why cann't LED projectors be used for home cinema??

[diplomat]

searching through most economical projector options for using 720p movies in home, I could able to gather a few like Dell M110, benq joybee gp2, few models from Acer etc, which are not commonly discussed in HFV. only people like koushik and few others have talked about few of them here and there.
why not we all gather data for the best price vs performance of all these tiny options, which are light on pocket but still ok for occasional cinema viewing in home within certain restrictions like lighting and screen size etc.
i request the members using such models of LED type to come forward and share not only the best price, but also the personal opinion and performance in handling 720p files.
these models certainly have the advantages of long lasting bulb life and lower initial cost, making most of us to get inclined towards them within affordable range of say @ 30K.
i personally feel, if we don't look for screen beyond 80 to 100 inch and prefer dark room, these models shall perform well.
I am eagerly planning to have one and that why would like to have comments from experts and users here....
thanks in advance

 

[diplomat]

is it really that none of you use this led type projector???
no reply even after so many hits...

 

[sidglide]

I have been using projectors from a longtime.

My first PJ was a Infocus x2, since then gone across many Bulb PJs. currently have 2 LED projectors LG HS201 and Viewsonic PLED 500. Absolutley love to use them whenever i get the time.(gaming and movies)
The colour saturation and the contrast are excellent on both the projectors.
They are relatively small and portable and generate minimal heat in the room.
The decibal levels on them is also very low.
The only downside is that they ahve to be used in a light controlled enviorement.

Other than that my rating for these PJ's is AAA+++.

Cheers, Let me know if you have any further questions.

PS: A new LG model is out with 700 Lumens and the picture quality on them is awesome. Check it out.

As far as pricing goes you should be able to procure them from Amazon.de or Amazon.com for about 30-35K.
Acer K330 is one of the good clones out there but getting 3D is a little bit of a hassle on it.
This made me look the otherway and i chose the viewsonic pled 500. does 1280x720p @120 Hz.

 

[sub]

Hi

As i have mentioned in some previous discussions i am using Acer K11 for the past 5 to 6 months and i can easily vouch it can be compared to many whopping price tag and energy gulping and heat generating HD projectors. For more details you can refer to Projector Central link.

Regards

sub

 

[jsanand]

Any forum members here having experience with Optoma ML500? I too have been looking out for an LED projector for few months. Held myself back from HS201 as the lumens and resolution both were too low.

 

[diplomat]

thank you all for your kind response, only if you can disclose the source of supply and price at which you got them, it will be of lot of help.
my intention is to get something from Indian market woth local warranty coverage.
very happy to notice that all of ur satisfied with ur models, only one clarification.. do you really notice rainbow effect in these led portable models as I have read somewhere for DELL M110??
pl share the screen size and focus uniformity also based on ur usage and experience particularly for movies.

 

[diplomat]

also any user of benq joybee gp2 , pl share ur exp.

 

[arunsankar]

I don't think there is any problem in using an LED projectors for home cinema. It has so many advantages over conventional lamp such as long life span, increased saturation levels, low heat dissipation etc. The only thing you need to know is how much lumen you want in the end to fill in your projection room. If its a dark room specifically for home theaters and your screen is in the range of 100-120" you can easily be fine with a 500 lumen LED projector. For a reference, my Acer X110 (conventional lamp with 2500 ANSI lumen) at 110" projection on a white matte surface is too bright even in eco mode. The room is a 14 X 10" one.

Rainbow effect:

All DLP projectors will have this. Also depends on how sensitive are you to this effect. I suggest you to have a look at the specific model you're about to pick, especially with a dark scene projected and rapidly move your head. You can see the rainbow effect. Initially I had this annoying thing and after 2-3 weeks of using it, I am now insensitive to it I think.

 

[projectorguru99]

Main Draw back of LED projector is Lumens. LED projectors are of low lumens.Today for any purpose we atleast need 2000 lumens projectors. Thats main reason that the LED projectors are not successful. Also the colours and sharpness of LED projectors are not up to the mark especially for movies.

 

[diplomat]

Hi

As i have mentioned in some previous discussions i am using Acer K11 for the past 5 to 6 months and i can easily vouch it can be compared to many whopping price tag and energy gulping and heat generating HD projectors. For more details you can refer to Projector Central link.

Regards

sub

being from chennai, kindly let me know which dealer can be better approached for best deal of DELL M110 or Benq joybee GP2 or similar models
friendly enquiry from your own dealer of ACER projector will also be very helpful

 

[diplomat]

benq joybee gp2 happens to be of short throw type among all , must be good for small room sizes i feel among all models in this price range

 

[Athulan]

Hi Diplomat,

I was scouting around for a new projector about 6-8 months ago when the optical engine in my earlier projector konked out (Infocus X16, started getting white dots on the screen) and I asked the same question to the dealers - as to why a LED projector cannot be used for home theater use.

Of the many non-sensical :lol: answers that I got, I found one making sense - the true home theater projectors (as opposed to data projectors, multi-media projectors etc.) are the ones which cause the least (nil) strain to the eyes - in terms of the correct brightness and ability to handle fast movement (action movies, sports etc.) well

The data projectors and multi-media projectors are too bright and even though most such projectors offer a setting called "Cinema" (this reduces the brightness by about 20%), it is still too much when compared to the true home theater projectors.

That apart, the LED projector that I had a demo (LG HS201 or 301) had an awkward throw ratio which would have meant that I had to position the projector in the middle of the room ceiling. Not sure if other LED projectors have this problem

I also understand that the lamps in LED projectors cannot be replaced :sad: and hence the projector becomes a "use and throw" - not sure if the current models allow for lamp replacement.

Hence I settled for a Benq MX660 and enjoying it (for now !) :yahoo:

HTH
Athulan

 

[diplomat]

Dear Athulan,
replacement of led bulb is not an issue with present models, may be u need to take it to the nearest service center as claimed by benq
i am not clear about the throw ratio ur talking about, may be u mean u cann't adjust the size of screen and they are too big for ur distance...
regarding ur model x660, if i am correct this is xga model with native 4:3
r u comfortable in watching 16:9 format in this native XGA projector?
generally u will have pixel reduction on ur screen due to masking of top and bottom of native 4:3 screen
pl share some of ur observations

 

[diplomat]

@ chennai DELL M110 is 33.5 k and benq gp2 is 37K net
any better offer from any link pl.
DELL claims to have darkchip3 to get better black level than benq model

 

[sub]

being from chennai, kindly let me know which dealer can be better approached for best deal of DELL M110 or Benq joybee GP2 or similar models
friendly enquiry from your own dealer of ACER projector will also be very helpful

Hi diplomat

Regarding Acer projector it is available in india but the price tag is bit high (around 36k) if somebody can fetch it from US it will be good where the price is only $330. If you want to see a demo you can PM me.

Regards

sub

 

[kaushik]

who told they cant be used ?
i am using the DELL m110 , tiny but powerful PJ.
500Lumens i more than sufficient for darkish room (say evening 6pm) or room made dark via curtains .

I will give a LED upgrade mod to make 1500Lumens in future.
If you are deal grabber you can hunt for 15K .this pj does WXVGA.I dont need more than this for now .
The basic DLP PJ has some limitations but instead of testing it with very BnW movies i use it happily will all possible content.

Believe me size of movie screen does matter , i no loger look for bigger TV as the PJ does 110inch.

cutting the crap of dolby 5.1 (read soundcard,tweaking,cables,extra speakers,placement etc etc) i choose stereo.The 2 channel bass enhanced sound i feel is enough for BD rips .

 

[sidglide]

I Think what turned me away from Bulb projectors vs LED was the expensive price of the replacement lamp.
My main use was gaming and a projector bulb would not last me more than a year.

The light does become a problem at times, you will absolutlety have to have a pitch dark room to enjoy these.

But the Colour saturation on the LED pjs is just awesome. No bulb projector that i have owned till date can better the colours that I see on the viewsonic.
Nothing comes close.
Another thing about the bulb projector is that they loose more than 50% of their luminosity in the first 30% usage hours.


You can actually see the bulb go dimmer.
But these are my 2 cents.

 

[diplomat]

Hi diplomat

Regarding Acer projector it is available in india but the price tag is bit high (around 36k) if somebody can fetch it from US it will be good where the price is only $330. If you want to see a demo you can PM me.

Regards

sub

i will shortly be in touch with u for demo, actually i am 80 km south of chennai and need to plan for visit and then get ur time accordingly
if i am not wrong ur acer K11 native resolution is 858x600..
ru ok with that for 720p files???

 

[diplomat]

ur right @sidglide, but the models u won are damn costly now, way beyond 30 to 40k margin

 

[diplomat]

who told they cant be used ?
i am using the DELL m110 , tiny but powerful PJ.
500Lumens i more than sufficient for darkish room (say evening 6pm) or room made dark via curtains .

I will give a LED upgrade mod to make 1500Lumens in future.
If you are deal grabber you can hunt for 15K .this pj does WXVGA.I dont need more than this for now .
The basic DLP PJ has some limitations but instead of testing it with very BnW movies i use it happily will all possible content.

Believe me size of movie screen does matter , i no loger look for bigger TV as the PJ does 110inch.

cutting the crap of dolby 5.1 (read soundcard,tweaking,cables,extra speakers,placement etc etc) i choose stereo.The 2 channel bass enhanced sound i feel is enough for BD rips .

happy to get you in this thread, in fact pl clarify whether u notice any rainbow effect and out of focus problem as mentioned in many review?
to get screen size of 100 inch what is the distance you have placed ur unit from the screen and what about light uniformity??