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Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:51 am

I'm looking for a good value for money Digital Projector for our VW owners club.

Just a simple projector you can plug in a laptop and project onto a screen. I think the budget will be around the $800 mark which I know is not much for these projectors, that's why I'd like recommendations from people who own them.

Thanks.

Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:09 am

i dont have any advice on a specifid projector but what i can say is figure out when and where you will be using it. If you are using it in a building that has lots of natural light and no blinds then you have to get one the has a lot of lumins to it, atleast 3000. If it will be used at night in a dark area then one that only has 1100 lumins will work fine. if you get 1100 lumin projector and try to use it with a lot of light you will never be able to see the picture.

I think if you are just going to use it for slide shows and the occasional movie at the club then any projector will work just figure out the lumins you need.

Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:29 am

Good point. I should have said the club meetings are at night, and the shows will be during the winter so light creeping in will not be a problem. The lower spec projector will probably be good enough.

Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:16 pm

I like my Optoma EP749, and can't remember exactly what I spent, but it was around the $800 mark.

Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:28 pm

I have an HP LCD projector.
Picked it up a year or so ago, @ Staples for $700 w/ a 3 year extended warranty. We use it for our TV, movies everything.
Not bad, honestly. The picture is not as nice as a new flat screen LCD or Plasma TV of course. But its very theatre like.
I got it mostly because I cant stand having an appliance as obvious and clunky as a TV with all those wires taking up all that space and being ugly.
I hate how people set up their living spaces with all the furniture pointed directly at the TV. ..Sorry, different topic. :wink:
Our HP has been great, expect to get 1200-2000 hours out of the bulb, which costs $200. But most name-brand LCD projectors are fine and comparable from what I read when I was looking. The drawback was I couldn't find one that actually had componenet video inputs, so I bought a VGA>Component cable.

Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:26 pm

I use an InFocus projector to give slide shows during readings, and I love it. I think my model (the cheapest one) is between 6 and 700 dollars. The more you pay, the brighter it is, which means you can use it under less than ideal circumstances (not so dark rooms), or put the projector further back, increasing the size of the image. But for me, I can get bright, clear image in a reasonably dark room up to the size of the biggest screen plasma TV.

Hope that helps!

Fri Feb 15, 2008 3:02 pm

Thanks guys. That gives me something to go on. As the club has a limited budget I think we could get away with a lower spec model. It's not as if we are playing to a large audience.

Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:24 pm

I watch a TON of movies and all my TV on my projector. I have gotten about 2300 hours out of each bulb (~$250) and have to say it is the best thing I ever purchased for my apartment. With limited space in my 1 bedroom place, a TV of any size would suck. I mounted the projector on the ceiling and have it pointed at a wall about 12 feet away. It gets amazing picture quality and I get to watch video on an 8 foot screen. I am using it as a monitor for my laptop as I type this. :shock: When anyone comes over, they never see any of my AV gear.... just my python enclosure, my car parts, and my collection of house plants. When I wanna watch TV, the screen magically appears- overall a very nice presentation. Also, it is very portable, so movie night at a freinds house or in a park during the summer is totally do-able. :wink:

This is exactly what I have: http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Data-Projector-Model-VPL-...dZViewItem It has 'S' Video, Computer, and RCA inputs, but no Component (the only drawback IMHO). It is an older model, but you cant beat the price...

Here is a great source for info, parts, and used projectors. http://www.projectorcentral.com/

Good luck!

Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:25 pm

jimmynotch wrote: I watch a TON of movies and all my TV on my projector. I have gotten about 2300 hours out of each bulb (~$250) and have to say it is the best thing I ever purchased for my apartment. With limited space in my 1 bedroom place, a TV of any size would suck. I mounted the projector on the ceiling and have it pointed at a wall about 12 feet away. It gets amazing picture quality and I get to watch video on an 8 foot screen. I am using it as a monitor for my laptop as I type this. :shock: When anyone comes over, they never see any of my AV gear.... just my python enclosure, my car parts, and my collection of house plants. When I wanna watch TV, the screen magically appears- overall a very nice presentation. Also, it is very portable, so movie night at a freinds house or in a park during the summer is totally do-able. :wink:

This is exactly what I have: http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Data-Projector-Model-VPL-...dZViewItem It has 'S' Video, Computer, and RCA inputs, but no Component (the only drawback IMHO). It is an older model, but you cant beat the price...

Here is a great source for info, parts, and used projectors. http://www.projectorcentral.com/

Good luck!

My dad has a very similiar setup downstairs, It is fun to have people over and watch them be amzed by this huge 125 inch screen just appear on the wall. In the summer we get friends over and watch movies on the side of our house (20 foot screen.)
The projector is a Dell 4100MP It's a couple years old but it works great!

Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:58 pm

Here's a recommendation: Don't let your digital projector sit in a car trunk in winter overnight, then fire it up without letting it warm up to room temperature. Ask me how I know.