Projector replacement or TV?

Hello MHV Committee,

I was thinking about trying to restart the conference talk videos and discussions that we enjoyed earlier in the year, if anyone is interested. This would require a projector or TV. Are there any plans to get another projector or TV for the space?

Thanks, Monika

1 Like

Not that Iā€™m aware of. If youā€™d like to do some research on our options, Iā€™d be happy to bring it to the next committee meeting.

Thanks for your response Paul.

I am not sure of the budget we would be looking at, but here are a couple of options I have found and pros/cons that the committee might like to consider.

Projector :movie_camera:
Pro - More portable than a TV (can be moved upstairs and downstairs with relative ease).
Con - Good models are expensive. Cheaper models, with lower lumens are difficult to see in the daylight.

$549 BenQ MX525 Full HD 3D Projector: http://www.mwave.com.au/product/benq-mx525-full-hd-3d-projector-ab61184?gclid=Cj0KEQjw4NmvBRCRp_yu2bzal4YBEiQAWfjpJuV6U5Q0fFqb2Kwwcfz8C6-pPTg_G2R_kU6PukUtmfcaAmNM8P8HAQ

TV :tv:
Pro - Easier to see in daylight. Lower maintenance costs (no bulbs to replace). Quieter. Play files straight from usb.
Con - Difficult to move around. Smaller screen.

$599 Kogan 55" LED TV (Full HD): https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-55-led-tv-full-hd-zc/

If these kind of options are too expensive I can keep an eye out on gumtree etc.

If anyone else has any ideas/suggestions please post them :smile:

1 Like

Iā€™m completely out of touch on projectors these days. The other consideration is the TV is 1920x1080 whereas the project is 1024x768.

The other consideration for a projector is its focusing ability at close range. We donā€™t have a great spot upstairs IMHO and some projectors seem to throw well at close distances than others.

This one is 1920x1080 and throws 92" image from 2.3m to 3.1m: http://www.mwave.com.au/product/benq-w1070-full-hd-3d-projector-ab61192

The MX525 apparently throws 84" from from 3.2m to 3.5m: http://www.justprojectors.com.au/mx525.htm

Now Iā€™m lost again, and paralyzed with choice :slight_smile:

I would be keen for a large LCD panel for upstairs.
My thought would be mounting it in the corner opposite the soldering desk, facing towards the kitchen.

I think that would work but perhaps when i look more closely at the space next time i am there it may not work.

Then if things all work out with that one perhaps get a 2nd unit downstairs mounted to the wall or hung from the ceiling. That is of course if it is completely secure down there with the recent security upgrades.

If it had to end up being a projector, then yes defiantly a wuxga (1920x1200) or 1080p with short throw would be the go.
Also an ultra short throw one (>1m from screen) would be nice but i suspect would be a bit too pricey.

Need to see if we can do any real ā€œmountingā€, what with the asbestosā€¦

yep, either mount it to that metal pole (one of those exist right!?) or get a pedestal stand made up.

Had a look at MHV this evening, and i think making up some attachment that can clamp to the metal support pole would probably work,

This is a good plan @mon - perhaps we can get things happening on the working bee on the 31st Oct?

Big TV is also less prone to damage from people who donā€™t know about leaving projectors idle for a few minutes after use.

OTOH TV is bulky and easily dropped!

Once IKEA opens, Lack TV table 90x26x45cm for $20. It is basically built of cardboard but fine for this very specific task. No need for brackets and modifications to the building.

Shelf provides storage space for the bubble wrap envelope.

It was great to catch up and have a chat on Tuesday. Thanks everyone for all the ideas you have shared! :smile:

I havenā€™t yet had a chance to research additional options (models/costs), but as soon as I get this sorted Iā€™ll post them here.

So, I have finally pulled together some options. I was going for the largest tv for our money, but when I checked these against Choiceā€™s scores they werenā€™t so great (they tend to only recommend tvs over 70%). I can send the Choice results if this would be useful for the committee.

I have put some options for projectors down (thanks to @csirac2_ and @batau . They are much more expensive than the TV options. I have excluded anything with a resolution below 1920x1080.

I am really excited to get this progressed so we can start playing videos, have presentations from MHV people etc. Please let me know if thereā€™s anything else I can do to help.

TVs
I have nominated the largest (known name brand) tvs that I have found within our budget.

Projectors

1 Like

The Ikea stand sounds good - I think Ikea might be really busy when it opens though. Only for the brave? :smile:

The bigger the better IMHO, so we should get the 48" Samsung. If weā€™re successful for the grant matching in February we could get a decent project & screen for downstairs then.

Just out of curiosity, were any Kogan models reviewed? Their 55" TVs seem outrageously cheapā€¦ $679 to $1199.

No, they didnā€™t review any Kogan models :frowning: I have no experience with them either, so maybe online reviews could be helpful.

Did the reviews include things like HDMI DEC which allows the DVD/computer to control volume of playback?

Choice reports ā€˜HDMI controls other devicesā€™ on those TVs.

This may or may not mean volume control from device works, so best to check manual i suspect.

I know from a project I did at work; i could use HDMI CEC to control Sony TVs to do a number of things but EXCEPT volume.

1 Like

mon, thanks for your work here. should we take a vote on these options or just just decide among the committee?

Iā€™d rather avoid an on-line voteā€¦ itā€™s an amplifier for bike-shedding :slight_smile: IMHO if we can decide among the committee, that would be preferable; if necessary, we can do an in-person vote at a Tuesday meet. Particularly as Iā€™d like to include a separate downstairs display solution in our stronger communities grant application in February, which I hope will address concerns that a TV isnā€™t portable for larger downstairs audiences.

Just to make an update: I intend to harass the rest of the committee on whether we can buy the Samsung UA48J6200, Iā€™m just waiting for feedback from Samsung on brightness and contrast ratio specs.

1 Like