Bummer!

[Clive]

Our 55" Hitachi arrived on Saturday but looks like it won't make the last turn to get down to the basement. I'll be bit p'ed off.

Finished building the risers. Looks like we will be building the gear rack into the wall towards the back and use the pantry as an access room to the rear of the components. The beam was not a supporting column as we'd previously thought so we may just chop away I guess.

The recliners will arrive next week.

I will post before and after pics. I may wait until David is finished with this section. Give him all the support we can.




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[David Meek]

Thanks for the thought Clive, but man, post away! Pictures good. Plus, mine is a "when I can get to it" type of project so it'll be a while before it's finished (darn it).

That's a big bummer about the Hitachi! Can you get it in through the garage area some how - cut a hole in the wall and seal it up when the TV is in (a little drastic, but hey. . .)? Is it a two-piece unit? I'm guessing no.




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

[Andrew Pratt]

to bad about the TV...I beleive you can pay to have them taken apart and put back together again but this might be more trouble then its worth...

[Burke Strickland]

That is a bummer about the RPTV not making the turn. Rather than perform "surgery" on the Hitachi, if you can return it without taking a bath financially, this might be the time to think about front projectors. The newer ones, especially LCD, DPL, etcetera, are relatively small and lightweight physically and would easily go through a more restricted access path than a huge box. And they can be surprisingly versatile with regard to set up -- allowing various placement options in the room (not all have to be ceiling mounted, for example) and accomodating projection screen sizes from "same as direct view" to "cineplex would be jealous" :>)

Good luck!

Burke

[Clive]

You're right burke I am still twitching with anxiety regarding a future FP purchase however, picture this...............I worked in an Electronic store last year and still help out from time to time. I got stuck moving this mamouth alone from this customers house, for it to be serviced. After the repairs (Two new tubes, IC reg., 1 module, Power source, filters and Diodes replaced) the customer paid 3/4 of the bill but never returned. It's been a year so now I own it. Believe me I had the option of selling the unit, but as I stated before I'd like to build my HT with both Rear and front projections and hey, I don't have to pay for repairs, parts maybe!

This is all building towards the future one step at a time. We maybe selling our home next year so I wanna wait and see. So this unit was gonna tide us over. Now after all this, I just don't wanna believe it won't make it in, that's why.

Andrew, I've heard of such a thing and I am seriously thinking about pulling it apart. I'v already looked inside and it sure seems do~able. I have a buyer too and dibs on another (50" Toshiba WS) Unit. So we'll see. One............step.....at........a ................Time!

What to do, what to do!?




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[George Bellefontaine]

Hope everything works out for you, Clive.




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[John Holmes]

Yes, good luck UC.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[Clive]

So It's official, it won't make it unless I cut it. But for me that's too much, so I will sell it this weekend. Already found a buyer will make good money on it anyways. So the whole plans have change somewhat. we will not be cutting walls or long cable runs. I've found some good gear racks that will fit perfectly. The risers are done "Thank God" Have to build just one for the love seat.

So I'll be finished in a couple of days I hope, and that's that!




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[David Meek]

will make good money on it

Now THAT's the way to come out of a sticky situation smelling like a rose! Good deal Clive. You should consider a front projector for your room. You've got the space and the prices for a really good quality unit are getting down to "humane" levels that we can afford.




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

[George Bellefontaine]

I'll second Tex on that, E. Your room cries out: Give Me Some Frickin' Front Projection ! ;h




My Homepage!

[efarstad]

George, not sure if you're talking to the good Uncle or Me, but I do plan on going front projection in the next year or so and so should Clive! My room "is" already crying from the lack thereof...for heavens sake it's crying so hard the walls turned red from sadness!

E





The Norwegian A/V Nut!
E-Cinema

[George Bellefontaine]

Thanks for the correction, E. I didn't have my glasses on when I typed that post or I would have seen the mistake. But, I am certainly glad to hear you are going the way of the wise.




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[Clive]

My friend at the Electronic store where I help out once in a while told me today he had to buy two FPs (DLP) from LG (Not sure of the model) to get a free setup with a screen. But he does not have space for the second unit. Hear this......... The staff incentive is = cost minus 25% on that FP, he made the mistake of asking me if I was interested.......................HELL YES!!

I'll let y'all know the model, so I can get some feed back. He said he placed the orders but not sure when it'll will all arrive. It's after 3:00am and I'm going to bed now.

Later guys thanks




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[George Bellefontaine]

Holy mackeral, that could be a great deal Uncle Clive. I believe LG is the company that took over manufacturing Zenith products. I still own a Zenith crt that's still showing a great picture after 10 years. Let us know what happens, and please give us details on the pj when you have something.




My Homepage!

[Burke Strickland]

LG is also the company that made my cell ph.. (can you hear me now? can you hear me now?...) :>) Actually they do a good job of manufacturing quality products at a relatively low price. ( A comparable cell phone model from Motorola would have cost about 40% - 50% more than my LG.)

Hope the projector turns out to be a really good one -- sure sounds like a good deal.

Enjoy!

Burke

[Andrew Pratt]

Here's LG's web site

http://www.lgeus.com/

[George Bellefontaine]

There's also a Canadian site:

http://www.lg.ca

They show two dlp models at this site.




My Homepage!

[Clive]

Doesn't look like the pic he showed me in passing. I'll try to get the info soon haven't been back since. Hope he's not just teasing me.




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[Clive]

http://www.lg.ca/electronics/prodSpecification.asp?p=3049

This is one of them. Tell me what you think.




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[David Meek]

Clive,

On paper it has some features that look pretty good with the 1100 lumens, 1080i capable (more detail on this statement would be good), and keystone correction. I do have to wonder about the 3.8 lbs weight. How noisy is it, etc.




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

[JonMarsh]

Dave raises a few good questions- especially noise (fan exhaust) can be an irritating factor, depending on the program material and all. However, I lived with a 400Q for some time, which isn't quiet, and I was still generally fairly pleased with the experience.

Now, this is a DLP projector; one concern is the color wheel design. If it's truely HT friendly, it won' t be using the typical wheel filter which includes a clear area to boost light output, but which compromises color fidelity and contrast. The best single chip DLP's use a six section filter with red, green, and flue filters only. Or, alternatively, it may have a mode to disable output during the clear section for better fidelity (but less lumens). There are a few Infocus models that do this.

Single chip DLP's are subject to the "rainbow" effect, where fast moving edges, or even moving your head, interferes with the visual integration of the colors projected through the rotating filter. Some projectors and some individuals are more susceptible than others to this. It's hard to gauge that without actually seeing it and trying it out.

Since this model is rated as being 1080i capable, that means it has a moderately competent (at least) scaler chip in it which can both up covert and down convert, hopefully with aspect ratio control. 16:9 images will be displayed only using 1024X576 of the XGA display. My experience is that anamorphic DVD can look quite good at this resolution, but that a PC typically does a better job of scaling than what's built into the typical digital projector. However, it STILL will probably look pretty nice compared to a typical consumer RPTV- so keep my comments in perspective- very good can be very good, and only suffers slightly in comparison with excellent. Capice?





Is there a more detailed spec available anywhere, say in PDF format? The info on the site is kind of skimpy compared with what Sony, Sanyo, or Infocus provide. There's no information about the throw distance (which you need to know to plan installation), there's no mention of having a zoom lens (though looking at the picture it seems it may- see the little nub pointing up at the center of the lens body?- this allows you to vary the size of the image at a specific throw distance- less expensive projectors, like the Infocus models they buy here at work lack that, but most Sony models have it).

If you can check this unit out before committing bucks, we can provide some points of interest and things to look for. Even just checking it with a std PC at 1024X768, and using some still images (if you don't have DVD drive) will give you some ideas about it's quality potential. The Infocus models we use at work, to put it kindly, s*ck because of their bad color fidelity, mediocre contrast, and fixed throw length.


Best regards,

Jon




Earth First!
_______________________________
We'll screw up the other planets later....

[George Bellefontaine]

Clive, I believe you were looking at the new Piano, weren't you ? The Piano now offers HDTV inputs, but it isn't an XGA pj so it downconverts to 480p, while the LG ( an XGA ) will downconvert 1080i to 720p. ( Correct, Jon ? )

Still, seeing this baby in operation is necessary. What Jon said about rainbows is really bothersome to a lot of people. It may even give you headaches. Also, you'll really need to know whether it has a long or short throw lens so you can see how it will work in your set-up. But dlps are becoming very hot in the pj world, so if the spinning wheel doesn't botrher you, and everything else works for you, this could be a good pj, especially if the price is right.




My Homepage!

[Clive]

Sorry about the slow replies gentlemen I do work later in the evenings now.

Thanks too Jon, George for the insights. Even just following (or try to follow) your comments over at the Chalet tells me how much there is to consider when purchasing a PJ. The units (according to my friend) will be set-up in the show room so I will have a chance to caress it somewhat.

The info I wrote from the catalogue is as follows: -
1100 Ansi Lumens
720p hdtv Display Capability
True XGA grade display (1024 x 768p)
Single XGA-type 0.7 DMD
600:1 Contrast Ratio
Up to 300" Diaganol Projection size
Digital Keystone Correction
Digital window Zoom
Auto Tracking & Positioning

Jacks : -
15 pin DsubB input
15 pin DsubB PC output
S-Video
Composite A/v
PC audio input
RGB input 15-pin D-type


Aspect Ratio Correction (16:9, 4X3)
FAN NOISE 36db

This is probably what we know already for the most part. If there is more info needed like > Long or short throw lens etc; I'll see what it says in the packaging or mybe from LG.

George:
I was and still excited about the Piano. Here, I am just trying to see, for the price/offer and the capabilities of this unit to see if I'd gain by getting one of these. Jon seems to like In-focus 8O and leans towards HTPC setups. I like gadgets, so do many of you. May end up still buying one. If this what's available to us in Canada.

I'll try to get more info.

LG Does not provide Screens so just a quick request, if you could inform us in the meantime what gain/colour/ piant or fabric etc; we should be looking for to use with these DLPs in a well darkened room.......

Thanx




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[Clive]

We finally had a chance to setup the new LG DLP Projector (JT20) last night.

I am not well informed in all that I should be looking for and all tests so I'll tell you how I felt and what I've seen.

The projector came with all 3 different power cords (Multi zone capable), a carrying bag s-video cable etc. Extremely light (3.8lbs).

We set this thing up using s-video connection from my panny RP56 progressive scan DVD. For convenience I just used my half white wall and a side table. Setup was easy as you could imagine, not too many options but enough to do the job/s.

POWER UP
The first thing you notice on power up is the fan noise. My room can be completely darkened so the display on the wall was extremely bright. After doing some corrections, like moving the table closer to the middle because even with keystone corrections couldn't get a proper square or rectangular shape, colours and focus, I popped in "Resident Evil" to see what it would do on shadow details. Two words: - washed out! No matter what I did, I could not get the blacks or the grays corrected enough to render good enough details.

Next up was "Fifth Element" Watched for colour details, artifacts, jagged edges etc.
Maybe it's because I am so used to seeing this movie on Tube TV, laillu's hair did not have the rich orange that I'm accustomed to, when she jumped off the building, looking down the details of the moving vehicles below seemed a bit "foggy". However, I didn't see much or any jaggies for that matter or even dots.

Of course, seeing such a large picture display WOWed my son, wife and friend and of course it was only I that was looking at the picture and not watching the film. I did make for a first time experience big screen in the home fun, but I wondering if i was looking for too much out of this unit.
So my friend hooked up his PC to the DLP. We played back "Fifth Element" same scenes...........much improved on details but I still didn't see a great improvement in the black levels/colour renditions.

I forgot to ask him what components he is using in his HTPC, I'll get that later.

Now the images were always very smooth liquid like, little or no jaggied edges, bright very bright picture (In this room) and placement/mounting will be easy. Can I expect anything more out of this unit, calibrating etc; am I expecting too much from a single chip unit? The only comparison I have made is with the Plus Piano and it was worse now compared.

I don't have HD source at home so I couldn't test for that. So now I must decide if I should live with this/these short-comings or should I return it. For the price just over $2,000.00cnd this one is tough :?

Any help!




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[George Bellefontaine]

I don't know, Clive. It concerns me that you are not happy with the picture. Also, I don't know much about LG and whether or not you have access to the service menu to calibrate properly. As far as colors go, I have read that some dlp pjs don't do reds very well, which would account for some of what you were seeing in the Fifth Element. And as far as blacklevels and contrast go, I get a very acceptable ( but not crt look) from my Sony VPL400 lcd projectors, and dlps are supposed to be better than lcds in the contrast and blacks department.

My gut feeling tells me this is not the PJ for you, and I would consider holding off and trying to see some demos of properly calibrated PJs from someone in your area. $2000 isn't a lot of scratch for a dlp projector, but a bargain isn't a bargain if it doesn't live up to your expectations.




My Homepage!

[Lex]

Well said George, and I agree 100%. If your not happy, box that sucker up and send it back.

Goodluck,
Lex

[Clive]

Lex my friend, you are right more than you think!!

Today i got a call from a REP at LG. He heard that I was not happy with the unit and got some feedback from one other tester, plus he tried to tinker with it himself, of course just like myself he had problems. He voiced his opinion to someone higher up and recieved an email today saying the following.

1) The unit shows problems whenever the S-Video input is used,
2) The unit does not perform well without progressive scan.
3) The unit will perform well only with the component to xga input
4) The unit will not perform well from a 1080i source
5) The unit will not perform well with HD source from Cable
6) In others.......... The unit is sh*t

I am proud.......my thoughts were in-line

It's already packed!

Thank you for listenning.




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[George Bellefontaine]

Good move, Clive




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