[Reginald Trent]

I'm trying to help someone setup a HT with a projector. The Infocus ScreenPlay 110 was recommended by another person also making suggestions. What can anybody tell me about this unit? The projector will be setup about 12 ft from a 110" screen.


I'm also open to other suggestions for comparable projectors with the same picture quality and features for less.

 

[Mr. Biggles]

I used to have a clone of the LS110, the MT5 by Toshiba. That PJ is two year old technology. It was/isn't a bad unit, but there is just much better unit choices available now that I wouldn't suggest buying it.


I see these for sale all over the internet which tells me theres still alot of leftover stock.


In my opinion, tell your friend to look at something else. If were talking about an X1 budget ($1000) then the LS110 is OK.

Bill

 

[John Schuermann]

An LS110 on a 110" screen is going to produce some serious screendoor unless the seating is very far from the screen. The LS110 is 800 x 600, same as the X1/Screenplay 4800, which are almost surely available for less. The only real advantage that the LS110 has is DVI w/HDCP (which I guess is a pretty decent advantage, but it still doesn't do anything to overcome the limited resolution).


We are not supposed to put up pricing here, but without knowing what the LS110 is going for it's kind of hard to recommend projectors for less. I would say the Sanyo PLVZ2 would be an excellent choice (1280 x 720 for around $2000). If the budget can be increased into the $3000 plus area, check out the NEC HT-1000 or Screenplay 5700.


What kind of screen are we talking? 16:9 or 4:3?


JOHN

 

[guitarman]

The two best buys in this forum are the HT1000 & Optoma H56. The LS110 is a budget projector now it's best feature is the dual mode for DVD & 4.3 material but it doesn't have the DDR 12degree chip. There's a new optoma H30 with similiar resolution that blows away this projector at a lower price with the DDR chip.

 

[Axel]

I had an LS-110 for about 2 years running it at its native [email protected] (John, the 110 has not the same chip as the X1) on an HTPC via DVI, projecting to a 110" 16:9 Firehawk. I was watching only DVD material (no HDTV) and I was very happy with its PQ – not very good blacks, though. This was until I saw a Marantz S2, to which I then upgraded to….But hey, this is clearly a different league of PJ. I think it comes down to what you expect from a PJ and of course your budget. Again, the LS110 is a great PJ, but as indicated by the other posters just make sure you pay not more than market price for it…

_____

Axel

 

[John Schuermann]

I admit that I am not intimately familiar with the LS-110, but thought it shared the same dual mode chip as the X-1..


Other than that, we agree.


JOHN

 

[mlharges]

I've had the Studio Experience version (the 12sf) for almost 2 years and and while I'm not in a hurry to replace it, it's not the choice that I'd make today. The LS110 is 2 year old technology now and there are better options out there today.


Specific things that I would look for in a new projector:


Contrast - the LS110 is 600:1. Watching West Wing is often an exercise in seeing a pair of heads floating in a sea of darkness (though to be fair, I'm projecting on to the wall - I just ordered a Carada High Contrast screen today and we'll see what impact that has).


Menus - Changing from a 4x3 image to a 16x9 image takes 11 key presses on the remote. I'd love an easy way to toggle through the aspect ratios.


Temporal dithering - fast camera pans across complex backgrounds tend to cause the image to break up slightly during the panning motion. In a previous thread, Bob Williams of InFocus has said that newer chips will display a slightly lower level of temporal dithering.


I don't mention these to bash the 110 - I plan on keeping mine for another couple of years before upgrading - but I do think that you have wide field of newer, better performing units available today.


Mike H.

 

[joe12south]

I have to agree with the general consensus. I own a 110, and although I'm very happy with it, I bought it two years ago. If I were buying today, there are a lot more choices and DLP technology has advanced considerably.

 

[Reginald Trent]

First let me apologize for posting and not knowing the price of the 110. So does anyone have suggestions for a projector 3,000 or under?