Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Screen and Projector

Hello all,
I know this has nothing to do with Axiom speakers, but it does have something to do with Home Theaters so I am hoping to get some opinions...
I am currently a happy Axiom owner with a dedicated home theater room that is still work in progress. The sound is there, provided by Axiom 7.1 setup and a HSU STF-2 sub. The view is there provided by a 52" Toshiba rear projection HDTV. Well I am not going to mess with the sound right now because it is good, but I do want to upgrade the view. I have two friends right now set up with InFocus 4805 projectors, 1 with Carada 80" screen and the other with a 92" Da-Lite screen, and I like both of them. Due to budget restraints, I am thinking about going with the 4805/Carada combo... Does anyone have experience with either of these two?

i have a 4805. But i have a draper m2500 high gain screen at 110"

I did have the samples from carada sent to me

ask away....

I would go check out http://www.projectorcentral.com that is where many of Front Projection people start. Great website to read about LCD, DLP, and other technologies, and recommended projectors. If you've demoed the 4805 and like it that is great. Personally, I suffer from rainbow's on DLP's and other artifact issues, so I took the LCD route and use a Sanyo Z2. Also, you need to think about what you may use it for, I watch a lot of DVD's, but also watch HD, so it was important for me to get a 720p projector. I'm also a DIY guy, so I built my own screen.

Axiom 60's 150 350 4-Qs8's
Denon 2805
Sanyo Z2 WXGA projector
Panasonic S97S HDMI DVD
Samsung HD Tuner

another site is http://www.avsforum.com/. Check out the under $3500 section. I can't say I always agree with the amp/receiver section on avsforum, but the projector/screen section is full of helpful people. The Owner/boss of Carada is also on their frequently and he's a great help as I have had a few discussions with them. Jason Turk of AVS is also a great help for screens. There is a HUGE thread for the 4805 there as well. It's a great projector, and I have had nobody see rainbows yet.

Of course, seeing things for yourself is the only right way to do it.

To me though, there are better screen materials then the carada. Although, the carada has a really nice frame system for a great price. Their Brilliant white was the only material that interested me. But, the High Power Da-Lite, Video Spectra/Pearl from Da-lite, and of course the M2500 were much better imho.

Get samples from the companies for free. Ask for 12" square samples, and try them in your room. You will be amazed at some of the "pricey" stuff looks no better then a plain white wall, while therer are others that look amazing.

I used a white wall while waiting for the m2500. The 4805 actually looked really good on it. But the m2500 is like a 110" plasma....cool.



I'd be willing to bet that if you never told anyone what rainbows were, nobody would ever see them anyways.

I agree with Newf, I am a regulare at AVSforum.com. I don't agree with a lot that is mentioned on the Speaker forum, as there a lot of people that like to bash Axiom , not sure why.

Anyway, I'm a DIY'r and built my screen out of Aluminum Square Tubing and Dazian PVC matte white non-perf theater screen material. Before that I used a Silver Metallic/Mississippi Mud formulation that is popular on their DIY forum.

check out the optoma h31 too. its a budget projector with great reviews. and it puts out a great picture for dvds. carada are great screens. Just have to find the one that fits your room best. dalite makes nice screens also. only thing about the 4805 that i've heard is not the best is the fan noise other then that its a great buy.

Yes, I have noticed that on AVSForum.com. I have been there several times supporting you Sirquack, agains those who like to bash Axiom without even listening to them.

I use the Panasonic AE700 with a Da-Lite screen (see link below). The 4805 or H31 are great EDTV projectors, but a few more hundred bucks can get you true HD.

Especially if you are used to the HD picture - though the 4805 or H31 will look good with HD, it is still not HD. Remember, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray is on the horizon!

Look up the Sanyo Z3. That is close to your budget.

I really like my Sanyo Z3 and Carada screen combo. The samples I got from Carada, plus some of the reviews (and I mean the ones that really go into detail and compare the screen material to others (wish I had he links)) really sold me on the carada. Add the price factor into the equation, and you have a winner.

Sirquack is right, though... Check out projectorcentral.com for a lot of information.

when though well hd blue ray dvds be released. been talking about them for over two years still don't see them. probaly another two years before we even see them out in movie shops if were lucky. all i can say if its for dvds as of now get the 4805 or h31. thats all you need for dvds. then once the hd dvds come out the projectors that were big bucks well be in the 4805 h31 price range. i personally would stay away from lcd. go to projector central they have picked out there top units for home theater. there isn't one lcd projector in the top two in any catagory.

DLP, I would get the 4805 no questions asked. Right now, I see no point in getting anything bigger or better.

LCD, Panasonic AE700. I almost bought this, but wanted DLP instead because it's color is so much better. But the panny is a 720p, and it has an awesome lens that will allow many different places where you could position the projector in the room.

panasonic is suppose to be alright but at an extra 1500 bucks i'll take the other two. newf i feel the same. dlp puts out a much nicer picture. black levels are very nice.

Top 15 Home Theater Projectors

According to the latest home theater magazines, HD-DVD will be "available" this Christmas (that was where I got the $1000 number from. I didn't make it up, but then again, where did they get that number? Might be MSRP, who knows)...

At the same time, there are a hundred or so HD-DVD disks that are supposed to be released at the same time, so there WILL be some movies out there. It won't be years, it will be months. Dates are set for HD-DVD, Blu-Ray is a little more vague with a "Q1 2006" release.

We'll see, but I would think that the research teams and writers of several of these magazines would be closer to the facts than could be "speculated" here.

As for the DLP vs. LCD thing. This is a horse that you (smokey) beat to death once before. I agree that is many cases DLP is superior. There are tests and reviews that give it a slight performance edge, but LCD is usually a lower cost option, so you pay for the deeper blacks, and so forth. Keep in mind that you shouldn't compare a $4000+ DLP to a $1500 LCD and say that it is a clear cut case. LCD is still a proven technology and if done well performs well for the cost.

If you look at the 4805, you are not going to get the resolution of the Z3. But you would save some money since it (the 4805) is a low end projector. If you have no intentions of upconverting your image, then go for it. You will have a popular projector that might fit your needs as a low cost way to get a projected image.

As newf mentions, the Panasonic AE700 is a nice projector too. Very popular. The Z3 edges is out a hair in performance specs, but the Z3 has a better internal scaler and provides a better picture mainly just because it is a slightly newer model.

Anyway, if I had $5000 to spend on a projector, which technology would I get? DLP. I don't have $5000 so when I bought in March of this year (based off of what was available) I went for higher resolution, HDMI, etc, but had to give up in the black levels.

Good luck, and remember, people who buy Bose think that they have the best system in the world and that nothing else could possibly be as good. DLP has some features in their mid-high end gear that are truly superior to LCD, but don't count out LCD until you have done the research yourself.

your z3 is ranked below the h31 and the 4805 for time in the same catagory. so i don't know where you get the idea your machine is so much higher quality. its an entry level projector. the same as the 4805 and h31. good phrase about bose. seems very similar to what you preach about the z3.

I should have expected such a response from Smokey.

All I said that that the Z3 had greater resolution than the 4805. And unlike you and your statements, I will back mine with facts.

The 4805 has a max resolution of 1024x768... Heck, that isn't even in HDTV aspect ratio.
Don't believe, me? Here is the specs page from ProjectorCentral:
4805

Now, lets look at the H31... What's that, the same 1024x768? Yup.
H31

OK, now for the Z3... What is that I see? 1920x1080, AND HDTV ratio? You bet!
Z3

Now, for those people that have H31's and 4805's, I am NOT slamming your units. They all are popular machines, and I even pointed out specifically that the 4805 is a nice machine. I was just pointing out that Smokey interjects his opinion and not facts, and doesn't even READ other people's messages.

'Nuff said!

your telling people that scaling there dvds to 720 or 1080 well give them a better picture. come on. if there was ever a pile of crap here you've been stacking it. i've seen the h31 and the z3 both. hands down in dvd the h31 put out twice the picture. mabey the edge went to the z3 in hd but it wasn't by much. brag up the z3 for all i care reveiws for the other two back my opinion up.

lcd has hands down the better res's at their price range.I work the IT dept, and we have dozens of brand new/old lcd's, mostly sony, and infocus. We got all lcd for the computer side of things and need the extra res.

I'm sorry, but my 1400 cdn at the time dlp blows away the 3000-4000.00 infocus pj's for movies, tv, and games.

You really need to see a pj yourself, and really in your room. It's much like the "what sounds better to you" scenario.

Once again, Smokey isn't reading my messages. He also says that the Z3 is a bad projector, and that people should "read the reviews." You know what, DO IT! You will find good reviews of the Z3 too.

Here is one (note Part 2 of this one):
HomeTheaterHiFi

Here is another that even gives the Z3 a "HotProduct" award, and says that it has "Excellent Image Quality"
ProjectorReviews

You will also see that in the 4th paragraph, the reviewers point out things that Smokey says is crap with LCD projectors in previous messages from several weeks ago. Here is the quote:

"The screen door effect (SDE) was minimal. LCD panel manufacturers sure seem to have this problem under control."

To be fair, here is a review on the H31.
Audioholics

They like it, and give it an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5, but they also make point of saying that this number is "weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit". So for a projector with an MSRP of $1299, it is GREAT! I never said that it wasn't...

OK, and let's round the whole thing out with the 4805. Here is a nice, helpful review of it:
ProjectorReviews


Maybe Smokey's projector just doesn'thandle higher resolution images, whether true HD or "simulated" like upscaling. I don't know. I think that this thread needs to end here, on a positive, helpful point. This thing has just tracked off course too far, sorry pklin.

We have some LCD and DLP in our conference rooms at work. To be honest, they are all pretty bad, but that is mainly due to lack of lighting controls in the rooms. Lights are always on full, so it is hard to tell which looks better in that environment, but I do know that we paid a lot more for the DLP that doesn't perform any better than the older LCD ones in that amount of lighting. Then again, we are talking home theater here, so newf seems to have more experience with them than I do in a business setting.

did you read the reply. i didn't say it was bad. i did say the h31 for movies beats it hands down. also about the reveiws by consumers made i would let them do the talking. your funny. the 4805 for movies does too. are you working for sanyo. you don't have to sell me there products. for i wouldn't buy it. face it you were wrong about upscaling and your still wrong. i could care less about resolution. i'm talking about dvds. which are 480p. sure your z3 would look better in hd. not arguing with you there. but for movies 4805 or h31 there cheaper and give better pictures for dvds. why would any buddy bother to buy the z3 for dvd veiwing. as for the hd dvds when they come out. i still wouldn't pay for a z3 when there well be 720p and 1080 dlp projectors. the colors of the z3 are not close to the hd dlp projectors. which well be right around the z3 price when hd dvds get released.

Smokey, we will not agree on this one. That is fine. I've stated my points, you have stated your's (plus some choice insults). Lets move on. Agreed? I know I have better things to do.