Buying a Projector

I want to buy a projector but don't know what to look for. The main thing I will we using it for is movies. What are the min specs I should be looking for?

The good ones aren't cheap, the cheap ones aren't good. What's your budget?

jgardner6 said:

I want to buy a projector but don't know what to look for. The main thing I will we using it for is movies. What are the min specs I should be looking for?

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First question is what is your budget?

But a few things that I can answer before that is obviously you want a Home Theater projector opposed to a data projector. The main different being the aspect ratio and key visual features.

Another thing is how well can you control light in the room it is going into?

1080p projectors have really come down lately and I would go down this route if your budget allows. A guy at work tested out the Mitsubishi and sanyo latest 1080p offerings and both looked way better than my old 720p hunk of junk


Also what are your sources going to be? HD satelite, blu-ray, computer etc....

A little more info will help a lot to determine what would be the best.

In the mean time here are a couple of my favorite sites to look up info and see what is out there:

AVS Forum
Projectors, Projector Reviews, LCD Projectors, Home Theater DLP Projectors at ProjectorCentral.com
retail site with good info
Projectors from $350 for business, home theater at Projector People. Projector Rebates, Packages

I know Illumination rating is a big one to look at. Look at several in your price range to get an idea of whats available. The higher the better.

I know next to nothing about them other than that.

Resolution. Brightness. Lumens. Contrast. Light engine (color wheel segments).

Usually the more the better and more expensive. But, the biggest isn't always needed. High contrtast is nice to get good clean blacks. Brightness needed depends a LOT on application (dark room no windows or during the day, windows open, mebe some reading lights).

Some of the brightness and contrast aspects can also be address by proper screen selection.

The more segments on the color wheel usually indicates the color depth. many just have RGB but several also now have Cyan, Magenta, etc...

And another one many don't consider is bulb access, life expectancy, and replacement cost. If you watch a LOT of big screen the bulb half life come quickly. Some units now a days use a LED light engine.

And finally, keystone adjustments and image shift adjustments. These are only useful at installation but, it's a real downer to find the projector installed just enough off center with no image shift and poor keystone correction.

All that said, Optima had made some really nice, feature and perfomance rich units that didn't cost a fortune. InFocus had several issues a year or two ago that could ONLY be resolved by Authorized installers. And Runco was little more than an overpriced Optima for a while.

It's been a while since I have kept up with the video Jonses so, a lot may have changed but the basics I listed are still valid.

Also, choose the projector first. Decide where it will live and figure out it's throw limits BEFORE you choose screen or you may find you have too big a screen for the unit to fill depending on throw distance.

There are a lot of factors to consider when buying a projector. Whats the length you will be projecting from the wall? Also what is the height of your ceiling? Different projectors need different throw lengths to get the desired image. Your best bet is to go onto projectorcentral.com and use their calculator to see if you can use the projector you want.

Is it a light controlled room(no windows,blackout blinds) or will light be an issue? If you are projecting into a brighter room you will need a projector with more lumens or what others called light cannons. In addition to projectors you should look into a proper screen. Some are able to paint the wall and mask around it for the best image, some buy screens like dalite or smx, and others build screens out of laminate found in home depot and other home improvement stores.

If none of that is an issue you should start at the obvious 720p projectors and work your way from there depending on your budget. There are tons of reviews on such places as avsforum.com.

I've had projectors for about 7 years now and followed the resolution upgrades all the way to 1080p. The typical debate right now in the is 1080p LCD vs. 720p DLP. The basic idea is DLP has better contrast but little to no lens shift capablity for flexible mounting options. You also can't touch DLP at 1080p for under $2000. If you have bluray, you probably want 1080p.

LCD typically has lower contrast than DLP but can be had for $1700 at 1080p and most have good lens shift and zoom.

I have the Sanyo Z2000 but the Z700 is the current offering at about $1800. 1080p LCD with a great zoom and lens shift.

Make sure you price search on replacement bulbs because they range from $200-600 and you WILL replace it eventually.

If you don't mind 720p, I'd go with a DLP and there are several good ones out there in the $1000-1200 area.

Check out projectorcentral.com and AVS Forum which is the HBT of the audio/visual world.

I am amazed at the diverse crowd that this site brings. I am glad to be among the members here of knowledgeable people and not just in homebrewing (I am not saying I am one of those knowledgeable ones though).

Anyways, if you guys lived closer you could come over drink homebrew, play pool and watch a movie on the projector all in the same room.

IrregularPulse said:

I know Illumination rating is a big one to look at. Look at several in your price range to get an idea of whats available. The higher the better.

I know next to nothing about them other than that.

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Higher lumens <> better in all scenarios

This depends on where you are putting the projector. If you are putting it in a basement with no windows and is pitch black at noon, you are not going to want 2000 lumens unless your throw distance is 35ft.

+1, lumens isn't everything. You don't go spending $1k+ on a display like this and completly ignore your room and light control. Paint the room warm or dark colors if you can get away with it, use darkening drapes, etc. You don't buy a light cannon and expect any kind of contrast in the image. I always like to say, look at a white surface in the room right now. That is the color the BLACK is going to be when you run a projector.

Bobby_M said:

I always like to say, look at a white surface in the room right now. That is the color the BLACK is going to be when you run a projector.

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234567890

And when I suggest that I "always like to say" that, of course I mean in context of a projector installation. I don't go around accosting people on the street and saying random things like that.

I will be using the projector outside at night most likey on a computer. We really don't spend anytime inside. Price is not an issue, but the lower the price the better. I'm not looking for anything that is super great just something that doesn't look like complete crap.

Bobby_M said:

And when I suggest that I "always like to say" that, of course I mean in context of a projector installation. I don't go around accosting people on the street and saying random things like that.

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Well, that just takes all the fun out of it.

jgardner6 said:

I will be using the projector outside at night most likey on a computer. We really don't spend anytime inside. Price is not an issue, but the lower the price the better. I'm not looking for anything that is super great just something that doesn't look like complete crap.

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Ahhhh. Well, then Lumens, Lumens, Lumens. The inflatable screen set-ups are neat but, the screens themselves are usually crap.