Help me pick out a projector

kuntasensei · February 2008

If you think you're going to go back to CRT later, I'd just grab a cheap 16:9 screen to use with a 16:9 projector. I just picked up a 100" 16:9 EliteScreens Manual for $103 shipped from Newegg to replace my Da-Lite that is causing moire issues. Gonna' hang that sucker up tomorrow as soon as UPS drops it off. Sure, you can say "but I'm wasting pixels by using it in 4:3"... but 4:3 mode is still 1440x1080. And if you're playing Wii on it, you do know it has a 16:9 mode, right? And the 360 and PS3 both support full 1080p. I'm running a 360 on my Sanyo Z2000 in 1080p, and it's freakin' gorgeous!

FYI: You can snag a Sanyo PLV-Z2000 for about $2,200 right now... and Sanyo has a $600 mail-in rebate ($300 now, $300 later) until March 28th. Hell of a deal there. I'm running this projector and after some critical tweaking to line up grayscale, I'm VERY happy. And is uses the same D7 panels as the Epson, so after you turn off all the dynamic gamma and iris crap, contrast will be very similar.

Serendipity · February 2008

Cool, I guess you're right - using a 16:9 1080p projector in 4:3 mode is still 1440*1080, so that is still usable on my 4:3 screen.

The good thing is, I have a retractable screen, so for 16:9 mode I plan to just roll the screen up a little bit (to shorten it to 16:9) and when in 4:3 mode I can just extend the screen to the fullest to use it in 4:3.

I hope this will work, do you think it is possible?

kuntasensei · February 2008

You could do that, but you'd have to be constantly toying with the lens shift and zoom. That's why I was saying your best bet might be to hang a cheap 16:9 screen immediately in front of it and just use that screen until you get your CRT back. With the contrast ratio and brightness of these newer LCDs, I really am not bothered by the white screen areas when in 4:3 mode. I watch quite a bit of TV this way. The Z2000's black is dark enough (much more so than my previous Sanyo Z3 720p projector) that I'm not really distracted by the bars on the side.

If I'm being completely honest... I think once you see one of the newer 1080p LCDs in action on a 16:9 screen, you're going to be hard pressed to go back to that CRT. You're going to get used to a really bright and vibrant picture with so much pop that CRT is going to seem far too dim by comparison.

Serendipity · February 2008

kuntasensei wrote: »

If I'm being completely honest... I think once you see one of the newer 1080p LCDs in action on a 16:9 screen, you're going to be hard pressed to go back to that CRT. You're going to get used to a really bright and vibrant picture with so much pop that CRT is going to seem far too dim by comparison.

That was just one of the things I was thinking about the other day... Coming from a CRT that puts out 160 lumens, going to a 1200+ lumen unit will have so much pop that I may just stick with the digital.

Too many decisions...so little time...

Serendipity · February 2008

kuntasensei wrote: »

You could do that, but you'd have to be constantly toying with the lens shift and zoom.

It is possible though, right?

I'd think all you have to do is to zoom in the lens and adjust lens shift when viewing 4:3, and then zoom out the lens and readjust lens shift when watching 16:9. Then I can keep my screen retracted 30% of the way for 16:9 movies, but roll it all the way down for 4:3.

Sami · February 2008

Sanyo PLV-Z2000 seems to be $1400 after manufacturers MIR's.

http://www.millenniumcamera.com/viewproduct.aspx?ID=3711670&l=Froogle

That makes picking up the 1080UB for $2700 really hard, although the black levels might be worth the extra money...

Sami · February 2008

That website seems to be very badly rated, $2200 on other sites and I would assume at least $300 off if not the $600.

Serendipity · February 2008

Sami wrote: »

Sanyo PLV-Z2000 seems to be $1400 after manufacturers MIR's.

http://www.millenniumcamera.com/viewproduct.aspx?ID=3711670&l=Froogle

That makes picking up the 1080UB for $2700 really hard, although the black levels might be worth the extra money...

Ahh, Milennium Camera. It's got many bad ratings and BBB complaints so I would stay away from them.

Funny story, I've actually walked into one of these places in Brooklyn and it seemed very shady...when I asked "are you an authorized dealer" he gave me the 'salesman' look and said "I'm an authorized salesman" haha! Then came the slick, fast-paced sales pitch.

kuntasensei · February 2008

Got mine for $2,249 from B&H Photo in NY. It's currently $2,229.95. $600 rebate later, you're looking at just over $1,600. Throw in a cheap screen and you've got a hell of a setup. B&H is 100% reputable and were great to deal with.

Serendipity · February 2008

So - my neighbor has the Panasonic LCD unit and I went over to his place for a demo. Compared to a CRT projector, the Panasonic is MUCH brighter and can be watched in daylight. However, I noticed a lot of digital artifacts in OTA HDTV, DVDs, and VHS tapes that were played.

The first thing I noticed was the pixellation - the image was sharp but a bit harsh, like edge enhancement gone overboard. I checked the settings to make sure and the picture mode was in "Natural." The other thing was the black level, it was not black like that of a CRT projector, in fact it was dark gray.

So apparently there are some tradeoffs with digital PJ's, namely black level and image artifacts. Maybe a DLP or LCoS will be better? Keep in mind I have nothing against LCD projectors, they look great, however I am looking for something a little different.

Sami · February 2008

LCD's are notorious for their poor black levels. That's why the Epson is named UltraBlack as it is supposed to be as good as DLP's with blacks. Nothing beats a CRT in that regard so it's always a trade-off.

Serendipity · February 2008

Sami wrote: »

LCD's are notorious for their poor black levels. That's why the Epson is named UltraBlack as it is supposed to be as good as DLP's with blacks. Nothing beats a CRT in that regard so it's always a trade-off.

Maybe then I will like a DLP or LCoS unit better. How are the black levels on DLP's?

Sami · February 2008

appadv wrote: »

Maybe then I will like a DLP or LCoS unit better. How are the black levels on DLP's?

Decent, but YMMV depending on the model. If you're looking at cheap projectors, stay away from LCD's.

Serendipity · February 2008

Sami wrote: »

Decent, but YMMV depending on the model. If you're looking at cheap projectors, stay away from LCD's.

Well, I'm on a budget, so I'll be looking for DLP's or LCoS units instead. Although the LCoS/SXRD sound nice, I don't think there are many "budget" units out there.

Sami · February 2008

appadv wrote: »

Well, I'm on a budget, so I'll be looking for DLP's or LCoS units instead. Although the LCoS/SXRD sound nice, I don't think there are many "budget" units out there.

If you want the best black levels, then budget isn't a good word.

If you can get away with decent black levels, the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 is hard to beat for the price. I think I'm leaning towards the 1080UB (which is a LCD BTW) because it's good black levels and brightness.

engtaz · February 2008

Mitsubishi HC1500 Projector
Resolution: WXGA-H (1280 x 720)
Display Type: DLP®; 0.62" 1-Chip DMD, 12deg. LVDS DarkChip2™ with DDP3020 Brilliant Color and 7-segment (RGBWRGB) color wheel.
Brightness: 1600 lumens
Contrast: 2500:1
Weight: 6.5 lbs.
Warranty: 1 year(s)
Lamp Life: 2000 hours - (all projectors ship with manufacturer supplied lamp)
$849.00
warrantyWarrantech Repair Master 3 Yr. Warranty Service Plan - Lamp for $149.00
http://www.projectorpeople.com/projectors/projdtls.asp?itemid=22951&itmname=Mitsubishi+HC1500
I don't work for them. I have friends that have bought from them. All broadcast tv will be in 720P and 1080i. HD DVD and Blue Ray go to 1080P. Projectors auto config for 4:3, 16:9 and cinema screen format.

Good Luck,
engtaz

Serendipity · February 2008

Thanks for your help guys.

Keep in mind - this projector will be used like 6 months to a year max, the instant I get my CRT projector repaired I will either sell the digital or set it up in my dorm room

So I am leaning towards an inexpensive DLP unit, something under $2500, that delivers good blacks and gives a great picture. The Mitsubishi HC1500 and Dell 5100MP come to mind.

As per projectors auto config, if I understand correctly digital projectors have the ability to auto config for 4:3 and 16:9, but CRT projectors can't re-size a 16:9 image into a 4:3 or vice versa. You have to spend 3-4 hours reconverging the projector to switch from 4:3 to 16:9.

Sami · February 2008

appadv wrote: »

As per projectors auto config, if I understand correctly digital projectors have the ability to auto config for 4:3 and 16:9, but CRT projectors can't re-size a 16:9 image into a 4:3 or vice versa. You have to spend 3-4 hours reconverging the projector to switch from 4:3 to 16:9.

On my CRT, you had two setups, one for 16:9 and another for 4:3. Click of a button and it switched from 16:9 to 4:3, no problem at all. Initial setup was a pain but then you didn't have to do anything else afterwards.

Serendipity · February 2008

Sami wrote: »

On my CRT, you had two setups, one for 16:9 and another for 4:3. Click of a button and it switched from 16:9 to 4:3, no problem at all. Initial setup was a pain but then you didn't have to do anything else afterwards.

Interesting, I had saved one memory block for 16:9 and another memory block for 4:3, but it seems like every time you switch memory blocks the picture is out of convergence. I will have to investigate into this, as I am starting to think something is wrong (I've converged many CRT projectors back in high school A/V squad) and now that I think of it, switching modes was painless.

Serendipity · February 2008

engtaz wrote: »

Mitsubishi HC1500 Projector
Resolution: WXGA-H (1280 x 720)
Display Type: DLP®; 0.62" 1-Chip DMD, 12deg. LVDS DarkChip2 with DDP3020 Brilliant Color and 7-segment (RGBWRGB) color wheel.
Brightness: 1600 lumens
Contrast: 2500:1
Weight: 6.5 lbs.
Warranty: 1 year(s)
Lamp Life: 2000 hours - (all projectors ship with manufacturer supplied lamp)
$849.00
warrantyWarrantech Repair Master 3 Yr. Warranty Service Plan - Lamp for $149.00
http://www.projectorpeople.com/projectors/projdtls.asp?itemid=22951&itmname=Mitsubishi+HC1500
I don't work for them. I have friends that have bought from them. All broadcast tv will be in 720P and 1080i. HD DVD and Blue Ray go to 1080P. Projectors auto config for 4:3, 16:9 and cinema screen format.

Good Luck,
engtaz

I like that unit. Looks like DLP will be on the top of my list...I really like the price/performance ratio DLP projectors have to offer. Now what are the major downsides to DLP? I've heard of reliability issues (in the "All TV's suck" thread) but I hope the reliability issues aren't as widespread as they seem.

engtaz · February 2008

My projector auto configs for all 3 profiles. Yes it is DLP 720P No problems with mine.

engtaz

Serendipity · February 2008

engtaz wrote: »

My projector auto configs for all 3 profiles. Yes it is DLP 720P No problems with mine.

engtaz

Thanks, looks like I will be going with a 720p DLP unit unless something new comes to the table and provides excellent image quality at a low price.

Sherardp · February 2008

I wouldnt waste the money on either. You seriously need to demo a Sony VW60 or a JVC HD1. If youre serious about wanting PQ from a digital that can deliver those CRT blacks you speak of.

Serendipity · February 2008

How about this one?

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665307855

Sami · February 2008

appadv wrote: »

How about this one?

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665307855

If you want to spend that much, then the Epson 1080UB is the projector to get based on the research I have done. Black levels are slightly better than on the Sony, with better contrast and measured lumens.

Serendipity · February 2008

Sami wrote: »

If you want to spend that much, then the Epson 1080UB is the projector to get based on the research I have done. Black levels are slightly better than on the Sony, with better contrast and measured lumens.

I don't even want to spend that much, as this is something that is just temporary. Keep in mind, I only get to use my system like 15% of the year, ever since I moved out when I turned 18 the HT has been mostly unused. I use it once in a while when I go home on break.

Sherardp · February 2008

If its not used much then I agree go with something cheaper, unless you plan to use it more in the future and want to consider it an investment now. If thats the case, I would consider the Sony VW60, both Epsons and the Panny "Bang for Buck" products. After those youre talking some serious coin(anything over 4k). In other words yes the JVCs are great, the Sims are as well, but had I waited a little longer I perhaps wouldnt have a HD1 but I had to jump on the wagon and see what the hype was about. Its a fantastic machine, but almost at 5k. So go for bang for buck, save yourself some coin and enjoy a fantastic picture. The Sanyo maybe great as well, though Ive never seen it.

Serendipity · February 2008

Sure, that's what I was thinking too. I was actually contemplating selling the entire system and starting from scratch later on, so that I won't end up investing too much in the technology now and have it become obsolete later.

If I leave it for my parents (at home), it may end up getting minimal use and I'd rather not have a projector sitting there for too long while I am away. Besides my dad thinks I should save my money for something else instead of getting a projector now.

Sami · February 2008

Your dad's probably right...

Serendipity · February 2008

Sami wrote: »

Your dad's probably right...

Haha, he hasn't seen Trey's new system yet...last time he saw Trey's old system he's like "how much did that kid spend?" haha

Help me pick out a projector

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