Best Widescreen TV under 1600? (1 Viewer)

[Andy_A]

Dean, thanks for the info. I'm planning to use Misty Evening paint (grayish color, well-reviewed) on my wall for the screen. One thing that is good is that I can control room lighting to achieve a completely dark room. What about the Sanyo Z1? I've heard good things about that projector, too. My main concern is price (around $1200 new/used), picture (best resolution), and minimization of screen door effect. Any suggestions? Is the X1 the way to go? How much is the adapter you speak of for the X1? Thanks

 

[Dave Capp]

I have a similar situation to the inquiries above. I have a living room that is 14x16 & want to get a decent HD Widescreen w/o dropping mad cash. I am looknig for something around $1500-2000.

Seeing that this is my living room, a Front Projector is not likely. What brand/model would be worthwhile in this price range? Should I be looking at Rear Projection or something else? Where should I go to purchase this (I live in the greater Cleveland area -- but what would be best?)

Lastly, my cable provider (Time Warner) offers some HD channels & broadcasts the local stations in HD. Should I change from cable to satellite if I purchase an HD?

 

[Michael*Taylor]

if you're interested in making the trip up here (S. Jersey) I have a Sony 46" HDTV widescreen(KP46WT500) that we bought in Jun., that I'm probably going to take back to tweeter(if possible) or sell. It takes up way too much room for our small little place. shoot me an email if interested. thanks.

 

[Andy_A]

Wow, I just read a great review of the X1 and I'm leaning heavily in that direction. I am puzzled by a couple of things though. I see that it is a 4:3 projector, but the reviewer raved about it in 16:9 mode. This is the primary mode I would be using it in (for movies on dvd and laserdisc). Would I lose some of the resolution on widescreen material to the bars on top and bottom of the screen or does the X1 squeeze all the resolution into the picture when in widescreen mode? Incidentally, I have a Panasonic RP-91 that has built in scaling. Also, the review I read mentioned the ideal size for picture from the X1 is between 80 and 90 inches. I thought that ideal size should be relative to viewing distance. The projector will be 10.5 - 11 feet from the wall. I would like the biggest screen possible. Anyone know what the biggest letterbox diagonal image I could get at this distance without running into pixelation problems, etc.? Also, how good is the Faroudja DCDI built into the X1? I would assume this would be an excellent feature and would mean I wouldn't have to buy an outboard scaler for Cable and LDs? Thanks

 

[Andy_A]

Well, I just did a search and found the answer to some of the questions I raised on my last post. Sorry, I should have done a search and some research first. In any case, it looks like because I'm sitting so close to the wall I won't get the size picture I would like with the X1 (only about 56 inches, widescreen diagonal). With the Z1 or Pan 200U I could get around 75 inches diagonal. I really wish these two units had DCDI--that would be sweet. Anyway, thanks for the input everyone. What about a used CRT? I am able to control lighting to a great extent--would a used CRT be the way to go?

 

[Andy_A]

Dean, I'm very glad to hear this information. So it looks like I could in fact get a 75-80 inch image widescreen at 11 feet. I looked at the website info on the X1. It was very helpful. I can get more than a large enough picture with the X1. I'm still wondering, however, if I'll lose some resolution with widescreen material because the projector is native 4:3? Does it matter? All the reviews I've seen love this projector with widescreen movies. I think I may go ahead and spring for the X1. The price is unbeatable. I wonder if I can find it for $799?