[Gator Lager]

I've been to several Projector LCD/DLP/3LCD HDTV comp... yada yada... sites
one site will like a certain projector but the other will gun it down.

so does anyone have experience or a recommendation for a particular model/brand.
the normal life of the lamp. table versus ceiling mount. ambient light level. noise level.......
any input would be gratefully appreciated. (positive input that is )
something around the $2k range or a little over.

[Rumor]

Check Magnolia Audio Visual. They have some high quality projectors.

[phantomdragonz]

Originally Posted by Rumor

They have some high quality projectors.

at some high prices too!!!

I would imagine it would be worth it to at least check out what is out there...

at avsforum they have a lot of reviews... infocus or benq were near the top of the list last time I checked...

I was thinking about getting a infocus sp4805... but thats in the sub $1000 range and not true HD..

Zach

[Uncle Skeleton]

I've had a benQ PB6200 for almost a year, and it's pretty good. It's only XGA (better than DVD but not true HD, though resolution is just a matter of a better LCD in there, not really about the projection technology), and it's performed adequately. I did just have to call tech support because the "auto off" feature seemed to be auto-on-ing itself. But after one trial their advice (reseat the lamp) seems to have fixed it, so kudos to benQ. My lamp is on 550 hours, and is supposed to last 4000 (they say they'll replace it under warranty, but I don't think it will fail before then at this rate).

I have it ceiling mounted, and I would say it's irrelevant to performance except that the unit is designed to shine upwards, as in a large auditorium, so for table mounting I would have to angle the unit downwards, which is verboten by the service manual (don't tilt it more than 15 degrees).

Other than that, I would say ambient light is of supreme importance, and other considerations are secondary to irrelevant. I just got some black-out fabric from a fabric store (about $90 for my 160 sq feet of windows) and pinned it up behind my drapes. For the screen I just used standard ceiling paint (it's the whitest) on the wall. I think screens are generally a rip-off. From time to time it occurs to me to listen for ambient noise and then I can hear the projector fan, so if you're the type that is bothered by that you should shop for a quiet projector (or just watch loud movies ).

[Gator Lager]

Originally Posted by Rumor

Check Magnolia Audio Visual. They have some high quality projectors.

yea, out of my price range. but thanks

Originally Posted by phantomdragonz

at some high prices too!!!

I would imagine it would be worth it to at least check out what is out there...

at avsforum they have a lot of reviews... infocus or benq were near the top of the list last time I checked...

I was thinking about getting a infocus sp4805... but thats in the sub $1000 range and not true HD..

Zach

avsforum is one of the sites that I have visited and left more confused

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

I've had a benQ PB6200 for almost a year, and it's pretty good. It's only XGA (better than DVD but not true HD, though resolution is just a matter of a better LCD in there, not really about the projection technology), and it's performed adequately. I did just have to call tech support because the "auto off" feature seemed to be auto-on-ing itself. But after one trial their advice (reseat the lamp) seems to have fixed it, so kudos to benQ. My lamp is on 550 hours, and is supposed to last 4000 (they say they'll replace it under warranty, but I don't think it will fail before then at this rate).

I have it ceiling mounted, and I would say it's irrelevant to performance except that the unit is designed to shine upwards, as in a large auditorium, so for table mounting I would have to angle the unit downwards, which is verboten by the service manual (don't tilt it more than 15 degrees).

Other than that, I would say ambient light is of supreme importance, and other considerations are secondary to irrelevant. I just got some black-out fabric from a fabric store (about $90 for my 160 sq feet of windows) and pinned it up behind my drapes. For the screen I just used standard ceiling paint (it's the whitest) on the wall. I think screens are generally a rip-off. From time to time it occurs to me to listen for ambient noise and then I can hear the projector fan, so if you're the type that is bothered by that you should shop for a quiet projector (or just watch loud movies ).

hmm didn't think about some of this stuff. good to know.

thanks for the replies

[dialo]

I've had a few different projectors and I like the Sanyo Z3, Z4 projectors. They are reasonably priced, offer good features and are pretty silent. www.projectorcentral.com is a good resource with a ton of user reviews.

[residentEvil]

I just got done upgrading my Epson Powerlite 7250 to a Sanyo Z4.

Great projector. Highly recommended.

[Gator Lager]

I'll check out the Sanyo series.
thanks

I picked up an 800x600 DLP Optoma for $500. Runs super quiet and does accept HD signals. Not quite true HD display but at 102" diagonal, doesn't seem to matter much to me.

[Cody Dawg]

Are projection televisions capable of being HD?

[Eug Wanker]

The projector choice really depends on what you want to use it for. Not that I'm any expert, but size of the room, type of viewing, ambient light, etc, are all considerations.

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Are projection televisions capable of being HD?

Of course. In fact, I'd guess that most projection TVs are HD these days. If you're talking ceiling mounted projectors, yes they can be HD as well (for $$$).

P.S. For HD I'm still using a 34" CRT (and a 26" LCD). Although some are nice, I don't like projectors or projection TVs in general for usual TV viewing. My next TV will likely be some sort of thin flat screen: LCD, plasma, SED, etc. OTOH, I did buy a $$$ projector for work, and it's fairly nice for movies too.

[Buckaroo]

Make sure the resolution is 1024 x 768 minimum.

Auto shut off would be a nice feature with auto keystone.