Hi,

Can anyone explain the ins-and-outs of video projectors. I was thinking of getting one instead of a wide-screen TV, to play DVDs etc, but I'm confused by all the jargon

e.g. what's ANSIlumens rating, how long to bulbs last and what do they cost to replace, what's the quality like compared to a decent TV, how much is a good one, what size room do I need, should I buy second-hand, etc, etc

Any advice much appreciated...

Have received a PM about this - many thanks

Can anyone else offer some advice? Does anyone own one - what do you think of them?

There's answers to some of your questions here (http://www.videoprojectors.co.uk/whichone.html) . I don't know what your setup is going to be, but I was looking at buying one last year.

I've got smallish living room and wanted a big screen with a small footprint. It came down to either a projector or a plasma screen. I got a plasma in the end. Main reasons for my decision - simplicity (it's my living room after all and not a special cinema room), price and the contrast - like I say, it's my living room, I can't black it out all the time!

We recently had an Epson LCD projector at work that stopped working, the replacement bulb was about £395, but a replacement bulb alone did not cure the fault! we found that Epsom would not supply us any spare components in order to repair the projector ourselves, but would only offer a return to base via courrier repair.