I know, I know, this is an enthusiasts' board where we should be encouraging each other to experience the "latest and greatest". Even so, upgrading just for the sake of change is perhaps not the wisest of attitudes. It's just I'm feeling a case of "upgraditis" (mostly brought on by daydreams to distract me from the major paper I'm writing that's due on Monday :sos: :alol: ).
I currently have a (nearly 9 year old--will be by end of summer) 720p Sony AW-15 projector. At the time, 1080p projectors at the same price were crappy and flat panel TVs of the size I built my screen to be--64" 16:9--were five times the cost of the projector (my screen cost me, in material, about 120 bucks--it's very basic and won't win any aesthetic awards, but movies look great on it). The AW-15 was among the best 720p models--in my price range--and, objectively speaking, it looks about as good today as when it as new. Moreover, I'm more picky on audio than video (my eyes are diminishing faster than my hearing--unusual for a guy my age, but I never abused my hearing in my teens/twenties, like so many of my friends, and I've always managed, with very few exceptions, to work in noise-free environments).
Anyhoo, in the past year, I'd begun exploring some 1080p projectors as eventual replacements for my current one. Was planning a ten year anniversary swap out. I've even contemplated a 65-70" flat panel, as they are way more affordable (and better) than 2007 models. Along comes 4K with HDR to gum up the works. I can accommodate a flat panel in that size (I have room for that much, but not more, on my shelf--just in front of where I mounted my homemade screen). Even a 65" would look bigger, as it would be 1.5 feet closer to my sitting area (out from the wall) than my screen. However, I'm not going to the trouble of building another screen just for a few more inches--I built the size I did because of space constraints back then and very little has changed.
My "stolen moment" :W reading about displays in the past few weeks (there's only so much a guy can read about subtext and meaning of early 20th century Canadian social/moral reform movements in any given day :alol: ) suggest I would face more difficult choices than in 2007 if I were to pick up a display in the next while. On the one hand, given my screen size options/seating distances, 4K by itself is not enough to discard a good 1080p option (whether flat panel or projector). In another 10 years, I might move the setup into the larger space in the basement and go with a much larger screen (100" or more), but, by then, whatever I get soon (if I do), will be due for replacement anyway. I guess the HDR feature--which is touted by almost all the literature as far more important than 4K for anything under 90" anyway--is what's bugging me.
So, I guess I could just run my current projector until it dies (or begins to look bad--I'm on my second bulb, I won't buy a third). It's not like I have a lot of time to watch anything on it at the moment anyway. Or I could pretend 4K/HDR displays and players don't exist and get a 1080p projector (not like it won't be an improvement). Or I could try to find a nice 1080p flat panel (but plasma is gone and OLED is expensive, while all the good LCD displays will be 4K/HDR and I'll want to upgrade the player and probably have to get a new receiver...).
First world problems, eh? :alol:
I should probably get back to that paper. It won't write itself (and I won't be watching any kind of display until it's finished). Rant mode over. :T
I currently have a (nearly 9 year old--will be by end of summer) 720p Sony AW-15 projector. At the time, 1080p projectors at the same price were crappy and flat panel TVs of the size I built my screen to be--64" 16:9--were five times the cost of the projector (my screen cost me, in material, about 120 bucks--it's very basic and won't win any aesthetic awards, but movies look great on it). The AW-15 was among the best 720p models--in my price range--and, objectively speaking, it looks about as good today as when it as new. Moreover, I'm more picky on audio than video (my eyes are diminishing faster than my hearing--unusual for a guy my age, but I never abused my hearing in my teens/twenties, like so many of my friends, and I've always managed, with very few exceptions, to work in noise-free environments).
Anyhoo, in the past year, I'd begun exploring some 1080p projectors as eventual replacements for my current one. Was planning a ten year anniversary swap out. I've even contemplated a 65-70" flat panel, as they are way more affordable (and better) than 2007 models. Along comes 4K with HDR to gum up the works. I can accommodate a flat panel in that size (I have room for that much, but not more, on my shelf--just in front of where I mounted my homemade screen). Even a 65" would look bigger, as it would be 1.5 feet closer to my sitting area (out from the wall) than my screen. However, I'm not going to the trouble of building another screen just for a few more inches--I built the size I did because of space constraints back then and very little has changed.
My "stolen moment" :W reading about displays in the past few weeks (there's only so much a guy can read about subtext and meaning of early 20th century Canadian social/moral reform movements in any given day :alol: ) suggest I would face more difficult choices than in 2007 if I were to pick up a display in the next while. On the one hand, given my screen size options/seating distances, 4K by itself is not enough to discard a good 1080p option (whether flat panel or projector). In another 10 years, I might move the setup into the larger space in the basement and go with a much larger screen (100" or more), but, by then, whatever I get soon (if I do), will be due for replacement anyway. I guess the HDR feature--which is touted by almost all the literature as far more important than 4K for anything under 90" anyway--is what's bugging me.
So, I guess I could just run my current projector until it dies (or begins to look bad--I'm on my second bulb, I won't buy a third). It's not like I have a lot of time to watch anything on it at the moment anyway. Or I could pretend 4K/HDR displays and players don't exist and get a 1080p projector (not like it won't be an improvement). Or I could try to find a nice 1080p flat panel (but plasma is gone and OLED is expensive, while all the good LCD displays will be 4K/HDR and I'll want to upgrade the player and probably have to get a new receiver...).
First world problems, eh? :alol:
I should probably get back to that paper. It won't write itself (and I won't be watching any kind of display until it's finished). Rant mode over. :T
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