Projector for viewing TV/Movies

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silkman

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I have a largw sliding door (no wall) where I wanted to hang a retractible projector from the ceiling. Are projectors a good idea for DSTV and media players?
anyone know where I can go to check these out?
 
Hi,

Most good / high-end AV shops will have projectors on display to demo.

Not sure if you have any experience with projectors, but incase you don't, here is some info:

* Generally, projectors can only be used in a room where you can control the light in the room - i.e. it needs to be pretty dark, otherwise the picture is very washed out. That is why most people only use them in dedicated cinema rooms or only use them at night, or have very thick curtains on all windows.
* I don't think that a projector will be great for general TV viewing (esp. in the day, for the reasons above).
* Projectors are normally used when the viewing distance is quite far - where a 50" LCD/Plasma is too small. So, if you are say 4m+ away from the screen.
* If the picture you project is very big, normal TV (standard definition) won't look very good. You'll have to sit quite for away to not notice the artifacts/low resolution.
* HD (esp. Full HD Blu-ray) will probably look very good projected quite big :) but Full HD projectors are expensive.

Cheers
Greg
 
Hmmm, the quest for the ultimate big screen ...

Something else to be mindful of is projector lamp life vs cost, these are not cheap and gradually degrade in quality output until they fail.

Been thinking about this especially for the SWC.

Already have a Screen, which no longer retracts ;)

Would be interesting to get some feedback from actual projector owners regarding quality, availability of lamps / cost, life span of projector, type of pc / graphics card needed to drive the projector etc.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I will not watch it at all during the day. And the room is dark at night. I will be sitting about 2m away from it. I don't want a massive screen- the only reason I thought of a projector is cos I don't have a wall for an LED TV.
Any suppliers out there wanna give their input- will be appreciated.
 
rather invest in LCD LED or plasma....you'll get much more joy out of them...but you have a problem with the wall :(
a projector is nice but not for everyday viewing...also if the room is too small it will look like your watching tennis.
the screen is so big you actually have to move your head to see two people talk to each other lol

so make sure your room is big and dark...
as for tv....naaaaa movies yes...swc yes....S14 yes...
 
Projectors are great as long as you invest in a somewhat decent unit. Don't buy a cheap data projector and expect too much.
As for screen size, 1 and a half times viewing distince is the general rule of thumb.
 
I think a decent setup (projector + screen) will cost R15k+. Panasonic make great projectors... I have borrowed a project a few times and used it at home, and it is nice to have the big screen, however, a permanent setup is a lot of work - mounting screen (retractable) and projector (from ceiling), and sorting out the cables from the source (DSTV, PC,etc).
 
I LOVE my projector, bought the cheapest I could find from Esquire <R4k It's an absolute dream, nothing beats it.
I'll re-evaluate when I go the whole HD route, but for now it's connected to my Media Centre PC running 800x600 res. Movie viewing is Bliss!
 
thanks guys...made my research alot easier. Still undecided though so gonna take my time about this
 
Seems that the lamp life issue has been addressed with the newer model projectors.

Example excerpt from Samsung site for P410M:
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/...ble/SPP410MX/ZX/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail

With over 30,000 hours of LED lamp life, the P410M eliminates the expense of lamp replacement and gives you a projector that you can rely on for years to come. The LED light source produces brighter, clearer, more natural images.

Checked some reviews on you tube and even with the apparantly low ansi lumens it looks good, beginning to think even more about this, as it seems to be available locally online for less than 5k.
 
Just bought the Samsung LED Projector P410M.

Should be taking delivery tomorrow.

Managed to sort my Screen, it is now retractable again :D

Looking forward to watching the Soccer World Cup in _Big Screen_

Have set up my dedicated Theatre Room and just finished mounting my "retractable" Screen.

One side of the Screen is white and other side is black.

Heard talk that projecting on a black screen may dim the picture somewhat, but seems not to be too affected by ambient light.

Well, whichever way, the screen can be turned around if needs be.

Supplier said Thursday, tomorrow, let's see ;)
 
Wow, collected my Projector directly from PC Direct and am thrilled.

Massive - huge picture and brilliant colour saturation from this little PJ.

Played back recording of Rugby and Soccer matches and am now in my element for watching the SWC on my massive screen.

Even with ambient lighting the picture is still very watchable.

With 30,000 hours of Lamp life and with an average usage of six hours per day, not bad at all.

Looking at my LCD TV after this is like an anti climax :erm:
 
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