I bought the HD-A1 pretty much straight away, back in June last year, and have really loved it on our Panasonic AE700. I thought it really couldn't get any better.

It just did. A lot.

Last night we plugged in our new Panasonic AE1000 1080p projector, did a little tweaking with DVE, and then sat down and watched Casino (a favourite).

Woweeeeeeeee.

There was me thinking that 720p was "good enough." Well, it's not. The difference is dramatic. I can now see, for example, why people think Batman Begins is soft - that never made sense to me before, now it does (still a fantastic transfer mind you). Casino blew my mind away. For three hours I was dumbfounded.

So for those wondering if 1080p makes a difference over 720p - it does! Now I get to go over my 80 or so HD DVD's all over again! :D :D

Nice. When you burn through that new bulb in under a year, e-mail me, because I recently got the hookup for new bulbs. I have a Mitsu 720P projector that I am running all the time now. I'm excited to think about getting a 1080P by next year (when the prices drop and they start using the LED light engines). Good times.

I think the dramatic difference (or a good part of it) might be the excellent calibration you did using DVE, and perhaps the improved contrast ratio of the Panasonic AE1000 projector. ;)

How big of a screen? Thats probably why you see the difference b/w 720 and 1080.

I'm really glad you're loving your new set-up Paul, but excitement like this is exactly what people don't need when deciding whether or not to take the 1080p plunge. Seriously, 1080p heaven?! You don't think there's a little too much hyperbole in a title like that? In my opinion, the only real noticeable improvement in going to 1080p is the elimination of jaggies and visible pixelation. I think most people reading your post will be falsely mislead into thinking 1080p will somehow unlock an avalanche of hidden detail in their movies and that's simply not the case. Theoretically, 1080p shouldn't even make movies look sharper, just more finely resolved. This is also not taking into account several other factors such as brightness and contrast ratio. Sorry for the fart, carry on.

Now why did you have to go and ruin the OP's Nirvana?

I'm really glad you're loving your new set-up Paul, but excitement like this is exactly what people don't need when deciding whether or not to take the 1080p plunge. Seriously, 1080p heaven?! You don't think there's a little too much hyperbole in a title like that? In my opinion, the only real noticeable improvement in going to 1080p is the elimination of jaggies and visible pixelation. I think most people reading your post will be falsely mislead into thinking 1080p will somehow unlock an avalanche of hidden detail in their movies and that's simply not the case. Theoretically, 1080p shouldn't even make movies look sharper, just more finely resolved. This is also not taking into account several other factors such as brightness and contrast ratio. Sorry for the fart, carry on.

To be sure, brightness and contrast ratio are big factors, definitely.

However, there's no denying that going from less than 1 Megapixel (720p) to more than 2 Megapixels (1080p) is dramatic.

And yes, for a movie lover it's heaven ;)

I bought the HD-A1 pretty much straight away, back in June last year, and have really loved it on our Panasonic AE700. I thought it really couldn't get any better.

It just did. A lot.

Last night we plugged in our new Panasonic AE1000 1080p projector, did a little tweaking with DVE, and then sat down and watched Casino (a favourite).

Woweeeeeeeee.

There was me thinking that 720p was "good enough." Well, it's not. The difference is dramatic. I can now see, for example, why people think Batman Begins is soft - that never made sense to me before, now it does (still a fantastic transfer mind you). Casino blew my mind away. For three hours I was dumbfounded.

So for those wondering if 1080p makes a difference over 720p - it does! Now I get to go over my 80 or so HD DVD's all over again! :D :D
LOL - I HATE YOU!

I'm basically in the exact same situation, except that I have a 900, and I've been trying really hard to convince myself that resolution doesn't make all that big a difference. My wallet have been on life support with all the HD-DVD sofware purchases I've been making, and a new projector would kill it dead. Not to mention the fact that I've just started to get over nitpicking the image quality in my home theater!

You're now on my S list my friend! If you receive a strange package in the mail, don't hesitate to open it right away, preferably with any loved ones and favorite pets you might have in the room while it's opened. :mad: :p :D

1080p is the only way to go! ;)

Go forth with your excitement Paul, and let anybody know about it that you feel like. I hate the fact that anybody who verbalizes any excitement about a product they bought or saw is almost instantly belittled here for being a "fanboy". I think most people reading your post should be excited that there is a product that gave a (I'm assuming) fickle HT aficionado (you are reading/posting on AVS of course) and be happy for you. No offense dragon, this isn't 100% directed at you, but I just feel like no one can have an emotional response/opinion on this forum without getting some type of flack because of it. I say hooray Paul for still getting excited about a purchase in this crazy world where new products are a dime-a-dozen and no one is excited about anything anymore (to the level you are with this one).

So your projector is upscaling the 1080i output of the HD-A1 to 1080p? Sounds like there is still room for improvement!

LOL - I HATE YOU!

I'm basically in the exact same situation, except that I have a 900, and I've been trying really hard to convince myself that resolution doesn't make all that big a difference. My wallet have been on life support with all the HD-DVD sofware purchases I've been making, and a new projector would kill it dead. Not to mention the fact that I've just started to get over nitpicking the image quality in my home theater!

You're now on my S list my friend! If you receive a strange package in the mail, don't hesitate to open it right away, preferably with any loved ones and favorite pets you might have in the room while it's opened. :mad: :p :D

LOL! :eek:

I have a friend coming over to watch Matrix on the weekend. He has the 900 (which is certainly better than the 700). I fear he will have a similar reaction, especially since he bought the 900 after seeing my 700 in the first place (oh, and an HD DVD player).

Congrats on the purchase, I can't wait until the day I have a room for a projecter :)

So your projector is upscaling the 1080i output of the HD-A1 to 1080p? Sounds like there is still room for improvement!

Perhaps there is still room, yes. However it's not really upscaling, since 1080 is 1080, it's just de-interlacing it. Having said that, I am keen to see what 1080p24 looks like. I'm hankering for the HD-XA2, and when it gets the 24fps firmware upgrade I think I'll be in.

Thanks to those who share my excitement. It's wonderful to be around enthusiasts at times like this.

LOL! :eek:

I have a friend coming over to watch Matrix on the weekend. He has the 900 (which is certainly better than the 700). I fear he will have a similar reaction, especially since he bought the 900 after seeing my 700 in the first place (oh, and an HD DVD player).


Good news, Paul! Glad the new hardware is doing its thing for you. It's also nice to know you're spreading the good word about HD DVD (and high def in general) down under! :D

How big of a screen? Thats probably why you see the difference b/w 720 and 1080.

100"

Congrats on the purchase, I can't wait until the day I have a room for a projecter :)

Thanks, and welcome to the forum!

I bought the HD-A1 pretty much straight away, back in June last year, and have really loved it on our Panasonic AE700. I thought it really couldn't get any better.

It just did. A lot.

Last night we plugged in our new Panasonic AE1000 1080p projector, did a little tweaking with DVE, and then sat down and watched Casino (a favourite).

Woweeeeeeeee.


Congrats on the upgrade.

My friend has a Panny 1000U, no HD disc though. He loves his toshiba upconvert player. he owns like 200+ SD disc, and not really interested in HD disc now. I'm trying to sway him, but they need to pick up the disc releases.

Congrads Paul! I feel your excitement. I recently moved from a Panny 900 to an RS1 and WOW! With the 900 I could not tell a big difference from SD to HD, but now I can. The lack of any VB and just the overall smoothness to the picture is so nice. We watched Training Day on HD-DVD today and it was unreal PQ wise.

Have fun! :)

LOL! :eek:

I have a friend coming over to watch Matrix on the weekend. He has the 900 (which is certainly better than the 700). I fear he will have a similar reaction, especially since he bought the 900 after seeing my 700 in the first place (oh, and an HD DVD player).
I love my Panny. After my A1, it's the best HT purchase I've made since I got into the hobby. What does the 1000 do with a 1080p24 signal?

Congrats, Paul!

Yes, I burned through the bulb on my HD2K in less than two years, but 2/3 of those hours was inside 2006, thanks to HD DVD.

I replaced the bulb just in time to take delivery of the HD1, and now use the HD2K for outdoor movies in the back yard.

1080p is da bomb :D

Congrats on the purchase, I can't wait until the day I have a room for a projecter :)
LCD 1080p panels have hit their lowest prices and are rumoured to be going back up - now might be a good time, if you don't mind putting off the projector till later.

Welcome to the forums, also, btw.

dragon, 720p to 480i could well be a good analogy to 1080p to 720p. It's still not real life, but it is double the detail of 720p.

I understand the caution but, IMO, more is good, and when its on a big screen, the extra info is very easy to see, "trust me" :)

Paul: I think you made an excellent choice for many reasons ... I am about to suggest one that you might not have thought of.

I have owned the AE100, 300, 700, and 900. After about 500 hours the picture loses its "snap", and I believe it is because LCD panels cannot withstand the heat and fades. Your new projector uses inorganic panels which are suppose to withstand heat much better. So you get better PQ when new, and also after extended use.

dragon, 720p to 480i could well be a good analogy to 1080p to 720p. It's still not real life, but it is double the detail of 720p.
I'm sorry, but there's no way you can compare the jump from 480i/p to 720p to the jump from 720 to 1080p. It's not all about resolution. In fact, resolution should probably be the second, if not third, thing on your list to consider when buying a display. Technically, you're getting about double the resolution with each successive jump, but the difference between 480 and 720p is much, much more dramatic than the jump to 1080p. There's a point where your eyes just can't perceive much more detail regardless of how many pixels you throw in.


I understand the caution but, IMO, more is good, and when its on a big screen, the extra info is very easy to see, "trust me" :)
I see it, but frankly it's just not that big of a difference to me. I mean hey, I'm on the 1080p bandwagon just like the rest of you guys and I'm loving my Epson, but I just think it's unrealistic especially when you have prospective buyers wondering whether or not that extra bit of detail is worth an extra $2000.

I agree dragon. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding the "benefits" of 1080P over 720P. Unfortunately there is SOOOO much market hype surrounding this, the truth gets lost in the advertising 99% of the time. Case-in-point: the marketing by Sony on the Bluray when they saw that HD-DVD launched with "1080i" as their resolution-format. Sony then coined the "Full HD" term, and postured that HD-DVD couldn't render "true Full HD" on their format (which we all know/knew was a lie). Nonetheless, a bazillion people thought this was the "truth" and jumped on the wagon.

The 1080P vs. 720P projector display debate has carries some of the same tunes. The major difference, and the only real science and truth I've seen is that under roughly 50"s on a screen the human eye cannot detect the difference between the two resolutions. Everything over that, and especially in the case of Paul who is watching 100"s, has been shown to have a human eye capable improvement in clarity/resolution. Again though, marketers are still hocking 32" 1080P displays at a premium because they know the rest of the planet who doesn't reside here on the great AVS Forum have no clue. Thus they take advantage of it.

This is the main reason I take more value in the impressions of 1080P projector owners over those of a 1080P panel owner. It's all about size (and girth and all my ladies say;), and when someone has the impression Paul did regarding the "huge improvement" they see on a 32" display, I can't quite buy it as more than placebo. But with Paul's, your's, and my 100+" of glory, I take those observations much more heavily.

Lets see....Sam Runco knows more about Home Theater than everyone on this site combined. Runco has designed and sold the very epitome of high end 1080P projectors.

Sam Runco has designed, built and watched more 1080P that anyone on this site...x 10. Runco's company (now sold) manufactures and sells about a dozen 1080p machines.

Runco thinks the 1080P hype is just that...hype. Watch Sam explain why a 720P projector can yield just as good a picture as a 1080P in many circumstances.

Funny how Sam....doesn't think the difference is night and day.

http://www.cinenow.com/uk/play-video-739.html

^^Ya but come on. They also sell a lot of very expensive 720p projectors. You can't exactly expect them to come out and say that with 1080p projectors on the market, there is no longer any reason to buy a 720p model.

Though of course I'd rather have one of their 720p projectors than a lot of the 1080p projectors on the market.

^^Ya but come on. They also sell a lot of very expensive 720p projectors. You can't exactly expect them to come out and say that with 1080p projectors on the market, there is no longer any reason to buy a 720p model.

Though of course I'd rather have one of their 720p projectors than a lot of the 1080p projectors on the market.

Actually Sam addresses that very comment in the video. Runco has plenty of 1080P machines to sell you....so he doesn't care if a high end consumer wants a Runco 1080P to go with his Rolex and designer kitchen appliances..he'll sell it to him. His point is that unless you are sitting right on top of the screen...720P will give you the full HD experience. He makes disparaging allusions to the 1080p "full hd " nonsense.

Actually Sam addresses that very comment in the video. Runco has plenty of 1080P machines to sell you....so he doesn't care if a high end consumer wants a Runco 1080P to go with his Rolex and designer kitchen appliances..he'll sell it to him. His point is that unless you are sitting right on top of the screen...720P will give you the full HD experience.
He's wrong. People with full 20/20 vision do not get the full HD experience from 720p unless they sit so far away as to defeat the purpose of using HD which allows you to sit closer. Of course not every HD source has beyond 720p detail but that's another issue.

I like what Mr Runco has to say. I was getting all hot under the collar about the new Optoma HD80 1080p projector which is coming out in the UK for just under £2000. I currently have an HD73 720p pj which cost me £1300. The HD80 will be darkchip2 but the HD73 is darkchip3. Which is better? It all depends. At proper viewing distance the HD73 might actually produce the better picture because of the Darkchip3. On the other hand, I have a cinema room which limits me to watching slightly closer to the screen that I really ought to. At this point I see mirror structure on bright white scenes and it occasionally bugs the heck out of me. I try to tell myself it's not there and that I'm being nit-picking on an otherwise excellent picture, but the niggling feeling won't go away. The HD80 might therefore be the better bet for me, but is it still the better bet at £700 more? Right now I couldn't afford it, even if I sold my HD73 and pawned my HD-DVD collection. It's a toughie!!

I can now see, for example, why people think Batman Begins is soft - that never made sense to me before, now it does (still a fantastic transfer mind you).

:D

:) I bought the HD-A1 pretty much straight away, back in June last year, and have really loved it on our Panasonic AE700. I thought it really couldn't get any better.

It just did. A lot.

Last night we plugged in our new Panasonic AE1000 1080p projector, did a little tweaking with DVE, and then sat down and watched Casino (a favourite).

Woweeeeeeeee.

There was me thinking that 720p was "good enough." Well, it's not. The difference is dramatic. I can now see, for example, why people think Batman Begins is soft - that never made sense to me before, now it does (still a fantastic transfer mind you). Casino blew my mind away. For three hours I was dumbfounded.

So for those wondering if 1080p makes a difference over 720p - it does! Now I get to go over my 80 or so HD DVD's all over again! :D :D

Come on now, if you point out how substantially better 1080p is over 720p, especially on larger size displays, you will be accused of being an elitest.

Damn! I am only looking at a Sony KDS50A2020 1080p TV. I could only imagine how good it would look on a Big projection screen. Even if it's only a marginal difference I will still be happy either way I will be going from a 30'' CRT HDTV to a 50''.

Congrats Paul! I got my Panny AE1000U on Friday and mated it to a Carada 100" screen. It's a lot of fun! Terrific picture, it really feels like a theater now! I just got the projector mount, so will be putting it up on Friday. For now it's on a table, but was able to have it back far enough to fill the screen. Will have it calibrated in August when my buddy Eliab is in town. Bring on the hd dvds!

Congrats Paul! I got my Panny AE1000U on Friday and mated it to a Carada 100" screen. It's a lot of fun! Terrific picture, it really feels like a theater now! I just got the projector mount, so will be putting it up on Friday. For now it's on a table, but was able to have it back far enough to fill the screen. Will have it calibrated in August when my buddy Eliab is in town. Bring on the hd dvds!

It really is like a theatre, you're right. What struck me last night whilst watching Skeleton Key is the complete lack of noise in the blacks. I mean there was no noise at all, just a perfectly smooth image. I'm not used to that.

And a point I want to raise to those who believe 720p is okay - no matter how pure you try and keep the signal, at some point it is being scaled, which means any given pixel on the screen is a composite of itself and the pixels around it. I'm a purist (as much as I can be) and that single aspect has always plagued me. I'm the same way with my audio - I like a clean, minimally processed (preferably not at all) chain from source to speaker.

Since we have a 1080p thread up and running here, let me ask as far as it applies to running HD DVD software what type of 1080p PJs is everyone running and how does it compare to others out?

I paid 5k for my BenQ 8720 - 720p PJ last June and because of that I'd hate to lose so much on upgrading so soon, specially if there is not a large noticable difference!

Paul, if you see a difference between 720 and 1080 on your setup that's all that matters.

With that being said, 1080 isn't required to have a great viewing experience. I went through several 1080p LCDs, the last being a Sharp AQUOS 46", and I ended up with the Panny 50" 9UK with only :rolleyes: 720p. From 8 feet, I could not see any difference in sharpness/detail (and yes, I have 20/20), which, all else being equal, is the only thing 1080p has to offer over 720p. The Panny does off-angle and contrast better, though, not to mention is bigger ;) so I kept it.

I went from the PANNY to BENQ 8720 and thought that was a huge difference with all the extra contrast and razor sharp image IMHO. Then I went from that to a SONY RUBY and really found out what I was missing, the difference is huge IMHO again. You start noticing it the more you watch your old SD DVDs and it starts to reveal all the details you never saw before. I was blown away and thought it was HEAVEN as well.

LCD 1080p panels have hit their lowest prices and are rumoured to be going back up - now might be a good time, if you don't mind putting off the projector till later.

Welcome to the forums, also, btw.

dragon, 720p to 480i could well be a good analogy to 1080p to 720p. It's still not real life, but it is double the detail of 720p.

I understand the caution but, IMO, more is good, and when its on a big screen, the extra info is very easy to see, "trust me" :)








While I have little doubt that on 100" plus screen 1080p has a major impact in P.Q., however it simply isn't the same on displays of 50"-60" at typical viewing distances. All things being equal in terms of cost I would agree that 1080p is the way to go but at least for Plasmas and LCD's at the 50-60 inch size, cost is not even close to equal, and the improvement in P.Q. is extremely negligible from similar 768p panels.

When did the A1's start pushing 1080P ?
Was there an upgrade I missed ?
When can I expect to see my A2 do the same ?

So your projector is upscaling the 1080i output of the HD-A1 to 1080p? Sounds like there is still room for improvement!
As detaild ad-nauseum, any "improvement" by moving to a 1080p source would be imprerceptable. all the resolution is there. Regardless of the order the lines get to the projector, it's still going to display them all at once.