Whats good cheap FP for mid-low-end HT? (1 Viewer)

[NickSo]

hey,
so my dad was looking through the newspaper, and saw a short review on a Pansonic PT-AE100. He was pretty interested in it, the price is about $2500 Canadian ($12,800 Hong Kong dollars, this was a chinese newspaper).
Here are some specs:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...m?part_id=1488
My home theater isnt super high-end, and we dont want to spend a lot of money. I know bulbs cost alot, but we're only lightly considering the FP route.
So any suggestions?
or COmments on the Panasonic FP?

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

http://www.pricejapan.com
The AE100 is supposed to be absolutely excellent for the price. You're definitely going to want good light control though. Also, if you can, you definitely want to use a scaler or AT LEAST a Viewsonic TV tuner/scaler (they're about $90 US).
Great choice for the money.

 

[NickSo]

Ah, thanks for the reply... I couldnt find anything about that projector online, good to hear somebody who's also heard of it

Also, how much and where would i find replacement bulbs for this projector? would i also have to import it?

 

[Michael Caicedo]

Actually Nick, your dad may have stumbled into a real fine projector. Some of the hardcore FP guys at avsforum are reporting a good image out of the box (with Prog input), and a very good image with tweaking and HTPC. I'll let you know that I'm currently saving up for one of these myself.
Here's a link to that forum section at avsforum, there are plenty of threads going on about that little beauty:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...php?forumid=24
Oh and specs for the bulb say 2000 hour lifespan with 5000 on economy mode.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I take it that you did not "break" your current TV?

 

[NickSo]

Neil, check out my other thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=60098
Its not broken, its 'Severly Handicapped'
Gosh, if my TV was a horse, it would'a been shot and made into glue a LONG time ago...
Thanks alot for the link michael, ill be sure to look into it...
But now im worried about the long-term expense of the projector. I mean with an RPTV, its pretty much a one-time purchase (even with calibration). With FP, you ogtta buy bulbs. Is it worth it for the extra size and resolution? I wont be investing into an HTPC, HDTV anytime soon. Maybe not even a progressive scan DVD player or scaler

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Here's something to consider (prices quoted in US dollars)...

You have a rather low end projector with a low wattage bulb. I'm guessing by the time you have to change the bulb, they'll be about $300 (My projector, $6k new, 3000 lumens, 800:1 contrast, with a 270 watt SHP bulb, currently has a bulb replacement cost of under $400, so $300 might even be a high estimate).

Consider this. You have a 2000 hour bulb life, with the bulb growing dimmer near the end. In economy, you have 5000 hours of bulb life.

Let's say you want one two hour movie 5 days a week, nonstop, every week of the year. The bulb will last you nearly 4 years in full brightness mode and nearly 10 years in economy mode.

$300 is not a lot to spend considering the life of the bulb. Definitely worth it

 

[Tim Baldwin]

... and the CRT's have a lifespan as well. They may last longer (10-20,000 hrs) but they progressively degrade, and are much more expensive to re-tube.

 

[Neil Joseph]

If you are worried about bulb cost then I would not recommend LCD or DLP FPTV. Have you looked at any HDTV's and are they in your budget?

 

[NickSo]

I've been looking at a few ~50 inch 4:3 RPTVs. Namely toshibas...

The 50H71 and the 53HX71 looks good...

 

[John Gregory]

I'm also looking at an FPTV, but more at the Sony VPL-VW10HT or VW11HT. ANyone heard anything about these?

 

[NickSo]

John, i've seen the VW10HT at a high-end HT store, it was BEATUIFUL...

Even with a normal interlaced DVD player, the colors are nice and natural, no screen door effect from about 10-12 feet away, very quiet. It WAS selling for $10,000 CAD when i saw it, the prices now are amazing, but still too rich for my (or should i say my dad's) blood :p)

 

[Neil Joseph]

Yep, the 10HT was sweet when I saw it too. The 11HT makes some improvements to the 10HT model including a higher contrast ratio (deeper blacks), a longer lasting bulb, etc. If you want more personal info, you can e-mail Robert A Fowkes.

 

[John Gregory]

Thanks. I've already seen Robert's home theater. It looks incredible!

 

[NickSo]

Having to replace the bulbs seems like a real expense, but when you think about it, its actually an good deal for the video quality and the size you get...

 

[Chris PC]

I am also considering a front projector. The RP HDTV's I am considering instead are:

Pioneer SD533HD or;

Sony KP51HW40, KP57HW40

Let me know how your search goes. Have you had the chance to view any of those projectors (AE100 or 75U) in action?

 

[DaViD Boulet]

As someone who has recently spent *a lot* of time viewing MANY digital front projectors and even helping installing a few...listen to me:
Do not get a TV. Even a big-screen RP TV. Even a super-duper 16x9 HDTV. Unless one thing is unchangeble...you cannot watch movies in a darkend or semi-darkened room.
If it's a room with a skylight, consider a regular (small) TV for daytime viewing and a front projection systme for evening.
If you're building a dedicated HT room with light control (like in a basement) then you would be committing a SIN if you didn't go Front projection.
How can I say that? Sorry to offend those of you who have a system with a TV that you're happy with...it's ok...be happy. But your NEXT display should be front projection if at all possible.
The impact of a good DVD or HD transfer on a big screen (100 inches diag or larger) from a distance of 12-15 feet is nothing short of AWESOME with the new crop of digital projectors. Even projectors as affordable the $2500 jobs can do a wonderful job of giving you a "wow".
Just to give you a quick testimonial...
I just helped install the Sharp 9000 (above the price of the cheapies...but still under the $10k mark for the most part) at a friend's house with a firehawk screen. Right out of the box...with NO calibration whatsoever...we put in the Patriot (progressive scan Pany rp91 DVD player). Instantly, from about 12 feet back from a 96" diag screen we were looking at what LITERALLY looked like 35 mm projected film. We had to TRY to see "video" related artifacts to convince us that this was indeed not a real film image. In fact, the thing that I found most convicing to show that it wasn't film was that it looked BETTER than projected film in terms of color saturation and frame jitter. If I really thought about it, I could have said that the image might have been a hair softer than the image looked in the theater. But that's about it.
Fifth Element, Shrek, Gladiator, you name it. Same "I'm looking at a cinema-quality image in my basement" experience with a $20 DVD.
Even non-techy wives and mothers stared in awe as we played Toy Story and couldn't help but sigh and comment on the incredible picture quality (clarity, 3-dimensionality, detail). Total non-videophile normal "it's just a movie" poeple were saying things like "look at how real the reds look...I've never seen colors look so natural like that" (color fidelity) and "you can see all the little folds and rinkles in the black dress" (shadow detail).Ahhh.
Sure, non-reference DVDs don't fare quite as stunningly, but even poorly mastered discs are often watchable (and you can always sit a little farther back from the screen to help average the difference). You'll quickly learn all about "EE" and those other things that those picky videophiles have been complaining about
Ok, now for those of you who think you've seen what HD look like on your calibarted RP 16x9 HDTVs. You haven't. The resolving power of a digital projector will leave you practically in tears. Only the VERY BEST (and I mean the very best) RP HDTVs that I've seen come close to the "step through my magic window" effect that digital projectors (like the Sharp 9000 or Sony 10/11 HT) can prduce with an HD image. Honest. When you see a good live-HD cam feed through one of these projectors you'll see what I mean. CRT RP HDTVs look great with HD, but they almost always looks soft-focus in comparison (rear projection screens involve inherent compromises as well). You can count the blades of grass with HD on a digital front projector. If you can count blades of grass on your RP HDTV then you'll be able to count the aphids on that grass on a digital front projector.
You only get that from the impact of large-screen front-projected image. Plan for it. Save for it. Make it happen.
-dave

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

I gotta agree with DaViD. Light control is key.

I have a pretty bright projector (3000 lumen, 800:1 contrast, XGA native, MLA panels) that I temporarily moved into my sitting room. The sitting room has 2 skylights which make the thing almost unwatchable. Covering one of them with some paper helped quite a bit, but we're still talking 3000 lumens and less than 100". If you have a light controlled room, FP is the way to go.

In terms of RPTV's, there are some good ones. For instance, the Philips 64PP9751. It's a 64" 16:9 RPTV with gigantic 9" CRT's (most are 7"). It's able to fully resolve 1920x1080. That's something you definitely cannot do on digital front projection unless you get the JVC Q1. You can, of course, do it with front projection 9" or 12" CRT's.

Personally, I don't think I can ever move back to a RPTV after going with a projector. I have a small 36" tube for watching TV, but for the true cinema experience, nothing matches a FP.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

LarryB:

Close. The Sanyo PLC-XP21N has very similar specs (2500 lumens, 700:1 contrast, XGA native, MLA panels). However it's a bit heavier (15.2lbs vs 13.2lbs) and louder (39dB vs

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

I was lucky at an auction. Unfortunately, as much as I want to, I cannot get another one like this. My wife used to work at Epson, so I can probably hook you up there (that's how I got a Grayhawk screen too). I'd have to dig up old contacts, but I would be glad to help if I can. Also, there happens to be an excellent deal on the brand spanking new Compaq iPaq MP4800 right now too:
Link Removed

• DLP based Microportable. Only 5.8lbs! Sheesh...
• 2000 lumens
• Standard analog VGA, DVI, HDTV (480p, 480i, 720p, 1080i), S-video, composite RCA video, composite video and audio.
• 36dB in normal mode, 34dB in economy mode. Pretty quiet
• Silicon Image DVDO processor!

(FYI, I have no relations to Compaq at all)
Too many choices out there, eh?