My Infocus SP4805 just died. Since this is my 2nd Infocus projector to die in < 10 years (along with several warranty returns and the 4th $400 bulb), I am considering another brand.

I have been looking at the Mit HC1500. But, after reading tons of posts and reviews, I am very confused. Please excuse my ignorance -- I have been out of the loop a few years.

I will be using this projector almost exclusively for SD DVD's and the occasional laserdisc (yeah, I've been around a while).

Does this mean I am currently watching 480p (I have a progressive scan DVD player)?

Am I going to get a better picture with this content with the HC1500 than I had with the SP4805? Here are the specs www.infocus.com/Support/Products/Projectors/SP4805.aspx?

Obviously the HC1500 puts out more lumens. But am I just wasting the 720p since I am only watching SD DVD? Some posts have me concerned that the picture might even be worse (fuzzier).

And apparently the HC1500 has no letterbox mode. Most of my content is anamorphic (when available) but I have been forced to buy letterboxed on occassion. Am I going to have to be manually zooming the lens to get the letterbox to fill up the width of the screen? Currently, the SP4805 handles that pretty well with its letterbox mode.

I can also buy one of the new HD upconverting players. But they all seem to output 1080p. Will the HC1500 downconvert this to 720p? Will the picture be any better than what I am used to?

PLEASE help.

Thanks

As a previous 4805 which did a HUGE research before buying my HD projector, the HC1500 was at one point one of my choices but the research gave me enough information to understand that aside from more pixels there more things the 4805 do better. Essentially the 4805 is a more accurate machine out of the box.
If you were going with HD material then probably the extra pixels would make the HC1500 the smart solution for you but for SD material I would probably just buy a good 480p projector ..in my case a IN72.
Then again, if you have any chance of going HD in the future you may want to go with a HD projector right now.
I wouldnt waste my money on upconverting players...no matter how "good" the upconverting is its not going to be HD. If you have the capability in your player then sure try it and see if you like it...so far, I dont.
Regards

I would highly consider HD in your decision making process starting today.

In case you've been out of the loop AND out of this world too, this is the year 2008. Get at the very least 720p.

You will see the difference. Don't worry about your source. No matter what, DVD's only contain 480i resolution. The upconverting players are all smoke and mirrors basically. A native 720p will have to up-convert the signal for proper display anyway.

I don't mean to sound flip really. Just get the 720p at the very least. There are so many totally great deals around on very high quality 720p PJ's. Some extraordinary deals can be found still on Marantz units from just a few years ago even less money for what the Mits would cost. But those Mits units are terrific too.

This is just a suggestion, not an overwhelming endorsement, but the BenQ W500 does a fantastic job with standard-def material, due to its onboard HQV processor. You wouldn't need an upconverting player. The projector scales it internally.

Conversely, it's more expensive than the HC1500, and really isn't in its class, overall, having all of the limitations of an entry level LCD. But, if that's what you're really concentrating on, it would probably be worth looking into, plus it would give you the HD option, if you wanted to get into that at some point.

Fwiw, I recently upgraded from a 4805 to a 1500. The only major difference I notice w/ standard definition material (whether upconverted or not) is the brightness afforded by the 1500.

If I'd expected much more than a brighter picture when viewing standard definition material on my 1500 versus my 4805, I'd have been pretty disappointed, since the move was otherwise quite lateral.

(With high quality HD material, though, the difference is stark and I'm far happier than I expected to be; at times I feel like I did the first week I had my very first projector. The predictable downside, of course, is that I really am less happy than ever, now, with lower quality HD transfers and SD material, since my new frame of reference is higher; at times, in fact, I'm downright peeved since I'm now somewhat spoiled.)

I was in exactly the same boat. I replaced my 4805 with a 1500. The 1500 is brighter (by a lot) and quieter. It offers sealed optics, so no dust blob problems. The menus for calibrating the unit are different than the 4805 and IMO not as good. I find the 4805 to be more accurate, color wise, out of the box. In that respect it has better PQ. The extra pixels do help a lot with the screen door effect, so while the picture may not be as accurate, it is a lot smoother. I can't comment on how it does with HD material -- I'm exclusively SD at this point, sending a 720p signal from a Bravo D-1.

So, comparing the two projectors, I have to say it is a mixed bag. But then, with the 1500 I got a 720p pj for about half what I paid for my 4805. That makes up for a lot of menu awkwardness!

I tend to agree that for SD DVDs, a 480p projector is plenty. The problem is nobody makes em anymore. Yet SD DVDs clearly dominate the market. I keep hoping that someone (Marantz? OPPO? Outlaw?) will make a reference quality 480p projector, sort of the last word in SD projection, one with superior optics and good build quality.

I'm going to piggyback this thread with a question. I have a 1500 on the way (10% off Paypal and 20% live search, couldn't pass it up!) and I noticed in the manual that they state the picture will be darker when the projector is ceiling mounted. Any simple explanations of why that would be? I'm assuming that they are speaking of a reduction in lumens, but they don't specify to what degree the picture becomes darker.

As far as I know, that is only true if you have a retro-reflective screen. Nothing inherent to the projector changes when ceiling mounted (except you have to set the image to 'mirror/invert').

One of the OP's original questions was about letterbox mode. The HC1500 has a cyclic 'AR/Zoom' mode. Zoom1 and Zoom2 modes handle letterboxed SD content. The AR/Zoom function is disabled if you feed the pj anything other than 480i/p.

Jonathan

As far as I know, that is only true if you have a retro-reflective screen. Nothing inherent to the projector changes when ceiling mounted (except you have to set the image to 'mirror/invert').
I believe I read somewhere in the HC1500 manual that you lose a little bit of brightness when inverting. At least it's got brightness to spare.

Fwiw, here's bullet point #3 on page 11 of the 1500 manual:

"When the projector is mounted on the ceiling, images may appear darker than those projected in the case of tabletop mounting. This isn't a product malfunction."

FWIW I find screen door to be quite extensive on any 480p projector especially on white areas in the image sitting closer than 13-14' from the screen. Other than that the 4805 puts out a spectacular image.

There is a 'HUGE' difference between a 480p and 720p projector in the screen door effect. The HC1500 is a very good unit and you will see a big step up in image quality over the 4805 especially in the black levels and shadow details.

I really like the infocus 720p models for the excellent light output they provide which really makes the image 'pop' of the screen.

Fwiw, here's bullet point #3 on page 11 of the 1500 manual:

"When the projector is mounted on the ceiling, images may appear darker than those projected in the case of tabletop mounting. This isn't a product malfunction."

As the previous poster mentioned, this appears to be only true of certain screens.

I know how to get the Live discount, but curious about how to get the additional paypal one?

As a Mits owner, I will say this - the HC1500 is a great value, but it's not fantastic with vanilla SD - it's lower than average for a HT projector, I'd say, but if you upcovert well then you're laughing - and yes buy a HD projector. 720p is the sweet spot.

If you're only watching (upscaled) SD DVD then the Mits is good enough. If you're also watching SD TV then either try to upgrade that HD, or choose a projector that's better with 480i signals.

I will be using this projector almost exclusively for SD DVD's and the occasional laserdisc (yeah, I've been around a while).

No, you won't. In the next year or so blue ray will become very affordable. Any new material you buy will be HD.

This is what my HC1500 does in a 106 inch screen

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm129/gaqugaqu/My%20HT/IMG_3872.jpg

Need I say more?

No, you won't. In the next year or so blue ray will become very affordable. Any new material you buy will be HD.

This is what my HC1500 does in a 106 inch screen

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm129/gaqugaqu/My%20HT/IMG_3872.jpg

Need I say more?

Franke,

How far is your 1500 mounted from your screen and how much zoom are you using, ceiling mounted? Also, how far are you sitting from the screen?

Thanks for your time...i have the exact same setup im itching to install as soon as my media room is complete!! Your screenshot is making me drool...anymore??

This PJ does really great things with a HD signal right out the box no less.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/2555962341_915aaa9514_o.jpg

Franke,

How far is your 1500 mounted from your screen and how much zoom are you using, ceiling mounted? Also, how far are you sitting from the screen?

Thanks for your time...i have the exact same setup im itching to install as soon as my media room is complete!! Your screenshot is making me drool...anymore??


Thanks for the compliments. I do enjoy the picture very much, but the sound is a big part too.

The projector is mounted about 14ft or so and I'm seating about 12 ft from the screen. My ceilings are only 8ft high which was a bit of a challenge but I found a flush mount that worked great.

Franke46

Thanks for the compliments. I do enjoy the picture very much, but the sound is a big part too.

The projector is mounted about 14ft or so and I'm seating about 12 ft from the screen. My ceilings are only 8ft high which was a bit of a challenge but I found a flush mount that worked great.

Franke46

Im in the same boat...i have about 8.2 ft ceilings, the room is 21 x 15 and is light controlled, no windows. So, im guessing 14 ft from the screen would be fine. How much clearance do you have from the top of your screen to the ceiling? When you mounted your projector, did you do it upside down or just regularly?

If you have a pic of your setup in daylight, i would appreciate it. Just trying to dial everything in before installing.

Appreicate your help.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Mitsubishi-HC1500-projection-calculator.htm

this will tell you what you need to know about throw and screen size:)

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Mitsubishi-HC1500-projection-calculator.htm

this will tell you what you need to know about throw and screen size:)

Thanks fishfeet...ive done that calculator like 1000 times...hahahaha.

Im in the same boat...i have about 8.2 ft ceilings, the room is 21 x 15 and is light controlled, no windows. So, im guessing 14 ft from the screen would be fine. How much clearance do you have from the top of your screen to the ceiling? When you mounted your projector, did you do it upside down or just regularly?

If you have a pic of your setup in daylight, i would appreciate it. Just trying to dial everything in before installing.

Appreicate your help.


The mitsu projector calculator is VERY accurate. My screen is mounted about 3 inches from the top but it has a good 14 inches of black material between the top of the projection area and the roller frame. Depending of what screen you buy you may need to mount it lower. I chose this brand among other things because it had this much black material.

The PJ is ceiling mounted, so it's upside down. Didn't need to do any tilting, the HC1500 offset is perfect for this type of application.


Good Luck

Franke46

The mitsu projector calculator is VERY accurate. My screen is mounted about 3 inches from the top but it has a good 14 inches of black material between the top of the projection area and the roller frame. Depending of what screen you buy you may need to mount it lower. I chose this brand among other things because it had this much black material.

The PJ is ceiling mounted, so it's upside down. Didn't need to do any tilting, the HC1500 offset is perfect for this type of application.


Good Luck

Franke46

Thanks for the response!! Im going to follow the calculator. It says 17.5" from ceiling so, that is where i will mount my screen. Will post pics when im done, should be another week and a 1/2 before everything is in!

Thanks again!

The projector is mounted about 14ft or so and I'm seating about 12 ft from the screen. My ceilings are only 8ft high which was a bit of a challenge but I found a flush mount that worked great. Franke46

Franke 46, could you please indicate which flush mount did you get? Thanks!

Yeah I am also looking to ceiling mount my HC1500, I would also like to know what mount you used Franke46. Or if anyone else has any suggestions for HC1500 ceiling mounts.

I used this mount. In black. It's nice, the distance from the projector to the ceiling it's about 4 inches or a little less. The only drawback is that you don't adjust each way separately, you can loosen it to adjust and it works great, but once loose it can move in any direction if you push it. Other mounts allow you to adjust up/down vs right left independently. But this was cheap and works great.

http://www.mountdirect.com/PMS_Proje...ount_p/pms.htm

Franke46

I use the same mount, and it works very well. I installed/positioned my projector last fall, and it hasn't shifted/moved since... not too shabby!