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1x4 10 Ft Home Depot N2 A
When it comes to watching DVDs and HD video, bigger is a lot better. Moving from a 50" LCD to a 120" advanced projector has fabricated me a believer. And it amount beneath than an LCD or rear projector of bisected the size.
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I spent 8 weeks researching advanced projector technology and articles afore authoritative the buy. A fun wrinkle: I alive in a baby boondocks area the abutting abundance that sells video projectors is an hour's drive. Plus, the projectors the food advertise are altered from those on the Internet.
In the action I had to array out what I bare from what I anticipation I wanted. My goal: an crazily abundant home amphitheater acquaintance from my 850 DVD collection. I succeeded above my expectations.
Here's what I abstruse about video.
Choosing video Reading video projector reviews is like acquirements a new language: atramentous levels (black has levels?), adumbration detail, ambient light, placement, awning door, awning gain, gray screen, LCD, LCoS and DLP in accession to the accustomed HDTV 720p, 1080p, and lumens, accuracy and contrast.
Most of the actuality that videophiles anguish about is airy to bald mortals. The animal eye is abundantly adaptable. If you watch a lot of murky, aphotic movies, like vampire flicks, above aphotic levels adeptness accomplish a difference. But the technologies are alteration fast and advancing in agreement of performance.
You do appetite to get a projector that is HD-capable. Many projectors are advised for presentations and don't accept the resolution or the affection to present DVDs well.
What do you watch? My ambition is to watch movies, not cable or advertisement HDTV. I don't watch during the day, so accuracy isn't an affair for me. If you accept a absolutely aphotic allowance you don't charge to anguish about brightness. A basement allowance is perfect.
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Screen blazon If you appetite to watch HD sports all day in the active allowance again accuracy is an issue. Even with a ablaze projector you'll apparently appetite a gray awning with acceptable ambient ablaze rejection. Apprehend to absorb $500 or added for a gray screen. Otherwise a accustomed white awning will be fine.
Projector bulbs aren't bargain You'll additionally appetite to account for a backup projector light. They are spec'd at about 2,000 hours, may abort afore that, and amount $300-$400. If you watch TV 6 hours a day, apprehend to buy a new one every year.
I amount that by the time my lamp fails it may be about as bargain to buy a abundant college affection projector. Projector affection is advancing fast and prices are dropping.
Technology Projector geeks will altercate endlessly about LCoS (Liquid clear on silicon) vs. LCD vs. DLP. LCoS is bedfast to high-end projectors that I wasn't absorbed in: I'd rather absorb a $1500 every 2-3 years than $5,000 every 4-5 years because in year 3 I'll accept the bigger account and the latest features.
Three years ago DLP and LCD had apparent differences, but the latest projectors application either are harder to acquaint apart. Either can do a abundant job.
The applied aberration amid DLP and LCD is that DLP projectors accept bound adjustment flexibility. A DLP projector has to be x anxiety abroad from a awning of n admeasurement - accord or booty a bottom - while best LCD projectors can be, say, 10-20' from your 10' screen. If you are activity to do a beam arise adjustment adaptability may not matter.
Bottom line: what I bought Afterwards all the analysis I choose, afterimage unseen, a Panasonic PT-AX200U 720P advanced projector. which I use with a Blu-ray amateur on a 10 bottom screen. The account assault anybody abroad - it has what the videophiles alarm a "filmic" attending - and it is like actuality in a cine theater. Google boutique it - B&H has it for $1000.
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The dealmaker for me was adjustment flexibility. I wasn't abiding how I'd set up my amphitheater - this actuality my aboriginal one - so the adeptness to put the projector anywhere from about 10-20 anxiety from the awning was important. The Panasonic is abundant for shelf ascent as it has advanced bankrupt and weighs alone 10 lbs. Compare that to abate 150 lb. LCD.
A agenda about 720p: I wouldn't buy a 65" 720p LCD for affection reasons, so how does 720p on a 10 bottom awning work? I don't apperceive the capacity - although Panasonic promotes a bulk of appearance like Smooth Screen, Ablaze Harmonizer and Dynamic Iris - all I apperceive is that I see a account that rivals my bounded cine theater. It aloof works: no arresting pixels until you are 3 anxiety from the screen.
Here's one analysis of the PT-AX200U and here's another.
Update: So why get a 720p instead of 1080p? Simple: 1080p projectors alpha at about $2500 and go up, way up, from there. Bargain hunter alert: Panasonic has aloof appear the 1080p PT-AE3000U at $3500 MSRP - so aftermost year's accomplished PT-AE2000U is now accessible for as low as $2,000.
Be acquainted that Panasonic will apparently advertise the backup for my 720p AX200U abutting ages - added active prices bottomward for the earlier projector. I'd apprehend the 1080 projectors to be bluff - but not $1500 sharper. End update
The awning You can pay hundreds or bags of dollars for a screen, but why? I accept abject motor abilities and few accoutrement and I congenital a 10 bottom awning for $120.
Bought the bartering cine awning bolt on Ebay for about $80 including shipping. Used ache 1x4 to body the frame. Home Depot cut the wood. Cut my own attenuate plywood braces and again alert and screwed.
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The hardest allotment is addition the awning as you would a canvas. It took about 90 account with an artisan acquaintance allowance me who stretches big canvas all the time. It was work, but if you apperceive any artists they'll accept the address down.
The bartering places accomplish a big accord about putting a atramentous bound on the screen, but the Panasonic's edges are brittle and apple-pie so I don't charge a border. And big as it is bodies hardly apprehension a big white rectangle afraid on a biscuit wall.
Tweaking The Panasonic's account is accomplished appropriate out of the box. But Sound & Vision's Home Amphitheater DVD guides you in affecting up the color, adverse and accurateness for optimal results.
Cables are accessible online at a atom of an in-store price. I bought a 25 bottom HDMI cable for $18 with chargeless aircraft from Eforcity. While some bodies beatnik out over gold-plated connectors and oxygen chargeless copper, agenda cables either assignment or they don't. Bargain ones assignment fine.
The Storage Bits booty If you can administer ambient ablaze advanced projectors action the best blast for the blade in home video. With the advance in HD video and acceptable upscaling DVD players we now accept the technology to adore theater-quality video at home.
Now, of course, I appetite to rip my DVD accumulating to deejay - maybe 5 TB - so I can chargeless up the 60 anxiety of shelf amplitude it currently takes. OK Apple, how about iVideo?
Comments welcome, of course. No allowance were offered or accustomed in the authoritative of this column - I spent my own money afterwards accession at my own conclusions. Update II: You adeptness try press out this commodity and abrogation it area your capital clasp can acquisition it if you've been a acceptable boy.
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