[Tryg]

It's pretty bizarre to me that the last few iterations of the DLP chip and their implementation into projectors seams to be fairly consistant performance. Yet, the prices are all over the map?


Is the Marantz $6000 better than the BenQ?


I've seen a few HD1's and a couple HD2's and they all look about the same. Now with the HD2.5's or whatever shouldn't the pricing of these products be falling more in line with the actual technology or are we still believers that one is superior to the next?

 

[sisaacs]

It's all about which case looks the nicest of course, I mean is a Lamborghini Murcielago really $235,000 better than a Corvette? I'd say not but I'd still rather have the Murcielago than the Corvette.

 

[David600]

check your eyes if you didn't notice any difference. or you had poor demos.

curious this anti TI vandetta on this forum

 

[Tryg]

How exactly did you read an anti TI vendeta into this question?


The only real differences I have notices are that some PROJECTOR COMPANIES tend to set up their projectors dimmer thus yielding higher CR, and some go for more brightness. Maybe you should check your eyes.


I'd be willing to bet in side by side comparisons (brightness held constant) the comparisons would be similar to speakerwire debates.

 

[David600]

ok, take the Z9000: best contrast, no matter what was done was 750:1

the Z10000 was between 1450 and 1850:1.

12°, better optics etc. and now the via, the screendoor reduced, optics improvement, wheel improvement.

simple

 

[paulgas]

Well I am with tryg here. My guess is that the bulk of the improvements that we are seeing are coming from the chip/chipset and the color wheel. Now that said my IF 7200 has some barrel distortion inherent in the optics (so I am told). Evidently, other units with the saem chip lack this. Maybe some of the price difference is due to more expensive optics. I do not know for sure. My belief is that as chip/ chipset/ wheel technology improves and the number of pj being made increases that the usual rules of supply demand and economies of scale will make these things behave more like commodities and less like specilaty items.

Paul

 

[Reed W]

Tryg - you're right, DLP prices are "all over the map". Maybe they should be priced more consistently, like Sony projectors for example. For $25K - $30K, (without lens), you can buy the new Sony SXRD. And Sony will do their best to make sure you can't buy this projector at a discount. Is that a better pricing structure? Reed.

 

[Andrikos]

Prices are coming down, performance is better, what's there to whine about?

One will buy what they like and what they can afford.

Did you see the Sony "Qualia" store in Ethiopia? It makes grains of wheat and rice very lifelike and eatable.

 

[David600]

now, if we talk the unwillingness or inability of brands to control the prices of the pjs, that's another thing. who's fooling the consumer if a pj he bought for 8K is sold for 6K a week after because of allowed dumping or non control of prices ? not only there is the short of life of many pj due to technological advances but there's also this factor.

Consistency and control is required imho. just like if you buy a sports car, you wouldn't be happy to hear your neighboor got the same car for 40% less. We're talking luxury items here. what happens when you want to resell your pj ? it's price will have to be crushed because the new price has dropped like a stone.

I agree Sony is right in controling the Qualia prices.

Now, there are some reasons also why some brands are loose with pricing and some not....

 

[darinp]

Tryg,


I believe there are some differences, although what we see at the shows depends a lot on how demos are setup. Things like the DC lamp and the auto-calibration stuff seem like differentiators for Marantz to me. Then there are the 1 box vs 2 box solutions, lens-shift, irises, throw ranges and some other things to differentiate. I wish LCOS had as many vendors to create choices like this.


I do believe that the biggest steps from one generation of TI HD chips to the next has been from TI, though.


I can see where the new Marantz would be worth $6k more to some people and not to others. Now S2 vs BenQ 8700, some of that price difference is most likely due to Marantz having setup good channels over the years. Those channels are a big part of this business. However, even discounting the channels it wouldn't surprise me if some people were just a happier with the S2 image and didn't feel bad paying extra for it.


--Darin

 

[drapp1952]

My bias, having just bought a BenQ, is naturally to agree with Tryg right now. I think that there is not much basic difference in overall function between the HD2 pjs (or is it just that I couldn't afford a higher priced pj?), except for Tryg's point about brightness versus black level. I know, the DWIN has better connectivity, the Marantz has better optics perhaps, etc. Whether these are fine points or not meriting up to a few $K price difference is up to the buyer who should be aware.


As an aside but pertaining to price, will marketing departments ever change the notion that front pj owners as a group are not all that price-sensitive?

 

[paulgas]

Well i think we are price sensitive. Even those of us who could afford whatever they want. I would love to know how many IF 7200's were sold vs Marantz S2 or Sharp 10000. To me that would be very interesting. Does anyone have a sense of this?

Paul

 

[Andrikos]

Interesting question ideed.

 

[rlsmith]

Take a look at the survey at:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/rpt_...cfm?view=price


This is updated every month.


The Infocus 7200 is the only HD2 in the top 10 sales of the overall category. It is also the leader in its price range.


Infocus machines consistently are very strong in this survey.

 

[santellavision]

Quote:

The Infocus 7200 is the only HD2 in the top 10 sales of the overall category. It is also the leader in its price range.

Amazing how it still relates to the Corvette vs. the Lamborghini... or a Yugo vs. a Porsche... or an Buick vs. a Hummer...

 

[AnthonyP]

Quote:

Take a look at the survey at: http://www.projectorcentral.com/rpt....cfm?view=price This is updated every month. The Infocus 7200 is the only HD2 in the top 10 sales of the overall category. It is also the leader in its price range. Infocus machines consistently are very strong in this survey.

but the question is how is the info gathered? If it is people that visited PC then it will always be a bit biased towards the cheaper when compared to real life. If it is what was bought from the internet sites that you get when you click on prices, then again it will be biased on manufacturers that try and stop internet sales.

 

[noah katz]

"The Infocus 7200 is the only HD2 in the top 10 sales of the overall category"


?? What about the Marantz S2, Sharp 10000, TV3, and Yamaha 1000.


It's also interesting that in the $5-9K category, the Sanyp PLVZ1 is 1st, and the Optoma H76 is 5th, and it's not even for sale yet.

 

[sisaacs]

Quote:

It's also interesting that in the $5-9K category, the Sanyp PLVZ1 is 1st, and the Optoma H76 is 5th, and it's not even for sale yet.

lol

 

[David600]

crap poll

but it's known the Z9000 was the most sold HD1, by a large margin.

 

[paulgas]

Known by who? I am comparing hd2 machines anyway. My thought is that people choose these things like they choose other things that they buy. Cars a re a good example. A small few buy without driving cars in excess of 250,000 dollars. Most by cars after driving and are price/performance sensitive. Even if they can afford any car they want. My guess is that sales figure for these things support that. Maybe someone knows how many units worldwide sharp vs marantz vs infocus sold/made of these puppies.

Paul