Does anyone have an Infocus DLP projector? (1 Viewer)

[Stephen Dodds]

The new Sanyos sound pretty good, ie the XP18N, XP21N and the 16:9 PLC60.
They will probably be the ones I try next, but being a cheap bastard I'm going to wait and get one used.
I just sold my Thumperized Plus UP1100, although I kind of wish I hadn't. Currently I'm using a Sharp M10S while I decide where to go next.
Steve
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[KeithR]

Parker,
Unfortunately I am not able to go to Infocomm---however, there are 10-12 members of AVS that are going. Don Stewart is even holding a meeting at the Stewart booth to meet everyone. I believe "milori" will be there all three days---he is a DILA guy. He is basically printing out a thread of numerous questions right before he leaves, and will spend his last 2 days there finding answers. This applies to everything at the show including plasmas, rptvs, and fps (dlp, lcd, and DILA). If you have any questions, I would post it there.
The guys over there are really big into projectors, and their opinions are often very detailed, so we should have a much better picture about the status of all the new products, and what price/release dates they will have.
BTW, There is a new post over there comparing the Sanyo XP21 with Infocus 350 and Nec LT150, and has pictures of each...the LT150 looks better from the pics in the contrast area for sure. Hopefully Tuesday night, I will post my impressions of the LT150 that I am going to see. He is using an ISCO anamorphic lens and prog. scan dvd i hear, and is astounded with the picture quality.

 

[Wes]

Parker, If your still looking at the Toshiba from Costco just wanted to remind you that they have a 1 year no questions return policy. Bring it home and fire it up. If you do not like it simply return it.
Wes

 

[Parker Clack]

Guys:
Thanks for all the info. I am going to see what people say about the newer units that we be coming out that they see at Infocomm.
Parker

 

[JasG]

Steve - the exploding bulb reports seem to have ended after a dozen or so postings.
Did you have problems when you had your LP340?
It appeared from comments in the thread, that using 'Standby' rather 'power off' might have been at the root of some of the problems.
Parker - The Costco return policy sounds great, but you can also get the same price direct from the Toshiba store.
Jas

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

I'll be at Infocomm and drooling like a kid in a candy store.

It's also a business trip, as we'll be introducing a couple of innovative projectors - one is really a new way of projecting and redefines keystone correction because of the lens - to - screen angle. Our projectors are geared to the professional presentation market, not HT. Anyway, Infocomm is a major feast for us HT nuts - a first look at new projectors, screens, A/V controllers, home automation, even some speakers. Everything from 3-lb portables to monsters projecting onto 50-ft screens. Hey, maybe I'll hit big on a slot machine and come home with a new toy!

 

[Parker Clack]

Hank:
So give us a report on those products that caused you to use the most napkins. Also, some pictures would be nice.
Parker

 

[Chip_Slattery]

Parker,
We may have to wait a little longer to find out about the new InFocus units. Below is a link to an InFocus press release regarding INFOCOMM, and no mention is made of them showing the new dedicated HT models:
http://www.infocus.com/company/press...01infocomm.asp
Maybe they'll surprise us...
Chip

 

[Parker Clack]

They may not have them ready for the Infocomm. Hopefully they will be ready though.
Parker

 

[Stephen Dodds]

Plus have announced their first HT projector for Infocomm. Check at www.projectorcentral.com.
Steve

 

[KeithR]

The Infocus HT machine will not be released till Christmas at the earliest---meaning most likely 2002, from the posts on avs. The new machine (530) is bright, but with a large clear section, that has no use for HT. It does have Faroudja processing, so a scalar probably isn't needed at all. This decreases your total cost dramatically....
The Plus is interesting....will have to hear from Infocomm how it looks.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

The PLUS HE-3100 certainly does seem interesting, but what's up with the lumen rating?
The specs indicate a 16:9, essentially SVGA resolution, DLP projector, with a 600:1 contrast ratio. No zoom is provided (not even a manual one), but since the unit's native aspect ratio is 16:9, it probably doesn't need one.
This line from the Press Release certainly seems exciting :

We expect to see strong demand for the PLUS® HE-3100 from consumers who are looking for outstanding image quality at a very affordable price.

I can't wait to find out what PLUS considers "very affordable".
Joseph

 

[Sean M]

That lumen rating isn't really that paltry for a DLP with little to no clear section on the color wheel. Using a large clear section is what boosts the lumen ratings of other DLP's. This also leads to a washed out look to the picture from the reduction in color saturation. The Infocus DLP's turn off their clear section during video, so their light output isn't anywhere close to 1300 lumens, for example.
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"Experience is the one thing you can't get for nothing." - Oscar Wilde

 

[Parker Clack]

It is still going to be interesting to see what these guys come up with to show at Infocomm. At least these guys are getting it that the home theater market might actually be a good market to get into. And they are making an effort to actually make projectors that are more affordable for the mass market and at the same time have a decent picture. Those of us that love FPTV might actually have something to look forward to other than a CRT based systems.
Parker

 

[Phu Vo]

Parker,
I have the Boxlight CD-455M which is a clone of the Infocus LP-340. So here is what I can tell you of my personal experience with this unit. I am sure you have heard this before. First off, let me say that I love this unit. With that said, here we go. There are two things that really bug me about this projector: the noise level and the border light problem. First the noise level. My projector is mounted on the ceiling of my 10x10 bedroom right above my head in the viewing position. The noise from the fan is a bit loud and sometimes is distracting. However, this seems to be an inherent problem with all projectors to some degree. The second is the border light surrounding the projected image. This is very distracting. There is about a 4 inch uneven border of white light surrounding the entire image (58 inch screen). It ruins the contrast of the image and gives you an impression that there is a second layer of white light projected on top of the image and thus diluting the color saturation even further. Although, this isn't the case, it appears this way. However, the border light issue is seems to be inherent to all DLP projectors from what I have read. Those are my two main beefs with the unit. There are those that say that the say the black levels aren't that good, but for $2400, what can you expect. I personally don't think it is that much of an issue. Yes, the blacks aren't really black, but before I bought the unit, I read other posts saying that the blacks were more grey then black. That is misleading. The blacks on the LP-3x0 derived projectors are more of charcoal then black. True that the blacks aren't pitch black, but they are for sure not grey. As for the color reproduction. Yes, it isn't perfectly accurate, but it is still very very very good. Reds are red, they just aren't bleeding reds, but they definitely don't appear orange or brown. This analogy can be related to any of the other colors the projector produces.
I use my projector in conjunction with my HTPC using WinDVD and a Radeon VE for video, and I must say that I have very happy with my purchase. I once hooked my PS2 up to the unit to see how good the scaler was, and I must say that it even made the PS2's DVD playback look smooth. I was impressed. I am sure your standalone DVD player can produce better picture then my PS2.
There are many reports of the bulb on the unit exploding. I actually know someone who has had this happen to them twice. This person said they used the unit in sessions that lasted 5 hours or more. My unit has about 160 hours on it and the maximum amount of time I ever have the unit on for any one time is 4 hours. Most of the time, I watch one movie and turn it off. So maybe I am lucky or maybe it is my moderate use of the unit that has kept the bulb life intact. Who knows for sure. Infocus won't give us the straight story.
However, if I had it all over again, I would wait just a bit longer and see what is right over the horizon. Seems that DLP technology has some interesting improvements in the near future. But they might be another two years away. But if you really want to get one, your best bet is to just demo the unit.
Good Luck...

 

[KeithR]

Regarding the light spill (halo effect), you need to put black felt or some dark drapes aroud the screen. this is a cheap fix to your problem, and will increase contrast. that said, the halo is different for all projectors, some worse, some better. lcd has screen door, which is much worse imho.

 

[Parker Clack]

I was going to say that masking off the screen should make this a lot better. I remember with my CRT based FPTV that even that benefited from masking off the screen with black curtains all around the perimeter. It made the image jump off the screen.
Parker

 

[Phu Vo]

I plan on building a home made screen with felt borders after I paint my room. But the fact that the halo problem exists even though there is a home remedy for the problem is still a concern.