College Dormitory and FP Projector/Ceiling Screen

[trombahonker]

Hi there all,

I'll be attending college next year and staying in a dormitory. I would love to have a big screen in there, but there just isn't room, so I thought it might be possible to ceiling mount a project on one end of the room and put the screen on the other end near the door. That'd keep the room clear of bulky televisions and give my room mate and I the opportunity to have good entertainment on Florida's many rainy days.

As I said, I'd like to have a ceiling screen but haven't a clue about any of the FP stuff. I've no projector and am looking to get a HD ready projector (maybe the Panasonic AE700?) so i suppose that makes a difference, but I know that I want my screen to be able to either roll up onto the ceiling or stash against a wall. About how much does it cost to get a around a 100" roll down screen?

Now to my actually projector question(s), as if these haven't been addressed 1000x already! Might as well ask...
I'd like a projector (currently have an old presentation LCD projector - Epson Powerlite 5550C) that can handle HD stuff so...720+ I guess? I've been unable to find anything in the specifications about projectors that says they're "720" or "480". My prime defense for my confusion is that projectorcentral.com says the InFocus 4805 is compatible with 1035i, 1080i, 720p, 576p, and 576i, while I've read that it is NOT capable of HD stuff. I don't get it - is the AE700? how about the Optoma H31?

I'm sorry for my ignorance here, but I just don't understand some of the technical lingo here.

Thanks for your help,
Aaron Norlund

[Brandon B]

While it's not hidef rez, one thing the Epson home 10+ LCD has going for it is a really wide range zoom lens that can do large images with less throw than anything else in its price range ($1299 list). Its also fairly bright at 1200 lumens. Perfect dorm room projector if you ask me.

Any projector will accept and project HD, just may be scaling it.

BB

[trombahonker]

Alrighty, I've done some more research and actually am pretty pleased with my Epson 5550C. I bought it at a garage sale a few days ago for $75 and made myself a 7"x6" screen from art tapestry. I LOVE the huge image and, to my eyes, it's not too bad, but I've never seen a good home projector. I'm not sure I could justify $1200 for something when I'm at least satisfied with something I have.

However, It's terribly noisy! The fan sounds like it's right by my ear, five feet from my head.

Anyway, I've narrowed my possibilities to:
Panasonit AE700
Sanyo PLV-Z3
InFocus SP5000

Perhaps I should add more? I'd love to have something that is high def (and I figured out how to determine if things are 720+...I feel stupid now!), but the Optoma H31 may be on my list with the 4805.

Now, for the screen, I'm happy with my home made thing, but perhaps I'd get more response from something I purchase? Maybe a pull-down? Do they do alright? Suggestions?

Thanks,
Aaron Norlund

[Dean McManis]

There's a nearly new Optima H31 for sale in the "Pawn Shop" forum on this site, and at the top of the page is a link to our sponsor Carada who offers affordable projection screens.

In one sense it's hard to compare against a $75 business projector for being a great bargain. But if you carefully look at the newer home theater projectors picture quality, you should see a dramatic improvement over early business-class projectors, which are being unloaded for pennies on the dollar.