[Frank Barone]Holy crap![/Frank Barone]

The new Sony 1080p projector with 15,000:1 contrast ratio is MSRPing at $4,999!

Might be time to upgrade! Damn, they totally changed the price structure of 1080p front projectors. I wonder how much the Panasonic will be as Panasonic has historically been cheaper than the Sony projectors.

Is it DLP or LCD?

SXRD (Sony's version of LCoS).

From what I read, it seems the concensus is that LCoS is better than LCD.

BTW, info on pricing was taken from: http://www.hdbeat.com/2006/09/13/son...cially-priced/

SXRD is definitely better than LCD. I'd say it's on par with DLP. But all the rear-projection SXRDs I've seen have a green blob effect. Is this something that plagues the front projectors as well? Because I might think about getting a Ruby if the price on that drops when this one comes out.

the 'Pearl' (the $4999 SXRD fp) is the new little brother to the Ruby. It replaces the expensive ($1K) Xenon bulb with a lower cost UHP one, like those commonly found in other LCD and DLP pjs. This sacrifices color accuracy, but along with being considerably cheaper to replace is also more energy efficent and takes less effort to cool, so the pj can be smaller and still be quiet.

there are a few other small trade offs, along with some minor improvments.

I'll be 'buying' one maybe today or tomorrow at a local dealer. Even though my CC will be charged, I won't be able to pick it up until later October- so I'll still be able to keep an eye on feedback from the first users. If the concensus is that its up to snuff, I'll pick it up, and if it isn't I'll just cancel the order. But paying for it now locks me in so that I will be sure to have one waiting if I want it.
I think thats going to be neccessary as, if this pj is half as good as its expected to be, I think its going to be a monster success for Sony. They will probably have a hard time keeping these in stock.

the big question that I'm curious about is how well it will handle 1080i from the Toshiba. Supposedly its deinterlacing is going to be a weak area- so that might be the big monkey wrench in the works for a lot of people.

I'm personally holding out for either the Panasonic or the Mitsubishi projectors; they're both C2Fine LCD projectors, which have much richer blacks than regular LCD FP's. THe Mitsu is MSRP'ing for $4,499 and everyone is expecing the Panasonic to undercut it (street for under $3k) by next spring.

I'll be retiring my trusty Sanyo PLV-Z3 and getting something next spring for sure.

It's a good year for high-def devices/content!

I have no idea about that, can someone else chime in? I'm curious about this green blob thing now.

Sweet! What's the model or name for the Mitsubishi?

Mitsubishi HC5000 (aka HC5000BL) 1080p LCD MSRP $4,495

There's a LOT of information, including pictures, and a manufacturer's link here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=691427

Can't say I know what a green blob effect is, but I haven't ever noticed it on my last generation 1080i/1080p upconverting 50" Sony SXRD. I think they are the best value on the market by far, and I'll probably be getting a 55" or 60" native 1080p SXRD for the living room in the next couple of months. The 50" has an MSRP of $2700 and you can find it on sale occassionally for $2200.

1080p projectors...I like my 480p Infocus 4805, but man...

Bleh! That's ugly! The Sony looks like it was made by Apple or something, very sleek and elegant.

But despite that, if the quality is on par with the Sony, I'll vote with my pocketbook (I'm a confident male with enough manpoints to be allowed a pocketbook).

I'll wait it out for a Sanyo 1080p with C2Fine. I've been quite happy with my Z3 until then.

If you look at the rear projection forum on AVS in the TV section, you'll find plenty of pictures of the green blob effect. I've seen it first hand at Best Buy, so if it's something that only certain people can see, like RBE, then it affects me. I haven't yet seen RBE on a DLP, though.

Those projectors have nothing on this 2'x1'x5' 342lb beast.



Runco SC-1

Yes, and if you get one of those silly Mits or Sony jobs, you'll be stuck with it in your home, functional, no doubt forcing you to watch movies and stuff, while your neighbor with the Runco gets the joy of knowing his PJ will spend most of its time at the repair shop where it belongs! Oh, the horror!