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Thread: HD Projector

  1. #1
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    HD Projector

    Okay...I'm thinking about upgrading to an HD projector and wanted to see what you guys think the best option(s) are. Criteria are:

    1. 1080p vertical resolution
    2. Support for 4:3 aspect ratio (black bars on the sides I guess)
    3. Fairly high lumens - 2000 minimum, 2500+ preferable
    4. Great picture quality including moving images/video (not just suited to powerpoint-type presentations)
    5. Project a 9' x 9' image from about 12' away from the screen

    Looking forward to hearing your suggestions.

  2. #2
    Gap Wedge diggler is on a distinguished road
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    I don't have input, but will be watching the thread closely!

  3. #3
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    As usual, great thread rdh. I am also interested in what is out there. Don't get me wrong I am very happy with my projector but if the price is right then anything can be upgraded. What price range are you looking at rdh? I have been researching for about a week or so. Here is a good review site http://www.reviewgist.com/best-projectors.

  4. #4
    Ryder Cup Par2Pro is on a distinguished road Par2Pro's Avatar
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    To give you those exact specs, there are really only 2 projectors out there:

    1. Projectiondesign avielo optix
    2. Digital Projection dVision 30 1080p XC

    I haven't tried either of them, but they both should meet your requirements spot on!

    There are a lot more options out there if you are will to have a smaller width of picture.

  5. #5
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Thanks Cory. I'm having trouble finding pricing for these online, but it looks like they may be in the tens of thousands range. If so, those won't be options, so I might have to drop down the image size I'm aiming for...I'd like to find something in the $2K range if possible.

  6. #6
    8 Iron netcam is on a distinguished road
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    rdh, I was looking for a projector for my setup a couple weeks ago and the HD projector I was interested in was the "Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 705" is a 720p 2500 lumens projector and has great reviews and sells for decent price if you can live with 720p. Here is the Projector Central page for it: http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epso...nema_705HD.htm

    I decided to go with XGA since I was not going to be able to setup a room wide enough to protect with the widescreen setup and went with a LCD (Epson) over DLP which is a older office projector.

    Let us know what you find!

  7. #7
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Thanks for the info netcam. Right now I have a 1024x768 XGA projector (Epson Powerlite 74) and it works really well for what it is (and is basically 720p based on the vertical resolution), but I am interested in bumping up the resolution to get a sharper picture. I want to make sure I buy one that has a return policy in case I'm underwhelmed by the difference though. I think BenQ might be one of my best options - they have a W6000 model and an SP890 model that both sound pretty good...the SP890 is higher end (4000 lumens!) but is in the $3,000 range...plus HST tax here in Canada. I wasn't planning to go that high, but the W6000 might be an option...it's still in the $2K range though. It's probably one of those things where it would pay to wait another year...but I hate waiting once I'm set on something!

  8. #8
    8 Iron netcam is on a distinguished road
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    W6000 looks like a good choice to me, just was outside of my budget for this so I never even looked at it! That projector would make for great setup though I think.

  9. #9
    Ryder Cup Par2Pro is on a distinguished road Par2Pro's Avatar
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    Yes, there are a few 1080p models out there - some are XGA native but can support 1080p. Generally you pay over $2k for a good quality HD projector. Check out the NP905 from NEC, an amazing projector for the price and can support 1080p!

  10. #10
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    That looks like a 720p projector that upconverts to 1080 based on the native resolution. Very similair to the projector I have. For full hd you probably want 1920 x 1080 ( 1080p native resolution). Do look at one with a high contrast ratio and enough lumens (above 2500). How about http://www.aboutprojectors.com/BenQ-...projector.html or http://www.aboutprojectors.com/BenQ-...projector.html or http://www.aboutprojectors.com/Epson...projector.html.

  11. #11
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Yeah...my current projector is 1024x768 native, so the NEC probably wouldn't make a difference for image resolution/sharpness. If I upgrade, it'll definitely be a 1080p projector. The BenQ W6000 is probably the best bet, but for any of these I'll have to move my projector back 5-10 feet from where it is now. Too bad...I'd dropped the cables through the roof and had a power plug installed where it is now. Grr...

    I'd be interested to see how big a difference it would make in the image. Has anyone on here upgraded from a 720p or 1024x768 projector to a 1080p projector? The 50% higher vertical resolution implies it should be a big improvement in image quality, but it would be good to hear a testimonial or two based on real-world experience.

  12. #12
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    Perhaps nobody on this forum has rdh but I bet there are thoe on the general home projector forums that have. My projector is 3500 lumens with a decent contrast ration at 720p. The 1080p projectors available at the 2000 range all seem to have low lumen brightness. I wonder if that would be an issue. My original projector was 1500 lumens and just didn't seem bright enough.

  13. #13
    Ryder Cup Par2Pro is on a distinguished road Par2Pro's Avatar
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    I agree, right now to get a projector that is 1080p native resolution with 3000 lumens, there really isn't anything out there under $2k. I am trying to get one myself as well so I will keep you posted if I find anything.

    Anyone check out the home projector forum yet?

  14. #14
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    I found a review for this projector that is intriguing for a lower-priced option: http://www.projectorreviews.com/vivi...80fd/index.php

    It's only 1800 lumens, but the review says it's pretty bright. My current projector is 2000 lumens and although I was hoping to bump that up, I'm not sure it's worth spending twice as much as this one. I might see if I can buy this from somewhere that offers returns to give it a shot.

  15. #15
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    Do let us know. I always wonder how much of a difference going from 720p to 1080p will make with the GSA courses. The key would be being able to return if there is not much difference. There is not much point in spending that much money if the difference is marginal. Do let us know if it makes a huge difference.

  16. #16
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Now I'm looking at this projector which is in the $1,500 range with 3000 lumens. Seems pretty good for a 1080p projector, but I'm going to look for some reviews and decide which to try:

    http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...189&CatId=1759

    Through tigerdirect it has limited return privileges though, so that's an issue I have to think about. I hate limitations on product returns period.

  17. #17
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    Good find rdh. Too bad the return policy is such.

  18. #18
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    I've ordered the Vivitek projector for $1,124. That's the 1800 lumens one, but it can be returned so I figure I'd be crazy not to try it first. It's too big a risk on the Optoma one without being able to return it. 3000 lumens sounds a lot better, but the vivitek gets good reviews for brightness even in ambient lighting, so fingers crossed.

    Once I get it up, I'll try to post some XGA vs. 1080p pictures taken from GSA Golf to show whether the improvement is noticeable.

  19. #19
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    I will be certainly waiting anxiously to see your thoughts on the difference between the 720 and 1080 projectors. Paying the 1200 or 1600 is not the issue for me. The issue is whether it is worth that upgrade cost. Do let us know rdh.

  20. #20
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Will do. If it doesn't make a big difference I'll return it...I'm of the same mindset as you.

    I'm skeptical on the brightness as I figure the new projector will have to be 5 feet further from the screen than my current one to get the same image size, and it's a lower lumens rating. I expect I'll have to return it because of insufficient brightness, but it's still worth a shot in case I can get away with an $1,100 projector rather than a $2K+ one.

  21. #21
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    Good point.

  22. #22
    Ryder Cup Par2Pro is on a distinguished road Par2Pro's Avatar
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    I'm anxious to hear about it too - I have to make the leap here really soon myself. I am hoping that I can find one with a wireless connection like the NP905. I read a review on the Optoma stating that the lumens were only measured at 2200, so it may not make that much of a difference.

  23. #23
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    My projector hasn't arrived yet, but I've been looking into things more and this is a bit more complicated than I thought. If your impact screen is suited to a widescreen image, then a 1080p projector is the way to go. Mine is 9' x 9', so if I use a widescreen image, I'll be cutting a lot off the top and bottom. So, I plan to stick with a 4:3 ratio...which is where it gets complicated.

    Looking at the screen settings in GSA Golf, under the 4:3 ratio settings there is just an option for 1280x1024. So...I can't actually use the full 1080 vertical resolution. This means the image won't be super sharp...it's a bit lower resolution than 1080, but (I think) the 1080p projector will also need to reformat the image as it won't be in its native size. I don't think it will be a big improvement over what I have now.

    After realizing this, I started looking around for projectors with a 1280x1024 native resolution. There seem to be very, very few, and the ones I did find are generally very expensive. Then, I stumbled on the Optoma GT700 which fits the bill, looks to be under $1,000, and is 2500 lumens. I'm looking into that more now...

    This is far more confusing than it should be!

  24. #24
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Hmm...I think the site that listed the native resolution for that projector as 1280x1024 was wrong. I think it's actually 1280x800. (Banging my head against the wall...)

  25. #25
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    Every site I read show the native resolution to be 1280 x 1024. Where are you seeing the 1280 x 800 native resolution.

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  27. #27
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    I may try the new projector in widescreen 1080p format...I just know I won't like how it will "narrow" the image so it won't be as immersive and will leave a lot more white impact screen above and below. We'll see though...I'll play around with it.

    GSA Golf supports a 1600x1200 resolution as another 4:3 format. I found a 1600x1200 projector online for $89,995. Well, that's the MSRP, so I could probably get it for a bit less. Uh...yeah...

    Does anyone know much about image quality with these things and how well they work when they're not in native format? i.e. say I set GSA Golf to 1600x1200 and used a 1080p projector. The projector has to scale down the image to its native format...but I'm not sure if it would come out looking good or if you'd be able to clearly tell it was doing something funny so that it wouldn't be sharp. Anyone?

  28. #28
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    Sorry rdh you are refering to the Optoma GT700 not the Vivitek. I am with you now.

  29. #29
    Im a fixture here rdh is on a distinguished road
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    Now I'm looking at 1400x1050 (SXGA+) projectors. I'm all over the map.

  30. #30
    Moderator bubba22 is on a distinguished road bubba22's Avatar
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    holy batman rdh.

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