Any info on a good video projector?

[Wardsweb]

I've gotten the itch to buy a projector and use pull down screen in front of my TV for home theater use. I know nothing about projectors. I would like to get something good but don't have to have the TOTL = $$$$$$. I was told a Infocus was nice, Runco and Barco are high end, but that's about the extent of my knowledge.

[WildWest]

Ya know Wardster...Recently I thought I was going to be installing a front HD projector for my accountant during his remodel. I sent him out to look at some of these that were set up at stores and he decided against it. Regardless, I never got to doing much home work on it but I know there is a TON O INFORMATION over at the AVS forum.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

[Rob]

Wards,

I'll pm you a link once I find it. This fellow can fix you up better than anyone else I know.

Rob

[THOR]

Yep Robs the go to guy for this question since I believe he's the only one of us with a full blown movie theater in his basement ;)

[Rob]

Wards,

I've just sent you that contact info via email.

Rob

[Wired]

Panasonic make good video projectors and plasma screens.

[botrytis]

Panasonic is OK - not great, not bad, especially with plasmas (I did too much research on them!!). Pana's have good blacks but stink as far as conncetions and upgradability when it comes to plasmas.

For a projector, I would suggest looking at Samsung right now. They have a model which has been getting great reviews and is relatively cheap compared to the rest.

Dave

[Rob]

Dave,

Wards was looking for a front projector, like you hang from the ceiling and put a truly large screen on the wall, not an RPTV (just a large televesion set). I am not aware that Samsung has entered the front projection market.

Wards,

Did you get that link I emailed you? I can re-send if you lost it.

Rob

[botrytis]

Sorry - I was wrong - I need to do more research before I open my mouth. (It was Sanyo, actually). Samsung makes a decent inexpensive plasma.

That said, look here Ward - http://www.hometheaterpeople.com/projectors/default.asp

This should give you an idea of what is out there and it is a good place to start.

Dave

[Yamahaluver]

Yamaha DPX-1, rated no.1 in Japan, fantastic picture quality but it is a bit pricey. Incorporates 6 segement callibration wheel and DDCI.

[lalatal]

Hi
Iam using OPTOMA H-50
After looking at SONY,SHARP,PANASONIC&SANYO at the same price level (about 2000$ in Bangkok)
The optoma came best
Very good colour's ,clear picture
Remot easy to use
And DVI so can use with computer or a DVD like BRAVO
Tomer

[D-Zyne]

You might want to hold off for a few months. Aside from DLP and LCD, there's a new technology on the market called LCos that's supposed to be catching up.

Another good website to visit is

http://www.projectorcentral.com/

I design home theaters and use it quite a bit. Make sure you get your lensing right cause digital keystone correction looks like crapola

We have used numerous Sanyos and people seem fairly happy with them. The SIM2 makes a nice picture (but its an ugly unit) as does the InFocus 700 (I assume we're talking 16:9 here).

[Wardsweb]

I'm really up in the air on this one. With the mounting position 12-14 feet back and the sitting position about 12, I need a fairly quiet unit. May have to go digital and it's cheaper.

Anyone seen a Infocus X1, lot's of talk over at AVS Forums about it?

[THOR]

Keep us updated with how it goes and what you get and the install process and all please, I am very interested in seeing how this goes and what it costs and your results ;)

[D-Zyne]

Here's some more unsolicited info:

If you're sitting 12ft away, you want your screen to be about 4ft high. In 16:9 format, that gives you a 85 " x 48" image, or a 98" diagonal. If your projector is between 12 and 14ft away from the screen, you need a lens that can do a 1.7:1 to 2.0:1 ratio. This is a fairly common ratio and many units out there can handle it.

Lens ratio = Throw Distance/Screen Width

Remember if you have a lot of ambient lighting from windows, mirrors, etc. you'll need to up your light output. I would go with 1000 ANSI lumen minimum, 1500 or higher if it's a bright room.

[THOR]

Originally posted by Mike Bates
I like my Zenith PR0851 CRT better than any DLP, plasma, LCD, ect front projector I've seen. Better colors, hue, contrast, black level ect... Just more realistic.

Tubes rule IMO.

:)

I might listen to that argument for audio but there is no way it applies in video, it may be your preference, but in the real world an HDTV (properly set up) picture looks 100 times better with the proper signal (progressive scan DVD, HDTV signal) than a tubed TV ever will. Especially sitting 12' away. You can't go by the sets you see in stores they are not set up right, the colors and contrasts, tints and everything are all cranked to the max to counter bright store lighting. Once you get them home and set them up right they are just dazzling and a tubed TV can't compare.

[Rob]

Thor,

Mike Bates is right. CRT's still give superior picture quality to the best home theater front projection systems. They make a seamless pixel to pixel image unlike the grainy on-off, finite resolution dot pitch image made by he other solid state and flipping micromirror light valve technologies.

The Runco he linked an example to looks like a nice home dream machine. Did you notice the price? Almost $38,000.00. It uses similar 9" liquid coupled tubes to my Barcodata 1001.

[botrytis]

I disagree Mike and Rob and agree with Thor - I have a plasma screen and for movies it is amazing. The problems with CRT's is they have too much convergence and focus problems. With RPTV's and prjectors, those have to be adjusted every so often, while with CRT's it is too hard to do or you can't do it at all.

Plasma screens don't have any of the above mentioned problems and the pixels are not the same as with a CRT. My plasma ia 768p in resolution - much better than the 1080i proposed for HDTV broadcast TV. THe picture is movie theatre quality.

CRT's are also going to go away because of all the the toxic chemicals used to manufacture them - like mercury.

Dave

[THOR]

Ok well first I thought he meant some kind of antique dumpster TV like I hear all you vintage TV's guys oohing and ahhing over. Yes I would expect as price goes up then PQ goes up, so a $38000 anything should have a better picture than a $2000 HDTV. I thought a CRT is just a regular picture tube TV. I have not seen any piture tube TV that has a better picture than my HDTV.

Rob I don't know where you get grainy on-off, finite resolution dot pitch image from??? Yes regular projection TV's may have this but not my HDTV, with a progressive scan DVD and HDTV signal if anything the picture is totally seamless and you can't see any pixels.

[Rob]

Botrytis, Thor,

Sorry guys Mike Bates and I are talking front projection home theater, not large screen TV sets. I haven't seen a plasma panel in anyone's home yet that measures 6x8 feet or larger. When I eventually do, I'm sure it will be breathtaking, with no visible pixelization artifacts from the viewing distance. When you expand the TV image to 10 foot diagonal and larger if you have one of those DLV, CCD or whatever digital imaging light valve technology projectors you will see squares, dots, moire patterns, etc. on the screen. Because the projection cathode ray tube has a continuous light emitting phosphor surface the pixel resolution is both infinite and soft edge at the same time. The issure about convergence is not nearly as big a problem now that the circuitry has improved in the CRT based projectors. Of course those digital light valves have no convergence issues except for keystone correction to allow the projector to be off axis of screen center, but that can get ugly.

[D-Zyne]

You all make good points...I guess that's why there is no single answer to which is best or we'd all have it by now!

I personally think CRT projectors are the tops...I don't even like the $100,000 Christie projectors the movie theaters are using...the pixels are as big as my thumb, of course they're visible! But it is true that CRT's require a good bit of upkeep. Once the guns get some hours on them they can start to drift. Convergence is not difficult, but it is time consuming. So DLP/LCD can be a fair trade-off- they don't look BAD, just not as good.

As far as plasma goes, HD is the ONLY thing that looks good on them...try watching regular broadcast or DVD without upscaling and they look atrocious. And for anyone that missed CEDIA this year, there is a 71" plasma on the horizon with a native rez of 1900 x 1024....for a mere $55K retail, of course.

[THOR]

I believe my rear projection HDTV uses three CRT's.

[Rob]

Originally posted by THOR
I believe my rear projection HDTV uses three CRT's.

3-CRT RPTV's are still the norm. My 61" Toshiba (61A60) does too.

[botrytis]

Those CRT's are more like the color guns in a CRT - Red, Blue, and Green.

Dave

[JimmyNeutron]

I have a Runco 3 tube CRT hi-def projector that I will be getting rid of soon. It's got the 16x9 aspect CRT's, full hi-def capable, paints a picture that is second to none, and originally sold for $35,000.00. I also have an outboard line doubler/scaler unit to go with it. Pics will be up on my website soon. That CRT projector has the sharpest picture to ANYTHING I've seen. I also just received a Runco plasma for our bedroom to replace our Pioneer plasma. The Runco plasma is made by Panasonic and Runco has added it's own proprietary digital circuits to improve on the already excellent Panasonic. It blows away my Pioneer plasma in blacks, detail, and smoothness. My 2 cents: if you want the best picture bar none, a CRT is the ONLY way to go.