Thinking Of Buying A Projection Tv

[JappyBeast]

Thinking of buying a home cinema projection TV set up, the one that projects onto a white screen on the wall like in most pubs for the footie

Anyone here know much about them? There is a Toshiba box for around £700 I'm interested in.. I know its not much use in the light but I only really watch TV at night anyway, plus it will make the XBOX/PS2 more interesting.

Any input would be great.

[Tom.B]

:D Yeah me and my housemate were discussing this last night. I think you can get 2nd hand pjotectors quite cheap mate. As for the screen , from what Ive been investigating you can use a wall or get some kind of material for £15-20. Im going to find out more or a fella at work (his bro got his from work for free) so Ill ask and let you now :)

[cfc1]

Projecting onto a wall or something should be ok.. but if you get one with the screen built in, be carefull if useing it for games machines... any static image can sometimes damage the screens.

As for buying a Toshiba.. i got a DVD surround sound system.. nothing but problems from day one.. never again will I buy a Toshiba product.

[System~G]

I used to install projectors and screen in pubs (along with the audio and lighting for the louder wanna-be-club ones).

Personally I wouldn't bother. The budget projectors are bad and the lamps will need frequent replacement. The replacement lamps for the cheapo projectors often cost more than the projectors.

The other issue you will need to look at is screen size. Often in a domestic arrangement you are not going to have the distance to get a large enough picture. And if you can't get far enough away from a wall or screen the projector may not focus enough to get a clear picture at all.

If you do have the space for a large picture size, you will have to be sitting (or standing) near the projector to be able to appreciate the full picture projected. If you are too close, as nice as it may be for a while, you will land up with neck/eyesight problems and headaches.

You'd be better off investing in LCD (if you got megabucks) or Plasma.

[seveer unaek]

I v got a fair bit of knowledge on this having done a couple of installs myself.... and unless you're spending over £2000 then it'll probably cost you more in the long run.

The bulbs on 'budget' projectors (under £1000) are usually £300 or more and good luck finding a place that sells them... most of the time it's got to be direct from the manufacturer, and they are top-whack price-wise. The bulbs usually last 2-3 years if used as often as you would a TV, if you use it in like a stand-alone cinema room or for occasional football game, then you should be ok.

If you really want one, the make sure it's an LCD one as CRT are huge and designed for larger and better outputs than in-house use. LCD is also better in lighter conditions.

As for the screen, obviously it's going to be best to use a decent screen, but you can use a smooth wall or strecthed white sheet if you're willing to sacrifice some picture quality.

Best thing with LCD projectors is that you will avoid screen-burn which is when static images left on the screen will permantly burn into them (this affects rear-projection TV's and Plasma's)

If it's what you really want, then obviously you're gonna do it, but id advise more caution than when using a normal telly... you have to treat them carefully, don't let them overheat! They must have good ventilation to prolong the bulb life as they get very hot! Also, if you're a smoker... don't smoke near it as the smoke can damage the screen (pub ones have smoke safe lenses).

Best makes are Toshiba and Sony really, but for budget ones, sanyo are actually very good indeed.

One more thing... they're quite loud, so if you don't have the sound turned up much then all you'll hear is the buzz from the projector!

[Demonic Angel]

We have one at home..... I think its a 75" screen and projector - its the dogs danglies!

Only downside is you need a dark room to be able to view it properly, we're forever closing our living room curtains so we can see the screen but Rich has it hooked up to the Sky+, XBox, DVD, amp and all his other toys so its proper cinema style visuals and sound!

Didnt cost very much either, I think the projector was about £300 and he built the screen himself using MDF and white cloth. He already had a good sound system and amp.

Garrick is right about the bulbs - the bulb only lasts for a certain amount of hours usage, I think we have a few hundred hours left on ours and we've had it a year so in a few months we will need to replace the bulb.

If you dont have the money for a huge widescreen plasma or whatever then it's well worth it and if you want I can get more information on exact costs etc from Rich. But like most things it has good points and bad points

Plus it makes games and movies look amazing! Everyone comes round to our house to watch films in our "home cinema!"

[seveer unaek]

Sounds good Em! Iv only got a 32" telly (6yr old tosh unit... the best at the time and still better than most!) but i spent all my money on sound! Im quite proud of the fact that at half volume it's louder than my local cinema! Plus, the detail is truly awesome!

[Leeky]

Comet are selling a 44" Sony Wega Projection TV for £999 at the moment.

Had a look at it today and the picture quality is amazing for a projection screen - none of this blurryness you usually get.

[nrgizerbunny]

my dad bought a 40" loewe tv, i have to say i'd not heard of them before but the picture and the ease of use is great. really puts to shame our old jvc tv.

its a crt and damn heavy but picture quality is great. would recommend, i think the projection tv's aren't as bright.

[Demonic Angel]

my dad bought a 40" loewe tv, i have to say i'd not heard of them before but the picture and the ease of use is great. really puts to shame our old jvc tv.

its a crt and damn heavy but picture quality is great. would recommend, i think the projection tv's aren't as bright.

←

No they're not - you can hardly see the screen in daylight which is why we are buying blackout blinds for the living room!

Here's a photo of our projector and screen, taken last year (I cant take an up-to-date one as my Mum is borrowing my Digicam!) the set ups a lot better than how this was, but you get the general jist of it!

Scuse the messy living room!