[pooshda]

I bought an InFocus ScreenPlay 4805 last month and have put about 40 hours on it, I must say the picture is rather impressive and I am pleased with the colors, black levels, and contrast but I strongly feel that I would be more satisfied with a bump in resolution -- Im not sure if the trade-off between DLP and LCD is something that will bother me or not however, I have never had a chance to view an LCD (not that I know of anyway) to compare the two -- I guess its possible some of the projectors I see when I made my trip into Classic Stereo today may have been LCD but I did not ask because I went in there to purchase my new Paradigm Studio 60s and Studio CC470 center channel speaker ( )


Anyhow, back to the point -- You can pick up an AE700 or a Sanyo Z3 for some great prices factory sealed off Ebay, and even greater prices Refurbished.


This leads me to the question, those of you who obviously are more knowledgeable in the ways of projectors which do you think (going from my 4805) I would enjoy more the Panasonic or the Sanyo?


Browsing around on here I have heard people say they like both but I also hear a lot of "LCD isnt as nice as DLP" stuff, however wouldnt the increase in resolution make up for this if I was to stack up the good vs the bad?


Let me mention one thing, SCREEN DOOR EFFECT REALLY BOTHERS ME, I think my 4805 is a great little projector but the SDE always upsets me and this is one thing the 4805 definately has especially at my viewing distance (im about 10 feet away from a roughly 106" picture)


Everything I read suggests the Panasonic would be an IMMENSE improvement as far as SDE issues go, I see people claim they can stand within 5 feet from the screen and have a hard time detecting SDE, judging by mine I find that hard to believe but like I said I have not had the privelage ot experiencing one of these 720P LCD Projectors. Also how would the Panasonic and the Sanyo compare as far as SDE goes?


Im basically looking for some good input from people who have directly compared both, owned both, own either, or have at least put some viewing time into either because id love to hear what you have to say about each or even one of them. Also if you have compared any of them to the 4805 I would love to hear how colors, contrast, blacks, etc. compare.

Another important thing...


How do these 720p LCDs perform when hooked upto a PC? My 4805 kind of sucks hooked up to my PC, I mean when running fullscreen video its not too bad, not as good as my Pioneer Elite DVD player but still its not what I expected.


I want razor sharp, awesome computer display capabilities too if this is possible with a 720p LCD I definately need to know. I saw my friends Plasma set hooked up to his PC and I was VERY impressed by the sharpness and image quality, compared to my projector its sad.


So please, those of you who can set me in the right direction please do so!


I posted my projector on a local forum to see if anyone is interested in it, and I have found both of the 720p projectors in the $1300-1600 range on Ebay and/or online shops which seem like great prices especially since they are only $200-400 more than I paid for my 4805.


Thank you so much!

 

[pooshda]

Also if there is an entirely different projector altogether someone recommends, let me know about it... im looking to stay under $2,000... if I can keep it in the $1500 or less range that is even better. I have enough available to buy a ~ $4,000 projector which is tempting but I was leaning towards making some home improvements as well so I better keep myself in check and not blow it all on a Projector


I have also found the InFocus Screenplay 7200 DLP units going for a hair under $2,000 on eBay and have been tossing that idea around a bit, but the unit is what... 3 years old?... not sure if I want to buy something quite that old even if it was once a $10,000 projector but any input on that puppy is cool too.. I hear it has geometry issues or something that were corrected with the 7205 and I cant find a 7205 for less than $3,500 so thats stepping into the boundaries id like to stay away from

 

[pooshda]

The more I read into it... the more I wish I could convince myself to spend more money on a projector, maybe I dont want one of those two either. Eh... such a major decision, I dont want to be unsatisfied a second time obviously.


Don't get me wrong though... the 4805 is fun to watch movies on but I really need HD resolution and SDE improvements, but from all the stuff im reading and bashing on LCDs im getting 2nd and 3rd thoughts.


How much longer before new projectors come out? I feel I may have trouble selling my projector if I wait too long though... only 1 month old and 32 hours on the lamp is still pretty damn new condition and probably a good time to sell it to get the most out of it towards a new one but I sure dont want to sell it and wait several months for new ones to come out either, ESPECIALLY with my amazing new speakers getting here within the week -- I know im gonna be glued to the couch watching all my movies again when I get those Studio 60s

 

[CT_Wiebe]

I've seen both the Z3 and the AE700. I personally prefer the Z3 (expecially when considering its 3 year warranty). However, I would not buy it on eBay. You need to get it from a factory authorized dealer, because the warranty is probably not transferrable and requires a receipt from an authorized dealer.


The street prices on the Z3, just dropped another 10% (that's 20% in the last 3 weeks, from authorized dealers, which also are AVS sponsors (and give AVS member discounts).


You should also consider the BenQ PE7700 (or it's sibling, the Toshiba MT700 - both DLPs). They are, unfortunately, about $1000 more than the Z3 (today's street prices).


CEDIA is less than 4 weeks away, and new PJs will be announced then. There has already been a European announcement for the Z4 (with the D5 LCD panels = higher contrast). The new PJs will probably not be available until mid-November, at the earliest. If you sell your 4805 now, you will get more for it than if you wait 3 or 4 weeks.


Sitting 10' from a 106" diagonal screen is a little close (I sit 11' from mine), but (at least to my eyes) you will not have the 4805's SDE with either the Z3 or the AE700 (720p resolution makes all the difference). {See my review in my signature.}


A lot of the problems hooking an HTPC to the PJ depends on the video card in the PC. I'm using an ATI 9600xt, connected to my MT700, via a DVI to HDMI cable, but I have not gotten the interface straightened out (to my satisfaction, the picture though is real sharp). A friend (fellow AVS member) has basically the same setup and has no problem, so I'm in the trouble shooting mode.


NOTE: Either the Z3 or the AE700, properly calibrated, will not be as bright as the 4805.

 

[basement]

If you haven't completely given up on the 4805 through computer take a look at AVSer DaGamePimp's postings in the 4805 thread. One of the keys to getting good performance out of the PC requires configuring the PC to output to the 4805 native resolution.


I do also agree that 10' away on a 106" screen for the 4805 is a little close.

 

[pooshda]

Thanks for the replies guys!... and for what its worth im using an ATI Radeon 9600 pro for my video card but I do not have it hooked up via DVI, its hooked up via the M1-DA > VGA cable which probably isnt that great of a way to go about it in the first place.


I might wait it out a bit... thats some helpful information though and yea that BenQ is getting some good comments from a lot of people I have noticed, I believe I have seen the Z3 for about $1400 from a dealer listed on projector central as well which is the same as the eBay price anyway -- I do feel kind of sketchy about ebay as well.

 

[Luis Gabriel Gerena]

You really want to map (1:1) with 4805 and you cant do that with the VGA cable so thats why it doesnt look good now. Also, I dont know how good your card will work with it cause Ive only tried it with my 6600GT. Honestly I dont use mine for playing so I cant really say how good it is for normal PC use so all I wanted to mention is that you need the DVI cable to really get a feel of what the 4805 can do but if you sit at 10 from a 106" I think then you really need a 720p cause I can manage around 1.5 x with mine thanks to the HTPC setup but closer than that SDE becomes to distracting.

 

[pooshda]

Well im slowly getting sucked towards the BenQ PE7700 anyhow...


Granted it's $1000 more than I wanted to spend but I probably won't be happy if I dont do it and especially at my viewing distance Im going to need some quality hardware to have a picture I can enjoy 100%


the DLP is the biggest selling point on that one for me over the AE700 or Z3 of course... hmm such major decisions!


I also wondered if DVI-D would give me a large improvement w/ the PC as well

 

[basement]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pooshda Well im slowly getting sucked towards the BenQ PE7700 anyhow... Granted it's $1000 more than I wanted to spend but I probably won't be happy if I dont do it and especially at my viewing distance Im going to need some quality hardware to have a picture I can enjoy 100% the DLP is the biggest selling point on that one for me over the AE700 or Z3 of course... hmm such major decisions! I also wondered if DVI-D would give me a large improvement w/ the PC as well

DVI-D with the PE7700 and PC provides a substantial (IMHO) picture quality improvement. I think most graphic cards will support 720p without any major fuss. Certainly the the latest ATI catalyst drivers will drive it. I'm running the 7700 with an ATI 9800, DVI-D, zoomplayer, dscalar, ffdshow. If you haven't done it, configuration is a bit fiddly. An alternative, which I hear is almost or just as good is an upconverting DVD player such as the Oppo, also through DVI.

 

[basement]

One more thing ...


It's quite possible that even with a 720p machine, seating distance at 10' with a 106" screen may still show SDE, just less. I'm about 13' viewing a 92" diagonal and it looks acceptable. Secondary seating, at about 10' a little off the side looks OK. However, SDE at that distance is noticeable if you're looking for it, but for casual viewing it may be fine.


Your best bet would be to check it out yourself. Find a retailer with a good return policy.

 

[CT_Wiebe]

With my MT700 and a 106" diagonal Da-Lite Hi-Power screen (with an ND2 filter because of the screen gain), I don't see any SDE until I get to about 8' from the screen. I normally sit at 11'. At 10', the picture would be a little too big to take in without moving my head back and forth (and I can't just relax and watch the movie).


Using the component inputs from a DVD palyer gives a softer picture than you can get with the HDMI input. I'm debating the trade-off between getting an Oppo DV971H and trouble shooting my PC setup (I can't get my video card to give me a 1280 x 720 output). The Oppo is about the same price as a new (mid-priced) video card (if that's my problem).

 

[txbigguy]

I am running a Z3 with a 96 inch diag. I am sitting 9 feet from the screen and see no SDE at all. I am running my HTPC with a 6600GT nvidia card. The picture is just awesome....

 

[pooshda]

Nice


Im gonna have to think about it for a while... I have heard some nice things about the Z3 for sure and for $1000 less thats a big deal! But Im hearing awesome things about the BenQ as well and if its worth that $1000 leap well I could probably live with it as well. Im really starting to upgrade a lot of my theater components and I refinanced my house and got a decent chunk of change to play around with but the more I spend on a projector the less I can spend on home improvement which is also something I am pretty eager to do a little bit of (mostly cosmetic stuff like flooring and painting)


Also about the Graphics card talk... my card puts out a 720p signal for me and my Screenplay 4805 detects it as 720p so I dont think I have a problem there unless there is more to it than I think.


I love home theater, it can drive you nuts and be a lot of fun all at the same time

 

[Ches111]

Hey CT_Wiebe,


OT - The ATI 9600xt will easily satisfy your requirement of 1280x720p @60hz. There are several apps that you can download which allow for a custom resolution and also Hz. My friend runs his HTPC using the 9600 and it looks very very good. Keep at it and i think you will feel very rewarded.

 

[SpyGuy311]

Quote:

Originally Posted by txbigguy I am running a Z3 with a 96 inch diag. I am sitting 9 feet from the screen and see no SDE at all. I am running my HTPC with a 6600GT nvidia card. The picture is just awesome....

How are you connecting to the Z3? My main purpose of buying a projector is for my HTPC and XBox 360. I don't see a DVI port on the Z3 so do I have to use the D-SUB VGA port?

 

[basement]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pooshda Nice Also about the Graphics card talk... my card puts out a 720p signal for me and my Screenplay 4805 detects it as 720p so I dont think I have a problem there unless there is more to it than I think. I love home theater, it can drive you nuts and be a lot of fun all at the same time

For best results the 4805 should be driven at 854x480. I'm sure you can find this info on the large 4805 thread.

 

[Luis Gabriel Gerena]

Actually 848x480 is the closest 1:1 map you can do but yes thats best way.

Regards