[RobertV]

I have a BG801s and am trying to get my hands on a BG808s or a Sony G70 here @ work. I have checked the specs and the main things I see different are the lumens and the bandwidth (of course the units are 3 yrs newer than the 801.)

My questions:

(1) Do the 808 & the G70 have EM focus & what other improvements do they have?

(2) What brand of tubes are in these units? Sony or MEC?

(3) Will I see a drastic picture improvement? The BG801s is running through a HTPC @ 1440x960 @ 48Hz and the picture is just stunning.

(4) Should I just save my pennies for the 9" I really want? (Electrohome Marquee)

TIA

Robert van der Veer

 

[RobertV]

BUMP.......

 

[wireburn]

I have the 801s as well, and settled on it after looking at many fine projectors, some for much more money than I spent.


You'll have to save a lot of pennies to get a significant improvement over the 801s, which I believe is one of the best bang/buck machines out there.


-Mike

 

[mrowley]

Hi Robert


I currently have a BG808s and previously had a BG801s.


To answer your questions:


(1) Yes the 808 has EM focus. IMO this produces a sharper picture than the 801s


The 808s is considerably quieter than the 801s, it's a more recent model (mine is a 1998 compared to a 1994), it's a lot brighter, 1250 lumens to 900 from memory.

Cosmetically the 808s is more modern looking.


(2) I'm not 100% sure of the brand of tubes, but the consensus on this forum seems to be Sony.


(3) I wouldn't say you'll see a drastic improvement, but you will see an improvement.


(4) Only you can decide whether to get the 808s or save for the 9". I'm going through the same exercise at the moment. To decide whether to go for the 1209. There is a moderate price increase from the 801s to the 808s but quite a jump in price from the 808s to a 9" projector.


I am very pleased with my 808s and don't regret making the upgrade for a second


Regards

Mark

 

[jsaliga]

Mark,


I am struggling with the same decision. I have a NEC XG110LC 8-incher that I love but now that I have HDTV I really would like a good 9-inch projector. The Sony 1292 is out of contention, the Marquee 9500LC is a bit rich for my blood. That leaves me with the Barco 1200/1209/1209s. The lower end 1200 can be pretty affordable, but the 1209/s gets up there in price.


I am also kicking around an Ampro 4300 9". I haven't quite yet decided on it--though the price is right. If it were a 4600 it would be an easier decision to make.


--Jerome

 

[R.Bauer]

Hi Robert,


(1) Do the 808 & the G70 have EM focus & what other improvements do they have?

As mentioned, they both have EM focus. Other improvements are dynamic astig. (Dot Shape). The G70 also has color filters AND Liquid Coupled Lenses, and this is the biggest plus when you are looking in the high-end 8" market.


(2) What brand of tubes are in these units? Sony or MEC?

BG 808 and G70 use both MEC tubes, and the 808s has Sony tubes.


(3) Will I see a drastic picture improvement? The BG801s is running through a HTPC @ 1440x960 @ 48Hz and the picture is just stunning.

The improvement is huge, especially in high resolutions. But remember you need a high quality input-signal at these high resolutions to see the full ddifference. A high-spec HTPC will do just fine.


(4) Should I just save my pennies for the 9" I really want? (Electrohome Marquee)

The 8" G70 is as close as you can get to a 9". Especially the liquid coupling is what makes the difference. An 9" might give you the benefit of higher light output, or being a tad sharper as the G70. But if you keep screen width under 80-90 inch you will be fine, and don't really need the extra light output of a 9 inch CRT.


A G70 or 808(s) is capable of resolutions of 2000*1600 while a 801 maxes out at 1024*768, speaking of dot size/line overlapping. So yes, the difference in sharpness is HUGE.


Regards,


Reinier.

 

[ESantos]

Isn't also true that the BD 801s uses hybrid lenses, which means they are not glass but some sort of plastic?