new projector, not much money!

[cw42]

I have just gone crazy over the last month! I am now the proud owner of pioneer's dv737 dvd player and Yamaha's dsp-ax1 amp. Now I am after a projector. My mate is in the trade, mainly fitting in pubs and clubs, and has given me options to buy:
1.SELECO SVT150 £650GBP (secondhand) with screen and installation.
2.SELECO SVP350 £1500GBP (secondhand) with screen and installation.
3.RCF 5001 £800GBP (secondhand) with screen and installation.
4.SANYO PL30 £2000 (new) with screen and installation.
5.DAVIS DLP CIMEMA 1 £1500 (new) with screen and installation.
Which do you think is the best projector bearing these points in mind:
my room is 15feet long, 10 feet wide and 9 feet high.
I would really like to be able to use the progressive scan on my dvd player.
The majority of my dvd discs are region 1.
I have to keep the 32 inch tau in the room for daily watching, it is the familey room, not dedicated.
I cannot really spend any more than £1500 on this part of my system, my wife WILL divorce me :-)
A big load of questions from a newbie, but that is why I joined this excellent forum, hope you can help,
cheers,
chris.

[Chris Frost]

Chris,
If you want to use progressive scan from the Pioneer then you have only one choice from your list - the PLV30.

The two Selecos won't work at all with progressive scan. I'm suprised that the Davis Cinema One is still available, I thought it had been discontinued ages ago. If it is the same machine that I'm thinking of then it has no compatibility with component progressive scan.

Looks like divorce I'm afraid


Regards

[cw42]

ok, so, without the progressive scan, and keeping my marriage intact, which do you suggest?
I would rather have a wife than progressive, after all, who would change a laserdisc over!

[tryingtimes]

This is a tough choice.
Out of the list that you've given I would choose the Sanyo PLV30.
If you can't stretch to the £2000 then the Davis Cinema One isn't a bad projector (although as Chris Frost mentioned it is an old model - originally around £4000)

Personally I wouldn't want the inconvenience of the crt projectors unless they were the best things around (which these models aren't)
If you can look elsewhere (or your mate can cut you a deal) you might want to look at the Seleco 400, 420 or 450 models. These will handle the Progressive component input and give you a better picture than any of the dlp/lcd models.
They are to be found fairly cheaply and regularly less than £1500

You might want to keep looking at the Sanyo PLV30 though. If you keep the screen size reasonable (5-5.5ft) the picture will make you very happy (and make use of your lovely dvd player!)

Good luck
Alex

[Chris Frost]

Ignoring the issues of progressive scan and projector size/set-up, I would rate the five projectors as follows:-

Joint 1st Sanyo PLV30/Seleco 350
3rd RCF5000
4th Davis Cinema One
5th Seleco SVT150

The PLV30 and SVP350 both produce so very pleasing home cinema images. The RCF isn't as bright as the 350, but it is virtually silent because it has no fans. The Davis is good with Pal 4:3 material, but IMO very poor with NTSC Anamorphic (every 4th line is missing causing quite serious jaggies). The SVT150 is just too old now to be seriously considered in the present company, the only justification would be price.

The 400/420/450 Selecos are good projectors, but I have to disagree with Alex regarding price:

Originally posted by tryingtimes
[BThey are to be found fairly cheaply and regularly less than £1500
Alex [/B]

Bargain CRT projectors are typically ex-Board Room units which have been replaced with LCD Data projectors. Big companies can write off the cost of these high performance units which means cheaper deals for home cinema users. By contrast, the Seleco projectors are designed for home use, not the office. They represent a big investment to a private customer and are unlikely to be sold off cheaply.

Regards

[cw42]

great advice, and thanks, I think on price I may be swaying over to the RCF. I am going to demo them over the weekend so will make my mind up then, and the RCF just went down £100 today, as the my mate quoted me the wrong figure at first.
Will keep you posted, but dont stop the opinions and advice, cheers,
chris.

[mike.hutch]

To save a bit of cash, why not go for the Eiki LC-VM1 from avsales.com, it's the same as the Sanyo PLV30 but only costs £1692.

I bought one.

It's good.