Video screens & Projector question

[StylesQ]

Heya guys! Can any of the club owners/AV guys recommend some video gear they're using and happy with? (Brand and model would be appreciated)

It's such a hard decision...there's so many to choose from and I've contacted a few places and get different opinions from the sales people :confused:

Projection screens for club?

Matte White or High Contrast Grey?

4:3 full screeen or go for up and coming 16:9 widescreen?

Un-tensioned or Tensioned?

What's a good viewing size to go with? (Thinkin about 8-12feet wide)

Now The projectors...

Ratio size would depend on the screen and I understand that the music videos are still being produced 4:3 ratio.

I've been told that the "Presentation multimedia" projectors are mainly designed for business presentations whereas the home theatre models are better at producing nicer video images. Any truth to this? Does it matter for a club do u think?

Lumens recommended? I'm seeing everything from 1000 to 5000, and contrasts just as wide-spread. The nightclub it'll be installed in is typical medium-dark ambient nightclub lighting.

Well.. as you can see...it's a big topic to say the least. I'm not entirely sure about the video thing...some people say "nay", some swear by it. I'm willing to give it a go.
If you could give us ALL some advice on good brands and models and maybe a few links to cheap $ sites ...and on the flipside...ones to stay away from, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
StylesQ

[Michael Black]

For high quality for price, I like the Panasonic ax-200's. Their have been some reports of some units being touchy, but so has every other projector. The picture is fantastic for the price. Size depends on the place and install, but I like the wide format 16 x9 even if 4:3 sources need the black border. A roughly 7 foot long by 4 foot high screen is fairly large with a great picture. Keep in mind, the larger screen usually means reduced resolution and you need greater throw distance. Those Panasonics are capable of very short throws to create fairly large projections. I think the 4 foot high would require the projector to be about 10-12 feet back. Screens can be made by stage screen paint for screens but is expensive. You can also buy the bulk screen material or wholesale screens on Ebay. Research the quality and types in relation to what your needs will be.

[rkerdza]

I have had good experiences with Benq projectors. Rugged and inexpensive to maintain. Though, you could ask 15 different people and get 15 different recommendations.

16:9 is the way to go. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you start seeing HD music videos. This way at least you'll be prepared. I think the ones that you buy that are just a manual pull-down screen are the cheapest and easiest to maintain.

Contrast ratios and lumens are hard to gauge. In my experience, having a high contrast ratio will make a projector look brighter than a lower contrast ratio with a higher lumen count. I have a Panasonic HD projector that is rated at 16,000:1 contrast ratio and 1600 lumens that I think is brighter than the 1700 lumen Benq projector at 2000:1 contrast ratio. It may also have something to do with the technology: My Panasonic uses LCD optics while my Benq uses DLP technology. In general, you shouldn't need anything really bright if you're operating at night with a minimum of outside light.

Don't pay attention to the whole "Presentation Multimedia"/"Home Theater" thing. Those are just labels. I would be more concerned with the raw specs than the classification. Make sure you are getting something with at least 720p resolution if you're going to be using it with any kind of broadcast quality HD signal or music videos on DVD (a la Promo Only). Otherwise, the higher the resolution on the computer end, the better off you'll be. 1024x768 I think would be adequate. 1280 by 1024 would be better. If you're using music videos, they're more than likely coming off a computer.

You should also pay attention to the number and types of inputs that you have on your projector. Get something that allows you some flexibility. 2 component video is good. One or two computer ins (SVGA, DVI or both, DVI can be converted to SVGA, usually with an included converter) would be good as well. Almost all with have S-video, composite video or both. If you're really looking to the future, at least one HDMI input would be a nice addition to the list. At the present time, the only way you'll get a real boost from HDMI is if you're using a Blu-ray player.

[Jallen0]

I
16:9 is the way to go. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you start seeing HD music videos. This way at least you'll be prepared.

I disagree with this statement. At least if you are looking to play any music videos that are older than...well today. They are all mostly formatted in a 4x3 format and any type of library that is started today will use this. I have over 8000 videos (been doing 100% video for 5 years) and they are all mostly 4x3. Yes there are 16x9 videos in there, but even videos being released to day are 4x3.

For what's it's worth I use the NEC NP60's in clubs and my mobile shows. I use tension screens if the screen hangs in the open air, and non-tensioned screens if I can place it against the wall. You would be amazed at how much air flow happens above the heads of your customers.

I use at least a 2500 lumen projector, but 2000 would work in a nightclub. Also, the contrast ratio is important, get 2000:1 minimum.

The last issue is the "throw" of the projector. 12 - 15 feet is normal, 3-5 feet is short throw. If you have the space it doesn't matter that much.

Hope this helps.

[bigbeat]

If u r interested, I have a brand new projection screen (still in box) and a very nice projector that I'm selling cheap! I haven't really used them enough to keep them.

[rkerdza]

Jallen,

You don't think, say, another 5-7 years out they won't start releasing everything in 16:9? I just thought it better to be prepared for the future rather than have to install all new equipment once a switch happens. Like I think was said in another post, if a video is 4:3 native, the system will either stretch the image out to 16:9 or letterbox it, depending on the settings of your projector.

[Jallen0]

Jallen,

You don't think, say, another 5-7 years out they won't start releasing everything in 16:9? I just thought it better to be prepared for the future rather than have to install all new equipment once a switch happens. Like I think was said in another post, if a video is 4:3 native, the system will either stretch the image out to 16:9 or letterbox it, depending on the settings of your projector.

I agree with that, but in that time you would have gone through a re-design. There is no harm in doing 16x9 now, it's just that the overwhelming majority of videos out there today are 4x3 standard def videos. None of the major distributors are releasing any videos in HD, but all of them do release the videos in both 4x3 and 16x9 formats.

[rkerdza]

That's true too. Especially in a nightclub environment. If it were more of a sports bar or tavern environment then the recommendation could be different. It probably is better to go with 4:3 at this point and in this situation.