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So your looking to buy a projector so you can
watch the "big game" on a 150" screen huh?
Before laying out your hard-earned cash please do yourself a favor and read the following list which covers the most common scams and misconceptions surrounding the projector market here on eBay.
Before laying out your hard-earned cash please do yourself a favor and read the following list which covers the most common scams and misconceptions surrounding the projector market here on eBay.
- Build your own 150" Projection TV!
Wow! For only $10 to $20 I can build my own projector. Not only that but the projector I make will look like a 100" plasma with all of the lights on and the sun shining through the window!! Hooray!
O...K... Reality check here folks.
These kits, in reality, basically tell you to stick some cheap fresnel lens in front of your TV and cover it up with some cardboard. An image IS projected however it is blurry and unwatchable in even the most mild ambient lighting (not to mention direct sunlight)
It is almost a crime how these people represent their products. Check out the following image. I pulled this directly from one of these scam auctions.
Listen up folks, my father-in-law's $4000 4000ANSI lumen projector doesn't get the performance these screenshots do in ambient lighting. The picture above is an insult to the eBay community and a blatant lie.
- My HD Compatible projector supports a maximum of 1024 x 786
This is another scam we're seeing a lot of here on eBay. There are many projectors claming to be "HD Ready" or "HD Compatible", or even blatantly "HD". The simple fact is to be considered HD compatible the projector needs to display a minimum of 720P which is actually a 16:9 format which is equivalent to 1280 x 720 pixels. Furthermore, for a projector to be considered "HD" and not "HD Compatible" it would need to natively support at least 720P resolution. The native resolution of the LCD panel refers to the actual pixels in the panel itself. Normally the projectors making these claims are either 800 x 600 or 800 x 480 native.
Hmmm... we are wondering how you can support a maximum resolution of 1024 x 786 yet somehow you can display 1280 x 720? The fact is in most cases this is a misrepresentation. Be very careful to read the resolution specifications. If you ask your seller a question and they are dodgy or they speak in tongues, just move on. eBay is a large market and there are plenty of honest sellers (hint hint) that deserve your hard-earned cash more
It is possible to display a compressed picture from an HD signal on these projectors. Another piece of equipment is required; it is called a video processor. Consumer video processors are normally used to display an HDTV signal on an LCD computer monitor. One example of such a processor is the ViewSonic Nextvision N6 .
Note: Sometimes 1024 x 786 is refferred to as XGA. If it only supports up to XGA, it is not HD Compatible.
- Check out these pictures of my projector working in some suped-up home
theater room with all the lights on and the sun shining directly on it through
the windows!
Don't they mysteriously resemble somebody photoshopping a stock photo in the middle of the picture in a blatant attempt to decieve the buyer? That's because they are!
Remember these pictures. Anytime you see projector result photos where the lights are on and the pictures look like a plasma you are in the process of being lied to.Why is it that these rip off artists often use 45pt font in their listings and write in ALL CAPS?? Maybe they even use hundreds of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just an observation really. Is there some sick link between these people and the Caps lock key? That alone should be enough for you to want to avoid these sellers.
Please, even if you don't want to buy a projector from me, FEEL FREE to email me with any related questions you might have.
Guide created: 01/26/07 (updated 09/04/08)
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