Newsletters
Facebook
RSS Feed
EH Store
Q. I am looking at purchasing a Samsung PN63B590 for my living room. I’m going plasma because of the size, and my viewing distance is 15-20 feet. Is there a better option that you know of for the same price range? - Steve, Indiana
A. Steve, my suggestion, considering your viewing distance, is to go with a two-piece projection system.
I searched around and found an Epson Home Cinema 8100 1080p Projector for $1,500. I also found an Elite Screen 100-inch EZ Frame CineGrey Screen for $385. This system gives you a much bigger screen for less than $2,000.
The 100-inch CineGrey from Elite helps color saturation, black levels and contrast in rooms with ambient light. The Epson projector is a highly-rated, affordable 1080p projector that should be bright enough to fill a 100-inch screen with some ambient light.
A plasma will do certain things better than a two-piece system. But with the combination of Epson’s 1080p resolution and the gray screen, you should get a good picture from it and an even better picture when the lights are off.
One thing both plasmas and projection systems need is control of a room’s ambient light. LCD TVs are brighter and custom installers tend to use them more in a bright room. Where you’re looking at a plasma, you’ll need some control of the light.
If you buy this system, look into Lutron’s Maestro IR dimmer. It’s $40 at Home Depot, installs in a few minutes, and controls your lights, saving you just as much money as a CFL bulb.
If this system is too complex, talk to a local custom installer. He may have some basic packages that he could install for you.
Even more, this article completely dismisses the fact that a projector and screen gives you NO AUDIO. I realize this was based on seating distance and image size, but when proposing a 2 piece projection system as an alternative, you need to at least briefly cover the topic that you will need to purchase some audio equipment as well. This puts your overall budget well past the 2k mark
You may have wanted to explain or put a link in the article to direct the person to a site that demonstrates ‘why’ his viewing distance is an ‘issue’. Most people are being bedazzled into 1080p and not understanding the benefits are only realized depending on how far back you sit from ‘what’ size screen.
+ View all comments on for this article
- News
- Cool Homes
- Blogs
- Photo Galleries
Automation System Recreates Fiji In Michigan Home
Home theater, automated lights and a high-tech fish tank.
Automation System Recreates Fiji In Michigan Home
Home theater, automated lights and a high-tech fish tank.
CEA: Home Tech is Helping the Housing Market
A new CEA study says that more builders are offering all types of technology.
A History of TV Remote Controls
It’s hard to imagine life without remote controls, but it’s been a long, strange path to the modern incarnation we know and love today.
I suggested this alternative system for two reasons:
It’s about $500-$600 (including the Lutron dimmer) less than the plasma he mentions and he’s going to get nearly twice the picture size.
As for the seating distance, yes there can be issues with resolutions and distances. At a distances the reader mentions, pixel structure should not be an issue however.
As for the audio side of the system. He never asked about an audio solution and that’s why I never brought one up.
Robert Archer