ScreenPlay 4805 vs. InFocus x1

[davedvf]

Hello,

I purchased the InFocus x1 a couple of years ago along with a portable Da-Lite white 6x8 screen. We use it a couple of times a month (whenever a movie worthy of the extra effort comes along, or when the kids invite their friends over, etc). It has also been a blast to host our own drive-in movies when we go camping, or on the driveway with the kids.

The picture is great, but some flaws are noticeable when watching in the livingroom (probably about 16 ft from the screen where we sit...you can notice the pixels...supose it would be hard not to from that distance)

After seeing the reviews on the SP4805 it sounds like a tempting upgrade (I would expect to get a fairly decent recovery on the x1 given the low bulb hours).

My only worry is that the Lumen rating on the SP4805 sounds significantly less at 750 (vs. the 1100 lumens of the x1). The outdoor use is certainly not the primary intention of this unit...but sometimes at the campgrounds their is a little interference form ambient light...would hate to be dissapointed by making that interference more noticable...being less able to compensate for this with only 750 Lumens)

Am I placing too much on the lumen rating? Do you think the upgrade from the x1 to the SP4805 would be worth it? Is there a noticeable drop in picture brightness? Also, wondering if the brightness degrades over the life of the bulb with this model (seems to be a disadvantage when starting at only 750)?

Anyway... would appreciate your thoughts...also would be awsome if someone has had experience with both, etc.

Thanks and regards,
DaveDVF

[BlazeMaster]

Don't know much about the X1, but the 4805's brightness ratings are D65 calibrated, which means that it won't need much tweaking at all out of the box. The X1 might have higher brightness ratings on paper, but after proper calibration, it should be quite a bit lower than the 4805. What that means is that, you'll enjoy the PQ of the 4805 better when watching movies ( and it natively displays at 16x9 ratio).
Regarding visible pixels on the 480p projectors, that's why they're called EDTV projectors, with only 480 horizontal lines. To get a good PQ without seeing pixel structures, you gotta
a. sit further away (2-2.5 times the screen width), or project a smaller image.
b. get a higher resolutions projector like the Infocus 5700 or 5000. That's why the higher res projectors sells for more, because it'll look cleaner and sharper compared to the 480p ones at the same distance and image size.
good luck...
BTW: I do have Optoma H-31 for sale, it's very comparable to the 4805. PM me if you want more info.

[davedvf]

Thanks BlazeMaster. That was very helpfull. I guess don't really understand what advantage the "Native 16x9" resolution has....hoping I can still fill the full area of my 6x8 screen with the movies that are still formatted for 4:3 as I do now. When I have a "wide-screen" style movie it simply fills only part of the surface.... Iguess I don't understand what 16:9 resolutions does....in that the end result is that it will still fill only part of the surface given the 4:3 screen I have.

The H-31 sounds very good too.... has a much quieter fan too according to the reviews, which would be a big plus given that the 2 models are similar.

I would consider the H-31 too. Let me know about it's current condition, bulb hours and what you would like for it. (although I am still in the early stages...wondering if an upgrade from the x1 to the H-31 or the 4805 would would be a big improvement vs. a more parallel move). Thanks again!
DaveDVF