Projectors - is there enough difference to warrant extra cash for a 1080p over a 720p model?

[JamesOK]

I am currently looking at projectors. I am not a massive film fan, and prefer to spend my money on my 2 channel setup than film setup. However I probably watch about 1 film a week (or couple of weeks) and have xbox which I play quite regularly.

I dont want to spend a fortune on a projector setup, and have seen you can get a 720p setup for about £500 + a screen. 1080p however, are minimum £900.

So my simple question is - is it worth paying £400 + more for a full HD projector over a 720p model?

Interested to hear peoples experiences, this will inevitably end up with me taking a trip to a dealer, but would be good to know what people think first.

 

[matengawhat]

if you have a lot of 1080p materiel blu ray player for example and watch a lot of movies yes - if you only watch tv and have dvd poss not for you

upscaled dvds and tv aren't the same - sd materiel you would get away with 720p

also depends if you have something with a good upscaling chip in it ans the ones in the projector will prob be average - i use the onkyo 876 to upscale xbox which i output at 720p sky box is set to auto and then the onkyo upscales all to 1080p

i recently upgraded from an optoma hd65 to an optoma hd20 for me it was def worth it

also depends how big an image you want and how far you sit from the screen

 

[JamesOK]

matengawhat:
if you have a lot of 1080p materiel blu ray player for example and watch a lot of movies yes - if you only watch tv and have dvd poss not for you

upscaled dvds and tv aren't the same - sd materiel you would get away with 720p

also depends if you have something with a good upscaling chip in it ans the ones in the projector will prob be average - i use the onkyo 876 to upscale xbox which i output at 720p sky box is set to auto and then the onkyo upscales all to 1080p

i recently upgraded from an optoma hd65 to an optoma hd20 for me it was def worth it

also depends how big an image you want and how far you sit from the screen

Thanks for the quick response. The films I watch are all Blu Ray (got a membership to LoveFilm). Dont currently have an AV amp (well I do, but its not worth mentioning).

I was thinking about the HD20 - that was the £900 price range. I sit approx 4 - 5 metres away from the screen and my room would fit probably an 84 - 90 inch screen.

 

[matengawhat]

will you only be using it for movies and xbox - what about tv viewing do you have sky or freeview etc?

i have an 106 inch screen and sit about 4m from it and about to move a little further back prob to the 5m mark - from the distance you're talking you wouldn't see the pixels/grid which you can sometimes see from anything less than 2m on a 720p you can't see them on a 1080p unless your like 2 feet away - the cheaper projectors tend to be dlp so you could do with seeing one to see if you can see rainbows and whether they bother you - if i look for them i can see them but needs to move my eyes fast across the screen

unless your getting a deal i would say buy the projector and decide where you want to put it and then see how big a screen you can get in

the jump from 40" tv to 720p projector is bigger than the same image increasin from 720p to 1080p

i was very happy with my 720p projector for about a year before stepping up

setting up the projector properly is very important more so than a tv although a lot of guidance online for settings if you google your make and model number

i now watch everything through my projector - i have blinds and curtains to kill light but the projector is plenty bright enough even will quite a lot of ambient light

interior decor direct great places for cheap but quality made to measure blinds far better than buying from the local diy shop

 

[JamesOK]

matengawhat:
will you only be using it for movies and xbox - what about tv viewing do you have sky or freeview etc?

i have an 106 inch screen and sit about 4m from it and about to move a little further back prob to the 5m mark - from the distance you're talking you wouldn't see the pixels/grid which you can sometimes see from anything less than 2m on a 720p you can't see them on a 1080p unless your like 2 feet away - the cheaper projectors tend to be dlp so you could do with seeing one to see if you can see rainbows and whether they bother you - if i look for them i can see them but needs to move my eyes fast across the screen

unless your getting a deal i would say buy the projector and decide where you want to put it and then see how big a screen you can get in

the jump from 40" tv to 720p projector is bigger than the same image increasin from 720p to 1080p

i was very happy with my 720p projector for about a year before stepping up

i now watch everything through my projector - i have blinds and curtains to kill light but the projector is plenty bright enough even will quite a lot of ambient light

interior decor direct great places for cheap but quality made to measure blinds far better than buying from the local diy shop

I have a reasonable size TV too, so it will likely only be xbox and films on the projector. I have read about the rainbow effect too, so as you say I'll need to look at that. I guess the only real test it to go and try some out.

So apart from the pixelation, is the PQ significantly different (when sitting far enough away) between 720 and 1080?

 

[matengawhat]

thats something you will need to determine for yourself - it was for me. watching blu-rays in their native 1080p is def a lot sharper than downscaling it to 720p but you may find that 720p is good enough for you. Also not that easy to compare as you would need two permanent setups playing at the same time to watch and compare back to back.

 

[Anonymous]

If you do decide to go the 1080p projector route. May I suggest the Sanyo PLV-Z700 as I have. I moved up from the 720p Optoma HD65 and never looked backed. Whilst a bigger beast than the Optoma (twice the size) the Sanyo runs silent and has a terriffic picture. If you hunt around as I did you can pick one up for £920 which is about £100 differential between the HD20 and Epsom which are it's rival as per last month What Hifi (December) magazine review.

The Sanyo is also very usable in day as all I need to do is close the curtains (cream without blackout) and you get a very decent picture though a little washed out. If you use a grey screen rather than white blacks hold a lot better in various conditions. The upscale is very good though I tend only to scale up to 720p otherwise scaling too high (1080p) can make picture grainy as with most projectors they are not forgiving with poor video source.

I use mine for Bluray and Wii gaming and have an LCD for general TV. The combination is super. I will say whichever projector you settle for you will want the full surround sound for that movie/gaming experience.

 

[matengawhat]

if you send the sanyo anything less than a 1080p source doesn't the sanyo just upscale all images to 1080p?

 

[JamesOK]

azd:
If you do decide to go the 1080p projector route. May I suggest the Sanyo PLV-Z700 as I have. I moved up from the 720p Optoma HD65 and never looked backed. Whilst a bigger beast than the Optoma (twice the size) the Sanyo runs silent and has a terriffic picture. If you hunt around as I did you can pick one up for £920 which is about £100 differential between the HD20 and Epsom which are it's rival as per last month What Hifi (December) magazine review.

The Sanyo is also very usable in day as all I need to do is close the curtains (cream without blackout) and you get a very decent picture though a little washed out. If you use a grey screen rather than white blacks hold a lot better in various conditions. The upscale is very good though I tend only to scale up to 720p otherwise scaling too high (1080p) can make picture grainy as with most projectors they are not forgiving with poor video source.

I use mine for Bluray and Wii gaming and have an LCD for general TV. The combination is super. I will say whichever projector you settle for you will want the full surround sound for that movie/gaming experience.

Thanks for the tip on the Sanyo. I will have a look.

 

[JamesOK]

matengawhat:
thats something you will need to determine for yourself - it was for me. watching blu-rays in their native 1080p is def a lot sharper than downscaling it to 720p but you may find that 720p is good enough for you. Also not that easy to compare as you would need two permanent setups playing at the same time to watch and compare back to back.

Fair points. I think its fairly conclusive I need to go and demo some. Ive just realised yours is the rather impressive setup in the My System forum! so thats a 104" screen? Admitedly I am not sure my room is wide enough for that size.

 

[matengawhat]

yep - thats mine - the screen is 106" diag so about 2.5m wide - it was more height than width i was struggling with

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

In answer to Matengawhat question, yes you're right. However if you the DVD/ Bluray player to up scale to 1080p as I understand the then the projector will do nothing. However by setting the dvd to a lower scale and let the projector do the rest the results are much better. I think there is a need to play with the scalers and decide what's best i.e do you let the player, amp or projector do the work. But that's another topic. However the Sanyo does have a good scaler on board.

JamesOK

With regards to screen I only have a an 84" widescreen (in a 5m room) so again the Sanyo works well for me as it has more adjustment available to work with different rooms size and can be set up from the rear either left or right of the screen as well as the more traditional ceiling or table. .

With regards to testing that definitely the way forward as this is what I did. Richer Sounds have demo rooms and have a limited number of projectors but it does allow you to see one first hand in action

Most important, have fun and enjoy. You'll probably end up with a different conclusion as to what's best for you

 

[JamesOK]

azd:
Hi there,

In answer to Matengawhat question, yes you're right. However if you the DVD/ Bluray player to up scale to 1080p as I understand the then the projector will do nothing. However by setting the dvd to a lower scale and let the projector do the rest the results are much better. I think there is a need to play with the scalers and decide what's best i.e do you let the player, amp or projector do the work. But that's another topic. However the Sanyo does have a good scaler on board.

JamesOK

With regards to screen I only have a an 84" widescreen (in a 5m room) so again the Sanyo works well for me as it has more adjustment available to work with different rooms size and can be set up from the rear either left or right of the screen as well as the more traditional ceiling or table. .

With regards to testing that definitely the way forward as this is what I did. Richer Sounds have demo rooms and have a limited number of projectors but it does allow you to see one first hand in action

Most important, have fun and enjoy. You'll probably end up with a different conclusion as to what's best for you

Thanks azd, a Richer Sounds with a demo room eh? Cant say I have seen one of those for quite a few years. Certainly my nearest doesnt have one.

Its got to be some demos I reckon. Although I am also considering, based on the amount of time it will be used, whether 720p may suffice.

 

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I went through the same dilemma before buying the Sanyo. Will it be worth the upgrade? All I can say is a resounding, yes.

With Sony's five star rated BDP S-760 Bluray Player being sold now, between £80-£100 compared to its retail price of £180, Bluray will be more and more in demand and by later this/next year as they become cheaper to buy (disc now starting at £7 at HMV) and more projectors are released with Full HD you will feel you're missing out.

I nearly bought the Panasonic AX200E which was a steal selling at £700 which is 720p looking for just a better improvement and reduced noise over the HD65. But after a lot of thought I did think this was a short term measure especially when you really appreciate the quality of Full HD on a larger screen. Also if you're like me and spend time installing and getting everything where you want, concealing cabling, plastering etc the last thing I want to do is take it out again any time soon.

My wife is not into AV equipment but the single best thing I bought was the projector and she thinks its superb. We are not high users either as we use it to watch movies (twice/ three times a week) and play wii (once a week) because of the kids. But as we can't easily get to the cinema these day the extra expense was worth it. Also as a low user, the bulb if well looked after will last ages (3/4yrs depending on use).

Shame, your RS doesn't have a demo room. I live in SW London and know there many other places in central London if you can get there such as Projector Point etc. They can go through the tour using your own material to watch and have most of the projectors discussed in stock.

An alternative idea, if you just want to see the difference between 720 and 1080p pop down to curry's, RS or Comet etc and ask them to play a 1080p Blu Ray disc on a Full HD large screen TV (42" +) against one without. If you see the difference then you will certainly see it a 84"!

Regards

Az

 

[JamesOK]

Thanks AZD, a really useful reply. I really need to get along to a shop and have a look.

 

[Xanderzdad]

I have just upgraded my Benq PE7700 (720p) projector to a Mitsubishi HC7000 (1080p). The difference is very visible on a 6 - 10 foot screen. It is not just the extra detail - the sharpness and brightness are better.

Also the upscaling makes normal TV look great and DVD's are almost as good as Bluray.

 

[robstar63]

I now have a Sanyo PLVZ 700 full HD PJ. I have to say that the extra sharpness and clarity is well worth having. I now find myself going back through films that I havent watched for ages just to see how good they look in full HD - the picture difference is that much better and it is a new experience seeing older stuff in Full HD if you,ve never seen it that way before. I would whole heartedly recommend the Sanyo having previously had the Panasonic PTAX200E