jacksonian, thx for your input! I currently have the 700 but am sending it back because the iris seems to be overly loud. Have you had any issues with iris noise during normal operation with either the 700 or 1000? I put an order in for the 1000 and am hoping to upgrade to 1080p and solve my 700 iris problem.
Just posted in the TW700 thread that I only heard it when we had the pj on the table right beside my wife (like 2 feet away). I don't hear it at all now that it's overhead. But I can't swear to you that it's any different than the TW700. My guess is that the design would be identical.

And it seems like "audible iris" has been a problem with all of the current pjs with a dynamic iris.

jacksonian - Thanks for the update. 2-3 feet is fine for SDE. YOur comments that the IRIS may be much better on the Epson would be a big plus as it seems many can see the movement on the Mits.

I like to shift a 2.35 movie down to the bottom of the 16:9 screen.
With the Mits I could use the power lens shift. Does the Epson have a panel shift where you can move the image up and down from the menu or would you have to make a manual adjustment on the lens?


Still wondering on the center vs corner quality of the image. The Pearl I demoed had a poor lens, the corners were soft compared to the center. Its reported the Mits is sharp edge to edge. With a test pattern or PC desktop how does the Epson look.

I'm not trying to knock the Epson, I'm interested if its the best value way to go, but so little is known about it and I find its impossible to tell much from movie images posted?

Just posted in the TW700 thread that I only heard it when we had the pj on the table right beside my wife (like 2 feet away). I don't hear it at all now that it's overhead. But I can't swear to you that it's any different than the TW700. My guess is that the design would be identical.

And it seems like "audible iris" has been a problem with all of the current pjs with a dynamic iris.


I think my unit is defective, listened to an 810 and it was much less distracting......I mean this thing was driving me crazy...other people also commented on the noise.

Dc10flyer that stinks if yours is defective - where did you get yours from?

I received my from EP....these guys have been great. Maybe the word defective is too strong....the iris just seems loud on my projector. When I listened to a friends 810, the actual noise the iris makes is the same, yet much less distracting. My 700 was ceiling mounted at 8ft, and sitting below and directly to the sides of the projector it was very apparent and bothersome.

I like to shift a 2.35 movie down to the bottom of the 16:9 screen.
With the Mits I could use the power lens shift. Does the Epson have a panel shift where you can move the image up and down from the menu or would you have to make a manual adjustment on the lens?
With the Epson you'd have to use the vertical lens shift wheel on the top of the pj (bottom if it's upside down ceiling mounted).


Still wondering on the center vs corner quality of the image. The Pearl I demoed had a poor lens, the corners were soft compared to the center. Its reported the Mits is sharp edge to edge. With a test pattern or PC desktop how does the Epson look.
The Epson has a great lens, it's sharp to me corner to corner using the test pattern and movies. I don't have mine connected to a pc and don't plan to, sorry.

I'm not trying to knock the Epson, I'm interested if its the best value way to go, but so little is known about it and I find its impossible to tell much from movie images posted?
Sounds like you've made up your mind that you like the Mits for several reasons. You should buy it. There's no way I'd tell someone in your shoes to get the Epson. You like the motorized shift/zoom. You like the fact that you can buy it here in the US. You like the fact that it's silent. You like the fact that it's sharp corner to corner with a pc image. You haven't commented that you care about lumen output. Sounds like your decision is an easy one to me.

Hong Kong site has been updated with TW1000 info. Price to be announced and no mention of warranty yet.

hey guys, just ordered a tw1000 from Ep..these guys have been great....I should receive the projector on fri

DC10flyer - did you send back your TW-700?
will you try and keep both to compare the iris sound?

DC10flyer - did you send back your TW-700?
will you try and keep both to compare the iris sound?

I did compare the 700 to the 1000 in many ways. The iris on the 1000 is just a little less noisy than the 700 however, the 1000 needs to be ran in high lamp mode for that punch....this makes the fan noise more noticable on the 1000. Low lamp mode fan noise is very quite....but a little too dim for my taste. The best part of this projector for me is the complete lack of any digital noise.....its really that clean of a picture...I don't know if this is because of the new C2fine or the higher resolution or of both, but its a very nice picture.

Congrats dc10 !

Might be joining you guys on the TW1000 soon.

Emailed Hivizone earlier this week to ask about pricing and also noticed that their listing on the TW1000 didn't mention anything about a 2yr int'l warranty like it does on the Tw700. Reply from them said they should have both these details posted within the next 10 days.

dc10flyer, how big of a screen are you using? wondering (hoping) that running it on high brightness is only necessary for a big screen!

dc10flyer, how big of a screen are you using? wondering (hoping) that running it on high brightness is only necessary for a big screen!


Carada 106" BW, total light controlled room

I know some people were asking if the TW1000 will support 1080p/24.
It does.

Joe

I know some people were asking if the TW1000 will support 1080p/24.
It does.

Joe

That's great news Joe Black. Would you know if firmware upgrade is required or all shipped units can support? Thanks

Art at projector reviews has a short pre-review (http://www.projectorreviews.com/advice/CES2007hometheaterprojectors.asp) of the Epson 1080(TW1000) he saw at CES. Looks like he expects to get one in soon for review.


"Epson Pro Cinema 1080p

Epson showed their Pro Cinema 1080p 3LCD projector in their suite in the Wynn hotel. Really nice! I"m looking forward to reviewing it in the next month. First, it seems to be the brightest of the LCD 1080p projectors, and second, it's the first under $10,000 projector (to the best of my knowledge) that will ship supporting HDMI 1.3. This is significant, because, versions of HDMI prior to 1.3, only transmit 8 bit color per channel - the traditional 255 shades per color and a 16.7 million color palette, which as some of you may know, isn't quite enough choice (hard to believe) to give you, smooth color transitions in flesh tones. HDMI 1.3 also handles more advanced audio, but that's not a projector issue.

Also of note, Epson has new improved optics and the image looked extremely sharp.

The 1080p Epson will have a suggested retail of $4999! - That will make it slightly more than the other two LCD's the Mitsubishi HC5000, and the Panasonic PT-AE1000U, but less than those DLP's (which are brighter than the existing 1080p LCD projectors. If the new Epson 1080p turns out be be significantly brighter than the other two, (it is rated 1200 lumens, but then Epson is the one company in the industry - from my personal experience - who jusually builds projectors that actually beat their claimed brightness, then there is a lower cost, and bright alternative to the DLP's. The competition heats up!

I'm tempted to buy this PJ while I'm over there. If I shop around, it looks like I might be able to get it for less than US$2,800. Is there any reason not to get it? Would there be a problem using a "Japan" model in the US?

All advice welcome.

Thanks,
Ira

Somebody refresh my memory. The Epson TW100 had Faroudja. The JVC DLA HD1 has Gennum, and the Mitsubishi has Reon. Does the Epson employ a name brand video processor/de-interlacer/scaler in the TW1000?

I'm tempted to buy this PJ while I'm over there. If I shop around, it looks like I might be able to get it for less than US$2,800. Is there any reason not to get it? Would there be a problem using a "Japan" model in the US?

All advice welcome.

Thanks,
Ira
Ira, the one I imported is a Japanese model. The only concern is warranty work. I had to ship mine back via Price Japan to get it serviced. If you bought it from a store there, it might be hard to get it serviced. I'd go with an importer like Superfly, EastPorters, or Price Japan.

Somebody refresh my memory. The Epson TW100 had Faroudja. The JVC DLA HD1 has Gennum, and the Mitsubishi has Reon. Does the Epson employ a name brand video processor/de-interlacer/scaler in the TW1000?

I'm quite certain it's a Pixelworks.

Still need external video processor for good de-interlacing of 480i and 1080i then... ?

I am having a hard time finding a throw calculator of the TW1000. Does anyone know if I will be able to achieve a 110" image at exactly 11' away?

~Josh

YES
See post #36, Google translation. Scroll down left side of page (with C2Fine being subpage one) go to the Japanese characters--5th one down and you will find "Installation " click and read. It looks like you will have no problem doing what you want at 11ft.

I am having a hard time finding a throw calculator of the TW1000. Does anyone know if I will be able to achieve a 110" image at exactly 11' away?

~Josh

projectorcalc at projectorcentral.com for the Epson 810/TW700. It uses the same 2.1:1 Fujinon lens which offers a huge range.

810 calc (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Pro_Cinema_810-projection-calculator-pro.htm)

For a 110" screen Min distance seems to be 11'4"

I ordered thru P....J...., but for some reason PayPal wouldn't let me do an instant transfer (do I need to transfer money IN to my PayPal account first?!? Anyway, payment clears on 1/29, I expect shipment by 1/30, in hand by 2/3-4? I can't wait.

BTW, I got my light meter, haven't had a chance to play with it yet. :) But since the consensus is Epsons are much brighter, that's what I'm expecting.

David

You had to do an e-cheque? Yeah, that is lame. I cannot remember how to fix that. I can do instant payments now myself, but how to fix your account, I don't know. Best to contact PayPal...of course, now you'll just have to wait.

:)

I ordered thru P....J...., but for some reason PayPal wouldn't let me do an instant transfer (do I need to transfer money IN to my PayPal account first?!? Anyway, payment clears on 1/29, I expect shipment by 1/30, in hand by 2/3-4? I can't wait.

BTW, I got my light meter, haven't had a chance to play with it yet. :) But since the consensus is Epsons are much brighter, that's what I'm expecting.

David


The reason that happened is because the credit card on file had expired or you changed credit cards and did not update your Paypal account.

The reason that happened is because the credit card on file had expired or you changed credit cards and did not update your Paypal account.

I think it might be a limit on instant transfers.

You can pay with CC and PP its not much more 3% I think.

Jacks............

Refresh more poor failing grey cells............

When you had both the TW700 and the TW1000 compare the brightness for me. The numbers game would say the 700 has an extra 400 of max lumens available...........

What was your experience with brightness.......... I honestly cannot remember if you covered this, but I am sure you must have... I will head back towards the front of the thread and see if I can find it.....

If you look back the week before Christmas, I posted a brightness comparison pic with some moderate daylight between the two. The TW700 is brighter. I didn't have a light meter, but if you made me put a number on it, I'd say the specs are accurate in the relative difference, maybe 20%-25% difference.

For me, I have the plasma for daytime viewing. So the TW1000 was plenty bright enough for movies with lights out, and I can even watch sports easily with lights on in the Living Room mode.

There's a comparison pic also of the Panasonic 500 and TW1000 with all my room lights on and you can see how bright the TW1000 was in that environment in Living Room mode. It was very watchable.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for your input about instant transfers. I CAN do instant transfers, though I've never tried this large an amount before; PayPal's error message says they look at the sender and the recipient to determine whether it would be secure to do instant transfers. The credit card was an option, but I was too cheap to pay 3% extra. :) Incidentally, I double checked my credit card on file, and everything seems kosher (account no., exp date, CVV), but PayPal refuses to let me use it to pay for stuff (declined), even though I have plenty of credit line available. Weird.

Jacksonian, I'm with you; I have a 60" RPTV in the family room, so I don't really need daytime viewability. And in the dark, I found my PE8700 (1000 rated lumens) to be plenty bright for movies on my 133" 16:9 matte white screen, though for gaming it didn't have enough pop. I was thinking of getting a 2.35:1 High Power 156" screen, but I'm going to see if my matte white will do with the extra oomph of the TW1000. I'm so excited!

David

So without quoting actual prices, the difference between the Epson TW1000 and the JVC should be around $2000 USD?

If you look back the week before Christmas, I posted a brightness comparison pic with some moderate daylight between the two. The TW700 is brighter. I didn't have a light meter, but if you made me put a number on it, I'd say the specs are accurate in the relative difference, maybe 20%-25% difference.

For me, I have the plasma for daytime viewing. So the TW1000 was plenty bright enough for movies with lights out, and I can even watch sports easily with lights on in the Living Room mode.

There's a comparison pic also of the Panasonic 500 and TW1000 with all my room lights on and you can see how bright the TW1000 was in that environment in Living Room mode. It was very watchable.

Hope that helps.


Thanks Jacks...... yeah I went back to the begining and then found the stuff I was looking for around December 19th I believe it was.... re-reading it was good... it reminded me of one of the big differences between the two which is SDE.

Everyone has their own "issues" I remember that DLP's give you a headache (I have a son-in-law with the same problem), well SDE has always kept me from purchasing an LCD projector. Although from my seating distance which is about 1.25x screen-width I don't think it would be as much of a problem for the TW1000 as it is the TW700.

Pity we can't have both :D More lumens and no SDE !

I'm still considering looking for a deal on this pj next week when I'm in Japan. I did look at the manual on the Epson Japan website. I don't read Japanese, but I can usually figure out a few things.

The main thing I think I determined is that this pj won't accept 24 Hz. Rather it appears that it will accept between 50 and 85 Hz. Thus, for those BD or HD players that will output 24 fps to avoid using pull down, this Epson can't accept the signal. On the other hand, if the players can output 72 fps (24 fps x 3), then perhaps the same effect could be achieved.

Anyway, I'd still like more user impressions of this pj if possible. Any further observations?

For example, how well does this pj handle fast motion? Is it sharp, or does it blur out due to slower than necessary refresh rates on the pannels?

How is the color and brightness uniformity across the screen?

Any problems with pannel alignment?

Thanks,
Ira

Hmm, I was under the impression 1080p/24 support was there. I will be checking in for owner comments on this one.

Hi,

based on iblumberg's information I've posted this 24p question to my German congenials.

I today received the feedback that Epson TW1000 supports 24p as JohnnDenver supposes.

The information has been copied (ref attachment) out of a product sheet available on Epson's webpage

Greetings from Germany

Alfred

As I move ever closer to this projetcor. Any owners want to give me any last minute advice or information or experiences?

Japan is calling my name here. Tax return is filed. :)


It is the Sony Pearl or this one.

Hi,

based on iblumberg's information I've posted this 24p question to my German congenials.

I today received the feedback that Epson TW1000 supports 24p as JohnnDenver supposes.

The information has been copied (ref attachment) out of a product sheet available on Epson's webpage

Greetings from Germany

Alfred

Thanks for the clarification. I hope you can see how I was confused since 50-80 Hz is listed as the RGB vertical scanning frequency and this was the thing I saw in the Japanese specs.

This is good news and makes me more confident about taking a flyer on this pj.

Ira

This projector is listed on Epson Direct japan for 350000yen. I wonder if they will sell direct to USA? Anyone who has seen the TW1000 ever see the jvc 3 chip LCOS unit??

This projector is listed on Epson Direct japan for 350000yen. I wonder if they will sell direct to USA? Anyone who has seen the TW1000 ever see the jvc 3 chip LCOS unit??
I doubt seriously Epson direct will sell to the US, why would they? And undercut their own US sales? Wouldn't make sense.

No one has seen the JVC and Epson in the same room as far as I know. And that would be the only way to say anything remotely intelligent about the comparison.

Got a tracking number from P----J----, 1 day earlier than they promised! So excited. I'll give you guys an update when I have it and will compare it to my BenQ PE8700. I hope customs goes quickly... I'm hosting a Heroes marathon in two days, so I hope it's here by then!

David

Looks like I am going to be doing the same in about 10 days. Let us know how the transaction went over all for you as well please.

Sweet, welcome to the club!

I just looked at the this pj side by side with a Pana 1000 and a few others. They were all hooked to a BD player showing Ice Age 2 on BD. Sadly, the TW1000 was connected using RGB not HDMI. The Pana was using the HDMI connection.

A few caveats first. I am in Tokyo so I could not ask questions about the set up. I did not have access to remote controls or menus of any of the pjs, so I had to view them as they were configured. I was able to touch each pj.

The Epson did not feel as solidly built as I would have preferred. I played with the focus, zoom and lens shift controls. Focus and zoom felt ok. The lens shift wheels seemed a bit loose and I was concerned that with the strong center click of each wheel, it might be difficult to set a lens shift position just a bit off center.

Of greater concern was what looked like panel mis-alignment. On vertical lines, there was very obvious green fringing on one side and purple fringing on the other. The gree fringing was more than a full pixel wide. Since I have yet to see an english language manual, I have no idea if this can be fixed easily.

Finally, the image was not as bright as I had expected. It was a bit brighter than the Pana 1000, but not as bright as the Pana AX100 next to it, although the AX100 was crushing white highlights, so it was likely not properly configured.

I'm here in Tokyo for 4 more days. If folks can convince me that what I saw was due to a badly configured or abused pj, I may still consider acquiring one. Otherwise, I will pass for now.

This is certainly not meant as a criticism of the Epson or an attack on any current or future owners. I'm just very nervous about buying a pj that may not meet my expectations.

Thanks,
Ira

Thanks for the comparison info Ira........

Is there any chance you can point the convergence problem out to the folks at the store and ask them to check the menu's on the TW1000 and see if there is any way to make a panel adjustment to get rid of the alignment issue?

Jacksonian..... does your unit have any convergence issues? Do your menu's offer any adjustment?

I am not surprised the TW1000 is not as bright as the AX100, especially as it sounds like the 100 was not running in a calibrated mode. I believe the "claimed" lumens for the AX100 are about 60% higher than the TW1000.

Please post any further exploits or information.

Got a tracking number from P----J----, 1 day earlier than they promised! So excited. I'll give you guys an update when I have it and will compare it to my BenQ PE8700. I hope customs goes quickly... I'm hosting a Heroes marathon in two days, so I hope it's here by then!

David

Hi David,

When all set up, let us know if this PJ is brighter than your BenQ PE8700?

How big is your screen by the way?

Thanks
Iwan

X X X Still searching for the BRIGHTEST 1080p PJ for my 134" screen . . . . . anyone ??? :confused:

Ira,
The lens shift wheel is not a problem, could be better, but I didn't have any trouble getting the image where I want.

Of course the AX100 is brighter, there's no question there, so is the Epson TW700. If you want the brightest pj out there, the TW1000 isn't it. But it's probably the brightest 1080p.

As for convergence, I have no convergence issues. Did you look at the Panasonic convergence? On the AX100, it's reportedly pretty bad at times. All 3 panel projectors will have a small amount of misconvergence, it's virtually impossible not to (read the Pearl threads, etc...).

No price yet, but HK site (HVZ) has announced the tw1000 will come with the 2 year international warranty.

The TW1000 was at my office when I got in this morning at 9 am. Woo-hoo! I won't get home 'til about 8 pm (PST), so I'll post late. I'm a little nervous now that people are mentioning problems, so I'll let you know. I'll also comment on the brightness relative to my PE8700.

Jacksonian, thanks for the heads up on the source. I can't wait!

David

BTW, my Toshiba HD-A2 just arrived, too, and I already have a collection of HD-DVDs to compare A/B between the PE8700 and the TW1000.

David

Dang.. HD-DVD and a new 1080p Projector... I think I am turning green with envy here.

If your reports are positive, I think this is a done deal for me. Got any B&W content you can run on it in the next week or so? :)

Been playing with this puppy for over a week now. Nice PJ. Bigger and more impressive to look at than I pictured it to be. Little on the dim side for 92" and up (not very watchable outside of high lamp mode.) Waiting for my HP screen to come in. I have found the auto Iris to be completely undetectable (not sure if that is a good thing) Slight missconvergence issue is visible on the pattern screen (red up) but not detected with normal computer (1920, 1080) or film viewing (1080p). Color and brightness uniformity seem spot on but again I am watching more than analyzing at this point. Out of the box calibration is OK in all modes but vibrant and living room, both of which are terrible. Blacks aren't as deep as I expected but I am running in high lamp so this may change. Lamp noise is fairly audible with high lamp, as is heat, and not heard for low lamp. SDE is not an issue. So far 24fps have been shown at 60fps. Have to see if any options exist to improve that. I must stop being lazy and calibrate, install linux on the PS3, run tests and take some screen shots.

Why is the factory default on many HD projectors set to overscan? With 92% unchanged the sharpness and detail of a 1080p source is destroyed.

I have used that japanese import place before and this time as well as those times the package came in three days or less.

Dang.. HD-DVD and a new 1080p Projector... I think I am turning green with envy here.

If your reports are positive, I think this is a done deal for me. Got any B&W content you can run on it in the next week or so? :)

I have no B&W HD-DVD stuff, but I do have the Casablanca DVD and Citizen Kane DVDs. I'll check it out if I remember to. (I'm VERY forgetful!) What's more, I wanted the Digital Video Essentials, but it's still only available for pre-order on Amazon. I'll have to use the old standard-def DVD on the HD-DVD player (it should play, right?).

David

I'm still amazed. P----J----'s website says 1-3 days for order processing, 1-2 days for delivery, 1-3 days for customs, and 1 day for delivery (up to 9 days!), but I got it OVERNIGHT. Impressive.

David

P.S. In my business, I've found that keeping customers happy is simply a matter of expectation management; lower their expectations, then exceed them!

Who in the heck is P------J----????? Will someone please tell me or send PM.

Davidahn, can't wait to hear your impressions.

Quick question for Epson 1000 owners:

When watching regular HD (though a Comcast HD box) and displaying the input signal information, are you seeing 1080i or 1125i?

I'm wondering if there is some kind of menu setting that I'm overlooking? The picture seems slightly soft to my eyes, and I'm wondering if some kind of scaling is going on? I seem to recall that the Japanese HD system is 1125 lines or something close to that.

Still forming very initial impressions.. :)

Thanks!

briandx - no difference. total number of lines vs active number of lines.

briandx, be sure overscan is turned off (92%->100%)

Humbert - I tried that; the problem is that I started getting garbage at the top of the picture.

My Mitsubishi had a "blanking" function as well as an overscan feature. With the Mitsu, I set overscan to 100%, but used the blanking feature to remove part of the picture both top and bottom.

Thoughts?
Brian

OK, quick impressions - compared to Mitsubishi 5000 (no calibration done yet)

1) Sharpness: Mitsu 10, Epson 8.5. The sharpness of the Epson is akin to the Pearl. More filmlike, less digital-like. Edge to the Mitsu.
2) Black levels: Slight edge to the Epson
3) Noise: At high power, the Mitsu is quieter, but the Epson is not bad at all. At low power both projectors are barely audible
4) Dynamic Iris: The operation is very hard to spot but is slightly audible on the Epson. On the Mitsu, operation is noticable but completely silent. Still, BIG edge to the Epson.
5) Brightness - on my 92" screen both projectors are plenty bright. The difference is that the Epson at low lamp mode seems punchier than the Mitsu. I'm considering using this mode; on the Mitsu it was no-go from the start. Slight edge to the Epson.

Other observations on the Epson: So far perfect convergence, no banding issues that I can see, menus are well laid out (wish it had a blanking feature). Although the lens shift, zoom and focus are all manual, no big deal once you are set up properly.

More to come after I get the Epson properly calibrated and put in it's final (hopefully!) position.

Brian

Been playing with this puppy for over a week now. Nice PJ...Little on the dim side for 92" and up (not very watchable outside of high lamp mode.) Waiting for my HP screen to come in.

Dim for 92" ?? That seems to go against all other reports, especially since the TW1000 is likely the brightest of the 1080p LCD's. You'd be hard pressed to find any 1080p owner running their pj with a screen smaller than 92" yet they all seem to be very happy with the brightness...

Quick question for Epson 1000 owners:

When watching regular HD (though a Comcast HD box) and displaying the input signal information, are you seeing 1080i or 1125i?

I'm wondering if there is some kind of menu setting that I'm overlooking? The picture seems slightly soft to my eyes, and I'm wondering if some kind of scaling is going on? I seem to recall that the Japanese HD system is 1125 lines or something close to that.

Still forming very initial impressions.. :)

Thanks!

This was discussed extensively in the Epson 810/tw700 thread. Apparently these new Epson projectors use the non-U.S./ Asian method of showing the HD resolution in the menus.

I have the Epson 810 (made for the U.S. market), while many others have the Epson TW700 (pretty much identical to the 810), but made for the Asian and non-U.S. markets.

Both the 810 and the TW700 show 525p (instead of 480p); 750p (instead of 720p) and so on.

There is no menu setting to change this. Probably just an oversight when Epson did the menus for the U.S. destined projectors.

I also have seen at least 3 mistakes in the manual. Makes you wonder who is checking this stuff sometimes.

By the way, you can set the Comcast HD box to output 720p or 1080i (not sure which is better for a 1080p projector). I set mine to 720p as I have the 720p projector. In any event, the Epson shows it as 750p.

briandx, davidahn, Humbert,
Glad to have some company finally!

I was actually wondering about the overscan as well. When I set it to 100% it seemed like it was altering the aspect ratio of 2.35 movies.

In no way would I say this pj is dim on my 106" screen.

Good to have finally joined the club :D

I haven't had any problems, no garbage, with 100%. With both my Blu-ray source and with my extended computer desktop, it was clear that 92% was zooming, cropping, and blurring the image ( I guess by 8%). On one standard DVD, Rear Window, the image didn't quite extend all the way to the left and right but everything was well proportioned so I assume that film itself wasn't perfectly 16:9. Never sent it anything interlaced though. No, that isn't true. Played a 1080i mpeg dvd through my PS3. Played nice and sharp at 100%.

I have mine shooting about 110" image on a screen-paint treated wall - only watch in darkness. At High Lamp the image is OK, not quite as bright as I want but OK. Low Lamp mode doesn't cut it for me at all (even at 92") I guess I just have a preference for a brighter image. With the HP it shouldn't be a problem (worried it might get too bright).

Anyone played with Epson Super White much? Worth the decrease in light?

Jacksonian, thanks for turning me on to this PJ! I'm VERY happy with this purchase. For the price, nothing can touch it.

I haven't had much time to play with it, and haven't calibrated it, but so far I'm very impressed. To refresh people's memories, I have a 1.1 gain 133" 16:9 Vutec Matte White screen. I was happy with my BenQ PE8700 for movies, but it was not nearly bright enough for gaming.

I tried it in various preset modes and tried Mission Impossible 3 in HD-DVD on a HD-A2, tried connecting my laptop at 1920x1080, as well as the Xbox 360 in 1080p mode. I have yet to connect it to my Verizon FiOS HD-DVR, and though it's the lowest quality signal (due to macroblocking and overcompression), I'm very interested to see how much sharper 1080i TV looks compared to the 720p output I'm used to.

First, let me say that WOW! HD-DVD is SO awesome. No visible artifacts, SUPER-sharp text and fine details, reminds me of theater sharpness (when the theater PJ is in focus). Even my WIFE said, "Wow! It's so sharp!" (Score!) Also, Gears of War looks so amazing it's not even funny. I'll be playing THAT a lot more! And my ********** downloaded 720p Heroes episodes 1-11 look pretty awesome considering; the 1080i new episodes from my HD-DVR are gonna be awesome. And hello, Superbowl party!

Now for some impressions. I found that the TW1000 in Dynamic mode is VERY bright, though blacks are quite poor and color isn't very accurate. In Living Room mode, blacks are a little better, but the colors don't seem very accurate. I like the Theater mode, though I think it needs some calibration to get better colors and better shadow detail. But in this mode, which is a balanced compromise between brightness and blacks, the blacks are noticeably blacker than my BenQ PE8700 (DarkChip 2), and the brights are WOW. I don't think I need to change to a High Power screen (not that my wife would let me). I think a slightly calibrated Dynamic mode may be great for games, even with SOME lights on, and movies will look plenty bright even in dark theater mode, though I found even on my 133" 1.1 gain screen, the Theater mode felt as bright as a plasma display.

I can't wait to play with this further. I'm going to calibrate with my Video Essentials SD DVD (until my pre-order DVE comes), and I'll do side-by-side comparisons with the PE8700. My gut reaction is that the TW1000 has MUCH better blacks and probably 2-2.5 times the brightness of the PE8700, but I'll have to do some head-to-head experiments... later. First, I'm just gonna enjoy the heck out of this thing. :)

David

Jacksonian, Davidahn, Humbert, pleased to be in the club! :)

I'm relieved to hear about the odd resolution numbers; doesn't seem to be a problem at all.

I played around with the Dynamic Iris a bit more (at Midnight no less!) and my observations are pretty much formed at this point: It works extremely well, is virtually invisible, and emits a slight mechanical noise as it is working. However, unless you are in low lamp mode with virtually no sound in the room I doubt anyone will notice it much (if at all).

My only lingering question remains the overscan settings. When it is set to 100%, I'm getting picture noise sometimes in the upper and lower parts of the picture. Either there is a blanking feature I'm not seeing, or I have to go to 96% to remove the noise.

Hopefully tonight I will make my final adjustments and calibrations and give some firmer impressions.

REgards,
Brian

I had a question for those that are already enjoying the TW1000.

Is there a viewing mode that allows for a 'vertical stretch' of HD sources (and if possible, 480i/p sources as well)?

For example, HD DVDs that are letterboxed you can vertically stretch to fill the full resolution of the panel (although this makes objects and people appear overly tall and thin). Please check that this isn't just zooming in and cropping the side material.

I'm wondering about this for the ease of implementing a TW1000 into a 2.35:1 CH setup.

Thanks to anyone that can check it out!

I had a question for those that are already enjoying the TW1000.

Is there a viewing mode that allows for a 'vertical stretch' of HD sources (and if possible, 480i/p sources as well)?

For example, HD DVDs that are letterboxed you can vertically stretch to fill the full resolution of the panel (although this makes objects and people appear overly tall and thin). Please check that this isn't just zooming in and cropping the side material.

I'm wondering about this for the ease of implementing a TW1000 into a 2.35:1 CH setup.

Thanks to anyone that can check it out!

Would like to know also.

Thanks

No it cannot.

Some additional impressions after some calibration and experimentation:

First off, the lens was smudged. I noticed this last night, bought a lens cloth and cleaned the Epson thoroughly.

Second, after looking at some test patterns there is a slight mis-convergence with the red panel, probably a single pixel off in the horizontal plane. However, the overall convergence is far better than I could EVER get my CRT projector! In fact, from 16 feet away on a 92" screen there is no noticable color fringing on white borders. Not really an issue.

Third, I noticed that the sharpness control has an advanced mode, where you can change sharpness in 3 directions on thin and thick transitions! After experimentation I settled on a series of settings that did not add ringing to the picture but improved overall sharpness a tad.

Fourth, I now prefer the regular Cinema setting. Theater modes 1 and 2 dimmed the picture too much.

Finally, I have settled on high lamp mode; the picture has an added punch and crispness to it that the low lamp mode simply does not have.

Based on several of these changes plus more fine focusing, the overall sharpness for the Epson has gone from an 8.5 to a 9.25 out of 10 (Mitsu 5000 being a 10). Plus, I feel the picture is a little less fatiguing than the Mitsu, which was razor sharp but had a slightly artificial computer-monitor like appearance.

I just get the feeling that this projector is better (or more carefully) designed than the Mitsu. I don't see any of the nagging design issues (like horizontal banding!) that I saw on the 5000.

Overall, this is a great projector! :D

My only lingering question remains the overscan settings. When it is set to 100%, I'm getting picture noise sometimes in the upper and lower parts of the picture. Either there is a blanking feature I'm not seeing, or I have to go to 96% to remove the noise.
It is good to read your notes to go along with Jacksonian's.

When you see the "picture noise", are you watching 4:3 content from OTA or satellite TV? That would be a normal side-effect of a non-overscanned display of SD broadcast content, including SD content from an HD signal.

Is the model from p####@japan black or silver?

How are the black levels and contrast on this projector compared, for instance, to a D5 LCD projector like the Z5 or AE900? Is any difference noticable in the real world?

Yeah, I wish there were more comparisons with the older lcd projectors and boy would it ever be nice to see a shootout between the Epson 1000, Panny 1000, Mitsubishi 5000 and the JVC RS1/HD1 and Sony Pearl. At the very least it would be a nice to see a comparo between the above 1080p lcds.

Getting side by sides is tough on us owners, I am banking the various review sites will be doing their very best to do updated shoot outs. But don't manuafacturers typically send out eval units only once per review sites? That sure makes it tougher on them if so.

At this level of technology, I am not sure what can be gained by a single demo of any given projector other than the fact you can say, this one does meet all my needs and looks great. Owning a 720p projector, I am sure every one of these projectors are going to look great to me.

The mixed reviews on the Pearl in particular have my head swimming. I have found deals on Pearl's, and Panny 1000's close enough to my budget to pull the trigger. With an imported Epson being the the price leader right and actually under my budget by a fair margin.

I am new projector purchase paralyzed at this point. My significant other is for just keeping the projector we have.

I would like to see a poll here. Best 1080p projector under $6K MSRP and then have them all listed?

The chances of someone getting all of those projectors together at the same place, at the same time, and properly calibrated is nigh unto impossible.

About the only way that could happen if you had an individual/company that was a dealer for all of the above and ordered one of each for at least temporary stock...

I did some minor help with a dealer up in Canada about 2+1/2 years ago who attempted the type of shootout you are dreaming of. It was really interesting, but ultimately not completely as informative as you would like.... this may be a bit boring (just skip on down if you are so inclined... I will not be offended), but here are a few observations from this experience.

First you have to have a venue where you can really control the light and still have adequate seating. Now if you have the projectors side-by-side which is what everyone wants... now you have to make sure you are using exactly the same screens (or should you use the screen that would pair up the best with each individual projector? and just how many demo screens do you think you can get?) No matter which course you follow there is an "issue" with two projectors in the same room at the same time... cross-pollination of light... the light from one projector WILL affect the appearance of the other... so do you run a black cloth down the center of the room between the screens... well this really limits the number of people that would be able to see the comparison...

Second, you either have to buy all the projectors yourself or get the manufactures to donate them for the shootout. Well golly gee but ya know what.... a sizeable number of manufactures will NOT loan out their projectors for a shootout.. they will allow you to review it by itself and they cannot stop you from commenting about others you have previously seen..., but a REAL shootout...nope lots of them will not get onboard that train!

Third, okay now you have the venue, the screens, and the projectors (somehow)... now we need to be able to have the right equipment so we can distribute the same signal to each projector at the same time... oh yeah, some of these things take DVI, some M1, some HDMI... (are you getting the picture)... and do we have a source and switch to adequately deliver the images... oh did I mention assembly of those screens... some with masking some without...

Fourth what do we do about calibration...? Do we just review them with their OTB factory calibration? If not, then we need an ISF calibrator to get onboard this train (or do we need more than one)? Now then how long is it going to take to calibrate each of these projectors... and how MANY do you have?!? YIKES! Oh and did I mention that the projectors we normally all want to review are all the latest and greatest... and guess what most of the ISF guys have NEVER SEEN these things yet... can you find one or two ISF guys that are familiar with all these brand new projectors... if not how are you going to access the service menu so they can actually do a proper calibration? Because what you can wind up with even with good guys working hard late at night is this..... after hours of work on several of the projectors getting them calibrated just right... they were shut down without the settings being written down (I did tell you it was way after midnight right) and apparently when the power cords were unplugged all those hours of calibrating were GONE (someone also forgot to save them internally or the save failed after power was removed)!

So after watching this entire process unfold it was very EDUCATIONAL! However, untold hours of preparation and work were in the end not terribly productive. Due to this experience my hat is off and head bowed to any individual or group that takes on this type of a challenge. Hopefully the next group will have learned from the errors of the past, but trust me this is not a "simple" undertaking no matter how easy it sounds.

ChrisW6ATV: I was actually seeing the noise on the Fox Digital Channel on Comcast HD, although the show was actually upconverted SD.

The non-HD channels on Comcast Digital Cable look pretty crappy overall. The Epson is very much like the Mitsu 5000 in this respect; mediocre to poor images REALLY look bad on these projectors. Having said that, upconverted DVD's can look pretty near-HD!

CobraCalde: Light grey case

Just recd. the pj from P..japan today. Does anybody know how to switch the onscreen menu to english? I just connected it via hdmi thru my denon receiver which upconverts all signals to 1080i. Regular dvd/ vhs signals look poor in quality compared to a regular LCD flat panel TV. The display fresh out of the box also is quite dim . I hope I can figure out how to make it brighter so I can use it in some ambient light otherwise this will be a big disappointment.

Try downloading the TW700 manual, their menus may be similar enough for you to navigate.

Just recd. the pj from P..japan today. Does anybody know how to switch the onscreen menu to english?
In the menu, the 3rd heading on the left is "settings". Go to that and it's the bottom option (it has an icon of a globe) where you change it to English.

Just recd. the pj from P..japan today. Does anybody know how to switch the onscreen menu to english? I just connected it via hdmi thru my denon receiver which upconverts all signals to 1080i. Regular dvd/ vhs signals look poor in quality compared to a regular LCD flat panel TV. The display fresh out of the box also is quite dim . I hope I can figure out how to make it brighter so I can use it in some ambient light otherwise this will be a big disappointment.
If you have poor source material, you're going to get poor results. Also when you blow up the image it magnifies the poor source material you're using. That Denon receiver isn't going to turn VHS into 1080i quality. Surely you didn't buy a 1080p projector to use with standard DVD and VHS? And there's no way a front projector is going to be as bright as a flat panel LCD.

Can we confirm :

1. This Epson EMP-TW1000 is the BRIGHTEST 1080p projector in the market NOW, with 1,200 Lumens? (most of them are 1,000 Lm max)

2. DLP projectors (1080p) are generally "looks" brighter than LCD, Lcos, SXRD or DILa projectors, even with the same Lumens Brightness on data sheet?

Thanks for any comments. ;)

As far as standard quality DVD is concerned, I have a Sony up-converting DVD player through HDMI, and the 30 or so minutes I have watched of standard DVD has looked quite good on this projector.

I agree, I watched an SD DVD tonight converted by my Toshiba A2 HD-DVD player and it looked superb.

I just connected it via hdmi thru my denon receiver which upconverts all signals to 1080i. Regular dvd/ vhs signals look poor in quality
Try connecting your DVD player directly to the projector, with component-video (or DVI/HDMI if the DVD player has either of those), and then decide how standard-def DVD looks. Better yet, get a Toshiba HD DVD player that will do a stunning job of upconverting SD DVDs into an HDMI output (and you get HD DVD ability "for free" too) :).

VHS was mediocre on any screen 19" or bigger from day one (in 1976), and certainly will not look like much on a projection screen.

ChrisW6ATV: I was actually seeing the noise on the Fox Digital Channel on Comcast HD, although the show was actually upconverted SD.
Brian-

That does indeed sould like the "standard" problem with upconverted SD broadcast material. Typically, on the top edge of the picture you will see flashing white dots and other blips. It is the closed-caption data and other add-on data signals in the SD picture, that is usually hidden by overscanned displays. The only way to get rid of it is to turn on overscan for those signals.

Can anyone test the Xbox 360's vga connection @ 1080p? I hear it has problems with some projectors and want to know if it's the same case w/ the tw1000.

The Epson itself does a fine job upconverting dvds - I feel no need to do any separate upconvertion. I don't have the xbox but the epson is able to display 1080p from the VGA port.

I get a little bit of the white line across the top of my image on some SD TV stuff-had to set the overscan back to 98% to get rid of it, but don't see it on my Toshiba A2 or Panny BluRay.

On my Pioneer 6070 plasma, there's a menu feature to move the HDMI image up or down and I had to use that to get rid of the overscan garbage at the top of the screen.

I have also set my output value to 98%. I really have not noticed any picture degradation by doing so, and any garbage at the top of my screen is completely removed.

Has anybody found any dust blobs on their Epsons yet? With a black picture naturally.

I wrote a mail to H...Z.... in HongKong,about information about getting the TW1000 from there,and about the warranty.

That's the answer:

Hi, Joerg,

Epson TW1000 will be available in the second week of February
hopefully. Its
selling price and whether it comes with international warranty have not
been
confirmed yet. We accept payment by wire transfer only. About the
packaging,
Epson will pack the projector rigidly and we will wrap it by paper and
mark it
as 'FRAGILE' to avoid damage during delivery. Also, the parcel will be
insured
when shipped by UPS.

Please visit our website again in early February for updated
information of
TW1000.

Regards,
H.....Z......

Hi Janih:

No dust blobs yet! :p

The best way I can describe the Epson is that its overall picture quality is about 98% as good as the Mitsu 5000, with none of the problems (at least so far :) )

I also believe that the slight loss of sharpness as compared to the Mitsu is caused by the slight mis-convergence of the Red LCD panel.

If nothing else happens, I'll consider getting some warranty work done in Japan at the end of the year, assuming that the problem is actually something that can be fixed. I may also just leave the projector exactly where it is.

Although the unit is a bit noisier than the Mitsu, the blacks are better, the DI works better, and NO horizontal banding is to be seen! It seems after a week that the QC department at Epson did a better job than Mitsubishi. If there was no horizontal banding problem the 5000 would still be sitting on my shelf.

After a week I'm quite happy with the Epson, and I do not regret taking the Mitsubishi back.

Regards,
Brian

I wrote a mail to H...Z.... in HongKong,about information about getting the TW1000 from there,and about the warranty.

That's the answer:

We accept payment by wire transfer only.


H.....Z......

That would be scary to this Country-Boy!

No protection help from your Credit Card Company.

Can we confirm :

1. This Epson EMP-TW1000 is the BRIGHTEST 1080p projector in the market NOW, with 1,200 Lumens? (most of them are 1,000 Lm max)

2. DLP projectors (1080p) are generally "looks" brighter than LCD, Lcos, SXRD or DILa projectors, even with the same Lumens Brightness on data sheet?

Thanks for any comments. ;)

CAN SOMEONE HELP ON THIS ?


THANKS

I have seen 2 difference Lumens data of this Epson EMP-TW1000 :

1,200 and 1,600 Lumens, Which one is the correct one?

Thanks :D

I have seen 2 difference Lumens data of this Epson EMP-TW1000 :

1,200 and 1,600 Lumens, Which one is the correct one?

Thanks :D

Not sure where you saw 1600 lumens but Epson claims 1200...unless you are basing 1600 on the fact that the TW1000 uses the same lamp as the TW700, which is rated at 1600.

I saw that 1,600 from a Japanese Seller at Ebay. I asked him to confirm this.

Yes, all the official websites pointed to 1,200 Lms.
I may just hallucinating too much, asking more brightness for my 134" screen.

With 1,200 Lumens makes this Epson the brightest 1080p Pj, in that price range?

The box lists it at 1200 ... blah too late. Anyway starting to compare it against an old 480p optima darkchip 2 DLP. The one thing that disappointed me about the Epson was what I perceived as a lack of depth, a lack of pop, for something with such big impressive numbers listed for contrast. A-Bing Sleepy Hollow (DVD/Blu-ray) with both and my disappointment has subsided. Still no window moments but the difference is drastic (maybe when that damn screen comes in the brightness will improve matters still more). Funny how things are. You can only enjoy an improvement for so long before it becomes the norm and the other equipment you use to see as the norm turns into crap. Oh yeah, LCD is a more soothing watch than DLP which after long sittings has given me headaches despite never see rainbows.

Brianx:

Thanks for the updates. Quick question regarding the HC5000. What version of the firmware did your projector have? Ideally i want the HC5000 and I am hoping with ver 3.0 of the firmware and perhaps some QC issues refined later on in the build hopefully there would be no problems.

The box lists it at 1200 ... blah too late. Anyway starting to compare it against an old 480p optima darkchip 2 DLP. The one thing that disappointed me about the Epson was what I perceived as a lack of depth, a lack of pop, for something with such big impressive numbers listed for contrast. A-Bing Sleepy Hollow (DVD/Blu-ray) with both and my disappointment has subsided. Still no window moments but the difference is drastic (maybe when that damn screen comes in the brightness will improve matters still more). Funny how things are. You can only enjoy an improvement for so long before it becomes the norm and the other equipment you use to see as the norm turns into crap. Oh yeah, LCD is a more soothing watch than DLP which after long sittings has given me headaches despite never see rainbows.

Hi Humbert,

After you watched both LCD and DLP Pj, will you prefer LC over DLP, if the spec and price are about the same?

Thanks

Durabolin: Mitsubishi USA service has told my dealer several times that there is no such thing as Firmware 3.0 for U.S. projectors. I had version 2.0

Given the experiences from other folks as well as my own, I have moved on to the new Epson 1000 and am quite happy with it.

Brian

Heads up. Just got a custom's bill from DHL for around $25. Listed the item price at $440. Don't know if that is the projector cost over $2,000 which sounds right or a made up low number by japanprice (read in reverse) which they did once before for a pocket PC I bought.

Hi Humbert,

After you watched both LCD and DLP Pj, will you prefer LC over DLP, if the spec and price are about the same?

Thanks

Sorry iwanrs but the difference between specs and price (and image quality) of the projectors I compared was too great for me to know anything about modern DLPs. I can only guess, and yours is as good as mine, that one of the new 1080p DLPs will look similar if not a little punchier than the LCD even though I don't believe their contrast is rated as highly. Could be completely wrong. Keep in mind that the imported Epson isn't in the same price range as any stateside 1080p projector – and the price drops daily.

I really must emphasize this wonderful soothing effect. What a pleasant bonus, this being my first LCD projector. I didn't even realize the other DLPs I have watched caused this slight but building unpleasantness. Thought it was caused by watching such a big picture, in the dark, past a couple hours. Nonetheless, huge increase of everything (contrast, detail, depth) but brightness over an older DLP, also including a shocking increase in color accuracy and shades of detail found in darker scenes. Really, a marvelous image which had the aging Optima shutting itself down in shame. Let it stay off. And when the HP screen comes in I will be sure to write what type of effect a huge boost in brightness has on the image’s punch - if any.

Thanks Humbert to share your opinion with us.

There is no such thing as perfection in projector or Uber projector.
That's the interesting part of being in the process of getting better development.

I hope you enjoy many time of soothing viewing. :)

I wrote a mail to H...Z.... in HongKong,about information about getting the TW1000 from there,and about the warranty.

That's the answer:

Hi, Joerg,

Epson TW1000 will be available in the second week of February
hopefully. Its
selling price and whether it comes with international warranty have not
been
confirmed yet. We accept payment by wire transfer only. About the
packaging,
Epson will pack the projector rigidly and we will wrap it by paper and
mark it
as 'FRAGILE' to avoid damage during delivery. Also, the parcel will be
insured
when shipped by UPS.

Please visit our website again in early February for updated
information of
TW1000.

Regards,
H.....Z......

Hi,

The price of TW1000 is fixed. Have a look at their website again. Also, beside wire transfer, you can pay by PayPal if you have a verified PayPal account (but additional charge will be added).

Following up on a post regarding pj shootouts from HiHoSteveo, I had the good fortune to be in Tokyo last week and find myself in a room with virtually every popular projector displaying at the same time. There were 8 in total: the Sony Pearl, the 720P and 1080P Epsons and Panasonics, the Mitsubishi 1080P, the Sanyo Z5, and a 720P Sharp. It was in many ways a dream come true, and, for all of the reasons that Steveo pointed out, extremely frustrating:

- Calibration was a mystery, and with customers constantly coming and going, it was impossible to tell if the projectors were even on original factory settings. I saw problems with certain projectors in another shop's showroom, and even in another room at this shop, which didn't materialize here. Other problems (e.g. a green color cast on the 1080P Panasonic) were evident here and no where else.

- Every pj used a different screen, with no standardization of size, brand, or material.

- All pj's were on at the same time, so it couldn't be called a dark room. The Pearl was projected against a large screen (120") at the short wall of the room, with both Epsons projected onto screens at right angles to it on the long wall. Based on that demo alone, I'd have rejected the Sony out of hand as having washed out colors and a soft picture. Hardly a fair review.

There were a few things I did learn:

- There's a difference between 1080P and 720P. Alert the media. It's subtle but very clearly there. The 720P pj's tended to look brighter and have more punch, but when you looked past that, there's more detail on the higher end picture. It was particularly noticeable on the mammoth's fur on Ice Age 2. The fur seemed to have more contrast on the 720P, but the contrast masked the subtle detail of every single hair. It was interesting to be able to see that up close on side by side screens.

- The 1080p projectors' pq varies fairly dramatically with different source material. To me it was hard to tell the Epson from the Panasonic on 1080 source. They were both drop dead gorgeous. I asked that they switch to a demo tape of several scenes from SD DVD, and found that each DVD looked different on each projector. Colors seemed more vivid on the Panny than the Epson, but the Panny had lots of clear jaggies that would bug me much more than any color problems. True Lies looked better on the Panny, until the salesman switched the Epson's color modes, at which point they were much closer. A scene from The Getaway (Ali/Steve McQ version) was better to my eye on the Epson.

In sum, there were wayyyy too many variables to be terribly useful. I had one primary criteria, however, which was that the pj have 100-240V power so that I could use it in Singapore without a transformer. Only the Epsons and Sony fit the bill, and I ended up with a TW1000. To me it looked like a great projector which is highly flexible and can be dialed into an outstanding picture. Was it the best in the room? No idea. But it certainly didn't noticeably fall short in any area, and it just happened to be cheaper than both the Panny and Mitsubishi. I paid Yen 329,000 minus 8% in frequent buyer points, for a total just north of $2500.

Haven't been home to try it out yet, but will let everyone know my impressions. If you have any questions about the Tokyo shopping experience, let me know.

I saw that 1,600 from a Japanese Seller at Ebay. I asked him to confirm this.

Yes, all the official websites pointed to 1,200 Lms.
I may just hallucinating too much, asking more brightness for my 134" screen.

With 1,200 Lumens makes this Epson the brightest 1080p Pj, in that price range?

Stated numbers for any PJ can be quite different once callibrated for 6500K

Will this projector light up a 133 inch screen in a dark room? Has anyone did any lumen measurements yet?

I've been waiting for the new JVC to come out thinking that would be a good projector, but now this one has caught my eye. At the imported prices these become very attractive at about half the price. Has anyone seen both the JVC and Epson and would like to venture a guess performace wise. I mean does the Epson have maybe 80 or 90 percent of the JVC's performace for half the price. Sure would be nice to walk into a store and be able to see some of these new LCD projectors to get some idea of the picture quality.

Thanks
Phil

H...Z.... in HongKong has posted pricing for the TW1000.

very good deal considering the 2 yr intl. warranty.

they say it should be available Feb. 14th.

Can anyone provide a link to the details of the international warranty.. I can't seem to find it with the link they provide.

Phil

Demo'n these new 1080p projetcors seems useless. UUHHGGG

I have now in person seen a Pearl, and seen the new Panasonic, and then I went home and well... Geeesh.... They all look good with no side by side available.

All three projectors look great including my own 720p projo I use at home now. I am thinking at this point that a 30 day no questions asked return policy is going to be a must have with anything I order.

Maybe I need to concentrate on dark scenes only in mvoies I am way familure with? Any other tips given on projector evaluations when a side by side is not an option may help me?

I almost feel like I need real calibration equipment or something. I dunno. The imported Epson sure is the price leader right now. The Pearl and the Panny as far as best deals I can find are some what close though.

Demo'n these new 1080p projetcors seems useless. UUHHGGG

I have now in person seen a Pearl, and seen the new Panasonic, and then I went home and well... Geeesh.... They all look good with no side by side available.

All three projectors look great including my own 720p projo I use at home now. I am thinking at this point that a 30 day no questions asked return policy is going to be a must have with anything I order.

Maybe I need to concentrate on dark scenes only in mvoies I am way familure with? Any other tips given on projector evaluations when a side by side is not an option may help me?

I almost feel like I need real calibration equipment or something. I dunno. The imported Epson sure is the price leader right now. The Pearl and the Panny as far as best deals I can find are some what close though.
Why do you need a bunch of equipment and fancy calibrations? From everything you've seen, you'll be pleased with any of these--which is what people need to understand.

The images from all of these 1080p pjs are extremely similar, much more similar than different. People are splitting hairs on a microscopic level to differentiate them.

My advice is to buy the one that fits either your setup or budget better. For me, the Epson fit my physical setup better than the Mits, didn't have smoothscreen which I wanted to skip, had a seamless iris, had the most light output, and was also the cheapest. But picture quality wise, I would have been happy with the Mits, Panny, or Pearl.

Heads up. Just got a custom's bill from DHL for around $25. Listed the item price at $440. Don't know if that is the projector cost over $2,000 which sounds right or a made up low number by japanprice (read in reverse) which they did once before for a pocket PC I bought.
Not sure which country you're in Humbert, but I paid no customs fees to the US when I bought from Price Japan.

The only point of my post was not really to go out and buy calibration equipment. It was really just that I think I have accepted that only in home demo / evaluation is going to be valuable for me on this one.


I think I started ranting and got off track and topic.

Jacksonian makes a great point, and one that should not be missed.

I've now seen three of the 1080p projectors: Epson 1000, Mitsu 5000, Sony Pearl.

I've owned front projection equipment for over 10 years, and my eyesight is hanging in there as best it can given a half century of fine service :eek:

All three units produce an excellent to superb picture for the money. The issues that made or broke my buying decisions were based on issues like Mitsu's horizontal banding issue (plus noticable DI), physical size, fan noise, ergonomics, etc.

And finally, price! price! price!

Do any of the 1080p lcd's do a vertical stretch?

Jacksonian makes a great point, and one that should not be missed.

I've now seen three of the 1080p projectors: Epson 1000, Mitsu 5000, Sony Pearl.

I've owned front projection equipment for over 10 years, and my eyesight is hanging in there as best it can given a half century of fine service :eek:

All three units produce an excellent to superb picture for the money. The issues that made or broke my buying decisions were based on issues like Mitsu's horizontal banding issue (plus noticable DI), physical size, fan noise, ergonomics, etc.

And finally, price! price! price!

Hi Brian,

Which one has the actual BRIGHTEST picture/Lumens of them all, and including Panny AE1000?

I have 134" screen to bright it up!

Thanks

Just as a point of interest I dropped by a local shop that serves both the retail and local installer community...... and what did my surprised little eyes spy........

A brand new box that said Epson 1080 on the outside........(piled underneath a bunch of 810's)

Just as a point of interest I dropped by a local shop that serves both the retail and local installer community...... and what did my surprised little eyes spy........

A brand new box that said Epson 1080 on the outside........(piled underneath a bunch of 810's)

So what's the price of Epson 1080? ;)

iwanrs:

To my eye, the Epson is the brightest of the three by a small margin. However its fan, while not overly loud, is the noisiest of the three. I would not have used brightness, however, as a selection criteria as all 3 are plenty bright for my setup.

I only have a 92" inch screen so its hard to comment, but I did see the Mitsu 5000 at my dealer and they were using a 140" screen in a totally dark room and it seemed fine to me.

Brian

Do any of the 1080p lcd's do a vertical stretch?

The Epson specs say "Native 16:9 (4:3 resize)" which would seem to indicate it can, but would be nice to get verification, also if it works for all inputs/resolutions.

EDIT: read back through the thread and someone posted that it cannot.

I believe the Panny can.

Can we say this Epson is the brightest among all 1080p projectors available at this time? :rolleyes:

Have to admit, I'm having a severe case of 'upgraditis' for no particular reason, a common disease among the AVS crowd.

It's difficult to resist the temptation of ordering the TW1000. HVZ in HK recently listed it at US2810 including the 2yr Epson international warranty which completely removes any warranty concerns on an import.

This makes it the lowest cost 1080p anywhere and for all intents the brightest among the 1080p LCDs. Epson has a great track record for build quality and I know this first hand on my current 810, so I'm having a hard time seeing any downside.

Are you guys that have the TW1000 satisfied with yours ? Anyone see any reason not to order one ?

Joe

It's difficult to resist the temptation of ordering the TW1000. HVZ in HK recently listed it at US2810 including the 2yr Epson international warranty which completely removes any warranty concerns on an import.

Joe,

Where and what is this HVZ in HK ??? :confused:

HVZ = hivizone

Also forgot to mention I like the fact the the HK TW1000 from HVZ is the black casing version same as the US.
She does look sweet.

http://www.epson.com.hk/files/images/product_pics/Large%20Image/projectors/big_emp-tw1000.jpg

Can we say this Epson is the brightest among all 1080p projectors available at this time? :rolleyes:


uh... no, I think that place currently goes to the Optoma HD-81 (for current projectors and the Optoma HD81-LV for those shown at CES) from what I have seen.

Unless you meant among 1080P LCD projectors........ :D

Joe, are you comfortable sending those funds as a "wire-transfer" and just "hoping" they send the projector? Or have you had enough dealings with them to feel warm and fuzzy about that...... seems a bit on the scary side to me!



I cannot post the price of the 1080p unit the retailer had as that would get me in hot water with the mod's, but it is about the same as the street price as the Sony Pearl.

If you want something more precise you will have to send me a PM :eek: .

Ps. I ran into a guy with an extra TX3 HQV processor....... originally came with a High Value version of the Epson 810, but when the customer picked it up they decided they just wanted the projector instead.........

Any idea what the value of one of these is?

I think its TX3 HQV , if you google that you'll find a seller and a price.

Oops, fingers slipped on the computer...... you are correct it is HQV... :-)

I did find one person selling it without the Epson, but did not think that one source provided a realistic "street price."

Also it is my understanding that this TX3 was specifically set up for the Epson 800/810 I wonder how it would work with "other" projectors or displays??

It might be limited to 720p output?

What does an international warranty mean?

I followed the link on the HVZ website to Epson HK about their warranty. I don't find it very reassuring although it's probably just CYA language. :confused:

http://www2.epson.com.hk/eservice/en/warranty/ui/ (http://) "warranty


Terms & Conditions
EPSON HONG KONG LIMITED (hereafter called “EPSON”) provides One year (Projector has Two years) warranty for EPSON product (hereafter called “product”), commencing the date of purchase under the following conditions:

1. For warranty service, a valid warranty registration must be completed before a free service rendered. Proof of purchase shall be produced if requested by EPSON to substantiate date of purchase. Such proof of purchase must be an original receipt / invoice that containing the name of the dealers, the name of the model and the serial number of the product.
2. The product, during the warranty period and under normal use, will be entitled to free carry-in hardware repair service (some models have free onsite hardware repair service, please refer to service charge in www.epson.com.hk/eservice), and free replacements of parts, excluding power cables, signal cables, battery, consumable items and lost parts.
3. The warranty is valid in Hong Kong SAR only; onsite hardware repair service areas include Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Urban Town Centres along KCRC & LRT routes.
4. For onsite hardware repair service in off shore islands (except Tung Chung & Disney in Lantau), HK$200 extra transportation fee will be charged to customer as per each visit. For restricted areas, Lo Wu and boats areas, the customer will be responsible for transporting the product to a location as listed in (3) then call EPSON for onsite hardware repair service or directly bring the product to EPSON Service Centre.
5. The warranty does not cover period checking, cleaning, transportation, relocation or replacing consumable items.
6. EPSON has no obligation of resolving any problem caused by computer virus and software or hardware connection errors.
7. The warranty will automatically be waived if;
i. the product has been explicitly or implicitly modified, tampered with, altered or repaired in any way by anybody other than qualified technical people of EPSON.
ii. the product has been damaged due to misuse, abuse, negligence, physical damage, abnormal voltage supply/power interruption, accident, fire, flood, natural calamities or other events beyond EPSON control.
iii. Non genuine EPSON consumable items such as ink cartridge, photoconductor unit, toner cartridge, lamp unit or media such as; paper, transparency, label are used with the product.
iv. the serial number sticker in the product has been modified or tear off.
8. Any defected parts, which have been replaced, shall become EPSON’s property.
9. For the product has onsite hardware repair service, customer should inform EPSON immediately in case of any change of his/her address.
10. For projector, EPSON will replace optical engine if the product have more than 3 defective pixels in standard warranty period. The lamp unit will provide 500 hours or 3 months warranty (whichever come first) if the product without abnormal shutdown. When projector need inspection or repair, if the product installed over 3.0 meters or secured by security system (like metal case or other security products), customer has to move the projector to accessible area and re-installation of the projector.
11. For Multimedia Storage Viewer, EPSON will replace LCD panel if the product have more than 3 defective pixels in standard warranty period, but the product must under normal use and without physical damage.
12. EPSON has reserved the right to issue and cease this warranty. For any uncertain or doubtful occasion, after examination, EPSON has the right to refuse to issue or cease this warranty.
13. The warranty terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice.

Please call EPSON Customer Hotline 2827-8911 for details
Ver D (15 Nov 05) Download offline version ?

Lyle, I looked into the validity of Epson's international warranty about a month ago and even went to the extent of calling Epson USA to confirm that it would be honored which they did confirm. Several others who imported TW700's also called to have it confirmed themselves with Epson US.

Anyways I attached the Epson international warranty doc also for reference.
Says it's valid in over 45 countries. Don't think Epson would print these things and not honor them unless they wanted a major lawsuit on their hands. Besides Epson is the last company to pull something like that based on their excellent cust svc reputation.

From the way it was explained to me Epson US wouldn't refuse your repair because they invoice Epson HK for the warranty work and costs, who in this case is the one providing the international warranty. Just like an extended warranty would work, but instead it's Epson. This doesn't apply to Epson purchased in Japan as they don't come with an international wrty.

Joe

Thanks, Joe. What you say meets the common sense test and I'd expect Epson to be on the upside of customer service as their brand equity spans so many product categories. :)

I called the Epson Helpdesk center i Norway were I live, and they said they have not heard about there is an International 2-years World Wide Warranty for Epson products.
They told me there is an Europeian warranty. I mailed them the International World Wide Warranty document I found in this tread and they promissed me that they will check out if this Warranty is legal in Norway.

Well, by the sounds of things, it doesn't seem like a stretch. A given country will not honor a projector warranty and fix the projector, paying for all service costs when the projector is sourced from another area, however, if it involves charging the service costs to another party such as Epson in HK then I think they would be far more willing to accomodate.

Can anyone send me a PM with the price & importer you bought from?

Thanks in advance. Am considering this vs. the JVC RS1, especially if the TW1000 does the vertical stretch for constant height.

What does an international warranty mean?

I followed the link on the HVZ website to Epson HK about their warranty. I don't find it very reassuring although it's probably just CYA language. :confused:

http://www2.epson.com.hk/eservice/en/warranty/ui/ (http://) "warranty


Terms & Conditions
EPSON HONG KONG LIMITED (hereafter called “EPSON”) provides One year (Projector has Two years) warranty for EPSON product (hereafter called “product”), commencing the date of purchase under the following conditions:

1. For warranty service, a valid warranty registration must be completed before a free service rendered. Proof of purchase shall be produced if requested by EPSON to substantiate date of purchase. Such proof of purchase must be an original receipt / invoice that containing the name of the dealers, the name of the model and the serial number of the product.
2. The product, during the warranty period and under normal use, will be entitled to free carry-in hardware repair service (some models have free onsite hardware repair service, please refer to service charge in www.epson.com.hk/eservice), and free replacements of parts, excluding power cables, signal cables, battery, consumable items and lost parts.
3. The warranty is valid in Hong Kong SAR only; onsite hardware repair service areas include Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Urban Town Centres along KCRC & LRT routes.
4. For onsite hardware repair service in off shore islands (except Tung Chung & Disney in Lantau), HK$200 extra transportation fee will be charged to customer as per each visit. For restricted areas, Lo Wu and boats areas, the customer will be responsible for transporting the product to a location as listed in (3) then call EPSON for onsite hardware repair service or directly bring the product to EPSON Service Centre.
5. The warranty does not cover period checking, cleaning, transportation, relocation or replacing consumable items.
6. EPSON has no obligation of resolving any problem caused by computer virus and software or hardware connection errors.
7. The warranty will automatically be waived if;
i. the product has been explicitly or implicitly modified, tampered with, altered or repaired in any way by anybody other than qualified technical people of EPSON.
ii. the product has been damaged due to misuse, abuse, negligence, physical damage, abnormal voltage supply/power interruption, accident, fire, flood, natural calamities or other events beyond EPSON control.
iii. Non genuine EPSON consumable items such as ink cartridge, photoconductor unit, toner cartridge, lamp unit or media such as; paper, transparency, label are used with the product.
iv. the serial number sticker in the product has been modified or tear off.
8. Any defected parts, which have been replaced, shall become EPSON’s property.
9. For the product has onsite hardware repair service, customer should inform EPSON immediately in case of any change of his/her address.
10. For projector, EPSON will replace optical engine if the product have more than 3 defective pixels in standard warranty period. The lamp unit will provide 500 hours or 3 months warranty (whichever come first) if the product without abnormal shutdown. When projector need inspection or repair, if the product installed over 3.0 meters or secured by security system (like metal case or other security products), customer has to move the projector to accessible area and re-installation of the projector.
11. For Multimedia Storage Viewer, EPSON will replace LCD panel if the product have more than 3 defective pixels in standard warranty period, but the product must under normal use and without physical damage.
12. EPSON has reserved the right to issue and cease this warranty. For any uncertain or doubtful occasion, after examination, EPSON has the right to refuse to issue or cease this warranty.
13. The warranty terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice.

Please call EPSON Customer Hotline 2827-8911 for details
Ver D (15 Nov 05) Download offline version ?

HI

I have been over the warranty issue front to back and top to bottom. I can confirm that if you get the projector from the right authorised source, you are covered in the USA. Full Stop. They are finally becomming available here again after a month long dry spell! I will be getting in a TW1000 myself in a few days and I am looking forward to doing a side by side just like Jacksonian (Hey B!!)did a while back. I will post comparisons or awnser questions regarding how they compare if you want info.
Cheers
S

I called the Epson Helpdesk center i Norway were I live, and they said they have not heard about there is an International 2-years World Wide Warranty for Epson products.
They told me there is an Europeian warranty. I mailed them the International World Wide Warranty document I found in this tread and they promissed me that they will check out if this Warranty is legal in Norway.


Hey NS

I can check directly to see if you are covered for warranty. Give me a few days so that I have a serial number in hand to check with.
Cheers
S

Hey NS

I can check directly to see if you are covered for warranty. Give me a few days so that I have a serial number in hand to check with.
Cheers
S
Thanks. I'm looking forward to hear from you.

Just a couple of additional DI notes on this PJ.

I watched Star Wars Ep 4 tonight on HBO-HD. I looked for a couple of things.

1) Does the DI make a difference on some of the space scenes involving stars and other background objects? Yes it did; the best CR I've seen on a LCD projector. On live sports for the most part DI makes no discernable difference. I now have two video memories set with identical picture settings; one with DI on, one Off.

2) Is the DI noticeable? I watched for two+ hours and did not see it working once (and I was looking for it!) (and I know what to look for - ex-Mitsu 5000 owner!)

3) Can you hear the DI working? On high lamp mode, even on soft scenes with only dialogue I could not hear it working.

In short, every time I watch this PJ (up to 20 hours now) I'm more impressed.

I also spent some more time making sure the PJ was at a perfect parallel plane with the screen, as well as verifying that vertical level was spot on. I fine-tuned the focus, and now I see a virtually perfect rectanglular picture with no keystoning, whose sharpness in now a 9.5 out of 10, with the Mitsu 5000 being a 10.

anyone measured the actuall lumens of the 1000?

I have emailed back and forth with the hivizone guys and the international warranty sounds fairly legit, however, this last point is important:

The 2-year warranty consists of 1-year parts & labour warranty and labour only for the second year.

Paying with credit card would nicely double the warranty or add an additional year, but only if they accept credit cards. I emailed back to ask them and they don't accept credit cards unless you go via PayPal. Not sure if a credit card company would honor their own extended warranty that way. I guess it's time to check with my credit cards.

Well, they are an option. I won't be buying for a while if I do, so I will continue to explore other domestic sources in Canada and the USA first :)

briandx

How would you compare the sharpness to a good DLP projector? My biggest issue with LCD in the past was screendoor and that seems to be a non issue anymore. It would be great if anyone can give any info on the lumen output, I'd also like to use this on a 133 inch screen if it will put out enough light.

Phil

I think I am about ready to jump in on this projector from HK given the Int'l warranty. Thanks Jax and others for doing all of the legwork.

What mounting equipment have people used? I thinking of doing a ceiling mount and see that Epson has its own mount that it recommends (#ELPMB20). Did you mount to joists? I-beams? I have an I-beam running horizontally in the room about where I would want to mount the projector. Choices are mounting in front of it, on it, or behind it (the last two of which of course will make it dip lower into the room).

I am debating between a HP screen or a Silverstar, and leaning toward a Silverstar 110" screen as I am afraid of gain dropoff issues (13' throw, and about a 1.5x seating distance). My room has some windows and I'd like to be able to watch HDTV with some ambient light.

Anyone try the Silverstar combo and have thoughts regarding whether this will give enough lumens?

Phil Johnson:

In my case the overall sharpness of the Epson is a 9.5 out of 10, with 10 being the sharpest projectors I've yet seen, DLP or LCD. I'm extremely sensitive to SDE, and there simply is none at a distance beyond 1.5 screen widths.

As far a brightness I don't know what to tell you, other than the Epson is at least as bright as my Mitsu 5000, which I saw at the dealer projecting on a 144" screen, with very good results.

Brian

Paying with credit card would nicely double the warranty or add an additional year, but only if they accept credit cards. I emailed back to ask them and they don't accept credit cards unless you go via PayPal. Not sure if a credit card company would honor their own extended warranty that way. I guess it's time to check with my credit cards.
Please let us know what you find about CC warranties via Paypal. I am wondering the exact same thing. Thanks.
-Matt

Can anyone who is currently using this projector tell us something about the HDMI 1.3 input? It is supposedly smaller than the previous incarnations. Does anyone believe the input is the real deal or a marketing hoax.

I checked the international warranty that was found on the HVZ website. Two years parts and labour but no guarantee of a replacement projector during repair. Covers much of Europe and the Northern American continent.

anyone measured the actuall lumens of the 1000?

I've wondered that myself,Willie... :p

briandx

How would you compare the sharpness to a good DLP projector? My biggest issue with LCD in the past was screendoor and that seems to be a non issue anymore. It would be great if anyone can give any info on the lumen output, I'd also like to use this on a 133 inch screen if it will put out enough light.

Phil

Hi Phil, I am in exactly the same boat........ I am ridiculously sensitive to SDE which always killed previous Epson's for me... along with filter cleaning, but that is just laziness :D .

I normally on sit about 1.3 away from the screen as I like an immersive experience.

Can anyone who is currently using this projector tell us something about the HDMI 1.3 input? It is supposedly smaller than the previous incarnations. Does anyone believe the input is the real deal or a marketing hoax.
Of course it's not a marketing hoax. The HDMI 1.3 physical connector is the same. I believe there is a smaller connector somewhere in the HDMI specs, but I can't remember what it's for.

So for those of you that have gone the Japan or Hong Kong route, how much are the duty fees, on top of the price that these units can be had for, fir HIVI etc?

I received a duty bill of $40. Obviously not something to be concerned about.

As far as SDE is concerned, I'll say it one more time; I doubt there are many folks in this forum more sensitive to SDE than me. With this projector, unless you are sitting very close to the screen (which creates its own set of problems) SDE is simply not an issue.

Folks who have not yet seen the latest crop of 1080p LCD projectors need to do so, as it will change the way you think about LCD technology. :eek:

Briandx said:

I'm extremely sensitive to SDE, and there simply is none at a distance beyond 1.5 screen widths.
As far as SDE is concerned, I'll say it one more time; I doubt there are many folks in this forum more sensitive to SDE than me. With this projector, unless you are sitting very close to the screen (which creates its own set of problems) SDE is simply not an issue.

Brian, with all due respect, sitting 1.5 screen widths is *not* considered very close.

To tell the truth, in *many* comparisons between 1080 and 720 projectors, it was found that in order to start seeing the difference in resolution, the viewer should sit *below* 1.5 screen widths, so I guess many will want to sit ~1.2 screen widths.

So, if you claim SDE only goes away for you at 1.5X, then the increase in resolution of this 1080p projector over 720p ones, has little merit, if any.

I'm still on the fence in regards to purchasing the tw1000. I'm worried that I will loose the punch/dynamic colors of the newer 720p projectors by going the 1080p route. However an earlier post - that was never responded to - got me thinking.

It seems like the current batch of 1080p projectors and the new 720p projectors (tw700, z5 ae100) have similar brightness once calibrated/in "best mode". If that's the case is there really a difference in "punch" if you're watching in a light controlled room on a screen less than 106 inches? If no, is the "dimness of the 1080p then only an issue if you plan to a) use a large screen (+106 inches) or b) watch movies/tv with a lot of ambient light?

Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks

The difference between a 1080 and 720 source is very obvious to me. Never for a moment have I felt the two to be equivalent. I don't watch HDTV so most of my viewing tends to be progressive with no overscan. 1080p for blu-ray (1.3 if that makes any difference) and computer and PS3 games, 720p for HD vid clips and PS3 games, 480p for vid clips and DVD. The three resolutions are each visibly distinct from each other so that, at any instant, you can identify the res and quality of the source.

The Epson is easily watchable on bright mode (crisp, colorful, and high-contrast) on 1.0 gain at 120" in the dark. I just like the quality, the perceived increase of pop, of a brighter image so went for more gain. Didn't mean to suggest that 720 produced better color or more pop given the same light output.

I don't understand the concern about the lumens of this projector.

I have a Sanyo Z2 which was advertised at 800 lumens and on a 100" screen it is fantastic. I can't wait to upgrade to 1200 lumens to see how bright that would be.

Right now this Epson is on my list for my planned upgrade before the 2007 NFL season. I'm going to sit things out for a few months to see what problems crop up and if other options present themselves but I appreciate this thread for the information and the educated opinions that are expressed here.

I am really curious if Epson's HDMI 1.3 is the true version of HDMI 1.3 or if it is a scam to sell projectors in a fashion similar to that of the HDCP rating bestowed upon the first generation of HDCP DVI projectors such as the Sanyo Z2. I got burned on the Z2 with HDCP compliance and am quite hesitant to jump on a first generation product again. I understand that Epson has a superior reputation to Sanyo but is far from infallable.

I guess that we won't know for sure until discs with 10 bit color etc... are made available so that we can see if "deep color" is real or a marketing ploy.

I am really curious if Epson's HDMI 1.3 is the true version of HDMI 1.3 or if it is a scam to sell projectors in a fashion similar to that of the HDCP rating bestowed upon the first generation of HDCP DVI projectors such as the Sanyo Z2. I got burned on the Z2 with HDCP compliance and am quite hesitant to jump on a first generation product again. I understand that Epson has a superior reputation to Sanyo but is far from infallable.

I guess that we won't know for sure until discs with 10 bit color etc... are made available so that we can see if "deep color" is real or a marketing ploy.

It is the full HDMI 1.3 standard and the pj itself is capable of displaying Deep Colour.

If it is a scam, it isn't from Epson. Epson did not come up with the HDMI 1.3 standard but they have chosen to incorporate it. Why not? Nothing to lose even if in the end no discs use Deep Colour. It isn't as if you are paying a premium for HDMI 1.3.

In any case, if you're buying it for the HDMI 1.3 then you're buying it for the wrong reason. Buy it because it is an excellent pj that fits your needs and you won't be dissapointed.

The first batch of Epson TW-1000 arrived in Hong Kong were available for sale on Feb 12th. I pre-ordered one and took delivery of it yesterday. Unfortunately, the one I got yesterday had exactly the same problem as the first one that jacksonian got from Japan with a faulty auto iris. This message came up after the projector was turned on "Error in Auto Iris. Turn off and contact your nearest Epson Service Provider". I tried ignoring the message and tried playing with it anyway. The projector behaved fine if auto iris was turned off, but once the iris was turned on, the iris either was locked at closed position with everything appearing really dim or the iris kept opening and closing rapidly whcihc made the picture looked as if it was flickering.

Of course I had to return the first one and exchanged for a new one today. I certainly hope this auto iris fault is not very common, as I am already the 2nd person on this forum who got one brand new with this error. It's fine for me as I bought it locally and it was not too much hassle to exchange a new one. If I am living in US, I maybe a bit hesitant to buy it from Hong Kong or Japan until I know this is not a common problem with thie new Epson projector.

I am upgrading from an Epson TW-600. the screen I am using is a 100" Stewart Firehawk G2. My projection distance ifrom the front of the lens to the screen is about 12.5 ft and I sit at about 13 ft from the screen.

Anyway, I have only played with it for a few hours, but my first impression are:-
1. It is quite bright in Dynamic mode. Certainly bright enough to be watched significantly amount of ambient light on. We usually have it on and dinner and my dining room is adjacent to the sitting room/projection area. With full lighting on in the dining area, the projected image still looked bright and well saturated in Dynamic mode and we were sitting at around 50 degree from the screen, way outside the half gain angle. Compared to my old TW-600 (rated at 1600 lumen) wiht about 900 hours on the lamp, the brightness is comparable. I believe a TW-600 or TW-700 with a new lamp should be about 10-20% brighter.
2. With lights totally out, Theater Dark 1 low lamp mode with Auto Iris on provided the best balance picture with very good contrast and well saturated colors.
3. HD-DVD on XBox 360 and Bluray on PS 3 both looked great with great color. contrast and defintion
4. "depth" and "punch" of image is definitely better than my old TW-600
5. Surprisingly, SD terrestial TV looks better on the new TW-1000 compared to the old TW-600. the image looked brighter and colors were maore saturated when in theater Dark 1 mode. Obviously, there was no difference in perceived resolution

I haven't done any image adjustment yet (contrast, brightness, saturation, color etc) with all these settings in default. I intend to get a copy of HD-DVD DVE and/or AVIA 2 when it's available to setup the projector.

I haven't tried any SD DVD yet either. My neighbour have a Sharp 20000 (21000 in US) and I intend to do a comparison later on.

Hi everyone

I have just gotten in the TW1000 and I have some info about warranty and importing to the USA.

First of all, For Night Scope, YES the international warranty does cover you in Norway. It is in writing, in the manual. If anyone else is curious, I can check for your country. I have spoken with a number of Epson warranty people and ALL have confirmed that as long as the projector you buy comes from an authorized distributer here, it has the international warranty, parts and labour.

For importing, if the unit is properly pre cleared with customs there will be no duty or taxes to the USA. Be careful if the unit's value is falsley declared. Customs is getting pretty smart and all they have to do is google the price of the PJ and you are busted. It doesn't make sense to do it the wrong way, risking huge fines, when it isnt really necessary!

By the way, Joe black is right, the case is black and so is the remote.
Cheers
Super

The first batch of Epson TW-1000 arrived in Hong Kong were available for sale on Feb 12th. I pre-ordered one and took delivery of it yesterday. Unfortunately, the one I got yesterday had exactly the same problem as the first one that jacksonian got from Japan with a faulty auto iris. This message came up after the projector was turned on "Error in Auto Iris. Turn off and contact your nearest Epson Service Provider". I tried ignoring the message and tried playing with it anyway. The projector behaved fine if auto iris was turned off, but once the iris was turned on, the iris either was locked at closed position with everything appearing really dim or the iris kept opening and closing rapidly whcihc made the picture looked as if it was flickering.

Of course I had to return the first one and exchanged for a new one today. I certainly hope this auto iris fault is not very common, as I am already the 2nd person on this forum who got one brand new with this error. It's fine for me as I bought it locally and it was not too much hassle to exchange a new one. If I am living in US, I maybe a bit hesitant to buy it from Hong Kong or Japan until I know this is not a common problem with thie new Epson projector.

I am upgrading from an Epson TW-600. the screen I am using is a 100" Stewart Firehawk G2. My projection distance ifrom the front of the lens to the screen is about 12.5 ft and I sit at about 13 ft from the screen.

Anyway, I have only played with it for a few hours, but my first impression are:-
1. It is quite bright in Dynamic mode. Certainly bright enough to be watched significantly amount of ambient light on. We usually have it on and dinner and my dining room is adjacent to the sitting room/projection area. With full lighting on in the dining area, the projected image still looked bright and well saturated in Dynamic mode and we were sitting at around 50 degree from the screen, way outside the half gain angle. Compared to my old TW-600 (rated at 1600 lumen) wiht about 900 hours on the lamp, the brightness is comparable. I believe a TW-600 or TW-700 with a new lamp should be about 10-20% brighter.
2. With lights totally out, Theater Dark 1 low lamp mode with Auto Iris on provided the best balance picture with very good contrast and well saturated colors.
3. HD-DVD on XBox 360 and Bluray on PS 3 both looked great with great color. contrast and defintion
4. "depth" and "punch" of image is definitely better than my old TW-600
5. Surprisingly, SD terrestial TV looks better on the new TW-1000 compared to the old TW-600. the image looked brighter and colors were maore saturated when in theater Dark 1 mode. Obviously, there was no difference in perceived resolution

I haven't done any image adjustment yet (contrast, brightness, saturation, color etc) with all these settings in default. I intend to get a copy of HD-DVD DVE and/or AVIA 2 when it's available to setup the projector.

I haven't tried any SD DVD yet either. My neighbour have a Sharp 20000 (21000 in US) and I intend to do a comparison later on.

Interesting. Hope your replacement is better. Once things are working ok for you, please give us some general feedback on a comparison of blacks and contrast vs your TW-600 :)

Hi everyone

I have just gotten in the TW1000 and I have some info about warranty and importing to the USA.

First of all, For Night Scope, YES the international warranty does cover you in Norway. It is in writing, in the manual. If anyone else is curious, I can check for your country. I have spoken with a number of Epson warranty people and ALL have confirmed that as long as the projector you buy comes from an authorized distributer here, it has the international warranty, parts and labour.

For importing, if the unit is properly pre cleared with customs there will be no duty or taxes to the USA. Be careful if the unit's value is falsley declared. Customs is getting pretty smart and all they have to do is google the price of the PJ and you are busted. It doesn't make sense to do it the wrong way, risking huge fines, when it isnt really necessary!

By the way, Joe black is right, the case is black and so is the remote.
Cheers
Super

So you negotiate what to put on the forms? What did they do in your case? (if you want to say?)

I would figure that the importer just puts whatever it's worth. You have to consider insurance for something this high in value and naturally you cannot insure for x dollar$ and declare the value as much less. It's worth just declaring it fully. For used item's, since it's hard to say what things are worth sometimes, I think people make a personal choice on declaring the value, but for a new item, you may as well just do it all legit. Don't you think? It would be nice to avoid paying duties, but I guess in Canada we will pay the taxes. I guess we'll see when somebody imports.

I won't be buying for a while if I do so I am not sure where I will throw my money. For me it's about the warranty. If Canadian sources are too pricy I may look elsewhere, but if I source from the US and warranty involves shipping it or taking it across the border if I need service then that may not be as good as an international warranty. Then again, who knows if this "international warranty" is all it's cracked up to be. I understand it is real, but how it will work in practice is another story, although that's as much a reflection of how Epson Canada is with service/repairs in general as the charging back of costs to Epson elsewhere.

Can anybody with this projector tell me if you can adjust the gain/offset controls for gray scale adjustments and the rgbcmy adjustments for color decoding at the same time. I remember reading in a review of an older Epson projector that you couldn't make adjustments to both, only one or the other but not both at the same time! :mad:

Tired of being in analysis paralysis mode for weeks I ordered the tw1000 from PJ today. Looking forward to join the - still small - club of owners and hoping for zero iris problems. With a few more owners we'll be able to start a tweaks and tips thread soon :)
Thanks for all the feedback that made this purchase a little easier.

Tired of being in analysis paralysis mode for weeks I ordered the tw1000 from PJ today. Looking forward to join the - still small - club of owners and hoping for zero iris problems. With a few more owners we'll be able to start a tweaks and tips thread soon :)
Thanks for all the feedback that made this purchase a little easier.

Exactly. Let us know how your adventure goes :)

cathor; Welcome to the club! :)

Assuming you don't have any physical problems I think this projector offers a tremendous price/performance ratio, especially when buying oversees.

Looking forward to your comments and observations.

Hi everyone

I have just gotten in the TW1000 and I have some info about warranty and importing to the USA.

First of all, For Night Scope, YES the international warranty does cover you in Norway. It is in writing, in the manual. If anyone else is curious, I can check for your country. I have spoken with a number of Epson warranty people and ALL have confirmed that as long as the projector you buy comes from an authorized distributer here, it has the international warranty, parts and labour.

For importing, if the unit is properly pre cleared with customs there will be no duty or taxes to the USA. Be careful if the unit's value is falsley declared. Customs is getting pretty smart and all they have to do is google the price of the PJ and you are busted. It doesn't make sense to do it the wrong way, risking huge fines, when it isnt really necessary!

By the way, Joe black is right, the case is black and so is the remote.
Cheers
Super

Thanks for this very informative post, Super. Can you clarify what properly pre-clearing with customs entails? What potential liability do US customers have when importing from one of the common importers?
Thanks again!

Hi everyone

I have just gotten in the TW1000 and I have some info about warranty and importing to the USA.

First of all, For Night Scope, YES the international warranty does cover you in Norway. It is in writing, in the manual. If anyone else is curious, I can check for your country. I have spoken with a number of Epson warranty people and ALL have confirmed that as long as the projector you buy comes from an authorized distributer here, it has the international warranty, parts and labour.

For importing, if the unit is properly pre cleared with customs there will be no duty or taxes to the USA. Be careful if the unit's value is falsley declared. Customs is getting pretty smart and all they have to do is google the price of the PJ and you are busted. It doesn't make sense to do it the wrong way, risking huge fines, when it isnt really necessary!

By the way, Joe black is right, the case is black and so is the remote.
Cheers
Super

Thanks for all the legwork and confirmation SF.
ooo yah Black is beautiful....the TW1000 casing I mean.
I'm not black, but I'm still very good looking tho :p

Have the Cnadian sources dried up?

Hey everyone - could those of you with the TW1000 comment on the 3 panel convergence?
easiest way I know of is to pull up the test pattern (theres a button on the remote) and examine the white lines, both up and down and left to right.

An ideal panel would have no off color edge - ie no redish-purple, and no greenish - typically if you see one, you'll see the other on the other side of the white line.

I have a 700 now, and While it isn't aweful, I notice it, and am wondering if tolerances are tighter on the 1000 than they are on the 700.

Also does anyone know - where are the 1000's made? my 700 was made in china.

Hey everyone - could those of you with the TW1000 comment on the 3 panel convergence?
easiest way I know of is to pull up the test pattern (theres a button on the remote) and examine the white lines, both up and down and left to right.

An ideal panel would have no off color edge - ie no redish-purple, and no greenish - typically if you see one, you'll see the other on the other side of the white line.

I have a 700 now, and While it isn't aweful, I notice it, and am wondering if tolerances are tighter on the 1000 than they are on the 700.

Also does anyone know - where are the 1000's made? my 700 was made in china.

My TW-1000 is made in Japan. According to the dealer, the first batch were made in Japan, subsequent TW-1000 will be made in China.

How widespread is the iris problem?

Hey guys,

I will try to catch all the questions I have just been asked. Another point I want to make about misdeclaring the value is that if it gets damaged in shipping and the value was written in by your shipper as 400, yu are only insured for 400. I am pretty sure most guys would leave you out in the cold in that case. You are better off doing it legitimately.
I think all the TW700's are made in China, but all the TW1000's I have seen are made in Japan. That is first hand off the box info.

As for customs, just use a reputable importer and they should be able to do it correctly. I don't negotiate what I put on someones customs paperwork. I just do it correctly, completely and legally. Thats what I have been doing and no tax, no fraud, no issues.

Canadian sources....I heard EPrtrs is no more, but I have no first hand info, only rumor. I have had a few guys in Canada get 700's through me with no problems and no duty. They do have to pay GST and PST though.

JoeBlack,, I still owe you beers if ever are paths cross for being the guy who started saying the panasonic emperor has no clothes( or sharpness or colour depth either!!). You got me looking into the Epsons back in the beginning! And yes the case is awsome on the TW1000.

Cheers
S

Thanks for this very informative post, Super. Can you clarify what properly pre-clearing with customs entails? What potential liability do US customers have when importing from one of the common importers?
Thanks again!


Hey

I am not sure what the exact fines are, but I imagine they are not worth it. If you use a good importer, and they declare everything correctly with customs, you should not have any issues. I was just pointing out that some exporters will declare the price well below the true value of the item. The risk is that
A) it is customs fraud and I am sure that us customs has a minimal sense of humor regarding this.

B) You dont have insurance on the package over what it was declared at. some shippers say they are declaring it cheaply as a favour to you, but it really is not a favour as it saves them having to pay the extra for insurance on the package at the real declared value. Also iof it gets broken, I don't think they will send you a free one and the shipping company will pay you whatever the declared value is. Thats why there are surcharges for higher value items.
Cheers
S

Hey guys,

I will try to catch all the questions I have just been asked. Another point I want to make about misdeclaring the value is that if it gets damaged in shipping and the value was written in by your shipper as 400, yu are only insured for 400. I am pretty sure most guys would leave you out in the cold in that case. You are better off doing it legitimately.
I think all the TW700's are made in China, but all the TW1000's I have seen are made in Japan. That is first hand off the box info.

As for customs, just use a reputable importer and they should be able to do it correctly. I don't negotiate what I put on someones customs paperwork. I just do it correctly, completely and legally. Thats what I have been doing and no tax, no fraud, no issues.

Canadian sources....I heard EPrtrs is no more, but I have no first hand info, only rumor. I have had a few guys in Canada get 700's through me with no problems and no duty. They do have to pay GST and PST though.

JoeBlack,, I still owe you beers if ever are paths cross for being the guy who started saying the panasonic emperor has no clothes( or sharpness or colour depth either!!). You got me looking into the Epsons back in the beginning! And yes the case is awsome on the TW1000.

Cheers
S


Yep, that's what I meant about insuring and declaring. They must match or it gives a red flag and if it gets crumpled (knock on wood) it's only worth what you insure it for.

Estprtrs webbsite is strange. Nothing on there except an open box Hitachi TX200. If they are no more it would be a shame. They were good and I appreciate the effort they made to warranty and have ship back insurance. I am looking at Canadian sources now too. I care a lot about warranty.

I hope the problems with the iris are not too wide spread. As far as mis-convergence, remember that the lens will affect the sharpness near the edges depending on the zoom amount. I am getting very tempted to grab one of these projectors.

How widespread is the iris problem?

I have no idea how widespread this auto iris error is. I certainly hope it is not widespread. However, at least 2 members here including myself have had this problem.

I believe EP are still around (as of last week). From what they emailed me they are no longer advertising projectors on their web-site (some of the projection manufacturers contacted them...)

They should be able to provide a quote if you email them.

I am happy to hear that EP lives. I purchased the tw 700 in dec 06 ...it's fab, but I am beholden to EP for warranty support. I will await 2nd gen 1080p's

I have no idea how widespread this auto iris error is. I certainly hope it is not widespread. However, at least 2 members here including myself have had this problem.

thx, if it's not a widespread issueI might be ecstatic later this evening if my wife gets good business `news' which will give me the opp to get this along with an HT,new kitchen OR pay off our car and egt a newcatruck! :o :o :D


tough choice! :o

I'm sick of posting here and not having my own HT! :mad:

Am considering this vs. the JVC RS1, especially if the TW1000 does the vertical stretch for constant height.

So, does Tw1000 have vertical stretch?

After keeping an eye on PJ for a while, on Friday I finally took the plunge and ordered this. Within 2 hours I got the shipping confirmation e-mail and it arrived Monday morning much to my complete shock. I've only tested it for a short while so far since its arrival (my boss doesn't seem to understand that spending more time at the office means less time I get to spend playing with my new toy) but I haven't seen any problems with the iris or convergence. Definitely hoping it stays that way!

Cool. What are you upgrading from? Play, frolick and entertain yourself with dvd's and report back on your experience, particularly contrast and black levels vs whatever you have used previously :)

Hey everyone - could those of you with the TW1000 comment on the 3 panel convergence?
easiest way I know of is to pull up the test pattern (theres a button on the remote) and examine the white lines, both up and down and left to right.

An ideal panel would have no off color edge - ie no redish-purple, and no greenish - typically if you see one, you'll see the other on the other side of the white line.

I have a 700 now, and While it isn't aweful, I notice it, and am wondering if tolerances are tighter on the 1000 than they are on the 700.
I personally recommend not staring at test patterns. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to get perfect convergence on a 3 panel pj. If you can notice problems on regular viewing, that would be bad convergence. To each his own, but I just recommend not scrutinizing test patterns from 2 feet away. Those things are going to bug you if you do that.

I speak from experience. I never noticed vertical banding on my old Panasonic pj until I read folks talking about it here. I started looking for it and from that moment on it bugged me to death.

I personally recommend not staring at test patterns. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to get perfect convergence on a 3 panel pj. If you can notice problems on regular viewing, that would be bad convergence. To each his own, but I just recommend not scrutinizing test patterns from 2 feet away. Those things are going to bug you if you do that.

I speak from experience. I never noticed vertical banding on my old Panasonic pj until I read folks talking about it here. I started looking for it and from that moment on it bugged me to death.

Check panel convergence simply by looking pulling up the OSD menu, making sure the menu starts out in the centre of the screen. Move the menu around the screen and see how the convergence looks away from the center. It will never be perfect everywhere, but there is a sweet spot. When I first bought a TX200, for whatever reason, the unit had poor convergence and you could see it just by looking at the OSD menu. Watching dvd's you couldn't point to what was wrong, but I could totally tell it wasn't as sharp. Vertical banding depends on how bad it is. I have seen it bad enough that I would have noticed it without reading about it, and I have seen it so faint that it doesn't bother me and I wouldn't know it was there unless I looked for it.

So, does Tw1000 have vertical stretch?

No, it cannot do vertical stretch alone. It can do horizontal stretch or zoom a letterbox image to fill a 16:9 screen.

For those who don't know, you can download the Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 1080 (US equivalent for EMP TW-1000) manual here:-

http://www.projectorcentral.com/pdf/projector_manual_3535.pdf

I personally recommend not staring at test patterns. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to get perfect convergence on a 3 panel pj. If you can notice problems on regular viewing, that would be bad convergence. To each his own, but I just recommend not scrutinizing test patterns from 2 feet away. Those things are going to bug you if you do that.

I speak from experience. I never noticed vertical banding on my old Panasonic pj until I read folks talking about it here. I started looking for it and from that moment on it bugged me to death.

Probably good advice, but on mine, I notice it - I play video games in 720p (on my 720p TW700) and text sometimes comes across blurry. Sometimes it's the Anti-aliasing built into the game, and others its the projector. So I noticed it first, then went to test patterns to try and understand what I was seeing.

www.basementjack.com/epson/epson.htm has some pictures of what I am talking about.

if I'm watching a typical movie - it's not noticable at all, and for that reason I think of keeping what I have. but on games I often feel it's out of focus slightly.

I'd like to add a blu-ray player to my setup, and the PS3 is the cheapest currently out - however it only outputs 1080p - not 1080i, nor 720p - so thats another reason for me to consider the TW1000.

So thats why I asked - if in general, misconvergence is minor (say 1/2 pixel or less), then that, plus my desire to use a cheap PS3 for blue ray would warrant an upgrade.

but on the other hand, if TW1000's are having lots of iris issues, and convergence is an issue, then I should probably stick with what I have for now.

Thanks for the manual link :)

Does anyone know what the scan rate is for the projector? From the HK web site it only appears to do 50-60 hz, The product manual for the "powerlight" does not provide this information.

... I'd like to add a blu-ray player to my setup, and the PS3 is the cheapest currently out - however it only outputs 1080p - not 1080i, nor 720p - so thats another reason for me to consider the TW1000.

So thats why I asked - if in general, misconvergence is minor (say 1/2 pixel or less), then that, plus my desire to use a cheap PS3 for blue ray would warrant an upgrade.

but on the other hand, if TW1000's are having lots of iris issues, and convergence is an issue, then I should probably stick with what I have for now.

The PS3 will output 1080i on BR if you ask it to. No scaling involved.

I just checked the specs by google-transalting the japanese page and the HDMI 1.3 is real. It supports 10 bit Deep Color all the way from input to projection - not bad at all.

I couldn't find any specs on the screendoor gap or the response time of the chips, tho.

Also, it implies that it will do 50/60 hertz display. I think for the price, 48/24 is too much to ask for :)

The 12000:1 CR is with Dynamic Iris enabled - no word on native CR.

Still - great price, I hope the give more details.

Sorry for the novice question. The US website indicates the PJ has "10-bit color processing and HDMI 1.3 compatibility", but there's no mention of deep color or xvYCC. Does being HDMI 1.3 compatible automatically mean that "deep color" can be displayed by the PJ? When I search for "deep color", the bit-depth quoted is "30-, 36-, and 48-bit RGB", and current displays are capable of 24 bit RGB (or 16 million colors); sounds like 2 different things (color processing vs. color bit depth).

To rephrase my question, HDMI 1.3 looks like it's required for deep color, but is deep color required for all implementations of HDMI 1.3? Can this PJ really display deep color?

Thanks,
Steve

Does anyone know what the scan rate is for the projector? From the HK web site it only appears to do 50-60 hz, The product manual for the "powerlight" does not provide this information.

From the manual of TW-1000, the scanning frequencies are:-

Pixel clock : 13.5 to 150MHz
Horizontal : 15 to 80kHz
Vertical : 50 to 85 Hz

I think the HDMI 1.3 of the Epson TW1000 can pass deep colour, but there is nothing to say that the Epson can do anything other than it's 10-bit colour. Maybe somebody else knows. Contact Epson.

Cool. What are you upgrading from? Play, frolick and entertain yourself with dvd's and report back on your experience, particularly contrast and black levels vs whatever you have used previously :)

Well, you're going to laugh, but I upgraded to this from my 34" CRT set. I've been looking at doing a dedicated HT room for a while and I'm currently working on the construction of the room (converting my 14x26 basement into a HT room with a bar, should be wrapping up relatively soon). Based on everything I'd read on here the Epson seemed to be the best fit for what I was looking for especially the price:performance ratio of the import and at this point I can't say I'm disappointed.

Well, a 34" CRT probably has ok black levels and contrast. Anyways, it sure sounds like have made a big leap with your upgrade. Your converted basement is big and should allow for a fairly large screen.

I'll be upgrading from a 25 so that IS a laugher! :o :o

I plan on videotaping my wife's reaction when she see a 110"+ HD screen in her LR for the first time! She's been griping all along about the idea of a proj on her ceiling but soon... :D

no I'm not putting that online :rolleyes:

...sound like a new TV show..

Pimp my home theatre!

...sound like a new TV show..

Pimp my home theatre!

Not to mention the inevitable companion piece for us with the big home theater but not the big trust fund .. Pimp My Wife. :D

Please post pictures of wife.

Having played with my new TW-1000 for a few days, I am ready to write about a few more observations. Luckily the new replacement has proved to be faultless so far with no auto iris error.

Some general observation first:-
1. as previously described by others, SDE should NOT be a problem for anyone at normal viewing distances. Projected onto my 100" Firehawk G2, SDE only started to become faintly visible from about 7 feet from the screen.

2. The convergence of the LCD panels are good. If I walk up close to the screen to view a grid screen pattern, I could only see misconvergence of 1 pixel at the most on the right side. At normal viewing distances, it is not noticeable at all

3. The projector is mounted overhead right above my normal sitting position. I could not hear either fan in low or high lamp mode. I could not hear the iris opening or closing either.

Now, some observation on how the new TW-1000 compared to my old TW-600 with about 900 hours on the lamp
1. In the brightest Dynamic mode with high lamp, the TW-1000 is just as bright as the TW-600. I guess a TW-600 with a new lamp should be brighter than the TW-1000 though

2. In the TW-600, there is a little bit of light leak out of the front exhaust vents. Inthe TW-100, there is no light leak at all

3. high and low lamp mode is not independently adjustable in the TW-600. It is tied to the color mode setting. Only Theater dark 1 and theater Dark 2 are low lamp, the rest of the modes are all high lamp. In the TW-1000, the lamp power is adjustable independently from the color mode. it is possible to set low lamp mode even for the brightest color mode (Dynamic). When in Dynamic + low lamp, the TW-1000 is still quite bright, only slightly less bright than in high lamp mode and certainly watchable in significant amount of ambient light. This is really good as it is quieter and prolongs the lamp life.

4. TW-600 has a sRGB color mode, the TW-1000, does not have this color mode.

5. The TW-1000 is significantly sharper than the TW-600. How much of this sharpness is due the increase in resolution is hard to say. the TW-1000 has a much better lens than the TW-600. That alone may account for the increase sharpness

6. Vertical banding is occasionally visible in the TW-600. There is no VB at all with the TW-1000

7. Contrast and black level is significantly better with the TW-1000, even with the auto-iris off compared to the TW-600. Auto-iris makes a bigger difference in the TW-600. It seems that the TW-1000 has a much better native contrast and the auto-iris does not make as much as difference.

I'll give another update after I play with the TW-1000 more.

I'll give another update after I play with the TW-1000 more.

What about the best color mode? dynamic? theater dark 1 or 2 ? etc...

I'll second RolandLim's observation about the DI:

Last night I had several friends over to watch Star Wars Ep IV in HD. We went through several scenes with bright foreground objects against a sky of dimly lit stars, as well as scenes with low light and shadows.

Regardless if the DI was on or off CR and BL were very good indeed on the Epson. My room is never completely dark, but we had all of our second level lights off for the test.

I've come to the conclusion that there is very little difference with the DI on. Given that a few folks have reported problems with the DI feature, I'm going to turn it off for good (one less mechanical thing to break).

The overall results of this test show how far native CR has come with these new crop of 1080p LCD projectors. I would be very interested to see what the measured CR of this projector is with the iris off.

This test also shows that my placement of CR/BL at number 7 on my top 10 things I evaluate projectors on is dead on the money.

Please post pictures of wife.get your own :D

Briandx,

Wow. You say you see "very little" difference with the DI on or off? I find that a really strong statement and hard to believe, but then again, I haven't seen one of these projectors yet. I don't think it's impossible, but that is wierd. As far as issues, I think many people have had things go wrong with the iris on the previous D5 auto-iris projectors, but the feature didn't end up having rampant widespread problems or issues. There are loads of us using D5 pj's with auto iris who are having no problems with the auto-iris (knock on wood). I seriously wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't disable the auto-iris now. Continue to use the projector and see how it works. If their is a fault, it should be repaired under warranty. Is your projector calibrated at all? How much difference would say the iris makes? Less than 10% improvement? Curious to hear more about this observation of yours.

rolandlim,

Thanks for the additional feedback. Nice of you to break it all down the way you did. Keep watching and giving feedback.

What is your take on the DI function and the difference it makes? You say not much, but how much? Are you leaving it on?

Reviews of the Mitsubishi HC5000 have't noted an incredible contrast and black level and yet the iris is supposedly quite noticable. Same lcd panels, but different DI. I wonder if the Epson DI is milder than the previous Epson TW600 and/or other DI projectors.

I have yet to notice any effect the iris 'on'. I haven't exactly been searching for it but still, not once I have noticed it.

CPC: I only believe what my eyes tell me :)

CPC: I only believe what my eyes tell me :)

That's a good policy. Just kinda surprised me. Oh well, it could be worse. So all in all, the black level of the 1000 vs the 600 is enough of an improvement that its obvious and you are pleased? Not itching to upgrade to the JVC RS1 any time soon ? :cool:

rolandlim,

Thanks for the additional feedback. Nice of you to break it all down the way you did. Keep watching and giving feedback.

What is your take on the DI function and the difference it makes? You say not much, but how much? Are you leaving it on?

Reviews of the Mitsubishi HC5000 have't noted an incredible contrast and black level and yet the iris is supposedly quite noticable. Same lcd panels, but different DI. I wonder if the Epson DI is milder than the previous Epson TW600 and/or other DI projectors.

As none of us have measuring equipment, I can't give you an exact figure, but I would tend to agree with briandx. If you have to ask me to give a subjective estimate, I would say with the auto iris on, the contrast and black level perhaps improved by at the most up to 10%.

However, I don't live a in bat cave and we all know how cross room reflection can kill contrast. My projection room is a multi-function room with white ceiling and walls, although I am already using a Stewart Firehawk G2 screen, I am sure, the cross room reflections would still affect contrast performance. So the difference between auto iris on & off might have been bigger if you use it in a dedicated projection room with balck walls and ceiling

From what I have read about the Mit HC5000, the DI on that projector is far too "aggressive" and you can see the effect of the iris acting because you can actually see the whole image dimming or lighting up because the iris is closing or dimming too rapidly.

No one have done an official review of the TW-1000 yet, so we have no official comment on the how the DI works. But if you read the review for TW-600 in cine4home.com, the iris acts very sow, takes 20sec to close completely and 8 sec to fully open. So that's why no one could detect the DI effect in TW-600.

However, it is easy to see the effect of the DI in either TW-600 or TW-1000. I usually use a disc with a dark scene (films like Batman Returns, Underworld Evolution and Phamtom of the Opera have lots of those scenes), pause the picture, wait about 20 sec to make sure the iris closed completely and then go disable the auot iris, I can instantly see the contrast and black level changing. With the TW-600, the diference is quite significant, probably at least 40% or so, but with the TW-1000, the difference is at most 10% or so as I have said before.

So would I go and run out to buy a JVC RS-1? Well, I haven't seen the JVC yet, so I can't say if all the hype is true or not. But I have seen the Sharp 21000 (same as Sharp 20000 in US). This projector have received very favorable reviews in WSR, Ultimate AV and hometheaterhifi.com. Greg Rogers measured the best contrast ratio ever in his review in WSR. My next door neighbor and another firend both bought a Sharp 21000. I have seen both of them and my neighbor's one on numerous occasions. My neighbor also came over to see my new TW-1000. Now, how much is the difference? If you count contrast and black level alone, of course the Sharp 21000 is better, but difference is certainly not "Night and Day". Without doing a side by side comparson, it's hard to give a figure. Seeing them separately in different projection rooms, the differences are minimal at best. My neighbor also agreed with me that the TW-1000 looked surprisingly close to his Sharp 21000.

So would I rushed out to buy a Sharp 21000? I certainly won't with more than 2 times the price of the TW-1000 for the Sharp as the difference I can perceive is not great at all. Plus the Epson has more saturated colors (a LCD trait compare to single chip DLP?). An although I don't really see rainbow I don't don't go look for it, I do find DLP quite tiring for my eyes if I watch one for a prolonged period, something I never experience ona LCD projector. It is also much brighter in the brightest mode compared to the Sharp. I often watch terrestial TV program with significant amount of ambient light on and the TW-1000 is certainly bright enough and the Sharp definitely is not.

A quick check to see if anyone else has had this problem:

I connected my TW-1000 to an Oppo 981 via a 10 meter HDMI cable and I couldn't get the two to connect at 1080P (all other res's were fine). There was no error message, just lots of noise and a flickering picture. I switched to the 2-meter HDMI cable that came with the Oppo, and it throws 1080P without a hitch. I probably just need to switch to a higher quality long cable, but was wondering if anyone could comment.

dpc2 - 99% sure it's the quality of your cable. 10 meter is pushing it for a low quality cable.

A quick check to see if anyone else has had this problem:

I connected my TW-1000 to an Oppo 981 via a 10 meter HDMI cable and I couldn't get the two to connect at 1080P (all other res's were fine). There was no error message, just lots of noise and a flickering picture. I switched to the 2-meter HDMI cable that came with the Oppo, and it throws 1080P without a hitch. I probably just need to switch to a higher quality long cable, but was wondering if anyone could comment.

I would definitely say it's the cable. Not all long hdmi cables are created equal, try another one.

As none of us have measuring equipment, I can't give you an exact figure, but I would tend to agree with briandx. If you have to ask me to give a subjective estimate, I would say with the auto iris on, the contrast and black level perhaps improved by at the most up to 10%.

However, I don't live a in bat cave and we all know how cross room reflection can kill contrast. My projection room is a multi-function room with white ceiling and walls, although I am already using a Stewart Firehawk G2 screen, I am sure, the cross room reflections would still affect contrast performance. So the difference between auto iris on & off might have been bigger if you use it in a dedicated projection room with balck walls and ceiling

From what I have read about the Mit HC5000, the DI on that projector is far too "aggressive" and you can see the effect of the iris acting because you can actually see the whole image dimming or lighting up because the iris is closing or dimming too rapidly.

No one have done an official review of the TW-1000 yet, so we have no official comment on the how the DI works. But if you read the review for TW-600 in cine4home.com, the iris acts very sow, takes 20sec to close completely and 8 sec to fully open. So that's why no one could detect the DI effect in TW-600.

However, it is easy to see the effect of the DI in either TW-600 or TW-1000. I usually use a disc with a dark scene (films like Batman Returns, Underworld Evolution and Phamtom of the Opera have lots of those scenes), pause the picture, wait about 20 sec to make sure the iris closed completely and then go disable the auot iris, I can instantly see the contrast and black level changing. With the TW-600, the diference is quite significant, probably at least 40% or so, but with the TW-1000, the difference is at most 10% or so as I have said before.

So would I go and run out to buy a JVC RS-1? Well, I haven't seen the JVC yet, so I can't say if all the hype is true or not. But I have seen the Sharp 21000 (same as Sharp 20000 in US). This projective have received very favorable reviews in WSR, Ultimate AV and hometheaterhifi.com. Greg Rogers measured the best contrast ratio ever in his review in WSR. My next door neighbor and another firend both bought a Sharp 21000. I have seen both of them and my neighbor's one on numerous occasions. My neighbor also came over to see my new TW-1000. Now, how much is the difference? If you count contrast and black level alone, of course the Sharp 21000 is better, but difference is certainly not "Night and Day". Without doing a side by side comparson, it's hard to give a figure. Seeing them separately in different projection rooms, the differences are minimal at best. My neighbor also agreed with me that the TW-1000 looked surprisingly close to his Sharp 21000.

So would I rushed out to buy a Sharp 21000? I certainly won'tmore the 2 times the price of the TW-1000 for the Sharp as the difference I can perceive is not great at all. Plus the Epson has more saturated colors (a LCD trait compare to single chip DLP?). An although I don't really see rainbow I don't don't go look for it, I do find DLP quite tiring for my eyes if I watch one for a prolonged period, something I never experience ona LCD projector. It is also much brighter in the brightest mode compared to the Sharp. I often watch terrestial TV program with significant amount of ambient light on and the TW-1000 is certainly bright enough and the Sharp definitely is not.
I did not think it was possible for anyone to answer every thought and question I have had about this projector, and the JVC . Anyone who reads WSR is already more knowlegeable. Thankyou very much indeed.

For those who are still wondering about the brightness of the TW-1000, you cann see the following 2 shots which I just took. I'd say they corresponded quite well with what I saw in real life with the actual ambient light and brightness of the screen. the projector was on DYNAMIC mode, but I only set it on LOW lamp mode. If I had set it on HIGH lamp mode, it would have been even brighter.

http://av100fun.com/files/_mg_62797_183.jpg

http://av100fun.com/files/_mg_62799_109.jpg

thx,the ambient light in my LR is probably slightly less than the first one (no windows that close. Looks like it would be bright enough for a somewhat controlled LR setup. :DLooks like this one would work! :D

what's your screen size,throw dist,?

SbWillie - once DHL finds a way to get my projector out of Ohio I'll be glad to run a number of tests with different lighting conditions.

thx,the ambient light in my LR is probably slightly less than the first one (no windows that close. Looks like it would be bright enough for a somewhat controlled LR setup. :DLooks like this one would work! :D

what's your screen size,throw dist,?

I have described it before. The screen is a 100" Stewart Firehawk G2 and the throw distance is about 12.5 ft.

What speakers are those up front?

They're Gallo Nucleus Reference 3 (or 3.1) speakers. Very highly rated, won lots of awards - great speakers.

Yes, the speakers are Anthony Gallo Nucleus Reference 3

Hi,

Looks like you have an Optex detector with an Ademco intruder alarm panel too.

Rick

It would be great if we could get back to discussing the Epson TW-1000. I get excited when I see contributions to this thread but then disappointed when I find they are about something else.

I have described it before. The screen is a 100" Stewart Firehawk G2 and the throw distance is about 12.5 ft.

I overlooked it. Sorry. I haven't followed this discussion as closely as others. :o

My throw dist. (eventually :rolleyes: ) will be about the same as yours.

I went back just now and read it. :D

The PS3 will output 1080i on BR if you ask it to. No scaling involved.

Thanks Seth!

I didnt know that!

hmm. now I have a delima!

Spend $600 on a PS3,
plus resistance $60
plus a few BD movies $100
and keep my 720p lighthouse

or

sell the lighthouse and join all of you in the 1080p world, putting off the PS3 until later.

hmmm

tough one...

Thanks Seth!

I didnt know that!

hmm. now I have a delima!

Spend $600 on a PS3,
plus resistance $60
plus a few BD movies $100
and keep my 720p lighthouse

or

sell the lighthouse and join all of you in the 1080p world, putting off the PS3 until later.

hmmm

Ah, but with a 1080i signal from the PS3, your 720p lighthouse will still need to do scaling and deinterlacing. Might be better off buying the TW-1000 1080p lighthouse and get the PS3 later. Btw, forget Resistance, the first generation PS3 games are disappointing, beter off use the money to buy couple more Bluray movies.

Roland Lim, you are my new best friend!

I think you may be right - 1080p is really appealing to me, and it's a now or never upgrade - 700's are still pretty hot right now, and I could probably get close to what I paid for it.

I also like that it has a user selectible high/low lamp mode - I use theater black now to save bulb life - it would be nice to have a few more options.

Any suggestions on where to get it?
I hear EP is out of the game now
PJ is pretty cheap.
HVZ is about $300 more than PJ, but possibly has a better warranty? and is black (Black doesn't matter to me, but it might make local warranty swap easier)
Super - if you're bringing in 1000's now - send me a PM with the current price.

Also how many hours have people run these before seeing the IRIS error?

Roland Lim, you are my new best friend!

I think you may be right - 1080p is really appealing to me, and it's a now or never upgrade - 700's are still pretty hot right now, and I could probably get close to what I paid for it.

I also like that it has a user selectible high/low lamp mode - I use theater black now to save bulb life - it would be nice to have a few more options.

Any suggestions on where to get it?
I hear EP is out of the game now
PJ is pretty cheap.
HVZ is about $300 more than PJ, but possibly has a better warranty? and is black (Black doesn't matter to me, but it might make local warranty swap easier)
Super - if you're bringing in 1000's now - send me a PM with the current price.

Also how many hours have people run these before seeing the IRIS error?

Getting the TW-1000 from Japan is cheaper than from Hong Kong as you have said. But, you do get a better warranty if you get it from Hong kong. Whether paying an extra $300 is worth it for the better warranty (plus the cool black color of the body, I love it) is something only you can decide. For me, I would pay for the better warranty, other people may decide differently. I know a few people who have flown to Japan from Hong Kong to buy the TW-1000. the price difference is close to US$800 if you buy it locally it japan apparently. So those who flew to japan claimed that the $800 they saved was more than enough to offset the price of the plane ticket and accomodation.

basementjack2 -

It all comes down to probability of failure. If the projector fails once in two years you're better of with PJ. Anything above that HVZ is your best bet. You can hedge the PJ strategy buy buying the 4 year projector extended warranty with two bulp replacements that is currently being offered through a powerbuy (kicks in after one year so you have to make it through year one).

basementjack2 -

It all comes down to probability of failure. If the projector fails once in two years you're better of with PJ. Anything above that HVZ is your best bet. You can hedge the PJ strategy buy buying the 4 year projector extended warranty with two bulp replacements that is currently being offered through a powerbuy (kicks in after one year so you have to make it through year one).

I was in on the last powerbuy that Tapeworks of Texas had, and as far as I understand it, the extended warranty is an extension of the manufacturers warranty. So, if the projector fails, you would still have to send it back to Japan for service.

I was in on the last powerbuy that Tapeworks of Texas had, and as far as I understand it, the extended warranty is an extension of the manufacturers warranty. So, if the projector fails, you would still have to send it back to Japan for service.

All projectors under the extended warranty will need to be sent to NJ for servicing - owner is responsible for shipping charges. I have read nothing to suggest otherwise, but I'm not an expert in this subject matter. Before the extended warranty kicks in (1 year) all warranty related issues can be handled in Japan only.

Will it be still bright enough if throw to a 134" 1.3 Gain screen?

What do you think? :rolleyes:

A quick check to see if anyone else has had this problem:

I connected my TW-1000 to an Oppo 981 via a 10 meter HDMI cable and I couldn't get the two to connect at 1080P (all other res's were fine). There was no error message, just lots of noise and a flickering picture. I switched to the 2-meter HDMI cable that came with the Oppo, and it throws 1080P without a hitch. I probably just need to switch to a higher quality long cable, but was wondering if anyone could comment.


Hey,
accell makes a cable that has a tiny built in amplifier. I have a 15 meter and it is pristine passing any signal.
S

Will it be still bright enough if throw to a 134" 1.3 Gain screen?

What do you think? :rolleyes:

Now, that's a very difficult question to answer for sure as I don't have a 134" screen to test out. What do you mean by bright enough? Bright enough in a light controlled room using Theater Dark modes or bright enough for viewing sports content with ambient light? The consideration would be different.

Also what kind of screen are you thinking of using? A gain of 1.3 means nothing. It depends on the environment you use it in. For example, a Stewart StudioTek 130 has a gain of 1.3. In a light controlled room, the TW-1000 should be bright enough to lit up this screen. But if you want to use it watching TV or sports program with significant amount of ambient light, then I would say it's not bright enough.

However, if you were to use a Stewart Firehawk with a gain of 1.25, then it should perform quite well with ambient light.

basementjack2 -

It all comes down to probability of failure. If the projector fails once in two years you're better of with PJ. Anything above that HVZ is your best bet. You can hedge the PJ strategy buy buying the 4 year projector extended warranty with two bulp replacements that is currently being offered through a powerbuy (kicks in after one year so you have to make it through year one).

Actually, if it fails once within the FIRST year then you're better off with pj.

If it fails twice or more within the first year then you're better off with hv.

If it fails at all within the second year then you're waaay better off with hv.

Just another observation. HDMI 1.3 and Deep Color works between PS 3 and TW-1000. The info menu in TW-1000 showed "Deep Color : 12bit" when it was connected to my PS 3 via HDMI.

Btw, just out of interest, I am using a Gefen HDTV Cat5 extender to connect the PS3 to TW-1000. Although, the HDMI 1.3 is not officially supported by the Gefen HDTV Cat5 extender, it seemed to pass HDMI 1.3 signal without any problem.

Anyway, HDMI 1.3 and Deep Color are only of academic interest at the moment as all present Blu-ray discs are only authored in 8bit color. So, unless some studio decides to author a disc with more than 8bit color, Deep Color is pretty meaningless.

I'll chime in and agree with briandx and rolandlim about the DI. I can only see a subtle effect with it. It is certainly invisible in it's operation, no one could complain about that. I think I've only seen it working once. But I do hear it audibly working in a quiet film, and that bugs me a little. I'm going to experiment a little more with some dark movies, but I'm considering leaving it turned off like Brian.

Actually, if it fails once within the FIRST year then you're better off with pj.

If it fails twice or more within the first year then you're better off with hv.

If it fails at all within the second year then you're waaay better off with hv.

You're absolutely right - mistake on my part in the write-up. I personally feel PJ is the better value - so did every single person I surveyed at work - but I may soon be proven wrong...

I'll chime in and agree with briandx and rolandlim about the DI. I can only see a subtle effect with it. It is certainly invisible in it's operation, no one could complain about that. I think I've only seen it working once. But I do hear it audibly working in a quiet film, and that bugs me a little. I'm going to experiment a little more with some dark movies, but I'm considering leaving it turned off like Brian.

I'll leave the DI on on my TW-1000. Although, I only see subtle increase in contrast and black level with the DI on, I still believe every little bit helps. The only real disadvantage of DI is supposed to be brightness compression effect. I have yet to experience or notice significant brightness compression that bothered me though.

Has anybody done extensive comparisons with older gen lcd to quantify the improvement in contrast level and blacks? What about with the Panny AE1000 or Mitsubishi HC5000? Some say the contrast and black aren't that great with the D6 C2Fine lcd pj's, particularly the Mitsubishi, while others say it's good enough that they won't be interested in the JVC. The contrast measurements sure weren't super high for the Mitsubishi. I imagine these new D6 could be a fair bit better than my Hitachi TX200 and I do hope they are noticabley better, otherwise it's not worth it to me to upgrade. Watching movies like Star Wars etc, how much better does it look on the TW1000 vs the older lcd pj's?

Hi cpc

the german HC magazine >>audiovision<< is doing a shootout between the JVC, the BenQ W10000 and the EMP-TW1000. The review will be published 16th of March.

In the same magazine the HC5000, the Sharp Z21000 and the Panasonic AE1000 have been already tested - so there should be a good basis for a comparrison of data.

I will note the results here as soon as this report is available.

Maybe a short list of previous 1080P pj tests (xx points / 100 points)

Mitsubishi HC5000 => 83 points
Panasonic Pt-AE1000 => 80 points
Sharp Z21000 => 82 points
Marantz VP-11 S1 => 89 points
JVC HD 10k => 80 points
Sony VW50 => 80 points

btw - the ProCinema 810 equivalent from EPSON (in germany it is called EMP-TW700) got 76 points.

This point ranking includes a lot of different aspects but the end of the day the ranking shows clearly the capabilities of the different models.

As soon as this report is done I will decide whether I buy in HK or in JP :D

Jo-1

About that ranking, I would be curious to see the article....I am very suspicious of these points type writeups. All the author of the magazine has to do is set up the points bias to favour the projector's company he sells alot of advertising to. " In the end it was close, but the ax100 pulled ahead as it was the only projector to get 10 points for having a name that starts with the letter P."...exagerrated, but this reminds me of the reviews of radar detectors in Car and Driver. The reviews are impartial, other than the fact that the editor of C&D is a paid employee of valentine1. They biased the scores to heavily weight the V1 and although other detectors in the test were much better in the real world, because the V1 was so rediculously sensitive to X band ( almost never used other than in grocery store doors) it gained points and won the shoot out.

I have seen the panasonic and the TW700 side by side on two different days and in two different rooms. The TW700 was WAY ahead of the panasonic. colour depth, lack of noise and far better lens sharpness all in favour of the TW700.

Cheers
S

Interesting. I agree about the reviews. There is nothing better than a thorough, un-biased thrashing of equipment to find out the truth. There is one place that I almost won't even read the reviews of just because they are so non-sensical, but then there are others that are reasonable. You can tell right away if the reviewer is A) knowledgeable and B) honest, but you just have to take everything with a grain of salt. Even comments from owners of projectors which you think should be un-biased are often coloured with fondness for previously owned products. You never can tell for sure about every source of info, you also don't know precisely how each persons setup, projector placement, components, room dimensions, brightness levels and wall/ceiling/floor colours etc, and how it compares to yours. It's all about averaging out the impressions and reviews and finally seeing for yourself. I am looking forward to seeing a D6 lcd in person :)

I also look forward to what Cine4home can dish out in regards to the AE1000 vs HC5000 vs TW1000 and the JVC and Pearl. I just find that reviews of the C2Fine D6 projectors and their black level and contrast is inconsistent. Some say its quite an improvement over the D5 720p lcd pj's and others say it isn't a very significant improvement. While I am glad we are seeing improvement in non-dlp digital projectors these past few years, I find it's not going quite as fast as I'd like. I suppose in a couple of years we could be past the threshold and into an era where the average lcd projector is more than acceptable. I already love my TX200 but there are those movies with dark scenes that leave you wanting better contrast/blacks.

Has anybody done extensive comparisons with older gen lcd to quantify the improvement in contrast level and blacks? What about with the Panny AE1000 or Mitsubishi HC5000? Some say the contrast and black aren't that great with the D6 C2Fine lcd pj's, particularly the Mitsubishi, while others say it's good enough that they won't be interested in the JVC. The contrast measurements sure weren't super high for the Mitsubishi. I imagine these new D6 could be a fair bit better than my Hitachi TX200 and I do hope they are noticabley better, otherwise it's not worth it to me to upgrade. Watching movies like Star Wars etc, how much better does it look on the TW1000 vs the older lcd pj's?
cpc,
I don't know which generation panel your TX200 has. I came from a Panasonic 500 which was a D4 panel I think. The difference in black level and contrast is nothing less than huge. I actually think the blacks are darker on my TW1000 than they are on my Pioneer 6070 plasma. The plasma still has more contrast due to its brightness, but the blacks aren't as deep.

The Hitachi TX200 has D5 lcd panels and a dynamic iris. The black level and contrast are quite good, and noticebly better than the TX100 which had D4 lcd panels and no auto iris. Many dvd's are amazing looking on the TX200, but when there are dark scenes, or scenes with high contrasting dark and bright areas, the TX200's picture leaves you wanting more. Such is the hobby. The TX100 actually had a manual iris which allowed tweaking of overall contrast and blacks to a respectable level. I think the difference from my first AE100 and AE200 to the level of the TX200 is quite huge. The difference between the TX100 and TX200 was more subtle, but noticable, and well worth it for the auto iris. The TX200 lcd panels are supposedly a little "noisier" than the D4 lcd panels, but it's pretty reasonable and mostly only noticable in areas of the screen that have low detail. Also, the D4 and earlier panels tended to have more noticable issues like vertical banding where the D5 were improved, and in the case of the TX200, very tweakable to minimize issues.

It sounds as though the black levels and contrast of the Epson are definitely good enough and potentially a big enough improvement over my TX200 to keep my interest. For a while there, I was losing interest in the C2Fine lcd's because I wasn't hearing enough praise for the contrast/blacks. I guess only time will tell. :)

The Hitachi TX200 has D5 lcd panels and a dynamic iris. The black level and contrast are quite good, and noticebly better than the TX100 which had D4 lcd panels and no auto iris. Many dvd's are amazing looking on the TX200, but when there are dark scenes, or scenes with high contrasting dark and bright areas, the TX200's picture leaves you wanting more. Such is the hobby. The TX100 actually had a manual iris which allowed tweaking of overall contrast and blacks to a respectable level. I think the difference from my first AE100 and AE200 to the level of the TX200 is quite huge. The difference between the TX100 and TX200 was more subtle, but noticable, and well worth it for the auto iris. The TX200 lcd panels are supposedly a little "noisier" than the D4 lcd panels, but it's pretty reasonable and mostly only noticable in areas of the screen that have low detail.

It sounds as though the black levels and contrast of the Epson are definitely good enough and potentially a big enough improvement over my TX200 to keep my interest. For a while there, I was losing interest in the C2Fine lcd's because I wasn't hearing enough praise for the contrast/blacks. I guess only time will tell. :)
When I compared the TW700 (D5+ panels) to the TW1000 on the same screen, the improvement was clear, and that was with the iris OFF on both machines. My wife could easily see the difference in blacks on Batman Begins.

So the blacks were significantly better to my eye on the D6 panel over the D5+ panel. I would think that it would be a good improvement if black levels are your issue (like me).

Cool. You understand why myself and others sound like a broken record. Contrast and black levels are the number one issue I have. Image sharpness, detail, colours and colour uniformity, smoothness and lack of artifacts and issues are all ok in my present setup. It is contrast and blacks that are the one thing that is lacking and could be improved. Thanks everybody for the feedback on the TW1000. I wonder more and more how all the different units compare. I figure that since Epson made the lcd panels, they have the potential to better implement the technology to its fullest potential. They do have those "filters" that are used for different settings, right? Perhaps that is why the TW1000 looks as good as it does.

I think the filter that's in place in the Theater modes does help with the contrast and blacks. But you can definitely still see the difference between the 700 and 1000 in those modes, so it's clear that the D6 panels are superior to even Epson's D5 "+" panels.

The black levels and contrast were the main reason I was about to give up on FP. Just preferred watching the plasma most of the time. Now it's pretty much a wash on pq. The plasma has the brights, but the pj has the size and the blacks.

Cool. Oh yeah, and speaking of "filters", I forgot to mention dust blob issues. Keep us up-to-date on that. Don't encourage them of course. Get a dust cover, keep the air filter clean, keep your house as dust-free as possible etc, and hopefully you won't get em. Dust blobs are the #2 thing I dislike about my Hitachi. I am doing a number of things to hopefully reduce their frequency.

Does anybody know the Epson projector line very well? Both NA and foreign? I don't understand all the models. TW 600, TW 700, Cinema 500, Cinema 800. If anybody could clarify, that would be helpful. I see many people on the net with various Epson projectors upgrading to the TW1000 and it's confusing to understand what they are all each upgrading from compared to other projectors.

Are there any published reviews on this thing yet?

Are there any published reviews on this thing yet?
Not that I knew of. Here's a very short first impression report:

http://www.cine4home.de/news/EpsonTW1000/TW1000Announce.htm

Not that I knew of. Here's a very short first impression report:

http://www.cine4home.de/news/EpsonTW1000/TW1000Announce.htm
uhhhh English? :confused: