need help shopping for a projector

halp me

i need a DVD projector (would also be nice to play stuff directly from my computer) that will work well for a large room
the room can be completely darkened
what kind of specs should i be looking for?
i've never bought anything like this and things ive found online have been conflicting and confusing
not costing one million dollars would be a plus

i did some shopping for projectors at one point and all the ones worth getting seemed to be in the $400-$500 range
then i asked the IT ppl at my work and they said that this is pretty standard for a projector

dunno if developments have occurred since then, it was...2012? i can't even remember.

the only other thing i thought of at the time, and you could look into i guess, is that you could look into buying a used one from a school. all educational facilities are going to have projector carts. i borrowed a screen from my workplace! also if you are associated with an educational institution they may allow you to check one out from the library?

the main things to look at are lumens (how bright it gets, if you plan on doing all yr projecting in darkened rooms, then you would be fine with a lower lumen projector ~ in the 800 range should be fine ~, a lot of them are made for conferences and meetings where the lights are on and they have lumens in the thousands), what inputs it has (though you can get adapters for everything), and the throw/zoom (does it matter where you put it? does it have to be in the back of the room? does it have to be small and be near the front of the room, etc.). If you are getting something used, you might want to look to see if it has any burnt out pixels (this happens).

not sure if you already saw this, but i usually find wirecutter very helpful
http://thewirecutter.com/leaderboard/projectors/

also also also!!

if you are buying a used projector, check to see how much lamp life there is left on it and how much it would cost to replace the lamp bulb. Some used projectors are the equivalent of the cheap used car with 200,000+ miles on it where you'd end up spending a few thousand to replace the engine in less than a year.

We have an LED projector (Acer brand) - it's a bit more expensive at first iirc but works out cheaper in the long run because you don't have to replace the lamp on a regular basis. Also doesn't get hot like a lamp does.

Are LED projectors known for longevity? I had a DLP that died I think mainly because the glue holding internal pieces together eventually melted. The color wheel just fell apart.

I got a InFocus x2 projector a while ago and it _just_ died on me. Bought it in March 2013 off amazon for ~$150, used it very liberally, sometimes 4-5 hours a night. A month ago I turned it on and half the screen was dark. I believe it is the light box inside, or some other non-lamp part of the projector, that is busted. It would cost way more to fix it than to just buy another one, and it worked so well, so I'm considering getting another. I was VERY happy with it though, totally worth the money for a year and a half near-constant use!

LEDs should be incredibly long lasting

• needs to be reliable inexpensive and portable
• connect reasonably easily* to a mac laptop
• can project e.g. powerpoint up on a smooth white wall (it's for running workshops not watching la reina del sur)

*ie i don’t mind buying a specific lead but i do mind if the lead is more expensive than the projector

any suggestions?

a friend has recommended the optoma pro10s (which they use on their boat to watch movies and such): but at £200 this maybe seems needlessly pricy

deems correct imo

Heh what

get an LED projector. my first projector used a real bulb and it soon burnt out. i've had an LED for years now and am only starting to see dropped pixels.

thx for this adam, i'd forgotten i even posted on it courtesy the intense lack of ilx interest

no problem. heh this is crazy your response prompted me to look it up. it turns out i bought it in 2014 so i would def recommend an LED (im also a heavy user). i love projectors. they are super cool. they look nice and big on your wall (i just project on a white wall). and its nice to take a break from staring at a screen once in a while!

my specs:
DB Power
HD 1080P Home Theatre LED Projector
30000 Hours 800*600 2000 Lumens HDMI TV SD

you should be able to find an equivalent (or better?) these days for around $100. good luck!

I've been shopping for a projector that could be used for a band's light show and double as something we could watch movies in the backyard with. Picked up an Optoma W341 ($429 on Amazon) and it seems to be a winner.

interesting. i have been looking at an optoma HD142X for watching movies. what made you go w/ the W341 instead of the 142X?

Price mostly... I didn't want to spend more than $500 and liked that the W341 had a bit more projection light (3600 vs. 3000 lumens) even though you lose some resolution compared with the HD142

yeah i wonder how much the resolution matters because practically everything i watch is from 90s or before