Media Center PC/Laptop with Projector

Myosin

Hi there,

I'm looking round for a local group that needs to buy a projector for watching DVD/videsos on a large screen/wall.

They aren't sure whether they need a laptop or a desktop - I've advised that it's obviously cheaper to get a desktop but maybe they're after mobility. I think that Media Center is something they should be looking for and I'm tring to find out if there are ones with a TV tuner as well. Oh btw does anyone know whether NTL cable can be accessed by a TV tuner on a PC??

Anyway, they are after a projector too and this is not something I've dealt with before. Are there deals out there for packages or am I not looking in the rught places beause I haven't found one yet

Lord_Chris

uuuuurrrr..... okay:

1) media centre edition of windows is not NECESSARY, and to be honest, will make very little difference to just using windows XP home. plus, XP home is cheaper, and most desktops and laptops come with it preinstalled to save you buying the license. Media Centre edition doesn't come with most computers.

2) a desktop wouldn't jsut be the better choice in terms of cost, but also because cheap laptops can have trouble playing DVD's.. a desktop its not really an issue.

3)TV tuner (to my knowledge) cannot be connected to cable... however you can use it to recieve freeview by hooking up an aerial to it.

4) the packages (if they exist) will be for businesses / charities / registered organisations *i would think*

i will take a look at whats available and get back to you in a few mins

Lord_Chris

okay, sortof prices for projectors, cheapest i could find was around £400 but the quality of these, i wouldnt know about

savastore
Dabs
Aria
Lowest on Web

had a quick look at Dells website and couldnt see any computers that come with projectors, but as i said thats the sort of thing you would expect to see on their business / organisations part of the site.

I have a feeling you're going to end up buying a computer and then the projector seperatly.

Little_John

A few strange questions for you
You want to watch dvds or videos? so why do they need a PC or laptop? whats wrong with a dvd player or video player/recorder there is no where to put a video cassette on a pc or a laptop.

OK so you want a PC so they can do presentations ect, Media centre isnt required. so dont go wasteing their money buying that, windows XP home one a laptop will be fine if you want to display tv signals then get a USB tv adaptor one that does digital will allow you got pick up freeview channels. dont forget the TV licencing laws when it comes to receiving a TV signal in say a scout hut or other type of location that groups meet the building requires a TV licence. Picking up an NTL signal as far as I know isnt possible without spending silly money on a highend box that allows scart or RCA connectors as in puts from the NTL/sky box.
The only thing to consider is that the drive has a DVD drive of some kind processor performance and memory doesnt really matter but as with every pc/laptop spending a bit more one a better processor and more memory will make things happen quicker and when its being used for showing stuff then you dont want to be hanging arround for too long.

Another problem I have seen using a pc to run a projector playing dvds doesnt actually work you just get a black box with no picture in it. I only had the projector for a few hours and the job was to use it for a powerpoint presentation I was just playing with DVD playback so I proberbly didnt have the video settings set correct.

As for buying a projector I have looked at them and part of buying one is similar to buying a monitor
Resolution similar to a monitor 800x600 (SVGA), 1024x768 (XGA), 1280x1024 (SXGA) or 1600x1200 (UXGA) the higher the resolution the better the picture quality will be higer up the more expensive.
The next thing to look at is brightness it is measured in lumens the higher the number again the better, depending on how large an image you want and what your using to display the image are he 2 main factors to consider. if your image needs to be large for a large room then a low level proberbyl wont cut it. screens are better at reflecting the light so you can get away with a lower light level if your using a screen. your post indicates that your possibly going to be using a wall so I would recomend 2000 lumens as a minimum higher would be better especially if the room wont be darkend.
Another thing is contrast ratio just like an LCD or plasma screen the higher the number the more levels between black and white the higher the number:1 the better the blacks will be I would look for 1000:1 as a minimum for a video display 400:1 id considered ok for PC presentations. the contrast ratio can also seem to be affectd by the light in the room.
With it being mobile weight should also be considered also also check that it has the correct input for connecting to a PC.
Another thing is bulb life, as long as they are treated correctly the bulb should last but being mobile it is not always possible to give them the time to cool down after use so alo check the price of replacement bulbs as they can cost a fair bit.

As for which one to buy thats the million dolllar question there are huge cost diferences between the high end ones and the low end ones hopfully the info above will help you to make an educated decision.

Timmy

How much are you looking to spend and are you planning to buy new or used? I'm a bit of a home cinema nut so depending on your budget I might be able to give you a few pointers.

Most av projectors come with various connections so you can plug in almost anything. Unless you plan to build a dedicated movie based pc then I would suggest you just use a dvd player and a freeview tv box.

babitat

I would only get media center if you are planning on recording tv shows, or require the simpler user interface. Laptops with media center are pretty rare but the Qosmios ranges tend to get good reviews.

You could potentially record fom cable using an IR blaster and the video output from the cable box but I would recommend freeview.

Myosin

It is a charitable organisation but as for the budget I'm not sure - it's not going to be below £1000 though is it realistically?

Thanks for letting me know about Media Center. Yep it is going to be for DVD/Video playback but also some internet streaming video, hence the PC. But what kind of technology would we need for just a DVD/Video and projector or will they just link up?

Also they are looking for a sound system as well to go with it... price to look for I guess is around £1000 though they can break that if it's worth it. They have fundraising so it just needs to be justified (otherwise people won't donate! )

Timmy

I would stronly suggest something like a Sanyo Z4 if buying new or a Z3 if going secondhand. If it were for personal use I would suggest looking at a seconhand Sim2 but they are DLP projectors and some people suffer from what's known as the rainbow effect which basically ruins your viewing so not a good idea for a group of people. The Sanyo's are LCD based and although the black levels aren't so great there's no chance of rainbows.

If you pop over to https://www.avforums.com you will get no end of help and end up with exactly what you need at the right price. We're mostly a friendly bunch over there and always more than happy to help newbies. There is also a very well controlled classifieds section where you can get some very good deals. My current and previous projector came from there as well as half my av kit. It's a lot safer than ebay too!

Myosin

Timmy wrote:

I would stronly suggest something like a Sanyo Z4 if buying new or a Z3 if going secondhand. If it were for personal use I would suggest looking at a seconhand Sim2 but they are DLP projectors and some people suffer from what's known as the rainbow effect which basically ruins your viewing so not a good idea for a group of people. The Sanyo's are LCD based and although the black levels aren't so great there's no chance of rainbows.

If you pop over to https://www.avforums.com you will get no end of help and end up with exactly what you need at the right price. We're mostly a friendly bunch over there and always more than happy to help newbies. There is also a very well controlled classifieds section where you can get some very good deals. My current and previous projector came from there as well as half my av kit. It's a lot safer than ebay too!

that's brilliant i'll definitely be heading that way again soon... but i'm going to ask the guys what exactly they're after so I don't look an idiot when I do ask over there :rotfl:

Myosin

I posted on AV forums but never got a reply to my topic which was clearly too simple for their uber knowledge :rotfl: never mind, I'll be using the info above :beer: and if anyone comes across other deals please let me know cheers

Myosin

OK so the best I can get is a £429 Inspiron 6400 from Dell together with a £459 projector from Savastore above.

Can anyone improve on these??