[Free]

Went to the Phoenix Audio Video Expo today and spent some time viewing the Seleco HT200DM, the Yamaha DPX1, and the Sharp 9000.


IMO the Seleco was the winner. The black levels on the projector were impressive, The color ballance was perfect, and I saw no rainbow artifacts.


I would place the Sharp second and the Yamaha a distant third (I was not impressed with that one at all, mega rainbows and flat picture).


The guys in the Seleco room were great to talk to and I spent some time with them. They really know their stuff and have a genuine love of what they are doing (Very refreshing).


If I have time, I would like to go back tomorrow with some test material, like Dark city and Pitch black to really stress the capabilities of the projectors.


The Seleco was using a 6' diagonal .8 gain Dalite screen. The Sharp was a bigger screen and higher gain and I am not sure exactly what the Yamaha was using.


The Seleco had the most honest presentation with a progressive scan DVD player going directly to the projector while the other guys were using Hard Drive loops. The Sharp guy did pop in a DVD for me to see though, if I go back tomorrow I want to try that again.


Oh, and last but not entirely least, the Seleco is a cool little projector. The Sharp seemed gigantic by comparison.


Anyone else make it to the Expo??


Phil

 

[Spizz]

Thanks for the post and your impressions. From what I've read I think the Sharp will most definetly be the projector for me. What didn't you like about the Sharp?


Spero D.

 

[Free]

I found the picture, on the Sharp a bit flat. To be fair the room was on the bright side and it looked like the brightness was a bit high, coupled with a higer gain screen.

I felt that the picture just didn't have the black level I find necessary to create the realistic depth of field I enjoy. In addition there was some noise in the picture that I would imagine are scaling artifacts.


Finally the projector was huge and the throw distance would not work for me because I would like a "through the rear wall" projection option. Also in Arizona we have a lot of dust and I find the sealed optics of the Seleco appealing.

 

[videonut]

Thanks for the heads up, Phil. I really would have thought there would be no contest between the Sharp and the Seleco, according to the specs. i.e. 600 vs 1100 snr. Then again, maybe there is some truth behind the reports that the new hd chip appears to have washed out blacks.

I guess one will have to finally count on his/her personal judgement before forking over the bucks. This forum proves that it is all too easy to get swept away in a whirlwind.

We should heed the advice my old gunnery sergeant used to drum into us: "The easiest route is probably mined."


Thanks again, Phil, and please keep us up to date if you do go back to run your tests.


Peter M


[This message has been edited by videonut (edited 08-11-2001).]

 

[abigpicture]

Thanks for the post. Yor one of the Few to see the Seleco and the Sharp in the same location.


I saw the Sharp on a high gain screen with ambient light and thought it ws okay....


Later I went home and brought my Grayhawk screen in to test the Sharp...much less noise..much blacker blacks..and better colors..I also took over the remote to change some settings...it seemed many of the Sharp people are used to showing their DW100 LCD unit...where you turn up the contrast and down the brightness..Ive found on most DLP machines you have to turn down the contrast and maybe slightly increase the brightness..this made a huge difference...


Please go back tomorrow and grab the remote..


Regards,

John

 

[Free]

That is a valid point John, the room was quite bright compared to the Seleco room and the picture was equally bright. I would like to see the projector under different conditons but they were obviously used to demonstrating in a bright environment.

 

[abigpicture]

Yeah Steve,


I know its difficult to always have perfect conditions...but ambient light is such a threat to any projector at any cost that I am suprised that MAnufacturers demo them in that environment. ALso when you get your hands on the remote remember to juicee the color a little. Grayhawk is a must but you may not have that luxury..


it also goes to show you that the Seleco is no slouch despite its pixel count..


regards,

JOhn

 

[Free]

Another thing I should mention (and I don't know if this is old news) but the Seleco guys mentioned that the HT300 should be out in September with around 1000 lumens and a Faroudja Native rate built in.


Phil

 

[Cain]

Seleco HT300 ... September!!!


What!! OK, please go back tomorrow and get more info about that projector.


We all know it will be announced in September, but when will it actualy be shipping ??


Thanks!!


-- Cain

 

[Free]

They said they would have the HT300 at Cedia which I believe is September 5-9. When it will be shipping is anyones guess.

 

[Cain]

Free.. You are as addicted to this Forum as I am.. You post almost as quickly as I do !! hehe http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif

---

If you are going back, please ask them when it will ship, they have announced projectors that do not ship for 9-12 months before.


Also, see if you can get any more info about the projector, perhaps something that makes their projector different or unique..


Thanks!! Take care,


-- Cain

 

[KeithR]

Great report...All this talk about the Sharp spec-wise, but nice to see a comparison of the three latest and greatest projectors. Sounds like the Sharp needs a scalar which is an added expense to this machine. Also surprises about hte size...the Seleco is fairly small, but the pictures of the Sharp majke it look the same size. Hmm.


Cain,


Didn't someone say the HT300 will retail for 15k? Seems like a pretty penny, but with Sage chips built-in!! Wow, Seleco really seems on the cutting edge now...the Yamaha seems DOA to me.

 

[Free]

I believe 15K is what the guys said the 300 would be and it is a deal with the Native Rate built in.


They said they would check in on the Forum tonight to see what I posted. I wish they would comment to verify or correct any information I have posted here.


How about it Seleco guys http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif


Good Night all http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif


Phil

 

[Desertfox]

I didn't had the time to look at the Seleco yet. But I went in the Sharp booth and you are about right. The blacks were not black enough. A good DVD with a space battle sequence will clarify this for sure. I arrived at 4pm and went to the seminar first. One of those panel members claimed that a really good line doubler or quadrupler will give you "98%" HDTV quality...!!! I don't think I have to comment this statement http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif


But you forgot to mention one important factor: The Sharp will only make a buyer $10K lighter, while the Seleco will go for $15k ? Even if the Seleco is a somewhat better... $5k could make the difference for many folks going for a DLP instead of a RP (well, a DLP is on my list now)


I will also try to back tomorrow afternoon after 2PM.



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[hjackson]

Phil, I believe this is really an apples to oranges comparison. If the Sharp was in a brighter room, with a higher gain and a larger screen, then it was bound to look more flat than the Seleco. If the Sharp was still competitive with the Seleco with the setting you described, I would believe the Sharp to be the better projector.

Any idea of the size and gain of the screen used with the Sharp? Did they mention the resolution of the new Seleco HT300?

Oh yeah, and thanks for the report! Things seem to be getting more exciting for DLP!


Hjackson

 

[Free]

I believe that the size of the Sharp screen was around 100" diagonal and I thought he said gain was 1.1? If I make it back this afternoon I will double check on that.


The one dvd he put in for me was Shanghi Noon (the scene where Jackie Chan is being chased by the indians in the stream). It was a scene I knew and it was definately washed out. He also blew it up to fill the screen and get rid of the letter boxes?? He was doing that with everything and seemed to be excited he could do this http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/confused.gif


I am going to try to get back later this afternoon and I will also try to get more information on the HT300. Desertfox, if you will do the same, hopefully we can get enough information for these guys (not likely) http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

 

[Cain]

".......I am going to try to get back later this afternoon and I will also try to get more information on the HT300. Desertfox, if you will do the same, hopefully we can get enough information for these guys (not likely) ......"


Heh, we are a tough crowd !!!

 

[Alan Gouger]

Now that the word is out the Seleco will use the same 16x9 panel as the Sharp with Faroudja technology built in so it will be the first projector that will require no out board scaler.

Their color wheel is also superior in filtering compared to the Sharp with many additional features making it worth the extra coin.


------------------

Alan Gouger

Thanks for supporting AV Science.
www.avscience.com

 

[Free]

Aha!!


When I indicated to the Seleco guys that I was interested in the 300 they were saying to me that they were not sure that it would look as good as the 200DM on DVD material due to the higher lumen rating and even though the upscalling would be done by Faroudja, the 200DM was designed specifically for 480p to match the native resolution exactly.


I mentioned that you could just turn the brightness down a bit but he was concerned about greyscale. He did have confidence that they would get it right, so I don't know if he was just trying to promote the 200DM because that was what they had at the show??


Alan, do you have any input on how well the 300 might handle DVD material compared to the 200DM??

 

[Billy]

Please educate me if I am wrong, but I don't understand the benefits of the "direct wire" approach.


It seems to me that it is a clever marketing concept.


That isn't to say the 200DM is poor. I haven't seen it, but it sounds like it rocks for DVDs: great optics, great design, etc.


I agree that NO scaling is better than BAD scaling. But good upconversion can definitely look better than native for DVDs.


- billy