Stop Projecting!

[Jon Liu]

If you can swing a Projector, they are definitely a blast to use! There's not much better than gaming on a 92" or bigger screen! Not that it did me any good, I still got owned, but it definitely adds to the excitement!

[namehater]

do they game well? i would have expected games to not refresh fast enough, leaving that 'ghosting' effect

[BiffCo]

Games play equally if not better than a stand alone set. My Panasonic AE900 looks fantastic when playing games, and HDDVD and Bluray movies look phenomenal as well. I've never noticed any ghosting or anything while playing games. I think staying away from the really low end stuff will prevent that.

In fact, I think LCD monitors in the 27-40 inch range have more of a chance of ghosting than a home theater PJ does. That's the thing though... Business projectors aren't really made for watching movies and playing games. They're made to show slideshows and Power Point presentations. Sticking with a home theater projector like the HD70 or AE900 will yield a better overall image.

Just don't try to play the Wii at anything over 55". The games on that system look absolutely horrid at anything above that.

-Brad

[namehater]

ok, so now im checking into this whole projector idea, but ive got a question, with lcd, dlp, and plasma tvs, there is a seating distance for optimal viewing, ie, to close looks grainy, does seating distance matter on a projector?

and i still have to figure out how dark my room needs to be for a PJ like you listed with 1000lumin rating

[KEEZY]

Best Buy has the HD70 for $859. I'm guessing you could still pull off manufacture's rebate for another $200 off. That is a STEAL for sure. Damn I wish I could pull the trigger.

EDIT: Ok, the rebate doesn't apply to BB... but that's still a good deal!

[Serren]

Well I installed my new HD projector this weekend. I ASSUMED that the throw distance on this projector would be similar to my last, but it was not. Before I had my old projector on a small shelf on the wall opposite like this (before clean-up) -



This setup filled the included 92" screen perfectly. Well the new projector, the HD70 has a reduced (or increased?) throw. On the same shelf, the smallest image I can display is 110"!

The good news is that even projecting onto my wall, a slighty off-white and slightly textured wall, the HD picture looked really great. I watched a bunch of HD shows, including some of the Live Earth concert and it was amazing at 110 inches. An episode of Cold Case was scary clear! The bags under the eyes, the ear hairs, all clealty visible in the actors.

DVD quality was actully about the same as my older 480p projector. So if you are a DVD truest, a 480p setup would easily make you happy. If you plan un upconverting DVD or watching HD, then a HD projector would be a better purchase of course.

The black levels did not seem as dark as the other projector at this point. But I was projecting onto a 92" 1.8 grain screen, where now I am on a wall with a larger image. So the darkness may be there, I just need to apple to apple compare the two.

At this point, I have to either get a larger screen, or ceiling mount the new projector closer to the included 92" screen. Not sure which way I am going yet. But a 110" image was WAY cool. At my viewing range, I can see no grid, and the HD clarity was amazing. For $949, the price is great value. Costco does have a full 90 day warranty if anyone would like to give the projection route a try without any return hassles. They even return the shipping charge!

[KEEZY]

That's is pretty damn cool. I have heard some people mention that the HD70/DarkChip2 could have better black levels. I'm sure the screen vs. wall has something to do with it too. I'm hoping they keep this MF at $949 for a while. I might pick this up in Sept.

[HUFN8OR]

Keezy:

Have you looked into this one?



It's made by Hasbro, and comes with a Smurf Doll to cuddle!

Or maybe this one...fits any budget!



I couldn't resist....

[namehater]

i actually bought that zoom box last xmas for my sons to play games on, but no kiddin, the room had to be pitch black to use it, was a fast return heh

[KEEZY]

Dude, whatever. I have 2 of those already!

[MadBryan]

Serren says "An episode of Cold Case was scary clear!"

I'm I the only one who thinks that chicks mouth is freakishly big! She looks like a large mouth bass to me. Thats some major veiwing for the bedroom dude. I would fall asleep everynite with it burning away and go thru alot of bulbs.

[namehater]

he put it in there for some leet pRoN

[KEEZY]

Here's a dumb question: Do the projectors have sleep timers?

[namehater]

thats not a dumb question at all! i would expect so since they behave like normal tv's

[MadBryan]

mine don't

[BiffCo]

Mine doesn't either. I've only fallen asleep with it on once. Didn't worry about it too much... I woke up 4 hours later.

-Brad

[KEEZY]

Fair enough. My g/f likes to fall asleep to movies. No longer, Sarah, no longer!

So, it seems there are a few bargain PJs out there.
HD70
Mits HD1000U
Panny PT-AE900U

Snap.

[Jon Liu]

All three of those projectors would be a good choice. Everyone gives each of those three rave reviews! I know more than a fair share of the PJ owners here had the Panny AE900, so you can't really go wrong with that one!

It does cost more, I guess in those comparisons, but it's also a brighter and has a higher contrast ratio than the others.

There are drawbacks to all three, though. The Mits and the Optoma are DLP, so you or your gf may be sensitive to the Rainbow Effect. The Panny is an LCD projector, which inherently doesn't have the black level even of that of the DLPs. With the Iris setting on, it will be pretty close, but that's just one of the drawbacks.