Question about the Sony VPL-CX1, need help pz (1 Viewer)

[Dave C.]

I am interested in purchasing this budget projector as the price seems right at the mo. However when i tried the unit in store with my Panasonic 75 portable dvd player through S-video I got kind of unpleasant greenish image. Is this problem inherant with these projectors. I could not adjust the hue though the menu and tried all the other options to change the colour but nothing worked. Any ideas? I think i might go along there tommorow and try the unit through composite to see if i can change the hue. Also will this projector take advantage of anormorphic dvd's?
Anyway thax in advance for any help.
[Edited last by Dave C. on October 14, 2001 at 03:57 AM]

 

[Huey]

I had a VPL-CX1 prior to upgrading to NEC LT150. It had very accurate color. May be the demo unit is bad. You can adjust hue and color saturation in menu. Unit looks better once warmed up may be you didn't give it enough time? You should consider buying via mail order as it now can be had brand new with 3 year Sony warranty for $1500. Buying local may be more expensive though you may have better service. I upgraded because the throw of the Sony is not as short (image was not as large) as the LT150 for my short room. It was also dimmer than LT150 so requires very dark room. Screendoor was more apparent at same distance and contrast was low (200:1 compared to 800:1--better blacks on LT150). The letterbox bars were dark gray and not very black which means masking is a must to hide these bars. Plus dead pixels popped up after 3 months (bright green, pixel-sized dots) which were distracting. DLP can cause rainbows but fortunately I did not suffer from it. Colors however were great on VPL-CX1 as were LT150. You should try a different CX1, different DVD player, or different Svideo cable. Keep in mind that DVD via PC gives the best image for all projectors

 

[Dave C.]

Thanx for your advice. I tried adjusting the hue and saturation as per manual however the option was not showing when i looked thorough the menu options on screen. Upon reading the instructions at the store it said that some options were not available when various inputs were used i.e hue and saturation. Is this the case for S-video?
Also what do you mean by screen door, sorry i am new to this projector malarky
thanx again

 

[Huey]

Svideo should allow adjustment for Hue and Saturation. RGB or VGA does not (only brightness, contrast, phase, and clock). VGA settings are best done by hitting auto-adjust for the phase and contrast settings. VGA brightness and contrast are adjustable to your liking. I'm not sure why Svideo did not allow you to adjust hue or saturation. Svideo as composite should allow you to adjust brightness, contrast, sharpness, hue, saturation. Your PJ may be screwed up?
Screendoor effect is pixel visibility like looking through a screen door. It's worst on SVGA LCD, then SVGA DLP, then XGA LCD, and least on XGA DLP. This depends on screen gain and sitting distance. If you sit close pixels can be seen more that further. Rule of thumb is 1.5X screen width minimum for XGA DLP, 2X for SVGA DLP and XGA LCD, and 2.5X for SVGA LCD. Gray screen tend to make pixels less visible as it absorbs more light enhancing contrast and blacks. This makes pixels less visible. High gain or reflective screen makes pixels more visible. There are depixelation lens (Cygnus makes one) but too pricey to be practical. Gray screen needs bright projectors (over 1000 lumens to be good). High gain screens are better for low lumen PJ like CX1. Neutral gain screen (matte white) is good for all PJ.
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Huey :-]

 

[Dave C.]

Could it be because i am running PAL that i cannot adjust hue and saturation thorugh the menus?
Just a thought.
Btw i have been following posts on the other forums about the Cx1 and they have been most helpful. I have decided to try the DIY screen you have that being the tile board (9x4). Over in the U.K they call it White painted hard board and it comes in 8x4 strips. I read you mention covering the board with a duck cloth however i cannot seem to find it over here, Is there another name for it?
Hmm.. One more thing, I think the colour is alright however i think i have just relised what is causing this green tinge problem. I seem to have a ring that forms in the centre of the screen, sometimes more than other times and within this ring it turns the colour inside it a light tinge of green. Is this normal, is it like a 'hotspot' purhaps. If so how do i cure this?
Thanx again for your help.
[Edited last by Dave C. on October 16, 2001 at 02:59 PM]

 

[Huey]

LCD tend to get dust blobs causing green discoloration. Try to blast it with canned air (becareful and don't invert can or oil will ruin your optics). LCD also tend to have green fog which can be corrected but require warranty work

Tile board is great as it's bright white except it can hot spot due to glossiness. You can paint it with flat white paint to avoid glares. Sanding with fine sand paper will take the gloss out too. White duck cloth or white black out cloths are other material I used to make other screens. Black masking with black cloth is helpful to hide gray bars on top and bottom to help contrast.