Projector Prices and comparison to RPTV's

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  • max012200
    Junior Member
    • Sep 2004
    • 8

    Projector Prices and comparison to RPTV's

    I'm a newbie and I have some questions. I am building an entertainment room in my basement.

    I would like a FPTV system and here's why: no light problem-no windows, more bang (picture view) for the buck, great for DVD viewing, relatively big room (20 x 22). I do however want to used the system to also watch regular satellite signal TV - how does that look on a FPTV? I hear it's I am considering three projectors: Sanyo Z2, Panasonic L500 or at the low end Optoma H30. I believe from an HDTV standpoint the first two will work great but most of the signals (right now anyway until I switch to an HD satellite receiver) will be regular non-HD. By the way, initially I'll use the wall (painted Misty Evening Gray) as the screen with a fixed screen in the future.

    I understand the pricing is stabilized right now but what are your opinions on when the next price drop will be and how much? The Sanyo goes for average $1700, Panny about $1600 and the Optoma $1200 for now - how low will this go? The reason I ask is I have a feeling that prices could drop by Christmas another 10-20% for several reasons: holidays, new products coming in and the election afterglow. If this is the case I may wait on the Sanyo or Panny. My MAX budget is $1500 and of course if I opt for the Optoma I'll have extra for better cables and connections or a screen - that's the riddle I have.

    Does anyone have an opinion about the FP choices I have? Based on the points I've made and my inexperience what do you think would work for now and the future.

    Thanks in advance for any comments given and for playing.
  • George Bellefontaine
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Jan 2001
    • 7637

    #2
    Anyone one the projectors you mentioned are good entry level PJs. I'd also add, and perhaps even suggest the Infocus 4805 over the Optoma. The 4805 is a true widescreen PJ like the Panasonic and the Sanyo, only difference is that it is 854 x480 which is not high definition, but right on for dvd viewing and standard tv watching. It is a dlp like the Optoma.

    Personally I don't use my projector for tv watching. My HT is a dedicated room and we have a couple of other rooms in the house for tv watching. I have watched the odd sports broadcast in my theater but the artifacts of broadcast tv are pretty obvious and annoying when the picture is 8 feet wide, which is the size of my screen.

    As for today's pricing in PJs, well I never though I'd seem them as low as they are now, so who really knows where they'll go ?

    Good luck with your project. Oh, I hope you understand the difference between dlp and lcd. Both technologies have their pros and cons so I really recommend you see them both before making a purchase.
    My Homepage!

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    • max012200
      Junior Member
      • Sep 2004
      • 8

      #3
      DLP vs LCD

      Originally posted by George Bellefontaine
      Anyone one the projectors you mentioned are good entry level PJs. I'd also add, and perhaps even suggest the Infocus 4805 over the Optoma. The 4805 is a true widescreen PJ like the Panasonic and the Sanyo, only difference is that it is 854 x480 which is not high definition, but right on for dvd viewing and standard tv watching. It is a dlp like the Optoma.

      Personally I don't use my projector for tv watching. My HT is a dedicated room and we have a couple of other rooms in the house for tv watching. I have watched the odd sports broadcast in my theater but the artifacts of broadcast tv are pretty obvious and annoying when the picture is 8 feet wide, which is the size of my screen.

      As for today's pricing in PJs, well I never though I'd seem them as low as they are now, so who really knows where they'll go ?

      Good luck with your project. Oh, I hope you understand the difference between dlp and lcd. Both technologies have their pros and cons so I really recommend you see them both before making a purchase.

      George - thanks for bringing that up. I live in the Milwaukee, WI area and we have limited places to go to personally see these projectors so I'm basing most of my comments/opinions on forums and online reviews. I understand that the boutique electronics places around here are building areas for FP displays but that doesn't help me now. The only one I saw in person was a InFocus 4800 in Sam's Club (of all places). This is a DLP and the size projected was about 2' diagonal which doesn't help me see the full effect of the rainbows. Do you have any other suggestions on how I can see the differences between the two for rainbows, SDE, or low contrast vs high contrast, black comparisons, etc. Helpppp!

      Thanks for playing, I'm out...

      Comment

      • George Bellefontaine
        Moderator Emeritus
        • Jan 2001
        • 7637

        #4
        The dlps will definitely have the higher contrast. But I really don't have any suggestions on how you can see if rainbows and sde bother you without some kind of decent size demonstration.
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        • max012200
          Junior Member
          • Sep 2004
          • 8

          #5
          Question about DLP RPTV

          How do the features of a middle of the road rear projection DLP compare to middle of the road front DLP? I always thought that rear projections (forget about the screen for now) was steep from a financial standpoint - let's forget the bulb replacement also. Can someone explain what the differences are?

          Comment

          • George Bellefontaine
            Moderator Emeritus
            • Jan 2001
            • 7637

            #6
            Sorry, I have never seen a dlp RPTV demoed. Perhaps someone else here can chime in.
            My Homepage!

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            • Brandon B
              Super Senior Member
              • Jun 2001
              • 2193

              #7
              Couple things. On the rainbow thing, I have seen the 4800 on a similar 2-3' diagonal in a warehouse store. I see rainbows very easily and could easily see them there. If you could not, likely you won't see them much on a full size screen in a dark room either.

              On the imminent price drop, I think you will see that primarily for the "new products coming in" reason you state. Both Sony (HS51 replacement for HS20) and Panasonic (AE700 replacement for 500) are coming out with modulated light source/dynamic iris models that are going to jump LCD contrast by a healthy amount, and I think you'll see a good discount on the models you are looking at. Or maybe you'll want to spring for the new Panny. I would bet it will come in at the 500's original price. The Sony is getting a $500 bump to about $4K.

              Haven't spent a LOT of time around DLP RPTV, but . . .

              First, the bulb issue is close to the same for both. SInce the RPTVs are doing a much smaller image, the lamps are able to last a bit longer, but I don't believe the 8000 hours claims they are putting out for some. I'd guess 5000 tops for any useable brightness. These are the same lamps.

              My neighbor has a Samsung DLP TV. The image is very nice, and it has Faroudjia processing built in. But for the price ($2.4K?) he could have gotten an InFocus 5700. It has all the features of a nice TV, and is light and shallow compared to a CRT model. I can see rainbows on it, but that's me.

              As far as watching TV on a PJ, sort of a different proposition for everyone. I personally don't, but I don't watch much TV at all to begin with. If you are OK watching TV in a darkened room, and SD tv will not look great blown up this big, although it is watchable, maybe it's OK for you. Majority of FP users I have read opinions from, though, find this only acceptable or worthwhile for "event" TV, like Superbowl, olympics, HDTV video on demand, etc.

              On the comparison for DLP vs. LCD etc. while you need to see a good FP setup to be sure, you can get a half-assed idea by doing the following: Go somewhere where they have LCD and DLP RPTVs and sit too close and watch them for a while. The TVs have the same issues as the FPs. LCDs have grey blacks and more visible screendoor, although most lack the visible vertical banding some LCDs have (but it is getting pretty minimal on the latest model FPs anyway). DLPs have dithering and rainbows, much superior black level and smoothness of image.

              BB

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              • max012200
                Junior Member
                • Sep 2004
                • 8

                #8
                Great suggestion...

                Brandon B - thanks for the suggestion to look at RPTV DLP vs. LCD. I'll let you know what I think.

                Also, George suggested the InFocus 4805 which I've been watching in the forums and online reviews. That is now a contender which replaces the Optoma H30 (since it's more user friendly and virtually the same). I still think long term the Panny or Sanyo will serve me well but from a value perspective I can't seem to get the 4805 out of my mind (they're out there for about $1100). I might have to wait a couple of months to see what happens as far as pricing goes.

                Any other opinions on the pricing or DLP vs. LCD or specific projector issues would be appreciated.

                Comment

                • Brandon B
                  Super Senior Member
                  • Jun 2001
                  • 2193

                  #9
                  DLP will give you a superior picture in nearly every way, unless you are bothered by rainbows. The only other problem it has is a sort of posterization effect on fast pans due to the temporal dithering used to achieve different gray (and color) levels. Since DVD compression causes a similar phenomenon, though, I don't feel it's something to be hung up on.

                  I just helped a co-worker go through the whole FP entry level decision, and he did in fact end up with a 4805, and is quite pleased.

                  The one bit of advice I would add is, once you have the PJ, don't spend a lot of time reading about its limitations, or you will learn to spot all these warts that people like me and the others here sometimes obsess about, and then you will be drawn down the path of upgrading sooner than you really need to.

                  BB

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                  • max012200
                    Junior Member
                    • Sep 2004
                    • 8

                    #10
                    DLP vs LCD

                    Thanks for the advise - I'll be happy with whatever I'm getting with help from people like you. That's why I'm doing all the prep work to make sure I get the best possible projector for my needs from now to about 5 years.

                    I went to Circuit City today and checked out their newest DLP and LCD RPTV's. Overall, they're both similar. I am not a videophile and I don't even play one on TV so I'll try to just describe what I saw plainly. The LCD was smoother while the DLP was a sharper picture (slightly over the other on both). There was more pixelation on the DLP (the saleperson did not know the pixel stats on both TV's, shame on him). I did not notice any rainbows or SDE on either. Personally I preferred the smoother picture of the LCD although the DLP picture was more vivid. I am happy I consider both equally good for my purposes - although this doesn't help from a choices standpoint.

                    I lost out on an opportunity to buy the 4805 for less than $1200 although the offer migh've been bogus. Since I know I need more $$ for accessories (cables, mount, etc.) I am hesitant to plunk all my budget ($1500) into just the projector - I have a dilemma.

                    See ya!

                    Comment

                    • max012200
                      Junior Member
                      • Sep 2004
                      • 8

                      #11
                      More advise needed from the experts

                      I also asked this question over at the AVS forum:

                      What do I choose (picture quality, price and lasting power are main requirements) with a $1200 budget:

                      1. Sanyo Z1 (I can't afford the Z2) - going for $1000
                      2. Panasonic L300 (I can't afford the L500) - going for $1000
                      3. Optoma H30 - going for $1100 (I don't know about the rainbox effect but I can be sitting 2x away)
                      4. InFocus X1 (4800) - going for $800
                      5. Epson Home 10+ - going for $900

                      My uses will be 60% DVD's, 30% SDTV and 10% HDTV. Next year I'd like to get into the whole HD revolution fulltime.

                      My thought is to buying something within this budget to learn about how FP's work but should last me 3-5 years. At which time I will probably purchase a higher end PJ and by that time the technology will be very advanced and the prices will proportionally come down with interest.

                      Any thoughts, advise and such!

                      PS. Someone suggested waiting for the L700 to come out which will bring the other current LCD PJ prices down - what do you think, how long?

                      Comment

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