Anybody using either of these projectors?

[ks-man]

Both of these 1080p short throw projectors are highly rated on Amazon and seem reasonably priced. Was wondering if anybody has one of them and their opinions. These projectors seem better and far cheaper than what is offered on Par2Pro although I'm not sure if those prices are old. Thanks.

Optoma GT1080 - $699

BenQ HT 1085ST - $889

[Dax]

I use the 1080st, which is the predecessor to the 1085st. It is a pretty good projector that gives a pretty good image; however, I do wish it were brighter. I know others say it is just fine, but for me I am happy with it especially for the price, you just need to know that it is not on the bright side. I use Cory's screen (12 by 9 approx) and so this is not the issue as I am not sure there are screens out there with better gain.

The 1085st does have slightly more lumens, but I don't think the change would add much more.

[inorkuo]

I have the optoma gt1080. it does not have a zoom feature so you have to be exact with your mounting location. I have mine directly above my hitting sensor about 8ft high and it needs to be tilted upwards to hit my screen which is 9 ft away.

[Joko]

yeah i have the 720p version and was quite frustrated with the lack of zoom function. silly me for assuming all PJ's should have zoom functions.

Otherwise it works pretty well. I would definitely make sure to have a zoom feature though, just for ease and flexibility of orientation.

Inorkuo; I've been considering mounting mine higher, as it's almost in danger distance right now, and raising it higher I would need to tilt it upwards and use keystoning, is that how you are doing that and how has it worked so far?

[inorkuo]

the higher the pj the less upward tilt you need. ceiling mount = upside down pj. the optoma seems to have a lot of vertical shift compared to others. I can't raise mine more because my netting on top gets in the way so I have to tilt up and use keystone correction.

[ks-man]

I have the optoma gt1080. it does not have a zoom feature so you have to be exact with your mounting location. I have mine directly above my hitting sensor about 8ft high and it needs to be tilted upwards to hit my screen which is 9 ft away.

That's a good point regarding zoom. Obviously mounting would be much easier and give more options if you can move it. Can you tell that in the throw ratio if there is a range of numbers vs. a single number (like the Optoma only has one number)?

I saw this Acer projector which is only slightly more and has 3000 lumens as compared to the BenQ's 2200. Still is under $1000.

[inorkuo]

projector central shows 0.5 - 3.4. I can measure my setup to get exact numbers but my pj is about 9ft back and gives me an image about 14ft wide. I'm using 16:9 with tgc and protee.

[ks-man]

One other question. My room is likely to require a 4:3 screen. Would that mean I'm better off considering something like one of these 1280x800 Projectors (still not native 4:3) or is a 1080p projector fine and I just change the output resolution to something that is 4:3?

[Joko]

I would get a PJ that is capable of 16:9 incase you decide you like that look better depending on the software you use. I initially had optishot and 4:3 seemed fine, but with TGC I'm probably going to be using 16:9, my screen is 10x9 so I know I'll be offset, and will lose some picture size but that should still be plenty.

[mthunt]

I have the BenQ like Dax. He's right. It's super clear but could be brighter. Sim rooms are never bright anyway so it's fine. I like it a lot.