What is the best projector to buy? (1 Viewer)

[NathanP]

Ebay!

Type CRT PROJECTOR under the search menu..

Usually, CRT projectors cost in the thousands, but I've seen those same $5,000 projectors they sell at stores go for $300 on Ebay..

Nathan

 

[VicRuiz]

DO NOT go to Ebay. You should never buy a used CRT from anyone you don't know or can't check references for. MANY people have been burned on Ebay. If you buy a used CRT you need to buy it from someone who knows what he has and has checked it thoroughly to make sure that it's in perfect operating condition. Most projectors on Ebay are sold as is and in unknown condition. BUYER BEWARE!

There are several well respected techs at AVS Forum that sell used CRT's at low prices, and will give you support if needed. That's the only way to buy CRT's. I paid $2000 for my Marquee 8000 ($23,000 new) and love it!

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Ok, specific recommendations then... the NEC LT150 has been mentioned. From everything I have gathered one of those at $2000-something is a steal. Two drawbacks; rainbows if you are sensitive to those and noise from the fan. The latter can be dealt with if you get a hush box for it.

Sony VLP-VW10HT if you can find one of those. They have since been replaced by the VW11HT which is better but also pricier. This is an LCD projector with true wide screen panels; chief drawback is low absolute black level since it's an LCD. Some also say they see "screen door" from the LCD pixels, but it certainly didn't bother me when I viewed one. The resolution of those is also pretty high further reducing that possibility.

Both those are pretty much plug and play. The LT150 will not truly shine except if you use it with a home theater PC though. Ie, no costs for an installer if you just place them on your living room table and fire them at a screen. Ceiling mounting can be done with relative ease since both are light.

 

[NathanP]

Vic,

I buy stuff all the time off Ebay, and have never been burned.

There are also many CRT's that are listed working fine, and if purchased from someone with tons of postive feedback, I feel you don't need to worry at all..

Heck, even buying from the original owner should be fine..

If your worried, pay by check or credit card, so there's some security involved..

So, buying off Ebay is perfectly fine, just make sure to read the description all the way throught and check the sellers feedback.

Nathan

 

[VicRuiz]

I wasn't talking about any other stuff. I'm talking about CRT's on Ebay specifically. Have you ever bought CRT's on Ebay? Ebay is fine for most other stuff, but a CRT is not an item that you can buy sight unseen. There are just too many things that could be wrong with a projector that an unknowledgeable seller might not even be aware of, not to mention an unscrupulous seller. You DO NOT buy a CRT without having a qualified technician look at it and certify that it's in proper operating condition. If you do, you're just asking for trouble. I know LOTS of people that have been burned (pun intended) by CRT's on Ebay. There are a couple of the techs I referred to before that also sell on Ebay, and those are fine if you know who they are, but you DO NOT want to buy a CRT on Ebay from an unknown seller if you can't have it inspected first.

 

[Alyssa]

wow, i'm glad i came here, because you folks seem to know a lot about this stuff, thanks for the help everyoneI'll think about what all of you said

 

[NathanP]

Vic-

I just bought a perfectly working CRT projector off Ebay for $125..

It would have costed me $6000 to by it new.

I just made sure I bought it from a guy with good feedback and viola! (sic) it works great.

Nathan

 

[Dan Hine]

Nathan,

What is the model number of the projector? Is it a new/current model that costs $6000 (or was it $9000? You've said both) at or is that how much it would cost new 20yrs ago when it first came out? I'm not trying to worry you but if a guy sold a CRT projector worth $6k for $125 then there IS something wrong with it somewhere. Hell, I've got a few sony CRT's at my shop that aren't perfect and there is NO WAY I would sell them for less than $500. $125 for a projector makes me very skeptical, good feed back or not. Also, what happened to the projector you were getting for Christmas? Couldn't wait?

Dan Hine

 

[NathanP]

Dan, I have a Panasonic PT 101y.

As for Christmas..

Grandpa sent me check for Christmas, so I bought a projector with that..

What I actually got it a steal.. I bought it from a guy in my area who didn't know much about projectors..

I went over there (He only lives a few blocks from me!) tried the projector out, and bidded on it.

Nathan

 

[Dan Hine]

Nathan,
Cool! Let us know how it works out for you!
Dan Hine

 

[Chris PC]

Right now I have a 32" NTSC TV. I am curious about projectors myself. My sources right now are:

1) Interlaced DVD player (Panny CV51)

2) LD player (Pioneer CLD79)

3) JVC 7800 SVHS player

So looking for information about a projector, I have not figured out what I would want, if I went ahead. Obviously, I notice there are different opinions on here. Fairly good bit of information on this post though. Its hard to figure out exactly what the score is with all this stuff. In a way, I would have liked an HDTV, but I'm realizing that those are usually best with, well, HD TV signals. I am exploring the possibilities for getting a projector.

Does anyboy have a room where they have a TV, but they put a screen in front of their TV for watching movies on their

projector?

Does anyone use a line doubler with their projector? Which projectors can you use a line doubler and under what circumstances would you want to do that?

 

[Micheal]

Maybe i dont own a CRT, but i dont have to own one to hear about the constant, expensive, maintenance my buddy has to do to keep his up.

No offence but maybe your friend doesn't know what he's doing! Once a CRT projector is set up properly you shouldn't have to touch it for at least 4 months. After that it's just tweaking the convergence to make sure it hasn't drifted. I would also love to hear why it's constantly costing him money?
Oh well, some people don't realize that CRT's are not very different from RPTV's. You get it properly converged once it's in place and make sure to tweak once or thrice a year to keep the convergence in line.

 

[Gil D]

Does anyone use a line doubler with their projector? Which projectors can you use a line doubler and under what circumstances would you want to do that?

I drive the projector using a PC which gives the best results. The great thing about an HTPC is that you can turn it into a line doubler for cheap by adding a capture card with a Brooktree chip(I use the Cybertainment) and using a freeware program called dTV. You can use it to line double sources like cable, sat, laser disc, etc. It also allows you to stretch 4:3 material onto a 16:9 screen.

A good analog set and a front projector makes a good combo IMO. I'd rather have 100-120" screen using a portable PJ than another 56-65" monster, as long as you can deal with the ambient light situation.

Hope this was of some help.

 

[Mark_wH]

Curt Palme over at the www.avsforum.com has some Sony 1292 CRT projectors for sale for $4000. This is a 9 inch crt.
For less money, I like the NEC 6 and 9pg extra. They feature electromagnetic and electronic astig adjustments. Focus is very sharp at 1280 x 720 resolution. Excellent PQ with a Radeon based HTPC. Probably run about $1500 - $2000 in good shape.
Mark

 

[Huey]

I have LT150 and one thing that no one has mentioned is that digital PJ requires expensive bulbs ($300 per 1000 hour for mine). Some are more than others (Sony Cineza is $170 per 1000 hour, most are $500 per 2000 hour bulb). They can be noisy (35-40 db) but so can CRT's. Some PJ are very quiet like the Piano Plus or Infocus LP530 or LS110. Also digital can develop dead pixels (LCD or LCOS/DILA) or mirrors (DLP) that can be distracting at times.

I agree that CRT gives you the best picture but you do need professional installation and calibration IF you don't know what you're doing for both safety and best function. Used CRT can be purchased at great discounted provided you know and trust the guy selling to you. Replacement for CRT tubes can be $500 each but they last 10000 hours. Burned-in CRT tubes may not bother most people unless you show solid colors on screen. CRT can be dim but can be bright depending on size of guns (5.5" to 9" can vary in brightness and of course cost).

If you want to buy used look in classifieds here and AVS as I trust members here and on AVS more than Ebay. You can buy Ebay but it's risky (NathanP went over to demo the unit so his buy is not that risky). Shipping can cost $300 due to weight. Make sure you insure the unit as shipping can damage it too. Curt Palmer (search AVS) from Canada specializes in dealing with CRT but can only support by long distance.

For me LT150 is very portable (3#). I just plop it on coffee table and voila 100" wide instatheater on my white, DIY blackout cloth screen. Image is way better than my 54" RPTV for resolution, colors, size, smoothness. Contrast is similar IMHO to my RPTV. Yes CRT will be better but at what price or hassle? To each his own but newbies may do better with digital for pure user friendliness. They could buy used CRT and have it prof. inspected, calibrated, and installed for a small fee $500-1K.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Once a CRT projector is set up properly you shouldn't have to touch it for at least 4 months.

Well hes doing it every 5 months, or i should say, PAYING someone to do it every 5 months

 

[Micheal]

Well hes doing it every 5 months, or i should say, PAYING someone to do it every 5 months

He must have money to burn! I'll do it for him if he'll fly me down...
Seriously though... it only takes me about an hour or so to do a TOTAL reconvergence that leaves me with a great image. I would say that unless he has a problem with the convergence drifting that he shouldn't have to do it that often... IMHO.

 

[VicRuiz]

That is true. Mechanical setup must have been very poor for that to happen. The most you should be doing is a convergence touch-up every few months, not something so dramatic that you'd need to pay someone to come and do it. You should really consider hiring someone competent to do an initial mechanical setup from scratch.

 

[Anthony Moore]

so whats someone's best bet if he/she is wanting to spend less than $2000???

Do non-digital PJ's have component inputs? Are any 16:9?

 

[Bill Lucas]

CRT projectors are (for the most part) easily converted to 16:9 display devices, just like RPTVs. Take a look at the CRTs in a 16:9 RPTV. They are not in a 16:9 shape. Component video is a lesser quality input than an RGBHV connection. To really shine, ANY digital or CRT based projector should be used with a scaler that is matched to its native resolution or sweet spot. Please note that quite a few older CRT projectors will not work with a line doubler or scaler. There is a long list that will. Regards.

Henry,

At this point it is quite obvious that your friends projector was either not well setup or he simply purchased a poor projector.