorry if I scared you away from PJ. I think its great that you are considering it, I just wanted to let you know about a few things I learned the hard way...

If you are sitting on the fence at all, at your budget, I would consider the Panny ae2000u from costco for about 2.6k, a screen for $250-$1000 depending on technology, electric vs manual, fancier masking vs none, etc. I highly recommend Projector People, I got my screen for very little more than what the brand's employees can get it for. It was also very interesting to get their opinions over the phone, good service. AVS is also a great place to buy, where I got my pj. Very decent pricing, excellent service is the rep. Anyways, add another $200 for a good Belkin Pure AV UPS for the bulb's sake. Oh wait, a couple of calibration discs, there's a popular one available on BD, say for 2, of em, $50. Total = $3,350. Oh, you can have a nice curtain built for it... I'll leave the shopping to you. If you want a nicer projector, the next popular step up is the JVC Rs-1 for about 1.8k more. Otoh, some prefer others like Sony's ,etc. Anyways, good luck.

 

[Pyrrho]

If you have the room and the ability to go with a front projection system, that is what you should do. It is absolutely the most like a real cinema experience. But it is more of a bother to set up, and generally requires the ability to block light coming in from windows (there is a reason your local theater does not have windows in the room with the movie screen). As far as room for speakers go, you can get a screen designed to have speakers behind it. That is the way it is done in proper theaters. That way, you don't need extra room on the side or below or above for speakers, and can fit a larger screen into a smaller room. And it has the added advantage of the sound coming from exactly where it should be coming from -- the picture, not off to the side or above or below.

 

[itschris]

I've spent a good amount time today checking stuff out just to be sure. For what I want, I'm looking at about $7K including everything vs about $3.5 to 4K for the DLP RP. I just don't think the room size is worth it, it's not a dedicated room, it's our family room which opens up the to kitchen. It's a big open area... just not ideal at all for a pj once I really started thinking about it.

I got caught up in that trap of "... if I only spend a bit more..." spiral. For the way it's going to be used... it's not worth the extra $$.

Thanx for all the advice, however, it helped steer me the right way.

 

[chadnliz]

In that room a Projector is not ideal, they should not be turned on and off many times daily, which a family situation may dictate. There are some really impressive units in the size you are looking at that will have better picture but not that huge theater experience. My fAther went with 60' Panasonic plasma and is 12 ft away......looks awesome! I am 12 ft from 90' Projected screen but his looks better.......not that I would really trade

 

[mtrycrafts]

I've spent a good amount time today checking stuff out just to be sure. For what I want, I'm looking at about $7K including everything vs about $3.5 to 4K for the DLP RP. I just don't think the room size is worth it, it's not a dedicated room, it's our family room which opens up the to kitchen. It's a big open area... just not ideal at all for a pj once I really started thinking about it.

I got caught up in that trap of "... if I only spend a bit more..." spiral. For the way it's going to be used... it's not worth the extra $$.

Thanx for all the advice, however, it helped steer me the right way.

If that would be your TV room as well, any time of day, best to go the DLP. Projectors are sensitive to light and you would not want a family room that is dark all the time to watch the TV.