localzuk Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 So, our hall projector seems like it is marching towards the end of its life, with random freezes and hard resets randomly, and as a consequence I am looking at potential replacements. The specs I have to work with are: Hall ceiling height 5m Bracket height 4.5m Distance between bracket and screen 6m Screen size 200" diagonal Brightness of current projector 4500 lumens We'd prefer low maintenance, as getting up there to clean is a pain. So, DLP is preferable to LCD.
plexer Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Slap a Casio up there We replaced an old NEC with one with similar dimensions and it worked great. Ben
localzuk Posted October 17, 2014 Author Posted October 17, 2014 Slap a Casio up there I'm a bit apprehensive with Casios now, as our XJ series models have had a constant list of faults over the last few years...
3s-gtech Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 I have had great results with two Optoma projectors. The first was in for three years (and then moved to classroom duty), the second has been in for four. Met our requirements - DLP for low maintenance, 720P, high brightness (2800 lumens or so, which was very high for a budget projector). Newest equivalent would be the EW631, or you could have the W501 and burn through the screen. They also have some decent ability 1080P models now.
mdench Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 I'm a bit apprehensive with Casios now, as our XJ series models have had a constant list of faults over the last few years... +1 for the casio. what model of the the casio do you have? We have XJ-M130s through out and have no problems. Did have a few XJ-A130s but we replaced those as they kept overheating
FN-GM Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 I'm a bit apprehensive with Casios now, as our XJ series models have had a constant list of faults over the last few years... I know what you mean. We had an 80% failure rate!
witch Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 We have XJ-M130s and haven't had any failures at all
localzuk Posted October 17, 2014 Author Posted October 17, 2014 I have had great results with two Optoma projectors. The first was in for three years (and then moved to classroom duty), the second has been in for four. Met our requirements - DLP for low maintenance, 720P, high brightness (2800 lumens or so, which was very high for a budget projector). Newest equivalent would be the EW631, or you could have the W501 and burn through the screen. They also have some decent ability 1080P models now. Our current one is an Optoma DLP model, and its worked well for us for about 5 or 6 years now. 2800 lumens is far too low for our hall sadly, 4500 is about minimum.
3s-gtech Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Then the W501 should do it, at 5000 lumens. Not bad for £1000 or so.
localzuk Posted October 17, 2014 Author Posted October 17, 2014 Oh, forgot to say, the screen we have is 4:3 ratio.
sonofsanta Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 We've had a Panasonic VX500 in recently, that's 5000 lumens so plenty bright (1024 x 768 4:3). Was <£900 ex VAT, which strikes me as a pretty good price for the brightness. Installed etc. by KPMS in West Yorks, as all our kit for the last five years has been.
timbo343 Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Speak to KPMS, they will be happy to chat about your needs and possibly recommend something.
XiJ Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Don't suppose you'd be interested in a 103" plasma?..... Got one of my schools considering one
truebluesteve Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) We've just replaced our excellent but old Panasonic with an Epson of 5000 or so lumens. Can't remember the model number off the top of my head but can find out. We've been really impressed with it Edit...it is an LCD and although ours is very high up the maintenance is low and I'm not a huge fan of DLP Edited October 17, 2014 by truebluesteve
timbo343 Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 I was a fan of the NEC range but recently got the epson EB-X20s for classrooms and the quality is outstanding! They use the 3LCD technology rather than the DLP technology (colour wheel). Also some of the epsons cone with ethernet ports so when paired with the epson network utility you can do allsorts with them. One of the jobs for half term is to run network to the new projectors.
AdamzB Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 EB-X20s are indeed great bits of kit for the price. Quick Corners is a god send. Not really suitable for hall use though at 2600L. Something like the NEC M402X would fit the bill.
timbo343 Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 EB-X20s are indeed great bits of kit for the price. Quick Corners is a god send. Not really suitable for hall use though at 2600L. Something like the NEC M402X would fit the bill. Yeah something a bit brighter will be needed for a hall but the technology across the range will be the same. A bit off topic but ive been round our projectors and tested the brightness of all our projectors with a light meter and converted the results ibto lumens. One of our classroom projectors is down to less than 100 lumens, the projector is 2005 build and a vt37 and yep the bulb has bee replaced so many times.
snagrat Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Epson EB-4650 used a lot by us. Great projector.
localzuk Posted November 6, 2014 Author Posted November 6, 2014 Ended up ordering an Optoma X501 for the job. We also discovered that the old one is covered in pigeon poop... Might go some way as to explaining its failure!!
Sagima Posted November 6, 2014 Posted November 6, 2014 We bought an Epson EB-G6450WU for our main hall (and a shorter throw lens which cost almost as much again), networked it and stuck an appletv on there for wireless presentations from our tablets or laptops. Initially I wasn't convinced by the price but it seems to have gone down pretty well with all of the staff and the Head.
localzuk Posted November 6, 2014 Author Posted November 6, 2014 That is about 4x the price of the Optoma. Seems a bit overpriced!
antlear Posted November 6, 2014 Posted November 6, 2014 Might be more expensive but I know which brand I would happily pick. Also as mentioned they got a shorter throw lens. The more expensive you go the better the projector. You also then get lens options which are important.
3s-gtech Posted November 6, 2014 Posted November 6, 2014 As I mentioned, I've had nothing but good experiences with the Optoma models. Cheap but great capabilities, and ours sits happily up high in the air without any sort of maintenance for several years. I'll buy another Optoma when it needs it. Few others dotted around school which have been great.
localzuk Posted November 6, 2014 Author Posted November 6, 2014 Same. Optoma have been pretty good for us. 6 years+ life out of the last hall Optoma, along with never being cleaned has cemented it as a good brand for me. Only problem I ever have is availability - they aren't as easy to buy as Epson projectors.
Nibiru Posted November 6, 2014 Posted November 6, 2014 As I mentioned, I've had nothing but good experiences with the Optoma models. Cheap but great capabilities, and ours sits happily up high in the air without any sort of maintenance for several years. I'll buy another Optoma when it needs it. Few others dotted around school which have been great. Some of our Epson classroom projectors are getting on for 10 years old & Ive started replacing them as they fail with Optomas. The Optomas are brilliant little projectors for the money, Ive not had any complaints from the staff who have had the new projectors installed in their rooms. They are also nice and bright for classroom use. I may get one for our hall whan the 8 year old 3M unit in there coughs its last, which wont be long as its fading fast now......
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