Projector quandry

[billnchristy]

Ok I was originally set on a 50" DLP Samsung with 1080P. After reading this site and forum I am both totally confused and interested in projectors.

1) Am I correct in assuming 1080P is not being used hardly anywhere?
2) Am I correct in assuming buying an HDTV for HD is pretty silly right now because there is very limited content?
3) Projectors dont look like crap anymore? (Excuse my ignorance but my only projector expirience is watching bootlegs on a computer setup one in the Navy, talk about horrible looking).

I am very intrigued by the Sanyo and Optoma since they are right around the price I was going to pay for an RP or LCD. Will upping the price minimally increase quality much?

Bonus time is early Sept. and I am hoping at around 4k, will a $3500 projector not look much better than a $1500? Also, I would imagine screen is very important, what price range is good for a projector in my range? I wouldnt want to over screen.

I hope this is not overly redundant. This decision really affects a lot of things.

If I go with the projector I scrap my seperate bar/nightclub theme for the partition I was going to put in the room, so a lot weighs on this choice. The room is 14.5x24

 

[jcPanny]

Projector info

1. There are 1080p projectors like the Sony "ruby" but most are in the $10k price range.

2. While HD content on satelite and cable is pretty limited, movies look great on a 720P projector with an upscalling DVD player. Some areas also have over the air HD channels. Eventually, HD-DVD and BluRay players and media will be available.

3. There are a several good 720P DLP and LCD projectors that are designed for HT applications vs. data projectors. One of the keys to maximizing the perfromance of an HT projector is light control in your room. Check out projectorcentral.com for more projector info in reviews.
In your budget, the Optima HD72($2k) and the HD7100($3k) are great options depending on your installation requirements. If you get something in the $2k range, you will have money left for a good fixed screan from Crada or DaLite, a projector mount, cables, and a new oppo dvd player and come in under budget.

 

[BMXTRIX]

1080p is out now, and more importantly it is not going away anytime soon. Whether it be downloadable video content or movies on Blu-ray Disc - it is now available, and is likely to be far more available as time goes on. Not less available.

For content, it depends on what you watch. Movies on HD discs (HD-DVD or Blu-ray) are 100% HD at the highest levels. Fantastic! Almost every prime time show is shot and shown in HD. Recently we just got WB, MTV, and TNT in HD to go along with Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, ESPN, and some movie channels. About a dozen stations only... but they are the stations we actually watch at prime time - and they are the ones that carry 'The Game' - you know, the ones you gotta see. Almost always in HD.

3. 1080p projectors are pricey (as said above) - around $10K on the cheap side. They are also NEW. So, I wouldn't be hot for one right now unless I had a fair bit of disposable income. But, 720p projectors are readily available at very good pricing. The Sanyo Z4, Panasonic AE900, InFocus IN76, Optoma HD72 or 7100. A list of other models as well. The key that you want is a projector designed for home theater, not for business.

Your point about the cruddy Navy projector is typical. I have seen (and worked on) military A/V and it is NOT about video quality, but a bright image that gets the job done. I have seen serious color shifting, I have seen dead pixels, and most of all, I have seen lousy connections. The home theater focusses on a 100% dark room, a projector designed around video quality first and foremost, and a user who is willing to feed it the best possible source. You downloading a cruddy video, feeding it to a cruddy projector, using a cruddy connection... and it looks BAD? What ARE the odds?!?

IMO, there are projectors from $1,700 -> $3,000 that all offer something within their price that is worth having. A lot of research on your part will deliver exactly what you are looking for.

Finally, I would get a Carada screen over any others. For the money, there has never been a screen that I have seen that looks better. Similar to the nice Draper, DaLite, and Stewart screens that I have seen - for less than half the price! The size of that screen should be based on primary seating distance.

There is lots more info here and at Projector Central that is worth reading about - but the bottom line is that a good HT projector in a 100% dark room looks similar in video quality to a nice plasma or LCD display. It is bright, colors are accurate, and it looks phenomenal with HD material and well upconverted DVDs.

 

[billnchristy]

Ok so I went to my local "Woah, what am I doing here?" HT store and they had 5 rooms with projectors set up.

Problem is (well, not a problem if you've got the cash I guess) they were all Runco. This seems like a very high end brand. He had one for 5k that was 720p and it looked phenomonal...It is very hard to find any info. on them on the web though, no one reviews them or anything...what is up with that?

How much am I losing by buying one of the original ones I picked? I haven't been able to find a place that has them so I can view one. (I admittedly have not looked super hard either) I am in the Atlanta area.

 

[BMXTRIX]

You are losing very little by going with another brand IMO. I find that Runco tends to be overpriced for the quality you get - a brand name dedicated to boutique stores. So, they run at least 100% more than a comparible model from almost any other company out there. They don't want reviews, they want reputation. Reviews would show them to be equal to $2,000 projectors... so, no reviews.

In my experience (not opinion) Runco also has some of the worst customer support, engineering, and product quality from almost any manufacturer that I have deal with and I have seen almost a 90% failure rate on their products from plasmas to projectors. I would not, and will not ever recommend them. Their highest priced models DO look very good... if you can keep them running.

Personally, I want a projector, not a Fiat.

 

[billnchristy]

Thanks I started gleaning that from reading other sources. I think I will stick with the Optoma H72 and a good screen. I dont know exactly how it performs but I told my wife it wont be a $2500 difference.