Quote:
MatrixDweller wrote:
 I had set up my projector before getting my HT done. I just projected it onto a wall to see how it would look. The wall was painted with a beige paint. Not nearly the idea surface or colour. My jaw still hit the ground when I saw the PQ from my HD-DVD player. The projector was nothing extravagent either, just an Epson 550 that only does 1080i max.
I've also tossed around the idea of getting a small TV for my HT to save bulb life, but figure that it's only $350 for a new bulb that will last for 2000-3000. 3000 hours would be 8.2 hours of use each and every day for 365 days. I'm not a couch potato so in total I probably watch at most 16 hours of TV and movies in a week but typically half that amount. So even if I split the difference and said I watched 12 hours a week that would mean I used about 600 hours of bulb life in a year. That would take me about 5 years to burn the bulb out.
To buy a TV that would make me happy enough to watch HD cable on would probably cost as much as a new projector anyway (with a new bulb inside). |
I have a multi-purpose room so we also have a 55" HDTV there for our casual viewing.
It was fun when I was shopping for the set. They guys in Best Buy knew I was going to be buying something that day and I let it slip I just got my annual bonus, so they were pointing me to the 60" plus sets and were surprised when I told them I only wanted a 55" or smaller. I explained why- so it wouldn't interfere with the projector screen, they understood but the fun part was when they started asking me questions!
Anyway, I hear what you are saying about bulb life and viewing. One thing to keep in mind is yes you can get 2000-3000 hours out of a bulb depending on the projector, bulb, and which mode you use... but you start losing image brightness fast once you hit the 50% life point. At first it's not much, just a slight drop in the 'punch', but it goes downhill from there.
You sound a lot like me as far as projector viewing habits, but some people out there treat it like a big TV and others only have a projector and the entire family uses it daily. I know of some people that went through a bulb in way less than a year. Projector bulbs also generate a lot of heat, and after a couple of bulbs all that heat can start having an effect on the optics in the projector. I agree though that with most people a bulb will last a long time, but I fully expect to have to buy a bulb for my projector long before I have to for my HDTV starts showing any signs of wear.