First projector (considering X1)

jimbobuk

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Hi folks,

I've been debating on buying myself a laptop in the next few months but i've since read a review of the Infocus X1 and am now hooked at the potential of getting a projector setup in my room...

I've been looking around this forum, web reviews and the manufacturers site.. I still think the the X1 is possibly the projector for me.. I like the idea of DLP over LCD, tho admit that i've only seen really poor lecture projecters back in the mid 90s whilst at uni...

The key thing seems to be seeing pixels and black issues (LCD), or rainbows and headaches (DLP) .. I've never seen a DLP projector so this is my first port of call...

I've found a few sites selling the X1...

http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk/infocus_X1.htm
http://www.projectorsuk.co.uk/InFocus_X1.htm

I figure these are a similar company as their two webpages look similar.. there screens and other accessories for example.. I've priced up an X1 with screen and ceiling holder to about £1500 total... this really appeals but its obviously using their screens.. I assume they're not as good as the branded ones available elsewhere...

The 5 year warranty thing appeals though, though i've seen it cheaper from a site recommened in a post in this forum

http://www.av-sales.co.uk/projectors/html/infocus_x1_projector.html

Problems with dead pixels.. (or is it broken mirrors) infocus are apparently good at honouring this... with the BIG probs of rainbows and headaches associated with DLP i'll definately be making sure that I can return anything i order from somewhere.. Ideally i'd like to find a local supplier that i could buy it from so i could see it first... I'm in the NOttingham, derby area so if anyone knows of such a place i'd be grateful for the help...

The american comments on the projecter seem to vary... a lot of talk is on HDTV compatability which i guess is not an issue over here :) there is some talk of cropping problems.. i though the 800x600 resolution was bigger than DVDs standard res...

Another question.. what is HTPC??! just a PC driving the DVD !?? i'm planning to have this as one of my options as i'm a big headphone junkie and love dolby headphone with movies.. through my Sennheiser HD600s its very close to having all the speakers and of course i'm not bothering anyone else..

The Sanyo Z1 has been compared to it.. a lot of posts on here have been on a panasonic model too.. i assume these are both LCD models!?? if i see DLP and can't cope with the rainbows headache then i'll go LCD and look into them i guess...

Help is really needed :) taking £1500 as my total budget for screen, bracket and projector what are my other options... does anyone on here own an X1.. anyone in the Notts area ;)

In my room i'd have a throw distance of about 11 feet.. according to the X1 website thats going to get me screen sizes of about

4:3 16:9
11 feet (3.35m) projector distance min max min max
diag 184.62cm 221.745cm 169.650cm 203.762cm
height 110.773cm 133.047cm 83.173cm 99.896cm
width 147.698cm 177.396cm 147.863cm 177.594cm

^ sorry if that didn't come out... this is about right to nicely fill the end of my room..

I'm really excited about the big screen potential...

noise is an issue.. i'm an avid PC silencer... the 37db of the X1 doesn't excite too much but i'm prepared to let it lie.. i assume most projectors are loud enough... my PC is at about 25db which is nice... as i said i plan to use headphones a lot.. as such i could use my isolating cans though would prefer the superior HD600s tho they are open and let anything in..

Enough for now i think... please help me guys :) am i heading for a big mistake or does it seem about right!?!?

To think i was thinking of going plasma screen... i've yet to see one of those with a picture that impresses.. must try to keep a cool head tho.. its a lot of money :)
 
Just a quick reply as I have to go out - you can make your own ceiling mount and screen for under £40 all in, and they will do the trick. (pics on my website)

A higher gain screen may be better, but just to get you going, the diy wooden frame and blackout cloth is a good start until you know your way around the pj, and know a bit more of what you want to get out of it.

Oh, and DVD res of 720 x 576 is anamorphic, letterbox or 4:3.

A pukka widescreen image derived from an anamorphic DVD should be 1024 x 576 for PAL, but will be converted to 800 x 450 on the X1.

The internal scaler of the X1 is pretty good, so a pc will only be marginly better. You have to decide between flexibility and convenience.

HTH

Gary.
 
Thanks for the reply.. for some reason i couldn't get to this site all of yesterday... prolly my router... :/

Anyways i've phoned around a few companies yesterday.. no one local has any projectors in my range apart from a sony HS1 ... the supplier for the X1 talked about it rather negatively saying lots of people are having problems seeing rainbows with it... as such they only sell to people who have seen it and are certain it wont be a problem... which excludes me :/

After a lot of looking i figure that the Sanyo Z1 is the equivelant LCD projector, and so now i'm looking at this...

Thanks for the brief explanations on resolutions... the Z1 complicates it even more for me :/ its criticised for normal tv viewing compared to the X1.. either the composite input or its scaling is a bit soft... I'm worried that the native resolution of the Z1 is going to require scaling with everything but a HTPC operating at its native resolution... I've seen LCD monitors when not in their native resoultion... not too good.. i assume its a bit better than this but I am worried...

THanks for the cheap mount and screen suggestions... I'll look into it, but i need to have a retractable screen so that my room hides the fact that its got a screen when not in use...

The throw distance ratios of the Z1 are starting to crunch me too... its supposed to blatantly suffer from screendoor... only if you can get about 1.8x of the screenwidth away from the screen or more does the screendoor become not a problem... with the throw ratio of the projector tho.. at most about 1.5-1.6 you basically HAVE to have the Z1 in front of you where you sit.. for me having it directly above slightly behind will make it less obtrusive...

ANyways my plan is to go and look at the Sony H1 (discontinued now!??!) and maybe the H2 ... finally i'll take a glance at a DLP projector in the Optima H50.... way out of my budget but i can look for rainbows and compare it with the Sony H1 .... I am not going to rush into this if i can, but i am excited to get a big picture... Any help would be appreciated :)

Jim
 
Unfortunately. all pjs have their good and bad points, so you really do need to see them in action so that you can decide if the 'issues' are genuine issues for you or not - rainbows and screendoor are just two deal breakers for each technology.

You seem quite well versed on the subject, so have obviously done your research. The H50 is a similar machine to the X1, but may have a faster colour wheel, so may not necessarily give you a definitive answer to the rainbow issue. It's a start though.

The Z1 is a quarter the resolution of High Def tv which isn't over here yet, but needs to scale both PAL and NTSC resolutions to fit.

Have you been over to www.avsforum.com yet? That's a similar, but biger forum to this one, but with a greater user base, so may have more answers to your questions..

Gary.
 
yes... thats where my "research" has took place on these forums and pages found by google.... basically this "get a projector" thing came to me properly late friday night and i read then till 4am.... a lot of yesterday and a good chunk of today....

I've gone from X1 to Z1, and am now considering the panasonic 300u just because i think it may be the perfect projector for me.. I may start posting on that other forum too but was hoping for better PAL/UK answers over here :)

Thanks
 

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