First Projector help - native resolution whats it all mean

stevecuns

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Hi guys,

im wanting to get a buget projector to connect upto my PS3 for watching downloaded films mainly but also gaming and the odd Bluray. My question is what does it mean when the projector spec says ie native resolution 640 x 480? is native resolution important?

what i mean is will a projector with native 640 x 480 look good when playing a 1080p bluray? or a 720p ps3 game? or a SD downloaded film?

i have been looking at a projector currently on ebay....

LED Projector HD + FREE HDMI Cable+USB/SD INTERFACE on eBay (end time 10-Dec-10 15:31:11 GMT)

do you think this will suit me.

any advice much appreciated.

regards

Steve....

ps should i get a full HD projector or will a HD Ready projector suit my needs (ans pocket) better....... :cool:
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Native resolution means no matter what res you put in (that it is capable of receiving) it will downscale it to it's native resolution.

In your case that is 1080p going in but 640 x 480 (this is standard definition) displayed on the screen.It will look crap so you need look for at least a 720p projector (native 1280 x 720).

Better still a full hd 1080p projector (1920 x 1080) if you want to get the best from bluray.

720p projectors are available for around £500 and 1080p from £750-£1000 will get you new pj's.

Used 720p around £250-£350, 1080p's around £550-£650 available on the classifieds on the forum.
 
thanks for the quick responce,

thanks for that, that must be why that projector i am looking at is so cheap? would be great for standard deffinition but anything more, ie ps3 games or bluray then not so good picture.

regards

steve....

also am going to check out the link that kbfern posted.

any extra advice that might help me very much appreciarted, its a bit confusing at the moment...... :cool:
 
Have been looking at a few 720 projectors and they dont seem to have a HDMI input? am i right in thinking you can only use HDMI on a full 1080 projector?

so to connect a ps3 to a 720 projector you would just use the standard ps3 av connector? would this give you a 720p output? or would i need to use the DVI connector? i know this only carries video signal?

cheers

Steve
 
If the projector has a DVI input, you might be able to get a HDMI to DVI cable to work using a PS3. However there was another thread about this and the owner was having trouble getting a picture from the PS3 even with a DVI to HDMI cable.

If you stick with the one in the link KB gave you I think this should already have the correct HDMI (with the all important HDCP protocol) so no connection issues.
 
Hi guys,

just to let you know i have just bought a NEC VT58 pj. I am really looking forward to trying out my netbook / ps3 / xbox360 on it. will let you know how it looks. I got the pj for 110 pounds off ebay, was that a good price?

regards

Steve.....
 
It's nice and cheap but you won't get HD or anything close, sorry!
 
You'd be far better listening to the advice given and getting at least a 720p and ideally a 1080p projector if you're planning on gaming and film watching. The one you've bought is only suitable really for presentations/slideshows etc. It will display a picture, but it'll look crap.
 
Am I missing something? The spec for nec vt58 says native 1280x720. Support 720p plus 1080i. Have I made a boo boo?

Cheers

Steve...
 
Just googled this page which states the specifications as 1024 x 768 which isn't even widescreen. It's the old fashoined 4:3 which means you'll lose half the pixels if you watch a 2.35:1 BluRay (as many are), even a 16:9 film will waste nearly 200 pixels from your 768 height. If you can return it, I would as it's a business type projector (bright, but likely to suffer poor contrast and not good with motion).

As posted above, look at some of the 'proper' AV projector model suggested.

What you've been taken in by is that this projector can accept a 720p or 1080i input (I haven't downloaded the manual, so even this is subject to confirmation).

Sorry to be giving this bad news. If you are bidding on another model, why not post on here before clicking the 'buy now' button? Or better yet, have a look in the classifieds on here as you'll get something for similar money that will give you a much better 'cinema' picture.

NEC VT58 projector
 
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If it actually said 'native res 720p' in the sale listing i wouldnt pay as it was misadvertised

But in future you'd be better off asking here before buying anything, the classifieds here a great place to look for av equipment in general
 
Cheers for the advice, here is a link to the pj I just bought.

NEC VT58 LCD XGA HD Ready Projector on eBay (end time 21-Nov-10 22:07:21 GMT)

I was looking for a cheap entry model to see what size picture etc i could get in my front room. I will be mainly watching downloaded SD films on my xbox360 or PS3. I will also play the odd game nd bluray + watch footie on xbox360 skyplayer.

I thought i should be looking at a pj with at least native 1024 x 768 (720p??)

i have payed for the pj so will have to see what it is like and if its no good will prob try and sell it on and start again.

What should i look out for in the future, bare in mind this is my first pj and do not have that much money to spend.

regards,

Steve.....
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Going for a cheap entry model like that is no harm but the size of image varies hugely between projectors so when looking you should look at the throw ratio, it changes between every projector.

1024x768 is 4:3, so a square picture, you want a native of at least 16:9 1280x720(720p).

Make sure it accepts hdmi and isn't a cheap import ripoff. Try and go for one with warranty and a lot of remaining bulb hours when looking, especially if second hand.

Models to look out for are optoma hd65, the hd66, hd600x, hd700x, all the 720p optoma's are pretty great value for money. Sanyo Z5. They're just a few off the top of my head, there will be many more out there.

Go through the projector classifieds here and take a look around for 720p models to get an idea for models in your price range, the sellers will be more than happy to answer any questions you have, they'll generally have a better knowledge of the gear than people on ebay as well
 
You should look for a projector with a native resolution of at least 1280 x 720 which is widescreen. It's unlikely you'll find a cheap enough 'full HD' projector, but that would be 1920 x 1080 native resolution.

Although the one you got is 768 high, you will lose a chunk of that because it is 4:3 like the old 'square' TVs. When you watch widescreen content (ie 16:9 or rather 1.78:1 film) you'll lose the top and bottom to black bars so you're throwing away about 200 pixels. Plus you're only 1078 wide rather than 1280, so you've got 200 'rows' of pixels less widthways which all adds up. So for a 16:9 film/TV show you'll be viewing 1078 x 570 or so instead of 1280 x 720. If you watch a 'scope' type film that is 2.40:1 ratio, then you'll only have about 1078 x 450 pixels showing the picture so almost half the screen will be used to 'produce' bloack bars...

TBH for £110 it'll probably do as a starter, but it's unlikely to give a very satisfying picture once you get over the wow factor due to the large size.
 
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Thanks again guys, your info means a lot to me. I think i understand a bit better now. I will probably just set the pj up on a shelve to get a rough idea of the screen size in my front room (pj apx 4m from wall) then i will test it with various inputs, ie netbook, skyplayer, dvd, bluray etc, then when i see how much picture i am missing i will probably scratch my head and think why did i do that without fully understanding what i was buying.

i supose 110 quid is not too bad, maybe i could sell it on as a buisiness pj here on AVForums, then look at getting atleast a native 16:9 720p as suggested above.

for compleatness i will put up some pics of my tests once i get it setup.

thanks again guys............ :cool:
 
Steve you should of took your time in buying, you should have got yourself a 720p native resolution projector for your xbox360 or ps3, even if you couldn't afford a full hd projector. And any good 720p projector should come with hdmi input.

When you try and watch a hd image on your projector you will see a slight banding running through the image as the projector interpolates the image to fit its 1024x768 resolution.
Also look for a good contrast ratio, most now have a 3000:1 ration whereas yours is 600:1

Don't get me wrong you will still get hours off enjoyment out of your projector but you wont get the best image out of your hd source.
 
NEC VT58G

The pj finally arrived today (very bad with the snow). i have give it a quick test with my laptop & ps3.

I bought a HDMI to VGA lead thinking i could connect my ps3 to the pj using the "computer in" Input on the pj. ie to get 720p from ps3. I carnt get it to work though? pj says no input?

ps3 works fine connected with the standard ps3 av lead (576i) any ideas? i try changing ps3 display settings to hdmi but screen goes black and then reverts to standard av.

cheers

Steve.....
 
The HDMI to VGA cable you got will only work for analogue video signals. In fact I didn't think you could get such a lead, so is it DVI to VGA (perhaps with a DVI to HDMI adaptor as well?). :confused: Even if I'm wrong on this score it could be that the projector has limited VGA resolutions it would work at, so you could be unlucky if you're trying to input 720/50p for example, though I would expect 720/60p to work.

Have you got a computer monitor or TV with a VGA input to confirm that the cable/combination does actually work?

Should have sent it back and got a proper cinema projector IMHO. ;)
 
Thanks for the info, here is the cable i bought. 3M HDMI Male to SVGA VGA M Converter A/V Cable Lead 3 M on eBay (end time 03-Jan-11 09:38:11 GMT)

I thought id have a go at connecting it up before calling it a day.

Also I did take your very useful advice and am currently waiting for my second attempt projector to arrive. link is here Sanyo PLV-Z5 LCD Projector on eBay (end time 04-Dec-10 20:36:06 GMT)

I have looked into this projector on the internet and it seems to have everything i require.... I am just hoping that the slight green tint is not too bad. Do you think a new bulb would fix this?

Regarding the NEC pj, i will get christmas over and maybe try and sell it on.

Regards

Steve.........
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
See the important note in the cable:

Important Note: If you are going to buy this cable to connect your computer to HDMI TV you will need a converter which convert and this is just cable which does not include converter. Please check our ebay shop and Click on HDMI DVI category from the left hand menu.

Therefore I don't think you're going to have much joy with this cable without the 'convertor', which may cost as much as the projector...who knows.

The greenish blob in the centre of the picture on the Z5 is most unlikely to be cured by changing the bulb: It will only make the picture brighter IMHO. This fault could indicate that the projector has a burnt polariser (search for it if you like as it's quite common), which would cost more than it's worth to fix unless you can DIY and can obtain the part.

If you find something else, post a link and I'll have a look, but please don't be put off if there is a bit of chaff to sort through. ;)
 
NEC VT58G

The pj finally arrived today (very bad with the snow). i have give it a quick test with my laptop & ps3.

I bought a HDMI to VGA lead thinking i could connect my ps3 to the pj using the "computer in" Input on the pj. ie to get 720p from ps3. I carnt get it to work though? pj says no input?

Its not as simple as just a lead, the signals arent the same, it needs a transcoder, the most used one is probably the hdfury

HDfury 1080P HDMI to VGA Converter Transcoder: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

But for that cost you might as well flog that projector and put the cash towards a better one, no point in sinking lots of cash into it, no idea if a cheaper version of the hdfury is on ebay or if its as decent, you'd have to look into that
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
Silly me........

Hopefully the pj will come this week, i will have to see how bad the green blob is, hopefully it wont be too noticable when watching movies. I will try and get some pics on here. I downloaded the manual and looks like there are loads of different settings so i will probably be back on here asking for some setup advice in the very near future ........

cheers

Steve...
 
Ste on the back of the ps3 it has a socket called a/v input out, i think you need to get a cable that fits that socket on the ps3 with a vga plug on the other end to make it work with your current projector. And then change the settings out on your ps3, i always think those hdmi to other adapters are always fickle things as hdcp always interferes with it.
 
Hi guys,

have just got the sanyo plv-z5 setup. have ps3 & xbox360 connected using HDMI with optical going to my surround sound. first impressions are good, there is a bit of a yellowy green splodge in the middle of the pic but it doesnt really show up when watching a film or using skyplayer. What i would like to know is does anybody have a good setup guide? there are lots of options and i am not sure what to set them to, i will be mainly watching films if that helps.

Also the lamp replace light is yellow so think it should be replaced soon? or is it not worth it considering the splodge issue.

thanks in advance & merry christmas to all......

Steve......
 

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