Ask Engadget: What's the best home projector? (part II)

The last person to pose this question was the august Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired — but it's been more than a year, and what with high def being pretty in this season thanks to the Xbox 360, we figured Kamalot had a burning question that would get answer significantly different than our last round:

I'm looking to make my rec room into a little home theater. I've been eying projectors instead of the flat-panel HDTVs since it seems you can get so much more projector than TV for the same amount of cash. The room we have is fairly small and dark and perfect for watching movies or playing video games, but what should we look for in a projector? Since the room is small, having low heat and noise output is important, but these kinds of intangibles are difficult to tell from reading a spec sheet. I figured the Engadget audience would have a lot of feedback on the best projector for use with a Media PC and gaming systems in a small room, yet won't break the bank.

Well, ladies and gents, what do you think? Let's get Kamalot's home theater on.

[Rektide @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

You'd have to be a moron to buy a projector with 1000 lumens. It'll work great for your dark room, sure, but there comes a time in every mans life where there's a calling for painted sheets and sides of houses. Or maybe just viewing in something other than utter darkness.

I always get excited by projector reviews like the Z4 review, stating how beautiful the picture looks. Then I realize its $2500 for a 1000 lumen projector, and I turn my head and spit.

Vile.

[James Higgs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I've been using a ceiling-hung ~$900 Epson S1 for my (budget) home theater / games room for a year now, running component video from PS2 and DVD. Works great for me, but just don't look too closely or you can see the screendoor effect caused by the (low) 800x600 res. Only used ~400 lamp hours in one year.

My next projector will have:
1. Vertical res of 1080 lines (horizontal res not so important) to support next-gen console (PS3).
2. Better blacks, better contrast
3. HD, VGA, component and AV inputs
4. Quiet fan (not that the S1 is noisy).
5. Cost less than ~$1000

[Kenny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I have recently bought an Infocus Screenplay 7205 I wanted the 7210 but I was on a budget and the 7205 was about 1,500 cheaper and my mom was already kind of angry at me for spending about 3,000 on speakers alone all to play my 360 I can't comment on the image quality yet as my projector should be arriving next week. But I will hopefully give you a foolow up after I get it, that is if I am not to busy playing my new 360 ^_^. But, I would suggest getting a projector with a native 720p if you want to play a 360 on it because that is the 360s native resolution and fan noise is an issue but if you buy really loud speakers then fan noise should be blocked out. www.Projectorcentral.com is a good site to find out about projectors and it aided me in my search for the perfect projector for me and the 7205 has a 7 segemnt 5x speed color wheel so that should all but eliminate any rainbow effect, but rainbow effect is experienced differently by different people. Well best of luck and please check out www. projectorcentral.com for info and comparision and www.projectorexpo.com to buy your new projector

[sagekoala @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I also have to give my vote for the infocus X line. I
have the X1 which i bought for $899 just before the X2 came out. yeah, replacement bulbs suck ... but at least with the X line the bulbs are rated at 4000 hours, and here i am typing with the original bulb after 5219 hours on the bulb and its still going nice and bright. For the price there really is nothing better imho. If I were you i would shoot for the X3 because of the increased resolution will allow you to do 720p native with a 2x color wheel for a msrp or $999. The only down side of the X3 is the lack of the Faroudja DCDi chip which trust me is freakin sweet in my X1.

As far as the rainbow effect goes ... yes i can see it, but it doesn't bother me unless I'm looking for it. Most people that see my screen can find a rainbow after i take the time to tell them how to see them, but i don't think it bothers most people. with my 84" 4:3 screendoor isn't a problem at all.

I second #1's link to avsforums ... the guys there are awesome and will guide you well.

[David Lewandowski @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Yeah, I am looking at investing in one of those X3s.. they look great, and all you nice people have such good things to say about the X series!

I have a Proxima 9300 which I like a lot, and the bulbs aren't too expensive, but the lack of high end support and the fact that it's 80 lbs. is making me seek a replacement.

[Jonathan Schmidt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I went on a hunt for my home theater earlier this year. I wanted a kick-ass projector that did not cost a fortune. I looked at a dozen different models under $5000. I finally settled on the Epson Powerlite Cinema 500. It has really been a great projector. I have it blown up to a 119" diagonal screen. The video processing rocks and it supports component and HDMI inputs. Now they have the 550 model. Haven't seen it, but if the 500 is any indication...

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Epson PowerLite Home 10+ LCD Projector
Canadian Price $1300
Bulbs $250

16:9 aspect ratio, quiet, looks great. Positive reviews all over the net.

[Ian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I've been looking at the DIY project one, haven't gotten around to it though. Would need to find a cheep broken LCD first, then I'd go about buying an overhead projector off of ebay or somewheres.

[Philip @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

As mentioned above, bulbs are expensive for commercial projectors. There are now lenses and panels available to project 1080p with image quality rivaling $20K commercial units that you can build for under $2K. The best part? Bulbs are $50 vs. hundreds and last for tens of thousands of hours vs. a couple thousand.

[Craig @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I went with the Benq PE7700... can't wait to get mine up... two weeks and the room is finished!!!

I did some research in a couple of places which might be helpful:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/home-theater-multimedia-projectors.htm
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=68

[Robotron 3000 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Sanyo Z3 for the cheap, Z4 for a bit more.
Both hold their own against much more expensive DLP projectors.

And remember that most brands Lumes rating are like car-stereo watts (that is, without any relation to the real world).

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I bought a Viewsonic PJ551 two years ago (1500 lumens, XGA, 1080i, 720p, etc). I was extremely happy with it for 13 months until the first lamp blew. Replacement lamps are $350! If you want to get a projector, you have to be ready to pay for a new lamp every year. Seriously consider that.

[Inaneboy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Another vote for the Dell 2300mp. I love mine. Ceiling mounted. But!!! You must have a spot to put it dead center from the screen/wall. Read about Keystoning before you buy, this was a pain in the butt before I ceiling mounted the projector.

[no3rdw @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

#41 uberartist posted a great link to projectorcentral's review of the Sanyo Z4.

Everyone jumping on the 'DLP=FUTURE, LCD=OLD AND BUSTED' bandwagon just because they see a few DLP television commercials or notice their local movie theaters project advertisements with a $100,000 Christie projector need to read this review.

"Thus we would say this to underscore the point: Currently the PLV-Z4 has a street price of about $2,200. If you are about to lay down $12,000 for a high end single-chip DLP home theater projector on the theory that the more it costs the better it must be, do not miss the opportunity to audition the Sanyo PLV-Z4. The Achilles' heel of single-chip DLP has always been color, and a side-by-side demo with the Z4 will illustrate in convincing terms why LCD is not dead. Heck, you might just save yourself $10,000."

[Dave Zatz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I think the emphasis on lumen number is overrated. As a previous poster said, the real world numbers will vary anyhow. Also unless you're using your projector in a room with a lot of ambient light, it's not going to be a problem. Not to mention for movies, you probably want better black levels which can be partially obtained with less brightness. In fact on my last projector I ran it in some sort of powersave/eco mode - the brighteness was down but the projector fan was much quieter and it doubled bulb life.

[mcbain @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I have a Runco VX5000 and it is remarkable. It uses optical correction so you can actually put in a corner, instead of directly in front of the screen. I can't say enough good things about the picture quality.

[Dhowse @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Your situation with a small room is similar to mine. We turned a 10x15 bedroom into our theater room. IMHO Buying a projector that can't do full HDTV is a waste of money. I expect to keep my projector for many years and having native 16:9 full HDTV (1280x720)resolution was the only way to go. After doing the research it came down to the Sanyo Z4 or the Pany AE900U. Both had their strengths. I ended up going with the pany for the following reasons:

- Improved LCD lessened screen door effect vs. DLP (important in a small room).

- Positive user experiences with the previous model (700U)

- Quiet fan. (Guess the Z4 is nearly as quiet)

- Very good video upconverter (line doubler) for SD content. Still a lot of material only available in SD. The Pany makes that content watchable. Important when viewing on a 7' wide screen.

- Good optical shift (keystone) abilities. (you want to be able to do this optically, not in software)

- Large zoom gives additional flexability if you want to show movies out by the pool.

Nothing wrong with the Z4. I kinda liked it's built in cleaning ports idea. For my requirements the 900U was the better choice.

Once I had things set up the wife was asking me questions like: Is there anything else you want to buy for the theatre? A true sign of wife acceptence!

Bottom line: Monday night football in High Def on a 7' screen in 5.1 surround sound is truly awesome. Take the plunge.

[Joseph Moore @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Under $2k
- Sanyo PLV Z4
- Panasonic AE900u

Over $4k
- Optoma H78DC3

`nuff said.

[Dhowse @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Your situation with a small room is similar to mine. We turned a 10x15 bedroom into our theater room. IMHO Buying a projector that can't do full HDTV is a waste of money. I expect to keep my projector for many years and having native 16:9 full HDTV (1280x720)resolution was the only way to go. After doing the research it came down to the Sanyo Z4 or the Pany AE900U. Both had their strengths. I ended up going with the pany for the following reasons:

- Improved LCD lessened screen door effect vs. DLP (important in a small room).

- Positive user experiences with the previous model (700U)

- Quiet fan. (Guess the Z4 is nearly as quiet)

- Very good video upconverter (line doubler) for SD content. Still a lot of material only available in SD. The Pany makes that content watchable. Important when viewing on a 7' wide screen.

- Good optical shift (keystone) abilities. (you want to be able to do this optically, not in software)

- Large zoom gives additional flexability if you want to show movies out by the pool.

Nothing wrong with the Z4. I kinda liked it's built in cleaning ports idea. For my requirements the 900U was the better choice.

Once I had things set up the wife was asking me questions like: Is there anything else you want to buy for the theatre? A true sign of wife acceptence!

Bottom line: Monday night football in High Def on a 7' screen in 5.1 surround sound is truly awesome. Take the plunge.

[davidm @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

At the low-medium end anyway, LCD has more saturated, accurate colours. DLPs are inaccurate and washed out.

LCD is sharper. Better for computer/computer based media.

Make sure you get a home theatre model, business models are noisier and worse colour for movies.

Also for DLP, two dreaded words: rainbow effect. This can happen even on the higher speed colour wheels, although is less apparent on true home theatre models that use a black frame (instead of white).

(Yes, I have a bias against DLP. Their advertising is slimy with false rumours, and LCD is more than competitive).

Re: Lumens, brighter is better, but tends to diminish contrast. In a dark room < 1000 lumens is fine, in a lit room (for a party) its not ideal, but still fun to watch. Also, lumens ratings are usually false.

For sure, a bright projector is fun if you're going to do funky stuff like project on trees, which is interesting but a bit esoteric to focus on.

IMHO the two best contenders are the Panasonic 900 and Sanyo Z4: Panasonic is better for video, Z4 better for computer (since Panasonic uses some kind of fuzzing 'technology' for better cinema). But they're both very good higher res projectors.

Screen door effect: You're watching tiny pixels. Live it! (or just adjust the focus slightly, but you won't notice it on a high res model like the above, or from a few feet away).

Or, if you're just looking for a cheap projector, just wait a year for LED based projectors. The bulb issue will disappear.

Want to project on a painted wall? Use projector paint, like screen goo.

[Monopole @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

At work I have a refurbished X1a (~$550) very nice, works like a charm. At home I have a Zenith 5" LCD ($38) in contact with a Fujinon CRT Projection lens ($5) projecting onto blackout cloth ($20). With the ligts off the effect is very impressive.

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Long did I want a DLP, specifically something like the Infocus 7205, but the ridiculous cost of dlp and the inabilty to shift the image even a little bit had me running for LCD, and the image quality of LCD is now within fractions of the single chip DLPs, and in many cases beating them. Check Projectorreviews.com for their take on the latest crop like the Sanyo z4 and Panasonic AE 900...

If your budget is about $2k, then the Panasonic AE 900u is what you want, no question about it. Blacks on par with DLPs that cost a grand more and the priceless ability to shift the lens plus an amazing zoom range and color fidelity out of the box (and only gets better with a simple avia/DVD essentials calibration).

Check out the 'Under 3500' forum at AVSforum.com for details.

Sam

[Davea0511 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Don't forget the capability of doing 3D projection (stereoscopy). You'll need an infocus depthq 3D DLP projector to do that, and it's suprisingly reasonable now (under $4000).

Of course it does regular 2D amazingly well too.

[ron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I have used the Panasonic AE700U for a year now and it has been fantastic. HD Sports events like football and Nascar are unbelievable on it and because it adjusts easily for the space I don't have to mount it or move it up close. My screen is 10' by 8' and I do need to adjust depending on 4x3 or 15x9 aspect ratios. The Pany is easily adjustable. Even PS2 comes in fantastic on it. The only downside is the black contrast for those shows that are shown dark like CSI, maybe the new one does a better job. I had 16 people at my house for the super bowl last year and everyone had a great view, even those on the side. Projection is the way to go.

[Peter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Alright, the post was for the Best Projector, and breaking the bank is what this is all about.

The BEST PROJECTOR is the 4K SXRD Projector - SRX-R110 (http://news.sel.sony.com/digitalimages/photo?photo_id=162470) However at about $100k, probably too much for most people ;-)

However, the BEST CONSUMER PROJECTOR is the Sony Qualia 004 (http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=QUALIA+004&site=odw_en_GB&pageType=Overview&category=QUALIA+004+Projector) at about $30,000 when all said and done. Depends on how big your bank is I guess - no other single projector on the market can touch it.

[wickedawesome @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I see your $100K and raise you $25K: Panasonic PT-D9610U.

12,000 lumens ought to satisfy you torch-bearers. I think the picture might actually be pretty good too.

http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=68703&catGroupId=14586&surfModel=PT-D9610U&displayTab=F

[CupertinoSlim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

There are several projectors available that would provide a great home theater experience. For a given budget there's probably one or two -- the 'home' in home theater varies for each person, and so will the best projector. Take the recommendations, consider the other costs for the room like screen and sound system, and one of these will stand out.

Pair the Sony Qualia with a crappy screen and it's no better than a low-end projector. If the sound is tinny it'll spoil the experience of a good projector and screen.

I have the Sony HS51 projecting on a homemade block-out cloth screen and a good sound system. My friends and I cannot tell the difference between watching movies there or in the local multiplex. Except that it's more fun at my house.

HDMI is only a nice-to-have for a projector at this point. You don't need the audio, since good projectors don't have speakers. I went from HDMI back to using component connections because the colors are a bit better and I can change the aspect ratio of the projector. With HDMI you're stuck with one mode.

[Aaron G. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

#32: "i've never heard a single dlp chip ever losing a single pixel. or any problems with color wheels."

My refurbished InFocus X1 I bought from TigerDirect had a dead pixel (micromirror) and a weird blurry white spot near one edge. I sent it to InFocus under warranty and they fixed it.

Otherwise I love my X1. I have a dark, comfortable, and large room to devote to the home theater, so its lower lumen output doesn't really matter. Many high end home theater projectors don't have high lumen output. You don't want to blind yourself.

[jensen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Sanyo Z2.

If you have any doubts, check my slideshow out. The proof's in the pudding. No screen-door effect.

http://flickr.com/photos/kej2u/sets/1387516/

[sky @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

infocus 4805
with native 16x9 format.
this projector is only progressive scan but it is best in class.
connectors:vga, m-1, component, s-video, and conposite, it has a dcdi upconversion chip, that upgrades any regular signal to progressive scan 480p, and with comcast going all digital every channel will look outstanding, for all you 1080i purists think about this. you get to see at any given time 540 lines. since they are interlaced. I get to see 480 lines at a time. the difference in quality is a mere 60 lines, and a dvd wont look any better on a high end projector untill it does realy good conversion from a 480 to 1080.(you will pay into the 6000 dollar range for that at least) now I do not ague that you get a better picture with a true 1080x1920 resolution. the price you have to pay to get that is at least triple what you can get an infocus 4805.

my point, this is the best projector for the price.
high points :
dcdi up conversion near flawless
16x9 native widescreen format(no black lines on the top and bottom
2000:1 contrast ratio (great black levels 2nd biggest factor for a good projector, next to resolution)
dlp second generation 2x fast color weel, and 3x the colors on the weel means no rainbow affect. and smooth near pixel free picture.

only small draw back is lumens are about 1000, which means you want darker than daylight to see perfectly. (you will want to close the shades.)

[Sean-John @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I can't believe that nobody's mentioned the InFocus Screenplay 5000. Sure, it's 3-LCD, but native 720P (3 chips at 1280x720) puts out great images, is more than bright enough at 1100 ANSI Lumens, and has a respectable 1200:1 calibrated contrast ratio. And you'll get a generous 2000 hours out of each bulb.

Even better, for those who want to make it the projector for their Media Center PC the SP5000 accepts DVI/XGA/Component/Composite inputs for everything you need. Great for a DVI input, better for XBOX360 over 720P Component.

BEST OF ALL Infocus is clearing out all these projectors for the Christmas season, so there's a $300US mail-in rebate right now for newly-purchased SP5000's, bringing the retail price to just around $1000US.

A STEAL!

Screenplay 5000:
http://www.infocushome.com/amer/eng/products/screenplay/sp5000.asp

[nathan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I recently upgraded to the PLV-Z4, and I consider it to be the best bang for the buck.

Regarding the question of LCD vs. DLP - I see no reason to consider a DLP model until a 3-chip DLP is priced comparably to a 3-chip LCD. Single-chip DLP's have issues with the spinning color wheel. Even when the rainbow effect is not consciously visible, the unstable and rapidly-changing image causes headaches. A friend of mine has a high-end DLP, and the image *looks* fine. However, I get quite a headache about halfway through a movie with his DLP, and no such problem with my LCD. I consider this to be a deal-breaker, as far as single-chip DLP is concerned.

[cashmoney @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Im living in a dorm room and have a 360 but i would like to get a projector to run dvds and my 360 it is a pretty small room but seems perfect for a projector bc the room is long so ill be able to mount it pretty far back from the other wall so i can get a big screen out of it but i dont have thousands to spend and am looking at the InFocus X1a is that a descent projector for dvds and xbox 360 or is it horriable would really like some input any info would be great !!!!!