which front projector?

**George Bellefontaine** · 27 January 2006, 11:22 Friday

The best spot for a list of projectors and their specs ( plus screen size and distance calculator ) is Projector Central. I don't take their reviews all that seriously, but they have a wealth of projector information listed by manufacturer.

**Paul Spencer** · 27 January 2006, 22:18 Friday

Hi George, I've seen that site and found it helpful. I'm curious - why don't you take their reviews very seriously?

I'm doing my homework on this right now but what I'm looking for here is a bit of an insider perspective - ie. the kind of knowledge only a user will have, having owned a few projectors. The kind of info you won't get from a website usually.

Do projectors with lower contrast need higher brightness?

Do DLPs run quieter?

**BlazeMaster** · 28 January 2006, 01:00 Saturday

The reason that you can't take other people's reviews too seriously is because it's hard to compare projectors or any displays unless you are running a shoot-out in a controlled environment, using exact equipments, cables and sources side-by-side. There is just too many variables that makes a fair comparison really hard to come by.

DLP's are not quieter, but because they are considered to be a more serious and higher end HT projector, most of the DLPs chasis are of better design and usually end up being more quiet. Infocus' 72xx line and 4805 for example are pretty loud IMO, even though they are DLP. I've seen a few of the Optoma's DLP projectors, I think they are really quiet, and if you have the time to build a well designed hush box, I doubt you'd hear much fan noise at all. I recently build a hush box for my Infocus 5000(3 chip LCD) and am very happy with the reduced fan noise.

**Paul Spencer** · 28 January 2006, 02:43 Saturday

What exactly is a hush box?

**Azeke** · 28 January 2006, 03:13 Saturday

Originally posted by Paul Spencer

What exactly is a hush box?

Paul,

Most projectors make enough heat to require an internal cooling fan, and often these projectors are located close to the seating position, thereby creating fan noise. The solution is a hush box, which most of the time is nicely designed cabinetry that goes around your projector, muffling some of its noise while keeping it running cool.

I've have my eye on the Sanyo PLV-Z4 and Panny AE900 for my projection needs, I'm just trying to justify the expense to my wife

.

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

**Paul Spencer** · 28 January 2006, 09:52 Saturday

As I thought. I have a noisy PA amp for my subs and was considering such a box, but to be effective it was going to be very large, and instead I'm putting the amp in another room and configuring it to come on automatically. With a bang for buck brute force amp they don't seem to bother about keeping the fan quiet as they don't anticipate it being used in a home. I'm hoping to get a projector that is quiet enough to not need it.

Ahhh, the joys of convincing your partner. Maybe find something she wants and has to justify the expense to you?! ie "if I get this you get _ _ _ _ _"

**SteveL** · 28 January 2006, 09:54 Saturday

Proud owner of a Panasonic AE700 - I think you can pick them up for around $1100 - $1200 if you do some digging... I paid $1800 for mine about 6 months ago, and have been in love with it ever since. Azeke - you might want to take a peek at the 700 - from what I've heard, there's not a ton of difference between the two in real world viewing comparisons.

Z4 is also great, but some folks have been reporting warranty issues/problems/hassles with Sanyo, so I went with the Panny. I think either is probably a very safe bet, so long as you find a reputable merchant.

**mante** · 28 January 2006, 12:44 Saturday

Azeke,

Panasonic just introduced a $400 cash rebate on the AE900: street price of $1500. This may make it easier for your wife to say yes.

Good luck,

Craig

p.s. plus 40 free Blockbuster rentals

**Chris D** · 28 January 2006, 14:47 Saturday

(sigh) I got a great deal on my AE700 new 6-9 months ago, $1899 I think. Amazing how in this business even the great deals in projection technology pale in comparison just a few months later.

**Azeke** · 28 January 2006, 20:07 Saturday

Thank you for your input gentlemen, I'll take it under advisement 8) .

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

**mante** · 28 January 2006, 20:07 Saturday

I recently picked up a 4805 and love it. I watch 90 percent dvd, and the rest HD-PBS. Can't decide if the AE900 is worth three times the price for the "upgrade." There doesn't seem to be that much over the air HD out there; though the Olympics are coming.

Craig

**Paul Spencer** · 28 January 2006, 20:39 Saturday

In $AUD the AE700 is approaching $3000 with screen. Right now I'm looking at the Panasonic PT LM2E for around AU $1200

**brendon** · 30 January 2006, 04:18 Monday

Hi Paul .
If you are in Australia the Epson EMP TW600 is a great buy at $2500 and is brighter , higher contrast and has a free elcheapo screen by redemption.also has a 2 year warranty vs 1 for the AE900.
The Epson TW800 sold in North america is the same unit but with extras thrown in (spare bulb,mount and an extra years warranty (3) and much more expensive).
I would recommend you look at a 720p projector especially if HD tele and gaming is on the agenda .
Brendon (TW600 owner)

**Paul Spencer** · 30 January 2006, 05:22 Monday

Hi Brendon, thanks for the response, good to hear from another Aussie!

That unit is twice as much as I intend to spend!
For now DVDs are priority, and I'm not sure if I'm even going to worry about getting a STB at first.

I'm looking for alternatives to the Pt-lm2e at around the same price ~AU $1200

Most places don't seem to want to show entry level projectors, I think they want you to believe you have to spend $3k to get something worthwhile.

**Azeke** · 26 February 2006, 22:12 Sunday

Well, I pulled the trigger on the Panny 900U. Definitely great bang for the buck, however it does require some calibration out of the box. I can't wait for my Directv HD upgrade which comes tomorrow.

Thanks for your input,

Azeke

**Paul Spencer** · 26 February 2006, 23:51 Sunday

Well, my sister has just bought the Panasonic AE900 and I find it an impressive buy. I'm not happy with the cheaper LM2E having seen the 900! So it looks like I'll wait and up the budget!

**brendon** · 27 February 2006, 03:58 Monday

Number one rule of HT happyness- never look at something more expensive than your budget!
I really belive stepping up to that class of pj is where the best bang for the buck is and these pj having 720p as native res are the way to go esp if you watch TV on it as HD programs look a million bucks on these units.You have to pay a lot of extra money to see a significant improvement over the new crop of LCD units and the new cheaper crop of 720 DLP units Best of luck with your purchase when it happens. :T
Brendon

**purplepeople** · 27 February 2006, 04:04 Monday

Does anybody publish specs for optics? Lens OEM? Coatings?

ensen.

which front projector?

which front projector?

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