Projector Questions and Suggestions?

[jaboutboul]

Hello,

I am trying to figure out in which projector I should invest my money. Right now, the set up I have is as follows. The room this will be set up in has ambient light, but can be blacked out and it doesn't matter so much as this will be scarcely used in daylight, ever. The room measures as such, across the diagonal of the width, the room is 12.5 feet wide (150 inches), this is also the same size as the wall which will be projected on. As far as the length goes, here is the situation. The room technically is 12.5 feet long as well, but the rear wall was removed so the room stretches to the far front of the house, which is altogether roughly 30 feet. The couches can be placed as far back as that. There is however a sweet spot, the hang the projector from the ceiling where the old wall used to be at roughly 12-12.5 feet back. I hope those details help.

As far as the actual projector, I was looking at the Sony VW-40 and VW-60. I can't seem to find any practical difference aside from contrast ratio and although the VW-60's is far better, I wonder how practical a difference that is and whether it warrants an extra 2500 dollars.

I am also open to ideas as far as other projectors go.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[AlaskaDon]

I would go to www.projectorcentral.com and use the room calculator found at that site. It allows you to select different projectors and see how they will work in a given room. You should be able to select the VW60 but I'm not sure if the VW40 will be a choice on the calculator yet. If not, you could compare the specs between the VW50 and the VW40 and if they are roughly the same you could use the VW50 in the calculator. Just make sure there is no difference in the amount of zoom available between the 2 projectors.

What size of screen do you want to have? I have the VW50 and can tell you that at a throw distance of 12.5' you will be looking at sometheng around 120" maximum. This will probably be the same for the 40 but I'm not real sure about the 60. If I remember right, the VW50 has a maximum zoom factor of 1.72:1

[jaboutboul]

I checked the site, neither the vw40 or vw50 were on there and it doesn't tell me much about the vw60 aside that it will work in my room configuration and how large a display size ill be able to have. Maybe im using the wrong thing? Can you link me?

Also, it still wont tell me practically the difference between the 40 and 60? Has anyone seen both in action?

[Brain Sturgeon]

try these threads:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=995206
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=994760

In that price range, I would also take a long look at JVC's RS-1, or if you have a couple of extra bucks, the RS-2. Most people considering the VPL-VW60 find these to be its closest competitor. Each has their own pluses and minuses. See this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=987677

[AlaskaDon]

Here is a link to the calculator with the VW50 already selected for you. It's still there for use in the calculator but it's further down the list under discontinued projectors.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sony...ulator-pro.htm

As you can see, this would work well for you if you want to use that mounting place you have 12.5' from where you want your screen. For best results it looks like you would want a screen of 100 - 120". Being in the green zone for brightness is mostly just a guideline as how much light control you have plays a big part of that. I wouldn't ignore it completely though.

I have heard that the VW40 is just a replacement version of the VW50 and I believe the basic specs (zoom, contrast ratio, brightness) are probably the same, but definetly compare the specs to make sure before buying it. For that matter I think the major difference between the 60 and the 50 is that the 60 has better contrast. I looked at that in the calculator as well and the zoom is the same at 1.7:1

As far as the price difference being worth it, I can only tell you that I'm very satisfied with the picture I get from my VW50 and I wouldn't expect much difference in the VW40. I've never actually seen a VW60 in operation to compare the two directly.

Edit: Here's a link to a review on the VW40. The review doesn't do a comparison to the VW60, but it does give a comparison to other projectors in the same price range from Panasonic, Epson, and Optoma. Hope that helps.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony_vw40_review.htm

[Smackos]

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

try these threads:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=995206
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=994760

In that price range, I would also take a long look at JVC's RS-1, or if you have a couple of extra bucks, the RS-2. Most people considering the VPL-VW60 find these to be its closest competitor. Each has their own pluses and minuses. See this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=987677

+1 to that.. If you've got the cash available then you will be blown away by the RS1. Fantastic projector for any price range.

[syncguy]

The differences between vw40 and vw60 that I picked up from specs:

vw40 vw60
brightness 900 1000 Lumens
contrast up to 15000:1 35000:1 (with auto iris)

I am aware that VW40 hasn't got the panel alignment function. vw60 has this and I think this contributes to the smooth and detailed picture that vw60 is delivering.

Although SXRD chips are same according to specs, I have heard that they are not the same, but I cannot confirm this.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by jaboutboul

Hello,

I am trying to figure out in which projector I should invest my money. Right now, the set up I have is as follows. The room this will be set up in has ambient light, but can be blacked out and it doesn't matter so much as this will be scarcely used in daylight, ever. The room measures as such, across the diagonal of the width, the room is 12.5 feet wide (150 inches), this is also the same size as the wall which will be projected on. As far as the length goes, here is the situation. The room technically is 12.5 feet long as well, but the rear wall was removed so the room stretches to the far front of the house, which is altogether roughly 30 feet. The couches can be placed as far back as that. There is however a sweet spot, the hang the projector from the ceiling where the old wall used to be at roughly 12-12.5 feet back. I hope those details help.

As far as the actual projector, I was looking at the Sony VW-40 and VW-60. I can't seem to find any practical difference aside from contrast ratio and although the VW-60's is far better, I wonder how practical a difference that is and whether it warrants an extra 2500 dollars.

I am also open to ideas as far as other projectors go.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

The best 1080p LCD projectors under $5,000 are Sony, Epson, Panasonic, and Sanyo. All four perform very well.

As far as looks and appearances are concerned:
Sony: A+ (Sony projectors are curvy and beautiful)
Panasonic: D (Great projectors, but look like a receiver hanging from the ceiling)
Epson: B (Great performing projectors and beautiful, but not as beautiful as Sony)

Before you make your final decision, check the following sites. They review most popular projectors.
http://www.projectorreviews.com/reviews.php
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projector-reviews.cfm

The Sony VPL-VW60 is an excellent projector. It costs over $4,000.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665192796

The newest Sony VPL-VW40 projector has the same beautiful appearance as VPL-VW60, but it only costs $3,000.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665307855

Sony VPL-VW40 and VPL-VW60 Reviews:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony_vw40_review.htm
http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony..._projector.htm
http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw40/index.php , Hot Product Award
http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw60/index.php, Hot Product Award

Many people believe that VW40 is the same projector as VW50 (last year's model) at a lower price to better compete with Epson, Panasonic, and Sanyo. Is VW60 a better projector than VW40? The answer is yes. Is it better by $2,500? The answer is a big no.

Epson has a brand new projector (Home Cinema 1080UB and Pro Cinema 1080UB). The Pro Cinema is black and comes with a spare lamp and a ceiling mount and is more expensive.

The 1080UB projector includes the new D7 C2Fine LCD panels. The LCD panels in Panasonic PT-AE2000U ($2,600) are also made by Epson.

The following sites review the Epson Home Cinema 1080UB. The reviewers also compare it with Panasonic and Sony:
http://www.projectorreviews.com/epso...80ub/index.php , Hot Product Award
http://www.projectorcentral.com/epso..._ub_review.htm , Editor's Choice Award

You can purchase Epson Home Cinema 1080UB for ($2,999):
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/c...s&oid=63073679

Epson Home Cinema 1080 (Last Year's model for $2,200):
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/c...s&oid=63068239

JVC also makes an excellent projector, but it is more expensive.
Last year’s model: JVC DLA-RS1 or JVC DLA HD1 ($5,500).
New model: JVC DLA-RS2 or JVC DLA-HD100 Pro ($6,500+).

Sanyo has a new 1080p model, PLV-Z2000. It is priced in the low $2,000.
http://www.sanyo-projector.com/index.htm

I recently upgraded my projector. After extensive study, I ended up buying Epson Home Cinema 1080UB. It is the best projector for the price. The contrast ratio (with iris on) is 50,000. This is my fourth projector after one Sharp and two Sony projectors.

[abiallan]

go for vw40 it rox

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by abiallan

go for vw40 it rox

errr.... assuming he didn't make a decision in the past SEVEN MONTHS!!!!!!!!!