Projector questions

Zaph0d

I've a few questions about projectors. I'd appreciate any advice

fan noise
I'm thinking of mounting a projector on the wall directly above the sofa, where the viewers will sit. Is this a bad idea, noise-wise and can anything be done to reduce noise? anyone know a good projector for low noise?

hidef
Does it make sense to get a high-def projector? Will the new consoles (xbox/ps3) be hidef? Is it likely that hidef cd or blu-ray or broadcasts will come out soon? What is the minimum native resolution for hidef?

screen
The screens are ugly and dear. Has anyone tried screen paint like goo systems, instead?

angle of projection
Is it best to have the projector point straight at the facing wall? It might be neater to ceiling mount it.

where to buy
Are there any shops in Dublin good for buying projectors or is it best to buy online?

symbolic

I'd ceiling mount it. they give out a lot of heat too, so havin them very near the viewer might not be ideal.

At the moment i just project onto a white wall. does me. perfect.

And definately have pointing straight at the wall.

pH

Based on experience with a panny ae500 -

fan noise - it;s not quiet, inverting and ceiling mounting makes it louder. However with the surround sound going you don;t notice it. New ae900 is meant to be a lot quieter.

HiDef - if you;re getting an LCD then you'll be getting a 720 line projector. It's not worth getting a 1080 panel at the moment, just too expensive. 720 line DLP is also dear.

screen - I have a sheet of mdf painted grey (Icestorm 5). Goo will do an even better job. Looks like modern Art when on wall!

You really have to buy online, UK or german retailers mainly.

irish_stu

i priced a ceiling mount for my sony projector,mental money,seen a very nice tv stand for portables in argos catalogue,its sleek,simple,basic,cheap,looks well,and needed no crazy d.i.y knowledge in fixing it securely to the wall,and all for 30 euro,as for a screen,i painted my wall an off white,cos with a pure whit i was getting glare,a sheen from the wall,just my 2 cents

Zaph0d

Thanks for all the answers. AE900 is €600 more than an AE700. Wy is this? Is it worth it?

I have a room thats 4.5m X 9m. I f I point the projector at the 4.5m wall, I could get a really huge picture. Is this a good idea, or would the picture be too large and look pixelated?

pH

The reviews seem to be saying that the ae900 is an incremental improvement over the ae700, so probably not worth 600 euro.

Its worth pointing out that these projectors need a dark room, proper cinema style conditions which many people can't cope with in a living room. Daylight or even normal bulb lighting will make it unwatchable.

http://www.ausmedia.com.au/panasonic_ae700_vs_ae900_review.htm

Though the ae900 is reputed to be quieter.

As the picture gets larger, it gets more pixelated and dimmer (you're spreading the same amount of light over a larger area). My screen is 2.5 meters wide approx and the picture is fine. The manual has screen sizes up to 4.5m wide - that gives a projection distance of 6.2m.

There are a new batch of PJ models with the new D5 panels (ae900 and Z4 plus some others I don't recall). Check out avforums.com for UK reviews and opinions.

If you want to see an AE500 up and running then PM me.

Tom Dunne

Zaph0d wrote:

fan noise
I'm thinking of mounting a projector on the wall directly above the sofa, where the viewers will sit. Is this a bad idea, noise-wise and can anything be done to reduce noise? anyone know a good projector for low noise?

I will be mounting my projector in this manner this week, I'll let you know how it is.

Zaph0d wrote:

screen
The screens are ugly and dear. Has anyone tried screen paint like goo systems, instead?

I have mine projected against a brown (yes, brown) wall. Ok, so it is a little dark when it comes to dark scenes, but overall, it is fine. I don't think there is any need for a screen if you have a lighter colour wall.

Zaph0d wrote:

angle of projection
Is it best to have the projector point straight at the facing wall? It might be neater to ceiling mount it.

As you may know, they all have adjustable feet, I don't think it matters which way you mount it.

Zaph0d wrote:

where to buy
Are there any shops in Dublin good for buying projectors or is it best to buy online?

I got mine off Amazon (Infocus X2). PCW magazine rated it their best budget projector. I don't think it is for purists, but it does the job for me.

Khannie

Zaph0d wrote:

screen
The screens are ugly and dear. Has anyone tried screen paint like goo systems, instead?

I'm probably going to be using a blackout blind. My mate has one mounted on his ceiling then rolls it down when he's using the projector. Was thinking of just replacing the blind in our sitting room with one. White or light grey is the way to go from what I understand. He said he got a "thermal blackout blind". Looked quality to me.

Zaph0d

I bought an ae900 from Komplett for 1666. Best toy ever. Thanks for all the advice.

Fallschirmjager

maybe i can help.

there is a cloth shop right beside the hapenny bridge (i suspect you will get it in any cloth shop) and they sell black out cloth (its kinda plasticy cloth if that makes sense). get some fine person to stich that to your curtains and it is very effective or roll it, your choice.

i bought my screen on ebay and it is way way cheaper then ireland where quite frankly its a bloody disgrace what people charge here.

but as people have said here a wall is good enough. i hust didnt have a wall i coudl project onto.

i have a sony and i bough my mount from some one called projector mounts based in canads. it was 90 dollars versus, 400 EURO for the sony one!!! it has been on my ceiling for 2 years now...excellent!

coupled with the projector is off the floor so you dont have people tripping over it....

CivilServant

Zaph0d wrote:

screen
The screens are ugly and dear. Has anyone tried screen paint like goo systems, instead?

Jeebus can't believe these cowboys are selling an idea that was created on the net. You can make your own goo paint.

Calibos

Zaph0d wrote:

I bought an ae900 from Komplett for €1666. Best toy ever. Thanks for all the advice.

Barsteward!! (I mean that in a nice way! )

When I read that you got it for €1666, I thought you might mean Sterling or that was the price without VAT or maybe the AE900 bit was a typo and you meant you got an AE700 for 1666 which sounded about right to me.

Went to Komplett.ie and it is €1666 inc VAT

Feckers!!

I got an AE900 in mid October from Komplett to replace my AE300 and it cost me €2050

A €400 price drop in 2 months!!

Jaysus I've only paid my credit union loan for the PJ down to 1600 at this stage.

GGRRRGGHHH!

Anyway, nice one mate. Its a great PJ isn't it. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Maxwell

Im currently projecting onto a white wall and made this decision over the screen mainly due to size. My wall is very big and I really enjoy the size of the picture over the quality I know that i am missing by not using the screen.

That said, I have a plain white wall and am very interested to hear from anyone re: the benefits of this goo paint? Is it worth it and can it be got in Ireland or do I have to buy it in from the US?

Anyone know much about this paint and is the picture quality significantly better over the plain old white paint?

Would appreciate any comments