Epson Home Cinema 720

[Pirate]

Any Filers own this PJ?

I need to upgrade my Z2 and I've heard good thing about this model. I wanted to ask some specific questions, so if you've got one, please respond.

[sub780lime]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Any Filers own this PJ?

I need to upgrade my Z2 and I've heard good thing about this model. I wanted to ask some specific questions, so if you've got one, please respond.

I have an off topic question....what are you doing with your Z2? Dibbs!

[Pirate]

Selling it. And I will PM you when I do.

[Wirehed]

SPAM!

(banning user, deleting posts....)

[Pirate]

Fresh sex for your happy. Amazing times!

Click here for also laptop!

[Wirehed]

That made me LOL! all over myself.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Wirehed

That made me LOL! all over myself.

Sorry?

[ganthc]

I can always count on PH for a LOL.

On topic, I thought you were going for a 1080p projector for your upgrade?

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by ganthc

On topic, I thought you were going for a 1080p projector for your upgrade?

Well, with the LED PJs coming soon, I'm thinking I may wait for that to mature before going 1080p. I sit 15 or so feet from my 110" screen, and I doubt that the quality difference will be worth the $1K difference I would have to pay for 1080p. I can get a stellar 720p PJ for around $1200 and use that extra $1K for a sub or something down the line. 720p just makes more sense right now.

[Wirehed]

Really?

Interesting choice, I think Pirate.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Wirehed

Really?

I've seen 1080p at around my screen size displayed before, and while I did notice a difference, it wasn't a $1K difference. Color, lumens, contrast, etc., are more important to me than that extra resolution. And it's not like 720p is shabby. You guys have seen my screenshots. Does it look like I'm hurting for resolution?

[biglyle]

I have this PJ and love it.

I will post a full review for you a little later on as I need to run now. Some links of it in action in my HT
Biglyle's NEW theater (new house, new theater)

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Pirate

I've seen 1080p at around my screen size displayed before, and while I did notice a difference, it wasn't a $1K difference. Color, lumens, contrast, etc., are more important to me than that extra resolution. And it's not like 720p is shabby. You guys have seen my screenshots. Does it look like I'm hurting for resolution?

Very true, and if it gets you an hdmi receiver too, then all the better.

[Wirehed]

My projector is 720p right now as well, but MAN do the 1080p projectors look better. For $1000 it IS that much better, at least in my experience.

Now, I'm not saying 720p is shabby at all, it's damn amazing! So, no you're not hurting.

And I totally agree with your assessments about resolution being less important than color gamut, lumens, and contrast. But it's going to be a long while before that is going to be a $1000 difference.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Wirehed

My projector is 720p right now as well, but MAN do the 1080p projectors look better. For $1000 it IS that much better, at least in my experience.

Maybe I've just seen the wrong 1080p PJs.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by biglyle

I have this PJ and love it.

I will post a full review for you a little later on as I need to run now. Some links of it in action in my HT
Biglyle's NEW theater (new house, new theater)

Yeah, see, look at those screenshots! Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Biglyle, does the PJ have a vertical stretch mode?

[biglyle]

When I was shopping for this PJ I spent almost 2 months demoing different units. I drove as much as 6 hours to do this and imo it was kinda worth it. Not for the money aspect but to prove a few things to myself once and for all. I was dead set on a 1080p unit until I saw and compared them head on with the 720p units.
At my seating distance (11ft) and a 102 inch screen I saw no benefit in going to 1080p. All the 1080 units in my price range had shitty blacks as well so that I am sure was a huge factor in my decision.

Now on to the Epson 720

The first thing you will notice about this unit is how freaking huge it is. It was 4 times the size of my optoma H31. The thing is a true beast and feels extremely well built.

The next thing I noticed was how bright it was. This took some real getting use to for me, especially coming for a 4 year 480p PJ with 1500hrs on the bulb. It was like staring into the sun at first. Now I could not imagine having any less brightness. The theater 2 setting which is what I use for movies and normal darkroom viewing has a good balance of brightness and blacks, especially with the auto iris on.

The black levels on this unit are pretty good. They are not great, but how many truly are in this price range. They were quite a bit better than the Z5 I had demoed and with the auto iris are good enough that they are not an issue at all to me.

Colors on this unit needed a fair bit of tweaking out of the box to get it right. The PJ looked OK OOB but after a few hours with DVE it looked a hell of a lot better. The other thing I found odd was how much better the PJ started to look at around the 100hr mark. It nearly doubled in pic quality, this again is something many users have reported. Why this happens I do not know.

The auto iris feature works great but can be a little noisy. It makes a churning noise whenever it moves that can be a bit irritating during very quite scenes. This is something many epson users have talked about. Some say it will quiet down to almost silent around the 1000hr mark. Time will tell as I only have about 300hrs on mine.

All in all I could not be happier with this PJ. Its bright, punchy as hell and is a great PJ for HD movies and TV. Very easy set up and placement thanks to the generous lens shift and a warrenty that cannot be beat gives me a lot of piece of mind. The fact I got a $100 rebate and a free spare lamp were a big bonus as well.

I highly recommend it.

Any questions feel free to ask.

PS - to answer your question about vertical stretch mode. I assume you are wondering this in case you decide to use an anamorphic lens or go to 2.35/1 aspect screen. Sadly the answer is no it doesn't to vertical stretch.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by biglyle

The other thing I found odd was how much better the PJ started to look at around the 100hr mark. It nearly doubled in pic quality, this again is something many users have reported. Why this happens I do not know.

Can you be more specific as to what aspects of the picture quality improved? I'm curious if this is something that other pj's do as well.
Also, did you compare this to the Panny PT-AX200U?

[Pirate]

biglyle,

1. How loud is the fan?

2. Can you turn that auto iris thing off to get rid of the sound?

That's too bad about the vertical stretch. That may be a deal-breaker for me. I really, really want to go to a constant height setup.

[Wirehed]

It's possible what you're seeing is that for the same money, a top quality 720p projector actually looks better than a low end 1080p.


I'll let you know, I'll be in the market for one in the next few months, after I sell my other house.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Wirehed

It's possible what you're seeing is that for the same money, a top quality 720p projector actually looks better than a low end 1080p.

Yes. If I could afford something like that JVC or one of the $5K+ PJs, I'm sure I'd see a difference.

Since I have to work within a budget, though, I figure why not buy the best looking PJ I can. And, right now, that’s probably a 720p model.

[biglyle]

Originally Posted by Pirate

biglyle,

1. How loud is the fan?

2. Can you turn that auto iris thing off to get rid of the sound?

That's too bad about the vertical stretch. That may be a deal-breaker for me. I really, really want to go to a constant height setup.

1 - In theater 2, which is the mode I use for everything it is silent. I mean you can be a foot from it and not hear it.

2 - Yes, auto iris can be turned off. Doesnt seem to make much difference in the PQ.

[biglyle]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Can you be more specific as to what aspects of the picture quality improved? I'm curious if this is something that other pj's do as well.
Also, did you compare this to the Panny PT-AX200U?

It seems to get clearer/cleaner. I was pretty much overnight at around the 100 hour mark. Even my wife asked me what the hell I did to the PJ it looked so good.

My neighbor bought a AX200U 3 days before I got my Epson. After comparing both he sent the panny back and got an epson as well. The panny looked very soft in comparison and the color wasnt as good. Both were equally bright. The epson was a far better deal and a better PJ imo.

[Pirate]

From ProjectorCentral:

Epson Home Cinema 720 vs. Panasonic PT-AX200

The popular Panasonic AX200 is one of the brightest 720p projectors available at this time, and it is indeed brighter than the Cinema 720. In their brightest modes, the Cinema 720 measures 1453 ANSI lumens while the Panasonic AX200 measures a whopping 1845 ANSI. However, the Cinema 720 compensates for this with superior contrast and much deeper black level, as well as more accurate color. So while the AX200 is still the favorite in rooms with high ambient light, the Cinema 720 offers real advantages in traditional dark rooms, especially when using very large screens. In these instances, the Cinema 720's superior contrast and black level really shines.

One key advantage of the AX200 is its Smoothscreen technology that eliminates any trace of pixel structure. If you want a projector without any trace of pixelation even at close viewing distances, the AX200 is unique among 720p resolution projectors in delivering a pixel free image.

The AX200 also offers two HDMI ports instead of one. On the other hand, the Cinema 720 has a 12-volt trigger, which the AX200 lacks.

Overall, the Cinema 720 delivers much better contrast, color saturation, and black level performance, whereas the AX200 gives you an incrementally brighter image with no pixelation, and an extra HDMI port. The decision between the two depends on which of these factors is most important to you.

Damnit, why doesn't the HC720 do vertical stretch?!