Projector suggestions

[TheDrake]

I am debating on whether to go with a projector or just a larger LCD/Plasma. My current setup is:

Living room size is about 22x14
Westy 47" 1080p LCD Monitor
Onkyo HTIB (upgrading to a HDMI receiver in the future)
PS3 for blu-ray and an occasional game
Sony DVD player
Time Warner for cable

My living room does have three windows I have dark wood blinds so during the day I can get it fairly dark in there, but I dont watch a ton of TV during the day anyway. I have the 47 mounted on the wall and it looks fine, no complaints other than the size, it just seems too small. I would love to see a 60" or bigger, but the LCD/Plasma 1080p's are just way too much for that size so I am looking more into projectors. I would like to keep it under $1.5k for the projector and the screen, but would be willing to spend more to get a better performance/price ratio.

The wall I will be projecting toward can fit a 70-80" widescreen picture and it will be limited to the 14' distance of the living room.

I was checking out www.projectorcentral.com but its hard to sort through all the reviews and brands. And avsforum.com is just a mess trying to sort the useful information from the not so useful. Any help would be most appreciated!

 

[Agentbolt]

Why are you only looking at LCD/Plasma sets? I don't know anything about projectors so I can't answer your question directly, but DLP sets in the 60-67 inch range are certainly within your budget and would look great. A modern LED-lit model won't have to get lamp replacements, and the number of people who can legitimately see rainbows is nearly 0 with the newer models.

I'm just thinking for your room size, the projector might be a bit of a waste. Projectors in your price range when you throw in the cost of a decent screen (a necessity, from my experience) that show a 1080p signal are going to be lower-rung quality and might not look particularly great.

 

[TheDrake]

I was just thinking if I were to open up to a DLP set then why not just go for a projector? Plus I am not a big fan of how much they will stick out, my current LCD sticks out already too much from the wall for my taste (about 9 inches with tilt wall mount).

If the 1080p projectors will be too low quality then I am certainly open to a higher end 720p set. And its not a priority right now so I can easily wait 3-6 months before I grab one if its worth it to wait.

 

[Muadib]

Even the low end 1080p projectors are better than a higher end 720p set. They have better black levels from what I've seen. I have the Mitsubishi HC4900, which is a low end 1080p set, and it is much better than any 720p set that I've seen. Granted, there may have been some new models since I was shopping back in January.

With your budget though, a 720 projector is really the only thing you can afford. A good screen will run at least $600, unless you get a pull down.

Projectorcentral & avsforum might be a mess & confusing, but they are some of the best resources when shopping for a projector. What I recommend you do is start here, and take a look at the top 10. Odds are you are going to get one of them.

Let me also add that you can get the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 for about $1500 after rebate. Thats a 1080p model, and if I was buying today it's what I'd get. Tomorrow is the last day of the rebate though, unless it was extended.