Okay, I'm new to the front-projector world. I currently have a bunch of HDTV's, all RP, my newest being the 60" XBR1 SXRD. I'm about ready to go the FP route, and I think I really like the VW60.

I have a dedicated theater, no windows, dark walls/ceiling. I have a rack in a closet, so noise is minimal. The room is super insulated, primarily for sound, but the result is that heat/cool is also retained. I have a dedicated vent, but it's tied into the main HVAC, so for the 5 months a year when the A/C is off, the room can potentially get a little warm. Not really an issue right now, since nothing (except what's in the closet) generates much heat.

Some questions:

- What do I get/lose for the 10K difference between the VW60 and the VW200? They look pretty similar in specs to me?

- Is the 1000 lumens an issue with the VW60 (i.e. too low)? I currently have a couple of wall sconces that provide about 10W each of light, which is nice for the RPTV. Will those significantly detract from the FP? Is the 1000 lumens the issue, or is this just a general "no lights at all - complete darkness" for FP? With the RPTV, I can even turn on the overhead lights and still get a nice picture (usually watch in near dark, but wondering what the change will be going to FP, especially since 1000 lumens seems a little low?).

- Does the VW60 generate significantly more heat than the 60" RP XBR1 SXRD? Any recommendations for funneling the heat out of the room? I have some options, including venting it to the neighboring Rec Room, and venting outside. Alternatively, I suppose I could buy a dedicated cooler for the HT room. Any recommendations for "best practice" approach?

- Does the VW60 generate significant sound? Since it will be almost over/just behind the main seats, if it generates a lot more noise than the RPTV, I'll want to insulate it (but this will add to the heat issue, back to my previous question). Any advice on reducing the noise (if it's an issue)?

- I know this isn't the proper forum, but any recommendations on a nice 16x9 screen to pair with this? Would be permanently down, directly against the wall, looking at ~120". Willing to spend a couple grand I guess, not sure what the appropriate price range is for the screen.

Thanks in advance for tolerating my newbie questions!
-Mark

Bump... Can anyone help a FP newbie out?

1. I would go with the 60. Unless your rich.
2. Near dark will be fine.
3. Heat, wait and see, you can always fix it later.
4. Sound, non-issue.
5. Depends on how bright you like. If projector is gonna be kind low mounted, I highly recommend the Dalite Hi-Power.

scott

1. I would go with the 60. Unless your rich.
2. Near dark will be fine.
3. Heat, wait and see, you can always fix it later.
4. Sound, non-issue.
5. Depends on how bright you like. If projector is gonna be kind low mounted, I highly recommend the Dalite Hi-Power.

scott

Glad to hear the sound is a non-issue (I finally dug up that it's 22db, which is nearly silent). And I like the "worry about it later" approach for heat - you're right, I can always do some venting later if it's an issue.

In terms of the screen - The DaLite "Hi Power" is a 2.2 gain screen. From my cursory reading so far, it seems like the preference is to go with a 1.0-1.3 gain screen. Am I misreading anything?

From a brightness perspective, I'd prefer to go with as high a gain screen as possible, and then ISF calibrate it down to what looks best. But does the higher gain screen screw up contrast and color saturation, to the point where it can't be properly calibrated?

This would be a fixed screen, so for DaLite it looks like the Cinema Contour with Pro-Trim model. Cheaper than the equivalent Stewart, so if it's better, I'd rather go with it!

(Off center viewing is a non-issue. All the seats are within 45 degrees of center, and the screen would cover most of the wall.)

I recommend you to get screen samples to see which you prefer, if you want bright there is Vutec Silverscreen.

I like my Carada 1.3 gain BW screen a great choice for the price, but on it for 16:9 would not recommend going much higher than 110"

The Toshiba XA2, PS3 or anything with fans will put out as much noise as the VW60 so no worries on noise.

A flat white matte screen at 1.0 gain gives the most accurate image, so get screen samples of higher gain materials to see first hand the trade-offs.

Have a read of the theard here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=773065

I'm actually going from a 1.1 gain to a HP/Silverstar with my VW60. By the way, I had a 200 for 2 weeks and ended up keeping the 60 and sending the 200 back. I also have a Ruby - despite being initially not that impressed with the new 60 and 200, I must admit they grew on me a lot.

Hi Oliver - so for you, the VW200 just didn't offer enough more to justify the price difference?

Not 10k worth of difference, no.

What's interesting was that I was going to keep my Ruby until I got both the VW60 and 200 to try out ... my advice: find a friendly dealer and try them both out.

There aren't that many features that differentiate the 60 from the 200 - Xenon lamp (costs a fortune to change with half the life but slightly better colour accuracy) - the film modes (black frame insertion) - sports modes .. are a laugh. The SXRD panels in the gen 3 machines have the same 2.5ms response time - so they can't do 120ms refresh anyway, its a marketing gimick. Alot of 200 owners have reported artifacts when using them too.

Good luck

Mark

I cant help you on which projector. One thing I can do is help you with the heating of your room. Here is what I did. I put an electronic damper on the line going to my room. I had it setup so it will close when heat is called for and stay open the rest of the time. You will need to set your fan to (on) not auto when your in your room. Before I did this my room would heat up alot in the winter. Now it stay with in a degree or two of the rest on the house, even on Sunday when my pj and home theater might be on for 12 hrs.

Brad

VW200 is very nice projector. I upgraded from a VW100 and am happy I did. Nobody has mentionned that the big selling point of the 200 is its much better lens. For HD sources particularly, this provides a significantly sharper picture. I did not bother with the VW60, but if you check the VW owners thread you will see comments from at least one person who went form VW60 to VW200.

I would not be so quick to dismiss the film projection and motionflow capabilities. If judiciously applied, I have found them to be quite effective (although motionflow set to high for movies does give a very wierd effect).

Also, the VW200 is heavily backordered and not yet in a lot of peoples hands, so take anecdoatal comments with a grain of salt.

I think for most people the VW60 is the better value, but if you want the better projector get the VW200.

Where's Joe?:D

where is Alan?, It seems that there are only three people here that owns the 200.
But it is no brainer the VW200 is the one. Period

where is Alan?, It seems that there are only three people here that owns the 200.
But it is no brainer the VW200 is the one. Period

I saw one recently in the next room over from a pearl...it definitely blew the pearl away...but for that kind of money why not go with a Sim2 3-chip or other no comproise botique brands...

I'll stick with the "bang for the buck" pjs in the low 2ks so I can justify an upgrade every few years, my wife and most guests couldn't tell the difference between these two unless conditions were optimum, which they never are.

I saw one recently in the next room over from a pearl...it definitely blew the pearl away...but for that kind of money why not go with a Sim2 3-chip or other no comproise botique brands...

I'll stick with the "bang for the buck" pjs in the low 2ks so I can justify an upgrade every few years, my wife and most guests couldn't tell the difference between these two unless conditions were optimum, which they never are.

The 200 of course looks better than the Pearl, but so does the 60. The real question is the 200 over the 60/Black Pearl. It seems there isn't as much of a difference to warrant the 10K.

There is not much to post about that has not already been covered. The 200 gives nice features that other PJs just don't have these days. Overall pic Q is close but when applying the 200's features it simply puts it over the top (by quite a bit)... And yes I really liked my Black Pearl (as many of you around here know :)) but I am more than happy I have jumped up to the VW200 or Sapphire as it is called. Especially after spending a lot of time tweaking it with my crystalio II.

Okay, I'm new to the front-projector world. I currently have a bunch of HDTV's, all RP, my newest being the 60" XBR1 SXRD. I'm about ready to go the FP route, and I think I really like the VW60.

I have a dedicated theater, no windows, dark walls/ceiling. I have a rack in a closet, so noise is minimal. The room is super insulated, primarily for sound, but the result is that heat/cool is also retained. I have a dedicated vent, but it's tied into the main HVAC, so for the 5 months a year when the A/C is off, the room can potentially get a little warm. Not really an issue right now, since nothing (except what's in the closet) generates much heat.

Some questions:

- What do I get/lose for the 10K difference between the VW60 and the VW200? They look pretty similar in specs to me?

- Is the 1000 lumens an issue with the VW60 (i.e. too low)? I currently have a couple of wall sconces that provide about 10W each of light, which is nice for the RPTV. Will those significantly detract from the FP? Is the 1000 lumens the issue, or is this just a general "no lights at all - complete darkness" for FP? With the RPTV, I can even turn on the overhead lights and still get a nice picture (usually watch in near dark, but wondering what the change will be going to FP, especially since 1000 lumens seems a little low?).

- Does the VW60 generate significantly more heat than the 60" RP XBR1 SXRD? Any recommendations for funneling the heat out of the room? I have some options, including venting it to the neighboring Rec Room, and venting outside. Alternatively, I suppose I could buy a dedicated cooler for the HT room. Any recommendations for "best practice" approach?

- Does the VW60 generate significant sound? Since it will be almost over/just behind the main seats, if it generates a lot more noise than the RPTV, I'll want to insulate it (but this will add to the heat issue, back to my previous question). Any advice on reducing the noise (if it's an issue)?

- I know this isn't the proper forum, but any recommendations on a nice 16x9 screen to pair with this? Would be permanently down, directly against the wall, looking at ~120". Willing to spend a couple grand I guess, not sure what the appropriate price range is for the screen.

Thanks in advance for tolerating my newbie questions!
-Mark


As a side question, what are you going to do with the XBR1? I have the same model and not sure how to get rid of it, due to its size.

As a side question, what are you going to do with the XBR1? I have the same model and not sure how to get rid of it, due to its size.

Well, my original post was a couple months ago. Since then, I ended up going with the VW60 and a 110" Stewart FHG3 16x9. I love it. It's just amazing. I also upgraded my AVR to an Onkyo 905 - not quite as in love, but it's great. Now I just need new speakers - oh no, no idea what to pick...

In terms of my XBR1, I put it in my daughter's Rec Room. She's only 3, but it's really the only room left in the house that can handle that big a TV (my family room has a 50" HD set and can't take bigger, my bedroom has a 37" and really can't take much bigger).

So, my three year old has a better TV that I had for 40 years of my life! I figure that room will become a secondary family room at some point before the TV dies, so I'm somehow justifying it...

If I didn't do that, I think I'd have top Craig's list it, or eBay it with a pick-up only option. But I don't like doing that, so I didn't...

(Plus I got to buy another Tivo HD for that room!)

There is not much to post about that has not already been covered. The 200 gives nice features that other PJs just don't have these days. Overall pic Q is close but when applying the 200's features it simply puts it over the top (by quite a bit)... And yes I really liked my Black Pearl (as many of you around here know :)) but I am more than happy I have jumped up to the VW200 or Sapphire as it is called. Especially after spending a lot of time tweaking it with my crystalio II.

I don't think anyone would argue it looks better. But does it look $10K better? That will depend on each person's value of $10K. Given you have a CII and almost 400 HD/BD's, $10K might mean a little less to you than the average person...