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For a different opinion on this, see http://www.projectorcentral.com/formats.htm, and in particular the section called "Why get a 4:3 projector with a 4:3 screen?". What I find particularly interesting is this quote:

Personally, I prefer a big 4:3 screen. Here's why. I want to watch widescreen movies in their widescreen glory, no doubt about it. So I have a 4:3 screen that is wide enough to give me the 16:9 display I want, which in my theater is 8 feet wide.

The new Sony Qualia 004 does 1080p and 1080i support and apparantly a native resolution of 1920x1080 Pixels. It is going to cost $25-30k though.

I got an NEC LT240K projector for my living room about 8 months ago. 100" diagonal, DLP chip so there's no "screen door" effect, 2 VGA inputs and 1 svideo input (the vga inputs double as composite DVD/HDTV with a VGA>Composite adapter)

I couldn't be happier. this projector has a crisp picture, contrast ratio of 2000:1, and I always use the economy mode, which provides 3000 hours usage at 1600 lumens and it runs at a whisper. It is still a great picture during the day if I close the curtains.

Its great for throwing parties (visualization plugins on the screen are awesome) I have a 6.1 home theater hooked up to it, as well as digital satellite, dvd with composite out, and my entertainment system computer (actually I'm typing on it right now).

Anyways for the $2600 I spent on it ($2300 for the projector from mwave, $200 for the cieling mount and $100 for the screen [I live in Seoul so screens run quite a bit cheaper here])

I did a LOT of research before I bought it and it is one of the best purchases I've ever made. Screw PDP's. Projectors ROCK!

If I haven't convinced you yet, here is a review at Projector Central.

The X1 has been usurped by the new Optoma ThemeScene H30. Less rainbows, quieter, greater contrast ratio and produces a very film-like image. Cost is around 1000 (GB Pounds) - projector central lists a price of $1400 (US).
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?thre adid=351894
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?thre adid=127171&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
http://www.projectorcentral.com/part_opinions.cfm? part_id=2235
http://www.themescene.tv/Newsite/H30-Main.htm

From MikeD on avforums.com:

Having completed the fabrication of a steel mount the H30 was duly screwed to the ceiling and a good quality composite and a SCART/VGA cable were connected. Incidentally while on the subject of ceiling mounting, the 3mm mounting holes in the base of the H30 look pretty inadequate for supporting 1100 of projector from the ceiling. I took the precaution of drilling a hole in the ceiling mount base plate to accommodate an additional 6mm bolt; this was then screwed into the tripod-mounting hole for additional security.

Anyway having lined it all up some friends came around to help set it up and see how it performed. One is the proud owner of an AE300 and the other a high end Sony CRT projector that he has installed in a dedicated room with matt black walls to reduce light reflection.

Having quickly tweaked the basic settings on the H30 we darkened the room and put on The Scorpion King, we sat there in utter amazement; the picture quality was truly awesome.

We then put on Armageddon, as we tend to use it, as a reference disc as it contains a good variety of differing scenes, again the picture quality was amazing.

The H30 uses the Pixelworks deinterlacing and scaling chip as opposed to the popular and unquestionably competent Faroudja DCDI, this was my only reservation about the projector prior to purchasing.

Not anymore, the picture was very sharp and had an extremely pleasing film like quality with few artefacts even in fast moving scenes and panned shots.

The black level was incredible far better than anything I have ever seen before south of CRT. I had the masking lens attached which I think I read somewhere increases the contrast ratio to around 2500:1 by reducing unwanted light. Projectors cant project black, correct me if Im wrong but my belief is that to get true black the pixels in the chip are in effect switched off and black is in fact displayed as absence of light. This is one of the reasons why you tend to get a more pleasing picture the darker the room. Most projectors are unable to switch the pixels off completely but it is considered that DLP technology is slightly better at it than LCD particularly on budget home theatre projectors such as the H30. We also found that detail in dark scenes was outstanding, certainly better than we had expected.

Screen door was good and fan noise acceptable, light spill was also not too bad with just a small amount on the ceiling about a foot or so in front of the projector. None of us noticed significant rainbow even though we did try very hard to see them particularly on high contrast fast moving scenes.

We only used eco-mode, as the brightness was more than adequate for a light controlled room and less light tends to give better blacks and contrast anyway, eco mode also has the added benefit of bumping the expected lamp life up from 2000 to 3000 hours. I was actually quite surprised by the projectors brightness, we eventually put this down to the H30s six segment (RGBRGB) colour wheel and the fact

Also, try projectorcentral.com

I would go for either the Panasonic PT-L500U or the Sanyo PLV-Z2. Both use the same Epson LCD, so they're fairly similar. They run at at 1280x720, which gives you HD resolution (full 720p widescreen or resized 1080i).

And, they both include DVI HDCP which means that you can have a full end-to-end digital connection from your DVD player to your projector (just make sure you get a DVD player that suports DVI (such as the Bravo D1).

They have differing list prices but both sell for around $2000 each (plus you'll need to buy a screen as well). And before you buy one, I'd recommend checking out HomeTheaterForum.com and AVSForum.com (not linked to prevent Slashdotting). Both of those forums are great resources and anyone there will be happy to answer your questions.

I would go for either the Panasonic PT-L500U or the Sanyo PLV-Z2. Both use the same Epson LCD, so they're fairly similar. They run at at 1280x720, which gives you HD resolution (full 720p widescreen or resized 1080i).

And, they both include DVI HDCP which means that you can have a full end-to-end digital connection from your DVD player to your projector (just make sure you get a DVD player that suports DVI (such as the Bravo D1).

They have differing list prices but both sell for around $2000 each (plus you'll need to buy a screen as well). And before you buy one, I'd recommend checking out HomeTheaterForum.com and AVSForum.com (not linked to prevent Slashdotting). Both of those forums are great resources and anyone there will be happy to answer your questions.

I would go for either the Panasonic PT-L500U or the Sanyo PLV-Z2. Both use the same Epson LCD, so they're fairly similar. They run at at 1280x720, which gives you HD resolution (full 720p widescreen or resized 1080i).

And, they both include DVI HDCP which means that you can have a full end-to-end digital connection from your DVD player to your projector (just make sure you get a DVD player that suports DVI (such as the Bravo D1).

They have differing list prices but both sell for around $2000 each (plus you'll need to buy a screen as well). And before you buy one, I'd recommend checking out HomeTheaterForum.com and AVSForum.com (not linked to prevent Slashdotting). Both of those forums are great resources and anyone there will be happy to answer your questions.

Great stuff available here:

ProjectorCentral

I've thought about this, and I wouldn't build my own for the same reason I won't put a DVR computer near my TV -- the fan noise and the esthetics.

I found this site to be very helpfull when picking out a projector.

http://www.projectorcentral.com

I've always been a big fan of front projection. Nice cinema feel...
With the advances in DLP (SRC color wheels, etc...) they are looking really tempting.

Lots of good info can be found here...
http://www.projectorcentral.com/

Try Projector Central. Review the list of highly recommended home theater projectors and then search for someone who sells them on google.

Sony Qualia

and ugly as sin
What is so special about the HP MP3130 that it warrants a +5 for listing the specs. 1024x768... 4x3 resolution.... Nothing impressive their... where is my 16x9 HDTV resolution.

DLP == nice, but this unit is still only sporting 1 lens and everyone knows that only 1 lens will give you the infamous Rainbow effect that makes some people sick. Granted 3 lens DLP will hurt your bank account dearly.

and you listed all these specs and left off the best aspect of this projector... 2000:1 contrast... and also left off the 2500-3000 dollar price tag.

Where is the reason in the post that this projector is the one to match up against?!? From what I read about this one... it is just one of many with the same/similar specs.

Another problem with DLP is that the mirrors reflect only the light shone on them. They have no color. So DLP has 3 different colored filter wheels spinning at a rate (synchronized with the DLP chip mirrors) to create the illusion of color.

This creates the so-called 'rainbow effect'. Which some people see. And which reportedly can invoke headaches.

LCD projectors (or pricier 3 chip DLP systems) thus have some advantages.

LCoS sounds like the perfect blend of price and quality.

But who can wait? I think I'm still going to get my Sanyo PLV-Z2 projector.

VPS Hosting - Free Wide Screen TV with all accounts prepaid 16 years in advance.

Read this to find out...

I would buy one of these (once I buy my nice little 42" LCD rear-proj from Sony :) ) but with no DVI output I think my other plan of putting my G4 out in the living room seems like a better plan.

If you're thinking about LCD anyway, you may also want to consider a projector -- and they don't cost as much as you might think. For instance, Sanyo's just-released PLV-Z2 (review) lists for around $3k but the street price is closer to $2,000. It has DVI input and 1280x720 resolution which gives full 720p at 16:9. Why settle for a 42" image when you can have a 100" image? ;)

ObForums: For more information on projectors, you may also want to check out AVSForum.com and HomeTheaterForum.com (not explicitly linked to avoid Slashdotting them).

I would buy one of these (once I buy my nice little 42" LCD rear-proj from Sony :) ) but with no DVI output I think my other plan of putting my G4 out in the living room seems like a better plan.

If you're thinking about LCD anyway, you may also want to consider a projector -- and they don't cost as much as you might think. For instance, Sanyo's just-released PLV-Z2 (review) lists for around $3k but the street price is closer to $2,000. It has DVI input and 1280x720 resolution which gives full 720p at 16:9. Why settle for a 42" image when you can have a 100" image? ;)

ObForums: For more information on projectors, you may also want to check out AVSForum.com and HomeTheaterForum.com (not explicitly linked to avoid Slashdotting them).

There is a popular myth espoused by many projector salespeople that since an NTSC or DVD video signal is 480 lines, then an SVGA-resolution (600 lines) projector is plenty adequate to resolve all of the information in the video signal. "No point in buying an XGA machine," they say, "it's overkill."

Those who promote this myth are sorely mistaken. But it is a prevalent belief, so it's an issue that needs to be clarified. So here we go...

They are missing a lot of important information in that article. It seems written to promote DLP and skims over a lot of deficiencies with what they tested, and uneven ways in which the testing was done.

Page 3, Contrast. What it doesn't mention is that above 800:1, it becomes hard to see any difference, and above 1200:1, it's pretty much impossible.

The examples are also set up to make you think that the 'low constrast LCD' is the Z1, which it isn't. Here's a quick snap taken of my Z1 (slight blur due to hand-held camera) of the same scene.

Page 4, Resolution. Again what's left out is at what point it no longer makes a difference. This varies projector by projector and is a factor of the screen size, LCD resolution and distance the viewer is sitting from the screen.

For SVGA/WVGA one can no longer see the grid at all if they are sitting about 1.8x the diagonal of their screen away. For XGA, WXGA that number drops to 1x (probably closer than you'd want to be).

I sit 1.5x screen diagonal away from my WVGA projector (Z1) and can see the grid in very bright-white scenes only. (Specifically, I sit 15' away from a screen with a 10' diagonal.)

Page 5, Fan Noise. Fan noise varies depending on whether you are using the projector's low-lamp/theatre mode. Most projectors give you an option of running at its highest brightness level, or a dark but quieter mode. Where the manufacturer doesn't list

I sit directly below my Z1 and can definitely hear the fan in 'low-lamp' mode, if there is no sound in the movie. I can also here my refrigerator humming in the kitchen if its quiet. If someone is speaking it covers up the sound of the projector (and the fridge). Any guests I have seem oblivious to the sound of the fan until I mention it.

It seems like they must have measured the Z1s lumens in 'low-lamp' mode, and its fan in regular mode (to make it measure as loud as possible). If a manufacturer only lists one fan noise level, it will be their 'low-lamp' mode volume.

Page 6,7, LCD & DLP. He fails to mention that some people cannot watch a DLP projector without getting a headache or becoming nauseous due to a 'strobing' effect. It only happens to small percentage of the population (maybe 2%), but it is a well documented phenomenon. The problem does not exist on high end DLP projectors as they use a slightly different projection technique, but it does exist on all low end DLPs.

This is an issue because if you are ordering your projector over the internet, sight unseen, you may get it home to find out you can't watch it. Likewise, you may have a bunch of friends over, only to find out one of them can't sit through the film/game/etc.

The article fails to mention that LCD has better color saturation.

For a fair and balanced look at the DLP vs. LCD debate, see this Projector Central article.

The conclusion fails to factor in other important cost information, like that over the course of 6 years of ownership, the Dell projector will cost significantly more because you will have to buy 2 bulbs for it, in the same period you will only buy 1 for the other two projectors.

It also never returns to the briefly mentioned benefits of natively Widescreen projectors over traditional 4x3 projectors. Unless you watch a lot of very old movies, you will want to own a widescreen projector. All movies today are widescreen, and in 5 years, so will your television.

There is a lot more wrong with the article, but this should at least give you an idea that you should not make this your single source of information about home projectors. Instead do some reading over at AVSForum. There are a lot of knowledgeable people there who can set you straight where this article would mislead you.

-Colin.

According to Projector Central (IMHO the best site for ind. projector reviews, the InFocus Screenplay 4800 is the basically the same model as the InFocus X1 (which can be had for $500 cheaper and can be bought online instead of an AV dealer). More details here.

According to Projector Central (IMHO the best site for ind. projector reviews, the InFocus Screenplay 4800 is the basically the same model as the InFocus X1 (which can be had for $500 cheaper and can be bought online instead of an AV dealer). More details here.

And I have done most of my reseach for a projector from this page. http://www.projectorcentral.com/

in which I'm very happy with my InFocus X1

because I want to watch movies on a 35" tv and not a 17" LCD

Actually, I want to watch movies on my 120" LCD digital projector that, incidentally, costs less than a low-end HDTV.

--
Dum de dum.

Checkout projectorcentral.com for prices/info and the Under $5k Digital Projector forum for more detailed info.

• 2x Athlon MP 2k+ (on Tyan Tiger MB)
• GeForce 2 with tv out (and 2 other vid cards)
• ATI TV Wonder
• ZapWay IR Receiver
• Sony el-cheapo multi function universal remote control
• Herman Miller Aeron
• Datahand chair mounted split keyboard
• SBLive 5.1
• MSB-Tech Link II DAC
• Good home stereo powering a set of Magnepan MGIIa's (quasi-planar speaker)
• and soon: a SXGA LCD Projector (NEC MT1030+)

• gentoo GNU/Linux
• ALSA audio drivers
• lirc
• mplayer
• xmms
• mldonkey, video store, cable for media acquisition

I hope to eventually suspend a THX acoustically transparant screen across the magnaplanars and use a LCD projector for a 6' x 5' HD image.

Overall the experience has been quite good, tho having it all setup on a workstation requires much maintenance to keep all the apps communicating... a dedicated shuttle box to feed the projector/DAC would be a little nicer, tho I'd still want a central media server. Wireless is not needed here, as the few cables (spdif/video/etc) pose only a problem to the vacuum cleaner. Of course, the setup costs as much as a nice used car (which I don't own) and I find myself dreaming of 6'x5' trees rendered in imax style 3d (cow's can fly in caves, but require awkward polarized glass or expensive eye surgery for 3d flight experience).

Andy
http://benow.ca

Okay the fingers aren't cooperating again... the link i f'ed up follows... Expensive!!!

From the [H]ard|OCP review:
"Using a decibel meter we tested the sound level of the GFFX at three feet away, directly in front of the exhaust vent. In 2D mode, the reading was 56dB."

I don't know about you, but I find 56 dB to be very noisy.

Me too. Every day the noise is becoming a bigger problem. For example, I tested Epson 811 model earlier this week and found that even though the specs say 38dB it's way too noisy for my taste. (In case you're interested, I didn't like the image quality of it either.) My clone PC box with silent power supply and low rpm CPU fan is much quieter. Of course, I'm not running 1.5+GHz CPU.

You can actually find reasonable projectors for much less (both LCD and DLP), although granted, minimum standards for acceptably "reasonable" are highly subjective. I think AVS Forum has already been mentioned in this thread, and there's also Projector Central and Home Theater People, which is related to Projector People.

Although many flame wars seem to occur over this topic, I think the general concensus is that if you can deal with a heavy, furniture-sized piece of equipment in the middle of your living room, then old CRT projectors give you the best picture quality bang for the buck. However, most people find the convenience of modern, small LCD/DLP projectors too hard to pass up.

There's more of an even split between the LCD vs. DLP camps. There's a pretty good article comparing the two technologies at Projector Central (although they don't seem to mention the "rainbow" effect that some people find too noticable and annoying in DLP's - search in the AVS Forums for discussions on that).

Anyways, in terms of reasonable projectors under $5k there's at least the following (with ~street prices):

• NEC VT45 $2000 LCD SVGA
• Epson Powerlite 50c $2000 LCD SVGA
• InFocus LP340 $2500 DLP SVGA
• NEC LT150 $2500 DLP XGA
• NEC VT540 $3000 LCD XGA

So even if SVGA is under your "acceptable" threshold you can still do pretty well under $5k (see Projector Central again for a discussion of how much better XGA is than SVGA).

I think you would need a minimum of 50 LEDs.

LumiLeds Lighting Produces 17 Lumen White LED

But projector bulbs seem to start at around 1000 lumens and some projectors go up to 5000

If price doesn't matter I will also go for a projector. I've seen a very nice installation with a project. The only drawback is when there's already some light. But you can always buy a more 'luminous' projector or have also a standard TV.

The Projector Central site has much much information about ... projectors (!) and a quasi-exhaustive database, full of details.