First projector - which Epson Part II

[HTnovice]

Hi guys,

I'm back again already. I had a demo of the XGA unit that I mentioned in my previous thread, and you were right, it's way too loud at 39dB for Home Theatre use. So I was simply going to buy the Epson Home 10, until I realised that it's actually a lower resolution than the cheaper Epson S1, at 854 x 480 compared to the S1's 800 x 600. So here are my options now - please remember I'm in Australia, so all DVDs and games are in PAL format:

Option 1
Epson S1
800 x 600
AU$1400

Option 2
Epson Home 10 (known here as the TW100)
854 x 480
AU$1850

Here's the conditions I'll be using the projector in:
installed in my lounge room, and used mainly at night time. Distance from the shelf to the wall I'll be projecting to is around 3.5 metres, with the couch approximately 3 metres from the wall. Used only for Xbox games and DVD (played via Xbox).

I've heard the TW 10 is an excellent projector, but the projectorcentral review points out that it's excellent for NTSC - nothing at all about PAL. I'd rather go with widescreen if possible, but part of me is saying I should go for the cheaper, higher res projector. Damn this is confusing!


Any advice would be much appreciated - thanks guys.

 

[HTnovice]

bump

 

[xxalxx]

TW10 is native widescreen and has a higher contrast ratio...so should be much better for video. Also got a excellent review on projectorcentral.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/epson_home_10.htm

 

[Pete Delaney]

Epson are reportedly bringing out 2 new home cinema projectors in March. This may affect the prices of their current machines and the new models may have better home cinema specs, either way it may be worth waiting a month or so

 

[HTnovice]

Yep, I know all about the new projectors, but they're gonna cost a pretty penny. And I can't wait that long for the projector =P

So is the consensus that I should go for the Home 10 theatre, even though it's of a lower overall resolution than the S1? I guess coming from a PC background has made me obsessed with resolution...

 

[xxalxx]

If you used the S1 for widescreen video it would only be using a res of 800x450 for a 16:9 image anyway, so it would actually be a lower res then the TW10.

(S1) 800x450 vs (TW10) 858x484

Cant you get cheap sanzo plv-z1's in Oz ?

You can get a Z1 in the UK for £748.48 (AU$1,792.95 according
to XE.com)

Sanyo PLV-Z1
Native Wide Aspect Ratio
Video (964*544)
700 ANSI lumens
Horizontal & Vertical lens shift
Theatre black mode
800:1 Contrast Ratio
PAL Progressive Compatible

 

[HTnovice]

Unfortunately not - I can only get discounted prices on Epson projectors.

Thanks for clearing up that res question xxalxx - didn't realise how much resolution dropped on the S1 when switching to 16:9.

 

[xxalxx]

np, common thing the res question. On a 4:3 panel it letterboxes the 16:9 image onto the panel to produce a widescreen output, hence the lower vertical res, so a true 16:9 panel uses more pixels to display the image.

• 
  ( S1 ) 800x450 = 360,000 pixels used of a 480,000 pixel panel.
  (TW10) 858x484 = 415,272 pixels used of a 415,272 pixel panel.

 

[AMc]

Can't help you with your question from experience but this review is very complimentary about the TW10 giving it a best buy 5 stars
http://www.homecinemachoice.com/fra...e.com/cgi-bin/displayreview.php?reviewid=3683

 

[BBCuk2day]

Epson Home 10 (known here as the TW100)

Is this true as i have a tw100 but i thought the resolution was 1280x720

 

[Hugh]

I think he must mean "Known here (in Australia) as the TW100"

Because the European TW100 is 1280 x 720.