BenQ MP610 - Good or not?

[kaos]

I'm pricing out a home theater for a friend. He's getting a great Audyssey MultEQ Denon receiver and Yamaha's NC speaker line for a nice 7.1 system. We're not going all out or looking for the most high-end gear, just something that will get the job done for a great price. He's looking for a projector and while I'd like to get him something used, like, say a Panasonic for around $800, he prefers something new with a warranty. I couldn't disagree on that so I came across BenQ and am curious to know if this brand, or model (MP610), is legit or not. The specs seem good enough for what he needs and the price seems too good to be true. Is it? Or is this just a good steal? I can't find any reviews but I'm looking for something good that's HD and $1000 or under. Can anyone help? Otheriwse, I'm going to give this projector a shot.

Here's the link to the projector...

http://www.visualapex.com/LCDprojectors/LCD_projectors_details.asp?chPartNumber=MP610&MFR=BenQ

Thanks!

 

[df4801]

Havent seen that one, but you cant just look at specs. What about color wheel speed? Processing? Aspect ratio, etc?

That model doesnt seem to be a good home theater projector. Big difference between HT projectors and business projectors.

My advice, he is much better off paying a bit more for a known good HT projector. ie, sanyo Z3, panny 700 or even infocus screenplay 5000.
They are discontinued models, so can be had for between $1000-1500.
Tell him to spend a little more now, or he may likely be trying to upgrade in 6 months!


Almost forgot to mention, optoma H31, infocus 4805. Great 480p projectors for under $1000

 

[df4801]

here is just one link,
screenplay 5000 for under $1000. My friend has this model and loves it.
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=5410447&SourceID=k15506

You may even find a better price. But dont just buy from anyone. Search reseller ratings as well to check out the store.
Likewise, search for the other models as well.

 

[BMXTRIX]

You want to make a point to avoid business class projectors, most notably they won't have 16:9 aspect ratio, very good contrast, a fast color wheel speed (DLP).

What they will have? Poor processing, louder fans, not the right inputs, no adjustability with setup, etc.

At the $1K price point there are a few projectors worth looking at for home theater if you put quality first.

1. InFocus SP4805 - Great projector for the cash, DLP, with Faroudja, this one is an excellent choice.

2. Optoma H31 or H27 - Ditto - great stuff, but the InFocus comes out of the box pretty much ready to go, the H31 & H27 require some tweaking.

3. The InFocus SP5000 (listed in prior post) seems to be a great deal right now on a projector that wasn't very popular. Worth a look at.

4. The Sanyo Z3 or Panasonic AE700. Both are great projectors for the cash and represent some of the best technology out last year, but run closer to $1,300 -> $1,500.00 If I could figure out how to get a Z3 or AE700 I would do that first and put these at the TOP of the list.

5. Closer to $2K is the AE900 or Z4 (panny/sanyo) which are this years models and may be out of budget.

Check www.projectorcentral.com - do a few hours reading on the projectors listed and some others. Have no doubts - business class projectors, while they may do the job, are nowhere near the quality for video presentation like a decent home theater projector.

 

[kaos]

You guys have been awesome help! Thanks!

The InFocus SP4805 looks like a great deal. AND it's available at Best Buy! I think I'll be going with that one.