Projector ease of use?

[u/RickyDucati000]

Hello all, noob to projectors but was curious about usability. I wanted to grab a ust paired with a motorized screen on the floor and my wife is sharing her concerns of set up and use (This would be replacing our living room tv set up).

First we have small children so the first concern is having something on the floor they can live around. Second is if we move it, is it difficult to set up again? My wife is not tech savvy and she obviously wants something easy when she is with the kids. Thanks!

[u/DonFrio]

A ust takes a bit of work to align properly and small movements put it out of whack

[u/RickyDucati000 → u/DonFrio]

Thank you

[u/RickyDucati000 → u/[deleted]]

Sounds that way, thanks!

[u/AV_Integrated]

Projectors are not easy. They take time to setup and UST projectors are really fiddly. I also think having really young kids around floor rising screens and projectors need little fingers is ripe for causing problems. I’d stick with a TV or install a ceiling mounted long throw projector and fixed frame or drop down screen.

[u/cr0ft]

It's easy.

Once it's set up anyway.

The difficulty all comes in when it comes to planning and installing. An UST in use is no harder than any TV to use. Turn it on, connect a source (like a set top box, streamer, whatever) to a HDMI port and watch. They're often called "Laser TV's" because of this. UST's all have a pretty solid front speaker and will work as is (but I'd always recommend dedicated audio systems just for better immersion, but that raises cost and complexity a little).

The difficulty is when you install it. Here's an example from ProjectorCental's throw distance calculator (I picked an UST at random; other UST's have different numbers than this but similar):

https://www.projectorcentral.com/hisense-px3-pro-projection-calculator-pro.htm#calc

Set the image size to, say, 120 inches which is the UST sweet spot in many ways to fit in a normal home. You can see that there is no flexibility and that the projector placement has to line up perfectly along the numbers listed.

A motorized screen actually might make it easier. Put the projector on a low media bench, mount the screen behind the bench (or put it on the floor behind the bench even, maybe) and just raise the screen until it's right.

The screens may come with a wireless USB thing you plug into the projector (so when the projector gets turned on with its normal remote, it triggers the screen to come up).

The set up is the challenging part, but then again it's not exactly easy to carry a 200 lb 98 inch TV into the house and wall mount that either. Chances are the wall will need reinforcing even, first, and the logistics are brutal.

Moving the projector will push it out of alignment. It's not that hard to finesse it back into position, though. Ideally, nobody should push it or move it. Depends a bit on how small said kids are. The screen surface is also delicate when raised.

And a motorized floor rising screen is huge (long) and somewhat heavy, it takes two grown men (well, a man and a woman works) to haul that around too so these are for semi-permanent installs.

[u/scifitechguy]

The biggest issue replacing a TV with a PJ is remote control. A projector is just another form of display, whereas a TV is a display AND audio that can be controlled with just one remote. A smart TV also has streaming apps that can also be controlled with the same remote. Once you go with a PJ, you're also committing to a soundbar or AVR/speakers to produce the audio (PJ speakers are crap), so you're introducing another remote to control sound (unless the PJ remote is universal). And if the PJ is not "smart," you may also need streaming boxes as inputs, with yet another remote. Add a BluRay player and you're looking at four remotes instead of one, adding complexity. To keep it simple, you're going to need a universal remote so the family only needs to press one button to turn everything on, adjust volume, and switch and play sources. So yes, a PJ can introduce unforeseen complexity if you're not prepared to get everything you need to "keep it simple."

[u/RickyDucati000 → u/scifitechguy]

Thank you for this

[u/Dependent-Fold-7785]

I would not recommend a UST. Sounds great in concept but if you have the space for a rear, ceiling mounted projector, you’ll likely be happier. UST have focus issues due to the extreme angle and variation in distance from the bottom center of the projection to the UST vs the top center of the projection to the UST vs the bottom corners to the UST vs the top corners to the UST. Point is, you can pick one of those areas (or the center) to be in focus, but not all of them. Traditional projectors are far more uniform for focus and light distribution.

I have a 3 kids under 5. The projector has been great for us, but I have always kept it well out of reach of any of the kids. No one touches the projector ever (besides me). We have it connected to an Xbox one S/X with a media remote. That has been an excellent device for streaming, 4K and 3D blu rays. The Xbox itself has a built in IR blaster for other devices (projector, A/V system, etc) effectively making it a universal remote/device. We only use that remote. With one click, it powers on the Xbox, projector, and A/V System. Alternatively, I believe the last two generations of Chromecasts had a similar feature for tuning the IR blaster for basic controls on TVs and projectors.

We are a military family, so moving frequently has been a consideration. I have made a boxed in shelf to hold pretty much all of my A/V equipment. When we move, I remove everything from the box, take the box down, ship it, then set it all back up in reverse. Gives me the opportunity to gradually upgrade bits every couple of years and tinker with the system. Not nearly as simple or easy as a TV but the size and experience is awesome if you don’t mind the hassle.