Projector for gaming with relatively low input lag

[mapegl]

So as the topic name already states, I am mostly concerned about input lag. 

I want to be able to watch a move every once in a while, but also actually game on the projector. Many seem to have pretty high input lag and I have a hard time finding the ones with lower numbers.

I don't want anything super fancy, just 1080p and decent brightness for a mostly dark room. Obviously, I do not want to play anything super competetive with that setup, but Dark Souls and Elden Ring require at least decent response times....

Budget....well as low as possible. I was about to buy a used Quest 2, but then decided that a projector would be more fun for more people like with Mario Kart etc. 
I am totally fine with a used unit, but again....very few good reviews, some projectors have no indication of good response times etc.

[mapegl]

...well I ordered one. 

[IPD]

https://www.projectorcentral.com/projector-reviews.cfm?app=7#list

 

p.s.

Asking for projector advice on LTT--from what I've seen--is really barking up the wrong tree.  There aren't many knowledgeable people on that topic--on this forum.

[mapegl]

5 hours ago, IPD said:

https://www.projectorcentral.com/projector-reviews.cfm?app=7#list

 

p.s.

Asking for projector advice on LTT--from what I've seen--is really barking up the wrong tree.  There aren't many knowledgeable people on that topic--on this forum.

Yeah. 

Well I am getting a viewsonic px701HD in a few days. 

It apparently has pretty good input lag with 16ms (actually truly measured) and is quite bright. The unit only has 200h on the lamp and I paid 375EUR with still a year of warranty left. I think that is a good start to get into projectors. 

 

Thank you for the link. I am pretty sure that this won't be my last one. 

[IPD]

My $.02 is that (imho) pixel-shifting will always end up with higher latency than natively-sized chips.  And long-throw projectors are going to usually provide lower latency than UST's.

 

I hope that changes in the future.  For now, a natively-sized chip + laser illumination + UST is still way out of the price range of the average consumer.

 

p.s.

As an Optoma Cinemax P1 owner, I would highly encourage you to consider a laser-illuminated projector for your future purchase.

[mapegl]

14 hours ago, IPD said:

My $.02 is that (imho) pixel-shifting will always end up with higher latency than natively-sized chips.  And long-throw projectors are going to usually provide lower latency than UST's.

 

I hope that changes in the future.  For now, a natively-sized chip + laser illumination + UST is still way out of the price range of the average consumer.

 

p.s.

As an Optoma Cinemax P1 owner, I would highly encourage you to consider a laser-illuminated projector for your future purchase.

Wow. Well that is much more of an investment, but looks amazing  

I am realizing with your post that I have bascially no idea what I am talking about. 
I have no idea what pixel shifting means in terms of projectors....neither if the one I ordered makes use of that nor what it is at all. 
Also....natively-sized chip? 

I feel like when I was 8 and my brother told me we would get a Pentium 100Mhz PC....I was like "Whaaaaaat?"

[IPD]

Well I'm not an expert, but as best as I can describe, (4k) DLP projectors are going to have one of 3 chipsets; .47, .66 or 1.0.  1.0 (native 4k) is insanely expensive as of this moment--and really only for commercial grade market.

 

Consumer grade uses either .47 or .66 chips--though there may be other fringe variants I'm not familiar with.  .66 will generally cost a bit more.  IIRC, .66 uses a 2-way pixel shift, and .47 uses a 4-way pixel shift--to accomplish the 4k image.  Despite the purists who insist on "only TRUE 4k"--the average consumer will very impossibly tasked to find and identify any distinguishable difference between the three--in most cases.  (We're talking international twitch-shooting competition-level in order to see this kind of difference).

 

Links aren't working on this PC, so try searching stuff like ".47 vs .66 DLP chip" or ".47 vs .66 pixel shift".

 

Another factor with projectors--specifically laser ones--is the illumination source.  My P1 uses a single blue laser which is then split.  Higher-end projectors will have 2 or even 3 color lasers.  Laser combines the longevity of LED with the brightness of xenon/krypton/halogen.

 

And yet another factor is light attenuation.  This is where UST's "shine" (pun intended) the most.  That's because the distance between the aperture and the display screen for a long-throw may be 15' or more.  For a UST like my P1, it's a matter of inches.  Since this isn't true laser-light, but rather laser-illuminated full-color-spectrum visible-light--the beam will not be coherent, and therefore prone to attenuation with increased distance; regardless of long-throw, short-throw or ultra-short-throw.

 

Conversely, UST is far less forgiving than a long-throw when it comes to keystoning, squaring an image to the screen, etc.  Certainly not impossible (i did it by hand in about 15 minutes on my setup)--but difficult to make "perfect".  But if you ever get to that point where you have a UST and want pointers on DIY installation--just PM me or make a new thread.  Happy to help.

[mapegl]

Huh.

Interesting. Apparently the one I ordered has the 0.47, however, it is only 1080p so this should be better than with a 4k image? I really don't know what I am talking about. I think I understand what that basically means, but what are implications I will have to anticipate with a lower number than 1? 

I definitely want a UST later for my living room, but for now I guess I should be fine  with the one I am getting. 

Really, thank you for your time and effort to explain some basics to me. Projectors are really badly covered and especially if you want something for a reasonable price....well most people just talk about the craziest new stuff and then they tell me it is "fast" and the image quality is "good". Great...