[Delvo]

I keep getting mixed messages here about pixel counts on these projectors, especially the wide ones. First I see a projector's manufacturer's website where it says it has 720 or 768 lines. Then I see someone say here that the only ones with that many cost several times too much to qualify for discussion in this forum, and that these I see mentioned here must have at most 480 to something in the five-hundreds. Then I see someone here talking about one of this forum's projectors as natively having HDTV resolution (720 or more). Then I see someone else talking about how wonderful or how soft HDTV looks on his projector, which could refer to the signal not the hardware, but then the difference between that and the same machine's DVD performance would make no sense because they'd both end up at the same 480p. Worse yet, I routinely see larger numbers consistently treated as the projectors' native actual pixel counts, in the 4:3 realm, but why would there be such a difference between aspect ratios on this issue (when we're not talking about CRTs)?

 

[snowmoon]

Digital projectors have a fixes panels, yes.


Nothng in this forum can display 1080i, yes.


4x3 projectors loose 25% of thier pixel count to black bars... so it can be important.


As for what resoltion projector is best FOR YOU, it depends highly on what you wish to do with it and how much you have to spend. As many people have realized over the past few years, many MANY factors control PQ and resolution is just one of the factors.

 

[snowmoon]

For example a Benq pb6200 is a native 1024x768 4x3 projector.


When fed a 4x3 materal it's full panel is used

When fed 16x9 only 1024x576 is used.


So When watching HDTV/Anamorphic DVD's the signal ( 1920x1080i, 1280x720p, 720x480p ) is first scaled to 1024x576 before being displayed. If the PJ does not have a good scaler this can often result in jagged edges and other artifacts.


If it was an X1 the native is 800x600


on 4x3 the whole panel would be used

on 16x9 only 800x450 would be used


This means that ALL materal except 4x3 materal will be scaled down and will suffer a loss of quality to some degree. Many people would say that the X1 still throws an excellent image becuase all of the other components in it are top notch.

 

[Delvo]

OK, but what about the ones that are really 16:9 (or even 5:3), not just 4:3 faking it? I understand that putting one aspect ratio of material on another aspect ratio of screen does that, but the question is: what's with the mixed signals about pixel counts for natively wide projectors?

 

[DaveInBerlinNJ]

There ARE projectors in this price range that fully display HDTV natively (1280x720)... they are all LCD projectors. There are no DLP projectors in this price range that can do so... so those would be referred to the other forum.


Nearly ALL the projectors this forum talks about can "accept" HDTV resolutions, but will convert the signal and display it at their own individual "native" (less than 1280x720) resolution. Many (most?) will display beautiful HDTV, even though they are displaying at less than "full" HDTV resolution.


Does that help at all?

 

[Delvo]

Quote:

Originally posted by DaveInBerlinNJ There ARE projectors in this price range that fully display HDTV natively (1280x720)... they are all LCD projectors... Nearly ALL the projectors this forum talks about can "accept" HDTV resolutions, but will convert the signal and display it at their own individual "native" (less than 1280x720) resolution.

Which are the few that really have that many pixels? The ones that don't, and the people here who talk about them, seem to be hiding that fact by talking as if they did much of the time.

 

[Delvo]

66-hour bump...


Seriously, if only a few 16:9 projectors have 720/768 lines (or more) and most don't, then separating those that do from those that don't should be fairly basic... but there are just so many, and the websites are so sneaky about pixel counts...

 

[rickster904]

Delvo, to search pjs based on native resolution, go to projectorcentral.com. This forum is not meant to be a exhausive, pj by pj, feature by feature listing service.


Native resolution is just one of many factors you need to consider.

 

[reedl]

I would second going to projectorcentral.com also. They will list the real resolution of the projector.


Again, No DLP projector will be 720p or above resolution in this price range. Only LCD projectors!


Reedl

 

[Delvo]

Muchas gracias, amigos. I had been to PJC.C before, but not seen that spiffy search function; I only saw articles that weren't very useful to me until you prompted me to go back and look for the projector search.