The basement transformation is nearly done. Out went the puny 50" Hitachi Ultravision low def TV. In went the LCD HD Projector. Now showing at Halls Cinema on the 150" screen in 720p HD... whatever the kids want. Open Season, Cars, Ice Age II, The Wild, Monster House, The Aunt Bully, How to Eat Fried Worms and Madagascar all look great on the big screen The 7.1 surround sound is in and I just need to patch a "few" holes that were necessary to get all of the audio and video cables hidden in the ceiling. Yvonne was not too hot the idea of the projector to start with, but after watching a movie on the big screen, she has softened. She did not even squawk too much about all of the speakers going in.
The old Hitachi was great TV, but I had been hankering for a HD TV for quite some time and really could not justify spending 3 or more grand on a 70" TV. Then I started researching projectors. Really, our basement was designed for one. It is relatively dark, there are no view obstructing support columns and there is lots of space between the floors to run wire. The kind folks at www.projectorpeople.com sold me a nice Sanyo PLV-Z5 Projector. It is certainly not the best model out there, but it is quite nice and offers a lot of features for the price. There is even a $300 rebate on that model now.
It has been a bit of a chore running all the cabling and I've learned a few things along the way. If you are contemplating starting a similar project, let me know and I can tell you a few things I learned the hard way. Also, I had to buy a new DVD player that could output HD and a new reciever to do the 7.1. Of course there was the expense of getting Comcast to turn on the HD TV signals, but man, what a difference HD makes. Have you seen Discovery Channel's HD station. Holy Cow. What a picutre.
Here are some "Pros and Cons" of a projection system:
Pros
Pretty much as large of a pictures as you want and your wall will allow
Generally lower price than same size TV and you can't buy a 150" TV that I am aware of
Cleaner look of not having a huge TV in your room
Kids can't break the TV screen when a random ball fight breaks out in the basement
When I need to buy a new one in 10 years, I'll be able to remove the old one with in just a few minutes and no heavy lifting.
Cons
Projectors don't project audio, so you will need a separte sound system for the audio-butifyou are really doing a high-end TV, you'll be getting one anway.
Typically, need a light controlled environment
Bulb life probably not as long as TVs, but at least they are user changeable
Need to buy a screen or have a wall that is suitably colored and free of cosmetic imperfections
Projectors typically have fewer video inputs than TVs, so you'll probably need a receiver that can receive and feed multiple video sources.
More labor to install
The old Hitachi was great TV, but I had been hankering for a HD TV for quite some time and really could not justify spending 3 or more grand on a 70" TV. Then I started researching projectors. Really, our basement was designed for one. It is relatively dark, there are no view obstructing support columns and there is lots of space between the floors to run wire. The kind folks at www.projectorpeople.com sold me a nice Sanyo PLV-Z5 Projector. It is certainly not the best model out there, but it is quite nice and offers a lot of features for the price. There is even a $300 rebate on that model now.
It has been a bit of a chore running all the cabling and I've learned a few things along the way. If you are contemplating starting a similar project, let me know and I can tell you a few things I learned the hard way. Also, I had to buy a new DVD player that could output HD and a new reciever to do the 7.1. Of course there was the expense of getting Comcast to turn on the HD TV signals, but man, what a difference HD makes. Have you seen Discovery Channel's HD station. Holy Cow. What a picutre.
Here are some "Pros and Cons" of a projection system:
Pros
Pretty much as large of a pictures as you want and your wall will allow
Generally lower price than same size TV and you can't buy a 150" TV that I am aware of
Cleaner look of not having a huge TV in your room
Kids can't break the TV screen when a random ball fight breaks out in the basement
When I need to buy a new one in 10 years, I'll be able to remove the old one with in just a few minutes and no heavy lifting.
Cons
Projectors don't project audio, so you will need a separte sound system for the audio-butifyou are really doing a high-end TV, you'll be getting one anway.
Typically, need a light controlled environment
Bulb life probably not as long as TVs, but at least they are user changeable
Need to buy a screen or have a wall that is suitably colored and free of cosmetic imperfections
Projectors typically have fewer video inputs than TVs, so you'll probably need a receiver that can receive and feed multiple video sources.
More labor to install
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