Projector evaluation

strawman

strawman

I'm pulling the trigger on a new projector later today, but wanted you fine folks to evaluate my choice and tell me if there are better options.

Previous Projector

Our old projector is a Viewsonic PJD6531w, a decent 1280x800, 3,000 lumen, relatively short throw projector. We've got well over 4,000 hours on the original bulb, and it works fine, but it's technically for my business, I rent it out to another company for $50 per conference (along with a nice portable screen), and so I can't permanently mount it - it sits on a shelf in the living room. Further, it's not full HD. The company we rent it to is going to be taking it out of town twice in the next two months for two weeks at a time, and since it's our main entertainment display, I'm going ahead and buying a new one I can attach to the ceiling and leave in place.

Why replace it

We've been very happy with it. I'm not a color snob, but resolution is an issue - 720p just isn't as good as it could be, so I'm only considering projectors that have native 1080p resolution. 3D would be nice, but only if the projector supports HDMI 1.4a, I'm not interested in a hack 3D implementations that use HDMI 1.3 or lower. The rainbow effect is not something I notice unless I really look for it, so DLP projectors are fine. the last issue is brightness. We use it day and night, and don't have blackout curtains in either of the two windows in the room we use it in. The blinds decrease light a lot, but I don't want to get something under 3,000 lumens. Further if the business projector does fail in a way that a bulb replacement doesn't fix, then this will have to be usable in brightly lit conference centers.

Current choice

So while I did look at other brands (particularly the inexpensive Optoma line) I found that Viewsonic does have another projector that fits my desires for the same cost of my old projector 3 years ago, the PJD7820HD. It's 1080p60, 3k lumens, has 10x the contrast of my old projector, and a 6 color wheel (versus the 4 colors of the old). It also has 3D support with HDMI 1.4a, and is under $700.

My desired reaction after the upgrade



How you can help

Before I pull the trigger on this, though, are there any other projectors I should look at?
Looking over the PJD7820HD, are there any "gotchas" I should be aware of?
 
strawman

strawman

I may be... a little excited...

:minionhappy:[DOUBLEPOST=1391017689,1391017508][/DOUBLEPOST]But I only spent about 20 minutes looking at projectors before I found one that seemed to match all my wants, so I'd be surprised if there weren't others out that that would also work. I'm just being lazy and choosing the first thing I see that looks good.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

...I was going to comment on how I didn't know projectors were good enough to do decent 3D these days, then I remembered how pictures are shown in a movie theatre. :rolleyes:

It seems the one you suggest has everything you want, in your budget. I'm absolutely not up to date with projector tech and can't help you any further, other than to say "damn, how do you manage to keep your expectations/wants realistic, you lucky man?"
 
strawman

strawman

Well, now that I'm looking I notice that Sony has their 4k 3D projector, and it's well under $120,000!

It looks like this projector might be the best deal, but there are actually a handful that are similarly priced with the features I want, so I'm actually making a spreadsheet now of the top 5. I have to admit I'm really spoiled by amazon's review system. It doesn't take long reading a few dozen reviews before you know whether a product is reliable or not.
 
strawman

strawman

It looks like there are three projectors in the running now, in order of release date:

BenQ W1070
Viewsonic PJD7820HD
Optoma HD131x

Most of the forums that compare these models to each other don't like the viewsonic, but a lot of that is due to history of warranty issues. In fact it is the only one with a three year warranty, which suggests they are trying to combat the unreliability perception. Since I've been happy with my previous viewsonic, it doesn't bother me. Reviews also suggest that the colors pop a little more on the BenQ and the Optoma.

The BenQ has a real lens shift. This means that you can angle the projector a little vertically, and adjust the lens so the entire image is square (vertical keystone correction). All projectors have a digital form of this, but you lose pixels. A real lens shift (even though it's just a few degrees) is actually a big feature to have in a low end projector. Also it has two HDMI ports, which is very useful for me, who does not have an HDMI switcher or audio system. It's only 2000 lumens, and has slightly worse contrast ratio, though. Nearly $100 more, though.

The Optoma has a second HDMI port, has similar contrast, but is only 2,500 lumens. The biggest issue, though, is that it's a medium throw projector, and I'd end up with a smaller screen than I currently have. It's also $100 more.

I'm really tempted by the real lens shift, but if I mount the Viewsonic well, it shouldn't be an issue. The additional brightness also helps with 3D, where half the light is lost due to the way the shutter style 3D lenses work.
 
strawman

strawman

The Optoma looks to be out of the running. In addition to being a medium throw projector, which means my maximum screen size in the room it will be in is about 90", it has significant vertical offset, meaning that when the projector is mounted on the ceiling, the image will be more than a foot lower than the ceiling.

Both the BenQ and Viewsonic have essentially the same lens system, with the same short-throw characteristics that should give me between 110" and 120" screen in my 11 foot throw distance (projector to screen). More importantly, they only have a 2.5" vertical offset. I can get rid of that with the BenQ lens shift, though, which would be nice.

However, the difference in brightness is really the dealbreaker here. I don't think I can settle for a 2k lumen projector since there's a good possibility it too will need to be used for conferences in the future. It'll also make a huge difference in 3D brightness.

So, having done all that I think I'm going to stay with the Viewsonic. I doubt others will match my particular circumstances, though, and the BenQ does appear to be slightly better in many ways so I'd probably recommend that one to others.
 
strawman

strawman

Sadly the projector fund wasn't enough to get all the bells and whistles, such as glasses and a 3D bluray player, but it turns out the viewsonic currently has a promotion for two free pairs of 3D glasses (and a 'free' 80" pull down screen that has only $48 S&H :facepalm:). Too bad they didn't simply include the glasses in the box! I'm going to hold off on buying a 3D bluray player until I can get a good deal on one.
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

stienman said:
Sadly the projector fund wasn't enough to get all the bells and whistles, such as glasses and a 3D bluray player, but it turns out the viewsonic currently has a promotion for two free pairs of 3D glasses (and a 'free' 80" pull down screen that has only $48 S&H :facepalm:). Too bad they didn't simply include the glasses in the box! I'm going to hold off on buying a 3D bluray player until I can get a good deal on one.
Click to expand...
You have enough children to sell at least one of them into white slavery. And not even notice, probably.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Bubble181 said:
Just don't try and get rid of Kag's, I'm sure she'll notice and being a hunted man doesn't strike me as your dream :p
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And now I'm picturing @LittleKagsin all dressed up in English riding gear, astride a horse, yelling "Unleash the hou... Um, sorry, Unleash the foxes!" as she begins her own version of a fox hunt.
 
LittleKagsin

LittleKagsin

Chad Sexington said:
I think Kags and I share that one? I remember something about a kidnapping?

I don't know. It's early.
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Naw, we share Jay's kid, who we kidnapped upon arrival into this world. I out-sourced to Stieny before we partnered up. ;)

figmentPez said:
And now I'm picturing @LittleKagsin all dressed up in English riding gear, astride a horse, yelling "Unleash the hou... Um, sorry, Unleash the foxes!" as she begins her own version of a fox hunt.
Click to expand...
AH, this makes me so happy. :D
 
strawman

strawman

So the new projector is visibly brighter and more vibrant/colorful. Chances are good some of that has to do with the old projector lamp being old, and losing brightness over its life. I didn't get any accessories for it, so it's still sitting on the shelf as I decide how to ceiling mount it, and I haven't tried any 3D features. It does support 1080p24, though, so panning is absolutely smooth in blueray movies. I didn't notice any rainbow effect, and I looked for it, so the new DLP algorithms and refresh rate make a big difference - if you've been bothered by the rainbow effect before, give it another try with a newer (144Hz) projector.

The lens on this one has a larger zoom range, so the image is noticeably larger than the older projector - maybe another foot or so, so I'm probably getting close to a 120" screen. This will be particularly nice on movies with a higher aspect ratio than 16:9 (1.78). The focus also seems to have a bit more range, I can choose to make the screen smaller at the same throw distance as before and still get it in focus. The older projector pretty much forced you into a specific screen size related to the throw distance, and couldn't focus at other zooms.

The resolution difference is significant for me. Not just the movie, but using the computer is much, much nicer with so much realestate. It always felt cramped before.

I could have purchased a cheap ceiling mount with it, but really want a very low profile, flush if possible, ceiling mount, and nothing on Amazon less than 4" was cheap, and even the expensive mounts were over 3", so it'll probably sit on the shelf until I make a design and 3D print something. It's going to have to be adjustable (side to side and front to back tilt) and ideally removable without unscrewing anything, so it's going to be one of my more complex designs. It would be nice if it didn't fall off the ceiling too...
 
strawman

strawman

Chad Sexington said:
Right, right. It's hard keeping my evil acts separate.
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You really need to get a minion to two to handle some of this. You'll never be able to become more than a lower tier almost-annoyingly-evil overlord if you can't keep this stuff straight, and minions can help with that.
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

stienman said:
You really need to get a minion to two to handle some of this. You'll never be able to become more than a lower tier almost-annoyingly-evil overlord if you can't keep this stuff straight, and minions can help with that.
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I think I am a minion? I've been trying to be @Emrys #2, at all events. I suppose there's no reason I couldn't have minions of my own.
 
strawman

strawman

Chad Sexington said:
I think I am a minion? I've been trying to be @Emrys #2, at all events. I suppose there's no reason I couldn't have minions of my own.
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Well yeah, no good minion doesn't have a few backup plans to replace their master, and it'd only be natural for you to increase your favor with Emrys by multiplying your synergies and creating balanced needs-based functionalities by diversifying your scalable systemic structure.

It's only on page one of the new "How to take over the world for only pennies a day" book.
 
Emrys

Emrys

Chad Sexington said:
I think I am a minion? I've been trying to be @Emrys #2, at all events. I suppose there's no reason I couldn't have minions of my own.
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Absolutely you can have minions of your own. Just ensure that they swear ultimate allegence to me and everything will be good.

I'll even let you borrow part of my dungeon if you have discipline problems.[DOUBLEPOST=1391187091,1391187047][/DOUBLEPOST]
stienman said:
Well yeah, no good minion doesn't have a few backup plans to replace their master,
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Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on him.
 
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