So.....

at the moment I'm in the process of developing my basement into a media/cinema room and am looking at getting a projector and screen (obviously:D).

I have been trawling around on tinternet for a decent setup but to be honest its a bl00dy minefield.

so just a few questions to the knowledgeable among us! bear in mind I'm looking at a 720p setup as the 1080p's are out of my price range and to be honest I'm not too concerned about the picture quality difference between the two as it doesn't seem worth double the price.

1) how many HDMi inputs do I need? most seem to come with just one, is that enough? I'm gonna br running a PS3 and a HDtv box through it.

2) is there an optimum distance to mount projector from screen?

3) which is better, 3LCD or DLP?

4) can anyone recommend a decent projector/screen setup they are currently or have used?

5) I have my eye on this bundle but ideally wanted a 100inch screen

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10323907&whse=BCCA&Ne=4000000&eCat=BCCA|79|22377|22378&N=4009873&Mo=23&pos=0&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&cat=22378&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1〈=en-CA&Sp=C&ec=BCCA-EC13327-Cat22377&topnav=

any good?

all help welcome!

thanks in advance

Mark

Edited 3 June, 200917 yr by m17rkj

It is a bit of a minefield

1) It depends. If you're planning on having an AV receiver with multiple HDMI inputs, then the PJ only really needs one input because you can use the amplifier as a switching box.

2) There will be an optimum distance, or rather a range of distances. However, this will depend on the size of screen you want and most importantly on the projector because each projector's lens will have a different "throw". Take a look at Projection Calculator Pro - Projector to Screen Distance It's very neat and you can plug in the details and it'll work out distances for you

3) Oooooh. Now that's like saying do you prefer an LCD TV or a plasma TV In general, DLPs will produce a better black. LCDs tend to have a not so rich black, more like a dark grey and as a result, their contrast ratio is not so good. Now if you're in a totally blacked out room, you'll notice the dark grey and it'll really bring down the picture quality.

However, DLPs work with what's called a colour wheel. This wheel is multicolour and spins round really fast. There is a side effect from low speed colour wheels called "rainbow effect". Now not everyone notices rainbow effects, but those who do find it very distracting and it causes headaches and not pleasant for a lengthy viewing experience. More recent and higher spec DLPs have faster spinning colour wheels reducing rainbow effect pretty much completely.

So if I were you, I'd phone a couple of local proper home cinema / hifi dealers and book an hour session in their demo room. That way you can see for yourself if you'd suffer from rainbow effect (bring wife / girlfriend / best friend along so they can see too!)

4) My current projector is a Sony VPL-VW50. It was the first "affordable" full HD PJ and I love it. But it's a fast moving market and already three generations old I'm not sure what the prices are in Canada, but entry level full HD PJs are not that expensive IMHO.

4) Screens are another lengthy subject. But as well as the screen, the room's decoration has a just as important if not more so impact on the final picture quality. For example, if you have a white ceiling and walls, these will reflect a lot of light so you'll lose out on contrast and the best screen won't help. You can get different screens with different material or "gain" which will determine how much light they bounce back at you. High gain screens are the better option if you have a low powered PJ and a massive screen. I just have a £20 Ikea blackout rollerblind as my screen. It does a good job, doesn't warp (edges curl in distorting the picture) and for the money, I can't complain. But then again, my PJ is in my lounge with bright coloured walls so I'm never going to get the best picture quality.

Do you have an AV amp? Do you have a budget? (careful with the answer to that one!! )

If you haven't looked, I'd highly recommend taking a look at AVForums.com Home Their forums are massive and have a lot of information, although it can be daunting if you're starting from scratch and don't know how to get going.

much obliged

that forum looks like a mine of info and i will take the time to look thru it.

the package i was looking at does include an AV amp so what you said makes perfect sense. the basement will be painted out in darker colors as i wanted to go for the "cinema" look (with some neon signs too ) so I'm happy about that!

the calculator link you posted puts my viewing and throw distances almost perfect to where i'm looking to mount the PJ and place the seating so progress being made!

Thanks again

Mark

No worries

If you have a controlled light environment, then you can go for a lower powered projector and still get a very enjoyable picture. However, be warned about the ANSI lumens rated by the manufacturers, they can be wildly out. If you want to compare true effective brightness, you need to get a reading for calibrated lumens which will always be a lot lower than what the manufacturer says. For example, one manufacturer may claim 800 ANSI lumens whereas another might say 1200 ANSI lumens, but it may well be that once calibrated, the 800 ANSI version is brighter than the 1200

So with that in mind, whatever you end up getting as a projector, I highly recommend setting some money aside to have it properly calibrated by an expert. It shouldn't cost too much and he'd be able to get the best colour balance and most aesthetically pleasing picture possible.

I wouldn't worry too much about the latest amplifier. You don't really need all the latest HD codec support, especially if your main viewing (for the moment ) is just XBOX and HDTV. Plus, to get the best out of HD audio codecs, you really need to have pukka speakers which really puts the price up.

If you can get a 1080 projector, it would be better, as everything bluray is 1080p. But I guess the HDTV you receive may only be 720p and of course you can set the xbox to output 720p.

So.... what's your budget for all the electronics + speakers? :evil:

Thanks again for the info, have decided to go with the bundle in the link above. after a bit of research it would appear to be a pretty decent setup for the money and comes with a decent AV amp and speakers. i went to a local PJ retailer who had 2 Epsons set up side by side, one a 1080p the other a 720 unit, the 1080 version was double the price! the picture quality was better but not double the price better! Think I'll wait till the prices come down a bit before i invest in a 1080 unit.

Cheers

Mark

OK

Do post some pics when it's all set up

OK

Do post some pics when it's all set up

will do. i was tempted to post some of the pics i've already taken in the project journals section still might!

Mark