Projector / Large Cheap TV / Small Expensive TV - What Would You Do?

[lovelyhead]

I currently have a nice Panasonic 50" ST50 Plasma TV which I have owned for over 5 years. It was a perfect size for my old house but feels a little small in my new house where I now sit 3 meters from the TV.

I am considering getting something bigger as I can't play games on my current TV as I am used to playing games on a 27" PC monitor which fills my field of view much more than the TV does and I feel it is harder to see things clearly on the TV at that distance. I have space on my wall for a screen up to 90" in size.

So I have a budget of around £1000 and am considering either a Projector or a TV. I used to own a couple of Projectors a few years back, a 720P Sanyo and a 1080P 3D Epson. Both LCD. Both had issues that ended up with me returning them after less than a year.

Are there any good budget projectors that are known to be reliable? 1080P would be fine.
Are there any decent 70 / 75" TV's that aren't rubbish? Would one of these TV's be better than a 1080P PJ?
Or should I just sit closer to the screen and get a nice 55" OLED?

 

[aoaaron]

Sitting closer is definitely not the answer.

I'd edge towards a second hand 65'' OLED or a 75'' LCD TV if you want the best for your money in the TV world.

At £1000, the problem is budgeting for an ALR screen and projector is very hard.

I struggle to recommend projectors without an ALR screen or a batcave environment because the perceived contrast is very low. If you can source a second hand ALR screen for a good price, then go for a projector. I wish I could help you as I do have a 95'' Draper React 3.0 screen which is electronic and phenomenal, but my family refuse for it to be taken down as they have a strong emotional attachment to the projector.

However if you can track one down, or can wait for one to come on the market and just deal temporarily with the PQ not being as good as it could be, then for £1000 you should be able to get yourself a few good projectors.

The ones I recommend are JVC X3 or Sony HW40ES which should be £500 at the most, and will be 1080p, top tier, home cinema projectors with excellent motion and contrast.

 

[Toothy1911]

Could you stretch to a 65" OLED? I paid 1400 for mine 18 months ago.
I was tempted by a 75" but decided picture quality was better on the OLED. Some OLEDs have better game support too with features like GSYNC.

 

[lovelyhead]

Could you stretch to a 65" OLED? I paid 1400 for mine 18 months ago.
I was tempted by a 75" but decided picture quality was better on the OLED. Some OLEDs have better game support too with features like GSYNC.

I could stretch to £1400 yes. It may be worth saving a bit longer if I could get the best of both worlds, big screen and great PQ.

Sitting closer is definitely not the answer.

I'd edge towards a second hand 65'' OLED or a 75'' LCD TV if you want the best for your money in the TV world.

At £1000, the problem is budgeting for an ALR screen and projector is very hard.

I struggle to recommend projectors without an ALR screen or a batcave environment because the perceived contrast is very low. If you can source a second hand ALR screen for a good price, then go for a projector. I wish I could help you as I do have a 95'' Draper React 3.0 screen which is electronic and phenomenal, but my family refuse for it to be taken down as they have a strong emotional attachment to the projector.

However if you can track one down, or can wait for one to come on the market and just deal temporarily with the PQ not being as good as it could be, then for £1000 you should be able to get yourself a few good projectors.

The ones I recommend are JVC X3 or Sony HW40ES which should be £500 at the most, and will be 1080p, top tier, home cinema projectors with excellent motion and contrast.

Thanks for your reply. I am not keen to go second hand for a projector due to my past experiences with them. I think if £1000 is to little to get a decent PJ setup then I may have to rule a projector out as any more money and you are into decent OLED prices.

 

[Poneros]

With a limited budget you absolutely have to move closer, that's step one. Secondly you have to figure out if you want PQ over size, which I would argue you'd want size anyway because (unless you move in closer than 2m) many picture quality attributes scale with distance & size due to brightness also scaling that way.

At 75" I'd keep an eye on the Sony XH90 (good PQ overall & has hdmi 2.1 for gaming). Right now it's £2000 but I wouldn't be shocked to see it around £1500 for Black Friday.
For OLEDs, you can probably snag something in the £1200 range near black friday also, and at 55". Whether the PQ improvements are worth the size loss that's up to you, and ofc still have to figure out what you watch, when, what's the sunlight levels in the room, any bias lighting, what distance you'd like to stay at ideally etc.

So I would recommend you just enjoy your plasma by moving in closer & keeping an eye on the TVs for discounts (right now all the 2020 models are overpriced).

 

[lovelyhead]

With a limited budget you absolutely have to move closer, that's step one. Secondly you have to figure out if you want PQ over size, which I would argue you'd want size anyway because (unless you move in closer than 2m) many picture quality attributes scale with distance & size due to brightness also scaling that way.

At 75" I'd keep an eye on the Sony XH90 (good PQ overall & has hdmi 2.1 for gaming). Right now it's £2000 but I wouldn't be shocked to see it around £1500 for Black Friday.
For OLEDs, you can probably snag something in the £1200 range near black friday also, and at 55". Whether the PQ improvements are worth the size loss that's up to you, and ofc still have to figure out what you watch, when, what's the sunlight levels in the room, any bias lighting, what distance you'd like to stay at ideally etc.

So I would recommend you just enjoy your plasma by moving in closer & keeping an eye on the TVs for discounts (right now all the 2020 models are overpriced).

Thanks.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Projectors work best in dark rooms.

There is a reason why when you go to the cinema it's pitch black in there.

I'd never use just a projector on it's own for that reason unless it's a dedicated cinema room with no other purpose.

For £1k get a 55" OLED if you put a few more quid in.

Otherwise save up for a 65" OLED.

 

[3t3P]

Whole point is, no matter who you are you want to sit 8-10 ft away instinctinvely from a screen. Otherwise we'd all be rocking 40'' tellies and sat on a bar stool 30cm away from them!

HW40ES as above used for £500 is crazy performance for the cash. But in your scenario the feeling in my bones is biggest LCD TV you can afford. Quick search shows 75'' samsung models for £800!

 

[aoaaron]

Whole point is, no matter who you are you want to sit 8-10 ft away instinctinvely from a screen. Otherwise we'd all be rocking 40'' tellies and sat on a bar stool 30cm away from them!

HW40ES as above used for £500 is crazy performance for the cash. But in your scenario the feeling in my bones is biggest LCD TV you can afford. Quick search shows 75'' samsung models for £800!

Yeah, if resolution isn't an issue for people, then a HW40ES + a second hand Draper React 3.0 or comparable ALR screen will get users an incredible experience for the money. I'm 2.8M from my 77'' OLED, and its definitely not big enough. I'd say 2.8M is nice for a 95-110'' image.

I completed planescape torment on my HW40ES and it was so much better playing it on that, than on my small 65'' TV at the time.


However with PJs, it is important to take into account the size people are throwing. If you're not hitting 95 inches+ then an 75'' TV might be within budget and will be a better option.

 

[Poneros]

Whole point is, no matter who you are you want to sit 8-10 ft away instinctinvely from a screen.

Why?

I sit about 5ft away from my 55" & that's perfect for my gaming usage (and for some I'd move in even closer). When I used it just as a TV I was 7ft away and sometimes it was good and sometimes not so good (movies with wider shots instead of close-ups); subpar for gaming ofc. At 10ft it feels like it's in a whole 'nother room! Tried a 65" from 10ft or so and it just didn't feel right at all.

 

[3t3P]

Why?

I sit about 5ft away from my 55" & that's perfect for my gaming usage (and for some I'd move in even closer). When I used it just as a TV I was 7ft away and sometimes it was good and sometimes not so good (movies with wider shots instead of close-ups); subpar for gaming ofc. At 10ft it feels like it's in a whole 'nother room! Tried a 65" from 10ft or so and it just didn't feel right at all.

You're an exception just read many articles out there we don't want to sit close to screens we always stay at the same distance thus saying move closer is a moot point.

 

[Pug]

You're an exception just read many articles out there we don't want to sit close to screens we always stay at the same distance thus saying move closer is a moot point.

I think that’s very task dependent. Watching (a more passive experience) then maybe it stands, I generally sit ~2-3m from my 65”.

But on Xbox that’s just too far, and I generally move to be a more natural ~1.5m distance

10ft? No thanks (we’re currently at more exceptions than normals!)

 

[a1ex2001]

You're an exception just read many articles out there we don't want to sit close to screens we always stay at the same distance thus saying move closer is a moot point.

Also move closer means for Most people re-arranging a living room, I could Move closer to my TV but that would mean putting My sofa in the middle of the room which would be very strange when not watching TV and certainly wouldn’t be accepted by my wife!

 

[Poneros]

 

[3t3P]

THX recommended always been obscene IMO. I think the LTT video supports my point that we are all used to being a certain distance away from TVs, it's a habitual and room layout thing.

 

[aoaaron]

THX recommended always been obscene IMO. I think the LTT video supports my point that we are all used to being a certain distance away from TVs, it's a habitual and room layout thing.

think its just personal preference...

I've found Its obscene until you live with a cinema level display. Then its hard to go back.