the lamp on my DLP tv has been running kind of dim lately. now, i will be the first to admit that i run my DLP tv in torch mode. i know that some may cringe at what i’m about to say, but brighter is better. my tv is especially high, so the viewing angle isn’t ideal. as such, to compensate, i’ve tilted the tv slightly down, but the extra brightness combats the unfortunate viewing angle.

following the instructions found online on how to change a samsung dlp lamp, i was able to quickly replace the lamp of the tv and get it up and running.

the swap was pretty easy and i was done in no time. now i’ve got a new lamp installed in the tv and it’s as good as new. actually, i’m running in a little less than torch mode now and it is still brighter than before.

now i just have to wait for the projector to come to complete the home theatre experience.

i have been thinking about purchasing a projector for a long time now. it’s been a long time since i first started looking into the buy. naively, i thought that i would be able to quickly decide which projector i wanted to get and just buy it. it turns out that like any major purchase, there is a lot of research that needs to be done to make a smart buy.

originally, i was thinking about getting a 720p projector. it seemed like a good idea. it’s a good value buy as 720p projectors seem to have fallen out of vogue and are at rock bottom prices. would the difference between a 720p projector and a 1080p projector really be noticed? it turns out that for the size screen that i’m getting, and the distance from the screen i am at, you actually CAN make a difference.

this decision was not quite that simple, though. what put me over the top and make the plunge to the 1080p projectors was that my company had decided to close its doors. in doing so, they are letting all of us go and giving us severance packages. it is with this severance package that i decided that once i secure a new job, i can make the plunge.

well, it’s the end of the month, the company is out of business, and the severance package should be on its way. so here i am making the purchase.

the details of the buy are after the jump if you are really so inclined.

Continue reading the projector buy →