Projector advice needed...

[ellal]

I have a couple of outdoor events (night time) coming up which need a projector to show a variety of music videos (via laptop), and also act as a Wii screen.

Looked at the hire costs, and was then thinking about getting a reasonably cheap model which has the required inputs/outputs.
(if it could also be used for the odd film show indoors, that would be a bonus)

Total quality is not the overriding factor, but a decent image would be nice. However I'm confused over the brightness levels. Ansi lumens vs lumens sounds a bit like RMS vs PMO in audio terms to me!

Also contrast ratios seem a similar minefield!

I've been searching around for a compromise, and have come up with this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079MF7Q4Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1_1_3?smid=A2KAKZFNOKX0V6&psc=1

Any advice would be appreciated as to whether it would suit the bill, or any similarly priced alternatives.

 

[Lucid]

ANSI lumens vs Lumens

The ANSI bit is to do with how well the projector lights up the entire screen rather than just small portions that need a lot of light. It comes from the difference in requirements between a video picture and a computer image for something like a PowerPoint presentation or showing a spreadsheet.

ANSI lumens is an average of 9 measurement points across the screen*. In theory, it should give a better indication of how well or poorly a projector lights up the entire screen area. But there's a problem with it. The number doesn't tell the reader how even that light is across the screen.

For example, say we were comparing two projectors. They're both 1000 ANSI lumens. The first one is £700. The second is just £350 and appears to offer the same features and specs. Without any further information then you'd be drawn to the £350 projector, right?

But what if you got to see them both beforehand, and when you did, you found that the £350 projector was very bright in the centre of the image, but very dull at the edges? That's the problem with ANSI lumens as a figure on its own. Its a blunt instrument. It lacks precision. It only tells you part of the story. You also need the Uniformity figure.

Uniformity is a measure of how evenly the light is distributed. A figure of 100% would be a perfect result, but even the £200,000 digital cinema projectors don't achieve that. Anything over 80% is good for a decent budget projector. 90% or higher would be achieved by higher-end models at £3000+


So what's the deal with Lumens then?

We don't use lumens to measure projector brightness. An older type of projector tech called CRT was measured in Peak lumens, but the 'lumen' itself is a measurement of the brightness of a light source rather than how bright the reflected image is from a screen.

Quoting a projector at 4200 lumens is a bit misleading. They could easily be measuring the power of the light as it emerges from the lens. That's going to be way brighter than the light once it has spread over a screen, so it's not a like-for-like comparison which is what your gut was telling you.


Contrast Ratio

This is a measure of the difference in brightness between black and white. It tells us a little bit about the quality of the optical elements in the display.



The bottom line is that the projector from Ebay isn't that great. It's cheap as far as projectors go, but there's no real substance to the spec e.g. what type of LCD projector it is, whether it does 50Hz and 24Hz as well as 60Hz, any keystone correction, etc etc. It's all vague promises and suggestions.

If you want a decent budget projector - something actually worth owning - then an Optoma H183X would make sense. It's from a very well respected projector brand. There's a decent set of specs you can trust, and it'll deliver a brightness level that's genuine.

* There's a bit more to it as it also factors in screen size, but to keep things simple we'll focus on the average measurement aspect of the standard.

 

[ellal]

Thanks for explaining that, Lucid.

I did see that Optoma model on the Richer Sounds website, but didn't understand how/why it would be better than the one I linked to.

Could I ask about the zoom figure (1.1)
I've used a projector before some time ago that had a zoom, and found it quite useful instead of having to move the projector about when finalising projection adjustment.
What does that figure mean? Is it that the image can be adjusted by 10%?
But I assume the vertical/horizontal ratio remains?

Also could I ask about the audio.
It will be used mainly from a laptop or games console via HDMI, and then amplified via either a standalone speaker or hi-fi.
Is it better to use the audio output from the projector, or use the audio mute and directly output from the laptop etc?
(I'm thinking about synchronisation)

Cheers

 

[Lucid]

Your interpretation about 10% image adjustment is spot on. Yes, the proportions of the picture stay the same. It just gets bigger or smaller.

As budget increases then there's more money for better quality components. Lenses and optical elements take a fair chunk of the production budget. Poor lenses cause problems with progressively worse focus out towards the screen edges, and the issue of large brightness variations, and they can also reduce contrast due to internal light reflections.

The no-brand products sold cheap on Ebay cut a lot of corners. I believe very strongly that this is why they rarely provide comparable specifications. If the seller doesn't give specific details then the customer isn't in a position to complain that the product is a bit rubbish and ask for a refund.

Take your sound directly from the laptop.

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[ellal]

Thanks again Lucid.

I believe I will go for that Optoma model.
I'm assuming it will also probably be easier to buy replacement lamps for a branded machine should I need to?

 

[Lucid]

Lamps - yes. Along with projectors, the lamps have got cheaper too. Gone are the days when a new lamp was a minimum of £350.

Performance tip for you: If you're going to run the projector, then run it for a decent length of time if possible.

Most of the lamp wear occurs in the start up sequence. If you imagine that every time you start the projector you use an hour's worth of lamp life, then you can see that switching it off for 20 minutes while you go for a break isn't actually saving any life. It uses more life than leaving it on throughout.


If this and any other posts helped you, then pay the authors the compliment of hitting the thanks button. It shows your appreciation and marks the reply for those looking for answers in the future.

 

[ellal]

Thanks for the tip about leaving it on.
(Kind of reminds me of being told to keep a fluorescent striplight on instead of turning on/off frequently?)

I've reserved one of the last available Optoma H183X at Richer Sounds, so will look forward to it's first outing on Friday night!

Cheers

 

[ellal]

A further question, Lucid.

As I can't output the TV signal to a projector could you recommend a USB HD freeview stick (that I can connect to a regular aerial cable and play via the laptop), because most I've looked at have mixed reviews.

It would be another bonus being able to watch a few sports events via the projector.

Cheers

 

[Lucid]

My apologies; I didn't realise you had added a further reply.

Freeview dongles.... Not my thing, I'm afraid. I figure that if they have to be plugged in to a PC (and provided you have reasonable Internet access) then why not just use the TV streaming services instead?

Alternatively, if there is a decent aerial signal from a roof or loft aerial, then buy a new or used Freeview set-top box. It'll work better than a dongle and you may even be able to record on to it.

If this and any other posts helped you, then pay the authors the compliment of hitting the thanks button. It shows your appreciation and marks the reply for those looking for answers in the future.

 

[ellal]

No apologies necessary. Your advice has been very welcome.

I hadn't thought of the extra freeview box option - got too used to the TV incorporated ones!
I have an old Humax HD box, so maybe that might do the job?

The H183X projector that was supposed to be reserved was out of stock and no further ones available, so I got a full HD H142X instead (for the same price and a free 6 year warranty), along with a further discount to cover the cost of a Wii to HDMI adaptor due to the lack of RCA video input.

Used it last night with a 100" cheap fold away screen attached to a frame in the garden and it was absolutely brilliant - both with the Wii and HD video from a laptop.
(and quite quiet too)

I did also use the audio out (both from the Wii adaptor and the projector) to an old technics amp/paradigm speakers, and it was surprisingly good.

 

[Lucid]

Glad you're happy with the result, and getting a 1080p projector for the price of the 720p model was a real bonus too, so good news all round