Video Asylum

Posted by ed rex on August 16, 2001 at 15:21:45

In Reply to: Re: LCD/DLP vs rear projection/direct view posted by Russtafarian on August 15, 2001 at 16:29:22:

While I will most certainly agree with Rich and Joe about the 'true black' rendering, I feel that that issue is a tradeoff for the overall 'theatre' experience. I cannot agree with the statements 'pale, undersaturated, and basically lousy in every way'! Quite the contrary. Current LCD and DLP models from InFocus (the only ones I've been able to preview) have very good 'almost black'. In fact, the only way I can tell it's not absolute black is when I compare the image to the black grillcloth of my speakers. Then you can see a SLIGHTLY 'lighter' black. Certainly by no means diminishes the viewing experience. In fact, space movies are absolutely, without question the most visually awe-inspiring movies to behold. Even knowing black is 'almost black', that though never ever once crossed my mind whilst viewing. Totally captivated by the on-sceen images. I have also seen 'pale, undersaturated, and basically lousy in every way' units at work during presentations. In my (very limited) experience, I believe that these were low lumen/low contrast units.

Color saturation is as good as my ProScan and on par with any direct view in the house. Properly adjusted, I think you'll be extremely impressed.

As far as resolution/artifacts, it is simply as good as the feed you put in. Nothing more, nothing less. Since the projector is engineered to support native XGA resolution, no decompression artifacts are created by the projector. Additionally, since it has no convergence requirements, picture quality is as crisp and detailed as your feed.

My only complaint IS crappy feed. Small (65" or less) viewing areas truly mask poor resolution/digital feed artifacts, etc.

Russtafarian, my father as well as a buddy of mine recently (within the past month) purchased LP350's off of E-Bay for $2500 apiece. These were new in the box with full warranty, not refurbs. The 350 is the XGA 1300 lumen model (with whisper quiet fans!!!). Prices continue to come down on these. I am extremely pleased with mine and it really enhances the whole 'HT experience'. Like I said, upon seeing and experiencing the whole package, friends and family were duly impressed to go out and immediately purchase one of their own. And I don't even have one of those fancy Dalite screens. I was just tossing the picture on the (semi) white wall. My dad went out and bought his based upon watching one DVD projected on my bare wall, and he is as tight as a crab's ass underwater! Currently, I just have a homemade 10ft x 5ft frame made of 2x2's with canvas stretched over it painted 'absolute white'. It looks great! I'm sure a 'real' dalite screen would deepen the blacks, but to me and everybody who's visualized to date, it is waaaay fine as is! Better than fine. Overwhelming! And I am additionally only using the S-Video input.

Sure! A 12K unit would be better. Sure! A 20K CRT unit professionally dialed in by a service technician would be better. My 13" flat screen TV APPEARS to be crisper, more saturated with better resolution than my 27" TV too! A 10K McIntosh amp would be better than my $500 Denon as well. However, for a married guy like myself on a limited budget.....and that limited budget controlled by the Mrs (who, by the way surprisingly authorized the purchase due to how good it looks), buck for buck this contributes as much to the overall visual experience as my Klipschorns do for my audio. I feel like one of them there 'rich dudes' when friends and family are reserving Friday and Saturday nights to come over and watch movies!!

Thanks for all your comments.