[wvrich]

I am trying out an XP21n. The internal scaler/doubler (if I am operating this correctly) sucks! I am comparing this to what I have seen on the Marantz VP8100. That unit's stability is dead nuts. The XP21N has everything from Moire' to jaggies, God forbid if plaid jackets were the rage! DVD menus etc. look poor. I must say the depth of the picture is awesome. I could work with this thing but only with an external scaler. I am using a Toshiba DVD with component video. I guess I'll try the S-video. The internal scaler may not do the component input?? Anyone else have anything to add?

 

[tropicalisland]

Thanks for your review...

I was considering the XP21N, but after what you have said about the scaler I will definitely wait for the PLV-60.

 

[wvrich]

It will have the same scaler I am told

 

[Frank Maiello]

If you read my recent post with the same subject, I've had the same experience. While it's only a temporary setup, I'm driving the Sanyo with a Creative Labs DVD drive/decoder card from my PC with S-video. There are a lot of nasty artifacts that were noticeable IMMEDIATELY. In the near future, I will be investing in an outboard video processor. Any video display device would benefit, and especially this projector!


While I was waiting from the Sanyo to arrive, I had an NEC LT155 on loan. It's video processing was very good--far better than the Sanyo's. With that unit, I could live without a processor for a while.


Frank

 

[abigpicture]

I am always a fan of the Crystal imager. If you do not want to spend $1700-$2,200 ou would definitely be helpd by the DVDO pro..


Regards,

John

 

[DanHouck]

Frank, could we pursuade you to expand on your comparative impressions of the LT155 vs. the Sanyo?


BTW, TzungILin is confirming in another thread on this page that the PLV60 doesn't seem to have better internal processing. With any of the Sanyos, it appears external processing is a requirement for a decent DVD picture.


And there is possibly a contrast issue as well with the PLV60 although confirmation of this will have to await more rigorous testing which includes calibration check.


Speaking for myself, at this point I am still leaning towards the XP21-N/Panamorph combo with an HTPC so I can move the picture around on the screen. This would solve my ambient light problem and I can deal with the excessive night-time brightness with an inexpensive ND filter. Another plus is the expected drop in price of 4:3 projectors as more 16:9 are introduced.


But I'm still holding out hope for the new InFocus HT DLP. They've had the benefit of time and observation of the shortfalls of the units that have been introduced in the last 3 months. If they could give decent brightness, build on their already competent internal scaling, and eliminate the rainbow artifact, that would be nirvana!


All these new projectors sure give us a lot to chat about these days! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif


Dan

 

[jaron]

i hate having to be the idiot but i am good at it, so here it goes. Is HTPC any home theater PC or does it apply to a particular product? Thanks for the help.

 

[DanHouck]

Jaron:

HTPC simply is the generic term to describe a PC specifically assembled and configured for HT use. It is not a brand.


If you are interested in HTPC, there's a separate thread on this forum worth following. I am absolutely convinced that the AVS Forum is THE place to go for the latest info on this sophisticated and rapidly evolving application of the PC.


Having served periodically as the village idiot around here, I can tell you one of the best things about the folks here is their willingness to share and answer the questions of the more novice among us, me included.


Dan

 

[Frank Maiello]

About the Sanyo's brightness...


I had a slight concern that it might project too bright a night-time image. Fortunately, I can report this is not the case. Anyway, I feel the picture looks best with the room lights dimmed low, but definitely not off. Other users have made the same comment. The brightness pays off during the day, but you should still draw the blinds if you're doing any "serious" viewing.


The light reflected off of the projection surface illuminates the entire room significantly, even in a big living room. However, I want to experiment with a filter to drop the black-levels since the projector's brightness will still enable it to produce nice bright whites.



On the LT155...


I've stated before that if portability was a key factor in my decision, I probably wouldn't look any further than this guy. The picture was very smooth, with almost no evidence of doubling/scaling errors. This is sigificant since it was fed from an inexpensive Creative Labs DVD decoder card that isn't nearly in the same league as a good standalone machine (my interconnects cost more)! On the other hand, brightness, contrast, and saturation left me wanting for more... but it was still impressive performance. Its color fidelity was good, and was almost pefectly calibrated right out of the box. The Sanyo required serious tweaking with respect to hue and saturation.


I should qualify all of this by stating that I am NOT using a projection screen at the moment, just a white wall with black felt masking. (The masking is key for ANY widescreen flic.) When I install a proper screen in the next month or so, Stewart's Grayhawk sounds like a no-brainer. I plan on buying raw material and constructing my own frame. Apparently, this screen material will milk a lot more performance out of any digital projector. A white wall does not do a good job producing the illusion of depth.


Frank

 

[DanHouck]

Frank, I seem to recall seeing that someone else tried a 0.6 ND filter and found it worked really well and was cheap and easy to install. Can't remember what thread that was on, but it was recent.


Would you share a few more details about your Sanyo setup? How big a screen, how far back is the projector and the seating area, your impressions of screen door, etc.


This projector is still at the top of my list but I need to find someone who has one I can see. In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to set it up.


Dan


Thanks!


Dan