I'm a believer - and thanks Terry

Guys:

First off, this si a relative newbie account, meant to help similar types, so don't expect anything technical. Though it might be an enjoyable (told you so) read for all.


I've been a regular member of this board for a LONG time, and like most enjoy the AV hobby. I've tried many projectors (Infocus X1 DLP (twice), NEC (forget which but it costs about $3,500 had good color but was 1024x768), Sanyo Z2 - LCD, JVC G1000 (twice) - Dila, AE900U -LCD, Sony 1272 CRT, and Sony 1292 (current).) It really is a fun hobby and thanks to eBay you can try -use- resell, buy another - rinse - repeat.


Anyway, the point is that a few months ago I finally had the 1292 setup (by Terry). I have to tell you that I held back a long while before getting the setup as money is a factor, and I figured that the fine tuning to perfection was a luxury that I couldn't afford, nor would notice much difference. Though finally (thankfully) I took the plunge and had Terry set my 1292 up.

I'll leave out the "he's a nice guy, yadda yadda, and get to the tech stuff for the newbie from an advanced newbie.




First off, CRT DOES blow away similarly priced digitals. I do like the digitals, and to me the main attraction to the CRT was that it could handle higher resolution. But boy are the colors incredible!! When the DVD zooms in on a close up of a face, it's just stunning. The blacks, and the 3D feel is there too. But to me the thing that I found most impressive was the colors.

On to the detail, now I sit about 10 feet away from the screen 5?x108", and really enjoy the smoothness of the picture, and the details (especially in close up).

Though the CRT does allow me to watch at 960p (even 2x DVD native res.)



Caveats:


Fortunately, Terry rated my Sony 1292, as perhaps the best that he's seen. The tubes are great (whew) and has very low hours or wear. So results will vary a lot based on the condition of the CRT, and also by model.


If you have kids (as I do) CRT is a major cause of stress. I strongly suggest having it ceiling mounted. I can't as it is too big and my fairly low ceilings woudl present a head bump hazard. Also I don't want to have to pay for another setup. But floor mount + kids = a lot of stress for me. I do hope to be able to afford a quality digital that I can easily ceiling mount, as I see that this takes away from the enjoyment of "family movie night"- when your in a dark room enjoying the movie, and constantly tensely watching your 4 year old to see that he doesn't go near the proj.


I am using an HTPC with a NVidia 6800GT card, (simple cables, and DVI- VGA converter, then a VGA- BNC breakout cable. Moomje's card would probably help there. I use Theatertek DVD software (which I like, though find it annoying that I continually have to adjust the audio lipsync- I have to contact them about what to do about that.)

Also I have a ScreenGoo painted screen.

My room is fully light controlled, though like a dope I put up white wall paper and ceilings- something I hope to fix.


I hope to post some digital pics.


But my moral is if you can fit a CRT into your space, GO AHEAD - get one now, and HAVE IT SET UP, it really makes a HUGE difference. I liked my CRT when I got it, but after setup I LOVE it, and have spent tons of hours watching.


enjoy,

and again, thanks Terry

Jon