Dom's *new* HT (V.2.0)

[Dom]

Here it is, our new and improved HT room!

This is a look from the seating position to the screen:


This is a look from the screen to the back of the room. The new Projector (Sanyo PLV-60) is now mounted on the ceiling.


A close-up of the Projector with connections:


A couple of screen shots from "The Emperor's New Groove" (of course they can't do justice to the real image, which is stunning!)





And finally, some of our boxed sets:



Some projector specs:

Sanyo PLV-60 HD Projector
Wide XGA (1366 x 768) Resolution
True 16:9 Aspect Ratio
500:1 Contrast Ratio
250W Lamp
High Definition Progressive Scan
3D Digital Noise Reduction
Power Lens Shift (Up/Down)
Power Zoom/Power Focus

[I 8 Piglet]

ssswwweeeeeettt, maybe its time to change the My ht link in your signiture :p

I've been meaning to ask, whats the deal with that second set of speakers above your mains?

[Prancer]

Speechless!!! Stunning!!! Wow!!!

yeah what's up with those speakers?

I love what money can do.

[slade]

That's awsome Dom!!! I'm extremely jealous.

How wide is your room? (I gathered from your other HT thread that it is 4 m long--yes?)

It looks like your rears are in the corners facing out at 45 degree angles? Have you tried them in a variety of positions and found that the most satisfactory? (I'm still playing around with my rears a bit).

[tomdkat]

Originally posted by Prancer

yeah what's up with those speakers?

Yeah... do you have a 7.1 system or something, Dom?

Peace.....

[artood2]

nuff said


ps was that an AT-AT walker I saw in the 1st pic?

[Dom]

I 8 Piglet,
thanx for the heads up... I've changed my sig and now it points to this thread

About the extra pair of speakers: It's a Yamaha amplifier thing. They are called "front effect speakers" and are used for the DSP programs only.
To quote the manual: "They create a wide acoustic environment in the room without losing high channel separation."

If anything, it makes the sound coming a bit more from the screen than from the bottom of it (where the main speakers actually are).
It sounds great with the DSP program we use to watch movies with, but believe me, you'll be fine without these.

slade,
The room is 3.1 m wide and 5.5 m long. The screen is 2.4 m wide, and the projector is approx. 4 m from the screen.
About the surround speakers - that's the way I've found them to sound the best. They're slightly above ear level, approx. 1m behind. But I guess it depends on room acoustics and other stuff, so what sounds good here could as well sound bad in your room

artood2,
Yes, it's a Lego AT-AT walker
You can see it better on this pic:

http://www.dvdfile.com/interactive/f...&postid=148312

[Wirehed]

So nice....

[Chromy]

Man oh man... run this setup with a HTPC and you'll never go back

Chromy

[Dom]

Yeah, so I've heard... but I'm still struggling with myself.
Maybe a progressive scan player would be the better solution for me (I'm an absolute idiot when it comes to computers).
Also, I find a HTPC a bit cumbersome to handle what with the keyboard and mouse
And I would need to make and run additional cables for the PC connectors on the projector (see pic above). Although this wouldn't be too much trouble.

Is there an easy way to make HTPC's region free?

[TwistedByDesign]

I'm planning on buying a projector, so, Just out of curiosity, how great is the image quality on a projector?

[Dom]

Originally posted by TwistedByDesign
I'm planning on buying a projector, so, Just out of curiosity, how great is the image quality on a projector?

Well, that depends, of course, on the projector. All I can say is that with a true 16:9 HDTV projector with anamorphic dvd's and a progressive scan player (which I'm still lacking), you'll never have the desire to go to the theater again. I know I don't
But my best advice is to go to a good store and see for yourself (but make sure it's a store where they know how to set up things correctly...)

[slade]

I'm looking into getting a projector myself (what did you do with that one you just replaced? ).

I've heard the HTPC is the way to go with projectors, but I just can't fathom having to start up a computer and mess with a keyboard, etc. everytime I want to watch a movie. So, I'll probably just go with a line doubler and/or progessive scan player. (btw looking to get a used CRT probably--like a Sony 1031q--but still learning more about them).

TwistedByDesign: avsforum.com is a great place to go for projector information--they have three different forums about projectors.

[roman]

I own a CRT FP myself, so if you've got any questions,
I'd be happy to answer & help.

[Jerm]

I am fascinated by the thought of a projector.
How much do these things run?
Are they only good for watching movies? Could I watch TV with it? Would I even want to?

[artood2]

while I dont own one

I believe you CAN watch tv but many of the the projectors do have tubes which need replacing after 1500 or so hours or is it 15000

in any event the tubes have a finite life and are expensive to replace. so basically i'm saying you can but it would be expensive and sort of a waste unless of course its the world cup final or the stanley cup





edited for typos. (doh)

[dvds'r'us]

I so want to live with you...

[Dom]

Originally posted by Jerm
I am fascinated by the thought of a projector.
How much do these things run?
Are they only good for watching movies? Could I watch TV with it? Would I even want to?

I'm sorry it took me so long, I haven't checked this thread for a while
Anyway, yes, you can watch TV with it, given that you have some sort of tuner. We use a VCR for this purpose. Image quality depends on the source, of course, but otherwise it behaves like every other HDTV.
The PLV-60 runs at about $5000-$6000.
While it doesn't have tubes like a CRT does, it has a quite expensive bulb that runs about $500 and lasts anywhere between 1000 and 2000 hours. You always want to keep this in mind when watching TV on the projector

And dvds'r'us: I definitely don't think my GF would allow you moving in.
On second thought, neither do I

[slade]

Originally posted by Jerm
I am fascinated by the thought of a projector.
How much do these things run?
Are they only good for watching movies? Could I watch TV with it? Would I even want to?

Because of the flood of the new digital projectors flooding the market you can pick up a decent used CRT projector very cheap right now. Those tubes last about 10,000 hours (that's a lot of watching). But, they are extrememly expensive to replace (somewhere around $400 each).

But, if you buy one with a high enough scan rate you can do HDTV on them (these types start at around $750 used). (A tuner would be needed, of course.) And, yes, you would want to watch HDTV on them as it has an amazing picture! Can you say 720p or 1080i? (DVDs are what 480i?)

The picture from the CRTs are supposed to be very impressive as well. But they are huge (most weigh about 150 pounds). You would also, it seems, need to buy a video processor, as most of these don't have built in doublers (unlike Dom's, which does--the dog ).

[Dom]

There are also some major and minor drawbacks to CRT's which you may want to keep in mind in case you're going shopping for a PJ.
First of all, while they have superior black level over LCD's, the picture is considerably less bright. You need absolute control over ambient light (no ambient light is always best, but with CRT's it's a must).
You're also less flexible as far as distance between screen and pj is concerned, since CRT's have almost no zoom capabilities.
Also, last but not least, if you've gone through the process of fine-tuning the convergence of a CRT (and believe me, I have), you'll be yearning for a LCD.
You absolutely, positively don't want to move your CRT for as much as 1/100 inch after setting it up if you don't want to mess up the convergence
I'm not saying LCD is necessarily better, just that it isn't all sugar, toast and honey with CRT's either.

[roman]

I guess it all comes down to quality vs. convenience.
Sure, there are many drawbacks to CRT FPs, but one thing's for sure -
if you follow the rules, the lcd's and dlp's don't even come close quality wise, imo.

[Prancer]

Originally posted by roman
I guess it all comes down to quality vs. convenience.
Sure, there are many drawbacks to CRT FPs, but one thing's for sure -
if you follow the rules, the lcd's and dlp's don't even come close quality wise, imo.

So CRTs are the best quality, in terms of resolution?

I saw a LCD(RPTV) HDTV by Panasonic and it was next to a Rear Projection HDTV and the LCD looked sharp. So even with the improvements in the LCD and DLP technology, the CRT is still the best way to go?

What about the RPTV? Do they use CRTs to project the image? Eventually I will be buying a big screen, I am leaning towards Front Projectors over RPTV but now I am not sure.

[Wirehed]

Ahmmm.. Price is a pretty big issue with most of us. While the best quality front projectors are the big CRTs, they are going to be significantly more expensive.

Good DLP setups (and by good I mean in the just under $10k bracket) are just as good and in the right situation better than a sub $30k CRT setup. That's a pretty big difference in price.

In the less expensive catagory the perfomance vs. cost ratio is fantastic with the new DLP models. I'm auditioning a Piano projector next month that costs $3300 list! and from what I have heard, it's a fantastic picture. True it has some limitations --it's not as bright as better models and it's not as high a resolution as I would like to see, you sure can't beat the price!

There are many DLP projectors that I have seen that look truely impressive in the $5000 range. (or about where you would be starting with a used CRT machine that probably will not look as good).

Anyway, just some thoughts. It's an exciting time to be looking at these units. Nothing beats having a truely huge screen in your home.

[slade]

The LCDs and DLPs and upcoming D-ILAs (is that what they're called) are all much easier to set up than a CRT. They are much smaller. they often have reasonably good scalers built in.

But, I would say that you can get a used CRT that produces a better image for much cheaper than a digital projector. I think some very high end CRTs are going for around 3,000 - 4,000 used.

For me, who is really on a budget, *cough* social worker *cough* I'm really looking at low-end, but servicable. and there, CRTs are really the only thing available for less than a grand. Again, these are used prices, not new.

Disclaimer: Really, I'm a newbie to all this, I'm just regurgitating what I've read so far. Lots of good info to be had at avsforum about projectors.

[Prancer]

I don't think I will be able to afford a Dom *new* HT (V.2.0) anytime soon but we all can dream can't we?

I was thinking about getting an RPTV but wasn't really as enthusiastic about it as much as I am about Front Projectors.

Dom's setup certainly gives a good idea of what it should be like. That's how imagine the setup to be and its good to see examples.

I was going to save up to buy a big RPTV. From reading about the Piano Projector and some other good ones, I am definitely, at this point, saving up for a good Front Projector.

[roman]

Whoa!
let me try and clear this up:

So CRTs are the best quality, in terms of resolution?

Well... yes.
Even my old and small 7" CRT FP can do HDTV, and upto 1280x1024 (interlaced).

Good DLP setups (and by good I mean in the just under $10k bracket) are just as good and in the right situation better than a sub $30k CRT setup. That's a pretty big difference in price.

In the less expensive catagory the perfomance vs. cost ratio is fantastic with the new DLP models.

Yikes!
dlps have fantastic performance/price ratio?
Quite the opposite!
The only DLP projectors that come even close to a good CRT quality wise are the 3 wheels ones - and they're expensive as h*ll.
with single wheel models you get a terrible rainbow effect.
you may not notice it right away, but it's really distracting
(and so much worse than the much talked about Chroma Bug, for instance.)

DLP technology is relatively new, and you just pay a premium for that.
Sure, in a few years DLP projectors maybe almost as good as CRT ones and cheaper.
but not yet. not at all.

As for $30K CRT FPs:
I have to dispell the myth that 7" crt's are not enough and that you need 8" or maybe even 9" ones to get a good picture.
That's simply not true!
The difference in picture quality between a good 7" crt and a good 9" one on an upto 8-9 ft. wide screen is minimal at best.
The 9" ones do output much more light, so light control is less of a problem, but that's hardly a picture quality issue, is it?

A new good 7" CRT FP costs $10K-$12K.
add a very good line doubler + maybe some auto-convergence and you get a $12K-$15K price - NEW.
True, not cheap at all, but beats hands down any DLP in this price range.

As for D-ILA projectors - I haven't seen one so I can't comment.
But if I'm not mistaken - they're EXTREMELY expensive
(for example this one )


p.s.
Sorry, Dom, for cluttering your thread. You sure do have a nice setup

[roman]

Dom, what type of screen are you using?
Couldn't make out from the photo.