AE100 upgrade to ScreenPlay 5700

D

Dodgey

Guest
Well, I've had my AE100 for a year and a half now. I went and demo'ed the Screenplay 5700 dlp the other day and was suitable impressed, although their screen was a fair bit smaller. I'm going to borrow it from Saturday through Tuesday to compare side by side. The first impression was how good the sense of depth/3D was. Shocking difference.

I checked for the rainbow effect in the shop and could only get it if I looked at the PJ itself and then back at the screen. Or only if I purposefully looked away from the screen and then back again very quickly. In otherwords, not an issue.

Watch this space if you are considering going from budget LCD to "budget" DLP - I'll post my full findings on Sunday (maybe Saturday night)....
 
moving from a £1000 LCD machine to a £3000 DLP machine?

I think I can guess that the Screenplay 5700 will certainly be an improvement!
 
Always liked Infocus, when my AE100 (in second system) bulb explodes I may well investigate some DLP models but probably not for at least another year.
 
OK, here goes, in my somewhat ramblimg style. I'll write it as I "thought it".

Plugged in 5700 and fired it up - Quiet, quite a bit more than the Panny
Played a few comparison scenes, switching from one PJ to the other. I have to admit, at first I was not blown away. Quick comparisons revealed some differences, but nothing I could immediately put my finger on (goes to show how good value the Panny is). The problem, I realised later, is I was comparing things like background detail ("could I read a number plate that I could not on the Panny") - There is only so much info on a DVD (lines?).

Anyhow, later in the day me and my g/f watched a whole film on it (Thin Red Line).

WOW! It took a few minutes to realise, but:
a) the whole picture was silky smooth and clear - No lcd structure visible at all.
b) Blacks are near-black, and shadow detail is now there.
c) Detail - when you look people's hair you can see more detail (an example).
d) 3D!! MUCH more 3D and film like. Much more involving.
e) Colour - very natural and "alive"

We watched another film the next day, back on the Panny, and to be honest, i had trouble enjoying it. I just noticed the flatness of it and all the structure of the picture, plus edging on people's faces. Plus the greys (should be blacks).

To sum it up - when watching Thin Red Line my g/f commented that you almost felt as if you were in the tall grass with the soldiers. It seemed that real.

I'd say comparing the 100 to the 5700 is like going from 800x600 to 1280x1024 in a computer game. It does not gob smack you straight away, but as you watch is becomes apparent. You'd never go back.

The picture on the 5700 is very - plasma like, very clear and solid. Very much like the cinema.

SO - if you have a PJ like the Panny 100 and are thinking of upgrading I'd say: If you have the spare cash - go take a look - you will enter a new world of enjoyment. If you don't have the cash, or would rather not spend it, don't look, and you'll be happy as you are at the moment.

Most impressed. Will buy one next week :)

p.s. got the rainbox effect, but only if I tried to. Also, I can hear the whine of the colour wheel, but it is altogether more quiet than the panny
 
Glad you enjoy it, I would have been very surprised if you hadn't noticed a difference though.
You went from 500:1 contrast ratio to 1400:1, and a much improved resolution.
Are you going in via a PC or component?
I opted for the AE500 from my AE100, with similar resolution and contrast ratio to the 5700 but without the Rainbows, which I suffer from...even in expensive units. So I had to go for LCD.
Like you I was blown away by the upgrade.
Lets just hope we don't get into the "Upgrade every few years" game...my wife would spontaneously combust :D

Enjoy your films

Chris
 

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