A projector for dvd mostly? (1 Viewer)

[Anthony*gw]

What's up guys, i have done alot of research on projectors and i have been circling around the great affordable projectors eg: plz2, ptl500,ptl300,h30 and a couple others, but what i really want is a projector for mostly dvd viewing and occasionally play some games,i need some advice on what projector would give me great quality for my DVDs

 

[Citizen87645]

I don't think you could go wrong with any of those projectors. I think the combination of player and projector are also important to consider.

 

[tom j r]

Anthony,
Especially considering your stated requirements of affordability and mainly dvd viewing, you should check out the InFocus SP4805, should fit both of your needs quite nicely. I'm about to pull the trigger on this myself and have the exact same requirements as you do, affordable and mainly dvd viewing.
Let us know what you decide!

 

[Anthony*gw]

Thanks tom, beleive it or not i spent the whole day checking out the sp4805 and i am sure that the 4805 is the one i will be getting Thanks again for the heads up.

 

[Citizen87645]

I pulled the trigger on it today!

 

[Parker Clack]

Cameron:

Let us know what you think of it with SDTV as well as DVD. Post some pictures too.

Parker

 

[Citizen87645]

Will do. I am able to make a side-by-side comparison with an X1 as well.

 

[Robert Burkes]

What do you all think about the InFocus 4800? Sams has it for just over $1100 with a screen. Good deal or no?

 

[Citizen87645]

The 4800 is practically identical to the X1 (you can do a search here for the very minor differences). The X1 can be generally found for 1000.00 and InFocus is offering a 100.00 rebate if it is purchased by June 30 - yes, today!

 

[Robert Burkes]

Just went to Infocus.com to check out the X1 and saw the X2. Anyone know anything about it? X2

 

[Citizen87645]

Generally the X2 is geared more for presentations, not home theater use. I believe it does not have the Faroudja deinterlacing chip. The newly released 4805 is the actual X1 "sequel."

 

[Citizen87645]

The 4805 arrived today, a mere 24 hours after I ordered it! I guess it helped that the distributor was only a state away!

For each of the DVD players I set Brightness using Digital Video Essentials. Contrast and color settings were all left at 50%. Out of the box the image seems to have a bit too much magenta. I'm a little perplexed about how to adjust colors using RGB controls, so any guidance would be appreciated.

Rainbow Effect is minimized but not eliminated. When I did see the RBE it was not as intense as my experience with the X1. I can certainly live with it.

Sitting at about 2X screen width, occasionally saw pixel structure, usually with white text or white expanses. Didn't try the defocusing trick however.

Fan noise could be lower. The low power setting doesn't seem to make a difference. I don't think it's as loud as the X1 though.

The projector also gets pretty warm, which isn't so fun in a house with no air conditioning. I'd be interested to get one of those surface temperature meters used by chefs to see how warm it actually gets on the front panel.

I think that's all so far. Let me know if you have any questions.

Sources with 4805:
Bravo D1: 1080i output via DVI
Toshiba 4900: 480i output via S-Video

Source with X1:
Toshiba 4900: 480p via component

Projection Surface:
DIY 73" 16:9 using Sintra, a semi-rigid PVC sign material. Not sure of the gain; most likely 1.0.

Photograph Details:
Canon EOS Rebel D300 at 400 ASA using Parameter 2 and maximum JPG size and compression
Aperture Priority at f/8.0
Image files sized to 50% and resaved as JPGs at Photoshop Elements maximum setting; no other adjustments made

4805 and Bravo D1 #1

4805 and Bravo D1 #2

4805 and Toshiba 4900 #1

4805 and Toshiba 4900 #2

X1 and Toshiba 4900 #1

X1 and Toshiba 4900 #2

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Really? I found the noise drops dramatically in low-power mode at the cost of just a little brightness. Still more than bright enough, though.

 

[Citizen87645]

You're right, I take that back. I guess it was kind of late or something At this point the fan is a slight distraction, but it has to cool off somehow right? Have you had a chance to hear (or not hear) the fan noise on a Z2? I'm just curious how they compare.

I also changed the Bravo D1 to output 720P. I don't think it makes a visible difference, but I noticed the 4805 was showing "1920 X 540 - 59Hz" when in 1080i and just seeing "720P" makes me feel better

Black levels are great! Put in Underworld and I have no complaints (about the picture quality that is). I may experiment with a grey but at this point I don't see a compelling need.

 

[Citizen87645]

I didn't take a good look at the photographs last night as it was getting late. Here are some of my observations now that my head is on straight. As usual, screenshots should be taken with a grain of salt, but they have their uses.

I should have taken a shot of the X1 being fed 480i via S-Video from the 4900 to do a more accurate comparison between the X1 and the 4805 Faroudja chips. With what I have it's obvious the Toshiba progressive output is not that hot. So the question is whether the X1 does as good a job as the 4805 at de-interlacing?

The difference between the Bravo D1 and the 4900 on the 4805 is surprisingly subtle. After some more serious side-by-side scrutiny I can see the Bravo D1 has more detail, but it's not as dramatic as I would have assumed. for the Faroudja!

I tried to get a shot of 720P feed from Tony Hawk 4 for XBox, but the shutter speed I was getting at f/8.0 was too slow to capture a quality shot. This explains the absence of a component feed on the 4805.

 

[Anthony*gw]

good work on your impressions of the 4805 Cameron_Y,i am almost convinced that the 4805 is the projector for my needs.question: if you sit 1.5 x the screen how does it look?

 

[Citizen87645]

I would concur with the majority opinion that 2X is ideal. 1.5 reveals a bit too much for my taste and takes me out of the experience. Besides that, sitting behind the projector, the projector fan is less noticeable.

I've also noticed the light spill some people despise so much. It's not a big deal to me.

 

[EricThorsen]

Great to see this forum. I have a Viewsonic PJ551, which I got a few months ago after some research. My criteria was:
1. HD Ready
2. Component input
3. small physical size

Overall, I am pleased. Fan noise is minimal, when set to "whisper mode" and image quality is great. I have my HD cable connected to Component video, and due to the tuner I have, I have component from DVD also via the cable box (sends signal as pass through when cable box is powered off).

I use a Pronto remote and have all the steps programmed in to swap audio and video for kid- and wife-friendly operation.

My primary issue right now is the image size for DVD's. I have a forum going elsewhere on this board, but wanted your input also. I built my screen around the picture size of HD (1080). Of course when showing regular TV picture, it shows in the middle of the HD screen, filling the size vertically, but leaving two voids at either side horizontally.

This 480 image size is what my DVD player uses, even when showing a "wide-screen" DVD!!! So the result is a voide about 18" to 2' around the entire DVD picture. I have tried using the PJ551 (projector) magnifying feature to solve this, but it dillutes image quality.

Thanks for any guidelines/advice!
Best Regards,
Eric

 

[Citizen87645]

Sounds like your DVD player is not set to 16:9 display. You can usually find this in the setup menu for the player.

EDIT: If the DVD is not "enhanced for widescreen" you will get the same result regardless of the player setting. So make sure the DVD you are using is indeed one for 16:9 displays.

 

[Parker Clack]

Looking at your pictures (and yes I know with JPEG compression, etc. that their can be issues with screenshots on the web) the 4805 appears to have a more detailed image than the X1 from the Bravo and the 4900. Although it is still present.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the projector. So the bottom line is if you are someone that is setting on the fence between this projector and the X1 which would you recommend?

Parker