Projector/screen advice

[aSeriesOfPipes]

I am trying to plan for my home theater. The room I have is about 14' by 17'. It has no windows. I am hoping to put in a 100"-120" Da-Lite fixed screen. It will be used for DVDs and Xbox 360.

1) Has anyone gamed on a 100" screen with a 360? How did it look?

2) Should I spend extra money on a 1080i projector or spend it on a real nice 720p? I can't afford (according to the wife, heh) a 1080p projector at this time.

3) LCD or DLP?

4) What projector would you recommend in the $2000 range (+/-, it isn't strict.)

Thanks in advance

-ASOP

 

[RagingBITCH]

blah nm lol

 

[funboy6942]

Go into hot deals and check out what I and several have said about the h31 and the hd70. Kick ass deals to be found and your question answered. And it is well within your grasp

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
1) Long as it's dark, it looks good.

2) 1080i. It's not like the 720p on that 1080i projector is just gonna blow chunks.

3) Huh? Aren't you getting a projector? Why are you asking about LCD vs DLP?

4) No clue.

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
1) Long as it's dark, it looks good.

2) 1080i. It's not like the 720p on that 1080i projector is just gonna blow chunks.

3) Huh? Aren't you getting a projector? Why are you asking about LCD vs DLP?

4) No clue.

From your answer to question number 3, I will disregard the entire contents of this post.

For your benefit, projectors use a variety of methods to make images. I thought about getting a Runco CRT projector, but $80K seemed like too much

My other real choices at this time are LCD or DLP. They work nearly the same as they do in a TV, except now the bulb is shining light through them and it hits a screen. Some people complain about the color wheel effect with DLP, other complain about screen door with LCD...I wasn't sure which would be better for gaming.

And no, 720p wouldn't look bad scaled to 1080i. The question was, should I spend X dollars on an average projector that does 720p and 1080i, or get a good projector that only does 720p.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT

1. I have gamed on mine with a computer set at 720p and it looked good. I have some CS screen shots in here
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/3%20Projector/AE900U/Old%20Room/
This is on my 102" screen
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1959097&enterthread=y

You can see Mackie2k has some 360 pics on his 126" screen if you want to ask him more specifics.

2. Both LCD and DLP are progressive technologies, so even if it takes a 1080i input, you're not going to get a 1080i projector. Pretty much any modern projector is going to take a 720p or 1080i input. You should be deciding 480p vs 720p vs 1080p probably.

Based on your budget and usage, 720p is probably your best bet.

3. Personal preference. I've used both and liked both a lot. You might want to check out what the best projectors are in the range first for both DLP and LCD and then compare those specific models before deciding which one you want. Also on your list of things to do, go see some in person for sure. If you see rainbow effect on DLPs, then your decision should be easy

4. I Panasonic AE900U and Sanyo Z4 were the 720p LCD projectors I strongly considered before going for the Panasonic. The Optoma HD70 that funboy42 mentioned looks like a great deal for a 720p DLP. That came out after I bought mine and if I were buying right now I'd be taking a long hard look at it.

A couple places to check out:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/home.cfm
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
1) Long as it's dark, it looks good.

2) 1080i. It's not like the 720p on that 1080i projector is just gonna blow chunks.

3) Huh? Aren't you getting a projector? Why are you asking about LCD vs DLP?

4) No clue.

From your answer to question number 3, I will disregard the entire contents of this post.

For your benefit, projectors use a variety of methods to make images. I thought about getting a Runco CRT projector, but $80K seemed like too much

My other real choices at this time are LCD or DLP. They work nearly the same as they do in a TV, except now the bulb is shining light through them and it hits a screen. Some people complain about the color wheel effect with DLP, other complain about screen door with LCD...I wasn't sure which would be better for gaming.

And no, 720p wouldn't look bad scaled to 1080i. The question was, should I spend X dollars on an average projector that does 720p and 1080i, or get a good projector that only does 720p.

lol. Yea....it's probably a good thing you're disregarding my info. I just go over to friend's houses and play/watch there...don't care about the actual equipment. #1 though - it does make a difference, if you take anything I say seriously.

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Thank you for a nice response.

I was hoping the panasonic 1080p would be out...but probably not worth it for 360...

Do you prefer gaming on your 100" screen to a nice LCD?

Also, I was thinking about going with Tapco monitors in a 7.1 setup. Any advice about that choice?

 

[Abel007]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Welcome to AT

1. I have gamed on mine with a computer set at 720p and it looked good. I have some CS screen shots in here
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/3%20Projector/AE900U/Old%20Room/">https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughli...b/3%20Projector/AE900U/Old%20Room/</a>
This is on my 102" screen
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1959097&enterthread=y

You can see Mackie2k has some 360 pics on his 126" screen if you want to ask him more specifics.

2. Both LCD and DLP are progressive technologies, so even if it takes a 1080i input, you're not going to get a 1080i projector. Pretty much any modern projector is going to take a 720p or 1080i input. You should be deciding 480p vs 720p vs 1080p probably.

Based on your budget and usage, 720p is probably your best bet.

3. Personal preference. I've used both and liked both a lot. You might want to check out what the best projectors are in the range first for both DLP and LCD and then compare those specific models before deciding which one you want. Also on your list of things to do, go see some in person for sure. If you see rainbow effect on DLPs, then your decision should be easy

4. I Panasonic AE900U and Sanyo Z4 were the 720p LCD projectors I strongly considered before going for the Panasonic. The Optoma HD70 that funboy42 mentioned looks like a great deal for a 720p DLP. That came out after I bought mine and if I were buying right now I'd be taking a long hard look at it.

A couple places to check out:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/home.cfm
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

I have the Z4. Excellent projector. A 720p projector is definitely what you are looking for. A dark room, 4 friends, and DOA4 is totally awesome.

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
lol. Yea....it's probably a good thing you're disregarding my info. I just go over to friend's houses and play/watch there...don't care about the actual equipment. #1 though - it does make a difference, if you take anything I say seriously.

I see! Now...do you like watching games on the 100" screen?

I currently game on a 65" rear projection Mitsubishi CRT and am hoping I am making the right choice by selling it and going 100"+ front projection.

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Originally posted by: Abel007

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Welcome to AT

1. I have gamed on mine with a computer set at 720p and it looked good. I have some CS screen shots in here
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/3%20Projector/AE900U/Old%20Room/"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/3%20Projector/AE900U/Old%20Room/">https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmcl.........20Projector/AE900U/Old%20Room/</a></a>
This is on my 102" screen
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1959097&enterthread=y

You can see Mackie2k has some 360 pics on his 126" screen if you want to ask him more specifics.

2. Both LCD and DLP are progressive technologies, so even if it takes a 1080i input, you're not going to get a 1080i projector. Pretty much any modern projector is going to take a 720p or 1080i input. You should be deciding 480p vs 720p vs 1080p probably.

Based on your budget and usage, 720p is probably your best bet.

3. Personal preference. I've used both and liked both a lot. You might want to check out what the best projectors are in the range first for both DLP and LCD and then compare those specific models before deciding which one you want. Also on your list of things to do, go see some in person for sure. If you see rainbow effect on DLPs, then your decision should be easy

4. I Panasonic AE900U and Sanyo Z4 were the 720p LCD projectors I strongly considered before going for the Panasonic. The Optoma HD70 that funboy42 mentioned looks like a great deal for a 720p DLP. That came out after I bought mine and if I were buying right now I'd be taking a long hard look at it.

A couple places to check out:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/home.cfm
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

I have the Z4. Excellent projector. A 720p projector is definitely what you are looking for. A dark room, 4 friends, and DOA4 is totally awesome.

No big jaggies, etc? The reason I ask is because I have a good setup I like right now. I am worried that I will see what I saw going from 36" TV to 65" with my original Xbox. It was unplayable because of the big jaggies. I'm hoping the same isn't true with the 360 going to such a hug screen from a "small" 65" screen.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
lol. Yea....it's probably a good thing you're disregarding my info. I just go over to friend's houses and play/watch there...don't care about the actual equipment. #1 though - it does make a difference, if you take anything I say seriously.

I see! Now...do you like watching games on the 100" screen?

I currently game on a 65" rear projection Mitsubishi CRT and am hoping I am making the right choice by selling it and going 100"+ front projection.

One of my friends previously had a Mitsubuishi (about the same size) - it's amazing the difference...totally worth it. Sometimes you don't have the option/ability to put in a projector and in that case, normal HDTV's are worth it, but if you have the room and the ability to do a projector, its worth it hands down.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes
Thank you for a nice response.

I was hoping the panasonic 1080p would be out...but probably not worth it for 360...

Do you prefer gaming on your 100" screen to a nice LCD?

Also, I was thinking about going with Tapco monitors in a 7.1 setup. Any advice about that choice?

Depending on your seating distance, a 1080p might be a good idea. I actually haven't been paying too close attention to the upcoming models because I don't want to catch upgraditis too soon :laugh:

Gaming is a lot of fun on a projector. Too bad I don't do more of it. My main complaint has nothing to do with the projector itself, just that I don't have a good system for using a mouse and keyboard on our futon. It just feels rather unnatural. If I played more games in general I'm sure I'd work out a solution.

As for playing video games, I like it a lot. We only have ps2 and N64, so it goesn't look so hot on a screen that size, but it's a lot of fun. I'm sure a new gaming system hooked up to it would look excellent.

For the sound choice... using active studio monitors isn't really very common. I actually don't know if there are any significant drawbacks to doing so vs. a more traditional setup just because I don't remember reading anything specific about using them for this kind of application. It seems like they are better suited for near field listening, but I don't know if that would be a detriment to their usage in a setting like this since I've never tried it and don't remember reading anything specific.

Do you have a budget for the sound end of things? I could give some general suggestions for you to consider.

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
lol. Yea....it's probably a good thing you're disregarding my info. I just go over to friend's houses and play/watch there...don't care about the actual equipment. #1 though - it does make a difference, if you take anything I say seriously.

I see! Now...do you like watching games on the 100" screen?

I currently game on a 65" rear projection Mitsubishi CRT and am hoping I am making the right choice by selling it and going 100"+ front projection.

One of my friends previously had a Mitsubuishi (about the same size) - it's amazing the difference...totally worth it. Sometimes you don't have the option/ability to put in a projector and in that case, normal HDTV's are worth it, but if you have the room and the ability to do a projector, its worth it hands down.

That is all this room is designed for, hence it is in the basement with no windows. Awesome, glad to hear it! Thanks much and I take back all the dirty things I said about you.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

For the jaggies question, I think it really depends on your source material. if you're getting 720p from a 360 and playing on a 720p projector, you should be in pretty darn good shape. Is your current TV a 1080i set?

 

[jfall]

I used to game on my Infocus X1 w/ 100" screen.. it looked really good. It does get hard on the head after an hour or so though

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes
the basement with no windows.

Dude, those are the magic words. I think you pretty much have to do it :laugh:

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Do you have a budget for the sound end of things? I could give some general suggestions for you to consider.

I already have a receiver (I picked up an H&K mispriced on Amazon a while ago (from 699 down to 250 or something like that). 7.1 with 50 watts per channel (high current.)

I was hoping on spending less than $2 grand on the speakers, including subwoofer, unless of course I can get something stellar for a few hundred more. I was also thinking about some B&W but don't know if I could get 7.1 for that price.

 

[aSeriesOfPipes]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
For the jaggies question, I think it really depends on your source material. if you're getting 720p from a 360 and playing on a 720p projector, you should be in pretty darn good shape. Is your current TV a 1080i set?

Yes, it is. Even the games that only support 720p (and not 1080i) look freakin' awesome.

You need to get a 360. You've heard of Amazon's $100 deal, right?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Do you have a budget for the sound end of things? I could give some general suggestions for you to consider.

I already have a receiver (I picked up an H&K mispriced on Amazon a while ago (from 699 down to 250 or something like that). 7.1 with 50 watts per channel (high current.)

I was hoping on spending less than $2 grand on the speakers, including subwoofer, unless of course I can get something stellar for a few hundred more. I was also thinking about some B&W but don't know if I could get 7.1 for that price.

Here's some B&W prices if you want to take a look. Getting a whole system you should be able to get a discount on them too.
http://www.bradfordshifi.com/prices.htm

If I may be so bold, I would highly suggest checking out SVS for the subwoofer.

There are some other internet brands for speakers where you'd be able to get a very nice set for around that budget and leave yourself some room for a nice sub while you're at it. Ascend Acoustics and Axiom Audio are a couple of the more popular choices vs. retail.

I have to go to class now

I don't know if you'd find any of this useful, but I have some general info in here. It sounds like you have a lot of this down already though. Maybe some of the product specific suggestions down in the speaker area could be useful.
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=30&threadid=1810562&enterthread=y

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: aSeriesOfPipes

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
For the jaggies question, I think it really depends on your source material. if you're getting 720p from a 360 and playing on a 720p projector, you should be in pretty darn good shape. Is your current TV a 1080i set?

Yes, it is. Even the games that only support 720p (and not 1080i) look freakin' awesome.

You need to get a 360. You've heard of Amazon's $100 deal, right?

Actually I haven't been paying much attention to it. I mainly use mine for movies and I don't even play my existing systems much. I think I'd have a hard time justifying buying a new one heh.

 

[Mackie2k]

Here ya go....

720 goodness over the VGA input on the Sanyo PLV-Z4....

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/mackie1604/154.jpg

No jaggies....just amazing picture.

 

[mrrman]

the Sanyo PLVZ4 is HDMI and was selling for $1400 which included a free screen and bulb rebate....I bought one of these and it looks awesome. I currently have a 60 x 60 screen using all my game consoles on it which looks great to. I am waiting for my free screen to come which is a 96x60 if I recall then I will sell my current Dalite screen.

 

[funboy6942]

IF you go into the hot deals section like I mentioned you can get a Optoma HD70, a 3 year warranty with 2 replacement bubls in that time, and a 106" screen for under $1200 shipped. If you happen to use the warranty in the 3 years at $300 per bulb it brings your cost down to $600 for the complete set up
I dont game with a xbox360 but my regular xbox and if your not wanting jaggies you want to buy a composite cables and run it in progressive mode. The 360 should look a ton better then a regular xbox and you will be super happy with it.

Just go to hot deals and look up my H31 thread like I mentioned. That same place that sells the H31 is where you will get the good deal on the HD70 which is a 720P projector.

And going DLP or LCD I would do DLP if I had the choice. Much better picture with better contrast and deeper blacks. Down side is some people see a "rainbow" effect (google) but then with LCD, even on high dollar units, they dont always get the 3 lcd screens lined up right and can be off as little as 1 pixal to as much as 7. That to can be quite annoying when not lined up properly. So its all a give or take.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: funboy42
IF you go into the hot deals section like I mentioned you can get a Optoma HD70, a 3 year warranty with 2 replacement bubls in that time, and a 106" screen for under $1200 shipped. If you happen to use the warranty in the 3 years at $300 per bulb it brings your cost down to $600 for the complete set up
I dont game with a xbox360 but my regular xbox and if your not wanting jaggies you want to buy a composite cables and run it in progressive mode. The 360 should look a ton better then a regular xbox and you will be super happy with it.

Just go to hot deals and look up my H31 thread like I mentioned. That same place that sells the H31 is where you will get the good deal on the HD70 which is a 720P projector.

And going DLP or LCD I would do DLP if I had the choice. Much better picture with better contrast and deeper blacks. Down side is some people see a "rainbow" effect (google) but then with LCD, even on high dollar units, they dont always get the 3 lcd screens lined up right and can be off as little as 1 pixal to as much as 7. That to can be quite annoying when not lined up properly. So its all a give or take.

You mean component?