I have an HC1500 with my ps3 as the player, my screen is just a big square piece of styro-foam that I painted "off white". Screen size is 100" and we sit 12' away. I used the settings recomended on here, I just watched 2 movies, and now I am watching TV on my 42" westinghouse at 480i and the picyure quality is way better than my PJ. Is it because of my $5 screen? Thank you in advance.
Is it my screen?
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Need a bit more information re your components.
Sounds like you are watching standard def 480p dvd movies. Your projector is native 720p.
FIRST QUESTION how are you connecting your dvd player to your projector and is the player upconverting and sending signal to your projector via HDMI link?
Reason for the question is based on our own personal experience and not techno-mumbo jumbo.
I first used a regular dvd player using component output to connect to our Panasonic 720p projector with a screen diagonal of about 110 inches and I was disappointed at the image compared to same connection from same player to our 56in HD TV. I asked same question - is it the screen or what else could it be?
I bought a relatively inexpensive new Sony DVD player WITH up conversion capability and a long HDMI cable to connect it to the projector. WOW AND WOW!!!
What a huge difference. I think the issue is trying to stretch a 480p image across a really big screen like yours - amost 10 ft diagonal.
The added resolution by up conversion/up scaling made a terrific difference in how the BIG image looked and it went from disappointing to doggon near HD!
I know, most image processors in projectors are provisioned to scale various inputs to the projector's native characteristics BUT it seemed to our eyeballs that players with specific up conversion built-in capability do a much, much better job of image enhancement than the projector is capable of.
This was a HUGE relief to us because we love Home Theater movie watching and we have a HUGE collection of dvd movies - hundreds - and the simple act of buying an up scaling/up converting player did almost magic changing a collection of unacceptable discs @ 10 ft screen to near HD Home Theater WOW!
You can, of course, spend a lot more but we spent about $115 US for a player and cable that made a difference in viewing image, to us, that was priceless.
SECOND QUESTION - What are your room characteristics??
If you have ambient light with white walls, ceiling and white screen that could be part of the problem.
Projection screen image is affected by ALL room light and the effect is increased with a lot of light reflecting surfaces. Your TV is not affected by these things.
Commercial Cinemas use projection and are dark - really dark - with non-reflective walls, ceiling and flooring and seating for a reason so with Home Cinema projection dark is better. Even a little light affects screen image performance.
Must the room be totally dark? No. I watch a lot of movies in the daytime and keep the room dim but not dark but our room walls are dark paneling that are non-reflective and our ceiling is non-reflective and our screen is gray higher contrast less reflective.
Does it all make a difference? You betcha!
So in summary and in our experience best quality output to your projector for viewing standard definition 480p dvds is HDMI with player up scaling/conversion (newer players claim up conversion to full 1080p) plus attention to room characteristics and light combine to give the viewer the AWE and WOW of Home Cinema.
Hope our experience is helpful - good luck!!
Sounds like you are watching standard def 480p dvd movies. Your projector is native 720p.
FIRST QUESTION how are you connecting your dvd player to your projector and is the player upconverting and sending signal to your projector via HDMI link?
Reason for the question is based on our own personal experience and not techno-mumbo jumbo.
I first used a regular dvd player using component output to connect to our Panasonic 720p projector with a screen diagonal of about 110 inches and I was disappointed at the image compared to same connection from same player to our 56in HD TV. I asked same question - is it the screen or what else could it be?
I bought a relatively inexpensive new Sony DVD player WITH up conversion capability and a long HDMI cable to connect it to the projector. WOW AND WOW!!!
What a huge difference. I think the issue is trying to stretch a 480p image across a really big screen like yours - amost 10 ft diagonal.
The added resolution by up conversion/up scaling made a terrific difference in how the BIG image looked and it went from disappointing to doggon near HD!
I know, most image processors in projectors are provisioned to scale various inputs to the projector's native characteristics BUT it seemed to our eyeballs that players with specific up conversion built-in capability do a much, much better job of image enhancement than the projector is capable of.
This was a HUGE relief to us because we love Home Theater movie watching and we have a HUGE collection of dvd movies - hundreds - and the simple act of buying an up scaling/up converting player did almost magic changing a collection of unacceptable discs @ 10 ft screen to near HD Home Theater WOW!
You can, of course, spend a lot more but we spent about $115 US for a player and cable that made a difference in viewing image, to us, that was priceless.
SECOND QUESTION - What are your room characteristics??
If you have ambient light with white walls, ceiling and white screen that could be part of the problem.
Projection screen image is affected by ALL room light and the effect is increased with a lot of light reflecting surfaces. Your TV is not affected by these things.
Commercial Cinemas use projection and are dark - really dark - with non-reflective walls, ceiling and flooring and seating for a reason so with Home Cinema projection dark is better. Even a little light affects screen image performance.
Must the room be totally dark? No. I watch a lot of movies in the daytime and keep the room dim but not dark but our room walls are dark paneling that are non-reflective and our ceiling is non-reflective and our screen is gray higher contrast less reflective.
Does it all make a difference? You betcha!
So in summary and in our experience best quality output to your projector for viewing standard definition 480p dvds is HDMI with player up scaling/conversion (newer players claim up conversion to full 1080p) plus attention to room characteristics and light combine to give the viewer the AWE and WOW of Home Cinema.
Hope our experience is helpful - good luck!!
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4,740 Posts
Need to see more information on:
Calibration
Ambient light control
Seating distance
What do you mean by "the PQ was way better"?
What are you measuring and under what conditions?
Calibration
Ambient light control
Seating distance
What do you mean by "the PQ was way better"?
What are you measuring and under what conditions?
I would suggest reducing the screen size and sit further away if you can. I have the hc1100 with bluray and the picture quality is only acceptable to me if the screen size is no more than 90" diagonal with a viewing distance of 2.5 screen width away or ~18ft. It's not very immersive in that configuration but the picture quality isn't too bad. As far as Sd dvd goes I find them mostly unwatchable these days regardless of the setup or projector.
Thank you for the replies, and sorry for the lack of info.
I have my ps3 running to my yamaha receiver via HDMI, from there it goes to the PJ via HDMI. My room is 8 1/2 ' wide, and 12' long and is unfinished. The screen wall and one side wall is just concrete, there is no light at all coming in.
The screen is the whilte foam that if you break it you have a bunch of little white bb's on the ground. (not a smooth screen). This is temporary because when I finish the basement, the theater section will be in a different spot, but right now there is only concrete walls, and no power to that location, I just couldn't wait to fire up the pj and play games and watch movies.
I have my ps3 running to my yamaha receiver via HDMI, from there it goes to the PJ via HDMI. My room is 8 1/2 ' wide, and 12' long and is unfinished. The screen wall and one side wall is just concrete, there is no light at all coming in.
The screen is the whilte foam that if you break it you have a bunch of little white bb's on the ground. (not a smooth screen). This is temporary because when I finish the basement, the theater section will be in a different spot, but right now there is only concrete walls, and no power to that location, I just couldn't wait to fire up the pj and play games and watch movies.
Check the settings on the PS3, and yes your screen is a major problem. People often spend money on a projector, but skimp on the screen. The screen plays as much a part in your image as the projector does. You have a nice projector, but a really bad screen, you're going to have a bad image until you get a real screen. The foam can't reproduce contrast, brightness and colors anywhere near the way a real screen will. It also can't give you a smooth uniform image the way a properly tensioned screen will.
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939 Posts
Screens have to be smooth. Pebble finishes are absolutely the worst. As the owner of an Optoma all-in-one projector (projector, DVD player, and speakers), I've taken the projector everywhere and projected on all kinds of surfaces. Green walls, blue walls, sheets, garage doors, shower curtains, anything flat. The worst surface I ever projected on was a light beige stucco wall in a hotel room. You wouldn't think it would be as bad as it was, but the pebbled surface scattered light all over the place. The kids still loved it, but I wasn't too happy. No question about it, you have to have a flat surface.
Jim
Now as a PS, I also have an Optoma Greywolf screen with a beaded surface. But the purpose of the beads is to reflect the picture back to the source (It's retroreflective). When we use this screen, the projector is on the floor along with most of the watchers. The picture is good, but if I stand, thus bringing myself above the screen, the picture loses an enormous amount of the WOW factor.
Jim
Now as a PS, I also have an Optoma Greywolf screen with a beaded surface. But the purpose of the beads is to reflect the picture back to the source (It's retroreflective). When we use this screen, the projector is on the floor along with most of the watchers. The picture is good, but if I stand, thus bringing myself above the screen, the picture loses an enormous amount of the WOW factor.
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939 Posts
Get some blackout cloth from Walmart or Joanns. It will be significantly better than the Styrofoam. There's really no reason to suffer with a lousy picture until you finish the basement.
Jim
Get some blackout cloth from Walmart or Joanns. It will be significantly better than the Styrofoam. There's really no reason to suffer with a lousy picture until you finish the basement.
Jim
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