I had to choose! (LG PF1500) (1 Viewer)

I felt it was time to choose between investing in 4K in the monitor realm or opting for BIG SCREEN ALL THE TIME via an LED projector.


Today, I decided on the latter.


I'm eagerly awaiting my PF1500 from LG. Once installed, my trusty Philips HDTV (which I've used to offset projector lamp runtime) will be retired.


If anyone has any questions about the unit, I'm happy to answer. Please bear in mind that I'm more of a storyteller than a scientist. I can give my impressions but I won't pretend to be able to give a deeply technical review.

VERY cool Andy! I am not familiar with this guy at all, please give us your thoughts on:

- Brightness and Contrast

- Fan Noise

- Ease of use


I expect it doesn't do 3d, was that a consideration for you?

I'm glad LG stuck with DLP.

But, not sure it will work as a dedicated home theatre projector.

Sam, 3D was not a consideration for me. I believe the euro version of this device features 3D, but I'm a simple, two dimensional kind of guy.

As soon as I get my hands on the thing, I'll post some impressions.

I think you'll be happy. I did the exact same thing with the predecessor, PF1000. I replaced an Infocus PJ and Sony RPTV. I wasn't willing to wait for the (then mythical) 1500. It works perfectly for random viewing and Home Theater use in a light controlled room that had been designed for an InFocus SP4805. (at ~140" diagonal) But it is still bright enough for TV watching during the day with lights on or windows open.


The 1500 is slightly brighter and should be slightly quieter (larger, slower fan). Fan noise is directly proportional to the brightness level. Proper Calibration will probably set the brightness, contrast, and "Energy Saving" levels to create a very quiet viewing experience.


I prefer the ergonomics of the 1000 over the 1500 since I use all of the rear connectors. The 1500 has side connections which would have been a mess on the equipment stand.

It was a long day of installation and (amateur) calibration. This thing is very tricky to mount in an asymmetrical room. I was forced to use a small measure of keystone correction, but it doesn't appear to have ruined the image.


Sam:

• Seems plenty bright for my purposes, even on maximum power saving mode. My room is not 100% light controlled, but I can get pretty close thanks to blackout shades I had installed. Contrast is always hard to judge (expect when it's awful) but I'm liking it. At 80 of 100.
• Speaking of low power mode; fan noise is easily ignorable in this setting. You could even go up one level and probably be fine. I draw the line at high power mode; even if I can't hear it, I can hear it, ya know?
• Great little Magic Remote. Clear and well labeled GUI. SmartTV stuff seems good, but I'll probably never touch it. I do wish the thing had an IR receiver though. All these darn bluetooth devices don't want to play nice with my venerable Harmony 720.

It puts up a very nice image, but the value of the device won't sink in for a week or so. Watching everything at 106" is going to be a pleasurable transition.

Found the manual on the LG website.

It may have IR capabilities as far as I can tell. The IR receiver is shown on the back like my PF85u (got my model number wrong on previous post - 1000 was my lumen rating) I used JP1 to add it to my Universal remote. You might be able to use the LG PF85u codes on your Harmony. I had to add a reflector to get IR working. They don't supply the IR remote hand unit with this model. It is also possible that they disabled the IR input.


It has a Smartphone App for controlling it. Mine will even send the video and sound back to the phone.


My PF85u has an Amazon App which has not been added to the PF1500 yet.

Thanks, Steve. I'll try the PF85u codes. Heck of a place to put that IR dot though, huh?


I downloaded the LG app to my phone. It's got some good utility (for changing settings without needing to fish out the Magic remote) but it can't turn on the device. Hopefully I get my Harmony working!

I don't think the app can turn it off either. At least it won't on mine.

Do you have to aim the Magic remote at the PJ to get it to turn On and Off? With mine, the power button is IR but the rest are Wireless.

I'll try testing the Magic remote again to see if the power function is pure bluetooth or not. But I'll only do so out of curiosity, since those codes for the PF85u worked! Thanks for the suggestion.


Time to get that Harmony programmed.

I just purchased and installed in my basement theater the LG PF1500. I was convinced to buy this unit due to the LCD light engine vs standard projection bulbs that need to be replaced (I think people walking on the floor above shook my ceiling mounted projector just enough to shorten the bulb life)..


I am amazed by the new projector image (but I am comparing it to a 8 year old 720p Mitsubishi projector previously hanging on my ceiling.


I am struggling with the proper settings for the various picture modes. There are several layers of settings and options that affect the picture presentation. I would appreciate input from others - what settings are you using?


Biggest issue is with the onboard NetFlix app. The signal presented offers a strong soap opera type picture (actors seem too pronounced and vivid). This is not a problem when I feed NetFlix into the projector on a HDMI cable from a different device. Anybody else seeing this?

I'll look at my settings and pass along the numbers, Stephen. I used the Digital Video Essentials blu-ray to get my results and I'm quite happy with them.


I've basically ignored all the onboard apps. I doubt my receiver supports HMDI ARC and I didn't feel like stringing a toslink audio cable. Maybe I'll try it someday when I'm bored.

Andy_Munich said:

I'll try testing the Magic remote again to see if the power function is pure bluetooth or not. But I'll only do so out of curiosity, since those codes for the PF85u worked! Thanks for the suggestion.

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BTW, my Harmony 720 works perfectly. Powers on and off like a charm. So, certainly not limited to bluetooth. And I'm using the Samsung iPhone app to make any adjustments to the projector while watching. The Magic Remote is put away.

Alright, here are my settings for Cinema Mode (with Energy Savings on Maximum and color temperature set to Warm ):

Contrast 80
Brightness 55
Sharpness 0
Color 48
Tint 0

Good luck!

Thanks for the settings Andy. I will try your settings and report back.


Those settings are quite a change from the default settings. You have turned the contrast down by 20%. Also interesting how you use the lowest light setting - I have noticed that at the brightest setting the colors seem over saturated.


I watch a lot of sports. Have you changed the settings for Sports Mode? Do you use any of the de-judder settings?

I use Game Mode for most of my viewing (a mix of streaming media and actual games) to reduce the lag from 170 milliseconds to 70. The TruMotion setting isn't available in Game Mode, which is fine since I don't use it anyway.


If I'm going to watch a blu-ray, I switch to Cinema and there I have the RealCinema setting turned on for 24p. I also adjust the audio delay in my receiver for the greater lag.


Haven't touched Sports Mode. I'm an old-school geek; no sports for me!

Did you get an extended warranty on your LG?


http://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/

Dave Moritz said:

Did you get an extended warranty on your LG?

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I did not. I rarely do for most things.


I don't want to sound like I'm made of money (I'm mostly carbon and water) but this is the first projector I've owned where the cost of replacement isn't too horrible. That said, I hope for it to last quite some time.

Sorry, was thinking you where getting a LG display as those have issues with panels and power supplies. Hope your projector last a long time. :- )

Dave Moritz said:

Sorry, was thinking you where getting a LG display as those have issues with panels and power supplies. Hope your projector last a long time. :- )

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Did you get an extended warranty on your, twice as likely to fail Samsung?