I recently watched 10,000 B.C. on Blu-ray on my parents' 50" LCD, and was somewhat underwhelmed with the improvements from the standard def image quality. As good as it looked in the theater, I expected it to be outstanding on Blu-Ray, however could barely see a difference. I wonder if the LCD was not doing it justice or even detracting from its potential.

50 inches?

We deal in feet here. Try it on a 10+ foot wide screen. You'll notice a difference

50 inches?

We deal in feet here. Try it on a 10+ foot wide screen. You'll notice a difference

So size allows you to appreciate the detail and image quality more?

So size allows you to appreciate the detail and image quality more?

absolutely. Size matters! ;)

Appreciate???. There have been tests that show that you have to be a certain distance from a certain sized display before any difference can be discerned between HD and SD. I mean you actually can't see it.

It has to do with the average visual accutity of humans. IE 20/20 vision.

TomT99, how old are you?

Most 1080P Front projectors look better then 1080P LCD's, ***in the proper environment***

I have a 40" LCD SONY 1080P XBR2

And had these 3 1080P projectors...


Sony VPL-VW50
Panasonic AE1000U
Marantz VP-11S2 (Currently Own)

I would prefer to watch a movie on the projectors over the TV. But playing a game I prefer the sony XBR2 to the Panasonic AE1000U, and possibly the VPL-VW50. But not over my Marantz VP-11S2.

How far back were you sitting from the 50" TV? If you weren't sitting close enough, you won't notice a huge difference.

I recently watched 10,000 B.C. on Blu-ray on my parents' 50" LCD, and was somewhat underwhelmed with the improvements from the standard def image quality. As good as it looked in the theater, I expected it to be outstanding on Blu-Ray, however could barely see a difference. I wonder if the LCD was not doing it justice or even detracting from its potential.

If you could barely see a difference I would be suspicious of how it was connected and what it's settings are along with calibration issue? Elderly parents tend not to dive into the details of electronics so much.

As a plumber I see allot of homes and hd tv's set up incorrectly all the time.

TomT99, how old are you?

25, I was watching it at my parents house with my dad...I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet. I don't live at home still, though if that's what you were wondering.

25, I was watching it at my parents house with my dad...I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet. I don't live at home still, though if that's what you were wondering.

Tom it's time you move out of your parents house and get a batchelor pad with a real home theater of your own. Think what a chick magnet it will be, why every night.... oh never mind. ;)

25, I was watching it at my parents house with my dad...I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet. I don't live at home still, though if that's what you were wondering.

Tom, how far away from the 50 inch screen were you sitting?

Also, what LCD (year, brand, model)? And what resolution were you feeding the TV? And through what type of cable (HDMI, Component, composite, etc.) ??? (when it comes to the average "parents" and HDTV, I've learned to take nothing for granted).

Too many variables here to answer your question outright. I believe 10,000 BC is a pretty decent transfer, so at least we know the problem is probably not the movie.

25, I was watching it at my parents house with my dad...I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet. I don't live at home still, though if that's what you were wondering.

Tom it's time you move out of your parents house and get a batchelor pad with a real home theater of your own.

mdputman.
missed something. :) :) Red added.

On a 50" tele you may not see the artifacts of SD and also not the benefit of HD.
Every 10" larger though and they become more apparent.
As someone above said, it depends on how far awy you are frome the screen.

I recently watched 10,000 B.C. on Blu-ray on my parents' 50" LCD, and was somewhat underwhelmed with the improvements from the standard def image quality. As good as it looked in the theater, I expected it to be outstanding on Blu-Ray, however could barely see a difference. I wonder if the LCD was not doing it justice or even detracting from its potential.

Given a apples to apples comparison projectors usually WILL outperform. In other words, if you took a good projector and too made it 50"...I'd bet it would kill. But, once you start making it bigger, the source itself becomes more of the limitation. Same reason a 26" will usually look better than a 50".

Now the other factor you have to consider is something Tryg said...bigger screens, regardless of technical abilities, have a "wow" factor that one cannot get from a LCD.

Depending on where you sit, a 50" LCD might not show a dramatic difference, but blow that up to a 120" diagonal screen, the source material makes a huge difference.

I for one have been gravitating to bigger and bigger screens as the sources have gotten better. I now only watch BluRay so I am able to acheive the affect I really want.

It is quite cool. Now I need to put an addition on my house because I have no more room to grow as 4k starts coming out. :)

You know as someone who has just jumped into the front projector scene (Epson 1080ub w/ a Parkland screen) I am impressed with the size and quality of the image (especially the black levels) but I must say that the Toshiba 1080p 61 inch RP set I replaced had a brighter picture that seemed "better" although smaller. Did any of you have this experience when getting your first projector?

Don't get me wrong...I don't want to go back but I do wish it were brighter.

I'm with you CWF. I got a 4x2 HDMI switcher from Monoprice that allows me to play 2 sources at the same time.. I have my 42 inch plasma under my 105 wide screen. Last night I played both at the same time and the plasma looked brighter and crisper vs my AE2000.

I still love my pj, the size of the image is great and the wow is there. I realize that they image my not be as bright as my plasma.. but then again LCDs are not (imo) as good as plasma's too.

A smaller display is almost always going to be brighter and also look sharper in direct comparison with a larger display, especially with a huge disparity between the typical projected image.

But as long as you can get your projected image "bright enough" and clear enough to satisfy when viewing on it's own (vs directly compared to a plasma/LCD), then you can enjoy the benefits of the greater image size.

The reverse happens as well. When I view a movie on a big projected image and then look at my plasma (or the flat panels playing movies in stores) they look extra puny for movie watching.

Yes it will look better on a smaller set....always. To experiment...take your Epson and make it the same size as the Toshiba...I bet your view will change.

You know as someone who has just jumped into the front projector scene (Epson 1080ub w/ a Parkland screen) I am impressed with the size and quality of the image (especially the black levels) but I must say that the Toshiba 1080p 61 inch RP set I replaced had a brighter picture that seemed "better" although smaller. Did any of you have this experience when getting your first projector?

Don't get me wrong...I don't want to go back but I do wish it were brighter.

I've never heard of a Parkland screen. Is that some sort of DIY material? Do you know its gain? If you want a brighter image, look into a positive gain screen. You might even look at a Hi-Power, though it comes with limitations and for a price.

Yes the Parkland is a DIY screen I learned about here on AVS in the DIY Screen forum. I'm sure you are correct in that the screen could be better but I need to learn more before buying a fixed screen. I wish there was a local store that displayed various screens to evaluate before making a purchase. Is there a forum where people near each other could show off there theaters to others to help make the decision? I know I'd be happy to allow others to come to my house and see the Epson 1080ub if it helped them make their decision.

I'd just want to get to know them a bit through this forum first so that I didn't have a bunch of people casing the joint for their next big heist!!!

I suggest when you are looking to get samples. Though they are small, properly used for testing they can help get you a feel for what each offers.

I suggest when you are looking to get samples. Though they are small, properly used for testing they can help get you a feel for what each offers.

Good idea and Thank You.