I'm in the process of setting up my HT. I have a $1000 pj budget. It's going to be setup in my basement (low light). The projector will mainly show blu-ray movies and football/hoop games. I was leaning towards Epson 8350 or Optoma H20, but I'd like to prepare for more future 3D content. I noticed many 3-D ready 720p pjs available + 3d converter box could get in my price range as well. So I guess, I'm not sure where to go. Is there a noticeable drop in pic quality from 1080p to 720p on a 110" screen? Am I over-hyping 3D where I can just purchase a new projector in 5-6 years? Let me know what you guys think.
2D 1080p or 3D ready 720p?
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I too have been racking my brain over this. I started out looking at DLP TV's to now wanting a projector. After couple of weeks of reading here, I personally am going with the 1080p Mits. HC4000. By this time next year, we will have some really nice 1080p 3D projectors for reasonable prices. One thing I have learned from the good people here is about distance you are sitting from the screen. Sitting 10 feet from a 720p screen as mine would be, would look really grainy to me. And the farthest I can go is 12 feet so no 720p for me.(Can only do a 92" screen right now also.)
Personally, I would stick with a nice 1080p projector for a year, and see where 3D is headed.
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Personally, I would stick with a nice 1080p projector for a year, and see where 3D is headed.
My main peeve with 3D is lack of quality material.
Even most of the BR releases are non 3D. There's hardly any TV channels that are broadcasted in 3D. Then the whole passive vs non-passive glasses.
I have the older mits HC3800 1080p pj and haven't bothered with 3D ......yet.
When the content is readily available with better tech (in the PJ world), then I might think about it.
Apart from the manufacturers who are pushing the hype for obvious reasons (more $$$), the content is not there yet, which will play the most important role.
One look at Nintendo's 3DS launch failure alone indicates a lot. 3D gaming hasn't taken off either. While the whole idea of a 3D movie sounds and works pretty good in the theaters, a home environment (along with other sources) is totally different.
One of my friends (Ax200 pj owner) recently bought the 55" LG 3D TV and he raved about his new toy for the first month. I asked him last week about 3D and he shrugged his shoulders and said "its alright" in a casual way
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My 2 and a half cents.
Even most of the BR releases are non 3D. There's hardly any TV channels that are broadcasted in 3D. Then the whole passive vs non-passive glasses.
I have the older mits HC3800 1080p pj and haven't bothered with 3D ......yet.
When the content is readily available with better tech (in the PJ world), then I might think about it.
Apart from the manufacturers who are pushing the hype for obvious reasons (more $$$), the content is not there yet, which will play the most important role.
One look at Nintendo's 3DS launch failure alone indicates a lot. 3D gaming hasn't taken off either. While the whole idea of a 3D movie sounds and works pretty good in the theaters, a home environment (along with other sources) is totally different.
One of my friends (Ax200 pj owner) recently bought the 55" LG 3D TV and he raved about his new toy for the first month. I asked him last week about 3D and he shrugged his shoulders and said "its alright" in a casual way
My 2 and a half cents.
I would go with the 1080p unit myself.
I have a Mits 3800 right now and I could not be happier. I would absolutely love to dive in to 3d, but the content is so sparse, it's not worth it for me.
I was considering a second, dedicated 720p 3d unit, but when I look at the content, all I see are kid's movies and live action movies that have been noted as utilizing 3d poorly. I would probably burn through all the content in a matter of a month.
I'll just wait for my next 1080p upgrade - probably in three years. I'm sure by then 3d will be just another feature among others, and I fear content is already beginning to show it will never break out of the niche realm.
My interest is actually mostly in 3d gaming, so I'm eager to see what is on tap for the next 360 and PS3 in regards to 3d.
I have a Mits 3800 right now and I could not be happier. I would absolutely love to dive in to 3d, but the content is so sparse, it's not worth it for me.
I was considering a second, dedicated 720p 3d unit, but when I look at the content, all I see are kid's movies and live action movies that have been noted as utilizing 3d poorly. I would probably burn through all the content in a matter of a month.
I'll just wait for my next 1080p upgrade - probably in three years. I'm sure by then 3d will be just another feature among others, and I fear content is already beginning to show it will never break out of the niche realm.
My interest is actually mostly in 3d gaming, so I'm eager to see what is on tap for the next 360 and PS3 in regards to 3d.
Go for the 1080P 2D projector. HDMI does not have enough bandwidth for anything better than 720p in 3D Yeah, you can watch 3D movies @ 24 frames per second in 1080P but it is horrible for gaming. You will actually get more video information into your brain/per second in 720/60 than 1080/24 and it won't seem choppy. It will also take A LOT of graphics power to run 3D games @ 1080p/60Hz (after DisplayPort arrives). Since gaming isn't really a spectator sport you don't need drawer full of glasses.
After all that, I am having a blast gaming in 720p 3D with a 120Hz projector.
After all that, I am having a blast gaming in 720p 3D with a 120Hz projector.
I agree with the comments on 3d gaming. I used to work as a developer for AAA pc/360/ps3 titles, and when approached by nvidia about converting our game to be 3d capable, while minor work needed to be done, we turned it down. While somewhat novel, and initially impressive, it seems to be still a buzz word and mrketing bulletpoint only. It adds very little to the gameplay or immersion.
They have come a long way, but they need to be very platform agnostic, seemless to the gamer, AND be able to be turned off in options easily.
They have come a long way, but they need to be very platform agnostic, seemless to the gamer, AND be able to be turned off in options easily.
10' from a 92" screen is not going to look grainy using 720P. To fully resolve 1080P on a 92" screen you need to be around 8.5' from the screen. 12' from a 720P screen is the distance to receive full benefit of 720P. http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html
Added
You would be surprised at how good some 720P projectors can look at that distance. 10' from a 92" screen is viewing from 1.5 screen widths. My Marantz VP-12S4 holds it's own with 1080P projectors at 1.5 screen widths.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRaven72 /forum/post/20806815
I too have been racking my brain over this. I started out looking at DLP TV's to now wanting a projector. After couple of weeks of reading here, I personally am going with the 1080p Mits. HC4000. By this time next year, we will have some really nice 1080p 3D projectors for reasonable prices. One thing I have learned from the good people here is about distance you are sitting from the screen. Sitting 10 feet from a 720p screen as mine would be, would look really grainy to me. And the farthest I can go is 12 feet so no 720p for me.(Can only do a 92" screen right now also.)
Personally, I would stick with a nice 1080p projector for a year, and see where 3D is headed.![]()
10' from a 92" screen is not going to look grainy using 720P. To fully resolve 1080P on a 92" screen you need to be around 8.5' from the screen. 12' from a 720P screen is the distance to receive full benefit of 720P. http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html
Added
You would be surprised at how good some 720P projectors can look at that distance. 10' from a 92" screen is viewing from 1.5 screen widths. My Marantz VP-12S4 holds it's own with 1080P projectors at 1.5 screen widths.
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The question you pose is tough. I'm sure the 1080p projectors will give obviously better color, contrast, and resolution compared to the 720p DLPLink projectors. But they won't give you 3D. One Avatar presentation in 3D on a big screen at home will make up for a lot of compromises in other areas. I personally have 2projectors at home and use the DLPLink one only for 3D. If I could only afford one projector and were buying now, I would wait til after CEDIA in September and then buy the best 3D one in my price range.
Thanks for everyone's replies. Like everyone mentioned, I don't believe there's enough 3D content yet to sacrifice losing 1080p 2D quality. I haven't done too much research but I'm assuming entry level 1080p 3D pjs are going to be well out of my price range (Max ~$1500)?
1400and1800$(rumored) for the 33 and 3300,not very bright tho 1800 lumens
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1341514
http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/HD3300
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...sort=pop&sz=15
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1341514
http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/HD3300
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...sort=pop&sz=15
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I had a 720P 3D Optoma for a few months. The 3D was really cool, but I couldn't ever seem to get my 2D picture tuned in quite right. I went ahead and bought an 8350 and am very impressed with it. I still have the 3D projector laying around and haven't really felt the need to hook it back up. I compare the 3D projector to my Nintendo Wii; really cool at first then collects dust after the initial "fun" wears off.
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As techtre2003 said above, the 3D 720p projector has a certain fun factor, but it wears off pretty quickly. It's great for 3D BD movies and 3D gaming (I used Xbox360 and PC games via Nvidia 3D Vision and also through a 3DHD Avermedia HDMI card) but for 2D movie watching, it's "ok", not as good as a 1080p PJ. You'll get used to the quality, but IMHO, the 2D on the 720p projector is no where near the quality of the 1080p PJ. As a matter of fact, my GT720 had "screen door" effect on my 150" screen, visible from 12 feet away. I know screen door effect is supposed to be common on LCD projectors, not DLP projectors, but not what I experienced. My Epson 8100 does not have SDE and has been great for the 1 year since I bought it. I stopped using The GT720, due to several stuck pixels that started to appear all over.
If you could later, get both. But if you can only afford one, get the 1080p. IMHO, I would get nothing less than the Epson 8350 or a Epson 8100, as these are very inexpensive and have horizontal and vertical adjustment. I personally would encourage anyone that is in the market for a home theater to continually save their $$$ to get the best PJ they can buy, as opposed to settling for what they can currently afford now. Myself, I'm saving up for the new Panasonic AE7000U 3D LCD that will be coming out next month. This PJ will replace my Epson 8100 and Optoma GT720.
If you could later, get both. But if you can only afford one, get the 1080p. IMHO, I would get nothing less than the Epson 8350 or a Epson 8100, as these are very inexpensive and have horizontal and vertical adjustment. I personally would encourage anyone that is in the market for a home theater to continually save their $$$ to get the best PJ they can buy, as opposed to settling for what they can currently afford now. Myself, I'm saving up for the new Panasonic AE7000U 3D LCD that will be coming out next month. This PJ will replace my Epson 8100 and Optoma GT720.
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After owning a 3d 720p pj and a 1080p 2d for the past 4 months, it's hard to imagine being without either. If you entertain a lot, the 720p 3d pj will get all the attention. In fact, I haven't shown a 2d movie to any guests since I got 3d.
With that being said, I would still agree that for your own viewing, the 2d 1080p will get more usage, unless you are a pc gamer as some have mentioned. If you haven't seen a 3d pj yet, I would recommend you not viewing one until you are ready to buy one. You won't be able to get it out of your mind! Honestly for me, 3d has absolutely complicated my projector purchasing. Ignorance is bliss!
In the cost of the 3d pj don't forget to add 3d glasses and the cost of 3d blurays since you cannot rent them readily.
With that being said, I would still agree that for your own viewing, the 2d 1080p will get more usage, unless you are a pc gamer as some have mentioned. If you haven't seen a 3d pj yet, I would recommend you not viewing one until you are ready to buy one. You won't be able to get it out of your mind! Honestly for me, 3d has absolutely complicated my projector purchasing. Ignorance is bliss!
In the cost of the 3d pj don't forget to add 3d glasses and the cost of 3d blurays since you cannot rent them readily.
Thats impossible with the usual 6 segment colorwheel those have, you dont want drop because you get around 700 at most.
And DLP is still free of screendoor, don't propagate it cause its not true. With the advent of 3D we see all kinds of technical terms used incorrectly , please don't add SDE to the list.
Yes its SHARP and EDGY but thats not screendoor...!!!
Thats impossible with the usual 6 segment colorwheel those have, you dont want drop because you get around 700 at most.
And DLP is still free of screendoor, don't propagate it cause its not true. With the advent of 3D we see all kinds of technical terms used incorrectly , please don't add SDE to the list.
Yes its SHARP and EDGY but thats not screendoor...!!!
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I haven't found the 3D content available compelling enough to upgrade to a 3D projector... but to be honest, I'm not all that impressed with 3D in movie theaters either... It is neat, but I don't find that it really adds much to my movie experience - and the glasses are really uncomfortable. I'm sure that some people agree with me, while others would strongly disagree... so, I think to 3D or not to 3D is a more personal decision.
I believe this one does both. Optoma GT750E.
Resolution: Native WXGA (1280 x 800), 2D
720p, 3D
Maximum Resolution: VGA: UXGA (1600 x 1200), HDMI: 1080p
Brightness: 3000 ANSI Lumens
Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Full On/Full Off)
go to optomas website then /products/detail/GT750E
and costs $754.99 on amazon. Check the free shipping
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amazon /Optomas-GT750E-Short-Throw-Projector/dp/B005G2HR6W
so sorry. 1st post cant do full urls...
I believe this one does both. Optoma GT750E.
Resolution: Native WXGA (1280 x 800), 2D
720p, 3D
Maximum Resolution: VGA: UXGA (1600 x 1200), HDMI: 1080p
Brightness: 3000 ANSI Lumens
Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Full On/Full Off)
go to optomas website then /products/detail/GT750E
and costs $754.99 on amazon. Check the free shipping
amazon /Optomas-GT750E-Short-Throw-Projector/dp/B005G2HR6W
so sorry. 1st post cant do full urls...
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I'm sure the guy meant 1080p native. The projector you listed is a 720p projector.
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