Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Some early advice on a first front proj.

Good Afternoon,

I have made the decision that as soon as I can sell my HItachi 57T500 or as soon as I come up with some extra money, I am going to put in a front projector in my basement. I am asking this forum for some advice because It seems that the best advice I receive in regards to what I have purchased in the past has come from this forum. The best example was last year when I decided to upgrade my DVD player. I was currently using a Denon 910 hooked up to my Hitachi via component cables. I went into a local retailer and saw a 2900 sitting next to the 2910. The salesman asked me about my TV and told me that the 2910 was newer model and would be a MUCH better choice over the 2900 because it had a DVI connection. As it turns out, the 2900 ended up being the better player for me and this forum is what led me to hunt one down and get rid of the 2910.

Anyways, back to my question.

My room is 18 x 11 with a 7ft ceiling.

I will probably be able to either ceiling mount the projector or bulid a shelf in the back of the room to sit it on.

I watch about 80 % DVD's and the rest is a mixture of HD programming and standard television.

I enjoy how dark the blacks get with the current set so I am interested in one of the players that has the new DLP pj with the dark chip. This has lead me to the 4805 and the Optoma H31. Their prices seem great and I have read alot of the reviews on this forum.

Based on my room dimensions, would either of these two work nicely in my room?
What size and what type of screen should I consider?

If I decided to increase my budget for the projector to 2500, are there some other players that I should look at, or is the H31 and 4805 the best bang for the buck going?

Any advice would be helpful and I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks,

JEFF

if you are looking for a projector there are tons of stuff you have to figure out. firts how far are you going to be from the screen. you have to figure that out first so you can figure out your screen size. i think you could have probaly about 100inch diagonal screen with those projecters. sanyo z3 is also a nice projector in that price range. as far as good black levels they are all supose to be decent but remeber the bigger the screen the less contrast you'll get. for another 1000 bucks there are some real nice projectors with better black levels and contrast. look at the optama h57 or the mitsubshi hc900u both are excelllent projectors that'll blow the ones your looking at out of the water. they run for about 3 grand. you have to take into consideration the contol over light in your room also lighter rooms require more lumens. so bright rooms need more lumen output controlled rooms you can get away with very little with a good projector. i bought the mitsubishi hc900u and couldn't be happier. hope that helps you out a bit.

I've got a Z3 and love it. I was looking at what would be the benefits of adding about $1000 to my budget, but the additional cost wasn't worth the slight increase in features for the projectors that I was looking at. I has a little limited in the I have about 11 feet from the front of the projector to the screen and I wanted around 104" 1.78:1 (HD screen ratio). Some projectors need to be further back than 11 feet to get that picture, others were not HD, some had bad reviews, so on and so forth.
Of course the Z3 is LCD, not DLP, but I saw the infamous rainbow effect with DLP. I have always been able to see imperfections in things related to what I would call "refresh rates" of lights. I can see flickering monitor screens when others can't, and I can even tell when a flourescent light is flickering when others can't. People say that some DLPs are better than others, but to get one that should work for me, I was at around $5000+ which was too much. Not that I think that the Z3 is a "last choice." I think that for the price it is the best thing out there. Good luck.

the z3 is a good machine but come on.its going a little bit overboard comparing it to projector's in the 3 grand range. go to projector central or the avs forum. put the z3 against mitsubishi hc900u benq 7700 or the optoma h57 its not even close. the z3 is an entry level projector for home theater. also lcd is no longer the front runner in front projectors dlp is just as good if not better in a lot of cases. rainbows can be a downfall with dlp but that was a problem mabey two years ago. the panasonic au700 is a good machine and an lcd like the z3 but both have many problems with screen door effects. all in all its a good projector but with a few more bucks there are better. go check out reveiws on these projectors mentioned you'll see what i'm talkin about.

Thanks for all the input so far. I have seen a demo of the Z3 and it was good but nothing that completely blew me away. I am having a hard time finding any dealers in my area that have front projectors in a showroom for demo. I have been in contact with somebody that is about 2 hours away that has a 4805 hooked up. So, I might plan a trip up later this week.

{Taking the rude slap to the face and turning the other check...)

This was a reply to smokey's post, but is not limited to smokey in what I am posting.

Actually I DID compare it to projectors around the $3000 range, but no where did I say that before now, so your assumption that I did was unfounded. I was able to buy my Z3 from an authorized Sanyo reseller that price matched a "questionable" reseller out of NY. I got it for right around $1500, so REALLY I was talking around the $2500 price range, and believe me, 2 months ago, $2500 did not be me much more than what I was getting with the Z3.

Also, recall that I told you about my "dilemma" with DLP projectors and rainbow... It is like your comment about screen door effect, although I have read several professional reviews about the Z3 that say that screen door effect does not exist at normal viewing distances, and I could prove it (at my house, of course). If you sit too close (remember I am at about 11' away from 104" screen, so that is pretty close, and I would call about 9' just too close, unless you are the type that likes to sit in the first few rows in a movie theater and move your head back and forth to see all of the action on the screen), than you will see screen door on an LCD. Vertical banding is also an issue for many projectors in that price range, some are worse than others. I do not have it, but mileage will vary. I have tweaked my Z3 quite a bit so that may be why I like the image, and with the screen combo I have, I do not get great blacks, but the image really "pops" and to me is impressive.

As for smokey's comments about Projector Central and AVS, I've been there. I've been in the $3500 and under digital projector forum on AVS, and I've read the reviews on the major projector review sites including Projector Central, and you know what, they like the Z3 (and others, obviously). And they even point out that DLP HAVE gotten better as a whole, but there are, just like in LCD, a lot of lemons out there. You are correct that DLP technology is pretty cool, kind of like when plasma TVs came out. It was really cool that they could offer a good picture in such a thin package, but plasma is flawed too. And DLP has many advantages, but as you mention the Z3 (and similar AU700) ARE entry level HD projectors (note the HD, there are many that are not), but for the $2500 that COACH2369 is talking about, we ARE looking at entry level, including entry level DLP that do not all have the color wheel (rainbow effect) problem fixed. Are there good DLP for $2500, you bet. But that is only if he CAN increase his budget to $2500. Is the Z3 the greatest thing since sliced bread, heck no, and I never said that it was. I only said that I needed a certain zoom range to get the image size I wanted, and DLP in the price range was not rainbow free (newer DLP technology, for a newer technology price, is supposed to be better or even rainbow free, but not in my price range under the zoom limitation I had).

I also just said that I really liked mine and not to discount it (or, I guess you implied, LCD technology). DLP costs more, but is not always better.
If someone gave me $4000 to spend today (or probably even $3000 and I did some really hard price shopping) I would probably go DLP as long as I could demo it and ensure that the rainbows were not in those models (again, not everyone sees them, so this is not a problem for everyone).

When I upgrade from my Z3 (whenever that will be) it will most likely (since I can not predict the future) be DLP, but will be something similar to the 4K lineups (4000+ lines, not $4000) that are super crazy in price right now, and that will be when those are in the $3000 price range. Until then, I am happy with what I have.

Smokey, now that I am off of my soap box, I want to let you know that while I was insulted by your comments, I still respect you as a member of the Axiom Audio boards, for whatever value you give that. Rarely does this board have "spats" like this and I feel that some how by my responding to your message, I am turning people off to this board, so I apologize for that to anyone (un)fortunate enough to read this.

Check out the $3500 and under projector threads at AVS, go to Projector Central, read reviews, look at your zoom, brightness, contrast, screen size needs, and make your best educated purchase and be happy with it. Everyone likes something different. I own a minivan and a slightly modified Ford Contour, Smokey might drive something like a Lexus or BMW, I have what I need to get to work and haul the family around, and maybe he is at a point where he can spend more money and get a nicer car. Each gets from point a to point b but do it is uniquely different manners. Just like Axiom, you love them or hate them. Most people here are passionate about them, and like Smokey and I, that passion flows into other areas as well.

(Can I possibly ramble on any longer?)

If you take nothing else out of this odd, long post, take my last bit of advice and do your homework. I didn't have any local dealers with anything under $5000 to look at, except for one over priced place that sold $800 projectors for $3000, so I had to rely a lot on internet information and traveling to other cities to see things in action. Make your own assessment.

I'm dropping out of this thread, and won't even read it moving forward. I hope that others will offer their opinions (as requested) and provide even more helpful tips.

Good luck!

I'm with Nick on this one, I would not call the Z2 or the Z3 an entry level projector. Also, they don't have any screendoor issues as Smokey implies. Actually DLP's can have screendoor also. With LCD you can get into the higher resolutions, even HD much cheaper than DLP. DLP's are coming down in price, but you still have to pay a lot more to get HD true HD resolution (720p, 1080i)

To the thread starter, welcome to the world of front projection. If you have not already, check out www.projectorcentral.com There you will find great articles on both technologies, and unbiased reviews of various projectors. You will note that the Z2 and Z3 are one of the highest rated projectors out there. Contrast ratings on LCD have come a long ways over the past few years, granted, they are still a bit lagging from DLP's, but nothing that can't be resolved with proper room adjustments.

Yes Nick, I'll have pictures soon....just started painting my ceiling and side walls with Eddie Bauer Dark Navy Blue Flat paint, and will start on the back wall soon with "Black Leather" from Valspar.

The best thing to do is try to demo both LCD and DLP. You would hate to get home and find out you suffer from Rainbows with DLP, as I do.....good luck


Randy

well i have to say i'm quite baffled why you took my comments so personal. no where in my reply did i attack you personally. all i was sayin was that you overstated the qualitiy. if you felt as if it were a personal attack that was not my intent. i look at it this way theres a 1000 dollar difference at most between the z3 and and midrange projectors. i'd personally would spend the 3 grand on something that would have more flexibility if i was moving to a bigger room. spending some extra money to began with might save you some in the long run. as to the comments that what i drive has anything to do about with what i said about the sanyo z3 is beyond me. also if you read the post to which i replyed to i reccomended the z3 and said it was a good projector. but if he could to look at some better ones for a little more. you say your sensitive to rainbows. well i'm just saying for the guys sake whos interested in buying a projector dlps are very good now,some do have problems but like i said some have issues with lcds. i tryed to explain my position. by being critical of a projector is by no means personal. critics do it everyday.

one of the best projectors for the money in my opinion is the benq 6200, thats what I have and love it picture is wonderful, don’t have HD service, but when watching dvd's over composite video the quality is theater like quality... sure it could be better, but not very much better, I will probably not be buying another projector for a very long time as i am so happy with the quality of my current projector. no rainbows or anything of that nature, if you get a little dirty power, there is some scrolling lines, but they are only evident if you are looking for them, if you are just sitting and watching a movie you wont even notice them, and I’m sure that any other projector would have the same issue, as we have very little control over the power we receive at out houses...

H30 in action. Over a year and still great picture.

http://www.spacelofts.com/h30/