Describe your FP setups...

[Kevin P]

I figured as a new moderator here I'd try and get the ball rolling by posting this thread, to get an impression as to what kind of FP gear folks have.

It's ironic that Lex chose me for this forum since I don't have a front projector! 8O I have a 46" RPTV in my house. Down the road, next house, maybe I will, but that's years down the road. I have installed some PJs for other people though, including a Zenith Pro895X CRT, Studio Experience 20HD LCD, and an Infocus 7200 DLP. I've also installed Da-Lite screens, both fixed and motorized.

So what do you guys have?




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[George Bellefontaine]

With those installations, I'd say you are qualified to be a moderator here, Kevin.

Now, as to my FP set-ups. Well, actually I do have set-ups, Two to be exact. One , a Zenith PRO851 crt is for watching 4:3 movies, occasional TV such as hockey games and some music concerts; and two, a Sony VPL400Q lcd widescreen projector for ( you guessed it) widescreen movie viewing. I have a fixed 92 x 52 inch Da-Lite screen and the Zenith fires a 4:3 image dead center and the black bars left and right are masked off with black foamboard panels that clip over the top of the screen frame. For 2:35 widescreen dvds, I use masking panels( black cloth on rods) that clip over the top of the frame, and the bottom panel sits on two small bars that extend beyond the screen frame on each side.

Though I am quite pleased with my 4 year old Sony lcd PJ, I will be upgrading to something with higher resolution either this year or next. I still haven't decided whether it will be lcd or dlp.




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[Pat]

I have a Sony 1272q with a iScan Pro firing onto a 52"x92" Da-Lite screen.
The projetor has been dialed in by John Gannon
For HDTV, I use a RCA DTC-100




Pat's Page

[Burke Strickland]

For movies (DVD and LD), I have a Sony VPL-W400Q LCD projector and a ten foot diagonal 16:9 DaLite High Power fixed wall mount screen.

For broadcast TV (The Tonight Show and professional sports, primarily) I am using a 14 inch flat tube Toshiba (it has component, S-Video and composite connections) which I originally bought for the various OSD outputs of my components. But when my 32" Sony XBR TV died and I found out how much it would cost to repair it, I decided the smaller set postioned close to my easy chair would work just fine. :>)

Burke

[Brandon B]

SE 20HD with a 120" diagonal pull down hi-power, and a regular curvy tube Toshiba 36" for regular TV (it's got component input, though).

BB

[Lex]

Talk about your transitions from 10 feet to 14"! Of course, I know Burke doesn't watch much regular TV, it's mostly music or movies, so I guess the 14 does what you need to do there.

No projector here, sigh, room not setup for it.

Lex

[SayersWeb]

I'm a brand new FP owner and quite pleased. I looked hard at RPTVs, but found that it would be near impossible to get one down into my basement. So then I started looking at new Samsung 50" DLP tabletop TV. $4k for a screen smaller than I wanted. Talked to several local HD retailers and these or plasma seemed to be my only options.

So, I had cash for an RPTV burning a hole in my pocket. Didn't want the wife to find something else to spend it on, so I upgraded my HT to a Rotel RSP-1066 pre-amp, an ATI 2505 (250x5) power amp, and a touchscreen universal remote.

I'm not quite sure what started me looking at FP, may have been an ad in a magazine. I always expected them to be much more expensive with much less resolution. I was shocked and pleased once I started doing a little research. This is the perfect solution for me. It makes me ask.... "why don't we hear more about FPs?"

Anyway, I ended up buying the Panansonic PT-L300u front projector form the first batch released in the US. I'm in the middle of making a custom celing mount which will provide around a 90 to 100" diagonal 16:9 screen. Once I get this set, I plan to get a Da-Lite Prem-Wall HCCV csreen. So far, everyone that sees it is blown away.




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[George Bellefontaine]

Sayer, perhaps you could post your review of the Panasonic 300 after you have a chance to tweak it. There are quite a few members here who plan a move to FP shortly so they would be interested. And since I am looking to upgrade, I am also interested in any of the new PJs out there, lcd, dlp, lcos or what have you.




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[Daryl Furkalo]

My FPTV setup consists of a Barco Graphics 800 CRT prjector ceiling mounted, a Parkland Plastics DIY 80"x45" 16:9 screen, all being fed from a Focus Enhancements Quadscan Pro. The only video source hooked up to currently is a Panasonic RP91 DVD player. With the Quad I can hook up 2 sets of component inputs, and my Xbox was temporarily a part of the system, it has since moved back to the 32". I have had this setup since August '02, I can say without a doubt I will never go back to any sort of RPTV for real movie watching. Size does matter!

[DJLackey5]

Sim2 HT300+ ceiling mounted; Stewart Firehawk 92" diag widescreen; Rotel RSP1066 processor and RMB 1095 amp; Sony 900v dvd/sacd player (my weakest link?).; ProAc Response 1sc fronts; Response CC1 center; B&W 8" in-ceiling rears; B&W CDM subwoofer.
-DJ

[Kevin P]

Wow, DJLackey5, that's a nice system. Do you mind if I swing by some time, and uh, live there for a while? :LOL:

When I went on the HT Cruise last November, Sim2 and Stewart did presentations there. Studio Experience, Infocus and Runco were there too.

Daryl's system sounds nice too. My co-worker/HT nut friend was thinking about getting a refurb Barco 800 but ended up getting a brand new, overstock Zenith Pro895X. It worked out well as it fit his room and coffee table great (his old PJ was a Pro851X). It took me an entire day to set it up but it looks wonderful.

CRTs are a b*tch to set up but they still produce the best picture if you have complete light control. DLP is rapidly catching up though, the new PJs with the HD2 chip are pretty impressive. I bet in a few years CRT PJs will be a videophile niche while the digitals will satisfy the other 99% of us.




Official Computer Geek and Techno-Wiz Guru of HTGuide - Visit Tower of Power
My HT Site

[SayersWeb]

Sayer, perhaps you could post your review of the Panasonic 300 after you have a chance to tweak it. There are quite a few members here who plan a move to FP shortly so they would be interested. And since I am looking to upgrade, I am also interested in any of the new PJs out there, lcd, dlp, lcos or what have you.

Sure thing! I will start a new thread with info about it.




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[weapon_x]

Panasonic AE100
Radeon 8500 HTPC / Pioneer DV-37
projecting on a white wall (may get a 90 inch screen this summer)

[tommyc_295]

Hi guys. new to the forum. I have been reading here and I notice that most use 2 different sources for 4:3 and 16:9. Do most FPJ's not do bit formats? I too am looking into projectors but would like to buy 1 screen for both formats. Any thoughts or ideas to how manage this? I have a 36" TV now but I'm afraid I will get to used to the large screen and want to watch everything from the projector.

[Burke Strickland]

Tommy -

The reason some folks use different video displays for different aspect ratio material is that many projectors with native format of 4:3 are simply not well designed for 16:9 use. They lose too much resolution when movies are played in that format, and some reportedly "burn in" black bars" when 16:9 material is played a lot. Also, some 16:9 units (typically older CRTs) "burn in" the black bars if they are used too frequently for 4:3 material. So in either of those cases, something else gets used to view the "other format".

However, my Sony VPL-W400Q was specifically designed to be a sensational performer with 16:9 material, and it does very well too on 4:3. So the aspect ratio of what is being watched isn't the concern for me. Like some other folks with both projectors and TV sets in their HTs, I am much more concerned with the projector's bulb longevity than the format of the source material -- "everything looks good" via my Sony projector.

For a couple of years, I used to watch everything via the projector until I found out how much a replacement bulb cost (the hard way -- I had burned out the original one -- and they cost several hundred dollars a "pop"). :>) So I now use the projector for "high priority" viewing only -- which can be any source, but only when I am sharing a movie or broadcast professional sports with friends, or if I want to be totally immersed in a movie when I am watching by myself. For more casual viewing, such as when I am sufing the net while "sort of" watching a show, I use the small TV. Heck, I've even watched some widescreen movies on my 14 inch TV and it really isn't all that bad when you're mot really paying all that close attention anyway. :>) (But obviously not the same impact as the 10 foot diagonal projection screen.)

As for the aspect ratio of the projection screen itself, I use some home-made black out mattes (black felt glued to boards which are held in position by Velcro) to mask off the screen width according to the format of the source material. Keeping the height constant. If I am showing a 4:3 program. I cover the side areas of the screen. If it is 1.85:1 I have some narrower mattes. And 2.35:1 gets the full screen width. Although the screen is 16:9, I have some horizontal mattss premanently in place top and bottom so I can use the same height for all formats. Otherwise, the 2.35:1 configuration would be "shorter" than the 1.85:1 configuration.

Hope this helps --

Burke

[Kevin P]

Keeping the height constant. If I am showing a 4:3 program. I cover the side areas of the screen. If it is 1.85:1 I have some narrower mattes. And 2.35:1 gets the full screen width. Although the screen is 16:9, I have some horizontal mattss premanently in place top and bottom so I can use the same height for all formats. Otherwise, the 2.35:1 configuration would be "shorter" than the 1.85:1 configuration.

So how do you keep the height constant? You adjust the zoom lens on the projector depending on the AR of the material?

It would be cool if the internal scalers on newer PJs could do that kind of zooming/matting internally so you don't have to twiddle with the lens if you want "fixed height" viewing. Or offer a motorized zoom lens with 4 or 5 "memory" settings.

KJP




Official Computer Geek and Techno-Wiz Guru of HTGuide - Visit Tower of Power
My HT Site

[George Bellefontaine]

What Burke is doing can also be done by having a screen made to order to conform to the 2:35 AR. That way you don't have to permanently mask off the top and bottom the way you have to do with a 16:9 ( 178:1/1:85:1 AR) screen.




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[Burke Strickland]

George -

I would have ordered a 2.35:1 screen if the dealer hadn't (erroneously, I believe now) told me that, at the height of screen I was seeking (the actual, rather than masked, height of my current screen), a screen of a width to accomodate 2.35:1 would have a seam somewhere in the middle. That wouldn't be too good, so I passed on that.

So I compromised and ended up with a narrower width than I really wanted (but it is true 16:9). Now with the maksing, I have extra screen material top and bottom that will never be used. Given my present room arrangement with the placement of my speakers way out in the room, the size screen I ended up with is "just right" anyway. I don't know how much less expensive the other configuration would have been, but next time, I'll know. :>)

Burke

[SayersWeb]

What Burke is doing can also be done by having a screen made to order to conform to the 2:35 AR. That way you don't have to permanently mask off the top and bottom the way you have to do with a 16:9 ( 178:1/1:85:1 AR) screen.

With true 16:9 material (I'm surprised at how many DVD movies are this way) you won't use the full resolution of the projector with this approach, right?

What are the benefits for masking the screen? I've found the black bars on the L300u to be quite dark and not distracting.




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[George Bellefontaine]

Sayer,
With 2:35 you are not totally utilizing the full widescreen panel on your PJ, but Anamorphic is so good that you really don't notice any loss in detail. Non-anamorphic material is a different story altogether.

As for masking, it gives a more cinema like effect to viewing. It also helps improve your contrast.




My Homepage!

[SayersWeb]

Hi George,

Thanks for the reply. If I understand what you are saying, then I do realize that with 2:35 you are not utilizing the full widescreen panel (hence the bars above and below). What I was wondering is if you were to have a 2.35 AR screen, then what happens when you watch a 16:9 formatted DVD? My PJ has a mode that fits a 16:9 image inside (what I believe to be) the height of 2.35. That aspect ratio would use even less of the panel. I guess the other option is to zoom in to make it fit, but with my mount it is already zoomed in almost all the way to make it fit the 92" screen.

All of the HD programming I have received so far is in 16:9. Maybe the ultimate solution would be two screens? one in 16:9 and the other in 2.35 AR? Hmmm... and maybe a third in 4:3! My wife would kill me! LOL!!! :LOL:




Sayer - Musical Creations and Home Page

[George Bellefontaine]

The two screen set-up is not all that unusual. In fact I believe either Da-Lite or Stewart make two aspect ratio screens in the same frame, but I believe it is for 4:3 and 16:9. You could also hang two screens. I once had a fixed 4:3 screen and a 2:1 widescreen pull-down affair, but later I just went with a fixed 16:9 and used mattes to frame the different aspect ratios.

You are correct about not utilizing the full panel if you place the 16:9 picture inside the 2:35 frame. But if you were zoomed out for 2:35, you would zoom down for 16:9.

Hope I haven't confused you.




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[Energeezer]

The video portion of my system consists of a NEC XG 1352LC CRT PJ encased in a soundproofed and air extracted hushbox. I feed it through a HTPC using a Radeon 8500 video card to an Extron video amp and connected to the PJ using a 5BNC-5BNC cable. My screen is a Da-Lite model B 1.5 gain measuring 8'X6'.
For 4X3 (satallite) I run a resolution of 1280X960 @72Hz and for 16X9 (DVD) I run 1440X960 @72Hz.
As a reseller of CRT PJs I have had several CRTs in house as well as a couple of digitals :cry: and in my books the NEC LC PJs are keepers. The setup is rather exhaustive but the rewards are obvious to anyone who sees it.
Steve




The Future of HT lies in FP SPREAD THE WORD

[sfdoddsy]

I've had numerous LCD and DLP projectors, but currently have an InFocus X1. I used to have the screen setup described above with a permanent mount 16:9 screen and a 4:3 pulldown on top, but now I'm investigating DIY grayscreen/high contrast options.

I used to use an iScan, but the X1 doesn't need one.

I also have a direct view widescreen which I use get peeved about black levels.


Steve




Steve's DIY Dipoles

[hanser]

Sony VPL X 600 (XGA LCD) since October 1998. projected on a very simple white screen. Currently thinking about buying a Panasonic 300 (better contrast, quieter fan, deinterlacer).

[Wireless]

Since I just finished upgrading my setup from a modified LT150/ISCO II/Firehawk combination, this thread was just in time.

My new equipment consists of an Ehome 9500LC 9"CRT, an ISF certified 1.3 gain Dalite Cinemavision tensioned electric, a Mike Parker modified Radeon 9000 pro/TheaterTek HTPC, a Motorola HDTV cable box, and last but certainly not least.. a JVC 30k Dtheater HD VCR. I am now officially in video heaven! My video system now matches the quality of my audio and I couldn't be happier. Since installing this system don't visit the forums as often, my hair, beard, and nails, are much longer and sunlight makes me squint.




John
My HT Picts

[George Bellefontaine]

"Sunlight makes me squint."

That's funny, John. :LOL:

Nice to see you here again.




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[Dean McManis]

Hughes/JVC G15 D-ILA Front projector calibrated with a magenta filter.
Isco II 16:9 Anamorphic lens
Panamorph II 2.35:1 lens
NEC LT-150 XGA/DLP front projector(for portable HT w/iBook DVD)
Stewart perforated GrayHawk 180" 16:9 screen (0.85 gain)
RCA DTC-100 HD decoder/HD-DSS reciever
Golden Theater GTX-1 Preamp/Processor
Carver Premiere 5 Channel Amp
Kenwood KM-X1 6 Channel Amp
Clearview CXR-1 Active Crossover
Panasonic RP-82 PS-DVD Player w/SDI out
H3D PC scaler card w/SDI input
HTPC-Athalon 850/512MB RAM/80Gb HD/ATI Radeon LE video card/DC 24/96 audio card/Toshiba 6X/Theatertek/Powerstrip
DVD ROM-CD RW drive/Airboard/GyroMouse Pro
HiPix DTV200 PC HD decoder card
Philips Pronto TS1000/01
Pioneer CLD D-704 LD Player
JVC HR-S5000U SVHS VCR
2-25Watt Aura Bass tactile transducers
Carver TLM 3600 10 disc CD player
Carver Amazing Platinum IV speakers (R/L Main)
Carver Amazing Silver speakers (R/L Rear)
McIntosh HT-4 Center Channel speaker
Audiosource SW-Fifteen Powered Subwoofer

So basically I have the JVC G15 teamed with an ISCO II anamorphic lens, shining on a 15' diag Grayhawk screen.

And a tiny NEC XGA DLP FPTV, teamed with a Apple Powerbook/DVD and PC speakers for movies on the go.

-Dean.