Expensive older pro's V cheaper current pro's

[greenjudas]

Questions-ahh,got a million of 'em. In a previous thread,Dean was saying to look at used older models.I have been doing that and so this leads me to another question;how would you people compare a pro from 2002 that retailled for $4000US as opposed to a current model that retails for $1000-1200?Have pro's improved that much in 3yrs.An example that I came across is a used Sanyo PLC XU 31 that was $4k in '02 and could be had for around $800AUS [$500-600US].It is an LCD with a replaced globe from 6mths ago and supposedly in A1 cond.So,what do you guys think,would an expensive older model outperform a cheaper current budget model?

[George Bellefontaine]

I'd say, in most cases, no. As an example, I paid $6K Canadian for a Sony widescreen LCD PJ in 1997 with 480i dvd resolution and a contrast of about 100:1. Earlier this year I bought a Yamaha LPX510 with HDTV resolution and more bells and whistles than you can count, plus a contrast ratio of 1000:1 for less than $4K Canadian. That older Sony model has been replaced over the years by the HS10, 12, 20 and now the HS51 with a contrast ratio of 5000:1 and at prices cheaper ( $3500USD, I believe) than its predecessors.

I don't know much about that Sanyo you mention. It may be a good starter projector, but I doubt if it would outperform any of the newer lcd projectors, especially the ones I mentioned above.

[Lex]

Perhaps in general, Dean meant CRT based systems that are really on the cheap now? I don't know, Dean?

Lex

[JonMarsh]

It's dangerous to draw general conclusions, because each projector design has it's pluses and minus, and there is the individual's personal preference. Plus, this preference may change with time and experience.

In general you can buy a much better proejctor (digital) now than 4 year ago for the same MSRP. But, there are many corners cut in areas like lens quality, supporting lens shift, lens throw adjustment, which an older more expensive model may have an advantage over a newer model retailing for much less, with good basic visual quality, but perhaps not the same setup flexibility.

Then, as Lex alludes, there is the matter of CRTs (older) versus digital (newer).

There are clear cut contrasts in ease of setup, space requirements, input signal compatibility, etc. I would personally say that digital projectors are becoming a nice easy to use mass market item. CRT's are for a hobbyist/specialist. I have two of the latter- one (NEC 9PG+) which cost $23K new, which I purchased with <700 hours of operation (out of a normal CRT tube lifetime of 10K hours) for $1600; one which cost ~30K new, which I purchased for $4000 used with less than 500 hours out of a typical tube lifetime of 15000 hours. The latter is a 9" CRT tube projector, with very high PQ and above average operating life becuase the tubes aren't driven very hard. I've seen 10PG's with tubes that at 4000 hours looked like they were brand new.













Not the best screen shots, but they give some idea of the color fidelity the NEC's deliver with their color filtered optics and excellent lenses.


My suggestion would be to carefully compare reviews of specific models you're considering, digital or otherwise, and make up a comparison checklist, including input signal support, throw distance, and any setup issues that may be critical to your requirements. Keep in mind that some digitals use technologies like DLP that have specific kinds of viewing artifacts (like rainbows or temporal dithering in DLP) which may not be noticed at all by some people, and which are distressing to others. Check it out for yourself- it's your eyeballs and brain you have to please!

~Jon