Projector and Screen... Anyone Use Them In There Home?

My mates got one 8ft x 6ft which is great for films an that but a bit of hassle to look after. The projector bulbs cost a fortune and have to be warmed up an cooled down properly everytime you use it. They haven't done that so have gone through a few bulbs in the 2 years they've had it. I think the novelty wears off after a while and you go back to watching a normal tv.

You can pick them up fairly cheaply now 2nd hand on ebay,I bought one a a few years ago with a wide screen pull down screen to go with it.In the end i didnt even need the screen as the light cream wall it was displayed on was a crisp and sharp enough.
Looked realy good watching movies that were as big as my sitting room wall,but the novelty left after a few months and I gave it to a mate
I use a 40inch samsung lcd now,no where near as big a picture but its big enough to enjoy games and films
My best mate has used projectors for about 6 years or so and is on his 2nd model in his cinema room.He has never had trouble with the bulbs,and to be honest your not going to be watching every thing with it-so the bulbs life will easly live with your moderate use
Go for it and turn your spare room into a cinema room,you will enjoy the movies more

I converted our garage into a home cinema room, have a Infocus DLP projector, with a 106" pull down screen, which is permanently pulled down, painted all the walls red and have blackout blinds covering the window so its total darkness in there when watching. I have it connected to SKY for the football, and a MR Pioneer DVD player for movies. All connected to a Denon amp & Mission 7.1 speaker system with Velodyne subwoofer. Totally awesome sound and picture quality. Not needed to change a bulb on the PJ yet, as long as your sensible they normally last for 3000 hours or so as long as you turn the PJ off correctly. Have a Panny 50" HD Plasma in the lounge for every day viewing, and the PJ makes it look small..

My fella has a projector
We used it for a while at his house
We didn`t use a screen , just a cream wall as has been said
With the surround sound , fantastic
I know his friend uses his when a big match is on , he projects it on to the barn so everything is there and you can have it the size of the house if you want
Handy
Sarah

Yeah I have one, have used it on a screen and on a cream wall, both worked well. You just can't beat it for watching films Managed to get a 6ft picture out of it in my lounge, but will go bigger, it just depends how far you can get it away from the screen/wall.

I still have an LCD for normal TV etc, just use the projector for films or when I have mates over for sport.

I must resist getting a HD one though, the mrs will kill me! lol

Most has been covered already, like everything else..you get what you pay for. I think some of the more expensive ones allow a bigger and better quality screen at closer ranges, the one ive got is only about 6-7 feet away from the wall but the screen is about 8ft tall and about 10 ft wide.

As stated before tho, the bulbs are ****** expensive, but a decent set up will allow for a long life bulb but still you'd be surprised how quickly 3000 hours go past, especially as the footy is coming this summer.. first bulb lasted about a year however we used this as the main TV for most of the time. (Including playstation, xbox and my gf and i are film buffs)
Also found the LCD projection to loose a few pixels after a few months which is slightly annoying after all the money spent but you cant really notice it.
Good luck either way, do your homework into different makes/types etc.

Definatly recommend it tho.

Have a look on www.avforums.com for some more in-depth advice. I'm on my second PJ just now. An Optoma HD65. For 400 quid its a cracking little 720p HD projector. Cant fault it. But be careful as 1 in 10 people are subject to the rainbow effect on DLP projectors, and this can ruin your enjoyment. Best to demo first if you can.

I personally was all set for spending about 2k on a 1080p PJ, until I realised that I dont really use full HD content. I do have a PS3 which will play Blu rays at 1080p, but I rarely buy them, so most of my useage is at 720p for xbox360, ps3 games, and SD for films. So decided to buy this PJ as it got some really good reviews over on the forums, and was only 400 quid. Replacement bulbs are sub 100 quid, and last 3-4000 hours, so should be ok. My first PJ I had for 2 years and put 1000 hours on it.

You dont want to watch TV on a projector anyway, as who really wants to see stacey slaters face at 6ft high splattered over your wall? So mine is used exclusivley for gaming and dvd. Be warned though, light control is a major plus point in this area. You'll want to invest in good quality black-outs. A good screen makes a difference, but I dont use one. And some of the more obsessive out there go as far as painting their rooms almost black (which I intend to do, as its solely a cinema room).

It can become very pricey, but as a starter, I suggest i nice cheap HD PJ just now (like the HD65), just to see if it's for you. It isn't for everyone...