Hello! New here, hope I found the right place to put this.
Im on a low budget, definatly <1k$, and im debating whether to buy a projector or a TV.
Sound setup is already great, and im pretty much going to:
- Watch a few movies
- Play games (xbox and such)
- Watch icehockey and fotball
So, while im really, really, really interested in a projector, I wonder if I can find a good one (good "enough") with this budget, or if a HDTV is the only good option.
Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Projectors in your price range aren't the best. The contrast is iffy at best. The brightness is too low; such that you need a fairly dark room in order to view the display. The resolution pretty much maxes out at 1280x720 (720p). Higher resolution projectors are out of your price range.
Having said all that, I absolutely LOVE my projector (though I only use it for movies and sports). My brother DEMANDED that he and his step-son be allowed to come up to watch the Superbowl in 140" diagonal goodness! Movies? Forget about the theater! The experience is nearly the same except:
1) You have to wait for the movie to come out on DVD.
2) Depending on the size of your projector room, it's not quite the same viewing experience (but it's damn close).
3) The food is better (I cook) and a lot less expensive.
4) The beverages are not watered down and a lot less expensive (and I prefer mine alcoholic in nature).
5) There's no worry about other people talking throughout the movie or cell phones going off
6) If you have to take a rest room break, you can just pause the movie and not miss anything.
There are some additional costs involved with owning a projector. Lighting control is a must. I dropped $100 (4x$25) on blackout curtains for my living room. I lucked out with the viewing screen as one of my co-workers had some screen material he wasn't using (and it just happened to be just the right size for my display). Look up Do-It-Yourself Projector screens on Google to see the cost of manufacturing one and if you're willing to put in the effort for one. I needed a 25 foot, shielded VGA cable to run from the HTPC to the projector; another $12.
It sounds like you have everything else, but I had to put around $700 into the HTPC itself and I cheaped out on the sound system (now wishing I hadn't) at $150. Some people may say projector bulb replacement is prohibitive, but most bulb (these days) last on average 3000 hours. I don't know about you, but I'd be hard pressed to put more than 10 hours a week on my projector (and that's with a Netflix subscription). At that rate of usage, it would take an average of 5 3/4 years before the bulb would need replacing. At that time, I'd probably be looking at a new projector anyway.
The main points you need to look at are:
1) Can you control the lighting in the room the projector is going in. If you can't, get an HDTV
2) Do you have the space necessary to take advantage of an projector. Like I said, I watched the Superbowl in 140" goodness. It wasn't as clear of a picture nor was it as sharp as an HDTV would have been, but I didn't miss anything. I would also note that my projector is 18 feet away from my projector screen (throw distance). The shorter the throw distance, the smaller the screen. The larger the throw distance, the larger the screen, but at low resolutions, that doesn't necessarily mean a better image.
3) Unless you purchase a retractable projection screen (significant additional cost), the wall you use is going to be dedicated to that use. For me, it's my West facing window bay (hence the need for blackout curtains). This makes my living room *always* dark. I consider it a fair trade-off and I live alone so no one else complains. Your situation may be different.
So to summarize, if you have a largish room you can pretty much dedicate, can control the lighting, and manage the additional costs, the go with a projector. Otherwise, go with an HDTV.
Hope this helps. If you have other questions, please feel free to ask. In my opinion, a projector is great for movies/dvds, good for sports, so-so for games.
-Wolf sends
Edit:
BTW - I have a BenQ MP610 projector. My HTPC consists of an E6600 processor, 2 Gig of RAM, a B-Enspire (or some such) sound card with optical out, an ATI HD 2600 Pro, and Windows MCE 2005.
For a taste of my movie experience,
click here
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