DLP vs. LCD - The Discussion Thread that Combines Them ALL (2 Viewers)

[Gabriel_Lam]

Yeah, the PLV-70 is not really a competitor those low end WVGA DLP projectors like the LS110. It's more a competitor of the HD1 and HD2 based (1280x720) DLP projectors.
Numbers do mean a lot, but not everything. We each have our own viewing preferences. I'm personally partial to bright punchy pictures. Some people aren't bothered by dim pictures. Some people take absolute black level over shadow detail. Some don't care as much about color fidelity as long as grayscale is D65. It's really up to your eyes, and what you like.
I personally learn as much as I could online, and then made my decision according to what I could afford and what I could find. I'm on my 4th or 5th projector in under 2 years. Because most of them I bought used, I was able to make money on every single one. What that means is, all said and done, after the buying and selling, my current brand new Proxima DP8000 projector (XGA native LCD w/MLA, 3000 ANSI lumens, 800:1 contrast, HDCP capable DVI, etc) costed me under $1000.
Aren't projectors great?

 

[Neil Joseph]

Personally, I would not consider DLP unless it was the upper end (Sharp 9000, Yamaha, Runco etc). At a pricepoint of $5000, you could be looking at the Sanyo PLV-70 or the Boxlight Home Cinema 20HD . Both will give you punchier colours than a similarly priced DLP. Also keep in mind the screen. If you can accomodate it in your budget in the near future, consider a Stewart Firehawk screen for either the DLP or LCD projectors you are considering.

 

[ThomasMartin]

I had been strongly considering the Sanyo PLV 70 / Boxlight but understand the it needs to be placed nearly 14' from the screen for a 92" 16:9 image, and then Sanyo recommends a 3' clearence behind the unit for cooling for a total room depth requirement of 17'...unfortunately I've only got 14'4"...is this correct?

 

[Neil Joseph]

According to the projector calculation on Projector Central... http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection_calc.cfm, the Sanyo PLV-70 will need to be between 11.8 - 15ft from the screen since to achieve a 92" 16x9 image (it has a zoom function). So you can place at 11.8ft and have ~2ft behind it.

 

[Ron Boster]

Try Cinema Experience for purchasing a projector. They offer a 15 day no questions asked trial w/full refund. that's how I purchased my sight unseen Cinema 13HD LCD projector....and I love it!!!

Ron

 

[ThomasMartin]

Thanks to all for the great advice so far..

Neil...I was under the impression I needed to factor in the size of the unit (17") plus the 11.8 distance to the screen and then add 3 ft for clearance which would give me a total of between 16-17 ft...am I calculating this incorrectly?

 

[Neil Joseph]

You are correct, hence the "~".

 

[ThomasMartin]

Got ya...my mistake...how closely does everyone feel the manufacturers recommendation should be followed as regards the rear clearance...are those usually conservative or should I adhere strictly to that guideline? Last thing I want is a nice theater in a house that is burning down...

 

[Doug_B]

According to the projector calculation on Projector Central... http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection_calc.cfm, the Sanyo PLV-70 will need to be between 11.8 - 15ft from the screen since to achieve a 92" 16x9 image (it has a zoom function). So you can place at 11.8ft and have ~2ft behind it.

I read in a post at AVS that it's better to position a projector at the maximum distance of the range. I believe it had something to do with using the center of the lens more, where optics are better. I am assuming that this applies to projectors in general, even though the comment was part of a thread for a different projector. As it was Stacey Spears who posted (if memory serves), I consider the info reliable. If I find the post, I'll include a link to it here.
Edit: Try this.
Of course, the difference may not be noticed by some but very noticeable by others. I have no experience with this.
Doug

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Doug_B: Yeah, this is actually true. I've experienced the same thing with my projector. The picture quality is a bit better fully zoomed out.

 

[Jason Trich]

sharp z9000 for 5500.00 is by far the best deal! Buy from ?Japan brand new with warranty

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

The Sharp Z9000 for $5500 from Japan is a great deal. However, it's not the best deal for everyone. It's incredibly dim, so you absolutely need complete light control. It's a 5x colorwheel, so most people don't see rainbows, but some people still do. The contrast is excellent, as is the screen door (same as rest of HD1 DLP's). However, it won't give you anywhere near the bright, punchy picture of the PLV-70HT that Neil Joseph suggested. It also won't give you the kind of color fidelity the PLV-70HT will, though it'll be close. You're giving up a bit of resolution as well (1280x720 vs 1366x768), but it's pretty close.

Overall, with a small 92" screen, brightness should not be too much of a worry though.

 

[Patrick D]

If you want an LCD PJ (and you'll need to sit about 1.5x back to minimize screendoor on the Sanyo 70) then I would also look at the Epson TW-100. It's said to be the less bright equivilent of the Sanyo 70 by people who have seen them together. Although it's spec'd at 700 lumens, it really is brighter than that.

The throw distance on the Epson is extremely short for LCD's. At 13 feet (this PJ vents from the front) you've got 80-110" of screen width to play with, compared to a max of 99" for the Sanyo at the same distance. The Epson does have black level issues though, although none that are not common to all LCD projectors. The LS110 however has worse blacks than the Epson, IMO. I thought the Sharp 9000U that I saw earlier was also very poor looking (dim + rainbows), although it was probably not set up well.

If you don't see rainbows though, then DLP will give you the best picture. If you wait, you can probably grab an NEC HT1000 in a month in your price range, which has 800 lumens and supposedly 3000:1 contrast (DLP).

 

[Manendra]

I am surprised that nobody here has mentioned the Sony 12HT. It boasts a contrast of 1000:1 as opposed to the 900:1 of the PLV-70.

Has anyone been able to compare these two projectors?

Also, can someone please enlighten me on the term "throw distance"? What is it?

Thanks.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Throw is related to the distance a projector is from the screen and the size of image it will display from that distance. A short throw projector will produce an image of a certain size from a short distance away while a long throw projector will produce that same size image from a further distance. The projector I am using for instance (Sony 11HT) is a short throw projector set up to produce a 92" image from 12' away.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Hey guys, I know you are talking about front projectors, but what advice can you give on rptv's? What are some good DLP or LCD rptv's? And I am interested in more filmlike quality, I also play alot of video games.

 

[Gordon Groff]

Ok, I took my wife to Tweeters last night to spend some time in front of their 50" Samsung DLP. When we walked in, I saw a new set there - a 61" Sony LCD RPTV.
Here's what we saw-
The Sony image appeared "washed out" compared to the same images on the large screen CRT RPTV's set up beside it. I have to believe it was a setup problem after all the reviews raving about the Sony Grand Wega being better than CRT units. I was really dissappointed. If this is LCD at it's best, No Thanks! All the big screen CRT-based RPTV's beat it - easily. Like I said, it was (hopefully) a setup problem.
On to the Sammy 50" DLP RPTV. Big WOW factor! Simply incredible image. It was so deep, rich, detailed and 3-D in appearance it kicked everything in that store (including a cheaper plasma unit). We were able to stand mid-way in the room and see the same HDTV image on some big CRT's and on the Sammy. The Samsung Ruled!!! The CRT RPTV had great images, but were "normal" in that they were obviously an image shown on a 2-D surface. The Sammy looked like you could dive into it. It truly looked like a 3-D image, like you were viewing the actual scene through a window.
Now the downside.
I think it may be TOO good! We sat and just watched it for a while - 15 minutes or so. We both felt eye-strain. On moving images, my wife felt some nausea (which she is very susceptable to). The HDTV loop we were watching was of a model train builder who had this set that was a miniturized canyon with trains running along the walls of it. It was a hugely 3-D image with incredible depth perspectives as the camera zoomed in along the ravine walls, with trains running around the sides.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure I know the cause of the eye strain. The image was such a crystal-clear 3-D image that my eyes constantly tried to focus on the different apparent distances in the image, but of course it is only really 2-D, so my eyes went nuts trying to range it! This ties into other's observations of problems when viewing different motions happening at different apparent distances from the forground of the image.
This is a BIG bummer to me! I can't let go of the superior image, but this experience set the WAF to zero for this set! Tweeters is getting the Samsung 61" unit in soon that we will audition when it comes in, as that is closer to the size I want for our room. I hope we can get past this experience!
OK- some questions for you guys:
1. Setup. The Sony 61" LCD was SO bad (washed out) compared to the CRT units next to it, that I have to hope it was a setup problem. Any comments on this? The black levels and contrast can't be that bad on this set can it?
2. Samsung DLP eye strain - Would our brain/eyes eventuall train themselves to stay focused on the screen, instead of looking for the apparent depth behind it? Would we get used to it?
3. Setup again - How the HECK can I as a consumer evaluate displays when I don't know what effect a different setup may have? Maybe if the contrast on the Sammy were turned down, it would not have been so bad? Maybe a different source - we won't be getting any HDTV sources for a while and intend to view standard cable TV and DVD's on it mainly.

 

[Haris Ellahi]

Which, in your opinion, offer better picture quality for viewing DVDs and why?

 

[Sean M]

Assuming you don't suffer any ill effects from DLP, it depends on your application. DLP offers a greater contrast range, has less screen door and offers a smoother picture. Many of the newer DLP's are very close to the color reproduction of LCD and depending on the individual units being compared, may even be better. DLP's also offer a superior absolute black level to LCD.

LCD is sharper than DLP, but looks more digital in the process. You have to contend with screen door unles you use a high resolution LCD (1366x768) with MLA (Micro Lens Array, helps reduce screen door, supposedly) and a morderately sized screen. LCD has the capability for more brightness, but at the expense of a poorer absolute black level and in many cases poorer shadow detail as well. One other thing to note, is that LCD's can suffer from both dust blobs on the panels (a failing possible and even common among any digital projector without a sealed light path) and dead pixels. These will vary from projector to projector and model to model, but dust if far more of a concern with LCD as there are no designs that offer a sealed light path to prevent dust contamination that I know of.

Personally, when I can stand to look at them, I prefer DLP due to the better absolute blacks and contrast. I never have a problem looking at LCD, even though I don't always enjoy it.

 

[Haris Ellahi]

If I were to buy a LCD projector, I would get the Sony VPL-HS10.

Can you recommend me some DLP projectors that are in the same price range?