DLP InFocus Proj...talk me out of it!! (1 Viewer)

[John*DB]

Okay...verrrryyyyy new to A/V world. I know the basics and am doing a lot to educate myself.

After seeing my bro-in-laws Sony Grand Wega, I put my eyes back in their sockets and have been planning on buying one. Welllll....

So my dad got an InFocus X1...he was blown away and said "why in the world would you spend $5K when you can get a proj for less than 1/2 the price.

I couldn't answer him.

So, let's say I spend $1500 - $2000 on a projector. Like the one people have been raving about (InFocus 4805), why shouldn't I do this??

Please tell me why people are buying TVs for 5K - 12K when they could spend 2-4K and have a kick@$$ projector????

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I will be using this 95% for DVDs. No TV watching and such which I realize will lessen the life of the bulb.

Thank you for all input in advance!

Is there something better than the 4805 for around 1.5K - 2K??

 

[Scott L]

Projectors aren't for everyone but if you are good with handywork such as mouting it to the ceiling, running long cables, setting up a screen, and have a light-controlled room, FPTV simply IS the best deal for the money.

For $2k you can also look at the HD projectors like the Pana 500 or the Sanzo Z2 which have a native res of 1280x720 but they are LCD, meaning they most likely won't have as good contrast levels as the 4805 with the Darkchip DMD. Something that has plagued digital displays is the production of blacks for a while now.

DVDs are 720x480 though so all you have gain by going with a higher resolution is seeing less of the screen door effect at bigger screen sizes. I should also mention a DVD can look just about as good as HDTV if you have a decent scaler, like a powerful tweaked out HTPC.. but that's a whole other subject.

One thing you'll have on the Wega is a bigger screen size.

Simply put, direct views and RPTVs are easier to setup and most people like that plug n play type of usability.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Well ... Not in my opinion!

Like your father, I own an X1 and love it!

And yet ... the 4805 is a vast improvement over the X1 with a 4x, six segment, optimized-for-home-theater color wheel; native 16:9 high contrast DLP chip; the latest Faroudja DCDi deinterlacing circuitry; and an available DVI input for better compatibility with future Hidef formats.

In my opinion, the only reason to consider a RPTV set over something like the FPTV Infocus 4805 would be if you lack a proper area in your home for a projector. You need good ambient light control, and the projector will need to be mounted at least 11-to-12 feet away from the screen. As long as you can satisfy those requirements, I'd go with the larger picture impact of the projector (at less than 50% of the price) over any 40"-65" RPTV and/or plasma set!

 

[DaveGTP]

Light control and space.


Not many people want to watch "TV" in the dark. And not everyone has 10-12 ft distance between their couch and their wall to use.


Personally, we watch absolutely 0 TV unless it comes off TVonDVD sets. Our X1 is used for DVD watching (Esp. anime, but plenty of movies too) and video games.


The extra cash for the RPTVs is sometimes worth it. Typically more inputs, not all people want to deal with the hassles of setting up a pj and replacing bulbs, cleaning the filter every 250 hours, have total light control, etc. Plus, some people watch a lot of frickin' hours of TV. (MY wife used to leave the TV on for background noise). That kind of casual overuse wears on a 3000 hr bulb real quick.

Plus RPTVs have higher rez for HDTV, if you watch that crap they run on TV. Since it's all reality shows on the networks, and I don't really do sports, I'll pass. I had OTA HD for a few weeks and ebayed the unit off (and made $80 on the deal). The joke about watching bugs mate in HDTV (several variations of it) would totally be me if I had HD again.

 

[Parker Clack]

John:

I would get one of the 4805 combos that TV Authority has for our members as a starting point.

You really do need to have the room to put a projector but if you do FPTV is to video as DD/DTS is to surround sound. It makes all the difference in the world when watching a movie. In fact you may even stop going to the movies and wait for them to show up on DVD. I know that often times when I leave a movie one of the first things I think of is how great it is going to look on DVD.

If I had the room for FPTV in my living room I would have the 4805 in a heart beat. It is that much better than the X1 and with the deals that TV Authority has on these units including the screen they are going to be hard to beat price wise.

Parker

 

[John*DB]

I really appreciate all the input guys! Keep it coming!

The proj would be approx 13-14 away and a viewing distance from 10-13 feet away

I really really really need places (websites)to go to look at cabinets/tables for the proj. I will not be able to mount it on the ceiling (condo situation).

 

[Jordan_E]

As an X1 owner, once you go projector there is no turning back! Sure, when I can afford it I'll get a better projector (I'm turning the 3-car garage into a 2-car and 1-HT garage sometime soon), but right now, the X1 and blackout cloth is great. Man, Halo blown up 8 feet across is simply awesome.

 

[DaveGTP]

I haven't had the cash for a good audio rack to date...so I have my X1 on our old Entertainment center, along with the receiver, DVD player, VCR, and multiple game systems.

You can put it on an endtable or something. As long as kids/pets aren't going to knock it over. My X1 is exactly 2ft off the floor. I looked at dedicated endtables for it...there are plenty at that height.