Affordable Projector owners thread - Egate, Aun, Akey..etc.

[sudokpr]

For someone new to the projector world, this thread is a goldmine of valuable insights. I'm currently caught in a crossroads between a 720p projector and those Full HD Android projectors. Unfortunately, a branded Full HD projector doesn't quite fit my budget.

I've been eyeing the Optoma HD26 which is on sale in this forum, but alas, it is already sold but not updated here. There's a BenQ W1070 for sale, but it's not in my city.

I've tried reaching out to local dealers, but no luck on the demo front. The companies that offer home theatre services might have demos, but I'm not sure if they'd showcase 720p projectors.

I stumbled upon an Acer 720p WXGA projector on Amazon, priced at Rs.30999. However, reviews are a tad scarce, and I'm not certain about its performance.

Considering visiting SP Road (the electronic market in Bengaluru) to scout for other 720p options.

 

[ajuvignesh]

For someone new to the projector world, this thread is a goldmine of valuable insights. I'm currently caught in a crossroads between a 720p projector and those Full HD Android projectors. Unfortunately, a branded Full HD projector doesn't quite fit my budget.

I've been eyeing the Optoma HD26 which is on sale in this forum, but alas, it is already sold but not updated here. There's a BenQ W1070 for sale, but it's not in my city.

I've tried reaching out to local dealers, but no luck on the demo front. The companies that offer home theatre services might have demos, but I'm not sure if they'd showcase 720p projectors.

I stumbled upon an Acer 720p WXGA projector on Amazon, priced at Rs.30999. However, reviews are a tad scarce, and I'm not certain about its performance.

Considering visiting SP Road (the electronic market in Bengaluru) to scout for other 720p options.

Did you check epson full HD projectors with any of the dealers. Epson's price is very good in India.

 

[sudokpr]

Today, I made calls to a few dealers from Epson, BenQ, and Acer and the didn't quite get what I expected. None of them seemed particularly eager to make a sale. Strangely, when I inquired about specific projector details, they lacked immediate information. They all promised to call me back, but as of now, I haven't received a single callback. I obtained these dealer numbers directly from the official brand websites. One of the brands, Acer, has a dedicated pre-sales support line, and the representative's recommendation was surprisingly simple: "Visit offline stores like Croma or Vijay Sales." No effort to explore my requirements or provide insights into various models, just a generic suggestion.

I reached out to Sonic Hifi in Jayanagar, which offers home theatre solutions. They were much more responsive, providing a quote for the BenQ TH585 (a full HD projector) priced at Rs.79990. However, they didn't have any stock available for 720p projectors.

Later I visited a wholesale dealer on SP Road, where I gathered quotes (refer attachment) for various 720p WXGA projectors from different brands. I felt the quotes are better than the online offerings but I am yet to do the actual price comparison.
Interestingly, there was also a store offering refurbished projectors, although they didn't have any full HD projectors available. They did offer to demo a few 720p projectors, but I didn't had time and had to return back. I will make one more visit and checkout the pre-owned ones.

 

[rajeshg_k123]

There are available in olx, with short throw or ultra short throw for 720p and Full HD

www.olx.in/item/optoma-projector-lasershort-throw-iid-1740808634

www.olx.in/item/hd-projector-iid-1740667475

 

[sudokpr]

There are available in olx, with short throw or ultra short throw for 720p and Full HD

www.olx.in/item/optoma-projector-lasershort-throw-iid-1740808634

www.olx.in/item/hd-projector-iid-1740667475

I must have overlooked this post. It appears that they are no longer available. Nevertheless thanks for posting.

 

[sudokpr]

I would like to thank @arnprasad for letting me visit his place and experience a demo of the Acer HD projector. After observing the demo, I became convinced that an HD projector would suffice for my needs. Subsequently, I came across a pre-owned short throw projector at SP Road, the Ricoh PJ WX4241n. It is a WXGA projector for business and classroom purposes. It had 607 lamp hours on it. During my initial visit to the shop, I viewed the demo in daylight, which made it difficult to assess the picture quality. However, I returned in the evening around 8pm, requested that all the shop's lights be turned off, and was able to get a clearer sense of the picture quality, which I found to be decent.

While there were a few scratches on the lens, they didn't seem apparent during the demo. This could be partly attributed to the less-than-ideal setup for the demo and the absence of a proper test video. I played a sample YouTube video that showed no issues, and everything appeared fine. I was particularly pleased with the short throw ratio of 0.4, meaning I could achieve a 100" screen with just a 40" distance. Given that I didn't plan to use this in a dedicated home theater room, this was a significant advantage, as I could position the projector just 3ft from the wall, eliminating the need for long cables.

The shop initially quoted 18k, but I negotiated and eventually paid 16k for the projector, without any receipts or warranties. Upon setting it up at home with a Fire TV stick and playing a movie on Amazon Prime, I encountered an issue—the subtitles appeared smudged. It was then that I realized the scratches on the lens were to blame. While they weren't noticeable during video playback, they became apparent when text was displayed at the bottom of the image. This was disheartening.

I can't fault the shopkeeper, as it's my responsibility to perform due diligence before making such purchases. I attempted to clean the lens with a suede microfiber cloth, but it didn't improve the situation. What I observed is that, since this is a short throw projector, only the upper part of the lens is used to project the image, while the lower part has a cap and remains scratch-free. This led me to an unconventional idea—could I rotate the lens by 180 degrees so that the scratches wouldn't affect the projection path? I searched for YouTube videos on this topic but found no results. When I asked the projector shop if this could be done, they confirmed it was possible. Now, I'm contemplating whether I should take the risk of getting the lens rotated or simply live with the scratches. They aren't bothering me much but I'm still mulling it over.

Overall, I'm content with the purchase, especially considering that I don't plan to use it for serious movie-watching but rather for fun, occasional family movie sessions.

 

[arnprasad]

Congratulations on your purchase....as it always happens in life....you get used to what you have..am sure after a weeks use, you will feel this one is well worth it..which I am sure it is.

 

[sudokpr]

By the way, if anyone wants to see it in action, you're welcome to visit by my place for a live demo!

 

[SAMUEL]

@sudokpr Congratulations on your purchase.
I'm not sure this will work but if your projector is ceiling mountable then for a trial you can try to keep your projector upside down & flip the image in the settings and see. You may have to play around with the tilt/keystone to get a proper image. Doing this you may have a better region of the lens for the subtitles but top portion may still have the slight smudge you mentioned. If possible you can try this option before rotating the lens physically. Cheers.

 

[sudokpr]

Appreciate your suggestions.
Yes, I did switch the projector to ceiling mode and the smudges on the subtitles are no longer visible. The scratched portion of the lens has shifted upwards.
However, if I were to mount the projector on the ceiling permanently, it would require some cable management, which I don't currently have in my setup.
For now, I've arranged a tabletop setup with an old laptop and the projector, which is quite convenient.

Regarding physically rotating the lens, I've decided to live with the scratches. I asked on Reddit if anyone had attempted to rotate the lens, but most responses were negative. They mentioned that the lens is typically keyed into a specific position, making rotation unlikely.

 

[dafreaking]

Does anyone own a Borsso Ultima? I've been looking at some budget options and this seems to tick all the boxes. 95% chance of me mounting this on a ceiling.