Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater HD front projection??

OK...I've got the audio end of my HT finished.

Now comes the video part.

I've got three possible solutions. (Though none of them are on the near horizon)

1) Front Projection
2) LCoS
3) Plasma

#1 - I love the idea of a huge screen. My concern is picture quality. I'll only be sitting about 10-12' from the screen. I'll want to be able to watch HD signals as well.

#2 - This is way I'm leaning personally. The new Toshiba 65" LCoS seems like an AMAZING tv. 1080p! And it's only about 18" deep. Not a monster RPTV.

#3 - Plasma - my bf really wants a plasma. I won't get a tv under 65", so were talking MAJOR bucks for something like that. And I'm still not convinced the PQ is there on plasmas.

Give me some thoughts to ponder.

Thanks

I still think you should do an in home, side by side, comparison, just like you do with your speakers. Stick to the same methodology that has worked for you.

Let me know when I can check it out.

-curtis

Har, har...

The Sanyo Z1 is supposed to be great for HDTV. I have not seen it in action though...dont want to spend $500 on a HDTV decoder.

The Z1 only has a 964 x 544 resolution. That's FAR from HD. It may look nice, but how can that compare with 1920 x 1080?

Front projection - DLP - 80 inches or so should do the trick I think.

You may want to look at the Mitsubishi XD300U. Almost 2000 lumens and 4000 hours lamp life and 2000:1 contrast ratio. I was offered USD 2300 for this a while back. US prices are around USD 2900.

I sit approx. 13-feet from my screen (75-inches diagonal) and it looks fantastic. I have an LCD projector which is too bright (3300 lumens) but using DVD-RP82 progressive scan image and S-RGB mode, the results are wonderful. Also at 12-feet I cannot see the screendoor effect and mine is LCD. DLP projectors perform even better.

Projection screen size / distance calculator for the XD300U

You should be able to get atleast 78-100 inches if the projector is placed around 12-feet from screen. Mitsubishi projectors have S-RGB which is a very nice feature for color matching. The images are really more realistic when the S-RGB mode is turned on. There is a slight drop in brightness but it still looks great.

Plasma : Looks great but prices for larger ones are still prohibitive.

I am not a fan of rear projection sets although I haven't closely observed the latest models. Too grainy when viewed at close distances. Depending on the screen materials used in these, the angle of view can be very limiting at times.

Just my thoughts. Good luck with your decision.

Keep the thoughts coming...

fyi...

1) seating will be nearly directly in front at all times, no off angle viewing.

2) Lighting is not an issue

3) viewing distance is about 10-13'

4) mostly used for DVD with some tv viewing (more tv as HDTV becomes more widespread)

its meant for HD though...at a very reasonable price. it is 1/4 HD so it doesnt distort the image. check www.projectorcentral.com for more info.

Craig, what is your aproximate budget for the video portion (exclusing the player and tuner). I can suggest HD-capable FP's with the best available picture quality for any budget from $1K to $10K.

Incidentally, there are LCOS (D-ILA) front projectors, too.

I honestly don't know what our budget is going to be. Since my bf wants a plasma, that certainly helps.