Need some recommendations... <$3K

[flip22]

Heyyy, I'm looking to buy my first 1080p Projector for our dedicated HT room (20'x13') this coming Dec. I need to keep the cost for the FP down under $3K... really hoping for some sweet deals to hit around that time. Anyway, can some FP seasoned folks chime in and let me know which models I should consider? This would be for 45% movies and 55% HD/Cable on a fixed screen (still need to decide on that part, too.)

 

[BMXTRIX]

The Epson 1080UB has pretty much been decreed as the single best projector in that price range. There's a number of other products out there, but to this point, I have yet to be sold on a single other product being as good across the board.

I've personally had a Panny for a few years, I'm a huge Panny fan, and I thought the Sanyo Z5 looked incredible as well. I've seen the BenQ W10000 which was phenomenal looking, but was unfailingly unreliable. Unless we see something spectacular at CEDIA in September then the 1080UB will finish out the year as the sub $3K 1080p winner.

 

[flip22]

That's comforting to hear since the Epson is also what my research has shown to be the best performer in my range. Next comes finding the best deal. Other than Projector People and fullcompass are there any other sites I should monitor for prices?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Visual Apex (there are links to that site from this site so this site keeps being free). I've pretty much only used Visual Apex because they are just a good place to deal with in my experience. Bought from them about 5+ years ago and have been back 3 or 4 times.

Good stuff!

If you aren't buying for a few months though, then just keep your eyes open and double check when things get closer as certain product goes down in price and new product comes to market.

 

[flip22]

Sweet- I'll definitely check them out. Thanks for your help, man. Dec should be a good time to buy (in terms of new products/deals on current models), right?

 

[flip22]

Oh, and how about the screen? I'm looking at Stewart, Carada and Da-Lite so far. Ideally, I'd like to spend ~$500 or less for a fixed-mount 100-106" screen (I'll have excellent light control in HT room)...

 

[BMXTRIX]

December is a good time to buy, but it always seems like prices are falling. You might do best actually in November as December is such a hot selling month in general, you may not get the same 'sales'... Hard to say.

For a screen, Stewart is out of your price range if you only have $500. The Carada Criterion Brilliant White is, in my experience (not opinion), the gold standard by which all other screens are to be tested against.

Their pricing is right up there in your face on their website. It's a bit more than 500 bucks typically, but I would expect that you may be able to get the 1080UB for around $2,800 or less by November... maybe. So, that may give you a few hundred bucks more to spend. It will be just under $900 for a 110" Criterion in Brilliant White shipped to your home.

 

[Dezoris]

There are only two 1080p projectors under 3k to consider.
The Epson 1080UB and the Panasonic 2000AE.

They are virtually the same in every regard in terms of performance except the Panasonic has better optics in my opinion and is cheaper.

But you will never see anyone on this site tell you to get the Pansonic over the Epson because Audioholics only reviewed the Epson take that for whats it worth.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I actually read AVS, Projector Reviews, Projector Central, as well as this site. My opinion on the Epson is not based upon a single review and multiple reviews seem to be consistent that while the Panny is very good, the Epson is just a touch better. Anyone should be very happy to own either product.

Keep in mind I also currently own a Panasonic which I've enjoyed near flawless performance from for about 5 years now.

Keep in mind that Mits 4900 is about $1,500 - for a true budget minded person, it may be a top pick.

 

[Phil Taylor]

The Mitsubishi HC5000 is a very nice economical 1080p model as well - and can be had from Amazon for around 2K. I've installed two in the last two months and both looked very impressive for only 2K.

 

[flip22]

Winner: 1080UB

Ok, I'm going w/the 1080UB. Yay!
Net up: I'm having an electrician come by on Sat to run all the in-wall wiring/cabling and I need to figure out where to put the wall plates for the video inputs on the ceiling. If I'm understanding this calculator correctly: http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_1080_UB-projection-calculator-pro.htm ... I should be able to do a 102" screen at ~15' (anything b/w 9'11"-21'4" is fine, but 13'8" is ideal, right?) So, how should I figure out where the plates should go w/out knowing where, exactly, the mount will be installed (let alone which mount to even get)??

 

[jostenmeat]

Ideal = completely personal.

Im sitting about where you are, even a touch closer perhaps, and my screen is way bigger than 102". I highly recommend playing with the pic on the wall for a while before choosing. Depending on the size that you do end up with can possibly determine the technology of screen you may choose as well.

I could get away with a huge screen for a few reasons, IMO. I watch only bluray and hd-dvd (zero standard def). By far most of my titles are NOT "full-screen". I use a high power screen to compensate for reduced brightness on the larger pic.

If I DID choose a much smaller than I have, I would start pricing some AT weaves (but yea with great fear of great costs!). Throw the speakers and treatments behind, aesthetically pleasing, and with the elusively ideal soundstage.

Im sure you've seen this link, as Im always posting it, but in case you missed it...
http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

I have a 40-42 degree angle. I love the immersion. Some people opt for 1 to 1 ratio (width to seating distance) for 2.35:1 films. But, again, the only way to know is to see and decide for yourself. GL, HF, and congrats!

 

[BMXTRIX]

Ok, I'm going w/the 1080UB. Yay!
Net up: I'm having an electrician come by on Sat to run all the in-wall wiring/cabling and I need to figure out where to put the wall plates for the video inputs on the ceiling. If I'm understanding this calculator correctly: http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_1080_UB-projection-calculator-pro.htm ... I should be able to do a 102" screen at ~15' (anything b/w 9'11"-21'4" is fine, but 13'8" is ideal, right?) So, how should I figure out where the plates should go w/out knowing where, exactly, the mount will be installed (let alone which mount to even get)??

There's a fair amount of reading that you can do regarding screen size, but very much a good deal of it is personal preference.

Generally, screen width is recommended to be about .66 times your viewing distance for THX standards in a theater. So, a 15 foot viewing distance makes your screen about 10 feet WIDE (not diagaonl), and that will give you a similar effect to sitting the in center seat at a good THX movie theater. If you like to sit in front of the center of the theater, then go bigger, if you like to sit more towards the back of the theater, than you go smaller. If you have two rows of seating, either pick a row as 'primary' or pick a distance in between the two so you have options.

The projection distance is ideal, IMO, for that size. About 1/3 of the way back in the zoom range makes a ton of sense.

PROJECTOR PLATES:
Is this new construction which you are having wired? If so, then DEMAND 1" conduit (at least) be run to the projector location.

Also, if you haven't done your homework on properly wiring a 5.1/7.1 audio system, now is the time to do it, and ask questions.

Remember, subwoofers most commonly need 120v power to operate, and use coaxial audio cables, not speaker wiring.

Also remember: The recommended cabling to run to ANY projector that is going to have wiring behind drywall is as follows:
1 HDMI cable
1 VGA cable
1 component video cable
1 composite video cable
1 piece of cat 5

For grins, you could add another HDMI cable and a second piece of cat-5.

I think the spot your chose, for that screen size, is perfect, but if you do want/need to go a bit bigger with the screen, then you will want the projector back a bit more.

I would strongly recommend this mount:
http://www.peerlessmounts.com/dyn/Products/BrowseProduct.aspx/modelID/165645/productID/165644/categoryID/193

Note: Available for far less here...
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=205003132&listingid=11414131&dcaid=17902

If you know EXACTLY where the projector is going to be mounted, then you can actually just have all the cabling come through a small hole in the celing, and put the mount right on top of it. Make sure studs are in place to support the projector mount. Hang the projector on it, and fish the wires through the mount to the back of the projector for a clean appearance.

 

[flip22]

40' of VGA??

How about VGA cables? I need to run 40' of VGA from my projector to future HTPC. What cable would you guys recommend? Would there be any signal loss for this distance? If so, how should I go about achieving this?

 

[BMXTRIX]

All your cabling needs - www.monoprice.com or www.bluejeanscable.com

I've used both, and have seen identical results from both.

I would run CONDUIT if you can so you can (more) easily run cabling in the future if you need to.

 

[flip22]

Yeah, those are the ones I've been using, but I read up a little on VGA and was worried about signal degradation. I'm already past my budget, so can't get any more from BJ, but monoprice will definitely work. What's the difference b/w SVGA and VGA?

 

[BMXTRIX]

There's no difference between the two to my knowledge. SVGA was after VGA, but generally the two terms are interchanged and then sometimes RGB is thrown in as well as a 'similar' term.

I believe SVGA and VGA refer to the DB15 connection that is on the end of the cable, and doesn't refer to the cable itself in between.

VGA = SVGA = DB15

If you avoid power cables, etc. you should be okay with VGA cabling of decent quality, and you should always consider hooking up your PC using HDMI to the projector considering the inexpensive price of HDMI capable video cards these days. I just picked one up for about 100 bucks.