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I currently have a 61" Sony XBR rear projection TV. Nice unit but too deep. I am an audio fanatic and want mor room for my speakers. I know there are front projection units with an automatic roll up screens. What I don't know are costs, pros and cons etc. Any opinions out there? Thanks
Your choice is really limited by budget. To get into a CRT of significant quality above a good LCD you are going to be spending 10K at a minimum. I bought a Sony 8" CRT from a company in Chicago called United Technologies and I highly recommend them for competitive price (my unit lists at 19K and I got it for 12K). A 7 or 8" CRT needs a doubler (perhaps a tripler) and you can save a lot by buying the DVDO doubler that has been getting good reviews (I went with the Faroudja 2200 but it is more expensive). A good screen will run you about 1500 depending on size (don't skimp on quality)for a simple one. Another possibility is the DLP someone suggested (Projectavision has a 2 chip model for 8K that I've had and it is quite good but doesn't have the newer, higher pixel count mirrors). Having had lcd, dlp and crt, I would have to say that there isn't any beating a crt properly set up and installed (and my experience with Sony wasn't nearly as harrowing as one person reported for a Barco).good luck.
It uses DLP technology and goes for around six grand. Much better colors and blacks than LCD. Only single chip so the resolution is maxed at approxiamtely 800 x 600. Lots of reviews on it, I'd read up if you wanted an affordable alternative.
I am also an audio-first fan, and built my HT around an existing high end audio system.I quickly decided that any box between the front speakers would unacceptably compromise the sound, and went for a front projection TV.
I had recently moved my whole system into the room, and spent a few weeks setting up the audio system and getting the speakers positioned first, before deciding how big a screen I could accomodate.
The wall against which the screen had to go had an existing old style cast iron radiator against it that I didn't wish to move, so we hung the screen from the ceiling just in front of the radiator - worked perfectly. The only downside to not having a roll-up screen is that people that come to listen keep looking at it, wanting there to be a picture! Doesn't bother me, though - I spin more vinyl than digital and have no problem concentrating on the music.
I use a Zenith projector that will not accept line doubling, a compromise I accepted in view of the price. It actually has better colour than several others I looked at, including a Sony at 4 times the price. Once set up, I have found no problems with it - it isn't tweaky at all, and the guns don't seem to drift.
Buying amplification and surround speakers that are up to the quality of your main audio system is another (expensive) story. So is setting up an AV system that won't compromise the sound of the main system - I haven't yet found an AV preamp that is QUITE as transparent as my audio one, for example, and so I use two preamps.
nt
I definately recommend going the front projection route. While nothing really will compete video-wise with an expensive and tricky to set up Big Gun (9") CRT with a quality outboard scaler/processor, I've had very good experiences with a very inexpensive Sony VPL W400Q LCD front projector. I'm sure I will be mega-flamed for this by some, but excepting for some unavoidable relatively minor flaws with LCD technology, I have an incredibly detailed, BIG picture that is just stunning, especially with a good anamorphic DVD via component cable input. Yes, a good CRT with a decent processor is better, but for the price of $3600 brand new, with a 3 year Sony warranty, I am in HT heaven. The 400Q through a HTPC, bypassing the internal scaler/line doubler using a Matrox G400 video card with PowerDesk drivers and WinDVD and Entech powerstrip to enable custom resolutions with sync on green, is simply outstanding...one of the best kept secrets in affordable HT(a good HTPC can be put together for about $1000-$1200 minus a monitor). And my 2 channel audio system isn't suffering due to a large boxy TV between front left and right main speakers. The VPL W400Q is point and shoot, light weight, has 16:9 LCD panels with a staggered pixel array so there is NO screen-door effect. Getting back to LCD drawbacks....the fan is noisy (but this disappears when the movie starts), and no LCD can produce the deep, deep black of a CRT rig (nor can a film projector, since even the black sections of a film frame permit some light through to the screen. In a dark room, to me the black is black enough with the 400Q...unless you have to compare it side by side with a very black image of a CRT or a black screen border vs a black bar, such as when watching a 2.35 movie on a 16:9 screen (which is actually a dark gray bar on an LCD). But what the hey...I'm happy with it, and down the road, other technologies will likely give CRT a run for it, like D-ILA and DLP, and their prices will drop in time, too. And when that happens, at least I didn't spend too much on a more expensive FPTV. Get rid of your RPTV...I think you will be glad you did. As regards screens, you can go inexpensive, like a Draper Cineperm M2500, about 400-500$ for 106" 16:9 at avscience.com, or all out for electric roll-up screens with tab tensioners for well over 1K and up (way up). The W400Q was recently DC'ed by Sony, replaced with the VPL VW10HT, street pricing about $5500, but the last few remaining 400Qs and some B-stock units (still with Sony 3 year factory warranty are still available for around $3900..check with Dennis Shepard @ medicalvideosystems.com). This is not even considering the impending availability of used VPL W400Qs in good condition (some with considerable remaining bulb life, I'm sure) that will hit the market as some current 400Q owners trade up to the 10HT. You can read a review on the 10HT at the link below.Let the flames begin!!
Larry
The problem with a line doubler and quadrupler is a concern in this media but if you are going to use a computer to assist in your HT then my suggestion is to use the Creative Labs Encore DVD (had one but sold it to a friend so he could get into DVDs) since it has an automatic line quad for DVD playback thru SVGA cable.The reason I was checking for line quads was for normal TV viewing or VCR (for those programs we record) as I thought DVD playback problems were minimal. The only reason I suggested away from LCDs was that on the ones I checked upon (NEC, Sharp, and a few others) I noticed pixel drags on sudden rapid movement scenes (same with the flat plasma screens). The thing I found strange is that most people didn't notice this (not even the person doing a demo at the convention I was at, though among about 20 people at this booth just 2 others and I noticed this). I know at least for myself this was less acceptable that having a cleaner player back on a direct view.
Hi TomI suggest you try to stick with your Sony 61". It took us 6 months to get a really crisp picture in some formats on our Barco set up (808S projector & VSE40 enhancer/switcher). The techos got the basic set up correct but it took heaps of fiddling to fine tune it. There are just so many different adjustments you can make, particularly if you have a doubler or quadrupler. Furthermore they had to be done for each different input (PAL TV, PAL LD, PAL DVD, NTSC LD, NTSC DVD). Our system gave maximum flexibility BUT..... you get the idea.
Some other negatives - care must be taken to break in the projector guns evenly or permanent lines develop on screen in some formats (voice of experience here), you must be able to darken the room effectively, they give out a lot of heat & has been mentioned by Robert, the fans (heaps of them wirring away) can be distracting.
After all of the above you might query if it was worth it. Yes it was but I might have been a little more cautious about jumping in if I had forseen what was ahead. I've had to compile a booklet to explain to my beloved how to operate it all - it is a complex system even with the 9 remotes replaced with a PRONTO!!!
Peace at AA
John
I would suggest against LCDs since I notice that the picture isn't as clear with an occaisional pixel drags on rapid movement scenes. Try not to have the audio system during auditions on and watch at least for 30-40 minutes as you want to notice if the cooling fan comes on and how loud it will be during lulls in movie soundtracks. The average cost for a good front projectors of good quality is usually $10000+ not including line quadruplers according to my local dealer (this crushed my hopes immensely as I thought I could get into it for starting about 5000). A good audio transparent screens goes for $1000+ if you decide to keep your grill cover on your CC without affecting it's sound. I would check with your local ISF technician about reliability, quality, and durability of the projectors availible in your area since this may be a concern on what product you might settle on.
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