Home Theater Projector

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Cyclonetrombone

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2010
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Madison, Wisconsin
Almost anything Epson touches as far as home theater projectors is concerned is gold. I have an 8350. Its about 3 years old but its great. Above 100 inches is where the deterioration is starts but it hasn't really been an issue for me, at all. Id say above 110 might be where it gets noticeable.
 

NickTheGreat

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
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Central Iowa
That website is great. Their projector calculator is especially good.

I am an Epson guy, and I have the 5030. They do list the little brother (2030) as #2 on the <$1500 list. I have 110" screen at about 15' viewing distance. A little small, but I was constrained on width

Is this an existing setup you're looking to replace the PJ in? Or is this a new build. Because the screen size and distance is somewhat PJ dependent.

I'd recommend AVSForum.com if you want to do some more reading. You could get lost for DAYS reading everything there.
 

Gorm

With any luck we will be there by Tuesday.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jul 6, 2010
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Cedar Rapids, IA
I just got a 120" Seymour screen for my ePSON 5020....awesome stuff. Highly recommended. Their manufacturing facility is in Ames.

Before:
DSCN2997.jpg

After:

photo 2.JPG
photo 1.JPG
 
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bstegs

Active Member
SuperFanatic
Apr 11, 2006
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Champaign, IL
I have a BenQ W1070. They can be had for for < $800. I haven't been able to use it a lot, but it reviews well, and I have enjoyed it thus far. It is not as good as the 8350 mentioned above, which seems to be recommended a lot on avs.

The W1070 has a native 1080p resolution and supports 3D if you care for it. It's biggest knock is a lack of strong black levels.
 

huntt26

Well-Known Member
Apr 10, 2006
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po' dUnk
Almost anything Epson touches as far as home theater projectors is concerned is gold. I have an 8350. Its about 3 years old but its great. Above 100 inches is where the deterioration is starts but it hasn't really been an issue for me, at all. Id say above 110 might be where it gets noticeable.

I second the Epson comment. Prices are good, great quality, bulbs are not too expensive, etc

I work at a university and we love our Epson projectors.

Have fun and good luck!
 

Ciclone

Well-Known Member
May 5, 2008
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Clive
Great thread.

Can anyone comment on how big a difference there is between the Epson 8350 and 5030? I'm still happily using the Epson 720, but shopping around a bit too, like Jay_Clone.
 

bstegs

Active Member
SuperFanatic
Apr 11, 2006
755
133
43
Champaign, IL
I just got a 120" Seymour screen for my ePSON 5020....awesome stuff. Highly recommended. Their manufacturing facility is in Ames.

Before:
View attachment 27857

After:

View attachment 27859 View attachment 27858

Gorm,
Where did you put the sub in the new configuration? Is the rear baffling worth installing? Can you tell the difference with the vertical center channel?
What speakers do you have? Are those ElementalDesigns?
 

Gorm

With any luck we will be there by Tuesday.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jul 6, 2010
5,552
2,364
113
Cedar Rapids, IA
Gorm,
Where did you put the sub in the new configuration? Is the rear baffling worth installing? Can you tell the difference with the vertical center channel?
What speakers do you have? Are those ElementalDesigns?

The Sub is hidden, it is an eD A7s-650.

The Speakers are Klipsch RF-7s, I made a custom RF-7 for a vertical center, but with it behind the screen it works far better as a tower again. So I switched the horn to point the correct direction. The LCR combination behind the screen rocks. All three match the others and with the screen hiding them the sound is seamless. The height speakers are Klipsch RB-5s, they get their information from the rear surrounds, so they do very well with ambient effects.

The rear baffling was totally worth it, I was getting a bit of an echo-y type sound and I figured it was because some of the sound was staying in the rear instead of exiting the screen with all the other sound.
 

Dino

Active Member
Mar 26, 2009
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Des Moines
It feels like we're fairly close to a big shift towards 4k. I'm curious as to how long it will be before the 4k projectors start to become reasonable.
 

bstegs

Active Member
SuperFanatic
Apr 11, 2006
755
133
43
Champaign, IL
It feels like we're fairly close to a big shift towards 4k. I'm curious as to how long it will be before the 4k projectors start to become reasonable.

In projectors, it would be great. The limits of 1080p become noticeable when you have a 100+ inch screen 12 feet away. A big issue for those with acoustically transparent screens is whether or not your screen will work well with 4k projection.
 

VikesFan22

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2011
16,453
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Ames, IA
This thread really makes me want to buy a house and install a home theater. My parents have a projector with a screen that's about 10' x 8'. The quality isn't top notch but it's not a cheap projector either. But when your screen is that big, it's not gonna be crystal clear.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
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50131
My first projector was an Epson and I liked it. This time I bought a Panasonic and have no complaints with it either. My only problem is that I don't use the home theater nearly as much as I should. Although during nfl season I live down there.
 

Dino

Active Member
Mar 26, 2009
799
55
28
Des Moines
In projectors, it would be great. The limits of 1080p become noticeable when you have a 100+ inch screen 12 feet away. A big issue for those with acoustically transparent screens is whether or not your screen will work well with 4k projection.

Agreed, projectors or those giant 70+ TVs and large computer monitors are where 4k will really shine. A 4k 50" TV that you're sitting 10 feet away from probably isn't going to be that noticeable.
 

Gorm

With any luck we will be there by Tuesday.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jul 6, 2010
5,552
2,364
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Cedar Rapids, IA
Until broadcasters make the huge investments into 4K, or hell even 8K technology, its only a novelty.