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You can come over to my house
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# ? Sep 1, 2024 03:14 |
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I'm moving into a place where I can't have a dedicated home theater. I am also really against having a giant TV in the living room. I have been an OLED zealot since they came out, and was considering putting one in the living room and having a piece of art on tracks that moves out of the way to reveal it. But now I am contemplating a projector instead. How does the quality of high-end projectors these days compare to an OLED? I know I won't be getting the infinite blacks, but what about the colors? I assume I will be paying through the nose to get something that approaches OLED quality right?
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You also won't be getting the popping colors with any projector most of us would consider "affordable", and even then you're going to need controlled light to get the best out of it. In a living room application a projector is never going to be as good as an OLED. That said have you considered a Samsung "The Frame" TV? I don't know what they do differently but when in their "art" mode you could easily not notice that it's a TV at all. I've only ever seen that on those TVs and the Google Nest Display thing. They're not OLEDs of course so they're not going to be as good when actually using them as a TV but it's still going to look a lot better than a projector in a normally lit room while blending in to the decor better when not in use.
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I love projectors and think they’re pretty excellent nowadays but they’re not going to pop like an OLED unless you’re spending a *lot more money You could consider putting an OLED tv on a tasteful stand (Samsung makes some for their TVs that look excellent and there are a few third party models that I also really like), either easel-style, tripod-style, or as a cart with wheels. If you have Bang and Olufsen money you could look at some of their wheeled/freestanding OLED TVs. Even something like a modern AV cart of the sort a school/university/office might have can look fine in the right decor space if you want a convenient and relatively secure way to have a big TV that you can tuck into a corner and/or roll out.
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wolrah posted:That said have you considered a Samsung "The Frame" TV? Excellent for what they are. We also got a 65" 'Serif' as a portable display and it's great, kind of looks like an art deco 60's retrofuture television. The strange plastic shell on it is useful for resting presentation laptops and gear on top of. Very odd lineup of TV's but cool they exist.
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So I'm not sure but I'm thinking it might be time to replace the bulb in my TH685. I noticed it seems a little more dim than usual? Even in the dark. Maybe it's just the games I'm playing I dunno but I noticed it on a show, too the other day, though maybe that just started making me pay more attention. According to the projector My light usage time is about 2000 hours, and something called "Equivalent Lamp Hour" is 7700 hours. Either way, it doesn't seem too expensive so I thought why not. I went to go look up replacement bulbs online. I found what I think is the original bulb. ![]() 650RMB is like 95 US dollars But when I was looking I found a bunch of other bulbs that say they work with the TH685 but are somewhat cheaper ![]() Or much cheaper ![]() I don't know how much it matters though. Do I absolutely not want to get the cheaper bulbs? Will they just likely be overall worse? Or, would I be a sucker to be buying official, more expensive, replacement bulbs? For all I even know maybe the non-original bulbs are even better, I dunno, newer light technology?
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Any new mid-range 4K low latency projectors planned for 2024? My BenQ W1080ST's HDMI port is on the fritz.
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I'm looking for a 4k projector for a room with ambient light
Ones I'm looking at
Any recommendations?
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Ok I purchased an Epson 5050UB (TW8400) as for my price range it's apparently the best
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N.Z.'s Champion posted:Ok I purchased an Epson 5050UB (TW8400) as for my price range it's apparently the best was this based on digging around on AVSForums or similar? Asking because I hope to be in the same boat in a couple months, upgrading from a BenQ HT2050 I got in 2016. At that time the advice from AVSForum etc was to buy that specific thing if you weren't trying to spend > $5000 USD, which I was not (2050 was $800ish in 2016). I'd like to go to 4k on something a bit brighter and it seems like it's finally affordable to do that. I'd rather spend closer to 2k than 3k but the last one has run 7 years (w/1 bulb replacement); if I can get the same or better here that seems fine given how much media (mostly other) people in this house seem to consume. e: digging into this; that's a 4Ke projector, so smack dab between 1080 and true 4k. The LS12000 gets there at $5000 US; I'll have to ponder this. I looked into it a couple years ago and at that point true 4k looked like a ~10k proposition, so prices have come down more than half in that time frame, considering inflation. Maybe if I wait another year or two they will do that again ![]() I wish I could look at the same image projected on the same screen, at 4Ke vs 4k. I think it's entirely possible that even with my glasses on I can't tell the difference on a 12' screen from 17' away. Cabbages and VHS fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Apr 27, 2024 |
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I got advice from reddit (😞) https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/comments/1bjsg2t/ceiling_movie_projector_recommendations_for_3k/
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yeah that all looks reasonable, also, looking into this more deeply I am quite convinced true 4k would be substantial overkill in the space I'm in. At 90' - 100' lots of people actually prefer TVs, but, like you, I prefer to not have a giant monolith of a screen that blocks windows, and even if it wasn't blocking windows, I've never liked the silent dominance that an unpowered TV screen embodies a whole room with, since it tends to be central. It's fine if you have a dedicated TV space, but for living rooms tends to lead to layouts where every seat faces the screen and it's weird and awkward to hang out in the space with the screen off. We have chairs every which way and when the screen is up, you barely notice the projector; in fact someone who was recently at our house for the first time told me that they had scratched their head a bit at the obvious 7.1 setup with a complete lack of display, until they looked up and saw the projector. When I get a new projector I am also going to re-mount the arm that holds it, on a hinge, such that it can be folded flat against the wall when not in use. I saw comments in your thread or another about the 5050UB and some people saying "possibly not bright enough for daylight use without curtains", because it's ~25% brighter than the projector we have now, which gets frequent use in bright daylight. Granted, putting some shades in that room has been a long term goal for a while (needs a robotic thing that's like 50' wide which then needs to be mounted 12-14' up a wall, so, quite a project), and I might have prioritized that higher if I myself used the screen much in daylight, but the kids seem to absolutely not give a gently caress and are able to see it just fine. e: also in 2024 reddit seems likely to be as good/better as AVSForum; AVSForum has ditched their SA-esque oldschool forum look for some vaguely web 2.0-looking garbage, but, also, that projector is quite well reviewed there. Cabbages and VHS fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Apr 29, 2024 |
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Cabbages and Kings posted:was this based on digging around on AVSForums or similar? Asking because I hope to be in the same boat in a couple months, upgrading from a BenQ HT2050 I got in 2016. At that time the advice from AVSForum etc was to buy that specific thing if you weren't trying to spend > $5000 USD, which I was not (2050 was $800ish in 2016). I'd like to go to 4k on something a bit brighter and it seems like it's finally affordable to do that. Don’t sleep on the LS11000. I have it because it was impossible for me to find a 12000 at the time. I love it and don’t have any regrets about not getting the 12000.
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I was in a similar boat a month ago upgrading from a BenQ W2000 ( which, and I may be wrong, is the HT2050 in different territories. Or at least very similar). Projecting to a 120" fixed frame in a somewhat light controlled living room space. The fans in the old girl were giving up and I wanted to head into the 4K space. This'll be my experience from going in right at the low end of the 4K market, ended up buying a BenQ W2710i ( HT3550 in other territories). Set me back $2600AUD which I think was a pretty excellent price. If brightness is an issue, I would suggest stretching to the Epsons. I had played with the BenQ laser 4K's around the same price point (X300i) and while they can go brighter, the contrast was poor and I could see a fair amount of 'speckling' from the laser light source. Of note with this generation of BenQ gear, they'll list HDMI 2.0 support on all models, but there are firmware updates available to give you full HDMI 2.1 support including VRR and FRL. I'm sending a 4K120hz 4:4:4 VRR signal to mine with no problems. At 120", 4Ke is great. Obviously a noticeable jump from the older 1080p projector, very good image (after turning sharpening bullshit off... why does BenQ crank that stuff by default...). The downsides to buying in at the low end of the 4K market are fairly apparent though. When running HDR content this projector gets fairly loud and even in low lumen SDR modes the fan noise is much higher than my older W2000. You will also notice noise from the mechanical dynamic iris when running HDR content. It can be minimised a bit (stock settings are aggressive), but you can hear it going if the projector is close to your seating position, such as ceiling above for me. I don't regret purchasing at the low end, but certainly if budgets are not too tight I would probably go for the LS11000/12000. For me, I wanted to replace a lot of my speakers to finally do a proper Atmos setup so saved a bit on the projector. It's a massive difference stepping up to a 4K/4Ke modern projector that supports HDR content. I didn't expect there to be such a big jump, the 1080p image from my older projector was very good already.
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SCheeseman posted:Any new mid-range 4K low latency projectors planned for 2024? My BenQ W1080ST's HDMI port is on the fritz. Now it's got a stuck (white) pixel near the center of the chip. BenQ TK700STi seems to be the most fitting replacement? Kind of a modest upgrade for something that costs 3 times as much as what I paid for the projector I have now, 10 years down the track. But laser costs too much and I want low latency, so I don't think I have many other choices.
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SCheeseman posted:Now it's got a stuck (white) pixel near the center of the chip. I've got a Benq HT2050 and am eyeballing an Epson 4ke projector that costs $3k USD as a replacement this year. It's not true 4k but I am not convinced that my mid-40s visual system will notice, 16' from a 120" screen. It's also about 25% brighter than the 2050 ![]()
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Forgive me if this is the sort of question that is asked a lot, but assuming a 100" size is perfect for the small viewing room in mind, is there any projector that can match something like the Hisense U76N (which is a QLED, not OLED) in picture quality for the same money ($2300)?
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I'm looking at going from 1080 to 4k or 4ke soon, and I think I'm settled on the Benq 4550i. My current thing is a benq and I've had no problems with it, I just want more brightness and higher resolution.
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Boy none of this poo poo is simple! Wish I could A/B test the bend and a UB5xxx side by side without spending $7,000 and then having to return one of them ![]()
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House shopping and saw this theater room in a 7 million dollar house. I get that not everyone gives a poo poo about this kind of stuff but then why have one at all? Just to check a box off on your list of stuff rich people should have? Shameful. The curtain in this setting is particularly hilarious especially since it's probably obscuring the sound from the left speaker. ![]()
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Well, after a lot of reading, agonizing, having a 5050UB in cart various places --- I am kicking the can 3 or 6 months to see where I end up financially this year, and also where we are price wise post Black Friday and various tech shows. More or less, I think 5050UB would be a big upgrade over the HT2050 I have, but it is the same native resolution, marginally better brightness (2600 vs 2200) and much better contrast. That's cool, but big laser bro LS12000 says "hi, I weigh 45 loving pounds and do real 4k and LASERS" and while right now that is a $3000 (5050UB) vs $5-6000 (LS12000) thing, it seems quite possible one or both of those prices will come down this fall, the 5xxxUB series is 5 years old now and actually retails for more now than it did a year ago (thanks, AnsarAllah, maybe? If so, good). Anyone here on a laser projector of any kind?? I feel like if I am going this route it makes sense to do the true 4k LS12000 over the pixel-shifting LS11000, and, also, since I've had the same projector since 2016 and it still works fine and has a newish bulb, it's dumb as gently caress to be in a hurry about this stuff going into the fall. bird with big dick posted:House shopping and saw this theater room in a 7 million dollar house. I get that not everyone gives a poo poo about this kind of stuff but then why have one at all? Just to check a box off on your list of stuff rich people should have? Shameful. Lol our house is messy and cost pennies on the dollar compared to that place but I have a competent setup where I used a measuring tape and viewing distance charts ![]() ![]() I think the worst thing in your photo is the loving recliners. If those were just.... not there... or the couch was gone and the recliners were in that spot, then the viewing distance seems fine and all they have to do is learn more about how sound resonates on dampening surfaces ![]()
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I'm the Event Horizon and In the Mouth of Madness posters next to all the kids stuff lol. but your house looks neat, more pictures!
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BonoMan posted:I'm the Event Horizon and In the Mouth of Madness posters next to all the kids stuff lol. Heh, there's a Jurassic Park poster under the screen, it's a Sam Neill shrine wall. (It's a counterfeit of a limited edition Jurassic Park silkscreen that shows Sam Neill prominently; that was also why I chose that event horizon poster vs some of the spaceship centric ones that are cool but No Neill. And thanks, I also think our house is neat and have been meaning to post a "what we bought and what we're doing with it" thread in DIY for the last 5 years. Over time it mentally turns into a longer and longer thread. Our older kid will be 8 soonish; I think at 8-9 I might let them watch In The Mouth of Madness, but definitely not Event Horizon. My partner is a pretty hardcore horror fan who snuck downstairs to watch Aliens when she was four. Event horizon has some really over-the-top individual sequences of extreme gore; my memory of TMoM is that there really isn't very much of it (Axe Guy at the beginning, the crowd of zombies in the alley) but the stuff that I thought was freaky in that movie was not really gore-content related as much as "the painting changing in creepy ways was well done and unsettling" and "the driving in circles in the dark sequence is scary to anyone whose been lost in unknown rural roads at night". I don't think either of these movies is especially "scary" and actually Event Horizon is much goofier and dripping with silly American christian nonsense, but it does the Marilyn Manson / Doom era Shock Gore thing pretty effectively. I may have seen that in the theater, I would have been 16, that seems correct. I think that if you want a scary Sam Neill movie, Possession is supposed to be good. Haven't seen it yet, have it on plex; definitely definitely not child/teenager appropriate. Cabbages and VHS fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Jun 27, 2024 |
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Cabbages and VHS posted:... Do it IMO- based just on the swing and projector mount thing, I feel like it is probably interesting!
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I ended up getting a 5050UB when they dropped to 2500 again, after a lot of teeth gnashing. I think it'll be fine. Also, the LS12000 is also a pixel shifter so "true 4k" isn't a thing there, either. Lasers do seem cool but changing bulbs periodically and lack of fan noise are not sufficient reasons for me to spend 2-3x as much money right now.
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I went with the BenQ TK700STi to replace my W1080ST. Figured it would be a small upgrade but it really wasn't. Colours are way better and 240hz on a 120" screen is incredible. I had mid expectations for pixel shift 4K, while it doesn't quite pass for the real thing 4K/UHD video looks great using it, though it tops at 60hz. I've found for games I always prefer higher framerates, even without VRR games that hover around 40-100fps (like Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing enabled) feel responsive and smooth. Pixel response times are super fast, I get a little bit of rainbow now and then but I got used to that a long time ago and there's no smearing (as expected from a DLP). I can't stress enough how snappy it feels. the W1080ST was best in class for it's time for latency but that was for a projector. This feels as good as a gaming monitor. As a bonus, it seems it can handle a wide array of different refresh rates too. 70hz works, good for older DOS games. SCheeseman fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Jul 5, 2024 |
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5050UB is a big boy, wow. I'm going to have to just build a shelf for it to sit on, and screw/bolt that into the ceiling support/stairway. There's no arms I've found rated to do what I need, but also the focal distance is great on this and I can move the thing to a shelf in the very back of the space instead of having a stupid arm hanging over our heads. Blessed. SCheeseman posted:I went with the BenQ TK700STi to replace my W1080ST.
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# ? Sep 1, 2024 03:14 |
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![]() I think this space looks much nicer without that ugly arm in the middle of it! 5050UB at a greater distance and in medium power mode is just brighter than the Benq 2050 was. Blessed. I am still going to do room darkening shades in this room before end of summer, need to line up an installer too because it's gonna be lovely precision work from the top of a 24' ladder to get it set up, no thanks. I am going to watch some 4k content tonight and see what I think of Shifty, Shady pixels. I wish this meant I had a HT2050 to unload at firesale prices to buy more video synths, but a decent projector is one of those things I just connect to the video synths instead. Holy poo poo is this an upgrade over the $100 amazon special I had in here. ![]() So, now the thing I have in here goes into the basement where the kids' setup is, and their old dell projector gets donated to my synth club so we can do multiscreen mayhem, the cycle of life!! e: top pic now fully reveals the 3rd poster. My brother's 18 year old kid was here last summer, looked at this wall for a few minutes, and then said "All of these movies have Sam Neill in them". I said "yep!", he said "......why?" and I looked at him like he had a hole in his head and said, "this is a tribute wall, are you not familiar with the works of one of the finest actors of our time?" e2: meh after a day I realized that having this mounted up high will prevent it from getting bonked, provides a much closer to direct angle with less keystone, and the one time pain of doing it is better than the constant pain of spatial inconvenience. Chief mount, on some compatible arm that mountsandstands.com found me. I cleaned up and ziptied the wiring after taking this. ![]() Cabbages and VHS fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Jul 13, 2024 |
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