X1 and related accessories (1 Viewer)

[andy_brehm]

as some may know i am planning on purchaing a x1 in the somewhat near futher (month or two) and since money will be a bit tight i want to make sure i have everything accounted for. there will be 3 sources of input for the projector, PS2, DVD, and standard cable.

With that said, i want to make sure that i know of everything i need to hook everything up. i dont want to get the projector then find out that i cant hook anything up to it! I have heard that i should get a vcr to hook the cable up to then run that to the projector. other than that, what all will i need to hook those sources up to the x1. thanks in advance.

andy

 

[ChadLB]

What is your DVD player....if it is interlaced you would want to use the s-video input if it is progressive you can use the VGA input with the adapters you can buy here:

http://www.provantage.com/buy-7INFB0...t-shopping.htm

So:
PS2 can go into vga if DVD not progressive player
DVD s-video if interlaced.
Cable to composite

 

[andy_brehm]

it is a progressive player. that good, it just sounds like i need to buy a couple of adapeters to get everything to work out alright. I wasnt too excited about buying a vcr just to hook everything up, id never use it i dont think!

 

[ChadLB]

Let me rephrase the Cable part....cable into VCR, then video out(VCR) to video in of projector with a composite cable...
You need something to act like a tuner box...A vcr can be had for around $40.....

 

[andy_brehm]

oh, well i almost got lucky. there is no way around buying a vcr then?

btw: any suggestions on a vcr? i havent looked at one in over 7 years. just something cheap that will get the job done


thanks

 

[ChadLB]

I would think any VCR would do the trick if you are only using it as a tuner.....
It is a nice machine for the Price...I demoed it for 10 days but chose the Z1 because of true 16:9 mode.
I watched some TV/Movies on it and it was awesome......Think about it 2 or 3 years ago I paid $860 for my 36" tube TV and for the $1,000 mark you can get into FP ...who wouldn't.....

 

[ChadLB]

Dean,
VCR up via composite as there is no Component input on the X1 ....

 

[andy_brehm]

cool, i guess ill start looking for a vcr now in preparation.

as for the different aspect ratio's of the projector. i know that it is a native 4:3 but has a 16:9 mode. for some reason i dont think im understanding everything about this. the way i understand it is you can play 16:9 material on the projector using this mode but it will have a lower resolution than a true 16:9 native projector. will the image size still be the same, just fewer pixels?

also, i know someone tried to explain this before, but im still fuzzy. the native resolution is 800x600 but it has a maximum of 1024x768 or something. what is the higher resolution for? i assume that it cant display at that resolution or everyone would use it. what exactly does that resolution tell me about the projector?

thanks

 

[andy_brehm]

you can connect your pc to the x1 for higher resolutions.

how exactly does that work? i have been trying to get some info on this but havent had much luck. id like to get this to work, but im not sure if i can afford it right now. my current video card is a dual head so i have 2 19" monitors hooked up to it, with no signal being sent out to something like a projector. would i have to get a new computer with a line out for the projector. what exactly would i have to do to get the higher resolutions?

thanks

 

[ChadLB]

What type of video card do you have?

You would also need software like theatertek....and a couple other ones...here is some good info..DVD player.

http://www.homestead.com/myhometheater/HTPC.html

Also look at some of his links

 

[Suhas]

I apologize in advance if these questions have been answered before.

I am also considering buying an X1 and have a few newbie questions about it. I am planning to hook up the following to my projector: XBOX, HDTV-capable Cable box, DVD player.

The current setup I have has all my equipment in an equipment cabinet at the front of the room. The projector will be about 12 feet away. The way I understand it, I will need the following:
- Some kind of switching device to take component video signals from the 3 sources and convert them to a single signal.
- A long set of component video cables to take the signal from my switcher box to the X1.
- An adaptor to convert the component video to S-video input.

Is this correct? If yes, what should I expect to pay for this?

Some other questions:
- Are there any issues with sending component video signals over a fairly long distance as I am doing? Will I need to buy cables with better shielding for this?
- Is there any issue with loss of quality or resolution when converting a component video signal to S-Video? I was under the impression from reading this forum that component video provided much better color and resolution than S-video. Is that correct?

I am addicted to PIP with my current 61" Sony rear projection. Are there tuner devices that will do HDTV PIP that I can use with a projector (I expect that one of the pictures will be non-HD since my cable box will only have 1 tuner)?

 

[andy_brehm]

I have a matrox g450 i believe. im not sure exactly, but its matrox's dual head video card. the only outputs it has are two vga that go to my monitors.

one thing i forgot to add earlier. since i dont have any HD sources, would it be a worth while investment to use a HTPC? I have a spare motherboard in the closet, but i would have to buy everthing else.

Thanks

 

[Jed M]

Suhas, in your situation you really don't need the s-video adapter. If you want to watch HDTV or progressive scan on your X1 then you need the Component to vga adapter. If you want to use your x-box or watch regular, non-upconverted cable, then you need just an s-video cable. If you only want to watch 480i dvd with component cables, then buy the component to s-video adapter.

So if you want HDTV (which you definitely do on the X1) you will probably need to run 2 cables. 1 VGA (w/adapter) for hdtv, dvd, upconverted cable and 1 S-Video for PS2 and cable.

Is there any issue with loss of quality or resolution when converting a component video signal to S-Video? I was under the impression from reading this forum that component video provided much better color and resolution than S-video. Is that correct?

Debatable, I find the steps from coaxial to composite to s-video much more noticeable than s-video to component, but YMMV. If it were me and I didn't have a progressive scan player I would save the cash on the adapter and just hook it up with an s-video and let the Faroudja DCDi work its magic.

 

[andy_brehm]

alright, i just balanced my chekcbook and found that i have $1200 i can spend on a projector. i think im going to purchase the x1 and get a cheap model b screen....matte white or something along those lines. i have found the projector for $950 w/free shipping, has anyone seen it for cheaper?

thanks!

 

[Suhas]

Jed, thanks for helping me get unconfused. I understand now that I need the VGA cable rather than the S-video.

I want to use the 480p component output from my XBOX so I guess I will need some kind of input selection/mixing device to multiplex the inputs from my XBOX with the cable box.