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General discussion

Home Theatre with Projector

Dec 17, 2004 4:42AM PST

I'm moving home soon and was thinking of updating the entertainment system. WE already have a Sony Dream System and would like to keep that if possible.
I was thinking Plasma/LCD however, doing some research, would a Projector be just as good. Has anyone had any experience with this type of system.

ie.
Projector position, running cables(Max Length) type of projector and if the output is much better/worse than either of the other.

At the end of the day I would like a big screen, but the cost of the larger screens is kind of prohibitive and so thought the projector would be a better bet and get a bigger viewing area at the same time.

Any advice is very much appreciated.
Cheers
DocWavers

Discussion is locked

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projector
Dec 22, 2004 4:07AM PST

I'm using an older Epson 50c LCD projector with a fairly reflective Dalite screen. Projector has a fairly low distance adjustment so must be roughly 12' from the screen. I have it mounted on the ceiling and inverted.

This set-up has served me well, but I only use it for movie watching and it has drawbacks (a degree of pixellation, a tough time dealing with dimly-lit scenes, noisy fan). On the bright side, it gives the illusion of being in a theatre. Because of the restrictions presented by my room, I sit about 1l' from the screen and size is roughly 70" diagonal.

I would not replace a TV with this system. It's not as user friendly, you have to wait for the bulb to cool, bulbs are expensive, you want to have a fairly dark room to begin with. As part of an HT system, it's great though. I'll likely upgrade to a newer DLP unit at some point in the future, but I'm very satisfied for now.

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Front projector vs. other display types
Dec 23, 2004 5:40AM PST

I work for a company that retails digital display products like front & rear projection TV's plus flat panel displays. I have a ScreenPlay 4805 front projector with a 92" screen and is great for DVD movies & Sunday football but I'm not sure i'd recommend a front projector for everyday TV viewing. If you have a dedicated room with control of the lighting then it might work fine for you but you'll want to consider the lamp replacement costs & room environment to decide if this really makes sense for you. Have you cosidered a digital rear projection TV? Many options are available up to 61" diagonal.