$170 Pj

[ajpoe]

So my brother works at an office supply store. He gets all kinds of deals when things go on clearance, etc. He picked up an Epson S1 (not +) projector for $170 after tax the other day. He said he got it b/c he thought I might want it and it was such a good deal he was confident he could make a profit off it even if I didn't.

I'm considering whether I would want to go ahead and get a screen and do a PJ setup in front of or instead my 57" HD TV. I only have time to watch TV if I am watching my Tivo or a DVD so I'm not worried about burning out bulbs. He said they last around 2000 hours anyway.

I'm thinking that I may want to get the PJ and put the big screen in my basement for for poker, etc. and then use the Epson for Tivo and DVDs. I can play DVDs through my HTPC so the VGA hookup is easy, but I'm not sure about how to get the Tivo signal to the PJ as well.

Any one have any knowledge about this PJ? Do you think it's worth it to go this route? I know very little about PJs so any input is appreciated.

Here are the specs and some more details from projectorcentral.com.

Edit: I wanted to add that this will be in a living room setting so it will only be pitch black at night. I'm guessing the 400:1 aspect ratio is fine for this type of setting.

[Brandon B]

That is a pretty spiffy deal to get into front projection. Less than the cost of a lamp. I would absolutely not pass this up. Although this thing is older and relatively low performance compared to today's models, it is certainly useable for HT.

It has an S-video input, so I'd hook up your tivo to that. As far as the night time use, 400:1 CR is pretty low and will be more obvious when you have no competing light. What this will translate into on the screen is the image seeming somewhat hazy and flat in scenes where there are a lot of dark or black areas. But so what, FP is such a step up from RPTV just because of the image size, I think you'll still be jazzed with the thing for quite a while before the evil bug of performance upgrading begins to gnaw at you.

For a screen, I would really recommend something temporary to give yourself a feel for what you want before spending money. A piece of white foam core board or a bedsheet or a DIY screen painted onto something rigid. Then when you have a feeling for where and how big you really want the screen to be, buy something.

Last note I'd make is that we've found Epson's LCD units to be pretty solidly built long lasting units, so it should serve well for a while.

BB

[ajpoe]

Thanks for the info. I moved my TV out of the way last night and hooked up the PJ. My wall is painted light grey so I just shined the pic on there to get an idea. It was difficult to watch during the day... but it was plenty bright enough for night time viewing. With just sitting the PJ on my coffee table, I was able to get about a 90" 16:9 screen. I really loved having the large screen, but I don't think it will be practical to replace my TV with it in my living room arrangement. I wish I had the space to do a dedicated room but that will have to wait until the next house. I also noticed the issue u described with the blacks and low contrast ratio and some screen door effects... I'm used to watching one of the best pictures IMO, a Hitachi CRT RPTV, and it was a world of difference in quality. I'm sure it would look a lot better on a screen vs. my wall, but I'm thinking that I'll just wait until I can do a dedicated room and then look at PJs at that time. This is an absolutely amazing deal, but after watching it, I don't think I'd be happy with the PQ in a dedicated room either. I think it will be best to wait and see what technology will be available when I can do it the right way... and by that time my brother may have found another deal on something more current!