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Should I buy a dlp projector or a 30" wide screen for apartment?

M

madman300

Senior member
I have $1000 to spend on my hometheater for my apartment and was wondering if you all think i should buy a 30" widescreen or a DLP projector.

-The Wide screen is the sony KV-30HS420 you can find info about it here Sony 30" It is HDTV ready with HDMI inputs and the works.

- The DLP projector would be the popular Infocus X1.

I watch no TV. (very little) in a year or two I may decided to get HD cable or HD sat but right now I do not want to pay the bills and plus I have a ton of DVD's. Every now and then I will use the TV tuner on the HTPC to watch a shower or two but you can assume 95% of the material played will be widescreen DIVX / DVD

In the apartment you sit about 7-8ft from the screen.

Current setup is using a IIyama 21" monitor. The resolution is great but the screen is pretty small. If I got the projector I would probably keep the monitor. If I get the TV I will sell it.

Here is a link to pics of my current setup. Excuse the mess, and yes that is a corndog on the coffee table.

Link to pics

Please give me comments and vote. Thanks!

Madison
mtmajor@uiuc.edu
 
You don't have enough money for a decent projector setup and at a 7-8ft viewing distance I wouldn't recommend the X1 anyway. You would be better off buying the TV or saving up for a better projector.

I dislike the X1 as rainbows induced by the slow color wheel gave me headaches. Not everybody is prone to seeing rainbows, so they might not ever bother you. If you're even going to bother buying a projector, save a few hundred more dollars and get an Infocus 4805.
 
What about a lower cost CRT RPTV, many in the < $1500 range. I have a 30" HDTV and it is nice, but it is still small. A 32" 4:3 set will give you just about the same area with widescreen material - and you can get a good 32" Toshiba HDTV for under $1000. Hell the 36" Toshiba's are under $1500 and they are excellent in terms of IQ, probably only second to Sony's XBR line. In my opinion the 420 and 510 series Sony tubes have a very poor dot pitch rating compared to the Shadow Mask competitors. In short, you are still paying between $50 and $100 for that little Sony logo, because Sony's cheap sets are not the high end equipment you think of when you think Sony. I really doubt they even make them.
 
Originally posted by: dabuddha
damnit where's the corn dog?
Click to expand...

Oh it looks like the package of socks is covering up the corndog stick. Well if there is enough demand I can take a better pic of it.
 
Projector all the way. Weighs less than the 30" crt sony, and, well you can have a huge screen. If you have light control issues, then don't go with the projector.
 
Originally posted by: irwincur
What about a lower cost CRT RPTV, many in the < $1500 range. I have a 30" HDTV and it is nice, but it is still small. A 32" 4:3 set will give you just about the same area with widescreen material - and you can get a good 32" Toshiba HDTV for under $1000. Hell the 36" Toshiba's are under $1500 and they are excellent in terms of IQ, probably only second to Sony's XBR line. In my opinion the 420 and 510 series Sony tubes have a very poor dot pitch rating compared to the Shadow Mask competitors. In short, you are still paying between $50 and $100 for that little Sony logo, because Sony's cheap sets are not the high end equipment you think of when you think Sony. I really doubt they even make them.
Click to expand...

Because I am still in school I will probably be moving anually. I only have a small car right now and don't want to go big screen. I know a 200lb 30in TV isn't small but it is probably going to be easier to move than a 42" widescreen.

Thanks for the input!
 
Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Projector all the way. Weighs less than the 30" crt sony, and, well you can have a huge screen. If you have light control issues, then don't go with the projector.
Click to expand...

I can easily darken the room to pictch black
 
Anyone know any info on the new toshiba widescreens. I wouldn't mind getting something with a HD tuner already in it (that way it would last me a little longer) But I am not sure who is making them.
 
For non-TV use, I'd suggest following the THX guidelines.

THX &amp; SMPTE Viewing distance calculator

For 8':

Ideal screen size is 62.4" wide, giving you a 71.6" 16:9 diagonal or 78" 4:3 diagonal.

For 7':

Ideal screen size is 54.6" wide, giving you a 62.6" 16:9 diagonal or 68.2" 4:3 diagonal.

If you have good ambient light control, pick up a DLP projector. If you don't, get a CRT RPTV. If you're into itty bitty TV's, get the 30".
 
I'd recommend getting a maid to clean your pig sty. Even if you got a Mitsubishi 80" RPTV, you'd never see it over all the crap strewn about your living room. 😛

Oh...sorry...I was thinking out loud. You have an apartment. Apartments suck. I live in one, I know. 🙁 Get the CRT. You're wasting your time AND money attempting to put a projection setup in there.

I have about a 10-foot viewing distance in my apartment. I have a flat wall in front of me AND behind me. IDEAL for a projector. However, due to pussy ass pansy weenie neighbors that are jealous of my HT setup and call the cops, I can't ENJOY all my gear. Ergo I am sticking w/my 32" Sony CRT until I get a house. Which is probably never, but that's another thread.

Good luck.
 
Originally posted by: MichaelD
I'd recommend getting a maid to clean your pig sty. Even if you got a Mitsubishi 80" RPTV, you'd never see it over all the crap strewn about your living room. 😛

Oh...sorry...I was thinking out loud. You have an apartment. Apartments suck. I live in one, I know. 🙁 Get the CRT. You're wasting your time AND money attempting to put a projection setup in there.

I have about a 10-foot viewing distance in my apartment. I have a flat wall in front of me AND behind me. IDEAL for a projector. However, due to pussy ass pansy weenie neighbors that are jealous of my HT setup and call the cops, I can't ENJOY all my gear. Ergo I am sticking w/my 32" Sony CRT until I get a house. Which is probably never, but that's another thread.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I dont under stand why you say that 10 foot viewing distance with 2 flat walls is perfect (almost exactly what I have) then you say I am wasting my time and money attempting to put a setup in there. Please explain.

Yeah it is a college apartment with roomates (but they are the good kind, they invest in the system too). Excuse the mess but the weekend just ended and I haven't gotten a chance to clean up.
 
it's funny looking at your pics b/c you have this really nice HT setup w/ rack mount style gadgets and two tower speakers....and then the crappy 21" monitor that just doesn't fit in w/ that stuff 🙂
 
I'd say the projector might give you a little more versatility if you're talking about moving in the near future; you may end up with a large living room, deeming the 30" wide screen too small. Projector has that cool factor too :thumbsup:
 
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