# Budget Projectors?



## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm looking for a cheap temporary projector to go in our living room. It will be hooked up to my Xbox one, and 2.1 set up. I want to stay around 300, mainly because I have roommates who want it in the living room to share and want to spend no money, so this will only be a temporary as I will be leaving soon. So I will just end up leaving the projector behind for them to keep and upgrade later at my new place. 

I'm thinking http://m.ebay.com/itm/ViewSonic-PJD...mens-Blu-Ray-3D-HDMI-/381632524576?nav=SEARCH

Or the 

http://m.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?UseCookie=yes&sku=V11H554220-N

Do you think either of these will be tolerable in a very dark room on say a 100' screen? Maybe 120? You don't have to go in detail about stats, I have the basic understanding, I have just never owned a projector so I have no idea if these will even tolerable. If not I'll just go pick up a cheaper 42 inch led somewhere.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Neither projector is going to give anywhere near the image quality of the dedicated TV given they don't support true 1080p resolution (they are only 1280 x 800). When you say a dark room will it be compleatly dark or will some light be in the room. Those projectors are not very bright (the contrast readings are way out to lunch) can you try one out and return it if you don't like it? What will you use for a screen?


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> Neither projector is going to give anywhere near the image quality of the dedicated TV given they don't support true 1080p resolution (they are only 1280 x 800). When you say a dark room will it be compleatly dark or will some light be in the room. Those projectors are not very bright (the contrast readings are way out to lunch) can you try one out and return it if you don't like it? What will you use for a screen?


Like I said I know and understand what each projector is capable stat wise.. Just never owning a projector I don't know if 1280x800 is doable, or if 3200 lumens is bright enough, know what I mean? 

The room and be almost completely black few gaps her and there at the Windows but for the most part, it'll be plenty dark enough. 

I will either paint a screen myself, or order a cheaper one and make my roommates split the cost. That will be my next question.. As I am unaware of the best/cheapest options here. 

I know you guys are used to just telling us to save up a few more days and buying one worth the extra 2-300 bucks, but being in college and having roommates unfamiliar with audio/video, they won't budge on wanting to spend 1-120 each. Plus they are like amazon reviewers. I guarantee as long as it's decently clear they will be wowed based on size alone not knowing what an amazing projector is actually capable of.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, normal tv is 1920x1080 so 1200x800 is a lot less pixels and given you will be blowing up the image to fit your desired 120" screen it's going to be grainy. Paint is not ideal particularly if your going to be going with an inexspencive projector. Have a look at Jamestown screens http://www.jamestownhometheaterscreen.com/index.php/projector-screens/
I would not go larger than 100" or the projector will need to be placed at least 15ft back from the screen to get that big and you will loose a lot of its output.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> Well, normal tv is 1920x1080 so 1200x800 is a lot less pixels and given you will be blowing up the image to fit your desired 120" screen it's going to be grainy. Paint is not ideal particularly if your going to be going with an inexspencive projector. Have a look at Jamestown screens http://www.jamestownhometheaterscreen.com/index.php/projector-screens/ I would not go larger than 100" or the projector will need to be placed at least 15ft back from the screen to get that big and you will loose a lot of its output.


Yeah the loss of pixels is huge.. Just didn't know how bad it would look. I honestly don't mind going 80 inches if that helps a lot. I have to go through and research mounting as well, not to sure on distances to screen size ratios yet, or how much you can adjust/zoom. A lot to look into, just mainly hoping one of these options for light viewing will be tolerable.


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

I've been running on a 1280x800 (BenQ W700) projector for a few years, with a 96" screen. The image quality is perfectly fine, though I'm certain a bigger/badder projector would be better. But since you're buying this and then leaving it behind for roommates that don't want to contribute to the cost, I'd say if they're going to complain about it you should take it with you when you leave just to spite them. 

As for cheap screen options, if you cut a sheet of melamine coated MDF to 7'4" long, you'll have a nice even white screen at 16:9. Is it the best you can do? No... but it's good enough and it's dirt cheap.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I can see the draw of going to a screen for gaming. Yes an 80" would be better. I'm sure you would be happy. Just get the vewsonic as I believe that the DLP won't suffer from lag like the LCD will.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

DqMcClain said:


> I've been running on a 1280x800 (BenQ W700) projector for a few years, with a 96" screen. The image quality is perfectly fine, though I'm certain a bigger/badder projector would be better. But since you're buying this and then leaving it behind for roommates that don't want to contribute to the cost, I'd say if they're going to complain about it you should take it with you when you leave just to spite them.
> 
> As for cheap screen options, if you cut a sheet of melamine coated MDF to 7'4" long, you'll have a nice even white screen at 16:9. Is it the best you can do? No... but it's good enough and it's dirt cheap.


It's more of me wanting a really good projector but them not wanting to contribute to something decent. So I have no issues spending around 100-150 for something low end, and leaving it with them (we will be splitting the cost 3 ways, I just can't get them to spend more then 100 ea). SO when the day comes ill be setting up a new system without any hinderances other then money of course .

That sounds like an excellent idea for the cheap route, thank you for the idea. I could even cut some trim and mount that around for some feng shui . What would be the best way to mount that you think?


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> I can see the draw of going to a screen for gaming. Yes an 80" would be better. I'm sure you would be happy. Just get the vewsonic as I believe that the DLP won't suffer from lag like the LCD will.


You've been so helpful. Thank you for the time brother. I will go with the viewsonic unless I find something better.


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

jamesfrazier said:


> It's more of me wanting a really good projector but them not wanting to contribute to something decent. So I have no issues spending around 100-150 for something low end, and leaving it with them (we will be splitting the cost 3 ways, I just can't get them to spend more then 100 ea). SO when the day comes ill be setting up a new system without any hinderances other then money of course .
> 
> That sounds like an excellent idea for the cheap route, thank you for the idea. I could even cut some trim and mount that around for some feng shui . What would be the best way to mount that you think?


Ah... I read your original post a little pessimistically, I suppose. 

My screen is exactly what I described above, with a 1x4 frame. The frame is slotted and glued to the edge of the MDF, with mitered corners. The framing is painted flat black. The whole assembly is hanging on a "french rail". The bottom of the french rail gets screwed to the wall, the top gets screwed/glued to the frame of the screen. Gravity does the rest. 

Pics attached.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

^ Seems like a cheap, simple alternative to a store bought dedicated screen. Question is.. for around 80-120 bucks I can find electric/pulldown/spandex screens all over amazon. How cheap was it to put yours together? Might be easier just to order something.


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

jamesfrazier said:


> ^ Seems like a cheap, simple alternative to a store bought dedicated screen. Question is.. for around 80-120 bucks I can find electric/pulldown/spandex screens all over amazon. How cheap was it to put yours together? Might be easier just to order something.


You can get the melamine-coated sheet for $20-$25, and the framing could probably be about the same. The question is whether or not you have the necessary tools. At minimum, you'd need a miter saw, though I did mine with a miter saw and a dado blade on a table saw. 

So, if $80-$120 is for a ready-to-use product, it might still be cheaper than purchasing additional tools.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

DqMcClain said:


> You can get the melamine-coated sheet for $20-$25, and the framing could probably be about the same. The question is whether or not you have the necessary tools. At minimum, you'd need a miter saw, though I did mine with a miter saw and a dado blade on a table saw. So, if $80-$120 is for a ready-to-use product, it might still be cheaper than purchasing additional tools.


I don't currently have any tools at my house up here. I may just do a plan melamine sheet. Try and make sure it's as flat as possible, and just leave it at that. Your idea seems awesome for a budget theater. I'll definitely keep that in mind for future reference or as suggestions to others. I love a cheap simple fix like that!


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

jamesfrazier said:


> I don't currently have any tools at my house up here. I may just do a plan melamine sheet. Try and make sure it's as flat as possible, and just leave it at that. Your idea seems awesome for a budget theater. I'll definitely keep that in mind for future reference or as suggestions to others. I love a cheap simple fix like that!



Well, lacking tools, here's what I'd do:

Mount the screen on 3/4" blocks just to keep it off the wall. Countersink your screws if you can. Once that's done, put a 2"-3" matte black border all the way around your screen with gaffer's tape, which will also serve to hide your screws. It'll cost about $20/roll, but you'll have a bunch left over and it's incredibly useful stuff. Guitar Center or someplace like it will have black gaff tape, but if you don't have one nearby you can get it on amazon.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

DqMcClain said:


> Well, lacking tools, here's what I'd do: Mount the screen on 3/4" blocks just to keep it off the wall. Countersink your screws if you can. Once that's done, put a 2"-3" matte black border all the way around your screen with gaffer's tape, which will also serve to hide your screws. It'll cost about $20/roll, but you'll have a bunch left over and it's incredibly useful stuff. Guitar Center or someplace like it will have black gaff tape, but if you don't have one nearby you can get it on amazon.


You're the man, man. Thank you so much for the tips and ideas. I'll come back and post pictures of I ever get around to getting this done.


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## Action_Jackson (Sep 30, 2014)

Another option for the frame is to get some of the tongue and groove boards from Lowes or wherever. That's what I used, just had them rip off the tongue part at the store because I didn't have a saw at the time. I bought a miter box kit for $10 and use it to cut the corners at 45 degree angles, then used some metal corner brackets to screw it all together. You can have them cut a French cleat out of a piece of 1x4 too if you want to hang it that way. Just cut it in half lengthwise with a 45 degree angle. Mount one side to the wall and the other to the back of the frame. 

I've also used a couple of aluminum transition pieces found in the flooring department to hang stuff. Just screw one piece to the wall, hitting the studs, and the other to the back of what you want to mount. 


























Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## J&D (Apr 11, 2008)

I wouldn't be afraid of using either of those projectors as an inexpensive gaming display. When I started up my dedicated HT in 2006 my budget was $2K or less for the projector. I bought the Panasonic PT-AX100U and it was excellent for gaming. My son who was 9 years old at the time used it all the time with his friends and over the years - 7 of them to be exact - put thousands of hours on the projector. I still have it as a backup PJ. I was projecting it on a 120" screen that I made myself. Just purchased the 1.0 gain screen fabric and assembled the frame myself. Still using that screen today with the replacement Sony projector I purchased 2 years ago.

It appears the specs on either of those PJ's you are looking at are similar to the AX100 or better. Just need to make sure the response time is good enough for your. The Panny was very good and no complaints from any of the gamers that used it and they were hardcore. All of them in college now..... But none of them making a living playing video games.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

There is a 100 inch motorized screen on amazon for sale with great ratings for only 75$. I just cant beat the cost/convenience on that so I believe I will be going that route.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

J&D said:


> I wouldn't be afraid of using either of those projectors as an inexpensive gaming display. When I started up my dedicated HT in 2006 my budget was $2K or less for the projector. I bought the Panasonic PT-AX100U and it was excellent for gaming. My son who was 9 years old at the time used it all the time with his friends and over the years - 7 of them to be exact - put thousands of hours on the projector. I still have it as a backup PJ. I was projecting it on a 120" screen that I made myself. Just purchased the 1.0 gain screen fabric and assembled the frame myself. Still using that screen today with the replacement Sony projector I purchased 2 years ago.
> 
> It appears the specs on either of those PJ's you are looking at are similar to the AX100 or better. Just need to make sure the response time is good enough for your. The Panny was very good and no complaints from any of the gamers that used it and they were hardcore. All of them in college now..... But none of them making a living playing video games.


Very happy to hear this. I am by no means a tech guru, but I know not to expect hdmi tv quality.. But as long as it throws a decently bright picture at 100'' we will be plenty happy. I had a fear everyone on here would bash the idea of going for a cheaper product but the consensus is it'll do jusssst fine. Thank you for the input.


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

jamesfrazier said:


> Very happy to hear this. I am by no means a tech guru, but I know not to expect hdmi tv quality.. But as long as it throws a decently bright picture at 100'' we will be plenty happy. I had a fear everyone on here would bash the idea of going for a cheaper product but the consensus is it'll do jusssst fine. Thank you for the input.


I am ALL ABOUT the cheaper product, provided it does the job you want it to do. Have fun!


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## J&D (Apr 11, 2008)

No problem. You will have a blast with it. There is no replacement for gaming on a large screen. If you do any amount of split screen then even better. Both of those projectors appear to have great light output but hopefully you will also have the ability to dim the lights or keep out as much ambient light as possible to improve contrast ratio. My dedicated HT is a bat cave with no ambient light and dark painted walls to minimize reflections. Definitely helps to make the most of a budget projector.

Just make sure you check the throw requirements for those so that you do not run into any issues. The LCD should be very flexible on placement but DLP units are much more finicky and do not have as much flexibility. Good luck and have fun.


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## jreb14 (Feb 18, 2015)

I think a 720p projector is cool for people that do not want to drop big money. I enjoyed it with blue ray for many years. A 1080P is way better I just think most people can be happy with 720p.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

So this projector is 4.3 native but can also do 16:9. At the recommended throw distance for a 100'' screen at a 4:3 aspect ratio I need to hang the projector about 150 inches away from the screen. Now I have about 175 inches to play with which works out well but I have one issue.. We only have 8ft ceilings, and there happens to be a ceiling fan hanging in front of the only area Ill be able to mount the projector. (the only other option is to flip the living room which creates about 230'' from back wall to possible screen wall, which is much to far for this projector).In turn ill have to make sure the projector hangs about 15 inches from the top of the ceiling to the horizontal line where the picture begins avoids conflict with this fan. 96"(8ft)-15"=81" to play with. The screen ALONE will be 60' not including motor and mounting distance using leaving me only about 20'' from the bottom of the screen up. The issue here is we have couches pretty close to the wall and i fear they will catch a corner of the screen, and that viewing the screen as you would a tv; almost level, and not at an upward angle may cause some comfort and viewing issues..

Now if i set up a 16:9 image, I may be able to keep the screen a little higher off the ground but wont the ratio be slightly off? Fitting a 16.9 picture on a screen designed for 4.3 wont be an issue will it? I don't quite know how much flexibility Ill have with picture settings. I know that a 16.9 100'' image on a 4.3 screen will cause the picture to widen past the 80'' mark. Will I be able to just shrink the image slightly? It seems I will have to have a 92'' diagonal rather then the full 100''. Will it look bad not filling the edges of the screen? I'll also have to move the projector forward about a foot to compensate, which leaves it almost directly on top of one sitting area, rather then behind. Don't quite know which is the best way to go. I can take pictures tomorrow if it helps with the explanation.

Please excuse any ignorance, first time dealing with a projector and there isn't much info on this one alone other then a few decent reviews here and there. I want to make sure I get this right.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

J&D said:


> No problem. You will have a blast with it. There is no replacement for gaming on a large screen. If you do any amount of split screen then even better. Both of those projectors appear to have great light output but hopefully you will also have the ability to dim the lights or keep out as much ambient light as possible to improve contrast ratio. My dedicated HT is a bat cave with no ambient light and dark painted walls to minimize reflections. Definitely helps to make the most of a budget projector.
> 
> Just make sure you check the throw requirements for those so that you do not run into any issues. The LCD should be very flexible on placement but DLP units are much more finicky and do not have as much flexibility. Good luck and have fun.


While I can't darken my room to bat cave level; even in mid-day when the sun is hitting the front windows I can get it pretty dark. I can alway go get some darker curtains if need be but I think for the most part we'll be ok.

Can't wait to see how it all turns out!


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

Guess my wall of text scared everyone off haha..


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

If your going with a pull down screen you have flexibility in aspect ratio just by not pulling the screen down all the way for 16x9 content. If you want paint the main part where the screen rolls into flat black and it will become the top boarder.


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## jamesfrazier (Jul 24, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> If your going with a pull down screen you have flexibility in aspect ratio just by not pulling the screen down all the way for 16x9 content. If you want paint the main part where the screen rolls into flat black and it will become the top boarder.



I'll be using a motorized roll down that can be stopped at any time. So I guess I can just run it in 16:9 to keep the screen from being so low to the ground. Hopefully the fan isn't to intrusive.


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## lugeidx4 (Nov 19, 2018)

Anyone looking for a 1080p resolution projector for the best price. Optoma HD20 High Definition 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector comes at under 1,000 dollars, which makes it a deal not to be missed, coming with a hefty set of features and technologies.


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