[joerocker]

Subject says it all... Can I do this? It will go on a high table and stay there, no ceiling mount. Also I've heard to get a 95" diag picture with DVD I'd need a line double to eliminate scan lines...true? Can a PC be used as a line doubler? Thanks!

 

[SteveMo]

A HTPC will do much better than just line doubling. There is a HTPC area here at AVS. Yes you will definitly want a line doubler or HTPC. The scan lines are unbearable on a 90" screen even at 12 feet away for me. I recommend renting some equipment for the lifting job and also get some help.

 

[KennyG]

How hard is setup? This will depend on which projector you buy, they are all different...the NEC XG's being the hardest, and really not for the first timer. The Marquee, Ampro 3600 being the easiest, the Sony also seems easy, although I've never set one up so can't say for sure. (I have played with one for an hour.

A couple even have onscreen step-by-step instructions.

 

[jsaliga]

Joe,


Stick with a HTPC. Read the HTPC basics guide in the link in my signature. It's a little out of date but still a good place to start. Then spend the next two or three weeks on the HTPC forum getting up to speed on the latest and greatest. Be sure to read the HTPC FAQ.


After all that you might be ready to DIY if you are pretty decent with computers.


--Jerome

 

[Drew Eckhardt]

You need at least a line doubler. CRTs with tighter focus will require at least a tripler to avoid visible artifacts. If you sit close to the screen with a 9" EM focus projector, 960p is preferable if you don't get your focus off.


As far as mounting, IMHO table mounting is not a viable solution for CRTs. Throw distance almost always means that whichever side of the defacto standard 1.5X screen distance you sit, you must be off center in order to accomodate the projector or move far enough back that the screen is just a big TV. Most of us wouldn't be spending substantial sums of money on home theaters if we were satisfied with a less-than-optimal experience.


New Quadscans are less expensive than decent HTPCs (I'd have saved $500 if I went that route), don't suffer from DVD navigation problems (I can't get through Avia running Theatertek with the set of drivers I have), don't suffer from wierd PC hardware interactions (I have an Athlon XP1700, ATI Radeon 7200, M-audio 24/96, and Elite group main board (the ASUS I bought was defective) - not bottom of the barrel crap. It requires a hard power cycle following any warm reboot. This is anoying, but not a real issue), and don't have driver issues (with the CDs shipped with my hardware, netcape would often cause reboots). If you don't require the best moderately priced video processing and/or other HTPC functionality (I wanted to rip my CD collection in a lossless format), avoiding one might be prudent. If not, exactly duplicating (same software, drivers, hardware) a known working system is the way to go.