Video Asylum

Posted by Narnian (A) on December 09, 2002 at 08:44:50

Hello everyone!

I am getting ready to build a new home and I have set aside a 26' X 24' space in the basement to be my home theater. I want to buy a projector and screen that will give me at least an 8 foot wide image. The room will have carpeted floors and walls and will probably not have any windows. The result is that light can be controlled and the projector does not have to have super high lumens. I would think that in a darker room 800 lumens would seem plenty (but I really don't have much experience or knowledge)

Like a lot of folks who walk into the store, I want a caddilac for the price of a Yugo. I am setting aside $2500.00 to purchase the projector, projector mount, AND the screen. If I must, I'll stretch that to $3000.00.

I want a minimum resolution of 1024 X 768, low cost replacement bulbs, or long life bulbs. I don't care about size & weight, since it's staying on the ceiling.

I have found a few packages on the net that include all the parts for as little as $1800, but I really don't know what to watch out for, what brands to stay away from, or how to tell what the magnification will be. I also don't know if there are any features I should be asking for.

Can anyone make some recomendations for a model of projector and type of screen?