just4kix
Well-Known Member
rshri, the gain is 1.1. Yes. A gray screen would have helped. Maybe two three years down the line, I will swap. 
Low budget projctor from the US
- Thread starter saumitra
- Start date
Anyone checked out LED based LG HX350T? It is only 350 Lumens but this video on youtube appears to show decent display even in daylight (blocked)
YouTube - LG HX350T Review 720p Front Projector - Black‏
YouTube - LG HX350T Review 720p Front Projector - Black‏
Then another point may be that the projector brightness is a lot. Traditionally, the high contrast projectors like JVC RS series uses lower brightness to get more contrast. One example is Rs40. For 3D, the projector upps the brightness/lumens, but the contrast goes down. If there is more brightness, then the reflections from the walls be even more, washing the picture.
As rshri suggested, try to get a high contrast gray screen. Try calibrating the brightness/contrast by using the calibration discs and reduce the brightness a little. Another option is to try a neutral density filter infront of the projector lens. It basically cuts down the brightness by 40% or so. If your projector has 3000 lumens, and screen size is 8x6 feet, then the actual brightness you are getting is 62 ft/lambart. At cinema theaters, it is around 10 ft/lambart. At homes, preferred is around 16 ft/lambart.
The projector light output will go down from the rated as the lamp ages. Even with that, the brightness is lot for that size screen. See if you can source a neutral density filter from a pro photo shop.
As rshri suggested, try to get a high contrast gray screen. Try calibrating the brightness/contrast by using the calibration discs and reduce the brightness a little. Another option is to try a neutral density filter infront of the projector lens. It basically cuts down the brightness by 40% or so. If your projector has 3000 lumens, and screen size is 8x6 feet, then the actual brightness you are getting is 62 ft/lambart. At cinema theaters, it is around 10 ft/lambart. At homes, preferred is around 16 ft/lambart.
The projector light output will go down from the rated as the lamp ages. Even with that, the brightness is lot for that size screen. See if you can source a neutral density filter from a pro photo shop.
just4kix
Well-Known Member
Actually, I am mistaken. The projector is 1600 ANSI Lumens (after checking the manual). I do not know why the figure '3000' stuck to my mind.
Is that 1600 lumens in high mode or economy mode? The economy mode may be even less.
With 1600 lumens, it comes to about 33 ft/lambart. That is not so bad, but see if you can reduce the brightness a little. Does your projector has any iris of any sort?
With 1600 lumens, it comes to about 33 ft/lambart. That is not so bad, but see if you can reduce the brightness a little. Does your projector has any iris of any sort?
just4kix
Well-Known Member
1600 lumens in High mode. Economy mode is 1000. The projector does not have iris control.
saumitra
Active Member
I got my projector (Acer H5360) last week. I am in the process of doing the proper setup with a ceiling mount kit for the projector and a ceiling mounted screen. In the meanwhile, I have already started playing with it thought of sharing my initial impressions with you all.
I am currently projecting to a wall (with light beige paint). For a throw distance of about 10 feet, I am getting a rectangular screen size of 74 X 42, which is about 85 screen-size, diagonally. Considering that I currently watch my 42 TV (LG LH90) from about 11.5 feet distance, this is a huge leap in terms of the screen-size alone.
Since this is budget projector, expectedly it has only limited connectivity options 1 HDMI, 1 Component, 1 Composite, 1 VGA. I have only used the HDMI, connecting my TS+ HD STB and PS3 to the projector.
The projector detects the input automatically, displays the input signal resolution and then brings up the video on the wall its really very easy to use this plug-and-play kind of projector. The default picture settings are quite ok; it has a few preset picture modes like Movie, Games, Dark Cinema, Standard, Sports etc. The Movie mode is good, especially for blu-ray movies. It also has other standard user settings for color (R, G, B), brightness, contrast, gama, color temp., tint etc. There are two brightness modes - you can either choose the default bright mode or the eco mode the latter brings down the brightness, and extends the bulb-life. I found the eco mode to be really good enough for dark-room viewing. In general, the rated 2500 lumens of brightness is really very good you can easily watch movies/videos during the day-time with good amount of ambient light seeping through if you use the bright mode.
The picture quality was excellent when I played some blu-rays (Dark Knight, New York) from the PS3. Same was the case when I connected the TS STB and played the HD channels (Ten Sports HD, Discovery HD, Star Plus HD, Star Movies HD). But I have to admit that in terms of picture clarity and sharpness, my LG TV is marginally (but visibly) superior, especially for 1080p video.
I also played some DVDs from the PS3 and picture quality was quite good though there was some visible noise, especially when I played Hindi DVDs. This noise became even more visible when I played SD channels from the TS STB. In general I loved the way the colors were displayed on the screen (i.e. the wall; it should improve once I put a proper screen).
To summarize my initial impressions:
Positives:
--- Reasonably good throw ratio (1.55 1.7:1) allowing me to get 80 to 96 inches of screen from just 9 to 11 feet distance
--- Excellent color reproduction
--- Very good brightness, good enough to use with some ambient light in the default (bright) mode and excellent during the night with the eco mode on
--- Easy to setup, and use the menu
--- Not much of noise
--- Small size, portable, has ceiling mount option (with upside down and a specific installation mode that you can set using the menu)
--- 3D Ready - requires a converter or a HTPC with good graphics card (I am yet to try this out, frankly I am not in a big hurry on this as 3D readiness is just a good-to-have feature for me; but for serious gamers, this may be a boon)
Negatives:
--- Very limited zoom in/out option it is almost like a having a fixed screen-size for a given throw distance
--- The remote is too small and requires pointing exactly towards the IR, not very convenient
--- 1080p video output is not exactly as good as in a good full-HD TV, though its picture quality is still very good
Considering the fact that I had spent 68.5k one and half year back for the 42 LG TV (which will remain my primary display for regular TV programs while I will use the projector only for watching movies and live Sports) I must say I am very happy that with less than 40k investment ($540 for the projector + another 10-15k that I am going to spend now for the screen plus ceiling mount kit etc.) I am able to do a basic home cinema setup with a 90+ inches screen.
I do understand the fact that my new projector is no match for some of the higher end full HD ones from Panasonic, JVC or Optoma. Because of my professional attachment, I am surely biased towards the DLP over the LCD when it comes to projectors. I had played with some Optoma (HD20) & InFocus (dont remember the models) entry level full HD models earlier and then saw a home-demo of the Acer. To be honest, other than a slightly better black-level & maybe a marginally better clarity while playing HD, I didnt find those models all that great. In fact the HD20 was not at all great in handling DVDs, while it was very good with blu-rays. I kind of concluded that if I have to build a very good HT with a projector, I must look for a higher-end projector (like Panasonic PT-AE4000U) that will cost me upwards of $1500. Or I had to settle for a HD-ready model (Optoma HD66, Acer H5360, .) or an entry level HD projector (like the HD20). I settled for the Acer. I wouldnt fault anyone if he thinks I made a wrong decision by compromising on the resolution; I did so knowingly as I know at least for the next 1 to 2 years, 70 to 80% of the movies I would be watching would be from DVDs. And I didnt want to wait for a few more months or a year to get started with the big screen experience. In fact, to me (& maybe for many others) the prospect of big screen experience alone is the most influencing factor to go for a projector.
So this being my first attempt at building a HT setup (or actually complimenting a basic existing HT setup) with/ around a projector I think this is a decent (42 to 90) upgrade. And since upgrade is the most common word in a HT enthusiasts mind, I know this is just my first projector & not necessarily the last one .
I am currently projecting to a wall (with light beige paint). For a throw distance of about 10 feet, I am getting a rectangular screen size of 74 X 42, which is about 85 screen-size, diagonally. Considering that I currently watch my 42 TV (LG LH90) from about 11.5 feet distance, this is a huge leap in terms of the screen-size alone.
Since this is budget projector, expectedly it has only limited connectivity options 1 HDMI, 1 Component, 1 Composite, 1 VGA. I have only used the HDMI, connecting my TS+ HD STB and PS3 to the projector.
The projector detects the input automatically, displays the input signal resolution and then brings up the video on the wall its really very easy to use this plug-and-play kind of projector. The default picture settings are quite ok; it has a few preset picture modes like Movie, Games, Dark Cinema, Standard, Sports etc. The Movie mode is good, especially for blu-ray movies. It also has other standard user settings for color (R, G, B), brightness, contrast, gama, color temp., tint etc. There are two brightness modes - you can either choose the default bright mode or the eco mode the latter brings down the brightness, and extends the bulb-life. I found the eco mode to be really good enough for dark-room viewing. In general, the rated 2500 lumens of brightness is really very good you can easily watch movies/videos during the day-time with good amount of ambient light seeping through if you use the bright mode.
The picture quality was excellent when I played some blu-rays (Dark Knight, New York) from the PS3. Same was the case when I connected the TS STB and played the HD channels (Ten Sports HD, Discovery HD, Star Plus HD, Star Movies HD). But I have to admit that in terms of picture clarity and sharpness, my LG TV is marginally (but visibly) superior, especially for 1080p video.
I also played some DVDs from the PS3 and picture quality was quite good though there was some visible noise, especially when I played Hindi DVDs. This noise became even more visible when I played SD channels from the TS STB. In general I loved the way the colors were displayed on the screen (i.e. the wall; it should improve once I put a proper screen).
To summarize my initial impressions:
Positives:
--- Reasonably good throw ratio (1.55 1.7:1) allowing me to get 80 to 96 inches of screen from just 9 to 11 feet distance
--- Excellent color reproduction
--- Very good brightness, good enough to use with some ambient light in the default (bright) mode and excellent during the night with the eco mode on
--- Easy to setup, and use the menu
--- Not much of noise
--- Small size, portable, has ceiling mount option (with upside down and a specific installation mode that you can set using the menu)
--- 3D Ready - requires a converter or a HTPC with good graphics card (I am yet to try this out, frankly I am not in a big hurry on this as 3D readiness is just a good-to-have feature for me; but for serious gamers, this may be a boon)
Negatives:
--- Very limited zoom in/out option it is almost like a having a fixed screen-size for a given throw distance
--- The remote is too small and requires pointing exactly towards the IR, not very convenient
--- 1080p video output is not exactly as good as in a good full-HD TV, though its picture quality is still very good
Considering the fact that I had spent 68.5k one and half year back for the 42 LG TV (which will remain my primary display for regular TV programs while I will use the projector only for watching movies and live Sports) I must say I am very happy that with less than 40k investment ($540 for the projector + another 10-15k that I am going to spend now for the screen plus ceiling mount kit etc.) I am able to do a basic home cinema setup with a 90+ inches screen.
I do understand the fact that my new projector is no match for some of the higher end full HD ones from Panasonic, JVC or Optoma. Because of my professional attachment, I am surely biased towards the DLP over the LCD when it comes to projectors. I had played with some Optoma (HD20) & InFocus (dont remember the models) entry level full HD models earlier and then saw a home-demo of the Acer. To be honest, other than a slightly better black-level & maybe a marginally better clarity while playing HD, I didnt find those models all that great. In fact the HD20 was not at all great in handling DVDs, while it was very good with blu-rays. I kind of concluded that if I have to build a very good HT with a projector, I must look for a higher-end projector (like Panasonic PT-AE4000U) that will cost me upwards of $1500. Or I had to settle for a HD-ready model (Optoma HD66, Acer H5360, .) or an entry level HD projector (like the HD20). I settled for the Acer. I wouldnt fault anyone if he thinks I made a wrong decision by compromising on the resolution; I did so knowingly as I know at least for the next 1 to 2 years, 70 to 80% of the movies I would be watching would be from DVDs. And I didnt want to wait for a few more months or a year to get started with the big screen experience. In fact, to me (& maybe for many others) the prospect of big screen experience alone is the most influencing factor to go for a projector.
So this being my first attempt at building a HT setup (or actually complimenting a basic existing HT setup) with/ around a projector I think this is a decent (42 to 90) upgrade. And since upgrade is the most common word in a HT enthusiasts mind, I know this is just my first projector & not necessarily the last one .
just4kix
Well-Known Member
@saumitra, Congrats on your purchase. Thanks for the detailed review.
Basically the projector's native resolution of 720p. Hence the 1080i/p picture will be scaled down to the native resolution. That explains why the 42" Full HD LG TV is much better. Secondly, the brightness, contrast, etc. of the TV will be better anyday. Thirdly, the bigger the picture, the more pixel artifacts observed.
The projector will be give great results with used with proper screen and dark room.
Basically the projector's native resolution of 720p. Hence the 1080i/p picture will be scaled down to the native resolution. That explains why the 42" Full HD LG TV is much better. Secondly, the brightness, contrast, etc. of the TV will be better anyday. Thirdly, the bigger the picture, the more pixel artifacts observed.
The projector will be give great results with used with proper screen and dark room.
@Saumitra - Good detailed information! And I like the fact that you stick to your own preferences and requirements while making purchase decisions. Please enjoy your current setup and "upgrade" again when you feel like it!
kittu8_in2002
New Member
friends just wanted to know,if i buy any projector from amazon(usa) ,will i have to pay custom as well ( apart from the shipping charges )
just4kix
Well-Known Member
There is no difference in terms of resolution except the format. 1024x768 is the standard XGA 4:3 format. 720p is the widescreen 16:9 format with 1280x720 pixels.
just4kix
Well-Known Member
Yes. Definitely.friends just wanted to know,if i buy any projector from amazon(usa) ,will i have to pay custom as well ( apart from the shipping charges )
Yes, there is the difference. The resolution alone is a big difference. It matters when you are playing video files. Almost all the modern DVDs and all blurays are 16:9 aspect ratio. One big reason to avoid AR correction.
If the objective is to watch movies, videos, tv, its better to go 720p or native 16:9 projector.
Were these projectors available. It has good reviews.
US import ..real cool upgrade to 72 inch movie playback screen
Favi projector (comparison)‏ - YouTube
Wharfedale Linton Heritage Speakers in Walnut finish at a Special Offer Price. BUY now before the price increase.
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