Will A front projector work well? (1 Viewer)

[LaMarcus]

Im in the market for a front projector, and Im only trying to spend $3000 total for everthing (projector/screen). I have seen a decent projector for $1895 (from what I can tell), and another member her is selling his sony 4000Q and screen for a good price. Im just wondering, how good of a picture will I see in comparison to my 65"rptv? Is it worth it to get a fptv without a scaler? Will my progressive scan DVD player help me out alot by not having a scaler, I dont have the funds for a scaler so that will not happen for a long while. Having the fptv is a dream of mine because I finally have a finished basement to dedicate to it, so please give me good news about the quality of a fptv and progessive scan DVD standing on their own. Thanks

 

[Neil Joseph]

Personally, I think a half decent FPTV will give you a betetr picture from the main seating position than most RPTV's I have seen. What you should do is get some demos of various FPTV's out there. It is definitely worth the time to do your research but the bottom line is the experience of watching a movie on the big screen is so cinematic, you will not want to go back to the confines of a RPTV after having experienced it. I have not seen screen images of the 400Q but others here have.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

I'm going to differ in opinion with Neil on this. From my perspective the issue at hand is quality vs. quantity. LCD projectors in general tend to suffer from poor black levels and questionable colorimetry. Some also have poor uniformity across the screen. There are excellent LCD projectors that perform much better than the norm, Sony's phenomenal 10HT being an example. The lower end units, however, don't necessarily have this advantage. A properly calibrated quality RPTV will offer a higher fidelity image in almost every respect, with the exception of image size and light output. My personal thought is that I would eventually get over the thrill of the big screen and start to become frustrated with the image shortcomings of a cheaper projector. One man's opinion.

A way to help this is to use a screen material tailored for fixed pixel projectors - for example Stewart's GrayHawk. This screen type improves black levels dramatically from what I have read. You'll also want to select the proper screen size for your viewing environment. Shoot for a 30-35 degree field of vision from your sitting position. Another thing that will help black levels is a larger screen - the same light output is distributed over a larger area. I would recommend against a conventional 1.3 gain screen as that will only exacerbate the shortcomings of LCD technology (again IMO).

So far as a scaler is concerned it will not be as much of an issue for you given you have a progressive DVD player. But remember that other sources will be at the mercy of the projector's doubler so you might want to evaluate their performance. You can easily integrate an iScan for these and this would likely help a great deal. The ideal scenario is to use a scaler that will adjust the image to match the projector pixel-for-pixel.

Just another perspective to consider. If it's at all possible spend some time with both images and see what you like.

 

[VicRuiz]

For $3000 you can get a good used CRT projector coupled with an HTPC and have a display system a lot better than any RPTV of similar price. I have a Marquee 8000 (8" CRT) on a 92" (80x45) screen and it looks fantastic both on HTPC scaled DVDs and with HDTV. This is the most cost effective way to get a great big screen system on a limited budget.

My system cost me about $4,000 but that's because the Marquee is a higher end projector. You can get a low to medium end CRT for about $1,500, add $1,000 for an HTPC (or only a couple of hundred if you already have a suitable PC), $200 for a screen, and you're set.

 

[Kevin Coleman]

I both agree and disagree with what Jay has to say.
I agree in that LCD is not the way to go, but I disagree in that RPTV is the best way to get a higher quality picture.
Like Vic said most CRT projectors will look at least as good as all but the best RPTV's , save the Runco and Faroujda RPTV's which are really just FPTV's in a rear diplay configuration in a box. I have seen many HD RPTV's on display in some high end stores and to be honest very few of them were in the same league picture wise as my sub 3K dollar FPTV setup.
Kevin C.

 

[LaMarcus]

You guys are great, that fg from japan Larry spoke of I saw that and was wondering if it was a good one I read some other threads here where people mentioned it. My only worry about it was rather it had english instructions . But that and a grey hawk screen should do the trick huh? Im thinking about changing my pc to a htpc seems very easy to do and a fun diy project. I cant wait.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

...but I disagree in that RPTV is the best way to get a higher quality picture.

My statement may have came across as being too general. An RPTV won't always yield a higher quality image - but in this instance with the options indicated I think it will. In particular when compared to a lower level LCD FPTV.

I would point out that a CRT projector is only as good as its setup. Remember that you're starting from scratch. If you don't have the skills to get it right try and find someone local. This is where panel displays offer quite an advantage.

 

[JamesTR]

I've had 3 FPTV's and loved them all. First, the black level problem: Sharpvision beats the other LCD projectors hands down. Even the mag reviews state that a grayscreen is not needed for the newer Sharps because they have such good black levels. I now have a DLP, the 9000, and it doesn't seem to suffer from rainbow effect or other artifacts seen in earlier models.

The Sharpvision 100 LCD units have great black levels, wonderful color, even across the screen, and the "screen door" effect is minimal. These look MUCH better than the Sony 10H because of the black levels. They give a much darker looking black than the Sony.

With a dedicated theatre in the basement, one could use a very cost effective screen---a smoothe wall surface painted flat white. There is nothing magical about the 1-1 screens except the price, and light-gain screens are not recommended for LCD or DLP projectors.

 

[LaMarcus]

I'm really new to the FP scene but I've been learning alot about them (hey gotta start sometime) but what the heck is screen door and rainbow effect? I here this all the time but never now what ya'll are talking about

 

[Kevin Coleman]

LaMarcus,
Buy a CRT projector and you won't have to worry about either one of them.
On a more helpful note, the screendoor effect is seen mostly on LCD projectors and to a lesser extent with DLP projectors. It comes from the gap between pixels on the display chip. They can't put the pixels right next to each other so there is a dark gap in between them. Basically if you set too close to the screen it looks like you are looking through a screen door when watching your movie.
Rainbow effects appear only on DLP projectors and I don't know alot about them but it has something to do with a spinning color wheel that DLP uses. I think it is mainly only visible on fast action scenes. And some people I here don't notice it at all. What it actually looks like I don't know becuase I have never seen it.
Kevin C.

 

[JamesTR]

Rainbow effect on DLP projectors shows up often when you blink or shift your field of vision. It looks like a three color rainbow where white meets dark sections. This problem doesn't seem to effect the Sharpvision 9000 because it uses a different color wheel setup. I've seen it on a couple of other brands, however, and it seems quite noticable.