Assuming the (4600hr) tubes are in halfway decent condition , anyone out there know what a fair price for a Runco 980 Ultra might be? Any opinions on this particular machine? I see it is in the middle of the list on the CTR projector rankings page so I guess that is a good start.

Thanks!

The 980 Ultra is a rebaged NEC 9PG Xtra. An Excellent projector. Most would agree it's better than a Marquee 8500. I sold two PG xtras recently for penuts and I have three left. For some reason I see a lot of these on the bay recently and if you view completed auctions you will see 4 or 5 of them and they have all sold for under $200 which makes these the best deals going in CRT right now. I see D50s and 12XX going for more.

NECs have a reputation for being difficult to set up and I think people shy away from them because of it . I'ts too bad ( for those people) because if you take away the 9 inch projectors the PG Xtras produce an image that rivals pretty much anything else.

At 4600 hours unless the set was installed contrary to NEC's instructions, it will have pretty severe tube wear on it. $200 would probably be pushing it as to the high end of what a worn tube NEC is worth. Tubes are $700 each from VDC for new ones.

The 980 Ultra is a rebaged NEC 9PG Xtra. An Excellent projector. Most would agree it's better than a Marquee 8500. I sold two PG xtras recently for penuts and I have three left. For some reason I see a lot of these on the bay recently and if you view completed auctions you will see 4 or 5 of them and they have all sold for under $200 which makes these the best deals going in CRT right now. I see D50s and 12XX going for more. yeah figure that one out, why would you pay more more a POS D50 over a 9PGX? :confused: Unfortunately, like Curt pointed out, at 4K hours the P16 tubes will need replacing, possibly all 3 of them.

These days tube condition == projector value. Any and I mean ANY visible wear and a non-9" machine is worth virtually nothing.

Curt is correct, if it was installed per the manual, then it was installed too far away and will have VERY visible tube wear so be worth almost nothing.

These days tube condition == projector value. Any and I mean ANY visible wear and a non-9" machine is worth virtually nothing.

Curt is correct, if it was installed per the manual, then it was installed too far away and will have VERY visible tube wear so be worth almost nothing.

Well, if that's the case then I suppose I got taken and ended up happy anyway.

These days tube condition == projector value. Any and I mean ANY visible wear and a non-9" machine is worth virtually nothing. that's a little over the top, don't you think? Peri shelled out $350. for a BG808S and the Blue in that thing was burnt to a crsip, Green was also marginal at best. Normally tubes in a used machine will have at least a little wear and with tubes in that shape, (good not perfect), an 8"EM set is still worth 8 to 9 hundred bucks.

that's a little over the top, don't you think? Peri shelled out $350. for a BG808S and the Blue in that thing was burnt to a crsip, Green was also marginal at best. Normally tubes in a used machine will have at least a little wear and with tubes in that shape, (good not perfect), an 8"EM set is still worth 8 to 9 hundred bucks.

I consider a late model 8" machine like that (which would have brought almost $3000 from a reseller just 2 years ago) for $350 to be "virtually nothing". I mean come on, we are talking about a projector that with good tubes will throw a better picture than just about every digital made, and you don't think $350 is "virtually nothing" comparatively speaking?!?!?!?

You will notice that 8" AC machines with visible wear are not moving that fast (or at all) at $800+ dollars. And why should they, you can get ones with perfect tubes for $1200. If you need 2 new tubes to put a used machine in the same state, why would you pay $800 for a used one?

Dave

The first Xtra I bought had 4000 hours on it and the tubes were fine.

But these days, even with mint tubes it's only worth a few hundred. I bought an XG with perfect tubes for $500...

Curt is correct, if it was installed per the manual, then it was installed too far away and will have VERY visible tube wear so be worth almost nothing. Yea but the lenses are worth at least $150-$200 so you can't really lose. The red tube is likely good so you can make $300 right off bat.

As a person who just started watching for CRT projectors ebay and craigslist, it is hard to get a grasp on the value of the many different models. Depending on who is selling, prices for even the same model (high and low end alike) seem to run the gamut from $100 to a few thousand dollars.

I own a Sony 1020 that I installed in the game room (soon to be theater room), and have enjoyed for several years just using composite video. But the time to trade up has come. I think I would like to get a machine that is in the "Intermediate (http://www.curtpalme.com/Projector_Rankings.shtm)" category (as seen on Curt Palme's website). Supposing a person, (not unlike myself) had $1000 to $1500 to spend on something better and brighter, any opinions on whether they can get a good projector in this category? Any model or brand this person, (ok, I) should look out for?

By the way, thanks for all of your responses to this thread, It is fun hearing so many different experiences and perspectives. I learn something new here every day.

Cheers!

As a person who just started watching for CRT projectors ebay and craigslist, it is hard to get a grasp on the value of the many different models. Depending on who is selling, prices for even the same model (high and low end alike) seem to run the gamut from $100 to a few thousand dollars.

I own a Sony 1020 that I installed in the game room (soon to be theater room), and have enjoyed for several years just using composite video. But the time to trade up has come. I think I would like to get a machine that is in the "Intermediate (http://www.curtpalme.com/Projector_Rankings.shtm)" category (as seen on Curt Palme's website). Supposing a person, (not unlike myself) had $1000 to $1500 to spend on something better and brighter, any opinions on whether they can get a good projector in this category? Any model or brand this person, (ok, I) should look out for?

By the way, thanks for all of your responses to this thread, It is fun hearing so many different experiences and perspectives. I learn something new here every day.

Cheers!


You should list your location because there may very well be owners in your area with projectors for sale. It makes a big difference when you can pick one of these things up locally rather than pay for shipping. I have two right now and I'm looking at a third. All of these have been local or no more than a few hours drive. Also, you get to check the machine out in person this way and determine if it truly is a deal or not. If $1000-$1,500 is truly your budget then you might be well served to get something from Curt. At least that way you know what you are getting yourself into and should have no surprises such as bad boards, caps, tubes, etc. Perhaps something in the NEC PG line or a Barco intermediate model. Again, if you find a local seller you can really maximize your budget.

I live in San Francisco, and craigslist seems like the easiest way to go. As you said Dropzone, I need to be able to get a look at the unit in person. And if I can spend even less than $1000 on a good machine all the better. It is always nice when you get lucky and find a seller doesn't realize the value of the item, their loss is our gain! (Is that mean? lol.) I have been trying to educate myself about what to look for. Tube burn is about all I can ever seem to remember, any other "warning signs" a CRT shopper should look out for?

(If this topic is covered in another thread, smack me!)

Later all!

Wow, I have one of these. No wonder I couldn't sell it... guess I was asking too much.

Anyone in the Boston area want one for a hundred bucks?

Wow, I have one of these. No wonder I couldn't sell it... guess I was asking too much.

Anyone in the Boston area want one for a hundred bucks?

A 980 Ultra? I'm interested...
How is the cosmetic and working condition? I've been thinking about making my 9XTra black for some time, and can certainly use the parts.

As a person who just started watching for CRT projectors ebay and craigslist, it is hard to get a grasp on the value of the many different models. Depending on who is selling, prices for even the same model (high and low end alike) seem to run the gamut from $100 to a few thousand dollars. An unknown-quality projector with iffy-to-toasty tubes isn't worth much. A known-good-condition projector with good tubes from a known seller (either Curt or a regular on the forums) is worth MUCH MUCH more.

Sometimes you can get lucky buying something off ebay, but it's a crapshoot. Buying something locally off craigslist is better, because at least you can see it before you buy it, and you won't have to ship it. If you're a tweaker and don't mind fixing up any issues that the projector has, that might be the best bet. (E.g. I just bought a G70 locally off craigslist. The green was pretty worn but I put in a new one myself.) If you want one that's known to work in good condition, that will cost you more but you'll have a good projector without any headaches.

I consider a late model 8" machine like that (which would have brought almost $3000 from a reseller just 2 years ago) for $350 to be "virtually nothing". I mean come on, we are talking about a projector that with good tubes will throw a better picture than just about every digital made, and you don't think $350 is "virtually nothing" comparatively speaking?!?!?!? actually I think $350. for a Barco S with burtn Sony tubes is too much ;)


You will notice that 8" AC machines with visible wear are not moving that fast (or at all) at $800+ dollars. If you need 2 new tubes to put a used machine in the same state, why would you pay $800 for a used one?
Dave well sales are ALWAYS slow througuh early summer, people are on vacation and , unlike us, actually go outside and get some sunshine. :D I have to admit that seeing the RS1 freaked me out and I thought it was over. I had to remind myself that nice 8" EM focus projectors are 66% cheaper than the $5600. digital and for the money still throw a beautiful pic. :) by all acconts I am getting a Moome HDMI input card soon so I'll see how close HD-DVD gets me to what I saw from RS1 - Blue Ray combo.

actually I think $350. for a Barco S with burtn Sony tubes is too much ;)

Oh yeah, this is the burnt tube one. Yep, that is too much. :)

I am getting a Moome HDMI input card soon so I'll see how close HD-DVD gets me to what I saw from RS1 - Blue Ray combo.

You are going to be surprised at just how close it gets you (like 95%+). :)

You are going to be surprised at just how close it gets you (like 95%+). :) I would be shocked, actually there's now way really. Considering a calibrated RS1 is 450 ANSI and seeing that kind of light output thoguh it's hard to get used to 225 ANSI.
With CRT there's no way to get that much light short of stacking so i'm I am still trying to figure out a solution. Side-stacking 8500's doesn't work and I can't afford a blender so I migth have to go Torus to get part way there?

I would be shocked, actually there's now way really. Considering a calibrated RS1 is 450 ANSI and seeing that kind of light output thoguh it's hard to get used to 225 ANSI.

It is a little brighter, but on typical content, unless you are running a huge screen, yours should be close. Plus, yours will not have convergence errors like the RS-1. :)

Sometimes you can get lucky buying something off ebay, but it's a crapshoot.
It's only a crapshoot if you make it that way. If you want to take a chance and bid on something you know nothing about than it's luck but if you ask the right questions and ask for pictures and consider the sellers FB etc than luck doesnt play much of a part. I've done extremely well over the years buying projectors on the bay. I've purchased no less than 5 Xtras over the years and every one of them worked perfectly and had great tubes.

It's really crazy what you can get these days for virtually nothing.

It's only a crapshoot if you make it that way. If you want to take a chance and bid on something you know nothing about than it's luck but if you ask the right questions and ask for pictures and consider the sellers FB etc than luck doesnt play much of a part. I've done extremely well over the years buying projectors on the bay. I've purchased no less than 5 Xtras over the years and every one of them worked perfectly and had great tubes.

It's really crazy what you can get these days for virtually nothing.

Care to part with any of those Xtras since you have Xtra? :D

A 980 Ultra? I'm interested...
How is the cosmetic and working condition? I've been thinking about making my 9XTra black for some time, and can certainly use the parts.


3 minutes, to reply, huh? ;) I need to finish my room and set up the one I have anyways.

A 980 Ultra? I'm interested...
How is the cosmetic and working condition? I've been thinking about making my 9XTra black for some time, and can certainly use the parts.

This will sound weird, but I'm not sure if mine is an Ultra or not. I had some tell me it IS (and this *may* have included Curt who tried to help me solve an issue a few years back), but I know I don't have the extra (point convergence??) that I think is associated with the Ultra model.

As for cosmetic - I don't think there are any issues.

Working condition: Fairly good. Tubes are supposedly rated for 10k hours, and I have 5.5 (if I recall correctly). As you know with CRT, when you relocate it, you have to be careful with throw distance. Only 'defect' is a missing piece of phosphor on the green tube (about the size of a pixel) that is VERY hard to notice unless you're looking for it and you have either a full white screen or full green screen. Nobody but me has ever noticed it.

Projector is stil hanging from the ceiling so turning it on to check out picture is fairly easy.

I'm also dumping the ST130 screen, Runco processor and transcoder. If you need stuff like that, let me know.