Saleh,
Have I got thoughts for you!
I originally bought the XP21N (actually the Boxlight 38t clone), then upgraded to the XP30 (actually the Boxlight 40t clone), so I think I can answer some of your questions. BTW, in either case, I'd buy through Hank Nance at studioexperience.com (
[email protected]). I did endless shopping around and they're the best. They'll match your best price, have a 30-day, no questions-asked money back guarantee and a 60-day free upgrade policy. They've also got just about all the accessories you might need.
If you're not particularly price-sensitive, go with the XP30 (Boxlight MP-40t). See this link
http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/007013.html for some of my impressions/comparisons.
Let me try to address your questions:
Quote:
| I use several LCD monitors, and have seen that a "DVI-D black" is darker than a "VGA black." Additionally, over a DVI-D connection, there is better definition in dark areas, and less of a problem with dark gray ending up dark green-gray or dark red-gray. Is this the case with the XP30? |
Haven't yet hooked up the DVI but if you believe, as I do, that DVI will become more and more widely-accepted, you'll want to have the DVI input either for yourself or to increase the resale value when and if you sell. To me this alone is reason enough to get the XP30/40t.
Quote:
| I know the XP21n must be mounted upside down if it will be ceiling mounted. Is this the case with an XP30 too? I plan to have it on a high shelf, and it would be easier to mount it right-side up. |
There's an important difference between the two models here. The XP30 has a motorized, vertical lens shift. Depending upon how high your going to have the projector in relation to the screen you may have to mount your projector upside down. But, you'll have a much better chance of not having to do so with the XP30 and its lens shift.
Quote:
| Neither my wife nor I are very sensitive to screendoor, but consensus seems to be that the MLA on the XP21n helps a little. Is screendoor a big issue on the XP30, or about like any other LCD? |
Screen door is there to be sure. My seating distance is about 14-15 feet and slight defocusing gets rid of it. At the distance your talking about it shouldn't be an issue, especially if you're not particularly sensitive. Unless you want to go the DLP route with lesser colors and rainbow or D-ILA, screen door is going to be possible.
Quote:
| Does anyone know of somewhere in/around Dallas to see either unit, preferably on a Grayhawk screen? |
Well, here I can't help you. Going to be in the NYC metro area anytime soon? But, this is one of the reasons to buy from Studio Experience. If you don't like it, send it back or upgrade. BTW, I'm using a Da-Lite, High Contrast (that means "gray") DaMat Screen. I can't speak to the Grayhawk, but the DaLite is great at a much lower cost. Got it through S/E, too.
Quote:
| Are there any other issues I should consider? |
Well, definitely take a look at the thread I noted earlier. But, since I see you watch a lot of DirecTV/Tivo (as I do) let me give you my experience with deinterlacing/scaling. The internal deinterlacing and scaling on the XP30/40t is quite good. You know, I assume, that Tivo outputs a non-standard s-video signal, so often the composite video will give you better quality.
Having said that, there's one design characteristic of both the XP21N and the XP30 that I don't like. Although the projectors offer component, s-video and composite inputs for video (plus the 15-pin, DVI and BNC RGBHV for computer/vga) the projector will not automatically select the active input. You need to toggle back and forth between computer and video and with the three video alternatives, priority is given to component over s-video and s-video over composite if anything is plugged into those inputs, active or not. If you're not going to use the component input (and it seems you may not since your DVD player is in an HTPC and you're not going to do HDTV) this may not be an issue. However even if you're just going to use s-video and composite, you'll have to toggle.
What I've done is this: First I used an iScan Pro, which does the switching of component/s-video/composite for me and will output either RGB through a 15-pin output or Y,Pr,Pb using a vga -> component breakout cable. The quality of the IScan is quite good, a bit better than the internal deinterlacing of the projector. they go for around $600 now.
Never being satisfied, though, with having any money left in my pocket, I bought a Faroudja NR. You can get one through AVS (just email Jason for a quote) or Studio Experience (or email me for more info). Of course mine is set to XGA resolution. I have to say that if you watch as much DSS as you say this is the only way to go. The quality of the picture is far and away the best I've ever seen for DSS and I've owned an HDTV RPTV and a direct-view HDTV before this projector. Jaggies and artifacts are virtually eliminated. There's only so much you can do with DirecTV's overly-compressed signal, so the picture is still a bit soft but great. The combination of Faroudja's proprietary deinterlacing and scaling, it's legendary color rendition with the vibrant colors of the XP30/40t make for a great experience, even in a family room, such as mine, with a fair amount of ambient light. I have to admit I was hoping the difference would not be that great, so I could sell the Faroudja to get back some cash and just go with the iScan, but I'm hooked. You'll also be interested to know that I've put together a rudimentary HTPC with an ATI All-In-Wonder card and, for TV viewing, there's just no comparison at all.
When I started this whole front projector quest my number one objective was to make DSS viewing as good as possible and I now feel I've accomplished that goal. In short, go for the XP30/40t, a gray screen and, if you can afford it, the Faroudja NR. Email me with any other questions you may have.
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Jamie
Boxlight 40t Projector
Da-Lite HC Da-Mat 60x80 Screen
Faroudja NR Processor
Hughes HIRD E-86 HDTV STB
Toshiba SD6200 DVD Player
Sony Tivo PVR
Onkyo TS-787 Receiver
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