Tell me about projectors:

[kenratboy]

Links are fine (like a 'everything you need to know about front projectors'), but what are the basics of front projectors? I have always been interested in the audio part of home theater, but in the last few months (saw some nice FP's at a local HT shop), I am beginning to realize that video is just as important.

Also, just for fun, what are the hot projectors in the $3,000-5,000 range?

Being in college is making me slowly realize the end of education is near and a real job will be coming before too long.

I appreciate any info you have! I know absolutly SH!T about projectors.

Thanks!

[m00n]

Well... I don't know a great deal about them but I can tell you that the InFocus Screenplay 110 is one fantastic projector. It retails for $5000.00, but I am sure it can be had for cheaper than that. That was the price a year ago anyway. Since then they have come out with the 7200. My neighbor who works at InFocus says it's absolutly beatyfull. I wont let him bring it over because I don't want to see how much better it is than my 110.

[kenratboy]

LOL! I know what you mean...

I figure that with no debt out of college, I could treat myself to something nice. However, I don't have any components worth using over, so I would really need to buy it all at once. I just won't spend any money for a year, or two...

[j-malotky]

Rat Boy

I did most of my research on AVSFORUM when I purchased last year.

What was important to me was getting a projector that has a 16:9 aspect ratio.

High Contrast ratio - Blacker blacks.

High Ansi Lumens- mine is 1900 and I can use it during the day if I want since I went with a grey screen.

JM

[picky]

Kenratboy:

There are three basic types of front projectors on the market; CRT, LCD, & DLP just to name a few. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) is the oldest of the three and it usually is bulkier than the latter two, and has 3 large lenses sticking out of the front (LCDs and DLPs have one lens). CRTs can be rather pricy and their forte is truer color rendition. Next, the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type are quite popular because they tend to be more affordable than the other two (CRT & DLP). Although more clear an image than CRT (in my opinion) and brighter than both CRT and DLP, I do not feel they are nearly as sharp as the DLP type projectors - again MY opinion.

I currently have A Sharp XV-Z9000U DLP front projector, which I installed in my HT last January. DLPs seem to be the hottest thing on the market right now. This projector is considered one of the top-rated Digital Light Processor (DLP) models available (the latest model is the XV-10000U). I use it in conjunction with a Stewart Greyhawk filmscreen (78" diagonal) and the results are awesome, especially when viewing material in True-HDTV from my digital high definition cable hookup. Choosing a proper screen is just as important as choosing a good projector. I know the 9000 is over your mentioned budget, but Sharp just introduced a new model that falls within your price range called the XV-Z90U. You may wish to check it out for yourself. It may meet your needs. There are also many good LCD projectors out there that are more affordable. Perhaps they may suit your needs better than a DLP? Just one thing: Many purists out there tend to knock DLP projectors just because they utilize a color wheel to deliver their color. Don't listen to them. I have never been disappointed by my DLP! I think what they are saying is a bunch of bull pucky! Best of luck!

-Picky

[kenratboy]

I bet most videophiles couldn't even explain the technology they hate.

I watched the video on the DLP website, and I think it is ******* awesome. It is all out digital and it looks awesome!

[picky]

Ken:

I could not have put it better myself! DLPs will suprise you. But, you owe it to yourself to check out the LCDs, too. There are also more variations in the projection format (just to confuse you more). There's a rather pricey hybred by JVC called a D-ILA that does an awesome job, too. You really must go audition several different types of projectors with the same DVD at the same store in order to form an opinion of your own. We have many stores to choose from here in the Detroit area. I used to live out near you in Fallon, Nevada and I was just in Reno this past June. I know the area has rally built up since we left back in 1977. So, I am willing to bet you have a lot of stores there as well by now. Reno is such a growing area. There used to be a place called the Tin Ear Sound Company a few blocks west of S. Virginia Street that I bought a lot of gear from back then, but I'm sure they are long gone by now. Best of luck to you!

-Picky

[kenratboy]

There are a few nice HT places here in Reno, I have only stuck my head in the door (combination of not wanting to buy anything and the places were always busy and I didn't want to wear my welcome) - but I will probably go in and check them out for fun.

Wild West just moved into a smaller place - but they are now focusing on higher-quality gear, not the dozens of 60" RPTV's for football fans (not that there is anything wrong with that, but Good Guys, Circuit City, and even Best Buy are where the deals on big screens are at), so they actually have more gear. They have the B&W 800 Series!

[picky]

Ken:

Sounds like you are now well-covered in Reno for HT stores. No surprise to me. I agree: They do seem to have some very good deals on RPTV's at the places you mentioned. We (my wife and I) reviewed several RPTV's at Circuit City. Some were exceptional performers (Hitachi & Toshiba)with great prices. We looked at plasma too, including Pioneer Elite's 50" and neither plasma nor RPTV looked "cinematic" enough to us. That's when we decided to go front projection. It's like being at the movie theater...without the gum on the floor.

One word of caution: It you plan to install your screen in a room that has a lot of uncontrollable ambient light, you may wish to consider going with a RPTV or a Plasma, as front projection requires a darkened room. My HT is in my basement and I have eliminated all of the windows. If your room has windows, you may be able to cover them with light-blocking window treatments. I can't stress enough how important light control is with front projection! It's imperative.

Ah, yes, the B&W 800 Series. Nice sound. When we were first looking for a sound system for our HT, I must admit that B&W was one of our first serious considerations. We listened to over 10 different systems including the following brands using the DVD 'The Matrix' (lobby shootout and helicopter rescue scenes) for comparison: B&W, M&K, Meridian, Atlantic, Klipsch, Boston Accoustics, Martin Logan, Kef, & Energy just to name a few. Although I am a much more critical listener than my wife, only one set of speakers jumped up and got both of our attentions at the very same moment: Klipsch! We were shocked! At the time, the only Klipsch speakers I had ever owned (or cared for) were the Promedia 5.1's hooked up to the PC in my home office. I was a speaker snob. I always dissed on Klipsch because they used horns instead of domes. I thought that horns sounded "honky". Well, snob-no-more. I am converted and enlightened! The Klipsch were the only speaker we heard that were dynamic enough to make the scenes we were watching seem more believable and true-to-life. The B&Ws, although excellent for listening to music (so are the Klipsch) they seem to fall on their faces watching movies unless you have monstrous amounts of power amplification available (I do not). The Klipsch never broke up or sounded edgy, regardless of the volume and I am happy to report the same results from them when I brought them home. They always do what I ask of them, including while listening to music. I have yet to be dissappointed, and they are less expensive than most, especially the Meridians! I do think the Meridians are better, but look where you've got to go in price just to beat the Klipsch! No thanks! I also discovered, most of the newer theaters in my area use Klipsch speakers as well. So, now with the DLP and the Klipsch, my sights AND sounds are both just like being at the movies! I'm going to have to buy some gum.......

-Picky

[avman]

my choice is the sony vpl-hs10. while the contrast ratio isn't as high as some dlp's,the resolution is higher at 1,366x768 (AWESOME for hdtv!)and it has a good internal video processor for lower res sources.

also NO RAINBOWS/NO RAINBOWS/NO RAINBOWS

if the pj you buy is dlp, and you see rainbows with it,it will aggravate the $hit out of you.

the hs-10 can be had for about $2,500($3k retail)

the hs-20(new and improved)will be out in november, and cost about $3,100($3,500 retail)

[kenratboy]

Yes, I am well aware of the light control issue, I have seen how a dark (black) room is basically and mandatory part of having a FPTV. I hate light, so it shouldn't be a problem.

----------------

On 9/3/2003 12:32:24 PM avman wrote:

my choice is the sony vpl-hs10. while the contrast ratio isn't as high as some dlp's,the resolution is higher at 1,366x768 (AWESOME for hdtv!)and it has a good internal video processor for lower res sources.

also NO RAINBOWS/NO RAINBOWS/NO RAINBOWS

if the pj you buy is dlp, and you see rainbows with it,it will aggravate the $hit out of you.

the hs-10 can be had for about $2,500($3k retail)

the hs-20(new and improved)will be out in november, and cost about $3,100($3,500 retail)----------------

The first gen DLP's had a 60 Hz. refresh rate, I could NOT live with that. If I walk into a room and someones computer monitor is running at 60 Hz., I simply cannot stand it. However, the newest DLP's are running at 240 Hz. - I think that is fine.

[kjohnsonhp]

My neighbor just installed an NEC 1000 for around $3500 and I am impressed. DLP w/no rainbow. Using the Bravo DVI DVD it looks great. I think they just replaced it with a better model.

I haven't A/B'ed to others but I've read a lot about it on AVS and other forums.

Pitch black room is certainly a must.

I've also had used CRT recommendations at $3500 which may need some tuning but they still have the best pic (for now).

The AV sites have all the projector info you would want.

[DrPyro]

Ken-

Picky already did a fine job of describing the technologies available. AVS Forums are a great place to find info about projectors, but with any forum there are idiots that have never used/looked at the projector that rant & rave about. So be careful. I took a different approach to buying my projector. I took home one of my work projectors to test out, an ancient Sharp NoteVision3 with something like 200:1 contrast ratio. It will make you think about some aspects of projectors that you find important, it will only help you make a better decision. What I learned is that I got a better picture using a computer then the S-video connection (no component on the projector), LCD don't have the best contrast ratio, Cable TV wasn't great at 72" screen size, I wanted a 16x9 projector, need a fairly light controlled environment, and PROJECTION DISTANCE makes a HUGE difference. The last point I found to be the most important for ppl that aren't making/building a dedicated movie theater for this specific projector.

Most HT stores now carry at least one or two projectors, so take a few for test drives!!!! The first think I found (watching Gladiator) that I couldn't handle DLPs, the "rainbow effect" made me sick, very sick ?, so much that I about lost my lunch at the dealer and this was on the new Marantz DLP. SO if you are hyper sensitive like me...be careful

In the end, I ended up with a less expensive LCD projector (Sanyo PLV-Z1). I actually bought it sight unseen, but did look at the Yamaha LPX-500 and a buch of others. The Yamaha has roughly the same contrast ratio, but with a higher native resolution then the Sanyo. I wasn't going to go over 80" diagonals, so the higher resolution would have been (almost) wasted and my PC is too old to allow for the new DVI video cards, so I didn't want DVI. I also figured that LCD/DLP/ICOS/etc will change so much in the upcoming years that the idea of little and often might be the best route.

Happy hunting!

-Dave

[kenratboy]

Hmmmm, I am very sensitive to monitor refresh rates, you? I guess I should check it out for myself.

[picky]

Somewhere over the rainbow......

No rainbows on my Sharp DLP. Ever. Everyone is right: You must test them first hand to really get a feel for what you what & what you believe....just like picking out speakers.

A note on contrast ratios: "Madison Avenue" That's who is selling contrast ratios to projection buyers these days. Like everything else in our society, the ad agencies on Madison Avenue would have you believe that more i better. Well..in my personal opinion...it's not! I viewed my Sharp 9000 against the new Sharp 10000 and new Marantz projectors that both have the new Texas Instrument "Mustang" chip (sort of like DLP-2 (in theory, and improvementover the original))and they both are more expensive than mine. Their contrast ratios are touted to be twice that of my projector. Guess what? They are too dark even when shown on an optomized screen such as a Stewart Firehawk or Greyhawk! Even my salemans prefers the 9000 to the 10000, so much that he bought a 9000 after the 10000 came out. Since the Sharp 9000 is an older model now (as of February 2003) there should be some real deals on them out there.

So, do youreself a favor and check them out first hand, or as DrPyro suggested: go so far as to ask to bring one home. By the way, I even tried my DLP against an equally priced Runco, which some enthusiats hearld as being tops. The Runco was way too dark, especially on 'Spiderman'! Yes, it had been calibrated just as the others I watched.

So get out there with your fav DVD and have some fun!

- Picky

[CO1]

projectorcentral.com is a good place to go for specs. I find some of their comparison reviews to be poorly done but there is a lot of good info there. Personally I feel DLP is the better machine.

[kenratboy]

So, how isolated is the island you live on?

[picky]

An interesting development in LCD Projectors: I just read a quick blurb this morning in my weekly email update from 'Presentations Magazine':

Quote:

"COMPANY UPDATE:

1. SONY TO STOP SUPPLYING PROJECTOR LCD PANELS

Sony announced that it will stop supplying LCD panels to other projector

manufacturers beginning April 2004, although it will continue to produce

LCD panels for its own front- and rear-projection systems. Sony cited

dropping prices, shrinking margins and an inability to make money on the

panels as the reason for the decision. The move would leave Epson as the

sole major supplier of LCD projector panels to companies that manufacture

LCD projectors." - Courtesy of 'Presentations Magazine'

SO, with the above said, it appears that either prices are droppiing in the LCD projector industry due to good sales, or the LCD projector industry could possibly be feeling the heat from the DLP projector industry....."rainbows" and all. Your choice. It seems that Sony (to my knowledge) is one of the only projector manufacturers who still does not offer any DLP models. Sony purists would have you believe the reason for that is because Sony doesn't wish to compromise by releasing projectors with "inferior technology" (there's that hang-up on the color wheels, again). I have reviewed several of Sony's LCD projectors and they are very clear, extremely bright, and fairly affordable. They do also have good color quality. I did not think they were as sharp as the DLPs however especially in viewing high definition programming. - My personal opinion.

-Picky

[Crazy Eyes]

Another plug for www.avsforum.com

Lots of helpful people there and info.

I was able to get a PJ and 92" screen for less than half of what my RPTV cost to get my feet wet in the pj market. <$1,200

Its better than going to the movies.

[CO1]

kenratboy I'm guessing your question was directed to me. In the summer the only way in or out is by boat or plane and of course in the winter you can scratch boats off the list so the only way in or out is by plane. Fortunately I fly out a lot and I usually get at least 4 months vacation with stress leave so it's not too bad. Combine that with a 4 on 4 off schedule and I'm off more than I work but even that seems too much.