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Topic:
Are Multimedia Projectors OK for Home Theater?
This thread has 6 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Tuesday November 30, 1999 at 21:21
Steven
Historic Forum Post
I've seen many multimedia projectors advertised in computer magazines. I was wondering if they work well in a home theater environment?

I see different specs for them. Can you explain them? Here are some specs for a Sharp brand:

Resolution (native)

800 x 600 (SVGA)

ANSI Lumens

700

Resolution (max. supported)

1024 x 768 (XGA)

Portable?
Yes

Compatiblity Notes
Video System: NTSC/PAL/SECAM
PC Compatibility: SVGA (XGA, VGA w/ ImageACE Resizing)
MAC Compatibility: 800 x 600 (1024 x 768, 832 x 624, 640 x 480 w/ ImageACE Resizing) MAC 1024x768 (832x624, 640x400 w/ ImageACE Resizing)

Resolution: SVGA (800x600)
580 Scan-doubled TV Lines
XGA / VGA Resizing: Intelligent ImageACE Resizing
Panel # & Type: 3 - 0.9" Polysilicon TFT LCD
Colors: 16.7 Million (Full Color)
Screen Size: 40" to 300" (diagonal)

Ports/Connectors
Inputs / Outputs
2 - Data Inputs [15pin HD Female (24-55 kHz, 50-85 Hz)]
1 - Video Input [Composite (RCA) or S-Video (4 pin DIN)]
2 - Stereo Audio Inputs (RCA pair L/R; 3.5mm Stereo Minijack)
1 - Audio Out (3.5mm Stereo Minijack)
RS-232C Serial Port (9 pin D-sub female)


What is considered ideal?

I appreciate any advice you care to share with me!

Thanks
OP | Post 2 made on Wednesday December 1, 1999 at 18:27
Haggar the Horrible
Historic Forum Post
so long as they have the right input's.

component,composite,s-video, a remote, etc.
OP | Post 3 made on Monday December 6, 1999 at 23:52
Mike Kelly
Historic Forum Post
Steven

I installed a Proxima projector in my theater and it works great. It has 800x600 resolution. I compared it to those with 1024x768 and found no difference when sending an s-video signal from a DVD through them both. Be aware though, when you watch TV on an 80 inch screen, you really notice how bad a TV signal is. Any stations that have poor reception will be multiplied by 4 or so at that size. I must say though that it's great seeing a 16:9 image that is 5 feet wide and almost 4 feet tall!

Regards,
Mike
OP | Post 4 made on Tuesday December 7, 1999 at 08:37
Steven
Historic Forum Post
Will they hold up well, being used for long periods of time like a regular TV?

Are there any negatives with using this type of projector?

They seem to be much less in cost than buying a projector that is designed for home theater.

What kind do you recomend? Price range?

Thanks again,

Steven
OP | Post 5 made on Thursday December 9, 1999 at 11:35
Mike Kelly
Historic Forum Post
Steven:

The lamps last for 1000 hours or more. They cost between $100-$300. We have a projector at work that is on all day for an average of 4 days per week and we are seeing about 24 months of use on the lamp.

One of the major things to consider in purchasing a projector is brightness. In a dark room, you will want to have at least 650 lumens of brightness. However, you never run the projector at maximum brightness because you loose all the contrast. So if you can get an 800-1000 lumen projector, you can run it at 50% brightness, have great contrast, and still see the picture in a dimly lit room. Unless you get a 2500-3000 lumen projector (very expensive) you will never be able to view your image in full daylight (like you can with a TV). So make sure your theater is in a room that can be darkened.

The other thing to consider is connectability. I would consider S-video for minimum acceptable quality. You will need a receiver with s-video switching and all your components will need to have s-video output. The ideal setup is if your receiver and projector have component video connectors (I think that is what it's called. It's the one with either 3 or 4 connectors.) That will give you the best picture quality and will give you the best chance of being HDTV compliant in the future.

The last thing I will mention is to plan your room carefully. Try to avoid a long cable run from the receiver to your projector. It's expensive, and unless you get premium cable, you will suffer in signal quality.

Hope that helps,
Mike
OP | Post 6 made on Friday December 10, 1999 at 04:56
Torsten
Historic Forum Post
Steven,
Mike helped you allready a lot I guess. When you whant to go for a projector, please notice the the best results will be realized only when it is more or less completly dark in your viewing room. So, installing a dimmer would be nice. The conectors are important. In my opinion a S-VHS, a chinch video in and a VGA is a must when you consider to use the projector with a PC to run DVD`s. (Surfing on the Internet or playing a PC game on a big screen is great). If you do not have a VGA in on your projector you could connect your PC via a TV out on a PC card. I am using a Davis 650 which is running fine, having a 8 feet screen and a viewing distance of 20 feet. The ansi lumen should be about 600. I have noticed during many demonstrations, that a higher ansi lumen does not mean that the picture would be more crisp or that the colors would be displayed better. A higher ansi lumen is recomendeble when you need a projector for presentations were you can not dimm the light down to a certain limit.
I hope I could help you
Torsten
OP | Post 7 made on Friday December 10, 1999 at 22:07
Bill Lucas
Historic Forum Post
One thing should be made clear. We're talking about LCD projectors here. You will NEVER have "great contrast" with an LCD projector. LCD projectors have 2 inherent flaws. The first is the screen door effect which has gotten better on many projectors but still exists. The 2nd flaw is poor black levels. If you want a great image from a front projector CRT is still the one to beat. Sure, it's big, heavy and can be a chore to set up but the image quality from a properly setup CRT projector is still the best you can get.

Good luck in your search.

For more information about FPTV from many well informed owners visit AVScience.com and go to the projector forum.


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