So this weekend I am over at a friends parents house who in their basement have a 100 inch home theater projector setup that runs at 1080p....

I forget what brand they had, but regardless... I want one.

Doing a quick search online it looks like I can get some huge money into this ($5-6k) or there are options for a projector at $1k-$1500 and then a good screen runs $200ish...

So am I right in thinking I can have a good home theater setup for $2000?

Anybody have experience with these or have one setup? Id like some advice on where and what to get!

Thanks!

 

Don't cheap out on the screen, $200 is a cheap one. The screen makes as much difference as the projector itself. Why not just buy a nice LED TV for the money?

 

IMO projectors are good if your limited on space...

 

I have seen a couple setups a friend has. He has an older, cheaper 1080p projector which is his "mobile" now and he brings it over to my house for "nerd night" lan parties and we project it onto a wall for 100 inch Halo playing. His new one is very nice but he has several grand into that one.

I thought about it after the fact and since I did not prewire my ceiling for it I scrapped the idea. It also has downsides that you kind of need a darkened room to get the best color and lamp replacement.

I just picked up a 73 inch rear projection 3d Mitsu DLP that I love and was the compromise for me, but that was $1,600 on sale (WD73738) and the picture is top freaking notch. (dlp's also need occasional lamp replacement). But Mitsu also makes an 82 and announced a 92 inch DLP if you don't like the limitations of projection. They are a tad bulky but not like old rear projections and the don't weigh a ton, my 40 inch plasma is heavier than my 73.

I have been very impressed with the picture quality of my buddy's projector when I thought I would not be, but I liked my option for my particular room.

 

i have a 120" front PJ.
it can be pretty easy, but it can also be a nightmare.

make sure you have total light control. TOTAL!
if not, your picture will be washed out.

if you are not limited by install route (cant get a 70: screen down stairs or around corner), you can get 73" DLPs on sale for <$1200 and get a better more versatile picture.

i purchased an Acer PH 530 w/ Elite 120" screen for $1000 including cables and accessories 4 years ago.

next year i will move up to 1080p, but even 720p is amazing at 120".

i would recommend something with more lumens if you are going large, my picture is great in the dark, and almost OK with the lights on. AVSforum has more information than you could ever read. stick to the sub $3k PJ forum.

also make sure your room will support the throw distance of the size you want. my last house was just big enough to do the screen size i wanted.

and if this isnt for a dedicated room, dont bother.

 

projectors are alright. i have one myself but havn't used it since i moved to a new house. you will need a sound system since projectors don't have speakers.

my projector requires almost complete darkness so it's kinda hard to use it during sunny summer days. also it can get very hot and noisy from cooling fan inside. during winter time i hooked up my ps3 to my projector and my room would get really warm.

keep in mind projector's light bulbs are pretty expensive.

 

+1

 

Interesting responses....

This is for a living room. The only downside to this is that now that I think about it, his parents had a dedicated room (finished basement) for this home theater setup. My living room has I think 6 windows and a door to a porch... 3 of those windows would be directly behind the screen area I have planned... So I would be fighting light during the day.

I could wire the room for total control of the lights, thats no problem.

 

Light control is very important. If you don't have total light control (meaning... if you can't blackout the room), or if you'll need ambient light (for example during sports events... so people don't fall over each other trying to make a run to the fridge for beer/snacks), then this will play into your screen & projector choices.

I'm running a 100" Stewart GreyHawk with an old InFocus 7210 (720p) projector. The GreyHawk is good for rooms that don't have great light control, and it has good viewing angles, so people can still see it well if they're sitting off-center. When shopping for screens, do some research on the net, then call the screen mfrs and request samples of the 2 or 3 screen materials that you're interested in. Then you can put them up and see how they look with your specific projector in your specific room under specific lighting conditions & viewing angles.

My biggest pet peeve about my projector is the fan noise. Most new projectors are probably much quieter than my projector, but that's definitely something to keep in mind when shopping. My projector is about 4 feet above my head, so it's very noticeable when the fan kicks into high gear in the middle of a quiet scene. It's not as big of a deal during sports events. My bulb is pushing the end of its useful life, so I'll soon be upgrading to a 1080p projector that will hopefully be much quieter.

Front projector setups are nice, though... playing Rock Band 3 with a dozen friends on 100" screen is a blast!

Edit: Just saw your post that this is going in an open living room. I agree with the others... don't bother.

 

this is what you want in the living room:
http://www.fatwallet.com/search/index.php?...itsubishi&type=

just wait for the deals to come back.