School me on a home theater projector please

[HiggyBaby 2617]

So moving soon and the new house has a media room with screen. Pre-wired for projector. I’m new to the Surly 1% and need input on the projector. I measured and it has a 15’ distance from projector to screen. Would something like this work? Probably won’t need 4K for sometime but would be nice to be future-proof. Anything else to look at?
I did search and found the receiver thread so that’s my next stop.
 
https://www.frys.com/product/9501492?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

Screen size and seating distance from the screen? Are you going to game on it?

Blacklab and I both have Sony VPL-HW??ES models and love them. Mine is pre 4K and I think his is too.

Processing speed is important if you want to game on it.

Read up a bit here-  https://www.avforums.com/forums/projectors-screens-video-processors.43/

Projector People is going to give you more more details than a big box store- https://www.projectorpeople.com/default.asp

Are you in a major city? HT installers are fading away due to 85" TVs with no light controlled room needed

Edited May 17, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

15 hours ago, HiggyBaby said:

 Probably won’t need 4K for sometime but would be nice to be future-proof. Anything else to look at?
 

Don't kid yourself about this in electronics,  There is already 8K stuff at CES.

[jimmyjazz 47205]

1 hour ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

HT installers are fading away due to 85" TVs with no light controlled room needed

That was my first thought.  I guess in a big enough room a projector can throw a much bigger image but those days are probably numbered.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

That was my first thought.  I guess in a big enough room a projector can throw a much bigger image but those days are probably numbered.

Projectors most likely revert to being a videophile niche. If they figure out how to join four TV panels seamlessly it will be all but dead.  I can't see how you'd ship a 120-150 inch single panel presently. If roll up TV screens advance that would make it feasible.

[blacklab 12064]

Until they are shipping 170 inch tv's they can pry my projector from my cold dead hands. I have a big room with a high ceiling and the projector really works great. I'd rather watch movies at home rather than the theater.

projector in the first post seems ok.

head over to projectorcentral.com for reviews and rankings.

 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

22 minutes ago, blacklab said:

Until they are shipping 170 inch tv's they can pry my projector from my cold dead hands. I have a big room with a high ceiling and the projector really works great. I'd rather watch movies at home rather than the theater.

projector in the first post seems ok.

head over to projectorcentral.com for reviews and rankings.

 

It is a little slow on lag time for gaming on. 

170"! DAMN.  That is four 85" TVs worth of video goodness.

Edited May 17, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[rage-a-holic 4733]

Avoid the 4k projector hype right now, most aren't true 4k anyway. The ultra short throw Mi laser 4k is coming to the US soon at around $2k if you really want to spend the money.

https://www.mi.com/global/mi-laser-projector-150/

 

Keep an eye on slickdeals or set an alert for BenQ or Epson deals. BenQ regularly runs deals on 1080p HT refurbs with good warranties that your credit card will likely extend for a year.

My two main setups are a BenQ W1070 w/ 120" screen and an Optoma HD23 w/90" screen. The BenQ has much better picture and reliability, but the Optoma is not bad.

[HiggyBaby 2617]

Thanks for the input. I’m going to get back over to the new place this weekend and measure the screen and circle back to this thread. Yes there will be a gaming console hooked up.

[HiggyBaby 2617]

Ok. The screen is 103” diagonal (the useable part). 90”x 50”. Seating will be probably in the 8 to 12’ range. Would prefer to stay closer to $1000 than $2k.

[HiggyBaby 2617]

Screen size and seating distance from the screen? Are you going to game on it?
Blacklab and I both have Sony VPL-HW??ES models and love them. Mine is pre 4K and I think his is too.
Processing speed is important if you want to game on it.
Read up a bit here-  https://www.avforums.com/forums/projectors-screens-video-processors.43/
Projector People is going to give you more more details than a big box store- https://www.projectorpeople.com/default.asp
Are you in a major city? HT installers are fading away due to 85" TVs with no light controlled room needed

DFW. Thanks for the links.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

Register at AVS and offer this guy $650-700.  350 is nothing for hours. The kids and I could do double that, or more, gaming 12+ hours a day during one summer break. Lamps are around $100 these days and I just changed mine at about 4.5 years.  It was around a year past when the change lamp display started showing before my colors went wonky forcing me to change the lamp. It is 3D capable. I'm the only person in my house that knows ours is 3D capable.

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/252-front-projector/3046816-fs-sony-vpl-hw40es-great-condition-low-hours.html

Edited May 20, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

^^^

That should the kids and I have done double that multiple summers. 

[fattyflattie 4640]

I'm thinking about switching from TV to projector in ours.  I've studied it some, but just cant get a great feel for it.  Watching this thread.

[rage-a-holic 4733]

Not sure I would ever recommend buying a used primary projector, especially one over $300. I've had 8 projectors over the last 20 years. Several of them had issues under warranty that were fixed. One died 4 months post warranty. It's a crapshoot, but a warranty, especially one extended by your credit card, is good protection.

I'm sure that Sony is nice, but there is no guarantee that the mainboard/DMD chip/etc won't go tits up after a few months and turn it into a boat anchor.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

Pretty that was a $2,400 projector to begin with and I haven’t seen any history of SXRD engine issues but don’t follow that closely  anymore. But, to your point he should ask questions about why so few hours. 

[HiggyBaby 2617]

Thanks. I’ll ping the guy.

 

EDIT: looks like he sold it.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

5 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

Not sure I would ever recommend buying a used primary projector, especially one over $300. I've had 8 projectors over the last 20 years. Several of them had issues under warranty that were fixed. One died 4 months post warranty. It's a crapshoot, but a warranty, especially one extended by your credit card, is good protection.

I'm sure that Sony is nice, but there is no guarantee that the mainboard/DMD chip/etc won't go tits up after a few months and turn it into a boat anchor.

How much money have you put into 8 Projectors instead of 2-4 higher quality ones? You're touting buying refurbs while saying avoid used? That don't make no sense.

The BenQ 1070 is really slow for gaming.  It's almost 40% slower than that Sony's gaming mode.

If you're a videophile that Sony's contrast levels will kick that BenQ's butt.  Once optimized/calibrated the Sony is 40% brighter, not much, if any, of an issue at his screen size. What is the fan noise level? That Sony is 4' above the heads of those sitting in the chairs on the risers in my HT and you can't hear it.

Edited May 21, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

8 minutes ago, HiggyBaby said:

Thanks. I’ll ping the guy.

That was a $2,500 dollar projector.  300 hours would around 200 movies over 4-5 years making it 1 a week or fewer.  I'd guess that it hasn't been gamed on and they aren't sports fans or they travelled for work a whole lot.

Edited May 21, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[rage-a-holic 4733]

1 hour ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

How much money have you put into 8 Projectors instead of 2-4 higher quality ones? You're touting buying refurbs while saying avoid used? That don't make no sense.

The BenQ 1070 is really slow for gaming.  It's almost 40% slower than that Sony's gaming mode.

If you're a videophile that Sony's contrast levels will kick that BenQ's butt.  Once optimized/calibrated the Sony is 40% brighter, not much, if any, of an issue at his screen size. What is the fan noise level? That Sony is 4' above the heads of those sitting in the chairs on the risers in my HT and you can't hear it.

Calm down Beavis. No one was talking shit about your Sony or talking up the W1070. I said buying without a warranty was a crapshoot.

BenQ makes some decent projectors and their refurbs have a 1 year warranty that many credit cards will extend. I'll keep recommending that over an internet P2P used purchase all fucking day long.

And don't make assumptions when you don't know shit. I didn't say "I've burned through 7 out of 8 projectors in 20 years". Of those 8, 5 are still in rotation at my house. One I donated to a family camp a few years ago where it's still going strong. My buddy in Playa has another one and I'll be watching stuff on it next week. Only one of those 8 is in a landfill.

That Sony is nice and a good buy if you could find a refurb with warranty for around $650-700, but you think a relative n00b to the projector world should drop $700 on a used projector that's been out of production for 3 years. I disagree. Whatever.

[TKthunder2 5059]

Thinking about getting a projector permanently installed. Mostly for sports, primarily for college football but I’d even enjoy having baseball/basketball games playing without sound while we watch other shows on my main TV. I’ve borrowed a projector from work occasionally and set it up like you can see in this picture. But if anyone has any advice I’m very interested because I know next to nothing about projectors.

[Buzzrock 15136]

I recently moved into a house where the seller left a 90” screen and the room all wired for 5.1 (including leaving two rear speakers in the ceiling). I bought an Optoma HD143X and managed to make the left-behind ceiling mount work.

The image shift on the Optoma isn’t great, and the mount isn’t exactly where it needs to be for this projector. As a result the projector is not pointing straight at the wall, resulting in a slightly wonky image. But once you start a game or a movie you really can’t tell. For less than $500 I’m happy with it as my first HD projector. 4K is a lot more expensive so I’ll let them come down.

Two inescapable things about projectors: the darker the room the better (a projector cannot project black) and they all make noise. Sometimes the noise from the Optoma is noticeable (it’s right above the big sectional in the room). But for a kids video game/movie room it’s fine. If I want a better movie experience I’ll go to the basement and watch on the 65” 4K.

Optoma HD143X 1080p 3000 Lumens... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077C5FLJF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

On 5/19/2019 at 10:37 PM, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Register at AVS and offer this guy $650-700.  350 is nothing for hours. The kids and I could do double that, or more, gaming 12+ hours a day during one summer break. Lamps are around $100 these days and I just changed mine at about 4.5 years.  It was around a year past when the change lamp display started showing before my colors went wonky forcing me to change the lamp. It is 3D capable. I'm the only person in my house that knows ours is 3D capable.

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/252-front-projector/3046816-fs-sony-vpl-hw40es-great-condition-low-hours.html

So, i'm a moron.  The kids are now off for the summer and gaming in the home theater, I should have changed the lamp when the projector told me it was time.  Color is so much better with the new lamp.  

Edited May 25, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[HiggyBaby 2617]

Screen size and seating distance from the screen? Are you going to game on it?
Blacklab and I both have Sony VPL-HW??ES models and love them. Mine is pre 4K and I think his is too.
Processing speed is important if you want to game on it.
Read up a bit here-  https://www.avforums.com/forums/projectors-screens-video-processors.43/
Projector People is going to give you more more details than a big box store- https://www.projectorpeople.com/default.asp
Are you in a major city? HT installers are fading away due to 85" TVs with no light controlled room needed

Found some one local selling a low time VPL-HW30ES for a grand. He’s pretty firm on the price. Good deal?

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

^^^

Nope. The 30 is a fairly old model with lower lumens, the 35-40-45 are much better than the 30.  A new in the box 45 goes for $1400 on eBay. Here's a 40 with 636 hours on it and a backup lamp and ceiling mount for under $800, on buy it now, shipped. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-VPL-HW40ES-SXRD-1080p-Projector/202693122993?epid=219582488&hash=item2f31739bb1:g:WXoAAOSwX5tc5Wzf

If you have a snipe program there are zero bids with the auction expiring today. Note there are 8 people watching which means they all likely have snipe programs.

Edited June 5, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Tailgate 3077]

I am running with the Sony 4k projector and like it quite a bit so far. I can tell you screens make a huge difference and if you have the budget check out the Black Diamond at Screen Innovations. I have the 120" and people think it's a TV when they walk in before they see the projector.

https://www.screeninnovations.com/materials/black-diamond/

 

Edited June 5, 2019 by Tailgate

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

Out of curiosity I just checked hours on my projector it was 3456. So, we put around 3400 hours on the first lamp. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[mulletpelini 5225]

On 5/17/2019 at 4:56 PM, rage-a-holic said:

Keep an eye on slickdeals or set an alert for BenQ or Epson deals. BenQ regularly runs deals on 1080p HT refurbs with good warranties that your credit card will likely extend for a year.

This is good advice for a first timer.  I've owned 2 BenQ's over the past 15 years, bought at cost and resold for damn near what I payed, so I literally rented it like poooosy.

Don't have one currently but will probably buy another once my new theater is ready at end of summer for foooking football.  Gonna do a dual setup this time around, I always liked those setups.  Probably do a 70+ flatscreen on the wall for regular viewing and have a dropdown 120" drop in front of it for movies and Nebraska football and WSU basketball bitches.  

BenQ's are set pretty well out of the box, which is why its a great first timer proj, especially at the price range you're in.  I've still got the original 26" BenQ flatscreen I bought back in 2002, still works fine.  Actually that's not true, the remote stopped working, TV works fine.

https://gizmodo.com/we-found-the-home-projector-thats-actually-worth-it-1834254369

 

Edited June 6, 2019 by mulletpelini

[HiggyBaby 2617]

^^^
Nope. The 30 is a fairly old model with lower lumens, the 35-40-45 are much better than the 30.  A new in the box 45 goes for $1400 on eBay. Here's a 40 with 636 hours on it and a backup lamp and ceiling mount for under $800, on buy it now, shipped. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-VPL-HW40ES-SXRD-1080p-Projector/202693122993?epid=219582488&hash=item2f31739bb1:g:WXoAAOSwX5tc5Wzf
If you have a snipe program there are zero bids with the auction expiring today. Note there are 8 people watching which means they all likely have snipe programs.

Thanks

[HiggyBaby 2617]

Update: ended up with a manufacturer refurbed Epson 5040UB for just a little more than the Sony was going for. So far very pleased. 

[mulletpelini 5225]

Damn, I was a bit shocked at that weight.  Epson is good shit, hope it works well for you.  Let us know, I might look that direction in the fall.

[HiggyBaby 2617]

It is yeah. Used a mount good for twice as much weight and bolted it to the ceiling stud with lag bolts.

[Spur08 384]

Bumpity bump

Just got a new house w a formal media room and am working on getting it up by week 2 of football. Anyone have feedback on an Epson 3800? Anything better in that price range? We will mainly use for TV and sports, but I would like to do some Modern Warfare-ing.

[Spur08 384]

On 9/7/2020 at 9:23 AM, Spur08 said:

Bumpity bump

Just got a new house w a formal media room and am working on getting it up by week 2 of football. Anyone have feedback on an Epson 3800? Anything better in that price range? We will mainly use for TV and sports, but I would like to do some Modern Warfare-ing.

Not everyone all at once now

[blacklab 12064]

projectorcentral.com

reviews, rankings, best under $x dollar stuff.

[Viper 12220]

I only have about 10 feet to project from so going with a mounted projector would give me about an 80 in screen. I've started looking at the new ultra short throw projectors that can fill my screen of about 110in and require no mounting (saving $800 or so). I'm watching this one for a sale, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FBNDGBK/?coliid=ILAENIMDNBIV 

Samsung has a couple coming out soon too but they will probably be $4000+

[Spur08 384]

I only have about 10 feet to project from so going with a mounted projector would give me about an 80 in screen. I've started looking at the new ultra short throw projectors that can fill my screen of about 110in and require no mounting (saving $800 or so). I'm watching this one for a sale, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FBNDGBK/?coliid=ILAENIMDNBIV 
Samsung has a couple coming out soon too but they will probably be $4000+

I saw Samsungs latest short throw laser, which looked amazing but $$$$. I'm confused by the mount amount though. Aren't mounts only like $100? How are you getting to $800?

[Viper 12220]

47 minutes ago, Spur08 said:

1 hour ago, Viper said:

I only have about 10 feet to project from so going with a mounted projector would give me about an 80 in screen. I've started looking at the new ultra short throw projectors that can fill my screen of about 110in and require no mounting (saving $800 or so). I'm watching this one for a sale, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FBNDGBK/?coliid=ILAENIMDNBIV 
Samsung has a couple coming out soon too but they will probably be $4000+

I saw Samsungs latest short throw laser, which looked amazing but $$$$. I'm confused by the mount amount though. Aren't mounts only like $100? How are you getting to $800?

I'll admit I haven't researched much so maybe it's cheaper, I was just thinking the amount to mount and run wires for a projector and all that.

[Baboontyme 2883]

On 9/7/2020 at 10:23 AM, Spur08 said:

Bumpity bump

Just got a new house w a formal media room and am working on getting it up by week 2 of football. Anyone have feedback on an Epson 3800? Anything better in that price range? We will mainly use for TV and sports, but I would like to do some Modern Warfare-ing.

I have a 3500. No real complaints thus far. I've had it probably 2-3 years. 

[Landomatic 3813]

On 5/17/2019 at 9:15 AM, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Are you in a major city? HT installers are fading away due to 85" TVs with no light controlled room needed

I've had 2 theaters with projectors in my last two houses and this is the route I'm leaning for my next one.  I had 110" the first round and 100" the next round and didn't notice the 10" difference at all.  This room is slightly smaller so I think 85" will be just fine.  And less money, easier to install, etc.

[Spur08 384]

Does anyone know what the yellow wire is? I assume blue is internet from central home wiring cabinet and large grey is obviously hdmi.

And in other picture, coax is? Sub? General coax from central home wiring cabinet?

[Viper 12220]

What does the yellow wire have printed on it?looks like cat5e or cat6. Maybe for a phone line?

[Spur08 384]

13 minutes ago, Viper said:

What does the yellow wire have printed on it?looks like cat5e or cat6. Maybe for a phone line?

  I'll have to check when I get home. I doubt it's a phone line, it's a formal media room.

[blacklab 12064]

what's the end of it look like?

[Spur08 384]

On 10/25/2020 at 7:38 PM, blacklab said:

what's the end of it look like?

It's an untapped cat5E cable.

 

Do you think the blue cat5 is the cable from the main run to the media room and the yellow might be the media room line to the ceiling drop?

[blacklab 12064]

No idea, could be anything.

May go to  ceiling, could go to central junction box, 

You can get a $30 wire tracer if you can't figure out where it goes. Plug one part into the wire then you can take the other part around the house checking places to see if it traces

[rage-a-holic 4733]

Running multiple ethernet lines is just good future proofing, which is probably what you have there. I'm betting they terminate in the same place, but as blab mentioned, you need to trace them out. The coax cable is probably just the main coax drop you'll find in every room, for cable/satellite. Maybe MoCA.

[Ignatius 4142]

You can pop an RCA connector on that coax to connect to your sub if the other end of it is in a good area.

Anyine have recs on in-wall/ceiling speakers? Looking to set up a 7.1.4 Atmos setup in a house we’re building and for various reasons (mainly wife related) wold prefer those to free standing. These would be almost 100% for TV viewing (sports, movies); any music being played over them wouldn’t impact the buying decision, and no gamers in the house. I’m looking at an Epson 5050 projector and whichever model of Denon receiver it is that handles 7.1.4 natively...

Edited October 28, 2020 by Ignatius

[ChickenSandwich 9959]

dp

 

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by ChickenSandwich

[ChickenSandwich 9959]

On 10/27/2020 at 10:02 PM, Ignatius said:

You can pop an RCA connector on that coax to connect to your sub if the other end of it is in a good area.

Anyine have recs on in-wall/ceiling speakers? Looking to set up a 7.1.4 Atmos setup in a house we’re building and for various reasons (mainly wife related) wold prefer those to free standing. These would be almost 100% for TV viewing (sports, movies); any music being played over them wouldn’t impact the buying decision, and no gamers in the house. I’m looking at an Epson 5050 projector and whichever model of Denon receiver it is that handles 7.1.4 natively...

budget? will determine everything else  (speakers most important besides tv)

Expensive: Klipsch THX in walls are great for home theater but run a grand a piece.  You only really need to spend real money on the front three speakers (L/C/R).  All of the Atmos and surround can be filled with cheap in wall speakers (monoprice 6.5in or 5.25 aprx $80 each).  All of the speakers do not need to be the same brand, but most prefer the L/C/Rs to be timbre matched

Cheap: Monoprice, polk, and some better brands lower lines like Revel etc

https://www.klipsch.com/custom-install/in-wall/thx-cinema-series

7.2.4 is the basic standard on most new AVRs regardless of brand.  Denon and Marantz are both nice.  Look for a 9 channel set up or a 7 channel with pre-out capability to upgrade to 9 or 11 channels with external amp.

you can also find the non-THX version of the Klipsch on Amazon for about half price each.

Don't forget the subwoofer or 2. 

You will get the most out of your budget and experience in order:

1. TV/Projector (if projector, screen just as important)

2. Speakers (tires on the Road)

3. Subwoofer (with no floor standing, will be a requirement and will make a huge home theater experience ie pressurize the room)

Edited October 29, 2020 by ChickenSandwich