Projector buying advice.

[Goldberg]

Howdy,

I am after a projector to play on the SNES and N64 Consoles I have recently acquired.
The projector does not need to be HD nor does it need to have HDMI, I really want something that will give me a big screen for the PAL resolution.

As it will not be used much, I do not want to spend much. Therefore I have been scouring eBay for some bargains.

There appears to be a lot of sellers who are selling on used projectors from Schools etc... Prices are around £40 but no mention on Bulb Life remaining etc..
So, the question is what brand to buy? The sound will come off an external source so not a problem there, but I do not know what to take a punt on... HP, Casio, Epson etc.. etc..

Alternatively I have been looking at the Acer pocket projectors and similar. Again, I am not trying to build a HD 3D cinema here, just simply want to play the SNES/N64 (and whatever old skool console I get next) in a resolution that makes it look decent as new TV's make it look rubbish.
I might occasionally watch the footy on it but watching in SD does not bother me.

[EvilBoB]

Pocket, or 'PICO' projectors are rubbish. You are better off getting a cheap second hand non-hdmi projector with not much lamp life used. For around £150 you get get a non-widescreen projector that is decent and projects around 84 - 102" screen. I used to have an old Compaq one and used it on my 360 with the help of a VGA cable and it was brilliant - even better considering I found the projector in a skip!

The one thing to watch out for is models where the bulb is really expensive. With a lot of older projectors the bulb can be 80 or 90% of the price of the device! Then again at £40 that's only two rounds at the local pub so not going to break the bank and you may get many, many hours of use out of the device.

Nearly all projectors will take a VGA connection too at least so bear that in mind. 800x600 is still a respectable resolution for a device that you don't use all of the time. Try a £40 one and see if you use it - then if you do flog it for £40 and buy as better one if need be.

[Goldberg]

Coolio. Just need to bite the bullet and do it. I want it to sit on a shelf above the bed. About to decorate the room this weekend so wouldn't mind putting all the cables in the wall ready, or at least access to them.

[EvilBoB]

Just remember not to put the power cables through the wall if you do that. Mount a socket close to where the projector will be and use that. If you put power cables from the socket through the wall and back out into the device it invalidates most home insurance

[rIKmAN]

I've got a couple of projectors laying around, couple of Sanyo's IIRC, though I would want a bit more than £40.

Shall I dig out the model numbers and spec sheet see if they suit your old skool needs?

[Goldberg]

Please, does it need to go in BST mods?