Smallish screen-cheaper projector?

[greenjudas]

Hi everyone,having got the audio side of things just about right,its time to look at projectors.Seems as though the maximum screen size I can fit would be around 90 inch 16:9.My question is :being on a limited budget and using a fairly small screen ,could I get away with a cheaper projector as I won't be displaying huge images?I was thinking LCD was the way to go for a few reasons; cheaper,no rainbows and hopefully because of small screen I probably wouldn't suffer screen door from about 13-14ft.Am I right? I was looking at spending no more than $800-900 Aussie,whether new or used..........Thanks

[Adz]

$8-9k. Hmmmm....Even in Aussie dollar, buy an Optoma H79 with TI's DC3 Chip and don't look back. At your budget and at 90 inches, the inky blacks and eye-poppin' 8O 3-D image will simply friggin' blow away any LCD projector beating it hands down in the three most important areas being contrast, contrast and well, of course, contrast.

[greenjudas]

Hey Adz, thanks for your reply but that was 8 or 9 hundred!! Now,this will test you

[Adz]

Hey Adz, thanks for your reply but that was 8 or 9 hundred!! Now,this will test you

What does Homer Simpson say? See Below.
I seemed to have missed that little but pretty critical point.
LCD is just not my area. I've compared and love DLP as you might have expected. Infocus has some very good inexpensive DLPs but not sure that A$800-900 will get you one. Sorry Mate!

[greenjudas]

Adz,you must have thought I was one rich dude! 8) So ok,would it apply with dlp's ,that by using a relatively small 90 inch screen, you would be able get a very good picture by using inexpensive pro's as you are not trying to get too big a picture out of it?

[Adz]

Adz,you must have thought I was one rich dude! 8) So ok,would it apply with dlp's ,that by using a relatively small 90 inch screen, you would be able get a very good picture by using inexpensive pro's as you are not trying to get too big a picture out of it?

Yes, in the very least, the picture will be noticeably brighter, and you will not have to sit as far back to avoid the SDE (screen door effect).

[RACER4551]

You might want to check out Optoma's line of projectors,i own a h27 and am pretty happy with it.Got a screen(106inch) and pj for just a couple hundred more than your planned budjet.By the way it is a dlp and i notice very little screen door affect at 13 ft,only on really bright scenes.

[Dean McManis]

Under $1000 is possible, but a bit tougher. Personally, I would not rule out DLP too quickly. Just sit down in front of one for 30 minutes or so and see if it bothers you. The rainbow effect is real, but it only affects a minority of people.

The SharpVision DT-100 is an impressive looking newcomer with a 5X color wheel that should be priced under $1000. And one thing to check out is used models from people who are upgrading. You might just find a nice home theater projector used at half or 2/3rds the price new, which could fit your budget. :T

Just watch out for older business-class digital projectors. They might look like a great deal with lots of brightness for a cheap price used. But the older units often have poor internal scaling chips which will ruin the image much quicker than any resolution differences. Plus older business projectors often have loud fans, short-life (pricey) bulbs, and produce a picture with relatively poor contrast and black levels. ops:

-Dean.

[Adz]

Are bulbs in DLP projectors similarly priced? If so, I'd be careful of used projectors at his price point. Unless he knows for certain that the bulb is relatively new, he could be spending another $300-400 within weeks of the purchase.

[greenjudas]

Thanks for all your help,
Dean , so whether it be an LCD with screen door effect or a DLP with rainbows,I shouldn't have much of a problem with either of these as I will be projecting a reasonably small image[90inch],am I right??An example of what I have thought about buying is;Hitachi PJTX10 and Epson EMPTW10H.Hitachi would be used but only 12mths old and the Epson would be refubished with 12mths warranty.I will look into the other pro's that you guys have mentioned.

[mark4x4]

I have a Optoma H78DC3 and using a screen size of 54x96, sitting 14' from the screen. If SD bothers anyone, I've tried a little trick that works for me. I make the picture just a tad out of focus, it actually still looks focused but what that does is masked the SD and gives the pictures a more film like look.

You want it ever so slightly out of focus at close view but at normal viewing distance it still looks perfectly focused. It's worked for me.

Regards,
Mark

[Dean McManis]

It's definitely a good point to see how many hours are on a used projector, and what the bulb life and bulb replacement cost is first. Newer projectors have 2X to 4 X the bulb life of older models. LCD screen door and DLP rainbow effect should not be a problem at your viewing distance and screen size. But if you can, try and actually see the projector that you are interested in, or a comparable model/technology, before you buy. This is not always possible, but recommended.