A weekend with the InFocus X1 DLP front projector
Ron-P
Posts: 8,520
Had to do quite a bit of demo work in the Driftwood, but it's done and the X1 is temporally mounted about 2' down from the ceiling on the rear wall. I built my screen roughly 85" (16:9) from 1x3's and blackout cloth. The X1 sits 13' from lens to screen. Currently I'm using an S-Video connection. I plan to mount the DVD player on the shelf next to the X1 to keep the video run short and run a 25' length of RG-6 coax to the amps up front.
First impressions were quite amazing. Directly out of the box, colors were extremely close to my ISF'd 46" Mits RPTV. The black level is a little washed out, lacking in some detail but nothing substantial.
At this point rainbows were quite noticeable (Nemesis, Fellowship of the Ring, Attack of the Clones, Pearl Harbor), but not overly distracting for both my wife and I. Projector is about 3' over our heads on a shelf so the fan noise is not heard. Screen door effect becomes noticeable at 7' and slightly noticeable at 9' (front row) and not noticeable at 13' (back row).
Next, I decided to go ahead and paint the screen using Lowe's Valspar Gray Plank Interior Flat (code: 101-21.5, 107-1, 116-1). After the first coat dried I fired up the X1 and ran though some Nemesis and FofR. Right off I noticed a better black level, other colors seemed unaffected and rainbows were reduced by at least 50%, if not more. I was amazed. Hardly noticed them during the crash sequence in Nemesis which previously I noticed quite often due to all the dark scenes with bright white explosion flashes. A gray screen is a must with this projector. I will apply a second coat tonight.
After that, I was toast. Friday night doing demo in the room, all day Saturday at the San Diego Zoo and most all Sunday finishing up the demo, building the screen and getting the X1 up and running. It was time for 'another beer' sit back and enjoy a little movie time using the one speaker from the projector. The entire sound system is sitting on the floor.
My wife, who said she would not like FP told me to sell the Mits and keep the X1, she loved it. Seeing the Enterprise fly across the entire front wall of the Driftwood is friggen awesome. I can't go back to a small 46", I'm hooked.
Today, Linda is picking up my polarizing filter. I'll run the X1 with that tonight. From what it sounds like, rainbows should be a none issue from this point on.
All-n-all, I am very, very please with the X1 and for the $899, it's a steal, an amazing steal.
I did go to the Panasonic store by my house and demoed the AE-100u LCD 16:9 projector. They had a refurb for $999. I was not nearly as impressed with it as I was with the X1. The screen door effect is much more prominent and the black level is quite a bit worse. Of course I had to consider the room it was in was not 100% dark and on a white screen, but it was a professional screen, just not sure of the brand. I sat with Nemesis and FotR, tweaking the settings and did not care for the LCD display. Still, not a totally fair comparison as I did not bring it home. I may still buy one, not a Panny at that price, but the Toshiba at BB just to see what it can do in my room.
At this point, DLP is the way to go for me and with the tweaks above, rainbows will just about be a thing of the past.
Now I just need the breakout cable.
Peace Out~:D
First impressions were quite amazing. Directly out of the box, colors were extremely close to my ISF'd 46" Mits RPTV. The black level is a little washed out, lacking in some detail but nothing substantial.
At this point rainbows were quite noticeable (Nemesis, Fellowship of the Ring, Attack of the Clones, Pearl Harbor), but not overly distracting for both my wife and I. Projector is about 3' over our heads on a shelf so the fan noise is not heard. Screen door effect becomes noticeable at 7' and slightly noticeable at 9' (front row) and not noticeable at 13' (back row).
Next, I decided to go ahead and paint the screen using Lowe's Valspar Gray Plank Interior Flat (code: 101-21.5, 107-1, 116-1). After the first coat dried I fired up the X1 and ran though some Nemesis and FofR. Right off I noticed a better black level, other colors seemed unaffected and rainbows were reduced by at least 50%, if not more. I was amazed. Hardly noticed them during the crash sequence in Nemesis which previously I noticed quite often due to all the dark scenes with bright white explosion flashes. A gray screen is a must with this projector. I will apply a second coat tonight.
After that, I was toast. Friday night doing demo in the room, all day Saturday at the San Diego Zoo and most all Sunday finishing up the demo, building the screen and getting the X1 up and running. It was time for 'another beer' sit back and enjoy a little movie time using the one speaker from the projector. The entire sound system is sitting on the floor.
My wife, who said she would not like FP told me to sell the Mits and keep the X1, she loved it. Seeing the Enterprise fly across the entire front wall of the Driftwood is friggen awesome. I can't go back to a small 46", I'm hooked.
Today, Linda is picking up my polarizing filter. I'll run the X1 with that tonight. From what it sounds like, rainbows should be a none issue from this point on.
All-n-all, I am very, very please with the X1 and for the $899, it's a steal, an amazing steal.
I did go to the Panasonic store by my house and demoed the AE-100u LCD 16:9 projector. They had a refurb for $999. I was not nearly as impressed with it as I was with the X1. The screen door effect is much more prominent and the black level is quite a bit worse. Of course I had to consider the room it was in was not 100% dark and on a white screen, but it was a professional screen, just not sure of the brand. I sat with Nemesis and FotR, tweaking the settings and did not care for the LCD display. Still, not a totally fair comparison as I did not bring it home. I may still buy one, not a Panny at that price, but the Toshiba at BB just to see what it can do in my room.
At this point, DLP is the way to go for me and with the tweaks above, rainbows will just about be a thing of the past.
Now I just need the breakout cable.
Peace Out~:D
If...
Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
Post edited by Ron-P on
Comments
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Super review Ron! I'm glad to hear that it's working well for you! I was surprised that the screendoor is not that big an issue with your PJ. I have read reviews elsewhere that reeked of screendoor complaints. Perhaps it's all about the proper distance to screen ratio. Enjoy your new gear!
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i have seen people using the bord it is a plastic and goten great results.
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It was working very well for me, until last night when I gave Pearl Harbor a spin. Rainbow flashes everywhere and lots of them. Just when I thought I'd tamed them, they fire back.
Also, last night was the first night I got to spend quality movie viewing with it and I was starting too feel eye strain about an hour in. Result of he DLP, I don't know for sure, but it seems so.
As much as I love this machine, she is going back today. I'm going to give the Toshiba TLP S30u ($1,099) a shot. I need to bring an LCD home for solid testing. I can't be fair testing an LCD in store.
Peace Out~:DIf...
Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
Ron loves a film = don't even rent. -
Ron, I don't know much about projectors but this looks like it was quite expensive... could be a good deal... who knows maybe not... worth a try if you could find someone in NY to pick it up...
http://cgi.videogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?projcrta&1059776359Sony KDL-40V2500 HDTV, Rotel RSX-1067 Receiver, Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray, Slim Devices Squeezebox, Polk RTi6, CSi3 & R15, DIY sub with Atlas 15 -
Well, I just ordered up a Panasonic PT-L200u LCD, native 16:9 FP (unlike the X1 and Toshiba which are 4:3). It was $1,099, no tax and includes a FREE Da-Lite 37.5"x67" 16:9 screen. All due to be in my hands by 10:30am tomorrow.
This will give me an in-home test of an LCD vr a DLP. I've got 7 days to return it with no fees if I decide.
Peace Out~:DIf...
Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
Ron loves a film = don't even rent. -
Ron
doing a quick search that is a freaking deal, where did you find that killer deal?Dodd - Battery Preamp
Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
Outlaw ICBM - crossover
Beringher BFD - sub eq
Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..." -
From ProjectorPeople.com
You must use the quick quote feature or call them for the deal.
...and yes, it seems to be a great deal. The FREE Da-Lite screen is a great bennie. The reviews on this PJ are very good. I'll know by tomorrow night. The InFocus has been shipped back and the Panny is on it's way.
Peace Out~:DIf...
Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
Ron loves a film = don't even rent. -
damn Ron-P... if you give a thumbs up to this Panasonic... Im gonna order one...
What a great entry into projection home theater!! -
The 200u and Da-Lite screen just arrived and I had about 10 minutes with it just to make sure it worked. I wandered through the menus shooting it on the wall in my office at about 12'.
All I can do until tonight is compare menus of the two units right now. Tonight I'll get some Lord of the Rings and Nemesis running through. I did black out my office (I have no windows, it's pitch black in here when the door is shut.)
If the menus are any sign of what the screen door effect will be like, it's a non-issue. A very slight defocus of the lens (better defocussing then the X1) did away with 90% of the pixel structure. White letters look outstanding at 6' from the image and I could very faintly see the pixels. I did notice when defocussing slightly, the image still remained sharper than the X1 where the image blurred quickly. One reason why I did not like to defocus the X1.
The feel of this unit is a bit more solid than the X1 and it runs alot quieter.
Again, all I could compare was the menus of these two units.
I cannot imagine the screendoor being worse with movies than with the bright colored menus, but I will find out tonight when I can really test it.
Once I get some quality time in, I'll post a review.
Peace Out~:DIf...
Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
Ron loves a film = don't even rent. -
Welcome to FP Ron let us know how it goes after you set it up.
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We have the InFocus LP350 in the conference room across the hall from me. It gets used for the occasional projection of Word documents or Excel spreadsheets....
