[steeeee]

I’m about to take the plunge and upgrade from my old Panasonic PT-L595U 800 lumen 200:1 CR SVGA projector to a newer projecter. After a LOT of research on the internet, particularly projectorcentral.com and this forum, I think I have narrowed it down to the NEC LT240. I have no light control during the day, but most of my movie watching is done at night anyway. I like to blow up the picture to 108†wide. I believe this projector is the best projector to suit my needs for under $3000 including tax, shipping, and cables. I wouldn’t consider anything less than XGA because of how large I like to have the screen. I have a 4:3 screen and any WXGA projector won’t go the height I want for FS movies (approx 81â€) from about 15-16 feet away without a special lens. I’m dying for a great CR cuz, let me tell you, 200:1 simply doesn’t cut it!! I believe it’s bright enough so I can see a picture on the screen during the day (albeit not great quality).


I have a couple of concerns and I wonder if they are warranted considering the price range. My first concern is rainbows. Unfortuneately I am unable to preview the projector before purchasing. I read of a lot of people complaining about rainbows but I also read great reviews with no mention of rainbows. I’m one who is not particularly sensitive to rainbows. I have viewed the Yamaha DPX1, Sharp z9000, Runco VX1, and Runco VX101. I was able to see rainbows on all of these if I made a special point to dart my eyes back and forth on the screen, but I did not see them with normal viewing. I realize these are higher end projectors, which might make a difference, but I don’t have the higher end bank account. Has the rainbow issue been truly blown out of proportion or do I have a serious reason to be concerned?


My other concern is having to set up the projector each time I want to use it. I read a review somewhere that when I adjust the size of the picture to fit my screen, I have to readjust it every time I turn on the projector. Is this true? If so, is it really a big deal?


Any other concerns I should consider?

 

[Josh Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by steeeee Has the rainbow issue been truly blown out of proportion or do I have a serious reason to be concerned?

I'm on the "blown out of proportion" side of the fence.


Love my LT-240.

Quote:

My other concern is having to set up the projector each time I want to use it. I read a review somewhere that when I adjust the size of the picture to fit my screen, I have to readjust it every time I turn on the projector. Is this true? If so, is it really a big deal?

I have no such problem with my LT-240. Do you know specifically what they were talking about?

 

[steeeee]

This is quoted from a user review from projectorcentral: "Everytime the unit is restarted or turned off, it has to be resized again, which is a major pain if this is your main TV because you have to resize everyday. User Defined image sizes would have been great on this unit."


This is where the concern came from. Perhaps his unit was defective or there or the pj wasn't set up correctly. I don't know.


OH YEAH...One more thing... I also read somewhere that there was a CR increase from 1300:1 to 2000:1. How would I know which version I'm ordering?

 

[maxleung]

I see rainbows everywhere on the LT240, quite a few on the HT1000 (4x wheel), hardly any on the Sharp XV-Z90U (5x wheel). YMMV.


I do not need to readjust the picture when I power it on.


Your best bet is to demo projectors that are similar to the LT240. If you can demo the Infocus X1 then that will give you an idea of what to expect rainbow-wise. Good luck!

 

[maxleung]

Thanks for the quote, steeeee! I think I know what that user was talking about. I do find, using an HTPC, that sometimes it won't get the clock and phase right, and I have to hit the Auto-Adjust button with a blue desktop background, otherwise the image will shift and have crawlies. Hmm, this might be an issue with other sources too.


The HT1000 doesn't seem to have this issue.

 

[steeeee]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I actually expected a mixed bag regarding the rainbow issue. Only I can be the ultimate judge in my theater and I can't know till I hook it up. The only projectors that I'm able to audition are the higher end models that sell for $8000 and up in high end stores. I'll try to find someplace that will let me exchange for a different model, but I don't know what other projector I want to consider in this price range.


I plan to initially hook up 480i DVD player with s cable until I get around to getting a progressive DVD player with a vga breakout cable. Just curious if this would have any effect on the "resize" issue since I do not plan on using HTPC.

 

[Josh Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by steeeee I plan to initially hook up 480i DVD player with s cable until I get around to getting a progressive DVD player with a vga breakout cable.

If you do this, just be aware that the 240's s-video and composite inputs aren't as hot as the component. The colors will be duller, and be aware that the projector has only a mediocre deinterlacer that noticeably softens the image.


The LT-240 has best results with a progressive DVD player (or HTPC).

Quote:

Just curious if this would have any effect on the "resize" issue since I do not plan on using HTPC.

I'm going to have to assume that this "resize" thing is an HTPC issue, because I have no such problem with any of my video sources.

 

[thomadasilva]

I have asked the same question. I think your choice is clear. Do not risk the rainbows. Take a look at the nec vt660. It has a similar throw ratio as the lt240, it is brighter and cheaper. It has a micro lens array. But also has a lower contrast ratio. Since most vendors make it next to impossible to return a projector without at least a 15% fee I would not risk purchasing the 240.

 

[D. Fisher]

I bought the NEC LT240 after much research.


I only see rainbows occasionally!


I read here a lot about people getting dust in their LCD projectors, and they also seem to have more problems with dead pixels. The NEC LT240 has sealed optics so dust should be less of a problem. I understand that DLP projectors have a zero pixel defect policy. I am very happy with my LT240.

 

[steeeee]

I forgot to mention that the sealed optics feature is another reason why I lean toward this projector. I own a cockatoo who is responsible for about half the dust in my in my house. My current LCD has a lot of dust inside even though I keep it covered when not in use.

 

[dmichaelb]

I'm in the third week of owning my LT240 and it's been love at first sight! I had no idea the quality would be so good! (It's in a small NY apartment -- 10x10 room, I'm sitting too close, and the 6 to 7 foot wide image wows me every time.)


FYI, I do see rainbows regularly in credit crawls and in some dark scenes but, truthfully, don't really care. Everything else about the PQ so draws me into the movie, that it's a non-issue for me. (I truly believe that if I hadn't heard about rainbows, I would have seen them but never consciously identified them as something particularly negative.)


Whatever decision you make, look forward to having fun!

 

[steeeee]

Now I'm a little more encouraged. I don't mind seeing rainbows occasionally. Given that I'm not overly rainbow-sensitive, the occasional rainbow will most likely be the case for me. My problem is that I'm not sure what other projector to consider. The NEC 660 has too low of a CR. I don't want less than 700 or 800:1 anymore. Maybe I'm getting too picky cuz I know I can get a lot for under 3K these days.

 

[maxleung]

Other lower-end LCD projectors, like the Sanyo Z1, the Panasonic PT300U, or the Epson TW100H, supposedly have 700:1 or greater CR.


It would be interesting to compare the performance with my LT240. I am returning my HT1000 because I am overly sensitive to rainbows, and have a friend I would like to have over for movies often who gets excessive eyestrain with the image. I'm a living, breathing, improbability generator when it comes to my luck with DLP!


I am ordering a Sanyo PLV-Z1 to tide me over until the next great digital pj technology comes around. I will have to rely on my visual memory to see if it even comes close to the greatness of the HT1000!


Don't worry about being picky...there are many great pjs under $3K!

 

[steeeee]

I've read reviews of all those projectors and they all seem very good. Unfortunately I don't think any of them will work for me. I have a rather large 3:4 screen (108" x 81") with my projector approx 15 feet away. I need a projector that will blow up to 81" in height and I haven't found a widescreen pj that will do that w/o a special lens. Because I blow it up so big, I need to use as many pixels as possible for full screen movies. I have no light control during the day so I need plenty of lumens to I can have half a chance to see a picture before dark.


You see, I AM PICKY!!!


How are the rainbows on the Sharp M20X? Any high CR XGA LCD's anyone would recommend these days under $3000?

 

[maxleung]

Ouch. Sounds like you need a light cannon! The only one I can think of is the Sanyo PLV-70, but that costs even more than the HT1000! 2000 lumens though...man you could have killer hockey playoff parties with that pj.


It seems like you'd need an office projector with high lumens. Picture quality will not be very good though. And they tend to have loud fans, because of the extra heat from the brighter bulbs.

 

[maxleung]

Oh wait...you could also go with a high gain (2.8 or higher) screen. However, rainbows will be much more noticeable on these screens.

 

[eyedoc]

Steeeee,


I have a Sanyo Z1 and I have seen quite a variety of PJs in person (New Marantz, Infocus 7200, Sim2 ht300+, Yamaha lp500, Z1, RUNCO many models, DWIN TV2, and just this morning I watched Episode II on a Sharp Theago DT200 (same as Z90 just shorter throw lens) and it was under the $3k mark. It had impressive black levels, 1200:1 CR and 600 ANSI lumens

100" diagonal.

It is 800x600 so it will work for your screen. The remote allows you to switch between 16:9 and 4:3. It is made nicely, fan noise was low. All of these PJs have great pictures, Marantz was definitely the best, 7200 had great pq but the color wheel whine is very annoying, the dwin was great too. But all of these PJs are too much $.


Oh yeah the Sharp also has a 6 seg 5 speed color wheel, so low chance of rainbows.


Anyway I still think my Z1 is great, esp for less than 1500 to your door, but it is 16:9 and Not great for your situation.


Look into the Sharp it has lots of features like DVI/HDCP.


Don

 

[steeeee]

All this input is WONDERFUL!!! Thanks everybody. I'm afraid that SVGA pj's would look too pixelated on my large screen. I know my 5yr old svga does. I know SVGA's are much improved these days but I still want the res of an XGA.


I found a couple places on the net that has the Sanyo PLC-XP21N in a similar price range as the NEC LT240. I know the contrast is not as high but the reviews are phenomenal. I worry about dead pixels tho.

 

[joy64]

Hi Steee,


I own an LT260 from 4 months now, and I decided to purchase it, like you're doing, after reading this forum.

I had the same problems as you: I like big images, I have no control over lights etc....


I choosen 260 because I need long throw and more lumens... my throwing distance is over 6 meters and watching distance is from 4 to 5 meters.

The base of the projected image is over 3 meters wide.


By using reduced brightness (1600 lumen like the LT240) I can still use it in the afternoon with the room quite well lighted. Of course I can fully appreciate it only during the night. If direct sunlight hits the wall near to the screen I can only barely see the movie....

At present I've not yet bought a screen and I'm projecting on a white wall.


Regarding rainbows I can tell you that I do not see any rainbow.... however I do not see them on any other projector as well. I asked my friends to see if someone notice them but, so far, no one can see them.


Overall the pictures, and especially the colors, are very great and I'm very happy with this projector.

I'm using an HTPC and I was able to compare the LT260 with a few Sharp, Sony and the NEC LT-150 model, and it wins by far IMMO.


Hope it can help,

Ciao, Joy

 

[Xander]

I'd like to add some setup information regarding the LT240/LT260 into my Projector Setup Database (e.g. PowerStrip settings, calibration tips, etc). Can any of you 240/260 owners please PM me some information and or tips(you could of course also add it yourself)? I'm hoping for this to be of benefit to the projector community at large (see link below).


Thanks in advance

Xander