TV or projector?

[jdmuys]

We just moved and the movers broke our big TV. So now I am faced with replacing it, considering that in two years, we sail away in a 50-foot catamaran (which one is not yet decided).

I am looking for thoughts, opinions, experience about the pros and cons of options to have video entertainment about a cruising catamaran.

First, it's important to mention that I am a movie lover, and if I can, I would rather have a good 4K resolution, with a nice image quality. On the other hand, I recognize that it is not realistic to reproduce a home theater in a boat. I am looking for a sweet spot compromise that would be realistic. One consideration is electric power requirements. 220V/110V appliances are OK, given that the catamaran will have an inverter.

I can see two main options:

- regular TV set. While there are 12V TV screens on the market, I suspect that it may be necessary to go for a regular model to get the kind of quality I would like. Another consideration is where to install it? Not all catamarans have an opaque wall to hang the TV on. I have seen Neel trimarans have one.

- a video projector. I have seen some cruising cats have one and even organize movie parties! On the plus side, it's easy to move the projector and project onto all kinds of surface. A screen can be rolled up and hung from many places. On the minus side, it's more difficult and more expensive to get good picture quality. Also a bright projector is expensive and requires a lot of power.

And I won't even mention the question of speakers...

Any thoughts?

[Chotu]

Following with great interest. Without the power requirement investigation, I was going to get a projector. The girlfriend finds entertainment like this important. I do not.

[stulk75]

Having spent tens of thousands of dollars on home theater equipment in 4 homes, reflecting on a 7 day cruise that just ended where we didn’t even watch our phones, making efforts to greatly simplify my life and be free from things and rooms I don’t use, and perhaps getting a bit older (only mid 40s) I can conclude that surround sound is vastly overrated compared to some extremely high end headphones with a headphone amplifier.

And, to share the wisdom of my 10 year old... after pointing to the relatively large blank wall on our boat and asking if she thought a TV could go there, her reply: “It’s a BOAT daddy, we don’t need a TV”

[Reefmagnet]

The projector you would use at home is not the same as the projector you'd most likely want to use on a boat. Considering you can buy an 80"+ screen 4k TV for pretty cheap these days (compared to what they used to be, at least) this would my choice for home. On the boat, a compact LED projector of about 800 lumen or so brightest is a pretty good choice for movie watching.

Having said that, I use the boat's 700 lumen, 700p projector at home from time to time to watch movies on a 120" screen and it certainly has that cinema vibe about it.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by jdmuys

- regular TV set. While there are 12V TV screens on the market, I suspect that it may be necessary to go for a regular model to get the kind of quality I would like. Another consideration is where to install it? Not all catamarans have an opaque wall to hang the TV on. I have seen Neel trimarans have one.

Any basic TV -- pick your favorite resolution -- running on an inverter is pretty simple. Feed it from a variety of sources...

Pop-up/lift cabinetry can sometime solve the wall-mounting problems.

-Chris

[blu3534]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

The projector you would use at home is not the same as the projector you'd most likely want to use on a boat. Considering you can buy an 80"+ screen 4k TV for pretty cheap these days (compared to what they used to be, at least) this would my choice for home. On the boat, a compact LED projector of about 800 lumen or so brightest is a pretty good choice for movie watching.

Having said that, I use the boat's 700 lumen, 700p projector at home from time to time to watch movies on a 120" screen and it certainly has that cinema vibe about it.

yes, something like this: https://www.amazon.com/APEMAN-Portab.../dp/B01MY6GWSW

seems very useable and ultra compact. Albeit I suppose OP aims for something having better quality.

[Woodland Hills]

We have a 34” Samsung smart tv in a vertical lift cabinet. It weighs next to nothing and the power draw is negligible. In the salon of our boat it seems huge!

We live full time aboard and a good entertainment system is essential. We did not go cruising to get away from anything, we just want to live our normal life in a home we can move ever day if we want. Others have a different approach, this works for us.

[Frode]

Originally Posted by jdmuys

First, it's important to mention that I am a movie lover, and if I can, I would rather have a good 4K resolution, with a nice image quality. On the other hand, I recognize that it is not realistic to reproduce a home theater in a boat.

I'm also a movie lover, and to me, size is important - much more so than resolution. On our cat we have both. A 65" OLED screen on a bulkhead in the starboard forward cabin. It's the one being used most of the time, for casual watching (and because it's currently easier, with no setup or tear-down needed).

I also have a projector in the saloon, with a 120" screen, hanging from the overhead grab bar (and secured at the bottom corners with bungee). A soundbar is currently the only audio option (besides headphones), but plans are there for a full surround sound system.

The projector is an old, 120VAC, domestic one, which both uses too much power and generates too much heat. Don't hear the fan much, except during quiet periods. Not by far good enough, but I haven't decided what will replace it yet. The selection criteria will be high lumens, no audible fan noise, and at least HD (1080p) resolution. Short throw is desirable, as it makes it much easier to place the projector.

We've used the projector mostly when we have guests, as it's not feasible to stick more than two people down into the forward cabin. Ours is a 56' cat, with a comfortably large saloon, and it will easily accommodate most aspects of a home theater.

[jdmuys]

Thank you for every contribution.

I am looking at some 4K projector such as the Optoma UHD38, 4K projector with 4000 lumen. But I am still just at the beginning of my investigation.

I had a quick look at rise up cabinets, and they seem to be very expensive. Another consideration I did not raise is weight. In the kind of catamaran that I think I will end up getting (light displacement), load capacity will be limited, and light weight will be preferred. As far as I can see, this favors a projector too.

I suppose a roll down projection screen attached to the ceiling of the saloon would be doable. Any suggestion for such a screen?