Can anyone suggest any stores in London that demo projectors and are open on Saturdays?

There are a couple down Tottenham Court Road but they really weren't interested in selling me a projector. One guy was especially rude when I asked about booking an appointment for a demo. I think that they've had too many people see demos and go and buy elsewhere!

[Marcus Wood]

PRC in Ilford sell them, and they will let you try the unit before you buy, e.g. to check for dead pixels. I'm not sure to what extent they do demonstrations if you're not neccessarily about to buy one, though. The guy to speak to there is called Mark.

Their prices are very low and I've bought a few items like VCRs and DVD players from them, but I think Nexnix in Sussex is probably a better bet for a projector.

[Gary Lightfoot]

I can reccommend Jeff Paynter of Horsham Hi-Fi - he's not a box shifter, and has a lot of projectors available for demo. He's been in the business a long time, and knows his stuff.

I saw a few pjs there recently (Sim2 HT200DMF, Infocus X1, Sharp Z90), and ended up buying the NEC HT1000.

If you want to demo and buy elsewhere, then I suggest you go elsewhere though. Jeff puts in a lot of time and effort (I was there over 5 hours), so I think he deserves your business if you take up his time.

http://www.projectorsareus.com

Only a trainride away to Horsham station.

Gary.

[perka]

Originally posted by Gary Lightfoot

I saw a few pjs there recently (Sim2 HT200DMF, Infocus X1, Sharp Z90), and ended up buying the NEC HT1000.

Gary.

Hi Gary,
I'm leaning towards the Z90 as I can get it for 2200euro.
How is the picture compared to the X1?
Your comment and others is very appreciated as I probably can't get it demoed before decision.
I have read that some people find the Z90 picture good but a bit "worried" in some situations.

regards,
Per

[Gary Lightfoot]

The Z90 looked better to me from what i remember, but looked a bit harsher than the HT1000 and Sim2 that I saw with it. I couldn't say of it was twice as good as the X1 though.

The Z90 also had a long throw lens IIRC too.

It was a while ago, so I can't say definitively how much better it was, so I'd still reccommend a demo - what do you mean by 'a bit worried'.?

Gary.

[perka]

Originally posted by Gary Lightfoot
what do you mean by 'a bit worried'.?

Gary.

The word is a bad translation from swedish to english.

Projectorcentral.com wrote this to describe what I mean:

"Perhaps the weakest aspect of the Z90's performance is in the area of resolution. This is a standard 4:3 format SVGA (800x600) machine. Accordingly there is some pixelation that is apparently at viewing distances of anything less that 2x the screen width. Pixelation is most readily apparent in text, subtitles, and credits. Furthermore, details tend to get lost or fuzzed to a degree that they do not on the better XGA resolution products in this same price range"

[Gary Lightfoot]

Ah, I see.

I can't say that I noticed that issue on either the Z90 or X1, and they're both 800 x 600, and really only a demo will tell you if the image is ok to you..

Have you seen a DLP before? Rainbows can be an issue, so to be sure that you're not one of the few that see them, you should try to see one in action.

The X1 has a slower colour wheel, so may be more prone to them, but may be a better bet as it's a cheaper machine. You won't have spent so much then...

What about selling it on if you bought either and didn't like it? Could you do that?

Gary.