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Shopping for a budget Projector

AndySTL

AndySTL

Well-Known Member
About 2 months ago we had some friends over with their kids for dinner and drinks etc... The next morning we discovered that the kids cracked the screen on my 60" Panasonic plasma in the basement. I was pretty upset at first but what can we do other than move forward. So after discussing it with my wife for a while we have decided to do a budget projector setup. I already bought a screen (found on craigslist for $100). It's a 92" fixed frame.

My room is less than ideal but it is workable. Ambient light will be present at times when kids are also down there playing and when I am watching sports or a movie and at other times all the lights will be out. We currently have a drop ceiling so placement should not be an issue. Budget on the projector is max $1k and from what I have read there seems to be a several decent options in this low price range. I've read up on AVS as there is alot of discussion on PJs. My current short list includes the Benq W1070 or HT1075, Benq H3050, Epson 3020. I've read great things about the Benq's but hesitate on the rainbow effect factor as they are DLP. I have never noticed RBE in the past, but who knows if my wife or kids will.

I thought I'd start a thread here to see if anyone has any personal experience with these particular PJs. I'll post some pics of the project as it comes along.
 
i have the epson 2030,

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO9 ... 1_1&sr=8-1

its a great budget projector, and definitely doesn not have RBE on it, so im happy.

i knew 2 things before i bought it, but didnt think it would be a big problem, regrettably, it did.

1. no lens shift - my biggest issue, i cant mount it too high, nor too low without screwing up the placement. plus i have to use keystone to make the corrections on it.

2. its great that its super bright, and helps significantly on a very dark 3d movie, but the contrast is definitely missing. its bright enough to help wtih 3d, but cant reach super dark contrast levels.

why did i keep it?

1. wife.
2. the bulb replacement was at 100 bucks per LED bulb.
3. its great enough for certain movies, and i just usually work with the keystone adjustment. quite frankly, got tired of trying to figure out how to mount it above our heads, and since i am doubtful of the anchors i would use (i have a couple people recommended here, and trust of course), but its just that i cant have it dropping out 10 inches from my already short 9 foot ceiling.

the 3020 is standing at $1300 right now, but is defintely a step up from what i have. this model does not have lens shift. just make sure you use the epson projector calculator, to help you determine if the lens shift can help or not.

the 3000 model is at $1100, so this might be something to consider, PLUS it has Lens Shift. see how this would help you.
 
Wow, sorry to hear about your Panny plasma. You have a much better attitude about this than I would. I am pretty sure I would still be livid. That super sucks.

Good luck with your pj plan. I still want to have a pj setup some day but who knows.
 
Well, congrats on the chance to upgrade! But sorry your stuff was broke.

I had a BenQ previously, and recently upgraded to the Epson 5030. Different models than you listed, but thought I would provide my perspective from my experiences.

The BenQ was calibrated by Greg from LionAV. The colors were spot on. Just a great image and I never experienced rainbows with it. It did lack significantly on deep blacks. But overall, very happy.

The Epson is just a flat out light canon with deep inky blacks. It has taken me a little adjustment to get the skin tones where I want them. The big advantage with this projector, it does not matter if the lights are on, it has a tremendous light output. now color accuracy suffered a bit, but for sports no issues. For me, it is like having a 126 inch Plasma. Then for movies, dim or turn off the lights and the image is amazing.

Bottom line, I am more than thrilled with the Epson.

Good luck
 
Yes, it does seem that the Epson's in the 5xxx series and above are a couple performance steps up from the ones in my price range. Visual Apex has refurbished 3020s for $849 so I was considering it as an alternative to the BenQ hoping that there could be some trickle down quality from the 5xxx series. I keep going back and forth between BenQ and Epson.

For some reason I did think the 3020 had lens shift but Jomari is correct that it doesn't. So glad you mentioned that!
 
good good bro, I just wanted to make sure you didn't have to endure what I did. I think I had a thread here somewhere. getting busy at work so will look for it when I get home...

sorry wasn't empathetic about the plasma, id be a bit livid too, but cest la vie right? its something replaceable, something I learned hard this year.

epsons are light canons, its just that mine didn't have the depth or contrast I imagine it would have.

do try to hit up youtube videos, just to see what their observations are, and well, so you can get a feel for it. of course, it aint gonna be the same thing in reality, but its better than returning something at 85%.
 
How about a used Epson 6010, professionally calibrated, still under warranty, and including an extra bulb, for $1k? Maybe Randy could help with taking it from KC to St. Louis. I know you already laid down a little scratch for a 92" screen but I'm willing to part with my Carada Criterion 104" screen as well. PM / text / call if interested.
 
CMonster said:
How about a used Epson 6010, professionally calibrated, still under warranty, and including an extra bulb, for $1k? Maybe Randy could help with taking it from KC to St. Louis. I know you already laid down a little scratch for a 92" screen but I'm willing to part with my Carada Criterion 104" screen as well. PM / text / call if interested.
Click to expand...

I'll text/call you later today Chuck.
 
Wow, can't believe I am coming up on 6 years with the projector. AND I am still on the original bulb!! Over 3,000 hours and still going.

But I must admit, I am itching to upgrade to a 4k setup. Either a new projector or large monitor.
 
AndySTL said:
Wow, can't believe I am coming up on 6 years with the projector. AND I am still on the original bulb!! Over 3,000 hours and still going.

But I must admit, I am itching to upgrade to a 4k setup. Either a new projector or large monitor.
Click to expand...
I am with you on this.............

I think that I will get a bulb when ours dies.

Upgrading to 4K will be in the future and may be a display not a projector, but we are still very undecided.

Keep us updated!
 
I haven't paid too much attention to 4K but Audio Advice has the Epson 4040 on certified man refurb for $1250 and a 138 or 158 screen combo.
 
I decided on somewhat of a whim last night to change out the bulb on my projector. I had gotten up to 4,300 hrs. on the original bulb! I have been fighting off the urge to upgrade to 4k in the basement and thought I might as well enjoy a brighter image in the meantime.

The process of changing the bulb was quite simple and the image is indeed brighter. However, it's having the opposite effect and it now makes me even more eager to upgrade to 4k!

I have been trying to weight the pros vs. cons of moving to an 85" class TV instead of a PJ. My screen us 92" so it's kind of a hard decision.

Any thoughts?
 
Personally, I definitely would NOT down-size the screen.

I don't use my HT much for ... reasons ... but if I did replace my current projector in the light controlled HT for a 4K model and don't want to break the bank I'd be looking real hard at BenQ,
  • BenQ HT3650 for $1500
  • BenQ W4000i for $3000

I'm rather confident that when I'm ready to replace my living room TV it'll be with an ultra-short throw projector and a ambient light rejecting screen. Right now the AWOL Vision LTV-3000 Pro for $3500 seems hard to beat.

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