Gotta decide, PLEASE HELP!

[deewheezy]

ok guys, this choice is driving me nuts...

in your opinions which projector is best?

-panasonic pt-ae2000u $2,699[/COLOR] review= http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana..._projector.htm second opinion= http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/pa...tor-1344.shtml

-epson home cinema 1080 ub $2,999 review= http://www.projectorcentral.com/epso..._ub_review.htm
second opinion= http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/ep...-UB-1542.shtml

-sony vpl-vw40 $2,999 review= http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony_vw40_review.htm

im torn because:
-the panny is a great brand for video products, great reviews and has powered lens

-the epson is a little newer and has great features including the ub=ultimate black, and ive read several posts saying is nice.

-the sony is also talked up and well reviewed and hey, its a sony. i have read its a little dim though but its also the only projector i can buy locally.

is there that big of a visible difference?

im remodeling my basement into a home theatre and i want the most bang for my buck under 3k. its going to be 50% HD movies and 50% games (xbox 360 & PS3) and i gotta make sure both look great, especially dont wanna see lag or studdering when playing games.

ive chosen the speakers and almost have a receiver chosen but this choice (and what screen to get) seems to be the toughest.

any help is greatly appreciated

[09camaro]

My choice would be between the Epson and Sony. Would probably go with
the Epson, but it would depend on which I could get the best deal on. I don't think you would be disappointed with the performance of either model. What
screen size are you shooting for, and how controllable is ambient light?

[Big Daddy]

Epson, Panasonic, and Sony are excellent projectors. I had the same dilema a few months ago. I finally decided to get the Epson 1080UB. I bought it in January 2008 for 2,999 as soon as it became available. I got $200 back in rebate plus a free ceiling mount. This is my fourth projector in the last 10 years after one Sharp and two Sony's. I also have a lot of experience with projectors at work. It is by far the best projector under $3,000. The contrast ratio with iris is 50,000:1.

The 1080UB projector includes the new D7 C2Fine LCD panels. The LCD panels in Panasonic PT-AE2000U are also made by Epson.

The following sites reviewed the Epson Home Cinema 1080UB and gave it their Editor's Choice award.
http://www.projectorreviews.com/epso...80ub/index.php , Hot Product Award
http://www.projectorcentral.com/epso..._ub_review.htm , Editor's Choice Award

I bought mine from this dealer. The dealer will give you a free $100 mount and does not charge for shipping.

http://www.projectorbundles.com/inde...ROD&ProdID=454

[deewheezy]

Originally Posted by 09camaro

My choice would be between the Epson and Sony. Would probably go with
the Epson, but it would depend on which I could get the best deal on. I don't think you would be disappointed with the performance of either model. What
screen size are you shooting for, and how controllable is ambient light?

thanx camaro, im wanna be in the 100" club so no lower then that, and ill have full black out with limited ambient light 98% of the time. what do u think?

ill take any screen suggestions too. all i know is i think ill need gray and its gonna be a fixed frame, 16:9 ofcourse

[WriteSimply]

I'd go with the Panny. The Epson PJ is the home version which does not have the ISF certification. The Panny has been reviewed, including by The Digital Bit's Bill Hunt, as having almost perfect settings out of the box (read the full review here).

With the projector installed, of course, the first order of business was to quickly check (and make any necessary small adjustments to) the calibration, and then to start looking at some actual movie discs in Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD format. Right out of the box, the 1000U was surprisingly accurate. I selected the Cinema 1 preset (the most accurate mode), and made only a couple of very minor tweaks. My first viewing choice was Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven on BD from Fox - a film I'm very familiar with in terms of the video quality. I inserted the disc into Pioneer's BDP-HD1 (connected via HDMI to the 1000U in 1080p mode) and waited for the result.

Now, I fully anticipated that I'd appreciate and notice the resolution difference the AE1000U offers, with its three 1920x1080 native LCD light panels. And when you've been doing this as long as I have, you get a little jaded about such things as video quality. But I was really blown away. There's so much more subtle detail and nuance in the image offered on high-quality Blu-ray Discs and HD-DVDs than I'd expected. And not only did the contrast improve with the 1000U, the color reproduction is just stunning. This unit delivers blacks so deep and true, you can hardly believe you're viewing LCD projection. In fact, this is the best black level reproduction I've ever seen from an LCD unit. The 1000U improved the quality over our old projector in virtually every respect. Simply put, I'm seeing the most clear, natural and film-like images I've ever seen in my home theater.

Of course, I've not seen the Epson in action. The Sony I've seen and it's not that bad either.


fuad

[09camaro]

Originally Posted by deewheezy

thanx camaro, im wanna be in the 100" club so no lower then that, and ill have full black out with limited ambient light 98% of the time. what do u think?

ill take any screen suggestions too. all i know is i think ill need gray and its gonna be a fixed frame, 16:9 ofcourse

If you were only going to use it for movies in a completely dark setting, I would
say go with the Sony, if you could get it cheaper than the 1080UB. With what
it sounds like you are wanting to do, I would go with the Epson. It's brighter,
has a little more placement flexibility, and settings are a little more accurate out
of the box. If you are only looking at 100" to 120" screen, I would go with a low
gain (0.9-1.2) white screen to stay as neutral as possible. My DIY blackout cloth
screen works really well.

Good luck either way you go, you'll just have to make up your mind.

[tz4689]

I have a panasonic pt-ae2000u and love it. It's been up about 6 months. This is my first projector so nothing to compare to other than the ones I had demonstrated at a local audio/video store. The picture looks almost 3d on good quality transfers. The lens shifting capabilities made it a breeze to install. Brightness is very good even with some ambient light on. Would highly recommend.

[Cwoodall334]

I'm in the same boat as you deewheezy. I had the exact same options as you. Ultimately, I think I would like to get the panny, but I really really like to get what ever I buy locally, and unfortunately, nobody has the panasonic. So, I've decided on the Sony. Another good bit of information I've found is that Best Buy (unfortunately the only place around me that carries any projectors) will take off an additional 10% of the price. I noticed that you too would like to get your projector locally, so see if you're Best Buy is willing to take off part of the price.

[The_Snowman]

.......................count another vote for the EPSON - in Australia the model is TW2000, we get 3 years warranty - including the bulb AND an extra 6 months for registering online. and I'm sure that you can do better than the RRP listed in your posts.
Check out my pictures from the link below, the screen is 125" with 16:9 aspect ratio, the widest I could fit in the room, so cinemascope pictures look great too. I think the gain is 1.2, so good advice from 09camaro.
My suggestion is to do some thinking outside the box as I did, on where you position your components once you go with a projector. Again, just check out my pictures and you will see what I mean!
Also, like you, my first projector setup, but whichever way you go, I am sure you will be pleased with the results, just awesome!

[ReggaetonSalsero]

Originally Posted by deewheezy

ok guys, this choice is driving me nuts...

in your opinions which projector is best?

-panasonic pt-ae2000u $2,699[/COLOR] review= http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana..._projector.htm second opinion= http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/pa...tor-1344.shtml

-epson home cinema 1080 ub $2,999 review= http://www.projectorcentral.com/epso..._ub_review.htm
second opinion= http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/ep...-UB-1542.shtml

-sony vpl-vw40 $2,999 review= http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony_vw40_review.htm

im torn because:
-the panny is a great brand for video products, great reviews and has powered lens

-the epson is a little newer and has great features including the ub=ultimate black, and ive read several posts saying is nice.

-the sony is also talked up and well reviewed and hey, its a sony. i have read its a little dim though but its also the only projector i can buy locally.

is there that big of a visible difference?

im remodeling my basement into a home theatre and i want the most bang for my buck under 3k. its going to be 50% HD movies and 50% games (xbox 360 & PS3) and i gotta make sure both look great, especially dont wanna see lag or studdering when playing games.

ive chosen the speakers and almost have a receiver chosen but this choice (and what screen to get) seems to be the toughest.

any help is greatly appreciated

My take would be to go with the Panasonic or the Epson and FORGET the Sony. Just my opinion but not EVERYTHING SONY makes is to be worshipped as great technological LAW. That Sony projector is alright a best COMPARED to the Epson or Panasonic. It's not like it's the XBR8 of Projectors. It's dark and dull anyway. But that's just my take on it.

[deewheezy]

Originally Posted by ReggaetonSalsero

My take would be to go with the Panasonic or the Epson and FORGET the Sony. Just my opinion but not EVERYTHING SONY makes is to be worshipped as great technological LAW. That Sony projector is alright a best COMPARED to the Epson or Panasonic. It's not like it's the XBR8 of Projectors. It's dark and dull anyway. But that's just my take on it.

ya man except for the fact that its local im leaning towards the other 2

i love the powered lens on the panny though but more people seem to be into the epson. my only question is: can it handle games just as smoothly as movies

heres a whole other curiosity, whats the deal with the anamorphic adapters? are they nessacery for a movie theatre-like-picture or are they just a luxury add-on?

[deewheezy]

Originally Posted by The_Snowman

.......................count another vote for the EPSON - in Australia the model is TW2000, we get 3 years warranty - including the bulb AND an extra 6 months for registering online. and I'm sure that you can do better than the RRP listed in your posts.
Check out my pictures from the link below, the screen is 125" with 16:9 aspect ratio, the widest I could fit in the room, so cinemascope pictures look great too. I think the gain is 1.2, so good advice from 09camaro.
My suggestion is to do some thinking outside the box as I did, on where you position your components once you go with a projector. Again, just check out my pictures and you will see what I mean!
Also, like you, my first projector setup, but whichever way you go, I am sure you will be pleased with the results, just awesome!

thanx snow, great advice! so ur lovin that epson huh?

a few questions though...

whats cinema scope?

what brand is your screen and could i have a link? and speaking of screens is the brand really that important? im sure there is if u compare a $400 screen and a $2000 one but im definitely trying to find the best bargain in the screen department looking for.

what are the dimensions of your room and how far is the couch from the screen?

btw what u did with the curtains and a fixed screen is scary because, except for a different color pallet, you have done EXACTLY what im planning! damn, thought i was special HA

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by deewheezy

heres a whole other curiosity, whats the deal with the anamorphic adapters? are they nessacery for a movie theatre-like-picture or are they just a luxury add-on?

An anamorphic lens is most commonly used to horizontally stretch video 1.33x (typically from 1.78:1 to 2.35:1). This is useful in video systems with a v-stretch function, which is used to vertically stretch 2.40:1 letterboxed material to fill a 1.78:1 screen, eliminating the black bars and allowing the use of your entire imaging panel (LCD, LCOS, DLP). This vertically stretched image is then passed through the anamorphic lens to reconstitute the correct aspect ratio picture, and this is then typically projected onto a 2.35-2.40:1 screen.

This does allow a more "movie theater-like" experience in the home, and they are a bit of a "luxury" add on to your projector.

Originally Posted by deewheezy

whats cinema scope?

Scope is the 2.40:1 "widescreen" format that is popular amongst filmmakers to create a more grand, sweeping, and immersive image.

[deewheezy]

so without the anamorphic add-on lens ill always have black bars?

wow i am blown away by the seemingly infinite possibilities in screen selection, any advice for brand or a quality website would be great.

[Deciazulado]

If your projector has a zoom lens you can use a Scope 2.4 shaped screen and zoom in to fill the screen with Scope movies, and zoom out to go back to the 1.37-1.85 movies without using the vertical upscaling and anamorphic lens. The zoom would have to have a range of about 1.33x or more, and you'd have to position your projector/screen so that you can fit the height of all the formats to the height of the screen within the zoom range.

The vertical stretching upscaling + horizontal stretching anamorphic lens option is a more sophiticaded (2-step) way of achieving this zooming of the 2.4 image (making it larger, "blowing" it up). But it's more expensive. You also could get a theoretical advantage of light output that at best would be like 1/3 of a f-stop but that can be offset by glass transmission losses and added flare from the extra optics. Also the upscaled image passing though extra lens elements could have MTF losses (in simple terms not be as sharp). The main advantage of the 2-step method is in my opinion a smoother, slightly less pixel structured image for the Scope movies.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by deewheezy

so without the anamorphic add-on lens ill always have black bars?

If you use a 16:9 screen, then yes, you will always have black bars above/below the image for scope material. However, is you use a scope screen then you will always have white bars (unused screen real estate) to the side of the screen for 16:9 or 4:3 material. Whether one or the other bothers you (if at all) is an individual thing. This can be addressed with a masking system for the screen for the variable aspect ratios. For a 16:9 screen, you could use a Carada Masquerade to mask off the black bars. For a scope screen, there are variable side masking schemes that can be used to mask off the white bars (Stewart Filmscreen, SMX, etc). These all add to the expense-- particularly side masking systems. Or you can rig up a DIY masking system with curtains or somesuch.

As Deci mentioned, the two ways of doing scope are the zooming method and an anamorphic lens (horizontal expansion or vertical compression) with either v-stretch and/or horizontal compression modes. The zooming method is the cheapest method, but requires zooming/refocusing your projector every time you change aspect ratios. The lens method is more eloquent and convenient, and does increase the light output of your image (without the "black bars") by about 10%, but does have the trade offs of introducing another lens element into the light path, reducing the MTF and ANSI contrast. However, this is not a big issue with the better lenses out there, with the ISCO III being top of the heap (~$8k), and what you get in the end is a unique, more "theater-like" experience at home. I would highly recommend that anyone thinking of setting up a serious FP system see a scope setup in action.

wow i am blown away by the seemingly infinite possibilities in screen selection, any advice for brand or a quality website would be great.

www.carada.com
www.dalite.com/dalitehometheater/index.php
www.smxscreen.com
www.stewartfilmscreen.com

Carada makes excellent, affordable screens. DaLite's High Power is a very popular, high gain, retroreflective screen (glass beaded). [biased]SMX CineWeave HD is one of the best acoustically transparent screens out there, as well as a great all around screen-- I have one myself [/biased]. Stewart's StudioTek 130 is an industry standard and their FireHawk G3 is one of the best screens out there for ambient light situations, but Stewart is known to be the most expensive screen out there.

[saprano]

I think the mods should make Brain Sturgeon a projector mod

The same way crackinheads is an AV mod

Just my opinion.

[Cwoodall334]

Originally Posted by saprano

I think the mods should make Brain Sturgeon a projector mod

The same way crackinheads is an AV mod

Just my opinion.

+1

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by saprano

I think the mods should make Brain Sturgeon a projector mod

The same way crackinheads is an AV mod

Just my opinion.

WOW, I am very flattered -- thanks!; I'm speechless...

[crackinhedz]

yeah we could use a good Brain around here!