[obezyana]

OK, so I'm a budding HTPC nut with aspirations of owning my own big screen projector. Having poked my head in on the CRT forum from time to time, I see lots of people recommending the NEC's for their color accuracy. And yesterday I stumbled across this on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=1942623058


I've seen at least one person say Hammerhead is trustable, but I'm still a bit nervous. The tubes look pretty good to my untrained eye, and it fits nicely in my budget of about $2000. I guess I just want some encouragement/advice from you veterans (plus any good wife persuasion tactics ).


Also, can anyone clue me in on any hidden costs of getting your first projector? My wife is all for it, but she wanted me to wait till after Christmas. If I can give her a hard figure though, she'll consider it. So aside from the projector and shipping, there's the screen and whatever I need to mount on the ceiling. I was planning on going up to www.crtcinema.com for that, since I live a couple hours south of them. And then I guess there's calibration. How hard is it to learn to do that yourself? I am willing to get it done by a qualified person once, but after that, I'd like to be in control of my own tweaking/maintainence.


OK, I guess that's it. Quite a bit, I know. Boy, I put lots of faith in this forum. The HTPC one has yet to steer me wrong though.


Thanks for your advice.

Alton

 

[Tinman]

It's a good projector. I sold an Xtra like that with about that wear on it, and it made an outstanding picture. Hammerhead is OK.

You will want to at least line double with that unit, so you would need at minimum a DVDO line doubler, or best of all a HTPC.

This unit is very difficult to set up for the first-timer. Mauals for it can be downloaded, and parts are available as well as support from several members here, myself included. You could hardly do better unless you buy a 9" unit. But be prepared to LEARN.


Marc

 

[gn2]

That looks ok, but there is some wear on the green and blue that you can see in the picture. It should still make a mighty fine picture though. Extra's you'll need will be the service remote if they don't include it, and make sure to get ALL the manuals but the installation manual especially. The NEC's are harder to set up than other pj's but also more versatile IMHO. It would be a projector that you would not have to upgrade unless you wanted to go to one of the top three (G90, 9500LC or 135LC). You can use unistrut as a more versatile, and much cheaper mounting option. Search the forum for information, there's a thread complete with pictures. You should also check with Eric(at crt cinema) before you buy one you need to have shipped. For the difference he may have one in your price range.

 

[jburton]

I give Hammerhead my recommendation. I bought a NEC 6pg+ from them and was very happy. They supplied me with all the manuals on CD and a new service remote. Also, I contacted them over the phone before buying the PJ. Ask for Tim, I'm sure he will have no problem answering all of your questions.

 

[obezyana]

Just for the record, I will be using a HTPC as my source. I will have to make do with an older GeForce MX2 graphics card for a while though, before jumping up to a newer Radeon.


I also get very involved with anything I buy, especially audio, computers, and home theater. So the learning curve should not be an issue. A math major in college, I've recently been teaching myself electronic engineering so I can better understand and build my own amps, crossovers, and speakers. The world of high end video is my next frontier, since I consider myself an already hopeless audiophile.


Does Eric happen to hang out on these forums at all? I might plan a trip up to his place this weekend, but I can't find their hours. I suppose I can always try that old phone thingy other people seem to use so much.


You guys sure reply quick.


Alton

 

[Tinman]

With a HTPC, you should be able to get a stunning image out of that unit.

I still use a cheap ATI 7000 card. Works great for me. A math major, huh?

We'll see how long it takes before you come crawling back for "Help, I can't converge my NEC" LOL It is a bear to learn, but worth it. And if you do some searching, you will find that the NEC needs to be set up in a certain sequence to achive proper results.



Marc

 

[Bradad]

I recommend Hammerhead as well. If the reserve is not met on that auction, just speak with Darrell at auction end to arrange a deal. I just received my second projector from them yesterday, an NEC XG135LC with 728 total hours on it. My first projector from them was a PG9200 like the one in the auction and by looking at the picture of the crts of the unit in question, I would say the unit I bought from them had about the same amount of wear. And yes, the PG9200 does throw a superb picture, even with a little wear on the crts, as long as you keep your image size within the worn area. It also comes with the full setup remote.


Brad