OK, I finally got the whole bunch set up in one room. All projectors were fed with Component 1080i and progressive 460p DVD. All comments are based on notes and comments by 3 people. Two were knowledgeable HDTV experts and one was a neighbor who had never seen HDTV. Were careful not to point out the technical things like black level and screen door to see if we got any comments.
Two screens uses.
daylite Standard Matt (1 gain)
daylite Grey (.8 gain)
Screens approx 92 X 55
First of all, only the DILA and the Sony L10 will produce native 1080i in the appropriate pixel count. Only the Sonly has a 16:9 native picture. All projectors were observed with a 16:9 picture on the screen.
I am going to be as short as I can. First, there is not doubt that the DILA outperforms everything else on either screen and looks really good on the grey screen. It is bright clear and screen door on viable within 6 to 8 feet.
It is heavy and loud and produces a lot of heat. Colors/brightness/contrast very good although contrast better on grey screen. DVD exceptional.
my cost was $7k
Sony L10 is bright,great colors and because of the large 16:9 LCD panels has very little screen door affect. you have to get at least as close as 4 feet to notice it. really a very nice box( the one we have has one pixel off and no funny blobs. Some noise and a fair amount of heat. Black level on grey screen about the same as DILA on matt screen. My cost was $5K.
The NEC LT154 has bright colors. The black level seems to be about the same as the Sony unit. Heat is moderate and noise is about the same as the Sony.
However, Screen door(seeing actual pixels of LCD panel) is much worse than Sony and is noticeable at 10 feet. My cost was a little over $2k from Dell
The NEC LT150 has good colors and color adjustment. the black level is very good and the screen door effect is noticeable at about the same place and size as the Sony L10. The projector is quiet and very small and weighs only a little over 3 pounds. It is DLP technology. My cost was about $2k from Dell.
Comments:
DILA was rated best picture. Neighbor thought it too bright on matt screen and made comment about Black/Grey level.
Sony came in a close second to the DILA and neighbor seemed to like it on the gray screen.
The LT154 was fine but blacklevel/grays about like the Sony. Neighbor liked it on grey screen and commented for first time about the pixels showing up on the screen."the dots!"
The LT150 looked really good and was very close in color and brightness to the LT154 on the MATT screen. "Very small dots", "very Quiet" Every one seemed to like it.
We projected the DILA and the Sony side by side and the detail of the actual picture on 1080i very close. On the DVD, the DILA seemed to have a little more detail.
We projected the Sony and both the LT units at the same time and the detail was noticeably less on the LT units (However they are not really HDTV as defined by pixel standards. They were both very good however with, in my opinion the 150 being slightly better.
We then went into my office and looked at the 42" Fujitsa plasma screen and they all liked it the best however it was a lot smaller and the most expensive. (I think it cost us about 10k dealer cost several months ago.)
Bottom line, You want to spend 6 to 8k$ and can put up with weight and noise, the best picture was the DILA. If you want a 5k machine, then the Sony or similar units with the new 16:9 LCD panels would be your choice. If you want a projector the size of a cigar box with very acceptable picture, my suggestion would be the LT150.
There are probably other projectors that are similar but we can't afford them all. We rent projectors and by far the most popular is the LT150 because it is light and small. It is the only projector out of the 4 that we have actually had to replace the bulb because of hours used although the DILA is getting close. One other comment on the Bulbs. They are all expensive running between 300 and 700$. however, we have noticed as the hours increase on the bulbs, all but the DILA bulb seen to be getting darker and color balance is shifting. The DILA projector is still bright white with about 800 hours on the bulb at this time.
By the way, we charge fixed rental fees based on the original cost of the projector with an charge for hours used extra based on the cost of the bulb and expected life of the bulb.
All above totally subjective!!
Bill Taylor
Two screens uses.
daylite Standard Matt (1 gain)
daylite Grey (.8 gain)
Screens approx 92 X 55
First of all, only the DILA and the Sony L10 will produce native 1080i in the appropriate pixel count. Only the Sonly has a 16:9 native picture. All projectors were observed with a 16:9 picture on the screen.
I am going to be as short as I can. First, there is not doubt that the DILA outperforms everything else on either screen and looks really good on the grey screen. It is bright clear and screen door on viable within 6 to 8 feet.
It is heavy and loud and produces a lot of heat. Colors/brightness/contrast very good although contrast better on grey screen. DVD exceptional.
my cost was $7k
Sony L10 is bright,great colors and because of the large 16:9 LCD panels has very little screen door affect. you have to get at least as close as 4 feet to notice it. really a very nice box( the one we have has one pixel off and no funny blobs. Some noise and a fair amount of heat. Black level on grey screen about the same as DILA on matt screen. My cost was $5K.
The NEC LT154 has bright colors. The black level seems to be about the same as the Sony unit. Heat is moderate and noise is about the same as the Sony.
However, Screen door(seeing actual pixels of LCD panel) is much worse than Sony and is noticeable at 10 feet. My cost was a little over $2k from Dell
The NEC LT150 has good colors and color adjustment. the black level is very good and the screen door effect is noticeable at about the same place and size as the Sony L10. The projector is quiet and very small and weighs only a little over 3 pounds. It is DLP technology. My cost was about $2k from Dell.
Comments:
DILA was rated best picture. Neighbor thought it too bright on matt screen and made comment about Black/Grey level.
Sony came in a close second to the DILA and neighbor seemed to like it on the gray screen.
The LT154 was fine but blacklevel/grays about like the Sony. Neighbor liked it on grey screen and commented for first time about the pixels showing up on the screen."the dots!"
The LT150 looked really good and was very close in color and brightness to the LT154 on the MATT screen. "Very small dots", "very Quiet" Every one seemed to like it.
We projected the DILA and the Sony side by side and the detail of the actual picture on 1080i very close. On the DVD, the DILA seemed to have a little more detail.
We projected the Sony and both the LT units at the same time and the detail was noticeably less on the LT units (However they are not really HDTV as defined by pixel standards. They were both very good however with, in my opinion the 150 being slightly better.
We then went into my office and looked at the 42" Fujitsa plasma screen and they all liked it the best however it was a lot smaller and the most expensive. (I think it cost us about 10k dealer cost several months ago.)
Bottom line, You want to spend 6 to 8k$ and can put up with weight and noise, the best picture was the DILA. If you want a 5k machine, then the Sony or similar units with the new 16:9 LCD panels would be your choice. If you want a projector the size of a cigar box with very acceptable picture, my suggestion would be the LT150.
There are probably other projectors that are similar but we can't afford them all. We rent projectors and by far the most popular is the LT150 because it is light and small. It is the only projector out of the 4 that we have actually had to replace the bulb because of hours used although the DILA is getting close. One other comment on the Bulbs. They are all expensive running between 300 and 700$. however, we have noticed as the hours increase on the bulbs, all but the DILA bulb seen to be getting darker and color balance is shifting. The DILA projector is still bright white with about 800 hours on the bulb at this time.
By the way, we charge fixed rental fees based on the original cost of the projector with an charge for hours used extra based on the cost of the bulb and expected life of the bulb.
All above totally subjective!!
Bill Taylor
