New Casio projectors: LED/Laser, 720p, compact - Page 21

I spent some more time with the XJ-A230, and I've concluded there is no way to get a good blue out of this projector. If you look at the images up a few on this thread, there is one with a plane and sky in the background. That's the color of blue I get - a greyish, purplish blue.

I also found some color aberration on the left side of the image, with yellow and purple color fringing.

The optics don't produce a very clear image either. It doesn't come close to my InFocus LCD projector. I'm sure there were some compromises made to keep the projector small.

Some people have mentioned a buzzing sound, and theorized that it is the color wheel. I believe it is actually the cooling fan motor, because the buzzing is reduced in Eco2 mode.

It is great to be able to turn this projector on and off at will, without burning up bulbs. I just wish the image quality was better.

Michael

I would go for the XJ-A240 if you are using a 120" screen. I found the XJ-A230 adequate for a 100" screen, but no more.

Only you can answer whether or not 720p is sufficient. If you watch a lot of Blu-Ray, I would go for 1080p. If you watch a lot of sports on ESPN or Speed, then 720 is fine, because that's all they broadcast in.

On a side note though, I found this projector to be too "soft" for me, due to the optics, but it depends on what you are using it for. I also found the blues way off the mark. Make sure you get a good return policy, and test it for yourself.

Michael

XJ-A230 is still 679$!!!!!!!!!

i just saw some videos of xj-240 and its pretty impressive. but i have a question for those who own this.

1. How is this for HTPC/mobile use. Is text clear at wxga? is it pixelated at 10 feet? ill be sitting around 10 feet away from the screen.
2. Is this laser tech safe for the eyes? i was a bit surprised to see someone using the laser to burn duct tape! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfn6zoGRLI
3. Is eye fatigue high in laser tech compared to uhp lamps, specially for long hours usage?
3. How does xj240 compare to xj230 in real life? 500 less lumens really a big deal?

I have the 240 and it has 3 settings and always use the lower 2-the fans are loud on highest setting.It is 720p-but has a small lens,but performs well(power zoom and focus/from remote) and will do short throw.The blues can be purpley some times.

I use pc for my PJ,s-works great.

the laser experimenters buy these for the lasers-they can sell the blue laser for 75-100$ and make 2300$ off 700$ PJ.
laser Diode Blocks are 600ish$

laser light-bounced off a dlp chip going thru a lens and bouncing off a screen to your eye-no abnormal probs.

thanks for the info. so i gather, using the PJ extensively day in and out is very comfortable for the eyes; plus, laser is no issue at all once it bounces off the wall/screen. Is that right?

What is the distance between you and the screen, and what is the size of the image projected on the screen for you? I'm just getting an idea of the ergonomics with this PJ.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Casi...ulator-pro.htm

at 9 1/2 feet lens to screen im doing 90 diag-using zoom ican push it to 120ish(hard to tape measure) and you can see pixels about 6-7ft away at 120inches.my eye is even with lens when i watch.

This has a 2.0 zoom very flexable,the lasers are safe.

thanks for the info.

one more question. what is the difference between XJ-A230 XJ-A230U or V? i think U is for USB. V is for Wireless? What is the use for USB except plugging in the USB stick?

can you fit a Wifi dongle in the USB port or use to get a display from the HTPC?

i watched this video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfZL...eature=related

on the higher lumen casio the blue is truer due to different wavelength laser and different phosphor used. check out the sky on the 3000 lumen casio in the video and the explanation the guy gives.

its interesting, the blue looks truer on the qumi as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fonWA1cao watch 18-20 seconds.

Nokia, the difference between U and V is that the U was an earlier model which did not come with the wireless ability built in, you have to purchase an additional adapter from casio to add the function.

not too long after casio changed the model number to end in V and the only thing that is different is that the same wireless dongle you'd have to buy for the U comes pre installed at no extra charge. the projector's themselves are identical in every other way to my knowledge.

I am currently in talks with Casio's director of customer serivice and the director of the projector division over the performance of the wireless function. Basically I thought It would be awesome to beam video wirelessly using the wireless N adapter on my a245u, but it just doesn't work. It is a pain to set up as it requires you to connect to a wireless network hosted by the projector, which means unless you have two network cards in your computer and can connect another to the network, you couldn't do anything internet related while displaying a wireless image.

The bigger problem is that the refresh rate is horrid when it comes to video. One of the third tier tech support guys told me its only coded to pass through like 6FPS or less. in sum its designed for displaying powerpoints or documents, possibly a photo. But video is nothing short of disappointing, its unwatchable no matter what settings you adjust.

casio mentions no limitations in any of their literature, and trust me I've read it all, even the documents from casio europe.

don't get me wrong I love the projector, and I can get over the noise since usually I only need the lowest brightness setting.
just don't expect to use the wireless for any sort of video signal at all.

oh and even if you're up for using it for documents, they're too lazy to write a small utility for mac so you can only use the utlity from a windows computer. Not even a bootcamp set up allows functionality.

I watched that before my purchase, but it makes absolutely no sense to me at all. ProjectorPeople is little more than a testing company that makes recommendations or observations based upon simple comparisons of units. How or why they would say "WE change the wavelength of the blue laser and use a different phosphor on the green laser" is beyond me.

Now, we could assume that the video was shot while a Casio rep was comparing/presenting the two units for PP. However, if that were the case, PP should have made it more clear that these were Casio's claims, not their own. Also, "tweaking the wavelength" of the blue laser would impact its life, and yet, Casio has made no adjustments in the claimed 20K hours of the newer unit(s). Perhaps the "tweak" was so small that it made virtually no difference, but if they're going to mention it then I feel that they should tell us exactly what the two wavelengths were (or at least give a percentile change) rather than be so vague about it.

What originally turned me on to the XJ was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0taolfUk4g

Sure, the guy comes off as an absolutely egotistical douche in his commentary, but it's a good representation of what to expect from this tech based upon very good source material.

This is what absolutely sold me on the unit once and for all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eB3J...eature=related

As with all the videos, the camera plays a huge role. I see true blues with my 235 with very few adjustments done out of the box, so I'm not certain why others are getting purples instead.

This is what is keeping me hooked to casios too. Maybe some units were built with different tweaks in them, that's the only way to explain the purplish blue.

Can you take a video/photo of your casio 235 especially the win7 login screen?

Bummer man 6FPS is a joke. Back to the cable until they sort this out in future models.

I don't have it connected to a HTPC. Only DVR, 360, and BD player are hooked up right now.

As stated, any photo/video I post would be subject to the constraints of my camera. I only have a Canon SX130IS right now, so it's not the greatest. (Not a bad camera for everyday jaunts by any means, but certainly no DSLR.) Our bedroom is completely blacked out, and the Canon isn't stellar in that environment. I fear that any images I would put up would not be an accurate representation of what we see.

That said, I'll shoot a few things later on and see if they're even worthy of posting.

that will be nice.

have you noticed any changes in brightness or color changes since you bought it new?

The unit does seem just a bit less bright than the first day. That's actually a very good thing, imo, as it was a light cannon out of the box. Wife and I have both mentioned that the images seem a tad more natural now. Our last pj's bulb was dying, so it may just be us getting a little more acclimated to the unit itself. I think we just went over 200 hours, if that helps any.

I can't imagine needing any more lumens unless I put this thing in a sun room and used it to project happy, healthy plants to make mine try to live up to those expectations!

Mine has been back to casio 2 times for a green haze that casio says they canot see-1 they replaced color wheel (but there is no prob) -2-the second time i got back the haze moved and you can just make it out on a white background.Some one said (a reviewer)noted a green push on the right side with a early model.

I wonder does any of yours have the gamer mode?

Another point is you could never see the haze at smaller size screen(my bad for not mentioning it)you can only see it at80-90inches+

I just ordered the xj-a240, have 90 days to return so if the fan noise is a bit to much then I will return and go with the xj-m240 which I found at 2 sites.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a projector mount for a drop ceiling?

i've just bought casio xj-a230 it should be on its way soon! pretty excited about this laser tech.

The fan noise is waaaaaayyyyy overstated, imo. While the regular setting is loud enough to cause distraction, Eco1 is barely noticeable, and Eco 2 is dead silent. (We use Eco 1 to get a bright image that pops. Regular is too bright and Eco 2 is a little dim.) Of course, I actually listen to the program rather than focus on hearing a fan. Our projector sits exactly above our bed, so if there were an issue, I'd think we'd have it.

For $700, there's nothing else that can offer at least 4 years of 100% worry-free viewing.

One other issue I noted while testing the XJ-A230 is there is a significant loss of resolution and sharpness going into the HDMI port. It isn't the optics, because the menus generated by the projector itself are quite sharp. I didn't find any sharpness adjustment in the menus.

Michael

you say there's a loss of sharpness using the HDMI input?
have you by chance done any testing to verify this?
like have you used a vga cable from your computer, then play the same file using an hdmi cable from your computer?

has anyone else noticed this problem with hdmi input sharpness?

it occurs to me only as I read this that I've only used the hdmi up until this point, so I've had no reason to notice any other inputs being clearer

what about the new standard series (xj-m *)? no one bought one? no reviews, pictures etc?

have you tried the vga port? can you upload video/pics of the issue..

im not sure if it is in the market in bulk. plus A series is usually the first preference because of its power zoom/focus and smaller footprint.

Pretty much! the bottom-line is most superior!

try it and let us know! quicker the information gaps fill in the better!