I've got my eye on a Barco Vision 600 which appears from some cursory photos to be in extremely good condition (in a hardcase and looks almost unused). No data on hours or tube wear though.

I know the PJ likely can't sync over NTSC, but I'm wondering if it (or at least the tubes in it) are worth grabbing to have some fun with or if it could be coaxed into producing a soft but higher res for gaming (could be cool to run Unreal Tournament and I don't really care about super duper res).

Anybody know what a rule of thumb value for one is and so forth? Thanks!

They are SD 187 tubes. I'd offer $50, they don't go for more than that on ebay.

This was one of the first CRT projectors I ever saw in an installation, also introduced me to the Barco brand. I guess it was around 17 years ago.

I remember being amazed at the picture quality and size. Funny how perceptions can change over time.

Heh, yeah. If it's in good shape I might either set it up in the HT room to run 4:3 SD stuff and pipe the TiVo down there for when I want a nicer TV experience, or run it as an FP TV upstairs (I don't get HDTV out in the sticks here - luckily I *do* get 5mb cable internet...). Probably, though, it's not going to be nearly bright enough for the second option.

I also might set it up in my office to ... I don't know, show something or other. Cycle through webcams or run winamp visualizations. Basically just use it as accent lighting. Don't tell Mark_AW. :D

Well, looks like I've got a deal. $30, if I can arrange a pickup time that works for both of us. The flight case is probably worth it alone, for something or other! :D

Now I just have to figure out what to do with it. If the tubes are minty, I understand they might be worthwhile; apparently they can go in some later model, far more capable PJs. So I could find the best PJ that takes those tubes, with toasted ones, and swap 'em in.

Or I could just hang it in my office and play SNES games and Unreal Tournament on it, if the 480i isn't too obnoxious. Interestingly, my wife didn't really say anything when I said I was getting another one of the monsters... nothing like having 5x the space you used to to take the pressure off. :)