# Yikes! Projector screens vs plasma



## saliv1215 (Sep 3, 2012)

Hey Guys,

I recently purchased a 65" Panasonic vt50 and then I discovered the allure of going to a projector setup after seeing a lot of other people's setups and was wondering if I should consider a projector screen instead. I am particularly interested in the cinemascope (2.35:1) format and was wondering if I can get a screen large enough for my living room which measures about 15 feet long and 13 feet wide. The screen would go on the 13 feet part of the wall. 

I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and I can control the ambient light coming in to the living room to the point where i can go 100% dark if i need to

My applications are mostly video gaming and watching blu-rays with some TV watching on netflix/amazon thrown in.

1. Should I stick with my current plasma tv?
2. How would video gaming be (ps3/xbox) on a 2.35:1 screen?
3. What's the max screen size I can get?

Thanks in advance for all your responses!


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I think one issue your forgetting about is how much time you will be using the Projector. Bulbs last between 2000 and 4000hrs at best so if your planning to use it every day for a couple hrs a day or more your likely to burn though those hrs very fast.
A projector is great for the image size and can be made to go as big as 160" diagonal if you have the space but cost becomes a factor getting that big.


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## saliv1215 (Sep 3, 2012)

tonyvdb said:


> I think one issue your forgetting about is how much time you will be using the Projector. Bulbs last between 2000 and 4000hrs at best so if your planning to use it every day for a couple hrs a day or more your likely to burn though those hrs very fast.
> A projector is great for the image size and can be made to go as big as 160" diagonal if you have the space but cost becomes a factor getting that big.


well i would still get atleast 3-4 years of good use of it even if i did average a couples of hours everyday.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I bet you would have it on for about 4 hrs a day on average given your original post. gaming, movies TV and such. You would be lucky to get two years out of the bulb and at around $300 a bulb its not always the best choice for that sort of use. 
Not trying to discourage you in any way, just making sure you have all the possibilities in play.


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## saliv1215 (Sep 3, 2012)

tonyvdb said:


> I bet you would have it on for about 4 hrs a day on average given your original post. gaming, movies TV and such. You would be lucky to get two years out of the bulb and at around $300 a bulb its not always the best choice for that sort of use.
> Not trying to discourage you in any way, just making sure you have all the possibilities in play.


No, infact I appreciate your input. The bulb life never occured to me - I was more distracted with more the screen size for my room and if I could pull such a setup


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Ive got a 120" 2:35:1 screen and love movies on it, Ive watched the odd TV show and used my Wii a few times on it (thats fun) but you can get carried away with it as well.
Ive put only 265hrs on my bulb in just over a year of use because I use it mostly for movies and it can sit off for over a week sometimes. I have a 40" LCD TV in my livingroom for watching the news and shows.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I run my projector for movies, TV, and browsing the internet... If I am lucky I get about 1 year out of a bulb (2000 hrs). My next projector will be one of the newer ones that are getting 4k-6k hours per bulb.


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## saliv1215 (Sep 3, 2012)

thanks guys for your input.. but would you ditch the plasma for the projector? I'm curious to see what JJ has to say


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

You could always keep the plasma, or sell it and get something less expensive for general use - news, etc. Then run the projector only for the fun stuff. That is what I do.

On bulb life, remember that they go dim before end of life. In my Sony VPL-HW15 I change at about 1,000 hours (which works out about a year for me) due to being dim. I have had 3 other projectors before it and always did the same thing, partly out of fear of catastrophic bulb failure that some folks have had.


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## saliv1215 (Sep 3, 2012)

hjones4841 said:


> You could always keep the plasma, or sell it and get something less expensive for general use - news, etc. Then run the projector only for the fun stuff. That is what I do.
> 
> On bulb life, remember that they go dim before end of life. In my Sony VPL-HW15 I change at about 1,000 hours (which works out about a year for me) due to being dim. I have had 3 other projectors before it and always did the same thing, partly out of fear of catastrophic bulb failure that some folks have had.


If I were to keep the plasma, will I be able to use both the screen and the plasma on the same wall? My plasma is wall mounted currently so that would rule out fixed frame screens.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I have seen it done - like you said, it does mean you need a retractable screen.

One other thing to consider - I seem to recall a few posts where people were experiencing some game lag when using a projector. If you game often, I would suggest keeping the plasma.


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

I think retractable adds $s, at least for the nice motorized ones.


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## saliv1215 (Sep 3, 2012)

hjones4841 said:


> I think retractable adds $s, at least for the nice motorized ones.


I found out that Amazon sells an Elite Screens TE138C-E16 CineTension2 Electric Projection Screen (138" 2.35:1 AR)(CineWhite)(16" Drop) for $632. I have to figure out if that would work for my situation. I'm seriously considering a dual setup and I've posted the same in the construction thread - hoping for some ideas on how I or if I can pull this off.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

In our living room we have a LCD on one wall and then the projector on the next wall.


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

My usage is similar to Tony's. Only use the projector & 120 inch screen for movies. I use my plasma for normal tv viewing. So my theater can sit for a week without any activity. I have about 250 hours on my current bulb. At current usage rate it will last a long time. Certainly something to consider.


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## lanayapiper (Oct 6, 2012)

hjones4841 said:


> You could always keep the plasma, or sell it and get something less expensive for general use - news, etc. Then run the projector only for the fun stuff. That is what I do.
> 
> On bulb life, remember that they go dim before end of life. In my Sony VPL-HW15 I change at about 1,000 hours (which works out about a year for me) due to being dim. I have had 3 other projectors before it and always did the same thing, partly out of fear of catastrophic bulb failure that some folks have had.


I totally agree with this! I have my projector on our entertainment room just for exclusive fun (for video games)! On the other hand, maintaining such thing requires maintenance for bulbs. I heard that there fake bulbs running around the market, so make sure you get yours on authorized dealers of your brand of projector. Being dim is the simplest sign of bulb failure for the succeeding days.


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## JQueen (Jan 11, 2012)

Just the wow factor alone having 100+ inches on your wall watching your favorite action movie like if your at the movie theater ..I debated 50+ or projector and ended up getting an entry level Optoma HD20 and I'm very satisfied with it we also have LCD for regular TV viewing, like previously mentioned in the other responses bulb life can get very expensive and wont last as long if you plan to use it as a daily user. We only use are projector for movies and football games and its perfect for that, Good Luck with your decision


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