infocus x1 or other projector? (1 Viewer)

[Fred Galpern]

I finally convinced the wife that a projector is the way to go. We currently have a Pioneer 64" widescreen rear projection TV and enjoyed it. Now our 1 year old twins enjoy banging on it and giving my heart palpitations
So the idea behind the projector is threefold: 1- no more babies banging on the "glass" 2- bigger, better picture 3- watch less tv due to bulb burnout (less tv = good to us)

OK, so I'm thinking the infocus x1 can't be beat. I can probably spend up to $2,000 but not sure if the extra $1,000 is worth it. Opinions? Advice?

 

[AjayM]

Well I just picked up an X1 over the weekend and I must say I'm quite impressed with the quality of the picture. However in your case, how old is the Pioneer TV? I always thought the Pioneer's, even the non-Elite models, had some of the best pictures out of all the RPTV's out there. So be careful about the "better picture" side of things.

So now that I've had this thing for a few days here's what I don't like;
- Screendoor, it's there. When watching a movie it mostly goes away, plus I've defocused the image just a hair, not even enough to notice (unless I focus it 100%), but it helps quite a bit.
- Rainbows, I see them. But like the screendoor, it generally goes away when I'm watching a movie, and when I do see them it doesn't bug me.
- Calibration, I've spent the last few days calibrating this thing and I still can't get it nailed down yet. DVE has helped quite a bit, I have the colors down pretty good but the trade off's on brightness/contrast are still there, but I'm still tweaking.

Those are the 3 biggest things for me, and they are really minor issues when it all comes down to it. I still have a few weeks before I can return the thing (bought it locally at circuit city) and those thoughts aren't even stirring in my head.

DVD's look wonderful, regular cable TV looks pretty good as well. Having friends over to watch on the "big screen" is a great way to add something to the social activities.

Andrew

 

[SethOakley]

Fred, as I can't comment on the X1, I'll just stick with what I know of. The Sanyo PLV Z1. If you haven't looked into this projector, I would strongly recommend it. It is native 16:9, which IMO is the future. Cable looks decent, DVD's look awesome, and HDTV is hard to describe. Perfect? That would be my description. It is so easy to switch between 16:9 and 4:3, if you even want to do that. I'm so used to the stretch that I never used 4:3 anymore. You can get this projector really reasonable right now as the Z2 just came out. I got mine for 1100 a month ago through an authorized dealer.

Are there better projectors out there? Definitely. Even the Z2 is an improvement. I would just suggest that for around the 1000 mark you can't go wrong with this projector. The only other projector I've seen was a $5000 Runco projector, and I would take mine any day over that one. Make that 5 of mine!

 

[ChadLB]

Also note:
The X1 is a long throw projector meaning if you want a 92" wide screen it has to be back about 16 ft.
Remember the following for inputs:
S-video - buy component to s-video adapter for interlaced dvd player - this input uses the DCDi chip that the X1 has

Composite - Tv can be hooked up

VGA - Component to VGA adapter can be used here if you have a good progressive dvd player.

I demoed this and it is nice but I wanted a true 16:9 display so I opted for the Sanyo Z1 for an extra $125.00.

Both are great it just depends on setup and what you want out of it.
Oh yeah the Z1 is a short throw projector.....

 

[AlexQ]

is Sanyo PLV Z2 worth the extra money compared to Z1

 

[ChadLB]

I own the Z1 but from other forums and someone that has owned both his answer was yes but he also stated the Z1 is still great for the price.
I have HDTV running and it looks awesome......can't believe how clear of a picture I get out of it. It rocks for the price.

 

[FrankHW]

I just A/B'd the Z1 and Hitachi Home-1 and found the Hitachi to have a richer picture with better peformance on some LOTR torture test scenes. They're both great buys, though.

 

[Chris PC]

Also the AE500 will be here soon. Panasonic equivalent of the Sanyo Z2. Matinee 2HD is also the equivalent of the Sanyo Z2. by Equivalent, I mean 1280 x 720 16:9 resolution.