Hesitating between different projectors...

[LEVESQUE]

I'm hesitating. Need some advices.

120'' diagonal screen. Complete lightning control (no windows). IMPOSSIBLE where I live to see any projectors. So must rely on opinions...

Should I buy a Marantz S3 now... or should I buy a Sony HS20 for alot less, and buy a 1080p projector in 2 or 3 years when it will be out...

I think we are on a transition period now, and 1080p will become more affordable soon. I know there is a JVC at 1080p, but I don't want to go with JVC.

I use 2 DVI-player already, so I want to use it. So the JVC SX-21 is a no-go for me.

I need to make a decision soon. Must buy in the next month.

Opinions needed...

[George Bellefontaine]

The Marantz is a dlp and the HS20 is an lcd. The two different technologies have their pros and cons. Have you given that consideration ?
LCD suffer from weaker blacks and so-so black levels. DLP causes some to see rainbows and get headaches. I really think you have to see both before jumping in. If DLP is for you, I have heard great things about the Marantz. And I have also heard great things about Sony's HS20 lcd PJ, which is, as you stated, a lost less expensive than the Marantz. I wouldn't move too fast here. I believe ther Sony is around $5K CDN and the Marantz is what, 15 or 16K CDN ? So maybe you should just slow down take the time to give both technologies a good looking over.




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[Bam!]

Hello fellow Quebecer!


``IMPOSSIBLE where I live to see any projectors. So must rely on opinions...``

Where in Quebec do you live that you can not see any projectors ?
Unless it is ile mouk mouk..I might know of a place!

I need to make a decision soon. Must buy in the next month.
Why ?

Opinions needed...
Have you heard of Sanyo the z2? A few guys in this forum have bought it and say it is pretty sweet !

Anyway salut mon chum!!!!





Bam!

[Sonnie Parker]

Opinions huh?


I own the Studio Experience 2HD which is the equivalent of the Sanyo Z2 (both LCD's). The 2HD is not available but the Z2 should be for about $1900-2K or so. I am absolutely astounded at the quality of pic I have with DVD, HD, and SD satellite. The lens shifting ability is a very handy feature if you need it (I can't see how anyone ceiling mounting it would not need it unless I have an unusual ceiling mount or something). It has DVI-I and component inputs and the fan is extremely quite. It's a marvelous PJ for the money.

I think the Panasonic LT500 is similar but not sure on the price.


In my research for a PJ... I don't think I could have been as happy unless I had stepped up to at least something like the BenQ PE8700 which is a DLP with the newer Mustang/HD2 chip or the Studio Experience 50HD with the same chip and Faroudja DCDi™ video processing. There is supposedly no rainbow effect with either of these units. Howvever I would have had to spend about $3K more money to get either of these units.

After spending some time with my 2HD I find it very hard to believe I would notice a $3K improvement in picture quality over my 2HD. I'm not saying there wouldn't be a difference but I just can't believe it would be worth $3K.






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[LEVESQUE]

Bam.

I live in Abitibi.... Do you really think I can see a projector in here... LOL. Dealers are 10 years late on the technology and they give me ''the look'' when I go see them, like i was coming from another planet...

I'm in a hurry because my dedicated HT will be finish around the end of march. Everything is ready, except the projector. Sad room w/o a projector in it...

I can have the S3 for 1/2 the price you quote in cdn $. And the Sony too at 1/2 price.

But my problem is that I don't want to buy the S3 if it will be absolete in 1 year. It will not break my heart's wife if I change the Sony HS20 in 1 or 2 years... But the S3 will be more ''problematic'' (I mean to convince the wife... again...). Is it logical to buy the S3 now when 1080p projectors are around the corner?

I work 6 days a week, so impossible for me to go in Montreal or Ottawa to see those projectors for real (I live at 5 hours from those 2 towns...) So it's impossible for me to see them before buying....

[Trevor Schell]

Hi Levesque!

Looking for something to put that sweet Denon 5900 to work hey!

Well, I don't have much experience with the two projectors you mentioned.
I do have to admit that Sonnie is right with the Matinee 2H.
I can't see me noticing much improvement over a PJ costing another 5K more. I paid $2,799 CDN for mine online. I have seen PJ's in town costing much more.
The important thing is the resolution..1280 x 720
That's what prompted me to buy this one. The lower resolutions would have been disappointing to me.
I just set mine up on a 106" screen at it looks awesome! Yet I haven't calibrated it yet.
It looked awesome with an upside down picture and wrong aspect ratio..
:rofl:
Imagine once I get it calibrated.

Will this be a permenent PJ for me..Who knows,,however it will keep
me happy for a long time,,I can truely say that.

I am excited to see what you do decide on.!
Best of Luck!!:T




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[George Bellefontaine]

Yeah maybe a $2800 CDN lcd pj is the way to start out, Levesque. If 1080P becomes affordable in 1 or 2 years then you can always use the HD2 in the bedroom or at the cottage.

BTW, if you can get the Sony HS20 for half the msrp of $4999. then I would go that route as it will be even less than the HD2. But it does surprise me as the best price I have heard on the Sony HS20 was $2900US. And half of what I mentioned for the Marantz is something else also, as this PJ has an msrp of just under $13K US.




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[LEVESQUE]

Thank you all for your answer.

Don't ask about the prices... Let's say my dealer owe me some favors... 8)

All comes down to that: what's the difference between a 3000$ DLP and a 13000$ one? Because I can't see them for real, I'm stuck. Does someone did see a S3 aside a ''lower'' cost DLP?

I really think I will go the HS20 way. And upgrade to a 1080p in a year or two.

[George Bellefontaine]

That makes a lot of sense to me, Levesque. By the way, the Sony HS20 is getting a lot of good reviews. Check out this site:

http://Projectorcentral.com

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[Brandon B]

I would also agree with going with the Sony now. Going by TODAY's products, the S3 is definitely one of the nicest HT PJs available right now and is certainly worth the money. But that will change in some number of months, not years, and the change will be significant.



BB

[Shane Martin]

Short and simple answer:
Buy the Sony now and bank the difference.

[vsarathy]

Levesque,

I can suggest an alternative which is mid-way between the price extremeties of the Marantz S3 and Sony HS20. I have been a very happy owner of InFocus ScreenPlay 7200 for about 2 months now. I was able to buy the projector back in Dec. for $5500 when they were running a promotion. Perhaps, your dealer may still be able to get a good price on it. The only thing that I am sure is if this projector is still in stock as InFocus are going to roll out it's successor, ScreenPlay 7205, soon.

In terms of video performance, the 7200 is absolutely stunning. It has a HD2 Mustang chip. It is very bright (1400 lumens) and has great blacks (1400 CR). The colors are very life-like as well. The projector is extremely well tuned and optimized staright out of the box. The brightness and CR specifications on the 7200 are not "hyped up" like the HS20 and are true to its measured values. The HS20, I gathered, outputs a meager 400-700 lumens when optimized but is rated at 1400 lumens! The same applies for its CR spefication as well.

I am still awaiting my screen and the ceiling mount for the 7200. For now, we are just projecting on to the wall at 92" diagonal. I have heard from a lot of people that are projecting upto 110" with this PJ and are still happy with the performance.

I highly recommend the 7200.

Viji

[LEVESQUE]

I did look at the Infocus 7200 (Tosh MT8 ) (the system put a happy face there and can't remove it!!! LOL), but with the new Tosh coming at the end of march (MT800 or Infocus 7205), I think I will have to wait a bit.

I think the MT800 will be a good deal, mid-way between the HS20 and S3 in price.

My dealer can have better price on the Tosh then on the Infocus...

Decisions, decisions, decisions... :roll:

[Burke Strickland]

...ToshMT8 ) (the system put a happy face there and can't remove it!!! LOL...)

The forum software put a "happy face" there "automatically" because the "8" and the ")" were adjacent to one another. I took the liberty of putting a space between them for you so that it would display the Toshiba's model designation without the "happy face".

A lot of enticing new projectors will be coming out in the next few months. Extend the timeline to the end of the year, and the potential for new choices is almost overwhelming. Buying a projector is getting to be like buying a computer -- the prices keep dropping while the new models get more and more capable and the feature sets get better, So it is a real dilemma deciding when to buy and how much to spend to get a unit that will meet today's needs without inducing almost instant buyer's remorse a few weeks later.

Good luck -

Burke

[David Meek]

Hey Burke, have you had any conversations with Bill Cushman recently? I'm wondering if he has any insights into new projectors he's had his hands on or has heard about.




David - HTGuide flunky
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[Burke Strickland]

Hey Burke, have you had any conversations with Bill Cushman recently?

Yes. :>)

[David Meek]

Ah ha, being coy are we? :




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

[Burke Strickland]

I'm wondering if he has any insights into new projectors he's had his hands on or has heard about.

Bill attended the last two Houston HT Meets which took place January 31, 2004 and February 14, 2004. As part of each events' proceedings, he led us through some projector calibration demos (different methods each time -- first time he used the THX Optimizer which comes on many THX-certified commercial DVDs including "Finding Nemo" and "Monsters Inc.", the second time he used the $400 professional version of Digital Video Essentials) and inevitably the discussion led to questions about what projectors he had his hands on recently for review.

In general, he said that with the rapid changes and falling prices for projectors these days, the best investment is probably a relatively cheap one (less than $3,000). The two he seemed to be the most impressed with in that price range have been the:

1) Sony VPL-HS20 for a full featured top performing unit at reasonable cost, about which enough has been said here that I think you are already aware of its impressive specs, and

2) at the entry level, the one he says that anyone who is thinking of buying a rear projector or plasma set should take home and play with first is the Epson PowerLite Home 10, which is a 16:9 LCD unit with very good colorimetry, very low fan noise, very easy set-up and a very low $1,299 MSRP. He says the Epson's possible drawback is a visible pixel structure when sitting too close to the screen with a large image size.

For more details on either the Sony or the Epson, you might want to check out published reviews (his Epson review will be in next month's issue of "Widescreen Review").

Burke

[LEVESQUE]

So it is a real dilemma deciding when to buy and how much to spend to get a unit that will meet today's needs without inducing almost instant buyer's remorse a few weeks later.

Thank you Mr. Strickland for solving my ''happy face'' problem.....

You did describe my dilemma accurately. But it's not my remorses the problem, but more to convince the wife now to spend over 10K on a projector, and then convincing here again in 1 or 2 years to change it... :LOL:

Just kidding. After talking with my dealer, I think I will go with the Tosh MT800 around the end of march. But still, I'm hearing a little voice in my head ''buy the HS20 now... then change it for a 1080p...''.

Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma...

Reading on different forums, I clearly see that I'm not the only one having this tough decision to make...

[awtryau89]

Levesque,
I was in your situation as well but I could demo the PJs. I took the route you are considering in buying something that will suffice until 1080p come around. I know myself too well and I know that once I see those new PJs in a couple of years I will have to have one. I went and demoed many PJs and finally found that I could live with a Sharp Z9000. Although only an HD1 it had a great picture and was slightly better to my eyes than the HS20. I would certainly not spend a great deal of money on the S3 right now. My Sharp was selling for around $7k a little over a year ago and I paid $2800.




Eric Awtry
War Eagle

[LEVESQUE]

I finally made my choice.

I pre-ordred a Toshiba upcoming MT800 (HD2+) with a Da-Lite screen High-Power 119'' diagonal Cinema Contour .

8) 8) 8)

[Brandon B]

Same screen I have. Are you mounting the PJ lo or hi?

BB

[LEVESQUE]

I'm planning to go lo, behind my back wall in a rack, to minimize the angle between the eye and the projector.

I think it's the way to go with the High-Power, because the bigger the angle, the lower the gain (Hi-Power is suppose to send the light back to the viewer)...

[Dean McManis]

The HD2+ chip based DLP projectors look like they are going to be VERY successful, and provide a great looking picture.

Hopefully you can put up some pictures of your installation, and give us your impressions of the Toshiba MT800 projector when you get it set up in your home theater. 8)

-Dean.