1080p Front Projectors - Page 4

Tim Glover · 09-28-2006, 02:18 AM

Looks like the new Panasonic AX100 ---720p projector you guys saw at CEDIA is a real knockout. Check out this review. Looks unreal.

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Before we get going with the the usual start - considering how well the Panasonic handles flesh tones - I want to start with brightness instead. This is the brightest home theater projector I have tested yet, with the exception of a $20,000 SIM2.

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Being a 3 LCD projector, there is no rotating color wheel, thus no Rainbow Effect. Screen door effect (and pixel visibility, relates to how close you can sit to a given size image before you can spot the pixels. Thanks to Panasonic's latest smooth screen technology, in front of the LCD panels, the pixel visibility issue is basically non-existant. Normally LCD projectors have much more visible pixels than DLP, but not in this case. In fact, the pixels are far less visible than on DLP projectors, allowing you to sit significantly closer and never notice the pixels. Watching on my 128" diagonal screen, even at a mere 8 feet away, the pixels were rarely visible (and only on large bright stationary areas, and at 11 feet, I was totally unable to see them. Even with my DLP, I need to be about 14 feet back before they competely drop off my radar. This is a major breakthrough for affordable projectors.

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I'm a sports fan - especially college football (go Penn State). When you have some friends over to watch, you don't want the room really dark, it's just not appropriate. The Panasonic has that extra edge that will let you have some lights on, or even a little light from outside, and still enjoy an excellent image.

Full review here:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manu...100U/index.asp

The Fall of 2006 has to be the most groundbreaking and a landmark for projectors. Seems like for nearly any budget, room size, resolution, folks can bring the Cinema home for prices simply unheard of.

Exciting...

**HTF Ads**

JediFonger · 09-28-2006, 08:20 AM

tim,

the only problem now is for people to afford the real estate to house these cinemas in

. lol.

Nikki M · 09-28-2006, 10:34 AM

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Originally Posted by Parker Clack

Jack:

Nikki:

Get an SV Subwoofer to go with your Def Techs. That is what I am running with mine and you will not be disappointed. Give Tom or Ron a call and they will fix you up with the right sub for your room and at the same time save you a bunch of money.

I have known a few people that have used Goo for their screens with varying results. Most that I talked to weren't all that happy with the results. There are several threads on the forum from members that have built their own screens using various types of cloth. Personally I just used a flat white paint, put a three inch wide flat black border around it and was very happy with the results.

Parker

Hi Parker,

Thanks for the input. The reason we decided to wait on the sub is because the 7002 front towers have subs built in. When we were in the Magnolia demo room, we went back & forth w/ & w/out the stand alone sub. And honestly, the difference was minimal. And that was w/ the 7002s built in subs set at 50%. And we're pretty picky when it comes to sound. ( I guess once you hear really good speakers, there's no going back) Our thought was to get the whole thing put together & then if we feel we need a sub, we can add it. So I will definitely keep the SV in mind.

Am still up in the air on the screen. The Goo was just one temporary solution. My husband is going to have to build something to go over three windows that are on the wall where the screen will go anyway. This will serve 2 purposes...block the light from the windows & create a flat surface (over the molding) to hang a screen on. I figured we might as well paint it. Although fabric is a possibility too.

so, we're still noodling.

Nikki

Tom Pfarr · 09-28-2006, 11:20 AM

More Pearl viewing....

Got the HD-DVD of "Grand Prix". This is the new eye candy reference disk if you can believe it. This is the best transfer of a 65mm film you've ever seen. Absolutely clean throughout, it pops off the screen.

I would die and go to heaven if a 2001:Space Odyssey transfer could look this good.

Watched "Lost" on ABC 720p HD OTA. Probably the best/most detailed HD production on TV. The outdoor scenes are just gorgeous.

The HD-DVD for Terminator 3 is just so-so. A disappointment for a modern big-budget film. Not really any better than the DVD.

12 hours on the bulb already.........

RAF · 09-28-2006, 11:48 AM

A couple of random comments from recent posts in this thread:

Tim,

Nice catch on that Panasonic AX100! While I've been focusing mostly on the <$5000 Sony VPL-VW50 (The "Pearl") and the <$1000 Optoma HD-50 that doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of other great options for those wanting to get into the "Home Theater" experience. With the $5000 and $1000 price barriers broken by Sony and Optoma the industry has to respond in kind by introducing competition or re-structuring their FP prices to remain in the picture. That's why I still think that the street price of the upcoming JVC 1080p D-ILA unit, when it ships next year, will have to be below $5000. And I'm sure that we will have even more nice performing under $1000 720 projectors in various configurations (if we don't already.) Of course, that "middle-ground" between $1000-$5000 will offer a lot of options for those wanting to add a little more performance in some area (brightness, extra features, etc.) to the budget projectors. The new Panasonic looks to street for under $2000 and there will be others. What this all means is that the HT consumer is the real winner here. High quality images, but no longer high prices compared to just a year or two ago. Except for some people wanting some features like switchable anamorphic lens, or huge pictures (commercial theater sizing) I really don't see why any projector purchase has to be a "five figure" experience any more. And that even can include an external video processor!! The landscape of Home Theater has changed, in my opinion.

Nikki,

I concur with what Parker said about alternatives to Stewart screens. Carada makes a fine product at a lower price point. I went with the Studiotek 130 at the time (late 1999) because it was a nice compromise with just about all FPs. And my experience with both an LCD Sony and a DLP Runco (different technologies) has shown the 130 to work well with both. And I'm confident that an LCoS projector will look just fine with the 130 too. The only problem with getting a screen specifically designed for a particular projector is that some of the characteristics of the screen that optimize the picture for one projection technology might actually be less than ideal for another one (like your next projector.) It's not a deal killer by any means, but just something else to consider.

And one of the main reasons I went with the Stewart screen is that my unit is a drop down screen (controlled electronically) and this provides something a bit different than screens that you permanently mount to a wall. After looking at a lot of screens before buying I found that I liked the way that Stewart Electric screens keep the screen tensioned perfectly flat at all times without any bowing, buckling, etc. And the Stewart system continues to provide me with a perfectly flat surface after over six years of constant use (up and down everyday - sometimes several times a day since I don't like to leave the screen exposed when not in use due to the "grandkids" factor.) Naturally, if your needs don't require a retractable drop down screen then you can go with cheaper options like Parker mentioned.

And in an unrelated matter, I think that what Parker is saying about a dedicated subwoofer (like the SVS or similar products) when compared to built-in subs in full range speaker systems is that the separate sub will sound better in most cases. By all means, start with the speakers that you are planning on getting, but don't dismiss the possibility of eventually adding a separate subwoofer at some point in the future. The nice thing about a lot of the "internet-only" companies (like SVS and Outlaw, to mention two) is that they allow for home auditioning of their products so that you can hear, in the best possible scenario, exactly what a sub can do in your HT. All it costs you is the price of shipping if things don't work out. You might even have some Brick & Mortar shops in your area that offer a "try-and-buy" option for subs as well, but try to make sure that the subs are high quality (there are some great subs and some real dogs out there.) And after you have your sub(s) then you can start thinking about a Outboard Video Processor!

Seriously, with a "component" approach to Home Theater you have lots of options and you don't have to get every enhancement at once - as long as you keep the channels open to allow for add-ons (like subs and video processors and a lot of other great gear.) And, of course, you may find that your initial set-up is just fine for your tastes and none of the above will apply.

The movie is about to begin. Enjoy the show!

RAF · 09-28-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Pfarr

More Pearl viewing....

Got the HD-DVD of "Grand Prix". This is the new eye candy reference disk if you can believe it. This is the best transfer of a 65mm film you've ever seen. Absolutely clean throughout, it pops off the screen.

I would die and go to heaven if a 2001:Space Odyssey transfer could look this good.

Watched "Lost" on ABC 720p HD OTA. Probably the best/most detailed HD production on TV. The outdoor scenes are just gorgeous.

The HD-DVD for Terminator 3 is just so-so. A disappointment for a modern big-budget film. Not really any better than the DVD.

12 hours on the bulb already.........

Tom,

Keep those comments coming. They are very much appreciated. I've always contended that nothing can substitute for reports from actual users of HT gear. They are real, to the point, and based on facts, not statistics. And now that you have a state of the art display you are finding out something that I also discovered about some of the new HD media (not limited to just HD-DVD or to Blu-ray since that's an argument for another time in another place and not here): There is some HD content on discs that really doesn't look any better than some DVDs. The problem is with the source material and how it was prepared for distribution. While the promise of HD media is greater than SD media, that promise is not always realized but this situation will improve over time (just as it did for SD). When I've stated to some people that I have a lot of SD DVDs that you might mistake for HD content, I mean what I say. Of course my display and my external video processor have something to do with all that.

On a side note, something I mentioned earlier in this message got me to thinking to add a "sticky" message at the top of the CEDIA 2006 coverage section to indicate where we would like the threads from this area to end up. Some have become quite active and contain a lot of great contributions from people like yourself. Look for the announcement elsewhere.

Carry on!

Jack Hogoboom · 09-28-2006, 01:37 PM

Can you guys provide any recommendations for where to buy my gear? the 2708 I will get from the Internet, but I need recommendations for wehere to get the Def Tech speakers, the DVDO VP, the Stewart screen and, of course, the Pearl. Also, if you think someone might be willing to cut a deal on the whole package, that'd be great too. I'm not very anxious to go to the local audio retailers.

Jack

Tim Glover · 09-29-2006, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JediFonger

tim,

the only problem now is for people to afford the real estate to house these cinemas in

. lol.

Tom Pfarr · 10-01-2006, 08:38 AM

Ok, It's been almost a week and my wife had not noticed that I had a new projector (the Pearl). Truth be told she does not normally use the projector herself so I was not expecting her to notice right away (but a week!).

She did mention that she had missed House this week and wanted to see it. Her Tivo was otherwise occupied with another show at that time. My MCE box recorded it in HD. So I said "Sure lets watch it on the big screen". After the first commercial break she said "This really looks amazing!, you must have fiddled with your projector.' In a few moments that included a head smack she finally realized that the projector case was different and said "How did you get the new one? I thought they were not available yet?" So I confessed that I had it a week and yes it looked great didn't it?

I showed her a clip from the HD-DVD of Sea Biscuit and she remarked at the beautiful texture of the costumes. Detail that was not visible in any previous system we had.

She also mentioned that "Oh that's why the Lord of the Rings clips you were looking at last night looked so good!" I was watching the LOTR extended edition which is split on 2 DVD disks (Fellowship of the ring). The bit rate on these transfers approach 10Mbs and are probably the best transfers ever. They look stunning upconverted using my XA1. I can't imagine what an HD transfer of these titles would look like. Bring em on!

Maybe the final eye candy was the recording of Saturday Night Live which is now in full HD video. The level of detail on this medium is in a complete different class than film transfers. It should not have more detail but probably because of color calibration or other such differences HD video (at least on NBC) just leaps off the screen into your lap. It's like being there.

Still very impressed with the projector and I've not even tried a calibration run yet (seems like it has a bit of red in the greyscale). I'll let the bulb settle in and probably do a calibration at 100 hours or so.

Back to viewing pleasure.

JediFonger · 10-01-2006, 12:45 PM

smack in the head from the wife, lol. classic.

RAF · 10-02-2006, 01:48 AM

It just gets better and better, right Tom?