The Official SONY VPL VW200 "Sapphire" Thread. - Page 71

Tassie-Devil,
Was the bulb making any cricket noise when you changed it out?

No, quiet as a mouse!

John

hey Joe, what is a good projrctor to use in $3K range? I'm using Oppo BDP-95, also have Denon DVD-3800BDCI. Viewing distance would be like 9 feet. Appreciate any inout you can provide.

FYI - I own a Top Line Sony PJ. It is wonderful.

And I ALSO OWN a Vivitek H1080FD which you can find at Amazon

It works on the same screen size you have. It is MIND blowing for the price.

I see, thanks for your input! Actually I'm really liking the Panasonic PT-AE4000U for the price as well

Hi Alan,
Have you installed your VW200 in your HT?
If so, how is it playing with the 11 foot scope screen?

Why is this projector still selling for such high used prices? I've seen them close for 3.5-4k+ recently.

Is the IQ / contrast / black levels on par with the current JVC's or Sony 90, Mitsubishi HC9000, etc?

No, No and No....Must be the lens quality and xenon lamp???

Hi Alan,
How is the VW200 playing?
Did you use a video processor, or driving it directly?

I'm happy to report that I have 1700 hours on my replacement lamp and no noticeably loud cricket noise as with the first lamp that came in the PJ from ecost.

PS: How long do these lamps last? My picture still looks great, but I'm thinking about putting the noisy lamp back in to check brightness. Also, what is the danger if I let it go past 2500 hours, are these xenon lamps prone to breakage?

The VW200 is happily projecting good images here on lamp no 2. I fooled it into thinking it had been replaced when a message demanded no 1 be replaced - that went for at least 50% longer with no signs of distress. I have another replacement bulb on the shelf but it will not be going in for some time yet. But in about 4 years time I'll be looking for another projector - prices have dropped dramatically. My present leaning is toward JVC but we shall see.

John

I wonder if the JVC's picture is better than the VPL-VW200 as 4k content isn't available for the masses. The build quality of the VPL-VW200 is very good: brass bushings for every screw (no plastic threads), great lens and beautifully crafted remote.

I bought mine at a really good price in late 2009 from ecost; it is the first display purchase I haven't had any regrets on (aside from the cricket noise). The picture still looks amazing. On a 110" screen, the VPL-VW200 brightness is perfect, but I'm thinking about building a large custom screen the next time I move so it may/may not be bright enough and I may have to re-evaluate things when I move in 6 years.

That said, if online vendors offer a refurbished VPL-VW1000ES for 75% off MSRP in 5 years, I'd consider it, but without significant price deductions on something with similar build quality to the VPL-VW200, I'm not going to switch.