And this is critical,...why? Is it not enought I have family and friends with a Blu-ray player, and have watched a good many a Blu-ray and HD DVD movie? Or does the $$$ qualifier being dumped on a particular format qualify one to speak here? I certainly don't think so, because if anything, I'm format neutral (ok, I couldn't keep a straight face saying that) as I have no vested interest (which is quite true) in seeing one particular format succeed. I'm just giving my opinion from what I've seen, from both formats. In addition, I want, as a consumer, to have the best format for my future movie watching needs, and that format is with Blu-ray, in the tech specs, with support, and IMO with durability.
Who cares how much DRM is on there, since if you are a model citizen, you ought not be ripping any movies in the first place. As long as it is transparent, I can give a rip. Moreover, with the availability of MMC on both formats, I think the studios are being quite fair.
Hmm, Sony fanboyism would necessitate that I either own one of their products or work for them...otherwise, why would I be a fanboy of them? Given that neither of these reasons apply to me, I would say your dead wrong in regards to the implication of Sony fanboyism. I can think of some good reasons for having a single format from the beginning,...
1) Unity...with unity comes less consumer confusion.
2) With a single format, all parties involved don't have to deal with multiple replication equipment.
3) With a single format, studios don't have to screw the consumer offering in only one particular format.
4) With a single format, price would still be driven down with the parties involved as competion is still there, just that all high def hardware equipment would all be going toward the same format, thus having an even bigger economies of scale realized. Simply look at DVD. It certainly didn't take long for it to go down.
BTW, what was strike one?
Oh my....
Do you really believe in your 1..2...3...4...... garbage? So, how much did Sony pay you for your soul?
Actually, I've got nothing to be in pain about if I have to switch to blue boat from the red. I just care about HiDef format being a successful next gen format, and at this time, I've decided to back HD-DVD as a favorable HiDef movie media format for me and the rest of the world.
You asked, why your posts are nothing but FUD?... because you're trying to give an impression that BD already won the HiDef format war, which you and Sony have been claiming since November of 2006. So, is it over today?..... if no.... then all the claims are and were just another FUD from you and Sony. Need I explaim more?
Look, if you SEE sour grapes, it doesn't mean you have to eat them.
Now, this is perfect example of pure FUD along with rest of all the posts. This thread just gets worse and worse...... and I thought that wasn't possible.
Thanks for insulting everyone else there, bombastic and over the top indeed.
Thanks for insulting everyone else there, bombastic and over the top indeed.
You, Marz and rest of the Blur-Ray fanboys do not count as everyone else who reads this thread. There are more things than what you're capable of seeing........ sour or sweet.
Murch, I was sure you were so busy enjoying your HD-DVDs that I'm surprised you found time to respond. Grin.
With the new Sony player priced at $499 and the Panasonic 10a at $599, hopefully it won't be long before Maz can start enjoying Blu-ray. Sometimes the financial demands of a family suck when it comes to purchasing new grown-up toys though and guilty pleasures need to be put off for a time.
I should have the the HDMI cable from Monoprice hopefully on Wednesday but probably more likely on Thursday and am really looking forward to setting up the 10a. I'm going to have to massively reprogram my Harmony 880. I've already switched my Netflix preference to B-r and should receive Bridge to Terrabitha tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how Netflix is on actually having in stock B-r discs.
Murch, a serious question, not meant to promote a "this format is winning controversy." At this point it seems B-r is getting more traction, but this may only be a temporary blip. In your opinion what would it take to happen for the handwriting to be clearly on the wall that one format has failed?
Does anyone else have an opinion on that? I mean a realistic observation not the reading of entrail type posts we usually get in this thread stemming from isolated news reports .
Truer words have not been spoken. As a father of a young son I got nothing but love for Marzetta7 and his family. Priorities are priorities. Truth is I can't wait for his family to get a Blu-ray player. Teaching the young padawan about high fidelity music and cinema is important.
I think Q4 of this year is make or break for HD DVD. If they screw up and don't get the sell through I think Universal bounces and HD DVD is done. Universal will chalk it up to Toshiba just getting outgunned and move on. The cool thing about these players is that they support 3 codecs making our own home grown SD and HD content easily playable. The risk was very low for me and even Blu-ray will present a low risk to me because it opens up options for AVCHD camcorders from Panny and Sony. I'm reading that Q4 needs to be pretty good for HD DVD. I think they're going to blast out a lot of players but will it be enough? Stay tuned
In all honesty and seriousness, I certainly don't think this is any knock out punch for Blu-ray, but it is indeed one helluva haymaker.
IMO, it is Universal going neutral that is the knock out punch. If this is to happen, most assuredly, the handwriting is on the wall and this format war is over. I just wish it never happened and one format was here from the beginning. But such is life, competition from conglomerates are no exception.
And to answer your question Murch, good ol buddy, the PS3 is simply still having to wait in the wings to this guy...
Gettin a daughter in 10 days, need more room (3 boys already). Already have it ordered and am waiting for it to be shipped from Lansing. But I digress. Maybe the PS3 at Christmas time for the kiddos, me being the biggest one of them all. Until then, watching BD movies and friends and families houses will have to suffice.
Congrats! You finally got "Daddy's Girl" coming ...I'm envious truly. The Enclave is beautiful...be sure to give it a proper review on Appleoutsider. I think it and the Hyundai Veracruz are my two favorite new SUV.
Actually, I've got nothing to be in pain about if I have to switch to blue boat from the red. I just care about HiDef format being a successful next gen format, and at this time, I've decided to back HD-DVD as a favorable HiDef movie media format for me and the rest of the world.
You asked, why your posts are nothing but FUD?... because you're trying to give an impression that BD already won the HiDef format war, which you and Sony have been claiming since November of 2006. So, is it over today?..... if no.... then all the claims are and were just another FUD from you and Sony. Need I explaim more?
I'm not giving an impression, reality is doing that just fine on its own. I haven't been claiming any victory, just that in time I believe Blu-ray will end up being the victor. Big difference, format war is far from over, but if the sales numbers trend stay on their current track, HD DVD is as good as done.
Do you really believe in your 1..2...3...4...... garbage? So, how much did Sony pay you for your soul?
And what did Sony do to trouble yours? Whatever it is, get over it, as has been mentioned multiple times, Sony isn't Blu-ray the 170+ companies in the BDA are Blu-ray. You don't like Sony, you got variety in the BDA, that's the beauty.
Truer words have not been spoken. As a father of a young son I got nothing but love for Marzetta7 and his family. Priorities are priorities. Truth is I can't wait for his family to get a Blu-ray player. Teaching the young padawan about high fidelity music and cinema is important.
Ain't dat da truef.
[insert Rod Tidwell flava]To hear you say this, makes me love you man...ya know!
And what did Sony do to trouble yours? Whatever it is, get over it, as has been mentioned multiple times, Sony isn't Blu-ray the 170+ companies in the BDA are Blu-ray. You don't like Sony, you got variety in the BDA, that's the beauty.
If that's true, where would Blu-Ray be w/out Sony and or just PS3 alone?
I actually love few Sony products in general (especially their LCD TV, Bravia Line), I just don't like the way they cheat and mislead consumers. Sony had been misleading everyone with Blu-Ray since the day one. Anyway, it's not just what Sony did alone but what Sony would do if Blu-Ray does win. As much as I would love to have either Hidef format to succeed the SD-DVD's in home theater market, I'd much prefer not to give Sony any control over a media format.
I guess you wouldn't know what you've been cheated regards to the Hidef (Blu-Ray)format. I guess you'll find out once you get a Blu-Ray Player to play Blu-Ray movies sometime in the future.
BTW, congrats on your new auto purchase. I hate SUV's and still drive one, but I hate Mini Vans even more.....
You, Marz and rest of the Blur-Ray fanboys do not count as everyone else who reads this thread. There are more things than what you're capable of seeing........ sour or sweet.
Ok, so what gives YOU the rigtht to say someone doesnt count?
Please don't let your own ego overtake your common sense.
-
as an aside, were you excited by SD-DVD "back in the day"? I know I was, the difference this time around is that we have 2 competeing formats, this makes it (for me at least, as I'm not going to comment on the millions of other consumers) confusing about which format to pick. It's hard to be excited about two competing formats battling it out untill NEITHER wins, it will only slow adoption of a standard.
I'm sure everyone here would agree with the COMMON SENSE idea that it would have been far better for there to ONLY be one format, I am mature enough to know that if that was BD or HD-DVD then we would ALL be excited about this wonderful new format no matter which one is was... IF there was ONLY ONE.
It would be simple for me to choose HD-DVD if that was all their was.
But thats just not the case, so I have chosen the larger capacity format, because for me, in the long term that will mean less discs when backing up a HDD (I back up TWICE) it means the potential room for more extras on a single disc and it means larger games on the console platform i prefer.
As I have posted before, I have made my choice, and others have made theirs. I feel good about this and am excited when I read news like the choice made by Blockbuster. I agree and so apologise that I may have implied a slight ribbing to certain posters when I posted about the Blockbuster news, but I thought it was open to interpretation, in that I mentioned only "SOME posters", not specific names.
I was laughing slightly to myself at the comedy of posters reaction FROM BOTH SIDES, if you don't understand what I mean by that then I worry for your sense of humour.
I can understand how you feel though, at least in part, your format of choice isnt getting the attention it could, while you have invested a fair amount of cash into it, but yet you come here and read what you percieve as negitve comments on it.. can't make you feel good to read it.
So perhaps you should step back and not get so involved to the point where you feel the need to lash out at the other poster on the thread as "not counting" , it's THEIR thread too and we all have to share the toys.
as an aside, were you excited by SD-DVD "back in the day"? I know I was, the difference this time around is that we have 2 competeing formats, this makes it (for me at least, as I'm not going to comment on the millions of other consumers) confusing about which format to pick. It's hard to be excited about two competing formats battling it out untill NEITHER wins, it will only slow adoption of a standard.
Actually, we did have two competing formats back in the day. Luckily, Divx, the technologically inferior format, died out within months of introduction, due partially to its support only by mainly only one company.
I am considering purcahsing a projector for my front room to use for watching HD and SD movies, and the ocasional HDTV shows in the evening. I am looking for some suggestions on what to buy (brands and what not). I don't know a whole lot about projectors (lumens, contrast ratios, etc), so any and all help is apriciated. I figure I would be willing to spend up to the same amount as I would on a similar HDTV (so like $1500 for a DLP 720p set).
Also, are projectors still pretty cruddy to use during the day, or if there is light on in the room?
Ok, so what gives YOU the rigtht to say someone doesnt count?
Please don't let your own ego overtake your common sense.
All I'm saying is that you and any individual in particular does not count as everyone. For some folks, newbies count for even less and I can see why, but that's just what some folks would say even few posts back...
I am considering purcahsing a projector for my front room to use for watching HD and SD movies, and the ocasional HDTV shows in the evening. I am looking for some suggestions on what to buy (brands and what not). I don't know a whole lot about projectors (lumens, contrast ratios, etc), so any and all help is apriciated. I figure I would be willing to spend up to the same amount as I would on a similar HDTV (so like $1500 for a DLP 720p set).
You can do a DLP 720p projector for around $1500...maybe less. Haven't priced lately. The biggest thing about the $1500 DLPs is that brand is less important than whether or not they'll work in your room because they tend to have limited zoom and sometimes rather large offsets. Low cielings will really limit your options.
The HD portion of AVS may be a cesspit but the FP section wasn't the last time I was lurking a few months ago.
Quote:
Also, are projectors still pretty cruddy to use during the day, or if there is light on in the room?
InFocus tends to be a brighter brand. In direct sunlight its a no go unless you really want to spend a lot of money on a real light cannon and a black screen. But you don't need to do that with any sort of light control.
With some curtains and white walls I was able to watch sports in the daytime. Dark movies, not too well unless it was cloudy. My wife typically has a light on when we watch movies and while that really does trash the blacks and CR its not too horrid if the light isn't shining at the screen. A 100+" screen has an immersion factor all its own far above a 50" screen.
What it means is don't get hung up on black levels and CR like they do at AVS if you're going to do a lot of causal viewing but get a projector with higher lumens and a good screen with a bit of gain. If you ask for recommendations just state up front that you're not in a light controlled environment.
If $1500 is your top limit, get the best projector in that range and skip the screen for now. Paint one wall white with a black border (or use curtains to be fancy). Then get blackout shades for your windows.
There was one guy that painted a city skyling in black with a white area for the screen that I thought was really well done a few years back. Looked nice even without the projector shining and when used as a theater the movie area was nicely boxed in.
I am considering purcahsing a projector for my front room to use for watching HD and SD movies, and the ocasional HDTV shows in the evening. I am looking for some suggestions on what to buy (brands and what not). I don't know a whole lot about projectors (lumens, contrast ratios, etc), so any and all help is apriciated. I figure I would be willing to spend up to the same amount as I would on a similar HDTV (so like $1500 for a DLP 720p set).
Also, are projectors still pretty cruddy to use during the day, or if there is light on in the room?
First of all, I'd go research within the enthusiasts online community like the avsforum for projector feedbacks.
My personal experience is that I wouldn't use projectors unless I have a designated room to view in the lighting conditions required. Most of the projector owners in the living room actually owns either LCD & Plasma and use them during daytime, but also has screen that come downs for night viewing with a projector.
Comments
And this is critical,...why? Is it not enought I have family and friends with a Blu-ray player, and have watched a good many a Blu-ray and HD DVD movie? Or does the $$$ qualifier being dumped on a particular format qualify one to speak here? I certainly don't think so, because if anything, I'm format neutral (ok, I couldn't keep a straight face saying that) as I have no vested interest (which is quite true) in seeing one particular format succeed. I'm just giving my opinion from what I've seen, from both formats. In addition, I want, as a consumer, to have the best format for my future movie watching needs, and that format is with Blu-ray, in the tech specs, with support, and IMO with durability.
Who cares how much DRM is on there, since if you are a model citizen, you ought not be ripping any movies in the first place. As long as it is transparent, I can give a rip. Moreover, with the availability of MMC on both formats, I think the studios are being quite fair.
Hmm, Sony fanboyism would necessitate that I either own one of their products or work for them...otherwise, why would I be a fanboy of them? Given that neither of these reasons apply to me, I would say your dead wrong in regards to the implication of Sony fanboyism. I can think of some good reasons for having a single format from the beginning,...
1) Unity...with unity comes less consumer confusion.
2) With a single format, all parties involved don't have to deal with multiple replication equipment.
3) With a single format, studios don't have to screw the consumer offering in only one particular format.
4) With a single format, price would still be driven down with the parties involved as competion is still there, just that all high def hardware equipment would all be going toward the same format, thus having an even bigger economies of scale realized. Simply look at DVD. It certainly didn't take long for it to go down.
BTW, what was strike one?
Oh my....
Do you really believe in your 1..2...3...4...... garbage? So, how much did Sony pay you for your soul?
Oh my....
Do you really believe in your 1..2...3...4...... garbage? So, how much did Sony pay you for your soul?
Apparently 20 Gigabytes hahahahahahahah
Actually, I've got nothing to be in pain about if I have to switch to blue boat from the red. I just care about HiDef format being a successful next gen format, and at this time, I've decided to back HD-DVD as a favorable HiDef movie media format for me and the rest of the world.
You asked, why your posts are nothing but FUD?... because you're trying to give an impression that BD already won the HiDef format war, which you and Sony have been claiming since November of 2006. So, is it over today?..... if no.... then all the claims are and were just another FUD from you and Sony. Need I explaim more?
Look, if you SEE sour grapes, it doesn't mean you have to eat them.
Does it?
Now, this is perfect example of pure FUD along with rest of all the posts. This thread just gets worse and worse...... and I thought that wasn't possible.
Thanks for insulting everyone else there, bombastic and over the top indeed.
Thanks for insulting everyone else there, bombastic and over the top indeed.
You, Marz and rest of the Blur-Ray fanboys do not count as everyone else who reads this thread. There are more things than what you're capable of seeing........ sour or sweet.
Murch, I was sure you were so busy enjoying your HD-DVDs that I'm surprised you found time to respond. Grin.
With the new Sony player priced at $499 and the Panasonic 10a at $599, hopefully it won't be long before Maz can start enjoying Blu-ray. Sometimes the financial demands of a family suck when it comes to purchasing new grown-up toys though and guilty pleasures need to be put off for a time.
I should have the the HDMI cable from Monoprice hopefully on Wednesday but probably more likely on Thursday and am really looking forward to setting up the 10a. I'm going to have to massively reprogram my Harmony 880. I've already switched my Netflix preference to B-r and should receive Bridge to Terrabitha tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how Netflix is on actually having in stock B-r discs.
Murch, a serious question, not meant to promote a "this format is winning controversy." At this point it seems B-r is getting more traction, but this may only be a temporary blip. In your opinion what would it take to happen for the handwriting to be clearly on the wall that one format has failed?
Does anyone else have an opinion on that? I mean a realistic observation not the reading of entrail type posts we usually get in this thread stemming from isolated news reports .
Truer words have not been spoken. As a father of a young son I got nothing but love for Marzetta7 and his family. Priorities are priorities. Truth is I can't wait for his family to get a Blu-ray player. Teaching the young padawan about high fidelity music and cinema is important.
I think Q4 of this year is make or break for HD DVD. If they screw up and don't get the sell through I think Universal bounces and HD DVD is done. Universal will chalk it up to Toshiba just getting outgunned and move on. The cool thing about these players is that they support 3 codecs making our own home grown SD and HD content easily playable. The risk was very low for me and even Blu-ray will present a low risk to me because it opens up options for AVCHD camcorders from Panny and Sony. I'm reading that Q4 needs to be pretty good for HD DVD. I think they're going to blast out a lot of players but will it be enough? Stay tuned
In all honesty and seriousness, I certainly don't think this is any knock out punch for Blu-ray, but it is indeed one helluva haymaker.
IMO, it is Universal going neutral that is the knock out punch. If this is to happen, most assuredly, the handwriting is on the wall and this format war is over. I just wish it never happened and one format was here from the beginning. But such is life, competition from conglomerates are no exception.
And to answer your question Murch, good ol buddy, the PS3 is simply still having to wait in the wings to this guy...
Gettin a daughter in 10 days, need more room (3 boys already). Already have it ordered and am waiting for it to be shipped from Lansing. But I digress. Maybe the PS3 at Christmas time for the kiddos, me being the biggest one of them all. Until then, watching BD movies and friends and families houses will have to suffice.
Congrats! You finally got "Daddy's Girl" coming ...I'm envious truly. The Enclave is beautiful...be sure to give it a proper review on Appleoutsider. I think it and the Hyundai Veracruz are my two favorite new SUV.
Actually, I've got nothing to be in pain about if I have to switch to blue boat from the red. I just care about HiDef format being a successful next gen format, and at this time, I've decided to back HD-DVD as a favorable HiDef movie media format for me and the rest of the world.
You asked, why your posts are nothing but FUD?... because you're trying to give an impression that BD already won the HiDef format war, which you and Sony have been claiming since November of 2006. So, is it over today?..... if no.... then all the claims are and were just another FUD from you and Sony. Need I explaim more?
I'm not giving an impression, reality is doing that just fine on its own. I haven't been claiming any victory, just that in time I believe Blu-ray will end up being the victor. Big difference, format war is far from over, but if the sales numbers trend stay on their current track, HD DVD is as good as done.
Apparently 20 Gigabytes hahahahahahahah
That was a good one! Touche!
Oh my....
Do you really believe in your 1..2...3...4...... garbage? So, how much did Sony pay you for your soul?
And what did Sony do to trouble yours? Whatever it is, get over it, as has been mentioned multiple times, Sony isn't Blu-ray the 170+ companies in the BDA are Blu-ray. You don't like Sony, you got variety in the BDA, that's the beauty.
Truer words have not been spoken. As a father of a young son I got nothing but love for Marzetta7 and his family. Priorities are priorities. Truth is I can't wait for his family to get a Blu-ray player. Teaching the young padawan about high fidelity music and cinema is important.
Ain't dat da truef.
[insert Rod Tidwell flava]To hear you say this, makes me love you man...ya know!
And what did Sony do to trouble yours? Whatever it is, get over it, as has been mentioned multiple times, Sony isn't Blu-ray the 170+ companies in the BDA are Blu-ray. You don't like Sony, you got variety in the BDA, that's the beauty.
If that's true, where would Blu-Ray be w/out Sony and or just PS3 alone?
I actually love few Sony products in general (especially their LCD TV, Bravia Line), I just don't like the way they cheat and mislead consumers. Sony had been misleading everyone with Blu-Ray since the day one. Anyway, it's not just what Sony did alone but what Sony would do if Blu-Ray does win. As much as I would love to have either Hidef format to succeed the SD-DVD's in home theater market, I'd much prefer not to give Sony any control over a media format.
I guess you wouldn't know what you've been cheated regards to the Hidef (Blu-Ray)format. I guess you'll find out once you get a Blu-Ray Player to play Blu-Ray movies sometime in the future.
BTW, congrats on your new auto purchase. I hate SUV's and still drive one, but I hate Mini Vans even more.....
Ain't dat da truef.
[insert Rod Tidwell flava]To hear you say this, makes me love you man...ya know!
LOL....Jeeeeeeeerryyy
You, Marz and rest of the Blur-Ray fanboys do not count as everyone else who reads this thread. There are more things than what you're capable of seeing........ sour or sweet.
Ok, so what gives YOU the rigtht to say someone doesnt count?
Please don't let your own ego overtake your common sense.
-
as an aside, were you excited by SD-DVD "back in the day"? I know I was, the difference this time around is that we have 2 competeing formats, this makes it (for me at least, as I'm not going to comment on the millions of other consumers) confusing about which format to pick. It's hard to be excited about two competing formats battling it out untill NEITHER wins, it will only slow adoption of a standard.
I'm sure everyone here would agree with the COMMON SENSE idea that it would have been far better for there to ONLY be one format, I am mature enough to know that if that was BD or HD-DVD then we would ALL be excited about this wonderful new format no matter which one is was... IF there was ONLY ONE.
It would be simple for me to choose HD-DVD if that was all their was.
But thats just not the case, so I have chosen the larger capacity format, because for me, in the long term that will mean less discs when backing up a HDD (I back up TWICE) it means the potential room for more extras on a single disc and it means larger games on the console platform i prefer.
As I have posted before, I have made my choice, and others have made theirs. I feel good about this and am excited when I read news like the choice made by Blockbuster. I agree and so apologise that I may have implied a slight ribbing to certain posters when I posted about the Blockbuster news, but I thought it was open to interpretation, in that I mentioned only "SOME posters", not specific names.
I was laughing slightly to myself at the comedy of posters reaction FROM BOTH SIDES, if you don't understand what I mean by that then I worry for your sense of humour.
I can understand how you feel though, at least in part, your format of choice isnt getting the attention it could, while you have invested a fair amount of cash into it, but yet you come here and read what you percieve as negitve comments on it.. can't make you feel good to read it.
So perhaps you should step back and not get so involved to the point where you feel the need to lash out at the other poster on the thread as "not counting" , it's THEIR thread too and we all have to share the toys.
yours in good faith.
WS
as an aside, were you excited by SD-DVD "back in the day"? I know I was, the difference this time around is that we have 2 competeing formats, this makes it (for me at least, as I'm not going to comment on the millions of other consumers) confusing about which format to pick. It's hard to be excited about two competing formats battling it out untill NEITHER wins, it will only slow adoption of a standard.
Actually, we did have two competing formats back in the day. Luckily, Divx, the technologically inferior format, died out within months of introduction, due partially to its support only by mainly only one company.
I am considering purcahsing a projector for my front room to use for watching HD and SD movies, and the ocasional HDTV shows in the evening. I am looking for some suggestions on what to buy (brands and what not). I don't know a whole lot about projectors (lumens, contrast ratios, etc), so any and all help is apriciated. I figure I would be willing to spend up to the same amount as I would on a similar HDTV (so like $1500 for a DLP 720p set).
Also, are projectors still pretty cruddy to use during the day, or if there is light on in the room?
Ok, so what gives YOU the rigtht to say someone doesnt count?
Please don't let your own ego overtake your common sense.
All I'm saying is that you and any individual in particular does not count as everyone. For some folks, newbies count for even less and I can see why, but that's just what some folks would say even few posts back...
Quick question...
I am considering purcahsing a projector for my front room to use for watching HD and SD movies, and the ocasional HDTV shows in the evening. I am looking for some suggestions on what to buy (brands and what not). I don't know a whole lot about projectors (lumens, contrast ratios, etc), so any and all help is apriciated. I figure I would be willing to spend up to the same amount as I would on a similar HDTV (so like $1500 for a DLP 720p set).
You can do a DLP 720p projector for around $1500...maybe less. Haven't priced lately. The biggest thing about the $1500 DLPs is that brand is less important than whether or not they'll work in your room because they tend to have limited zoom and sometimes rather large offsets. Low cielings will really limit your options.
The HD portion of AVS may be a cesspit but the FP section wasn't the last time I was lurking a few months ago.
Also, are projectors still pretty cruddy to use during the day, or if there is light on in the room?
InFocus tends to be a brighter brand. In direct sunlight its a no go unless you really want to spend a lot of money on a real light cannon and a black screen. But you don't need to do that with any sort of light control.
With some curtains and white walls I was able to watch sports in the daytime. Dark movies, not too well unless it was cloudy. My wife typically has a light on when we watch movies and while that really does trash the blacks and CR its not too horrid if the light isn't shining at the screen. A 100+" screen has an immersion factor all its own far above a 50" screen.
What it means is don't get hung up on black levels and CR like they do at AVS if you're going to do a lot of causal viewing but get a projector with higher lumens and a good screen with a bit of gain. If you ask for recommendations just state up front that you're not in a light controlled environment.
If $1500 is your top limit, get the best projector in that range and skip the screen for now. Paint one wall white with a black border (or use curtains to be fancy). Then get blackout shades for your windows.
There was one guy that painted a city skyling in black with a white area for the screen that I thought was really well done a few years back. Looked nice even without the projector shining and when used as a theater the movie area was nicely boxed in.
Vinea
Quick question...
I am considering purcahsing a projector for my front room to use for watching HD and SD movies, and the ocasional HDTV shows in the evening. I am looking for some suggestions on what to buy (brands and what not). I don't know a whole lot about projectors (lumens, contrast ratios, etc), so any and all help is apriciated. I figure I would be willing to spend up to the same amount as I would on a similar HDTV (so like $1500 for a DLP 720p set).
Also, are projectors still pretty cruddy to use during the day, or if there is light on in the room?
First of all, I'd go research within the enthusiasts online community like the avsforum for projector feedbacks.
My personal experience is that I wouldn't use projectors unless I have a designated room to view in the lighting conditions required. Most of the projector owners in the living room actually owns either LCD & Plasma and use them during daytime, but also has screen that come downs for night viewing with a projector.