guys, Im interested in your opinions..........

I have a Sony HS50 PJ, whilst it is very good for its class, the blacks are never quite black, and shadow details , again, good, but not in same class a CRT TV, for example....................

I have the option to upgrade to the newer HS60, which has even better black level, but I imagine, that again, as a LCD unit, it will not be a true black, and shadow details will still be missing........

I am not interested in single chip DLPs at all...........

I have seen Sony have a new SXRD rear projection TV, which is 55" in size, and costs £ 1500 online in UK ( about 2500 $ )

my problem is, I cant find any dealers that have it on display..............

This TV apparently is very close to CRT levels of black and grey scales / shadow detail............it has been called the 'trinitron' for the new generation

Whatever I get, it will be installed in a dedicated room, not a large room, about 14-feet long.............

The new PJ appeals, as its small, and does not take up room space..........however the supposedly quality of the SXRD Tv appeals, for its superior image quality........

Has anyone seen the SXRD Tv, and can compare to a quality PJ like Hs50 / 60 ? or Pana 100 ? etc etc

my other concern is, if used in a dark room , would the TV be too bright ? can it be adjusted for use in a dark room, or will the brightness be too high, even on lowest setting ?

When you consider, a SXRD PJ costs £ 2,500 ( $ 4000 US ) new, the TV seems a good price....

any thoughts ?

what would be best trade off ? large tv in room, but close to CRT quality ?

or small PJ, cheaper, and good, but compromised blacks etc ?

AGGY

I have a Sony XBR1 60" SXRD tv and I recently just purchased a Mitsubishi HD1000u PJ. Im throwing an 84" picture and I prefer my PJ over the SXRD tv. Even though the Sony has a 1080p display and the HD1000 is 720p, watching HD cable and HD-DVD it just looks better on the HD1000. You would think as far as picture quality the Sony would blow away the Mitsu PJ but not to my eyes.

interesting to hear that..............may this have something to do, with the light path of the rear projection tv ?

as technically, the sxrd is far superior in every way................

I really do need to find a dealer who has one on display.........

any other comments apprecitated.......

interesting to hear that..............may this have something to do, with the light path of the rear projection tv ?

as technically, the sxrd is far superior in every way................

I really do need to find a dealer who has one on display.........

any other comments apprecitated.......

Do you have a Sears close to you? The three close to me all have them on display though they are set up next to a 100 other tvs

If you can live with 55". I couldnt go back to 55" after having a projector. I would probably wait until sony vlp-wv50 prices dropped.

The choice between TV and FP should be answered by your room ambient and I am not going to put a 60" in a room and call it cinema. TV is TV and FP in a properly set up room with complete light control is cinema/home cinema.
SXRD TV looks good. My next door guy has one but 100" screen looks so much better for film and even sports. I use the HS51A and have a CRT FP adjacent to it.

I am not interested in single chip DLPs at all...........




no wonder you don't like the black levels of PJs. a $2500 DLP PJ would own that SXRD, unless you sit like 3 feet away from it.

He probably has rainbow issues with single chippers. Though a faster color wheel helps for some people and maybe he hasn't seen the newer ones. Some people can adjust and they diminish overtime for some, but few are willing to give them a chance to diminish.

CRT front projection is still the king of black levels though and even a $2,500 DLP can't come close. The best and easiest way to get CRT quality with front projection is to simply get a CRT front projector.

SXRD tvs are nice, but no way on earth would a small "big screen" tv be my main display. They're way way too tiny for me. 9'2" diagonal is almost small to me now. :D There's no way I could live with a tv 1/4th the size of my current screen.

100% correct..........single chip DLPs are a no no...........Ive seen rainbows, and there is no pot of gold at the end..........

3 chip dlps ? YES PLEASE !!! err, but no more than $ 1500 please !!

so until that day, I am re thinking what to do next.....

I have now sold my HS50..........I may get the HS60, its at a good price now, even less than Pana A100x............

I too agree, 55" may be on the small side, but my PJ screen is about 72", and its a lot bigger than 55" , I mean, more than 17" difference in size would suggets.............

I have found a sony dealer that a SXRD RPTV, and will see it this saturday...........

I would love a CRT PJ, but would not know where to start..............I mean, which model to get ?

I believe they are large, heavy, noisy fans, and really need to be ceiling mounted (?) , are they good and safe 2nd hand purchases ? the ones Ive seen online, seem complex, and the price of spares seems very high..........they seem quite old now, or is it possible to buy say a 1 year old model ?

any suggestions for an affordable, easy to place ( floor ), quiet, reliable CRT PJ ?

just seen online, a used, Barco Graphics 1208/2 CRT Projector , price $ 3,000 , with 25,000 hours of use !!

thats the problem I think, they are well used, and still cost lots of cash.............no wonder people buy a lcd pj, and mess about with lens filters !

The choice between TV and FP should be answered by your room ambient and I am not going to put a 60" in a room and call it cinema. TV is TV and FP in a properly set up room with complete light control is cinema/home cinema.
SXRD TV looks good. My next door guy has one but 100" screen looks so much better for film and even sports. I use the HS51A and have a CRT FP adjacent to it.


How does your HS51a ( Same model as HS60 ? ) compare to your CRT FP and yours neighbours SXRD ?

r u happy with the HS51a, I mean, if it was your only PJ ?

do u think there is a worthwhile improvement between HS50 and 51a ?

thanks

any suggestions for an affordable, easy to place ( floor ), quiet, reliable CRT PJ ?
Any CRT comments would be deleted. Go to CRT forum on this site and get started. CRT is not for every one but if you are patient you can a get a fabulous PQ out of it. You can coffee table a CRT.

oh ok........but how does it compare to your HS51a ?

is the HS51a close to CRT black level ? would u be happy just having the hs51a ?

thanks

How does your HS51a ( Same model as HS60 ? ) compare to your CRT FP and yours neighbours SXRD ?

r u happy with the HS51a, I mean, if it was your only PJ ?

do u think there is a worthwhile improvement between HS50 and 51a ?

thanks
If I was on budget and had not seen CRT yes hs51A would have been the one. I only use it for casual but movies go to CRT.
My CRT blows away a lot of digitals but they are meant for light control room.
AFA 50 vs 51A/60 read cine4home.com test report on hs60.

oh ok........but how does it compare to your HS51a ?

is the HS51a close to CRT black level ? would u be happy just having the hs51a ?

thanks
Black level is a total nirvana with CRT. How about a fade to total darkness.
But that is not the only thing its smooth and depth are really what puts it apart. OK no more CRT talk on this forum.

CRT is the ultimate, I agree...............what we need is MORE CRT talk on this forum, for this precise reason !

we need to see how good any given PJ can be, and use CRT ones as a reference point.......

thats a problem I find with many reviews, they are comparing one dlp with another, or one lcd with another

now, if they compared them to a crt, then I could judge how deep the blacks are, by the review

CRTs can be had for pretty good prices. You'd be surprised. It's best to get one from a dealer, but even better deals can be had on Ebay if you're careful. It's more of a risk though.

I'd look into a 7.5-8" EM focus unit. NEC XG series are great. NEC 6PGs/9PGs are very nice as well (even better if they have the point board). NEC's have very fine control over the image.

They are big and a bit more complicated, but I LOVE both of mine to death and my 4805 DLP doesn't get a whole lot of use, unfortunately. Yes, they are used, but you can get ones with great condition tubes easily and they'll usually outlast several expensive digital lamps. Not to mention that CRT PJs are often also user repairable, unlike digitals. My X1 failed right almost as the 2 year warranty was almost up, so I got lucky. If it had failed about a week or so later I would've been screwed.

CRTs are built for industrial use and are not designed to be as disposable as digitals. in the digital world they are constantly putting out the latest greatest unit replacing the current models with minor improvements usually. With the help of the CRT forum a potential CRT problem can likely be fixed. CRTs last for MANY years, especially when taken well care of. My ECP was made in about 1997 and it's been running great and looking jaw dropping.

CRTs can also be stacked or used with a torus screen for further increased PQ. CRTs usually need gamma correction though, so a gamma circuit would most likely be needed for HD viewing (some DVD players and games have gamma correction features). I believe TSE in the CRT forum sells those. The gamma correction improves dark detail and overall brightness.

My 4805 is considered to have pretty good blacks and they are pretty good, but my $700 ECP 4500+ 7" CRT and my $200 NEC 6PG (I got lucky on this one. This unit is often quite a bit more) absolutely blow it away. Dark scenes are to die for.

I can accept the 4805's blacks and they are usually not too distracting unless it's a space scene or if it's low contrast, but it's still lacking the 3D like depth that the CRT provides in these scenes. CRT also has an almost organic look to it.

BTW, there's a difference between the chassis hours and tube hours. You don't want tubes that have 25,000 hours. Chassis hours is different. You want something with good clean tubes (no burns and very light to no wear). Curt Palme is the top dealer. Better deals can be had from Ebay, but they are more of a risk (but precautions can be taken). Buy from Curt though and you should have no worries.

My first projector was a digital and I was nervous about going CRT for many reasons. I was intimidated, first and foremost. I now feel completely comfortable and and am glad I made the decision. The CRT forum was a really big help to me. The one negative thing though is that CRT has really spoiled me. :)

Im off ot the CRT forum, as Ive seen one that may be a good buy.....

see you there hopefully !

the last post was 01-05-07 he prolly already did something.

There is even a checkbox now when you bump a thread this old. How? Why?

Hehe at the old thread! I have a 55" SXRD and my 8700ub blows it out of the water :D

guys, Im interested in your opinions..........

I have a Sony HS50 PJ, whilst it is very good for its class, the blacks are never quite black, and shadow details , again, good, but not in same class a CRT TV, for example....................

I have the option to upgrade to the newer HS60, which has even better black level, but I imagine, that again, as a LCD unit, it will not be a true black, and shadow details will still be missing........

I am not interested in single chip DLPs at all...........

I have seen Sony have a new SXRD rear projection TV, which is 55" in size, and costs £ 1500 online in UK ( about 2500 $ )

my problem is, I cant find any dealers that have it on display..............

This TV apparently is very close to CRT levels of black and grey scales / shadow detail............it has been called the 'trinitron' for the new generation

Whatever I get, it will be installed in a dedicated room, not a large room, about 14-feet long.............

The new PJ appeals, as its small, and does not take up room space..........however the supposedly quality of the SXRD Tv appeals, for its superior image quality........

Has anyone seen the SXRD Tv, and can compare to a quality PJ like Hs50 / 60 ? or Pana 100 ? etc etc

my other concern is, if used in a dark room , would the TV be too bright ? can it be adjusted for use in a dark room, or will the brightness be too high, even on lowest setting ?

When you consider, a SXRD PJ costs £ 2,500 ( $ 4000 US ) new, the TV seems a good price....

any thoughts ?

what would be best trade off ? large tv in room, but close to CRT quality ?

or small PJ, cheaper, and good, but compromised blacks etc ?

AGGY

Stay away from Sony SXRD...mine died with the typical optical block failure. Search forums for optical block and you see what I mean. Best Buy (where the SXRD was purchased) replaced the tv with a Samsung LN60C630 LCD under my extended warranty. I would not recommend the purchase of an SXRD.

You mentioned SXRD TV...that is why I have commented....can't comment on the SXRD projector...

Stay away from Sony SXRD...mine died with the typical optical block failure. Search forums for optical block and you see what I mean. Best Buy (where the SXRD was purchased) replaced the tv with a Samsung LN60C630 LCD under my extended warranty. I would not recommend the purchase of an SXRD.

You mentioned SXRD TV...that is why I have commented....can't comment on the SXRD projector...

My Bestbuy SXRD is still going strong, on my second bulb now. Luckily for me no green blob problems! I think it is a fantastic TV, just not as fantastic as my 8700ub. When I bought it 3 years ago I paid $1199 so I can't complain!