cheap projector for xbox...

[gangeli]

Brief background....every year a good friend and I go to a cabin in the woods with our dogs.  We spend the days doing outdoor stuff, but
at night we play video games.  These days its xbox 360.

The last few years we've been using a pretty old projector I got used from work, its prob 6-8 years old:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sharp-Notevision_PG-A20X.htm

I'm thinking I should be able to get a better projector new for a reasonable cost (it only gets used once a year)

Two that I'm checking out currently at amazon (reviews are kinda all over the place)

http://amzn.com/B000FVUK90
http://amzn.com/B003NMW1HC

Might anyone here have any personal experience with either?  Or have something else in that price range that they would recommend?

Obviously, I don't expect to be able to get anything 1080p or the best display ever at that price point.  But I don't want to buy
something that isn't going to be an upgrade from what we are using now.

The display specs seem about the same, the newer ones have hdmi which would be useful.  At the very least I'm assuming
a new light bulb would be an improvement over what we are using now

Any feedback appreciated.

[Purge]

I'd go with 1080p simply to "future-proof".

my 2c.

cnet reviews have way more tech info, in case you're looking for more details on projectors.

[rshetts2]

Not sure what your idea of cheap is but if youre looking for 1080p,  I saw this deal over at slickdeals  and its not too bad.  The Optoma HD20 is a pretty good unit and $650 is a real nice price.  It is a refurbished model but 1080p for under a grand is hard to come by.   heres the link if youre interested:

http://sellout.woot.com/    its woot so its only good for today or until they sell out of course.

[TheAtomicKid]

Might I suggest you pan around looking for a combination of 'LED', and 'DLP' based, projectors. LED lamp means you won't be replacing bulbs on a regular basis, and DLP means you get the clarity of the DLP technology, as opposed to projectors that use LCD panels inside to build the color picture. Or worse, an LCD panel and a color wheel.

I've seen some that meet all the criteria, including 'relatively inexpensive'. and even 'relatively small'... which would be a good combination for something being toted out to a cabin in the woods.

Get it cheap enough, and you could even purchase a backup. Imagine your friends gratitude when, after you're all setup at camp, and for some ungodly reason your projector fails... and you have the backup stuffed in a spare duffel...

Started to link you to newegg, but after you impose LED and DLP on their listings, it only comes out with three... _three_, projectors. That's a bit anemic.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dlp+led+projector&x=0&y=0  I see a couple of potential solutions there, at the very least.

Atomic

[TheAtomicKid]

PS: Remember to test your setup before you get to camp

Atomic

[gangeli]

Thats for the idea about LED.  Seems fairly cheap, yet will get the job done.

I'm looking at this one:
http://amzn.com/B0033QJLQW

most negatives seem to complain about not being bright enough, and needing a really dark room.
Seeing as we are in the middle of nowhere, that isn't a problem. 

While I would absolutely love to be able to spring for a 1080p projector, it's just not in the budget.  Heck,
my tv at home is only 720p