[fleaman]

Plus is now selling the original Piano HE-3100 for $1299...which is in the X1 territory.


The Piano has a faster colorwheel (4X) and I'm guessing it's less likely to rainbow than the X1 (person dependent).


Has anyone compared these 2 projectors?


How does the Piano stack up against the X1 at this lower price point?


Fleaman

 

[barryecohen]

Hmmm.... with the price drop there is now something to think about, before the Piano was much more expensive. But you better have good light control because the Piano is a much dimmer machine. I saw one demo'd at a HT shop, not mass market mind you, and I was un impressed by the image, it seemed flat and washed out in a dark room. I'm very impressed by my X1 though, I used it during the day for the first time today, just got it last night, and using presentation mode the image was watch-able in a bright room.


Good luck in your search, Barry

 

[fleaman]

Good point about the brightness of the Piano.


At this point I'm in a small room and probably will only project to maybe a 50" wide (not diagonal!) screen. So, with a smaller screen I'm assuming it will be a brighter picture and maybe not such a problem with the Dim Piano.


Another interesting thing to consider is that the potential rainbow problems of the X1 seem to diminish with the brightness (FL filters or bigger screens). So in essence, I was also worried that on a small 50" wide screen, the X1 might have a more pronounced rainbow problem than on a larger screen.


Just a Guess.


Fleaman

 

[Scruffy]

Fleaman


A friend of mine has both the Piano 3100 and an Infocus X1. Each projector has its own dedicated room. Both of his projectors use an 80†wide DIY Gesso painted blackout cloth screen. The Piano can hold its own for brightness with the X1 in a light controlled room. If you are going to keep your picture to 50†wide, you will have no problem with brightness. I also own the Piano and my current screen width is approximately 64â€. I have a light controlled room and even with nearly 1100hours on the bulb I find the picture bright and vibrant.


Comparing the two projectors, we both prefer the Piano. The Piano provides a more 3D effect and the picture is more film-like. The rainbows are much more prevalent on the X1. The blacks are better on the Piano. If you are sensitive to white noise, which I am, the X1 can be fatiguing. The Piano is quieter and never intrudes during soft passages.


One of the major differences is the bulb life expectancy. The X1 has an anticipated life of 4000 hours whereas the Piano is only 1000 hours. Also, the Piano can only take a 480i signal through the component line in; but, it will accept 480p through the DVI line in. Obviously, I’m biased as I currently own the Piano; but, it is a great plug and play projector. At the current price of 1299, I would probably go for the Piano.


Peter

 

[BobL]

I have both. First off don't go by specs. The Piano is brighter! Each has its own plus and minuses. Here is a shootout we did a while ago.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=243856


Hope this helps


Bob

 

[Ktak]

You may also want to consider the Optoma H30 which will also have a 4x color wheel and, unlike the 3100, can take an HD feed through the component inputs. Like the Plus Piano, the H30 uses the Silicon Image deinterlacer, so results should be similar. According to the specs, the H30 should be considerably brighter than the Plus (it's rated at 800 lumens with a 2000:1 contrast ratio). As far as I can see, the biggest advantage of the Plus over the X1 or H30 is that it uses a 848x600 DLP chip, so you can get a true 848x480 (16x9) picture. The X1 and H30 both use 800x600 panels and therefore have to scale or crop a 480p signal to fit. In real world usage, the extra resolution of the 3100 may not make much of a difference, but it doesn't hurt either. For me, the most important issue from a usability standpoint is that the Piano 3100 does NOT have a zoom lens. Unless you plan to ceiling mount the PJ, this could be a real pain in the ass. Also consider that the H30's list price is supposed to be $1299, so street price may be even lower.