hi i have a 47 inch hd rear projection tv in my family room. it looked great in my living room before here because i sat about 25 feet from it. but here i am only 6 feet from it because the room is 12 ft. wide.(minus off the 3 ft for the tv and 3 ft for the couch). i was going to buy a flat screen and mount it on the wall and gain another 3 ft. but because i would have to upgrade my satellite to hd, the cost would be over my budget.between the tv and the hd receiver and the cost of changing the dish to oval it would be around 3000.00. my next idea would be a projector. i have seen them starting around 700.00. if i connected my dvd player, satellite and surround sound system is this a feesible way to go for a decent digital picture? also is there a min. distance i should be seated from the screen? thanks joe
Projectors are not suitable for small rooms. Besides the picture quality from a home theatre projector is of much lower quality than flat screen TVs. You also have to change the bulb every 2000-4000 hours. Bulbs cost anywhere from $250-$500 on average. Flat screen TV screens however will wear out after about 60,000 hours. You'll have to replace the entire set. 60000 hours = 6-7 years (24/7, always on). 4000 hours = 166-167 days (always on). Anyway you should do some research before you decide. Checkout the following links: http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator.cfm http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displaytechnologiesguide.php
I beg to disagree. My dad's 1080p Sony Ruby projector with a 110 inch screen BLOWS AWAY my 60 inch 1080p Sony SXRD.
Isn't the SXRD a rear projection TV? I was refering to flat panel TVs. But anyway, I'm willing to bet the VW-100 (Sony Ruby projector) with a contrast ratio of 15000-1 will produce a better picture than almost anything. I haven't seen a rear projection TV that doesn't have a distorted picture. Some look great at first glance but after looking close (even from a distance) I can't stand them.
How does the SXRD compare to a 1020p plasma with 10000:1 contrast ratio? I'll have to check it out. I still have 25 days left to return my new set. The SXRD is just inside my price range. Do you have to sit far away from the screen like with DLP and LCD rear projection units?
Crutchfield advisor on seating distances. I have a 42in LCD rear projection and my chair is only six feet away and the picture is fine; the screen structure doesn't interfere or distract you at all but indeed some do. Methinks that has more to do with the quality of the picture. When I was shopping around for my TV, that was one of my primary considerations and the distance one could sit from a 42 in screen differed a lot from cheaper to pricier models more than it did from make to make. http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/learningcenter/home/TV_placement.html
It depends if you want a movie theatre experience in that room or just another tv. We have a very expensive HD projector in a relatively small room and it is amazing. I just watched X3 in there when I went home for the weekend and was blown away as usual, even after 4 years. It also depends on how often you use it. If its something you are using everyday I would stick to the flatscreen because bulbs are very expensive.
thanks for the replies, my family room is 12x27 and the screen would be on the 12 foot side so im guessing from the posts that i wouldnt have a good pic with the projector. and because my kids would be using the projector everyday between playstation and dvds and satellite i would be burning out alot of bulbs? well i guess its back to the flat screen.
