broadwayblue

I was planning on going with a 50 something inch rear projection set sometime this year as my entry into the world of HDTV. but yesterday I watched the Super Bowl in HD in my friends new Home Theater. He had just installed his new Sony HS-10 LCD front projector ($2500!) and a Da Lite 96" screen ($400.) It was awesome! No rear projection/plasma/tube set could ever come close to the experience this provided. I want to go back and watch it again!

So now I'm seriously torn. A rear projection set can handle ambient light much better...we turned the lights on and his screen was completely washed out. So do I really want to watch everything sitting in the dark? I guess that's the trade-off for a movie theater experience in your own home.

The best part of the day had to be the trailers for Matrix Reloaded, T3, and other movies in HD. left me

anyone else watch the Super Bowl in HD?

Johnny Zhivago

Don't forget about your bulb costs... You use a projector all the time and you'll be spending ~ $400+ for a new bulb every ~ 2000 hours or so... As your friend will soon find out...

Agreed, they look great if you have the room, just keep that extra cost in the back of your mind when you go shopping...

Brian Shannon

Yes but as you note the images look fantastic. Also bear in mind that the brightness of the projector and the gain on the screen will have alot to do with the "washed out" look.

As for bulb replacement, that is a minor issue if you can afford to put up this kind of project. 2000+ on a bulb is a long time as you will likely not be watching sitcoms on this projector.

I am planning a similar project myself now and I am looking at the Infocus 7200 or the Sharp 10000 projector with a 106" Stewart Firehawk screen.

broadwayblue

yeah, that firehawk screen costs more than most peoples entire home theater! should be very nice. then again you are talking about nearly $10,000 projectors. the mustang chip is nice. hopefully you don't suffer from rainbows!

i'm not so concerned about bulb replacement costs. you won't need to replace it more than every 12-18 months anyway...and by then you might be ready to upgrade your projector again.

but i would probably watch sitcoms on it...i mean if i get ABC, CBS, NBC, etc in HD why not watch the shows in style? I'm sure CSI would look pretty nice in 106" of HD glory. after all, i'll be in a 1 bedroom apt so I won't have too many viewing rooms...and unless i get a motorized retractable screen and hang a 42/50" plasma screen on the wall behind it i'm pretty much gonna be watching everything on whatever HD display I go with.

Numanoid

I deal with projection units professionally (as an end user in a University). I make the purchasing decisions on projector models and have to deal with the bulb replacement issue. As I recently told a colleague, the 2000 hours is what the bulbs are "rated". It has been my experience that the bulbs usually last more like twice as long as that, maybe even more. They are rated at a lowball figure so that if they do burn out in that amount of time, the customer won't be calling the manufacturer and complaining that they didn't last as long as advertised. Our projection units get used almost constantly and I rarely have to replace the bulbs. Maybe you can set up a piggy bank, and drop 25 cents in whenver you watch a movie...then cash out when it's time for a new bulb.

harpoonipa

Where's the best place to find these? I've never seen them in BB or CC. I know you can find them online. Buying somthing like this has crossed my mind, but I would like to see one in action first. We have one in our office, I've thought about "borrowing" over the weekend but I don't want to get canned.

broadwayblue

go to a specialty audio/video dealer. they are likely to have dedicated projector rooms with several projectors. ask to see projectors running off of CRT, LCD, and DLP engines and compare the different technologies for yourself. of course make sure you are comparing the lastest generation of each competing technology.

BigT

Start perusing the AVS Forum, the best place to find out about front projectors www.avsforum.com.

broadwayblue

yeah, that site is an incredible resource. you can learn a tremendous amount over there very quickly.

harpoonipa

thanks all

Cheddarmuff

The Firehawk is My local HT store has a nice setup with a Firehawk and a Runco DLP...that is the way to go...

I have heard nothing but great things about the mustang chip sounds like a winner.

The other thing to keep in mind when using a projector (CRT/LCD/DLP) is where you will place it in the room. Not all rooms are condusive to having a projector in the middle of the room. Also, you need to be concerned with wiring, it may not be convenient to run wires to the middle of the room (whether it be the ceiling or the floor).

tommy28

My local HT store has a nice setup with a Firehawk and a Runco DLP...that is the way to go...

What`s the cost of that set-up????

broadwayblue

runco is overpriced. yes, it's a great performer...but you can get equally good performance for about half the cost of the runco.

gotapex

Go front projection. You'll never go back.

broadwayblue

i was waiting for you to appear in this thread. what do you think is currently the best projector in the $2000-$3000 range? are the two front runners the sony hs-10 and the panny PT-L300U?

gotapex

Am I that predictable?

Those two are probably the frontrunners. I think it really does matter what kind of viewing preferences you have (rainbows affect you? contrast most important to you? color? absolute black level? screen door affect you? what kind of source material do you watch most of the time?).

If you want to save money on a screen, you can always use a DIY solution like ScreenGoo.

Josh Z

Projector Central is also an excellent resource.

Cheddarmuff

The projector was $9,500 (the new mustang chip model) I believe the 700 series. The screen was $2,500 I think (can't really remember).

As far as Runco being overpriced, I don't think that is a fair statement. Yes there are other companies that manufacture quality products, however, Runco's prices aren't that far off from comparably equipped competitor models.

broadwayblue

actually $9500 seems kind of cheap for a runco. mabye they are lowering their prices to keep somewhat in line with the competition...as most of the mustang fp's coming out now are listing for just under 10 grand.

which brings me to my next question...are these new DLP front projection units using the HD2 (mustang) chip really worth the 3 to 4 times premium over say the Sony HS-10 LCD that retails for about $2500? i'd love to go with a DLP but their prices seem very high at this point.

the resolutions are very similar. yes, the DLP should provide better blacks, greater contrast, and brightness...but for 3 times the price it should be a much better image.

Brian Shannon

http://www.audiosound.com/runrefcl.html

Runco has an entry level model at $6k.

It does not compare with the new HD2 chipsets however.

broadwayblue

if i ultimately decide to go with dlp it will be an HD2 chip. or if i wait long enough maybe even an HD3 capable of 1920x1080. although honestly i would be very happy to go with the HD2. 720p looks amazing.

Cheddarmuff

I believe this is the Runco they have at the store..the CL-700

http://www.audiosound.com/runrefcldlpp.html


Not sure about exactly which mustang chip they are using.

broadwayblue

that projector uses the HD1 chip. it lacks the contrast and black levels of the newer HD2 (or mustang) DMD chip. if this projector sells for anywhere near $10,000 you can get much better performance/value with other brands.

Cheddarmuff

Now I am confused since I know the guy at the store said it was the Mustang chip....I have no more faith in salesmen....

Thanks broadwayblue for pointing this out..

broadwayblue

we've all heard interesting things from salesmen.

from the page you posted the link to:

"Welcome into your home the excitement of High-Definition Digital Theater with the first DLP™ projector incorporating the stunning HD1 DMD technology at an affordable price."

the HD1 chip is the chip before the mustang (HD2.) now i'm not a Runco expert so it is possible that the information on that page is wrong...but it seems that the projector is using the older chip. the basic difference between the 1 and 2 is that the micromirrors oscilate 12 degrees on the 2 vs. only 10 degrees on the 1. the 2 also has a black coating on the back of the mirrors. as a result the mustang produces better blacks and a higher contrast ratio.

you might want to check out dlp.com for some info. the demo is pretty cool if you aren't that familiar with the inner workings of a dmd.

here's the page to the individual chips.