What is, for the money, the best home movie projector?

Question

I'm getting a new apartment and I want a projector with the same quality as a tv.

Answer 1

Bar none the following projectors – all “Full-HD”, native 1080p designs – currently offer the best performance and value for the money.

JVC DLA-RS1 or DLA-HD1 D-ILA Home Theater Projectors (1920×1080)
http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?productId=PRD4207000&pathId=140
http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL101681

Sony VPL-VW50 “Pearl” SXRD Home Theater Projector (1920×1080)
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=VPLVW50
CNET Review - Sony VPL-VW50
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_VPL_VW50/4505-3180_7-32069200.html

Panasonic PT-AE1000U Home Theater Projector (1920×1080)
http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=102052

Mitsubishi HC5000(BL) LCD Projector
http://www.mitsubishi-presentations.com/products/projectors/HC5000BL.html
Product Review - Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD Projector
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/hc5000.html
Mitsubishi HC5000 HC5000BL Projector Review
http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manufacturers/mitsubishi/HC5000BL/index.asp
Ultimate AV Review - Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD Projector
http://www.ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/107mits5000/

Of the current crop of ALL high definition projectors the Sony VPL-VW50 “Pearl” SXRD, the Panasonic PT-AE1000U, and the Mitsubishi HC5000 home theater projectors are arguably three of the best buys at the present time, selling for discounted prices of approximately $4300, $4000 and $4500 respectively. Even at the MSRP of $6300 the JVC DLA-RS1 or DLA-HD1 D-ILA Home Theater Projectors are a bargain for the level of performance they provide.

Projectors and apartments are a fairly unusual combination due to a variety of viewing room constraints associated with apartments. Nevertheless the best choice, especially for apartment use, will be a “Full-HD”, native1080p projector with the goal of viewing as much source material as possible in the form of 1080p video; 720p being the next best choice. If you'll be viewing a lot of 480-line video source material (DVD-Video, SDTV, etc.,) you will need to make sure you're using equipment that can effectively upscale 480-line video source material to not less than the native resolution of your projector, preferably 720 pixels or greater.

When shopping for a projector I highly recommend that you carefully audition each projector using ALL of the video sources similar to what you will regularly be using, particularly if you will be watching predominantly non-HD video.

You will also need to take into consideration the cost of purchasing a quality projection screen from a company such as Stewart Filmscreen, Da-Lite, Draper, or DNP. For an apartment I would recommend a (16:9) screen no larger than 82-inches (diag.) with a gain no higher than 1.3; if you feel you need a screen with more gain then there may be too much ambient light and you would be better off choosing an alternative to a front projector. Of all the current display technologies front projectors are the most demanding of the viewing environment.

Last but not least you will also need to consider the proper viewing distance(s) for the type of source material you will be viewing. (For more info on proper viewing distances please read my replies from the Yahoo! Answers links below.) If you sit too close you will be constantly distracted by visible picture structure such as individual scan lines or pixels in the video image. Generally the higher the resolution the closer you will be able to sit to the screen before picture structure will become a serious problem.
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Update 2007-04-22
In June of this year Sony plans to release two new 1280×720, 3LCD-based, video projectors: the BRAVIA VPL-AW15 and VPL-AW10. The 3LCD equipped BRAVIA VPL-AW15, featuring "auto iris mode" and lens shift along with an estimated retail price of $1,300, may provide consumers an unprecedented price-to-performance ratio in the 1280×720 projector range.

http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6431891
 

Answer 2

Best Projector For The Money

Answer 3

Hi. Have a look at the following links .There are some excellent Projectors under $2000.


http://www.hometoys.com/review.php4?displayid=541

http://www.projectorreviews.com/

Answer 4

New 1080p projectors - from Sony and Optioma. Under $5k.

Answer 5

Generally, home theater projectors are tailored toward video, and are not as bright as those for business use, as movies tend to favor a darker environment. They also tend to have higher contrast, to emphasize very dark blacks, deep color saturation, and bright highlights that make a movie experience stand out. They also usually have quieter fans, so that they may not distract from the movie experience.