Just ordered my first projector, a PT-L300U! (1 Viewer)

[Mike Lamb]

After reading the comments here and the review on projector central, I ordered one and got the free DVD RP-62 for $1995

Anything a first time projector user should know? I would like to make my own fixed screen, but I am having a hard time finding good information about how to make one. Any websites?

 

[Donnie Clark]

Check out AVSForum. There is a thread dedicated to screens and tons on info on DYI.

Donnie

 

[Michael Mathius]

Mike:

Congrats on your new toy.

Here is the thread Donnie suggested.

You can also see a picture of a screen I built here.

You should be able to find the material at Home depot or Lowes.

We will be looking forward to here your review of this projector.

Good Luck

Michael

 

[Neil Joseph]

Anything a first time projector user should know?

See if you can get a decent surge protector for it if you don't already have one. I personally use the Monster SW200 but there are many others. Maintain it well and keep the filter clean if your projector needs regular filter maintenance. What are your plans for the PJ and HT room/screen?

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

A gentle reminder that too many on/off cycles for the bulb will really shorten its life.

When in doubt ... leave it on rather than turn it off.

Regards

 

[Doug_B]

A gentle reminder that too many on/off cycles for the bulb will really shorten its life.

Agreed. And on a related note, my understanding for most projs (if not all) is that the bulbs need to cool off after the proj is turned off before you fire it up again. Keep that in mind if your house is prone to short power outages and the projector stays in the Power On position.

Doug

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

Mike,

You got the same deal I signed up for a week ago. I called to check on my order, it seems the projectors were due in today and will ship Fri. or Mon. I'm getting antsy to fire this thing up and do some critical veiwing.

 

[Mike Lamb]

Thanks for the replies... After looking on the AVS forum I am begining to wonder what I have gotten myself into now. There seem to be several DIY screen ideas, I really don't know where to start. Anyone in the St. Louis area that would let me see their screen?

As far as the surge protection, I was going to plug the projector into my HTS-2600. But after a little reading, would I be better off using a small computer UPS, like one from APC? Or maybe even use both?

One more question... If I used a 53" diagonal screen for the FP and compared it to a RP like the pioneer SD-533, how would the pictures compare?

 

[Neil Joseph]

I would not use a small computer UPS. For now, concentrate on a good surge protector. Down the road, if you decide to add a UPS, get a better one that can handle the load of the projector and in the event of a loss of power, the UPS needs to come on gracefully. I actually have another thread dealing somewhat on this topic. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=121899

 

[hakushi]

I use an APC 700 UPS for my projector. Before I had it I lost 2 bulbs over a one year period. One time the lights flickered off for a second an POP! The other was a brownout then a surge and once again, POP!

I actually lost power once since using the UPS and it gave me plenty of time to turn off the projector and let it cool down properly with the fan running. Of course one the projector shut down properly the power came back...

The point is I can say for a fact, the UPS has probably saved me 3-4 times that I can remember.

You can probably find an APC 700 on ebay for about $100. A hundred bucks now will save you $300 or more on a bulb later!

 

[Mike Lamb]

Still waiting for my projector... Visual Apex screwed up the shipping, now its not going to be here until at least the 11th.

I had planned to be home on Friday to sign for it, but now I'm not sure how I am going to get it.

 

[Mike Lamb]

Okay, the projector finally came in... But DVD's seem to be stuck in 525p mode, and it is adding a step effect to diagonal lines. Switched the screen size to 16:9 on the RP-62, but it didn't change anything. How do I get a 480P signal?

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

Mike, I am using a JVC DVD player instead of the free unit, I'm not seeing any stair step at all. What size screen are you displaying? On 2.35:1 ratio material, my screen is about 40x93" and this seems to be close to the max as far as a clean image goes with this projector, any bigger and I start to see the scan lines other users have noticed. If you are projecting smaller than 90 inches diagonally, I doubt you'll see any difference between a progressive image from the DVD vs. a standard source, letting the projector line double the image. That's what I found anyway!

Bill

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

Mike, I am using a JVC DVD player instead of the free unit, I'm not seeing any stair step at all. What size screen are you displaying? On 2.35:1 ratio material, my screen is about 40x93" and this seems to be close to the max as far as a clean image goes with this projector, any bigger and I start to see the scan lines other users have noticed. If you are projecting smaller than 90 inches diagonally, I doubt you'll see any difference between a progressive image from the DVD vs. a standard source, letting the projector line double the image. That's what I found anyway!

Bill