HDTV Projector or Flat Screen TV

[John1111]

I'm going nuts with this and as always, I know that I can throw this out on an FR post and get the input that I need. I'm trying to decide whether to go with a 55 inch flat screen TV or a HDTV Projector. Can anyone help with a decision. There are so many pros and cons to both and although I've been leaning toward the projector, I'm worried about bulb life. If I go with a projector, the viewing distance would be about 12' to 14' from the projector, which would be cieling mounted. I'm looking to spend less than $1000, but I'd really like to be able to entertain the kids with 3D/Blu-Ray movies and allow them to play their Wii on it. Are projectors they way to go?

[Hodar]

BTW .. The lamp/bulb replacement, depending on brand can run from $200.00 to $400.00.

Not any more.

May I direct your attention to THIS little gem.

•LED light source never needs replacing (30,000 to 50,000-hour life)

Based on 10 hours a day, that's 8 to 13 years of life - 10 hours a day - every single day. Wow!!

[sand88]

In the media room I’m very slowly building, I have both. I have a 42” LCD (will probably upgrade later this year) and a 110” projection screen. I use the TV for everyday shows then roll down the screen for when I want to watch a movie.

I have both too. We use the big screen for movies and a lot of HD material off Cable. We have a 133" screen and it pops. You can easily get a plasma looking effect with the right screen material. 1080p Projectors aren't too expensive. Movies on Blu-ray on the big screen look as razor sharp as any TV I have seen. For serious movie buffs, a projector and a good sound system are the best way to get a fully enveloping experience.

You could start off with a less expensive projector setup to see how it works out. Even the lower end equipment is better than many of the mid level systems from 6-8 years ago.

[bksanders]

Sammy Fifty-Five, you'll never regret it.
Take it from someone who has owned sets from 27" to 82" - Sony, Hitachi, Samsung, RCA, Haier, Mitsubishi and probably a few others. I also have a Dell 1080 projector.
The 3D is good on the Sammy if you don't mind wearing the glasses, I don't use them personally.
The Sammy Smart TV is awesome technology, actually a Media Player with Internet access.
Investigate it.

[bksanders]

Oooops! Didn't read it well enough. "spend less than $1000, but I'd really like to be able to entertain the kids"
PM me, I can help!

[Domangart]

OLED is the new standard. Everything else is junk.

[Blueflag]

As an owner of both, let me offer the following:

We use a projector in the basement home theatre room. We and the kids love it, but ... you CANNOT get a good experience for $1000. Why? You **NEED** a big DA-LITE movie screen. You *NEED* a suitable sound system/media amp. The projectors do NOT produce anything close to movie or game sounds. You *NEED* a dark room and a 10-18’ viewing distance.

If you lack the above, DO NOT go projector.

Having said all that, again, we LOVE the home theatre in the basement, a truly darkenable (sic) room, and the big screen experience for gaming is amazing. We can project a 9.5’ wide image in HD. The room has more than paid for itself in money NOT spent on movie tickets, gas, popcorn, and worry about where the kids are.

In our bedroom we have a good HD TV and a modest 5 speaker sound system I wired in myself. etc. Perfect for sports, NetFlix and TV-based entertainment (mostly just NCIS and Antique RoadShow).

NET: You cannot go wrong with a decent LCD HD TV. Go projector when you can do the whole room thing.

[China Clipper]

I have read the responses and will include my own, with my OWN bias and experience.

1) A GREAT projector will set you back maybe $2000 or so; yes,that is "two thousand" dollars. (ie, Panasonic PT-4000) A completely light controlled environment is cool if you have it, but I set my theater up for football with side sconces lit, and a little overhead lighting so people can see their snacks etc and it isn't "pitch black" by ANY stretch. These new projectors do GREAT things. Movies will be an experience you will enjoy again and again, and will never get old. Sports will be amazing, and you will discover friends you never knew you had to watch movies and things like super bowls, etc. A 70" screen just doesn't cut it. PERIOD.
2) A GREAT sound system will set you back maybe $750. YES!! That includes speakers, sub-woofers, and receivers. No bull! But read on...
3) A GREAT screen will set you back maybe $4000. That is a 110" x 47" 2:35:1 aspect screen, acoustically transparent, blah blah blah etc etc ad nauseum. (Speakers behind the screen, DEFINITELY preferred.) You could put up your own "home brew" for easily 1/4th of that. Look around! It is out there. Get a good screen one way or the other.
4) Professional grade acoustically design room? PRICELESS!!! You MUST look at this if you want the "wow it's like a real theater" experience. End of story, no argument.

I have seen s-o-o-o many "home theaters" that have huge screens, sound systems that would break the bank, seats that are built for a king, but they sound like @7^5*^%% because they have not taken the time, money, blood, sweat and tears to design or seek advice on the acoustics of the build. PLEASE consider this when you design you home theater! I have a $500 "home theater in a box" that sounds like a million dollar sound system because I have had the theater acoustically designed and treated. OMG it makes all the difference in the world. Spend your money on a good, well-designed acoustical environment, and you can ALWAYS upgrade EVERYTHING else. I have had so many people tell me "I wish we would have done that when we were building our theater....".

A GREAT reference for the DIY'er or even someone who has someone else design and build is the AVS forum. (avsforum.com)

Have fun!

[Excellence]

But the speakers are horrible, which is why the sound is routed through the sound system. We also don’t use the internet stuff since we have an Apple T.V. To route Hulu through, for example, requires a Hulu account. It is easier to hook my laptop up to the Samsung to do what I want on Hulu. It worked really well with the Rose Parade yesterday (KTLA streaming). (We don’t have cable.)

[Eldon Tyrell]

Not much to add - but agree with the following summary:
1. Projectors preferred for THEATER setting - controlled light, controlled sound, controlled experience.
2. projectors preferred for >60 inch sizes.
3. Quality of expereince - for $1K - won’t be there for projector.
3. LCD/LED preferred for everday use.

My own experience - since you mention kids - is LCD/LED all the way. With any sort of sound in the TV - can just drive the sound with the TV - no need to have kids driving 100+ watt complex input surround sound. (Also - since projector in ceiling - heck of a lot easier to just plug a new source in the back of the TV) (Also - if they play with your settings - can take while to figure out they turned off your center channel)

Then - when I want a movie with surround - switch the source.

The real killer though is the light. if you can’t make the roomdark for viewing, projector is going to lose.

I’d get a cheapish LCD, and a cheap computer (build yourself from NewEgg (start with beginner level video - make sure to have HDMI - but with open card slot. Add fancy video card later, and play games at 1080P! some of these games are better than movies).) Drive most/all AV through computer. netflix, Youtube etc. That is what my kids watch. That is what they are watching right now.

Projector great for Theater Setting. LCD for “everyday use in non-theater setting.”

[bksanders]

Dittos on the AVS Forum, a wealth of info for the serious and not so serious enthusiast.
If you have a low dollar budget / expectations IT CAN BE DONE!
You'll just be "laughed at" by the purist.
Kinda like bowling with a Goodwill ball.
If you want to design a "real" home theater you can spend a small fortune on acoustic treatment alone.
If your after a "gameroom" experience it is certainly doable on a must smaller scale / budget. Good luck!

[sand88]

A GREAT reference for the DIY'er or even someone who has someone else design and build is the AVS forum. (avsforum.com)

AVS forum is invaluable. There is an amazing amount of great information there. It's where I found out about the DTS-10 Sub.

All your comments are on the money, especially about acoustics. I have used REW, bass traps and did other treatments. It makes a world of difference. It takes time to get the sound system configured, but it's worth it.

It's important for people to calibrate their projectors too. It makes a difference.

[mass55th]

I didn't realize they were still producing projector screen HDTVs. Maybe it's the rear projection screen HDs they stopped making. I bought a Samsung 50" HDLP TV back in 2005. Because of the cost (over $2,000), I opted for the 5-year extended warranty. It's a good thing I did, because I had several problems with that TV.

The first thing that went about a year later was the color wheel, and I also had to replace the bulb, because that had died as well. The bulb wasn't covered in the warranty. The next thing that went about a year later was basically the whole innards of the TV. The picture was being scrambled because the TV wasn't properly receiving the signal, so they replaced a large component part via the warranty. The component part came with a new bulb, so the guy removed the bulb I had previously bought, and I kept it for when the new bulb died, which was about another year or so. The last problem I had with the TV was this October. By now the extended warranty had ended, so any repairs would be out of pocket. The guy came, and originally thought the problem was the color wheel again. He ordered the part, put it in the TV, but it still wouldn't work. So, he took out the new color wheel and told me that whatever was wrong with the TV was probably electrical, and would cost too much to fix. I paid one of the maintenance guys at my apartment complex to come and take the damn thing to the dump.

I'll never buy another Samsung product, not only because of the problems with the TV, but also because I'd bought one of their home theaters, and had nothing but trouble with that too. It finally crapped the bed on me last year. Fortunately I'd had bought an extended warranty on that too, and got my original purchase price back from the company when it burned out.

My sister passed in September, and I brought her Zenith flat-screen Plasma HDTV here, and that is what I am watching now. Unfortunately, because it is an older model (2005), it doesn't have an HDMI connection, but I will watch it until it $hits the bed. I hope whatever type of TV you purchase, that you have good luck with it.

[reed13k]

Had a fair Epson proj for under 600. Loved it just on the wall with some windOw light even. Two major issues : fan noise my wife hated it and preferred the small tv just for that reason. Bulb replacement when it goes it isn’t cheap or necessarily easy to find. I’m looking for a LCD or Plasma now to address the noise.

[1malumprohibitum]

Forget the projector. LCD will last and look great all the time doing it. I have owned DLP and multiple LCD HDTV’s and the light bulb thing stinks. Especially when you cannot even get them anymore. Plus the picture quality on projectors is just so so.

My newest favorite is the Sharp 70 in or 80 in LCD. It should be calibrated with a AV disc to get everything it can do. They have been dropping in price like crazy and will continue to do so. hey have 120 hz and 240 Quattron models which give you variable pricing options. You can also 3d or not 3d ( I think it is a waste of money and gives you a worse picture than a blur ray non 3d. However some think the horsepower to run 3d makes the non 3d look even better YMMV.)

[BereanBrain]

I am a techno-geek.

I suggest you wait a few weeks and purchase a 50-60 inch LCD 3D tv. Don’t pay 2k. You should be able to get one 1k-1.5k depending on brand.

Then, get a projector and screen for temporary setup. I have a screen I can move into different rooms, setup the projector for gaming.

This setup is what I have.

[muawiyah]

There were these really neat projectors on sale for a couple of hundred bucks each and then the price dropped to $100 and then we walked in just as they were knocked down to $35 and so we bought all of them.

You get a pretty decent 8 foot by 5 foot image in a dark room ~ best used at night. Or, a better image with smaller dimensions.

They are LED projectors. Should last about 300,000 hours.

Look at all the technology ~ not just the old stuff. You may be pleasantly surprised.

[muawiyah]

An adequate screen can be obtained for under $100 easily ~ look up SPANDEX SCREENS.

We made three of them ~ used aluminum frames (from IKEA scratch and dent ~ $10 each frame), and stretched and fastened the Spandex.

There are many ways to tie it off, or pull it tight. These screens are FLAT and you can use FRONT or REAR projection methods.

Your favorite discjockeys down at the club do this. Spilled beer can be washed out easily.

[ml/nj]

My brother-in-law has a HD projector on a wall size screen and I find it not crisp at all.

One of my friends has a projector in an in-home theater. It's much better than any 60" TV. Here are two pictures I took during the US Open this past year. One was taken out on the course and one was taken in my friends theater.

The comparison isn't perfect because one picture was taken in bright sunlight. Only a portion of the screen (probably 50% or less) is included in the TV shot.

I did try to do something similar on a 60" plasma during the Masters but the pixels in the TV picture were quite clearly visible.

One night while I was down there we watched a Stanley Cup Finals game. I'm someone who has mostly given up NHL hockey but I did formerly attend as many as 35 games a year. Many times I sat in the first row against the glass at the old Madison Square Garden. NOTHING I've seen on a TV comes close to that experience except my friend's theater.

(And BTW, I thought the 3D sucked. Much of the brightness in the picture is lost, and the 3D effect really only makes a difference in tight closeups. - My friend gave me some movie to watch.)

ML/NJ

[bksanders]

Correct on the sound issue, but then as a recording engineer I am a "little more" biased on the audio side of the equation ;-)
Get a piece of used Onkyo gear, some "decent" speakers and a good sub at say Craigslist. Speaker placement is everything. Place your bass traps and viola!
The Rocketfish rears are good to eliminate wiring clutter.
Of course you need the source media in DTS or Dolby.
Apple TV, TVIXIE, HDI, Helios, AC Ryan, you name it, I've tried it. I personally settled on the Mede8er for media streaming. BTW, see MPCCLUB for media player related info, gotta run…

[airedale]

The only problem with most rear projection sets besides the bulbs is they are deeper than a flat screen.
They tend to be 15-20 inches deep. A secoond issue is the bulb life. They are $100+ and unless you can replace it yourself (supposedly not difficult) you’ll have to add the cost of a service charge and what ever they add to the cost of the bulb. Still better than the old projection sets that had 3 lamps.