lcd projection TV specs

[verve247]

My family has an old projection TV from 1990 that finally died. we don't think we'll be able to get a replacement bulb and obviously the warranty is passed.

What do you recommend? the screen is about 20-30 ft away and receives considerable sunlight.

lumens?
res.?
reliable brand?

oh and sound system is not important as that will be channeled to a receiver.

[verve247]

bump

[Jeffbx]

What's your budget? Those things aren't cheap - probably in the $2k - 5k range, but the picture is amazing.

I would say 1000+ lumens, more if you can afford it.
Res isn't that important if you're just watching movies - SVGA will be fine.
Reliable brands - I've had good luck with InFocus, Sony & Proxima

Are you going to ceiling mount it? Make sure you get one that has brackets available...

[Apex]

Are you talking a rear projection TV or a front projector?

[verve247]

I appreciate the advice.

rear projector, like how it is in the movie theaters. The screen is like 10-12 ft. diaganol (guess) and 20-30 ft in front of the projector. It needs to be able to connect to a vcr and hopefully a dvd player in the future.

[Apex]

OK, actually, that's considered front projector (projector is in front of the screen). Rear projection units use a screen that light can pass through. :)

What is your budget?

[verve247]

Originally posted by Apex
What is your budget?

Uh cheapest deal around.
To be honest i don't even know what to look for or what's a good price range. I checked out one place and they range from $1200 to about $5000. I'd say a mid to lower model.

[Apex]

If you have direct sunlight on the screen, nothing in this price range will work, unfortunately. However, if you have some ambient light in the room, it should be ok.

Let's say you get an 11.25' screen:

http://www.stewartfilm.com/engineering_specifications/luxus_deluxe_screenwall.html

I'm assuming 16:9, giving you a 135" diagonal.

You're going to need a:

1200+ lumen D-ILA or LCOS projector
1500+ lumen LCD projector
1700-1800+ lumen Single Chip DLP projector

The larger the screen, further away the projector, and more ambient light, the more lumens you're going to need.

As you can see above, different projector technology provide a different visual impact, even at the same lumens.

A higher gain screen will help (less off-axis light will be reflected). Something like the Stewart Firehawk would be ideal.

I'm using an Epson PowerLite 7350: 1600 lumens, 300:1 contrast, XGA native, on an 80" screen (actually, I'm picking up the screen in the morning. I'm just using the wall right now).

Email me if you're interested, and I can see if I can get you a discount on something similar.

[verve247]

hmm, you brought up some interesting information. Nows the time for me to pitch this to my family and convince them for an immediate replacement of our old projector. i'll try to contact you within a week. thanks. :)

[Apex]

I'll be out of town until Wed. Just fyi.