Home theater projector

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I've decided to turn my office into a part-time office/part time home theater, seeing as I seem to be the only person in my family that watches the tube. I'm thinking about going the projector route instead of the big honking plasma/lcd route. I'm intrigued by the potential big screen size, yet being able to tuck the thing under my arm when we eventually move.

Any thoughts/experiences? I'm trying to get as much info as I can. Yes, I know about AVS Forums and I'm currently slogging through all that technical crap.

DLP/LCD/CRT projector? How much of a pain is it to change bulbs? How many lumens do I need (my office can get pretty dark if I close the curtains)? It probably needs to be HDTV capable. You do regret not getting a regular old TV for your home theater instead of a projector?
 
Look at this site. It's a good quick reference. The Link

I'd love to do a projector someday. It's amazing what you can get for the price, assuming you have the right room for one.
 
Changing out the bulbs is nothing, and if you are going to use it the way you are saying it should be a year or two before you have to do it. I would not by anything with a resolution lower then 1280x720. If you look at some of your best projectors there Lumens is only in the 1000 range. The next thing you will be looking at is the contrast ratio, and this can be tricky as there are no set guide lines to get this. All in all it is best if you can take a look at the projector before you buy it. What price range are you looking to be in? How far are you going to be sitting from the screen and last what size screen are you going to be going for?
 
I had always assumed that front projection systems were very expensive and somewhat impractical.

But after doing some research on the net I was surprised at the quality you can get for a good price. I guess the cost to manufacture a front projector is much less that an enclosed rear projection set. Most of us already have dedicated home theatre receiver and speakes and get the tuner from the cable or satellite company.

I have a rectangular living room that would seem to be great for a front projecter setup. I'm sure my wife would love a small projector mounted on the rear wall and a pull down screen in the front. The big issue is the large windows in the rear of the room. Would getting some window treatments/blinds be good enough with the new projectors, or do you still need near total darkness?
 
Light control is IMO the most important aspect of your setup. I have moved twice in the last 2 years and setup my projection system in 3 different houses. PM me if you want any details or recommendations.
 
The light factor does play a major roll. Which way do the windows face and what are you going to use to black them out. We purchased some wooden blinds to do the trick for us, although we have a very open house it makes watching TV during the day OK.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot that CRT projectors are massive. No thanks, I think I'll stick with LCD or DLP.

As for the windows, they would be to the side of screen. They run the length of the wall, halfway up to the ceiling. I can just have my wife make some heavy duty curtains for them. (she loves making stuff like that)

My other concern is that my office is fairly small, maybe 10x10. I'm hoping I can get at least a 5' image.
 
For that kind of space, you definitely want a short-throw projector. The guys on avs forum can make some good recommendations. I have mine mounted 15 feet back and I get a 100" image.
 
You might want to consider the new Panasonic AE-700. It is pretty much blowing the doors of the $3k-$5k projector market. It is an LCD projector that has been outperforming many of the DLP projectors according to the reports. As far as I can tell, it is only available online for about $2200, far less than DLPs. Projector Solution has the projector.

It is getting outstanding reviews here at AVS Forum. Also Google AE700 and you'll turn up other reviews from experts in the field that are very favorable.

I'm ordering mine next week for my new house that is to be completed around Christmas. It will be sitting at about a 15' throw and will easily be able to project the 92" image for screen.
 
Sharp is about to launch a new DLP projector that is going to hit for around 4K that is getting some great press as well. We should have it in our show room in the next week.
We did just receive the new Sony VPLHS51 which is supposed to be a very good piece just haven't had the time to play with it yet.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. That Panasonic looks sweet. Panasonic is going to get a lot of my money in the near future.
 
There is a local company that is making screens and doing very well. Austin Film Screens, very good on pricing for a very good screen. I think there web-site is austinfilmscreens.com
 
Got my Panasonic AE700 the other day via UPS. I must say that I'm beyond impressed with it.

Colors, brightness, and contrast are all outstanding. However, I am running it in a dedicated theater room, so there is no ambient light.

Right now I don't have any HD to input to it, but DVD's are awesome. HD will be installed on 12/31, just in time for the Rose Bowl and I'll report back then.

I ordered my unit from www.projectorpoint.com, got it for $1999 versus $2199 that everyone else wants for it.
 
I've never really looked into projectors before. I was looking at that Panasonic, and was checking out the Calculator it has. It says you can take it 41 feet back. Is this feasible? Or will quality diminish, and how much so?

The house I'm thinking of putting it in is an open, apartment type design. I can't find the floor plans, but it's gotta be 40 feet long. There are only 4 windows, all of which can be taken care of.
 
I was planning on getting an AE 500 and of course, am now pumped about the AE 700.

For those of you that have a projector, did you set it up yourselves? I'm going to build a theater in my next house and am planning on doing it myself, but if I need to get some help, I might as well start them early in the process.
 
So did I set up the projector myself? Yes, very easy. However I had all the speaker wiring, etc. installed during the construction process and the screen also professionally installed.

The AVS forum will be invaluable to you if you are going to do it yourself. There is a forum specifically for structured wiring and even a forum dedicated to the AE700. Use it liberally, you won't be sorry.
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