# Canon LV-8320 for theater use?



## Roryson (Feb 5, 2012)

Hello,

I recently won an award through work and have the awesome opportunity to pick an award from a list of 30 or so prize options. Obviously, I am looking to upgrade my my home theater and was hoping to replace my aging TV. I was a bit disappointed when reviewing all the prize options, the largest TV is a 42" LCD flat screen. I then noticed there was a projector listed as another option. With a few tweaks, I think I could set up my basement as a projector based theater room. The basement is 25 ft long, 15 feet wide with a very small window. I have almost complete control of light and have a more than decent room configuration for projection. So, my thought is maybe I should jump into the new world of a projector based home theater system!

The issue is that the projector is Canon LV-8320, a model made for mainly business/educational use.

Some specs:
Brightness (Lumens) :	3000 ANSI
Contrast (Full On/Off) :	2000:1
Audible Noise: 34.0 dB
Eco-Mode: 29.0 dB
Std. Lens:	Focus: Manual
Zoom:	Manual, 1.60:1
Throw Dist (feet) : 4.0 - 25.2

So, my question is would you take this model and build your theater system around it OR would you take the 42" lcd TV?

I need to make a decision soon, so please help...

Would I just be wasting my time with this projector in a theater system? I obviously know that it is not the best or the first option, but would it work? Would I be able to comfortably watch movies and TV with it? I have a main TV upstairs that we would use 75% or the time, this setup would be for movies and some shows the other 25% of the time.

The other bit of info is that the projector is also the prize that is worth the most $$.....but I put a post on craigslist to see if there was any interest at a $700 price and have absolutely no interest...well there was that scammer that replied right away! So if you are thinking I should get the projector and sell so I can upgrade to a true home theater projector, it is a hard item to move! So that option may be out...


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## Alan Brown (Jun 7, 2006)

Generally speaking, business class projectors should not be considered for home theater use. Here are some of the reasons why:

Noisier fans
Inferior lenses are common
Shortage of inputs
Native resolution limitations
Leak leakage from the cabinet
Poorer motion rendering
Insufficient contrast
Inferior black levels
Limited image adjustment facilities

A quick survey of this unit's features and specifications tells me not to recommend it for home theater. It could be an introductory/temporary solution, just not a very good representation of what a front projections home theater image ought to look like. The current standard for HT resolution is 1920 x 1080p, not 1280 x 800p (cuts image resolution in half). There is no digital video input on this unit, only analog.

Best regards and beautiful pictures,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
A Lion AV Consultants affiliate

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"


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