Home theatre projector recommendations?

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JayADee

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#29550 11-Jan-2009 11:19

I'm looking for a home theater projector (just doing the research atm) under 3k to hook up to our computer which has DVI ports but is capable, with adapters, of s-video, hdmi, dsub and whatever those coloured cables to tvs are called.
We'll mainly be watching dvds ans possibly tv both run from the PC. I'd prefer a high quality for hdtv etc.

Does anyone have one they have and really like? Looking for as close to a theater experience as I can get for that money.

Not biased towards LCD or DLP so open to any suggestions I guess. Also, I'll be ceiling mounting it so I suppose a remote is a neccesity.

Thanks,
Julie

GReX

88 posts

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#188843 11-Jan-2009 20:34

hi julie

nice plan you got there :)

as for your projectors requirements, you can not go wrong with panasonic lcd projectors. they're outstanding value for money and you can find them on specials everywhere. ax200 is definitely well under your budget and it can process 1080p 24fps blu-ray cinema mode. i used to have ae900 and i loved it. i can't fault panasonic projectors. well priced, user friendly and excellent picture quality.

since then, i have upgraded to sanyo plv-z2000. i can also vouch for this unit for its fantastic image quality n user set-up. i bought this as i was wanting 1080p 24fps capable lcd projector with very minimal noise. it was between the ae2000 and z2000 and i went with the z2000 and i couldnt be happier. it's a very silent projector and runs very very cool, unlike the ae2000 which tends to run quite hot.

my suggestion : have a look at projectorcentral.com as they have in-depth reviews of many projector. i always read this before i purchased projectors and it's always spot on (had gone through 4 projectors so far).

FullHD Proj : Sanyo Z2000
TV : Pioneer Kuro 508 + 435
Spkrs : AudioPro BRAVO FX-10, Vienna Acoustics Schoenberg, Paradigm CC-570, Kef Q2DS
Sub : Dynaudio Sub500, Velodyne SPL-1000R
Receiver : Onkyo TX-NR906
Remote : Harmony ONE
Power : Adcom 7805
Valve : ToneWin MC-100B
DVD/CD/MP3 : Pioneer DV-989AVi, Onkyo DX-C390
Blu-ray+HD-DVD : Samsung BD-UP5000 + LG BH200 + Sony BDP-S370
Cables : QED Silver Spiral Reference , DNM Reson, Straightwire Octave II, AudioQuest HDMI-3 + YIQ-2
Console : WII

JayADee

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#188868 11-Jan-2009 22:49

Thanks very much, that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. :)
I'll research those models and look at the web site.

GReX

88 posts

Master Geek

#188870 11-Jan-2009 23:10

also, as with all modern projectors, they will only have hdmi connections not dvi. i have the feeling that the dvi will be obsolete very soon.

with your budget, you can either go with brand new 720p hd-ready projectors which capable of processing 1080p 24fp blu-ray cinema mode, or if you lucky enough, you could find some 2nd hand 1080p full hd projectors.

good luck and have fun

keep us posted pls

:)

Jaxson

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#188907 12-Jan-2009 09:25

Couple of quick little bits to add:
Make sure you are able to return the item if it doesn't suit you. This is important for two reasons:
1) DVI outputs sometimes do not handle hdcp (copyright) signals too well and may not work with the display
2) If you got DLP then some people experience headaches etc viewing this, you would want to return this if you're susceptible to this.

What ever you get, make sure it can handle 24 fps or 24hz as this is what new bluray discs use. If it can't handle this, it will result in very shaky/stuttering type panning shots which I find the one most obvious issue with some displays and bluray.

The difference between 720 and 1080 is more pronounced the bigger the display you have. Projectors always tend to be big, so it does make a difference. That said, if they're not side by side, you'll just get on and watch the movie and enjoy it.

Nety

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#188918 12-Jan-2009 10:05

GReX: also, as with all modern projectors, they will only have hdmi connections not dvi. i have the feeling that the dvi will be obsolete very soon.

This does not matter.. DVI picture wise is the exactly the same as HDMI. You just need either a cable that is DVI at one end and HDMI at the other or you can get a DVI to HDMI converter. There is no electronics in these options it just changes the plug.

Media centre PC - Case Silverstone LC16M with 2 X 80mm AcoustiFan DustPROOF, MOBO Gigabyte MA785GT-UD3H, CPU AMD X2 240 under volted, RAM 4 Gig DDR3 1033, HDD 120Gig System/512Gig data, Tuners 2 X Hauppauge HVR-3000, 1 X HVR-2200, Video Palit GT 220, Sound Realtek 886A HD (onboard), Optical LiteOn DH-401S Blue-ray using TotalMedia Theatre Power Corsair VX Series, 450W ATX PSU OS Windows 7 x64

geekiegeek

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#188935 12-Jan-2009 11:28

I have a panasonic ax200 and its fantastic. I have it hooked to a DVI out on my HTPC and watch FreeviewHD + lots of downloaded HD content. The best thing with this model is that it can handle a fair amount of light in the room. I can watch with the lights on!

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JayADee

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#188936 12-Jan-2009 11:28

Excellent, thanks for all that great info.
The panasonic ax200 does indeed look like what I am looking for in the budget I've decided on.

Also in the running could be a plasma tv that can also be hooked up to the PC. We're not ruling them out just yet but we're leaning toward the projector heavily.We borrowed a projector a couple of times and really enjoyed the "going to the movies" type feel in our very own lounge. Sci fi shows look great on a big wall!

We're going to be setting up a dedicated "AV room" for this that houses the computer, some comfy furniture, the projector and either a retractable screen or a painted wall. So far we have the computer and the room. ;)

We just put a deck onto the back of the house and since we have to go to the bank and grab a loan for that I thought I might be able to weasil some projector money at the same time.

Any thoughts on pros and cons of projector vs. plasma would be welcome.

Obviously you get a bigger screen but then there's bulbs to pay for. Projector will be ceiling mounted so it's more "out of the way" than a plasma. Plasma tv will come with freeview tv built in (vs tv card in pc). We do have a regular tv in the lounge but it's not going to get free view and I am not going to pay for a freeview box. We don't watch much tv on the tv. Price would be about the samish.
Any other thoughts?

Another question is, when we hook up the projector to the computer via the cable, how long of a cable can I get? Are there any issues with length degrading signal? (like there is with adsl?)