Sony VPL-HS2 / Best Buy < £1000

[clokemg]

Hi,
I'm after some advice.... I have had a Sony VPL-HS2 for about 2 1/2 years and use it as my main viewing system so it has had a LOT (3hrs+ a day) of use. Just had to send it to be repaired as it is showing 'blue watermarks' over the screen and been told that it is the "imaging unit" at fault and it will cost about £600 to get it replaced and fixed (I am guesing it wouldn't be worth it?)

Does this sound about right to people and would you expect the 'imaging unit' to pack up with the amount of use it has had?

If it has given up the ghost can anyone recommend a unit for < £1000 GBP.

Thanks for any help/advice anyone can give me.

Mark.

[broomthundle]

I have exactly same problem with my panasonic ptae700, with same £500+ price tag to repair. I also had 3+ hours per day useage, but in this case, the bulb still outlived the projector. Maybe the high daily useage is part cause ?

Having researched a replacement, the panasonic ptae900 is now available for less than £850. As I need an urgent replacment, I am going for this. Would loved to have waited another 6 months for a 1080p projector...

[clokemg]

Thanks for your reply. I'll take a look at your suggestion of the Panasonic. It sounds like I may have to splash out.

Mark.

[cyberheater]

To be honest. From the constant horror storys i've read around the longevity of LCD machines. My next machine is going to be a DLP. Is DLP out of the question for you?

[DaveHT]

Originally Posted by cyberheater

To be honest. From the constant horror storys i've read around the longevity of LCD machines. My next machine is going to be a DLP. Is DLP out of the question for you?

Yes, well, LCD does have this kind of problems. But there are also reports of LCD pj units that work ok for a lot of years and with a lot of hours. Also, there are reports of failing DLP's due to dust over the DLP chip or colorwheel, and failing colorwheel motors. But the bigger problem with projectors nowadays seems to be lamp life, which can be almost anything, from 300h or less to 3000h or more...

Things will get better as technology evolves. We now have SXRD/LCoS which should be on par with DLP on durability, and in the future we may have LEDs and/or lasers as a durable, cooler, instant-on light source. Until then, we'll just have to live with what we have now...

Cheers,
Dave.

PS - maybe you should change your sig?

[cyberheater]

Originally Posted by DaveHT

PS - maybe you should change your sig?

LOL. I know. But my last PJ (DLP) was DOA and now i'm projector less at the mo. Will update it when I finally have a working projector that stays working for more then a week.

[clokemg]

Originally Posted by cyberheater

To be honest. From the constant horror storys i've read around the longevity of LCD machines. My next machine is going to be a DLP. Is DLP out of the question for you?

Would I get one that you would recommend for less than £1000?

My current list ( I am still researching) I have found are ....

Panasonic PT-AE900
Optoma EP 739
Hitachi PJ-TX200

Would anyone recommend or advise against any of these?

My setup is that I use the machine a lot for normal home viewing through SKY+, TiVo, DVD and freeview. My previous projector was mounted on a shelf just above my head. It was a Sony VPL-HS2 and the noise and quality was just about bearable.

[cyberheater]

Originally Posted by clokemg

Would anyone recommend or advise against any of these?

If you can hold off for a while (month or less) then the new Optoma HD70 should be released. Should be around 800 quid or less.

[clokemg]

Sounds like it may be best to wait a few weeks to see the reviews. How quickly do reviews generally come out?

Slightly OT but my current project it located slightly off central on the horizontal. I used the menu options to make the necessary 'keystone?' adjustments, I assume that this projector would be able to do this aswell. I assume it is a standard facility on PJ's?