Video Asylum

Posted by DavidLD (A) on August 16, 2008 at 05:22:35

In Reply to: RE: Budget projector system with portable screen? posted by Funky Bob on August 15, 2008 at 22:35:22

For under $1000 you can get 720p wide screen resolution which is very desirable. in fact these projectors now start at about $850

Here are some current models

Optima HD72 $929
BenQ W500 899
Mitsubishi HC1600 995
Sony VPL AW10 899
all are WXGA 1280 x 720 720p resolution THese are equivalent resolution to a 720p flat panel. Going up to 1080p still runs about $2500

For a litte more money
Panasonic PT AX200U
$1299
still 720p
Brighter in higher ambient light conditions
2 x lens which provides extra zoom capability so placement relative to screen

Go to http://www.projectorcentral.com for reviews of many of these as well as lists of vendors.
I have bought two projectors from the online vendor http://www.projectorpeople.com and have found them to offer good prices and are very reliable, tho most of the online vendors price their projectors competitively. There is a factory list price and a so called street price on every projector.

Visit my Web page below for more ideas.

You could also cheap this out by using a standard XGA projector for under $500. THese are not only cheap but easy for kids to use as there is not much hookup. Personally I would opt for the wide screen home theater model but it depends on how serious you are as well as your budget.If a lot of the use is for gaming the cheap projector from a company like InFocus should do just fine.

You can build your own screen with drapery blackout cloth and a 1 x 4 frame. Another option is to pick a wall and paint it white
Have you considered that? Instructions for painting a wall for use as a screen are readily available if you do a Google search.

• Dave's budget home theater page   (Open in New Window)