Project: Projection

I've had a 32" 720p/1080i capable TV (LG 32LX2R) and the Sky HD service for quite a while now and have enjoyed the likes of Torchwood, Stargate: SG1 & Atlantis and Planet Earth on it as well as HD gaming via my Xbox 360.

At the beginning of the year I invested in an LG GGC-H20L combi Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player for my PC and was impressed with the picture quality of Hot Fuzz (HD-DVD) and Blade Runner: The Final Cut (Blu-Ray) from my Blade Runner Ultimate Collection boxset (which I had to import as the blu-ray boxset hasn't been released in the UK yet afaik). However, so far I've only watched them on a 1680x1050 22" Samsung Syncmaster 226BW

This year, being our 10th wedding anniversary has meant we can break into the savings we specifically set aside for this event. The plan being to have a holiday somewhere (nothing fancy) and some money for each of us to spend on something we really want. In my wife's case this means a ring, in my case it means shiny gadgets. I was planning to get a 42" 1080p television which would cost me somewhere in the region of £1000.

However, last week I changed my mind and instead of buying this TV, I bought an Optoma ThemeScene HD70 Projector which although it's only 720p/1080i capable cost me a mere £495.

I also decided against building a media PC and bought a PS3 as it looks like Blu-Ray has won the format war (for a given value of "winning"). Another factor in my deciding to get one is its ability to connect to my PC running TVersity and like my Xbox 360 handle most media that's thrown at it. As it was going to be in the room next to my computer room the 802.11g connection is up to scratch for the task, unlike my 360 which is 2 flights of stairs down and one room across from the computer room which forced me to shell out on a pair of 200Mbit/sec (half-duplex) Devolo dLan 200 AVdesk powerline network adapters to achieve stable video streaming to.

The PS3 and HD70 arrived on Friday, so I spent Saturday morning setting it up in my attic room which is a reasonable 20ft x 20ft and only has a small dormer window which is easy to block any incoming light. For the time being I decided to put it on a coffee table in front of the sofa bed, but eventually I plan to ceiling mount it a little further back (it's designed to project from an angle either above or below the screen and even behind). Even so it achieved a very reasonable ~100" screen size where it's currently positioned.

I fired up the PS3 and the picture looked great even though it is currently projected onto slightly off-white wallpaper, I downloaded a couple of game demos (Motorstorm and Burnout Paradise) and the gaming experience seemed to be elevated to a whole new level for me, I might even actually buy a PS3 game!

The next thing to test was Blu-Ray playback and as the only thing I have on this format so far is the Blade Runner Ultimate Collection, it just had to be Blade Runner: Final Cut. I set the PS3 to output 1080p 24fps to the projector as the HD70 can downscale 1080p and handle 24fps and inserted the disc into the PS3 and my jaw dropped (figuratively speaking). The clarity of the film was utterly amazing, I really must buy some more blu-ray movies now. I also need to test DVD upscaling on it too.

As the bulb with the projector has about 3000 hours (average) lifespan and costs £120ish to replace, I'll not be using this for casual TV viewing, but for movies and gaming sessions I know where I'll be spending most of my time now

With the left over money from my £1000, I plan to either purchase or make my own projector screen and get a few more blu-ray discs.

Once our debts have been cleared (or reduced to more manageable levels) need to start saving up for a surround sound system, a cheap HD-DVD player and, most importantly of all, a more comfortable sofa for that room!