What home theater projector should i get?
Posted by admin in Home Entertainment Q&AMay 26th, 2009 | 3 responses
ryan asked:
I am looking for a budget home theater projector that i will be running my ps3 and xbox 360 through and maybe a computer, i want as good a picture as i can get for as little as possible. this will be set up in my bed room so it does not really need to be projecting that far maybe like 8-10 ft or more, need help... thank you p.s. a tip and a good cheaper saround sound system 5.1
i want the projector to have hdmi ports
I am looking for a budget home theater projector that i will be running my ps3 and xbox 360 through and maybe a computer, i want as good a picture as i can get for as little as possible. this will be set up in my bed room so it does not really need to be projecting that far maybe like 8-10 ft or more, need help... thank you p.s. a tip and a good cheaper saround sound system 5.1
i want the projector to have hdmi ports
3 Responses to “What home theater projector should i get?”
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The Optoma HD65 is around $1,000 and is a great budget projector. There are more at
and they have reviews on all the home theater projectors
PS the Sony BRAVIA VPL-AW10 is also very good
Another P.S. On the surround sound system, don’t waste $ on an htib. Wait if you have to and get component system. The htibs don’t last because one part goes wrong (like the dvd player breaks) and you end up either tossing it or rigging the unit so you can use the speakers. Look into Onkyo receivers and good quality speakers.
With that short of a viewing distance (8-10) feet you will want either a DLP or a Panasonic LCD projector. The reason being is that screen door will be visible from that distance. I’d recommend the Panasonic PT-AX100U (or 200U). It uses a technology called Smooth Screen that virtually eliminates screen door. I owed a 540p Panasonic for several years and I loved it. All Panasonic home theater projectors built within the last 4-5 years use smooth screen. No other LCD manufacturer can touch Panasonic when it comes to reducing screen door.
A 720p DLP is also a good bet. DLP’s have less screen door that LCD, so you should be fine at 8ft. Take a look at the Mitsubishi HC1500 or HC1600. Both are excellent entry level DLP’s. Infocus and Optoma also make nice entry level DLPs.
PS.
If you pick up an HDMI switch at monoprice.com you’ll only need a projector with 1 HDMI input.
You can read about the most popular projectors here:
I would avoid a home theater in a box system if possible. Buy the best speakers front speakers now that you can afford, and fill in with the surrounds later.
Mitsubishi 1500 projector. It has HDMI and component. It is in HD, its only 900.00 dollars on Amazon.