Projectors

[rts]

I'm looking at getting an affordable, but good projector, for home. As I always though with things like this, I don't have a fucking clue what I'm looking for.

I found this website here. I've done some Googling with mixed results.

My question is, which is better out of DLP or LCD? I'm assuming CRT is on the way out?

[Gavin Scott]

DLP is what you want, if you're looking for a compact, colour rich picture. CRT ones are old hat - but super cheap. Don't buy one, though.

The newer Pico projectors, which use a super bright LED lamp, combined with DLP technology are cool - but expensive.

Look for a brand like Infocus (http://www.infocus.com/), who are cheap and reliable. Replacement lamps can cost almost as much as the projector - so strike a balance between the cost of the projector and the quality. You may well be better off buying a new projector each time. New lamp = £175 - new projector = £199 - so its a no brainer.

Avoid very expensive machines - as for home use they will be over-engineered, and you won't fully get the benefit - domestic users tend to dim the lights when the projector comes on, so there's little point in buying one which could challenge the sun with its brightness.

[Sput]

Out of interest, gav, what is a sensible sort of bulb lifetime to be looking for? And are they based on continuous use or do they take into account the likely number of times they'll be switched on and off?

[Gavin Scott]

Out of interest, gav, what is a sensible sort of bulb lifetime to be looking for? And are they based on continuous use or do they take into account the likely number of times they'll be switched on and off?

They vary between 1000 - 4000 hours. The hour rating doesn't take into account lots of re-striking (switching on and off), so that does have an impact on its effective life.

[marksi]

oooo. Do these new LED projectors still have noisy fans in them? Surely they shouldn't need to as the vast majority of the heat in a projector has traditionally been from the lamp...

[Nick Harvey]

Would I be right in saying that, provided you don't want to project a picture bigger than is available on a fuck-off sized plasma onto your wall, then buying a fuck-off sized plasma and hanging it on your wall is, actually, a cheaper option across the expected lifespan of a plasma?

[Gavin Scott]

oooo. Do these new LED projectors still have noisy fans in them? Surely they shouldn't need to as the vast majority of the heat in a projector has traditionally been from the lamp...

But for the micro-motor spinning the DLP colour wheel, Pico projectors are largely silent - but not totally. The super-micro ones developed by Texas Instruments now fit into a mobile phone handset, and will throw images of (up to) 48" - although you'd need to be in a low-lit room to enjoy that.

Would I be right in saying that, provided you don't want to project a picture bigger than is available on a fuck-off sized plasma onto your wall, then buying a fuck-off sized plasma and hanging it on your wall is, actually, a cheaper option across the expected lifespan of a plasma?

One could certainly argue that, yes, but people tend not to use projectors as a primary display device, where they would with a plasma. In those circumstances, the "value" of each device is closer than you'd think.

What's been happening, for the best part of a decade, is that projector manufacturers realise that the money is all in the replacement lamp modules. Once a customer has committed to the purchase of a projector, they're unlikely to want to "waste" that investment by throwing it away. Year on year sees the lamp module technology being improved - and the manufacturers deliberately build a new projector around the improved lamp modules, meaning they own the design and patent for the spares.

There will come a point where a "universal" lamp module will hit the market - meaning generic copies will become available, fitting multiple devices. When that occurs, lamp modules will drop in price massively.

The manufacturers therefore have to get their heads round a different business model - but until that happens, and one of them takes the leap, lamps will continue to cost 75% of the price of a new projector.

[Sput]

Ah, so what you're saying is they took a look at Lexmark and thought "that seems like a good plan".

Good god.

[cdd]

The newer Pico projectors, which use a super bright LED lamp, combined with DLP technology are cool - but expensive.

I have one of these, it's a lot of fun. Oddly enough I use it to project TV onto the ceiling while in bed.

[Nini]

Would I be right in saying that, provided you don't want to project a picture bigger than is available on a fuck-off sized plasma onto your wall, then buying a fuck-off sized plasma and hanging it on your wall is, actually, a cheaper option across the expected lifespan of a plasma?

*teary* Ah, you used fuck-off to mean "really big", you truly are a gentleman and a scholar. I figured the use of such terms were limited to the truly learned but now I know so much more.

*salutes*

[Gavin Scott]

Ah, so what you're saying is they took a look at Lexmark and thought "that seems like a good plan".

And of course it is, if you're the manufacturer.

Its a tricky scenario for the manufacturers. They licence the DLP technology from TI, and have to pay handsomely for it. The optics all have to be sourced from German manufacturers - so little profit there.

The only place they *can* make a buck is on the lamp, as there's bugger all else involved.

The tipping point would be if they could be sure that they could sell millions more units based on cheap, generic replacement lamps. Then the likes of me might go out and buy a projector for the living room, and maybe one for the bedroom too.

But what would make me return to the same manufacturer, if every company produced similar devices - all with DLP technology and good German optics?

Its a dilly of a pickle.

The newer Pico projectors, which use a super bright LED lamp, combined with DLP technology are cool - but expensive.

I have one of these, it's a lot of fun. Oddly enough I use it to project TV onto the ceiling while in bed.

Dell's latest one is very cute. Still has a fan in it, but is only 340g in weight.