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[Rob]

hi all,

moving to a new apartment so am thinking of replacing the tv with a projector instead so have a few Q`s:

is it possible to connect the projector to a sky box?

are there signal transmitters available instead of running a mass of cables?

will i need any other equipment to operate the projector with a dvd/sat box

whats the normal life of a bulb unit

i am after a normal quality projector, nothing mega fancy or expensive - any suggestions?

[Purvesh]

Ahmet will be able to advise... :)

[Jocksuper7]

before i joined up thats what i did as a job (amongst many) stealth installs of AV systems,most LCD projectors have a 10,000 hr life for the bulb, less if you smoke and thats if you clean the filters properly, sky box can be conected no probs, any other devices can be conected, and AV amp is recomended as the speaker on the projecter will be poor no matter what the make, a Yamaha or a sony es range amp is good for low dosh if you are spending money then there are ooodles of amps but the two amps above will do the job, big money says KEF thx series speakers, lower price then your buget is your guide. for a bracket use unicol for the projector, as for wirless conections its not worth it as the projector is a monitor, you need 2 cables to it at most, a composite conection and a SVHS cable, if you are going high end then you need another 3 for component video (RGB)(avoid projectors that advertise that they are scart compatible)

if you need any other help just PM me and i will do what i can

[Eunos800]

hi all,

moving to a new apartment so am thinking of replacing the tv with a projector instead so have a few Q`s:

is it possible to connect the projector to a sky box?

are there signal transmitters available instead of running a mass of cables?

will i need any other equipment to operate the projector with a dvd/sat box

whats the normal life of a bulb unit

i am after a normal quality projector, nothing mega fancy or expensive - any suggestions?

1) if you want quality sound- then get sky+ box as it is the only digital STB that outputs proper dolby 5:1 via optical. Picture can be output via svideo conector on same unit ( thats how I do it - and pitcure quality is superb through my sony HS20 P/J onto 8' screen :D )

2) Yes but they are generally crap compared to a decent cable - I wouldnt personally bother.

3) depends on your needs...if you dony mind fiddling about unplugging and changing leads / inputs over etc etc, then no. However, you may finfd it preferable todo what I did, and get a quality Amp unit that wil switch your video inputs as you select the audio input simultaneously...if u c what I mean. :winky:

4) Our HS20 has been used for over 1700 hours so far, and still on same bulb, but had one air filter change.

Most PJs reckon around 1500 - 2000 hours..depending on quality of unit of course. Budget several hundred of pounds incidentally for replacement bulb

PS dont know if it is within your budget, but the HS20 has been fabulous :D :D

AND it is H/Definition ready via a socket named HDMI ( High definition Multimediua Interface) for when sky start to transmit proper HD telly :D :D

before i joined up thats what i did as a job (amongst many) stealth installs of AV systems,most LCD projectors have a 10,000 hr life for the bulb, less if you smoke and thats if you clean the filters properly, sky box can be conected no probs, any other devices can be conected, and AV amp is recomended as the speaker on the projecter will be poor no matter what the make, a Yamaha or a sony es range amp is good for low dosh if you are spending money then there are ooodles of amps but the two amps above will do the job, big money says KEF thx series speakers, lower price then your buget is your guide. for a bracket use unicol for the projector, as for wirless conections its not worth it as the projector is a monitor, you need 2 cables to it at most, a composite conection and a SVHS cable, if you are going high end then you need another 3 for component video (RGB)(avoid projectors that advertise that they are scart compatible)

if you need any other help just PM me and i will do what i can

Jock forgive me for asking....but should that not be SVIDEO cable you are referring to NOT svhs ( a different standard )

[Jocksuper7]

yeah was drunk (post rugby) svideo is what i ment :D

[MrADeveci]

Rob,

Watching movies on a projector is just GREAT, with the added surround speakers in the front room, you couldn't watch a movie anywhere else.

However, I personally would not advise using the projector for watching everyday television.

The bulbs are not cheap, and the average projector bulb will last you 2000 hours (high quality) and around 3000 (saving mode)

An average bulb is around £300 - £500.

There are signal transmitters, they are around £120 - £150. They can transmit your VGA, Composite, and Scart, so no need for cables everywhere.

If you are going to buy a projector, I would strongly advise you get a DLP one. It's the new technology, and makes do of the old LCD.

The quality of the projector won't be as sharp as that on a plasma, or an LCD, but then again pound for pound, you can't get a bigger display on a screen, that you would a plasma.

If you can afford it, get both. That's what I'm going to do, buy a plasma / lcd for the TV side of thigns, then computer games and dvd's use the plasma.

A few pics for some inspiration :D

If you need any more info, do ask ............. :)

[Rob]

Thanks for the replies and all the info, greatly appreciated. I cant afford a projector and lcd at the mo, moving and having to buy all the essentials is going to hit quite hard for a while! I shall send u a pm when i need a bit more info.

ta rob