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First Review: $499 BoxTV Home Theater Projector

gizmodo.com — Can you really get a good home theater projector for $499? That's the promise of the BoxTV Home Theater Projector, a 640x480 LCD unit that we've seen advertised in some places on the Web for $349. Hey, that's cheaper than a replacement bulb on most other home theater projectors.

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tempamatic 1 year 46 days ago, made popular 1 year 45 days ago

421 diggs
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deadbaby, on 10/11/2007, -0/+18You can spend a little bit more and actually get a quality product. I bought an In-Focus SP5000 720P projector for $650 about 6 months ago. The image quality is excellent and the contrast levels are acceptable. (still not perfect black tones but good enough)
- bstock, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Yeah, here's a nice BenQ projector with WAY better specs then the BoxTV every category I looked at. Only $50 more.
  
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889106009
- tgunner, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8InFocus IN72 480p 16:9 LCD projector with HDMI input: $449 after rebate.
  http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2168974&CatId=1755
  I also remember when woot had this thing for ~$400. An excellent price at either place. I guarantee it is at least 2x better than the BoxTV in any aspect.
- orielbean, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I also have the sp5000 - came w/ a 72 inch screen too. I love it. Does the job for less than 700 bucks. Easy to setup and the remote receiver is very functional. Projectors are awesome if you have the right application for them. Beware your home setup if you don't have strong light control like thick blinds or doors to close off the living room - a weak projector will look washed out and will irritate you to no end. The HD100U is very good as well, and the AE9000U by Panasonic is even better - all are less than 1000.00.
  
  Be careful on replacement bulbs - those can be expensive, and the avg life of a bulb is about 2000 hours - which can add up fast. But I still love projectors vs flat screens at this point.
- j0c1f3r, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Tah Dahhhhhh!!!!!!!...... http://www.lumenlab.com/store/ thank me later guys...k......
- j0c1f3r, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Or like me ...just build your own...
  http://www.lumenlab.com/diy/#media
- philba, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2There are a lot of really decent and inexpensive PJs out there. For home use, I suggest getting one of the newer 16x9 720p PJs. I would not go below 720p. Take a look at http://www.projectorcentral.com/home.cfm Lots of great information and reviews on that site. The projector calculator is really great for figuring out if a given PJ will fit you room. Go to "find projectors" and do a search for 16x9, 720p, price max of $2000. It comes up with 8. The street prices are often quite below the list price. One model that stands out is the Mitsubishi HD1000U - I saw at least one street price of 800. Good brightness and contrast. With those specs, it looks like a real winner.
cptshamrock, on 10/11/2007, -5/+4Too bad its not HD.
- tycsteel, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13Too bad it sucks!!!
- mpdickso, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2look under specs on their site
  
  Resolution: 640x480 (native), 800x600, 1024x768
- betterth, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8Did you read the review mpdickso?
  
  It uses terrible upconverting (or something) to go above native and the quality is absolutely horrendous. You can really only run it at native, and it's no where near HD or HD quality.
- keyboardduder, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9too bad its windows 98 resolution.
neiltc13, on 10/11/2007, -8/+4Too bad it's not WIDESCREEN given that ALL TV shows are 16:9 these days!
thedarkrabbit, on 10/11/2007, -6/+6too bad I can't think of something better to say here...
majortom1981, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2If your going to get a projector at that horrendous resolution why not buy that kids projector for $200 -$250?
jcims, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Buy two, get some polarizers and voila! 3D home movies! (Well, you still need two cheap video cameras too)
MoeWasHere, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4FTA:
"So let's revisit that question we asked at the beginning: Can you really get a good home theater projector for $499? No. – Charlie White"
ClarkLab, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I want video/audio showing the fan noise
- ronsii, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1so the fans a little loud it would still be great for the over 80's crowd that worked in a machine shop and now they can't hear anyway.
TheKillDoctor, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3The Lumenlab projector beats this one hands down and it's only $499
ExtremeRyno, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I'm glad I did not purchase this when I first saw it on the net. I was going to purchase it for a classroom as an alternative to the Dell projectors used by the district which cost around $1500. I would have been shot if I'd gone through with it. Hooray for good reviews!
chemman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4I just bought the Mitsubishi HD1000U, it is a 720P projector and will only run you around $800 if you shop around. I've been using it for about two months now and I love it. For a budget projector the quality is very good. The black levels are quite good and the picture looks fantastic on my 106" GooScreen. Using the GooScreen (painted the screen directly on my wall and framed it in) my whole setup was only around $1000.
ahhell, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3640x480

What a piece of crap.
tonyscha, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Why would you digg this? Its a good review on a bad product!
diggernaught, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3The only positive thing this digg is bringing is discussion about projectors that are good.
Error601, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Gets a digg because it will keep people from getting screwed by a restocking fee scam.
popfrogs, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1640x480 resolution. Welcome to Windows 95.

Buried as lame, I suggest you do the same.
- danz740, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5640x480 has nothing to do with Windows 95... It's 4:3 or 480i or 480p, just like most Non-HD TV projectors.
- philba, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0Dude, you have a serious case of "shoot the messenger-itis". Think about what you are saying. It should stand out as a warning to people that might get sucked in by a seemingly good deal.
  
  I come to digg tempamatic, not to bury him. apologies to willy s.
Touchdown, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Another vote for the InFocus IN72 for $400 after rebate. Check woot.com often for this baby
Elfman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Even the 2 generation old InFocus SP4805 (can be found for $300 or less on eBay or Craigs list) would whip this projector up and down the street.)
jsmrekar, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0What about a beowulf cluster of these?
Will it blend?
Buu700, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1haha that's pathetic. and the price... waay overcharging, even if it was a decent projector... very soon, I'm going to be selling 720p projectors for $350 each, and i'll post it on digg when i do (I'm also going to try to get an engadget review... anyone know how i'd do that?). Here's my website that's currently under construction: http://ryanlesterstore.com
richduper, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Yep, poor me, I bought that piece of crap direct from LumenLabs manufacturer before they released it. It had lots of problems with the menus and getting stuck in auto-adjustment loops, and the bulb protection circuit would cut off the light unexpectedly sometimes. Then one day it would light up with a blue screen, but no menus.

It's now working as a $600 doorstop. That closet door ain't never swinging open by itself any more. Best doorstop ever!
billizm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Let me sum it up for you:
It sucks, do not get it.
Sideburn, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Can you really get a good home theater projector for $499? Prolly, but I don't think BoxTV Home Theater Projector is it.
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First Review: $499 BoxTV Home Theater Projector

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