Blu-ray on 720p Sharp projector?

[DavidCoppola]

Just curious,
I have an older 720p Sharp projector. I have it connected component out (RGB) to VGA in on the projector using an upconvert DVD player. Good image.

If I used a Blu Ray in the same way(going component out),will I see any difference using a Blu Ray title,and of course a BR player, using the same projector?

[DC_Street]

720p is "hd" just not full hd (1080p) you will still notice a difference considering your dvds are 480 vs blu-ray 1080p (down converted to 720 through the player)

[cathexist]

I have a 720p projector...looks freakin' awesome (one day I will upgrade to a 1080p...when I have an extra 3 grand)

[DavidCoppola]

So, it would be worth it to get a Blu Ray just for that application?

I saw a Panasonic one for around $250 at Circuit City.

[DC_Street]

did you look online at the Amazon sale? a Samsung is going for $217 but if you buy 4 blu-rays from their list you get a $100 off, that is a much better way to start your collection imho

[DavidCoppola]

OK,thanks.

But back to my original question...would it be worthwhile to buy a BluRay for this purpose?

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by DavidCoppola

OK,thanks.

But back to my original question...would it be worthwhile to buy a BluRay for this purpose?

How old are we talkin'?
Judging by the cable being used I am assuming more than eight years old, in which case you may be talking about diminishing returns.

What is the size of the screen?
How far away from it do you sit?
If you are within 2xWidth of the screen then you should be able to see a difference.

What is the audio set-up like in the room?
Video is only half of it. If you have a good audio set-up in the room and have the capability to playback hd audio that improvement alone would allow me to recommend upgrading to a blu-ray player even if you had an sd projector.

[DavidCoppola]

OK,
the Projector is a Sharp XG-C50x, a 2003 model.
The cable is a RGB component to Vga in.
The screen is an 8 footer.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by DavidCoppola

OK,
the Projector is a Sharp XG-C50x, a 2003 model.
The cable is a RGB component to Vga in.
The screen is an 8 footer.

How far away from the screen?

8 foot diagonal or width?

What about the audio set-up?

[DavidCoppola]

The projector is about 8-9 feet away. It has a 3000 lumen lamp.
The amp/receiver is an older Kenwood,but has a DTS decoder in it.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by DavidCoppola

The projector is about 8-9 feet away. It has a 3000 lumen lamp.
The amp/receiver is an older Kenwood,but has a DTS decoder in it.

Judging by screen size and distance from screen you should see increased resolution between dvd and blu-ray as well as the much improved color spectrum.

Does the Kenwood include analog inputs?

If so, you could get this player and enjoy hd audio on all of you blu's.

This would also work:

Sony S550

[Chevypower]

There is a problem with 1080p projectors right now. They don't have any lumens.... Yeah I have heard the talk before, ANSI lumens means nothing, it's all about the contrast ratio. Well I need something with a bit of both, and to get both on a 1080p, you are looking at $40k-50k. At least on a 720p, you can have about 2700 lumens and 1000:1 or more contrast relatively cheap.
I am sure it won't be long and you can have a 4000 lumen 1080p projector with good contrast. Interchangeable lenses would be good to, to alternate long and short throw.

[CrabbyAzz]

Originally Posted by DavidCoppola

OK,thanks.

But back to my original question...would it be worthwhile to buy a BluRay for this purpose?

Definitely yes, buy it for BluRay disc. But keep in mind the BD player will not upconvert DVD's via component cables. You will be sending 480P to your projector when you play DVD's. So keep you current upconverting DVD player for playing DVD's.

Crabby

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by Chevypower

I am sure it won't be long and you can have a 4000 lumen 1080p projector with good contrast. Interchangeable lenses would be good to, to alternate long and short throw.

Why do you need something that bright? Are you gonna have a 200" screen playing outside during daylight?

Even in rooms where light exists a projector with a measured luminance nearing 1000 would be more than sufficient.

[DavidCoppola]

The Kenwood has an optical input and runs DTS.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by DavidCoppola

The Kenwood has an optical input and runs DTS.

No multi-channel analog?

[DavidCoppola]

Yes,but I always assumed that the optical handled everything.

I use the projector for outdoor movies in the summer. Now that fall is here,I bring the brightness down considerably

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by DavidCoppola

Yes,but I always assumed that the optical handled everything.

Optical is fine for dolby digital or dts, but it can't handle the hd audio codes. The two players I listed previously can internally decode both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA and send them to the receiver using analog cables. This will give you much better sound that DVD's are capable of.

[DavidCoppola]

So, in general it is better to use seperate RCA cables for each channel?

[Chevypower]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

Why do you need something that bright? Are you gonna have a 200" screen playing outside during daylight?

Even in rooms where light exists a projector with a measured luminance nearing 1000 would be more than sufficient.

Yes outside, but obviously not in daylight, and yes, around 200+ inches would be nice. Sure the current lineup of 1080p projectors are fine for small indoor home theater rooms with 100-120'', with dark walls etc, fixed - so you have no need to take the projector to other locations, but that's not what I am looking for.