Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Budget Front projector on sale $999

They have just dropped the prices for the Infocus X1 800x600 front projector to $999. Quality is close the Sanyo PLV-Z1 $1500 and Panasonic L300U $1900. If you plan to view this projector at 10 feet or further you can get a 80+ inches of high contrast picture. Good for DVD playback or cable TV through a TV Tuner. Best picture is through the VGA output via a nice HTPC. SVideo is okey but I believe there is a component breakout from VGA to use for progressive scan component DVD players. It also comes with a whopping 5 Years guarantee and a trade in value for future projector upgrades. There is also a promotion free DVD player or $100 cash back on the X1 and other infocus projectors. Comparison between all three for the general consumers will be like splitting hairs. For really nit pick ones they can just go for the Panny model. A $1000 80+" TV for 5 years is a pretty good deal I think.

http://www.infocus.com/products/productview.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&prod=x1&c=4
http://www.projectorcentral.com/infocus_x1.htm
http://www.projectorcentral.com/part_opinions.cfm?part_id=1885


Saturn

Yup, time to go for the front projection, folks!!!

The X1 is probably THE most popular projector among the AVSforum members. Its resolution is plenty sufficient unless you want to watch lots of true HD materials. The only caveat is, it is a DLP projector so you need to be sure that you and your family do not suffer from the rainbow artifacts (color breaking). Not many people see them, but for those few who see them it can be quite annoying.

I have read based on posts it was apparent with the svideo or composite connections. Not too bad or not at all via computer input. So if your DVD player has computer SVGA output or you have a HTPC it gives the maximum possible best picture and the color wheel effect is not that apparent vs lower resolution inputs.

Saturn

I have a couple of questions about front projectors. Do you guys think that they are a good idea as an all purpose TV as well as a home theatre projector? In other words, do you think that a projector can double as an adequate TV considering how sensitive I hear they are to ambient light?
Would you always have to watch TV in the dark?
Also, could someone explain what HTPC is?

Thanks

HTPC - Home Theater PC. PC specifically built with Home Theater in mind. Quiet power supplies and fans. Built-in motion compensation/mpeg decoders chips onboard or a good video card that processes DVD nicely. A computer you can put in your home theater that will not be noisy and preferably mix in nicely with your receivers, cd player , etc...
If properly built and using good DVD sofware you can get a much more sharper projector picture with vivid colors than having a stand alone DVD player plugged into a project. Also the HTPC can have a built in TV tuner so that you can project cable TV into your projector. You can also go with an external TV tuner (or cable box) plugged into the projector.
Is it adequte to double as a TV? ... that depends on the individual. As with all projectors the best possible picture is very little or no ambient light. That is not to say that you can not watch with some adequate light present. I presently watch cable TV with the projector with curtains drawn around the area close to the screen but the area behind the screen has lighting from the outside coming through. I can see the TV broadcast quiet clearly and it is "good enough" for me. For movie watching I block out all the windows with some blockout fabric and it does the job day or night.
One thing to note is that I would recommend a cheap good screen like a Da-Lite Hi Power which does bring out the color and detail than a standard white wall.

Look at this way. This is what I thought: (sorry you need to convert from Canadian to American..all prices in Canadian)

80" inch screen 4:3 or widescreen
Infocus X1 projector $1500
Da-Lite Hi Power screen $466
PCI TV tuner $89
blackout sheets $40
any Radeon card with
DVD accelaration $90+
PC with digital out - already have

Total: approx $2185 cdn

Pros:
whopping 80" or more
great DVD picture
small format and doesnt take up room, WAF aaproved (Wife Approval Factor)
good cable TV picture
cons:
not the easiest to setup for non computer people
not soo great picture with lots of light so curtains maybe needed


46"- 65" inch widescreen screen $2600-$5000

Pro:
easy setup
Cons:
poor cable TV quality
takes up a lot of room

There are projectors that cost less and more than the X1. As with any item go view or demo it. This may not be what your looking for or have some issues with it. When I tested it I had no problems with its known issues and the quality was to my liking. I have it set to a 75" diagonal screen and I love it. Sushi is another person here that has recently bought a brand of projector. He has lots of info about projectors to provide.
Another site that has tonnes...sometime too much info to swallow is AVSFORUM.

Projectors under $5000:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=68

HTPC:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26

Projector Screens:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=23

Saturn

Wow, thanks for the reply. I think the front projector setup is sounding more and more intruiging. I am a computer guy so I probably could get most of that setup with minimal help.
By using a HTPC do you get the kind of resolution that you would get with a progressive scan DVD player and a HDTV television? Can you get television in HDTV? I guess somehow you need to connect your HTPC into your A/V Receiver?
Sorry for all of the questions as I am not very knowledgable with this. (But would like to be!)
Also, I live in Winnipeg so no need to convert into American!

Thanks!

I thought that bulb life and the high cost of replacement precluded the use of projectors for home theatre. Have things changed? What is the current lifespan and cost of maintenance?

Huffer,

My projector, combined with a high-gain screen, throws a plenty viewable image for brighter materials like TV shows, even in the fully lit room in the evening. However, with many untreated windows, our living room is too bright during the daytime to use the front projector (or, in fact, RPTVs). Movie materials are in general much darker, and a good ambient light control is preferrable with the front projection.

tinfoilhat,

The price of a replacement bulb is mostly around US$350-$400, which you will usually need every 2000-3000 hours of viewing, depending on the projector model. Other than that, a front projector does not have any particular parts that will be worn out with use. Barring the initial defects, a projector should last as long as most other AV electronics.