Need a rec for Conference room/presentation projector (about or under $3000)

[BoredSysAdmin]

BMX,
Would it be possible to update the recommendations? Our COO giving us opportunity to bump the budget to 5k, but he wants to get 3 choices:
2k, 3k and 5k projectors and clear explanation of difference in benefits

Biggest complains are: Not sufficient sharpness and not enough brightness
Current projector and many others are 1024x768 - that's not sufficient to show fine details in information projected.

I've noticed models in higher pricing range ($5k) have native 1900x1200 - I think this could be very desirable feature.


The projector you highly recommended before was:
Sanyo PLC SANYO XM100 which currently priced $2.5k. Add taxes+shipping -> closer to 2.8k which probably makes it 3k choice

How about Mitsubishi XD600U for 2k choice and not sure for about 5k option.
Maybe Sanyo PLC SANYO ZM5000L ??

 

[BMXTRIX]

There is very little on the list which has changed.

One of the biggest issues, IMO, lies with the existing 4:3 screen and the depth of the room.

A 1920x1200 projector will look much better than a 1024x768 projector, but your screen is 4:3, so either you force it to 4:3 aspect ratio, which all projectors don't support, or you get a new screen.

I would get a new screen, which has a price associated with it, but in a standard drop tile ceiling, is an easy installation.

That's going to take part of any budget and needs to be done by a professional A/V company.

The bottom line, if you are looking to upgrade, and intend to take it seriously, then it's time to replace the screen for one which is native widescreen.

Now, I've gone through and the screen size is a significant issue. A 100" screen from 11.3' throw distance (widescreen) can be handled by 12 projectors in the $2,000 range.

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None of them are higher resolution (1920x1080 or higher) which I would ever consider. BenQ and Viewsonic = nope.

So, at $2,000 you are stuck with 1280x800 resolution really.

I went ahead and left DLP in the list, despite the potential rainbow effect, you get some decent projectors at good prices with DLP which can help, but I would still stick with LCD if possible.

I would probably go with the Epson at the $2,000 price point...
Epson Projectors: Epson PowerLite 1925W 3 LCD projector

If we make a small jump from a 100" diagonal, to a 110" diagonal, we drop from 12 projectors which will work to 5 projectors, based upon an 11.3' throw distance.

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I would go with the Boxlight from that list.

Seeing as how we have a huge drop in projectors available based upon a few inches of throw distance and the screen diagonal, I will stick with 11.3' throw and a 100" diagonal widescreen for the rest...

There is not much in the jump up price category of $3,000 which interests me...
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We just don't really get into higher resolution for that price jump and we get the introduction of Sony commercial models which I've already stated is not a brand I would recommend.

Mitsubishi certainly makes quality DLP product worth considering, so their first on the list is likely my choice...
Mitsubishi Projectors: Mitsubishi FD630U DLP projector
No lens shift on the Mitsubishi may be a deal killer.

DLP is the downside, but everything else is strong and the 1080p resolution would be the perk.

We also have the previously discussed Sanyo projector and a couple of new ones which are worth considering.
Specifically:
Sanyo Projectors: Sanyo PLC-WM4500 3 LCD projector
Which, while lower resolution, does have lens shift. It will require the lens, which I did not price out.

When we jump to a $4,000-$5,500 range we get a few more models...
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At that price point we still don't get a bunch of higher resolution projectors. You can see that most are still 1280x800 WXGA models. What you end up paying for is a jump in brightness mostly, which I don't think is worth it.

Hitachi has this, which I think is pretty exciting...
Hitachi Projectors: Hitachi CP-WUX645N 3 LCD projector

Lens shift, LCD, digital inputs, plenty of lumens for the screen size, and WUXGA resolution native.

Opening things up more for price, but narrowing things down to LCD and 1920x1200 native resolution gives us some different results...
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We get a Sanyo and NEC in there which are both definitely worth consideration and both have lens shift and plenty of lumens.

While I'm not a huge fan of Sony, the fact that they have a 1920x1200 projector for such a good price should put them in the running. Close to the $3,000 price point... Man, I might go with them and then upgrade the screen. Understanding the potential headaches of dealing with Sony ahead of time. They still make a good looking product, but are a very large corporate entity to deal with.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Still waiting for our local projection Guru - BMX,
based on other thread in here I decided to give a call to Screen Innovations local vendor. Maybe I just could change the screen vs changing the projector...
I'm just not convinced that gray screen is best way to go in brightly lid room for biz presentations.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Thank you for very detailed post, but one question is still confuses me:
Going widescreen may not be possible, the best I could possible to replace just to replace the screen material itself, without modifying existing hardware ..

After more research I did I found few interesting options, I'd like to get your opinion on:

NEC NP-PA500U-13ZL - 1920x1200 4:3 5000 lumens and sold for 4.5-5k with kit lens which should work for us

or

Sanyo PLC-XM150L 6k ansi, 1024x768 - starting at $3.1 w/lens and add LNS-S20 for additional $550

Hitachi CP-WUX645N - is only 4200 ansi and I'm afraid this would be significant improvement over existing Toshiba

 

[BMXTRIX]

The obvious issue you will have is with sharpness of a 100" screen and XGA resolution. XGA is the baseline standard of 4:3 projection.

I'm looking at the Sanyo pricesheet, and the XM150L (no lens) should be available for a fair price, but is only XGA once again.

I'm not aware of your exact situation, but you've mentioned some headaches related to the building you are in and changing stuff out, but at some point, things must be modernized in some capacity. Just not sure how exactly you guys will accomplish this. Replacing the material is possible, but will give you a smaller screen with more resolution. Probably not ideal, but something.

I would recommend the XM150L if you are sticking 4:3.

There are only a few models of projectors that are beyond XGA resolution and meet your requirements, but are 4:3 projectors instead of widescreen.

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So, going widescreen is a huge plus, or accepting that 4:3 XGA is about the best you will have.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I contacted local vendor/installer for Screen Innovations screens - Video Conferencing, Video Communications, Audio Video System Design and Installation
After inspection our conf room - the sales person suggested to leave the screen as it is and replace the projector. He also recommended to avoid lcd projectors due to overheating causing permanent failures in polarizes - which is exactly what happen to our original 3k ansi sony 3lcd projector only after three years of usage.

He highly recommended a DLP projector... I searched around a bit and found two pretty good deals:

NP4000, 5200-lumen Professional Installation Projector - Highlights & Specifications | NEC Display Solutions

and
NP4100-R, 6200-lumen Professional Installation Projector - Highlights & Specifications | NEC Display Solutions

both don't include lens and would require additional $1500 in lens
but that still keeps me in my budget
New product includes 3 year warranty, while refub carry only 1 year ...

 

[BMXTRIX]

Newer LCD projectors typically are using inorganic LCD panels which have a much longer life span and are using better cooling systems. The issue with DLP tends to be the rainbow effect which is extremely common with DLP models. Some do have lens shift, which is a plus. But, the downside is the RBE. Bigger yet is the issue with DLP wheels blowing up, which may not sound like a real issue, but is just as real as LCD polarizer failure.

Digital Projection, one of the major manufacturers of high end DLP projectors, actually has a recommended replacement cycle for DLP color wheels, which is about every 5,000 hours or so if I remember correctly.

At the budget side of things, I think LCD is the way to go to make the most of yoru money. On the high end side of things, 3-DLP is the bomb and is the best of the best. Color wheels are my current DLP gripe.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I wanted to add really quick that the projectors you listed fall exactly into the category of a typical projector which I wouldn't recommend anymore. That is, it is a lower resolution 1024x768 (XGA) model with a unlisted color wheel speed, which usually means 2x speed. This is prone to rainbow effect issues.

NEC does make quality products, but it would not be what I would lean towards if you are looking to improve overall sharpness.

Sanyo does have a exciting projector coming out with the PLC-HP7000L, which is a 7000 lumen 1080p projector. At about $10,000 (or more) selling price, it may be well above what you are looking to spend, but is still really about what you want. Lots of light, high resolution, no RBE issues, inorganic LCD panels for long life.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I feel guilty not to update this thread then I do have something to update about..... You won't believe it but the managers have finally cracked down and saw the light (pun intended)
We spend a small fortune (more on this soon) and have purchased a Mitsubishi UD8350U projector.
With MSRP of almost 15k and retail common around 8-9k I was able to negotiate a one off deal trough CDW directly from Mistubishi Usa
Since no one told me to keep it hush - there it is - $7200 (plus taxes and shipping = total $7850)

Yes it's crazy to buy almost 8k proj then originally asked for 3k projector , but believe me - this is a great deal
First of all, the real issue is the requirement to show not powerpoint slides, but a) actual reports (with up-to size 7 fonts) and b) actual working systems.
Unfortunately XGA (1024x768) , even with crazy light behind it just doesn't cut it

The issue is our screen in built in the ceiling and to replace with widescreen would cost us at least 10k - essentially not an option - so I had to improvise to get HD on 4:3

The first big problem is to find 6k+ ansi projector which supports not 1080p - 1920x1080 16:9, but a higher 1920x1200 16:10 which is basically is a dying breed
Problem b) finding a laptop with 16:10 screen and solution came with slightly used Lenovo W500 laptop with 1920:1200 15" screen

Set the resolution to 1600x1200 (4:3) and we are cooking with gas now. Real 4:3 UXGA - Trust me - a truly rare beast nowadays

Originally the managers were really nervous about spending so much moneys , but the result are truly spectacular!

It's monster.

The image is extremely sharp, clear and color reproduction is more than than sufficient for text duty

Honestly it's very probably an overkill, but for best results one does need to spend a bit more

Another side project was using apple tv to hdmi input to do AirPlay from managers IPads - they absolutely love this feature. With adjustment to 1280x1024 - the image is a bit smaller, but still works great !

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Forgot to mention that we have only paid slightly above $400 for the Lenovo W500 laptop