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I want to buy a front projector (1 Viewer)

KeithBR

Agent
Joined
May 13, 2002
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37
Will I be able to find a good front projector between $3,000 - $6,000 that is HDTV compatible? Doesn't matter if it's ceiling mounted or table top.
 

patrick lehoux

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 4, 2002
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1
I bought a NEC VT650 last week, I am totally satisfied :)
Check it out. If you buy it before the end of July you get a free DVD/VCR player.
;)
 

Gabriel_Lam

Screenwriter
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Mar 7, 2002
Messages
1,402
Yes, you will easily be able to find yourself one that can output true 720p, and input upwards of 1080i in that price range.
 

KeithBR

Agent
Joined
May 13, 2002
Messages
37
Can you give me some info on which brands to look into or sites to do research on? There is only one high end electronics store in my area and their projectors are way too much money. Starting at $8,000.
 

Gabriel_Lam

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
1,402
What kind of room do you have? What kind of light control? How far back do you sit? How big is the biggest screen you can fit?

Is color accuracy most important to you? How about black level? What do you plan to use to drive it?
 

Andrew_Ballew

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 21, 2002
Messages
294
Sony VPL-VW12HT! It will be available soon, and can be found in that price range if you check around.

Cheers

Andrew B.
 

KeithBR

Agent
Joined
May 13, 2002
Messages
37
Gabriel,

My current (basement) HT room is 16x20 but I am altering it. I am going to make it longer but I'm not sure by how much yet. I have 12 feet of space behind it that I can borrow from.

I have light running along the sides of the walls in the ceiling They function off of one remote or touch switch on the wall.

Right now I sit about 10ft from my Pioneer Elite 72, which is the TV I am replacing with a projector.

I am totally undecided on screen size but the wall is 16 ft wide with 9ft ceilings.

Color is very important, black level is not as.
You mean as far as hardware like DVD player, Sat receiver?
 

Gabriel_Lam

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
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With that much space, I'd consider auditioning the Sanyo 70HT or the Boxlight 20HD (clone of the 70HT) coming out late next month. Prices should be right near the upper end of your budget.
Boxlight Cinema 20HD
2200 ANSI lumens
900:1 on/off contrast
1366x768 native resolution (16:9)
35dB of noise
DVI, VGA, 5xBNC, S-vid, and composite inputs
With the amount of available space you have, and the kind of budget you have, you shoulsettle with nothing less than a full cinematic experience.
 

Jay Sylvester

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
521
You should check out the AVS forum. There are three projector forums there, and the people there really know their stuff.
I ended up getting a Hitachi CW-SX5500W. They go for about $5500-$6000 depending on where you shop. A fine projector, especially for the price. It competes favorably with high-end projectors costing $10K-$15K.
 

Ned

Supporting Actor
Joined
Feb 20, 2000
Messages
838
A CRT front projector will give you the best picture quality. Depending where you live there are several good sources for *used* units.

If you go with this sort of projector you can get an incredible unit for $4000 with no need to spend more. You can spend just $1500 and still get a CRT pj that will whip any lcd/dlp/rptv unit on the market.

Downsides: complex setup, requirement of a scaler/htpc, and a well darkened room.
 

Kimmo Jaskari

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 27, 2000
Messages
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I'm very happy with my new Epson EMP-TW100. Faroudja processing, native 16:9 picture and a sound level of only 30db. I would (and did!) take this over any of the Sony models except possibly the VW12 even at the same cost, but I got the epson for about $1000 less. Of course, I live in Europe, so that doesn't have to be the case in the US.
Whatever you buy do make sure it's a 16:9 native projector, like the Epson or a Sony VW11 or VW12, or indeed one of the latest batch of DLP projectors to come out (Marantz, Sharp 9000...) HDTV, as you no doubt know, is 16:9.
The DLP projectors in the latter category can't be had for $6000 in the US but you can import them fairly easily from Japan; www.pricejapan.com has gotten great user feedback, and you really do save a bundle of money.
Service obviously isn't anywhere near as good as what a good local dealer can offer, so you have to weigh that in. The savings can be quite substantial though.
 

Rob Lloyd

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 22, 2001
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234
I'll 2nd the Hitachi SW5500. I just picked one up as well from AVMall. It's one of the few SXGA (1365x1024) capable projectors. It's an LCOS projector so you don't get the problems of DLP rainbows and no screen door.

Check out the AVS forum stated above. Lots of info on projectors there.
 

Jay Sylvester

Supporting Actor
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Jan 27, 2002
Messages
521
Whatever you buy do make sure it's a 16:9 native projector, like the Epson or a Sony VW11 or VW12, or indeed one of the latest batch of DLP projectors to come out (Marantz, Sharp 9000...) HDTV, as you no doubt know, is 16:9.
An SXGA projector, such as the Hitachi 5500, still has a higher resolution for 16:9 sources than current projectors with 16:9 panels, even though it's 4:3. The widescreen portion is 1365x768, compared to 1280x720 on widescreen projectors. Only when 16:9 panels reach 1920x1080 will they truly qualify as HD.

The 5500, being LCOS-based, doesn't suffer from the screendoor effect like normal LCDs, and there are no rainbows or artifacts like DLP. The result is a very film-like image. Pair it with a Panamorph or ISCO lens, and you get to use the panel's full resolution for 16:9 sources, making it one of the highest resolution 16:9 digital projectors on the market.
 

Chris PC

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 12, 2001
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Just so you know, HDTV compatible is nice, but not essential. Down-converted HDTV on even the AE100 looks really nice. Its not HDTV resolution, but its pretty good.
 

KeithBR

Agent
Joined
May 13, 2002
Messages
37
Thx for all the input everyone. Please keep them coming if you got them. I am writing down everyone and checking into them all.
 

Chauncey_G

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 2, 2001
Messages
291
You might want to look into the Plus Piano HE-3200 that will be out soon. Great performance for the price; Stereophile Guide to Home Theater gave it's predecessor (HE-3100) an "A" rating right next to other units listing for $5K more. Might be worth your time.
Good luck, whatever you get!
 

Kimmo Jaskari

Screenwriter
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Feb 27, 2000
Messages
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The difference between 1280x720 and 1368x768 is minor, IMHO. Both are high enough to make screen door a nonissue at sane viewing distances. Also, the 16:9-models benifit from having built in intelligence for the 16:9 mode, so you can run your DVD player in 16:9 mode as well and have the appropriate zoom modes in the projector directly.

The Epson I have, for instance, works superbly with a normal interlaced DVD player, due to the built in processing in the projector.

I'm sure the Hitachi 5500 looks stunning with a panamorph lens, but then you pretty much have to feed it from a HTPC, which makes it anything but plug and play.

That said, I'm sure it is a fine projector, but I for one have no regrets going with the Epson - and you can get that for about $4k if you are willing to import.
 

Doug_B

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 11, 2001
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1,081
With that much space, I'd consider auditioning the Sanyo 70HT or the Boxlight 20HD (clone of the 70HT) coming out late next month. Prices should be right near the upper end of your budget.
I've been anticipating the 70HT as an alternative to the higher priced DLP units that have been getting a lot of fanfare (Sharpvision, Marantz, Seleco). Knew about the Boxlight clone, but going to their site, it appears they sell direct only. Is this correct? I've read over at AVS that the 70HT may be had (once it's out) for less than $6K from local dealers, which is better than Boxlight's posted price. If so, are there any benefits to going the Boxlight route? I still have to find local dealers that will have this set up, but I'm looking for installation / setup done for me, so I'll likely go this route if the 70HT impresses.

Doug
 

Andrew_Ballew

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 21, 2002
Messages
294
An SXGA projector, such as the Hitachi 5500, still has a higher resolution for 16:9 sources than current projectors with 16:9 panels, even though it's 4:3. The widescreen portion is 1365x768, compared to 1280x720 on widescreen projectors. Only when 16:9 panels reach 1920x1080 will they truly qualify as HD.
Actually, the resolution of the 16:9 Sony panels is 1366 x 768 pixels.

Also, that resolution is more than necessary to display 720p HDTV, a legitimate standard. Digital projectors are by nature progressive diplays, too, in that they do not "scan" the picture, making any kind of interlaced signal, even 1080i, undesirable visually. An upconversion to 1080p would be necessary for a 1920x1080 digital panel. It might be a while before we see such a thing, as the technology required currently requires big $$$$.


Cheers

Andrew B.
 

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