I've been really thinking about getting a projector for various reasons such a ease of portability etc..I'm completely new at this and if anyone could answe these questions, it would be great:

1) is there anything in particular that I should watch out? eg recurring cost like lamp price and number of hrs etc? lumens etc?

2) is there any major drawbacks in having a projector to just watch a movie once in a while as opposed to a big screen tv

3) here is a link comparing two projectors that I'm contemplating getting? any suggestions?

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/compar ... &langid=EN

thanks

Hi I just recently bought a Infocus 4805 and I am loving every minute of it. Its a low end projector , but is def worth it. I bought mine at Costco for < 1200 $ with a 76" screen free. The screen is not good , but its free so why bother

There is quantum leap in terms of picture quality. Check out , the following forum is your best bet for all your research needs ( sometimes the info is just over-whelming)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre ... focus+4805

Unlike buying a TV , buying a projector is much more involved so plan-plan-plan, at the least you need to take care of

- Your budget
- Where you want to place your projector
- How much TV/movies/games you watch/play
- Screen Size ( throw distance etc)
- Video interface ( I use a component , but hear that DVI is the way to go )
- recurring cost ( ~ 300-350 $) in bulb for every 3000 hours

The biggest difference I saw ( in a bad way ) is that the room has to be dark - else the picture quality sucks . also the content is important - watching reference quality DVD's or HD rocks - but watching a poor transfer DVD just magnifies the videos shortcomings !

I myself just started the transition and I am completely in love. I am sure others here have good experience and would love to hear what they have to say.

One thing is for sure - I AM NOT GOING BACK TO STANDARD TV

awesome reply..thanks a tonne..anything u'd buy in that link I gave?

also the infocus one u have..its got 750 lumens..is that enough? the more the better?

Sorry - i am not familiar enough to make a comment on those ones.

750 lumens is "low" thus making it bad when there is ambient light - if thats not a problem then this a great buy .

I reccommend Infocus SP4805 as well. It's a budget EDTV projector that handles HDTV signal well. but if you need the higher resolution, you are looking at $1000+ difference, with the Toshiba MT700 (DLP). another budget projector that I personally don't have experience with but is highly acclaimed is Optoma H31 - sub $1100.

I like the Infocus SP4805 very much. Excellent contrast & color rendition. Only draw back to budget projectors is that you have to sit at least 2x the distance of the projected image, else you will notice pixelation, screen door, and other undesired artifacts. The Faroujda processer makes SP4805 more desirable than the Optoma if you intend on viewing Stand Def TV. this projector is worth every penny. It's got loud fan noise though.

Don't be too concerned about the advertised Lumen output or contrast ratings. If you are looking to use your projector in a normal living room with day light, forget it! You need to get black out drapes, and possibly dark drapes so that the light doesn't reflect back onto the screen from typical white walls. I personally don't like to watch movies during the day, or with lighting during the movie, and watch mostly movies & not too much of regular tv programming (other than LOST), so front projectors are the way to go for me.

Another thing you need to take into consideration is the placement/positioning of the projector. There is a 720p projector by Panasonic (AE700U) that allows you to have a very flexible setup. I'd personally go with an SP4805 till 1080p projectors

Congratulations dvdsoil! I'm sure you hardly get out of the house after your pruchase have you had a chance to check out some of the iDream dvd's on your fp?

I've noticed nobody has been mentioning this whole DLP technology thing..I guess it isn't that important? (cause there r projector that do sell for sub 1000 with DLP)...again I'm totally new to this projector stuff and hence the naive questions..

anyone know of any place in canada that sells this infocus sp4805?

um..the 3 projectors I mentioned, Infocus SP4805, Optoma H31, and Toshiba TDPMT700 all use DLP technology. The Panasonic AE700U however uses LCD technology.

DLP IS better technology in terms of contrast and over all image quality, but SOME people (not very common) see "rainbows" with DLP projectors, some people also suffer from eye strain after long period of watching (2hr movie even).

If you are looking at a sub $1000 budget, forget it! Infocus SP4805 and Optoma H31 are JUST slightly above $1000 USD. Go with either of these 2, you'll be happy. You should check to see if you or your family members are sensitive to DLP Rainbows first!! The optoma is apparently much quieter than the infocus model, but if you have a nice surround sound system, you will hardly notice the fan noise except during quiet scenes (which I sometimes find bothersome).

Here's a link to a review website:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/banding_rainbows.htm
read this article first, then go to their home page and read their home theater projector reviews.

The Sony HS51 LCD is pretty good for its price.

hey sorry I didnt see this forum, I bought Infocus X1 and its same as Infocus SP4805, but only difference is that it has a different firmware, which means different default settings.

Another mail difference is that 4805 supports component video where as in X1 you have to get it done thru' an adaptor (which I bought for $20)

X1 is $800 and SP4805 is close to 1100.

NOTE: X1 is not manufactured anymore and you would be lucky to get one.

Dont get X2. Its NOT X1 + 1, but X1 - 1, meaning less feature than X1.

Also visit this page

http://www.projectorcentral.com/

The basic differences in "general" are that certain office product projectors are tuned for high lumens (1100) and home product projectors are tuned for low lumens (700-800).

Also office projectors are more reliable and less priced than home product projectors.

Last but not least, you will NOT find a retailer who sells both (per some agreement!) so you can not compare prices between office projector and home projector by the same retailer.

FYI, I bought my projector from http://www.costcentral.com. I ordered on Thursday and got them by Friday. I dont know if they live near my place, but they do ship very fast.

FYI, I paied $165 for my screen seperately and bought ceiling mount for about $150. Once you buy your projector, give a call to mountsanmore and explain your hall and other situation (their website itsel has recommended screen etc but call them and they will guide you thru the material you should buy etc). http://www.mountsandmore.com. You dont have to buy from them, but they are cheaper and I bought from them as well.

thanks to everyone so far for writing..just had a fw more questions, so office projector seems better and cheaper than home entertainment projectors, why don't more people get it? any cons on getting the office projectors?

perhaps this will help you

http://www.projectorpeople.com/projectors/qa.asp?qa=10

also worth reading

http://www.projectorcentral.com/formats.htm

An office projector is not made for home cinema. It's about brightness, displaying charts etc.
For a home cinema you want:
- correct colors
- the higher the contrast the better
- HD resolution (720p or 1080p), not some fancy computer resolution not compatible with video standards
- proper motion rendition (no lag/smear), office is for static images

I bought BENQ PB 6100 ( DLP ) projector . I am very happy with it . it is 1500 lumens . I bought it from Staples depot ( Canada ) for the price of $ 999.99 Canadian. after rebate . the lamp last upto 3000hrs in economy mode .

DU, just to clarify, Infocus X1 is the same machine as the SP4800 not SP4805. X1 and 4800 are 4:3 800*600 res projectors. the 4805 is a 16:9 854*480 projector with better contrast than the previous model.

I just saw an sp4805 for under $1000USD after manufacturer rebate

Hi Guys

Has anyone had any experience with the Sanyo Z2 projector?

Someone at work is selling one for about £800 - it's had 90 hours use ... still under warrenty.

Any good or isn't the whole projector arena that simple?

Thanks,

Muz.