I heard there are some good one out there referbished in the market these days in the range of $500-600. Is the market coming down? How’s the quality and durability. Someone was saying that most important part is the “bulb” in the projector which costs about $300 and lasts for a year or so. Is that true? Any personal experiences?
Re: Home theatre projectors
yeah.. the bulb is important pretty much like the cartridges in those cheap printers.. sometimes they cost more than the printer itself.. so if u run out of them..just go out and buy a new printer!!
It all depends on your room size and viewing habits. For smallish rooms and viewing in the dark the cheaper projectors would work fine.. but for $500-$600 even refurbished don't expect high resolutions.. then again.. viewing TV/cable/dish at 800x600 is absolutely fine.
My personal experience is with CRT projectors which are different beasts altogether and need total light control for viewing.. LCD/DLP projectors are more forgiving in this regard.
Re: Home theatre projectors
I've heard good stuff about Sony Cineza so far. But it's kinda pricey in a changing market. I'd give another year or so before seriously thinking buying of anything.
Re: Home theatre projectors
Projector is usually a replacement for getting a large screen TV. Just FYI, with 1080p getting more popular, expect steep cuts in prices of HD TV's during the holiday season sales. Typically, the best time to buy big screen TV is just before the Super Bowl. I.e. if you can wait.
Re: Home theatre projectors
nah, big screen tvs are just way too bad these days. You get these expensive tvs and then end up "babysitting" them (ie, can't leave them on 'cause it might reduce the life etc). Whatever you buy, few months later something better require more TLC comes along cheaper. I'm happy with my 36" Sony XBR. Next jump would be projector. Use TV in bedroom and projector in living room/basement may be.
Also, I've moved quite few times since I bought the TV. It's friggin' pain in the butt. It weighs about 300lbs. True that new tvs don't usually weigh that much but it's still a big and delicate item to carry around. I'm done with big household items.
Re: Home theatre projectors
Plasma has the burn-in problem. Not sure if LCD DLP has it, and frankly DLP is the technology to go for. Its not super-heavy weight either. Projector is a nice option, since DLP's can give you amazing results. Its just that, most likely you will only use it for movies. Whereas with big screen TV's, you can use it for regular TV, including sports. Also, projector bulb is a serious expense on a recurring basis.
Re: Home theatre projectors
it would be a good idea to make a small theatre in your basement.
Re: Home theatre projectors
My brother is using a BenQ projector, the results are just amazing for the price.