Credit Card Therapy

A whole week without a post about selecting a new television. How can this be? Well, I had a bit of a brainstorm which, er, resulted in me purchasing a LCD Projector! Yup... PURCHASED. Lets recap.

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The World Cup kicks off on the 9th June 2006, an event which traditionally requires a new TV to better appreciate the month long festival of football. The 2002 World Cup heralded the purchase of my current 28" Wide Screen CRT, but that has to be replaced (it's practically the law :-) before the big kick off. Search the blog for "Telly Quest" (I must get all those posts placed in a category).

First thoughts were centered on a Plasma TV, then progressed to a LCD TV via a Plasma screen and most recently a massive DLP projection TV. Along the way I toyed with screen sizes ranging from 37" to a quite ludicrous 56" DLP monster (way too big for my living room), and then I had a thought *gasp*.

For the Euro 2004 France v England match (happy memories) I borrowed the data projector from work for the weekend. Hooking the 800x600 pixel 4:3 data projector to the Sky Box we managed a 120" diagonal screen size projected onto a cream coloured wall. The picture wasn't half bad considering the fact that ITV's football broadcasts are regarded as the worst picture quality available in the UK. I also watched a couple of DVDs projected onto our bedroom wall and that's when I thought about checking the affordability of a low end 16:9 home cinema projector.

But what about the promise of HD broadcasts and new DVD formats just around the corner? Well, the more I looked into the technology and where it was heading the more I realised it was all a bit of a mess. Sure in 3 years time HD will be the way to go when it's a mature, proven technology but to buy a HD screen now is, in my opinion, a total lottery. I therefore discounted any "HD Ready" requirement (probably until the 2010 World Cup).

I honed my requirements down to the lowest cost (but scores well in reviews) 16:9 projector with a short throw lens (as I'd decided that it was to be placed in our bedroom). The projector should be as small and light as possible, able to be mounted to the ceiling, low fan noise, good looks with Component Video inputs and, if possible but very rare, RGB Scart. I was concerned about DLP Technology and the dreaded "Rainbow Affect" and concluded that I wouldn't risk it meaning I was looking for a low cost LCD projector. After an extensive search of the AVForums and the choice had been made. The cost of the machine staggered me, out came the credit card and quick as a flash the order was in. Ordered it at 10:20PM last Wednesday night, quickly got a confirmation e-mail followed on Thursday at 11:20AM by a shipping notice and by Friday evening it was delivered. Top service from a company I'd never heard of before (but good feedback on the AVForums) www.oyyy.co.uk.

So here it sits, a Toshiba ET1 16:9 LCD Projector for a total cost of £382 delivered. Certainly not cutting edge (a couple of years old now) but perfect for what I wanted at a price that was worth taking a punt on. First impressions, detailed review and further explanation to follow soon.

Tags: TV HDTV DLP Plasma LCD
Category: TV