# Best projector for Sports Bars?



## Guest

Hi Guys.

I'm not a HT expert by any means, I know if I wanted a projector for my home theatre I'd go with the Epson 1080p, but that's dark, ideal conditions..

So here's the question.

I own a Sports Bar in Houston, and I want to be known as a "high tech" sports bar. One of the keys is servin' up the games in HDTV. 

Which projectors would you suggest, disregarding budget for the time being?

Good bulb life (although I hear you can get the $400 warranties on a lot of them to replace the bulb), good image under higher than ideal lighting conditions, and at least 80-100" screen. 

Whichever projector I choose I'll have two of them, and then a number of more basic HDTV LCDs be installed into the bar in the upcoming weeks..

What projector would "awe" you if you were to walk into a sports bar? Is there a projector that you'd go to a bar specifically to watch the game on that screen?

Love to hear all the suggestions.


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## tonyvdb

First of all welcome to The Shack,
Seeing as money is not an issue right now then getting a commercial/industrial projector would be far better for you. They run in the $15,000 to $30,000 range some of the better ones still use CRT technology and thus don't require bulb replacement and also support more than one native resolution . The contrast on these are very high and last far longer than LCD or DLP projectors. The only downfall is they are larger than LCD or DLP units.

In your case I would not recommend going with any of the consumer grade units as they will not handle being on for hours on end as bulb life is still not going to last you more than about half a year at best in your situation.


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## Picture_Shooter

Our church has one of those Dell LCP / MP models. It seems to do great and from what I know.. cheap in price. Just make sure you have couple of back-up of lamps  . Good luck w/ the sports bar. Free beer for our posts?


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## wbassett

For a sports bar brightness aka lumens is probably more important than CR. Most high lumen projectors are still 4:3 but there are some very bright 720p projectors out now too, which would be great for sports. One thing to consider is the screen. You'll want something that performs well with ambient lighting, especially Sunday afternoons.

HoloDisplays has a great ambient light screen called the HoloVega. I have their full price list, so if you tell me the size I can tell you what they it would cost.

Tomorrow I'll look up some high lumen PJs for you too, there are some at some good prices that you can get. For your setup you need bright and vivid in a variety of viewing conditions and that is definitely doable.


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## lcaillo

tonyvdb said:


> First of all welcome to The Shack,
> Seeing as money is not an issue right now then getting a commercial/industrial projector would be far better for you. They run in the $15,000 to $30,000 range some of the better ones still use CRT technology and thus don't require bulb replacement and also support more than one native resolution . The contrast on these are very high and last far longer than LCD or DLP projectors. The only downfall is they are larger than LCD or DLP units.
> 
> In your case I would not recommend going with any of the consumer grade units as they will not handle being on for hours on end as bulb life is still not going to last you more than about half a year at best in your situation.


CRTs last longer than LCD and DLP? Really? Where do you get that? I would not recommend LCD because of the likelihood of buildup of crud in the light path that can damage filters, but DLP is pretty reliable in this kind of environment. Unlike CRTs which age rather fast at high contrast ratios, DLP will look nearly like new with a new lamp. CRT sets require significantly more calibration and more maintenence. 

Leonard


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## Picture_Shooter

@ hooters , couple of LCD and Plasma's seem to work well. lol


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## Guest

Take a look at the Optoma EP1691. It's a widescreen dlp, 2500 lumens, is very small. Because it is black and very small, it almost disaapears into a dark ceiling and will hide well and not be a distraction. Most reputable places have it for less than a $1,000.00 which is even better! At that price it is well worth a look.


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## GlideRider

I own 3 sports bars in Dallas and have been through the gamut of cheap projectors. Don't do it. First of all, make sure you get a DLP and keep a spare bulb at all times. Don't get ANYTHING from Fry's of Best Buy--It wont handle the abuse (smoke, constant running, etc.) DO NOT BUY HITACHI OR OPTOMA! TERRIBLE PRODUCTS, TERRIBLE WARRANTY AND NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. I personally use Mitsubishi WD620U's. They're decent for the price and have excellent warranties with AWESOME customer service. My new bar will have a Christie projector, but you have to get that through a dealer. Hope this helps.


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## spasticteapot

There are a few guys - including, notably, one up in Canada that has very reasonable prices (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to him on this forum - some have rules on this sort of thing) that rebuild and service old CRT projectors. If you're willing to deal with some headaches - namely, a 150 pound projector, a converter box, and having to deal with convergence on a regular basis - they offer very competitive pricing. Some CRT tubes are rated for many thousands of hours of use, and they tend to be quite rugged as well - possibly a result of costing tens of thousands of dollars when new. The only major catch is the low lumen output.

Another thing to consider is cigarette smoke. I've heard some horror stories of all sorts of things going wrong, especially in DLPs with their tiny moving parts. A possible solution to this is a rear projection setup: Aside from various other benefits, it lets you keep the projector away from major sources of airborne particulates.

Finally, there's option #3: Buy a really freakishly big projection TV. The new Mitsubishi LaserVue TVs offer really exceptional picture quality, shouldn't need replacement bulbs during the life of the product, and are available up to 75" in size. While not ideal, projection TVs can deal with ambient light better than most projection setups, and require a whole lot less setup: The $5500 pricetag isn't so bad once you start to factor in the cost of setup you'll be able to avoid.


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## lcaillo

Of all the technologies, DLP is the most bulletproof for this applicaiton. They are far more tolerant of the harsh conditions and smoke and oils in the air than LCD or LCoS systems. The only moving parts are the color wheel and perhaps an iris (which is actually as likely or more to be found on LCD units). Color wheels can get dirty but not nearly to the degree that you see built up in the light path of a three chip system with the many optical elements. The filters in three chip systems are also less likely to survive the constant use.

I cannot imagine recommending a CRT, with their short life in the CRTS and the frequent alignments needed, not to mention the weight and low brightness. I have been installing and servicing systems like this for over three decades and IME it just makes no sense to even consider a CRT at this point. Perhaps for a home theater, but certainly not commercial use.


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## gsmollin

I can personally recommend the Sanyo PDG-DHT100L. This PJ is a 6500 lumen, 1920x1080p light cannon, and that's going to be the WOW-factor in a sports bar. I use one in a business conference room, and we watch it with the lights ON. This PJ is a DLP and the optical engine uses the .95 inch DMD from TI. It is designed for constant use without problems, and is a rugged performer. Size: 16x10x21 in. Wt: 44 lbs. Lamps: 330 W UHP lamp x2.

It cost about 17k USD.


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## Andre

Epson Powerlite Pro Z8000 or Digital Projection M-Vision 1080p-260 Projector


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