m00n Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Ok so I have the sound. But now I want to start looking towards the future of video. I know next to nothing in video just as I did with audio a month ago. So, I was hoping to get some insight from all of you as to what is better, plasma, or a front projection system. Which is clearer? I have never seen a projection system so I can't compair the two. One of the things I like about going with a projection is that since I already have sound, I don't need to worry about speakers. What I would be paying for is simply video. However, I have noticed that bulb replacements are rather spendy. I am not immediatly looking to buy, heh as a matter of fact, I will have to save for this purchase. My goal is to have a nice chunk of money in two years so spend on a nice TV, sooner if all goes my way. Anyway I would love some insight. Thanks all. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Front projection over plasma. Period. Sure, you will have bulb replacement costs, but do you know that after about 25,000-30,000 hours of usage of a plasma screen, the brightness drops by HALF permanently?? This is due to the gas inside being used up, and it cannot be refilled. Secondly, projectors have a more film-like picture quality verus the more "digital look" of the plamsa. Plus, you can have a much MUCH bigger screen (100" or more) with a projector for the same price as a 42-50" plasma. I would take a projector over plasma anyday, unless space was an issue. ------------------ Coming soon... Home Theater: TV: Sony KV-ES38M91 (38" Direct View FD Triniton WEGA) A/V Receiver: Denon AVC-A11SR (European version of Denon AVR-4802) DVD Player: Denon DVD-3800 Center: Klipsch RC-7 Mains: Klipsch RF-7s Surrounds: Klipsch RS-7s Subwoofer: SVS CS-Ultra w/Samson S1000 amplifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 11, 2002 Author Share Posted May 11, 2002 Ya, thats cool. I guess Infocus has a projector. I seen a review of it at Home Theater Magazine ... My neighbor works for Infocus in their corporate head office here in Oregon. I just wonder if he can get me an employee discount. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Well, for more info on projectors, go to www.avsforum.com and click on "Digital Projectors." ------------------ Coming soon... Home Theater: TV: Sony KV-ES38M91 (38" Direct View FD Triniton WEGA) A/V Receiver: Denon AVC-A11SR (European version of Denon AVR-4802) DVD Player: Denon DVD-3800 Center: Klipsch RC-7 Mains: Klipsch RF-7s Surrounds: Klipsch RS-7s Subwoofer: SVS CS-Ultra w/Samson S1000 amplifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 He best be getting you a discount! Talk to him. If anything, maybe he could get you a WORKING warranyt return for pennies on the dollar. My uncle works for a company that makes memory, when they get working warranty returns, the employee's get them, FREE. Do you know that Best Buy employee's and their families get EVERYTHING in the store at COST! My buddy get's me CD's for $6-$8 each and he gets $200 electronics for $100 (literally 50-75% off anything!) ------------------ Receiver: Sony STR-DE675 CD player: Sony CDP-CX300 Turntable: Technics SL-J3 with Audio-Technica TR485U Speakers: JBL HLS-610 Subwoofer: JBL 4648A-8 Sub amp: Parts Express 180 watt Center/surrounds: Teac 3-way bookshelfs Yes, it sucks, but better to come. KLIPSCH soon! My computer is better than my stereo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted May 13, 2002 Share Posted May 13, 2002 Mooner...I have an InFocus front projector. The LP350. Considered by many (myself included) as the best bang dollar for dollar for your buck. Naturally, my vote would be for front projector too. I purchased this unit, used, from epay for $2125 and have not regretted it for a second. It is simply fantastic. I now have "holy $#!T" audio with "holy $#!T" video, as it should be. The problem, IMHO, with plasma, rear projectors, large direct view, etc is that no matter how you slice it or however much you pay for the best, you still have a (relatively) small picture. You simply do NOT get the same "experience" as you do with a front projector. Likewise, you can never go back. The visual "WOW" factor truly befits the Klipsch audio "WOW" factor. I would put my home HT experience against anyone out there with a smaller "big screen" TV/monitor. Anytime. Another benefit is the space savings. No bulky component intruding into the room, though a plasma will certainly not have this issue. I have seen the Infocus LS110 mentioned in this post and it too is a fine unit. Keep in mind that this is a 800x600 NATIVE resolution unit and you WILL lose some resolution over a higher resolution unit like the LP350. Both are DLP units with excellent color saturation and excellent video detail, with built in line doublers. You really cannot go wrong with either. I run mine at 10' x 5'. Takes up your whole field of vision, while Mr Paul takes up your whole sense of sound. You have not seen "Gladiator" until you've seen it 10ft wide. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 13, 2002 Author Share Posted May 13, 2002 Hmmm interesting. I am definitly going to have to talk to this guy. A huge screen is my make or break decision point on wether or not I am going to build a dedicated home theater room out in my spare building. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted May 13, 2002 Share Posted May 13, 2002 I'm in the market for HDTV myself. My bigger Triniton died and I'm hanging on with the small "bedroom" unit until the market shakes out a little bit. Decades ago, I stopped buying LPs and waited for CD player prices to come down and the number of titles to come up. That happened in the natural course. Prognosticating what will be the most bang for the buck in two years is difficult. But, I think it is reasonable to assume that there is a trend to mass production of the present winner. That is RPTV in NTSC. Yeah, I see Moon only wants to hear about plasma or front projection. Flat screen, with no bulk. I doubt that is going to happen. My reasoning is that RPTV-HDTV has the most bang for the buck today. Naturally it should; it is a simple extrapolation on existing techonology. So this is where the manufacturers and consumers are going to go. There is much esthetic appeal to low bulk and eligance. Any RPTV is about the size and weight of a piano. None the less, "money talks, nobody walks". Like it or not, I think we'll see that cost effective big screen HDTV is the province of RPTV. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted May 13, 2002 Share Posted May 13, 2002 Gil- I heard on the radio (AM--DOH!!) that the deadline for TV stations to be able to transmit in HDTV is far from being met. When asked about 30%(?) could comply with the rule. So if you could procratinate a bit longer.... ------------------ Tom's Money Pit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 BTW - The LP350 is HD ready and compatible..... Also, true that RPTV will most likely be the province of near future masses. There are excellent, state of the art RPTV's available now that will no doubt take the owner well into the HD future. I too have an RPTV set up as the centerpiece of a second HT with Forte II's as the main speakers. 50" Proscan that produces a gorgeous picture. However, again I was speaking to the 'experience' of home theatre. And for that experience.....grand sound, grand video, you simply need a large picture. You cannot get the same feel with the size of picture an RPTV is capable of producing. IMHO, you need a screen large enough to fill your whole field of vision for the theatre effect. And isn't that at the core of what all of us are trying to emulate? Take the flick Mission Impossible II (take it or leave it that is..). When Cruise is on the rock face in the beginning of the movie, the sheer size of the picture gives you vertigo that you would not be able to get with a 60", 70" screen. That is the experience I'm talking about. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 14, 2002 Author Share Posted May 14, 2002 edwardre, I think my only problem with the LP350 projector is that it does not have component inputs. That seems to be the only drawback on this projector. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 Goodness. The good posts above return me to the valley of indecision. What to buy, when. There is some odd, narrow geometry to the apartment door which may make a cost effective RPTV impossible. I talked to a guy at Tweeter and a purchase decision could come down to which RPTV comes in two pieces, regardless of other merit. Front projection makes some sense because of that and I hear the message about BIG screen. I sit in the first rows at the movie theater. BTW, here in ORD land, the local public TV station, WTTW, is airing some HDTV. I watched new antennae being put up on the Sears building. So some of the broadcast infra structure is coming on line. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 14, 2002 Author Share Posted May 14, 2002 quote: Originally posted by William F. Gil McDermott: Goodness. The good posts above return me to the valley of indecision. What to buy, when. Ya it sucks don't it. Now compound that with the fact that I am so incredibly new to all this. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> This message has been edited by m00n on 05-14-2002 at 09:18 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 I started buying Sound and Vision magazine. Time to start learning what is cutting edge and what is last year's cutting edge, becoming commonplace, and a standard. Raw video screen technology aside, I see there is a lot going on with conversion, line doubling, 3:2 pull down, etc. I'm just getting my feet wet. It is interesting that some of the RPTV's combine the best of video processing and include all sorts of audio decoding. Or at least the reviewers report. When do you jump on the round about? Sometime soon. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 14, 2002 Author Share Posted May 14, 2002 quote: Originally posted by William F. Gil McDermott: When do you jump on the round about? Sometime soon. Gil Not any time soon. I need to save about $5000.00 for a viewing device of some sort or another. At this time, I am stuck on a front projector. I am figuring about a year to save for one if the extra work keeps flowing in. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 15, 2002 Author Share Posted May 15, 2002 Poken around the avsforum I found this guys post showing off his projector . I guess he is using a Marantz VP12S1. Damn it looks nice. ------------------ the m00n system FRONTS: RF-7 CENTER: RC-7 SURROUNDS: RS-7 SUB: RSW-12 RECEIVER: Harman Kardon AVR 520 DVD: Toshiba SD 3205 (DD, DTS) TV: Samsung 27" Flatscreen COMPUTER: ProMedia 4.1 c>Microsoft XBOXc> f> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted May 15, 2002 Share Posted May 15, 2002 With regards to the component input quandry, I too had my concerns. I had the good fortune of being able to check out a LP350 projector from work over a few weekends and that was all it took. There are a couple of things to consider. First, the leap of quality is truly realized from composite to s-video. The positive difference from s-video to component is much less evident. I use the s-video and can report that it is excellent. Second, with a PC setup to be a HTPC, you would input to the M1-DA DVI port of the projector. An all digital path input that not only breaks the video signal down to the component video level, but allows you to tweak each component of the component video signal. This to me is far more useful if I ever venture down that path. However, as I said, the s-video input yields tremendous results and does not leave me wanting. There is a plethora of good info on the AVS forum. I myself, knowing nothing about projectors other than that I wanted one after checking out the work projector, was able to get everything I needed there. Lot's of opinions like any other forum. The screen material was cool too. Evidently, there is a place....Parkland Plastics....which has a vinyl like material that has the same properties as an expensive 'Dalite' screen. I bought a 10' x 5' sheet for $35 and contact cemented it to plywood. It too is fantastic. Pretty much what everybody there (at least us cheapos) uses to exclusion. I'm probably starting to sound like an InFocus shill, but truth is I am still maniacally giddy over this unit and the pleasure I've derived thereof. Even after a year of ownership it still amazes me with the level of clarity, detail and color saturation. I have never seen a scan line on a DVD. Here's a good review: http://www.projectorcentral.com/consultants_corner.cfm?ci=lp350_vw10ht ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer9911 Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 I love this topic, first off Projector Central is a BS site, biased like audioreview.com IMO. Kain64 said it right, even RPTV's LOSE 50% of their brightness after the 1st year(burn in). The Infocus is nice(tight, crisp)but for the cost of the Lightware\Plus 810Z(3K CDN and 9K CDN Infocus)at 1000 lumens and 1024 X 768 dpi, and HDTV compatible is an awesome picture. Hook up your Xbox, Sony PS, Sat\Cable Receiver, VCR, Progressive Scan DVD, even CP with an RGB cable, as well as HDTV compatible, and with what ever screen size you want(minimum distance is 3.9 ft, max 22.5)..OUCH The TW 65" are costly, Toshiba 65"TW at 5999.99 CDN retail, 1/2 the cost for a projector, not a hard decision IMO.. Marantz 42" Plasma(nice set) 12,000 CDN. This message has been edited by boomer9911 on 05-16-2002 at 02:36 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 Actually, Boomer, it seems that KAiN was right when he said that plasma screens lost 50% of their brightness due to the dissipation of non-refillable gas. Current projection units seem to be getting better and are likely to come down in price since the onset of DLP technology. In my experience, front projection units work best when you can control how much ambient light is in the viewing area... and the viewing angle is fairly straight on. And,Gil, I have had the best overall RPTV experience with a 65" HD Mitsubishi... which conveniently comes in two "easy-to-get-through-the-door-and-up-the-curved-stairway" pieces. Be sure you get a "non-glare" screen protector and 9" CRT guns... they are much sharper than the 7" ones. The depth of the unit is just about right for ported speaker towers and even Heritage units... and it is strong enough to hold a KLF-30 Center Speaker on top! Mitsu's have an automatic device for balancing room light that works for me. RPTV's tolerate more ambient light than projection devices (IMHO) but less than direct tubes. Be sure to check for component connectors on any system... component technology makes a substantial difference in increased picture quality and reduced eye fatigue. When shopping for big screens, I bring along a disk with which I am very familiar and ask the store to demo my disk on any big screen (of any type) to be considered. Actually, the last time I even brought along my progressive scan DVD player and component cables as well. It really can light up detailed differences between competing sets in a showroom. Gil, I have used high-end large Trinitrons for graphics monitors since they have been made... so I tend to be rather critical when it comes to screen systems. My thought process on buying the current Mitsu went about the way your first post did. Happy hunting one and all! -HornED ------------------ Photo update soon! -HornEd This message has been edited by HornEd on 05-16-2002 at 01:51 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 Thanks for your comments HornEd. Naturally it is matter of wisdom of spending money. Not quite a matter of blind bang for the buck; but, rather, recognizing which compromises can be tolerated, and which ones can't; if the critical performance bottlenecks can be optimized. My present thought is that a well chosen budget RPTV model is the way to go. A Hitachi RPTV got a good review in Sound and Vision, for example. I'm coming to appreciate that video signal processing of any stand alone unit can obviate the need for additional components. And beyond video, some of the RPTVs give a lot audio options which may well replace a multichannel AV receiver. Naturally, I'm gonna be using horn speakers (Klipsch or mine) and I can tinker with things in the audio. Your comments are always welcome. Gil This message has been edited by William F. Gil McDermott on 05-16-2002 at 09:47 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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