Sold my projector and screen.

[walls]

Yep, haven't used it in a little over a year so I figured it was time that someone else enjoyed them. Ever since I got the 75" Sammy I just never had the desire to pull down the screen anymore.

So this makes me wonder, as sets get bigger and better and of course cheaper will the home theater projector market start to crumble?

Even the SAMs Club "cheapie" 70" sets look really good, good enough to compete with all but the high end FP's, and the convenience of just turning them on to watch tv is nice.

Opinions?

 

[Towen7]

Those sets will have to get beyond 90"+ to compete with projectors. Projectors will always be a niche market but I don't see it crumbling anytime soon.

 

[walls]

See I think that just the convenience factor of a tv alone will sway some people.

Also I thought I read somewhere that the 90" sharps should go below $4k, that's a ton of pic for that price.

 

[TKoP]

For me, the projector can maybe move to a more portable setup.

i go up to montana every year and one of the things we do while we're up there in the woods is have a "movie" night. We project onto a sheet on the deck of the cabin and watch a movie. It wouldn't be the same or as easy to put up and take down as a tv. The same could be said for a work setting where you have to go someplace and do some sort of presentation.

However, for Home Theater use, I do think the market will eventually die away. But, still not for a while. Not until you can get a 120" tv for less than $4k.

 

[Srvy]

For me, the projector can maybe move to a more portable setup.

i go up to montana every year and one of the things we do while we're up there in the woods is have a "movie" night. We project onto a sheet on the deck of the cabin and watch a movie. It wouldn't be the same or as easy to put up and take down as a tv. The same could be said for a work setting where you have to go someplace and do some sort of presentation.

However, for Home Theater use, I do think the market will eventually die away. But, still not for a while. Not until you can get a 120" tv for less than $4k.

Now thats what I call roughing it :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[yromj]

IMHO, a projector is what turns a system into a true home THEATER. I can understand if you have to pull down a screen; but, in my experience, most HTs have fixed screens and the ones that don't have power screens. In either of those cases, there is no inconvenience in watching the projector.

I don't think the home projector market will crumble.

John

 

[Batman]

^ this, it's always been a niche market and will continue to be.

 

[jomari]

i think with the cost of projectors tho, compared to that of the tv sets, it will still hold a good market.

i currently have a 60 but im actually tempted right now to buy a new PJ, despite having my hd70 in my sisters house.

why? where can you find an 'adjustable' tv from 100 to 140, with 3D, MHL capability for under a grand? plus the replacement bulb is set at 99 a pop.

the only hindrance i see is that this budget pj will not have the same contrast levels as a dedicated tv does...

 

[Wardsweb]

For me the 110" screen makes viewing at home a theater experience. The new crop of HD projector's picture quality is like watching a HD TV.

 

[jomari]

on a sidenote,

do you think the 'curve' tv markets will last as well? i get the immersive experience, but unless its dominating my living room, i stil wont get the same immersion as a 110 screen. can the cost truly equate its luxury?

 

[Batman]

If you can't wall mount them easily, I see it as a fad. Some people will bite cause it's being marketed as "gotta have". It's biggest benefit IMO is the potential to increase viewing angle from the extreme opposite side. But on the flip side I'd think there's potential to degrade the image at the closer edge at an extreme angle.

 

[yromj]

^^this. I have yet to see a benefit to a curved screen unless the viewing angles are on the order of the Batcave. Sitting ~12' from a 120+" 2.35:1 screen provides a completely different viewing experience, by geometry, than sitting 10' from a 55" curved screen. To me the curved screens are a prime example of, "Hey look what we can do."

John

 

[Randy]

I don't see a curved screen in my future but I would still love to have a front projector and screen. Drop down if I do it upstairs and fixed if I do it downstairs.

Mounting my 60" plasma only made this worse. It really let me know how much I would enjoy a really large screen. Especially upstairs.

 

[jomari]

im glad im not the only one with that opinion on curved screens. :handgestures-thumbup:

i think they're great, but only on an aesthetic point of view i guess. sure, if you stick your head way closer than the standard viewing distance, it'll definitely give you that headache/immersion. :teasing-tease:

i got my purchase order approved for my projector. now i have to buy my el cheapo screen afterwards, wifey said, why go cheap on a screen? lets get a motorized one....

:think:

 

[Haywood]

It is all about the ratio of screen size to viewing distance. In a smaller room, a big HDTV provides the same experience as a projector in a larger room.

 

[Batman]

It is all about the ratio of screen size to viewing distance. In a smaller room, a big HDTV provides the same experience as a projector in a larger room.

I respectfully disagree. And I hope I don't come off the wrong way, because I know opinions vary, but I thinks there's a threshold where BIG sound and BIG screen/video goes hand-in hand-regardless of the room:screen size ratio. Now obviously some rooms simply can't handle a 100-120" screen but I don't feel like an equal ratio equates to the same experience.

 

[jomari]

It is all about the ratio of screen size to viewing distance. In a smaller room, a big HDTV provides the same experience as a projector in a larger room.

I respectfully disagree. And I hope I don't come off the wrong way, because I know opinions vary, but I thinks there's a threshold where BIG sound and BIG screen/video goes hand-in hand-regardless of the room:screen size ratio. Now obviously some rooms simply can't handle a 100-120" screen but I don't feel like an equal ratio equates to the same experience.

Thats the thing right? for those who already have owned a pj, and somewhat know the headaches that come along with it (installation, viewing distance, etc), i STILL want to do it despite my room being in no condition whatsoever to accomodate a pj in it i STILL want that 100 inch screen.

i have a 60 lcd already, but theres still that glimmer, that unmistakably warm (no pun intended) feeling of watching it on a 'big screen'.

 

[yromj]

It is all about the ratio of screen size to viewing distance. In a smaller room, a big HDTV provides the same experience as a projector in a larger room.

I respectfully disagree. And I hope I don't come off the wrong way, because I know opinions vary, but I thinks there's a threshold where BIG sound and BIG screen/video goes hand-in hand-regardless of the room:screen size ratio. Now obviously some rooms simply can't handle a 100-120" screen but I don't feel like an equal ratio equates to the same experience.

In principle, I agree with what Haywood said. However, the real world implementation of that is where the difference lies, IMHO. A 70" screen at 7' is the same viewing angle as a 100" screen at 10'. The fact that the wall is so close (not just the screen) to the viewers is what's going to detract from the overall feel of the space. Now the speakers also need to move in closer to the viewers, further detracting from the feel of the space. So while mathematically nothing in the system has changed, the perception can be completely different.

John

 

[jomari]

interesting yromj,

i think i might have to reconsider the pj project for now... if ever, my 60 would be 'bigger' due to the smaller living space area i have later on, correct?

darn it, too bad i cant cash in on the 3d ticket then...

 

[Haywood]

Take my room as an example. Due to the fact that I have windows on one end and a large opening at the other, I have to orient my home theater system across the width of the room rather than the length. The room is 17 feet long and 13 feet wide. The TV is on a stand and the screen is nearly two feet from the wall behind it (due to it being an LED Light-Engine DLP rear projector). The couch is up against the opposing wall, but the back of the couch and the pillows take space. That puts my head at least a foot off the wall, so my viewing distance is at most ten feet. My TV is 67 inches, which is just barely within the THX standard. The THX recommended screen size for that distance would be 78 inches (85 if I factor in the foot I gain by ditching the RPTV). 80 inch screens are very doable on high end sets these days, which is what I am thinking about doing next time around.