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In Reply to: RE: Progress posted by Green Lantern on July 13, 2017 at 20:02:34
Heh, thanks. It's been a long haul, but it is starting to come together and it was well worth the trouble.
I really should fill out my profile, but I have so much to do right now and the system is still in a state of flux: I have to fix the delam, do the Neo 8 mod, put in the Mini DSP, score another amp or make a passive XO, etc. So I'll probably wait until I've gotten a bit further to fill in the blanks. But in the meantime, the projector is the cheapest 1080P 3D DLP I could get at the time, an Acer 6510BD that I bought in 2014.
It's already obsolete, but despite being cheap and old, it makes a spectacular picture, and I say this as an old video engineer who sees all the little departures from perfection -- contrast ratio, DLP noise, rainbows, issues with colorimetry. The thing is, the image is so spectacular that you really don't care much.
This thing is a real light cannon, with 3000 lumens, so you can watch it even in a lit room with the blinds drawn (note that the photo was taken in daylight with the room lights on), though for best quality of course the room should be dark. At its brightest the fan is loud and the colors lose saturation, but in a darkened room it's fine in eco mode with the color boost off, and then it looks like film.
Another disadavantage for some is that it has a slow color wheel, so some people see rainbows. No way to predict who will. Most people don't seem to see them -- I see them only in rare cases -- but some people see them all the time and an inexpensive DLP projector will drive them crazy. You don't have to spend much more for a model with a faster color wheel and perfect colorimetry.
Also, for this price, you don't get lens shift but that isn't a problem if you figure out the offset and mount the projector at the correct height. The manual didn't give the offset spec so II ended up standing there with the projector over my head raising and lowering it until the keystoning went away, and then got a mount of the right length on Ebay.
I'm surprised that more people don't have projectors. They cost no more than a 55" flatscreen and they're a different experience entirely, much more engaging -- like being in a theater. You can get a newer model like this one for about $500 -- better colorimetry and HDR --
https://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD142X-Lumens-Theater-Projector/dp/B01HQCF6R6
With the right paint, a wall makes a fine screen, or you can make a screen for $20 out of a sheet of Parkland plastic from Home Depot, or if you need a motorized screen you can wait for a sale and get one from Monoprice for $350.
(If you want 4K DLP, you still have to spend $2000 and it won't do 3D, so I'd wait a couple of years for the price to drop.)
Follow Ups:
What size is that projection at? I made the mistake of leaving your pictures displaying on the multimedia PC last evening. On her way to a "disturbing new habit" of hers, my wife switched on the new 65" TV, and it was still on PC input mode.Darn system of yours took advantage of my TV (cheapest 4k and all) where it still looks far more impressive than on a large monitor. Naturally, she asked about it. I gave the briefest of explanations. (I may have said something like, "ahh, some whacko who watches projection TV with open windows during the day":)
She kept quiet and proceeded with her new nasty habit of late; watching the 4k version of "John Wick Chapter 2" almost every day. And so, the slam of gunshot sounds began to rip the world apart (the Maggies can do this trick all too well). Truly, not just the visuals but the soundtrack are something else for an action movie where gunshots are almost non-stop.
Yet, all I could "hear" was my wife thinking; "Wow, imagine THIS on an even larger screen!". Don't matter that we did see it at a large theater when it came out; I fear she now wants to "own" it.
But, an amusing thought made me smile briefly: "I am sooo happy that real 4k is not yet available on mass market projectors! Otherwise, Josh would have said, "I told you so!" LOL
Edits: 07/14/17
Hey, just make sure not to put this up where your wife can see it, because I'm about to say I'd rather have the bigger screen than 4K. :-)
Anyway, my screen is 106", down from the 111" of my original screen because the motorized screens don't come in logical sizes (i.e., the ones that precisely fit my room's available throw length).
It may not sound like much, but I really do miss that extra 5". Of course, that's probably because I'm so used to 111" in that room. I really wanted 120" originally and the wall was big enough, but after I calculated the maximum throw length with my old Optoma and discarded various possible arrangements with mirrors it was clear that 111" was all I was going to get.
I think 120" is a good size to aim for though of course it depends on the size of our room and anticipated audience. With short throw projectors available, throw length is no longer an issue. As you go larger, you lose brightness and stray light becomes more of an issue (or you need to buy a brighter, more expensive projector). Much smaller, and you'd be better of with a big flat screen. I loved 111" because the figures were often lifesized. It had a spooky realism to it and the 106" screen seems just shy of that.
Another argument for a larger screen is that when you watch letterboxed Cinemascope you lose a lot of your screen size, assuming a 16:9 screen.
Well, Josh, I did show her your post...I like living dangerously. :) Her reply took me by surprise, and scared me on two counts.
First she said "Oh, I am fine right now, just let me know when there's 4k this sharp and bright at 120", that we can afford." Crap, that smells of looming purchase intent; at the rate technology is advancing, perhaps too soon.
Then she added, "besides, this one is superb displaying QVCHD merchandize!". This positively shook me.
Your are right about 16:9, of course. The Optoma and such will probably also be in a sweet price range the day they get to 4K...with her bright "QVC-friendly" colors...if QVC doesn't own us by then. LOL
You're doomed, my friend.
Optoma already has a 4K DLP, BTW, but it's $2K. Just give it a couple of years . . . maybe one . . .
(It doesn't do 3D, though, they're getting half their resolution by multiplexing the chip so throwing away half the refresh rate -- one reason I'd wait even if I had $2K to spend and lots and lots of 4K material to watch.)
does that projector throw off a lot of heat? I had to sideline my tube amps for this reason. Been hittin' close to a 100F where I am.
It isn't terrible -- 270 watts, presumably at full brightness rather than eco mode which is 70%. But if the room was already at 100F, I'm not sure I'd even want to run a nightlight! :-)
I plan to put a mini split in this room at some point -- fortunately, it's been a cool summer here so far.
I 'almost' pulled the trigger on a different, lesser priced unit strictly for my back patio but held back when I thought about mosquitos.
LOL
You could always project in yellow
Or you could electrify the projector, turning it into a bug zapper
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