Front Projection

[Magre]

I am looking into front projection and need some helpful advise. I am going to be doing a lot of TV watching and wondered if this is still a good way to go. Is the picture going to be the same as rear projection if I am watching standard tv? I am going to get HD service, but I assume that I still will be watching standard def.

I am looking at the Panasonic PT-AE700U Projector, it seems to be a great low cost solution. Cost is not a huge concern though. My use of the projector will be 70% tv, 15% movies, and 15% games. Would I be better going with Rear Projection because of the amount of time I spend watching TV? Are there different projectors I should look at because of this?

Finally screen solutions. I don't mind spending the extra money for high gain. I would like to have the ability to watch tv if my curtain was open. It doesn't have to be a great picture either, as long as it is watchable with a little light. There isn't that much brightness that would come through. The windows face south.

The length of my room is 25 ft and width is 11 ft. I will be sitting 15 feet from the screen. I would look at mounting the projector on the ceiling at about 23 ft. The ceiling is not flat, but I assume that most mounts will support the small incline?

Thanks for the help!

 

[BMXTRIX]

1. Projectors are typically not very bright, but if you can control light somewhat then they are definitely viewable during the daytime. I had enough light in my room to see by fairly well w/curtains over the window to filter the light and it was okay during the day. When I moved into my apartment with a large window 4 feet from the screen it became unwatchable during the day. Just to much light coming in so I added a plasma for daytime viewing. This is something you may consider as an option should the projector prove inadequate.

2. Screen probably shouldn't be bigger than 106" diagonal. The smaller the screen, the brighter the image will be. You can expect it to be fairly bright, but not in the same league as rear projection LCD and DLP which are almost always considerably smaller and use higher gain screens typically.

3. Projector mounting distance may be an issue. Double check the specs on the projector before commiting to any distance. The projector only fits inside a certain range and without the official user guide, you don't want to be guessing at that distance.

4. Projector mounts typically can deal with about 10 degrees of adjustment. If your ceiling has more than that, there are mounts that allow your projector to be hung from a pole with much more tilt. The goal is for the projector to be parallel to the floor and not pointed up or down.

5. Watching SDTV is fine on a front projector. I would recommend that you purchase an extra bulb to have on hand though as when your bulb blows, you don't want to wait a week for your projector to be repaired if that is your 'daily' watcher.

I have had a projector for 3+ years and just recently got a 50" plasma that we are using in our apartment. Light is definitely an issue and should be considered. Perhaps you will want to wait to get a screen or get a retractable screen so that should you want to add a flat panel display you can do so later on and put it behind the screen. This is what I am doing - plasma for daily viewing, projector for movies at night. The plasma doesn't have bulbs that burn out and works better with ambient light in the room. Financially it made more sense for regular viewing for me... But, if I could only have one, then I would keep the projector and ditch the plasma.

 

[Magre]

Projector

BMXTRIX - Thanks for the quick response I have read a lot of your posts and agreed with all I have read.

Do you have any thoughts on the PT-AE700U Projector? It was a suggested pick on projectorcentral. Highlights are it jacked up the life up the lamp, runs quite, and delivers a nice picture. At 3,000 hrs(I know that this is projected) it seems that a $360 bulb replacement isn't that bad. Considering prices of Rear projections, $2,100 dollars isn't bad at all for a projector even when you figure in a couple of bulbs.

My main goal of this is to be used for my main viewing. I don't have that much experience with projectors, will this match the image quality of say a DLP2+ chip on a rear projection tv.

Do you have any recomendations on screens? I think I am going to go with one directly on the wall. I would love to have your setup but I think I will be good if I look into upgrading the projector every couple of years. A good screen though I would keep for much longer.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I purchased the Panny PT-L300U site unseen because of reviews and feedback from Projector Central. I think they have really pushed things forward with the AE700 by adding lens shift and if they follow through with their typical Panasonic quality then you can expect an incredible image. One of the best values for your money for sure.

The projector really is the same type of unit that is put into rear projection televisions, but I believe they try to jack the light output up so it covers a larger screen. It makes the bulbs blow faster, but you can go with a bigger image. I would not really consider the bulb hours predicted as ANY indication of actual bulb life. If the bulb really laster 3,000 hours then it would have more than a 90 day warranty on it. Just get an additional bulb from the beginning and be happy with that.

A good screen will last you many, many years. You may wish to get your projector and see how bright it is before deciding exactly what type of screen you want, especially if you have a white wall. That will help you determine how much gain you want for your screen and whether at some point you would add a supplemental display device (plasma). On wall fixed screens are excellent, but there are also tab tensioned retractable screens that have about the exact same performance as fixed screens. A few nice things about retractable: You can build it into the ceiling or extend the ceiling around it so that when it is not in use, your A/V system basically becomes invisible. You can put artwork on the wall behind the screen and actually have a nice looking wall when the PJ is off. They are electric so they can be tied into the receiver or projector power to come on automatically, no extra remote. You have about as many screen material choices as you do with fixed screens. Downside? More expensive.

Anyway, if you aren't in an all-fire rush to get everything done at once, you can get the projector in, hook up a DVD player easily and see how it looks in the worst of conditions before dumping $1,000.00 or more into a screen.

 

[Magre]

Mitsubishi

What do you think of the Mitsubishi XD450U?