Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

[Mark42]

At work we have some darned nice video projectors. I am always impressed at how clear and bright they are. But so far, I have not been able to bring one home for a weekend to play with it. Reason is the cost of the bulb $200 - $400) and they will hold me responsible if it goes.<br /><br />Interested in finding out if anyone here uses a projector & screen in place of a large screen TV. If so, how do you like it for home use? <br /><br />I am in the process of finishing off my basement, and the living space down there would make the perfect environment for a projector. Instead of using a 50" TV, I can have a 8 foot projection picture for about the same price and higher resolution.<br /><br />I see that projectors with 1024 x 768 resolution all have HDTV inputs and are now available for under $1500 like this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=285957&is=REG <br /><br />Pros? Cons?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Mark

 

[gsbodine]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

That resolution seems low for real HD applications. Most of the HD digital channels here broadcast in 1080i (except Fox), which is far more than a 1024 res monitor could handle. I mean, I'm sure it's better than regular TV, but it won't be as good as a real HDTV.<br /><br />Edit: I guess what I'm saying is, it might be worth trying it out with the one from work before spending a wad on a new setup.

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

The LCD rear projection HDTV's also require a pretty spendy bulb. My FIL just bought a new TV and was told the replacement bulb is 150-200. <br /><br />I have seen the high def projection units at a sports bar. There was a football game on and the resolution was very good. I think Ol' Norse may be right in the fact the resolution isn't quite as good as a plasma or LCD projection type tv. The overhead projection units are nice, but you do have to factor in the cost of the screen, and any type of electrical "drop down mechanism" if you plan on using one.<br /><br />BTW-that Sony projector in your link is NOT high def!<br /><br />Also, for replacement bulbs, don't go to the electronics places! Call around to electrical distributors. You might be surprised how much you can save!

 

[gsbodine]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Originally posted by sangerwaker:<br /> BTW-that Sony projector in your link is NOT high def!

You're very right, sanger. I think what is confusing for a lot of people when they're looking at these things is that the AV people and the computer people are on different pages when talking about resolution. The computer people measure resolution horizontally, meaning a 1024 monitor is 1024 wide (by 768, with normal aspect ratio). The AV people for a reason unknown to me measure their resolutions vertically, which means that a 1080 resolution HDTV actually would be more or less comparable to a computer monitor (or projector) at 1900 x 1080. Big, big difference, especially when spread across 8 ft or so with you sitting only 15' away or so. That's why HDTV is still very expensive compared to other video technology.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Have a couple of projection units at our church. The bulbs are expensive, but they last 500 hours and up. One of the most crucial aspects of the projection units are the lumens - how bright is the unit. If you are putting it in the basement and you don't turn on lights while watching, then a low lumen (1000 - 1500) unit will be okay. If you like lights on, or have windows where sunlight will be hitting your screen, then you better go with something in the 3000 and up lumens range. We are looking at a couple right now and they are in the 3900 - 4500 lumens range. We do not have to dim any lights for their usage and we can throw the picture about 60 feet to an 18 foot screen (I know, that is a longer throw and a bigger screen than you PROBABLY need in your house). Cost range is anywhere from $6000 - $10,000, (we need a special lense that costs about $1600 for the throw distance). That should give you a little bit of an idea of what you will be looking at with a projection unit.<br /><br />Note: I am talking of the front projection units here.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Wow. Thanks for the input, folks. Looks like I will have to cough up a few more bucks than expected. This purchase will be put on hold a little longer until I have a better understanding on this whole HD technology.... and my savings bank gets a bit fatter 'cause those higher res projectors are a lot more expensive. <br /><br />Update addition:<br /><br />Checked around the net to see what projectors are listed as hdtv. Found this one claims UXGA 1600x1200 and 1080i standard. http://www.plasmabay.com/plasma/Product.asp?SKU=LT260K <br />Still a bit pricy for watching dvd's. I also noticed that most of the home thearter projectors are only 800x600. <br /><br />The 1024x768 might be a nice compomise on price vs HD. Should be sharper than the regular TV tube, but not quite up to the 1080i resolution. <br /><br />Problem I have is there are lots of large screen TV's to look at in the stores, but I haven't found a store with projectors set up on display.

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

You should also consider that everything will be broadcast in HD by Jan 1 2007. If you don't have a HD tuner on your tv receiver by then, you will need to buy a converter. Personally, I don't think HD is going to come down a heck of a lot more until then.

 

[gsbodine]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Are you sure about that, sanger? I was pretty sure that it was everything is supposed to be digital by that time, but not HD. Even if that is the deadline for HD, there is no way all the current infrastructure could be changed to support all the channels and programming in HD by that time. No way.

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Oops, that's what I meant Ol' Norse. Digital. Not HD. What was I thinking of? Gotta quit smoking that crack I guess. You will still need a converter, though.<br /><br />Thanks for catching that.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Where I live there is no broadcast channels that can be received clearly. There is no cable, so the only alternative is satelite service. I like the satelite service, much cleaner than broadcast or cable is now.<br /><br />Checking the specs on HDTV monitors, it looks like a lot of the flat pannel screens are 1024x768 or 1024x1024. Not too much rated above that. Many Tube type hdtv monitors do not list a resolution spec at all.

 

[NathanY]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Have u looked at these?<br /><br />http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_shopping.jsp?n=0&oidPath=0%3a-23542%3a-23589%3a-24298%3a-25207%3a733919&coe=0&BV_SessionID=_SC_0501980771.1098495860_CS_&BV_EngineID=ccccadcmlhfk jjicfkfcfkjdgoodfkf.0

 

[gsbodine]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> Checking the specs on HDTV monitors, it looks like a lot of the flat pannel screens are 1024x768 or 1024x1024. Not too much rated above that. Many Tube type hdtv monitors do not list a resolution spec at all.

Show me what you're talking about Mark. That doesn't sound right at all. As I said above most HD is broadcast (or cabled or satellited ) in 1080i, which requires 1900 by 1080 to really take full advantage of it. Even the channels that broadcast in 720p HD (right now Fox is the only one I know that does) requires at least a 720 vertical resolution (and progressive capability) monitor. I know some of the Mitsu's are the 720p variety that interpolate to 1080i and others are vice versa. The Sony I have does both, but is really a 1080 interlaced monitor. The fact that you're seeing 1024x1024 (square HD monitor!?!) says that something is strange. HD is broadcast in widescreen format almost exclusively. Even regular tv is broadcast in 4:3, never totally square. When you are looking at flat-panel, are you looking for LCD, plasma, or what, and what size?<br /><br />I punched "hdtv monitor flat panel resolution" or some such into google and saw plenty that were way on up in resolution. Sometimes they say 1080i sometimes they say 1280x720p (which was the lowest hdtv I saw (and it wasn't widescreen)), sometimes they say the number of millions of pixels they have (which automatically puts them above the 1024 res). The only ones I have seen with resolutions that low are the smaller computer monitor/"HD-comptible input" kinds of flat panels that won't give near the quality that real HDTVs will. <br /><br />Like I said, just test whatever you're looking at, and you won't be disappointed. I did tons of research and looking and testing before I bought one. I've been quite happy.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Thanks for all your input, Ol'Norse. <br /><br />I just need to get a little more education on this whole HDTV stuff. Also, read where not all stations will be broadcasting at the same resolutions, but will still be considered HD. It seems to me that although many monitors claim to support 1080i, they don't actually don't actually resolve the picture to that resolution. They just accept it on imput and display at the lower 720p format. I noticed too that there are many "HD" monitors that claim the 1080i, 720p and many other hd formats, but do not even have a DVI input. Just the RGB composite. <br /><br />Found this little tid-bit on a HD site:<br /><br />

When the FCC mandated that all television stations convert to DTV by 2006, the type of DTV broadcast was left up to the individual broadcaster or network. <br />Basically, DTV encompasses three separate standards: <br /><br />1080 lines of resolution<br /><br />720 lines of resolution<br /><br />480 lines of resolution<br /><br />Although the ATSC defines both 1080 and 720 as HDTV, there is continuing debate over how HDTV should be defined and the picture quality of each system.

Which explains why monitors of different resolution capability still claim to be HD. Go figure.

 

[gsbodine]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> Thanks for all your input, Ol'Norse. <br /><br />I just need to get a little more education on this whole HDTV stuff. Also, read where not all stations will be broadcasting at the same resolutions, but will still be considered HD. It seems to me that although many monitors claim to support 1080i, they don't actually don't actually resolve the picture to that resolution. They just accept it on imput and display at the lower 720p format. I noticed too that there are many "HD" monitors that claim the 1080i, 720p and many other hd formats, but do not even have a DVI input. Just the RGB composite. <br />...

Sounds like you're on the right track to me . I'm happy to share what I gathered over a couple of years. It does take quite an education to separate the marketing from the necessary info, but you're certainly getting it. Let us know if you got any more specific questions or whatever. <br /><br />Cheers,<br />Shan

 

[PierBridge]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Here's pretty the much the best Audio and Display device site around. Great answers to all the questions in this thread,<br /><br /> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/index.php?s=c0ca1cc5579a9c7edd1caf328d533294

 

[gsbodine]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Originally posted by ggoody:<br /> Here's pretty the much the best Audio and Display device site around...

I'll second that. I used it a lot when I was researching.

 

[fishingTexas]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

I was also interested in using a projector for a TV, but the price and life of the bulb changed my mind. My TV is probably on about 4 hours per day. The model projector I was looking at had a bulb life of 400 hours and cost $250.00. So I would have to replace the bulb about 3 times per year. $750.00 !!!! I usually keep my TV's for years, so you can see that this would really add up over the life of the projector. Not to mention the heat and fan noise of a projector.

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

I am in computers and i have to carry a projector around with me.<br /><br />I use mine at home all of the time, just for movies though not regular tv.<br /><br />Native: 1024x768 Pixels <br />Maximum: 1600x1200 Pixels <br />Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (XGA) <br /><br />It is only 1,000 lumens so you do did to watch it in a dark room<br /><br /> the bulb is rated for 2,000 hours thats right 2k!!<br /><br />Mine is from work and is 4 years old and it runs fine<br /><br />The other nice thing is that I can run it from my computer so I can take the show with me so to speak, works great in the summer showing on the side of your house!<br /><br />I dont have a real screen I just show it on a white - drywall - in my house.<br /><br />Mine is not mounted as I have to take it with me.<br /><br />They are noisy <br />and<br />they do add heat to a room as well<br /><br />However, my screen is over 5 feet - try that with a tube!!<br /><br />It is more movie like then a large screen tv and it does not take up the entire room.<br /><br />We do only watch movies with it - regular boob tube we watch regular tv.

 

[AK_Chappy]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

I helped hook ours up at work.<br />We hooked up the computer, DVD/VCR, Satellite to it.<br />We use it to watch CNN during lunch<br /> <br />I have used it to watch football, NASCAR, some regular TV.<br />Powerpoint slides are a regular, computer movies.<br />If I had the coin,<br />that is the setup I would go with.<br />Heed the above advice for lighting.<br /><br />AK Chappy

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Big Screen vs Projectors for TV

Room light level is definitely a factor for direct projection. Not near as important with rear projection.<br /><br />Money solves everything, but unless the cost of a high-lumen overhead unit fits Santa's budget, you may be happier with a rear projection unit of less value.<br /><br />My 12 yr old rear projection unit is low-end, but continues to provide a good picture in all light conditions (except super-bright light from the side which never happens).