[Kronenbourg]

Right - the Mrs has given in to me getting a projector. Main use will be watching DVD's and playing the Xbox360 (both via that machine connected via VGA cable), will probably also want to plug the sky box in as well. The room wont really be very well light controlled - has 3 windows and its the living room (and no chance of having black out blinds put up), although I would have the screen coming down in front of the main window and hopefully blocking most of that off.

I have seen the Hitachi for sale at Richer Sounds for £800 inc free screen. Have seen the Panasonic for not a lot more and they both seem very similar in feature sets. Just not quite sure which one to go for - anyone have any particularly strong arguements for one over the other?

[Kronenbourg]

Well - have managed to reserve the Hitachi at £749 to be picked up tomorrow - hope its good Now I just need to get the wife to agree to a ceiling mounted screen rather than a tripod based one.

[Donnacha]

I have the hitachi and its very good, so you'll be happy with it. However the Panny I believe is brighter according to reports which may have been more suited to your non-light controlled room!

Too late now I suppose!! Still you won't regret your purchase and wait til you see high def material ....!!!!

[BISHI]

Can I recommend the Monster cables HD component cable for the 360, the increase in picture quality is amazing and well worth the £50 price tag.
Also have you considered a 'pull up' screen that sits in a box on the floor under the window. I am in a similar position to you but the wife is making Roman blinds with a blackout lining ,( at the fraction of the cost of ready made curtains or blinds) , as I understand the hitachi needs a dark room for operation.

[Kronenbourg]

Originally Posted by Donnacha

I have the hitachi and its very good, so you'll be happy with it. However the Panny I believe is brighter according to reports which may have been more suited to your non-light controlled room!

Too late now I suppose!! Still you won't regret your purchase and wait til you see high def material ....!!!!

Its not been paid for - just put aside so if there really is that much of a difference then its not too late.

The Hitachi's price at over £100 less is definately a draw though as that will cover the cost of a screen, but obviously would rather not get the 'wrong' projector for the sake of saving £100. Is the panasonic really that much better in non-light controlled rooms?

[BISHI]

Buy it from Richer sounds and they'll give you a free screen. Even better value!

[Kronenbourg]

Originally Posted by BISHI

Buy it from Richer sounds and they'll give you a free screen. Even better value!

Actually thats from Richer Sounds, none near me has any stock, thats the last one I can find but they dont have the screen for it so offered me £50 off.

[Donnacha]

Originally Posted by Kronenbourg

Its not been paid for - just put aside so if there really is that much of a difference then its not too late.

The Hitachi's price at over £100 less is definately a draw though as that will cover the cost of a screen, but obviously would rather not get the 'wrong' projector for the sake of saving £100. Is the panasonic really that much better in non-light controlled rooms?

It might be worth trying to canvas an opinion from a panny user. As I said, the hitachi is great for me, but its a dark room and in order to get nice blacks I lower the Iris level thus reducing the light output - which is ok for my set-up.

I don't know how different the really are performance wise, but both I think features wise and connections etc are on par - brightness may be the real difference. Try asking one of the retailers that advertise on here (like Roy Jowetts), they'll give you an opinion based on your needs.

However the Hitachi is a cracker, its quiet and it looks great!!

[stuartbrown21]

Hi there

I have the Panny and find that the brightness is a big plus factor. Even in the dark I use it on high power mode as i just find the picture a lot more pleasing and punchy.

I quite often watch the footy etc with dim light in the room and the picture remains extremely strong and watchable.

Not seen the Hitachi to do a direct comparison but I honestly think I'd be loathe to swap the Panny, even for a more expensive full HD model, if it meant having less lumens to play with.

[Desmond]

I also have the panny and the fact that you can enjoy the picture when the room isnt that dark is a massive plus for me as my cinema room doubles up as my living room. I run mine in eco mode and it is fine.