All,

I am tempted to get a Sony HS1 (quoted £1,975) but noticed some older true 16:9 Sony 400's being sold 2nd hand, which are, surely, higher spec. than the baby HS1. Which sould I buy?

( I have a dedicated 4m x 4m room. Pitch black.. it's a cellar. Low ceiling height, thought, at about 6ft 4"! )

Thanks!

[bxd]

Jerome,

I'd be tempted by the 400, although you need to do your "homework" and investigate the bulb life and any problems with colour staining or with dud pixels. Have a look over on the 400 forums on thebigpicture.com and bring yourself up to speed with this unit. I'd also suggest that you buy a used one from a good dealer where you can get some support if you need it.

I hate to say it....but for £2K you'll probably get a pretty nippy reconditioned crt projector. That would be very nice in your cellar, but involves a bit more "effort" on your part.

Brian

Thanks, bxd.

I'll checkout the other site.

Great images & budget aside, whilst CRT's are fine if you live in an aircraft hangar, I need something less akin to bolting a VW Golf onto the ceiling!

Jerome

[mike.hutch]

HS1 can be had for a lot less than that, if you buy off the net (£1600) but then you sacrifice the service you get from a shop, and cannot see the actual unit before you buy, to check for dead pixels etc.

Don't forget the HS1 cannot be ceiling mounted.

[bxd]

Jerome,

I wasn't suggesting ceiling mounting. You could floor mount a crt in a "coffee table" type box and still get a good sized picture for your size of room.

Ideally with a projector, you should be sitting so that your eyes are (about) level with the centre of the screen. Often, ceiling mounting involves having the picture set relatively high up on the wall, with you sitting "below" the picture centre and having to look up at the screen. That's why all of the fancy theaters in the glossy american photos have banked (cinema style) seating.

Personally, I wouldn't want to buy something like a projector without seeing it first. That's where a good dealer comes in, although it does depend on how much the saving is and how much you value the saving or the relationship with the dealer.

brian.

BXD,

You make some good points - I have done some homework looking at various dealers (six in total, from Sevenoaks to people like Acoustic Arts in Watford), NONE of which can offer a demo of anything side by side except high-end CRTs (£12K+) the SIM2 and the Sony HT11 - all of which are too expensive, not to mention being over-kill in my small room.

Frustrating that the UK based online dealers don't set up a demo event in the way Gordon F seems to excell at, but looking at LCDs & DLPs etc in the £1.5K to £5K market. They have the things in stock, know how to set them up & there are numerous people like me wondering which unit suits their needs. It seems so obvious a marketing tactic. Hey ho.

Re positioning - luckily I have a small (3.5ft x 5ft) room / second cellar adjoining the main one, that is screaming to be filled with AV kit & a projector firing through the wall into the main room... when I moved in I had grand plans to fill it with wine racks. A few months of reading HCC & I see the error of my ways!! My new Rotel 1095 & 995DVD can have room of their own...big cheesy grin for me...

[bxd]

Jerome,

"A projectors for life..not just for Christmas"

Just like a new puppy, you have to live with your expensive purchase after the initial "thrill" of that massive picture has worn off. That's where a good relationship with a dealer comes in. Unfortunately, the dealers on the net are in the business of shifting boxes and setting up things like demo events would cut into their operating costs and raise their prices (or reduce their profits).

I wouldn't want to push you down the route to a crt projector....I was just opening up the possibility for you to consider. Re-conditioned crt projectors are more difficult to come across in your local dealer but people like Roland are worth talking to.

Companies that supply re-conditioned crt units tend to be small and specialised. Chances are that you'll get great advice, a demo, and long lasting relationship for technical support, repairs and upgrades.

If you want to stick with the 2nd hand Sony 400 (which seems like a good deal to me) then talk to some of the UK guys on "thebigpicture" for some buying advice. You might even find someone, who knows these projectors, to come along with you to have a look at it.

brian.