mark wrote:
I am considering getting a tv projector. I thought it could project onto a
white painted wall rather than a screen.

Will this be satisfactory? Your thoughts please.


Despite some other's objections, front-projection is quite a nice way to
watch films / sports at home. I agree with some comments that you don't
want to be using it to watch "conventional" tv, but after watching a
film or two, with a bottle of wine inside us, me and the wife tend to
switch back to Sky-TV without bothering to turn the TV back on.

So... 40" LCD Hi-Def TV + Sky-HD for conventional viewing,
Sky-HD/XBox-360 and Sanyo Z2 for films. Very nice, very handy, and not
at all obtrusive (the TV is by far the most obtrusive item).

Check www.avforums.co.uk about now - that has a forum on screens,
including painted walls / MDF etc. There are (from a poor memory) a few
threads that document that you shouldn't use a brilliant white, rather,
a matt, off-white (grey?) paint to allow greater contrast in the image.
"Dulux Artic White", also rings a bell, but I'll leave you to research
that one.

Personally, I use a 2m pull-down screen. It fits neatly on the ceiling
in front of the curtain rail looking almost pelmet-like in appearance.

Don't forget the usual home-cinema requirements - speakers, etc, that
you're gonna need - there's no point in big-screen entertainment with
poxy sound. You want it big, and all around This was one thing that
caught me out, having spent ~£900 on the projector, having to spend
another ~£500 on the audio (well, I wanted component video switching
through the AV-amp, which limited my choice a little to less-than-cheap
units, at the time).

Lamp-life?, as others have said, yeah, usually 2000 hrs to 3000hrs
(eco), I've had the PJ for ~4 years now, on first bulb, although
thinking now that maybe when the bulb does go, time to replace the PJ.
It's important to understand the the bulb is susceptible to damage when
hot, and particularly when cooling, and know to ensure that the power is
not disconnected whilst cooling (the internal fan tends to run a few
minutes to prevent overheating). A good many people, myself included,
use UPS devices to power the PJs, to provide enough time for the fans to
cool down the device in the event of a power-cut. £50 for a UPS is a lot
less than £250 for a replacement bulb.

One thing to consider is the PJ noise level, at 24dBA the Sanyo is a
nice, quiet PJ, some are less so - it's worth working out where the PJ
is to be placed relative to your listening position, and consider the
noise level from that.

If you fancy "big-screen entertainment", and can justify a PJ as well as
a conventional TV, go for it, it transforms movies.

.... and games