[roscoe62]

I was all set to buy the new Panny AE700, when a dealer friend has said that he is able to do me a deal on a brand new Screenplay 5700. Effectively I'd be getting the 5700 for only around US$400 more than the Panny, and now I'm torn!


I understand the pq on the 5700 is very good and, even with the contrast of the Panny being as good as it is, the 5700 is still better. However, if I go with the 5700 I'm a bit worried that the drop in screen resolution will be a problem.


I explained that I have seen rainbows in the past with some DLP's (although they've never caused any problems - I've just noticed them) so he's happy to let me try the 5700 out at home to make sure I'm happy.


Has anyone here seen both of these projectors? I'd love to hear from you if you have, or even if you've seen similar models I'd like to hear any comments you have.


In NZ we don't have any HD broadcasts so HD really isn't an issue (althought I'd still like to try out the WMVHD discs). The majority of viewing will be TV & DVD.


BTW....main unit driving this will be a HTPC.


Anyone?

 

[reaper]

I've seen them both but in completely different environments and months apart. So, my impressions might not be very valid. But they seemed comparable in image quality to me. I'd pick the 700 over the 5700 due to smoothscreen and no rainbow effects. But that's just me. Check this link for some recents side by side comparison results:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...89#post4519089


reaper

 

[krasmuzik]

Since you have no HD sources - you need to pick your projector based on not maximum resolution - but sufficient resolution.


What screen size do you want and how far away do you want to sit?

 

[gthal]

I have seen a DLP with a 576p Matterhorn chip (not the infocus but a Runco 510) side by side with an Epson 500 (probably comparable to the Panny 700) and preferred the more film like image of the DLP. The lower resolution wasn't an issue as far as I could see and the black levels were much better. If rainbows aren't an issue, I would go with the 5700 myself.


Problem is everyone will have an opinion based on their preferred technology (DLP or LCD) and which projector they already own. You really need to see both to see which your eyes prefer.

 

[roscoe62]

Thank you so much for the replies. This is going to be tougher than I thought!


I currently run a Yamaha LPX500 onto a 100" white screen with a x3 gain and we sit about 1.3 x screen width away from the screen. I started with an older Panasonic CRT projector, but the guns were pretty tired so I retired it & went for the Yamaha. Overall I've been pretty happy with the Yamaha, apart from the black levels, but we're getting close to needing to replace the lamp and with the lamp cost of the Yamaha being more than double just about anything else out there, the wife & I decided it might be time to look at other options.


We're also planning to upgrade the screen to something more appropriate (we want to ceiling mount the new projector) and were considering a 16x9 106" diagonal DaLite HCCV but I'm keeping my mind open.


We're lucky in that we are being given the option of test-driving the Screenplay at home, if we wish, but I doubt we'll have that luxury with the AE700.


Another concern I have, is that I imagine the AE700 would "play nicer" with a HTPC than the 5700 but I don't know that for sure. At the moment I just use the VGA out, but I'd like to go to DVI/HDMI as well.


Effectively, for this decision, price has almost been taken out of the equation - it's now just a question of which unit works better for us.


I did see earlier in the AE700 thread that someone said although the contrast on the AE700 was the best they'd seen from LCD, it still didn't match a DLP.


Sigh

 

[Jeff Hovis]

You should probably check out the BenQ PE7800. It is also a Matterhorn DLP with better contrast but not quite as bright. AVS has a few left at an incredible deal. I just bought one.

 

[JPinTO]

Take the offer to demo the 5700 in your home. The AE700 should be fairly close to the LPX500 that you already have. The decision shouldn't be that difficult after seeing the 5700.... either you can tolerate the rainbows and feel that the PQ is better than what LCD can offer, or you won't.

 

[krasmuzik]

1.3x width is too close for any of these projectors.


Windows VGA drivers do not support widescreen well at all - but you get the shareware PowerStrip and you will have no problems with either resolution.


Not a factor.


Based on initial HT reviews of the AE700 - I would say the SP5700 is on par as far as contrast goes (Older DLP model less contrast than current models).


Not a factor.


It really comes down to LCD artifacts (vertical banding, screendoor) vs. DLP artifacts (rainbows, dithering)


But if you do not size down the screen and move back - neither technology will give you a film like image.


local dealer offering home demos vs ?


certainly a factor!

 

[maximusPSO]

I bought a 7800 w/a Denon dvi dvd player and a hi-power screen from AVS. The 7800 is awesome. It is very clear and filmlike. I see no rainbows. I would have to say I don't see any negatives now that I've fiddled with the dvd player. Color seems great. I don't see screendoor from my seating distance which is about 1.8-1.9x distance from the screen. Contrast is great. I turned down the brightness setting about six clicks (white level) and left the contrast setting (black level) at its preset. The other settings seemed pretty spot on.


In any case, I'm very happy with my decision. The biggest reasons I went with the 7800 were due to it being DLP, the cost, and b/c it has a sealed light path. I honestly can't imagine having to blow air into a projector every month or two, put it back on it's mount, and if there are still dust blobs, pulling it down again. Repeat, etc.


edited: I fixed the problem I had with the panning shots by changing dvd player settings

 

[roscoe62]

Jeff,


Unfortunately I'm only being offered the 5700 as my dealer can only do InFocus. I don't know whether AVS ship overseas, but even if they did I'd be up for a chunky import fee + tax so it's really a no-go.


JPinTO,


Yes, I think it's probably going to be worth taking up the offer to at least give the 5700 a try, although I'm kinda hoping the Panny is quite a bit better than the Yamaha. It's a bit silly making a judgement call on a projector I haven't seen yet. If there'a a problem with rainbows or dithering, then my decision's going to be easy.


krasmuzik


Sorry, I might have under-estimated the seating distance to the screen. It's closer to 1.7 x screen width. I do own a copy of Powerstrip, although I haven't updated it for a while. The dealer is a good friend of mine. He lives about 150 miles away but is happy to courier it to me to try out over a long weekend. He's good like that!


There's no way I'll get an offer like that for demoing the Panasonic! At the end of the day, I just want to be able to make the best informed decision I can.

 

[krasmuzik]

That seating distance is fine for the SP5700. Consider as well that it is Native PAL - so your TV and DVD will be supersharp without any scaling artifacts.

 

[Jeff Hovis]

roscoe62,

My apologies, I didn't bother to look at your location. You're as far away as one could get. I'm sure the shipping would be astronomical.

jeff

 

[aias10]

Ive recently seen a 5700 next to a epson tw200+.And another 5700 at a different dealer.

The TW200+ in standard DVD watching was not that far off the 5700 in terms of contrast.Take rainbows out of the equation and I was hard pressed to notice the difference.There was a slight edge to the 5700 but only sliight.Even the dealer didnt think the 5700 was worth the extra

$1200 they were selling it for.In my opinion ithey were neck and neck in PQ.

Switch over to HD though and i found the 5700 dissapointing.Im coming from a AE500

and to me both LCDs are capable of producing a better image in HD.

Oh not to mention the rainbows were driving me carzy.I really cant beleive how they dont annoy everyone.

 

[Nickoff]

roscoe62


The 5700 will be a lot louder than the AE700... that may also be something to take into consideration. But the best bet is to get the 5700 into your room and give it a go. I know the price on the 5700 has dropped dramatically in Oz recently (they must be running them out although I haven't heard anything about a replacement Infocus Matterhorn model ?). If your not prone to rainbows I think you will enjoy the 5700 image compared with the pic from your Yammy with an aging bulb - the 5700 will be very bright in comparison!

 

[hdkhang]

My guess with regards to OZ dropping prices on the SP5700 would be that they wanted to jump the gun on the upcoming NEC HT510 matterhorn DLP with very similar specs to the SP5700. $3995 AUD translates to $1999 USD in consumer electronics terms. The NEC will use a 5 segment 5 colour wheel at an unknown wheel speed (probably 2X or maybe 3X). It also does not have sealed optics (not sure if the SP5700 does but would like to think so given it was at the more premium end of the PJ scale).


Cheers...

Duy-Khang Hoang

 

[kapoguy]

I'm having the exact same dilemma choosing between these two projectors as they are in the same price range with similar brightness, contrast, and long zoom range. I'm leaning towards the AE700 because I believe that HD will become more and more important in the next couple of years and I look forward to watching some HD, though the majority of my viewing will be with DVDs I suspect. Reliability of DLP vs LCD is still confusing and unknown to me, since I hear of LCD issues with dust blobs, but I'm concerned about the longevity of DLP's color wheel spinning at high RPMs. Lack of noise is very important to me which seems to be an advantage for the AE700. One big advantage for me of the 5700 however is the large offset of 33% which fits perfectly in my situation where I have an 8' ceiling, but need to have the top of the picture around 19" down with a 110" diagnonal screen - this allows me to flush mount the 5700. However, for a ceiling mount, the vertical lens shift on the AE700 only allows a maximum of 13% offset (if I understand this correctly) so I would have to drop it over a foot from the ceiling rather than flush mount - perhaps this isn't a big deal, but the very limited lens shift is the main thing that bothers me about the AE700. Unfortunately, I haven't had the luxury of seeing either one of these projectors, so it's been a difficult decision for me as well. I'm hoping you get a chance to see both to give us your impressions. We really need another shootout with these 2 projectors along with others in their price range! Good luck and please let us know what you decide!

 

[TrickMcKaha]

The Infocus 5700 would be a lot brighter than the Panasonic. The brightness specs are similar, but the 5700 will deliver much closer to 1000 lumens. This may or may not matter, but I think you will find this to be one of the 3 greatest differences between the projectors.


(Resolution and DLP/LCD factors are the other two.)

 

[roscoe62]

Well, I spoke with my dealer friend last night, and he is going to send through the 5700 to me. I'm hoping to have it for this weekend.


I just thought it made sense to at least try it out, and the only cost will be sending the unit back if I don't decide to keep it.


I'm aware that the noise is likely to be higher with the 5700 so I will be monitoring that carefully. I HATE noise from a projector so if it's slightly louder than the Yamaha, which is a fairly quiet unit, that could be a deal-breaker right there.


From what I've read so far it sounds like the 5700 is very bright. That doesn't really bother me one way or the other - I'll be more interested in how good the colors are, whether the loss in resolution is an issue, how good the contrast is, whether I can get it working easily with the HTPC, how quiet it is and, of couse, whether I can see rainbows.


It's a shame I won't be able to get a Panasonic 700 to do a proper shootout, but the Yamaha should still make for an interesting comparison, and I'll be sure to post a full comparitive review after the weekend.


Ross

 

[krasmuzik]

See if you can get a Hoya 67mm ND2 HMC filter from a local photo shop (or even a cheap brand). Cuts down brightness, helps rainbows and blacks.

 

[Anthony Cler]

I currently own the 5700 myself. I had been thinking of changing over to the AE700 for the increase in resolution and because it's lens is capable of a long throw (similar to my 5700). While I've been perfectly happy with brilliant image the 5700 produces, I was still hung up on the 720P resolution of the newer LCD's. While I realize the AE700 is a step up from the AE500, I thought viewing an AE500 would give me an idea of what I'd be getting. Well, After seeing the AE500, I will definetely be keeping the DLP. IMO, it's no contest, the 5700 LOOKS much better in every way, it's not even close. The 5700 produces a clear, clean, punchy, continuous image (much more filmlike) while in comparison, the AE500 looked washed out and dim and I could clearly see vertical banding, fixed pattern noise and scanline artifacts. The AE500 is rated to have similar contrast as the 5700, but trust me it's a night and day difference (at least to my eyes).


Now I can see why so many opt for the Screenplay 4805 over the likes of the Z2 and AE500. Wow! And I've owned LCD's before and loved them, but I guess I've grown too acustomed to the superior images provided by modern DLP's.


And yes, I occasionally see rainbows, but they don't bother me much (definetely not as much as VB & FPN would).


One scene to compare between your Yamaha LCD and the 5700 would be in the first part of "The Matrix" where Trinity is running from the agents on top of the buildings. With every LCD I've seen, the night sky has a bluish cast to it. With DLP, it looks black. Before my first DLP projector, I always thought that the bluish/black night sky was the fault of the DVD.


BTW, I still think the 720x1280 LCD's are an incredible value for the money though.