Home Cinema Projector

JohnnySideburns

Hi,

I'm planning to buy a home projector to look at films and sport events. I am hoping to be able to achieve this for under €1,000. Can anyone who has experience or knowledge of the area tell me where and how I could do this and what to look out for when purchasing.

Cheers

symbolic

I have a Panasonic PT AE500 got it for 850 from www.komplett.ie . Find it great for dvds, tv and playstation.

So would recommend one of them or a newer model...

Probably not much help but if you have any specific questions I'll try and answer.

ZENER

I'd second the Panny - excellent projector with connectors for everything !

There are plenty of cheap units on sale everywhere but take care. Avoid cheap 4:3 DLP data projectors - all fur coat and no knickers to coin a phrase. You may need to spend a little more than 1000 to get something with good movie display quality.

ZEN

Attreu

If you can get that Panasonic at that price go for it.

Try to get an projector with a resolution of 1280 x 720 for the best image.

Infocus do a nice range but would be outside your budget.

This is my baby.. for now

http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/projectors/Hitachi_PJ-TX200.html

JohnnySideburns

Found this infocus model just within my budget but short of the above recommended 1280 x 720resolution (being 1024 x 768) . Would anyone know if this is good enough for viewing films?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=311041

Tom Dunne

Depends on what you want.

I have the same model (actually, I think it may be an X2 I have), anyway, I use it in a garage conversion. The room is longer than wider and the windows are at the opposite side to the projected image.

Having said that, watching during the day, even with the blinds closed, the picture is a little faint. If you only watch TV/DVD in the evening you would be fine. I use it primarily for games and the odd DVD.

If you are really into your DVDs and top-notch picture quality and brightness is important, then maybe this projector isn't for you. If, however, it is for occasional use in the evening, away from sunlight, then it does the job.

On a side note, I got mine of Amazon.co.uk for 700 Euro - might want to check with them before you purchase.

spuddy01

Hi There if you want a projector within that budget why not try this site
www.technikdirekt.de they have a great selection of projectors and at very reasonable prices too. I purchased a Sanyo Z3 from them and it is just under you're budget. Postage is only €22. I have to say it's a great projector and an ease to use straight out of the box but they have so much to choose from I'm sure you will find something to suit

ZENER

JohnnySideburns wrote:

Found this infocus model just within my budget but short of the above recommended 1280 x 720resolution (being 1024 x 768) . Would anyone know if this is good enough for viewing films?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=311041

Remember earlier I mentioned cheap 4:3 DLP data projectors . . . .
IMO this is a Powerpoint projector for static images at a business meeting etc.

That Z3 mentioned above looks the business though, gets good revies, has all the connectivity you could need and had HDMI to boot.

ZEN

Fallschirmjager

spuddy01 wrote:

Hi There if you want a projector within that budget why not try this site
www.technikdirekt.de they have a great selection of projectors and at very reasonable prices too. I purchased a Sanyo Z3 from them and it is just under you're budget. Postage is only €22. I have to say it's a great projector and an ease to use straight out of the box but they have so much to choose from I'm sure you will find something to suit

spud...jeeze just checked then for a sanyo z4...they are 270 euro cheaper then pixmania....kewl...might give them a whirl...!!! :eek:

Moorsie

.... projectorpoint.co.uk

I used them to buy a Benq PE7700 and they were prepared to do a deal if you are to buy a screen and mount at the same time. Send them an e-mail, tell them what you're trying to do and the budget you have. Only charged £10 for delivery too.

Make sure you understand the warranty. I had trouble with my machine but BenQ have a policy that they just replace the machine in Ireland no questions asked. They picked up old one and replaced with no cost to me.

Not sure if you buy from germany / france whether you'd have that luxury. I bought a digital camera from pixmania which is giving trouble. Finding it more of an ordeal to sort as pixmania are in France and are very strict about how you handle warranty issues.

Hydromonkey

Have a look at the new Infocus IN range, the IN72 would be around your price range. I've seen the IN76 up and running and it's a cracking projector

spuddy01

Fallschirmjager Yep it sure does pay to shop around! Let us know how you get on!