Projector-- getting one

Stoner

Hi All,
I know this is similar to ZENER's post, but i think the rules ban be from hijacking his content , anyway. I'm thinking of getting a projector, I have been offered a once off deal thing from a supplier in work, its good for sony, cannon epson etc so i expent to beat the shops on cost. I will havd ove about 1500K to 2000K I expect to get about 20% 30% off as its a trade price, Ideally I'd like the speaker/cd/amp for that same money.
What do you all think of the combined DVD 5.1 amp. I have seps at the moment but dont have a sub so i was thinking of just getting a combi like a sony from power city (approx €300) Got one for a friends wedding present last month and was impressed. My amp is nice cost more then these systems on their own but cant seem to get my hands on speakers for it that wont cost me an arm and a leg
My room is 6.2M long by 3.05M wide. I might need wireless rear speakers cos i want to min cable runs etc.
So anyone any ideas? I know bulbs, noise are a problem, looking at the content on ZENERs post it looks like LCD (i love the site where you pop in you dimensions etc).
Am I kidding myself in the price range? am i going to end up with a loud hot sh1ty system ? I could ceiling mount or desk mount the unit ( this would obviously cut down on the distance between the screen and the unit) I also want a big screen 2M wide (all white and going to be puilled over a doorway) manual would be fine, but i can juice up an auto one if they are reasonably priced.

So if some said here's 2K (really 2.5K) go get a projector and screed and surround sound, what would you do?
Ps i was already in Harvey Normans, and the guys in PEATS were not interested in a sale cos they have sky sports.

thanks all
Stoner

Stoner

Come on lads, lets say someone says to you "here's €2500.00 go out and get a projector c/w large screen and a 5.1 speaker system" after thanking them what system would you buy!!

thanks Again

robbie1876

Well, if I were you I'd put the money into the projector and hold off on the sound system until you can afford something to match the quality of the image. Go with the same projector ZENER got, you can't really go wrong with that. Spend decent money on a good screen too, something like a Da-Lite or a Draper.

What specific models of projectors have you been looking at? Are they all LCD, or are some DLP too? Be a little wary of 'work' projectors, as they may not be suitable for home cinema use (although many are). Look up comments on the projector over on avforums.co.uk too, that's a good source of user feedback.

Avoid wireless speakers like the plague! They are simply crap. You'll have to have a think about how you can run cables to the rear speakers. Can the skirting come off perhaps? Maybe some discrete conduit along the top of the skirting?

With an audio system, you get what you pay for. €300 for DVD, amp, 5 speakers and a sub sounds tempting enough, but it's going to sound like a €300 system. You would be better off building on your seperates system if you have a nice stereo amp, maybe adding in a surround processor eventually. For now, you are better off having very good stereo sound than crap surround sound. Spend the money on a good set of stereo speakers for your good amp. Can you post up a list of seperates that you have and I'll try to recommend something.

Robbie

Stoner

Stoner

He's the room dims

robbie1876

Cool, nice drawing, very helpful! Really you should ceiling mount the projector. Putting it on a table in front of the couch means you'll be tripping over wires and when people walk in front of it you'll get annoyed. Plus you'll have much reduced screen size, as it would have to be maybe 2m from the window to accommodate the couch and your legs.

You mentioned it's a new room, can you still run cables or have the walls been plastered over now? Ideally, permanantly installing the correct cables to a ceiling mount projector is the right thing to do. If you canrun cables, would you consider in-ceiling speakers? That's the ideal solution to the problem of the centre speaker over the doorway.

If you could get the cables up there, the result could be a bit like this: (sorry for poor image quality, was from a camera phone )




If you have a chance to do it properly, you may as well! You'll be glad later on.

Without the in-ceiling speaker option, you are kind of snookered. The 3 front speakers have to be on the same level, be it above or below the screen. It will sound odd with the centre speaker on the ceiling and the left/right speakers on the floor. Another possibility is a 'virtual' centre speaker. This works simply by switching off the centre speaker from the setup menu of your amp. The amp then sends the centre channel signal equally split between the left/right speakers, creating a 'virtual' centre. I've done this before in similar situations to good effect, but you need good main speakers. It could work for you, given the layout of your room.

All of the equipment you listed is better than a €300 all-in-one system from Power City. I'd keep your Sony amp and get a good pair of fronts and a sub. The rear speakers can come later. Remember, if you have a big screen, you'll want a big sound too, and those all-in-one units at the cheaper end of the scale don't cut it.

Robbie

PeterK

For €99 extra at Komplett, get the AE700 over the AE500. It has a high contrast ratio to rival DLP technology, no screendoor & superb color reproduction. All in all, a significantly better picture than the AE500.

My only other tip would be that if you have a decent PC banging about with a DVI-out graphics card, play your DVDs on it, and feed the image to your projector with a DVI cable. The AE700 comes with a HDMI input that you can use a DVI cable with. The picture quality should be stunning - you'd have to spend over €1k on a dedicated DVD player to get a picture that beats it.