Video Asylum

Posted by Ben (A) on November 25, 2005 at 07:41:20

In Reply to: DLP? Plasma? posted by JWilt on November 19, 2005 at 23:12:49:

"I'm even open to the idea of a ceiling-mount projector."

Well, that's good, since that's the best way to get a real movie appearance in your home theater. A DLP front projector that will project a 90" diagonal image that's almost as good as Plasma (they don't make Plasmas that big), will put you back between $500 and $1,000).

Now I know: that's a lot of money ;) But you are getting a real cinema experience. Not just a fancy, expensive tube TV that looks like a computer monitor. Of course, there are drawbacks. You need to be able to put up with a darkened room. You know...like a real movie theater? You need quite a bit of space, because it can be tiring to watch an image 85 inches across, unless you are at least 12 feet back. And you need to be able to mount the projector on the ceiling, or place it on a coffee table. And coffee tables can be such a pain. People may spill coffee on them and...other stuff.

They are also more fiddly than TVs. You have to be able to mess with a few buttons and knobs to get a picture that is really good. Oh, and you need a screen. That will put you back about $100 if you make it yourself. And it's a lot thinner than a plasma TV, please! I think you get the picture!