Need advice from you audio/video guru's...dvd projectors

[Dueller]

I think I need a dvd projector for use in court presentations; i.e., showing police in car videos. Problem is the format used by PD's only will play thru my PC as opposed to a DVD player. Looking for something with decent quality...not looking for state of the art home theatre stuff. Also needs to be fairly portable/quick to set up/take.

BUT...we would like to maybe start doing a "movie night" at the pub...showing old movies on the patrio out back. So tell me what I need to know, what I can expect to spend.

What is this unit? Will it work for my needs?

http://www.bestavstore.com/oxproseries4.htm

[porsche4life]

Sams has one on display right now that is like 2inches thick and has a killer picture. It is a Casio I think but its like 700bucks. Other than that I aint much help

[Dueller]

OK...help me out guys. does the typical projector also require a video/audio source? I.e., do you hook a dvd player or PC to it ? What about adding external speakers? What determines picture quality? What are the lighting requirement? Do you typically have to dim room lights?

See...I know nothing about this schit...

[bell]

the projector link you posted seems like a cost effective projector. you should be able to hook a multitude of video sources up to it no problem.....plus it has built in speakers....
that has all the inputs you could need so it's pretty flexible and you should be able to feed it dvd/laptop into it.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by bell

the projector link you posted seems like a cost effective projector. you should be able to hook a multitude of video sources up to it no problem.....plus it has built in speakers....
that has all the inputs you could need so it's pretty flexible and you should be able to feed it dvd/laptop into it.

Thanks, Bell...what about my proposed use at wife's pub to show a movie? If I hooked in a surround sound/dvd player system, I suppose I could run the sound thru that as opposed to the projector speakers? What if I wanted to play a sporting evemt from cable? What would I need to hook up to it? TIA

[Gogar]

With the right cables you should be able to hook it up to the PC for work, and to a little DVD player at the pub, no problem.

It has a HDMI input so you can just get a cheapo DVD player that has a HDMI at the Big Box and it should hook right up. Your PC (laptop I'm assuming) at work may have a DVI connector, which you can get an adapter for no problem. You'll have to do something else for sound in that occasion, though; a DVI-HDMI adapter won't deal with the sound. Maybe some desktop speakers into your headphone jack or something?

[Bill Douglas]

Good idea doing a pub night or two to get used to it. Me being an ex-tech support guy, the number of times I get called into a meeting with 30 people staring at a blank screen and "I" get asked to fix it.

Usually it's a case of input selects, needs a powerdown, or an unsupported screen resolution.

[911pcars]

The DLP projectors from Dell have a pretty good cost/benefit reputation.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?c=us&category_id=5188&cs=04&l=en&navla=63474~0~1190134&nf=63474~0~1190134&s=bsd

Sherwood

[Dueller]

Dell, while no doubt good, are a bit pricy for my wallet.

[stomachmonkey]

Easiest way to think of a projector is that it's a TV where the screen is far away.

That will answer all your questions on connectivity.

A set of external speakers is not a bad idea. The audio out of those things is not generally the best.

Why not just convert the PD video to a DVD?

It's not difficult. Usually

[VincentVega]

External speakers are a must, if sounds is important. You dont need anything fancy, average PC speakers should work fine. Just plug the projector and speakers into your laptop. Then, use the projector with the dvd player and stereo to watch movies.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Chris Martin

External speakers are a must, if sounds is important. You dont need anything fancy, average PC speakers should work fine. Just plug the projector and speakers into your laptop. Then, use the projector with the dvd player and stereo to watch movies.

Good headphones should provide better audio and not disturb others as you crank the dBs to 100 or so.

Sherwood

[nostatic]

If you are showing in court, ponder getting some decent speakers. Viewers actually weight sound more than visual, so bad sound will end up having a negative impact even if the picture is beautiful.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by nostatic

If you are showing in court, ponder getting some decent speakers. Viewers actually weight sound more than visual, so bad sound will end up having a negative impact even if the picture is beautiful.

Good point, NS...interestingly there are some situations where evidentiary rules only allow you to show vids with no sound.

OK...now you guys tell me about screen requirements...and how big would the one I linked to in the first post be able to use? For like an outdoor movie night at the pub?

[911pcars]

I lost track of why you needed a projector - courtroom presentations.

In that case, I'd recommend a projector with enough lumens (light output) to see the images under less-than-ideal viewing conditions. If the court can dim the lights, all the better. If not, go for a unit that has +1500 lumens. The regular office units that produce 1000 lumens or less will wash out under ambient lighting conditions and have compromised optics. If you want to make an arguable case, go with the best speaker support equipment you can afford. Same goes with the images you're going to project.

If this is a once in awhile need, consider renting a unit (about $100-$150/day).

As for sound, I think you'd want a minimal system that can be clearly heard by the judge, lawyers and jury. Spend a little more for decent computer speakers with tone and volume controls. Maybe some courtrooms have an audio system you can hook into.

Sherwood

[Dueller]

Thanks, 'wood...just the kind of input I need.

[imcarthur]

I'll weigh in here a bit . . .

There are 2 basic applications for projectors:

Business Use
- cheap & compact
- easy use with computer (90% of usage is Power Point)
- very bright to overcome ambient light
- poor color depth & black level
- poor contrast ratio
- poor movie resolution - motion artifacts
- typically noisier & often have light leakage
- 1024 x 768 max resolution

Home Theater Use
- more expensive to ridiculous $s
- bulkier - normally ceiling mounted
- medium brightness - room darkening is assumed
- deep colors with great contrast ability
- good to phenomenal resolution (better internal scaling or better source scaling)
- 1080p is resolution standard

I sounds like you want a business projector that will work as an HT projector. It will of course, but subject to its limitations. Bottom line: The ambient light at the pub is the big question. If it is too bright there, you will end up with a washed out picture that is hard to see. What screen would you use outdoors?

You just won't know, until you try it.

Ian

[Dueller]

Thanks, Ian...could you look at the one I linked in my firts post and give me your (or anyone else) opinion of the value for $449?

Court room setting would allow me to lower lights in most cases...pub use would be on a darker section of an outdoor patio showing campy movies after dark.

[911pcars]

Jim,
Just to chime in again. Like very affordable "personal" photocopiers and inkjet printers, there's a hidden cost. In the case of DLP projectors, it's the cost of a replacement lamp assy. - not inexpensive.

Not sure the different brands publicize a service life, but that might help you decide.

Sherwood

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Jim,
Just to chime in again. Like very affordable "personal" photocopiers and inkjet printers, there's a hidden cost. In the case of DLP projectors, it's the cost of a replacement lamp assy. - not inexpensive.

Not sure the different brands publicize a service life, but that might help you decide.

Sherwood

Thx again, wood. The one I linked said extra builb included and estimates 5500 hrs per bulb....which sounds like BS. Courtroom use would be 2-3 times per month at 1-2 hours. Bar use of 2-4 hours per week max unless the outdoor movie thing catches on.