I believe I decided on a projector...questions [Text View]

gar63

03-11-07, 04:15 PM

I posted a couple of days ago about getting a projector to show movies at our church. I am seriously considering the HD1000u and have a few questions. I am new to the projector scene and am very nieve....here are my questions

1. What does calibration mean?

2. Is the HD1000u hard to set up, especially for one who knows next to nothing about projectors?

3. What is the throw distance? What is vertical offset? I plan to set the projector on a table......does this have anything to do with that?? :o

4. I'm assuming HD stands for High Definition....do I have to have a high definition DVD player? Do high definition players play regular dvd's??

Thank you!!!

TSO

03-11-07, 07:59 PM

But since your asking for a church... :)

1. What does calibration mean?
A - Ever used the brightness, color, or sharpness knob on your TV? This is exactly the same, only with more options. Most folks are trying to get their display to conform to standard NTSC image quality, and a simple calibration DVD like Avia or Video Essentials will walk you through the process.

2. Is the HD1000u hard to set up, especially for one who knows next to nothing about projectors?
A - Subjective question, since most folks around here have lived with PJ's for a while. I think its simple - takes about 3 minutes to set up and "eyeball it" for calibration. The instruction books are pretty good from Mitsubishi.

3. What is the throw distance? What is vertical offset? I plan to set the projector on a table......does this have anything to do with that??
A- The easiest way to check throw is go to Projectorcentral.com, which is a PJ info center, look up the HD1000 and click on the little icon that says "calculate throw". It goes to a very simple interface that shows you the options.
As far as offset, this PJ has a fairly large one, which seems to be typical. Its roughly 35% of the vertical image. In other words, if you throw and image on the wall that is 50" tall, the PJ lens will need to be about 17" below the BOTTOM of the image. In other words, if the 50" vertical image bottom is about 4 feet off the ground, the pj will need to be at about 2' 7" off the ground. A coffee table is a good place for most "floor" placements, as long as the throw is unobstructed.

4. I am assuming hD stands for High Definition....do I have to have a high definition DVD player? Do high definition players play regular dvd's??
A - You can certainly get a HD DVD player, but the image put out by a good upconverting DVD, or even a good progressive scan DVD will be fabulous. Just make sure to use the component connections (Red, Green and blue three wire connection) or the HDMI connection, if the DVD player has an HDMI digital output.

The HD1000 would be a great choice for a screen 10 feet wide or less, showing on a bright white wall or a good screen, like the Dalite High Power. The lights will need to be dim or off for that 3d, "you are there" look. Avoid direct light on the screen area at all costs.

There are few widescreen 720p projectors (thats the new aspect ratio standard, and used by HD television and many DVD's) that would be brighter than the HD1000. IF real image quality wasn't a concern, you could get an older XGA resolution business projector with more lumens, but the image quality wouldn't quite be the cinematic experience of the Mits. Of course, if you planning on showing these outside on a makeshift screen for the youth or college group, then image quality is not such a factor, and you could go for the brightest XGA business pj you could find, such as the little Dell 5100, which is 3500 lumens, 2000-1 contrast ratio and very portable. There again, not int eh same category image-wise.

Hope this helps. If you want to PM me for more info, feel free.