Video Asylum

Posted by Some Guy on January 08, 2004 at 06:34:22

In Reply to: Re: Questions on projectors.... posted by monk on January 07, 2004 at 02:53:51:

>If buying a new TV or doing a home-theatre, a digital front
>projector is not the *only* way to go,...but they MUST be looked at
>and highly considered.

Agreed. Personally I'm sick to death of hearing about plasma screens... and quite honestly, the price tags scare me. They look good, but not THAT good for that size. Rear projection looked good to me for a while, but I came to the same conclusions as Mike Dzurko that having a 250lb monster with no resale and no upgrade potential doesn't make much sense... especially when it costs more than a decent projector and screen combo capable of higher resolution and size. I also dreaded moving something that large into place and then dragging it with me when I eventually move. For some reason I'm more inclined to cut a hole in my ceiling to install the projector than worry about lugging a monolith around five years from now. That said, front projection looks like the best option out there right now.

I've been an addict of AVSForum for a while now and, though I'm a big fan of the Sanyo Z1 and Z2, I've become far more curious about the CRT projectors. Apparently with the onset of the smaller digital front projectors, CRT prices are coming down a great deal and some real bargains are out there. If you check out some of the CRT sections, there are some serious die-hard enthusiasts for the older technology. They claim a far better picture in terms of color and contrast as well as resolution, often at the same cost or less than digital. I've also heard that the lamps last longer than those on the digital projectors, so operating costs are about the same (considering three lamps vs. one).

Honestly, I feel they have some good points. I have both an LCD flat panel display and a CRT monitor for my computers at work and I still prefer watching on the CRT. That and it's a time tested technology that has survived a long time for one big reason... it works and it works well. But how does this translate to projectors?

My big fear about CRT projectors is that the owners are just following the analog party line... as much as I love vinyl and even though it can sound better than digital media (if the gear is properly set up and maintained), more often than not it seems to be personal bias and "vinyl fever". Is it the same with CRT projectors? How much tweaking and maintenance is required for vastly better contrast and picture quality over digital? How much of it is just the joy of being the underdog defending the old guard?

Trust that I appreciate quality a lot and that I'm not against spending some time to get things right, but it has to be balanced against convenience. That said, I'm still looking into CRT as a future option and think it might still be the way to go.