I know, it's an old story, but thinking about a projector again.

[Hdale85]

Our 65" TV is starting to look small....and I think the only way I could make a TV not look small after a while is to make it so big that I can't fit any bigger haha! But even without that consideration I've been wanting a projector for some time now and there are some amazing new options right now.

Basically it's 3D vs 2D and while I'm not crazy about 3D? It may be fun to have. Models I'm considering at the moment.

Epson Home Cinema 3010 (1499 with 2 pairs of 3D glasses)
Epson Home Cinema 8700ub (1999)
Optoma HD33 (1499 no glasses DLP)
BenQ W6000 (1999 DLP)
Panasonic PT-AE4000U (around 2k)

3 of these options are last years models and aren't 3D which I could live with easily. The question is if they are worth 500 more? The new Epson 3010 seems to be getting some awesome reviews, but the 8700ub was considered an Ultra Contrast projector? I know I'd probably be plenty happy with any of them though. Going to be at least 2 months before I buy, Christmas generally eats all income up until end of Jan haha.

[Chris D]

I have become a huge fan of Panasonic's projectors over the years, and have bought a couple of them myself. The PT-AE7000 is the latest and REALLY good one that I've personally seen, with 3D, and that's the one I'd recommend. It even makes 3D images out of 2D. They also have one that's brand new, PT-AR100U, but a step down (I don't think it does 3D) for a bit cheaper, but I do recommend the 7000. Call Ryan Schneegold at the Projector People, 1-800-639-3010, ext 2281, and tell him I sent you. You'll get the price price I can find anywhere.

[Hdale85]

Yeah that's about what I figured with 3D is that the good stuff is going to be in the 3k dollar range but I'm not sure I want to spend that right now. Although I have seen quite a few people with ghosting issues and what not already, and one guy had some sort of weird dust blob or something in the middle of his screen? May of been a bad LCD or something but was a blue blob in the middle of the screen.

Projector shopping is the worst, it's pretty hard for me to find any of these on display and generally when they are on display they aren't setup very well. There is a Magnolia down in Pittsburgh but they only have one projector setup at a time. So it's like a guessing game, go by reviews which many times are biased, and specs which man times aren't exactly accurate.

[Hdale85]

Ok, so I'm kind of curious if there is any real performance gain on the new units other then 3D and being brighter? Obviously if I'm not doing 3D then the brightness is not needed. From what I've read the other features like CR and what not are all very similar? I think I'm just going to avoid 3D for now so I think I'm leaning towards the 8700UB or the AE4000U. The 8700UB was touted by Art has having the best black levels and what not of any projector other then the much higher priced JVC units. The new 5010 from Epson and the new AE7000U both are rated the same CR as their older non 3D counter parts. The new ones are 480hz LCD's though. So I guess that is one difference.

[M.Roberts8]

I have and currently use the PT-AE4000U and couldn't recommend it highly enough for someone who wants a full 1080 HD set-up. I still geek out at the picture quality every week or two. Just today in fact I watched Super 8 and was blown away by it again.
What has held me off and will continue to hold me off on the 3D front is the cost of glasses. I've had as many as 8 or more people watching a movie at my place those specs add up quick. I'm sure that 3D will no doubt be on the next projector I purchase. I'm not against it in anyway other than what I mentioned.

[Hdale85]

Yeah, I think for 3D you really need to get one of the top models to get truly decent 3D, I think in the cheaper models its still going to be a bit finicky and have some issues. I'm 100% sure I'm going with the 8350, 8700, or AE4000U. Likely go for the 4000 or 8700 though.

[M.Roberts8]

Yeah, I think for 3D you really need to get one of the top models to get truly decent 3D, I think in the cheaper models its still going to be a bit finicky and have some issues. I'm 100% sure I'm going with the 8350, 8700, or AE4000U. Likely go for the 4000 or 8700 though.

If those three are the ones you are considering I would skip the 8350 & decide between the 8700 & 4000. The improvements in contrast and black level performance is significant between the 8350 and the 8700. Here is a link with side by side comparison shots of the 8350/8700. link
As far as 3D goes I believe the 7000U is considered a top model and if its within budget I would certainly recommend it. Even for 2D they say its quite an improvement over the 4000U & that is saying something.

[thxthx]

Not sure of the prices in your area but have you considered JVC? I have the JVC DLA950 and think it is absolutely awesome. I got it cheap as it was a run out model. For me, 3D is not there yet and I am going to wait until the projectors and technology gets better.

[Hdale85]

If those three are the ones you are considering I would skip the 8350 & decide between the 8700 & 4000. The improvements in contrast and black level performance is significant between the 8350 and the 8700. Here is a link with side by side comparison shots of the 8350/8700. link
As far as 3D goes I believe the 7000U is considered a top model and if its within budget I would certainly recommend it. Even for 2D they say its quite an improvement over the 4000U & that is saying something.

I'm not looking to spend 3k+ so the AE7000U is not in budget as it's 3k. I'm not completely sure what my budget is going to be yet, which is why the 8350 is on the table.

[Hdale85]

Well, I finally purchased a projector lol. I've been looking the past couple weeks because I'm having issues getting my TV with the HDMI converter to work with some new devices (like my new HTPC). Anyways I stumbled across an amazing deal on a JVC DLA-RS40 and just had to snag it up. So hopefully this week it will be in For now I purchased a cheap 84" fixed frame screen. Later I'll upgrade or put some new material on that one.

[Chris D]

Really? Wow, cool. I love those JVC DILA PJ's.

[Hdale85]

YEA! I almost went with a used DLA-RS20, but I've heard the RS40 fixed a couple artifact issues and it wasn't much more money

[George Bellefontaine]

DLA gets high marks by most reviewers, so I'm sure you'll be happy.

[madmac]

I've always been intrigued by the concept of front projection!. I would like my next TV to be a projector to be honest. It's a cool concept. For those that have one, tell me what you think of your unit. Any major drawbacks ??.

[George Bellefontaine]

For those that have one, tell me what you think of your unit. Any major drawbacks ??.

I've been into front projection since the early 90s. The biggest drawback, if you don't have a dedicated room, is light control. Also, because of the cost of lamps, I find it best to use the projector for movies only and watch tv elsewhere in the house. But let me tell you, once you start watching movies on a 7 or 8 foot wide screen, you won't want to go back to a tv set.

[Hdale85]

It arrive wednesday! Not sure about the screen yet..... might have to clear off a wall and project on there if I can't wait lol.

[Chris D]

Bah... just grab a sheet from the kid's bed. He'll never miss it.

[Hdale85]

Lol, they are cars and tinkerbell though.

[Hdale85]

Well...... supposedly it was actually picked up yesterday now. And he upgraded it to 2 day shipping. Tracking info hasn't updated though. Either way they are saying tomorrow is the delivery date. Saturday the screen arrives.

[Hdale85]

Ok, well another day of delay lol. It was actually picked up this time at least. It'll be here friday though.

[Hdale85]

It's HERE! And it's huge........the last projector I had was like 1/4 the size lol.

[Hdale85]

Well....I couldn't bring my self to wait any longer lol. I have it hooked up and projecting on the wall and it looks FANTASTIC! Excellent shadow details and native contrast. It's VERY bright. Much brighter then I expected although I've heard they dim down a bit after 200 hours or so.

The screen arrives tomorrow but I kind of am wishing I went with the 92-96" as I think I could of fit it lol. Oh well it'll be good for now.

Ordered a Peerless PRG-UNV projector mount for it.

[Chris D]

That deserves a banana. :banana:

[Hdale85]

Yes it really does look fantastic! Diana loved the picture as well her first comment was "it's really clear" lol. I was trying to explain how to look for shadow detail and black level and such. I don't think I'll buy a projector based on on/off CR ever, native CR is the way to go as this thing is amazing.

[htsteve]

Congratulations! It's a whole new world now.


Post pictures and impressions when the screen is up.

[Hdale85]

I got the screen, I can definitely say at the very least the screen material will not stay the same. It's some sort of vinyl. I may be swapping it out with Seymour AV AT screen material. That's if I don't just decide to build a whole new screen all together. But this works for the time being.

[Hdale85]

Not the best of pictures, but been working on a stand the past couple days that would hold the screen and my equipment. It's not finished yet, got trim to put around the shelves then going to paint it all flat black.

[Hdale85]

Well this projector produces some amazing contrast and black levels! One thing I will say though and it's not a fault of the projector at all but since my walls are white, on any sort of bright scene that isn't at least half dark the image gets washed out and the black level is ruined because of all the light reflecting off my walls and back onto the screen.

Also right now the projector is sitting right above my head and I can't hear ANYTHING from it. It's so silent. I'd say there is a good chance that I'll stick to JVC in the future for projectors, this thing is simply amazing.

Great you're enjoying it, and no noise issues. BUT, unless you can find a way to do something (at least while watching) about the reflected light, you're just not going to get the image quality you deserve. Curtains? Neutral medium to dark gray ceiling panels?

Room lighting design is just as important to the ultimate results as the way that room acoustical design and placement is for audio results.

The whole reflectivity issue comes down to this- on a projection screen, shining a small LED or laser pointer makes an easily visible dot. On an HDTV Plasma or LCD screen, because of the difference in the screen albedo, you virtually can't see it- laser pointers are useless! Same issues for ambient light.

[madmac]

And......nice looking speakers by the way!!!. But, get a bigger center speaker though!! :W

[Chris D]

Awesome, Dougie. And I can see what you're talking about with scenes getting washed out. Will the wife let you paint the walls?

Perhaps one compromise/solution would be to hang black drapes on the screen wall, that would go behind the screen. That's pretty much what I've got in my theater.

[Hdale85]

I think it's actually more the side walls then screen wall. They are pretty close to the screen. We are in a rental and we're moving pretty soon into a bigger place, at that point I'm going to make some padded MDF panels covered is some sort of black velvet material, or I may just make wall panels out of RockWool or the OC pressed fiberglass sheets so it'll act as both sound deadening and darken the room. They will be completely removable though and only temporary.