I'm Still Happy With My PJ!

[gunark]

To make a change from the many upgrade type threads I just want to say I still love my XV-Z3000! I nearly sold it a while ago but only due to finances not upgrading but thankfully didn't and the more I watch films on it the more I love it. The image processing and DLP reproduction still look beautiful and film-like, especially with some modern films. From the stunning cinematography of "The Assasination of Jesse James..." to the all out colour assault of "Speed Racer", the XV still blows me away with it's rich colour and inky blackness.

It irks me that people won't by 720p TVs above 37", claiming the need 1080p (even though most don't have 1080p or 720p even sources) when I have 720p on a 110" image an it blows away any 1080p TV I have ever seen.

It's still the best thing I have ever bought and 800hrs on it gives me goosebumps watching films on such a grand scale! I've not even considered a 1080p PJ as many have said the top end of the 720p's will effortlessly outshine the budget 1080p's with a plusher image. I'd need a 1080p that would be the equivalent in the 1080p world as the XV is in the 720p and I'm not in a position to afford (or even want) that yet.

One happy owner!

[Lizard]

Rather agree with you on this one , my HD73 is still going strong and having recently having to had dusted out my old PTAE700 whilst it was in for repair, i'm loving it all the more now. I would love to get a 1080p PJ, but due to the high costs and happyness with my current setup, i'm in no hurry.

[kbfern]

Agreed, 1080p unless viewed on a huge screen close up is probably not going to show much of an improvement over a good 720p image.

Distance is everything,if you have a 10ft wide screen and view from 8-10 ft sure you will see a difference.But if you have a 7-8ft wide screen and view from 12ft I doubt if you would see a sharper more detailed image.

I recently traded up to 720p from my ancient Sanyo Z1 and find the difference huge but don't see 1080p as being so much of an upgrade from 720p.

[ijd]

well i have a w100 that i push 720p through and it looks superb, when people come round they actually watch the films instead of talking over them, the pure wow factor of the large screen

[gunark]

Originally Posted by kbfern

Agreed, 1080p unless viewed on a huge screen close up is probably not going to show much of an improvement over a good 720p image.

Distance is everything,if you have a 10ft wide screen and view from 8-10 ft sure you will see a difference.But if you have a 7-8ft wide screen and view from 12ft I doubt if you would see a sharper more detailed image.

I recently traded up to 720p from my ancient Sanyo Z1 and find the difference huge but don't see 1080p as being so much of an upgrade from 720p.

TBH I really only notice it on subs and titles - text basically, probably due to the sharp edges emphasising the pixels. But to agree with another poster it's also due to a competent image on a large scale being impressive in the first place.

I tend to find if I see imperfections it's a sign that the film isn't that good and I've become distractable (?!).

[nwgarratt]

Originally Posted by ijd

well i have a w100 that i push 720p through and it looks superb, when people come round they actually watch the films instead of talking over them, the pure wow factor of the large screen

I agree with the W100 but I found the HD700 to be even better. I miss the W100 but I won't go back.

[cyberheater]

I'm still very happy with my Sharp XV-Z3000. It still beats most DLP/LCD projectors in terms of black level and contrast and I've got a Sony Bravia 1080P TV and don't notice the drop of resolution when I switch to my 720p projector.

The only annoying thing is the noise which I find a tad annoying sometimes but apart from that it's wonderful.

[Pecker]

My set up is also a HD73 720p (see sig).

If I bought 1080p I'm sure there might be more detail...but I never sit there thinking "This ptcture is a bit soft and lacking in detail".

I'm hoping that my next PJ will be an LED with no RBE (we live in hope of the system realising its promise), but I wouldn't pay a penny to swap mine for one that was the same as mine except that it was 1080p.

Steve W

[gunark]

Originally Posted by cyberheater

The only annoying thing is the noise which I find a tad annoying sometimes but apart from that it's wonderful.

Yeah, especially right above my head! It's one of them things though, more obvious on some films than others. Maybe build a box one day or something but it does make me less concerned about the level of any HTPC I build not being totally silent I guess.

[Towy]

Believe it or not I'm still happy with my ancient HS60- don't know if that makes me easily pleased or not

[Gruntfuttock]

Sharp XV-Z90E, was gonna trade it in when bulb went but managed to get a replacement from Smartimports for £150, cheapest here being £340. Its great, survived being knocked off a table by my son, running to 2600 hrs on first bulb.
I had a demo on a 1080p pj, can't remember which make but it didn't look much better or really that different, certainly didn't warrant the 2.5k upgrade!
Do fancy an Onkyo 875 though.............

[nwgarratt]

Originally Posted by gunark

Yeah, especially right above my head! It's one of them things though, more obvious on some films than others. Maybe build a box one day or something but it does make me less concerned about the level of any HTPC I build not being totally silent I guess.

I have never heard a PJ during a film and only when the fan goes on when turning off.

I very doubt I upgrade to 1080p now. I was going to skip 720p and go straight from 480p to 1080p when DLP 1080p was around £500. However, I still watch a lot of DVD's despite having HD and I am not impressed with DVD at 1080p when at 80" size. Perhaps future PJ's will be better.

[Ken42]

nwgarratt: I bought my Benq W100 mainly on the basis of what you said about it and the pictures you posted I have been delighted with it. Many thanks for the input.

Is your HD 700X more or less noisey than the W100? My wife and I sit about two to three feet away from the projector which is level with our ears.

I've been thinking of upgrading to 1080p after buying a 1080p TV and seeing the picture improvement on it from the same SD sources. However, your comments have changed my mind.

[nwgarratt]

Originally Posted by Ken42

nwgarratt: I bought my Benq W100 mainly on the basis of what you said about it and the pictures you posted I have been delighted with it. Many thanks for the input.

Is your HD 700X more or less noisey than the W100? My wife and I sit about two to three feet away from the projector which is level with our ears.

I've been thinking of upgrading to 1080p after buying a 1080p TV and seeing the picture improvement on it from the same SD sources. However, your comments have changed my mind.

I don't find it anymore noisy. I sit next to it and it is just above my head.

It is only more noisy when the fan comes on. The W100 took 30-40 seconds to cool down. The HD700 takes just 10 seconds and the fan is louder as it sounds like it spinning faster.

[stuartbrown21]

It is nice when technology catches up with itself and suddenly becomes 'good enough'.

I have an AX100 and am still really happy with it. I can't pretend that I haven't read the reports of the latest 1080p models from Panasonic & Epson and drooled a little, but in truth I'm happy with the detail from my AX100. Blacks & contrast 'could be better' but are way beyond the point where I would find them distracting, and as a bonus this model is supposed to resolve shadow detail better than many more expensive pj's, and can display 1080/24p signals at a multiple of 24, so no judder.

In terms of upgrading I not only don't have the cash, but I'm not really sure what I'd go for as I can't do DLP as I'm rainbow sensitive. Recent LCD developments have been really impressive, but I worry about dust blobs. Being basically happy with what I have is a cool feeling as I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress over the next few years with LED DLPs and other exciting developments, and hopefully prices will drop considerably also!!