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Home Theatre Projectors, Dell, InFocus and Sanyo
ssassen writes "Hardware Analysis is gearing up towards the holiday season with an indepth comparison of three popular home theatre projectors; the perfect gift for under the Christmas tree. They decipher the marketing mumbo-jumbo you'll be faced with and explain all that you need to know prior to buying a home theatre projector."
They are going to be a running joke between my wife and I.
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
Once I had a room to dedicate to home theater I started looking for an affordable upgrade to the 32" TV I had been watching on.
I bought an Infocus X1 a few months ago and have been amazed. It's nearly identical to the Screenplay 4800 reviewed in the article (some software/settings tweaks and extra cables for your few hundred bucks extra for the 4800).
I bought the X1 after seeing glowing reviews on AVS Forums. There are a number of good entry level choices in the projector market now. I did make sure I bought from a place with no restocking fees, as I was worried about rainbows (X1 has a 2x color wheel and some fraction of people seem to be sensitive to them, it's a potential problem with any low end DLP)... I can see rainbows if I try, but they haven't bothered any of the 15 or so people who've watched movies on my X1.
Once I got it home & set up, I was amazed... You have to have some level of light control in your viewing area, but it's such a huge difference... I've seen only 2 movies in the theater since I got the projector... I'm projecting a ~90" diagonal 16:9 screen (note the X1/4800 is natively 4:3, but scales fine to 16:9). DVDs are spectacular, 4 player split screen Gamecube is a lot of fun (vs. squinting at your little corner of the 32" tv).
Not sure why anyone spends the $$ on a big screen CRT/FPTV/RPTV anymore. I've already converted two coworkers to projectors (an X1 & a Z1).
Now, if anyone has an easy DIY screen I can get rid of this bed sheet nailed to the ceiling in my basement....
the dell one is missing some useful features!
NO POWER SWITCH!
still, under $1k is awesome.
Can they project vertically? Since I spend most of my life being horizontal, that would be a great feature on the ceiling.
Here's a link to a previous Slashdot article that discusses a similiar comparison: http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/13/17 47258&mode=nested&tid=123&tid=126&tid=172&tid=95&t id=99
My friend likes the new Sony HD-20 projector;
/ Sony/665
It seems to be quiet and bright, with the
new HDMI interface which is a superset of DVI
and allows for longer cable length.
Ref:
http://www.projectorexperts.com/projector
Does anyone have one of these yet?
Many online and offline business rental companies will let you rent a projector. This is HIGHLY recommended. The $50-$100 more you'll spend will give you a big chance to see if the projector is for you.
Lumens, contrast ratio, and even resolution is NOT comparitive between brands. Some people see "rainbows" with DLP projectors. Some people see excess screen door with LCD projectors.
Before I bought my (CHEAP) Sanyo PLV-Z1 projector, I scoured the AVS Forums for information, and it was the best help I could find.
Now I have a 110" projector on my living room wall, the room feels twice as big (the TV took up so much space), and my projector looks great during the day, the night, and in HDTV (thanks Comcast for doing something right!).
dada
Yoshi did this on TechTV. Projector, HTS, Screen with Microperf, very nice setup indeed (and for cheap, well, relatively speaking). You can check it out here
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur
"...They decipher the marketing mumbo-jumbo you'll be faced with and explain all that you need to know prior to buying a home theatre projector."
IF, unlike me, you can afford one.
For those who have gone through the trials and tribulations of buying online, can you recommend good HT projector dealers?
-mimosa
I had the interesting experience of working for a company back in 2001 that closed and couldn't pay me for the vacation that I'd accrued, so the office manager/CFO and I made a deal where I'd write off the time in exchange for the company video projector. It was probably the best deal that I'd made working with them.
I use a Philips Proscreen 4100, which is an older 800x600 projector that puts out 300 ANSI Lumens. It's not nearly as bright as modern projectors (coming in at 1000+ Lumens), but the 4000 hour lamp is nice.
I'll never go back to a TV. Even if my projector breaks and I am forced to replace it outright, I'll buy the $1500 projector again. The furniture savings, the space savings, and the ability to have a room not centered around a glass TV, but still able to become a multimedia room with 100" of screen with the pull of a retractable screen far outweighs having a fixed TV. I can take it wherever I go, and it'll fit in the trunk of my friend's Mazda Miata. I can show up to 200" diagonal picture from a computer, composite, or S-Video source on any wall suitable.
For versatility, picture size, and general niftiness, I don't think that you can beat a video projector.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
EPSON is a reference in video projectors, they are the number 1 in sales worldwide and other companies just simple OEM the products from them! My company has 2 EPSON projectors, I took one home for testing (don't tell anyone) and it rocks DVD, X and Counter-Strike!
I heard they launched a new one below 30 dB! That's silent!
"Some people see 'rainbows' with DLP projectors. Some people see excess screen door with LCD projectors."
Well, some people need to lay off Timothy Leary's activity of choice too. I wonder if these are the same people?
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
I have been in an AF training enviroment training for the past year, and have used a projection screen almost everyday that has gone by for projection of power point slide shows.. The only downfall I see in using one of these in your home would be that you have to turn the lights off in the room in order to obtain any sort of clarity.
if i wanted to use this for passively watching the simpsons or something it seems that would be annoying..
any thoughts on this?
.. if you need a home theatre system to make a particular film worth watching, then it's not worth watching.
We project in one of our labs using a similar unit onto a painted wall. We just had to find the proper flat white paint. Looks good, no "sun bursts" or areas of intense light from various viewing angles...
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
I've noticed that many of these large screen products (projectors and PDPs) have VGA or DVI inputs and support higher resolutions than the minimum required to display an NTSC signal. Thus, they could be connected to a computer and used for multi-user computer applications (e.g., gaming, boardrooms, or extreme programming) or just a single-person big-screen. What is it like to have a big screen that is more distant than the usual monitor?
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
"Now, if anyone has an easy DIY screen I can get rid of this bed sheet nailed to the ceiling in my basement...."
You can find quite a few threads in the screens section of AVS Forum about the Parkland Plastics DIY screen. I was able to build a nice 4'x7' screen with this for less than $30.
Instead of blowing wads of cash on a home theater system, why not give $100 to your local food bank this holiday season?
Think about hungry kids less than a mile from your house while you're munching popcorn and suddenly that immersive home theater experience seems a little shallow.
3D Printing Tips and Tricks at Zheng3.com
I'm curious about your setup. What kind of hardware are you using for DVD player and TV? Are you using a computer with a DVD and HDTV/VIVO card? If you're using your PC, what kind of resolution are you able to achieve with it?
Do you have any recommendations or know of a good site with more info?
"A mind is a terrible thing to taste."
Because a 36" flat tube wide-screen TV at, say 1,500 GBP ($2,500) or a 32" screen at a fraction of that cost will probably have a lifespan of a decade, with zero maintenance costs. The same cannot be said for any LCD projector I've seen.
The inFocus rocks.
The ScreenPlay 110's connectivity options are fairly comprehensive. Without the Enhanced Connectivity Module, the projector only offers an I-MI connection for a computer (as well as a DVI connection), one S-video input, one composite video input, and a mini-jack audio input. When you add the module, you get one set of broadband component video inputs (Y/Pb/Pr) that will do 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i, a standard HD-15 VGA input, a 15-pin monitor output to send the signal to a PC or laptop, and an RS-232 port for use with a Crestron, AMX, or similar automation system. There's also a set of line-level stereo audio inputs, as well as a shared mini-jack stereo audio input for the two computer inputs.
I was a little disappointed to find that the ScreenPlay 110 doesn't have two sets of broadband component video inputs. If you want to have component DVD and HDTV coming into the projector and you don't have an HDTV set-top box or a DVD player with a DVI output, you'll have to use a separate component video switcher.
Still, it's a great value for the money.
How can you have a serious home cinema projector comparison without comparing the Sharp AE series projectors?
I own the Sharp AE-100 and Sharp AE-300 (no, I don't work for them or think that they are the best brand in everything, they just make awesome "cheap" widescreen projectors).
I had some minor problems with my AE-100 (red/green tint in the picture), but this was a known problem with the AE-100, and it is solved in the AE-200 and AE-300.
In my livingroom I have the AE-300 running, projecting a 110 inch screen. If you get the right signal to it (progressive NTSC or VGA), the projector is unbeatable by anything in the same pricerange (asuming you want a WideScreen projector).
I read A LOT of articles/reviews/forums before going for the sharp, and with the AE-300, I'm really happy! You'd be able to get the AE-300 for under $2000, and you can get the AE-100 for around $1000 (although you should be aware of the red/green tint in the picture on the AE-100).
What are your bulb costs? I looked at doing this a year or so ago, but ended up with a rear projection TV - the bulb costs just seemed too high.
I tried the bed sheet thing too and wasn't happy with the results. I then went to Home depot and purchased the largest vinyl shade(the old-fashioned pull down shades to keep light from coming in your windows) they had. It has a much smoother finish and my images look much crisper.
I have used the InFocus X1 too and have been extremely happy with it. I can't believe anyone would waste money on a plasma display. Projection gives a real home theater experience.
...It's the cost of the freakin' bulbs that'll kill ya. 500 for 2000 hours? You'd better be watchin' some pretty top-drawer p0rn to make it worth your while.
Best PJ's by price ranged -home-t heater-projectors.htm
. php?fo rumid=9
:)
http://www.projectorcentral.com/recommende
Reviews of each PJ and other info
hhtp://www.projectorcentral.com
Great forum site
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay
I used to own a 42" Plasma (Panny EDTV 848x480 $4000). However, had I known how good projectors were nowadays, I would never would have bought it.
Currently I own a Sanyo PLV-70 ($3,500 1366x768) with a 105" Dalite HiPower screen ($350). And it's almost like a 105" plasma!
HDTV looks awesome. And DVD's look pretty good too. Finding Nemo is one of the best looking ones so far... But the hardware really needs Hi Definition material to shine. 480 just don't cut it at that size. Hollywood needs to get their butt in gear.
And with a DVI input, I've connected my computer and played Unreal2, MotoGP2, Vice City, etc. at 16:9 widescreen at 1360x768. Sick!
And you can do email, surf the web and everything with the 3D gyro mouse and keypad. Completely useable as a computer screen.
I can only hope Half Life 2 and Doom 3 properly support widescreen.
- if you want a really big picture, you don't need to fork out $2000 for a projector - just sit closer to your TV! ;-)
I recently ran a head to head comparison between InFocus, Optoma, Epson and BenQ. Even though the BenQ is a relatively unknown brand, it won hands down. The colors were true, very little screen door, and no rainbow effect. Not only that, it was the least expensive of the bunch.
Or even better, do that, then invite six of the local needy kids around for Christmas dinner. With the proviso that after dinner they stand around your armchair, shouting 'Boom!', 'Bang!' and 'Woosh!' whenever a particularly loud explosion comes on screen - you won't even miss your surround sound speakers.
I used to borrow a projector from work to turn the wall in my den into a 100" High Def. TV. It was great! Especially to play XBOX on. Some people would accutally get vertigo from it. The only reason I haven't replaced my TV with a projector is the light bulbs. The projectors are getting cheaper, but for most the bulbs are still $400-$800. I know a guy that got one and ended up having to buy a high def. TV as well. They're great for watching movies, but for $600 bones per bulb, you don't really want to use it to watch the news.
WURD!!
Fig 2. The left projector clearly has too much lumen output, saturating the image, the left one is alright.
This is under two pictures, one atop the other, on page 2. My brain hurts.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
Or even better, a 36" flat screen (4:3 aspect) for only $500. Considering that I was upgrading from an older 27" boob tube, this represented a major step forward (using component jacks instead of coax, for example) and I couldn't be happier. Not to mention the fact that a TV fits my living space much better than a projector would...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
I'm not sure what the bulb costs are at the moment, but since I've bought my Sony CS5 last February, I've used only 10% of the bulb life.
It's nice watching DVD's and certain TV programmes on the "big screen" but I tend to use it only if a programme deserves it, hence the low 200hrs useage in the last 10 months.
The only downside I have with it is the amount of electricity it uses - about a days worth of normal useage in about 4 hours.
Saying that I did a rough calculation back in March and it worked out at 0.15 quid (UK) per hour for the bulb, and ~ 0.50 quid per hour in total.
Java gaming nut - http://www.retep.org/ or for the rail http://uktra.in/
While I don't have the X1 yet (still waiting for a few bonuses and such), I have put a good amount of research into it. The bulb is rated for 3,000 hours, and goes for $300. I estimated ~2 hours per day of viewing between myself and my SO, which puts me at just over 4 years between bulbs, a completely reasonable expense. Of course, your mileage may vary based on how much you watch, but do keep in mind that when the X1 first hit the streets, replacement bulbs were $500, so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't drop some in the next few years as well.
How about motion sickness? I'd imagine a bigger screen would make problems that some people have playing games - noticable ones where the gun bobs - more pronounced.
The bulbs say they last for 3000 hours, and cost a whopping $450 at Office Depot. So after around 3 years (at 3hrs/day), you'll have to pay $450 (although they'll probably cost less by then, and I'm sure there are cheaper places than OD).
It sounds like a lot, but considering that every 5-10 years or so most people end up buying a new TV anyways...
>Not sure why anyone spends the $$ on a big screen CRT/FPTV/RPTV anymore.
Well, not everyone has a nice dark room to put a projector in. My smallish townhouse doesn't give me a good place. The living room has a sliding door on one side and an open kitchen on the other side. My roommates are usually home the same times I am and do whatever cooking they;re into at different times, including during the few good shows on these days, and I use the grill outside that sliding door quite a bit. So it's a lighting nightmare for using a projector, and in many other similar cases, CRTs and other non-front projectors are better suited.
Sure, I'd love to have a nice giant projected screen, but I'd like it to look OK too. Perhaps in my next house, but I don't plan on that until I'm either rich or married, neither of which seem to be going to happen real soon. So I've made my dilemma the choice between the Sony 40" CRT and the new Samsung 50" DLP for my situation.
Now, if anyone has an easy DIY screen I can get rid of this bed sheet nailed to the ceiling in my basement....
:)))
ROFL, EXACTLY like my first screen (my bedsheet was light blue, made everything look really interesting)
It's really easy to make your own screen, all you need is the right colour paint and a big piece of thin, stable wood.
I found a forum that explained exactly which colours would give the best picture, and I ended up paiting the wood really light grey (gives a better black for my AE-300, without affecting the white too much). You should find all the info you need on (I think it was here I found it anyways) http://www.avsforum.com/.
The bulbs should cost $300 or less and were recently upgraded from 3000hrs to 4000hrs. Nothing was actually changed on the bulb itself; Infocus simply found through testing that 4000hrs was a more acurate figure.
Let me just say I _LOVE_ this projector. It does native 16:9 1280x720 resolution and makes a great computer display in addition to being a great home theater projector. I have it projected on a homemade 100" diag screen! (7.1' wide, 4' tall) and it's very usable. Video games are unbelievable, web sites are HUGE, and WinAmp visualizations are absolutely breathtaking.
With ANY projector though- a light-controlled environment is KEY. Sunlight completely destroys the picture, so be sure you have a decent size room with no windows or are willing to cover the windows with something if you use it during the day.
The Sanyo Z2 / Panasonic AE-500 use the same LCD array, so either one would be an excellent choice for the /. crowd.
- P.M.
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.
Another thing worth mentioning about the X1 is that, unlike the SP4800, the X1 can be had for under $1k.
I haven't seen so many Offtopic mods in one thread since The Post.
I bought an X1 over the summer and have been satisfied with it. The only complaint I have is a bit of rainbow effect from the slow spinning color-wheel on dark action sequences (I see this a bit in the Matrix and Spider-man). Otherwise it's great. I went into it with the expectation that it was just a step up from my 32" TV for watching DVDs so it's been fantastic. It's not going to beat a high end $5000 projector, but I'd take it over a 65" HDTV if given the choice. Hell, I project my movies onto an off-white wall without a screen and it looks fine to me.
I've only used it for about 19 hours of bulb life so far (I ONLY watch movies on it so far, no TV since I don't have an extra digital cable box) so I imagine my 3000 hour bulb, even if it only lasts 1000 hours, will be just fine for me for years to come. Check out avsforum.com before you make any decisions though. They have a LOT of comments on various projects under $5000 and how well they rate in real world users' perspectives. IMHO though the X1 is a great value for a budget projector. It's not going to beat any $5000 projector, but it's not even in the same league as people who spend $25k refurbishing their basements to build a real theater.
I'll wait until I see your contribution, of course.
There are three primary reasons why people still purchase screens rather than projectors even with the cost differential:
I've had the X1 in my sights for quite some time now as well, but screens do have their advantages.
The only hungry kids are probably too FAT anyways.
The bulb for my Epson Powerlite S1 (also a great projector) is about $250. I figured I'll spend that about once every 4 years - and by that time I might just go buy another $1000 projector as they should be amazing by then.
As long as you have an appropriate room (a large paintable wall far that's darkenable during the day), the projector is easily the way to go.
Let's not stir that bag of worms...
You settled too cheap. I would have grabbed a lifetime supply of the bulbs and all the pr0n DVDs that were left at the XXX video store before it went bankrupt had had to punt your sorry ass to the curb.
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
First let me state that I will never buy nor reccomend an InFOcus projector. Unless you are an "authorized" service rep, you cannot get replacment parts (sans lamps and normal "user replacable parts). I had one that someone shattred the lamp in and damaged the diffuser panel. Cost of replacment? ~$1000. Could only get it by ordering the full optics assembly. Basically, we found that you can only order via "assemblies" not individual parts.
If you want to be able to repair your own...don't bother with Infocus.
Most other companies are quite nice about supplying parts and manuals (at a price of course) I've delt most w/ Toshiba and Sharp and they've all provided exceptional customer/technical service to someone wishing to repair their own units.
Smaller projectors (such as the SONY VPL-PX11(?)) are wonderful LCD Projectors (image quality wise), but have a fairly low lamp life for a theater or confrence room type setup.
Recently we've begun using some DLP's from Plus Vision Corp (namely the U2-1200 line) which also seem to provide exceptional image quality and a fairly adequate lamp life (given their size). 1200 Lumens and about 3000hrs (4k hrs in Eco mode). Eco drops the brightness down a bit, however its still fairly acceptable in a dark room. Price is a bit higher for these, MSRP around $5k, but can be found closer to $3200 or so if you look. These support the standard 4:3 as well as a 16:9 aspect ratios, VGA, DVI, and Composite video inputs.
I would highly reccomend these at this point, and Plus/Lightware have both provided us with very acceptable warrenty service as well over the years.
In closing: Infocus is the devil!
Now, if anyone has an easy DIY screen I can get rid of this bed sheet nailed to the ceiling in my basement....
Get yourself a large piece of MDO board with a nice finish. You may want to contact a sign supply shop to see if they have something pre-finished. The stuff from a sign shop is generally of better quality than that of the typical lumber yard. You should be able to get a primed piece as well.
Once you've got your board cut to size, you'll need to get some glossy white paint (or silver for the extra contrast) and some fine glass bead. They use glass bead at industrial places for bead blasting. Stop by your local engine shop to see if you can pick some up. Make sure that it is relatively free of impurities.
Experiment with mixing the glass bead in with the paint. You'll reach a point where everything is homegenous and the glass is pretty well saturated into the paint. At this point, you simply paint your wood. You'll also need to experiment with application technique since the glass bead adds a twist to the normal procedure. I have found that a liberal application followed by a dry rolling works well.
Let dry and you've got the basis for a nice DIY glass-beaded screen. Put some edges on and perhaps build a frame to keep is straight/help with mounting and you'll be a couch potatoe with the best of 'em.
Cheers...
Life is the leading cause of death in America.
There are a number of good entry level choices in the projector market now. I did make sure I bought from a place with no restocking fees, as I was worried about rainbows (X1 has a 2x color wheel and some fraction of people seem to be sensitive to them, it's a potential problem with any low end DLP)... I can see rainbows if I try, but they haven't bothered any of the 15 or so people who've watched movies on my X1.
The rainbows are an artifact of the single chip DLP system's need for a color wheel. Even "high end" single-chip DLP systems can suffer from them.
The "high end" 3-chip DLP projectors are really expensive -- 10s of $K.
I've seen the rainbow by turning my head and paying attention to my peripheral vision, but I can't really do it reliably. My personal feeling is that DLP looks a little too "digital" compared to some of the LCD offerings, at least in the RPTV arena. We have a DLP projector here at work, I should check it out sometime and see what it does for me.
FWIW- The bulbs for mine are about $250 and at 2000 hours a bulb that's $.13 an hour which is fine by me. $.26 to watch Monday Night Football on a 100" screen in high-def (or LOTR in my private home theater) is quite worth it, thank you!
- PM
I've been looking at a projector too for sometime and I notice X1, PLV-Z1( which are around $1000 ) are 800x600 or a little more, but not quite 1024x786.
Last week I noticed the Sharp Projector on sale in costco. I dont know how good it is, but when i tested it in costco it looked great and it was $999.
A normal bulb is roughly 300 to 400 bucks, but if you think that the normal lifetime of the bulb is 2000 hours and put that in perspective it seems ok. If you watched one 2 hour DVD a night every day it'll last you almost 5 and a half years. 300 bucks ammortized over that time seems ok to me, and I'll probably want to upgrade at the end of it anyway...
1 Year, a nearly 100+ movies watched (thank the lord for netflix) and a few hundred hours on the XBOX and no problems.
I have a 105" 4:3 screen that gives me a large 16:9 real-estate for the dvd movies and HDTV content.
I have converted all my "tubbies" to projectors since they're light, affordable, easy to hide and give you a move experience over and beyond what any tv can do.
Plus they support, like others have said, Computers, VGA/Component/DVI and many other interfaces. These uses go over and beyond a tv and the cost of bulbs is easily justified once you see what your getting.
As others have stated it comes down to a few cents per hour. My bulb is a 1500 hour buld and costs nearly 300 to replace. I figure i'll buy a new bulb, ebay this projector and upgrade sometime next christmas to get DVI support as well as SXGA or higher graphics.
Otherwise i'm very happy and its nice to see this market taking off!
Quoted from the article "(the inside of the lamp is a vacuum, filled with an inert gas that's excited with a high voltage generator to produce the light)." A vacuum filled with gas is no longer a vacuum!
The specs on the InFocus site says 4000 hrs.
The bulb goes for around $300.
Considering the projector costs only $999, Three bulbs will cost almost as much as the projector.
Projectors are becoming inexpensive commodity hardware like computers and inkjet printers. Printers have become so cheap, I don't buy ink cartridges for $40 anymore. I just buy a brand new printer for $60 and use the old printer as a stocking stuffer.
We occassionally have "movie day" where people are selected at random to see a movie on company time and they vote on which movie to see.
We just set up one of our Dimension Desktops with a THX certified speakers and a dvd player, pushing the video through one of our Dell Projectors.
Now, I don't really know that much about projectors in general, but let me tell you...having watched a few movies on the Dell Projector, I was and am just amazed at the quality. Absolutely stunning...amazing home theatre setup.
Having a 16:9 PJ that is not TRUE HD is as gay as those folks who by one of those 832 x 470 16:0 plasmas at CostCo and think they have an "HD TV". They may have senile dementia (and lousy eysight) BUT THEY DON'T HAVE HDTV.
Read the post. The X1 is a DLP projector. No LCDs involved. And for the price of your 36" CRT behemoth you'll be able to get diagonals measured in yards from a box the size of a few video cassettes, plus you'll be able to use it for PC gaming.
The author of this post asserts his moral rights.
May be, but another benefit of having a projector is that you can play computer games on it. Console games are fine on TV, but with PC games you really lose in image quality.
Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
> Bulb replacement: The X1 is excellent at 3,000 hours,
> but over the lifetime of the product, those bulbs can
> add up at a couple of hundred dollars a piece.
Yes, but for the extra money that RPTV will cost, you can buy an awful lot of bulbs. Plus you end up with a smaller screen that has moving brightness bands as you shift your head, and it weighs as much as a piano (ok, not quite, but you KNOW your SO won't lift a hand to help you move it!). OTOH it will do real 1080i, something the X1 (or in fact most projectors) can't, if that's important to you. But for $2000 less than a 65" RPTV I'd say it's a tough option to pass up.
> My personal feeling is that DLP looks a little too "digital"
> compared to some of the LCD offerings, at least in the RPTV arena
That's because you've probably only seen one set up for presentations, not for video. If you crank up the brightness and contrast to make those PPT slides bright and saturated, video will look like sh!t, kind of like RPTVs on the showroom floor. Calibrate the projector for video and you won't recognize the picture.
There's not that much technology in them. A bulb, a lens, the LCDs or the DLP, some mirrors, a fan or two. I would think they would cost much less than they do. What's keeping the price so high? Is it simply lack of demand? A television seems to have a lot more hardware than a projector so maybe it is demand that is driving the price.
http://tinyurl.com/3t236
The bulb cost is high but I think it is worth it. Bulbs cost between $300-$500 but they last between 1000 and 5000 hours depending on the model of projector you bought. If you assume you watch two hours of video per evening, every evening, that is nearly 1.4 years for every 1000 hours. So if you get a unit with a 3000 hour bulb rating, watch two hours a night, then that means four years of use before replacing it.
On a 2000 hour bulb, if you pay the SRP of $500, that is twenty five cents per hour. That is a pittance compared to the typical geek daily Mountain Dew budget, although I don't drink any.
I haven't done this yet, but a change jar might be a good way to save up for the next bulb.
I keep a smaller TV as well, mostly for watching regular TV and tapes.
I mean, I would only leave the couch for the bathroom and sleep. Well, maybe not sleep....
Blar.
The Dell and Sanyo models are both more than one year old. The Dell whines like a whore. This is more like an archeological report instead of a timely review. You should start to see more and more of them on ebay when people dump them.
Before the 3-chip DLP projectors fall under $3000, DLP lovers will have to have their guests suffer the eyestrain cause by spinning a color wheel in front of the single chip. There are three new LCD models coming out this year that have 720p as native resolution, which is as good as it gets before 1080i becomes the norm. They are Panasonic L500U (Jan 2004), Sony HS20, and Sanyo Z2 (yes, the next generation of Z1). And the good news is Sanyo and Panasonic are both under $2000. So just sell some of your stocks that have grew 50% this year, pay Uncle Sam the tax and buy one of the new LCDs and you can watch your DVDs and HDTV in "shock and awe" while others mourn another crash in the market!
FYI, visit avsforum.com and projectorcentral.com for better reviews and more BS from average joes.
you know its true
Since I'm not experiencing any of the modern wonders of video projection, I thought I'd share some of the inherent strengths of projection viewing:
I wouldn't recommend it for watching network programming, but for someone only watches movies, it's the ideal setup.
If you're seriously considering an HT projector then get the NEC 1000HT, SONY HS, or the X1 or any projector which is designed for Home Theater. Business projectors tend to wash out an image, in a home setting you need color saturation and contrast and the parameters for PowerPoint slides are different from watching Lord of the Rings.
Also, pay attention to how much BLACK your projector produces. The more black the better the contrast will be.
I have an Infocus 5700. The bulb lasts 3000 hours. I'm am planning on upgrading to a better projector before the bulb runs out.
By the time the bulb does run out, it will probably cost about $.05 per hour to run it.
See my Home Theater
I did a lot of research both at AVSForums and at a local dealer. I decided on the Infocus 5700. I also saw the Infocus 4800, but the faster color wheel (reduces rainbows), and higher resolution of the 5700 was definately worth the extra money in my book.
I would have really liked to get the 7200, but like all electronics the prices of projectors are falling fast. I decided that I could upgrade in a year or two and spend alot less in the long run.
All I know is that once you've seen a HD Football game on a 119" screen, you will never want to go back to a "normal" tv.
You have to love Infocus' marketing: You measure your tv size in inches? How cute.
See my Home Theater
Simple, go to Home Depot, get a can of glidden Misty Evening, and some Kilz 2 primer. Paint desired size/shape on wall. Point projector at newly painted space. Done. There are several threads at AVS right now, in the Screens forum, dealing with this very subject. Misty Evening is the easy, one coat choice right now. There are several variations that tweak it, but it doesn't get much easier than that. If painting isn't your thing, then just go buy a parkland plastics or doable board at HD for about $20, and hang it up.
Because my X1 bulb life is ~5 years with average use (3000 hours) and that puts the cost at around $1500 instead of your overpriced $2500 screen.
How often do you take that 32" screen over to someone elses house to watch a movie or play games or show pictures? It takes about a minute to detach from my ceiling mount.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
What are you "warning" people about? That the techinical specs on the projector are not the same as the technical specs of a not-fully-implemented format?!?!
Most "HDTV" stations in my area (the small town of downtown Atlanta) don't broadcast at 1080i ANYWAY... Some of them are at 750p and one is even at 480p!
The best way to judge the quality of an image is to look at it. If you like it, buy it. If you don't, then don't. Geez.
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.
The bubl has been rated at 4000 hours now. The new firmware will now stop the projector after 4000 hours. It used to be 3000.
-tang
Oh really?
If it's a high-pressure lamp, wouldn't the risk be exploding?
A filled vacuum?
Not so obvious to those of use who understand device gamuts.
Despite these errors, I found the comparison useful, but I'm still confused as to their methods. In one place, the author says:
But a few screens later:
Perhaps for some measurements they used defaults and some they adjusted to match the reference image, but that's far from clear.
Bought the HS20 from Pricejapan recently as well. Almost purchased the AE500 and would have were it not for the Japanese menu limitation. Looks like the AE500 is a great deal though. Congratulations on your purchase! So, what did you do about a screen? I wound up buying a Carada and am highly pleased. --M
100" diagonal is like being right in the middle of the action, when you play GTA VC or Unreal Tournament. If you happen to sit slighty of axis you surely will get motion sickness.
Interesting (and thanks for your impressions). Its not surprising that off-axis veiwing leads to motion sickness - I'm sure the game's rendering engine assumes you are sitting front and center. If bigscreens become more popular for gaming, I wonder if game makers will need to add controls for off-axis use -- something that asks about the screen diagonal, distance, and up/down, left/right axial alignement. (Actually, the graphic layer of the OS should handle this using 3-D viewer rendering preferences records for each monitor.)
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
We got a second hand screen which was yellowed through age, and being thrown out. Experimented with a spray gun and various paints. THe best results came from "super-saturated" theatrical paint, about 10 a litre, from any specialist theatre shop (Rosco were the paint manufacturers). You could also just paint it straight onto the wall- screen of up to 20 square metres (you must dilute it 50:50 wuith water) for less than a tenner (thats $16 for those the other side of the pond)
I've had my X1 for a few months now. The only annoying factor I would say is this - it takes progressive input only through the VGA style connector, not through the component->SVideo connector. That means if you have a device that has mixed progressive/non-progressive output (which is the case for most consoles right now) you need some kind of switching solution as you'll probably want to hook it up to the progressive source.
I use a KVM to bring together output from various devices and out to the projector - that works pretty well.
The ceiling moust seems expensive but is really well made and makes it very easy to remove when you want to take the projector elsewhere. Also, you'll want to buy one of the adaptor cables that takes progressive input and has a VGA plug on the other end (rather cheap from X1).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I bought my projector screen on ebay from a place called Inventory Solutions Inc. I got a 60"x60" piece of DaLite material on a broken tripod for $35, although they often sell bigger ones. My friend has bought from them too, and they were very good with his slightly problematic order. They also have a good reputation on a few DIY projection forums.
Their website is http://www.avforsale.com/
Now that deserves a mod up, I was happy to see I was not missing anything owning the X1. The cable that combines component to VGA is really cheap, only around $15 or so.
If anyone is thinking ob buying the component->Svideo connector, I have to say the one I have (came with the X1 at the time) seems very flaky.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Shows why AC posts are roundly ignored by most.
If you had the choice between a TV you could move and one you couldn't which would you choose? I was helping move a 27" TV recently and am damn glad I have a projector. Plus the wall niche where the previous owner used to house a TV makes a great storage space with a screen hund in front...
I was just pointing out benefits others did not.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
RevGrub, What's your holl IP my brother? ]:3}> thumper^
Pretty Pictures!
Sweet Jesus, that's an image I didn't need. You just know that somewhere there's someone listening to Jennifer Lopez say 'gobble gobble' in Surround Sound.
That should have read "8 cents per hour"
that is far enough from another wall to allow the thing to focus...
I will get one when I get my new 8 br mansion.... right then...
l8,
AC
I had a friend that spent $4000 on a really nice Sharp projector that had more lumens than the X1, and better resolution. He displayed it on a 120" screen. It was fabulous. The BIG downside was the $600 bulb. If I remember, the bulbs are rated for only so many hours (500?). That was not made clear to him when he bought the projector. Of course football season came along, the bulb dies in the middle of a college football game, and panic set in. I know he could have saved money mail order, but he needed a new bulb immediately, and wasn't willing to wait for mail order.
Check out the replacement bulb costs before ever buying a projector.
Personally, I bought a Mitsubishi 46" and an HD set top box. Total investment (including the satellite set top box was $2400. I've had the TV for 3 years, and not one complaint. I have a smaller room. The Mits is only 23" deep. The picture is fantastic. The only other TV that has a better picture is the Pioneer Elite, but I couldn't justify the extra $2000.
-- No sig for you!
The guy at the site below made his out of a material called blackout cloth, and he has instructions on the site. Be gentle, it just ISP webspace.
http://members.shaw.ca/danhanson/Theater/screen/sc reenproject.htm
Karma: Can only be portioned out by the Cosmos.
Don't know if its true, but I was just reading someone who said bulb life for this unit had been increased to 4000 vs 3000 hours, and that bulbs were down to $99 vs $199. Seems like its worth it to me.
Although I don't have a grand to blow right now, saving up a year for it is certainly possible. I'd love to redo my basement and dedicate part of it to a HT. Let's hope these typs of projectors continue to come on the market for afforable prices.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
First thing to note is that these are essentially business projectors. Real home theatre projectors cost a lot, so lot of us tend to use good business projectors for HT. Best way to learn about the projectors for HT use is not by reading such low-depth reviews
I'd never get a 800x600 projector for hometheatre now. I'm on my 4th digital projector and the first two were SVGA. By buying them with coupons etc with the help of fatwallet forums, I've been able to buy new projectors for the price I can get on ebay for the old projector. So this way, you don't even have to wait for the price of the projector to come down.
I'm surprised the review talks so much about luminence ... who cares that much about it in HT ? Color accuracy, black level (something not even mentioned in the review) and contrast are much more important.
karma : former act as leading to inevitable results
Geeks love numbers. When I connected it said, "Aaaaagggghh!!!! Will you F*cking /.ers leave me alone and let me do my job!!?" ;P
Un-news
I've to disagree with you on this.
With projectors More pixels is always Better. You have to just take care of the source. 800x600 is not enough to show the full resolution of anamorphic DVDs.
That is easily done. A simple PC (aka Home Theatre PC or HTPC) can take care of that. Take a look at the forums at AV Science (avsforum).
A good XGA projector with DVI input, fed by a HTPC with a decent DVI equipped video card is all you need for fantastic pictures.
And I won't even mention HD ....
karma : former act as leading to inevitable results
I purchased a DLP project (an InFocus) about a year ago. While it's a GREAT projector for the cost, about $1200 for a 1500-lumen SVGA unit, I've found it's not very well suited for video.
The problem is that the update frequency on the DLP, combined with the color wheel technology, means that when you look from one area of the image to another, and the image contains any high-contrast vertical edges, you'll catch an afterimage of vertical red, green and blue bars on the margin of the edge. Essentially, your eye catches the sequential flashing of R, G and B used to form white or any bright color.
The problem is obvious even with still content - like a powerpoint slide presentation or a DVD menu - because even though the content isn't moving, the DLP still has to mix RGB to get white, and the mirrors and color wheel are rotating thru the colors constantly.
The problem gets more apparent the closer you get to the screen, because your eyes have to move farther to see various parts of the image - if the action suddenly changes from the left edge of the screen to the right edge, you look to follow the action. Up close, your peripheral vision is more tasked, so you tend to look back and forth a lot. When you're further from the screen you don't need to move your eyes as often.
So while it's great for slow content like a powerpoint slide show, and it's fine if you're a long way from the screen (like in a big presentation), when you try to use it as a video projector in a smallish living room setting, it's VERY distracting.
This may not be true for all DLPs. But the moral of the story is TRY IT before you buy it. Specifically, stand close to the screen, set up some still image with a vertical white line, or white-on-black text, and look back and forth across the screen. If you see color bars, you'll see them just the same in your dark living room watching a movie.
--Brandon / Split Infinity Music
Not sure why anyone spends the $$ on a big screen CRT/FPTV/RPTV anymore.
Easy, in addition to the ambient light requirements the X1 (along with most front projectors) doesn't do an HD picture. It will take an HD signal and downconvert it to it's 800x600 native resolution, but that's not the same. There are lots of RPTVs out there that will natively do full HD. If you're spending that amount of money on a picture that big, most people would want it to be HDTV capable.
Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.
Did you miss the part where he said 90" diagonal? You might as well say that he's foolish for spending any more than $99 because you have a mini TV that cost that much.
I'm not trying to make this a Size Matters thing any more than it needs to be. But compare like to like - a 60" rear projection TV runs more like $4500, and is a bastard to get up and down stairs. A few years ago when I bought my LCD projector, Fry's (a local chain in Silicon Valley) was selling a 70" projection-screen TV for $8000.
BTW folks, bear in mind that if you have a home theater and NetFlix, you'll save a TON on things like movie tickets, candy/popcorn, gas, etc. My wife and I have been to the movies three times this year. How much do you spend on going out to the movies every year? (It doesn't have to be a super deluxe home theater, either, no matter what the freaks who spend $30,000 on home theater setups would have you believe.)
a vcr, a home theare set up (amp and speakers and a nice sub) and a projector from circuit city or compusa..
voila.. instant home theatre system.
Do any of these projectors have a timer on them? During the week, I probably avg. 3-4 hours/day. On the weekends...tv is on 24/7. Even if not being watched...it is background noise unless I throw on some music. But, even at that...most of my DVD's I buy these days are music performances...so, once again...tv on.
How bad would this cost in bulb replacements?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Look in the mirror before you call anyone a freak. I'm amazed you put someone down for thinking that wanting a bigger screen makes you a freak, and then call someone who wants a $30,000 system a freak.
You consider yourself rational because you save money by not going to the theater. Perhaps the freak needed to spend $30,000 before they were content to watch movies at home; a $30,000 system is still substantially cheaper than buying and running a 35 mm movie theater.
-- Pot is safer than Beer
Come to the dark side.
It's fun over here!
A rear projection TV has a bulb too (if LCD or DLP based), otherwise it has three very bright CRTs that also burn out and are even more expensive to replace than bulbs.
The only difference between rear and front projection TV's is the side of the screen the light hits. The cost of replacing bulbs or CRT tubes depends on how bright they need to be. If you could buy a 100" rear projection set, it would have identical bulb (or CRT) replacement costs as an equally bright front projection setup. If you're happy with the size and brightness of a rear projection set, your bulb/CRT replacement costs will be lower, but those costs are not zero.
-- Pot is safer than Beer
exactly only 5 months after I bought my Sony vpl-cx5 the bulb burned out. Come to find out the bulb is only warranted for 3 months. Now I have to spend $300-400 for a new bulb or have a $3000 useless projecter sitting in my house. I really hope this isn't the normal life span of a projector bulb.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
Forget $1000+ store-bought projectors and their $300 replacement bulbs. You can build your own LCD projector for $300-500. I've done it myself and the results are simply outstanding. I now have an bright, sharp, 8-foot-wide 1024x768 screen powered by a $30 metal-halide bulb that lasts 10,000 hours. Can't beat that. And it was a fun, minimal-time hobby project too!
y .php?fo rumid=12
The following site has quality plans and even sells the specialized parts you'll need. (the guy who runs the site researches and bulk orders parts)
http://www.diylabs.org/projector/main.htm
There's also a good forum for DIY builders here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/forumdispla
"( 100-120 volt,Japanese OSD only )" - I'm in the US, too.
how did you hook it up to our 60hz/120v systems?
.
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If she floats, she's a witch.
I can never understand people like you. If you can only afford a budget, NON-HD projector, you declare it "good enough" and anything else isn't necessary.
I am man enough to admit that there are some things I can't afford. I won't claim, for the sake of analogy, that flying cross country on JetBlue is GOOD ENOUGH and that there's no need for a PRIVATE JET just because I can't afford a private jet!
Fry's is also in other reputable locations:
Oh and I'm not trying to nitpick. Just a public service announcement aimed at geeks with cash to burn.
After a lot of research I went with a flat tube. A sony XBR 34".
My main reasons were noise, and bulb replacement. Sure it's only $300 to replace a bulb, but if you don't have a retail store that carries them, you can be without TV for a week waiting for a replacement, unless you're proactive about it.
Brightness does not shift in the least, and has an extreme viewing angle (160+). I do get true 1080i and 720p, which makes a huge difference.
But the main reason is total lifetime of the projector. If you're really good with maintenance of all the parts, you can expect a 5-7 year lifetime. My tube TV will last 10+ years easy.
Personally I believe RPTVs blow (glare issues mostly), they're not $3500 anymore either. Clever shopping can get you a 65" for $2k. If you're an HT-aphile, projectors, while good when size matters, aren't necesarrily the best. If I had all the money in the world, I'd likely go with something like Samsung's 50" plasma for the pure picture quality.
Hey, now that's an interesting fact! I have like 6 years warranty on my current TV --- I wonder if any electronics superstores would offer warranties on projectors including the bulbs? Darn and my basement would've been perfect for a projector...
Fry's is also in other reputable locations:
Can you be specific as to which of those are reputable?
-- The world is watching America, and America is watching TV.
""We've used the default factory settings for all projectors so we get a fair comparison between them.""
"Perhaps for some measurements they used defaults and some they adjusted to match the reference image, but that's far from clear."
Oh dear. This is a huge mistake. Every display regardless of type MUST be tuned for its setting. There are slight variations between projectors, and settings ideal for one room and lighting suck for other rooms and lightings, so they just pick a generic setting and make that the stock "factory settings". One does NOT do default settings if you want the best picture or a fair comparison of what they can do.
Yes only Austin, Texas is reputable. :)
RTFA, lamp lifetime is 2000 to 3000 hrs for the reviewed projectors. If you didn't look into lamp lifetime and replacement cost before you bought your projector, then you obviously didn't do much research, as this is a commonly discussed concern.
It seems to me that the best way to get the projector out of the way and avoid blocking the beam would be to hang a box from the ceiling to hold the projector. For those of you out there that have projectors, is this what you guys are doing?
I just wonder about the logistics of connecting the projector to video sources, and the sources to your receiver and speakers, etc. I'm sure there are some cable length restrictions for some signals and I wonder how you all deal with them.
Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.
I was going to try the Do-Able board but now that I've read about the Misty Evening, it might be easier to just paint my wall instead. Right now I'm using my white wall which works well but I want something that will give me more contrast.
Here is a complete and detailed review of the InFocus X1 projector here:
InFocus X1 Review
This is a cheap and good projector to use.
The big differance with the X1 is the noise level; at 37dB I find the X1 compleatly unacceptable. Also the native resolution on the X1 is 4:3 and if I remember correctly, it's a 4 segmant color wheel, with poor color contrast. This is improved in movie mode because they turn off the white gegment on the color wheel, but this knocks off over a third of the lumes.
VENI, VIDI, VICI, DIXI
I have a 600 lumens 3-panel LCD projector (a couple years old) that I display 129" diagonal at 16:9 and 90" at 4:3. I admit that I had to buy new drapes for the three windows in room. I made sure that they were thick enough to block bright sunlight. During the day, I need to close the drapes, but I don't need to dim or turn off the lights in the room. Normal room lighting is not an issue, just sunlight. If you are able to control the sunlight in the room, 700 lumens at 110" diagonal should not be an issue. As for the picture quality, I've never had a complaint. Everyone who visits my house loves it, for movies, game and/or the Super Bowl. And as I've told everyone who has ever asked me about my project, "I can't go back". I know people that have paid more for their TV (tube or rear projection) than I paid for my projector, but their home theater will never compare to mine. I've been told that I need to sell tickets to the show and popcorn. I have also convinced four others at my work that a projector is the way to go. Two have already purchased projectors and the other two are researching which model to buy.
Well, the first weekend I had it I noticed the video inputs, so I hooked it up to my home theater and watched a movie, and I've been hooked ever since.
The inevitable happened and our standing meeting ended and I was left without a projector. Within a month I had bought a SharpVison. I, too, will never go back to a TV.
As I write this I am sitting on my couch with a wireless keyboard and mouse with a Samsung HLN50w Rear Projection DLP sitting about 12 feet in front of me (50" diagonal). It doubles as an HDTV and PC monitor. A new term has been coined for this type of computing - couch computing.
Frankly it is wonderful. I have a 50" 16:9 PC screen that is very bright and sharp. I invest in stocks and use this display during the day to track my accounts and so have some small fonts displayed which are very readable. I could display smaller fonts and still have them sharp, but my aging eyes have trouble with them. The extra screen space of the 16:9 ratio is great, too. I can get more windows on the screen at the same time than with a normal monitor.I am also an artist and use the TV/Monitor do do Photoshop work on my prints.
This is the way to go for computing unless you have to sit at a desk. It is a bit hard to write and take notes from the couch, but a desk would fix that. I do not think a projector would work very well in this situation since the light loss and lack of contrast in my very well-lit room would be a problem. I don't want to sit in the dark when I work. The DLP also prevents burn-in on the monitor. If you plan to couch-compute I would strongly recommend DLP or LCD which do not have burn-in problems.
As an added bonus I can have my Excel-based accounts displayed on screen during the day while I have a PIP of financial news services in the lower corner simultaneously (or a DVD or whatever). I use a HTPC (home theater PC) to run the monitor and can stream music, world radio, or digital music from my cable while I work.
This is close to computing heaven for me.
I know this for a fact since I've actually done the experiment comparing XGA and SVGA in native and inteprolated modes.
oh in case you are saying, well I could always run my XGA in a native mode and not use all its pixels. Sorry this doesn't work well since your only using a 25% of the pixels and thus get 25% of the lunmen, not to mention annoying borders and inadequate zoom.
Simple addition to the rescue!
4 hours per day per weekday = 20
14 waking hours per weekend day *2 = 28
48 hours per week.
which works out to just under 2500 hours per year, or something like $250 a year. Do keep in mind, of course, that although some projectors do have speakers on them, they're not intended to be used as such, and that you'd want to have some sort of stereo/surround audio system, so you wouldn't necessarily have to run the projector in order to hear your music DVDs.
You don't need 100% darkness to get a reasonable picture out of an X1 - unless you're a real videophile, which I'm not. You will need to get something in the room's windows, though. I'd say if you can read comfortably in a room, it's too bright.
Whether a projector makes a good TV replacement depends on how much you use the TV. I'm kind of an "event" TV-watcher (ie, the TV goes on for Simpsons or for a basketball game) so it works great for me. You certainly don't want to have a projector on as background TV while cleaning.
Let's not stir that bag of worms...