advice on upgrading my projector

evhudsons

I'm looking to upgrade my sharp xv-z2000 dlp projector only because I read an article that projectors made more than 4 years ago should be upgraded due to many factors including contrast.

remembering pfb's thread on his 3d projector I came back and lo/behold I get more great info!

I looked at lcd but am still afraid of the screen door effect and lcd color deterioration. One confusing thing is that all the specs for the new lcd's state hundreds of thousands of contrast ratio to just thousands for dlp, but all new articles still state dlp has better native contrast.

I'm confused about that.

my screen is 150 inches diagonal or 11 feet wide. my contrast is listed as 1/2500. lumens 1200.


I usually watch with almost no ambient light, but sometimes I like to have company over so there is some lamp level lights on in the room.

I'm happy to hear any further reviews!

squeeb

You didn't put a budget which probably is the most important parameter. Importance of 3d?

Here are the 2 I have been looking at:

Optoma 8200 ($899 after rebate) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8527015

Mitsubishi 7900 w/3D glasses ($899) - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8684187&csid=_61

Mitsubishi 7900 w/o glasees ($799) - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/998615-REG/mitsubishi_hc7900dw_home_theater_3d.html

polkfarmboy

If it was not for that 150" screen you would be good with those two but I recommend the benq w1070 because it has lens shift unlike many others on the market. I am going to buy the mitz for the bedroom as its good for ceiling mounting on a 100" screen. When I get one I could loan you my benq w1080 for you to demo.

evhudsons

What is the difference between the 1070 and 1080?

my budget is up to around $2500, but cheaper would be just fine if I get a great picture. Right now I feel that my present projector is just a bit too dim for a 150" screen. It was fine when I first got it and I was projecting only half that size.

polkfarmboy

1070 has vertical lens shift and the 1080 does not both are short throw projectors but the 1080 is extremely short. I sold the 1070 and replaced it with a 1080 so that I could have it infront of me on a coffee table in my theater room to use the xbox one kinect.

evhudsons

Do you find that the 1070 has good crisp picture and deep blacks and is bright yet not grayed out? I'm researching all this, and it seems to be the consensus that even a "cheap" projector now is much much better than my 2004 projector. The retail new on my old projector was about 4 grand, but I paid around $2800 new. My fear is that the good parts of my old sharp still holds a better overall picture than the new ones but my fears may be unfounded. I had read that the new projectors can rival lcd tv's and for me now it certainly does not, although it's a good picture. I want brighter, 1080p, and deeper blacks. My wife turns on any light at all and I get grumpy, so it would be nice to have a nice picture even with just some small lamps on.

You had some really nice high end projectors, how do you find the 1070 in comparison? I like dlp, but have been confused about a couple of things. One is how is the screen door effect on the lcd's. The one's at the sports bars make me cringe.

Also, everywhere says dlp has overall better blacks, but the contrast ratios seem way way less. For instance most dlps are around 2500/1 to 10000/1, but the new lcd is hundreds of thousands to one, ie 600000/1

are they measured differently, or are lcd's now that much better in blacks than dlps?

I am hoping that a good 2000 lumen projector with better contrast than my 1200 lumen 2500/1 contrast projector will be better. I use the brighter rather than high contrast on my projector, so the lumens I actually use are cut in about half. I find it doesn't really give better contrast, it's just not as bright which actually muddies the picture instead.

j1mmy

I have a 3 year old epson 6500UB. Epson seems to have the best warranty and longest bulb life that I have seen. No SDE either on a 10' diagonal screen.

j1mmy

I believe the 8500 is the replacement for the 6500

evhudsons

thanks for the input. My biggest fear was screen door, my next biggest is that I already have deeper blacks than lcd projectors, and my newer fear is convergence issues.

on a dlp there is no convergence with the one chip dlp. I once had a crt rear projection with a convergence issue, and it was a nightmare. It was old as dirt so I think my fear may be unfounded but I would hate to be bothered by bad convergence, burnt lcd pixels, and gray blacks.

I did see some screenshots of the epson projectors that looked really deep, black and crisp.

I am intrigued by the 1070, but would love to see some screen shots in ambient light as well as full dark. Of course I know that screenshots never do the image justice, just as my shots don't always do mine justice. Attached are some screenshots from my projector. The first picture is one of the best blacks I could get, it doesn't always look that good. If you click on the attachments below you can get a better sense of how it looks. I think my bulb is getting old too, but instead of spending money on a new bulb I started looking at getting a new projector.

When I first got my projector nearly 10 years ago, I decided not to spend the money on a 1080p projector because pretty much nothing was in 1080p. My decision paid off because only now are things coming out routinely in 1080p like video games and bluray. Bluray has been around a little while, but the good 1080p players were expensive. Now even my ps3 and ps4 have good bluray players built in. Does the 4k projector have a better picture on normal hd stuff?

I love 3d although I may not use it much so it's less of a consideration, but something desirable either way.

I'm an aspiring audiophile like appreciator, but I am not an audio snob. likewise for video. There is a level of diminishing return for me in both audio and video. I want the best but at a certain point paying twice as much for small gains is my level of stoppage.

evhudsons

and again, thank PFB for giving such good detailed reviews and descriptions and advice. I feel you have a pulse on what I am looking for in a projector.

And super thank Jimmy for the info on screendoor effect. I scoured the internet and it's something that no one really talks about. How far back are you?

also, in my first pictures they were taken a while ago, and I have since added tons of sound absorbing materials. The dog still emits sounds and odors tough, no fixing that.