[sloaner]

I was just told I can borrow one from work but I think I want one of my own.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Did a bit of research on projectors, DLP vs. LCD. The pros and cons seem to generally be the following:

LCD Projectors: Strengths

* Richer color dynamics for better results in rooms with ample ambient light
* Draw less power
* Throw less heat
* No color filter wheel = No "rainbow effect"
* Slightly quieter
* Seemingly sharper image on data

DLP Projectors: Strengths

* Smoother video
* Smaller box
* Pixels far less visible
* More "film-like" on DVD and HDTV
* Generate "blacker" blacks
* Higher contrast

LCD Projectors: Disadvantages

* More visible pixels
* Some "screen door" effect on certain video images
* Physically larger - Even for the same number of lumens
* Poorer contrast
* Blacks come out lighter gray than DLP projectors

DLP Projectors: Disadvantages

* Rainbow effect bothers some
* More moving parts (color filter wheel)
* Color filter wheel often produces soft but audible whine
* Poorer reds and yellows at full power
* Color saturation
* Need more lumens than LCD, for rich colors, when dealing with ambient light

Ultimately I went with LCD. Since I may use this projector in varied locations, I wanted one that would be bright enough to project a visible image in a room for ambient light. The one I got shines a respectable 2,500 lumens.

DLP is supposed to have better contrast for truer blacks, but the LCD model I got seems to have decent contrast ratio too. And if I can see pixels, I'm not really bothered by that. Just reminds me that I'm viewing a true crisp digital feed.

DLP seems well suited for a controlled home theater setting where you can get the room entirely dark, and want to have a theater film like experience. Maybe one day I'll have a true home theater.

But for my current uses - everything from Hallowindow displays, giant sized video gaming, and public guerilla cinema screenings (in areas with ambient light) the LCD projector seems like it will surely do the trick.

I went with the Epson Home Cinema 705HD. Seemed to be a great price, for the specs and HD capability.

[mesmark]

I bought the Epison TW700 about 3 years ago. It's not as nice as the 720 but it works great!

I'd say go with whatever is within your budget and don't feel the need to splurge. The technology on projectors gets better every year and the price drops as well. If you buy a 'top of the line' model you'll probably end up paying too much for quality you can't differentiate.

On that note, I went with LCD because I wanted to be able to watch movies in the middle of the day. However, I got black out curtains for my home theater so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

[GUS]

Glad you got one you are happy with, for your Guerilla film viewing / mobile set up something like a JBL animal computer speaker system ( micro L/R & sub) is both diminutive in size but has largess in terms of quality output.

[GUS]

Folks, those with projectors & anyone with experience of..

I'm not overly keen on having a big unsightly "package" of an unfurled screen ruining the lines of my room, so does anyone have experience of blackwidow projector paint for walls?
The idea is to complement my DLP & accentuate the blacks, bringing the other colours forward, ..I do have a screen but it is neither to my liking , nor big enough for our moveable set-up.
Reason i'm asking is that we currently play it onto a wall, which isn't perfect, however as most of the genre movies (ie horror) are all dark in the main i'd like to concentrate on this area (not to mention the room layout).

[mesmark]

Gus - You seem to be much more concerned about performance than I am, but I set up my home theater just to project onto a wall. No screen. I did that, one, because like you said the screen isn't the best decoration for the living room and two, by projecting onto the wall, I can make the screen much bigger. The max wall space between the DVD cabinets is 2.0m width. I don't know what the diagonal measure on the is, but big. So big actually we'd have to back the seats up to see everything if it was any bigger. So, I'm going to go with just right.



I have black out curtains and can get the room pretty dark during the day. At night, it's not a problem at all.

I chose not to go with a flat white wallpaper because I thought the light might bounce black too much in a glare type fashion. So, it has very very tiny blotch type bumps. Actually flat white might have been better. If I pause the movie, I can see where the wallpaper is causing slight distortion in some of the lines. However, when the movie is rolling, I don't feel like I need any more clarity.

I never run my projector on economy mode. Full color, bright lights in the daytime, all the time.

I have at times stopped the projector to compare the blacks/greys, but they look fine to me. I'm still using an analog cable to connect to my projector because the local store didn't have a 10m digital cord in stock and when everything was finished I couldn't wait for a digital cable. I figured one day, I'd eventually buy a digital cable and be impressed with the upgrade. Something to look forward to.

All in all, my home theater blows away all the competition except the iMax theater a 4 hour drive away. My set up is a much better experience than the places around here.

[GUS]

Thanks Mesmark, you have the distinct advantage in that picture of minimal window shoving light through.
We have a 3 sided bay window so light is always present (handy for hallowindow, awful come summer as it faces due west & gets alot of sun over the course of the day.

I'm looking at plantation shutters with blackout rollers ..however thats around $3000 u.s.
The other option is that the wall i'm holding in preference (plasterboard / brick outer), comes down & is insulated then re-covered in hardiebacker for a flat & tougher surface, painted up & move from there.

I think the dining room is going to have to become cinema room for the summer months (only 1 large window set but thick curtains.
..the downside of a temp room change is a smaller 80-90 inch image.
I also have a high efficiency woodburner in the living room & placement would be to the side of the woodburner, not ideal, so removed / covered when not in use...
Hate screens but they have their place.
I'll start witha lick of paint & see how it shapes up, currently can see brickdust (red) on the walls from beating the hell out of the room, so ythat isnt helping any.

which reminds me the filter must be due a clean!!!!

[mesmark]

Gus - yeah, I guess you're right. I do have a pretty dark staging area. Actually though, the DVD cabinet towers on the right and left are partitioned into three sections. You can sort of see that in the picture. The middle section is actually a window. If we open up those doors, we get some light and ventilation. I lost a lot of DVD storage space but it's good to have air!

The back of the room is all glass. Here's another shot from the room right next to the theater.



You can't see the windows and doors but you can see the light coming in. Between the rooms I have doors so we can close the whole place up, but I almost never do. However, even that area has windows and a glass door for letting light in.

The back curtains are black-out curtains but some light still gets in. It's not even close to pitch black during the day, but it's not bad.

My theater room is actually a bit messed up with the stairway that juts out into the room. it's a little cramped and I wish I didn't have that, but you work with what you can, make the best of the space and I think we did.

I'd think paint would send more light back than wallpaper. But, I'm sure you're much more well read on the subject.

Shutters seem like they'd do the trick, but that's a pretty steep price tag. Seems like you could remodel for a little bit more and have an optimal room instead of making due with some adjustments.

What about some accordion type window covers on the inside? Basically just like cabinet doors but in smaller segments that fold up accordion style while not in use, but cover the window completely when you want to black out the room.

Do you watch a lot of movies during the day time? Do you have a lot of street lamps and light pouring in at night?

[GUS]

Yes LOADS of light, & as we have a nipper, alot of films consumed during the day, after school, week-ends etc.

I'm going to stick up some very messy insulation boards as a temp measure in the brightest moments to guage light reduction whilst I changew the room around, but invariably it'll be slow, this way i can guage blocking & hopefully present a plan to the wife!

if it aint 90+ inches it aint a film

[GUS]

Mesmark, those chairs are very comfy arent they?! it looks like the original brand, (pricey but tough).

[mesmark]

Mesmark, those chairs are very comfy arent they?! it looks like the original brand, (pricey but tough).

Gus - you know your home theaters and furniture.

Yes, those chairs were a tough decision. They were exactly what I was looking for. they're really comfortable (like sitting on hug) and light, so they can be moved around by me and the wife. I went around for a couple weeks looking at other chairs and nothing quite felt the same. I even made a 2 hour commute to their main store in Tokyo before deciding to get those. (They come in 3 sizes, small medium and large.)

The home theater was a dream of mine and we cut some corners in a few places on the new house. So, I justified the purchase by not getting a roof in the kid's bedroom - all natural kids, at one with nature, "organic" if you will ...

All in all, a fantastic choice. Although, the chairs do stop me from getting a puppy for the kids. If that puppy ever chewed on those chairs, it would be a horror film in my house ...

[GUS]

Mark, if they are the "peerless" brand as I anticipate then the leather is top quality, we have 3 dogs (boxers) & have in that time had around 14 puppies not one has shown an interest in chewing our chairs, they tend to chew when teeth hurt (bonjela) & decent chew toys (dried pigs ears are great & so are any form of dried offal fora dog to really gnaw on)

It's all about knowing what to expect, though frankly I would curb the enthusiasm about getting a dog ...just for the quieter life, cleaner carpets, no shedding etc etc...

stick to pumpkins!

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Mesmark, your little home theater looks great. Nice and cozy. Good job setting that up, you must get a lot of enjoyment from that. I also have a goal of setting up something similar, but I don't really have a good space for it currently (or a large enough blank wall, to be honest).

Eventually I'll get something set up, but for now, I'm still able to use the auditorium. This photo isn't great, but you can see it's a full size stage, that has been filled in with a giant white wall. When projecting a movie image onto that, it's just like being at the movie theater.



If anyone else has a home theater room, or creative display area for a projector, I'd love to see photos of your setup.

[GUS]

Ahem, when the renovations are complete prob after the London olypmics I'll send a pic in.