Projectors ?

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stevewestern

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Yet another subject I know nothing about, but I have been asked to look into replacing one for some friends and have no idea where to start.
So can anyone shine some light (geddit..?) on a few decent models at various price bands.
I know that they have a lot of DVD's, but can a blue ray one play them ?
They also own a lot of Apple computers, so how does one connect a laptop to a projector to play downloaded films ?

Any advice much appreciated - thanks !
 
As always Neil - you are amazingly quick to reply - thanks !
I assume that most projectors output sound at line level, so any stereo or 5 channel amp will work with them ?
 
Input into amp for sound and input switching.

Video output from amp to projector

The projector does nothing but display a picture, think of it as a monitor.

Laptop, bluray and Apple TV could all be plugged into amp as inputs

Stick to hdmi where you can and make sure the amp has hdmi switching.
 
Consider whether it will need to be used in daylight or reduced ambient lighting conditions.
 
..and thanks to both Dale and Toni too.
But, if active speakers were used, would you not just connect the source (blue ray player or whatever) directly into the projector ?

Blackout blinds are being looked into(well, we can't look through them...!)
 
Yes you can use active speakers, it comes down to how many inputs they will use and how they will switch between them.
 
I've been researching the last couple of months for myself and i've narrowed it down to 2 models the optoma hd25 and the epson eh-tw5910. Both use different technology with one being DLP and the other LCD both have there pro's and con's. I would recommend them going to a hifi shop like sevenoaks and test the two out. They are both popular so should have them in there test rooms.

The screens that always get rave reviews in hifi and home cinema forums is the grandview cyberscreens. There manual pull down screens are a reasonable price too.
 
Again, thanks for the help.
It is starting to look slightly more complicated than I had first thought - their current projector has a built in DVD player and speaker and shines onto a white wall, and were it not for the fact that they want to use a different room with no usable wall they would keep what they have.
I guess it might be best to send them off to an expert like Robert suggests so they can see what there is available and at what sorts of budgets.
However, any further advice will of course be appreciated..!
 
If they move from an inbuilt DVD and speaker to an external one, you can get an all in one bluray and surround system, then plug the HDMI into the projector.
 
These friends of mine are so trusting - He is a banker,and one of the nicest and most generous people I have ever met and his wife is one of my closest friends. He is very busy with work, she knows even less than me about all this stuff.
I asked her for some idea of budget, telling her she could spend £500 or £20,000.
Her reply was fairly vague - we don't want to spend that much (£20,000)but do want something decent, and he wants you to sort it out.
So, this evening I plan to work out a few options at say £1,500, £3,000 and £4,500 and see what they say.

The Optima HD25 projector as recommended above seems like a good place to start, so if anyone has any suggestions about an amp and some speakers, possibly with a sub then please let me know. They are not bothered about surround sound, so just 2 front speakers.
They will want to connect their cd player and tuner, but other than that don't want lots of complicated stuff.

Thanks for any ideas - I ought to add that I would like to get it delivered in the next day or so or even collect it, so if Richer sounds or any other place in London (west ideally) that may carry stock has anything tasty then so much the better !
 
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Wow i wish i had that sort of money to play with i could easily spend it on a home cinema. They say they are not bothered about surround sound, but when they have it they will love it, and to spend that sort of money and not would be a shame. Movies can sound odd these days through stereo as they are setup for surround. It suffers from quiet dialogue which gets over powered my sound effects. They really should have a scream also to get the most out of the projector. I would personally buy the following

Epson EH-TW5910 projector £900
Grandview cyberscreen 6ft manual screen £260
Sony STR-DN1040 surround Amp with wifi streaming £500
DALI Zensor 1 5.1 surround speaker package which includes a sub £980

Richersounds or sevenoaks should sell the lot. They are all what hifi magazine winners so will be very big sellers for them.
 
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Make sure whatever you choose for a projector will project the size of image they want from where the projector will be placed. Quite a lot now have short throw ratios.

Epson are a good choice as they come with a decent warranty on the unit and on the bulbs.
 
Again, thanks for the help !

Robert - The issue with surround sound is that they are a chaotic family, with a house full of stuff, so will be keeping to 2 speakers, which will be beside the sofa rather than next to the screen is what they want - no cables, no extra stuff to worry about. As for money - yeah, wouldn't it be nice...!
As for the projector - the screen they have bought ( the wife is so impatient !) is 2m wide roughly, and the projector will be about 5m from it, so there ought not to be any problems but thanks for that thought Suz as it would not have crossed my mind !

I am working my way through the various local-ish stores to see what they might have in stock for me to collect tomorrow or Friday - a nice way to spend half a day I think - spending other peoples money buying something exciting like this !
 
Any suggestions Neil ?
I guess a budget of around £500 with a fairly big bit of leeway either side...
 
I'd talk them into surround myself.

A pj without surround is like....a pj without surround. :/

Half decent AVRs can be had for peanuts these days, and with some smaller satellites, lifestyle or bookshelf speakers as your surrounds and some decent cable management, the extra footprint could be minimal - worth it for the extra immersion it brings.

They could even use a phantom centre if space is an issue.
 
they havent thought this through. the sound will practically dialogue will sound really odd not coming from the direction of the screen.
 
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