Hi All, Since I have next to no experience with projectors (well outside of 4:3 noisy business ones) I was wondering if anyone had any guidance on the following: I have a room which I use for both all my pc gaming and movie watching. See the below (terribly drawn) image for the room layout: I have a decent computer chair which I simply use at the desk when gaming, working etc. and I move it into the corner totally out of the way when watching movies. I have a 5.1 system in place (see square/rectangle boxes on diagram). Sub is under desk. On the desk I have two screens a 27" 1080p panel and a 19" 4:3 panel which is used for remote desktop, download client and outlook. The 27" panel is used for everything else from gaming, movies and work. Me and the missus only sit on Sofa 1 with the 2nd sofa reserved for when we have friends over. My issue is that while I can see the screen fine from the sofa I would like something larger than 27". However because this is a dual purpose room this would mean switching the 27" panel with a lets say 50" panel each time we wanted to watch a film. The desk also isn't large enough to accommodate a 27" and 50" panel and a larger desk wouldn't fit in the room. Wall mounting a 50" screen isn't really an option either as it'd have to be above the current screens, likely to cause neck ache when watching. So I had the thought of ceiling mounting a projector and having a retractable screen which would also be ceiling mounted but which would come down just in front of the current screens. The room has bay windows and even with black out blinds since there is a gap between them some light still gets in. We only really watch films in the late evening so it’s not too much of an issue except in summer when it isn't always pitch black in here. Another caveat to this is that the circle on the image is the central room light one of these: The entire height from ceiling to bottom of light fixing is around 4 inch, but it would mean that any projector would need to be mounted back past the light. So I'd like to know with a maximum budget of £1500 (all in) whether I could get a decent full hd projector (not really to fussed about 3d as it makes the missus sick ) with a screen size of around 72"? I had been looking at the BenQ W1070. I'm aware that it is entry level, but I'm not really sure what that even really means in regards of projectors. It seems to have got great reviews on richersounds: http://www.richersounds.com/product/projectors/benq/w1070/benq-w1070 For a screen I had been looking at the following: http://www.amazon.co.uk/72-16-motorised-projector-projection/dp/B004LSBY9I/ref=sr_1_22?s=electronics-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1423341248&sr=1-22&keywords=projector+screens But I'm not really too sure on screens since I'd need the bottom of the screen to be about 4 ft from the ceiling so it'd need to be adjustable. From looking at the pictures on that one it would be. Any guidance that could be provided would be hugely appreciated
Hi there! I installed a projector a little while ago and I found this very practical and useful to estimate what projection size and which projector would work best: http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator.cfm Personnaly, I went for an Acer H6510BD. It's a bit on the noisy side but rather cheap, and most importantly, has a high lumens output, which, if you don't have proper blinds, is necessary to get a fairly bright image. A freidn of mine had a Home Cinema Epson projector, and the image was rather dim, although it was better than mine in perfect conditions. It's similar to the BenQ in many ways, especially when it comes to the projection distance, and they're both "short throws". The Calculator will help a lot for that because you might find that the projected screen is bigger than the screen you're planning to buy depending on your projector's placement. Also, consider cabling! I have a wireless HDMI transmitter, and it makes life much easier! It helped a lot at my place. I placed mine in my coffee table because the BenQ and my acer seem to be designed to project at an angle, i.e. the projector will display a square image from the level at which it seats, as in the beautiful drawing there: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1rw5mT3kM8MGQopaslqG8PPEYJ8f8QVr6dNKp-xsJUOk/edit?usp=sharing Anyways, hope that helps!
Save money, ditch the motorized screen and just go for a pull-down (or a fixed frame). All retractable screens suffer from the same problem - They curl in at the sides - So either way you'll be getting up to put 1Kg barbell weights on the bottom pole (to straighten the screen out). Although it's more expensive I'd go for the W1300 over the W1070. It's the direct update to the W1070, better in every area, but most importantly it has tool-free vertical lens shift, which may prove invaluable in dealing with your room's constraints. As for a mount, there are many available with extendible, or replaceable, poles so you can mount it just below the level of your light fixture. Finally, google "The Rainbow Effect". You're going to be living with it.
I bought this about nine months ago: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IE7WJU/ I've enjoyed it, but as VipersGratitude said, it's not perfectly flat because there isn't even tension on the entire screen. It's most noticeable when there's a camera pan in a movie. If you're a nut about image quality it will drive you a little crazy (like me). But it's cheap and retractable. Not that you'll be able to get a fixed frame screen, but if you can I'd recommend one from this company and this line: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZRM9K0/. They are cheap and have really good reviews. When I'm in a more permanent home I will be getting one for sure. My projector is an ACER P1500. I like it very much. It's on my back wall on an IKEA lack shelf. $7 solution for mounting it to the wall. It's perfect. Because I'm in an apartment, I ordered a flat HDMI cable to run from my HTPC (under the projector screen) under a thick rug pad and rug to the projector. To hide the cables going up the wall I ordered a plastic wire channel . The one linked was barely enough for the power cord and HDMI cable. It's perfect. On the issue of the light overhead and what size screen to order, I would look at some projectors, and when you narrow it down, use a projection screen size tool to figure out how big it will be on your wall. Acer has a very nice tool to give you a range of sizes for whatever projector you choose. For instance, if you chose the P1500 (the same projector I have) and have it 8' from the back wall to the screen, you'll be able to have a projected image 73-96". This will help you choose a projector and know what size screen to buy. Also, most projectors have a lens that will throw the image at an unexpected angle. Ususally, the bottom of the image will be projected straight out (level) with the bottom of the projector. Then the rest of the image is projected up from there. They do this because they expect these portable projectors to be put on a rolling cart or table just a few feet off the floor. The solution for this when mounting close to the ceiling is to mount your projector upside down, but it means that in order to miss the light fixture on your ceiling, you'll have to mount the projector below the height of the ceiling light. You can mount it higher and just aim the projector's image below the fixture, but this will distort the image and give it a keystone shape. This can be corrected in the projector settings (called keystone correction), but only very nice, expensive projectors will correct keystone by shifting the lens. Most projectors will do it in software, which means instead of having a 1:1 pixel map, the image is being interpolated (and looks like crap generally), so don't do this. Good luck. Hope I was helpful.
I agree with all you say in your post, but my projector is reported to have the Rainbow Effect, but I could never quite see it. It might be because I never use it at 120Hz but I hear that it isn't picked up by everybody. It's worth looking into though. Correct me if I'm wrong but It tends to show more in 3D iirc.
Some people see the rainbow effect worse than others. You'll notice it less when you're watching a film as your focus will tend to be on a fixed point - you only see the rainbow effect if you move your head or blink a lot. One problem the cheaper, high lumen projectors tend to suffer from is an image that is too bright, especially in a small room - so while your projector will look good with some ambient light, the image might be too bright when you have complete darkness. Check the minimum image size that your projector can project at 8' (the Projector Central site linked above is a good resource), and make sure that you get a screen that is at least the size. A cheaper solution is to make your own - a piece of 8mm MDF painted with some DIY Black Widow paint and a good black border (use matt black paint or, better yet, get some Deep Black border tape. It may take you some time to get right (you'll need at least 4-5 thin coats of the paint), but at least your screen will be in the right place at the right height with no fiddling. As for mounting, get a small shelf to fit on the back wall - much easier than a ceiling mount, and you can get the projector at exactly the right height without losing picture because of keystone corrections.
Thanks for all the input its been very helpful. I'm liking the look of the W1300 as mentioned by VipersGratitude. It seems to have been reviewed well and the lens shift might be of benefit. Also comes with a pair of 3d glasses which I guess is an added bonus even if I don't plan to use it. Think I'll also go for a manual pull down screen since at the very least it saves on additional cabling and the requirement for another power socket. That projection Calculator link, while great, doesn't seem to list the W1300 though. From reading Benq's reference manual with its throw ratio with 1.39-2.09 @ middle zoom (1.25x) setting an image of 70 inch would be possible at about 260 ish cm. Is using zoom ok as without any zoom I'd be limited to around 60" with this throw ratio?
Go and see it in action on forehand. If you're succeptible to the rainbow effect, it's a killer. Once you know how to induce it, it cannot be unseen. I sent back my first nice, tiny and bright DLP projector and swapped it for a huge brick of a 3LCD projector (Epson). But, not everyone does see it, if you don't, DLP's are cheaper smaller brighter.
I tend to see it, especially on my dad's 73" DLP rear projection TV, but I don't on my P1500 . . . well, I can force it to happen, but it isn't always jumping out at me like on my dad's TV. So not all DLP is going to be the same, and seeing your product in person will help you decide before buying (if you have the luxury of being able to try it somewhere).
Some DLP projectors are worse than others - it depends on how many segments are on the colour wheel and how fast it spins. Cheaper projectors tend to have fewer segments spinning slower and display worse rainbow effect.
All korrect, which is why trying out on forehand is absolutely necessary. (Or you buy on Amazon and try it in your setup and send it back if you're not satisfied.) That's what I did...did lead to me spending more than twice the money on the Epson though...
