I'm interested in starting my LL PJ, but wondering what kind of continuous use it can withstand. It doesn't seem like it would have problems with 6-8 hour sessions just about daily, but wanted to hear from others that may use their projector for extended periods of time.

I myself don't use watch TV/play games for that length of time (unless I can lay out of work a few days), but with two other people living with me, I didn't know if I'll have any problems with this thing on for quite a while most every day, especially if I ditch my TV and go completely with the PJ. My roomate works 3rd shift and gets home as I go to bed, so it wouldn't be unusual for it to be on 12+ hours some days.

Thanks for the input!

As a side note, i'm planning on getting the bulb and ballast from LL, and nothing too fancy on the design.

I often (2-3 times a week) run my PJ for 8+ hours a day... actually today mine has been on since 1:30pm and probably won't shut it down until 10-11pm. On a couple of occations it's been 12+ hours, but generally 4-6 hours on a daily basis.

The S400DD lamps are designed to be turned "off" for only 15-minutes a week, so I don't think the bulb time should be a concern.

gs

Yup, here too. On workdays my PJ gets about 2 hours of use daily, on weekends 6-8 hour run times are not unusual. And when my brother's around (who literally stays up all night sometimes) there's even the occasion 24+ hour run time as he takes over the 'pilots seat' just as I'm getting to bed...

6+ hours evertday. TV and Movies for over ayear now..

Sweet! that's exactly what I wanted to hear

Does the phrase "Lord of the Rings Marathon" mean anything? All 3 extended editions, back to back. Special features discs too.

"Lord of the Rings Marathon" means nothing, unless you did it in the theater like I did Now that was a true marathon.

True it was not the extended edition of the third one (since the marathon only ran the night the third one came out) but still, 12+ hours in the theatre, not counting waiting in line has got to count for something... oh wait, it did: a sore ass and a little "gift" that they gave us of a stand with a cell from each of the 3 movies... pretty cool till my boss accidentally knocked it off my desk and broke it

After that experience, I'd have to say that I honestly would never do that again for any other movies that I can think of, and once was enough for LoTR. At least at home you can pause for food/bathroom!

Pfffft no way man, watching movies on your 100" projector screen and 6.1 DTS surround sound in the comfort of your own home blows the movie theater away any day of the week. A few advantages to watching movies at home are, you don't have to deal with all the annoying 14 year olds making stupid noises and laughing at every scene in the movie, you can pause the movie if you need to, no expensive popcorn or soda, WAY WAY more comfortable seats at home, you can dress however you want at home, no sticky floors, no big heads in the way of the screen, no awcward seating, no overcrowding, you can go to the bathroom without missing anything in the movie, you can control the room temperture, man the list goes on as to why it's better watching movies at home.

(oh I see you do prefer movies at home )

Or undress anyway you want

My projector has replaced my main TV as the family television. We watch it with lights on. Basically, it is a 72 inch television set. Works great.

That's awesome, Phutton. That's pretty much what I want to do, and I would probably have some ambient light, so glad to hear it still does the job.

Does the job great. You want to keep the overall image around 72 to 80 inches diagonal (assuming 4:3 aspect ratio) to keep it bright enough to give a good image with ambient light on. That actually is a pretty good size since it allows you to use standard 4' by 8' board to build your screen. I would recommend Polywall for the screen. It works great. Do a search on it in here and the AVS forum to get more info on it.

Another thing you will have to concern yourself with if you plan to use it as the family TV is your placement and light control. You want to place the screen such that no light shines directly on it. Light can shine in the room with no problem, but any direct lighting on the screen kills the blacks and contrast. Your colors will still look good though. The darker the walls, ceiling and floors the better. Dark walls allow indirect lighting in the room without a lot of reflection onto the screen. My carpet is dark green, but my walls and ceiling are white. Still, I have a good image with all the lights on.

One final tip. When you build your screen, you should recess the screen about an inch or more inside a black border. The more the better. The black border blocks ambient light from reaching the screen, so that most of the light that reaches it will be from the projector. The greater the recess the more ambient light that is blocked by the border. If done properly, the screen will look light a huge plasma TV.

One of these days I will get pictures up of my setup to show everyone. I don't have a digital, so I have to do it the hard way. Reqular camera, Walmart developing and CD.

Another thing to think of. In some ways it is better than a plasma TV. My projector is ceiling mounted so I don't have to worry about the kids breaking it. My screen is simply framed Polywall and a black cloth border. So if the kids write on it and throw stuff at it while playing (which they have done), it does not damage it or is easily replaced. I would be a nervous wreck if it were a plasma TV. As is, I can relax.