Posted: 4/10/2014 8:31:49 PM EDT
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I visited my brother's new home a few weeks ago. Deal was when the bought it the projector in the basement stayed. It's an Epson and around 100 inch, 1080, hooked up to a 7.1 sony audio system, all built in except the JBL 12in sub. I was impressed. They also have a 60" LED TV upstairs, but the picture on the projector to me was just as good minus the brights being brighter and darks being darker. It was definitely worthy of sports and movies. I'm thinking in our next home we will upgrade from our 32 LCD TV to either a larger flatscreen or a projector. Price wise it seems like a flatscreen TV is more . What is the opinion for those who have experience with both?
We are not daily TV watchers, This would be for a movie or two and game or two a few days a week. Maybe some xbox as well for less than 5 hours a week. |
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I have a Epson 8350 projector in my basement, along with a 5.1 surround sound system, prior to that, had a 5.1 surround system on a 50" Toshiba Plasma. The picture and entertainment value of the projector is well worth it in my eyes.
Specs: Epson 8350 Projector Yamaha RX-V867 7.2 Receiver Polk CS-1 Center Polk Monitor 40 Front Polk Monitor 30 Rear Yamaha 10" Powered Sub Elite 106" Pull Down Screen (Wish I would've gone fixed) Zach ETA: Pics 
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I have a Epson 8350 projector in my basement, along with a 5.1 surround sound system, prior to that, had a 5.1 surround system on a 50" Toshiba Plasma. The picture and entertainment value of the projector is well worth it in my eyes. Specs: Epson 8350 Projector Yamaha RX-V867 7.2 Receiver Polk CS-1 Center Polk Monitor 40 Front Polk Monitor 30 Rear Yamaha 10" Powered Sub Elite 106" Pull Down Screen (Wish I would've gone fixed) Zach My only experience with projectors in movie rooms is from 10-15 years ago. I remember that unless the room was completely blacked out, the picture seemed hazy and hard to see, do the current projectors do better in that aspect? |
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My only experience with projectors in movie rooms is from 10-15 years ago. I remember that unless the room was completely blacked out, the picture seemed hazy and hard to see, do the current projectors do better in that aspect? Much better, I have mine set normally set on ECO Power Consumption, as we have it in a light controlled basement. However, we have used it in areas where we cannot control the ambient lighting, with Normal Power Consumption no problems. Keep in mind, that does decrease the lifespan of the bulb however. If you are in a room where you are unable to control the ambient lighting you will benefit highly from a high contrast screen, such as a gray one, unfortunately it mutes the brighter colors, i.e. white. ETA: AVSForum is to home theater what ARFCOM is to the Black Rifle |
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Much better, I have mine set normally set on ECO Power Consumption, as we have it in a light controlled basement. However, we have used it in areas where we cannot control the ambient lighting, with Normal Power Consumption no problems. Keep in mind, that does decrease the lifespan of the bulb however. If you are in a room where you are unable to control the ambient lighting you will benefit highly from a high contrast screen, such as a gray one, unfortunately it mutes the brighter colors, i.e. white. Quoted:
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My only experience with projectors in movie rooms is from 10-15 years ago. I remember that unless the room was completely blacked out, the picture seemed hazy and hard to see, do the current projectors do better in that aspect? Much better, I have mine set normally set on ECO Power Consumption, as we have it in a light controlled basement. However, we have used it in areas where we cannot control the ambient lighting, with Normal Power Consumption no problems. Keep in mind, that does decrease the lifespan of the bulb however. If you are in a room where you are unable to control the ambient lighting you will benefit highly from a high contrast screen, such as a gray one, unfortunately it mutes the brighter colors, i.e. white. What advantages are there to having a screen vs just painting the wall some neutral color? I'm assuming the reflection is better? |
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I am working on a basement theater, and will have to do all the math for throw angle and all yet. I can probably do 100" with the wall I'm working with. They make screen paint now, so you don't need a screen, I have heard.
I do intend to only use it for movies and sports, though. OP, one thing about them, the bulb is of limited life, and is EXPENSIVE. 
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I have a Epson 8350 projector in my basement, along with a 5.1 surround sound system, prior to that, had a 5.1 surround system on a 50" Toshiba Plasma. The picture and entertainment value of the projector is well worth it in my eyes. SNIP Zach ETA: Pics http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/1378155_1406831472883690_538970456_n.jpg http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/1382986_1406831116217059_747823724_n.jpg http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/547739_1406831119550392_2093519608_n.jpg http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/553122_1406831149550389_448872886_n.jpg Impressive setup!!! Looks like a lot of fun. 
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What advantages are there to having a screen vs just painting the wall some neutral color? I'm assuming the reflection is better? There are plenty of paint options, even some you can have mixed at Lowes/Home Depot/Sherwinn Williams, MississippiMan at AVSForum is the best source for this type of application, as I've never dealt with it: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1311989/the-official-silver-fire-v-2-thread |
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I like plasma in my home because it presents movies very well.
Plasma works well if you do not have a lot of light in your viewing room they have movie-like presentations. Projectors work well in a place where there is minimal or no light but they make great basement theaters. Led/Lcd work well in most lighting situations but they suck for movie picture presentation - they look to fake. |
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**stupid question alert** Do projectors have to be close to level with the screen for best performance? In other words, what if the project is mounted low or high and the screen is in the middle of the wall, does that matter? Not a stupid question at all, for the most part, it does not have to be level, most projectors have the ability to keystone the image to offset height differences. My Epson (I'm sure others do as well) has what is known as Lens Shift, so I am able to move the image up and down and side to side until it fits on the screen, however it must be mounted within a certain area, as it can only move a certain percentage each way. However it must be mounted parallel to the screen for this to properly work |
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Not a stupid question at all, for the most part, it does not have to be level, most projectors have the ability to keystone the image to offset height differences. My Epson (I'm sure others do as well) has what is known as Lens Shift, so I am able to move the image up and down and side to side until it fits on the screen, however it must be mounted within a certain area, as it can only move a certain percentage each way. However it must be mounted parallel to the screen for this to properly work Quoted:
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**stupid question alert** Do projectors have to be close to level with the screen for best performance? In other words, what if the project is mounted low or high and the screen is in the middle of the wall, does that matter? Not a stupid question at all, for the most part, it does not have to be level, most projectors have the ability to keystone the image to offset height differences. My Epson (I'm sure others do as well) has what is known as Lens Shift, so I am able to move the image up and down and side to side until it fits on the screen, however it must be mounted within a certain area, as it can only move a certain percentage each way. However it must be mounted parallel to the screen for this to properly work I figured they did, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info. |
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Just want to make sure it's clear, LED TVs are a form of LCD TVs. The LED simply means that the LCD panel is lit with LEDs instead fluorescent tubes. Depending on the TV, it can either have the LEDs arranged around the perimeter or throughout the screen. Spreading the LEDs throughout the screen space increases the TVs contrast ability, but increases cost due to complexity.
Plasmas used to have a stigma around them about image burn in. This really isn't an issue anymore for the majority of plasmas for the majority of users. Projectors are great for large screen sizes. They do have warm up and cool down delays, more so than standard TVs. Replacing a bulb in a projector can be very pricey, so make sure you don't leave it on unless you're using it. Mounting is also important for projectors to make sure you have a stable mount and don't have orientation problems. If you're looking for a basement theater type setup, I'd go projector. If you're looking more for main room use, I'd probably go LED |
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I figured they did, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info. Quoted:
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**stupid question alert** Do projectors have to be close to level with the screen for best performance? In other words, what if the project is mounted low or high and the screen is in the middle of the wall, does that matter? Not a stupid question at all, for the most part, it does not have to be level, most projectors have the ability to keystone the image to offset height differences. My Epson (I'm sure others do as well) has what is known as Lens Shift, so I am able to move the image up and down and side to side until it fits on the screen, however it must be mounted within a certain area, as it can only move a certain percentage each way. However it must be mounted parallel to the screen for this to properly work I figured they did, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info. To me, it's easier to get the picture squared if the projector beam is perpendicular to the projection surface. The vertical height can be somewhat compensated for with keystone and image position adjustments, although there are obviously limits. |
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I get to use some odd gear for work and sometimes get to have some for home. Currently I have a $77,000 projector for watching youtube videos and BLM videos from ARFCOM before I send it to Qatar.
Some people really get into it and when I am not paying for the gear I can too. For home I mainly use a ViewSonic PJD5523w and it just does what I want inside and outside by the pool. Movies, games, TV, and computers work fine. If I want to geek out with a 4K movie at 3pm its not the call, but for 87% of the time it sure is. Get the inputs you need (probably HDMI and maybe VGA), make sure you figure out how you want to strip audio from your media. You could get a multi channel receiver that will have a few HDMI inputs and audio decoder or you could have a Dolby decoder in a rack like my house. After 6 months of having a state of the art tough screen controlled media-ridden attraction with DMX controlled lighting, EAW monitors fed via cobra netted climate controlled closets you realize that its great for geeking out with but not great for just crashing on the couch and watching O'reily factor. Go basic, be content, buy a deal when you see it. For the past year I have been tearing out all my gear and making it home again. Set a reasonable price range and then find gear to fit your budget; at some point you just want to relax with it all. This is my living room now: 
My backyard for a small movie night date: 
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Quoted:
I have a Epson 8350 projector in my basement, along with a 5.1 surround sound system, prior to that, had a 5.1 surround system on a 50" Toshiba Plasma. The picture and entertainment value of the projector is well worth it in my eyes. Specs: Epson 8350 Projector Yamaha RX-V867 7.2 Receiver Polk CS-1 Center Polk Monitor 40 Front Polk Monitor 30 Rear Yamaha 10" Powered Sub Elite 106" Pull Down Screen (Wish I would've gone fixed) Zach ETA: Pics http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/1378155_1406831472883690_538970456_n.jpg http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/1382986_1406831116217059_747823724_n.jpg http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/547739_1406831119550392_2093519608_n.jpg http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt79/zach540/553122_1406831149550389_448872886_n.jpg WTFBBQ that is real awesome, sir! 
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