We have one of these as our 'TV', just projected onto a white wall. The main advantage it has over a large TV is that it's easy to move. Disadvantages are that it is lower resolution, although it's fine for home entertainment. 1080p is on the low end for a productive work monitor.

This particular projector has a very short throw, so you can get a massive screen from just a few feet away. But the larger the screen the less bright it will be and the darker you'll need to make the room, which can limit its use during the day.

It's also a reliable source of heat, which can be an issue depending on the season.

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jansan 7 months ago | parent | next [-]

We also have been using short throw projector instead of a TV for at least 10 years. An obvious advantage is that the screen size can be huge, but as you mentioned on the down side this means that you need a relatively dark room. Also, there is a fan noise, which is not much of an issue if you are watching Terminator 3 on full volume with subwoofer turned on, but may be annoying if you are working in a silent environment.

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Aeolun 7 months ago | parent | prev [-]

At this point you can get quite decent 4k projectors for around $1000. Also usable during the day (though less ideal). For us it was the difference between 3000 and 4000 lumens. Pretty silent too.

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zokier 7 months ago | parent [-]

The problem with cheap 4k projectors is that they are pixel-shifted 1080p projectors. Combine that with DLPs colorwheel tech, and you are relying persistence-of-vision to combine at least 12 frames into one image. It's kinda neat that it works at all, but if you are sensitive for temporal hijinks then its not great solution to all-day use.

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buffington 7 months ago | parent [-]

Do you know of any good write-ups on how this works? I've often thought I was crazy for noticing weird "glitches" when around some of the newest projectors.

I'll see "sparkles" or flashes of a solid color out of the corner of my eye, but never if I try to look directly at the screen to catch it. I chocked it up to some sort of PWM based lighting or something that's more detectable in my periphery because of how cones and rods work. Sounds like I might be close, but not quite?

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brokenmachine 7 months ago | parent [-]

Consider getting your eyes checked - visual field test, etc. I believe sparkles in the periphery can be a sign of glaucoma and probably other nasty stuff. I know you're talking about when looking at a projector but maybe your peripheral vision could be affected and this is how it presents.

	▲	buffington 7 months ago \| parent [-]
		Never bad advice to get your eyes checked, but I may not have described it well enough. I used to see a similar thing with a flatbed scanner that used RGB LEDs instead of a CFL tube. You could often see the flicker of the PWM signal they were likely using to control the brightness of the LEDs as solid flashes of red, blue, or green. GP post said: "if you are sensitive for temporal hijinks" - I think I'm just really sensitive to temporal hijinks, especially in my periphery. I suspect most people are, as our eyes have higher concentration of rods to detect movement in our peripheral vision. I've noticed that the quality of light I get out of a constant current light meant for videography is fantastic and has none of these "temporal hijinks", and I think it's because it simply doesn't flicker. Still - none of this is said to undermine your good advice.