[704set]

I'm looking at both these projectors with a 80" wide, 16:9 aspect Grayhawk screen being viewed from about 11 feet. It seems a number of people like the PLC-21N over the PLV-60 from what I have read.


Just about all my viewing will be DVDs. Should the 16:9 native format of the PLV-60 be a major consideration in my choice?


Thanks.

Rick

 

[kelliot]

The PLV60 enables 2.35 aspect ratio viewing using a full panel with a Panamorph or ISCO.


------------------

Ken Elliott

 

[phussary]

Read the posts in this forum carefully, the PLV60 seems to have problems with dust.


Also depending on your lighting environment the XP21N is significantly brighter.

 

[BKnutson]

The PLV-60 has been an excellent unit for me so far. The deciding factor for me was that I too will be watching mostly DVD and HDTV sources. Thus, the 16x9 native panel resolution was more important than higher lumen output.


I posted earlier regarding initial dust problems but after servicing by Sanyo and three weeks of continuous use I have had no further problems with dust. The dust issue may be a manufacturing problem as my unit had dust blobs before I had even used it. I think time will tell if this is a manufacturing issue or an actual problem with the filter on the unit.


Otherwise, the picture quality is outstanding. I really enjoy the great contrast and black levels for a LCD. I am looking forward to hooking up my HTPC to the unit and utilizing the full 1366 x 768 resolution (or at least as close as possible) There has been some discussion on solarization but this may be due to playback source or possibly MPEG limitations. No one knows for sure. Many other critical remarks regarding purple haze and graininess have been discussed. Some of these 'problems' have been fixed with tweaks in the service menu (see earlier posts by MrWigggles) Sanyo certainly has been willing to address these issues with a timely 72 hr quick service policy. (though some people have had a longer turnaround)


Brian

 

[Jonmx]

My speculation from all the information available on this is the XP21N looks superior to the PLV-60 running a 480p signal into it. It is brighter and has less screen door. The PLV-60 should get an advantage if you have a HTPC/scaler or an HDTV signal input.

 

[704set]

Then what I am hearing from the critics of the PLV-60 is that a 16:9 native format doesn't mean much, even if only DVDs will be played. Is this correct????


Thanks.

 

[BKnutson]

Actually..not true. A 16:9 native display means that when displaying 16:9 material all of the LCD panel is used. There are no black bars created on top and bottom. When a 4:3 native display projects 16:9 image, black bars are created on the top and bottom. Thus, fewer pixels are used when creating the image in the case of the 4:3 native display. The same is true when using a 16:9 native display to project a 4:3 image (normal broadcast television). The sides of the image become black bars and this equates to part of the LCD panel turned off. Both DVD and HDTV will utilize the 16:9 aspect ratio (at least most of the cases of HDTV. Hope this helps.


Brian

 

[704set]

Thanks, Brian.

 

[yogaman]

I will throw in this unstated point that I gleaned from a different thread. Maybe you already realized this, but it was something I kept overlooking.


A 16:9 image takes advantage of all the pixels for a high quality source, but loses pixels when the source is generally lower quality.


A 4:3 image uses all the pixels for NTSC material, but loses pixels when you're supplying higher quality material.


There is a monkey-wrench in this nice, clean rule-of-thumb (to mix a few metaphors):


If you watch mostly "standard" movies, i.e., movies made prior to the spread of television, your source material is 4:3, and the DVD is a pretty high quality 4:3 source. (Not as high quality as an HDTV program, but pretty darn good.) Personally, I don't watch that many old movies. Even so, at 720x480, you can fit every source H pixel into one display H pixel in 3/4 of an XGA horizontal line.


This is what impels me toward a 16:9 display.


Obvious, isn't it, once it was pointed out?


-yogaman


P.S. My preferred way to generate the 16:9 image at the moment is with an anamorphic lens. I don't need to focus exclusively on 16:9 panel projectors that way.


[This message has been edited by yogaman (edited 07-08-2001).]