Alright, I haven't been around this crt crow too long but the question for me has finally come. I have owned two XG projectors and my current is an excellent XG 110LC machine. I'm not here to have a throw down of any sorts but need some good input from some very smart people. In short I have some issues with my crt and I'm really considering a digital for the time being. Here are the pros and cons of my current situation.

Pros:
excellent vivid colors that just pop off screen
full fade to black (i like this the most) also includes just great black levels
overall just an amazing picture for the price

Cons:
freaking huge and I can't take it everywhere I go (still young and would like to take my pj over friends houses to play games or a movie)
difficult setup (i can't do this perfect so i know the projector is not setup to the fullest. also if i accidently hit the table its on or the house shifts i have to redo setup which sucks.)
fan noise (maybe not on some but is a little loud on the XG)
heat (a common problem that for some is probably not that big of issue but for me I can't watch more than one movie because by the end of the first its just uncomfortably hot as i have no real circulation in the ht room)
not too bright and crushes blacks (i could fix this by getting moomes new card with gamma to help the blacks but thats something i didn't want to buy yet)

Most of the problems I have with the crt are not too much of a problem on digitals but they inheirt other issues. I won't discuss those because most of you already know them very well but if you were to buy a digital for around 1200 what would you get? I'm not going with an expensive digital yet because I know they aren't perfect but I can confidently say that in my mind they will surpase most crts within five years or perhaps a little sooner.

Some things I don't like about digitals are the expensive lamp replacement and if it breaks I'm screwed. I purchased my XG knowing it was broken but within a few trys was able to fix the problem. Overall I'm really on the edge to go either way. It might be possible to have both if someone could tell me of a decent digital for about $500 or so. This would be nice to have for games and taking to a friends house.

Get the Moome hd external box for 390 and then use the left over for a cheap digital to take to your friends or bedroom or whenver a quick set up is ideal. And actually just wait to get the digital i kept mine after i went to crt ofr that same reason and its still in the basment just collecting dust.

Athanasios

Get a digital...I just had the Samsung 710 and for anything other than a really dark scene, it had better contrast than a crt. It was brighter, and sharper too..and it was $800. Furthermore, it was whisper quiet...and could be placed behind you.

Problem is...dark scenes are really important to me....they really make movies worth watching as it suspends reality.

pm me if you want to sell it...I might take it off your hands.

Ben

Get a digital...I just had the Samsung 710 and for anything other than a really dark scene, it had better contrast than a crt. It was brighter, and sharper too..and it was $800. Furthermore, it was whisper quiet...and could be placed behind you.

Problem is...dark scenes are really important to me....they really make movies worth watching as it suspends reality.

pm me if you want to sell it...I might take it off your hands.

Ben

lol, sounds liek you talking him out of crt so you can get back in ;)

Athansios

An XG-LC really deserves to be in a set-up where it's performing at it's full potential. If you can't mount the CRt on the ceiling and set it up properly then just get rid of it and get an LCD. Mtyson really loves them, you guys can get togehter and have a Red rope-light party. :D

You shouldn't need to redo setup if you knock your table. Just get the projector back to where it was. My first setup was with a home made MDF screen on wheels (don't ask...!), which I'd put in front of the telly to watch a film. Bring up the cross-hatch, a little nudge to the left of the screen, a little pull to the right, and presto! Back in business! Same goes for the projector. Why not put the table on wheels, to make it really easy to put back, and you won't feel so bad when you knock it?

regardless of what happens, regardless of me buying another crt...he should get a digital. It's that simple. Some people are afraid of making their own opinion or choice....I've had several crt's and several digitals, so I think I can help people decide objectively.

I take no offence to someone switching to digital....I encourage it.

An XG-LC really deserves to be in a set-up where it's performing at it's full potential. If you can't mount the CRt on the ceiling and set it up properly then just get rid of it and get an LCD. Mtyson really loves them, you guys can get togehter and have a Red rope-light party. :D

For the time being its on a table but in its permanent position it will be ceiling mounted. But this "temporary" placement may be for a while. I'll probably have to pass on the red rope and go with a green one :).

If you want to take it to friends then buy a Sony Aw-15 but it is twice what you listed.
I don't care for DLP but MTyson has Sharp DT500 which is another option.
And... Have some one to help you to ceiling install the XG and go thru learning how to set it up 90%. With 90% set up XG is even better that Sony Pearl. At the end of the day, you will have two pj's... one to watch animations and play games and the other for film material.

In fact I agree with Caspian...the Sony lcd that I had was really natural and high ansi contrast....it was also virtually silent. But again, fell short in the darkest scenes. Otherwise, an excellent option for a former crter.

IMHO, CRT is a hobby while a digital is convenient, easy to set up, and will put up a picture that is better than CRT in some ways and not as good in others. I have both. I spend a lot of time working on, or tweaking the CRT, and more time actually viewing on the digital.

I think Neil just nailed it!!

That may be the most articulate wording of digital and crt that I've ever read....huge!

As a person that has owned three CRT's including the NEC XG 135LC VR, and Sony G90U, and now owns an RS1 I offer this advice. If you have access to view various CRT's or digital units do it. Let you eye be your guide, CRT puts out an amazing picture, but digital units have good points as well.

The JVC RS1 and some of the up and coming units from Sony do very well in this area I don't miss my G90 as much as I thought I would.

full fade to black

IMHO, CRT is a hobby while a digital is convenient, easy to set up, and will put up a picture that is better than CRT in some ways and not as good in others. I have both. I spend a lot of time working on, or tweaking the CRT, and more time actually viewing on the digital.

Yes, I agree that is an accurate statement. I find that my hobby is actually watching movies and not playing with the crt. I may check out a few digitals to see what they have to offer. I would like to check out a digital with a high ansi contrast rating. The RS1 seems pretty cool and I probably would be happy with one but I certainly am not happy with the price. For right now that is just simply way too much. What about the $1000 price range? Has anyone seen the HD1000u or HD70? These seem to be fairly popular.

I'm tellin ya...the Samsung is very nice, and otherwise the Sony LCD is very natural looking. The Samsung has the highest ansi contrast of any other I believe...and it's dirt cheap...but then again, it has quality issues. But for $800, you can get a warranty and get your moneys worth.

HD1000u = garbage. It has a white segment in the color wheel...you won't dig it.

Ben

Both are good, it just comes down to what you like. There are pros and cons to each, its not a simple/easy question to answer only you can make the choice. Just be smart about it and look at as many projectors as you can. But in the end if you want to lug it around go digital, CRTs are pretty big. Plus if you take a CRT down everytime you will need to set it back up.

I'm looking at the samsung and sony on various places but just to keep my options open has anyone taken a look at the epson cinema 400? There is a rather large rebate going on those right now along with a rebate on the HD70 that drops these to some very resonable prices.

How is going digital a fix for the heat problem, it has a very bright lamp that produces TONS of heat?!

If you can't let some fresh air into the room or you don't have an airconditioner then use a personal fan to cool you.

How is going digital a fix for the heat problem, it has a very bright lamp that produces TONS of heat?!

If you can't let some fresh air into the room or you don't have an airconditioner then use a personal fan to cool you.

You are probably right, I didn't think a much smaller digital could put out as much heat as the crt but I could be wrong. I do use a personal fan. The main reason for getting a digital now is for just playing games and taking places. I'm really wanting to keep both so I'm on the look out for a cheap gaming projector. There are a few brand new 720p projectors that can be had for around 600-700 dollars which is pretty cheap for a new one under warranty. I'm looking for something that has a long warranty and I can get a bulb warranty also that way I won't have to worry too much over the next few years.
If by chance I am somehow satisfied enough with the picture of my new digital then I may consider getting rid of the crt but I highly doubt that.

NateTTU,
Get a digital for what you want to do. It wont help the room heat problem but its easier to take with you. Doug

I'm tellin ya...the Samsung is very nice, and otherwise the Sony LCD is very natural looking. The Samsung has the highest ansi contrast of any other I believe...and it's dirt cheap...but then again, it has quality issues. But for $800, you can get a warranty and get your moneys worth.

HD1000u = garbage. It has a white segment in the color wheel...you won't dig it.

Ben

Ben,

Could you point me to where you found the Samsung for $800? The cheapest I found was tiger direct for $900 but doesn't offer a bulb warranty which would be really nice to have.

DLP produce the most heat you can have. Be aware of that.
If you have light color walls and ceiling, ansi contrast gets down to a low point.
Stay away from both mits1000 and optima 70 as mentioned before they really are pesentation DLP's no HT.

Do not dump the XG for any sub $3000 PJ' if it is in good condition.
Samsung has issues watch out.

NateTTU,

Keep in mind that you have a very nice LC CRT. CaspianN makes a good point. The Samsung is not in the same league as your CRT. It is my guess that you would be able to read by the light coming off of the screen when it is displaying full black. I recently went from a Sony G70 to a digital. If I had gone with something like the Samsung I would have been completely unsatisfied and unhappy. If you are looking at having a digital that can compete with the XG at least in some areas it is going to require an investment. You also have the choice of buying a cheap digital for games and to take with you and keeping the CRT.

I guess I should point out that I really want to keep my crt so I'm just looking for a cheap gaming digital pj. I like the image too much to let go but I also like playing lots of games.
Honestly I'm not going to be very picky on the image as it is just for games and I'm looking for dirt cheap. Heck I was looking at picking up one of those lumenlab premade lcd projectors for around $350. Even if the bulb burns out it costs only $30 to replace. Another cheap alternative is an epson cinema 400 for around $550 with a 2 year warranty plus I could buy a 3 year bulb replacement warranty for another $200. Someone did point out to me that I really need to consider the response times of these lcd projectors as they may be too slow for my gaming needs.

You need to settle the digital PJ decision making in under 3K forum.
They are more than willing to help. I already made a suggestion earlier.

I guess I should point out that I really want to keep my crt so I'm just looking for a cheap gaming digital pj. I like the image too much to let go but I also like playing lots of games.
Honestly I'm not going to be very picky on the image as it is just for games and I'm looking for dirt cheap. Heck I was looking at picking up one of those lumenlab premade lcd projectors for around $350. Even if the bulb burns out it costs only $30 to replace. Another cheap alternative is an epson cinema 400 for around $550 with a 2 year warranty plus I could buy a 3 year bulb replacement warranty for another $200. Someone did point out to me that I really need to consider the response times of these lcd projectors as they may be too slow for my gaming needs.
I looked into this kind of PJ a while ago, do you know that the bulbs in overhead projectors last only tens of hours?

Something like an average of 50 hours and that is the manufacturers spec so expect less before actual failure.

You may get 100 hours if you are lucky.

Can you put up with the colour change of the bulbs output?

It worked out cheaper for bulbs for a digital PJ than for overhead PJ bulbs to cover the same number of hours, there is still the colour change issue though but the longer the bulb lasts, the longer it takes for the colour to change.

A digital is the best portable option though.

Can't play games on most cheap digitals .. PRT (Pixel Response Time) is awful. Especially FPS type games

Can you put up with standard definition for games?

If so you might consider one of the older standard definition CRT projectors like the Sony VPH600 (300 lumens, 525 lines max video, 1000 lines RGB), VPH720, VPH1000 (600 lumens, 650 lines max video, 1000 lines RGB) or VPH1020 or similar which have analog convergence instead of digital convergence.
This is not to be confused with the display signal as it relates to the convergence of the pictures, the display signal is still analog, the convergence is done by trimpots (trimmer potentiometers) which are those little things you adjust with a plastic screwdriver like adjustment tool although I just use my fingetip and make sure I don't touch anything else.
Or maybe a VPH1031 which can do 1080i, again it is analog convergence and can only be set up for 1 input type at a time, e.g. to go from SD 4:3 to SD 16:9 needs reconverging or to go from SD to 1080i needs reconverging. My VPH1000QM can go from SD 4:3 to SD 16:9 without reconverging but won't do 1080i.

The reason I suggest these is because they are lighter (typically 30Kgs) and can be set up fairly quickly, my VPH1000QM (QM denotes voltage input, here in Australia 240VAC, Europe 220VAC) can be set up in about 30 minutes if you are familiar with setting it up or 1 hour if not familiar.

These are sometimes referred to as 7" ES (ElectroStatic focus) sets and can be had for less than a few hundred dollars depending on your location and it's condition, these will outlast any digital PJ, I know this because my VPH1000QM had 20,000 hours on the tubes when I got it and now has over 80,000 hours on the same set of tubes after 13 years of use by me, ok it is getting dim now and I am going to have to adjust the G2 (screen brightness on the HV splitter) but I have never done this yet but I am now starting to see serious degradation of contrast and some slight colour change (slight green-ness to skin tones).

I use my VPH1000QM with my Xbox (original not 360) all the time, minimum screen size is 60" diagonal but I use it at 138" to 140" (2.1m H x 2.8m W).

An XG-LC really deserves to be in a set-up where it's performing at it's full potential. If you can't mount the CRt on the ceiling and set it up properly then just get rid of it and get an LCD. Mtyson really loves them, you guys can get togehter and have a Red rope-light party. :D

Don't say I love them and suggest he get an LCD. That's a bit misleading. lol. I own a Sharp DT-500 as mentioned.

BTW, to the OP, get a Sharp DT-500 if you want a digital. HD is just ridiculous on it. It's so freaking bright too.

Here's a couple shots with a dvd in low lamp mode with the iris on (on my silver torus screen):

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1319/d41nw6.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7546/d101tx6.jpg

Can't play games on most cheap digitals .. PRT (Pixel Response Time) is awful. Especially FPS type games

DLP projectors won't have any response time issues.