InFocus 4805, Sony Cineza, Panasonic AE900U or Optoma H79
frank1492
brightness and serious blacks are my goal. I started out assuming that
only a DLP projector would give me what I seek, but it seems that
the LCDs are making serious gains.
Thanks.
Frank
P.S. I have only seen the Sony demoed. I was not impressed with
the low level luminance in back-lit scenes, I assume caused by the
auto iris used to deepen blacks.
Fyrman
Great faq on using the PJ here:
http://japhule.collinsreport.com/4805FAQ/html/index.html
This comes from the official 4805 thread on AVS forum here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=610478
I have a 4805 myself and LOVE it. I'm feeding it with a progressive
scan DVD at 480i to let the projector do the scaling and the picture is
great. Where it really shines is when I use it to watch HDTV at
1080i... CSI, Lost, and Mondat nite football are absolutly amazing!!
There's some good deals out there on refurbished units with new
bulbs... just make sure it's from someone reputable as there was a
truckload of these stolen a while back and they're making the rounds
online now. The serial numbers are recorded and you won't get sevrice
or warantee work done anywhere if you end up with one of them.
frank1492
I am currently using an old Novabeam 1A which is
a CRT projector. While it has some minor problems
(aside from not being able to do HDTV of course)
it does have one outstanding property, common
to all CRT's, and that is astounding black levels.
I am told the 4805 has excellent brightness, which
is important as I plan to use a very large screen
(78X139). But does it have the blacks I am used
to? I doubt it based on the reviews I have seen.
Also, how is the low level luminance (ability
to make out detail in dimly lit scenes?) And how
does the projector do with strongly backlit scenes,
which sometime tend to have too little luminance
in foreground figures?
Also, what screen do you use, and its size?
Thanks again. Hope to hear back.
Frank
P.S. Do you have a clue as to the issue of
anamorphic lenses being used on front projectors?
I am familiar with these to expand compressed
images from film, but have no idea how they
relate to video.
Fyrman
http://www.projectorcentral.com/infocus_screenplay_4805.htm
"Contrast. The single most remarkable performance factor on the 4805 is
its contrast, black level and shadow detail which is more than ample to
produce that enthusiastic "WOW!" response that everyone wants from
their friends when showing off their new home theater. This unit is
rated at 2200:1. However the 4805 is noticeably higher in actual
contrast than other projectors rated in the 2000:1 range. We continue
to be amazed at how super high quality video that was available only in
products of $10,000 or more at the turn of the century is now within
easy reach of the average consumer. The image is beautiful at any
price, but at under $1500 it is an outstanding value."
They do recommend you stick with a little smaller screen than you are
planning to use:
"Ideal image size. Even though projectors such as the SP4805 can throw
quite large images, the combination of lower lumen output and low
resolution mean that the best image quality is achieved with a smaller
image size. We would encourage users to think in terms of a 90"
diagonal 16:9 screen size for optimum results. Though this is not as
large as many projectors can handle at peak efficiency, the beautiful
contrast, shadow detail, and color saturation you get with a 90" screen
is amazing. It looks essentially like a 90" plasma TV. Of course they
don't make plasmas that big, but if they did they would be many tens of
thousands of dollars. Yet the SP4805 delivers essentially the same
image quality for a mere $1500. Can you go larger than 90"? Of course
you can. But we are thoroughly impressed with the sparkling and
beautifully integrated image we get from this unit at 90"."
As for the anamorphic lens... can't help you there! ;-)