Thinking about getting a projector...

[Kyle]

Hey guys-
I just had my 56" RPTV die on me (serious convergence issues) and am thinking of getting a replacement rather than drop a few hundred in to repairing a TV I bought used and have no idea if something else is about to die.
I was thinking of this combo-
InFocus SP 7210 HD Projector
with
This warranty
projected on
This screen

I just wanted to make sure seating distance/projector distance etc would all work out- I snapped a couple pics of my apt and did some measurments.
Pic 1 - looking at the wall that will be projected on

Pic 2 - looking at seating area/projector area

ignore the dust =)
Anyways, the couch is about 12' from the wall, and it's just over 15' to the back wall (where the windows are). I was thinking of using some sort of stand/bookshelf up against the back wall to project on to the 100" screen. The wall the screen will be mounted on is 7' 11" wide, so that shouldnt be an issue.

Anything sound off w/ this? Using the projection calculator on InFocus's site for this projector, I think 15' should not have any problems fitting the 100" screen.

Any other projectors in this price range I should have looked at? One other thing I should mention - ambient light is pretty well controlled by the wood blinds - so I dont need a super bright projector. For a while I was looking at smaller lcd/plasmas (want to stay away from dlp/rptv for now) and could not justify going to a much smaller screen and spending $$$$$- this seems to solve both issues =).
Thanks for any input.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Screen size for that throw would be no issue according to Projector Central's calculator as well.

Have you checked out a similar DLP projector in person to see if the rainbow effect bothers you?

You're also cutting it very close for the screen size and your wall. Seems that your left front speaker is going to have to be very close to the wall, which should be avoided if possible.

There are also some newer 720p projectors (both DLP and LCD) out in about this same pricerange that are supposed to be very good performers. I'm not sure how this midrange 720p projector from a couple years ago compares to the performance of current offerings in the same pricerange.

Just for reference, Projector Central's reviews
7210 ($999 + your warranty)
http://www.projectorcentral.co...us_screenplay_7210.htm
Panasonic AX200 ($1299 including extended warranty from some vendors)
http://www.projectorcentral.co..._theater_projector.htm

 

[Eug]

Get the projector before the screen. You can experiment first with just your bare wall and then decide.

 

[Kyle]

Originally posted by: Eug
Get the projector before the screen. You can experiment first with just your bare wall and then decide.

My main problem w/ that is the thermastat that would possible be in the picture if I didnt have a screen in front of it.

Yoyo- thanks for the link- judging from that review I can see there are many advantages to that projector compared to the infocus - and I do realize that the left speaker would be a tight fit - something I'll have to live with. Think I'll spend some more time researching - guess the main rush I had was w/ the woot sale and not knowing when it would expire, however just from that one link, I dont think that it's enough of a deal to jump at before shopping around.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

The 72XX series from Infocus has come up on Woot many times. If you do eventually decide that it's the way you want to go, I think Woot will probably have them again eventually.

AVSforum's digital projector area would be a great place to check up on current events in the projector world.

 

[Kyle]

I'll head over to AVS - It's just a terrible time of the year to be w/ out a TV =)
I'm a huge NFL fan - and also watch a handful of TV shows that just started their new seasons. And then there's black friday coming up...maybe I should wait for that, but I sure as hell am not camping out anywhere...

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: Eug
Get the projector before the screen. You can experiment first with just your bare wall and then decide.

My main problem w/ that is the thermastat that would possible be in the picture if I didnt have a screen in front of it.

Doesn't matter. For actual watching, you can just reduce the screen size so the thermostat is out of the screen area. However, for determining screen size and viewing area, and for determining exact projector placement, it would be a great help to be able to experiment first before buying the screen. Who cares if the thermostat is in the picture just when you're testing.

 

[montypythizzle]

Too bad you live in Washington, I want that CRT RPROJ.