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Are projectors still a secret?

69K views 113 replies 35 participants last post by  chmcke01 
#1 ·
I was wondering if you all think that projectors are still widely unknown to the general public? Do you think that if more people knew about them that they would but a projector over a TV? Also would that have a positive or negative effect on the industry and it's customers?
 
#74 ·
You guys are killing me here! I just purchased the Pioneer 141FD and was convinced that I couldn't get a projector in my viewing area but after reading some of these posts, maybe I should have tried harder. Especially since my wife (as I'm in the process of getting the area ready for the new display) volunteers to take everything off the wall and move any furniture that was against the wall (essentially giving me the whole wall). Now I'm going crazy second guessing myself.
 
#76 ·
If you watch alot of TV a projector is not a good option as the bulb life is a factor most people dont count and in the end going to cost you more.
 
#78 ·
I know some people have gotten 3 to 5K out of bulbs but thats not the norm 2.5k is a lot more accurate particularly if you live in a hot climate. Some people even have failure at less than 2k hours.
 
#82 ·
Projectors Technology have improved over the years and the sad things is the consumers are still ignorant about its capabilities! Prices for a 1080P projectors have dropped dramatically and becoming affordable but yet consumers still not aware of it!
Reasons being 1) consumers knowledge about projectors is low. a point in case, can`t tell a difference between a data projector and a home theatre projector and its usage!
2)Home space such as a room is required and most home in the city is not spacious and thus projection usage for home theatre is a problem.
3) Constant commercial advertising with regards to Plasma/ LCD TV and competitive pricing have induced consumers to buy them in place of projectors.
4) Beside the big screen which the projectors can offer the Audio setup is another cost factor to consider along the projection and thus not affordable to many.
5)The ideas of bulb replacement is another factor that turn consumers off in consideration of projectors.
Based on the 5 factors, consumers are still not ready for projection and it remain a secret to them.
With the progress of special effect in films such as Transformers and 2012, it is a loss not to see it in a big screen at home eating your favourite food which normally not allowed in the cinema!
 
#86 ·
I'd disagree that a lot of homes are too small for a projector. All you need is a white wall and light control. If you watch only at night a simple curtain could be enough. Nice thing with a projector is you can stow it away. You can't do that with a large tv. For audio all you need is a pair of good speakers and an amp.

The simplest setup would be a pair of active monitors and a PJ use your laptop to play the movies and you got it made.
 
#84 ·
I whole heartily agree.

My wife wanted to buy me a LCD TV for Christmas this year. Years ago, before owning my projector, I would have been as giddy as a school girl at a Hannah Montana concert. In my opinion a 50" LED LCD is a step down from what I'm used to. Comparable to driving a Kia when I'm used to a Cadillac. My wife was shocked at my apathy towards the idea of a new TV.
 
#91 ·
I see your point, but projectors dont like being bounced around and the bulb life could defiantly be shortened by constantly setting it up and putting away. I dont know of a projector that can throw an image larger than 72" at less than 10ft.
 
#92 ·
The Panasonic PT-AE4000U can throw that size at about 7 ft. The other mainstream LCD could handle this as well.

I've not seen many apartments with a living area smaller than 10feet either. We are speaking in most terms here and the bulb will be fine as long as your careful with it.

One could also put one of the LCD projectors on a rear shelf and use lens shift to setup the image. TVs have their advantages, but if you want a big screen projectors are a pretty good option for the technically inclined.
 
#93 ·
Since we moved, I had to put my projector in a less than ideal room. It's putting up about a 60" image on a wall about 8' away. Because the image is so small, the fact I don't have light control in the room didn't matter! I can watch football on a sunday afternoon with light through the windows and it still looks great. This is a Z4 with a bulb at the end of its life (about 4k hours). I'm just putting in on the wall now (which is about to get the painted screen treatment from our other forum).

So there's no installation where a projector absolutely can't be used. You just have to be creative :)
 
#95 ·
Depends. Lumens, manufacturer, smart lamp driver (cuts actual brightness of the bulb instead of dimming panels), cooling, etc.

2000 Hrs is a good middle ground. But mine is almost double that now. Some people get well more than that. Originally I planned on replacing every 18 months. I'm a little over 3 years now (I'd have to check the receipts :) ) and on the original bulb. As always, your mileage may vary.
 
#96 ·
Hi guys, saw the thread light on and couldn't help but pop in.

Here in Australia the idea of PJ's being a secret society is becoming more of an urban myth these days. With the current low pricing of PJ's and some very heavy and aggresive advertising from Home Theater centres, PJ's are gaining more acceptance by the day.

Although what has really had an impact here in Australia comes from an unlikely source, our local building industry. You only have to take a trip to any one of the many 'New Display Home' villages and you'll find just about every house has a room which doubles as a games/HT room with a PJ running. It's the Wow factor for sure but it's bringing awareness of PJ's to the forefront. People may not want the house as they are only just out there tyre kicking, but they see the PJ using a blank wall and think "I can do this" and thus another convert is born. Sure a lot of them won't understand the need for calibration etc but most average Joe's are just happy with the plug and play idea and will be happy with it.

Which begs the question, is it poor marketing from the manufactures or the distributors??? From what I've seen in here there are no shortage of converts all ready to spread the message.
 
#97 ·
Very interesting Gremlin. I haven't been condo shopping here in Victoria so I can't say if that is happening here or not but what a great idea for a wow factor. It seems to me that the manufacturers could do more to promote their PJ's but for some it would compete with their TV sales so I wonder if it is not persued as agressively fr that reason?
 
#99 ·
I guess you would say I have a full HT system. I currently have a Sanyo z5 on a 106" screen with a Harmon Kardon AVR 525 7.1 to Klipsch RB81 speakers. I was considering updating the PJ to the Panasonic 4000U but the pricing in Canada is nothing short of highway robbery so I'm undecided.
 
#100 ·
I was considering updating the PJ to the Panasonic 4000U but the pricing in Canada is nothing short of highway robbery so I'm undecided.
I agree. There are a lot of electronics that are sold in the USA for 25-50% less than they are sold in Canada. Onkyo receivers are a major one.

All you need to do to get around it though is take a vacation, if you do take regular vacations, in the USA for a week and then you can bring back $750 duty free per person. So $1500 between you and your wife and add more if you have kids. Go through an obscure border checkpoint and half the time they don't even care as long as it's not alcohol, tobacco or firearms.
 
#104 ·
In 5 pages of secret projectors, no one mentions CRT projectors.
With them, you can vary the sizes even up to 35 feet diagonal.
One can make the color pop or be muted at will.
There are no "bulbs" to go out every 2000 hours (once a year); there are CRT's that last 15,000 hours if you're careless and over 22,000 hours if your careful. Careful in this case means just keep the overall brightness down somewhat.
Very good 8" pjcrt's are less than $1000 and can handle 1280p while very good 9"ers are about $7k and can do 1080p easily. HTH.
7" crt's are under $500 but they are mostly good for 1024x768.

New Guy
 
#105 ·
True very true but those units can be too large for some rooms and families, they need at times the use of a profesional to service them and also sometimes you have the added expense of a doubler. The do amaze at times with outstanding image. The LCD/DLP models do an admirable job, can cost much less and are both small and easy to own. Very cool pros and cons that makes this all interesting!
 
#106 ·
The same went for CRT HD sets. They had contrast ratios of a million to one, a better color gamut and a very long life span. I have one myself. Unfortunately the shear weight and size of them were too much. A 30" HD CRT weighs more than 100lbs and they just didn't make them any larger than 34"-36". There were some that were slimmer, but the tradition CRT was just too bulky.
 
#109 ·
Standard def content still looks good on HD CRTs too.

Another drawback though is that you can get screen burn from playing video games or viewing 4:3 content with black bars on the sides. I have yet to see that however on mine.

I still prefer my projector over the HD CRT TV. That could also be because it's 92" vs 30" and has a room built around it. I'm sure if I had a 92" CRT panel it would look better, but it would take up a whole room, need a cooling system and special footings under the foundation to hold its weight.
 
#110 ·
CRT RPTVs are also in the same league, beautiful HD picture! Our livingroom 53" Sony has a spectacular HD picture for its age, The Olympic footage is just amazing. As long as you manually keep the convergence in tune (about once every 3 months I adjust it) It looks better than any LCD or Plasma I have seen in the stores.
 
#113 ·
I just wish I tried Projecting onto my wall before I put holes in it to install the Projector Screen ... which hasn't been used since it was installed because the plaster wall looked better
( at lease it does not have stretch marks ) tho I do miss having the black border to stop the bleeding

on the bright side at least this was done in my bed room ... so I knew I didn't have to put a screen up in the living room
 
#114 ·
I think they still are a secret for the majority of people. You can now get a 720p projector for under $500 and even a 720p 3D projector for just about $550. Despite this fact people still spend the same money or more on 55" 720p TVs or smaller (like 42") 1080p TVs. I have heard several people say that it would be cool to have a projector as if it was some out there goal. I only know one person who has a projector and they have only had it about a year.

However, I think that with new cheap, HD, short throw projectors more and more people will realize they can take advantage of what projectors have to offer without needing a dedicated home theater.
 
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