16:9 CRT projectors availiable?

[singhcr]

I've been toying with the idea of a projector of some sort as I love the idea of a true 2.4:1 CIH setup, but there's a problem: I hate to give up my beloved CRT displays, as right now I have a 65" 1080i CRT rear-projection TV and the color, contrast, and black levels are excellent and so far no DLP, LCD, or even plasma TV that I've seen can come close to a good CRT set. I went so far as to replace my 20" 16:10 LCD monitor for my computer with a 24" 16:10 Sony CRT monitor, and it is much, much better. Yes, it weights 120 lbs and is a heat box, but I'm more concerned about what the display looks like, not what the device itself looks like!

Now, are there 16:9 CRT projectors with some kind of digital input, be it DVI or HDMI that can use an anamorphic lens for a 2.4:1 screen? The projectors that I've seen use three lamps for red, blue, and green... so I don't think I could place an anamorphic lens in front of each one. If there's a way to get a CIH setup without abandoning my longtime display technology, I would love to hear it! The thought of going to DLP or especially to LCD land makes me feel...well.. dirty

[loco]

hi there, you dont need a CIH setup for analog CRT projector, it will throw out whatever picture you feed it, the only thing you would probably need is electronic screen masking to switch from 2.40:1 to 1.80:1 screen ratios. However you would need a digital video signal processor if you want to play blu-rays. There is no such thing as resolution in a CRT either, since there are no pixels per say. The only way to improve detail on a CRT is to go with bigger light tubes (the red green and blue tubes). So 7" tubes are about equivalent to 1080i and the bigger 9" or 11" tubes get you closer to a 1080p picture.
Personally I think CRT projectors are a dinosaur technology, but as mentioned elsewhere i belong to the xbox generation hence I prefer the digital pop and brightness of DLPs. But true cinephiles still swear by CRT projectors. Because of their natural colors, and real blacks. But they're also very very dim. you really need to have ur room pitch dark. Another problem with CRT projectors is they degrade over time just like CRT TVs of days gone by, and instead of replacing a lamp you need to replace all three picture tubes.
A close acquaintance of mine is a cinephile, he has a Barco 7" CRT projector, driven by a meridian dvd transport, and av processor and amps, running B&WE 802s. But he also thinks Blu-ray is hype. I would beg to differ as no manner of meridian electronic wizardry can take a 2mb/s picture of DVD and equate it to a 30mb/s Blu ray picture. But that is why he is a cinephile and i'm not. When I showed him the scorpion decepticon scene in the desert from transformers, on my measly 1080i 42" LCD he was impressed with the unbelievable detail but he also said that this is not film-like and felt very synthetic and plasticky, I couldn't argue with him there since it does look very plasticky. But I dont have any problems with that look and hence I wouldn't consider myself in the ranks of true cinephiles.

Nowadays though, the JVC DILA chipset for front projectors is a very very close approximation of a CRT projector picture. It would serve you well to atleast check out a store demo of one. I know a few CRT cinephiles who have finally switched over from a CRT projector to the JVC based Cineversum Blackwing series of projectors.

[KayaM]

Originally Posted by loco

hi there, you dont need a CIH setup for analog CRT projector, it will throw out whatever picture you feed it, the only thing you would probably need is electronic screen masking to switch from 2.40:1 to 1.80:1 screen ratios. However you would need a digital video signal processor if you want to play blu-rays. There is no such thing as resolution in a CRT either, since there are no pixels per say. The only way to improve detail on a CRT is to go with bigger light tubes (the red green and blue tubes). So 7" tubes are about equivalent to 1080i and the bigger 9" or 11" tubes get you closer to a 1080p picture.
Personally I think CRT projectors are a dinosaur technology, but as mentioned elsewhere i belong to the xbox generation hence I prefer the digital pop and brightness of DLPs. But true cinephiles still swear by CRT projectors. Because of their natural colors, and real blacks. But they're also very very dim. you really need to have ur room pitch dark. Another problem with CRT projectors is they degrade over time just like CRT TVs of days gone by, and instead of replacing a lamp you need to replace all three picture tubes.
A close acquaintance of mine is a cinephile, he has a Barco 7" CRT projector, driven by a meridian dvd transport, and av processor and amps, running B&WE 802s. But he also thinks Blu-ray is hype. I would beg to differ as no manner of meridian electronic wizardry can take a 2mb/s picture of DVD and equate it to a 30mb/s Blu ray picture. But that is why he is a cinephile and i'm not. When I showed him the scorpion decepticon scene in the desert from transformers, on my measly 1080i 42" LCD he was impressed with the unbelievable detail but he also said that this is not film-like and felt very synthetic and plasticky, I couldn't argue with him there since it does look very plasticky. But I dont have any problems with that look and hence I wouldn't consider myself in the ranks of true cinephiles.

Nowadays though, the JVC DILA chipset for front projectors is a very very close approximation of a CRT projector picture. It would serve you well to atleast check out a store demo of one. I know a few CRT cinephiles who have finally switched over from a CRT projector to the JVC based Cineversum Blackwing series of projectors.

I remember when CDs first came out and people were harping on about how the hiss on vinyls made them sound so much warmer than CDs.

[bhampton]

I have a great CRT FP. (Sony G70.)

However,... it's just hanging out in the basement now because it started to have electrical problems and I replaced it with a SXRD pj (Sony VW60.)

I had several CRT FPs since 1999 and I love them but they are a lot of work to setup. I read lots about CRT FP's and never saw anyone able to make an animorphic lens setup for them. I think all CRT FP's are 4:3 native... Of course you can run any shape you want but you have to just not use the whole CRT.

With my G70 I could have pitch black... Better black than I've seen on any other display device.

I still prefer my SXRD set these days because it's much easier to setup and use and the pq is great.. just not the best PQ you can get with a CRT and a lot of tuning.

-Brian

[singhcr]

Hmmm... you guys have given me some good ideas, thanks!

SXRD is an LCD-derived technology, is it not? Would it or D-ILA give more of a CRT-like image in terms of color reproduction and black levels as compared to LCD or DLP?

I was under the impression that amongst the non-CRT technologies out there, DLP gave the best picture, but you guys have more experience on the matter.

All I know so far is that DLP projectors are used in my theater and look excellent although the black levels aren't as good as CRT's, and I can't stand the look of any of the LCD sets that I've viewed, as they display more of a grey than a black color.

[loco]

DLP is brighter and sharper...but the DILA picture is closer to CRT...CRT is soft, organic colors and cool blacks. DLP is razor sharp, colors seem more saturated than CRT colors and blacks are warmer than DILA or CRT.