I had posted this in the $3,000 and under forum, but I was unsure of what forum to post it in. So please forgive me for posting it to two forums.

Hi All,
I have been a crt user for 7 years now. However I just recently purchased a newer crt due to the older one getting noticeable burn-in. The newer one I put up turns out to have a number of issues and ends up getting a worst picture then my older crt, which I can't live with.

I am now thinking about a digital projector for the first time, but I still don't have any visuals on just how good they can look, because every time I visit one of the high-end stores around here, they always have a poor calibration on them. So I am never able to get an idea to just how well they can look.

I was told by my calibrator that they will now blow away a crt in picture quality, but then again, seeing is believing, which I have not been able to do to date.

I would like to hear the opinions of those here that have been former crt owners.

Do you think the newer DLPs and LCDs rivial the picture quality of a crt?

Which is better, a DLP or CRT?

Which one of these is the better projector: Samsung SPH710AE DLP or a Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD? And is there other ones I should be considering?

Do they still get that screen door and rainbow effect?

Am I going to get good blacks that will please a former crt owner?

Best Regards,
Don
-----------------------
The Alien Seeker News

I had posted this in the $3,000 and under forum, but I was unsure of what forum to post it in. So please forgive me for posting it to two forums.

Hi All,
I have been a crt user for 7 years now. However I just recently purchased a newer crt due to the older one getting noticeable burn-in. The newer one I put up turns out to have a number of issues and ends up getting a worst picture then my older crt, which I can't live with.

I am now thinking about a digital projector for the first time, but I still don't have any visuals on just how good they can look, because every time I visit one of the high-end stores around here, they always have a poor calibration on them. So I am never able to get an idea to just how well they can look.

I was told by my calibrator that they will now blow away a crt in picture quality, but then again, seeing is believing, which I have not been able to do to date.

I would like to hear the opinions of those here that have been former crt owners.

Do you think the newer DLPs and LCDs rivial the picture quality of a crt?

Which is better, a DLP or CRT?

Which one of these is the better projector: Samsung SPH710AE DLP or a Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD? And is there other ones I should be considering?

Do they still get that screen door and rainbow effect?

Am I going to get good blacks that will please a former crt owner?

Best Regards,
Don
-----------------------
The Alien Seeker News


I wasn't aware the Samsung SPH710AE DLP is still available. I'd stay away from the Samsung as it's had too many problems. As for the Mitsubishi HC5000, that was last year's model; replaced by the HC6000 which has a better auto iris and contrast.

I use projectors only for watching movies and i find DLP projectors are preferable for their more filmlike image and cinematic impression. I haven't tried all projectors out there but from what i have seen so far, i would go for DLP. If you use the projector for other reasons such as sports, gaming, etc., LCD may serve you equally well.

I am interested in trying CRT's once I find a good deal around without having to pay a fortune dollars for shipping.


Samsung SPH710AE DLP is still sold on Ebay and some other sites.

Why not look into a Marantz 12S4 or a Sharp 12000 MkII they will give you very good out of the box color and good black levels. I had a 710 and went through 2 of them before Samsung finally give me my money back. I had a
Benq W10000 which was very good, but my seating changed to further away from the screen so I sold it. I now have a 12S4 and am very happy with it. If you are interested I am in Mesa if you would like to look at it.

Dale

LCD, DLP, SXRD, LCOS.......all are competitive within their own price ranges. You like the inky blacks of your CRT??? If you do then you will not get that with the current crop of projectors...HOWEVER, you will love the current 1080P projectors for their convergence, color, 3D effect, sharpness, and Screen DOOR is pretty much a non-issue now. AND you will save money on shipping. What is your budget? That will determine how all these attributes will hold.

Thanks everyone for all your help. I am sure you can see that I am totally new to the digital pj world, so I have been asking a lot of questions.

I have been currently reading a lot, here in the forums, about the Mitsubishi HC6000 and the Panasonic AE2000u, but every time I think I am getting close to a decision, I start reading about another pj, and then the confusion just starts over again. It is very hard to make a decision site unseen.

I wish I could find some place around here that demos these units since I am making a big decision going from a crt to a digital and I don’t want to end up regretting my decision. In the past when ever I have seen one of the digital projectors setup and running at one of the higher end video stores, I was totally unimpressed. However it has been some time since I have viewed any of them and from what I have been reading about the screen door effect being now a non issue and far better black levels, I am now starting to reconsider a digital pj. I have also never been able to view one local that was properly calibrated, they always had a very poor pq.

The only reason I started thinking about doing this in the first place is because of the shortage of qualified calibrators there is in the Phoenix area. I have an NEC and there is only one person who will touch an NEC in the Phoenix area and the cost is close to $1,000. Last time I had to fly someone in from California, which ended up costing me a lot more.

Best Regards,
Don
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The Alien Seeker News

I just came from 20 years of CRt, the latest being a Runco 930. Since the main pj candidates for me were just coming out or difficult to go see before the holidays (Sim2 HT 380, Marantz VP11s2, Samsung 800) I was debating about getting a modded 1080p CRT like a Marquee 9500 Ultra.

Through the help of some wonderful AVS forum members like Ken W, etc I became aware of the unbelievable bargain called the refurb'd Samsung SP-H710AE. Although only 720P it would give me a 6 month window or so to spend quality time looking for that next 5-10 yr pj. Oh, and the refurb'd models have had the start up issues addressed in most cases. Oh, and they are available for way less than the cost of a Phoenix calibration :) !!! (edit: sorry, but I'm not supposed to quote prices). I did a search and found them at Legend Micro. I then saw that a couple AVS'ers had pointed some people that way as well. When I went to buy it I realized it's sales/shipping location is 30 minutes from my house, so I saved shipping too.

I fired it up on Wednesday. Wow! I'm impressed. It only makes me realize how far these digital pj's have come. I can't wait to finally eval the ones that wipe this one all over the floor. In the meantime I bought Chief ceiling mount hardware, took down my dead Runco and will have the Sammy on the ceiling keeping me happy for at least a few months. Heck, it can become the boys basement gaming pj later.