NEC LT150

[Wireless]

Did any of you guys get to jump on the Dell deal for NEC LT150s?

I have received an order confirmation that mine should be here around the 17th. I'm currently working on a 96" wide 16:9 DIY screen, to be used until I figure out exactly how large an image I can have once I get the projector placed.

I'm getting back into front projection at a terrific price and I hope some of you also took advantage!




John
My HT Picts

[P-Dub]

I missed out on this, but then again, I don't really have room for a FPTV.

Let us know how the unit works out.

[George Bellefontaine]

John,
Let us know how you like the LT150. I own a Sony VPL400 lcd projector and love the picture it gives on my 52 x 92 screen.




My Homepage!

[Wireless]

Well my LT150 arrived last week and I have been diligently working to set it up.

I started out by making a 16:9 54x96" DIY screen out of blackout fabric and 1x2s. Throw ratio on this little devil is tricky as it has a fixed lense and no zoom. I set it up on the floor along the back wall, celing mount is not an option as I have a curved celiing and can not mount the pj far enough above the top of the screen. I connected it to my Faroudja DVP 2200 in 480p mode and component out, this gives me aspect ratio control from the projector, projecting a 1024x576 picture. I calibrated using AVIA

I've watched about 4 movies so far and all I can say is that I am extremely impressed. My basis of comparison is my Pioneer HD532 RPTV and rememberance of a couple of older LCD projectors, including the Sharp XV-99U SVGA. I have seen the newer Sharp DW100 XGA LCD, a Vidikron Vision 1, Dwin 700, Dreamvision 500, and an Ampro 7" CRT projector.

First the "can you live with it section"

Rainbows. I am not particularly susceptable to seeing them and fortunately I have only "thought" I saw them a few times using the LT150 during some scenes from the Mummy. They were there, it just happens so quick it almost seemed like a figment of my imagination. In comparison to my remembrance of the Dreamvision, it did not seem any worse and as a matter of fact I could clearly see them on the DV when vigorously shaking my head from side to side. On the LT150 I got a head ache before I could detect any rainbows.

A caution, some people seem more susceptable to rainbows than others, if you are one of those then it's probably best to stay away from DLPs altogether. Maybe the newer high speed 6 segment color wheels will fix this problem.

I did dectect some video noise during bright scenes on some discs, but my RPTV showed the same artifacts.

Screendoor. Barely detectable from 10.5' away from the 8' wide screen. A smaller screen or farther back would correct this. Unfortunatley the latter is not an option and I don't want to sacrifice size for the former. I am particularly bothered by screen door and ruled out LCDs for that reason. I saw the Sharp XGA at 8' wide from a seating distance of 17' and was distracted by screen door. This little DLP had it beat in all ways!

Now the good...The picture is better than my 53" Pioneer even at 8' wide. Colors seem to be just as saturated and with a contrast ratio of 800:1, black levels are excellent for a digital projector, and compares very favorably to other CRT PJs I have seen. The image is very 3D like coming from the Faroudja. I know it may seem like overkill to put a $5,000 processor with a $1700 projector, but I have had the DVP 2200 for years.

Other good news, it will also sync to a 600p signal which provided extra detail in the image. Problem is I lose aspect ratio control with this option. Solution: I ordered an ISCO II anamorphic lense, which I can use with any 4:3 panel projector if I decide to upgrade. The ISCO will also help with the throw ratio and make screendoor nonexistent.

Bottom line, this is probably the best bang for the buck purchase I have ever made. A top notch performer, and even with the ISCO and a new screen, my total investment is less than $3200 dollars!




John
My HT Picts

[George Bellefontaine]

Looks like you made a good choice for the money, John. I really believe that DLP will only get better, and there's a new Sharp DLP model coming out that they say is going to annihilate the competition.
BTW, how do you find the black level on the LT 150?
As far as the screen door on lcds, I know what you mean as I first owned a Sharp model that was terrible. The Sony 400, on the other hand, has a delta pixel array and you have to bring your face to within 2 feet of the screen to see the pixels so there is no screendoor effect.




My Homepage!

[Wireless]

As far as black levels go, the LT150 shows black as well as my RPTV (not Duvatyne lined), but there is some loss of shadow detail. I'm still working on fine tuning this little puppy. I understand there is a technician who can improve the black levels even more and increase the contrast to 1100:1, I will probably send it to him.
I've read the specs on the Sharp DLP and they are truly impressive, I'm almost afraid to see one.

It's also a terrible shame that Sony dropped the Delta Pixel array. IMO they should have incorporated the array into the 10HT.




John
My HT Picts

[George Bellefontaine]

Re: Sony pixel array, I agree, John. It's what has kep me from upgrading to the 10HT so far. I am seriously thinking about the new Sharp, but I'll have to see it first and it will also depend onb Canadian pricing. Sharp tend to overprice their products. Thing is, the DLP technology is apparently getting better and better and soon others makers like NEC will jump into the fray with improved product. So I'm being patient in the upgrade depart. My 400 is still working great and still has lots to offer.




My Homepage!

[KennyG]

I'm going to go over to my friend's place this weekend and check this little giant killer out, he got in on the Dell buy also.
He tells me black levels are a far cry from what I'm used to...we'll see, I truely hope it looks great, I'd eventually like to move into digital projection.
Yes there is a group that is already working on adjustable black brightness (black level) for this unit.

[George Bellefontaine]

Kenny-
I don't think you will be impressed. You're pretty fussy in the black level department. It took me awhile to adjust from crt to lcd. They have certainly come a long way in both lcd, dlp and d-ila, but they're still not up there with crts. I watch so much stuff now on my 400 lcd projector that black levels no longer seem to be a concern for me. The other thing is, yoiu really have to fool around with this babies to get the best black level you can .The new Sanyo PLV60, the new Sharp and the Seleco dlp are supossed to be really getting there in the black level department. I am anxious to see one of these.




My Homepage!

[Wireless]

My Da-Lite 52 x 92 Matte White screen arrived yesterday and I spent last night hanging the screen and watching some clips from Lost in Space to look at black level. I did post one screen shot on my website using the homemade screen.

Black level is definitely not as deep as a CRT. The black borders around the screen show this clearly. The homemade screen I was using had no black borders to compare the projectors black bars. Black wihin the picture looks black and I have been able to tweek enough to get decent shadow detail.

I will report more and post some pictures to my website when I receive the ISCO anamorphic lense, hopefully this weekend. I'm also planning to paint the ceiling around the screen black and the screen case.

I will say the image is even more three dimensional with the Matte screen. I'm still very impressed with the quality of the image compared to a $9,000 digital projector/screen combo I had 3 years ago. Exponential improvement.

More coming!

(Kenny, I am positive you will not like the black level on this machine. After the time and effort you have put into your XG135LC, probably few setups would be comparable)




John
My HT Picts

[George Bellefontaine]

John,
Sounds like you have the same screen as I have. Is yours permanent, fixed to frame with snaps ? I owned a high gain screen once because they recommended it for lcd projectors, but I didn't like the hot spotting. I switched to the Dalite matte white and loved it from day one.If anything, I found it improved black levels on the lcd projector.Seems you're finding the same thing.




My Homepage!

[Wireless]

George,

I have the manual pull down, mounted about 38" from the back wall.

I received the ISCO II and am attempting to mount the LT150 and the ISCO on the ceiling. Ever worked with a curved ceiling? I have spent this weekend devising a shelf system for the ceiling mount and painting part of the ceiling black.

A quick set up of the ISCO and the LT150 on the floor shwoed me the ISCO performs exactly as hoped, smooth picture without any trace of screen door. More detail through using the full 4:3 panel height.

The saga continues.....

The sage continued




John
My HT Picts

[George Bellefontaine]

Sounds like fun. Tell me, is ISCO a scaler ? If so, what is the 150 like without a scaler ?




My Homepage!

[Wireless]

The ISCO is an stand alone anamorphic lense. It uses optics to take a 4:3 and stretch it to 16:9.

I haven't used the LT150 without the Faroudja, Since it only outputs a 600p signal, the NEC is doing the scaling to fill the panel, the Faroudja is performing the deinterlacing. I have heard that the internal scaler using an S-Video is just O.K.

New Pictures of almost complete HT room are posted to my HT picts. if you want to look at the ISCO setup.




John
My HT Picts

[Wireless]

duplicate post




John
My HT Picts

[George Bellefontaine]

John,
Your HT Pics are terrific. I had heard about the Panamorph lens before and had read something about ISCO, but didn't realize it was a lens. That's a great setup you have. How far back from the screen is the projector mounted?
BTW, that room is something else.With a view like that, I would never be able to get into a movie. Tell me, how do you control lighting for daylight viewing ?
Regards,
George




My Homepage!

[Wireless]

Thanks George! It's a work in progress.

Yes the view is wonderful, there are no window treatments anywhere in the house, part of the design. I have no control over ambient light so daytime viewing is my Pioneer 532 in the den. Only watch movies when it gets pitch dark.




John
My HT Picts

[KennyG]

Surprise of surprises...I am very impressed!
This little giant killer represents a large jump forward in digital projection!
All I can say is WOW!!!
Before yesterday I had thought D-ILA was the king of the digital hill, but not anymore...this little 3 lb cigar sized unit is on top of that hill now.
It actually has some of the 3D look and feel of CRT, the colors are awesome, as is the sharpness and detail in medium to bright scenes.
There are two places it falls down, the first is of course Black Level & detail...however the LT150 is quit a bit better than the Infocus LP340 I saw eight months back, so progress is being made.
Secondly is rainbow effect, again this unit is much better than the Infocus I saw, but at times minor rainbow can be seen.
This is a projector that could convert many "on the fence" CRT owners. I'd imagine most can't even see the rainbows (the owner could in the Infocus, but not the NEC) so the only downfall would be Blacks, and many can live with a very dark shade of gray and very little shadow detail.
All-in-all I found this to be one excellent projector, and one that has me thinkin' DLP is not far off from being my next projector...once they iron this Black level thing out.
I'm sure the 6 segment color wheels will completely eliminate the rainbow effect...now to just get that black level right...then I'll bite!

[George Bellefontaine]

Now I have to see this little bugger for myself.It's the cat's meow over at AVS. As far as blacks go,Kenny, I'm hearing good things in that regard about the new Sharp 16:9 dlp and the new Seleco (HT300 ?).I also understand the dlp machines offer better picture uniformity, one of the drawbacks I find with not only my own Sony lcd projector, but any I have had the chance to see in action. I can't wait for the Sharp to come to my corner of the world. Unfortunately there are no Seleco dealers around here.Of course, the two models I mentioned are two to three times the price of the LT150, which is reason why this little giant killer is now reveered by those of own one.




My Homepage!