[choatie88]

I'm trying to decide between plasma, LCD direct-view, and DLP rear & front projection. I'm leaning towards the Optoma H79 right now, but I'm trying to understand how important light control is for a front projector vs. a rear projector vs. a direct-view set. The room the TV will be going in isn't light controlled at all; I have shades that soften outside light, but I can't block it out entirely. Would I be better served going with a direct-view unit?

 

[scottyb]

FP needs to be fairly dark, with essentially no light shining directly on the screen. That said, there are some new screens coming out soon(can be ordered now) that will deal with light. Go to the screen forum to read about "black screens". If you've got the $$ you can order one now from Jason here at AVS. I believe they're a little over a couple grand.


Scott

 

[Guttboy]

Choatie,


We have a similar situation although we will be able to darken the room with blinds/black out draperies....


My wife likes to view TV/DVD's with lights on most of the time and does not want to kill the view from our big window.


OUR solution was to go with the infocus 7210 which is very bright in our opinion. We are also going with a Vutec SilverStar 110" screen with a 4.5 gain on it. THAT puts out a great deal of brightness and some have stated that it will be our 110" plasma simulator.


Just something to consider....as far as the "Black" screens our HT installer would do that for us in the future but after taking a look at our situation he stated that the way we went would do just fine for us.


Good Luck!

 

[choatie88]

Yeah, I was at Costco earlier today and was really tempted by their $1700 42" plasma, but I was disappointed in the black level compared to some of the rear projection TVs on display.


I presume a front projector in a brightly lit room would be even worse? My CRT projector is practically invisible with any substantial ambient light.

 

[rboster]

I really think the one needs to "treat" the room for both video and audio. One does the audio side with absorption, bass traps and difussion etc. On the video side one does it with light control...black out shades, color of walls, ceiling & carpet. Light absorption around the image on the screen wall. Everything that I have done from black carpet and ceiling to dark grey walls have all had a benefit that can be seen on the screen. In the area of image, controlling the light from the two windows creates the biggest impact on the screen.


Of course in the real world, one has to compromise. This maybe the area you just can't completely control. As others have suggested, the new "black" screens and the properties of your projector choice can help in this area.

 

[Jason Turk]

You have to understand that in front projection, the only way to acheive true blacks, is with the absence of light. In other words, if your room has ambient light, even if the projector is off, you will never achieve true black levels. This means your colors, vibrancy, contrast, etc... will never matchup to other types of displays. That being said, the new black screens help address that. Being that the screen is actually black, it greatly cuts down on the light reflections from the room, thus improving the black levels.


Not trying to talk you out of front projection, but just giving you the info.

 

[htaddict1513]

Sounds like this setup may be for TV and movie watching.. In addition to what others have said I will say, IMO, regular TV shows are better off left for smaller displays. On that note, I would (actually I did) buy a small 26"- 42" LCD or plasma for daily TV watching (News, sitcoms, channel surfing) and pick up a PJ for night time movie/HDTV viewing. Although I place my LCD towards the side the room and am using a fixed 110" screen for the PJ some people just use a drop-down screen infront of the small TV for movies. The new Black screens are very cool and can't wait for the price to come down but I still think daily TV viewing is best on a "normal" tv. The price you save on a normal screen vs. the black screens would pay for a decent LCD/Plasma TV. This way you truely have the best of both worlds.

 

[Jason Turk]

Congrats! Yes I think as the projectors get brighter and black screens come down in price, we will see front projection take over more of the market.


Thanks and enjoy!

 

[Erik Garci]

I almost always use my 31" direct-view CRT for watching regular TV shows and navigating the Tivo menus. Since it is located in the corner of the room, the front projection screen does not cover it up, so they can even be used at the same time. It also helps to save lamp life.

 

[mdputnam]

My recommendation is get both! Keep your budget the same and get a slightly smaller rear projection system and a slightly less expensive front projector and screen. You won't loose much in individual quality and you'll have the best over all system that meets all your needs.

 

[krasmuzik]

choatie88


read the contrast at ambient thread in my .sig