Someone local is selling their home theater system and I am considering buying it. Included with it is a Sony VPH-1272Q CRT projector with 5750 hours on it. I already have a nice display so I would probably sell the projector. I don't know the condition of the tubes, but based on the hours of usage could someone suggest a range as far as the value of it? Thanks!

I got a 1271Q with ~6500 hours on it with padded roadcase for around $360 about a year ago. Prices vary so widely so it's tough to say what its value is. Last month I got a 1292Q for $441 and last summer I got a D50 for around $350 -- both with good tubes. I'd personally say a 1272Q with ~6000 hours is probably worth about a few hundred dollars assuming it has no burn on the tubes. If I were buying it I'd want to see it display its white warm-up pattern to check for wear and burn. The flashlight test also works if it's on the floor and has been dismantled.

Yep... $200-$350.

Relatively large, even among CRTs. Only 7" tubes (8" will cost about 2x more and will be twice as good... 9" can cost 10x more), and only ES focus (vs. EM).

But it'll do a great job with 1080i on a 7' wide screen in a light-controlled room.

With 6500 hours it could be usable, or it could be completely toasted. If it was run properly, it could have 3000 more hours left in it.

Shine a flashlight down the lenses and look at the 7" square phosphor face on the tubes.

Compare to this chart:
http://www.curtpalme.com/TubeCondition_RatingChart.shtm

With 6500 hours, it'll probably look like #4 or #5. If the tubes look like #6 or better, it is capable of giving a great 1080i picture for thousands of hours... for less than the cost of a single digital bulb.

Awesome! Thanks for the link to that tube comparison. That whole website is very helpful.

"Relatively large, even among CRTs. Only 7" tubes"

Why do most of the guys state the 12xx series has 7" tubes when they actually
have 8" tubes. when the same tube is in any other brand projector it's an 8",,
but when it's in a sony it's a 7".

Ha, I was going to mention that too! It's the 10xx projectors and the D50 have 7" tubes (and 5.5" phosphors). Maybe tube size and raster size got confused in someone's specs? I seem to recall the old projectorspecs website claiming that the 12xx had 7" tubes. Though those specs are on Curt's site now and I believe they correctly state that the 12xx projectors have 8" tubes.

Perhaps it's because Sony itself called the tubes 07mp, 07msp, etc. I wonder if Sony was actually being honest, while Barco, etc. was stretching. You guys are going to make me go measure the tube!

SC

It's always been more of a classification/grouping simplification... not a measured spec.

The 125x/127x clearly belongs clustered with the other 7" projectors... certainly below the NEC PGs.

If the 125x/127x were classified as 8", then they would be grouped with the Marquee, 808/1208, XG, G70, etc. IMHO, anyone who has owned several of these CRTs would agree that the 125x/127x don't belong in that group. They should be grouped with the 7" projectors below the NEC PG.

If someone titled a 1251 as a 8" CRT projector on ebay, you guys would scoff.