Deep Singh

Anybody got one? Always fancied one. I've heard they are very noisy, is that true? Any other downsides? I'll be using it to watch satellite TV aswell as DVDs

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

i have a top of the range sony one!! the picture is as good as my lcd tv and mine is quite quiet, its a high def projector and has a short throw range so the picture can be projected bigger over a shorter distance !!! i have a 50" plasma but the projector makes that seem like a portable plus you can always see a good picture on the projector screen from any angle

the bard bit is replacement bullbs, mine is £400 for a replacement bulb and it needs a new one after 2000hrs, but considering i have had mine for 3 years and only used 500hrs i think im still ok, as i only ever really watch mine for movies the other times i just watch the tv

NeilT

got a sony one, also with hdmi.

Awesome bit of kit, combined with a yamaha amp, and mission speakers all round.

Noise - ceiling mounted, so not sat next to us on a table, dont really notice it at all.

Picture quality - great, as long as its dark(ish) - just needed black out blinds fitting for day time use. Got mine wired to Xbox 360 and Nintendo gamecube ;D

Would recommend one over a large plasma any day, had mine about 4 yrs now, but they've come down a lot in price over the last year or so.



Neil

ps - some pics, before I upgraded the screen

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...t/Dsc02489.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...t/finished.jpg

GCollier

I've got one - a toshiba LCD projector which was quite well respected about 5 years ago when I bought it and is still going strong and hasn't needed a replacement bulb (yet!). It does make watching movies into more of an event, and the wow factor which comes with the size of the screen isn't going to come at any sane price with a plasma/LCD.

But...they can be a little noisy. The bulbs get hot and fans are needed to help dissipate the heat. You also need to view in a fairly darkened room which isn't always convenient. Mine isn't ceiling mounted for aesthetic reasons which means I have to put its stand into position each time I wish to use it. All these niggles do detract from the convenience factor when you wish to just slob out and watch a film...so much so that I'm probably going to invest in a 50" plasma sometime soon and dispense with the projector.

Gary.

SL2

I have a Sanyo Z4 projector and an 88" screen that i made from a sheet of 6mm MDF. The projector is very quiet, so not a problem at all. The picture quality is amazing, much better than any plasma or LCD TV i've seen.

http://www.fordrs.nildram.co.uk/HT/IMG_5692b.jpg
http://www.fordrs.nildram.co.uk/HT/IMG_5694a.jpg
http://www.fordrs.nildram.co.uk/HT/IMG_5713a.jpg

workshy_fopp

I got this one recently.

http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/proj...yo_PLV-Z4.html

They're still doing a free bulb with it. HD. Only 22db noise. Very impressive.

shaunywrx

Iv'e got a Hitachi lcd hd blah blah, there very good if you just want to use them for films and games, and have a dedicated room set aside for it, but are no good to use as an every day telly, mine's a little bit noisy, but with the surround sound system blasting away you don't notice it, as i said earlier there brilliant for games, iv'e got a two gameracer seats and wheels set up in my cinema room with the picture set at about 8" x 4", just to bring out the child in me every now and again.

Deep Singh

Thanks. If I can afford it then I'll go for a 30ish inch TV on the wall for everyday use and then a screen that drops down over it for special programmes/films ( for use with projector ).

My seat ( and projector ) would be approx 13ft from the screen, is that reasonable to allow comfortable viewing? I ask because when I go to the cinema I always sit towards the back otherwise my eyes dart all over the screen and I feel like being sick!

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

i wouldnt go too big as i have an 8ft screen and mine is about 11ft from my seat but most of the time you have to watch all over the screen rather than just looking at the whole picture on a tv, to get a good setup make sure you spend the £££ on a good sub as it makes a huuuge difference once watching movies i have a rel 200e and its worth every penny as that makes more of a differnce than the huge screen

scud8

iTrader: (1)

I have a Panasonic LCD projector, about a year old now, projecting onto a 2mx1.2m screen. It's ceiling mounted above where we sit and we don't notice any noise from it when watching (but we do turn the volume up to get the full cinema feel!). As with others on here, we only use it for films - we have an LCD for normal TV viewing.

Deep Singh

Thanks all. I'll have to go for a demo

NeilT

once you've got one you might want to invest in one of these at a later date

http://www.pronto.philips.com/index.cfm?id=1206

Bought one about a year ago and configured it on he pc to run my cinema room. I can press 'All On' and the whole system kicks into life (via a macro), When I'm done 'all off' shuts the whole lot down. As flexible as you want to make it.

Worth every penny IMHO - saves having a controller out for Xbox, DVD, Amp, Screen, Projector and shuffling between them

Neil

Deep Singh

Hi Neil, which home cinema system do you have?

alistair

I've got a Panasonic one, which wasn't that expensive, but is awesome. I think the Projector & motorised screen came in at about £2.5k which is considerably cheaper than the 50" Pioneer that the screen lowers in front of.

NeilT

yamaha 6.1 amp, mission volare hs3 floor standers, mission centre, mission ms10 sub, mission bi-polar rears and sides. sony hs projector. custom screen. oh and an xbox360 whivh i use as dvd,gaming