# Projector vs huge tv.?



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Regardless of where you end up buying things, I would walk into a high-end AV place near you (thinking a tier or two up from Best Buy) and chat with them about ideas and options for your space. One that does corporate installations but even have some nice used equipment to sell you for a decent price. 

There are advantages to both high res televisions and to projectors. What size image are you actually needing to have? What resolution? Under what lighting conditions will you be using the projector or tv? Nice clean air or will you be projecting through smokers watching underground kitty films?


It is hardly a theater quality projector but on the low end is a cutey of a self-focusing laser projector (Microvision Showwx) that projects a crisp image up to 100" wide. I think it goes for $300 or so by the time you get cables to hook it to things. It is about the size of a smartphone. I suspect the room needs to be fairly dim though. 

Somewhere between that and a projector costing thousands may be the perfect thing for your space. The only problem with high res televisions is they are pricey as you know and the technology changes so fast. They take up a whole wall even when not in use too.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

for watching movies = size matters. go projector. spend $2000+ on it. then get a good screen, AT LEAST 120". and make the room as dark as possible when using it. and get a GOOD sound system = minimum $3000.

a 9' throw is not going to cut it. 12-13' is pretty good, depending on the projector. you can mount it low, but put something under it, so no one will walk into it. 

when picking a projector. the noise that it makes bothers the crap out of me. but luckily mine is dead quiet. so look for that. though, it doesn't bother some people. do your research before buying.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

You might want to check the cost of the bulbs before buying that projector, it may surprise you.


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## Deja-vue (Mar 24, 2013)

A couple of Years ago, I would have gone with a mid-end Projector in the $2500-$4000 Range.
In my Home theater, I have a 60 Inch Screen now, and am upgrading this Summer.
I am sitting about 15 Feet away from the Screen, and will probably get the Sharp 80 Inch.
For a mere $3200, I figured I get the best bang for my Buck.

BigJim is right when he mentions the Bulbs on these Projectors, needing replacement every 3000 hours or so. Not to mention the Noise and heat these things produce. 

And then, there is always Sharp's new 90 Inch Screen.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

BigJim said:


> You might want to check the cost of the bulbs before buying that projector, it may surprise you.


hey, "you wanna play, you gotta pay". go big or go home :yes:.
i have a 119" and i would like to have a 140". 
imo, enjoyability goes down as screen size goes down. but of course, nearly any size display can be enjoyable.


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## retfr8flyr (Mar 17, 2013)

What will you be using the room for? The biggest advantage of the rear projector is picture quality. You can't match the picture quality of a good rear projector setup with a big screen led TV. The other advantage is picture size, you can go with a much bigger screen with a rear projector setup. As far as I'm concerned the only advantage of an enclosed LED set it that it can be viewed in a brightly lit room. For a projector setup you really need to be able to control room lighting. Lights wash out the picture very badly on a rear projector setup. 

Rear projectors are fairly flexible with mounting positions. The throw distance of the lens and the size screen dictate haw far back from the screen the projector will need to be mounted. If your H/T is just for watching movies and big TV events and you can control the lighting then go with a rear projector setup. If you are making a multipurpose room and will have lights on during most of you watching time then get the big screen LED TV.

My H/T is just for watching movies, important sporting events and other major TV happenings. Here are a couple pics of my H/T, I have a 125 inch Stewart Ultimate 4-way screen with a JVC projector.


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## SquishyBall (Mar 19, 2013)

I would go big TV, personally. Thing w a projector is you really have to plan an installation for it. Say you move in 5 years. TV goes w you and you plug it in at your new home and it works. Projector is inop until you build a room for it. Or maybe you'd have to leave a projector in this house if you sell it. 

Projectors are awkward in a room, as you're experiencing.

If you go projector, you're declaring this room a theater room. I don't know about you, but I don't have the space for a designated theater room. Our rooms have to do double duty - for watching TV, for playing games, for kids sleepovers, etc. For all of those, a TV is simpler.

Only if you have a professional (looks awesome!) theater room like the above pic, then sure put in a projector, but you're building a mini movie theater then, which most ppl whey they say "home theater" don't mean quite that extreme.

Depends where you are on that spectrum.


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## gec5741 (Apr 23, 2013)

Deja-vue said:


> A couple of Years ago, I would have gone with a mid-end Projector in the $2500-$4000 Range.
> In my Home theater, I have a 60 Inch Screen now, and am upgrading this Summer.
> I am sitting about 15 Feet away from the Screen, and will probably get the Sharp 80 Inch.
> For a mere $3200, I figured I get the best bang for my Buck.
> ...


Would you by any chance have a link to the sharp 80 inch for $3200? I'm looking online but there a bit more then that. 

Thanks everyone for the advice! good stuff. I"m going to go talk try and talk with some people at a high end place near me and see what my options are. If I can find a good TV in the 80 inch size range or more for 3-4000 bucks I would maybe lean that way. But like I said I'd like to wire the room for a projector just in case. By the time I finish the room (hoping by this time next year) who's know's when I'll have the cash to drop on the actual equipment. And maybe 90 inch tv's will be less money by then. I'm doign my whole basement at once and have a bar to build and things to buy for that as well. So all this will take time. I'm about to the point where I can start running my electric though and want to have my bases covered for when the time does come to buy the bells and whistles! :yes:


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## Deja-vue (Mar 24, 2013)

Costco Membership required:

http://www.costco.com/.product.980632.html

Add it to your Cart, that brings it down from $3499 to $3299, free Shipping.
I also saw that Unit at the local Costco, same Price.
Cheers,


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

what many people do, is put a tv behind the projector screen. tv for basic show watching. projector when you want BAM !


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## gec5741 (Apr 23, 2013)

Now your thinking!  Alsas I'm not rich but that is actually a good idea. And I do plan to add in electric/network for both a TV instalation and a Projector instalation so will see what I go with first. I can just see my wifes face now when I try to explain to her exactly why we need to have both a huge TV AND a sweet projector system. I see a frying pan in my future  But ya never know what can happen over time!

BTW Ret Nice room! Mines not as big unfortunately. Hopefully a future home where I plan to retire I'll have the space to create my proper dream theater room! Again this is why I'm not pulling out all the stops with this room but I want it to be nice and fun for the next 3-5 years if not more. it's such a hard decision because I see the benefits to both TV and Projector. And when your looking at roughly the same price when said and done for either it makes it a really hard choice. 

Thanks again!


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

the thing is. with a projector, you don't need a huge tv. depending on seating and other things, a 50-60" would be just fine.


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## retfr8flyr (Mar 17, 2013)

What I was trying to say is that a Projector setup is not really the best way to go with a multi-purpose room. A big screen and projector really need a setup as an H/T to take advantage of their best qualities. If you are doing a room that is going to be used mostly as an H/T and then used for other activities, you can set it up with seating for good viewing, with a projector and still use it for other purposes. If you are only going to occasionally use the room as an H/T then just go with a Big screen LED set. I showed pics of my H/T to show you what I mean when I say single use room. My H/T is just for viewing and listening to music. We don't really use it for anything else. I always wanted a true Home Theater, in previous houses I always had to settle for multi-purpose rooms. When I built this house, my retirement home, I built my dream H/T and I have thoroughly enjoyed it for the last 12 years.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Projection TVs will work out well if the room is somewhat darkened. If you like to darken the room, make the popcorn and watch a movie, great. Myself, I like it nice and bright in my rooms, so a projection system is not for me.


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

I bought a 720p LCD Panasonic front projector back around 2003 for around $1500. I set it up in my family room with a 96" diagonal DIY screen. I already had a pretty nice sound system consisting of a pair of Definitive Technology BP2002 powered towers, a CLR2002 center channel, a PF15TL powered subwoofer and a pair of BP2X surrounds, all controlled by a Denon receiver. The sound is fantastic, and at the time the projected image was amazing. It still looks good to this day but since 1080p is now common, there is a need to upgrade the projector soon. My set up is modest but it does the trick in a multi-use room. I'll probably try to have a dedicated home theater room in my next house. There is nothing quite like a huge hi-def image and crystal clear surround sound to get the audience involved in a movie. By the way, what looks like a pedestal under the screen is actually the base of a 36" Sony Wega analog TV, which was directly behind the screen, and has since been donated to the Salvation Army.


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## fixrite (Mar 1, 2009)

Just an added note. If you are wiring this all up you might want to consider the ability to use the internet on your Big screen tv (not the projector). I have remodelled my kitchen and remove the useless cabinet above the fridge and installed a 36" wide flatscreen. I am an avid apple user and have installed the apple tv box there as well. My wife loves it as she can bring up a recipe onto the screen and have it there as she cooks. We also use it as a monitor for our security system and front gate door bell ( we have a pool so we have to gate the entry off, local codes). Just some food for thought. Have a great day

cheers


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## gec5741 (Apr 23, 2013)

Yep I plan to run network all over my basement. I've run network lines to all rooms in my house already. I am a huge netowrking guy. My big thing is the ability to stream all my media through out my house. I have a TV and network running into my utility room in my basement. Here is a picture of my work in progress network/tv setup. I havn't patched all my network lines down yet because I am planning to get a new 48 port patch panel. The PC that the laptop is sititng on actually controlls my upstairs living room 55 inch LED media over hdmi over ethernet. The laptop you see in this photo is my soon to be touch screen digital jukebox for the basement. So needless to say my projector and or TV's will all be networked :thumbup:


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Not too long ago, the biggest picture you could get with a direct view TV was about 50 inches. Anything bigger and you had to get a projector with separate screen, and then you had to darken the room making other activities in the room at the same time impossible.

Now you can get direct view TVs around 80 inches so more folks won't need to get projectors and outfit the room for them.

You can become equally immersed in the movie with a smaller screen just by sitting closer. Really large screens are needed only if lots of people will be watching at the same time.

If you have furred down the ceiling and think you have to hang the projector quite low, in some situations you might be able to mount the screen a little lower and then hang the projector a little higher. Take a string and fasten it to the screen side wall where the top of the screen would be. Stretch the string out to where you might hang the projector. So long as the string is straight (not quite touching the ceiling at any point) the projector can be mounted at the end of the string and still fill the screen. Although the projector should be centered (left to right wise) in front of the screen, most projectors allow a small off center displacement.


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## Chokingdogs (Oct 27, 2012)

This may have been said already, but if it hasn't.....

One thing to consider, if going largest direct view TV possible, is basement access. If you have a daylight/English basement, then it's a non-issue. If you only have an areaway, or worse, no external basement access, you might be limited in how big a TV will fit depending on ceiling height and layout.

My old house didn't have external basement access, and the interior stairs/entry into the basement required a 180* turn at the bottom of the steps. I bought a 62" Mitsu rear projector, and the only way it could get finagled down there was by removing the handrail like below. If that wasn't removable, or the wall extended all the way down, I don't think it would have physically fit.....


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

You can make a cardboard box mockup that is the size and shape of the TV you are thinking of buying. You can then test fit it down the stairs. Then you can put it on or against the wall for a few days to visualize if it is really the size you want.


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## gec5741 (Apr 23, 2013)

Yea I was planning on doing some blue painters tape to get the visiual of the size on the wall but if I can find a peice of cardboard big enough it would be a good idea to test getting it down in my basement. I have a funny right angle turn at the top of the stairs but I can come at an angel and go pretty straight. As long as the tv is pretty thin wich they are these days.


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## Jason66 (Jul 31, 2013)

Well I think TV is a good option because today's the new TV have many other feature, yeah I m talking about smart TV. you can say they are also a half computer in them and better picture quality then projector.


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