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bibi1968

bibi1968 May 18, 2025, 8:24 p.m.

Help me find the best projector under 500 for my country house movie nights

I just inherited my grandparents' old farmhouse and I'm trying to set up some entertainment for when family visits on weekends. The main living room has this huge blank wall that's perfect for projecting movies. I have no clue what projector to get that won’t break the bank. The house is from the 1940s, so the electrical is older and there are power surges during storms. The room is pretty large, maybe 15x20 feet, with high ceilings and windows on two sides that let in a lot of afternoon sun. I'm planning family movie nights with kids and adults. I also want to watch football games during hunting season when all the guys come up. The current TV is an ancient 32" that nobody can see from the couch across the room. I tried researching projectors online, but every review seems fake and sponsored. The budget is tight since I already spent a ton fixing up the old place. But I really want something decent that'll last more than a year.

Main needs: bright enough to see with some daylight coming through old windows, handles temperature changes since house gets cold in winter and hot in summer, reliable brand that won't die from power fluctuations, good for both kids movies and sports viewing, simple setup since nearest tech support is probably 50 miles away.

BLACKS

BLACKS May 19, 2025, 12:15 a.m.

Old farmhouse electrical will fry cheap electronics fast. Get a good surge protector before you plug anything expensive in or you'll regret it

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Saires

Saires May 20, 2025, 1:42 p.m.

Country house movie nights are the best! We do same thing at our cabin. Nothing beats watching movies on big screen with family away from city distractions

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anastasssa

anastasssa May 20, 2025, 10:30 p.m.

Afternoon sun through windows will wash out any projector picture. Invest in blackout curtains first or projector is useless during day

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Nj

Nj May 23, 2025, 6:11 p.m.

Been really happy with our ViewSonic PA503W at the lake house - handles the temperature swings and power issues better than cheaper models we tried before, plus bright enough for evening viewing even with some ambient light

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Incorrect. please again.

Incorrect. please again. May 25, 2025, 11:04 p.m.

farmhouse with high ceilings is perfect for projector setup! Mount it high and angle down for best picture. Jealous of your space honestly

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KwintoTech

KwintoTech May 29, 2025, 4:26 p.m.

Throw distance in big room means you can get massive screen size. Measure twice and use online calculator to see what size you can actually achieve

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BruceGonza

BruceGonza June 3, 2025, 10:19 p.m.

lol hunting season movie marathons sound awesome. nothing better than watching action movies after long day outdoors. make sure audio is loud enough for group viewing

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10101010

10101010 June 5, 2025, 12:40 a.m.

Plus old house walls are thick so you can crank volume without bothering neighbors. City folks don't understand country entertainment

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Dogma7

Dogma7 June 7, 2025, 7:12 p.m.

Hunting camp movie nights hit different. Tried watching john wick trilogy last year and guys loved it. Beats sitting around talking about the one that got away

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motion

motion June 9, 2025, 11:41 p.m.

Power fluctuations in rural areas will kill electronics. Learned this expensive way with first projector. Now everything goes through UPS battery backup

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ShallNoy

ShallNoy June 14, 2025, 2:27 p.m.

Facebook marketplace in rural areas sometimes has amazing deals. Farmers buy stuff then never use it. Found incredible projector for half price that way

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Warm

Warm June 15, 2025, 8:03 p.m.

Make sure whatever you get has good throw ratio flexibility since old farmhouse rooms have weird layouts and you might need to position projector in odd spots to clear beams and furniture

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NG

NG June 20, 2025, 11:49 a.m.

We ended up with NEBULA Capsule 3 for our cottage because it's portable enough to move between rooms and outside for deck movies during summer evenings, plus battery power means no extension cord hassles in old house

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ASE

ASE June 23, 2025, 10:55 p.m.

go to best buy and test them in person. specs on paper don't tell you how they'll actually look in your specific room lighting conditions

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piero

piero June 26, 2025, 2 a.m.

Best buy usually doesn't have good selection of budget projectors tho. Mostly expensive models that are way over $500 range. Better off ordering online with good return policy

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IFYC

IFYC June 29, 2025, 9:04 p.m.

Dust from country roads gets into everything. Make sure projector has easily accessible filters or you'll be cleaning constantly during dry season

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k1ler

k1ler July 2, 2025, 6:47 p.m.

Ceiling mount vs shelf mount matters more in old house. Ceiling might not support weight depending on construction. Test carefully before hanging expensive equipment

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