Laser Home Theatre Projectors - Ultra Short Throw Vs Ceiling Mounted

[HUBER]

As always before a big purchase, I like to quiz the fine folks here at the Paddock for their thoughts and opinions.

We have demoed the basement in our new home and will be putting in a home theatre. I've been reading about the newer projectors over the older units with bulbs and am trying to decide how I'm going to set the room up. There seems to be pros and cons with both setups, but wondering if any of you have any experience with the laser projectors, and opinions on style over the others.

Lastly, would like to know your thoughts on in wall speakers vs the standard setup?

 

[funKYcat75]

Haven't bought a projector in years, but at this point is there a considerable difference between a "big enough" TV with no maintenance and a projector that needs exact setup, maintenance, screen, possibly bulbs at some point, etc.?

I'm no high roller, so I haven't priced out top of the line stuff.

 

[ukalumni00]

I was hesitant to go the projector route instead of just buying a bigger flat screen but after experiencing what it has to offer I would do it again 100% of the time. It really comes down to your budget. I currently have a "Bulb" HD projector, but have been looking into the Laser ones. One thing to think about is how much will you use it because if you are not using it all of the time then a Laser may not make sense from a $ standpoint. Can go with a bulb projector for less money and keep it for several years before ever needing to replace the bulb. By that time there will be much better projectors on the market you can upgrade to. The one I currently have I have been using since 2016. Its gotta burn out sooner or later. Picture is great but I am ready to upgrade to 4k.

As for which projector, its like buying a car. So many options out there. Most are good quality. Just do some research and try and get the most recent that fits your budget. Also, go to projectorcentral.com and there is a tool you can use to measure your distance with and get the right ST projector. You can get really good "bulb" high lumen 4k projectors for under $2k now.

I have in ceiling speakers. To me, it's a no brainer. Takes the excess speaker clutter out of the room. I have 7 Polk speakers and they sound excellent. Sub is in the corner where you can barely see it.

Only other advice is get as big of a screen as the room can handle. Also, make sure the projector can fill the screen up.

 

[parrott]

^ With ukalumni on this one. Have a bulb projector and experienced no issues. Also have in wall speakers and love the sound.

 

[Ron Mehico]

Currently building a house and am planning for a 100” projector in the basement media room. I currently leaning towards the cheaper bulb projector and then standalone speakers/sound bar. My thinking is I want the most easily replaceable because with that stuff it advances so rapidly that I don’t want in wall speakers or an expensive laser projector that’ll be obsolete in 5 years anyway. The easiest to replace seems the most logical for me at this time. Also doing built in cabinets so I can have a dedicated place for speakers without them getting in the way.

 

[Anon1711055878]

You’re good to invest in high end audio imo. Not much is going to change unless you’re going into the extremely niche audiophile stuff ($$$$). Hell, there is a big market for vintage audio gear.

This is my opinion from researching my music listening rig. Someone may swing by and school me, and it may be different for multimedia, but I don’t think so.

 

[ukalumni00]

You’re good to invest in high end audio imo. Not much is going to change unless you’re going into the extremely niche audiophile stuff ($$$$). Hell, there is a big market for vintage audio gear.

This is my opinion from researching my music listening rig. Someone may swing by and school me, and it may be different for multimedia, but I don’t think so.

Agree. The main/trusted brands we all know today (Polk, Klipsch, etc) are going to sound really good if installed right and pushed by a good receiver. Am sure speaker technology will get better but nowhere near the clip we are seeing with TV’s, gaming systems, etc. I went with 6.5 inch in ceiling speakers. The only change I may make is the center one. It needs to be at least 8.5 inches since it cranks the majority of the sound. Just get the best you can afford and get a receiver that pushes Dolby Atmos.

 

[joeyrupption]

Tech: I would only consider UST projectors if ceiling mounted weren’t feasible. UST is a newer technology and “pound for pound” traditional projectors will always be superior since they are “simpler” machines and you will have a lot more options, IMO.

The only UST I’ve seen looked really good as a first impression. But while watching a basketball game showed it’s flaws as the image would distort (slight funhouse mirror effect) in a couple zone as players ran side to side. And this was a *nice* set up by professionals. The margin for error is tiny since it is already “distorting” the image so much to throw it up a well.

Screen Size: Get the biggest screen possible. A UST at the “bottom” of the screen may limit the potential screen size by taking up some real estate. It may be another reason avoid them.

Damage Prevention: I always have kids running around my house and also prefer ceiling mounted to just keep it out of the way of those hooligans.

Interior Design: Paint the walls and millwork, etc. as dark as possible - and use dark textiles for couches etc. It doesn’t have to be grey tone, but dark colors. When you see the screen with the lights off, you’ll want as little light as possible bouncing around the room. This is different approach than backlit screens. TV viewing (backlit source) benefits from a little ambient light - those led strips behind the tvs help your eyes adjust since the screen is so bright. Projector screens are reflecting light so you don’t want to overpower that light with other ambient light at all.

I have a 120” screen with basic components: 1080p Epson ceiling mounted projector, Silver Ticket Screen, Denon Receiver, 5.1 speakers.

 

[HUBER]

Wow. Lots of good solid info here. Appreciate the thoughts and ideas.

THANK YOU!