Recomended FPTV system (1 Viewer)

[Trevor Schell]

Hi!,
Well, since I have satisfied my needs in the Audio part of HomeTheater, its time to start looking into improving on my video. Currently I have a Toshiba 61TNx81 RPTV which has been a very good video source.
However I would like to upgrade to a 16X9 video source and still keep the 4:3 set for regular TV veiwing.
With this in mind, a FPTV would be my next practicle upgrade.
My room is 28'x20' and can be completely darkend during the day with roll down blinds.
I have a ceiling beam running about 18 feet from the front of the room which would be suitable for mounting a projector.
So overall I feel my room is FPTV-Ready!
Next, then is to decide which FPTV to invest in.
Which would be recommended for my room.
I would not want something that is of budget quality.
I want a system that is of very good quality since this would be one part of the theater I would not want to upgrade in the near future. This would need to be a permenant fixture for a few years forward.
What would be recommended?
Thanks for any help!
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Trevor..

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[Edited last by Trevor Schell on November 04, 2001 at 10:42 PM]

 

[Michael Lee]

The Upgrade king strikes again!!
And your budget is?
I am taking the DLP plunge as I feel that they are getting closer to CRTs--and they are brighter. To get a quality CRT would be beyond my budget and I do not have total light control in my setup. There is nothing like a great CRT though. My friend has stacked Runcos on a 11' screen and the picture is to die for. He recently had the Sharp XV-Z9000U in his house for a month and he loved it. Based on his opinion and two well-respected ISF techs, I took a serious look at it...and I loved it. I visited the Sharp booth a few times at CEDIA, and the line was long every time.
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[Trevor Schell]

Hi Michael!,
I would be willing to invest between 10-15K CDN for the set-up.
Are there any reveiws on the Sharp model?.
Thanks,
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Trevor..

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[Kevin Coleman]

Trevor,
18' is a little far for most FPTV's. Any chance you could move that up some?
Kevin C.

 

[Trevor Schell]

Hi Kevin!,
The beam is quite wide,so a 15-16 feet mounting distance could easily be set-up.
Plus there is the option of bringing in the screen a little more forward.
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Trevor..

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[Kevin Coleman]

Yeah you could always do a drop down screen a foot or so from the back wall. Actually now that I think of it since you still want to use your RPTV you should set up your screen to drop down about 6 inches in front of you RPTV so that should just about fix your throw distance problem right there.
If you want a high quality picture to match your considerable audio setup I would consider nothing less than a CRT. In your price range you should be able to pick up a 9" CRT projector and a scaler or HTPC and pretty much have the best quality picture money can buy.
I have a Electrohome ECP 4500 7" CRT projector projecting on to a 92" Diagonal 16X9 screen. My throw distance is about 12.5 feet from the lenses to the screen. Since you can afford a 9" projector you can move it back some and throw a bigger picture due to the increased light output of 9" CRT VS 7" CRT. Whatever projector you decide to go with be sure to check the throw distance before you buy. As soom of them are quite critical especially CRT's since they don't have zoom lenses.
I used to own a Sony VPL-W400Q LCD projector and to get the right size screen for my room it had a long throw of almost 18 feet. But it's replacement that Robert Fowkes has the 10HT to get the same size would only need a throw of about ten feet. So be sure to check that out before you buy.
If you decide to buy a used CRT since you are in Canada I would definitely talk to Curt Palme over in the CRT forum on AVSforum. He has an unmatched reputation for selling high quality used CRT projectors. He lives in Canada also.
Good Luck,
Kevin C.

 

[Michael Lee]

Trevor-
The only official review I have seen so far can be found here . If you have the latest issue of The Perfect Vision (November/December), you will see Gary Merson giving it a few paragraphs of healthy praise. By the time his full review comes out in the next issue, we will have seen a few other reviews. My HTF confession (Bless me Father...) is that I have one on order and I will be getting it before week's end.
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[Mike OConnell]

Trevor,
After the conversion, this would be in the $6300 - $9500 USD range. I am not currently aware of anyone with significant discounts on the Sharp, unit, but it retails at $9995 USD, plus a screen, this would be close to your budget.
I am interested in the replies that you will get, since my budget is in the $4000 - $6000 USD range.
Good luck and happy hunting.
Mike

 

[Trevor Schell]

Yeah you could always do a drop down screen a foot or so from the back wall. Actually now that I think of it since you still want to use your RPTV you should set up your screen to drop down about 6 inches in front of you RPTV so that should just about fix your throw distance problem right there.

I agree Kevin and would have to say that is probably the only option for screen location that I have. This would work the best in my room anyways.
Thanks for the advice about Curt.
I will definately check into his business.
Michael,,You are my hero! ,,Let us know how this unit is once you have it set up..Really looking forward to your thoughts on it.
Mike,,The sharp would be in my price range..
I was also looking at a Sony VPL-VW11HT. This one retails for $9499 CDN and I can get it locally.
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Trevor..

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[Michael Lee]

Trevor-
The Sharp 9000 has arrived. Unfortunately I will have guests through the weekend. I will have no time to play around with it until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest. Will report as soon as I can though.
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[Dave Milne]

The DWIN HD700 CRT projector with TranScanner 2 doubler/scaler should be just within your price range... if you do some careful shopping. I got mine from Fusion Media in Salt Lake City. Throw distance might be an issue. Their formula is 1.25 x screen width + 9". Picture is absolutely stunning in a darkened room...no DLP "rainbow" or LCD "screen door".

 

[Sean M]

Well, Trevor, if you want a high quality FP setup, and you have total light control, there is only one option: CRT. I have seen the Sharp 9000 and the Sony 11HT. Neither has a convincing enough black level for reference quality in my opinion, plus the Sharp still has color seperation artifacts on brightly lit objects and the 11HT still has screen door, although it is less noticeable than other LCD's I've seen.
My advice would be to look into getting a new or slightly used (B-stock) NEC XG135LC. It is an 8" CRT projector that will give you 95% of the picture quality of a 9" set, with a liquid coupled lens assembly for better contrast and no stray light bounce between the tube and lens. There are a few CRT's out there that are better, but they are just a few. You can easily run 1080p on this set. It can be had for around 6k US. You can then take the remainder of your budget and get a nice screen and a scaler. The scaler is just as important as the projector, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You could also go the HTPC route, but that is sometimes more trouble than it's worth for DVD playback. If you can't make the 135LC work in your budget with screen and scaler, you can try to pick up the 110LC, same projector, but with a lower scan rate.
Check out www.projectorspecs.com and www.avsforum.com for info and prices on good CRT's. One thing is certain, if you don't want to upgrade for years to come, you probably don't want a digital. They are very nice, and very convenient, but the technology has just not matured enough. Next year, something newer with a better pic will come out and you'll feel like upgrading. With a high quality CRT, you don't have to worry.
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"Experience is the one thing you can't get for nothing." - Oscar Wilde
[Edited last by Sean M on November 11, 2001 at 08:20 AM]

 

[Trevor Schell]

Thanks
Sean and Dave!,
Interesting.
In reality then,,the CRT units are actually better in video performance over the DLP and LCD units.
I wonder why all the hype over the new formats if they have not matured yet to their potential.
Being an owner of a 4:3 RPTV and never seeing an anamorphic image as of yet, would I really notice the flaws of the newer technology formats mentioned.
Also at a seating distance of 16 feet from the screen, would these flaws be as noticable.
BTW,,How bad is this screen door effect. Doesn't sound good.
How often does it appear.?
Thanks,
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Trevor..

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[Sean M]

Trevor, some of the flaws with digital projection are screen size/distance sensitive, and some are not. The screen door on LCD's for example, from about 2 x screen width is generally not visible to most people, but it is always there if you get close enough. Some LCD owners get aournd this by slightly defocusing the picture to get the pixels closer together. This also helps smooth out the picture and make it look less digital. The biggest concern with DLP is the rainbow effect. This problem is not screen size or distance dependant, and it is intermittant. This effect is caused by the spinning color wheel in one chip DLP's. The newer generation DLP's, like the Sharp, have much faster color wheels than earlier generations (read last year). This reduces the effect markedly, but does not eliminate it. You will have to view this projector, or any digital for that matter, prior to purchase to make sure that these artifacts do not bother you. When viewing the Sharp, take some high contrast materialm, bright objects in dimly lit spaces, and watch the objects as they move around. If you do not see rainbows, then your probably won't.
The big reason for the hype regarding digital projectors is that they are brighter, smaller and easier to setup than CRT's. They are also new tech. You have to make compromises for front projection. In terms of picture quality, generally speaking, you have to trade brightness for a CRT, and black level, color accuracy, and picture smoothness for a digital.
Having seen the best that digital has to offer and compaing to a middle of the road CRT, I liked the sharpness and brightness of digital, but the black level and screen door/rainbow proved to be too much, especially for five times the price I would have to pay to retube my CRT.
If picture quality if your ultimate goal, then I would go with a CRT and a good processor. You won't be disappointed.
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"Experience is the one thing you can't get for nothing." - Oscar Wilde