Home projectors, thoughts?

[diy_fun_uk]

Anyone on here got one? If yes what make/model? Do you use it regularly or is it gathering dust? Advantages over a TV, disadvantages?

I never treat myself to anything so I'm thinking about a home projector. Not a massive movie fan but I do enjoy the occasional movie and like the idea of watching some of them (especially action) on a 80" - 100" screen. Some other progs e.g. nature, sport might also look good on the larger screen?

I'm thinking about this one, although touted as a gaming model, also rates well for movies and general viewing.

TH585 Home Entertainment for Console Gaming | BenQ Home Projector

Flat screens are totally outplayed by gigantic projected images in Full HD 1080p. TH585 is overpowered with low input lag for real-time gaming thrills. Stunning graphics in Game Mode and 3500 lumens of ultra brightness deliver intense action even in daylight. Invite your friends and get in a...

www.benq.eu

 

[motorbiking]

I had one in my last house which had a dedicated room and decent blackout. My first was an InFocus (cost around 3k) and my last was an Epson 1080p (1500-2k ish?).

If you are dedicating a room and installing decent surround sound, then it goes nicely and gives a cinema feel. They never seem as crisp as a TV for the same money and frankly its the sound that makes the movie not the 150" display.

If you have a decent Amp, its fairly easy to connect to a film server or streaming device. But to do it properly you need to spend min £1k on the projector at, least 6-800 on the amp and even 2nd hand speakers will set you back 5-700 quid.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I had one in my last house which had a dedicated room and decent blackout. My first was an InFocus (cost around 3k) and my last was an Epson 1080p (1500-2k ish?).

If you are dedicating a room and installing decent surround sound, then it goes nicely and gives a cinema feel. They never seem as crisp as a TV for the same money and frankly its the sound that makes the movie not the 150" display.

If you have a decent Amp, its fairly easy to connect to a film server or streaming device. But to do it properly you need to spend min £1k on the projector at, least 6-800 on the amp and even 2nd hand speakers will set you back 5-700 quid.

Cheers.

Mine wouldn't be in a dedicated room as such, however it's only me in the house so I can suit myself re how I set it up, closing blinds in the daytime etc.

My initial thoughts are to go with the model linked to above, see what size of projection is suitable for my space and then buy appropriate screen. Initially sound wise, I'd link up to my TV sound system (couple of external speakers and sub-woofer) and determine if that setup suffices.

I could simply go for a new larger screen TV, however like I say, I never buy anything out of the ordinary and thought I might give this a try.

 

[motorbiking]

One aimed at gamers is not going to be as nice as one aimed at home cinema. Its also 1080p not 4k. A bit more budget and you are in to 4k.

 

[ellal]

Have a 1080p Optoma HD27.

Use it inside (on a white wall) and outside on a screen.
Great for movies/sports, and the brightness level means that you don't have to have total blackout to enjoy the picture.
Also it will now do HD from the TV box so that means a better picture for regular stuff.

Good enough quality (not interested in 4K personally), but the throw ratio isn't that great.

If I could justify it I'd get an ultra short throw laser model, but I can't!

As for sound, I just use an old Sherwood amp and a couple of Paradigm main speakers with a cheap centre speaker.

Or if I'm running from a laptop, HDMI and active speaker.

No need to over buy in my opinion.

Lucid in the audio visual forum is far more knowledgeable than me though!

 

[diy_fun_uk]

If I could justify it I'd get an ultra short throw laser model, but I can't!

Same

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

A screen does wonders to give the image a crisp border. Years ago I ran a projector onto a 6ft screen and just used an amp and speakers, worked well. As mentioned you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a cinematic experience. If you lived near me you could have the screen FOC.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

A screen does wonders to give the image a crisp border. Years ago I ran a projector onto a 6ft screen and just used an amp and speakers, worked well. As mentioned you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a cinematic experience. If you lived near me you could have the screen FOC.

Yeah as I say, I think what I'll do is buy the projector and muck about to see what viewing size suits the space (and my eyes) best. I'll then buy a screen the same (or close to) size.

Thanks for the offer anyway!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The guidelines to determine screen size are pretty accurate and that should determine your projector choice, also hanging it off the ceiling is a game changer, if you have to set it up every time on a coffee table it'll end up hardly getting used.

 

[motorbiking]

check the above projector can flip without impacting the image and that it has key stone correction to allow for the incorrect height. You'll also need to think about running the cables and power supply somewhere.

Also you can make decent protector screens using blackout (white) material stretch and stapled to a wooden frame.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

check the above projector can flip without impacting the image and that it has key stone correction to allow for the incorrect height. You'll also need to think about running the cables and power supply somewhere.

Also you can make decent protector screens using blackout (white) material stretch and stapled to a wooden frame.

One of the advantages of living on my own is cables running around the edge of the floor then up to a projector won't bother me, and there's no partner to nip my head about it

 

[Lucid]

I've been using, selling and installing projectors for a little over 30 years. In that time there have been massive changes in the technology and the prices. The fact that someone can spend less than a grand and get a pretty respectable image is just tremendous.

If my time with projectors has taught me anything it's that new buyers have certain preconceived ideas about what's important when they're choosing a model. Once they've lived with a projector for a while then they realise that other stuff was actually more important. For example, lens quality is more important than 'HD vs 4K', and black level is more important than outright brightness.

One of the firms I used to work for was the UK's biggest supplier of CRT projectors to the leisure market installer trade. This was mostly driven by football and the pubs market. I mention this because it highlights why manufacturer figures on brightness should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Measured in the same way as today's digitals, these old CRTs put out around 160-190 ANSI lumens. That was enough to get a decent image on a 72" diagonal screen in a typical pub during the day. There were a couple of caveats; you couldn't have any daylight falling directly on the screen, and you'd want to switch off any electric lights that were hitting the screen too. Other than that they worked well even if most of the installers couldn't converge for toffee.

Image: Seleco SVP350 CRT

Contrast that with todays budget gaming/entertainment projectors with claimed brightnesses of 3000-4000 ANSI lumens. You'd think there'd be no contest.

Image: Benq TH585 - gadgetguy.com review

The image is a little unfair. He's obviously projecting onto the window blinds which are somewhat translucent (you can see the boats through the windows) and there's also some sunlight falling on the image from the window to the right of the shot.

The point here is threefold.
1) Manufacturer brightness figures are a bit of a con, but they're all involved in the same 'arms race' to quote big numbers because that's all consumers have to go off
2) Don't sweat a difference of a few hundred ANSI lumens between models. It won't make a significant difference
3) Daytime projection in the same way you might use a TV just isn't going to happen no matter what the manufacturers claim. However, with a sympathetic setup then you can project during the day. Just avoid natural light falling directly on the screen. The sun trumps any projector

You can read the rest of the gadgetguy review here. It's pretty useful. https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/benq-th585-2020-home-entertainment-projector/


Stuff that will catch you out:
* Long 4K-capable HDMI cables are expensive
* Digital keystone image correction is worthless. It kills image resolution and reduces brightness. Optical/mechanical lens shift is better but not as widely available. Plan your installation to avoid having to use digital keystone
* Running picture (with sound) all the way to the projector, and then running audio cables back from the projector to a sound system is crap. Take audio direct from any sources in to a sound system. Run HDMI for picture only to the projector
* Built-in streaming apps on any projector have very little value. A Fire TV- or Roku stick will wipe the floor with them. It'll be slicker and keep working for longer, all for a cost of just £30-£40
* You can't project black. If a projector's black looks grey then no adjustment is really going to fix that. The brighter the projector tries to be then the worse this becomes, and it robs the image of it's ability to create a sense of depth and colour saturation. This is why demos are important and assessing black level with any contrast enhancing features switched off


If you're in Fife then RicherSounds at Edinburgh might be worth contacting. See if they can set up a demo of the Benq (£629) versus the Optoma HD29He (£749). If gaming is really important to you then the Optoma manages 8ms in 1080 SDR mode. It also supports 120Hz frame rate. Better blacks. Good motion.

 

[matlob]

If only wanted 80" a half decent 75" tv is under 1k these days

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I've been using, selling and installing projectors for a little over 30 years. In that time there have been massive changes in the technology and the prices. The fact that someone can spend less than a grand and get a pretty respectable image is just tremendous.

If my time with projectors has taught me anything it's that new buyers have certain preconceived ideas about what's important when they're choosing a model. Once they've lived with a projector for a while then they realise that other stuff was actually more important. For example, lens quality is more important than 'HD vs 4K', and black level is more important than outright brightness.

One of the firms I used to work for was the UK's biggest supplier of CRT projectors to the leisure market installer trade. This was mostly driven by football and the pubs market. I mention this because it highlights why manufacturer figures on brightness should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Measured in the same way as today's digitals, these old CRTs put out around 160-190 ANSI lumens. That was enough to get a decent image on a 72" diagonal screen in a typical pub during the day. There were a couple of caveats; you couldn't have any daylight falling directly on the screen, and you'd want to switch off any electric lights that were hitting the screen too. Other than that they worked well even if most of the installers couldn't converge for toffee.

Image: Seleco SVP350 CRT
View attachment 281643

Contrast that with todays budget gaming/entertainment projectors with claimed brightnesses of 3000-4000 ANSI lumens. You'd think there'd be no contest.

Image: Benq TH585 - gadgetguy.com review
View attachment 281644

The image is a little unfair. He's obviously projecting onto the window blinds which are somewhat translucent (you can see the boats through the windows) and there's also some sunlight falling on the image from the window to the right of the shot.

The point here is threefold.
1) Manufacturer brightness figures are a bit of a con, but they're all involved in the same 'arms race' to quote big numbers because that's all consumers have to go off
2) Don't sweat a difference of a few hundred ANSI lumens between models. It won't make a significant difference
3) Daytime projection in the same way you might use a TV just isn't going to happen no matter what the manufacturers claim. However, with a sympathetic setup then you can project during the day. Just avoid natural light falling directly on the screen. The sun trumps any projector

You can read the rest of the gadgetguy review here. It's pretty useful. https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/benq-th585-2020-home-entertainment-projector/


Stuff that will catch you out:
* Long 4K-capable HDMI cables are expensive
* Digital keystone image correction is worthless. It kills image resolution and reduces brightness. Optical/mechanical lens shift is better but not as widely available. Plan your installation to avoid having to use digital keystone
* Running picture (with sound) all the way to the projector, and then running audio cables back from the projector to a sound system is crap. Take audio direct from any sources in to a sound system. Run HDMI for picture only to the projector
* Built-in streaming apps on any projector have very little value. A Fire TV- or Roku stick will wipe the floor with them. It'll be slicker and keep working for longer, all for a cost of just £30-£40
* You can't project black. If a projector's black looks grey then no adjustment is really going to fix that. The brighter the projector tries to be then the worse this becomes, and it robs the image of it's ability to create a sense of depth and colour saturation. This is why demos are important and assessing black level with any contrast enhancing features switched off


If you're in Fife then RicherSounds at Edinburgh might be worth contacting. See if they can set up a demo of the Benq (£629) versus the Optoma HD29He (£749). If gaming is really important to you then the Optoma manages 8ms in 1080 SDR mode. It also supports 120Hz frame rate. Better blacks. Good motion.

Great post and advice, thanks. Tbh gaming isn't that important to me, so as someone else touched on, the Benq I linked to maybe isn't the one to go for. Yeah I'd read about stated vs actual brightness performance, reminds me a bit of stated vs actual vehicle mpg

 

[diy_fun_uk]

If only wanted 80" a half decent 75" tv is under 1k these days

Yeah I see your point and there is a valid argument around 'just get a bigger telly!' however I don't necessarily want to watch everything on that scale and, as touched on, I NEVER treat myself to anything so I'm thinking about splashing out for once, even if I only end up using it once/twice a week.