Projectors

[mrbios]

What projectors do you lot recommend?

 

Personally i've found Epson EB-X11 / X12 etc to be really good. We have two epson ones which are purely for education and they ahve a code on but i think i'll be avoiding those. Hitatchi have been reliable for us but they splash up a big thing in the center of the screen saying "your projector filter hasn't been cleaned in X hours" which is an issue, mainly because alot of teachers get used to it and never tell us about the message (it disapears after a minute)

 

I've been putting in Casio long life ones in some places but while they're cheaper in the long term i can't afford to buy 3-4 of those right now as the initial cost on them is too high.

 

Can anyone recommend me something or am i on to a winner with the EB-X11s?

 

Cheers

[jamesreedersmith]

X-11's are awesome - especially the quick corner feature!

[X-13]

We have X11's and haven't had any problems.

 

We're slowly replacing the old ones with them.

[FN-GM]

I would not recommend the Casio's. We have a number here and have been unreliable. Must have sent back 75% to be repaired.

[mrbios]

I would not recommend the Casio's. We have a number here and have been unreliable. Must have sent back 75% to be repaired.

 

Ah that's not reassuring, we bought the top of the line one for our main hall as we wanted to limit the amount we had to go up to it, it's been in use since April now i think though so hopefully we've got a goodun there. We've only got 3 in total but i'll bear in mind that they may not be the most reliable.

 

Was it any particular model that you had issue with per chance?

 

X-11's are awesome - especially the quick corner feature!

 

You know what, in the summer i was going around checking all our projectors and previously we only had one X11. when i found it i was a bit confused as to why the image wouldn't fit on the screen...but once i found the corner adjustment i thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread!

Edited September 5, 2013 by mrbios

[elsiegee40]

We have had to send a couple of Casios back, but given that they provide a projector to swap in and the length of the warranty, I don't have an issue with them. I can understand the initial layout qualms of some schools, but the maths when it comes to lifetime and bulbs makes the price right.

[hallb15]

+1 for the Epson EB-X11. For the price they can't be beaten. We have several here and have been using for over 6 months without issue. They are easy to install and have everything you need for use in a school (and nothing you don't)

3 year lamp and product warranty (for education users) is very good.

[caffrey]

+1 here for the x11 too

[pcstru]

Afraid apart from expensive SMART 60wi things, we have been buying EBX11's and they have been rock solid.

[Oaktech]

hitachi eda series UST. free wall bracket, 5 year onsite warranty. We have dozens and we've called on the warranty twice. They even upgraded the 3 year warranty on the first ones we bought when we bought the newer ones with 5 year warranty

[3s-gtech]

BenQ and Optoma stuff here. Nice and bright, good value, decent res (only installing widescreen ones now), generally reliable. Had a couple of BenQs fail out of warranty, but from the numbers installed it's not a bad failure rate.

[mrbios]

BenQ and Optoma stuff here. Nice and bright, good value, decent res (only installing widescreen ones now), generally reliable. Had a couple of BenQs fail out of warranty, but from the numbers installed it's not a bad failure rate.

 

All the optomas we've had have had the fan go crazy really early in their life, plus the menu on them has always been really poor and difficult to get the screen perfect.

 

Although still not as bad as infocus....never ever buy infocus!

[DSapseid]

Ive got the Casio M140 in nearly all my classrooms now (20-25 installed) and have not had an issue with them. Had 2 that were DOA last summer but they were quickly swapped out by the whiteboard installers.

[FN-GM]

Ah that's not reassuring, we bought the top of the line one for our main hall as we wanted to limit the amount we had to go up to it, it's been in use since April now i think though so hopefully we've got a goodun there. We've only got 3 in total but i'll bear in mind that they may not be the most reliable.

 

Was it any particular model that you had issue with per chance?

 

Not got that to hand. But there where 2 different models. Happened about 12 - 18 month of use.

[john]

Fitted probably 20+ Casios in a variesty of rooms the only room that was an issue was Drama studio and it was an original unit and over-heated but being flooded and hit by a lot of high power drama lights never helped the heat issue given the column was HOT it was fitted on I dread to think what the unit was like.

 

When I didn't fit Casio's I fitted NEC units

[mrbios]

Anyone got any good recommendations for short throw projectors? Ideally quite cheap, 4:3 board, small classroom.

 

Got a horrible classroom that has those ancient pinned up ceiling tiles that you can't takee down without something like a nailgun to fix them back up.

[Oaktech]

Short throw, cheap... Benq

Ultra short throw, good... Hitachi ED-a22x.

[VeryPC_Colin_F]

Hi @mrbios, The best UST out there for the money is the Hitachi range in My experience we can offer 5 years warranty with them.We have no problems with these compared to others. They are easy to use - come with a great warranty.

 

I would go Ultra short through rather than short through if budget allows

 

If you can PM me your details I can email you some options and the price differences to give you a good idea which is the best for you?

 

Col,

Edited September 10, 2013 by VeryPC_Colin_F

[hallb15]

Unfortunately, short throw projectors are not usually cheap. I am an Epson convert after many years sticking with Sanyo. I've installed two Epson EB-470 ultra-short throw projectors recently and there were very easy to install as they come with a custom designed wall bracket which is superb. The built in speakers are also pretty good for a projector and would be fine for a small classroom. They come with a 3 year warranty, although some places are advertising 5 years (such as AVPartsmaster)

I paid £695 for mine - what price did you have in mind?

[mrbios]

Well the last ultra short throw i had was a Hitachi CPA222WNM, which came with its own mount. That was £575, seems a fantastic projector but I wasn't sure if maybe something cheaper was available for a smaller classroom. Also it's going to be mounted on a false wall and the mount that came wit hthe CPA222WNM was pretty heavy.....though i can get around that.

[Oaktech]

Also it's going to be mounted on a false wall and the mount that came wit the CPA222WNM was pretty heavy.....though i can get around that.

 

Yup, it's made of actual real metal. I like that! To get around the problem we have put a pair or 2x2 batons floor to ceiling held into the false wall with a hollow wall anchor every 30cm and the width of the mounting plate apart, and then screwed the centre holes of the mounting plate to a piece 3/4" ply, and then attached the plate and the ply to the batons with coach screws and penny washers.

[alemanyorks]

We just put our first Epson EB-X11 because of recommendations on here, really pleased with image & the ver & horiz keystone adjust which is a great feature. Hope longevity is good not buying any more DLP machines for school use.

[tmcd35]

If you haven't seen it yet, this site is pretty essential for selecting the right projector:

 

Projection Calculator Classic - Throw Distance and Screen Size

[laserblazer]

I've always bought Hitachi but the lastest models have quite a different throw and in many cases a replacement would require a mount move. The X11 tends to be ok and that's the way we are going. Just about to order another five.