[cimeron]

Ok, guys. My Dell 2200MP finally arrived yesterday. I went ahead and set it up to project about a 110"

diag. throw from about 15' away. I am projecting right now on a white painted wall. Hooked up the cable's HDTV signal thru the incl'd component cables.

I was pleasantly surprised at the image quality. However, even in total darkness, I am having great trouble getting details out

of the blacks. Daylight images are the best and clearest. Sharpness is a bit off even in the HDTV pictures. I account that too the wall I am throwing it on right now.

The real question is will many of these problems be erased when my screen arrives and I project on to it?

Also I have been looking at the X1 and am willing to plunk down the extra $100-$150 if the detail in picture quality is vastly superior. Anyone do a comparison between these two PJ's??

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[kenstr]

Here is an interesting comparison review of Dell 2200MP, SP4800(X1) and a Sanyo PLV-Z1

review

 

[cimeron]

Thanks for the link. I should have read that before buying the 2200MP. Anyone can offer more suggestions? Thanks.

 

[edwardr132]

My advice for what's worth.. If possible and if you don't see rainbows, go ahead and return the Dell for the Infocus X1/4800. If you do, get the Z1......

 

[DavidMc]

The only thing about that review is they state 2100/2200mp and also make a comment about the 2200mp not having a manual zoom. The 2200mp that I just received from Dell does have a manual zoom. So were they really using the 2100 or a non production 2200? I just received this projector on a 30 day Try before you buy and will have it hooked up tonight. Of course, anything is going to look better than my Sony VPL-CX1 LCD projector. I will be connecting it via RGB from my HTPC. Unfortunately I do not have HDTV. Have you calibrated the projector with either Avia or Video Essentials? You may even consider trying a different cable. Just some thoughts. I will share my experience with the 2200mp after the weekend.


David

 

[mcblackman]

I have a 2200mp and the image improved big-time once I finished my screen (DIY using blackout cloth).

I just recently hooked up a HD receiver. I wasn't too impressed at first -- but after playing with the settings for a while -- I love it. HD is Awsome!

 

[cimeron]

DavidMc - Thanks for the input. I'll be interested to see how you make out w/ the 2200MP and your setup. Yes, I too found it strange that they said "no manual focus" Mine has it. Let me know what your impressions are of the picture right out of the box and after some fiddling with the settings.


mcblackman - I have heard that a painted wall spreads out the edges so a normally sharp image isn't so. A screen improves this greatly. Has that been your experience one you had your screen up? Also what settings did you change to get that "perfect" image? Thanks for the comments.

 

[DavidMc]

Well, here are my initial thoughts on the 2200mp. Out of the box the colors looked good but it was way to bright in my room. I put in Avia and ran through the basic settings. I did a quick adjustment and threw in The Two Towers. I was really impressed with the opening scene and all of the shadow detail I could now see. However, I noticed noise in the picture that is not there on my LCD. From there I threw in Matrix 2 and once again was amazed with all of the shadow detail. After that I threw in Finding Nemo and watched as the picture jumped off the screen. I am sorry to say that I am not as impressed as I thought I would be at this point. I don't think that is a result of the 2200mp being inadequate but just tells me I need to calibrate some more. Right now the projector is sitting on a camera tripod because the shelf my Sony sits on is way to high and would require keystone correction. I have a speaker mount and I was thinking of attempting to ceiling mount it using the tripod hole. Even if I don't keep it a few holes in the ceiling would be easy to repair. I have a couple of friends coming over soon and we will put it through its paces. There is a negative to all of this though...I never realized how loud my htpc was. The Dell's fan is silent compared to the Sony's...I can get used to that silence. I too would be interested in someone elses settings to compare with.

 

[cimeron]

DavidMc - Thanks for the great first impressions. I had the opposite effect out of the box. I thought there was not enough brightness and felt I needed to tweak that aspect of the picture. I set it in user mode. Dropped the degamma to 1, upped brightness to about 56-57. Also noticed a rather marked improvement switching to YCbr (sp?) instead of the native mode in the 'Management' tools area. Do you know where I am talking about. In the 'Management' area of the menu. Ironically, I have the same 3 DVDs you spoke of and have run them all thru. 'Finding Nemo' just about floored me with the rich colors. Are you projecting to a screen? I am still on my wall. Also where can I get Avia for callibration? I see no shadow detail whatsoever and it ticks me off. Could this be a wall vs. screen issue thing? Thanks again

 

[mike241]

Here is a picture of my Dell 2200mp. Its projecting Gone in 60 Seconds onto a DIY screen made out of blackout cloth. It is in economy mode when this picture was taken. I hope it helps you out. I personally love the 2200MP.

 

[cimeron]

mike241 - Can you explain that blackout cloth to me? How did you put it together? Do you have problems seeing details in the blacks? In normal or economy mode? Thanks.

 

[mike241]

Basically, blackout cloth was a DIY solution for a cheap screen. I created a wooden frame, than i stretched the blackout cloth over the frame. The blackout cloth is like a white fabric, but I heard it gives you a bit of gain. The blacks are perfect in economy mode, and normal. I don't use normal that much because I want to conserve the bulb. Here i've attached another picture of the projector in economy mode, projecting onto blackout cloth.

 

[cimeron]

mike241 - Thanks for the info. I did some searches for Dazian and they seem to be the best. Now if I were only good with my hands I could build that frame. Know of any temporary ways to put up a screen and then take it down when you are done?

 

[mike241]

Actually for a few weeks, I just had the blackout cloth hung up on the wall with no frame. All the frame does is makes it stand out.

 

[DavidMc]

I started out two years ago using blackout cloth for a screen and it worked really well. I then purchased a Dalite Model B with Hight Contrast Matte White material. After going through three of those screens due to wrinkles that were visible. After that I went with a Dalite fixed screen with Hight Contrast Cinema Vision material. The screen itself is 84" 4x3 and I am sure the front row sits to close due to the small size of my room.


I also know the setting that you are talking about. I have left that at the default setting of 3 and have also knocked it down to 1. I have also adjusted the setting above that...white something or another. That is defaulted to 1 and I have knocked it down to 0. I do not have my numbers memorized but off the top of my head but I think I am running brightness at 55 and contrast at 48. The problem I have with Avia is that for some reason the moving bars in the adjusting brightness chapter are not visible. You need these bars to adjust the brightness down to where you can barely see them. That is when you know you have the projector set right. I could see these bars with my LCD projector but for some reason I guess DLP can not show them. For color, I had knocked up the red by 10 to 60, but have since knocked it back down by 5. Tonight was a showing of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which has some very dark sections. While the experience was a lot nicer with the Dell then with my Sony LCD, I still felt that I was not seeing all of the shadow detail that I should. I am going to continue to play with the settings. I must also say that I do see the rainbows that everyone talks about. However, they do not bother me nor give me a headache. I also have no problem running my CRT monitors at 60hz. I have not made mention of the rainbow effect to any of my guests this weekend and no one has said anything to me. I also spent the day and celing mounted the projector using an old speaker mount. It is nice not having a projector sitting right behind. I did however noticed some light spill on the floor. Due to the placement of the projector the spill falls right on the corner of the floor and wall, so it is out of sight when watching a movie.


The DLP picture is so much more vibrant. The last DLP that I used, which is the projector that introduced me to front projection in a home theater, was the Proxima X350. Even though that projector was an XGA machine, I am so far having a much more enjoyable time with the Dell than the Proxima. To be honest though, after seeing this projector I really would like to check out an X1. As far as Avia, I ordered mine two years ago from Amazon. Due to the problems I have with the disc and the Dell's contrast settings, you might want to consider purchasing Digtial Video Essentials instead. I have not used that disc nor the older version so I can't comment on it.

 

[DavidMc]

Mike241


Do you have a way to get better screenshots? The pictures are small and the quality is not that great since they are bmp's. Even though screenshots do not accurately represent the true picture, I would still like to see if I notice any of the noise that I see in my theater.


David

 

[silbi]

Hi


I'm too very interested with the Dell 2200MP coz of its price but all these rave reviews on X1 have made me sitting on the fence for quite a while. I just do not want to rely on that 'hardwareanalyis' review too much because I feel the review didn't do much justice for Dell. I wish I could see a Dell in action but I can't find a place that physically has it on demo.


Actually, I'm not that really keen on the X1 either since (personally) I think it's not that bright enough on video/film mode (300+ lumens or so?) - but I do think the picture quality is really quite nice after a bit of tweaking.


So what do you guys think of the pic quality of Dell 2200MP vs the X1, in terms of brightness, details, colour, contrast, etc?? Will it still give a reasonably good picture if I just use a non-progressive scan DVD player with it?


And is this Dell brighter in its video or economical mode than the X1? Becoz if it is, I'm ordering one right away ...



Thanks.


ps - Not very keen on the Z1 either coz I hate to see those nasty pixels..

 

[mike241]

I'm going to take some pics of Terminator 3 with the lights on to ease your mind. And it stays consitantly bright in all modes.

 

[mike241]

Here is a picture of terminator 3 with the lights on. Webcam is crappy, but it is watchable with lights on and ambient light.

 

[mike241]

Here it is with lights off. Alot brighter, it is much better than in these pictures.