TV vs projector - which one to go for?

[bigboss]

I may be closing on a deal for a house closer to my work place, which gives me a clean slate to build my new home cinema!

As always, there is a fireplace, and my OH yet again has vetoed any suggestion of taking it off!

Interestingly, the ground floor has no radiators and has underfloor heating, which potentially allows me to use the bay window space for home cinema. The viewing distance increases to 23 feet. See the plan below:

For such a distance, even a 65-inch TV will be tiny I think. Besides, I do not want to block the window. So I have 3 options:

1) Get a 65-inch TV, and use TV lift mechanism so it's out of sight when not in use. Not sure of the bay window height though, if it can accommodate the TV.

2) Go pure projector route and ditch the TV completely. How will SD pictures look at this distance? How suitable is it for general TV viewing?

3) Use a cheap 50-inch TV for general TV viewing, and projector for movies.

What do you think?

And while we're at it, has anyone seen the JVC X500R? I heard it's a pseudo 4K projector. How does it display native 4K content? How is 3D performance?

 

[simonlewis]

If it were me i would go for option 3) i watch a lot of tv though, and options 1) & 2) sounds like too much hassel if you just want to watch a bit of tv.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Most people have a good enough TV for general viewing, even if it is only HD Ready (720p). This is fine for the news or Eastenders, but movies (generally being 2.35:1 or even greater) ideally need a larger screen. Scale is king when it comes to home theatre.

At around £7,000, i would think that anyone considering this PJ would also consider the Sony VW500, which does offer genuine 4K playback. Of course, whilst being a great looking projector for Bluray playback in its own right (just as the X700 would be), the main benefit of the So y would be for those who do want to move on to 4K playback material in the future - if that intention isn't there, then the JVC would be back in contention.

 

[BenLaw]

Option 3.

 

[strapped for cash]

Agreed. Option 3.

Keep your Kuro for general TV viewing and add a projector for the late night home cinema experience.

That makes the most sense to me, practically speaking.

 

[abacus]

Option 3, I have been using it for a good number of years and you can’t be beat it.

There are some quality projectors at the lower end of the market, and it may be worth trying these and when the lamp wears out, then have a look a 4K projectors as the market should have balanced itself by then. (If you buy a 4K projector today you may still find that a couple of years down the line you will want to replace it when you find it doesn’t even match the latest budget 4K projectors)

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[bigboss]

Thanks for the replies! With regards to option 3, I will not specially make a TV lift for a 5-year old TV even if it's a Kuro. So I can keep it as a corner unit. But then, speaker arrangement will be messed up, with projector screen against the bay window, and TV in the corner. Any ideas? :?

 

[bigboss]

Thinking about it, I may go for a corner set up to begin with, with new set of speakers & AV receiver. When the Kuro dies, I can buy a cheap 50-inch TV with TV rise, and projector for movies.

 

[BenLaw]

Why do you need a TV lift? Just have the screen come down right in front of the TV.

 

[bigboss]

Don't want to block the bay window when TV is not in use.

 

[bigboss]

Most people have a good enough TV for general viewing, even if it is only HD Ready (720p). This is fine for the news or Eastenders, but movies (generally being 2.35:1 or even greater) ideally need a larger screen. Scale is king when it comes to home theatre.

At around £7,000, i would think that anyone considering this PJ would also consider the Sony VW500, which does offer genuine 4K playback. Of course, whilst being a great looking projector for Bluray playback in its own right (just as the X700 would be), the main benefit of the So y would be for those who do want to move on to 4K playback material in the future - if that intention isn't there, then the JVC would be back in contention.

Thanks David! I've heard that Sony VW500's 3D isn't good, and Sony themselves said that 3D wasn't their focus. What do you think? If I'm buying a projector, I will want to future proof it. So 4K is important.

There's an interesting session at CES on 7th Jan, which should provide more answers regarding the future of 4K.

 

[BenLaw]

Don't want to block the bay window when TV is not in use.

What are the room measurements?

 

[bigboss]

23'4" (7.11m) excluding the walk-in bay window x 13'8" (4.17m).

 

[Paddyfin]

Option 3..........

And option 4....... Convert the internal garage to a dedicated AV room everyone's a winner

 

[Frank Harvey]

Thanks David! I've heard that Sony VW500's 3D isn't good, and Sony themselves said that 3D wasn't their focus. What do you think? If I'm buying a projector, I will want to future proof it. So 4K is important.

A work colleague installed one and got to see 3D there, and he said it looked fine. Admittedly, we're not great 3D lovers here, although we are eagerly awaiting the release of Gravity in 3D. To my knowledge, no one has asked in store to see the VW500 in 3D - I get the impression that most people who are interested in 4K aren't too interested in 3D.

There's an interesting session at CES on 7th Jan, which should provide more answers regarding the future of 4K.

With the announcement that Netflix will be supporting 4K next year, and the fact that YouTube already supports 4K, things look like they will move pretty fast next year. No doubt that LoveFilm will have to follow Netflix's lead, and who knows - maybe the next Apple TV will be 4K compatible (Apple products usually have a 12 month cycle...). Presumptions could be made that Sony's Playstation 4 will also play some part in a big 4K push next year. So overall, it looks like 4K is much closer than we thought, with more solid info emerging at CES.

 

[strapped for cash]

Awkward room arrangement is of course a common problem for AV enthusiasts.

Siting a TV or projector screen in a bay window seems impractical in terms of performance. You'd presumably need to keep the curtains drawn to use either. The corner solution is of course a no-go with a projector screen.

Maybe the answer is a different house, with a sitting room better suited to home cinema. I'm guessing your wife (and probably yourself) would regard this as too radical a solution. As suggested above, a corner TV for the sitting room and a separate dedicated cinema room/garage conversion could work.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Option 3..........

And option 4....... Convert the internal garage to a dedicated AV room everyone's a winner

Option 5...turn the garage into a living room (how much space do you need to sit down in a room with no TV or hi-fi? ), and convert the living room into a REALLY NICE home theatre

 

[BenLaw]

23'4" (7.11m) excluding the walk-in bay window x 13'8" (4.17m).

Have you considered watching across the width of the room then? Would avoid the bay window problems. Although I agree with option 4!

 

[strapped for cash]

Have you considered watching across the width of the room then?

The room is certainly wide enough for this; but the result would be a corridor effect that could seriously mess with BB's feng shui.

 

[macdiddy]

Hi bigboss

just read a review of the Sony 4k projector on trustedreviews.com say that the VPL-VW500ES delivers an outstanding 3D performance.

hope this helps



the VW500ES delivers an outstanding 3D performance
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-vpl-vw500es_Projector_review_3d-and-conclusions_Page-3#HBkVYcJ4di0HdRtL.99the VW500ES delivers an outstanding 3D performance
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-vpl-vw500es_Projector_review_3d-and-conclusions_Page-3#HBkVYcJ4di0HdRtL.99

 

[bigboss]

I dare not touch the garage!! I cannot even suggest this option to my OH. It's a useful storage space. Besides, my current gym will have to go there. Coming from a double garage, it will already be tight there.

This review isn't so glowing about 3D though, & their reviews are usually better than trusted reviews.

For the TV to be across the width, the fireplace will need to go, or will need amending. This option has been ruled out by my better half. Or else, the TV will be on either side of it, which isn't good either.

At the moment, a corner placement seems most practical. It's a lovely house otherwise, and if I'm pragmatic, rejecting it merely on the basis of the home cinema issue is stupidity.

 

[strapped for cash]

It's a lovely house otherwise, and if I'm pragmatic, rejecting it merely on the basis of the home cinema issue is stupidity.

It wasn't a serious suggestion. (Though some enthusiasts might allow such factors to sway their decision!)

 

[BenLaw]

It's a lovely house otherwise, and if I'm pragmatic, rejecting it merely on the basis of the home cinema issue is stupidity.

It wasn't a serious suggestion. (Though some enthusiasts might allow such factors to sway their decision!)

Call me crazy, but it's certainly something I took into account. A family spends a lot of time in the living room and I didn't want to be there regretting the layout every time it crossed my mind. If I was in a house with a bay I wanted to be able to view from the bay back across the room. Obviously not possible with a door as per BB's layout.

 

[bigboss]

Yes, it many cases, it is an important factor. I rejected quite a few houses with an old fireplace, like this one:

It's impossible to have a decent home cinema setup in such rooms.

 

[strapped for cash]

Call me crazy, but it's certainly something I took into account.

I don't think it's crazy to choose a house that suits personal requirements.

Others might demand space for hundreds of shoes, for instance. (There's no gender implication here. A young man ruled houses out on this basis on Property Ladder.)

There's nevertheless a tipping point at which our hobbies might cloud rational decision.

When I last bought a house, more than a decade back, I recall thinking that the square, relatively large living room with no fireplace would house AV kit nicely; but this was far from top of my list of priorities.