Hi All...found this on the porch when i got home yesterday....
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1546.jpg?t=1257421922

#37 of 64 shipped to Amazon...
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1547.jpg?t=1257421884

contents...white ;-(...forgot they offer several colors...wanted the dark blu...oh well...
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1548.jpg?t=1257421847

atop my LG HS102G...definately sleeker bod...
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1549.jpg?t=1257421808

Ok...all pix are outta the box settings...only turned off sound (real tinny speaker) & changed input to HDMI...otherwise left everything else as is...
Remote is same as 102...only in English ;-)...& they both work on either unit....so I was unable to blank 1 or the other out...had to cover lens with left hand & clic pix with rite to do the coke pepsi thing between the 102 & 201....anyway...first impressions...way briter & quieter the the 102...richer colors...better menu setup for user friendly navigation...

Pix are in sets of 2...1st is 102...2nd is 201...started @ 3:45PM...few of commercial in ambient with blinds open on rite...

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1563.jpg?t=1257421719
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1562.jpg?t=1257421759

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1568.jpg?t=1257421679
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1567.jpg?t=1257421629

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1569.jpg?t=1257421562
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1570.jpg?t=1257421523

Weather @ 4:15 channel 7 HD...little darker out...like these for the color...

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1571.jpg?t=1257421436
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1572.jpg?t=1257421400

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1577.jpg?t=1257421351
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1578.jpg?t=1257421298

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1585.jpg?t=1257421239
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1586.jpg?t=1257421192

Ok...the rest are FXHD channel...movie @ 5:30...Fantastic 4 RoSS...torch lites are 15watt bulbs...

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1587.jpg?t=1257421127
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1588.jpg?t=1257421087

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1592.jpg?t=1257421029
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1595.jpg?t=1257420983

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1611.jpg?t=1257420933
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1612.jpg?t=1257420884

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1614.jpg?t=1257420838
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1615.jpg?t=1257420752

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1616.jpg?t=1257420660
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1617.jpg?t=1257420569

Noticable improvement over the 102...looking forward to this weekend & checking it out with briter ambient lite...will clic sum pix & post.

Thanks for the pics - was looking forward to seeing how well this little pj performs.
do you think it would work well for gaming - or will there be too much lag?
Thanks

Does this projector use RGB Leds with switching, or does it use a colour wheel? i.e. Are there any visible rainbows.
davidcw8

SG,

How's the manual focus on yours? Does yours slightly move when you focus? Mine (HS201) and another owner(HS200G) on youtube does. You can find our videos on youtube to see it in action.

Also the HS200(european version) comes in different color and it comes w/ a bag :\ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQpwLih-Hiw

Hi Bachiano...thanx...so far its great! With regards to gaming...next time the grandkids are over i'll have my oldest grandson bring his playstation & check this out.

Hi davidcw8...no rainbows at all...from what i understand...its the RGB switch technology.

Hi kennl66...love the focus on this compared to my 102...this one is on the side...much easier & more precise then the 102 which you have to rotate at the lense with a bezel simular to a Breitling watch bezel...1 slip & ur cleaning the lense ;-(....this 201 did not come with a bag...i'll use my 102 bag if need be...checkd ur vids on utube...very nicely done...will consider the 'G' in blu when availible here & this 1 will probly go to my girlfriend to replace benq pb6200 i gave her 2 years ago....really like the dark blu 1...with regards to ur focus query...so far its spot on...usually set it to a HD news channel with lettering & focus till its the sharpest.

...with regards to ur focus query...so far its spot on...usually set it to a HD news channel with lettering & focus till its the sharpest.

no i meant when you move or turn the focus knob on the side does the screen slightly move? i noticed when i turn it up or down to focus i see the screen or projection move slightly up or down too.

What is this ??? > "RGB Leds with switching"
Thanks

Does this projector use RGB Leds with switching, or does it use a colour wheel? i.e. Are there any visible rainbows.
davidcw8

You can see a tiny bit of rainbows if you move your eyes rapidly. However there is no comparison to the Samsung P400 I recently owned, that LED projector had significant rainbows, I would say about the equivalent of a 2X wheel. The LG is almost unnoticeable, but you can tell that it is color cycling if you look at the lens...

You can see a tiny bit of rainbows if you move your eyes rapidly. However there is no comparison to the Samsung P400 I recently owned, that LED projector had significant rainbows, I would say about the equivalent of a 2X wheel. The LG is almost unnoticeable, but you can tell that it is color cycling if you look at the lens...

What are your impressions of the LG HS201, Robert? Color (skin tones), resolution/screendoor, sharpness, brightness, etc? How does this compare to a decent 1080p/720p bulb projector?

What is this ??? > "RGB Leds with switching"
Thanks

With DLP single chip projectors the colour is achieved by using a frame sequential method. Unfortunately, using a colour wheel to select colours you are limited in the maximum frame rate you can achieve by the rotational speed of the colour wheel. With individual Red, Green and Blue Leds supplying the light, you can achieve a much higher frame rate by switching the Leds in sequence, and there are no moving parts to wear out.

The higher the display frame rate, the less visible rainbows :).

davidcw8

davidcw8 Thanks

That sound really good.

What are your impressions of the LG HS201, Robert? Color (skin tones), resolution/screendoor, sharpness, brightness, etc? How does this compare to a decent 1080p/720p bulb projector?

Hi Sisyphus.

I'm enjoying the LG so far. I've had an Aaxatech P1 clone (pico projector), a Dell M109s LED pocket projector (which I still have), a Samsung P400 (which I enjoyed but died), and I've toyed with a few more. My interest in these LED projectors is to extend the life of my main theater projector, which is currently a Viewsonic Pro8100 (I also still own a Sharpvision XV-Z3000).
My interest in the LG is due to the HDMI input, I believe it's the first one on the market with one, and for me splitting the signal makes using it with the PC, PS3, Directv much more family friendly. The Samsung was unable to display even a 720p signal (downrezzed of course.)

Color: very saturated out of the box....TOO saturated out of the box. Skin tones are a bit off, I haven't calibrated it yet but looking at the menu options it looks very doable. It defaults to "vivid" mode and has several preset modes and some user modes including Cinema but skin tones look too warm on that so far.

Sharpness: Good sharpness, no edge to edge variation as on the Dell or Aaxatech, the Samsung was fairly sharp too. Pixels are readily visible.

Brightness: Very good, a little brighter maybe than the Samsung, but it's close. Much brighter than the Dell. I have gone as large as a 90" diagonal, but I like the punch with a 70-80" size (4:3 mode).

Resolution: Aahh....the Achilles heel of this projector. The lens quality is good enough that the 800x600 resolution is readily visible in all uses at larger screen sizes. I came very close to buying a used eBay sample of the Forever Plus 720p led projector with HDMI, but begged off at the last minute. It's somewhat dimmer and has an unusual vertical orientation.
Why LG didn't make this second generation unit at least XGA is a mystery to me. Perhaps that's how they were able to meet their lower pricepoint.

The LG has no offset and relatively short throw (90" diagonal at 104"), which makes ceiling placement challenging. I think I'm going to end up mounting in on my theater seat cupholder.

The LG would be a fine starter projector, bedroom projector, portable projector (maybe the best one so far due to it's fine brightness and great input choices) or, as I am using it, backup projector for casual use. I'm not sure it's a better choice than a low price 720p model resolution is not even close, but it IS a great relief not to have that bulb life worry every single time you fire it up!

Hope that helps...

Thanks for sharing your experience, Robert. I'm playing with the idea of getting two of these to experiment with 3D projection. :) I'm also considering placing two of these side by side for a Eyefinity 1200 x 800 or 1600 x 600 configuration.

Ok...you got me hooked! What is Eyefinity?

Also, for those who own a decent 720p or even a 1080p, how would you compare the contrast and sharpness capabilities of the hs200/1? I know it's pointless to compare the resolutions. Not yet..:)

Eyefinity is AMD/ATI's multidisplay solution. What makes it unique is it operates on a driver level. All applications (blu-ray player software, media center, tv, games, etc) should see the multimonitor setup as a single high resolution display. When in fact, you have 2, 3, even 6 projectors/displays configured in a edge-aligned orientation. This allows you to linearly increase resolution and brightness by adding displays.

3 LCD Monitors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADI2J-OL_bc&feature=related

Using 24 LCD monitors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Vf8R_gOec

Using 3 projectors (which should give you a seamless image if setup properly)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzH0aqTg7AQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBrYmN85pys

Hi Sisyphus.

The LG has no offset and relatively short throw (90" diagonal at 104"), which makes ceiling placement challenging. I think I'm going to end up mounting in on my theater seat cupholder.

Hope that helps...

Well, that one fact will probably kill any possibilities of this unit for me. The location I was considering seemed ideal at first. It is light controlled, has reasonable access for running wiring, and has adequate room for a conveniently located 80+ inch screen. But it also has a coffered ceiling. I was hoping for at lease a moderate amount of offset to avoid the need to mount the projector on a long drop from the ceiling. I could have compromised a bit, but if this unit really has no offset I just cannot see it being ceiling mounted in most cases.

Tom

Can you tilt this PJ upwards and project on the ceiling?

A lot of PJ's dont allow for this, because the cooling then doesn't work properly and the heat rises to places where it can damage the PJ.

It should be in the manual, my Sony HW10 has such limitations of how to position the PJ clearly explained. Could you please have a look in your manual? Thanks.

Neko

Well, that one fact will probably kill any possibilities of this unit for me. The location I was considering seemed ideal at first. It is light controlled, has reasonable access for running wiring, and has adequate room for a conveniently located 80+ inch screen. But it also has a coffered ceiling. I was hoping for at lease a moderate amount of offset to avoid the need to mount the projector on a long drop from the ceiling. I could have compromised a bit, but if this unit really has no offset I just cannot see it being ceiling mounted in most cases.

Tom

You could ceiling mount it and use keystone adjustment to square the image... with the resulting image softening of course...

Hi kennl66....yes...when I rotate he focus knob downward ...the lense jumps upward ever so slightly...design flaw...removed the 5 screws Saturday AM...released the clip on the vent side & removed the bottom cover....the lense is about 1.5" + & no support at the end...just sits atop the focus knobs cogged wheel...talk about stuffn 10 lbs of tech in a 5 lb case!
Glad to see all who have this lil beamer are satisfied as I am, not only on this thread but speedtriplex's. Had a chance to do ambient lite & very pleased with it compared to the 102. I did lower the outta the box color setting from 70 to 50...indeed much better...less saturated as Robert stated earlier. As before...102 1st...201 2nd....

Weather on 5 @ 7:15AM...sun rises threw front window...
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1679.jpg?t=1257767468
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1678.jpg?t=1257767619

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1685.jpg?t=1257767681
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1686.jpg?t=1257767727

Some shots from KB1 on Spike @ 1:00PM...
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1620.jpg?t=1257767820
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1622.jpg?t=1257767858

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1635.jpg?t=1257767902
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1634.jpg?t=1257767947

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1642.jpg?t=1257768000
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1643.jpg?t=1257768035

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1672.jpg?t=1257768085
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1673.jpg?t=1257768123

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1674.jpg?t=1257768165
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1675.jpg?t=1257768203

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1676.jpg?t=1257768247
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss95/SGs_PIX/LG%20HS201/DSCN1677.jpg?t=1257768280

It was on 12 hrs + Saturday & Sunday ...very happy with the brightness this one has as it was the 1st weekend since mid Sept we had both days sunny up here in New England....next weekend mite do a bulb - LED comparison...my Optoma HD73 vs LG HS201 in ambient lite to see which fairs better....anyway...can only imagine what the next gen will offer.

You could ceiling mount it and use keystone adjustment to square the image... with the resulting image softening of course...

I am not opposed to the use of a modest amount of keystone adjustment and do use it on the projector in my main theater to allow better placement. But in the location I am considering for this unit the amount would be extreme. I doubt I would be happy with the image with that amount of keystone adjustment. Even if the unit allowed the amount of adjustment I would need, the focus between the top and bottom of the screen would be an issue.

For now I think I will wait for some new units to come along that better fit my needs. This unit seems to take a big step toward making LED a main stream projection option. And the fast start up, long lamp life, and low price it offers seems to be opening up some uses that formerly were only suited to a traditional display. No doubt there will be additional units soon that address a broader set of customer needs.

I wish LG had made this one XGA.

Time to pull the trigger over at Amazon. At least, I will get an English remote this time around. Thanks for the pics, SG.

Hi monakh...anytime....good to hear from you...ditto...but this one is a noticable improvement...especially with regards to briteness & less fan noise...& HDMI. You can loose the 102 Korean remote cuz the English 201 operates both... ;-). Definately post sum pix when you get it!

What Native rez LG HS201 have ?

What Native rez LG HS201 have ?

SVGA: 800x600 (or is it 848x600 like the Samsung?).

I was just about to buy one of these before I saw people here talking about the throw distance and positioning. Does it project a little bit upwards like the average business projector? I was thinking I could put it in 2 different places, the first being on a tripod basically between my legs when sitting down (not the best place for it). I would have a 60"ish screen like this. The 2nd place being right behind the couch on a tall tripod, even if I had to build a special mount to hold it upside down. That setup would give me a 100" ish screen. Could someone who owns one see what sort of angle it projects at?

Just received my HS201 from Amazon and I am p***ed. I've been trying all afternoon to install it... it seems impossible to get square image with this thing. In my room I only have a place for a projector if it is ceiling mounted, which is a huge problem with the LG.

Does anyone have an idea how to ceiling mount it? It only has one hole on the bottom that fits a tripod mount... that's all. I don't think I've seen any projector mounts designed for one hole.

I've tried a bunch of improvised solutions, but nothing seems to work, it always wants to tilt a little. Even a tripod mount doesn't fit all that close.

I hope I can find a way to make it work, because the picture is amazingly good. It is plenty bright, even in eco mode, the contrast is as good as any DLP projector with 2000:1 CR I've seen, and the low resolution doesn't bother me at all since I generally avoid sitting home counting pixels on my screen.

Just received my HS201 from Amazon and I am p***ed. I've been trying all afternoon to install it... it seems impossible to get square image with this thing. In my room I only have a place for a projector if it is ceiling mounted, which is a huge problem with the LG.

Does anyone have an idea how to ceiling mount it? It only has one hole on the bottom that fits a tripod mount... that's all. I don't think I've seen any projector mounts designed for one hole.

I've tried a bunch of improvised solutions, but nothing seems to work, it always wants to tilt a little. Even a tripod mount doesn't fit all that close.

I hope I can find a way to make it work, because the picture is amazingly good. It is plenty bright, even in eco mode, the contrast is as good as any DLP projector with 2000:1 CR I've seen, and the low resolution doesn't bother me at all since I generally avoid sitting home counting pixels on my screen.

OK, ceiling mounting with this thing.

The mount I bought for this is this one from Amazon ($5.99):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IDCDZY/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
Ceiling mounting is difficult due to the throw, and I have to use a little keystoning (don't really care because it's only SVGA anyway).
Here are a few pics of the LG mounted (taken with my iphone so sorry for the poor quality).

Mounted:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q57840djB8U/Swc2x0EG8iI/AAAAAAAAABw/zLFwTRIBTps/s800/IMG_0404.JPG

Fat Man and Little Boy (Viewsonic Pro8100):

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q57840djB8U/Swc2xrlJqtI/AAAAAAAAABo/ZsmzJwlUoYA/s800/IMG_0403.JPG

Thanks man! That looks perfect. Were you able to get the image square? I can't seem to manage that. I am still not sure I'll keep this one.

I haven't had any horizontal alignment issues, just used keystoning for the vertical alignment.

don't want to sound pushy, but... no-one who has a clue?

Can you tilt this PJ upwards and project on the ceiling?

A lot of PJ's dont allow for this, because the cooling then doesn't work properly and the heat rises to places where it can damage the PJ.

It should be in the manual, my Sony HW10 has such limitations of how to position the PJ clearly explained. Could you please have a look in your manual? Thanks.

Neko

don't want to sound pushy, but... no-one who has a clue?

Sorry man, just looked in the manual and it doesn't say anything about this type of installation. It just says to leave enough room around the projector for ventilation - vent holes are on thbottom and front. I guess if you put it on a tripod you could tilt it upwards an project on the ceiling.

Does this device (LG HS201) have universal voltage of 100-240V AC? (I'm planing to use it in Europe)
Thanks!

Does this device (LG HS201) have universal voltage of 100-240V AC? (I'm planing to use it in Europe)
Thanks!

Yes, it does. It comes with a power supply like the ones for laptops.

Yes, it does. It comes with a power supply like the ones for laptops.

Thanks for your answer! I have talked to LG consultant on LiveChat and he said he "believed" it's designed only for US voltage range (this sounded reasonable as there is a model HS200 for Europe). But I thought I'll double check with you guys :)

Sorry man, just looked in the manual and it doesn't say anything about this type of installation. It just says to leave enough room around the projector for ventilation - vent holes are on thbottom and front. I guess if you put it on a tripod you could tilt it upwards an project on the ceiling.

The fact it has vents on front and bottom makes me think it can handle being tilted upwards. Guess I'll take a chance and get one. Thanks for your help

Neko

Greetings All

New to this forum (first post) yet have owned projectors for the last 6 years.

I just ordered the LG HS201 yesterday from Amazon because my Infocus IN 26 bought the farm (the plastic lens between the flip mirror and the DLP cooked and started to melt:eek:), I tried to get a replacement lens, but no one would sell me the lens. Prior to that I had an Infocus X1 that failed (the color wheel motor was squealing), I tracked down the maker of the wheel, but they wouldn’t sell it to me.

I am thrilled to see this LED projector and some of the posted videos/pictures/reviews it made the selection process easy. I am a VERY heavy user, all my computer and TV viewing is done using a projector (I’ve spent more on bulbs in the past 2 years than this cost me). I was amazed to see 30,000 hours, if I only get half that I’ll be thrilled.

Now for the questions
1: Is there an online PDF manual for this? (I’m looking for distance to screen size)
2: If no online manual, is there a PDF the HS102 and could I use that?
3: Would the Da-Lite “High Power” coated screen be the good choice for this projector?
(only my wife and I and we sit directly in front of the screen)
4: Why is it that you can’t find/buy parts for these things?

Thanks in advance for any help

Brent

I am also waiting for my HS201 from amazon!

Brent you can download the manuals from below url:
hu.lge.com/support/download_manual.jsp
In the second drop down menu select the language.
Search for HS200 / HS200G / HS201 / HS201G

HS200 with FM transmitter
HS200G with FM transmitter & with bag
HS201 without FM transmitter
HS201G without FM transmitter & with bag

htsurroundman

Thanks for the link (I found what I was looking for), bummer the throw to size ratio is so large, I'll have to rethink (maybe for the last time (I'm old)) my set up.

Again, thanks

Brent

ps. Amazon/UPS says I'll get it tomorrow, I work 4 days a week so I'll post first impressions tomorrow night

The fact it has vents on front and bottom makes me think it can handle being tilted upwards. Guess I'll take a chance and get one. Thanks for your help

Neko

I used mine in Asia pointed at the ceiling for a whole week almost non-stop while my kid played his Nintendo on it. It was pretty darned cool. Disclaimer: I make no guarantees about this as I never RTFM, however, it felt OK at room temperature. About 11 foot high ceilings yielded a solid 110 inch image. If it is tilted and not exactly vertical, the digital keystone correction will reduce the image size by up to 20% (my estimate). Quite immersive! Who needs IMAX?!

This is noticeably brighter than my 102. However, the difference is less pronounced for the Eco mode. Those of us who don't need HD because all they do is watch Netflix SD or ABC SD or do the Wii or just plain old DVD cannot go wrong with this unit. Not only that, this one handles multiple compressed resolutions VERY nicely. I can go all the way up to UXGA and still manage to see the text though it is way too blurry for everyday use. I use the compressed SXGA resolution (typing this port on the wall).

Excellent unit, handily beats my 102 which has been donated to my brother.

Versatility of the HS200 is mentioned on the german LG site with a unit projecting at the ceiling - so it should be ok...
Wanted to post the pic but am not allowed yet :(

Am so close to order and get the family a nice X-mas present :D

Greetings All


Well I've had this projector since Thursday and figured I'd offer up an opinion (I know everyone has one), but before I start I should explain my previous projector experience (because this opinion is based on that)

This is my 3rd projector prior to this I had an Infocus IN26 and a Infocus X1, all 3 used the same DIY screen (5'X7' sheet (painted with a flat white interior paint) stapled to a 1”X3 “wood frame and hung on the wall). I am a VERY heavy user (if I'm not at work or sleeping my projector is on), all my content comes from a projector via my computer. My computer was built by me and has a Nvida GeForce 8400 GS video card, DVDs are played on the computer and there is a ATI HD tv tuner card installed as well (for the local HD channels).

Because all content comes from the computer and the video card has many adjustments (as does the projector) I took out of storage a Oritron DVD player, plugged it into the to RCA connector and played the movie The Replacements (knowing there would be vivid RGBs). This way I was able to adjust the projector to a raw video signal from the DVD player then adjust the video card to the projector.

So, lets get started, first the projector settings
.
LED Mode: Normal

Picture Mode: Vivid
Contrast: 100%
Brightness: 63
Sharpness: 92
Color: 59
Tint: G39

Under advanced settings

Color Temp: Medium
Dynamic Contrast: Low
Dynamic Color: High
Noise Reduction: Low
Gamma: High
Black Level: Low
Film Mode: on
Edge Enhancer: On

DVD player was at it's default settings and a short RCA cable was used, the room was dark (except for a night light at the other side of the room).

Now for the subjective part, for me I am blown away, to date I have never seen anything like this, the Vivid colors with no color bleeding dropped my jaw, heck even my wife was impressed.

I took a few pictures (Nikon 10 mega pixel camera) to try to capture the depth of color.
www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4161500188/
www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4160742757/
www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4161497714/
www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4160740081/

These pictures are unedited using the default settings on the camera.

I am so impressed by the image I actually ordered a new screen a Da-Lite High power 72" Height x 96" Width (because of projector placement I can use this screen and be well with in the tight viewing angle).

This is the best image quality I have ever had (keep in mind my past experience) and to think this is a sub $500 projector, so for “Me” who tends to be a bit thrifty and puts thousands of hours a year on a projector (I work 4 days a week and have insomnia) I am in heaven. With my viewing habits this projector will pay for it self in 2 years, heck if I only get half the rated time of the LEDs I'll still be ahead of the game.

So for those out there who have a similar projector background, you'll be pleasantly impressed with this projector. I was concerned with the 200 lumen rating, not any more this is plenty bright enough and handles ambient light much better than I expected.

Once again this is my opinion based on my limited background.

Cheers

Brent

I took a few pictures (Nikon 10 mega pixel camera) to try to capture the depth of color. Sorry not enough posts to be able to submit live links, so just copy and past and add the extra "W"
ww.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4161500188/
ww.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4160742757/
ww.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4161497714/
ww.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4160740081/

Impressive pics...
I reckon screen mode was 16:9, at what size (diagonal)?

Rubachuk

It is 87 inches diagonal.

This is the best image quality I have ever had (keep in mind my past experience) and to think this is a sub $500 projector, so for “Me” who tends to be a bit thrifty and puts thousands of hours a year on a projector (I work 4 days a week and have insomnia) I am in heaven. With my viewing habits this projector will pay for it self in 2 years, heck if I only get half the rated time of the LEDs I'll still be ahead of the game.


Cheers

Brent

I second that. I bought this projector to replace my excruciatingly whiny Mitsubishi HC1500 and then Epson 705 (both actual HD projectors).

I was convinced I was wasting my time with this projector and was fully expecting to be returning it, didn't even put the box away. But after installing it, (which by the way was the worst part about this projector because of the lack of zoom, proper mounting holes, and short throw) I simply can't imagine parting with it.

It has the richest colors, best contrast, and deepest blacks I've seen from any of my previous 5 or so projectors (granted they've all been pretty low end, but none quite as "low" as this one). It's also completely silent in eco mode. And of course you can't put a price on the feeling of not worrying about how many times a day you turn it on and off and how long you keep it on.

Hey

Well I wanted to try to make sure I had all my addition's before this post, but I'm still awaiting my screen, regardless I've had some "DAH" moments while testing this.

Just a brief reminder, DIY screen, projector history a Infocus X1 then a Infocus IN 26.

First, I bought a DVI to HDMI cable (computer to projector) WOW what a difference (Good and Bad) then rather than use the RCA connector for the DVD I used the component input (this leaves the RCA for the WII and the USB for the Divx movies).

I'm still blown away by this sub $500 projector, "Today" I have the best image I have ever had on my screen, YET, because it is so good I see it's flaws:confused:

I bought a DVI to HDMI cable, when on the computer, WOW, so much of a WOW with a true white to black contrast and I can see the pixels :((RGB made it fuzzy :mad:).

With the component/progressive scan on top left to bottom right contrasting images I see a saw tooth, maybe I'm being very harsh:rolleyes:

In the end, I'm pleased with this projector, but because of the quality of it's image I can see it's flaws (It's making it's self look bad:confused:), I've used the term "Bad" in this post, I need to make sure everyone understands this "Bad" exceeds the "Good" with the infocus X1 and the IN26

I see myself using this for years to come, a year or 2 (after the price drops) I would want to upgrade to their 1080X720 LED model.

I'll let you know how the "High Power screen works out", this should be in with in a day or 2

Brent

PS a few pictures using component input (same movie "Replacements").
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4183312652/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4183311712/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4183308234/

I can't wait till i get mine... Because this projector is not available in Canada, I had to have it shipped to my uncle who lives in the US. He is bringing it with him on the plane when he visits for xmas. He should be here on Wednesday. Once i get it I will have to figure out what screen size I am going to go with and then find a screen to use it with. Right now I am looking at an 82" 16:9 fixed frame Accuscreen as a inexpensive solution...anyone else have a recommendation?

Tazz

@ afineman
Do you also have photos using the hdmi input?

Ordered the PJ last we for 418 EUR, best offer so far...

Rubachuk

No I don’t, I’m off on a business trip and will get you some images this weekend.

Regardless I see a big difference using the DVI to HDMI cable (computer to projector) rather than the RGC input (standard computer to projector 15 pin cable).

Give until Saturday and I get some images comparing the to.



Brent

Do you know that putting contrast at 100% kills your white detail? :) Contrast should generally be set around halfway (50-60%) for best quality and white detail. If not all you did by putting it at 100% is cause the subtle shades of white, which create white detail and depth, to bloom to the point of being as bright as the brightest white so all highlight detail is lost and is basically what you call a blown out picture or highlight blowout.

It's basically the same (only the opposite end of the spectrum) as putting your brightness at zero, which kills the black detail. Just sayin'. ;)


Normally I'd agree, but not so with this particular projector. I don't have my contrast at 100, but at 94 after calibration with a THX optimizer. I found it best to bump the contrast as high and leave the dynamic contrast off.

This is not a typical display, perhaps because of the LED lighting. The colors are much more vivid and saturated than any other projector I've seen.

Also this projector needs a high bump of the sharpness. I've always turned the sharpness down to the minimum on any other display I've had, but with this projector I have it up to 75 and I've enabled edge enhancement. Otherwise the picture looks quite soft, almost blurry.

Rubachuk

No I don’t, I’m off on a business trip and will get you some images this weekend.

Regardless I see a big difference using the DVI to HDMI cable (computer to projector) rather than the RGC input (standard computer to projector 15 pin cable).

Give until Saturday and I get some images comparing the to.



Brent

My laptop has HDMI and vga out, w/c one is better? I tried them but i don't see the difference except w/ vga i can do display extension but not w/ HDMI, only clone and it lowers my laptops screen to 800x600 when connected.

kennl66

The native res (or the best it can do) of this projector is 800 X 600, so unless you compare image quality @ 800 X 600 all will appear fuzzy/same.

I considered this to be one of the first gens of Affordable LED projectors, I flash back to my Infocus X1 projector days (native res 800X600) knowing in a short period of time the light intensity/quality/resolution will increase (while the price goes down).


Regardless, I can say (after 6 years of using a Infocus X1 then a IN 26 projector) this 200 Lumen sub $500 projector exceeds the image I ever got (As can be seen via my past posts) on my 5X7 foot DIY screen.

Talk to the people who actually own this projector (I can't tell via your post if you do),most will say "I wish it was XGA (1024 X 768)"

With in a few years there will be sub $1k LED projectors that exceeds 1080P requirements that meet the lumen requirements of most.

Just my thoughts

AFM

Normally I'd agree, but not so with this particular projector. I don't have my contrast at 100, but at 94 after calibration with a THX optimizer. I found it best to bump the contrast as high and leave the dynamic contrast off.

This is not a typical display, perhaps because of the LED lighting. The colors are much more vivid and saturated than any other projector I've seen.

Also this projector needs a high bump of the sharpness. I've always turned the sharpness down to the minimum on any other display I've had, but with this projector I have it up to 75 and I've enabled edge enhancement. Otherwise the picture looks quite soft, almost blurry.

Can you post all your settings after calibration?

Thanks!

Can you post all your settings after calibration?

Thanks!

Here you go:

Started from Cinema Mode:

Contrast 95
Brightness 58
Sharpness - with Xbox games 90, with movies lower to 45
Color 50
Tint R4

Advanced Menu

Color Temp. Medium
Dynamic Contrast Off
Dynamic Color Off
Moise Reduction Off
Gamma Low
Black Level Low
Film Mode Off
Color Gamut Wide
Edge Enhancer - with Xbox Games ON, with movies Off.

Here you go:

Started from Cinema Mode:

Contrast 95
Brightness 58
Sharpness - with Xbox games 90, with movies lower to 45
Color 50
Tint R4

Advanced Menu

Color Temp. Medium
Dynamic Contrast Off
Dynamic Color Off
Moise Reduction Off
Gamma Low
Black Level Low
Film Mode Off
Color Gamut Wide
Edge Enhancer - with Xbox Games ON, with movies Off.

How do you enable the sharpness and some options in the advance settings bec. on mine they are greyed out. thanks.

How do you enable the sharpness and some options in the advance settings bec. on mine they are greyed out. thanks.

Some of the options are input specific... what type of connection are you using?

Does this little beamer preserve the contents aspectratio or is it mapping everything to the 4:3 ratio of its panel?

Eyefinity, unfortunately it doesn't support soft-edge-blending and most likely never will. Those 6 projectors in the first video overlap without blending, and are clearly not matched either, as one could easily see brightness and colour difference between the projectors, in addition to seeing the overlapping bar.

Some of the options are input specific... what type of connection are you using?

oh ok, i'm using vga out from my laptop.

Rubachuk

I took a bunch of pictures (HDMI vs RGB) but none show how dramatic the difference is except these 2

This one is HDMI http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4199217597/ and you can see single pixel resolution

This one is RGB http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4199216665/ and as can be seen in this mode it uses 2 pixels

You can also see the screen door affect of the 800 X600 but I up to 98 inch diagonal.

Hope it answers the question

Brent

You can also see the screen door affect of the 800 X600 but I up to 98 inch diagonal.

Hope it answers the question

Brent

I'm curious at what screen size and seating distance screendoor is not visible. My current setup is an 80" wide screen and around 8-10 feet to seating area.

I'm curious at what screen size and seating distance screendoor is not visible. My current setup is an 80" wide screen and around 8-10 feet to seating area.

You'll be able to see the pixels around the edges of text and graphics, but I wouldn't call it "screen door effect" in the same terms as the LCD projectors of yester year.

brent's most recent pics shows an extreme blocky pixelation up close, does it actually look that bad in person?

brent's most recent pics shows an extreme blocky pixelation up close, does it actually look that bad in person?

It does, if you stick your nose in the screen.

I guess even hd projectors would have visible pixels that close, but they are a lot more noticeable than I thought they'd be.

Well with computer graphics and text the pixel structure is visible, but still I don't think it's the "screen door" effect that I used to see on SVGA LCD projectors.

With movies and video games I don't really see the pixels, except in text.

Rubachuk

I took a bunch of pictures (HDMI vs RGB) but none show how dramatic the difference is except these 2

This one is HDMI http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4199217597/ and you can see single pixel resolution

This one is RGB http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4199216665/ and as can be seen in this mode it uses 2 pixels

You can also see the screen door affect of the 800 X600 but I up to 98 inch diagonal.

Hope it answers the question

Brent

Ok, these 2 pics make the (big) difference clearly visible... just ordered a 5m HDMI cable :)
B.t.w.: Received my PJ 2 days ago and watched the first film last night. Had to place the PJ (too) far away from the screen because of short cable - screen size was then about 2,50m (98``) wide and therefore a bit too big...
Also had kind of flicker in the top area of screen :confused:

Hey All

I was about 10 inches away from the screen when I took those pictures.

As bobbyslav says @ 13 feet away you only see it with high contrast text and when on my computer I don't care, when watching a movie I never see it.

Rubachuk, I had the (almost) same thing (flicker) I played with the phase (I think that’s the name, it's on the same screen you adjust shif and size) and it was gone.

My High Power screen should be in tomorrow and the final chapter will begin

Have a nice day:)

Brent

Thanks Brent for answering all our questions. :)

You'll need sunglasses once the High Power is up. :D

Rubachuk, I had the (almost) same thing (flicker) I played with the phase (I think that’s the name, it's on the same screen you adjust shif and size) and it was gone.

To set the phase, the menu only appears if being connected via RGB - I had it on HDMI. Will also test another cable, maybe mine was too cheap :D

Evening all and Happy Holidays

Well I got the screen and wanted to post a few pictures (I'll give myself the holidays to write the final chapter)

First: settings very similar to the first photo post, screen is 92 in diag. screen is 10 foot 5 inches from lens, eyes are 12 foot 4 inches from screen.

Here is my DVD (480P) http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4207488284/ movie Last of the Mohegans

Here is my Hulu @ 800X600 http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4207493742/

And finally HDTV card installed in my computer http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4207492080/in/photostream/ Image was actually better, hands were not steady enough (remember no light).

OOHH the screen went up in 10 minutes.

Cheers
Brent

Greetings All

OOHH the final chapter, allow me again to give my background so the following statements can be put in prospective.

My home theater is built for 2 (wife and I)
This is my 3rd projector (Infocus X1 then a Infocus IN 26)
I'm 52 and need reading glasses (reason I went to a projector for computer use)
I just installed a Da-Lite High Power 96 X 72 inch screen (currently running 92 inch diagonal )

Let me start by saying this is not a flexible projector, what I mean buy this is, if you have a well established home theater you may find it frustrating trying to incorporate this projector into it (short throw and no zoom).

In computer mode using HDMI you will see the individual pixels (this instantly disappears when watching online media), when watching a DVD using the component input it is awesome (remember my past experience) the colors just pop out at you epically with the new screen, with this screen the brightness exceeds (in my eyes) my Infocus X1, and because I have a HD tv tuner card in my computer Over Air HD content looks very good as well.

I've read others who are not happy with the USB Divx video yet I don't see a big problem (I have movies in AVI format 800 meg full length) my only complaint with using the USB for video viewing is, while viewing the menu button does nothing and I'm not sure what projector settings to modify to enhance the video in this mode

I've given my set up and dimensions in previous posts so I won't turn this into a book but I do want to talk about the new screen. Because my home theater (if that's what you want to call it, love seat wall hung screen and Dolby 5:1 sound) is flexible in it positions this new screen allows me the get the biggest bang for the buck out of this projector.

My current viewing experience by far exceeds my experience with the other 2 projectors. I would of never thought a sub $500 projector coupled with a little over $200 screen would yield such an increase in viewing experience, now having said that let me get to what “I” find are the pros and cons.

This would be a Good projector for the first timer, the thrifty theater builder, family travel, back up projector, general purpose projector, and a heavy user.

This may not be a good projector for someone who has a well established home theater (due to it not being very flexible), someone who is use to (and expects) the clarity of a 720/1080 projected image, and someone who has stock in a projector bulb making company.

I'll end this with a photo, this is a calibration screen for my video card set up, the top half of the picture is the high power screen (DUH) the bottom is my DIY screen and the projector was in Econo mode, so where a picture is worth a 1000 words I'll end it here

Seasons greetings

Brent

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4211411334/sizes/m/

Thanks to htsurroundman for posting the link to the manual for the LG HS-200/HS-201 and to afineman and Rubachuk for posting such amazing pics, considering the unit's list price.
Have you guys noticed some of the options under the "Advanced" menu selection, specifically "Color Expert 1" and "Color Expert 2" ? This projector actually allows full R/G/B white balance adjustments for both brightness (towards the white range of the gray scale) and contrast (towards the dark gray/black range of the gray scale), AND a full six colors CMS control (red,blue,green,magenta,cyan, yellow), AND a GAMMA control, etc, etc, etc !!!
Now, that's amazing, considering the price point of the unit...I can think of many HD projectors that do not offer such options.
I wonder which one of the LED chipsets from Luminus Devices/Phlatlight does the LG-200/201 use, the model PT-39 or the model PT-54 LED chipset ? Anyone have more hard-to-find info/details on this beauty ?
Thanks >>> Marcos

greetings from australia....

Thanks to everyone for their reviews and screenshots. I have just ordered one from amazon and cant wait to get my hands on this baby and fire it up. Will post my setup and pics when i get it.

cheers

Same here, i just ordered mine from amazon; After checking some of the LG HS200/201 videos posted at youtube as well as the pictures on this thread, i figured this was too good to pass up.
Some recent owners at amazon's discussion group on the HS200 are reporting that the temperature right outside the main front vent measured 108 degrees and the bottom vent measured 98 degrees, after the unit is turned on for awhile; Have any of the owners here noticed their units getting uncomfortably hot to the touch ? I imagine that the front vent is the main exhaust vent, so would a small fan placed behind the projector help with keeping it cooler ? Any suggestions ?
BTW, after going through that very/very poorly written manual, i realized that this $500 mini projector allows full scale gray-tracking calibration by two methods : using R/G/B controls for the top and the bottom end of the scale AND/OR a full twenty (20 !) R/G/B controls for EACH COLOR starting at "total black" 0IRE, then 5IRE, 10,15,20,25,30 ~100IRE "total white"...Now, that's amazing !
I don't know of any other projector anywhere that offers such feature, which is available only on "EXPERT 1" and "EXPERT 2" on the menu.
Let's keep this thread "alive 'n kicking" >>> Regards >>> Marcos

here's the quote from the amazon discussion:
I measured it with a heatgun. On the outside, I got a reading of 42C (108F) directly outside the front vent. On the bottom, I got 36C, (98F). Maybe I should put it on top of a laptop cooler
it'll be interesting to see how the next generations of these led projectors with higher lumens (400, 1000, etc) will be able to manage heat.

I wonder which one of the LED chipsets from Luminus Devices/Phlatlight does the LG-200/201 use, the model PT-39 or the model PT-54 LED chipset ? Anyone have more hard-to-find info/details on this beauty ?
Thanks >>> Marcos

HS200 use PT-54.
PT-39 in old HS102.

Last generation of Samsung LED DLP rptv is used PT-120 chipset.
Same Phatlight PT-120 (overclocked 600-800 Lm) inside of overpriced ($15-20K) projectors:

Vivitek H9080FD, Vivitek H6080FD
Digital Projection M-Vision Cine LED Projector
Runco QuantumColor Q-750d Projector
ProjectionDesign Avielo Kroma Projector
Projectiondesign FL32 1080p Projector
Sim2 Grand Cinema MICO 50 Projector

MCaugusto

I've noticed heat but I'm not so sure the lower vent temp of 98 (body temp) nor the 108 at the side exit to be "uncomfortably hot" assuming these temps are in F and not C:eek: , the heat that comes out of a bulb projector always scared me.


Brent

ps. of course as I type others jump in and answer, thats what I get for taking 15 minutes to type

I am interested in this projector for my "home theater" I am not desperate for HD, so I am liking this LG HS201 projector. I really like the LED feature, which is my biggest selling point due to the cost of replacement bulbs. My issue is the fixed lens (or is it?). My room that I will be using is the computer room and it is 10' l x 9' w. If I want a screen that is 5' w x 4 l', how far would the projector need to be for this to happen? My biggest fear is the ceiling fan in the middle of the room. I am willing to mount it to the ceiling with a long mount if needed, but for the screen I want to accomplish, will 10' away be too large? Would it need to be 4' away? I'd hate to drop $500 on it and not be able to use it because of the fan...

LG support is useless on distance questions.

Thanks a ton!

jrdbrn >>> The size of the screen you described, 5 foot wide by 4 foot high, is just about the same size of the screen i'll be using with the HS201, which is 5 foot wide by 3 1/2 foot high (or, 60" wide x 44" high; are you sure of the height dimensions for the screen you described ? A screen with a ratio of 4:3 and a width of 60" has to measure approximately 44" in height).
According to the review of the HS201 at Projector Central.com and the owner's manual, the throw distance for my screen is approximately 7 1/2 feet from the projector's lens to the screen.
Regards >>> Marcos

is it just my settings or me , when i play xvid/divx files they seem to look smeary , I am running from pc - vga on projector , also have used dvi-hdmi , seems very smeary the video playback

Evening All

Reading an earlier post I decided to search for info about the “PT-54” chip set, WELL, I was kind a surprised.

Not only are they made next door (I live about 30 miles away) the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) states they are rated for 70,000 hours, so ether LG decided to under rate them or they are over driving them.

Here are the PDFs (for the fellow electronic geeks) http://www.luminus.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/0/475358118eae0708853a4e91bccaddbc/misc/pds_001051_pt54_rev06.pdf

Out of the box performance can be understood reading that PDF (that may be why I have a #30 Greens shift).

Where this projector has 3 wattage ratings (Presentation, Normal and Econo mode) and I do NOT know the DLP current draw, stating the possible over driving current (if any) would be a “Wild A@@” speculation on my part.

Regardless, I'm intrigued (can you guess my field is in electronics), before I go down this path, let me run a few reality checks against this forum.

Goal: is to find out if this chip set is being over driven, if NOT then why the underrating.

Here are the things I'm assuming, yet I could be wrong.

1: The R,G,B LEDS act as the color wheel (meaning regardless of the frequency, any LED only has a 33.333~% duty cycle)

2: The DLP is only a reflective medium (not sure if it is reflective or refractive), meaning regardless of the output setting, current draw is the same.

Sanity checks are welcome, regardless, while on that site look at the newly released chip sets (WOW) we may have a 780P LED (at a good cost) projector before I post this.

Give me a few days (assuming what I believe is correct) and I can produce some (approximate) numbers, yet if need be I can take home the needed equipment to produce absolute numbers (electronic ONLY, I do not have access to video measurement equipment)

Cheers

Brent

is it just my settings or me , when i play xvid/divx files they seem to look smeary , I am running from pc - vga on projector , also have used dvi-hdmi , seems very smeary the video playback

The first question is, does the laptop desktop look "smeary"?

What res are you using?

When you go to Hulu/fancast is it as smeary?

Could it be the videos were compressed so much that regardless, it is smeary?

Just a thought

Brent

its 800x600, and you could be right about the compression, on my 42 inch plasma it looks slightly smeary, also some text is a bit funny, alsoforgot tosay i am only sitting 6 feet away from scren, my livingroom is tiny

[QUOTE
Not only are they made next door (I live about 30 miles away) the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) states they are rated for 70,000 hours, so ether LG decided to under rate them or they are over driving them.
Goal: is to find out if this chip set is being over driven, if NOT then why the underrating.
Cheers

Brent[/QUOTE]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brent, where did you find the quote of 70.000 hours estimated lifespan for PhlatLight chipsets ? I looked everywhere on Luminus Devices website and did not see it...
I doubt that LG would want to or consider overdriving these chipsets since they already have such longevity; I imagine that the 30.000 hours mentioned is for M.T.B.F. meaning that half the chipsets will fail within less than 30.000 hours and the other half would continue to function within parameters.
BTW, i'm a fellow neighbor of yours and isn't it nice for a change to see a company with roots right here in the Boston area, USA, designing, manufacturing and assembling state of the art electronic components such as these PhlatLight LED illuminators ? Take that, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Germany et al !

Marcos

MCaugusto

I can't find where I read 70,000 hours, the only reason it caught my eye was (with all the reading I have done) I thought it was odd LG said 30,000 hours the spec sheet (the PDF on my past post) says "median lifetime >60,000 hours" (page 3 of the PDF).

If I come across where I read it I'll PM you The location, still the OEM saying lifetime exceeds 60,000 hours still has me wondering why LG cut that by half.

Thanks for catching that

Brent

Hello,
So my Optoma DV10 died and I'm looking at this one as a replacement. The question is placement. I brought up the manual as shown in a previous post. I can shelf mount the HS201 exactly where it should be to match up my current (permanently installed) screen. The problem might be my throw distance - it would be 11 feet. There is no zoom so the picture it throws might spill out in a major way over my screen. Could anyone tell me what size picture it throws if the lens is 11feet from the screen? Only inputs will be PS2 and DirecTV box. Thanks.

P.S. My screen is 48" high and 82" wide. I could build myslef a shelf that comes out further so I could get the Hs201 10' away from the screen. Would that fit?

Can anyone provide a solid comparison of this model up against an entry level 720p or 1080p home theater projector? It seems like most people are getting this as a first projector and nobody is comparing it against the slightly more expensive, but purpose built, home theater models.

It would be great to hear from someone who might have a Optoma HD20 or simiar entry level 1080p model and see how it does.

Likewise, how is the response time of this unit for gaming as this is potentially a great travelling unit for the kids and gaming.

Finally, how is the compatibility with standard HD sources such as Blu-ray (1080i/1080p?) resolutions or HDTV broadcasts?

Any information or feedback from those who have been able to put a serious home theater projector up against it would be greatly appreciated!

Can anyone provide a solid comparison of this model up against an entry level 720p or 1080p home theater projector?

It doesn't compare.

This is not bad if you don't care about Picture quality much, but in my experience it's just not good enough for a main theater or HDTV broadcasts, at least not if you consider any decent HT projector.

it works fine with 1080p sources, the scaling leaves a lot to be desired though.
there's plenty of rainbows on this projector, which surprised me a lot.
I can actually see more rainbows on this unit than in my old 4x color wheel Mitsubishi or my old 5x color wheel Sharp dt-510.
That's the bit that shocked me the most.

Of course it's very nice not having to worry about the lamp, and for me it was bright enough, it just makes me wish there was an HT projector at an affordable price with LED's, even if it only had 200 lumen, since for my setup it's enough.

So hopefully we'll see entry level HT DLP's priced comparably to the current crop of low end 1080p DLP projectors, even if it means they'll be light starved. it'd still buy one at around ~1500. (i hope Mitsubishi jumps on the bandwagon)

I think LED is at a point right now, where serious efforts could be made to come out with low end 1080p HT DLP's at a reasonable price.
It's too bad i don't think we'll know if this will happen until Cedia 2010, i doubt we'll see something tomorrow at CES, but lets hope.

I don't know what Kamus is talking about!!! I've been trying really hard to see any rainbows on the HS201 and haven't seen a single one.

I am coming from a Mitsubishi HC1500 and I used to see tonnes of rainbows on it, I am guessing because of its relatively high brightness.

Overall I wouldn't say the LG has a better picture than the Mitsubishi, and if price is not a concern I wouldn't recommend it over a true home theater projector. But frankly the only thing that's holding it back is its resolution.

In other aspects I think it performs much better than my previous Mitsubishi and InFocus X1 projectors. Its color saturation is incredible, it's pretty much dead silent, its contrast and black levels are absolutely best I've seen.

cipriano >>> keep in mind that this projector's manual recommends screens up to 80" diagonal, probably due to the unit's low lumen output of 200 lumens, so for you to consider using it with that large a screen might not give you enough brighness...On the other hand, there are several videos posted on youtube whereas users are indeed projecting images from LG 200/201 projectors onto screens as large as 120" diagonal (!) and they seemed pleased with the results in totally blacked-out rooms.
Like most people here, i am buying this pj primarily as a temporary back-up, at least until affordable units with 1920x1080 native and LED illuminators are available for sale for less than $5.000; By purchasing it directly from amazon.com i am covered by a highly reliable merchant that offers full refund, so if i am not satisfied with this $500 pj in any way or form, back it goes to amazon...Perhaps you should consider doing likewise ?
BTW, i just checked the throw ratio for you at Projector Central.com, specifically for the LG HS200, and here are their figures :
horizontal screen size : 82"
vertical screen size : 48"
diagonal screen size : 94"
recommended throw distance : 10' 2"


Marcos

On a side note, i forgot to ask if anyone has tried mounting the LG HS200/201 to a ceiling using an "universal" ceiling mount.
I know that the HS200/201 has a tripod mount on the bottom of its case and i wonder if i purchased one of those "universal" mounts whether or not it would "mate" with the tripod mount.
I don't want to order a ceiling mount just to find out that it does not fit/mount/mate with a standard tripod mount...
Any help would be appreciated,

Marcos

On a side note, i forgot to ask if anyone has tried mounting the LG HS200/201 to a ceiling using an "universal" ceiling mount.
I know that the HS200/201 has a tripod mount on the bottom of its case and i wonder if i purchased one of those "universal" mounts whether or not it would "mate" with the tripod mount.
I don't want to order a ceiling mount just to find out that it does not fit/mount/mate with a standard tripod mount...
Any help would be appreciated,

Marcos

I don't think it would fit. The projector only has one hole on the bottom and nothing else. You should get a camera ceiling mount, they are much cheaper than projector ceiling mounts:


http://www.amazon.com/Videosecu-Universal-Mounting-Bracket-Ceiling/dp/B000IDCDZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1262744155&sr=8-1


I used a satellite speaker mount I found for $9 a pair (I only used one of them).

I don't think it would fit. The projector only has one hole on the bottom and nothing else. You should get a camera ceiling mount, they are much cheaper than projector ceiling mounts:


http://www.amazon.com/Videosecu-Universal-Mounting-Bracket-Ceiling/dp/B000IDCDZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1262744155&sr=8-1


I used a satellite speaker mount I found for $9 a pair (I only used one of them).
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bobbyslav >>> Thanks for the tip; I take it you mounted your LG201 from the ceiling and i wonder how it worked out.
The top of my screen is 27 1/2 inches from the ceiling and according to the instructions in the LG 201 manual, when mounting the projector either on a table or on a tripod the projector must be located precisely at a set distance based on the screen size & ratio and it must be located with the projector lens aimed straight towards the bottom of the screen and towards the exact middle point of the screen.
When you mounted you pj to the ceiling, did it have to be lowered so that its lens was aimed straight towards the middle point of the top of the screen ?
Or did you ceiling mount your HS201 higher than the top of the screen and then used some of the keystone adjustment available on the HS201 to straighten out the onscreen image ?
If that was how you did it, how much higher than the top of the screen did you mount the HS201 and did you have to use some keystone adjustment ? My understanding of the matter is, the less keystoning is used the better it is and, in fact, not using any keystoning is the best way to mount a projector due to image distortion; I wonder if i am correct on that assumption...
BTW, thanks to your tip i found on amazon.com a "professional long extension bracket mount stand for security camera", which can be extended from 18" to 40", has a standard tripod mount and costs a reasonable $30. Since my screen is 27 1/2 inches from the ceiling, i imagine that the bracket's length of 18" to 40" should give me plenty of length to raise/lower the projector.
Regards >>> Marcos

Marcos, I did mount it on the ceiling. It was not easy to be honest, there is practically no placement flexibility with this projector, which to me is it's biggest fault. After hours of trying different ways to mount it, I was finally successful with the help of the speaker bracket and a screw from an old camera tripod. I didn't have to use any keystone correction.

The projector has no image offset so the bottom (when mounted on a table), or the top (when mounted from the ceiling) of the image starts at the level of the projector lense. If the top of your screen is 27" from the ceiling then the projector lens will have to be 27" also.

I ended up with a few inches of the 4:3 frame running above my screen, but since I use the projector exclusively in 16:9 mode this is not a problem.

Good luck!

Looks like the new LG LED will be 1024x768.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1214194

Hopefully that is native resolution and not accepted input signals.

Can anyone provide a solid comparison of this model up against an entry level 720p or 1080p home theater projector? It seems like most people are getting this as a first projector and nobody is comparing it against the slightly more expensive, but purpose built, home theater models.

It would be great to hear from someone who might have a Optoma HD20 or simiar entry level 1080p model and see how it does.

Likewise, how is the response time of this unit for gaming as this is potentially a great travelling unit for the kids and gaming.

Finally, how is the compatibility with standard HD sources such as Blu-ray (1080i/1080p?) resolutions or HDTV broadcasts?

Any information or feedback from those who have been able to put a serious home theater projector up against it would be greatly appreciated!

If you look earlier in this thread you can see pictures of mine mounted in front of my Viewsonic Pro8100 (a 1080p projector). I use the LG as a "helper" projector to save bulb life. I use it with the computer desktop (set at 1080p), PS3 bluray movies, and Directv HD television.
As a primary projector, I think many might be happy with it's excellent brightness, richly saturated colors and excellent blacks. On the debit side, the SVGA resolution is readily apparent on HD material, and there is still some white "blowout" in bright areas.
Compared to the Viewsonic (a mid to high end projector) there is no contest. the extra resolution cannot be beat, and the LG is also very noisy in best mode. However, I've watched all of Band of Brothers in HD on it, and many other shows and if I only had it as my projector, I'd still be quite happy.

Looks like the new LG LED will be 1024x768.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1214194

Hopefully that is native resolution and not accepted input signals.

Looks like native resolution as the "X" in the model name stands for XGA and "300" for the lumen output

Finally got mine setup. Ordered from Amazon on Monday, received the unit on Wednesday (via 2-day Prime Shipping from TX to CA). This thread and the youtube videos helped me a bunch with the decision :D Too me this is a cost saving move, now I can buy myself more time before wasting money on a premature 3DTV unit.

So far video and web surfing has been great on it with my Gateway FX-7805u laptop via HDMI on white wall.

Here is my take on it
Pros
- The only LED pj in the market that has a hdmi port.
- Highest lumens rating 200 in the pico/mobile pj range at the moment.
- Best color reproduction in the pico/mobile pj range at the moment.

Wish it has
- Zoom
- Lens Shift
- SPDIF optical out (so I can hook it up to a better reciever)
- 16:10 aspect ratio for PC
- 16:9 native apect ration
- 720p native res.
- higher refresh rate (I know it is a lot to ask for)

Now I would need to get a better tripod (at least 60'), RGB cable for the Wii and a set of nice speakers that can hookup to the audio jack. If anyone can provide me some recommendation, that would be great.

When I have a chance this weekend, I will try to hook it up to the PS3.

I'm considering an LG Hs201 for use as a graphic art projector. I'm currently using a slide projector to project photos for tracing. The photo images are of table-top sized objects or portraits which are projected to about life-size. I'd like to replace the slide projector with a digital one, however most are not designed to focus that close and project an image too large for my purposes. I noticed that the 201 can produce an image size as small as 15". Can anyone comment on how these smaller images might compare to projected 35 mm slides? Sharpness and detail clarity are more important than color. Can the 201 be mounted on a camera tripod (is there a screw-type mount built in)? I'd appreciate any opinions--I haven't been able to find a 201 to look at before buying. Thanks.

So, my HS201 arrived on Friday, calibrated it to my screen using test DVDs, and i am AMAZED/SHOCKED/DELIGHTED by the picture this tiny beauty puts out.
All colors have a saturation (vibrancy, even) that i have never seen before, it was an eye-opener, surely due to those LEDs in the PhlatLight chipset; I had to lower the contrast control from a max of 100 to 75 as the image was already overly bright with whites "blown out" (with a 200 lumens projector paired with a 76" high-gain screen) and i had to select the "normal" mode for LED output instead of the higher output provided by the "presentation" mode; Black level was certainly acceptable by lowering the unit's brightness control to 27 out of a max of 100, while still affording excellent shadow detail on low APL scenes; The availability of full CMS (color management controls) for R/G/B/Y/C/M is something i haven't even explored yet as i am planning on purchasing an affordable colorimeter soon, but by lowering the color control to 47 and turning tint to "G8" i was able to get excellent skin tones and a very well-balanced color spectrum; The fact that this unit has full gray-scale tracking controls for contrast and brightness AND/OR ( !?!?) the option for twenty selectable controls from 5 IRE to 100 IRE for all three primary colors is unique, AFAIK; The unit gets barely warm to the touch even after 10 hours of continuous operation, and try as i might i could not see a single rainbow EVER, even during those notorious "rainbow-prone" scenes of stars in a field of black space and repeatedly turning my head around trying to spot them...
Need i go on ? By selecting the "normal" mode the HS201 is whisper quiet and i was surprised by the level of resolution afforded by those 800x600 pixels, as i could make out differences in the sharpness of assorted dvds and cable feeds.
I've been an audiophile/videophile for almost 40 years and during such time i purchased dozens and dozens of electronics, both home use and pro-equipment, but i can't think of any other instance in which i was more impressed by an electronic item; I still remember my first VCR in 1979, my first CRT projector in 1980, my first CD player in 1983 and my first DVD player in 1997, but taking into consideration that important ratio of price ~features~performance, the LG HS201 is the most impressive piece of electronic equipment i have ever purchased.
A friend of mine who is a teaching chef came over during the weekend and i showed him the unit; I then picked it up and projected an image on a bare white wall instead of on my screen, and he asked me where he could buy one for himself; I suggested that he should wait until the HX300G is released in July and that i was considering selling my unit and purchasing the new model, to which he told me that he would gladly buy my used unit by then ! That's how easy it is to sell these beauts, once you see what they can do for its list price.
Sure, i wish it had zoom control, a 1920x1080 DMD chip used with the more powerful PhlatLight PT-120 chipset and an inexpensive state-of-the-art video processing chip like the HQV Reon, but now i feel i can bide my time and wait until such day arrives; One thing is for sure : after realizing what LG was capable of doing for $500 i will not be willing to spend any more than $3.000 or so for such a projector, it's almost like this pj is a "proof of concept" for what can be achieved with LED illumination, and the results are eye opening.
Regards >>> Marcos

I'm considering an LG Hs201 for use as a graphic art projector. I'm currently using a slide projector to project photos for tracing. The photo images are of table-top sized objects or portraits which are projected to about life-size. I'd like to replace the slide projector with a digital one, however most are not designed to focus that close and project an image too large for my purposes. I noticed that the 201 can produce an image size as small as 15". Can anyone comment on how these smaller images might compare to projected 35 mm slides? Sharpness and detail clarity are more important than color. Can the 201 be mounted on a camera tripod (is there a screw-type mount built in)? I'd appreciate any opinions--I haven't been able to find a 201 to look at before buying. Thanks.


The 201 has a tripod mount hole on the bottom - in fact, it's the only mounting option.

I don't think it will be a good choice for your purpose though... Up close the low resolution really shows, edges of objects and straight lines clearly show individual pixels, rather than continuous lines.

This observation is from much larger screen size though, I haven't looked at 15" images.

MCaugusto

Glad to see I wasn't the only one "AMAZED/SHOCKED/DELIGHTED " by this projector:eek:

Enjoy

Brent

I am wondering for those of you who own the unit, what kind of sound system you guys are hooking it up to?

I am looking at some soundbar solution (i.e. Sony HT-CT100 and HT-CT500) that has hdmi input. Anyone has exeperience with those?

I would like to hookup my PS3, Wii and PC to the unit with a simple solution.

As an update - Went and got the Sony HT-CT500, and hooked up to the HS201 this evening, and it works great. The sub also act as a reciever as well. Compare to CT100, CT500 has more input options, and with a smaller sub.

I have the PS3 and the Laptop connected to the two HDMI In, Wii connected to Component, and HDMI Out to PJ.

The CT500 would always upconvert the native res. as 1080P/60Hz as through HDMI to the PJ.

hs200g european model with audio transmitter and carry case for sale , got to move back in with the parents, so for sale if any 1 interested

I don't know what Kamus is talking about!!! I've been trying really hard to see any rainbows on the HS201 and haven't seen a single one.

Are you serious? man, i couldn't stop seeing them once i started.
It got very annoying, i didn't even have to move my eyes around to see them, but when i did, i could see them on pretty much any scene.

I did like the fact that the projector has gamut presets, i haven't taken any measurements yet, but the skin tones don't look too bad when you have the gamut in the right mode.

Are you serious? man, i couldn't stop seeing them once i started.
It got very annoying, i didn't even have to move my eyes around to see them, but when i did, i could see them on pretty much any scene.

I did like the fact that the projector has gamut presets, i haven't taken any measurements yet, but the skin tones don't look too bad when you have the gamut in the right mode.

Wild! This is my third DLP projector, but the first one that I don't see a single rainbow.

...The only way that i managed to see rainbows with my HS201 was by inputting a totally black image superimposed with some white highlights ( as in stars in the black of space), then turning my head around as fast as i could while simultaneously blinking my eyes, a somewhat uncomfortable endeavor, to say the least ! Then, yes, i could see some very small flashes of R/G/B colors around white highlights.
On the other hand, i surmised, how often will i ever watch anything on TV under those conditions ? I don't suffer from any neurological illness that would affect my head to turn or shake uncontrollably while my eyes are blinking continuously, and i don't think a vast majority of the population do, either...

Interesting comments on rainbow effect (and lack of) for this unit.. Great info on previous posts as well...

Wondering - has anyone had experience with this projector using powerpoint or jpeg photos directly off a flash drive? I'm considering getting one for college classroom presentations, small audience, pretty dark room, showing mostly photos (wildlife, some graphics). Like not using a laptop, and impressed with comments about color quality, relative quietness, and led lamp life/quality. Home theater is not an issue. Anyone know when the higher resolution hx300 will be out and approximate cost? Is it worth waiting for? Any comments appreciated!

djb777 >>> I haven't tried using my HS201 with jpeg photos or powerpoint, but one thing i can guarantee you is that you'll be amazed with the colors this tiny unit puts out (i've never seen richer, more saturated colors), the extremely silent fan running on normal mode, the fact that the LED light engine comes on instantly to full brightness and shuts down likewise while the unit gets hardly warm to the touch, the sharply defined pixels, ect, etc.
The HX300G is scheduled for release at the end of the 2nd quarter, so i imagine it should be available by late June as a replacement for the HS201, just like the HS201 was a replacement for the HS102. As for its cost, i figure it will be about the same as the HS201 or somewhat higher, say $600 m.s.r.p.
If you can afford to wait for its release, i would do it; I am so impressed with my unit that i am planning on purchasing a HX300G the minute it's out, for its higher native resolution (basically, 786.000 pixels versus 480.000 on the HS201), and its increased brightness, from 200 to 300 lumens.
Regards >>> Marcos

I am also in for a HX300G as soon as it comes out; I am pretty sure the HS201 would have a great resale value even when HX300G is out, and it don't think it will be an issue to recover 70% of the cost later if you buy HS201 now.

If you check ebay now, there is one HS102 currently been bidded to $250.

Thanks Marcos and Kenshin.. I ordered a new one earlier today. We'll see how she does. Main use will be for small class presentations, and to be un-tethered from a lap top would be wonderful. Seems Murphy's Law is especially in force for audio/visual presentations, and the fewer contraptions, cords, finicky bulbs, etc., the better...

Rumor has it, the production of HS201 is stopping "very" soon for HX300G; there might be a possibility that HS201 will be out of stock on Amazon soon. If you are interested in getting one, I highly doubt it will go down more in price, in some cases, it might even go up with the short supply.

I found this out while I spoke with a management level rep. on why they did not include or even sell the carrying case in the U.S.

Rumor has it, the production of HS201 is stopping "very" soon for HX300G; there might be a possibility that HS201 will be out of stock on Amazon soon. If you are interested in getting one, I highly doubt it will go down more in price, in some cases, it might even go up with the short supply.

I found this out while I spoke with a management level rep. on why they did not include or even sell the carrying case in the U.S.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personally i think that's good news; It seems to indicate that the HX300G will be the "official" replacement for the HS-201 and therefore we can expect it to debut at the same m.s.r.p. of $500.
Now, the really important question is : when will LG release a unit wit similar internal layout but in a larger case if needed, incorporating a 1920X1080 "DARK4" DMD chip illuminated by the more powerful PT-120 PhlatLight LED chipset, using a video processing chip like the HQV Reon (or similar), with adjustable zoom and better quaity lens for $3.000 or less ?
....HELLO LG, ARE YOU LISTENING ?....

...The only way that i managed to see rainbows with my HS201 was by inputting a totally black image superimposed with some white highlights.
...

I plugged in the projector again, just to be sure it was as bad as i said it was.

And yes, it's as bad as i remember. I definitely see way more rainbows on this one than in my old Sharp DT-510, and even my old mits 1000. (5x vs 4x with white segment)

I wouldn't be surprised at all if this has the equivalent of a 3x or 2x color wheel speed.
I really don't even have to try to see them, but when i do, they become obvious in every scene that is displayed.

And by the way, i'm not even a rainbow sensitive person. I can live with DLP just fine despite the fact that i can see a few rainbows every now and then if that tells you anything. (i have a friend that came over to see my mits and could see rainbows when another friend and myself couldn't see them at all, and later, that same friend could still see them on things like subtitles on my sharp-dt510 that has a 5x color wheel)

So, i'm still clueless on how some of you can't see them at all, because if i had never seen DLP before, and this was the first time i ever saw it, it would sure make me think i'm one of those very rainbow sensitive persons even though i'm not.

Kamus >>> The interesting thing is that the times i was watching a dvd and i would notice a rainbow(s) with the HS-201, it was easy enough for me to immediately reverse playing the dvd to the time(s) i noticed the rainbow(s) and almost invariably i could not see it (them) again !
I am convinced it had to do with the fact that at that specific time i had blinked and/or turned my head around in a way that made such motion sensitive to the appearance of a rainbow(s)....And, believe me, i've been playing this "game" with my HS-201 ever since as i find it almost fascinating, as in, why could i see it then and not now ? What has changed with my eyesight in the span of 30 seconds or so ?
I've seen references about this matter stating that the equivalent speed of a flashing LED illuminator versus the rotational speed of a color wheel as being anywhere from 5 times to 48 times; Anyone would care to "chime in" with these estimates ?

I am not sure, if I experience the same thing (rainbows) but while watching (fast) films from DVD, there is a kind of flicker / lightning in the upper area of the screen during rapid movement. I can not see rainbows, but as I said kind of lightning.
The HDMI connection should not be the reason as it happens too with component connection.

I see no artifacts and no rainbows. Not with this and not with its worthy predecessor. I think I am pretty darn sensitive to RBE.

I am not seeing any rainbow effect on watching movie (blu-ray/DVD/Divx files) and play games (PC/Wii/PS3) with it either. Wondering if it varies by the person, like some people would get sick when playing First-person shooter, and some not...

Hey All

I've tried my best to stay out of this debate but after 2 glasses of wine, I feel the need to add my $.02 worth.

"Rainbow affect" via my "EYE" and my "BRAIN" I see rainbow on all 3 projectors (Infocus X1 and a IN26) yet the LG H201 is in the middle of the 2.

I'm lucky, I can turn off/on the processing needed to see this rainbow affect, yet I can say (via my brain) I see more rainbows on the HS201 than my IN26

So, if you have had a projector in the past that people commented on the rainbow affect, yet it didn't bother you, then you'll do fine with this projector.


FYI, wife gave the thumbs up to the reorg of the family room, but will wait till the HX300 comes to market. I got 2 thumbs up for a pair of these

http://www.brookstone.com/slim-home-theater-recliner.html?his=2~46337~2~root_category%40kwd~home+theater +recliner&bkiid=searchResults|C4CategoryProdList1FDT|8645121 (copy and paste)

and was wondering if anyone else had these recliners and how they felt about them.

I still love the HS 201 and use it every day BUT I'm waiting on the HX300 for the room change/blue ray player upgrades

Any ways, I am still looking at the the BEST image ever produced on my home screen and will gladly send this HS201 to Asia (my wife's home) when the HX300 comes out

AFM

This is my first projector and just got it so I can learn. I also wanted to vote with my dollars, since LG seems to want to get this technology to the masses. They should continue to upgrade the tech if it sells well.

Ok so first someone asked on page 1 if the projector projects up, Yes it does. I have my projector inverted about 3" from the ceiling it has a tiny bit of trapezoid, skinnier at the bottom. Currently the lens is almost exactly in line with the top of the screen. I can pull my screen down another 6" and re-aim the projector to try to get that out. One goal in installing it was to have 0 trapezoid.

It is difficult to aim the projector exactly correct since there is no lens adjustment. For ceiling mount you will need to put the power supply on a shelf or somewhere off the ground. The mount is not in the center of the weight when cables are attached so it has a tendency to twist. To get it just right I would recommend getting a Higher quality camera mount than the least expensive one at amazon.

You will want to mount the projector as far away from you as possible (the reason I ceiling mounted it) since sometimes you will want to run presentation mode and it is loud enough to know it is there. The normal mode is much better but feels not quite bright enough. Keep in mind my screen is bigger than it should be but I plan to upgrade asap.

I purchased the 106IN Diagonal Accuscreens HDtv Manual Wall Ceiling 52X92IN cheapo from amazon. I am projecting about a 100" sizewise the distance from the front of the projector to the front of the screen is about 11'. If you position the projector for 16:9 (like I did) there is a problem when watching 4:3 since 4:3 projects taller it will be off the top and bottom. With out zoom you can't fix this. You can position for 4:3 but then 16:9 will be smaller than it could be. Maybe mount the projector on a track? :)

What ever HD signal you send to the projector it does a good job scaling into the 16:9 aspect ratio. I have sent 1080p, 720p and 420p and they all just get scaled into the available pixels.

I can easily see individual pixels at 8'. If I had a better room I would project an 80" screen and sit 10' away, I have the opposite right now but this is just a test setup. I spent a total of about $650 and have a 100" screen that works really good for what it is.

The picture is good and I am really enjoying having it. I need to go but will post some more impressions later.

Anyone have used the airdesks projector stand before? is it worth the money?

http://www.airdesks.com/projectorstand.asp

Currently, I put the pj on a Targus 62" tripod (picked up from Target), even though it works, but I would like a more "cleaner" setup without setting a fixed mount on the ceiling.

Kenshin2b >>> That's an interesting concept, as far as floor mounts for front projectors are concerned.
I didn't noticed whether or not it uses a standart tripod mount where you would "screw" the bottom of the HS-201 to it, or is is just secured by the straps on top of the plexiglass ? I would definitely want a tripod mount for stability...
Also, what is its maximum load capacity, meaning how heavy a pj can it sustain ? With a 14 lb. metal base, should you expect it to safely hold a 7 lb. projector, or so ?
Finally, i like the idea of the clear plexiglass shelf, but don't you think its size is an overkill, considering that the HS-201 measures only 7" wide by 5" deep ? Or are you thinking of future use, when you might buy a bigger, heavier pj ?
Wouldn't you be afraid of someone bumping into it and knocking it over the floor ?
Just some thoughts,
Regards >>> Marcos
P.S. >>> Here is the ceiling mount that i am considering for my HS-201

I visited the camera store today and found a nice little swivel combining the parts from the swivel and the cheap amazon mount gave me a much more stable mount. With this mount the projector is so much easier to aim. Being a newb I found out quickly that with this projector you have to mount the lens directly in the center of the screen to get a good picture. In the photo #290 you can see the two holes I made while adjusting the old mount and the new mount...

I spent 24 on the swivel and 14 on the amazon mount including shipping so I am at the magical $40 for mounting (including screws). I included some shots of my screen and the mount.

In picture 292 and 293 you can get a good idea of how things really look.

Sports look amazing since the images are so bright. I enjoyed Terminator 2 last night and even though it is a slightly dark movie once I got into it I found I stopped seeing pixels and flaws with my setup and was enjoying the movie. That was a watch now - Netflix - and it still looked fine. Content is what it is...

I purchaed a 4x2 switch from monoprice to switch HDMI and only have HDMI to the projector. The audio is coming from fiber to my old Dennon avr-2700. It has one optical so I have a manual optical switch for changing between cable and PS3. The computer audio is on the 6 channel analog input. This is 100" image on the cheap. Although this setup leaves a bit to be desired it is a great stop gap while waiting for the perfect 1080p led 3D projector... Remember pong :)

I am really happy with the setup, I have not seen any rainbows (not looking for them), I do have good vision and can see pixels (no glasses) on this laptop (1024x768). I have seen them with DLP so YMMV. I think the extra 300k pixels from the next version will help tremendously (will buy that one too) with the screen door/visible pixel problem but I am running the projector beyond the recommended setup and I feel if you setup an 80" screen (like your supposed to) and watch at 10' away you will be happy while waiting for the next $600 setup. But you will have to decide how to deal with 4:3 and 16:9 since as I mentioned before you will have to set it up to do one or the other. The issue is with the 80" setup from 10' away, the LG will need to be above or below and in front of you. So the cables will be going up the wall and across the ceiling or across the floor. People who have already had projectors know it takes quite a bit of working within the constraints so you get used to it quick and find it is not that big of a deal.

Kudos to LG & Phlatlight for being the leader and attempting to stop the mercury requirement. Thankfully this thing lasts forever so selling this and upgrading is not an issue...

Time to play some emulated Zelda OOT on the supercomputer :) . The irony of having a $2k computer and playing something that required a game cube escapes me :)

To wrap this post up I wanted to say thank you to AVS for the forum. I have learned so much from here and also thank you to the members who have posted here you have been great!

NOLAGPLZ >>> From the third picture posted it looks like you've mounted your HS-201 no lower than 8 inches or so from the ceiling; Is the top of your screen also located at the same distance from the ceiling ?
The reason i'm asking is because LG is quite specific stating that the projector's lens must be centered and in a straight line facing either the bottom or the top of the screen.
----------------
Marcos

yes they are aligned. Maybe the projector is 1/2 inch above top of white part of screen. Still a tiny bit of trapezoid but I don't want to run the screen lower. So even though they are quite specific my projector needs to be about half a foot above to have a perfect rectangle.

Well in 16:9 mode the top of the image is bellow the center of the lens, because there are a few inches of unused pixels from the 4:3 frame, which is what aligns with the lens.

Ah yeah that makes sense... I am already thinking I want to get the hx300g.

Yeah, I will do the same--in keeping tradition with immediately replacing my HS102G.

Sports look great since they are so bright, I would imagine that this thing looks really fantastic at 80" with the extra brightness. That 300lumens will help a lot for 100" screens.

Projection calculator for this at
http://www.projectorcentral.com/LG-HS200-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Easier to reach pdf for the manual at http://www.projectorcentral.com/pdf/projector_manual_5313.pdf

Looks very interesting from reading you guys' posts here. :)

Ok so I have had the projector since Friday and I just have to say wow.

Sure at 100" it is dark but I am completely happy. Yeah, I wish it was brighter but I have a total of 700 invested and the couch movie theater is totally rocking.

Movies usually have much darker images than tv and I mostly watch tv, enterpries yada yada... but this is competely amazing... good things are coming. I think everyone should wait until march for the hx300g but if it is much more expensive why bother?

(edit) not trying to troll... just enjoying the images and wanted to share.

I am with you, dude. You are totally right. I enjoy my projector daily and have stopped using my 3 laptops. And to not worry about the bulb--ever? Priceless!

Best thing I bought all year.

I've had mine for about a week and here are some observations. The previous posts were very helpful in deciding on this projector. My main use is for classroom presentation, so if anyone's interested in that -

The good:
- Super color clarity and saturation.
- Amazingly bright for 200 lumens. It does fine in a darkened room, even with ambient light, for a classroom presentation. The Standard brightness setting isn't much dimmer than the Presentaion setting, but fan is much quieter.
- USB reader equiped, so with a flash drive no laptop necessary (!)
- Compact, simple to use..

Not so good:
- the USB reader seems to only read JPEG files and nothing else. Other files converted to JPEG work fine, but that can be a pain.
- The remote only works from behind, so standing in front of the projector or to the side, you can't use the remote (unless you walk behind the projector).
- once when using it the commands from the remote went wacky, but simply turning it off and on again fixed that.

Bottom line - very pleased.. Like many have said, I'm also gonna be really tempeted to get the HX 300 when it comes out...

Hi guys. Can someone who owns one of these confirm an image size. I have looked at Projector Central Calculator but I need to confirm exactly what this can throw out. I have an Infocus X9 & the calc is slightly wrong for that so just want to confirm. Can someone give me exact screen image size (height x width) from a throw distance of 2.0m (lens to wall). Should be easy for someone who doesn't have it ceiling mounted. Thanks.

Hi guys. Can someone who owns one of these confirm an image size. I have looked at Projector Central Calculator but I need to confirm exactly what this can throw out. I have an Infocus X9 & the calc is slightly wrong for that so just want to confirm. Can someone give me exact screen image size (height x width) from a throw distance of 2.0m (lens to wall). Should be easy for someone who doesn't have it ceiling mounted. Thanks.
==========================================================
Well, according to the calculator, a throw distance of 2 meters, or 6 1/2 feet, should give you an imagine that is 53" wide, 40" high and 66" diagonal for a 4:3 screen; For a 16:9 screen it is 53" wide, 30" high and 61" diagonal.
BTW, those figures you get with the calculator are right on the mark, as i found out when using it with my HS-201...
-----------
Marcos

Note about the remote, where I have mine, near the wall ceiling mounted I have pointed the remote about anywhere in the room and get the menu with little trouble... So YMMV but the remote is bouncing twice to get the menu in my setup and I see no problem.

The calculator does not go to 11 feet but it projects a 99" 16:9 image at that distance. I wanted to compare but can't...:confused::D

Hey I just recieved my lg hs201 from Amazon! So far, I like it very much! The only thing that concerns me is when I select the usb option to read my external hard drive. After I select what I want (pictures, music, divx etc) and the little message says loading. These little black dots on the top right of my screen appear! They looks like dead pixels!They go away after I play a movie, music etc. and return to the usb menu! They are also gone when watching videos. I was just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience! Maybe this is my hard drive doing this or maybe the projector! Other than that my projector works perfeclty!!

Broken pixels are permenant. I have not used the USB function so it seems like this is by design to me...interesting none the less. So they are not there unless you are browsing the USB device?

Pause a white video and see if you see any defects?

I have already several times! They don't appear on any other screen except the usb menu! Might be a software ot video glitch! My videos are perfect! The dark spots disappear! I should try a usb thumb drive to see if it still does it! I will take a pic later on! Its late!I just got done watching some divx movies off the hard drive! Very nice feature by the way!!

I have noticed that on the logitech website, the hs200 is supported on the Harmony remote. I am tempted to buy one of those remote and try it out and see if that makes a difference.

Anyone here have tried it with the Harmony remote?

dreman1976 >>> "Stuck" DMD chips, which are the actuall pixels you see in an image projected by a DLP "engine", would stay permanently "frozen" (or "stuck", if you prefer) onscreen with whichever input you select to be displayed, so if you are seeing "little black dots" only when using the USB input, i would say that the problem is not related to the DMD chips but, as you pointed out, due to a software glitch or something else.
I haven't tried the USB input in my unit yet and now after reading your post i plan on doing it a.s.a.p., just in case !
------------------
Marcos

...And, BTW, if anyone is curious as to the power consumption of the HS-201, which is not specified in the owner's manual (?!), the British LG website lists it as such :
Lamp power : 220 watts (?)
Power Consumption : 80 watts - less than 1 watt at standby
So, apparently, the HS-201 uses 80 watts per hour of operation, which i would describe as an excellent figure, compared to plasma displays, which can go as high as 400 watts, LCD sets, which average less than 200 watts, and front projectors with CCFL or xenon lamps, which average anywhere from 300 watts or so to 1.000 watts.
As for that "lamp power" figure of 220 watts, i wonder, would that be the maximum safe wattage input for the R/G/B LED chipsets ? Or, would it mean something else altogether ?

I am looking for a portable screen, anyone here has any good suggestion?

Should I get a low gain (1.1) or higher gain (2.0+) like from Da-lite?

I am planning on projecting with 8" to 9" distance.

Updated. Got the Epson Duet Ultra Portable (with 1.0 gain) for now, so far, it is better than the wall. Still looking for a better soluton...

Here is a video while gaming under ambient light.

Game = Darksiders
Console = PS3 via HDMI
Audio/Video Feed Through = Sony HT-CT500 via HDMI
Screen = 80" Epson Duet Accolade Ultra Portable
Projector = LG HS201 on Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod :D


http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/th_M4H00184.jpg (http://s907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/?action=view&current=M4H00184.flv)

Blu-Ray Screen (1080p Input via Laptop)
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00199.jpg

Another Blu-Ray Screen (1080p Input via PS3)
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00200.jpg

PS3 Screen (1080p input)
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00182.jpg

My portable 80" setup
http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00204.jpg

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00206.jpg

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00203.jpg

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/DSC00202.jpg

Hi guys.

Total Newbie here. Have never had a projector, but the HS201 looks like a good choice.

Sorry if the following questions are stupid, but I was wondering:

Does it make a difference to the quality of the image from the projector if the image comes from blu-ray (vs dvd) since the HS201 only has SVGA native resolution?

I have read that the manual says that ''This projector may not support output from laptops when the laptop screen is on." Has anyone had problems connecting their laptops. I am thinking about getting a HP one.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I just wish they would just released the HX300 today so I can go ahead and get it. It's so tempting to just get the HS201 right away.

queenslandclint, I have no issue. connecting my Gateway FX P-7805u directly to the projector.

I am able to connect it:
Lid closed with PJ as primary output
Lid open with Laptop LCD as primary and PJ as secondary
Lid open with PJ as primary and Laptop LCD as secondary

As far as Blu-Ray to DVD comparision, the picture from Blu-Ray is more vivid (PS3 or Laptop to PJ diectly) ; with Sony HT-CT500, somehow, the DVD picture is getting close to Blu-Ray.

tkchan007, you would not regret getting HS201 right the way.

With the quality of this PJ, you should not have an issue reselling it at a reasonable price when HX300 is available.

To prove my point, check out the latest eBay completed listing of the HS102 (used) - sold at $452 on 1/23.
http://cgi.ebay.com/LG-HS102-LED-Video-Projector-Nearly-NEW_W0QQitemZ290391148048QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain _0?hash=item439ca94610

Can one of the current owner of this beauty give me your opinion as to how well the HS200/201 works with:

1. native resolution - 800x600
2. xga res - 1024x768
3. 720p res - 1280x720

What you think the output looks like (i.e. brightness, color sat, any motion issue, etc).

My primary use for this it to hook this up to my PC for computing/gaming, etc in a light controlled sitting and would also like to be able to connect this up with the 360/PS3/Wii.

Thanks.

tkchan007, you would not regret getting HS201 right the way.

With the quality of this PJ, you should not have an issue reselling it at a reasonable price when HX300 is available.

To prove my point, check out the latest eBay completed listing of the HS102 (used) - sold at $452 on 1/23.
http://cgi.ebay.com/LG-HS102-LED-Video-Projector-Nearly-NEW_W0QQitemZ290391148048QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain _0?hash=item439ca94610It doesn't look like there is that much difference between the HS200 and HS102 to me. 1024x768 vs 800x600 would be considered a pretty major change by a lot of people and at least the lumens ratings show a higher percentage increase this time. I think resale for the 800x600 models depends a lot on how LG prices the HX300.

--Darin

Can one of the current owner of this beauty give me your opinion as to how well the HS200/201 works with:

1. native resolution - 800x600
2. xga res - 1024x768
3. 720p res - 1280x720

What you think the output looks like (i.e. brightness, color sat, any motion issue, etc).

My primary use for this it to hook this up to my PC for computing/gaming, etc in a light controlled sitting and would also like to be able to connect this up with the 360/PS3/Wii.

Thanks.

In general, I have no issue with brightness, color sat and motion issue with this projector on a screen with 1.0 gain (80" Epson Duet in my case); some folks here mentioned about the rainbow effect, but I have never experienced it. :p

For the audio part, you might want to go through a reciever that support HDMI. The built-in speakers and analog passthrough is quite weak IMO.

If you want a space saving receiver/soundbar solution that will let you hookup PS3/PC/Cable box via HDMI and Wii via Component, Sony HT-CT500 does the job; if you don't need component input, Yamaha YHT-S400BL is another option.

Best thing I bought all year.

Just thought this was funny being said 26 days into it. :D

Even though the new one coming out soon I went ahead and ordered this yest due to all the good things I have heard.

I was torn between this and a Vivitek for $100 less. Not having to replace bulb is one reason I got this and after reading everything I could find, I do believe I made a good decision getting this now.

It should be here Wednesday so I am pretty excited to see how it is. This will be my first projector and hopefully I will have a good experience with it.

If new one comes out in March and I hear its miles ahead of this and I enjoy this then I will prob resell this and just get the new one.

This being my first projector though I am just looking for a good enough picture for me to enjoy movies on and since no problem with bulb life, chances are I will be using it for TV/Games as well.(Something I prob would not do with the Vivitek)

Anyway Thanks all for the helpful info and hopefully I will enjoy my new pj.
It can't get here fast enough! :)

Just thought this was funny being said 26 days into it. :D

Even though the new one coming out soon I went ahead and ordered this yest due to all the good things I have heard.

I was torn between this and a Vivitek for $100 less. Not having to replace bulb is one reason I got this and after reading everything I could find, I do believe I made a good decision getting this now.

It should be here Wednesday so I am pretty excited to see how it is. This will be my first projector and hopefully I will have a good experience with it.

If new one comes out in March and I hear its miles ahead of this and I enjoy this then I will prob resell this and just get the new one.

This being my first projector though I am just looking for a good enough picture for me to enjoy movies on and since no problem with bulb life, chances are I will be using it for TV/Games as well.(Something I prob would not do with the Vivitek)

Anyway Thanks all for the helpful info and hopefully I will enjoy my new pj.
It can't get here fast enough! :)



LOL Oops!


Yeah, you should be quite happy with it, unless your installation options are limited. Installing this projector could be very frustrating, I almost gave up.

LOL Oops!


Yeah, you should be quite happy with it, unless your installation options are limited. Installing this projector could be very frustrating, I almost gave up.

I didn't buy the ceiling mount as I was not sure if it would work out. Figured I would get the thing and see how to mount it once I see how the placement works.

Other reason I liked this was the mounting prices. They seem reasonable and since its just a camera slot I figure I could prob find one around town if I have to.

I'm curious if the LG hs201 will turn off the LEDs when no signal or a full black frame is displayed. Would one of you guys be willing to test this out? :) If the projector is on, but nothing is plugged in, no light should be projected. You might need to change your background to black in the menu if this is an option. There is a dvd/blu-ray titled Eden Log that darinp2 recommended that is an absolute torture test for black levels. I don't remember exactly but within the first 5-10 minutes there are several full fade to blacks and a point source flashlight that glows brighter and darker until off. I think I remember seeing a dynamic contrast setting in the user manual for the LG that might have some effect here.

Sisyphus

A quick test that could be done is: jet black screen, walk in front of the projector and look at the lens, if you see rainbow the the LEDs are on.

Just a thought.

Brent

Anyone have a good idea when the HX300 will hit the market ?

If I was to buy a LS201 now and used it in a 100% light controled cave of a room with the PJ about 11 feet from the screen. Could I get a picture with good brightness for a screen that is 90" wide 67" high and 111" diag? Thats 4:3.

Anyone have a good idea when the HX300 will hit the market ?

If I was to buy a LS201 now and used it in a 100% light controled cave of a room with the PJ about 11 feet from the screen. Could I get a picture with good brightness for a screen that is 90" wide 67" high and 111" diag? Thats 4:3.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think you might be pushing the image size/ throw distance a little too far considering that the HS-201 is recommended for screens up to 80" diagonal.
However, there are many people who have set them up in light controlled rooms with screens sized as large as you mentioned; Perhaps you should consider getting a screen with a gain higher than 1 for such large size ?
I have mine projecting onto an older 76" diagonal high-gain semicurved screen (very high gain) and the picture has that characteristic "pop" look of plasma displays, no exaggeration; I am so "enamored" with this "plasma-like look" that i am now seriously considering purchasing a 92" diagonal high-gain screen, either the Da-Lite High Power or the Vutec Silverstar screen, which are relatively expensive.
As shown onscreen, the HS-201 colors cannot be fairly compared to colors displayed by pjs that use standard bulbs (you really have to see the effect in person to realize the purity, saturation and gradation of colors achieveable by LEDs), contrast was so intense that i had to lower the control from 100 to 75 and it's still a little too "bright", black level is pretty good, shadow detail is excellent (with a test dvd i found that a brightness level of 28 is perfect for displaying "blacker than black" test patterns), pixels are very/very sharp and so is the picture, lens has no major chromatic aberration problems, etc, etc, etc...
Three weeks after i purchased it and running this projector an average of 10 to 12 hours per day, it works flawlessly and hardly gets warm to the touch; I still walk by it sometimes and touch it to see how warm it is, while asking myself how it's possible that for $500 i got such performance out of something so small and so inconspicuous...
As i stated before, in my 40 years of buying every conceivable kind of consumer electronic equipment, the LG HS-201 mini projector is by far the most impressive piece of equipment i've ever purchased, considering its cost, performance and features... A truly AMAZING product !
As for the HX-300G mini projector, it is scheduled for release at the end of the second quarter, so i imagine that by late June i should be able to get a replacement for my much beloved HS-201.
------------------------------
Marcos

Sisyphus

A quick test that could be done is: jet black screen, walk in front of the projector and look at the lens, if you see rainbow the the LEDs are on.

Just a thought.

Brent

Well, I don't recommend looking into the lens unless you are absolutely positive no light is being produced. If the room is dark and your eyes have adjusted you should be able to see a gray field on your projection screen if the LEDs are still on. If you place your hand in the light path it will cast a shadow on the screen. There are many ways of displaying a full black field, from the projector itself, film content, calibration software like DVE or AVIA, or, if you have a computer you can also go into paint and create say a 1920x1080 pixel black image with the fill tool. Then view the image in full screen and that should be 0% stimulus.

Would you be willing to give this a try? :)

I'm curious if the LG hs201 will turn off the LEDs when no signal or a full black frame is displayed. Would one of you guys be willing to test this out? :) If the projector is on, but nothing is plugged in, no light should be projected. You might need to change your background to black in the menu if this is an option. There is a dvd/blu-ray titled Eden Log that darinp2 recommended that is an absolute torture test for black levels. I don't remember exactly but within the first 5-10 minutes there are several full fade to blacks and a point source flashlight that glows brighter and darker until off. I think I remember seeing a dynamic contrast setting in the user manual for the LG that might have some effect here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sisyphus >>> Funny you mentioned but just last night i decided to use my Avia test dvd to re-check my settings for the HS-201 and i did use a full black pattern onscreen, the result being that the LEDs do not shut off : the onscreen black image was more like dark/dark grey due to the illumination being provided by the LEDs.
However, and as you so astutely pointed out, there is that "dynamic contrast" control that offers "OFF", "LOW" and "HIGH" options, and i found that by using the "LOW" setting it makes quite a difference with black levels by making them significantly darker without any noticeable brightness "pumping".
I am in no way complaining about the native brightness of the HS-201 and its black level, which i think are certainly comparable to projectors costing much/much more, but it certainly would be nice if it was capable of displaying darker "blacks"...
Regards >>> Marcos

As for the quality of the HS201. I used to have a Optoma EP721 Projector which has a native resolution of 800x600. Does anybody know how the HS201 compares to the EP721 in screen quality??

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sisyphus >>> Funny you mentioned but just last night i decided to use my Avia test dvd to re-check my settings for the HS-201 and i did use a full black pattern onscreen, the result being that the LEDs do not shut off : the onscreen black image was more like dark/dark grey due to the illumination being provided by the LEDs.
However, and as you so astutely pointed out, there is that "dynamic contrast" control that offers "OFF", "LOW" and "HIGH" options, and i found that by using the "LOW" setting it makes quite a difference with black levels by making them significantly darker without any noticeable brightness "pumping".
I am in no way complaining about the native brightness of the HS-201 and its black level, which i think are certainly comparable to projectors costing much/much more, but it certainly would be nice if it was capable of displaying darker "blacks"...
Regards >>> Marcos

Awesome, that's exactly what I was wanting to know. Thank you. :)

Hopefully the HX300 will keep the DC setting as well as the CMS. I'm also looking forward to the (XGA and 1000 lumens) Samsung F10M. According to this article it will be using the PhlatLight PT-120 LEDs which are also used in the expensive Sim2 Mico50 and Vivitek H9080FD.

http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/7/1/8

Up to this point I believe the Samsung p400/p410 and Lg hs102/201s have used the same Phlatlight LEDs so this could give an edge to the Samsung. For me it will depend on rainbows and features like CMS or black levels.

Sisyphus >>> AFAIK, the current generation of LG/Samsung mini projectors are using the PhlatLight PT-54 chipsets and i imagine that, due to their published specs, both the LG HX-300G and the new Samsung XGA pj will be using the PhlatLight PT-121, which is native 4:3 and a variant of the PT-120 that is native 16:9.
According to the specs at Luminus Devices, the PT-121 puts out somewhat less lumens than the PT-120...
What i don't understand is how Samsung is claiming an output of 1.000 lumens for its upcoming XGA pj when all other manufacturers that use the PhlatLight PT-120 in their much/much more expensive pjs are rating them no higher than 600/650 lumens output, so i take that statement by Samsung with a very large grain of salt.
On the other hand, it would appear that LG is being, if anything, modest in its claim of only 300 lumens for the HX-300G when recent tests of projectors using the PhlatLight PT-120 chipset show them pumping out from 450 to 650 lumens !
-----------------------------------
Marcos

Thanks for the reply about screen size.

I have Just one question about the screen Rez. this PJ can scale from a computer output not a Blu-ray or HD cable box output.
If you have this PJ hooked up to a computer that is running a game or some other App. that can't be set to run at 800*600 or 1024*768 can this PJ scale down a Rez. higher than 1024*768 ? What if a game went no lower than 1280*1024 or 1920 *1080 or some other odd Rez. could this PJ down scale it and still display it ? Has anyone checked to see the different Rez. setting this PJ can accept from a computer output ?

I am projecting a 110" (100" for 16:9) image from around 11 feet. It's fine in a room with quite a bit of ambient light during the day (Middle Eastern desert sun and all that). No projector can beat sunlight unless it's a light cannon extraordinaire. The colors are vibrant in a darker room. I just watched all three Extended Editions of LOTR (upconverted to 1080p by my Sony DVD player) on this and it was truly amazing. However, 50% of my usage is with my media PC so I spend a lot of time at the Windows desktop. It allows me to go up to 1680x1050 with my VGA output so the text is hella blurry. I stay with the native resolution unless it's absolutely needed and it's fine for most usage though the extra pixels would be nice.

By the way, I pushed the exact same image with my HS102, this one is just a tad bit brighter. That's all.

I'm curious if the LG hs201 will turn off the LEDs when no signal or a full black frame is displayed.
...

No.

I am able to project 1440 X 900 and 1280 X 720 directly from my Gateway laptop (Nvidia 9800GTS 1GB DDR3 via HDMI) without any major issue. Native 800X600 Res is the best for displaying text.

As far as optimal projected screen size, 80" from 8.5 ft yield the best overall image (on a 1.0 gain screen).

Anyone here use a portable screen (Tripod, pull-up)? which one do you use?

I have the Epson Duet Ultra Portable (setup in 16:9 80"), the image is good, but not as good as it looks like plasma screen with high gain ones.

Could anyone please tell me if the projector has an offset when ceiling mounting.

Thanks

I am able to project 1440 X 900 and 1280 X 720 directly from my Gateway laptop (Nvidia 9800GTS 1GB DDR3 via HDMI) without any major issue. .



kenshin2b,
Can you see the whole screen when in 1280*720 mode without the right and left edges of the screen being clipped off a little bit ?

I ask because I have used a native 1024*768 projector that would cut off the right and left sides of the screen just a little bit when run at 1280*720 and was wondering if this PJ does this sort of thing at this or any other non-native Rez. when being fed from a computer?

Big picture, that's correct, the picture does have a little cutoff on the sides, and it can be corrected by adjusting the screen setting with Nvidia display utility (in my case).

To save myself replying to multiple PMs regarding my video and audio feed setup with the projector, here is a diagram on how I connect my Wii/PS3/Laptop/Cable Box to the Sony HT-CT500.

http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/kenshin2b/LG%20HS201/LGHS201HT-CT500Setup.jpg

If you are looking for an all-in-one reciever/soundbar with hdmi/component connectivity solution to pair with the projector for under $400, Sony HT-CT500 is a great option.

what is hdcp, and does this projector have it?

HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdcp for more detail).

Yes this unit does support HDCP.

My Cable Tv HD Box only has a component output no HDMI. Is there a low cost adapter to go from a component output on the cable box to the HDMI input on the LG hs201 projector ?

My Cable Tv HD Box only has a component output no HDMI. Is there a low cost adapter to go from a component output on the cable box to the HDMI input on the LG hs201 projector ?

Component is an analog signal, hdmi is digital - a single adaptor is not existing afaik. The only way would be an AV Receiver with Component Input and HDMI Output.
Why not using the RGB to component cable that comes with the unit?

HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdcp for more detail).

Yes this unit does support HDCP.

I wouldn't bother explaining,the user has all the hallmarks of a bot.

The fan is quite, you wont even notice it. But if you want HD, I would opt for a Optoma HD60 or better, or a benq w500 or better. You will not be happy if you want a HD image with this PJ.

Other then that I liked my hs201, I bought it for the kids to play on a big screen in the basement. With this PJ, you need almost a dark room to get a good image and my kids needed all the lights on to stay in the basement. So it was not a good choice for us. I have mine up on EBAY right now for sale $470 buy it now, only used 10-12 hours. Ended up getting a benq w500 for a couple hundred bucks more. Much much brighter picture and a hell of a lot better HD picture with that.

But if you don't mind something not being the perfect HD screen and plan on having a dark room mostly, this PJ is for you. I'm posting a couple pics from one of our game screens. Hope this might help anyone else out. : )


Tim



I am interested in this projector for my "home theater" I am not desperate for HD, so I am liking this LG HS201 projector. I really like the LED feature, which is my biggest selling point due to the cost of replacement bulbs. My issue is the fixed lens (or is it?). My room that I will be using is the computer room and it is 10' l x 9' w. If I want a screen that is 5' w x 4 l', how far would the projector need to be for this to happen? My biggest fear is the ceiling fan in the middle of the room. I am willing to mount it to the ceiling with a long mount if needed, but for the screen I want to accomplish, will 10' away be too large? Would it need to be 4' away? I'd hate to drop $500 on it and not be able to use it because of the fan...

LG support is useless on distance questions.

Thanks a ton!

Oops, I can't post pics yet.

Lets try this now:

go here to see my pics, the screen size is 95 inches diag in 16:9 mode

[deleted]

Component is an analog signal, hdmi is digital - a single adaptor is not existing afaik. The only way would be an AV Receiver with Component Input and HDMI Output.
Why not using the RGB to component cable that comes with the unit?

Thanks Rubachuk,
Sorry about that post. I should get it deleted.
Don't know how I forgot about a component to D-sub RGB adapter much less the fact that this PJ comes with one.

Great lol. I was either getting the lg hs201 or the optoma hd20. I decided to get the lg and it's on it's way now. Maybe I shouldve'd gotten the hd20. Is it because of the 800x600res? If so, the hx300 would be able to do 720P I think? 1024x768. Or close to that.

The fan is quite, you wont even notice it. But if you want HD, I would opt for a Optoma HD60 or better, or a benq w500 or better. You will not be happy if you want a HD image with this PJ.

Other then that I liked my hs201, I bought it for the kids to play on a big screen in the basement. With this PJ, you need almost a dark room to get a good image and my kids needed all the lights on to stay in the basement. So it was not a good choice for us. I have mine up on EBAY right now for sale $470 buy it now, only used 10-12 hours. Ended up getting a benq w500 for a couple hundred bucks more. Much much brighter picture and a hell of a lot better HD picture with that.

But if you don't mind something not being the perfect HD screen and plan on having a dark room mostly, this PJ is for you. I'm posting a couple pics from one of our game screens. Hope this might help anyone else out. : )


Tim

The fan is quite, you wont even notice it. But if you want HD, I would opt for a Optoma HD60 or better, or a benq w500 or better. You will not be happy if you want a HD image with this PJ.

Other then that I liked my hs201, I bought it for the kids to play on a big screen in the basement. With this PJ, you need almost a dark room to get a good image and my kids needed all the lights on to stay in the basement. So it was not a good choice for us. I have mine up on EBAY right now for sale $470 buy it now, only used 10-12 hours. Ended up getting a benq w500 for a couple hundred bucks more. Much much brighter picture and a hell of a lot better HD picture with that.

But if you don't mind something not being the perfect HD screen and plan on having a dark room mostly, this PJ is for you. I'm posting a couple pics from one of our game screens. Hope this might help anyone else out. : )


Tim

Well I would disagree that the fan is quiet... In presentation mode it sounds like a small vacuum cleaner!
In lower brightness modes it's quiet enough, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having an LED projector that has no bulb life worries and at 200 lumens max it can use the boost in brightness, though it is usable in the quieter modes... ;)

When it comes to a native 800*600 projector scaling to 720P/1080p or a native 1024*768 projector scaling to 720p/1080p does the native 1024*768 projector show a big difference in picture quality over the native 800*600 projector ?

Is it worth the wait for the LG HX300 is what I am realy getting at ?

Another Essential for this PJ is a HDMI cable.Wow! GR8 improvement than component.

I just got my hs201 yesturday and I'm thinking about returning it today. How do some people run the projector 80+ inches without it getting blurry do to the lack of the focus ring?? I think I'll be getting either the hd66 or hd20 now.

I just got my hs201 yesturday and I'm thinking about returning it today. How do some people run the projector 80+ inches without it getting blurry do to the lack of the focus ring?? I think I'll be getting either the hd66 or hd20 now.

Lack of focus ring???? If you look on the side of the unit you will find a focus ring! See page 15 of instructions.

Or do you mean the focus will not adjust at that distance?

Lack of focus ring???? If you look on the side of the unit you will find a focus ring! See page 15 of instructions.

Or do you mean the focus will not adjust at that distance?

I was wondering about this also.
If your willing to deal with a dimmer image and you want a 100 inch and up screen size.
Can you focus this projector for a 100 inch and larger screen or will it only focus for 80inches and under in screen size ?

I just got my hs201 yesturday and I'm thinking about returning it today. How do some people run the projector 80+ inches without it getting blurry do to the lack of the focus ring?? I think I'll be getting either the hd66 or hd20 now.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cudda _Kine >>> Once you get your HS-201 set up in place, use the focus dial on its side to focus single pixels onscreen preferably with a full white image, press "Menu", select "Picture", click on "Expert 1" and do the following:
Contrast : 80
Brightness : 30
H Sharpness : 50
V Sharpness : 50
Color : 55
Tint : G3
Expert Control > Dynamic Contrast : Low
> Noise Reduction : Off or Low
> Gamma : Medium
> Black Level : Low
> Edge Enhancer : Off or Low
> White Balance : Medium
-----------------------------------------------
Press "Menu", select "Screen" and choose type of projector and screen that suits your installation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press "Menu", select "Option" and under "LED Mode" select "Normal".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is my experience, after using a test dvd to optimize the HS-201 picture, that these settings should give a good starting point for you to see what this projector is actually capable of achieving.
Regards >>> Marcos

Lack of focus ring???? If you look on the side of the unit you will find a focus ring! See page 15 of instructions.

Or do you mean the focus will not adjust at that distance?

I meant that I turned the focus ring to the max and it was still not 100% focused since it was meant only for 80 inches and below.

Hi everyone I am new to this forum and I'm looking for a decent projector with a college student's budget. I like the idea of not having to buy bulb. Hopefully the lg hx300 comes out soon... Anyone know the capability of this projector for rear projection and if there is any degradation to the brightness after a certain amount of time? How does 200 lumens led compare to the lumens of regular bulb projectors?

I meant that I turned the focus ring to the max and it was still not 100% focused since it was meant only for 80 inches and below.

Hi Cudda_Kine,
Thats what I was trying to find out.
Can this projector focus a screen that is bigger than 80 inches?
I thought there were people here and on youtube that said they were projecting 100inch and bigger screens.

Are you shure Cudda_Kine that it can not be focused some how on these bigger screens ?
Thanks for posting any and all information you find out about the screen size issue your having Cudda_Kine. Post if you find any answer for it.

it was fine when I had it @ around 60 inches on my screen but I tried putting it in a bigger spot, it wouldn't focus on a 95 inch size. I returned it today and ordered the hd66 since that projector can supposily focus on a 300ft screen. Even though I'll only be running it 120 inches max lol.

I meant that I turned the focus ring to the max and it was still not 100% focused since it was meant only for 80 inches and below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
You've got a good point there : my HS-201 is focused very tightly onto a 76" diagonal 4:3 screen and the focus ring had to be turned almost all the way to the top, indicating that the maximum focusing range for this pj can be achieved with screens no larger than around 80" diagonal.
However, it doesn't mean that one couldn't get a sharp picture with screens up to 92"~96" diagonal, it's just that the pixels will be slightly fuzzier, not focused as sharply...

What i don't understand is how Samsung is claiming an output of 1.000 lumens for its upcoming XGA pj when all other manufacturers that use the PhlatLight PT-120 in their much/much more expensive pjs are rating them no higher than 600/650 lumens output, so i take that statement by Samsung with a very large grain of salt.
On the other hand, it would appear that LG is being, if anything, modest in its claim of only 300 lumens for the HX-300G when recent tests of projectors using the PhlatLight PT-120 chipset show them pumping out from 450 to 650 lumens !
-----------------------------------
Marcos

Marcos, DPI has been quoting 1000 lumens for its projector, but as it is also a Delta Engine box it only puts out 400-475 following D65/Rec.709 calibration like the rest. Other vendors claim upto 800 ANSI lumens for similar machines in their spec sheets, but generally offer less even at native white point/gamut.

Samsung was not the first to claim 1000 ANSI Lumens in its CES announcement. Last year TI announced a new class of 1000 Lumens 3D single chip XGA DLP LED projectors for the class room market, at Infocomm. The lightengine/prototype commisioned with Optoma was announced at that time, no real product shipping, yet.

Will this unit display HD in 16x9? I have seen mixed specs.

Also, will it work on a 100" screen?

Will this unit display HD in 16x9? I have seen mixed specs.

Also, will it work on a 100" screen?

Could someone answer this issue about this projector and larger screen sizes ?
People in this thread and on youtube say they have gone up to 120" in screen size.
So can you focus a 80" to 120" screen with this projector or not ?

Will this unit display HD in 16x9? I have seen mixed specs.

Also, will it work on a 100" screen?

This is a 4:3 projector, 800x600. it can display up to 1080p sources, but of course you'll be watching everything in SD quality.

Thanks - that is what I thought.

Trying to find something that will display 1080i in 16:9 for my TV.

Evening all

In 4:3 I'm running 107 diagonal with a little left on the focus ring this picture was taken about 7 inches from my screen http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4360156319/ my pixels are in focus

In 4:3 mode I see this making the 120" screen but not in the 16:9

Another thing I have noticed, after I bought my DVI to HDMI I was so happy with the results then a few days later what was single pixel resolution became 2 pixel, I had 1 click of keystone and in order to get the best image you need 0 keystone (the more you add the more out of focus it seems).

I heard it mentioned here but it didn't sink in until I saw it for myself, so for those who think they may have a focus problem check your keystone.

Enjoy your evening

Brent



Could someone answer this issue about this projector and larger screen sizes ?
People in this thread and on youtube say they have gone up to 120" in screen size.
So can you focus a 80" to 120" screen with this projector or not ?

I guess I don't get it. How are you viewing in 16:9?

Is it stretched?

Evening all

In 4:3 I'm running 107 diagonal with a little left on the focus ring this picture was taken about 7 inches from my screen http://www.flickr.com/photos/45307625@N02/4360156319/ my pixels are in focus

In 4:3 mode I see this making the 120" screen but not in the 16:9

Another thing I have noticed, after I bought my DVI to HDMI I was so happy with the results then a few days later what was single pixel resolution became 2 pixel, I had 1 click of keystone and in order to get the best image you need 0 keystone (the more you add the more out of focus it seems).

I heard it mentioned here but it didn't sink in until I saw it for myself, so for those who think they may have a focus problem check your keystone.

Enjoy your evening

Brent


Nice. Thanks for the picture. I cannot wait for the hx300 to come out.

I guess I don't get it. How are you viewing in 16:9?

Is it stretched?

Go to the link below.
It is a calculator for the LG HS200 I believe the same as the the LG HS201 talked about here.

In the calculator you can select 4:3 or 16:9.
4:3 and 16:9 are just ratios of length to hight of the screen which make up its shape (a square screen shape 4:3 or a Rectangle screen shape 16:9 and 16:10)
A native 4:3 device can still produce a 16:9 16:10 image by cutting off the top/bottom with black bars to get a 16:9 or 16:10 ratio and a native 16:9 device can put black bars on the sides of the image to get a square 4:3 ratio.

The LG HS 201 puts black boarders on the top and bottom of the image when it is fed 16:9 content so you get a rectangular/widescreen image.
A scaler is then used to fit that 1280*720 or 1920*1080 rectangular image into the 16:9 rectangle the LG is producing which is of much lower Rez. than the 720p or 1080 p signal it is being fed.
You have 720p/1080p 16:9 rectangle image going into the HS201 and the scaler puts that into a smaller rectangle which the HS201 is producing of lets say just a GUESS here 800*400 or whatever would be a 16:9 ratio for the HS201 with its number of pixels.
This scaling of an image is different than stretching an image which gives you the Skinny people or Fat People image.
I think this is right can someone verify this please.



http://www.projectorcentral.com/LG-HS200-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Here is what I am trying to do:

SD Channel:
http://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/directv-nfl-sunday-ticket-gamemix.jpg

HD Channel:
http://www.interstartv.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/nfl-game-mix-hd1.jpg

I want to get a projector for my football room, and I really only want it for the 16:9 HD Game Mix channel (1080i). I am about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 with tech stuff, but I never have done any research before on projectors. If I am understanding this correctly, the HS201 can't do what I want, but the new HX300 will. Am I correct? I also don't want to worry about replacing bulbs.

Here is what I am trying to do:

SD Channel:
http://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/directv-nfl-sunday-ticket-gamemix.jpg

HD Channel:
http://www.interstartv.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/nfl-game-mix-hd1.jpg

I want to get a projector for my football room, and I really only want it for the 16:9 HD Game Mix channel (1080i). I am about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 with tech stuff, but I never have done any research before on projectors. If I am understanding this correctly, the HS201 can't do what I want, but the new HX300 will. Am I correct? I also don't want to worry about replacing bulbs.

I think the HS201 and HX300 can both do it but the HX would have more pixels(1024*768) Vs (800*600) for the LS201.

Like I said above, I do not know what the ratio is so this is just an example.
The HX300 would make a rectangular box of lets say 1024*600 or whatever would be a 16:9 ratio. and when you fed it a 1080P or 720P HD feed its scaler would put it into that 1024*600 rectangle the HX300 is producing.
The HS201 would do the same but with less pixels (a GUess again) lets say 800*400 or whatever works out to be 16:9.

Got it. Thanks. I am hoping the new LG is out soon, but I have some time until next season.

Also trying to do this all for under $1000 of possible. Which I think I can do, since I already have the sound system in place.

Got it. Thanks. I am hoping the new LG is out soon, but I have some time until next season.

Also trying to do this all for under $1000 of possible. Which I think I can do, since I already have the sound system in place.

If this is going to be your first projector you might want to do some more research as this isn't the easiest projector to setup.....plus you want a 16:9 native projector with more resolution from your previous posts.....

I think the HS201 and HX300 can both do it but the HX would have more pixels(1024*768) Vs (800*600) for the LS201.

Like I said above, I do not know what the ratio is so this is just an example.
The HX300 would make a rectangular box of lets say 1024*600 or whatever would be a 16:9 ratio. and when you fed it a 1080P or 720P HD feed its scaler would put it into that 1024*600 rectangle the HX300 is producing.
The HS201 would do the same but with less pixels (a GUess again) lets say 800*400 or whatever works out to be 16:9.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Considering that the native resolution of the HS-201 is 800x600, 16:9 video material will be displayed within a grid of 800x450 pixels; The HX-300G native resolution of 1024x768 will be displayed as 1024x576 pixels...

Sheesh, people, YES, the PJ can easily do a 110" 4:3 screen. That same image, in 16:9 mode, becomes approximately 100".

I am waiting for the 300. Already handed the HS200 down to the family.

How hard can it be?:)

Any ideas on an easier one for the same money?

How hard can it be?:)

Any ideas on an easier one for the same money?

Harder than you think, there is no zoom on this projector, which means there is only one exact spot it can be to create a certain screen size....

If you are mainly using this for sports, take a look at this thread....

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1182562

How hard can it be?:)

Any ideas on an easier one for the same money?

I think for Sports and by that I mean a projector that will be used for long hours that the Hs201 or HX300 might be worth the extra time it takes to set them up.
You will be getting 30,000 hours of life out of the LED's for your one time pain of setup. That is if you will be keeping it in one place.
The Epson would be great also but only 5,000 hours for a lamp if it makes it that long to the LED's 30,000 .

These LED projectors just might be the right choice for home sports viewing.

Look through this thread there are some pictures of the HS201 projecting a basketball game and it looks very good doing it.
Basketball Game: Page#5 Post#123

Hmmmm. That Sival looks like a PC tower. Can it be ceiling mounted?

In regards to the Epson, the price looks right, but every 5000 hours or so I have to drop $175 on a new lamp, correct?

I'll use it 12 hours every Sunday, and maybe a couple of hours a night tops. Then again, I might love it so much I watch baseball on it. It seems that once you go 100"......

I plan on putting it in one place. This is what I am going for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPv3aM5CH-8

I need the 100" screen to get the 8 games on 23" screens. Yes, I am an avid fantasy football freak.

Hmmmm. That Sival looks like a PC tower. Can it be ceiling mounted?

Not enough lumens.....

I plan on putting it in one place. This is what I am going for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPv3aM5CH-8

This projector most likely won't work like that....no zoom on projector....

I need the 100" screen to get the 8 games on 23" screens. Yes, I am an avid fantasy football freak.

You want 16:9 native, bright, and at least 720p.....you just don't know it yet....

lol. I hear you. I want it. I just don't want to wait anymore!!!!!

Hmmmm. That Sival looks like a PC tower. Can it be ceiling mounted?

In regards to the Epson, the price looks right, but every 5000 hours or so I have to drop $175 on a new lamp, correct?

I'll use it 12 hours every Sunday, and maybe a couple of hours a night tops. Then again, I might love it so much I watch baseball on it. It seems that once you go 100"......

I plan on putting it in one place. This is what am going for:


I need the 100" screen to get the 8 games on 23" screens. Yes, I am an avid fantasy football freak.

Ignore Jason Koval. If you look around all he does is advertise that certain projector. The lumen rating on that projector is a crutch. It is evident that you do not want to spend 1k+ on a projector that uses bulbs giving only approximately 3k tops. Led brightness does undergo degradation during the life time but it holds its brightness much longer than bulbs do.

Here are examples of some decent views of what you should expect from led 4:3 projectors.

[next post ill have the links lol I'm not allowed to post links yet]

According to what I have seen so far the Samsung loses in comparison to the Lg projector so I would guess that you can expect a little more quality. More than likely you are waiting for the hx 300

So I see that you have basically two options that I think you most likely will end with....

1)Get the hx300 when it comes out (33% increase in lumens from hs 201)

2)Get a cheap decent bulb projector that is just under 1k. There is quite a few in this class that actually give 720p and maybe a few 1080p.

If you choose option 1 the worse that could happen is that you end up using it for its portability or maybe as a personal bedroom projector. This projector will probably end up in the market valued at 450-600 so it is not incredibly expensive as long as you can live with the lower resolution.

If you choose option 2 the bulbs might get cheaper in the long run you soon you would have trouble finding bulbs once it is phased out of the market. You do get better resolution that you wanted though.

1)Choose this if you don't plan to subscribe or buy any HD content (what is the use of buying an HD projector if you don't feed it any HD content). Also make sure that you can control the ambient light in the room your planning to use it in.

2)Choose this if HD content is important to you and you have all the equipment for it otherwise your looking at a little more money there to spend. If money is not a deciding factor than the 1k-3k range would give the best bang for the buck.

There is lots of factors to consider.... Just balance out what is more important to you and choose. You could just choose the hx300 and say to yourself that this pj is just tiding you over until the perfect option comes out. Than again bigger and better things are always coming out. I don't vouch myself as a videophile or an audiophile so.... Well I'm not sure where I am going with this statement...

The best choice would be to wait until the right projector comes out. If you can't wait than just pick one or the other. Hopefully this helped a bit.

Also choosing a screen with a different gain might help with the brightness. Although I don't know much of anything myself.

Samsung SP P410M - rated 160-170 ansi lumens I believe
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvGa93gMhSU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvGa93gMhSU)
Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXEkss8pMNs

If this is what 800x600 can do at 160-170 lumens than I would expect that the hx 300 with xga resolution and almost twice the increase in lumens would be considerably better.

sdost,

Thanks for the tip, and taking the time to respond.

Will the HX300 not handle HD well enough? I thought the fact it was native 16:9, and the resolution specs listed, meant it'd handle it.

It doesn't need to pop like a 52" 1080p plasma, but I don't want it to look like SD does on HD TVs, if you know what I mean.

As for the lighting, this is going in a recently finished basement of a cape. It has 4 basement windows, all with the ability to be closed off.

The only real reason I am concerned about the resolution is because while I am setting up for 100" screen, when I use it for the Game Mix channel, I'll have eight 23" screens within one. If the resolution stinks, those games are tough to see.

I have watched the SD version of this channel on a regular TV, and it isn't nearly as good as the HD version. But on my 52" Sammy, the eight sub-screens just aren't big enough. That is what is driving me to go this route. And the SD version of the channel on the Sammy is unwatchable, due to the size of each screen, and the resolution.

I know Mitsu makes an 82" DLP TV, but the $5K it costs is too much. Plus, with young kids, I am worried about it getting destroyed. If the unit is ceiling mounted, it'd be protected (I hope!), and worst case if they do destroy the screen, and I am only out a few hundred bucks.

Oh no definitely not. SD broadcast on tv is usually 640x480 resolution or some slightly different ratio. So I would believe it would look much better than what you would expect. The higher resolution shows that the projector is capable of accepting and scaling down the feed. That is pretty much what I know to my extent.

So is there anyone here with a hands on review of the iSival MP720B1 ?
Is it just a joke of a projector ?

The HX-300G native resolution of 1024x768 (4:3) will be displayed as 1024x576 pixels... so about 1/2 HD......

Although I think this LED projector can be great, just not for you purposes (8 games at once).....until they come out with a 16:9 720p version....

I plan on putting it in one place. This is what I am going for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPv3aM5CH-8

I still think you're going to have setup problems, your example is a projector that is very flexible in placement, the HX-300G would not work like that video......just trying to inform you before you make a mistake.....throw and offset aren't the easiest to figure out, thats why I ended up going with a projector with the greatest placement flexibility........

The HX-300G native resolution of 1024x768 (4:3) will be displayed as 1024x576 pixels... so about 1/2 HD......

Although I think this LED projector can be great, just not for you purposes (8 games at once).....until they come out with a 16:9 720p version....

Yeh, I never got people calling the HS201 Standard Def (800*600 4:3 or 800*450 in 16:9) does not look like an old SD TV.
Like you say lewke, it would be more like HAlf-DEF..LOL

I am only going by pictures and video on YouTube of the HS201, but in those pics and videos it does not look Standard-Def, it might not be true 720p or 1080p but it looks a lot closer to a High-Def image than it does to a Standard-Def image... HALF HD TV...LOL

Hey lewke you did a re-edit..Yes I think you are right.
In his case with 8 screens he might need to go true 720P/1080P and with placement options.
That 8 screens changes things I think...

Hey check out the guy at the end of this video..NOW THAT IS SOME COOL 3D..LOL It looks like he is realy in the room with them. I think it's John Madden. Must be the new NFL Game Day 3D..HA HA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPv3aM5CH-8

So is there anyone here with a hands on review of the iSival MP720B1 ?
Is it just a joke of a projector ?

I don't want to put down the product but personally I think it is a no go. It seems like one of those off brand projectors made in china and exported to other countries in order to reap more profit. I'm not sure about the specs but 60 lumens and 400:1 contrast ratio is not good at all. The picture will be very washed out unless your in complete darkness. Even if the projector really does project at HD quality. The benefits are lost due to the lack of the other qualities.

The HX-300G native resolution of 1024x768 (4:3) will be displayed as 1024x576 pixels... so about 1/2 HD......

Although I think this LED projector can be great, just not for you purposes (8 games at once).....until they come out with a 16:9 720p version....

I plan on putting it in one place. This is what I am going for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPv3aM5CH-8

I still think you're going to have setup problems, your example is a projector that is very flexible in placement, the HX-300G would not work like that video......just trying to inform you before you make a mistake.....throw and offset aren't the easiest to figure out, thats why I ended up going with a projector with the greatest placement flexibility........

Haha :) biased if the 1280x720 and 1024x576 resolution is correct I would say that its more like 64% of 720p. Unless I calculated somewhere wrong....

Well, I can basically put it wherever I want. The basement is a clean slate. The ceiling isn't even in yet (drop).

I follow on the resolution now, I thought I saw somewhere that is had HD specs, but these specs remind me of a 42" Panny EDTV that I almost bought in 2006. I am thankful I didn't.

I think the resolution will be good enough actually, I just can't afford to have the screen stretched or distorted, as the 8 sub-screens would really get messed up (I think).

Anything good to say about Optoma? Reviews look good online. 720p. But I'll have the replacement bulb issue.

Thats why the Epson HD705 might be good for you. 5,000 hours is very good for a bulb projector.

A question for one of the owners of this intriguing LG HS201...

So I already have a dedicated home theater setup in my basement (Infocus 4805 bought in Dec'04, with 1,000 hours) that still works great (knock on wood). I am looking to replace a 27" 16 year old Magnavox if and when it goes out.

I tried talking the wife into replacing the 27" with an LED projector since price per inch, it's the way to go. (Bulb is not an option as this TV is on from 7am - 11pm every day.) I would rather pay $499 for an LED projector than the same price for 42" LCD.

However, she has reservations about setup and the wires running every where. You can tell from how many hours I've put on my 4805, we don't get downstairs enough! So I was thinking at least a mobile solution...something to use for camping, use outside during the summer, and in particular..take on long road trips for the kids in the car.

I know this projector isn't battery operated BUT...probably a DUMB question...anyone know of a way to power it through the cigarette lighter or any other way...and if so, would bumps in the road hurt the projector?

I am just trying to find the pros to talk the wife into this projector or the 300 one.

A question for one of the owners of this intriguing LG HS201...

So I already have a dedicated home theater setup in my basement (Infocus 4805 bought in Dec'04, with 1,000 hours) that still works great (knock on wood). I am looking to replace a 27" 16 year old Magnavox if and when it goes out.

I tried talking the wife into replacing the 27" with an LED projector since price per inch, it's the way to go. (Bulb is not an option as this TV is on from 7am - 11pm every day.) I would rather pay $499 for an LED projector than the same price for 42" LCD.

However, she has reservations about setup and the wires running every where. You can tell from how many hours I've put on my 4805, we don't get downstairs enough! So I was thinking at least a mobile solution...something to use for camping, use outside during the summer, and in particular..take on long road trips for the kids in the car.

I know this projector isn't battery operated BUT...probably a DUMB question...anyone know of a way to power it through the cigarette lighter or any other way...and if so, would bumps in the road hurt the projector?

I am just trying to find the pros to talk the wife into this projector or the 300 one.

Well it is an upgrade either way your going to be replacing a 16 year old Magnavox. Just read the post to get an idea of the quality of the projector.
As for the portability part... I am guessing that you want to plug this in a vehicle with a cigarette lighter. I think it is possible you just need to buy a cigarette lighter power inverter.

Part - 2 of this review shows the guy hooking the LED projector to a cigarette lighter but the model isn't exactly the one your looking to get. Irregardless, I think projectors in this class all have similar voltage ratings.

Samsung SP P410M - rated 160-170 ansi lumens I believe
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvGa93gMhSU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvGa93gMhSU)
Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXEkss8pMNs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXEkss8pMNs)

As for the durability part... I am not sure many projector/tv are built to withstand an earthquake or anything but I can't comment on its build quality either. It should be fine as long as your not intentionally driving haphazardly and you pack the projector in a safe packaging.

You should wait for the hx300 unless you want to get the hs201

Thats why the Epson HD705 might be good for you. 5,000 hours is very good for a bulb projector.

You might be right. That'll last me about 4 years.

Will running this for 12 hours on a Sunday be an issue? Also, I have heard if the power goes out while viewing the bulb gets fried - is this true? I don't lose power a bunch, but I do enough that it could be an issue.

I also like the $200 replacement, which will likely only be done one time before there is new technology. And I trust when I need a replacement, Epson will be around.

I have the 705HD and it is a nice projector for the money. I had an infocus x1 when they came to market for about 4 years before that. Epson's warranty is phenomenal. The blacks will be better on the LG since it's dlp with led, but the epson is amazingly bright. I watch with a light on in the basement and it doesn't affect it at all, especially with sports. It has a few drawbacks, but for the most part it is a pretty good all around projector for the money. Placement is a little easier, too, since it has a zoom where the LG doesn't. I actually considered the LG which is why I have been lingering around this thread, but ultimately decided on the Epson for several reasons. Bright, 720p, long bulb life, cheap, warranty, build quality. I know it's tough. I had been looking at the LG for several months. I chose brightness over black levels because I was tired of being a cave dweller with my old projector. But, 20,000 hrs is nice too. Hope this helps a little. And I've never heard of power outages popping bulbs. I may be wrong though.

I've posted some screenshots over at the Epson HD705 thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1182562&page=4

CJ -

This looks great. It is exactly what I am looking to do, right down to the drop ceiling.

What does the zoom mean for a 100" screen? Does it mean the projector can be closer, or does it still have to be far away from the screen?

That isn't huge for me, but just curious. How easy is the setup would you say?

The 705 only has a 1.2 zoom so it doesn't give you a ton of flexibility, but better than nothing. For 100inch diag screen 16:9 you have to be between about 9.5 to 11.5 ft away. You have to be dead on with the LG since there is no zoom where at least the epson has a little wiggle room. I just ball parked the distance with mine. I had to put a 2x4 between two floor joists to screw the mount to. Then the zoom made up the difference. My drop was fairly close so I only needed minimal keystone. All in all it worked out pretty well. There was some negative feedback on the 705 initially, but most all the reviews are quite favorable now. Projectorcentral and projectorreviews both gave great reviews along with users at Amazon and Best buy websites. You just have to spend a little time tweaking. It took me about a week to get my settings where I like them. I think the ones who fired it up, said it looked like crap and took it back just didn't spend enough time with it. For a little over $600 bucks it's a darn nice projector in my opinion. But I am turning into a brightness junkie. My 3 and 5 year old seem to be much less accident prone with the lights on. This one is racking up the hours much faster than my old infocus due to that fact.

Another quick question - if I mount a pj on the ceiling, 9-10 feet back from the screen, how close can a couch or chair be to the screen before getting in the way on the picture?

It'll be 6 feet or so in the air.

By the way, this is what I am replacing:

http://img224.imageshack.us/i/tvvo8.jpg/

By the way, this is what I am replacing:

http://img224.imageshack.us/i/tvvo8.jpg/

Wow interesting setup. If you could sell each of those sets for $100-200 each minimum (which sound very reasonable) you should net enough for a decent projector. Look in on the casio led/laser projector line up that are coming into the market fairly soon. Although they are oriented as a business projector, I think one of the model outputs wxga which is actually a higher resolution than 720p.

Another quick question - if I mount a pj on the ceiling, 9-10 feet back from the screen, how close can a couch or chair be to the screen before getting in the way on the picture?

It'll be 6 feet or so in the air.

If it is ceiling mounted upside down, the image is projected "out" and "down" if I am correct. I can't really give you a number answer on that as I think it's gonna be dependent on a few things (i.e. distance from screen, drop from ceiling of projector, distance from ceiling to top of screen, angle of projector, etc). Sorry. Best I can answer that one.

Another quick question - if I mount a pj on the ceiling, 9-10 feet back from the screen, how close can a couch or chair be to the screen before getting in the way on the picture?

It'll be 6 feet or so in the air.

That's depends on the throw ratio.

A question for one of the owners of this intriguing LG HS201...

So I already have a dedicated home theater setup in my basement (Infocus 4805 bought in Dec'04, with 1,000 hours) that still works great (knock on wood). I am looking to replace a 27" 16 year old Magnavox if and when it goes out.

I tried talking the wife into replacing the 27" with an LED projector since price per inch, it's the way to go. (Bulb is not an option as this TV is on from 7am - 11pm every day.) I would rather pay $499 for an LED projector than the same price for 42" LCD.

However, she has reservations about setup and the wires running every where. You can tell from how many hours I've put on my 4805, we don't get downstairs enough! So I was thinking at least a mobile solution...something to use for camping, use outside during the summer, and in particular..take on long road trips for the kids in the car.

I know this projector isn't battery operated BUT...probably a DUMB question...anyone know of a way to power it through the cigarette lighter or any other way...and if so, would bumps in the road hurt the projector?

I am just trying to find the pros to talk the wife into this projector or the 300 one.
try a pico projector then.

Man I really want to get this projector but Amazon doesnt ship it to Canada, any Canadians found a store that does?

When are more merchants going to market this little machine?

Man if this projector was available at Sams, Wal-Mart, or Target I would probably jump on it right now! I really wish one of these places would start selling it -- particularly Sams who has an outstanding extended warranty service.

Some one here contacted LG and and LG told them that they have no plans of distributing this projector in Canada.

If you know someone in the US maybe you can get them to ship to you or you can also check ebay I saw a few for sale a few weeks ago, and ask if theyll ship to you, just make sure theyre willing to mark it as a gift so you dont pay customs fees.

good luck.

Is Overstock.com on drugs? they are selling the pj twice as much as Amazon...

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/LG-HS200G-DLP-Projector/4580753/product.html

Is Overstock.com on drugs? they are selling the pj twice as much as Amazon...

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/LG-HS200G-DLP-Projector/4580753/product.html



OMG...I will never buy anything from that place...what respectable Retailer charges 40-50% over MSRP.

When are more merchants going to market this little machine?

Man if this projector was available at Sams, Wal-Mart, or Target I would probably jump on it right now! I really wish one of these places would start selling it -- particularly Sams who has an outstanding extended warranty service.

I know, there are rave reviews of this little projector all over the internet. But good luck getting your hands on it. I would understand if it just came out. But its been out for almost a year!

LG must have the worse distribution network in history. Their company is really dropping the ball in marketing and its reflected in their poor website design too.

When are more merchants going to market this little machine?

Man if this projector was available at Sams, Wal-Mart, or Target I would probably jump on it right now! I really wish one of these places would start selling it -- particularly Sams who has an outstanding extended warranty service.

purchase on internet. retail store channels charge too much, so the cost will be high.

Well all I know is LG did a better job marketing the pj in Europe...

From my learning experience, you have to pick up the phone and call to get a proper response from them...

Hopefully that will be difffernt when their new LED projectors, these are really cool little projectors, I just cleared out space in my garage and Im playing xbox with it and its awesome

Well all I know is LG did a better job marketing the pj in Europe...

From my learning experience, you have to pick up the phone and call to get a proper response from them...

Well, poor/limited availablity overhere, online retailers selling it at or even slightly more than its €499,- MSRP, no buzz, no ads, no nothing, so marketing is quite limited overhere.