hey what i need to know is do you need a special paint or screen for a digital projector to work?

Question

what is a nice beginner projector to get that you can send the signal from your tv or cable etc and put it on the wall? do you need a screen? how do the cables hook up? i'm really serious about this. can someone help me you'll be the best answer if it is. Give me a clue.

Answer 1

Good for you!! Projectors are great ... why anyone would think a 45" plasma TV is home theatre when they could have a 100" picture for about the same price is beyond me.

There are reasonable projectors starting at about $1000 and very good ones for $2-3000. See the links for reviews and recommendations re models.

Re a program source ... you can't use your television in most cases, but you can use a cable or satellite tuner or DVD player.

You don't NEED a screen... $30-$40 worth of paint carefully applied to a smooth wall will work well ... despite what you will read here and elsewhere (I have personally made a screen and tested vs commercial screen material). See the link to AVS forums and read the DIY screen forum for ideas. I did one with three coats of customized Behr "Silverscreen" paint from Home Depot per a recipe from this forum, thinking I'd use it as a stopgap for a while then buy a screen (remember you are looking at $800-2000 for a quality screen!) when I got over the cost of the projector (I have a Canon SX-60). But the wall works so well I'm not sure if I'll ever buy a screen.

Connections to a projector are very much like connecting a TV to a DVD player. Most projectors give you a choice of composite, S-video, component and DVI (or HDMI).

My wife and I love our projector and rarely watch our 30" HDTV any more. The projector -- fed from a DVD player and satellite HD DVR through a good surround sound system -- is just like being at the movies ... only better (we can pause as necessary and don't have to pay high prices for popcorn!).

The only difficulty with projectors are a) all but really bright models work best in a dark room, and b) replacement lamps can cost $400-500 and need to be replaced every 2-3000 hours of use.

I benefited greatly from spending the time necessary to read all I could about projectors and home theatre before building mine and buying the projector. I highly recommend the links below.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

A painted wall will not be a good screen. A well-painted very smooth fiberboard can make an acceptable screen. But there is no substitute for a well-made real movie screen. They are designed to give a good, uniform distribution of light and no "hot spots" Some are made especially for high-brightness DLP or LCOS projectors and actually improve the appearance of dark-lit scenes. The best screens are made by Stewart Filmscreen, and the Firehawk and Greyhawk are specifically designed for high-brightness projectors. Da-Lite also makes good screens, and are less expensive. If you get a high-quality projector, don't skimp on the screen.

For reasonably-price good projectors, check Sharp and Yamaha. The Sony SXRD, while higher in price, is outstanding and offers full 1080p resolution.

EDIT PLEASE NOTE: Sony has just introduced the "Pearl" VPL-WW50 SXRD 1080p projector. It sets a new standard for reasonably-priced front projectors. Check it out at http://www.projectorcentral.com/part_opinions_details.cfm?opinion_id=9503

At less than $5000, nothing else can compete.

Answer 3

To start you can find some great prices on projectors at: http://www.mogiz.com/Pages/Browse.aspx?CategoryID=160
they also have a very large selection of screens here:
http://www.mogiz.com/Pages/Browse.aspx?CategoryID=65
You don't have to have a screen, but I would recommend it, they help to reflect all of the light to make the picture a lot brighter, sharper and clearer. Most projectors use standard video inputs just like your tv would. They are very easy to hook up.