Need advice on upgrading my projector please...

[Dean McManis]

Dragnm,

You know that you are biased and picky. It's your curse and your gift.

For most of the rest of us an entry-level, 720p projector (and CDs) look (and sound) great.
Not just merely "watchable" but outstanding compared to many TVs that most people have in their homes. Especially with HD material to look at. :T

You have set your standards at the top (based on your unique CRT-oriented perspective) which is fine for a counterpoint view, but for the same reason why almost nobody will mess with the inconvenience of records, we have almost all left CRT FPTVs as a memory of a bygone day.

I will however agree that 480p (or even 600P) projectors are to be passed over when you can easily find a good looking 720p unit for under $700, and better mid-class models (as listed above) for under $1500.

And of course this whole thread was originally about comparing new digital $1200 projectors.

[cjd]

I'd choose the Mits myself.

[gc8ej25]

ProjectorPeople.com has the Mitsubishi HC4900 for $1999 and there's also a $500 mail-in rebate, so you could get a 1080p projector for $1500.

[Hdale85]

Projectorusa.com has it for less.

[Openly Baffled]

1) A projector with only 480 vertical Pixel resolution is Crap, total garabge

I don't know where you come up with this BS, and that's exactly what it is, BS. I don't know what 480 projectors you've been looking at, but mine is nothing like what you say. Nowhere near it. You don't see any pixels unless you're closer than 10 feet away from the screen.

but hey, don't let the facts get in the way of conspiracy theories and 2-sentence attention span of the OP.

Those are not "facts" that you stated. And for the record, I don't have a "2-sentence attention span" either. I only write as much as I need to to get a point across or to ask/answer a question. I have no reason to ramble on and on about stuff that's totally unrelated to a topic like someone else. And I'm not trying to brainwash people into old technology. :smootch:

[gc8ej25]

Projectorusa.com has it for less.

Not in stock though. ETA April 2008.

[Hdale85]

Ah yeah I haven't checked in a while.

[draganm]

Dragnm,
You know that you are biased and picky. It's your curse and your gift.

definitely a curse, one that has sucked a lot of cash out of my wallet.

I don't know where you come up with this BS, and that's exactly what it is, BS. I don't know what 480 projectors you've been looking at, but mine is nothing like what you say. Nowhere near it. You don't see any pixels unless you're closer than 10 feet away from the screen.

I can see pixels on a 720P unit from 15 feet but maybe your SP480 is special. Maybe the focus on it is so poor it hides the Pixels from 11 feet away? I dunno, either way I'm going to revise my recomendation from the Epson to whichever PJ is the cheapest on your list. It sounds like you are not very picky so why blow any more money than necessary. I don't say that to be insulting, but I have alway had a certain amount of regret for the money i've blown into that hole in my basement known as HT. If you can be happy for less expense than do so.

Those are not "facts" that you stated. And for the record, I don't have a "2-sentence attention span" either. I only write as much as I need to to get a point across or to ask/answer a question. I have no reason to ramble on and on about stuff that's totally unrelated to a topic like someone else.

The topic was which projector could deliver the required pic quality parameters for a given cash outlay. here is the list exactly

Anyway, I'm wanting to upgrade to something that is:
1) a native 16.9 aspect ratio,
2) great contrast and lumen,
3) greater resolution than my current 600x800,
4) has an HDMI input as well as component,
5) is easy on bulbs and lasts around 3000 hours at least,
6) and is right at or below $1200. The lower the better.
Are DLP's still the better way to go to keep away from the "screen door" effect or are LCD's just as good now? Any "one" over the other? Are there any 1080 projectors out there that good for the price range I'm looking at?

I merely pointed out that NONE of the PJ's on your list will deliver "great contrast" and that the Eposon is the only one that comes close. In addition, at 720 vertical Pxiel count you will still see either Pxiels or screen door. Also, in case you haven't noiticed by now 2k hours on todays high lumen digtials is max before you run the risk of exploding the bulb. If you do run it past 2K hours and the bulb blows, guess what, your warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on. The real problem I believe has nothing to with me recomending "old technology". It has to do with the fact that you came here with blinders on hoping everyone was going to tell you exactly what you wanted to hear. Something like "great choice Charles, that $1200. Mitsubishi your looking at is the best thing since sliced Bread ?
Well guess what, it's not.

And I'm not trying to brainwash people into old technology. :smootch?

I'm afraid it's already too late. You have read too many of my posts are now under my power. Tomorrow at exactly 9:15AM after your wife goes to work you will pay-pal all the money in your bank account to me and mark it as a "gift". :lol:

[Openly Baffled]

definitely a curse, one that has sucked a lot of cash out of my wallet.

I can see pixels on a 720P unit from 15 feet but maybe your SP480 is special. Maybe the focus on it is so poor it hides the Pixels from 11 feet away? I dunno, either way I'm going to revise my recomendation from the Epson to whichever PJ is the cheapest on your list. It sounds like you are not very picky so why blow any more money than necessary. I don't say that to be insulting, but I have alway had a certain amount of regret for the money i've blown into that hole in my basement known as HT. If you can be happy for less expense than do so.

The topic was which projector could deliver the required pic quality parameters for a given cash outlay. here is the list exactly


I merely pointed out that NONE of the PJ's on your list will deliver "great contrast" and that the Eposon is the only one that comes close. In addition, at 720 vertical Pxiel count you will still see either Pxiels or screen door. Also, in case you haven't noiticed by now 2k hours on todays high lumen digtials is max before you run the risk of exploding the bulb. If you do run it past 2K hours and the bulb blows, guess what, your warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on. The real problem I believe has nothing to with me recomending "old technology". It has to do with the fact that you came here with blinders on hoping everyone was going to tell you exactly what you wanted to hear. Something like "great choice Charles, that $1200. Mitsubishi your looking at is the best thing since sliced Bread ?
Well guess what, it's not.



I'm afraid it's already too late. You have read too many of my posts are now under my power. Tomorrow at exactly 9:15AM after your wife goes to work you will pay-pal all the money in your bank account to me and mark it as a "gift". :lol:

I'm not going to waste anymore time with you. End of story.

[draganm]

oh, but Charles, that is where you are wrong. Alas, but it is I who have wasted too much time here trying to have have a rational discussion with you.

[Openly Baffled]

but it is I who have wasted too much time here trying to have have a rational discussion with you.

A "rational discussion"?!?! Please...

1 ) but by todays standards it sucks and 480P is unwatchable
2 ) That's the biggest nonsense i've read all week
3 ) Oh? I didn't know you guys knew each other
4 ) you must have worked on some real junkers
5 ) out of that lack-luster list
6 ) As is, it's merely watchable
7 ) good for you, ignorance is bliss after all
8 ) your "Openly baffled" and destined to stay that way
9 ) 480 vertical Pixel resolution is Crap, total garabge
10 ) don't let the facts get in the way of conspiracy theories and 2-sentence attention span of the OP

Etc, etc, etc...

An arrogant attitude, constant insults, downtalking and labeling everything as "junk" and "unwatchable" does NOT sound like a rational discussion at all. Obviously I did not make any of this up as these are all cut-n-paste directly from your various posts. You made it quite apparent from the very beginning that this was never going to be a rational discussion, that you were going to push old, rotten technology as much as possible and badmouth digitals as much as possible. In fact, you are so biased, it was a total waste for you to ever post anything in this thread to begin with. But now the entire thread is tainted throughout with nonsense and rubbish and will unfortunately be left for dead.

[draganm]

hi Charles, I guess your not done yet with ignoring me after all.

A "rational discussion"?!?! Please...
An arrogant attitude, constant insults, downtalking and labeling everything as "junk" and "unwatchable" does NOT sound like a rational discussion at all. Obviously I did not make any of this up as these are all cut-n-paste directly from your various posts..

well the thread did take an unfortunate turn towards ugly right after you chose to "urinate" on my point of view, thread #40.

I've grown to ignore most of what he says. :urinate:

did you really expect to be able to throw out an insult like that and have everyone play nice afterwards? So I stand by what I said, ignornace is effensive and my POV is just as valid as anyone elses here. Actually more so than most as I have 15 years experience with AV. Not simply as a salesman like you were but as an actual installer, calibrator, and repair of equipment.

You made it quite apparent from the very beginning that this was never going to be a rational discussion, that you were going to push old, rotten technology as much as possible and badmouth digitals as much as possible. In fact, you are so biased, it was a total waste for you to ever post anything in this thread to begin with. But now the entire thread is tainted throughout with nonsense and rubbish and will unfortunately be left for dead.

See this is where your so un-informed that it's hard to know where to begin. By your logic it's New= good and Old = Bad and that is simply a short-cut to thinking and lack of desire to undertsand anything.
FYI, I have seen a digital projector throw an amazing pic and have posted my review of the JVC RS1 here. Unfortunately, it didn't cost $1200., not even a used one at that price. If you were a little more open minded you would realize that every projection technology has it's strengths and weaknesses. There are some things CRT still does better than any digital and there are things you can do with a really good digital that CRT can not.

[draganm]

I've got a nice piece of info to add to this thread, one that directly pertains to one of the PJ's on your list, The PT-AX200u. One of the big issues with cheap LCD's (that you don't get with DLP or CRT) is incorrectable Convergence errors. Check out how bad the panel alignment is on this unit. Here'sthe comment from the owner.

I also own a Panasonic PT-AX200U.
My CRT projector is a G90, which for the time being is a bit above the $1300 price range.
The LCD is super bright, when running in the game, vivid or dynamic modes - but when I run it in Cinema1 its actually not brighter than the crt. I dont know about yours but I'm dissapointed with the panel alighnment I have on mine - the red is off in two directions. But Panasonic insists that it is within specs, that there is no adjustment they can do and if I demand a replacement it may well be worse. If my crt looked like that I would be emberassed and fix it.
I'm also dissapointed with the uniformity of the digital on all white screens, the geometry is not square (with the position and lens shift I'm using its a trapazoid that is narrower at the top), and its not possible to get the entire screen in perfect focus at the same time.

Of course this could all be part of my elaborate conspiracy to get everyone to buy a CRT and a turntable. :roll:

[Openly Baffled]

well the thread did take an unfortunate turn towards ugly right after you chose to "urinate" on my point of view, thread #40.

Actually, I didn't mean anything whatsoever by that little urinating dude other than the fact that that's what I had to go do right after that post. Nothing more. I just thought it looked funny.

Actually more so than most as I have 15 years experience with AV. Not simply as a salesman like you were but as an actual installer, calibrator, and repair of equipment.

I never said I was a salesman. Salesmen don't calibrate, design, repair or install, nor do they do home automation. I did all of the above because I was one of two "pro-installers" for the company I worked for. We had a crew of 9 guys under us. I even did a custom home theater install in Terry Bollea's (Hulk Hogan) house in Clearwater, FL. I also used to do "in-field" repairs on a regular basis. Not on video equipment however, that was the other pro-installer's job. I did minor repairs on audio equipment, loudspeakers including Quad and Martin Logan onboard electronics, system and projector calibration and Lexicon remote programming.

See this is where your so un-informed that it's hard to know where to begin. By your logic it's New= good and Old = Bad and that is simply a short-cut to thinking and lack of desire to undertsand anything.

No, I don't think like that. New doesn't always mean better and old doesn't always mean worse. Apparently I am wrong about some CRT projectors. I am ONLY going on what I know from previous CRTs (literally 100's of them) that I've seen which was nearly 10 years ago now. Runcos, NEC's, whoever, even with multi $1000 outboard upscalers, they still looked like crap. Even the huge 80" Mits FPTV looked like crap, but the Mits 40" standard "tube" CRT TV looked 100x better. Back then, I was very against projection of anykind except in real movie theaters. And that was ONLY because of the sheer size of the real movie theater screens.

And just so you know, I have a very high desire to learn/understand anything that I am interested in.

[Openly Baffled]

I've got a nice piece of info to add to this thread, one that directly pertains to one of the PJ's on your list, The PT-AX200u. One of the big issues with cheap LCD's (that you don't get with DLP or CRT) is incorrectable Convergence errors. Check out how bad the panel alignment is on this unit. Here'sthe comment from the owner.



Of course this could all be part of my elaborate conspiracy to get everyone to buy a CRT and a turntable. :roll:

FWIW, I'm not getting the PT-AX200U. Instead I am getting the Epson HC720 (just ordered it infact), partly due to what you said, and partly due to the reviews of it compared to the Pannie and others. It seems to be the current "top gun" at the moment in the 720p entry-level range.

PS: I have nothing against turntables and sometimes prefer the sound of them to CDs.

[draganm]

FWIW, I'm not getting the PT-AX200U. Instead I am getting the Epson HC720 (just ordered it infact), .............. It seems to be the current "top gun" at the moment in the 720p entry-level range..

looks like the best choice in your price range. Be sure to post back here after you set it up and let us know how it does on important parameters like Full on/off contrast , panel alignment, color-tracking (flesh tones), and ease of set-up .

PS: I have nothing against turntables and sometimes prefer the sound of them to CDs.

No better time to get into vinyl. The number of brand new pressings out there is amazing and my wallet definitely can't keep up. I heard Warner Brothers just opened a new vinyl pressing facility as well. Can you imagine, who would have guessed 15 years ago that would ever happen 8O

[Dean McManis]

From the reviews that I've read about the Epson HC720, it is certainly one of the best HT projector buys out there in that price range.

I'm eager to read what you think about the unit in person. :T

[Openly Baffled]

looks like the best choice in your price range. Be sure to post back here after you set it up and let us know how it does on important parameters like Full on/off contrast , panel alignment, color-tracking (flesh tones), and ease of set-up .

From what I gather, the HC720 does in fact have 6-way panel adjustment capability and is already close to spot-on from the factory. Of course, that is all a mute point if the unit gets kicked around durring shipment.

Being that I'm moving up from a 2000:1 CR projector to a 10k:1 CR projector, I'm sure I'll see blacker blacks and better shadow detail than before, especially with an extra 500 lumens.

Oh yeah, the Toshiba HD-A30 will be here this Tuesday and the projector will be here Thursday. And last night I bought my very first HD DVD, Ocean's 13. Great flick! :T

[gc8ej25]

I've had a lot of problems with my PT-AX200U, so I'll be trying to trade it in for the HC720. The HC720 comes with a free lamp and Epson has an overnight replacement policy.

[Openly Baffled]

I've had a lot of problems with my PT-AX200U, so I'll be trying to trade it in for the HC720.

Really?! Sorry to hear that. What kind of problems are you having?

[draganm]

Being that I'm moving up from a 2000:1 CR projector to a 10k:1 CR projector, I'm sure I'll see blacker blacks and better shadow detail than before, especially with an extra 500 lumens.

Oh yeah, the Toshiba HD-A30 will be here this Tuesday and the projector will be here Thursday. And last night I bought my very first HD DVD, Ocean's 13. Great flick! :T

well you got a nice PJ, a nice player, and a horrible movie to test it out with. :W
I don't mean the movie itself, but the transfer is terrible with lots of grain and back-ground noise. Not sure why this is, Transformers is also like this but not as bad. the 2 HD-DVD's that really stood out for me were Shooter with Mark Wahlberg and Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson . Those 2 HD-DVD's just popped off my screen with unbelievable sharpness and color saturation. Also, for something just relaxing with lots of eye-candy, check out Planet Earth on HD-DVD. watched it with my kids last night and it was really good.
You didn't mention whether you have an HDMI cable yet. That's a must for the best performance possible. Don't pay more than 50 bucks for a good one.

[Openly Baffled]

well you got a nice PJ, a nice player, and a horrible movie to test it out with. :W
I don't mean the movie itself, but the transfer is terrible with lots of grain and back-ground noise. Not sure why this is, Transformers is also like this but not as bad. the 2 HD-DVD's that really stood out for me were Shooter with Mark Wahlberg and Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson . Those 2 HD-DVD's just popped off my screen with unbelievable sharpness and color saturation. Also, for something just relaxing with lots of eye-candy, check out Planet Earth on HD-DVD. watched it with my kids last night and it was really good.
You didn't mention whether you have an HDMI cable yet. That's a must for the best performance possible. Don't pay more than 50 bucks for a good one.

Yeah, I noticed all the grain and background noise already. I watched it on my brother's system. It's horrible in that regard. Oh well. Isn't Planet Earth that show on The Discovery Channel? I watched parts of it a few times. It looks great, even on my current projector, but that kind of stuff will put me right to sleep in a New York minute.

Yes, I did buy an HDMI cable, and yes, I spent more than $50 on it ($70 to be exact), but it's because it's 25ft long. It's coming along with the HC720 from VisualApex. The HD-A30 is coming from Amazon.

[John Holmes]

well you got a nice PJ, a nice player, and a horrible movie to test it out with. :W
I don't mean the movie itself, but the transfer is terrible with lots of grain and back-ground noise. Not sure why this is, Transformers is also like this but not as bad. the 2 HD-DVD's that really stood out for me were Shooter with Mark Wahlberg and Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson . Those 2 HD-DVD's just popped off my screen with unbelievable sharpness and color saturation. Also, for something just relaxing with lots of eye-candy, check out Planet Earth on HD-DVD. watched it with my kids last night and it was really good.
You didn't mention whether you have an HDMI cable yet. That's a must for the best performance possible. Don't pay more than 50 bucks for a good one.

I have to agree with draganm, "Shooter" and "BSM" are very good HD tranfers!

[draganm]

70 bucks isn't bad, I was thinking of some guys i know who spent 100 bucks for a 3 foot cable at BB
There have defintely been some very good HD-DVD's, I just can't remember them all. Batman Begins, Chronichle's Of Riddick, and Babel are 3 others that stand out.
Unfortunately, it looks like I will be lookng for a new place to rent my HD-DVD's as Netflix today sent me a big :F

Dear Dragan,

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

You can click here to change your format preferences.

We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

Univeresal and Paramount are still HD-DVD exclusive, so to tell me that ther dropping HD-DVD "In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, " is just fuckin insulting.

[Openly Baffled]

70 bucks isn't bad, I was thinking of some guys i know who spent 100 bucks for a 3 foot cable at BB
There have defintely been some very good HD-DVD's, I just can't remember them all. Batman Begins, Chronichle's Of Riddick, and Babel are 3 others that stand out.
Unfortunately, it looks like I will be lookng for a new place to rent my HD-DVD's as Netflix today sent me a big :F


Univeresal and Paramount are still HD-DVD exclusive, so to tell me that ther dropping HD-DVD "In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, " is just fuckin insulting.

I went through the whole cable phase thing a long time ago thinking that cables made a difference. These days, it would be a cold day in you know where before I would blow that kind of cash on a freakin' cable. I can somewhat justify this HDMI cable though only because of its length, but it's still a bit steep if you ask me.

Batman and Riddick (the whole trilogy) I need to get on HD. Not sure I've ever heard about Babel though. I'll have to check that one out.

So tell us how you really feel about Netflix! LOL Sorry, I'm not laughing at you or anything, but I know what you mean. In case you haven't noticed, stupid BlockBuster has done the same exact thing. They "only" cater to Blu-Ray, and stupid Blu-Ray is STILL having tons of problems. Simply amazing, isn't it?! Yeah, let's support a product that isn't worth a damn. :bash: :roll:

[gc8ej25]

Really?! Sorry to hear that. What kind of problems are you having?

I had a flickering, like the iris (?) was constantly altering light output. Also, brightness would randomly drop by 20% then correct itself.

[Dean McManis]

70 bucks isn't bad, I was thinking of some guys i know who spent 100 bucks for a 3 foot cable at BB
There have defintely been some very good HD-DVD's, I just can't remember them all. Batman Begins, Chronichle's Of Riddick, and Babel are 3 others that stand out.
Unfortunately, it looks like I will be lookng for a new place to rent my HD-DVD's as Netflix today sent me a big :F


Univeresal and Paramount are still HD-DVD exclusive, so to tell me that ther dropping HD-DVD "In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, " is just fuckin insulting.

This news totally pissed me off today. I called up Netflix customer support and told them that I was massively upset at this move. I was one of the early adopters of Netflix service (more than 8 years now) and this is the first time when I thought of canceling my service.

It's obvious that they have made some deals with the studios that are supporting Blu Ray, and it's a rank move. This is totally the opposite of customer support. Not only are they not getting any new HD-DVD movies, but they are swapping the HD-DVD movies that I have in my rental queue with ones that are just regular DVDs. :x

After I bought my HD-DVD player and few months ago I was looking forward to renting HD-DVDs from Netflix, so that I wouldn't have to buy all of the high definition movies that I'd most likely be just watching once.
And with this goal in mind I increased my at home rental from 4 at a time to 5 at a time. Specifically to cover the extra HD-DVD movies that I was planning to rent (especially with the writer's strike hitting TV so hard).

But now after this lame move, today I reduced my at home level to 3 movies at a time. And I told Netflix that I'm now actively looking for an alternative DVD rental service that still rents HD-DVDs, and when I set that up I'm closing my rental account with them for good. :

[gc8ej25]

Vote with your dollar. Not to hijack, but does BB plan on still offering HD-DVD?

[Openly Baffled]

Not to hijack, but does BB plan on still offering HD-DVD?

Umm...

In case you haven't noticed, stupid BlockBuster has done the same exact thing. They "only" cater to Blu-Ray

[Openly Baffled]

Well I am proud to report that I have the Toshiba HD-A30 up and running in my system. I got it in around 1pm or so, hooked it up, got the firmware upgrades done (all 39 of them), went through the setup, then sat back and watched some movies, parts of The Last Samurai, and all of Ocean's 13 and Bourne Ultimatum.

Just for poops-n-giggles, I thought I'd post a few screen shots of my new Tosh HD-A30 going through my old InFocus SP4800. Please keep in mind that the camera is NOT doing the actual images any justice. For some reason, it was having a difficult time focusing on the screen plus I had it in Program Mode and without it being mounted to my tripod so the images came out a bit underexposed and soft.

With straight-on images like the ones below, the HD imaging looks really, really good, eventhough they are being downconverted to 480p via the projector (the projector is receiving the full 1080i signal). The only time you can see the limitations of the low-res projector is the SCE on scenes of buildings from a distance, text on computer screens, papers, buildings, signs, etc, and of course durring the credits. Other than that, this old projector looks every bit as good and sharp as my brother's 46" 1080i LCD TV.

BTW, the shadow noise in the Ocean's 13 movie were barely noticable on my system, even in the shadows of Bernie Mac's orange dress coat. They stood out like a sore thumb on my brother's system, but almost non-existant on mine... Nuff Said! LOL

Anyway, here's the crappy, soft, underexposed images. I'm not really even sure why I'm posting them, but oh well. It's the thought that counts I guess! :B

[draganm]

I'm now actively looking for an alternative DVD rental service that still rents HD-DVDs, and when I set that up I'm closing my rental account with them for good. :

I dumped netflix yesterday and signed up with blockbuster and yes they have a lot of HD movies, easier to find too. :T IT's too soon to tell how good the service will be but already there's some things I like.
I e-mailed them with some questions about adding HD movies to my Q and a real person replied right away. Netflix NEVER answered my e-mails in the 2 years I was there.
Also, when I shit-canned Netflix yesterday they got pretty nasty in their canned good-bye's. IT was like

you will still be billed for the entire month but if you don't return your movies in 7 days we will charge you for them

. Is that really neceassary? Not only did I cancel, I also am never going back.

With straight-on images like the ones below, the HD imaging looks really, really good, eventhough they are being downconverted to 480p via the projector (the projector is receiving the full 1080i signal). BTW, the shadow noise in the Ocean's 13 movie were barely noticable on my system, even in the shadows of Bernie Mac's orange dress coat. They stood out like a sore thumb on my brother's system, but almost non-existant on mine... Nuff Said! LOL

it just means your old projector is incapable of accurately showing everything that's on the disc. With the really low CR of that unti it's likely just crushing all the Blacks and In this case it's a plus, but I bet you new Espon will be unforigiving in that regard. With nicer equipment, it's going to be garbage-in/garbage-out. OF course the really good stuff will also look a LOT better, so I would rather have accurate than not.

[gc8ej25]

So I got my HC720 and Carada screen up and I love it! So far, I've just used one of the default color profiles, Theater Black 1, and it's almost spot on (to my eyes). I can't really compare it to the AX200, as mine had issues, but the HC720 is everything I need.

[Hdale85]

Well your still in the honeymoon phase Which with electronics last longer then other things. Although I'm sure its an awesome projector. Eventually though upgradeitis hits you :B

[Openly Baffled]

So I got my HC720 and Carada screen up and I love it! So far, I've just used one of the default color profiles, Theater Black 1, and it's almost spot on (to my eyes). I can't really compare it to the AX200, as mine had issues, but the HC720 is everything I need.

Boy, that was quick! You just sent back the Pannie a few days ago! :E You must have opted for fast shipping.

Anyway, I got my HC720 yesterday as well, a day earlier than scheduled! Since ONLY the projector came and not the HDMI cable and ceiling mount, I just pulled one of my DIY tower loudspeakers out of my bedroom system, placed it behind the couch directly behind my head and set up the HD720 there.

BTW, I just want to point out that the sheer size of this projector and the size of its lens makes my poor old InFocus SP4800 look like a toy. I also want to point out that even with the HC720 sitting directly behind my head, I could not even hear the fan running. Definately a lot quieter than my old DLP.

As for image quality... Well, it's great! Definately a step up from my SP4800 as far as fine detail is concerned. Everything is razor sharp including horizontal, vertical lines, text, signs, credits, etc, etc, etc. These were the areas where the lower resolution of the SP4800 would show their limits.

Out of the box and once set to Theater Black 2 (probably not the best setting anyway), my old InFocus still had blacker blacks which was a major surprise to me. However, once I had the HC720 on for more than 30 minutes, I then started playing around with settings a little. I tweaked the "White Levels/Black Levels" setting on the input side, then played with contrast and brightness on the output side as well as the gamma. Once that was done, the blacks started looking pretty good. Of course, this is also with the component video input.

I watched the HD movie "300" which obviously came with my Toshiba HD-A30, which is a high contrast, oddly colored film to begin with. But what I was trying to accomplish with this particular movie was to bring out as much shadow detail as possible while maintaining the maximum blacks. Again, probably not the best movie to do this with, but I only watched that movie once and felt like watching it again last night.

ATM, I have the Auto Iris feature turned off. Should I have that turned on? I know what it's supposed to do and how it works, but is it going to be lagging behind the action and cause the image intensity to "pump" so to speak?

Oh, and one more thing, while going through the menu, I looked at the "Info" and it said the input signal was 1125i, for both HDTV and HD DVD. How is that possible? And for whatever reason, it wouldn't allow me to change the aspect ratio or go to any other test patterns other than the blue screen with the huge circle and crosshairs. Any reason why? I should be able to go to a gray scale screen and I thinkg a couple others. The only thing I can think of is that those are only for the HDMI connection. What do you all think?

Just for fun, here's a quick pic of both projectors together...

[Dean McManis]

Congrats on getting your new projector set up so quickly.
I would leave auto-iris on. I believe that most of the complaints about iris lag are overrated, especially compared to the visual benefits.

It could be that the HDMI connection are limiting your resolution settings, I'd double check this in the manual, but I have see the HDMI connection (and DVI too) limit settings choices before.

Plus as much as the 300 is going to show strong contrast, the movie itself is so wildly manipulated digitally that I do not think that it is a good reference image for doing any video settings adjustments.

gc8ej25,

Congrats on getting your projector set up too! :T

[Hdale85]

I use auto iris most of the time with my Sony KDS-50A3000 and I never notice it working. On the E3000 series it was horribly noticeable a lot of iris lag. A3000 not nearly as much its quite smooth.

[Openly Baffled]

Thanks Dean.

Anyway, I now have the HC720 mounted and set up with HDMI. The free mount that VisualApex includes is a really nice, beefy unit.

At any rate, I still can not adjust the aspect ratio at all, nor can I pull up any other test patterns. I have been able to "eye-ball" the image though for a pretty darn good looking display. I'm happy with it but there's always room for improvement.

Also, I DO have the auto-iris turned on and it did help out quite a bit. It adjusts slowly so you won't notice the changes. It takes 20 seconds to fully close down and 8 seconds to fully open.

Here's a few pics taken yesterday durring the day. And this is set to Theater Black 1. You can see the light coming in from the sliding glass window. Again, these pics don't do the real deal any justice. BTW, those two shots from Spider Man 3 are upconverted from the SD DVD.

[Dean McManis]

That's very nice looking considering the light leak and SD source.

[Openly Baffled]

Thanks!

Here's a few more taken tonight of James Bond - Die Another Day, again from SD. I don't know why, but the camera does not want to capture these screen shots in all the quality that's actually there. In fact, they down right suck compared to the actual projected images. :sh:

[Openly Baffled]

Here's a few HD DVD images of "Lady in the Water". I didn't notice at the time, but the camera's metering was set on "spot", so these came out a bit underexposed. It's now back on "center weighted". And they are still not as sharp as the projected images... darn-it! :M

[draganm]

well your screen captures are ok but don't feel bad. i've never managed a 'great" screen cap and i've tried many, many times at every camera setting imaginable. Here's one of the better ones on my screen at direct HDMI 720P from an HD player. As you already stated, it doesn't come close to how good it really looks.

[Chris D]

Yeah, me either. The HT mags are good at things like taking two pictures of a theater, one with the lights on, (to capture the theater) and the same one with the lights off. (to capture the image on the projection screen) They'll then superimpose the vivid screen image onto the picture of the theater, so it looks like you get that image with the lights on.

Wish I had the capability to do that. My theater pictures haven't come out the best, either. (you can search for my theater pics here)

[Openly Baffled]

Yeah, me either. The HT mags are good at things like taking two pictures of a theater, one with the lights on, (to capture the theater) and the same one with the lights off. (to capture the image on the projection screen) They'll then superimpose the vivid screen image onto the picture of the theater, so it looks like you get that image with the lights on.

Oh, I have done exactly that plenty of times. It's very simple to do. However, I don't want to do that and just want to show the way the screen shots look as I see them, or at least as close as possible.

Speaking of which, I have a few more shots tonight from Ocean's 13 on HD DVD. I've finally been able to get some decent shots with this Caasio camera. I ended up not putting it on center weighted but matrix metering so it takes everything in the frame into account for the proper exposure. They finally came out halfway decent this time!

Anywho, here they are...

[Chris D]

Baffled, how have you done the photo cropping? Has it turned out looking right?

[Openly Baffled]

Baffled, how have you done the photo cropping? Has it turned out looking right?

Cropping? What cropping? Do you mean the resizing of the images?

If so, the answer is that I didn't.

I upload the full resolution 10mp files to Zenfolio that I have an unlimited account with and it sets up each file with about 6-8 different image sizes per file depending on the original resolution size.

If I wanted to, I could throw the pics into Photoshop CS3 to resize them, but why when Zenfolio does it automatically for me?!?! Not to mention that they end up with a 100% file backup of all of my photos. :T