I finaly did it!!!

[easylistener]

I sold my tool box. As many of you know I hurt myself at work and had to leave the Auto world and go back to school. Well finially I have started to get back on my feet and wanted a new toy. I have had the upgrade bug.

So I did it. I just orderd the Panasonic 900u projector and a new 92" 16:9 screen. I don't have my basement finished yet but I am going to put it in my living room for now. I am going to mount the screen above my 57" tv, and when I want to watch a movie or the Packers I will hit a button and drop the screen down infront of my tv. Now I have to wait 5-9 days for it to come.

I think everyone has had the waiting for the shipping man for the new toy joy. I have read some great reviews on the panasonic projector and I hope it lives up to the hype. I can't watch DLP's because my eye's get the rainbow effect. My uncle has a 5x wheel dlp projector and I get sick watching it. So I was only left with LCD thus the panasonic.

Just felt like sharing, I havn't been on here a hole lot lately. I will have to invite the SE Wisconsin Guys over when I get it all hooked up.

[Arky]

Congrats & go Farve!

[garymd]

What's up Easy??? Long time no post.

Good to see you back.

[easylistener]

Ya it has been a while. Time flies. I have been making up some time with the 7 year old. When I was out of work and having 3 surgies I missed alot of fun stuff with him.

I have been resently diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, and have been told that I will be living with constant dislocation and pain for the rest of my life. So I have been dealing with that as well. I just keep my fingures crossed that my son doesn't develope it.

Any new equiment Gary?

[garymd]

Sorry to hear of your health problems. I wish you the best and hope your son stays healthy. It's good that you've been able to spend some quality time with him lately. Some of my fondest memories with my son was the time we spent together while I was recovering from my first back surgery. He would race home from school so we could play video games and just hang out. It was a blast. He was 9 years old at the time.

I can't remember when we spoke last but not much has changed over the past 2 years.

Downstairs - VRDs/Blueberry Xtreme/Basis 2001 TT/Sony 555ES SACD Player/'76 Khorns

Upstairs - Scott 299b/Music Hall MMF-5 TT (just got this week)/Sony 555ES SACD/'80 Cornwalls/HT stuff

I missed having a TT with my Cornwalls so I bought the Music Hall from another forum member. Really nice table for the price but more than anything, it really makes me appreciate the Basis. It's in a league of it's own.

That about sums it up. One of these days I'll have to update my system profile. It's about a year out of date.

Take care and stay in touch.

[Doc Robin]

Pictures would be real nice once you get it set up and running. Bill

[j-malotky]

Good to see you back. Nice purchase... enjoy[]

Sorry to hear you are still having problems.

Are you still living in Cedarburg? Will have to have you over to our next get together.

JM

[easylistener]

I am now up in West Bend. I bought a house here about 2 years ago.

Now that I just thought about that I have been gone for some time.

[ssh]

Welcome back.

I have the Panny & the same size screen & love them.

Enjoy,

SSH

[easylistener]

I received the projector today and had a little time to play with it. Picture quility is very good and blacks are good also. I will give a better review and some pictures tomorrow. Just wanted to give an update.

[easylistener]

Ok here are my thoughts. The pany produces a real good picture. The colors are very vivid and the blacks are good right out of the box. I calibrated it and the picture got even better. I have some screen shots but I have to down size the picture files because they are 4 and 5 meg each.

The things I am not happy with: The gray wolff screen. I can see the grain of the screen when watching movies and tv. It makes the picture look noisy. I am new to this but I am willing to get a new screen and replace this couple day old one. But my question is; if I get a da lite hp or matte white will this fabric grain problem go away? Or will it just get better? Is there any one out there that has seen these two screens? I am puzzled I don't want to buy a new screen to have the same problem.

[boomac]

Easy - that's the same new projector I just bought and hope to have installed in the near future. Glad to hear you like it. It came highly recommended. Good to have you back on the Forum.

[easylistener]

What screen did you get for it? The projector is very strong but the screens will be harder to find the right one.

[Cal Blacksmith]

Easy, WELCOME BACK! I agree with your views on the DLP/LCD

question. I have a Hitachi PJ-TX100 and I am very happy with it. As for the

screen, go out and look at some before you buy. I wound up with the Da-Lite

screen and am still waiting for it. It is hard to go wrong with a Da-Lite

screen, they have been making them for a lot of years (I have a roll up movie

screen from the 50s that is still like new) and they have how to make a good

screen down pat.

Is the surface on

the screen you have now rough? Glass bead? Go to the Da-Lite site for more info

on the difference of the surfaces. Go to the Projector Central website to use

the calculator to find out how much gain you need. Links to these sites are in

my thread on

MY new PJ screen

in this forum. Good luck in your quest for the ultimate HT in your home!

Congrats on the purchase! OBTW, can you return the screen and get your money

back?

We went with a fixed

screen because I wanted it to be nice and flat. That is something to think

about, a roll up is nice but unless it is tensioned, it will not be flat. It

can also move on you while watching movies/sports if the A/C ducts create a movement

of air. Remember, that is a large sail and a little air can move a large boat

[rplace]

Checking out screens in a store is a good piece of advice. Even better is to contact the major manufacturers and ask for samples. Get different gains and different materials (white, brilliant white, grey, etc.) Then audition them with YOUR projector in YOUR room.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I was surprised at how willing the companies are to send you rather large samples for free. I tried several different ones and to my surprise I ended up liking Carada the best. My reading and research made me think I would get a Stewart or da lite. I was quite shocked at how great the Carada was. Even more shocking was the price.

I have the earlier version of your same projector (Panasonic 700) and expected I would want a gray screen. No way. Not only did I not like the gray screen I went the exact opposite direction with brilliant white over the standard white. All of the gray screens were the worst IMO.

Finally if you are going to get a different screen I would strongly suggest getting ANYTHING except a 16:9 screen. Consider a constant height set up and go with 2:35 to 1 screen. Unless all you want to watch is HDTV I would not even consider a 16:9.

Check this long thread out for more info. http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/479790.aspx It is a tad difficult to comprehend when you read it, but once you see it in action it all makes sense. Just imagine that no matter what you watch (TV, HTDV, Any width movie) it always fills the screen top to bottom (read: never a black bar on top/bottom). It is only the width of the picture that changes. The Panasonic projectors have a lot of room to zoom so this is very easy to accomplish.

On that thread above be sure and check out the examples I link to in post #5 and #6 on the second page.

Good Luck, Rich

[boomac]

Easy I went with a Da-Lite 106 Diagonal. The model is a Cosmopolitan Electrol and its the HDTV aspect ratio with a high contrast matte white finish. If you watch a lot of movies I suggest you check out Richs ideas and solutions about alternative aspect ratio screens.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />West Bend aint far so hopefully we can all get together soon.

[Cal Blacksmith]

I looked at the constant height setup and decided that I

would rather have the bars on top and bottom. While my PJ has a large amount of

zoom and can easily fill the screen top to bottom, it is a manual zoom and I

really dont like getting the stool to reach the PJ and adjust the zoom.

Then there is the problem of varying light output for each

size screen. It is just a fact that the more you zoom, the darker your image

will be. If you take the same amount of light and spread it out over a larger surface

that is the result. Yes I have an adjustable iris on my projector and I can

adjust the light output to keep things constant but again, it is a pain. There

is also the problem of larger pixels when you zoom. The larger you zoom the

larger the pixels will be unless you are using a CRT projector or can stand the

rainbow effect.

If you go with the constant height setup, you will then have

unused screen to the left and right side.[^o)] You then need to decide to either

have blank screen there, black bars there, or use curtains to reframe the

image. If you are spending mucho$$$$ and have computer controlled curtains and

projector so that all the adjustments are made automatically then constant

height is the ONLY way to go but if you dont like to fiddle for 5 minutes

before each movie to set the aspect ratio, screens and light output, then a

constant width is the way to go. We like to just turn the setup on and watch

movies with no muss or fuss. Besides, with a 119 diagonal 13:9 screen, the

difference in picture aspect ratios, does not really detract from the enjoyment

for us.

I guess it all comes down to which problems you are willing

to deal with and which way gives you the most enjoyment. There is no perfect

answer to this issue and like audio it is all about tradeoffs.

Your mileage may vary though[~][~]

[rplace]

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Cal, I think you are making way to big a deal out of the adjustment times required unless your projector is much more complicated then mine. At most it takes me 30 seconds to set things up if switching between a standard TV format and a 2.35 movie. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Actually the HD AR (1.78 or 16:9) is the real problem because when I go back and forth between 1.85 and 2.35 I don't have to adjust the height of the lens at all. That is, they project at the top of my screen with no changes and it is only the width that changes. I literally change the zoom in 2 seconds or less and I am done. Perhaps my eyes are not as discriminating, but I never see any difference in darkness as I switch between formats, nor any rainbow issues.

2.35 and 1.85 are far and away the most common formats that movies are produced in. They give you that more cinematic or panoramic experience that you loved way back in the stone ages when people actually went to movie theaters.[]. I did a lot of reading before I decided to go with the constant height and a few articles pointed out that the human eye is much more forgiving on the "extra" space on the sides (viewing a non 2.35 movie on a 2.35 screen) then they are at noticing and being distracted by that extra space (black bars) at the top and bottom of a screen when viewing a 2.35 movie on a 1.78 or 1.33 screen.

Constant height and constant width setups both have their pros and cons and surely it is up to the end user to decide if either is right for them. If you don't have either of those they you effectively just have some large screen canvas to project on and you will have unused screen (black bars/dead screen) on all 4 sides - the worst choice in my opinion. If you have either a constant height or constant width you will need to zoom/align lens at some point. No free lunch unless you get a different lens or a scaler. At any rate the cost of the lunch is minimal in set up time and IMO is more then worth it for a full picture top to bottom or side to side. I just happen to prefer the top to bottom fullness. There are some very compelling arguments to go with a 1.33 (4:3) screen and go the constant width route. To each his own.

My intent was not to start a 1.78 vs. 2.35 debate, but to inform EasyListener that there are choices. So many people think because a projector projects at 1.78 and HD is in 1.78 that they NEED a 1.78 screen.

For me the whole concept was very hard to visualize in my mind. I had to build a home made screen out of tile backer board and window molding painted flat black in a 2.35 AR and actually project various images (1.33, 1.78, 1.85 and 2.33) on them and play with my projector. Only then did I realize fully what all the implications were.

The final decision was when I talked to the owner of Carada screens. He said he has had several 1.78 screen customers scrap their 1.78 in favor of a 2.33, but never the other way around. In all fairness he said he sells way more 1.78 screens then 2.33. He also said that 2.33 screens are gaining in popularity every year as people fully understand that a HD projector does not need a HD AR screen.

[Cal Blacksmith]

You are 100% right, a HD PJ does NOT have to have a HD format screen! My PJ zooms in and out and keeps the CENTER of the image in the same place. If it kept the top constant, then it might be a little different story. It is good that you pointed out that there are other formats in the world that deserve serious concideration. Your previous posts had me looking at CH setups and we used only a wall for nearly a year to play with the different formats. Perhaps I am simple minded but the bars on top and bottom do not bother me at all[:$]

I just don't want the hasle of getting the stool out to adjust the PJ for every movie, it is mounted too high to reach without standing on something. I am glad you brought up the topic! Thanks[]

[easylistener]

I decided to go with a 16:9 ratio for now. I will have to do more

research on the other ratios. I went to Circuit City to buy the

elite 100" matte white finish. It is a much better screen

for me. The only problem is that it is starting to get

wavy. I think I will take it back, but then I don't know what to

do. I am going to have to start doing more research.