NOZ Posted June 1, 2002 Share Posted June 1, 2002 OK all you maniacs out there, like me. I have deceided to go with a projector for my home theater. I need your input to choose one. I'm not poor, but I'm not a billionair either, so cost is an issue. I just carved over $5000 Canadian for the R-7 set.(excluding the sub) so the well is not full. The room it is going into I am working on now. It is 19'long x 16' wide x 8 tall. The only one I have looked at is the sony VPL-HS1, it runs around $4000 Canadian. Any and all of your input would help and be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted June 1, 2002 Share Posted June 1, 2002 Sony is a good unit. My parents home theater, which I designed in 1992, has a Sony projection system in it. Yes, todays stuff is slightly better, yes, even the cost is lower too. The only reason I say this, is it STILL looks fantastic and no problems in 10 years. Thats my point, kinda like Klipsch. Buy "quality" the first time, it will last you a for a long time. Just do not go for the pixel units.(Eventually, the pixel units grow dark one by one, or go out completely... which makes watching them on the big screen a shame.) Go for a real projector, and spend some $$ on a good screen too.(We used Stewart) It will make a huge difference, trust me. I saw a very small unit here in the states, sorry I do not have the model number, About 10 grand US, very quiet, and really incredible picture detail too. My 2 cents. This message has been edited by IndyKlipschFan on 06-01-2002 at 06:47 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOZ Posted June 1, 2002 Author Share Posted June 1, 2002 Way too much, thats $15,500 Canadian. As for the screen I was told they make cinema paint now. How much better would the screen be? ------------------ NOZ SYSTEM Fronts: Klipsch RF-7's Center: Klipsch RC-7 Rears: Klipsch RS-7's TV: Toshiba 37" DVD: Toshiba SD 3107 Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR 7000 CD: Sony CDP CX250 EQ: Harmon Kardon EQ-8 Spare/Back-Up: La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InventiveAudio.com Posted June 1, 2002 Share Posted June 1, 2002 I teach computers and use a 3,000 Promixa projector. They output is excellent but keep in mind that the room needs to be dark to use a projector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLouisVegan Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Noz, I use a Viewsonic LCD projector. I have gotten great results on it. Being a few years old, I still get the "WOW" effect from everyone who watches a movie on my screen. For the price, these projectors in my view are a great deal. Try looking at their new LCD projectors, mainly the PJ500 and PJ550. I am drooling on their PJ550. This thing is bright, HDTV capable, and can change aspect ratio's from normal TV(4x3 mode) to widescreen(16x9). It even has a component input to for a progressive scan DVD player for a "film like" picture. What I have seen is that the projectors retail prices run around $1,800(PJ500) and $2,200(PJ550) U.S. dollars. So pretty much you could find one a couple hundred less than the retail. Here is Viewsonic's website...WWW.Viewsonic.com. Scroll down to the projector section and check them out. You made a wise choice in going with a projector...you won't believe your eyes when your watching 100 or 120 inch screen. As for the screen, I use a 120 inch (4x3)Dalite screen(basic pull down screen)...it was about $200 dollars. I use it both for normal and widescreen viewing. I hope this helps. These projectors are cheaper than HDTV big screen TV's. Take a look at them. Michael ------------------ Michael Tangonan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 NOZ, I am in the same boat, looking for a projector. I'm sure you have been to AVS Forum but if not, one of the most talked about projectors there is the Panasonic AE-100. Personally, the one I am looking at the most is the InFocus Screenplay 110 . It's a few thousand more, but the reviews of it I have seen were rather nice. ------------------ m00nsCinema to be 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...
jonvan Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 That InFocus 110 is a great little unit I am told, uses TI chip and has 4:3 and 16:9 capabilities. DLP is the only way to go. It retails for 4500 US. Check out the View Tech screens, 1/2 the price of Stewart and a big step above the Da-Lite. 1.3 gain screen good if you have a little ambient light. ------------------ System: All items being sold as I am now an A/V dealer that does not sell Klipsch :-( Whats left: Forte's in black ash, great condition, buyer must pick up (Michigan) $1200 pr LF-10 Sub, perfect condition 1 year old $650 + shipping C-7 center black ash, perfect condition 1 year old $400 + shipping I-W 200 in walls, A little beat up but sound great no pre-contruction brackets $200 pair + shipping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOZ Posted June 2, 2002 Author Share Posted June 2, 2002 Thanks for your replies, I'll do a little research and get back to you with feedback. Any more advice out there? I can't drop that much right now maybe $3000 to $5000 Canadian. The theater room should be ready in a months time. I would like a ceiling mount, but if I have to go with a portable one like the sony I will. I would like to figure this out before the dry wall time comes due, so I can wire everything without delay. Again thanks for any feedback. Sean ------------------ NOZ SYSTEM Fronts: Klipsch RF-7's Center: Klipsch RC-7 Rears: Klipsch RS-7's TV: Toshiba 37" DVD: Toshiba SD 3107 Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR 7000 CD: Sony CDP CX250 EQ: Harmon Kardon EQ-8 Sub: Velodyne V-1012-B Spare/Back-Up: La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Ya NOZ, I know the feeling about not having the money right now. I won't be making my purchase for about a year I am figuring. Hopefully by then they will have come down in price. Also, I have seen them on ebay rather cheap. Here is a bid for only US$2,150.00 ------------------ m00nsCinema to be 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 June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 Either InFocus 110 or LP350.... The 110 has an advantage of greater dispersion at shorter distance making it ideal for smaller rooms plus the benefit of brighter 'appearance'. The LP350 is a proven workhorse. I can speak from personal experience as that's what is in my HT setup. It is simply fantastic. The benefit over the 110 is that it has higher resolution capabilities and a DVI interface. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by edwardre: Either InFocus 110 or LP350.... The 110 has an advantage of greater dispersion at shorter distance making it ideal for smaller rooms plus the benefit of brighter 'appearance'. The LP350 is a proven workhorse. I can speak from personal experience as that's what is in my HT setup. It is simply fantastic. The benefit over the 110 is that it has higher resolution capabilities and a DVI interface. The LP350 doesn't have component input does it? When you say the 110 has greater dispersion at shorter distances, what does that mean? I think my biggest problem with the 110 is that it's got a smaller native resolution that others. Other than that, I like what I have read about it. ------------------ m00nsCinema to be 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...
NOZ Posted June 3, 2002 Author Share Posted June 3, 2002 Thanks Ed I found an LP350, looks pretty reasonable, should I be concerned that it is in 4:3 ratio. Sean ------------------ NOZ SYSTEM Fronts: Klipsch RF-7's Center: Klipsch RC-7 Rears: Klipsch RS-7's TV: Toshiba 37" DVD: Toshiba SD 3107 Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR 7000 CD: Sony CDP CX250 EQ: Harmon Kardon EQ-8 Sub: Velodyne V-1012-B Spare/Back-Up: La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 Moon - Looking at the InFocus site is kind of non-descrit. However, I could have swore reading somewhere....think it was on the AVS forum that since the 110 is engineered as a HT projector rather than a conference room speaker, the throw distance has been reduced for any given size. For Instance, in my 20' room, in order to get (with 2.35 aspect ratio) the max onto my 10'x5' screen, I have to put the 350 back at 19 feet. As I understand it, the 110 would only have to be put at say.....15 or so feet to achieve the same diag screen size. NOZ - Probably depends on what your watching the most of. Typically I watch either the 1.85 or 2.35 (to 1) ratio DVD's. I have my projector in sort of a 'booth' to minimize the fan noise. It also serves as a 'mask' for widescreen pictures that create light 'splash' beyond the confines of the picture proper. When I watch 4:3, I just drop down to native res which perfectly resizes for my screen height. Either way, with any projector, you will have 'light splash' for the areas of the screen that you have no picture. Kind of like black bars in reverse. Yes....or more accurately, 'no', the 350 does not have component vid inputs. I use the s-video with spectacular results as listed in the Sony/InFocus comparison on Projector Central site. Both have the DVI input which, if you run video through a HT PC, can give you much greater flexibility over your picture that component. Another plus for the 110 is that it incorporates 3:2 pulldown. Finally, WRT the screen, I would suggest getting a peice of material from Parkland Plastics in the size you want to make your screen. I paid $36 for a 10'x5' piece. It is absolute white with a 1.5 reflective gain. Equivilent in every way to an expensive Da-lite. Guess it's the latest (been around for a year now) rave on the AVS forum. I can attest to it's excellence. I had a small Dalite. The Parkland Plastic in every way was as good, if not better for color saturation and picture detail, especially in dimly lit gray areas. Either projector you go with, if the 110 is as good as the 350, the picture is fantastic. Man they have come along way with the picture quality on these guys. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOZ Posted June 3, 2002 Author Share Posted June 3, 2002 Ed, Thanks for you input. If you can, take a look at ebay item #1357252345. It's an LP350 brand new. Let me know what you think. There' only 17hrs left. My HT room is 19' long do you think that's enough length if I want a 10' wide screen. Sean ------------------ NOZ SYSTEM Fronts: Klipsch RF-7's Center: Klipsch RC-7 Rears: Klipsch RS-7's TV: Toshiba 37" DVD: Toshiba SD 3107 Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR 7000 CD: Sony CDP CX250 EQ: Harmon Kardon EQ-8 Sub: Velodyne V-1012-B Spare/Back-Up: La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lne937s Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 I have to state my opinion- I have seen DLP and LCD projectors at work and have to say that I prefer my CRT projectors. I have had an 8" Zenith and 5.5" Sony. Yes, its old- tech and it is not as brite, but it also has a number of advantages if you have a very dark room. The first is black level. Both dlp and lcd projectors shine a light through a lcd/dlp screen. as a result, light leaks out of the black parts and the result is that balck always looks gray. The variation in brightness is less smooth for LCD/DLP. Also, you can find a good quality used projector on ebay for around $1000- a little more maybe for HDTV capable. I picked up the 5.5" Sony for less than $500 that plays up to 900 lines with component input. And the life of CRTs is substancially longer than that of lcd/dlp bulbs. Yes, it takes up more space, but mine doesn't have that annoying fan noise. Although DLP/LCD are portable, more user-friendly, and better for conference rooms and other high light areas, but for home theater- I'd stick with CRT Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 NOZ - Sorry, I didn't read your reply until just now. 11 minutes to go on that 350. If you can get it for $2200 or less, I would say that is probably about the best you are going to see for a brand new in the box. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 To continue....NOZ, I would certainly not want to be put in the position where your standards differ significantly from mine to the extent that you buy on my word alone. I can only speak to what I find appealing. Hopefully, you can then take that input and check this out for yourself prior to buying. One thing is for sure, the 350 holds it's value. If you are not satisfied, you will be able to sell it quickly on e-bay for what you paid or even a bit more. I would also suspect that the BIN price is also the reserve price for this unit. Larry - Points well taken. However, IMHO, technology has come along way with DLP and true black. Agreed, black is still very dark gray. Very, very dark gray. In fact, I have the Belle directly under the screen. Since there is debate on the black level, I find heightened awareness in myself whenever there is a 'black' part of a scene. I find myself looking from black part on picture to Belle grille and back again to reassure myself that black is indeed black. It is so close as to not be an issue. I think for me the compelling reason for the DLP route is it's ease of operation. Truly plug and play. The small tradeoffs are tradeoffs that anybody in the market has to internalize and decide whether it is worth it. I do not expect a $2K - $4K DLP to perform like a $15K Runco. Anyone who does is probably not grounded too firmly in reality. However, having seen both, I can tell you that IMHO, the differences are minute. Hair splitting minute. The Infocus and several like units in that price range represent the best compromise for me. Unlike the CRT units you elude to, I do not need a professional technician to come in and setup/service/maintain the Infocus. Setting convergence and all the other peramiters would likely drive me nuts! Plus, typically, CRT's are the size of small VW's and have to be hung within 10 or so feet from the screen due to the (relatively) low light output. I have never heard a CRT unit that did not make as much or more fan noise than the 350. The 350 BTW is a rather minor 30dB, claiming to be the quietest in the industry. I 'hushbox' mine because to get a grand 10' picture in a 20' room, the unit needs to sit at ear level about 2 ft from my head! Again, tradeoffs. To me, a slightly reduced 'true black' is a very cheap price to pay not to have to deal with the hassle of a full blown CRT unit. And finally......the picture is MIND BOGGLING!! You fire Jurassic Park III (DVD) up, 10' wide, opening scene where the dad and boy are hang gliding over the ocean with the rain forest background, and tell me that that picture isn't BETTER than the picture you get in the theatres. Color saturation is superb. Detail is superb. Absolutely not a hint of a scan line detectable. Now add DTS soundtrack via all Klipsch heritage speakers and....yeah....you get the idea. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOZ Posted June 4, 2002 Author Share Posted June 4, 2002 There seems to be a few Infocus LP350's on ebay. They are all around the $2500 mark. There are also a few LP340's, and they are around the $2000 mark. Does any one know the difference between the two? ------------------ NOZ SYSTEM Fronts: Klipsch RF-7's Center: Klipsch RC-7 Rears: Klipsch RS-7's TV: Toshiba 37" DVD: Toshiba SD 3107 Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR 7000 CD: Sony CDP CX250 EQ: Harmon Kardon EQ-8 Sub: Velodyne V-1012-B Spare/Back-Up: La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardre Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 The diff is that the 340 has 800x600 native res as opposed to the 350's 1024x768 native res. Other than that, from what I can tell looking at the specs, they're identical. The higher res was $3000 more MSRP. ------------------ Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOZ Posted June 4, 2002 Author Share Posted June 4, 2002 Thanks Ed, It's probably worth the $500 more to go for the higher res. ------------------ NOZ SYSTEM Fronts: Klipsch RF-7's Center: Klipsch RC-7 Rears: Klipsch RS-7's TV: Toshiba 37" DVD: Toshiba SD 3107 Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR 7000 CD: Sony CDP CX250 EQ: Harmon Kardon EQ-8 Sub: Velodyne V-1012-B Spare/Back-Up: La Scalas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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