Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater projection vs. dlp, lcd, plasma

I thought I knew what I wanted(Samsung DLP tv). I hvae been looking at the panasonic ae900u. I don't know anyone that has a projectiong system but it seems that there are a few here that have them. What are the pros and cons. What size screen for a room 19 x 12?

Generally speaking, DLP's have better contrast and black levels than LCD's and LCD's have better color rendition. The Panasonic you are looking at as well as the Sanyo Z4 supposedly narrow the gap quite a bit. For $2,200 or so you can't go wrong; as long as you have a light controlled room. No PJ looks great with a bunch of ambient light. However, if you have a reasonably dark room, I guarantee your jaw will hit the floor if you get that Panasonic set up on a 106" screen. I have an older X1 and at 13 feet from my screen, puts out an 84" diagonal image. If you check out Panasonics website, they probably have a screen size calculator you can use for their PJ's. If not, go to www.projectorcentral and use theirs. Either way, I am sure you can get to 106" or so with your room dimensions. Why 106? Many dedicated screens are that size so it is one many people shoot for. I would buy screen material and staple it to a wood frame and you'll be out less than $300. You can make your own out of black out cloth or a sheet of Parkland Plastics, but if you are going to spend the money on a PJ, get a good screen.

If a person is really into movies and has a dark enough room, a PJ is a must have. The visual difference between a 50" tv and a 106" projetor is as great as HTIB vs Axioms in my opinion. Also, a projector adds to the ambience since it is, well, a projector.

Try to find someone in your area who has a PJ you can demo. You won't believe how good they look. Here are a few screen shots from my old X1 on my blackout cloth screen.






Good luck.

Greg

holy poop on a stick that looks great. boy i sure wish i had never bought a 55" rear projo tv. oh well, back 3 years ago, projectors were still pretty costly and outta my price range. now i can get one for 1/3 of what i paid for this tv. damn it i hate that!!! LOL...maybe ill get one anyways. LOL

I looked at the Sammy DLP (6168) and came within a "frog hair" of buying one. Just couldn't convince myself after reading pages of comments on the AVS board.

Ended up buying a Sony 60" SXRD. I am convinced that I made the proper choice for me. My room size is similar to your, but probably arranged differently.

Rat,

Would that Sammy have been a DLP tv or PJ?

Greg

Not getting the response I was hoping for everyone must be out trick or treating. PJ seems to way to go for a dedicated HT.

If you have a dedicated, or at least a very light controlled room, go for the big movie experience with a front projector. I have a room that isn't dedicated, so my dimensions are wider than most, but I am at about 12 feet front to back and I am shooting a 104" 16:9 image with my Sanyo Z3 and I love it. With a 19' deep room, your projector options really open up too. You can check out my home theater setup (basement still being finished) at the website in my signature line. Click on the picture at the top of the web page showing a shot from The Incredibles and you will get to more photos.

Here are some low res images of my set up (actual on-screen images are MUCH nicer, but to save web site bandwidth, I had to compress a lot)...




If you don't have full control of lighting, then you will want to stay away from front projectors no matter what anyone else may tell you. It will still be, in some cases, good, but never live up to the full potential.

Another thing to keep in mind is are you going to use this for regular television, or just movies? A front projector uses a bulb that lasts around 2000 hours, which is a lot of movies, but if you watch TV regularly on it, can really chew up the life of the bulb. At aroud $400-$500 for a new one, it can become costly to replace them. Just some thoughts.

Sanyo Z2
Prismasonic 600H anamorphic lens
10ft wide 2.35 Dazian screen

It would have been a DLP.

Rat, you can also get a DLP projector, that was Greg's question