Sorry new to sonys here
Does the lens shift use keyston? or how does the len shift work?
For example the Optomoa HD-80 is fixed at 137% with no lens shift.
Which will not work very well for my application (7'-4" ceiling)

Sorry new to sonys here
Does the lens shift use keyston?
No, it's a true lens shift.

Anyone compared the VW60's lens shifting to the VW50's? Is it a finer motion or is it a bit "jerky"? I've noticed the VW50's freezes up a bit if not regularly used.

Mine seems fine... No jerkiness here...

I'm not sure if its true but others here on AVS have posted previously that, like so many other things with HDMI 1.3, the auto lip sync feature is OPTIONAL in the 1.3 spec. So both your display and source must support AND implement the feature, and the AVR must as well (assuming you are switching through it of course).Exactly correct, and supporting the HDMI VSDB latency fields in the EDID is entirely optional in each HDMI 1.3 equipped component. So don't hold your breath for any complete system to actually do lip sync correction correctly using this mechanism. In addition, HDMI 1.3 doesn't support dynamic changes to the latency (which will be required to make this useful for most projectors or video processors), which OF COURSE will be supported in a future HDMI version (according to the HDMI 1.3 spec) - so we can all ask if the next projector has HDMI 1.6. But you really want to wait for HDMI 1.8 which will (according to my impeccable sources) have all of the features necessary to finally give you that "peace of mind" we have all been waiting for to know that our projector purchase won't be missing an important new HDMI feature in the future. At least until HDMI 2.0 is released ....

Anyone see a trend here?

Greg,

When you measured the mANSI of the VW60 was it in Auto1, Auto2, Manual Iris, or Off? How did the mANSI differ with those settings?

Miguel.

Greg,

When you measured the mANSI of the VW60 was it in Auto1, Auto2, Manual Iris, or Off? How did the mANSI differ with those settings?

Miguel.It was in Auto1. I didn't measure it with minimum Iris. The difference in mANSI measurements between min and max iris settings is usually about 10% or less because stray light that would be reduced by a smaller iris is a small part of the "black level" of a 100%/0% checkerboard. i.e. the full-field (on-off) CR is usually 10-20 times the mANSI contrast.

It was in Auto1. I didn't measure it with minimum Iris. The difference in mANSI measurements between min and max iris settings is usually about 10% or less because stray light that would be reduced by a smaller iris is a small part of the "black level" of a 100%/0% checkerboard. i.e. the full-field (on-off) CR is usually 10-20 times the mANSI contrast.

Thanks for answering my question. Would there be little difference between min zoom and max zoom as far as mANSI contrast goes? (I don't know how much more light is scattered within the lens at max zoom.)

We watched Dracula Blu ray and The Shining HD DVD and they looked brilliant on the Black pearl going in 1080p/23.98! Tonite, Meet The Robinsons! :)

I was looking for Greg's review on widescreenreview.com and I could not find it using the search tool.

Did the review get pulled? :confused:

We watched Dracula Blu ray and The Shining HD DVD and they looked brilliant on the Black pearl going in 1080p/23.98! Tonite, Meet The Robinsons! :)

Watched the BD Robinsons last night it was pretty good. I was not that impressed with the uncompressed audio although.

I just got finished painting the area around my screen flat black. So I had to take the night off from the black pearl. We plan to watch Meet The Robinsons tomorrow so I will use regular D.D. and then add Ultra2 cinema. Thanks! :)

Sony has always been known for bad quality control issues.

It's difficult for me to understand why the variation in projectors can be more than 5%-10%. Is the manufacturing process that bad? Or are there other factors - the lamp for example.
I would purchase a VW60 in a second if I could get a projector that was within 5-10% of gregr's test results. I need the lumens based on screen size and long throw. Really frustrating!

I must have gotten very lucky then because I am at 110 hours hours and mine is still as bright as day one! And it must have been closer to the unit gregr tested... :)

Do people measure with the same brand equipment?
Do people measure with THE same unit?
Do people measure with a calibrated unit?
Do people use the same method?
Do people understand and use the math and units correctly?
Are people in general experts in maximizing the dynamics of their projector through calibration?
Projectors are not the same but I would say people come in greater variation. ;)

I was looking for Greg's review on widescreenreview.com and I could not find it using the search tool.

Did the review get pulled? :confused:

It's on the front page under current issue.

It's on the front page under current issue.

Thanks!

Hey guys is WSR a good magazine,I was going to subscribe to it.Are they as good as PC for reviews and info.Thanks

WSR does have good reviews but not anywhere enough of them. at around 96 pages, there is a ton of adverts and some articules seem just to pass over info.

So WSR good but not great, TBH Gregrs reviews are the highlight of the mag.

Personally i wont be renewing my subscription as its not good value for money.

The Ezine subscription seems like a better option, at least then you can download the good bits, but the mag has become MEH..

as an example this mths issue has 41 pages of adverts,8 pages of Alan bell trying to justify paramount dumb decision (and doing a bad job of it TBH), and 5 pages on why i need monster cable....from eh, monster.

thats half the pages gone already

the excellent VW60 review, the sony 300 BD review and thats it.

good bit of info on building a home HTPC, but nothing one probaly dosent know already and the rest dvd/bd/hddvd disc reviews and fillers.

I still enjopy WSR magazine for the most UNBIASED reviews in the business. :)

I was able to get my first impression of the VW60 today and I was impressed and unimpressed at the image. I felt the image was sharp and detalied with nice colors. Also it had a nice creamy smooth appearance that was film-like. Now the unimpressed part was that it really didn't have any pop to the scenes and daylight scenes lacked the extra brightness that is apparent in a good 1080 DLP. The only demo material I was able to view was a bLuray copy of Spiderman. The image just seemed dim and it was dialed in by an expert so Is it is just the inherent problems with the DILA or can this technology become brighter like a DLP. It seems I prefer the DLP over the DILA but I went in thnking I would prefer the DILA after all the reading. I still prefer the 9 inch CRT over all technologies. That extar brightness and pop in a lot of scenes will make DLP a better choice for many.

Joey

I don't know how long the expert took time calibrating the pj. We just finished watching Spiderman 3 Blu ray and it looked amazing! I am using most of OmarF's settings and I think he is on to something. The picture had plenty of POP to it! :eek: We also watched Meet The Robinsons and that was very good to. In fact, it ranks up there with some of the best cartoon HD titles. Ratatouille is still tied at the top with Chicken Little. Anyway, setting the Advanced Iris to MANUAL with a speed of 37 does give great Black level. And as long as you have the colors dialed in you should get a great picture. I have now spent a great amount of time tweaking this pj and after a few weeks (thanks to Omar's help) it is near its top potential. :)

joeycalda-

I've seen the VW50 and my impressions were similar, but based on the comments from OmarF and joerod, I suspect it's the dynamic gamma that's to blame on both the VW50 and VW60. I was looking at some of the contrast charts from the constrast thread, and the dynamic gamma makes a lot of changes to the contrast and image brightness versus iris at manual. Try those settings if you can.

If you're use to the higher ANSI CR levels of a good DLP PJ, most others will look somewhat flat in comparison. LCOS isn't close in this regard. This isn't to say DLP is best, as other technologies certainly have advantages over DLP, but if you're use to DLP pop... you're only going to find it with DLP. :)

Exactly! I miss DLP pjs. My Wife has the RBE issue severely otherwise I would probably have the new Marantz!

...daylight scenes lacked the extra brightness that is apparent in a good 1080 DLP. ... The image just seemed dim and it was dialed in by an expert so Is it is just the inherent problems with the DILA or can this technology become brighter like a DLP. ...I still prefer the 9 inch CRT over all technologies. That extar brightness and pop in a lot of scenes will make DLP a better choice for manyBrightness is a function of screen size/screen gain/lamp hours/throw position/iris setting! Example 105" wide/1.0 gain/200 hr/min throw/min iris will look very different than 92" wide/1.3 gain/20 hr/max throw/iris off! Lets not even include gamma settings, and the room!

I will tell you that the Black Pearl will be brighter than a 9" CRT in all pj settings. It will have more mid scene pop than all 9" CRTs!:)

I will admit though I have learned to really like the look of these sxrd/d-ila/lcd pjs. They are easier on the eyes. Having less eye strain does help for those long football days. I am now about 150 hours on the Black Pearl and I would have to say it is still BRIGHT! :eek:

If you're use to the higher ANSI CR levels of a good DLP PJ, most others will look somewhat flat in comparison. LCOS isn't close in this regard. This isn't to say DLP is best, as other technologies certainly have advantages over DLP, but if you're use to DLP pop... you're only going to find it with DLP. :)

Though it may not have the pop of DLP, I still think that what joeycaldo was referring to was a lot less than what the VW60 is capable of. If you compare rear projection DLP and LCOS, you'll see that the LCOS displays don't visually trail that far behind in pop from DLP. So, I would imagine that the amount of pop should be similar from rear projection LCOS to front projection. I actually often feel that the DLP seems artificially high and prefer the look of LCOS.

...and it's the steel cage, no-holds barred. DLP puts a sleeper-hold on the SXRD who drops to the canvas...but wait...reverse by SXRD ! Pile-driver from the ropes by the SXRD on the DLP who looks hurt...oh yea:cool:...this could get ugly folks...stand by for more....:eek:

I have a friend w/ the SXRD and one w/ an Optoma.

The Sony is superior when properly calibrated. Both friends kicked up the color temp to get that "pop" back, but I had calibrated those profiles as well.

I think most just don't like an even calibrated picture.

I have a friend w/ the SXRD and one w/ an Optoma.

The Sony is superior when properly calibrated. Both friends kicked up the color temp to get that "pop" back, but I had calibrated those profiles as well.

I think most just don't like an even calibrated picture.

Or they do not take the time to let it sink in. You have to re-train the eye/brain to see what an accurate picture should look like. People are getting too used to overly saturated colors.

Sure I could put a candy apple red Corvette body on a Hugo and sure it will look really cool sitting in the driveway but guess what?..... hummm were was I going with this…. ;)

I agree I like the colors and smoothness of the image, but even if you go in a supermarket there is a depth to brightness that is just not seen in the LCOS IMO. I like LCOS better, but DLP does have its advantages and they are ones that I do not want to be without. Most (non AV purist) people I believe would like DLP over LCOS. What does that tell you? If I purchased the LCOS first than probaly the same would be true as I would not change to DLP because I was used to LCOS. and I still prefer CRT but that just me. I wonder how the Panny 2000 will fair.

Joey

Joey

If you could see the Black Pearl with Omar's latest settings you would be amazed at the picture. Blu ray and HD DVD both look unbelievable. :eek:

I saw the VW60 today, and though I didn't really get a chance to play with many of the settings, I don't think it looked flat the way the VW50 did. Still, I wonder what Greg Rogers did to get that 320:1 mANSI.

I wonder if the ANSI contrast of film has ever been measured. Does anyone know?

I wonder if the ANSI contrast of film has ever been measured. Does anyone know?
On page 74 of the book Color and Mastering for Digital Cinema, it states that DLP Cinema projectors have an ANSI CR of "over 500:1" measured at the lens, and "less than 200:1" measured at a typical theater screen. It also states that film projectors typically have an ANSI CR of "about 150:1" measured at the screen.

I plugged the numbers for DLP Cinema projectors into my calculator (http://home1.gte.net/res18h39/contrast.htm) and determined that the room gain is at least 0.006, so the film projector is estimated to have an ANSI CR of about 275:1 at the lens.

On page 74 of the book Color and Mastering for Digital Cinema, it states that DLP Cinema projectors have an ANSI CR of "over 500:1" measured at the lens, and "less than 200:1" measured at a typical theater screen. It also states that film projectors typically have an ANSI CR of "about 150:1" measured at the screen.

I plugged the numbers for DLP Cinema projectors into my calculator (http://home1.gte.net/res18h39/contrast.htm) and determined that the room gain is at least 0.006, so the film projector is estimated to have an ANSI CR of about 275:1 at the lens.

Thanks for looking that it up! Greg - do you measure mANSI off the screen?

I suspect that the 1.3gain stewart would be a good match for the VW60. I have seen it on a light gray screen which I think might make for a les bright picture. Am I right?

It kind of depends on how big the screen is and in what mode you're viewing the projector. I remember reading lumen measurements for high lamp, short throw range from 525-571. So if you have a 1 gain 120" 16:9 screen, you'd divide the lumens (let's take worse case scenario 525) by the square feet of the screen (approximately 43 square feet) and you get 12.2 foot lamberts. Cutting it a little close if you take into account that a bulb loses about 20% of it's brightness over time. I'd go with at least a 1.3 gain screen if you're going with 120" or larger.

I suspect that the 1.3gain stewart would be a good match for the VW60. I have seen it on a light gray screen which I think might make for a les bright picture. Am I right?I will say it again, brightness is a function of screen size and gain, in addition to the pj . A 100" diag gray GrayHawk (.95 gain) will be be brighter than a 120" diag ST130 (1.3 gain).

What was the screen size and type when you saw the VW60?
What settings were used (lamp/iris)?
How much ambient light was in the room?

Is the VW60 capable for a 60"x111" Firehawk in a less-than-ideal living room setup ? (my cal shows 500/46.25 * 1.25 = abt 13.5fl new)... that doesn't sound too promising right ?

(btw sorry for the OT: why they make a lower-gain SST "specifically for the VW50" ? Shouldn't it need higher gain ?)

I continue to doubt that the increased depth that most people see with DLP is the result of relatively high ANSI contrast. My reasons?

First, other display types have even higher ANSI contrast and they seem no better or worse in the depth department. I measured one of the new Kuro Pioneer plasmas the other day to have ANSI contrast in the neighborhood of 3000:1. This is nearly 4 times the figure of the best DLPs, yet its depth looked good, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

Second, CRTs have very poor ANSI contrast, on the order of 100:1, yet the depth on a good CRT looks quite good.

So if a display with stratospheric ANSI CR offers no great advantage in depth while another display with poor ANSI shows no obvious deficit in depth, then ANSI CR and perceivable depth are very poorly correlated.

The great thing about the Black Pearl is the flexibility. The wide color mode looked spectacular on the Blu-Ray of Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula." That's a very visually outre movie that gains from the extra impact. Other movies look beautiful with the normal color mode like "From Hell" in Blu-Ray and "Nip-Tuck" in HD DVD.

I deinterlace, add contrast and some slight sharpness from a Terranex processor. I leave the Black Pearls settings at standard. I used to use Gamma 3, but decided the picture had more pop without it.

Does anybody else use a processor to improve the picture? How do you find it effects the image?

Burt Vincent (capnvid)

Greg - do you measure mANSI off the screen?No. I am reviewing the performance of the projector, not a room.

I would like to add that this projector is one of the quietest projectors I never heard!! I real plus in a lot of movies.

Yes, it is very quiet. I use a crystalio II with mine and it gives me even more options when it comes to tweaking. ;)

I continue to doubt that the increased depth that most people see with DLP is the result of relatively high ANSI contrast. My reasons?

First, other display types have even higher ANSI contrast and they seem no better or worse in the depth department. I measured one of the new Kuro Pioneer plasmas the other day to have ANSI contrast in the neighborhood of 3000:1. This is nearly 4 times the figure of the best DLPs, yet its depth looked good, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

Second, CRTs have very poor ANSI contrast, on the order of 100:1, yet the depth on a good CRT looks quite good.

So if a display with stratospheric ANSI CR offers no great advantage in depth while another display with poor ANSI shows no obvious deficit in depth, then ANSI CR and perceivable depth are very poorly correlated.

Hmm, I can't imagine ANSI contrast not having an impact, but I suspect that the gamma curve may be the culprit. Images with gamma curves less than 2.2 would appear to have less depth than those with curves greater than 2.2. I don't know too much about CRT pjs, but don't they often have gamma curves of 2.5 or at least greater than 2.2?

We watched Ratatouilee Blu ray last night and all I can say is WOW! :eek: The Black Pearl's image it put out was unbelievable. The colors, pure eyecandy. The amount of detail that was rendered actually surpasses Chicken Little.Then we watched HD DVD- I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry. That actually was funny and had a nice color palette as well. There is a few scenes where Kevin James is wearing a jacket that is blue and black. The black is REALLY black. Nice and inky. Even my Wife commented how nice the picture is looking. Between this one and the Ratatouille Blu ray disc the Black Pearl has been showing its "true colors" and is making me think twice about getting the WV200. ;)

;) I know what you mean! I was watching The Patriot on BR last night and could not believe how good it looked. I heard Ratato is reference and I need to find who has it cheapest and pick it up for this weekend.

I also did some more testing with the Black Pearl and found that the "Wide" color mode provides more accurate reds so I think I will be sticking with it. The reds are more towards the orange range looking at them on the color gamut CIE diagram when in the normal setting. Not sure if this is just my unit but I am sure other that have did ISF calibrations on the BP can chime in.

I had it in WIDE for Rat on Blu ray and Meet The Robinsons. I will do the same for Cars to. :) It just looks insanely good... :eek:

I mean why not? They are cartoons/animation/digital. Hi-tech cartoons, but still...

I'd put a LOT more stock in The Patriot than the Rat. Knowwhaddamean?

Joe- do you sleep ?:cool:

I think our VW-60 review thread has "gone Hollywood." Maybe this would be better served in the section on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray ???

It still pertains to the Black Pearl since we are watching them using it. Plus we are discussing colors. :D And talk about SHARP! :eek:

It still pertains to the Black Pearl since we are watching them using it. Plus we are discussing colors. :D And talk about SHARP! :eek:

OK, there ya go! Sharp is GOOD. Yea, I have consistently appreciated the sharpness of the VW-60 when viewed various places, w/ different screens/different material. I just think that the 60 is quite a nice improvement over the 50. Joe,ya might wanna hold onto that VW-60 ! I think you have a winner...and it's tweaked out.:cool:

My WV60 now has 159 hours on it and it is as bright as the day I turned it on. I use HIGH lamp mode. I hope to get up to 2,000 on it before I need to replace. You can get lamps for 299 so I am not worried at all about it. I use to pay 800 for replacements for my Ruby... :eek:

Why are you using the high lamp mode Joe?

I like the extra kick. :)

Should I not use it?

Reio-ta. By tomorrow, I will have reached 3000 hours on my VPLvw-60 and by Thurs I will have 2750 hours on my Panasonic. I'll post a full bulb aging and reliability report for you next week. Sorry I couldnt get 3000 hours on the Panny so quickly but it takes 12 weeks of running it 24/7 to amass 3000 hours on it and I haven't had it that long yet. I generally get projectors about 3 months before the manufacturer releases them so I can rum em 24/7 to provide actual rather than spec machine bulb life times for my buds at the forum.

Great! We look forward to your findings...

I think the high setting throughs off the gamma curve a bit but I dont remember as I did way to much testing and tweaking over the last two weeks and fryed my mind.

I am going to stick with low lamp and wide color and I am going to watch a ton of BluRay this weekend.

Reio-ta. By tomorrow, I will have reached 3000 hours on my VPLvw-60 and by Thurs I will have 2750 hours on my Panasonic. I'll post a full bulb aging and reliability report for you next week. Sorry I couldnt get 3000 hours on the Panny so quickly but it takes 12 weeks of running it 24/7 to amass 3000 hours on it and I haven't had it that long yet. I generally get projectors about 3 months before the manufacturer releases them so I can rum em 24/7 to provide actual rather than spec machine bulb life times for my buds at the forum.

Mark, are those bulb figures relevant to normal users? You are running your tests at 24/7 and most users will fire up the PJ and watch for a few hours at at time. Multiple bulb strikes will wear out a bulb much faster than constant 24/7.

Mark, are those bulb figures relevant to normal users? You are running your tests at 24/7 and most users will fire up the PJ and watch for a few hours at at time. Multiple bulb strikes will wear out a bulb much faster than constant 24/7.

I think you didn't get his point. :D

When you modified your settings and saved them, does that mean instead of selecting "Cinema Mode" you now select "User 1-3" ?

Do you calibrate for gray scale with an active iris or iris off, and how is gray scale affected as the iris opens and closes during a movie?

With some DVD players you have the option for color correction at the source, is this recommended or should you leave the DVD player at default setting and adjust your image using the VPL-VW60 controls?

Ozzie

Reio-ta. By tomorrow, I will have reached 3000 hours on my VPLvw-60 and by Thurs I will have 2750 hours on my Panasonic. I'll post a full bulb aging and reliability report for you next week. Sorry I couldnt get 3000 hours on the Panny so quickly but it takes 12 weeks of running it 24/7 to amass 3000 hours on it and I haven't had it that long yet. I generally get projectors about 3 months before the manufacturer releases them so I can rum em 24/7 to provide actual rather than spec machine bulb life times for my buds at the forum.

How is the Panny holding up from a reliability standpoint? I noticed that the Panny warranty limits the warranty to 2 years or 2000 hours, whichever comes first. Sounds kinda short to me. Thanks.

I posted this in the Receivers forum (can't link yet), but didn't get much response specifically regarding the Pearl, so thought I'd try asking owners of the Sony Black Pearl. Since there's not an official thread, this one appeared active enough to ask in. The biggest question I have is what video processing should I have the receiver do, and what processing should I have the VW60 do? I think this will only come into play with SD channels on my DirecTV HR20.

If anyone's purchased one of the latest receivers to go along with their Pearl, I'd love to hear what you're using. Thanks.

*******************
I have a new home being constructed that we'll move in to mid-December. Here's what my setup will be:

Sony Black Pearl projector
DirecTV HR20
PS3
Toshiba HD-A30

The dealer I'm using to supply the media room is recommending the Sony ES series to me. Currently I'm selecting the 4300. I've been following the problems mentioned in this thread - and the black crush seems to be the biggest issue. That issue seems to negate the primary reason for purchasing this receiver - upconversion (sorry if my terms aren't correct) of component source to 1080p over HDMI.

Based on the items I'll have, the two DVD players will be hooked up via HDMI and will handle upconversion of standard DVDs themselves. The only thing I could really upconvert would be SD channels through the HR20. I would plan on hooking the HR20 to the 4300 via Component and HDMI (and output over HDMI). For the (very) few SD channels I would watch, I would switch to component input and hope for a better picture through the receiver. Or would my Black Pearl do the job of upconverting via a component input of the HR20?

So, based on what I'll be using, and staying around a range of $1300-$1500, is the 4300 really the receiver I should be looking at? Other considerations: 1) keeping up with the HD audio formats, 2) at least 3 HDMI inputs, 3) decent onscreen GUI - I won't fiddle alot with it, but my receiver will be in a closet) 4) decent manufacturer support via FW updates.

The dealer (who is linked to the builder and thus I can role it all into the mortgage) also has Marantz, Integra, and Yamaha receivers. But if the Denon 3808 is more of what I should be getting, then I can always afford to buy it separately. I appreciate any advice - Thanks.

Testing material from PS3 1080P/24 onto a 119" HP at minimum throw I see a pretty significant difference in black level in low APL scenes when the iris is fixed in the 20-30 range as compared to Auto 1 iris setting. I'm sure the HP screen has much to do with black level elevation but is there a way to achieve an equally low black level by manipulating Auto 1 (not using ND filters)?

Thinking about getting a new projector to replace my older one. I'd like to take advantage of my new PS3 and my current projector has no HDMI. I've been looking at the Sony 50, especially since the price dropped. Did anyone have a 50 before getting the 60, and if so, is there a big difference or improvement? I have a 110 Stewart Firehawk (because of my current DLP) with a 10' ceiling.

Also, in reading one particular review, they didn't recommend ceiling mounting due to picture quality issues. Has anyone had a problem?

Had the 50 went to the 60 and I'm happy I did. The 50 is great though for the $$.
I'd say it all depends on your budget.
I've had zero problems with ceiling mounting.

scott

I have basically the same setup. I went with the Yamaha RX-V3800. It's in the same price range as the Sony ES, Onkyo 875, and the Denon 3808 and has all the same features.

It has 4 HDMI ports in, one out. I was looking for a unit that did a good job with audio auto lipsync. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. It also displays the GUI over HDMI. Some of the receivers will only display the GUI over composite or component.

My input sources are a Tivo Series 3, 1080p upconvert Sony DVD player, Wii, various game systems. I have one HDMI cable running up to the projector and that's it for now. I'll probably pull cables up for the VGA connector but I don't think I'll need anything else.

Also look at the manuals for your receiver choices online before you buy them. Most will have an audio and video conversion chart. It will show you what inputs it will upconvert from/to. You may have to watch your DirectTV in S-Video mode in order to force it to upconvert since most receivers will let any HD pass through and I'm not sure what your DirectTV outputs via component.



...

If anyone's purchased one of the latest receivers to go along with their Pearl, I'd love to hear what you're using. Thanks.

*******************
I have a new home being constructed that we'll move in to mid-December. Here's what my setup will be:

Sony Black Pearl projector
DirecTV HR20
PS3
Toshiba HD-A30


So, based on what I'll be using, and staying around a range of $1300-$1500, is the 4300 really the receiver I should be looking at? Other considerations: 1) keeping up with the HD audio formats, 2) at least 3 HDMI inputs, 3) decent onscreen GUI - I won't fiddle alot with it, but my receiver will be in a closet) 4) decent manufacturer support via FW updates.

The dealer (who is linked to the builder and thus I can role it all into the mortgage) also has Marantz, Integra, and Yamaha receivers. But if the Denon 3808 is more of what I should be getting, then I can always afford to buy it separately. I appreciate any advice - Thanks.

Had the 50 went to the 60 and I'm happy I did. The 50 is great though for the $$.
I'd say it all depends on your budget.
I've had zero problems with ceiling mounting.

scott
Thanks Scott.

Could you tell me the main reasons you went to the 60 over the 50? Been thinking about the 50 since it came out and deciding if I should change out my current Sharp 9000 DLP. It was one of the one's to have back when but obviously doesn't have the latest technology, to be able to take advantage of BR, etc.

The 50's price point makes it more attractive, of course. Now that I am strongly considering a change, the 60 is out, with better specs (?). Then I read the review that strongly recommends table mounting these because of keystone, angle, etc. issues. I backtracked on the thread and read that the lens should be within the screen height. My Sharp came with a short nipple, which was all that was needed for my 10' ceiling. The screen starts at 25" down and ends at 85" down. The projector is about 16.5' back.

I called Stewart about switching from my current FireHawk screen (specifically for DLP) to a screen specifically for SXRD, and was amazed to hear that my screen would be just fine. And that he wouldn't waste his money on changing it, as it wouldn't be much different. I appreciated his honesty and that saves me about $2000+.

I'm just concerned about the ceiling mount issue and don't have a problem with using an extension.

PS. I have Bryston separates and the processor doesn't have HDMI's (they're more into music). I'm not even touching this as there's alot of watts and $$$ in this system.

One question regarding mounting for the VW-60. I need to mount this from the underside of a beam 3-1/4" wide. Anyone know of a bracket I can do that with? I suspect it would need to have a saddle with a 3-1/4" wide base that the sides would wrap up the side of the beam to bolt in (The beam runs the direction of front to back on the projector).

I probably need it to extend the projector down a foot or so also.

Richard with AVS is looking into this for me, but thought I'd see if anyone here had ideas.

Could you tell me the main reasons you went to the 60 over the 50? Been thinking about the 50 since it came out and deciding if I should change out my current Sharp 9000 DLP.

PS. I have Bryston separates and the processor doesn't have HDMI's (they're more into music). .

Well the 60 is certainly the newer and better projector. All things equal, why not get the latest and greatest?

Well...I was able to get a 50 for less than the current price of a Panny 2000, plus a 5 year Sony warranty. I have seen both and IMO the differences are not that great. I know you will hear from others who will tell you the 60 will blow the doors off the 50, but I just don't see it. People see and hear what they want to see and hear.

For another objective review read this summary by Jeoffrey Morrison from Home Theater Mag. Quote, "So, in the end, the VPL-VW60 performs slightly better than the VPL-VW50. Very slightly."

http://www.hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/1107sonyvw60/

BYW, the Bryston is great stuff.:)

Good luck with your decision.

Well the 60 is certainly the newer and better projector. All things equal, why not get the latest and greatest?

Well...I was able to get a 50 for less than the current price of a Panny 2000, plus a 5 year Sony warranty. I have seen both and IMO the differences are not that great. I know you will hear from others who will tell you the 60 will blow the doors off the 50, but I just don't see it. People see and hear what they want to see and hear.

For another objective review read this summary by Jeoffrey Morrison from Home Theater Mag. Quote, "So, in the end, the VPL-VW60 performs slightly better than the VPL-VW50. Very slightly."

http://www.hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/1107sonyvw60/

BYW, the Bryston is great stuff.:)

Good luck with your decision.
Thanks Mit07, for the info.

Yes, I'm always for the latest/greatest too. The $1500 savings though is a concideration. Good to know that you like and have the 50. I'm still researching the two. Glad I'll be saving money on a new screen, regardless. Is yours ceiling mounted?

Thanks for the compliment on the Brystons. I have them running B&W 802's, HTM1, and (4) 805's. Plus, (4) diapoles, mostly for movies.

Yes, my Pearl is ceiling mounted.

I have B&W 804S mains and HTM3S center with DS3 surrounds Would love to upgrade to Bryston in the future.

Jeoffrey Morrison from Home Theater Mag. Quote, "So, in the end, the VPL-VW60 performs slightly better than the VPL-VW50. Very slightly."


or http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11757363#post11757363


Greg, what is your thought on the many AVSers swapping their VW50s for the VW60? Seem like there are quite a few expecting a significant leap in performance. Expecting too much?




I think it's a big leap performance. The summary paragraph ... sums up my feelings.
__________________
Greg Rogers
AccuPel
Widescreen Review

When it comes down to it, arent we all just splitting hairs on the differences between all of these PJs? (Jeff Morrison is right.)

As far as splitting hairs goes, isnt that what we do here in the forums .. argue over that last 10 - 20% of performance difference .. it sounds like to me its a huge improvement going from the Pearl to the Black Pearl. (Greg is always right.) 8)

Yes, my Pearl is ceiling mounted.

I have B&W 804S mains and HTM3S center with DS3 surrounds Would love to upgrade to Bryston in the future.
Good clean power. Also, have more wattage output than rated.

When it comes down to it, arent we all just splitting hairs on the differences between all of these PJs? (Jeff Morrison is right.)

As far as splitting hairs goes, isnt that what we do here in the forums .. argue over that last 10 - 20% of performance difference .. it sounds like to me its a huge improvement going from the Pearl to the Black Pearl. (Greg is always right.) 8)

I think it falls right in the middle of both of their thoughts on the improvement over the VW50. That's not from testing. It's my opinion after watching the VW50 since it was introduced and recently upgrading to the VW60.

I think it falls right in the middle of both of their thoughts on the improvement over the VW50. That's not from testing. It's my opinion after watching the VW50 since it was introduced and recently upgrading to the VW60.

Well RobZ, then I guess the question for you is: if budget is a consideration is the BP worth 1500 than the Pearl going on current prices?

I keep going back in forth in my head. It would be nice to put that $1500 towards some other HT (like a 100" BW Carada) and non HT related projects.

I will be installing this projector in a total light controlled room with a dark blue/gray ceiling and dark merlot walls.

I guess would the 50 be good in this environment.

Well RobZ, then I guess the question for you is: if budget is a consideration is the BP worth 1500 than the Pearl going on current prices?

I keep going back in forth in my head. It would be nice to put that $1500 towards some other HT (like a 100" BW Carada) and non HT related projects.

I will be installing this projector in a total light controlled room with a dark blue/gray ceiling and dark merlot walls.

I guess would the 50 be good in this environment.

Is this your first projector? I think the BP is definitely better than the Pearl. Now if money is an object get the Panny 2000 (very close to the 60). I still prefer the 60, but you can improve multiple areas of your theater.

Also, if you havent seen the BP and like the Pearl then get the Pearl. What you dont know wont hurt you!

Good luck!

Not my first, but it will be my first 1080 unit. I have been using Matterhorn DLP due to its lenshift working well in a low ceiling environment.


I am a little gunshy of the AE2k due to all the reports of uniformity and other reasons for returns. I think I may go the Epson route if I go LCD since Epson QC record seems better.

When it comes down to it, arent we all just splitting hairs on the differences between all of these PJs? (Jeff Morrison is right.)

As far as splitting hairs goes, isnt that what we do here in the forums .. argue over that last 10 - 20% of performance difference .. it sounds like to me its a huge improvement going from the Pearl to the Black Pearl. (Greg is always right.) 8)


I wouldn't consider 10-20% splitting hairs(and I'm a bald guy).
Now less than 10% maybe....

Scott

Is this your first projector? I think the BP is definitely better than the Pearl. Now if money is an object get the Panny 2000 (very close to the 60). I still prefer the 60, but you can improve multiple areas of your theater.

Also, if you havent seen the BP and like the Pearl then get the Pearl. What you dont know wont hurt you!

Good luck!

+1

Also, if you havent seen the BP and like the Pearl then get the Pearl. What you dont know wont hurt you!

Good luck!

But don't come back to the forum or you'll spend twice as much six months from now:) :)

But don't come back to the forum or you'll spend twice as much six months from now:) :)

Thats what I keep doing. Now only if I could double my salary this quickly.

Trigger pulled, calibration underway; Black Pearl wins the battle in my head of projector deliberation.

I guess I can unsubscribe to about ten different threads for a while; until my next obsession sets in!;)

Trigger pulled, calibration underway; Black Pearl wins the battle in my head of projector deliberation.

I guess I can unsubscribe to about ten different threads for a while; until my next obsession sets in!;)


You'll love the VW60. Last night I was tweaking various settings and I realized just how much more control there is over the VW60 than with the AE2000u. For instance, I find the low lamp setting a bit too bright for my HP screen. I ended up trying the manual iris settings as well as trying various gamma and black enhancement modes. It really has a wide variety of adjustments to fine tune to your liking. I believe the Panasonic has only iris on or off.

Trigger pulled, calibration underway; Black Pearl wins the battle in my head of projector deliberation.

I guess I can unsubscribe to about ten different threads for a while; until my next obsession sets in!;)

Sure...but you know you will continue to check on these threads for awhile...join the calibration and tweaking threads...and wander over to the VW200 threads and obsess about how much better this upgrade could be.;)

Reio-ta. By tomorrow, I will have reached 3000 hours on my VPLvw-60 and by Thurs I will have 2750 hours on my Panasonic. I'll post a full bulb aging and reliability report for you next week. Sorry I couldnt get 3000 hours on the Panny so quickly but it takes 12 weeks of running it 24/7 to amass 3000 hours on it and I haven't had it that long yet. I generally get projectors about 3 months before the manufacturer releases them so I can rum em 24/7 to provide actual rather than spec machine bulb life times for my buds at the forum.
Still hoping to hear from Mark on his bulb results :)

Omar

Reading Geoffrey Morrison's review of the VPL-VW60 on HT magazine i feel that his description of a "slight improvement" over the VPL-VW50 isn't entirely fair considering that the native
FULL-ON/FULL-OFF contrast ratio (without the dynamic iris) went up from 1.900:1 to 3.500:1 and the ANSI contrast increased from 231:1 to 317:1, improvements which i would describe as significant...Also, the gray scale, in the low-color temperature mode and cinema picture mode as set by the factory, was very, very close to the ideal 6.500K line and very linear all across.
He did point out, again, the inital 50/70 hours of "burning smell" which seems to be characteristic of these Sony FPs; On the review of the VPL-VW50 he even went as far as recommending owners to leave the unit turned on outdoors for the first 50 hours of use to get rid of most of that "cooking electronics stench"; Any other owners noticed the same and how unusual is that ?
By the way, Cine4Home has decided to start testing the thermal output of FPs to get a better understanding of what is considered normal and hopefully as a means to start a comparison amongst yet to be tested FPs...Interesting and about time !
----------------------------------------------------------------
Marcos

What's the scoop on this 70 hr. burn-in smell that Morrison speaks about, and how bad is it?

Can it be dealt with by just leaving the projector on for that amount of time or do you need to run a picture through it, etc.?

Mine never had it. I'd wouldn't worry about it til you get it and find out.

I am considering getting the Black Pearl in the forseeable future. I want to use it in a CIH system with a VC lens that will be left in place all the time. Does the BP have all the necessary scaling on board to make this work. I've heard it has the stretch mode for cinemascope, but does it also have the 4:3 mode to horizontally compress 16:9 signals to compensate for the lens.

What's the scoop on this 70 hr. burn-in smell that Morrison speaks about, and how bad is it?

Can it be dealt with by just leaving the projector on for that amount of time or do you need to run a picture through it, etc.?


My VW50 had a funny smell at first. I can't believe the guy actually discusses it in a professional review that seems to be so limited in space.

My VW50 smelled worse than my VW60 does. The VW50 smell went away after a few weeks, I assume the same will be true for my VW60.

smells can be a benefit. if you don't have a dog you can always blame the projector.

You can just dip the filter in Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to freshen it up. :eek:

I don't recall smelling anything! :eek:

There is definitely a smell. It was there on my VW100, VW 50, and VW60. No worries it will go away!

For you older(a little) folks;

Ooo Ooo, that smell, can't you smell that smell....................

For you older(a little) folks;

Ooo Ooo, that smell, can't you smell that smell....................

Anything like Teen Spirit?:p
(for the younger folk)

ted

Call me a dork... but I love the smell of new electronics.

~Jay

"Do you smell that? It's Pearl, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of Pearl in the morning.....

The smell, y'know that gasoline smell, that whole hell.

Smells like........ Victory."

Thanks, now I have to watch Apocalypse again.

"A Tiger man!"

"Never get out of the boat"

Here's another review of the VW60: http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw60/index.php

i love my vw60..... its great... but now im trying crt

if i dont like crt i will sell my vw60 and buy a vw200

i love my vw60..... its great... but now im trying crt

if i dont like crt i will sell my vw60 and buy a vw200

:confused: CRT?

I second that. CRT? :eek:

I am getting this unit in two weeks. Does this come with a three prong or two prong cord? Just need to know so I can replace my extension good extension cord that I run to my projector.

Mark

Three prong, removable cord.

My Black Pearl that I bought from AVS and had calibrated by Jason is gorgeous (and has no burn-in smell!). Blacks, whites, and colors look very nice projected just on white king size sheet! I'm working with screen samples now and am leaning towards a 1.4 gain white screen, and it should be that much sweeter.

AVS gave me great service and a good price. What more could I ask for?

Three prong, removable cord.

My Black Pearl that I bought from AVS and had calibrated by Jason is gorgeous (and has no burn-in smell!). Blacks, whites, and colors look very nice projected just on white king size sheet! I'm working with screen samples now and am leaning towards a 1.4 gain white screen, and it should be that much sweeter.

AVS gave me great service and a good price. What more could I ask for?

HMMM...maybe great service AND a GREAT price ???:D

HMMM...maybe great service AND a GREAT price ???:D

:D

Can anyone tell me whether this unit has dual voltage?

Thanks.

According to the manual it does:

Power requirements
AC 100 to 240 V, 1.3 to 3.0A, 50/60Hz

My VW60 arrived evening before last just before I had to leave for a Christmas dinner (talk about torture). So ... I took the day off yesterday (one of the advantages of being the boss:D). This pj replaced a Sony HS10. The set-up was a snap since the mounting holes are exactly the same as the HS10. Thanks to the tweakers thread I was able to optimize it very quickly and all I can say is, "WOW!"

I have a totally light controlled HT room and run the pj on low lamp mode without any problem on a grewhawk screen. Once I got over the amazement at the detail provided by the higher resolution I noticed that the black bars above and below a 1.35:1 image were hardly perceptible compared to the HS10. Even my wife who is totally non-technical commented on the additional details in dark scenes.

I did notice the smell about 1/2 way through the first movie but my wife didn't notice it. Last week we got the new Samsung BD-UP5000 combo player and noticed a little improvement with the HS10 (I was actually disappointed because I expected more of a difference). With the VW60, however, the difference is dramatic.

Probably the biggest difference I noticed is the quieteness of this projector. I built a hush box for the HS10 because the fan was so loud. With the VW60 I dismantled the hush box and even without it the VW60 is quieter that the HS10 was with it.

I may never go to a commercial theater ever again!
:D:D:D

According to the manual it does:

Power requirements
AC 100 to 240 V, 1.3 to 3.0A, 50/60Hz

Thanks for the info chuckleb.

I may never go to a commercial theater ever again!
:D:D:D

i think you just pushed me over the edge. i sooo want these PJ. later.

We go to the movies maybe once or twice a year now! :eek:

We go to the movies maybe once or twice a year now! :eek:

Same with us. But now I'm not sure we will make it that many times!
;)

We go to the movies maybe once or twice a year now! :eek:

if i were you. i wouldnt go anywhere. i wouldnt even leave my theater. just sayin. :D

We go to the movies maybe once or twice a year now! :eek:

Same with us. However, the ultimate HT high would be to get BD and HD DVD availability on the same day they are released in the theaters. :D

Same with us. However, the ultimate HT high would be to get BD and HD DVD availability on the same day they are released in the theaters. :D

I agree that would be awesome but it would eat into ticket sales. By the same token I don't understand why they have to wait 6 to 12 months after the box office before they release to disc. I guess it still might hurt ticket sales if they released them too soon but come on, give me a break. :)

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hdtvs/2638/sonys-new-1080p-sxrd-projector.html

I was watching some HD material on DirecTV this evening and noticed a narrow band of black and white dashes (video tearing?) along the top edge. Has anyone else noticed this? Sorry if this has already been talked about and answered, I have only read about 1/2 of the pages of posts in this thread.

I also noticed a solid white line probably 1 or 2 pixels wide on the right edge of the image a couple of times. Has this been discussed also?

:confused:

I was watching some HD material on DirecTV this evening and noticed a narrow band of black and white dashes (video tearing?) along the top edge.

:confused:

Are you sure you are not seeing VITS (Vertical Interval Test Signals) or Closed Captioning? VITS would be stationary.

If this "tearing" is not visble on optical disc sources then I would bet it is the above.

ted

I have that when I watch HD from Time Warner both on my VW60 and my old Optoma H30. It's the signal, not the projector. You can shift the signal "up" a few pixels to hide that, though.

My Time warner does the same with any projector.

Just purchased one today, and am very impressed. Coming from a 9" CRT, the only drawback is the not so inky blacks, but it isn't nearly the disappointment I thought it may be. Thanks for all the info in this thread, it made my decision much more informed.

the only drawback is the not so inky blacks, but it isn't nearly the disappointment I thought it may be.

You may want to try out the manual iris setting at a lower level. The black level is much lower than when using Auto 1.

I have that when I watch HD from Time Warner both on my VW60 and my old Optoma H30. It's the signal, not the projector. You can shift the signal "up" a few pixels to hide that, though.

Is there a way of doing this in the VW60, other than just tilting it up farther? Tilting it up will still display the lines but I will still see them a little in the blackened frame around the screen. I'd like to find a way to get rid of them altogether.

Yes, I believe there is a menu setting that 'Signal' (I don't remember where exactly), and that will let you move the picture signal up and down so that the 2-3 lines of pixels with that garbage are not displayed.

Yes, I believe there is a menu setting that 'Signal' (I don't remember where exactly), and that will let you move the picture signal up and down so that the 2-3 lines of pixels with that garbage are not displayed.

Yes the signal adjustment allows you to move the image quite a bit. I use it when I mask my screen.

Just purchased one today, and am very impressed. Coming from a 9" CRT, the only drawback is the not so inky blacks, but it isn't nearly the disappointment I thought it may be. Thanks for all the info in this thread, it made my decision much more informed.

I'm always interested in what kinda screen people are pairing with their FP- so what are you using and how is it working for ya?

119" Dalite Contour Electrol High Power. Works great but I'd prefer larger and scope for the Black Pearl. I mask my screen as well.

I'm always interested in what kinda screen people are pairing with their FP- so what are you using and how is it working for ya?

110" Stewart Firehawk in a totally light controlled room. I run on low lamp mode with great results.

Yes, I believe there is a menu setting that 'Signal' (I don't remember where exactly), and that will let you move the picture signal up and down so that the 2-3 lines of pixels with that garbage are not displayed.

Thanks, Fabbus. I'll check it out when I get back home from visiting the grandkids.

My screen is a Stewart 100" 1.3 gain, I think its the Firehawk, but don't remember, the label just says Stewart.

You may want to try out the manual iris setting at a lower level. The black level is much lower than when using Auto 1.

Yes, I've already done that, and it does help. It's just not CRT black, but like I said, I'm very impressed. The package of benefits makes me glad to move on.

My screen is SMX (1.16 gain) - maximum image area is 120 x 67.5 inches - Low bulb.

It's just not CRT black, but like I said, I'm very impressed. The package of benefits makes me glad to move on.

I've never been too happy with the blacks on digital FP. So far, the VW60 is the closest I've come to being satisfied with black level. In Auto 1 dark scenes seem a bit elevated. In fairness though, I am using a high power screen (it is ceiling mounted with an extension pole). Overall, I feel the VW60 is an excellent machine that I could live with and enjoy for a long time.

^^^^ you said "could."

what is next on your radar? :)

later.

Yes, I've already done that, and it does help. It's just not CRT black, but like I said, I'm very impressed. The package of benefits makes me glad to move on.

Interesting. The Ultimate AV review of the VW50 gave a lower black level with the DI than the manual settings.

Can I ask a newbie question? I haven't seen anything on this, is there a preferred distance from the screen? As in as close as possible, or as far away as possible, or is there some sweet spot in the middle? Thanks guys!

Also, I agree as a CRT convert, I agree this projector is very nice, black levels are nice, especially at the price point it is at. Thanks again!

Try this site
http://www.carltonbale.com/home-theater/home-theater-calculator/

I'm considering the VW60 to replace my Sony VPL-VW10HT. Has anyone here gone from the 10HT to the VW60? How does the brightness compare between the two? How does the side to side panning motion blur compare between the two?

Thank you.

Interesting. The Ultimate AV review of the VW50 gave a lower black level with the DI than the manual settings.

I think that Auto 1 was changed a little bit from the VW50 to the VW60.

The High Power will REALLY raise black levels. Still, if you're just looking for really dark blacks, you could also do that black level adjust and the manual iris to as dark as you can stand it. Also, Gamma 3 is a little over 2.2 and I think the blacks are darkened there, too.

I think that Auto 1 was changed a little bit from the VW50 to the VW60.

The High Power will REALLY raise black levels. Still, if you're just looking for really dark blacks, you could also do that black level adjust and the manual iris to as dark as you can stand it. Also, Gamma 3 is a little over 2.2 and I think the blacks are darkened there, too.


What it comes down to is this projector has so many options to calibrate to each setup. Initially I questioned using certain modes/settings such as Gamma 3 or fixed iris but what it really comes down to is personal preference.

^^^^ you said "could."

what is next on your radar? :)

later.

Should have said "I will". Two things in my system I am really satisfied with and will keep for a while are the Klipsch THX Ultra II speakers, and the Black Pearl. This baby is screaming for a large CIH setup! I'm seriously considering doing two screens now (especially considering the VW60 has remote lens functions). 119" 16:9 and maybe a wide 2.35:1 HP pulldown mounted behind it.

Help!

I'd been looking at and investigating the Pearl as an upgrade to my current Sharp 9000 DLP for a little while now. Also, started looking at the Black Pearl as well, since it's intro, and back and forth reviewing the reviews/comments, etc. Still hadn't decided on which one, especially for the price difference.

Well, it looks like Merry Christmas to me. My beautiful wife surprised me Christmas day with a picture of the Pearl, saying she ordered it for me on Sat. from our local guys. Needless to say, I was surprised and happy, also, somewhat relieved from my delimna of figuring out how to hook up my new PS3 to the Sharps component input (been asking about that for the last week or so as well). My wife is great at picking up on my list of toys and she's the one who also surprised me with my Sharp a number of years ago.

My concern is, I was still deciding on whether to get a new projector at this time and also, which one (P or BP) to get if I did decide. She said she got a pretty good deal from my local guy on the P ($3150. I think). Probably can do better on line, but now I'd want to see what the best price I could get on the BP. I'm calling them first thing in the am and going to tell them to hold off on the P order until I can decide on which one (based on further reviewing and finding out the best price difference). Also, concerned on the throw and ceiling mounting (extention length) on both. I have a dedicated HT (21' x 15') with a 10' ceiling with med. brown walls and blackout shades on the two windows. Seating (3 chairs) is 14' bck from screen. My Sharp is mounted, basicly flush to the ceiling (no extention was needed) and the lens is about 16' back from the screen. The screen is a 110 Stewart Firehawk that starts 2 feet down from the ceiling.

Two real concerns: 1) will either of the two work great in my room, as does my Sharp, given the specs of my room ? I don't really want to recut and patch when the Sharp comes down. Already don't like the inputs on the side vs. the back (where they are currently but . . .). And 2) which of the two would be decidedly the best, especially for the deal/price of the P so far?

Please, I value your opinions regarding the fit (workability) in my room and price difference.

First off, congratulations. What a gift! Hopefully I can help answer a few of your questions/concerns or at least give some input. I recently purchased the Black Pearl but owned the Pearl prior to that.

Concerning the price, you likely will not get the type of deal locally that you can find from an authorized dealer online. However, buying locally may be your preference. You could pick up a BP for around 1/3 higher than your Pearl cost.



Also, concerned on the throw and ceiling mounting (extention length) on both. I have a dedicated HT (21' x 15') with a 10' ceiling with med. brown walls and blackout shades on the two windows. Seating (3 chairs) is 14' bck from screen. My Sharp is mounted, basicly flush to the ceiling (no extention was needed) and the lens is about 16' back from the screen. The screen is a 110 Stewart Firehawk that starts 2 feet down from the ceiling.


I also have 10' ceilings but my 119" screen top drops to three feet below the ceiling. Initially I used a 12" extension pipe on a Chief RPA-020 without a problem. Definitely consider this mount if you purchase either. It has great flexibility. You will not have problems with the ceiling height but would optimally want to use at least a short extension pole. The Pearl's (and BP's) lens shift is somewhat limited. 16' back from a 110 will work fine but will not maximize light output. My last theater room had a 110" Carada 1.4 gain with the Pearl mounted 16' back.

which of the two would be decidedly the best, especially for the deal/price of the P so far?

I can say that I feel the BP is a great machine for the price difference. I've had two Pearls (and an AE2000u) to compare. The VW60 has better color, deeper blacks, much improved sharpness, more contrast, much better color uniformity and panel alignment. All this when the VW50 was already a great machine.

First off, congratulations. What a gift! Hopefully I can help answer a few of your questions/concerns or at least give some input. I recently purchased the Black Pearl but owned the Pearl prior to that.

Concerning the price, you likely will not get the type of deal locally that you can find from an authorized dealer online. However, buying locally may be your preference. You could pick up a BP for around 1/3 higher than your Pearl cost.





I also have 10' ceilings but my 119" screen top drops to three feet below the ceiling. Initially I used a 12" extension pipe on a Chief RPA-020 without a problem. Definitely consider this mount if you purchase either. It has great flexibility. You will not have problems with the ceiling height but would optimally want to use at least a short extension pole. The Pearl's (and BP's) lens shift is somewhat limited. 16' back from a 110 will work fine but will not maximize light output. My last theater room had a 110" Carada 1.4 gain with the Pearl mounted 16' back.



I can say that I feel the BP is a great machine for the price difference. I've had two Pearls (and an AE2000u) to compare. The VW60 has better color, deeper blacks, much improved sharpness, more contrast, much better color uniformity and panel alignment. All this when the VW50 was already a great machine.
Thanks Rob and you have a great looking HT.

Yes, my baby always lets me have the toys and they're all the expensive ones (ha). I called the guys this am and they hadn't ordered the P yet. I told them I was still deciding. I'm leaning toward the BP by now, of course, which is true to form for me. Hard to pay big $$$ for something that's a year old now but I will search and get the best deal. The added sharpness/contrast and richer colors are the added benefits that count. SonyStyle doesn't even show the Pearl now. They have the new 40, the 60, then the rest. I wonder if the 40 is the new "50" for less $$?

My concern still is, however, the light output from the distance I have and having to have an extension tube. What is the BP's optimum distance back from the screen and how many inches maximum, does the projector need to be above the screen? My Sharp's "lens shift" works great for it being so much higher. Also, it's been so great walking into my HT these past years and not even seeing the Sharp, because of it not needing an extension tube. And does Sony have their own or is the "Chief" (that you have), the best?

Again, thanks and I value your opinion, especially since you have had two P's before your current BP. Tell me the picture is awesome to seal the deal for me. What length is your HDMI cable from your pojector?

BTW, does anyone buy from TV City, Everything Electronics, etc. on line and what's your experience? Looks like AVS doesn't sell these.

I can say that I feel the BP is a great machine for the price difference. I've had two Pearls (and an AE2000u) to compare. The VW60 has better color, deeper blacks, much improved sharpness, more contrast, much better color uniformity and panel alignment. All this when the VW50 was already a great machine.[/QUOTE

In the Sony VW-60 review in WSR Greg Rogers never mentioned which mode he used ..Dynamic-Normal-Cinema-
He used the high lamp mode and normal colormode not wide. Low colormode is closest to 6500 kelvin.

I know from my older Sony HS-60 that the Cinema mode is way to dim for my taste as i use Normal to get the light i prefer and it's probably around 10 fL in low colormode which is close to 6500.

I'm considering the VW60 to replace my Sony VPL-VW10HT. Has anyone here gone from the 10HT to the VW60? How does the brightness compare between the two? How does the side to side panning motion blur compare between the two?

Thank you.

I just replaced my 10HT with a VW60 and I couldn't be happier! I would say that the brightness of the VW60 is comparable to the 10HT. I believe the 10HT is rated at 1000 ANSI Lumens vs. 900 for the VW60. However, the contrast ratio and color accuracy are significantly better with the VW60. I haven't noticed any problems with motion blur, but I never found that to be that noticeable of a problem on my 10HT either. It's a tad quieter. There are also no more "green blobs" or "stuck" pixels (I had one blue one on my 10HT) - at least with my VW60. My wife even commented how much better the new PJ looked and that's the real acid test. :)

Finally, I was even able to re-use my existing 10HT mount which was a plus. In short, I have absolutely no regrets about the recent upgrade!

New VW60 owner here. I've been working with screen samples for a week and a half, and I've decided on a Carada Brilliant White 1.4 gain, 118". I looked at samples as high in gain as the Silverstar, but really felt the ft.lamberts and colors were all best around 1.5 .

If the bulb goes too dim beyond half-life....I'll buy a bulb.

New VW60 owner here. I've been working with screen samples for a week and a half, and I've decided on a Carada Brilliant White 1.4 gain, 118". I looked at samples as high in gain as the Silverstar, but really felt the ft.lamberts and colors were all best around 1.5 .

If the bulb goes too dim beyond half-life....I'll buy a bulb.

what throw distance will you have? i am struggling with where i need to mount the PJ in my underconstruction HT. thanks.

Thanks Rob and you have a great looking HT.

Yes, my baby always lets me have the toys and they're all the expensive ones (ha). I called the guys this am and they hadn't ordered the P yet. I told them I was still deciding. I'm leaning toward the BP by now, of course, which is true to form for me. Hard to pay big $$$ for something that's a year old now but I will search and get the best deal. The added sharpness/contrast and richer colors are the added benefits that count. SonyStyle doesn't even show the Pearl now. They have the new 40, the 60, then the rest. I wonder if the 40 is the new "50" for less $$?

My concern still is, however, the light output from the distance I have and having to have an extension tube. What is the BP's optimum distance back from the screen and how many inches maximum, does the projector need to be above the screen? My Sharp's "lens shift" works great for it being so much higher. Also, it's been so great walking into my HT these past years and not even seeing the Sharp, because of it not needing an extension tube. And does Sony have their own or is the "Chief" (that you have), the best?

Again, thanks and I value your opinion, especially since you have had two P's before your current BP. Tell me the picture is awesome to seal the deal for me. What length is your HDMI cable from your pojector?

BTW, does anyone buy from TV City, Everything Electronics, etc. on line and what's your experience? Looks like AVS doesn't sell these.


Most owners of the Chief mount (RPA-U and RPA-020) will agree that it's a great mount and very solid while being flexible. You can likely get away with mounting the projector up near the ceiling (possibly a 6" extension pipe) but you'll have to maximize lens shift.

Because it sounds like you don't suffer from uprgaditis, I'd imagine that once you mount the VW60, the image quality will satisfy you for years. It's that good. You may end up replacing the bulb earlier than the sharp depending on how bright of an image you prefer. That's a small price to pay. If you have the option, go for the VW60. It's worth the price difference.

what throw distance will you have? i am struggling with where i need to mount the PJ in my underconstruction HT. thanks.

I'm about 15'-6". Projector is hung from a ceiling beam with a Chief mount with 18" extension pipe. Very nice mounting package, I might add. AVS sold me the projector and mount, and Rich and Jason have been there for me all the way so far on my first ride into front projector land.

118" Carada coming next Thursday. I'm tired of this white sheet, and having to drool at the detail, colors, and contrast on this damned 8"x10" Brilliant White sample stuck in the middle of it.

If using a king sized sheet to get you by till deciding on a screen, don't cheap out like I did; go high thread count!
The loss of resolution will drive you crazy! ;)

Most owners of the Chief mount (RPA-U and RPA-020) will agree that it's a great mount and very solid while being flexible.

I went from the RPA-U to the RPA-020. Both work fine, but the 020 has a shorter vertical profile and is stiffer. Not an issue for 99% of installs, but just a FYI.

If using a king sized sheet to get you by till deciding on a screen, don't cheap out like I did; go high thread count!
The loss of resolution will drive you crazy! ;)

Now that's funny! :DLOL:D

I was just given a good price on the 60 from a known "5 star" on-line vendor and wanted to get your opinions. Price is $4119., but will be $3999. (using a 1st time buyer's coupon).

Brand new, in stock, untouched, factory sealed, complete with all of it's accessories, and even a 4 yr. EW.

Thanks


that seems to be the standard going rate. but then again we are not suppose to be talking about what we are talking about. later.

Now lookhear !

Forum rules declare that we NOT exhibit specific prices. So there.:)

that seems to be the standard going rate. but then again we are not suppose to be talking about what we are talking about. later.
Thanks guys. Sorry and noted.:( Appreciate the "going rate" part though.

Has anyone tried out the new Blade Runner on their VW60? I'd be iunterested in how it handled it.

Getting ready to hopefully purchase the 60 today and had one last question for the owners.

Having already been the 60XBR1 (1st Sony SXRD rear proj.) route myself and finally having had the optical block exchange done just yesterday, has anyone been concerned about the SXRD technology holding up in these projectors?

As most know, Sony has a major class action suite against them from the XBR1 owners, because of faulty sets and technology.

Has anyone tried out the new Blade Runner on their VW60? I'd be iunterested in how it handled it.

I watched the Blu-Ray remastered version on my VW60. I was satisfied with 99% of the scenes. There are a few scenes that showed the lack of true black, but I think I would notice that on any digital projector at this point. The lack of voice-over on the new BR is welcome, but the audio quality has some serious problems (hiss, crackle) - sounds like the soundtrack was untouched compared to the SD versions.

Getting ready to hopefully purchase the 60 today and had one last question for the owners.

Having already been the 60XBR1 (1st Sony SXRD rear proj.) route myself and finally having had the optical block exchange done just yesterday, has anyone been concerned about the SXRD technology holding up in these projectors?

As most know, Sony has a major class action suite against them from the XBR1 owners, because of faulty sets and technology.

i have had a kds-r70xbr2 for well over a year now with no problems. i have also never seen a documented case of the dreaded XBR1 green blob on an XBR2 (or qualia 004, 006, sony VW50, sony VW100). looks like they solved that issue between the XBR1 and XBR2 release, and well before the VW60.

i have had a kds-r70xbr2 for well over a year now with no problems. i have also never seen a documented case of the dreaded XBR1 green blob on an XBR2 (or qualia 004, 006, sony VW50, sony VW100). looks like they solved that issue between the XBR1 and XBR2 release, and well before the VW60.
Hope so. I wouldn't want to jump on the $$$ bandwagon again to only find out that the technology just didn't pan out. But at least the "BP" is the 2nd gen to the "P". In a way, I hate giving the business to Sony again.

i hope so as well.

but as far as front projectors go, the qualia 004, the VW100, and the VW50 were all SXRD prior generations to the black pearl, so it looks about as safe as one could hope for.

i hope so as well.

but as far as front projectors go, the qualia 004, the VW100, and the VW50 were all SXRD prior generations to the black pearl, so it looks about as safe as one could hope for.
You're right. Forgot about the Qualia. I want this to projector to last for a good while.

i tend to want to keep things forever as well.

that really conflicts with my severe case of upgrade-itis. ;)

I'm with you. You ought to see how much high end "the best of it's time" equipment I have, that I couldn't part with. I even have my 35 year old pair of JBL Studio Masters that are like new.

lol. i still have the little carver "cube" 200 watt "magnetic field amplifier," NAD pre-amp, NAD tuner, mirage SM 2.5 speakers, and harman kardon cassette player i bought in 1982.

also still using the "state of the art" pioneer elite DV09 dvd player (albeit as a cd player). :D

Has anyone considered the Marantz VP15S1 instead of the VW60 and if so, why did you choose the VW60?

One thing I noticed with the VW60 which I had the chance to check out was I thought I was seeing pixel structure. Is anyone else seeing this??


Craig

One thing I noticed with the VW60 which I had the chance to check out was I thought I was seeing pixel structure. Is anyone else seeing this??


Craig

I don't notice pixels unless I get within about two feet of my 118" white screen. I sit about 15' back normally.

One thing I noticed with the VW60 which I had the chance to check out was I thought I was seeing pixel structure. Is anyone else seeing this??


Craig

That is because the VW60 is so sharp.

With the VW50 I could not see structure from my seating position but if I look for it with the VW60 on Hi-Def I can make it out.

Now I do blow it up to 130" (2.35:1) so that does not help and I also sit about 9' to 10' back from the screen (depending on recline of seat).

I am very happy with my setup especially when I through a good 2.35:1 BluRay in like Ratatouille.

The back row seating of course will not see any pixel structure.

You have to remember that these projectors only have 1920x1080 pixels.

Next year when SHD (Super Hi-Def) projectors come out then we will be able to sit 3 feet from the screens.;)

Next year when SHD (Super Hi-Def) projectors come out then we will be able to sit 3 feet from the screens.;)

I am unlikely to get that close unless I break into someone else's house.;)

Can anyone hereabouts tell me whether position presets for the power modes on the lens are storeable or codes are available for memory recall? I would like to automate a Constant Area setup if possible.

thanks,
ted

No.

Would be cool if you could though.

Maybe in the VW3000 SHD projector. ;)

No.

Would be cool if you could though.

Maybe in the VW3000 SHD projector. ;)

Thanks Mark,
but on the bright side - its a reason for the wife and daughter to keep me around. :)

ted

I don't notice pixels unless I get within about two feet of my 118" white screen. I sit about 15' back normally.

After seeing this projector, I have to admit I am very curios as to how it stacks up against the AE-2000 head to head. I have seen the panny a few times and am very impressed.
What worries me about the Sony is that I will be using a 58x104 inch Da-Lite HCCV screen with masking from about 12.5 feet away. So I am sitting a little less than 1.5 times screen width from the screen. At 1.5 times the screen width at the place that was demoing the VW60, I THINK I was seeing pixels.
I guess the only way I am going to find out, is take a look for my self.

That is because the VW60 is so sharp.


I am very happy with my setup especially when I through a good 2.35:1 BluRay in like Ratatouille.


Next year when SHD (Super Hi-Def) projectors come out then we will be able to sit 3 feet from the screens.;)
Hey Mark, I DID wind up getting Ratatouille...what a great movie! Aces all the way around. Has Kingdom of Heaven shown up yet?

Super HiDef???? You're kidding, right? Point me to somewhere I can read more about it, puhlease.

Omar

So how are all of you liking your VW60's?? :D

Craig

Just unbelievable!! Bluray on my 130" curved 2.35:1 screen looks as good as a plasma with the Black Pearl!!!

Oh... did I mention I like it? ;)

Well, I keep looking for issues with the VW60, but have found none.
This is a good sign. I just can not get my self to pry away from the extra $$ it costs over the AE-2000.

Craig

The BP is outstanding. Just watched "Meet the Robinsons" and did not see any distracting artifacts at all. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Well, I keep looking for issues with the VW60, but have found none.
This is a good sign. I just can not get my self to pry away from the extra $$ it costs over the AE-2000.

Craig

Sealed optics and panel alignment made the difference in cost worth it to me.

I've been convinced for a while.

I just wish the gal of my dreams would give up her artistic pretensions and get some meaningful work. Not to mention the kid who wants a lesson in this, a lesson in that....

Perhaps I can trade them.:eek:

ted

I love my VW 60. It performs beautifully on all counts and is incredibly configurable. I have it to the point where the image I'm getting now is just like what I see on the rare occasions I go to the movie theater anymore :)

Omar

I went to a movie theater the other weekend and could not believe how bad it looked compared to my system.... not to mention my sound system blew it away... granted it was a very old movie theater house but still... if I can upgrade my system every 10 months you think they could upgrade at least once ever 10 years. ;)

Sealed optics and panel alignment made the difference in cost worth it to me.


That's what did it for me. I actually had ordered the Panny AE2000U, but had it sold to a colleague before it arrived. Reading through the entire Panny 2000 thread, I found some, not many that were experiencing some difficulties. Living overseas, I couldn't buy a PJ that has isssues going out the door.

Should have mine hopefully within a weeks time. It's gonna be a long week!

Anyone throwing 17' or more with their VW60? I like so much about this PJ, but do worry about getting acceptable brightness in my room without adding in a high-gain screen.

Am glad to hear you guys find it sharp, as I demoed one in an otherwise-good dealer setup that just seemed soft, particularly on digital animation material like the "Cars" Blu-ray.

Anyone throwing 17' or more with their VW60? I like so much about this PJ, but do worry about getting acceptable brightness in my room without adding in a high-gain screen.

Am glad to hear you guys find it sharp, as I demoed one in an otherwise-good dealer setup that just seemed soft, particularly on digital animation material like the "Cars" Blu-ray.

I'll be throwing 18' to a 58x104 inch screen and have been told I have no worries.
My room is totally light controlled with fabric walls and black ceilings.

Craig

My Black Pearl was calibrated by Jason, so I haven't touched RCP or anything in the service menu, but wanted to share some settings from the User menu, that I found to give a very natural look.

Viewed on a Carada 118" Brilliant White 1.4 gain screen.

Both User 2 and 3 settings have the following in common:
Color space = normal
NR = off
DDE = film
Black level adj. = off
Iris = Auto 1
Lamp level = high

User 2 settings:
Contrast = 92
Brightness = 48
Color = 42
Hue = 50
Sharpness = 5
Color Temp. = low
Gamma = off

User 3 settings:
Contrast = 92
Brightness = 55
Color = 38
Hue = 50
Sharpness = 5
Color Temp. = low
Gamma = Gamma 3

User 2 is a bit more lively color wise than 3, but 3 seems to let the blacks provide more depth to the picture. Or some ****. ;)

Hope these look as nice for you as they do for me.

Anyone throwing 17' or more with their VW60? I like so much about this PJ, but do worry about getting acceptable brightness in my room without adding in a high-gain screen.

Am glad to hear you guys find it sharp, as I demoed one in an otherwise-good dealer setup that just seemed soft, particularly on digital animation material like the "Cars" Blu-ray.

My throw is 17 feet from the BP to SMX screen. Of course, screen size is a factor, the large, the dimmer. I run a Constant Area like setup - image sizes range from 50" high with the UH380 lens for scope, up through 67" high for PS3 games. Total light control room, brightness is fine on low lamp mode (as it was on my previous projector the VW50). My VW60 is razor sharp with nearly perfect convergence out of the box, and it sounds like this is typical for the BP from all accounts. I would guess that a "soft" BP was either defective or far more likely, it was not focused properly. The focus is critical to getting the sharpest image, if you are just a few clicks off on the focus the pixel structure will blur. I will also say that I don't find the convergence control to be useful, I think it does more harm than good in my opinion and testing. This has turned out to be a non-issue for me because the convergence is near-perfect from the factory. In my opinion - unless the factory convergence is way off, I would not touch the convergence control, it can introduce softening on real images (not the fake test patterns in the BP). I know many people like the convergence control, but I don't.

Anyone here had some doubts about getting the VW60 instead of the JVC RS1?

Anyone here had some doubts about getting the VW60 instead of the JVC RS1?

Not JVC RS1 but I have been going back and forth between BenQ W20000 and VW60. I read somewhere, probably earlier in this thread that changing the settings in the service menu raises the white level and thus raises the brightness and native contrast. Has anyone try this ?

Not JVC RS1 but I have been going back and forth between BenQ W20000 and VW60. I read somewhere, probably earlier in this thread that changing the settings in the service menu raises the white level and thus raises the brightness and native contrast. Has anyone try this ?
That's if you change the wrong settings :) It's best not to fool around in the service menu unless you know exactly what you are going to do and write down any settings you are going to change BEFORE changing them. There is no "restore defaults" in the service menu, once you change something and save it, that's it. You can't go back unless you've written it down or have a memory like God. Write down what you do/change and you are perfectly safe.

Omar

You can make the VW50/60 put out more light by adjusting the panel drivers settings in the service menu. This makes them put out significantly more lumens. Unsure on the effect on contrast - might be more,less, or the same. Very quick and easy to do.

You can make the VW50/60 put out more light by adjusting the panel drivers settings in the service menu. This makes them put out significantly more lumens. Unsure on the effect on contrast - might be more,less, or the same. Very quick and easy to do.

I'm almost afraid to ask how to do that. Not that I'm looking for more lumens; I just know if you tell me, at some point I'll give it a go.

And probably screw something up and be crying for help. ;)

Anyone here had some doubts about getting the VW60 instead of the JVC RS1?

I am trying to decide between those two myself. Greg Rogers reviewd them both. It might be worth it to you to subscribe to Widescreen review online just to read those two reviews.

I read them both and there is no clear choice. Each one has compromises. And there is hardly anywhere you can see these projectors properly set up.

The Sony might be a bit more quirk free and it's a bit cheaper. I think it might be a little quieter too.

Based on the reviews I would say that the scales are balanced with reguards to picture quality.

I am leaning towards the Sony, but I don't want to buy it until I can see it.

~Jay

Same boat here. I am on the fence deciding between the VW60 and Mits HC6000. Specifically I am considering if the extra dollars for the Sony are are worth it for my scenario. :confused:

I will be a first time FP owner viewing only movies in HD/SD (upconverted) on a 92" screen from approx. 10.5 feet with a throw of around 11.5 feet in a dedicated media room with minimal ambient light. I have a Sony 46XBR4 for viewing other content.

The VW40 is also adding to my indecision. Both to see how it compares to the VW60 at the lower price point and whether it will help bring down the street price of the VW60 any further. The extra money is not a big deal budget-wise, but I hate to throw it away for minimal return.

If only I could just make up my mind and start enjoying!!!

I'm almost afraid to ask how to do that. Not that I'm looking for more lumens; I just know if you tell me, at some point I'll give it a go.

Worst case scenario, you put the settings back where they were (record settings before changing!). To enter the service mode on the remote: Enter-Enter-Left-Enter (asks if you want service mode - say yes). New option appears in the settings menu called "device". Change the panel drivers (try all colors - Red - Blue - Green at whatever relative percentage you desire) - go to save - done). Without any measurement tools (radiospectrometer or colormeter) you are just guessing at what might work, and It sounds like blue is pushed from the factory on must BP's. For reference my BP had these settings: green: 85 - red: 85 - blue: 55, and my VW50 had the same for red/green, but the blue was 45. Good luck, and have fun :)

The VW40 is also adding to my indecision. Both to see how it compares to the VW60 at the lower price point and whether it will help bring down the street price of the VW60 any further. The extra money is not a big deal budget-wise, but I hate to throw it away for minimal return.

If only I could just make up my mind and start enjoying!!!

my 2 cents - i owned the VW50 (which is what the VW40 really is) now that there is a VW60 ...
i just switched over to the VW60 from the VW50 and the difference between the 2 is very noticeable ...the 60 is just SHARPER than the 50 and has much better contrast that is apparent in some blu rays i watched today ....
if $$ are not a big concern I would definately pick the 60 over the 40 ...
the VW 60 can be picked up for about what the vw40 msrp is ...

From the screen captures I've seen posted, the VW60 is a far better projector. The RS1 has very black blacks, probably moreso than the 60, that I will not contest. But the 60 is infinitely more configurable and has much more accurate color from what I gather. If the 60's color is off, it can be fixed (I can even help explain how to do this for you if you have a copy of Digital Video Essentials), but if the RS1's color is off, you're stuck with it. The "trade off" is far in favor of the 60. The 60 also has superlative intra-scene fine detail,
this has been documented here: http://www.projectorreviews.com/sony/vpl-vw60/imagequality.php
I've been to the theater a couple of times lately...Mr. Magorium and Alvin...and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to make my black levels at home on the 60 much deeper than those I saw in the movie theater. Then I realized I was losing fine detail, and was able to adjust for that as well. I changed from Gamma 3 to Gamma Off, disabled the service menu gamma brightness tweak, and changed my iris from Auto 1 to Auto 2 (1 has more contrast but less detail, 2 has very, very good contrast and more detail). Voila. I now have the same types of blacks I see in film with the same level of DETAIL I see in film, and none of what I call, "hazing". I'm sure there's another term for it, but for me hazing means when the device is unable to display shades of gray/detail in an area of the screen, and so displays a gray blob instead of fine gradations of information. I came to the conclusion that this whole current obsession with contrast ratios, though understandably important for those who do not have a light controlled environment, is not conducive to reproducing *what films look like in the theater*...which is exactly the point of home theater. I want my movies to look the way film looks, not the way they can be engineered to look like television. My two cents, more later, have to get to work!

Omar

the VW 60 can be picked up for about what the vw40 msrp is ...

Would you happen to know where I could find such a deal? Thanks!

I am tempted by SonyStyle's "year same as cash" deal, but obviously you're then paying full MSRP and you'll like it. :)

Believe it or not I'm just now upgrading from a Mits HC900 that has served me well for 3 years, but it is time to let her go. The DLP wheel in it is a little wonky, and the screaming 1080x576 resolution just isn't the marvel she once was. :p

I looked at the Panny AE2000 and Epson 1080UB, but it sounds like both have issues that I really don't want to deal with. That misconvergence crap drove me nuts on my old 58" Pioneer Elite RPTV, and I don't want to go back to recalibrating every 6 months. I'm spoiled by my DLP I suppose, and the VW60 really sounds like the ideal upgrade path for me. Sony seems to have figured out all the issues that dogged LCD back when I bought my Mits DLP back in '04.

At any rate, if anyone could point me towards a good deal for the VW60 I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Right here at AVS. Go to the store here to find their phone numbers.

Scott

[QUOTE=pernar;12897681]Would you happen to know where I could find such a deal? Thanks!



PM sent

About Sony's financing thing - it's just a GE Capital credit card. If you'd like to finance, just find a 0% for 12 months intro credit card offer and go to town. Then you can buy from any vendor you want and still have the option of paying it off over the course of a year.

Also - someone PM me this great price.

Right here at AVS. Go to the store here to find their phone numbers.

Scott

Agree. Just call Rich or anyone at AVS.

Good price, great service.

Well, I got off the fence and ordered a VW60 from AVS today. Let my adventures in FP begin :)

Well, I got off the fence and ordered a VW60 from AVS today. Let my adventures in FP begin :)


Nice. The playoffs looked awesome with mine on a 118" Carada.

I hope yours is in place come SuperBowl time. I know the guys at AVS will do what they can to make that happen.

Jason calibrated the RCP in User1 for me. I have a couple of questions I was hoping someone could help me with.

1. If I go to user2 or 3 and mess with RCP, is that a global setting that will mess up Jason's work in user1?

2. If I'm in the user1 main menu (the one with color brightness, hue, sharpness, etc.), and accidently hit the reset button, do only the items in this menu reset to factory values, or do the settings in the RCP also get screwed up?

Jason calibrated the RCP in User1 for me. I have a couple of questions I was hoping someone could help me with.

1. If I go to user2 or 3 and mess with RCP, is that a global setting that will mess up Jason's work in user1?

2. If I'm in the user1 main menu (the one with color brightness, hue, sharpness, etc.), and accidently hit the reset button, do only the items in this menu reset to factory values, or do the settings in the RCP also get screwed up?
Each RCP is an independent entity. Changing the main menu settings (User 1, 2, 3, Cinema, etc..) in any way does not affect your RCP settings, nor do the individual RCP user settings affect each other. A great safety net by Sony, IMHO. Still, there is no substitution for WRITING IT DOWN :-) Also note, regardless of which main menu user or pre-setting you select (or change), you will always be using the same RCP unless you change it manually in the RCP setup. IE, if you are on say, RCP 2 and Dynamic Mode, and switch to Cinema mode, you will still be in RCP 2.

Personally though, I keep a written updated list of my settings changes. Haven't made any in a couple weeks now...Could this be IT? ;-)

Omar

Curious if anyone's moved to a VPL-VW60 from a Samsung H710AE? I am considering this upgrade and would like to know whether those who've upgraded similarly are satisfied. Of particular interest to me are shadow detail, color uniformity, brightness uniformity, and color accuracy. The H710AE excels in these areas and I would like to maintain similar performance. Black level is important to me, but less so than the other parameters.

Concerning the RS1 vs the BP debate. I decided to get the BP since it has an internal scaler for scope and the RS1 does not. From all the reviews I have read, the BP and RS1 are pretty much neck and neck in performance with each have it's own strengths and weaknesses.

Since the BP does internal scaling and it's price point is about $500 less, it was an obvious choice for me. Now to save up my pennies....

Curious to know how many owner's of the VW60 use the lens cover in between viewing.

Curious to know how many owner's of the VW60 use the lens cover in between viewing.

I don't. If dust on the lense becomes an issue, I'll just brush it off using a camera brush that has the squeeze blower on it.

I don't. If dust on the lense becomes an issue, I'll just brush it off using a camera brush that has the squeeze blower on it.

I'm coming from an HS20, which didn't have a lens cover. The other night, I turned on the VW60 and realized after a minute or so, that the lens cover was still on. Doh!

My place isn't all that dusty and will do the same as you and keep it off and brush off any dust when the time comes.

Just thought I would post about my purchase of the VW60.
Seems to be a good projector.
Out of the box, it definitely requires some tweaking but once you get it dialed in, it is very nice.
I plan to get it fully calibrated once I put a few more hours on it.
Mine is in a fully dedicated home theater with total light control. My throw is just under 20 feet onto a 58x104 inch Da-Lite HCCV screen with masking.

How's the brightness with that setup? Also, how is the screen. I'm pondering that exact combo.

suff,

What kind of masking??

scott

suff,

What kind of masking??

scott

Da-Lite... works great!!
Really adds pop to the image.

How's the brightness with that setup? Also, how is the screen. I'm pondering that exact combo.

I like the combo.
I recommend it.

i'm going to want to pair up a blu-ray player with my VW60. do i need to be concerned with one that you can force 1080p24, or are there no problems with the EDID on the VW60? if this has been discussed, i missed it and i apologize.

1080p24 on Auto works fine with my PS3 outputting to a Japanese VW60 via an Onkyo 605.

I'm hoping some of you guys have overcome this issue with the VW60
I have a automation system and I see the VW60 doesn't have direct access to inputs, how do you guys that have automation systems handle this?
Does the projector always come on the input it was last on or is there a default input
Thanks for your help

There are discrete codes out there for the inputs. I used codes from another Sony model.

Only codes I have not found yet are the aspect ratio codes. I have a toggle code but that is it thus far.

I'm hoping some of you guys have overcome this issue with the VW60
I have a automation system and I see the VW60 doesn't have direct access to inputs, how do you guys that have automation systems handle this?
Does the projector always come on the input it was last on or is there a default input
Thanks for your help

i believe the defualt setup is for "Auto Input" where it detects the active input and displays it. i could be wrong. later.

I wonder if there is a problem with the iris on my vw60. The iris was extremely noticeable when I was playing Army of Two. When panning from a bright to dark you can see the iris clamming down, in fact I could see the concentric circles of different brightness. The closing of the iris was also very loud. Before that I may have noticed it once or twice playing other games. I tried all the settings with iris including set to manual and off. I have to do more tests; but with manual and off setting the brightness just drops dramatically and made it too dark to see anything which made me wonder if there was some lamp modulation.

Would it be possibe to get you to send me them as this was about the only reason I was really holding back on the VW60
I didn't want to use the auto feature as sometimes my PC will be on and another sources so I thought discrete codes would be better
Thanks

There are discrete codes out there for the inputs. I used codes from another Sony model.

Only codes I have not found yet are the aspect ratio codes. I have a toggle code but that is it thus far.

if anyone would like to chime in on the bright corner issue, please do. I have them, and it is driving me crazy. I have never experienced this with any of my other projectors.

Thanks