What Should I Look for when Buying a Projector? (1 Viewer)

[ChristopherT]

James,
I purchased my TH-AE100 in July. I purchased it used (30 hours on lamp). It was originally was purchased from PJ. My main concern with purchasing from PJ was the dead pixel issue. At that time, the savings by purchasing direct was worth the cost of freight 2x Japan. Especially with the CDN/USD exchange rate.
The PT-AE100 seems to have come down in price. It makes it a little more attractive to purchase locally.
It comes down to a risk vs. reward situation...
Gotta go and watch some more movies!

 

[Jim Ferguson]

Just a note. You can still take advantage of anamorphic DVD's with a 4:3 projector.

First be sure the player is set to expect a 16:9 output device.

Then adjust the aspect of the image on the projector itself (or if you are using a scaler then it will certainly be able to perform this function.)

For example on the 4:3 NEC LT150 that I used to own, the proper mode for displaying anamorphic signals was "Cinema" I believe.

 

[will_irwin]

If one's requirements are limited to playing DVDs and XBox games, and wanting a native 16x9 PJ (as James stated at the start of this thread) what is the optimum resolution?

The AE100 is 858x484. Is there any reason, given the requirements above, to pay more for a higher resolution PJ like the Sony 11HT? I understand that higher resolution will be able to do a better job on HDTV but let's leave that aside for the purpose of discussion.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Despite DVD having 480 vertical lines, most projectors I know of use internal line doubling (much like progressive scan) so when you are watching a DVD on the sony unit for example, you will be projecting 960 vertical lines (rather than 480). The higher resolution of the projector will yield a higher resolution on the screen, even for a low resolution format like DVD.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Despite DVD having 480 vertical lines, most projectors I know of use internal line doubling (much like progressive scan) so when you are watching a DVD on the sony unit for example, you will be projecting 960 vertical lines (rather than 480). The higher resolution of the projector will yield a higher resolution on the screen, even for a low resolution format like DVD.

Actually, DVD's have 480 horizontal lines and 720 vertical lines, right?

 

[Dave_Olds]

Despite DVD having 480 vertical lines, most projectors I know of use internal line doubling (much like progressive scan) so when you are watching a DVD on the sony unit for example, you will be projecting 960 vertical lines (rather than 480). The higher resolution of the projector will yield a higher resolution on the screen, even for a low resolution format like DVD

That is if you run the DVD player directly into the projector....In most cases, especially PJ's like the AE100, you can take a HTPC and do the scaling within the PC sending a direct 848 x 480 picture into the PJ hitting the sweet spot where there is no internal scaling required.

Line doubling is not necessary with a progressive, scaled picture and hence how users are able to get a stunning, artifact free DVD playback with the AE100....I wouldnt really recommend the AE100 without an HTPC (or at least a transcoder which with a progressive scan DVD player will provide the same quality) as the component input is not as good of quality as the RGBHV and even the manual states it as such.....

Myself, I found a PC laying around the house that works perfect for a HTPC so it wasnt an added cost - some other PC crazies may have one that fits the bill as well....

And yes, DVD is 720 x 480....

 

[Neil Joseph]

Any updates James on your display search?

 

[James Zos]

Thanks for the continued interest, Neil! I thought this thread was dead.

I had pretty much decided on the AE100 as the best projector I could afford on my limited budget.

But several things have happened since then.

First, for those who don't know, the AE100 is about to be officially discontinued. Panasonic is coming out with the AE200 (around $1500) and AE300 (around $2000), respectively, in Japan.

This means the AE100 has dropped even farther in price - you can pick one up now for around $1200. But Pricejapan is no longer offering the "zero dead pixel policy" on the AE100. It is offering that policy on the AE200 and AE300, which should be available in October.

So for now I have decided to wait to see what kind of reviews the new Panasonic's get. Also, CEDIA, some kind of projector show I guess, is taking place this weekend, and there are supposed to be announcements of several new models coming out that may be in my price range.

So for right now, as painful as it is to put up with my 27-inch non-HD Panasonic set knowing that a projector is definitely in my future, I'm just biding my time ... I'll probably end up buying from Pricejapan, no matter what I do. They're a sponsor for this forum, right? I'd like to give back to this site in some small way, for all the help that's been offered me.

Thanks again everyone! I'll let you know when I finally make a purchase. I'm sure I'll have LOT'S more questions then! In the meantime, any advice is still always welcome.

 

[Michael Caicedo]

Good decision James. It's not going to kill you you wait a few weeks to find out what shakes out after CEDIA(going on right now). Price will probably drop for a few models as well as new ones being introduced. Sounds like you may have a nice fp just in time for the holidays (and the superbowl- broadcast in HD 720p woohoo).