Decent projector for home and business is needed.

[samgrant]

Hey all
I`m looking for a projector which i can use at my home and take it for business presentations as well. Room where i would use the projector would be average dark i would say, not as dark which resembles a theatre.
I`m new to the forum and do not know the kind of technical details i should know to get an answer. But my requirements are pretty basic to get a decent projector.
- am looking for a projector which i can use from atleast 15 ft away from the screen.
- decent contrast ratio, sharp picture, decent colors, remote control, multiple input
- budget is around 500$
Suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Realistically, you have a crap budget, which means that you are going to be limited to whatever happens to be on sale at the local Best Buy or online from vendors.

This is said so that you can set your expectations accordingly.

Almost every projector at this price will be a non-HD model, but you should look for one which has a HDCP compliant digital input (DVI/HDMI). Almost all projectors will throw an image from 15'. How BIG that image is depends on the lens of the projector, and you can use the 'Find Projectors' feature at Projector Central to search on specific criteria.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm

I would not be looking at projectors with less than XGA resolution, which means you are going to have to dish out at least around $600 to get to the absolute chepest bottom of the line models they have.

Here is a list of 45 projectors with a sub $1,000 price tag of XGA resolution...
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm?mfg_id=any&res_id=3&ar=0&td=0&is=0&bll=any&bul=any&cll=any&cul=any&wll=any&wul=any&prll=any&prul=1000&an=0&sp_id=0&dvi=-1&sort=sp&trig=1

Of this list, only SEVEN are under $600, and none are under $500.

None have digital inputs which means you can't use upconverting DVD players. None have optical lens shift, they all top out right near 2,000 lumens.

I wouldn't recommend any single one specifically, but from any traditional manufacturer you will get very similar quality.

Frankly, while the quality is nowhere near what a decent home theater projector will deliver, the quality doesn't totally stink either. You get a good 6-8 foot image that is bright and has decent color, with so-so contrast. Not the best video processing for sure, and forget about audio quality (or audio at all), yet most people are still pretty excited about having that big image at all.

 

[lsiberian]

I personally use an Optoma EP719 and think it's optimal for this sort of thing.

It will take the hd formats up to 1080i and has a decent contrast ratio for a business class projector. To be honest I don't see a huge difference between it and a DLP TV, but I'm not exactly 20/20 in my vision so take that into account.

For me it's comparable to any HD model tv in that price range, but with a much larger image.

You will probably have to grab one used though.

If you want a true hd projector you will need to double your budget at least.

I'm much more of an audioholic than a videophile so take that into account. But for the average Joe my projector looks amazing. Especially when calibrated for movies.

 

[Phil Taylor]

If you can swing $619 there's a couple of Optoma HD70 refurbs on fleabay for that price w/free ship. 720p native and work very well in partially lit rooms in my humble opinion (I have one).