Advice on 1st projector.....WHF Claire?

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After seeing my friends projector set up in loft he says he never uses his 50 inch samsung plasma much apart from normal tv. I had a 40inch tv in mind but after seeing his set up fancied a projector...so poses a couple of questions. First off we will be watching from 12 ft so am i right in thinking a 6ft wide screen would be ideal? Reading other forums 1/2 viewing distance is rule of thumb? Also our ceilings are 7ft 6 inch high so what drop etc would be ideal.could you confirm this. Second after your review of panasonic pt-ax200 that is my 1st choice found it for £740 would i see that much of a difference paying the extra £750 to get a full hd panasonic 2000 model given the size off screen would be 80 inchs or so? If it was such a vast improvement i could justify spending the extra money...Would mostly be watching blu-ray/games via ps3 and some upscaled dvds plus the odd footy match. Last but not least whichever projector i opt for could you recommend a decent screen...confused about matt white or grey and gain......Sorry for all the questions but may as well get it right when spending the hard earned cash....

Thanks Neo77

 

[Anonymous]

One thing to watch out for if you're looking at ceiling mounting a projector is your light fittings - I've currently got my projector on a table, was looking at ceiling mounting it, and realised that most of the possible positions were likely to end up trying to project through the lampshade unless I either changed to a stubby light fitting that mounted directly to the ceiling or used a screen with the top a fair way from the ceiling (which is probably sensible anyway).

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah had thought about that jerry and just gona have to put it on a coffee table type thing infront of sofa....Because we have low ceilings and im 6ft 1 i would prob bang my head on it if it had to miss the light fittings

Thanks for comment though

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, getting the screen lower will be a smart move, not least to keep the neck-strain at a minimum when viewing

 

[Anonymous]

How much drop to the top of the active screen area do most ceiling mount screens give you? I'd sort of assumed 'not much' (especially for wall/ceiling ones) given that cheap screens would be trying to cut costs, and more expensive ones would hopefully be using expensive material...

 

[Anonymous]

Jerry go to www.intoav.com theres advice on there.......

 

[Anonymous]

Hi just thought id see if Claire had chance to comment on my questions yet? been reading up on www.projectorreviews.com about screens and panasonic 200 and 2000 and still no clearer as to what will be best for me....

 

[Andrew Everard]

Neo 77:
Hi just thought id see if Claire had chance to comment on my questions yet?

Clare's having a couple of days off ATM

 

[Anonymous]

No worries will wait till shes back unless theres anybody else with the knowledge cheers andy....

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well, being as i've been dealing with work emails, phone calls and texts most of the day, i've given up on trying to relax!

I'd suggest - as someone who sits theoretically way too close (same sort of distance as you're planning - 12ft) to an 80in screen, i'd say got for Full HD a) if you've got the right partnering equipment and b) you can afford it!

Anything HD excels on a set up like this, but you need damn fine upscaling to do justice to such a big picture at such a close viewing distance - the PS3 isn't going to cut it; the Panasonics will do a better job, but even they aren't exceptional. That's why I went for one of the big Onkyo receivers - it upscales everything out to my projector, including the PS3 (for non-native 1080p material), Sky HD and DVD.

As Andrew says, be wary of fitting the screen too high. Ours is above the fireplace, which is a little high (but we've adjusted our seating accordingly!)

Also, what's the lighting going to be like in the room? Only go for a high-gain screen if you really can't/don't want to blackout the room - otherwise a standard design will be fine. Try out different types of projector screen in action before you buy, not least to check the build quality - you'll want it to last a decent amount of time, and both styles and durability can vary massively. Check off-axis performance as well as straight-on viewing, too, as this can differ, and be a real issue if there's a lot of you watching.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Claire thanks for reply with you been so busy.

Edited due to house rules violation - Mods

on one projector review website they recommend if your projector is brighter than 1200 lumens then a high contrast grey screen would produce blacker blacks and better contrast! which would go hand in hand with pt-ax200.....any thoughts? During the day with the curtains closed it will be not blacked out but couldnt read anything.....and at night would imagine its cinema like due to thick dark red curtains. As i sadi before its 7ft 6 floor to ceiling so not great ceiling height. Would be having the projector on a coffee table type thing. Until i get to demo any kit im unsure and hard to find a dealer around with the facilities to compare.

Thanks again Lee

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:
Well, being as i've been dealing with work emails, phone calls and texts most of the day, i've given up on trying to relax!

I'd suggest - as someone who sits theoretically way too close (same sort of distance as you're planning - 12ft) to an 80in screen, i'd say got for Full HD a) if you've got the right partnering equipment and b) you can afford it!

Anything HD excels on a set up like this, but you need damn fine upscaling to do justice to such a big picture at such a close viewing distance - the PS3 isn't going to cut it; the Panasonics will do a better job, but even they aren't exceptional. That's why I went for one of the big Onkyo receivers - it upscales everything out to my projector, including the PS3 (for non-native 1080p material), Sky HD and DVD.

As Andrew says, be wary of fitting the screen too high. Ours is above the fireplace, which is a little high (but we've adjusted our seating accordingly!)

Also, what's the lighting going to be like in the room? Only go for a high-gain screen if you really can't/don't want to blackout the room - otherwise a standard design will be fine. Try out different types of projector screen in action before you buy, not least to check the build quality - you'll want it to last a decent amount of time, and both styles and durability can vary massively. Check off-axis performance as well as straight-on viewing, too, as this can differ, and be a real issue if there's a lot of you watching.

I'm about 10ft from a 42" Kuro ATM and have just ordered a 70" Eyeline electric screen, delivered tomorrow, which has a 73cm top border, plus 10cm housing should bring it down to the right viewing height. Will post views once it's up.
I havn't got a PJ yet, I'm waiting for the new Panny's, as I need lens shift and zoom which they have.
I'm thinking 720P, unless a suitable 1080P comes out, and will be watching Sky HD, PS3 Blu-Ray, upscaled DVD's and gaming, my Denon 3808 can upscale everything else. Oooh and it's got to be quiet as it will be above my nut!!

R

 

[Anonymous]

Screen arrived in very good time from Projectorpoint, it's a nice looking unit and fast in operation. Cloth seems okay and mounting was easy and the drop is adjustable.

It doesn't come with a remote, just a wall switch, so with the help of Maplins I've built myself a IR remote controller and it works a treat from my Harmony!! Well happy.

Still no PJ, going on holiday Friday so will investigate on return, maybe a Sanyo Z5 or a new Panny.

 

[Clare Newsome]

FYI, we're testing several new budget projectors that have come in - by the time you come back you may find some more reviews online....

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:FYI, we're testing several new budget projectors that have come in - by the time you come back you may find some more reviews online....

Cool, thanks.

R

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:FYI, we're testing several new budget projectors that have come in - by the time you come back you may find some more reviews online....

Any plans to test the Optoma HD700x? I have one of these, and for a sub-400 pound model it does surprisingly well I suspect the more expensive projectors may well do better - but it'd be intersting to see how it compares.

 

[Anonymous]

Neo 77:Jerry go to www.intoav.com theres advice on there.......

Thanks! looks as though they're around 50cm, which isn't as much as I'd like - not a problem if you're wall mounting, but tricky from the ceiling.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi fi nut nice set up m8. How big is the screen u have? How much was that from pp?

cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

Neo 77:
Hi fi nut nice set up m8. How big is the screen u have? How much was that from pp?

cheers.

cheers, it's a 70" with a 730mm top drop. I will see how it looks when I start watching stuff but I may contruct something to drop it down further.
I would have liked a bigger screen but as you can see from the room layout it couldn't be done due to a) the side wall and b) the wall mounted speakers as the screen comes down between them. Acoustic transparent screens are silly money.

Beamax do a 1 metre drop screen that looks good but it is quite a bit more expensive and too big for my layout.

It was £270 and came next day.

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

I am having the same dilemma. I wish to sort out a projector and screen over the next week for my daughters birthday party and the more I read the more I get confused!

My shortlist if down to the Panasonic pt-ax200 for £759 (if anyone can beat that amount please let me know), however I have also found the Sanyo PLV Z2000 reduced to £1209 - yes just about in budget, but 1080P resolution as opposed to the Pans 720P - my question is.... is it worth the extra? and can anyone find it cheaper?

I will be mating it with an Onkyo 606 (hopefully).

Any advice on how much to budget for a screen would be welcomed also.
Cheers Nick