First off here are the manufacturer specs of the DT-200:
800 x 600 4:3 DLP projector
5x speed 6 segment color wheel
600 Ansi Lumens
1200:1 Contrast
DVI, Component, S-Video, RGB, Video
Lens Shift
Short Throw Lens
2500 hour lamp life
as you can see the specs aren't all that great. this is probably why this projector isn't so popular.
but image is all what matters most. And i was blown away by the picture quality this thing produces, especially colors.
Setup
Projector: Sharp DT-200
DVD player: JVC XV-S500, 480p component connection
Screen: Da Lite 70" x 32.5" 2.15:1 screen Matte White 1 gain
Panamorph P752 Anamorphic Lens
Projector Settings:
Contrast: 7
Brightness: 0
Color: 1
Tint: -1
Sharp: 0
Red: 0
Blue: 0
Color Temp: 6500K
Gamma: Standard
White Emphasis: Off
DVD player settings:
all default
THE REVIEW:
The ratings on an absolute scale. not on the scale of value.
A Brightness of 10 would be the brightness of a Sanyo PLV-70
A Contrast of a 10 would be the contrast of a Sony G-90
A Color rating of a 10 would be the colors of a JVC SX-21
Brightness (7):
certainly not the brightest projector but not the dimmest either.
I would say average.
you can safely go up to 8 feet wide.
although you might be better with screens around 6-7 feet wide.
Contrast [Full ON/Off (8.5), Ansi (8.5)]:
contrast is high enough for the black to look convincingly "black".
It handles dark scenes very well.
For comparison, its blacks are like an HT1000 without the IRIS engaged.
Shadow Detail (8):
Looks pretty smooth! I don't think I am seeing any posturization effects with this pj on dark scenes.
Color (8.5):
This is where this projector excels.
This is probably one of the best in colors of any dlp projectors i have seen.
The colors are practically like a Sharp 10k. You can fine tune it also with the Service Menu.
16:9 Resolution (with lens):
Enough for DVDs. More res isn't necessary with the anamorphic lens on.
Screendoor/Fill Factor:
Fill factor is actually quite good. well, maybe because i am using an anamorphic lens.
I now have a new screen setup. it is 70 x 32.5, 2.15:1 screen. I just zoom it when viewing scope movies and zoom down when viewing 16:9.
I like the effect of the wider screen (it is much more theatrical). I am actually sitting at 1.45 x the screen's width when viewing scope movies.
screendoor/pixel structure is minor. it is not bothersome at all. For comparison, screendoor is quite close to a Matterhorn 1024 x 576 DLP projector.
Rainbows?:
rainbows occur very rarely. if it does happen, it is very quick and the rainbows are smaller than 2x speed color wheel projectors.
Lens Shift and Short Throw
these are a real help in my situation. I needed a short throw because of the weird room. the projector's lens has to be around 9 feet from the screen. with the x1, i could only get 5 feet wide at this distance at max zoom. Now with the DT-200, my dream screen setup actually is finally possible. It is now 70" x 32.5" 2.15:1 screen (quasi constant height). The lens shift helps align the image precisely when zooming in and out depends on aspect. now scope movies like LOTR are bigger and looks more theatrical. I cannot imagine going back to a 16:9 screen.
Conclusion:
So is this projector worth it? Pair it with an anamorphic lens and it is amazing! I just love the colors of this projector and it does contrast very well too! It has a very smooth pleasing image. not digital looking at all! Nevermind the specs on the projector (sharp is actually quite accurate on their specs), you have to see how well this projector performs (with the lens of course). For viewing DVDs, I would take this projector (with the lens) over an LT240k (with no lens), seriously. It has better blacks/contrast and better color saturation, and much much less rainbows. I even feel that the colors of this thing is better than an HT1000. These can now be had for $1500 or less if you look hard. Pair it up with an anamorphic lens and you should not be that much over $2k. its got dvi so i even have room for improvement for my dvds!
800 x 600 4:3 DLP projector
5x speed 6 segment color wheel
600 Ansi Lumens
1200:1 Contrast
DVI, Component, S-Video, RGB, Video
Lens Shift
Short Throw Lens
2500 hour lamp life
as you can see the specs aren't all that great. this is probably why this projector isn't so popular.
but image is all what matters most. And i was blown away by the picture quality this thing produces, especially colors.
Setup
Projector: Sharp DT-200
DVD player: JVC XV-S500, 480p component connection
Screen: Da Lite 70" x 32.5" 2.15:1 screen Matte White 1 gain
Panamorph P752 Anamorphic Lens
Projector Settings:
Contrast: 7
Brightness: 0
Color: 1
Tint: -1
Sharp: 0
Red: 0
Blue: 0
Color Temp: 6500K
Gamma: Standard
White Emphasis: Off
DVD player settings:
all default
THE REVIEW:
The ratings on an absolute scale. not on the scale of value.
A Brightness of 10 would be the brightness of a Sanyo PLV-70
A Contrast of a 10 would be the contrast of a Sony G-90
A Color rating of a 10 would be the colors of a JVC SX-21
Brightness (7):
certainly not the brightest projector but not the dimmest either.
I would say average.
you can safely go up to 8 feet wide.
although you might be better with screens around 6-7 feet wide.
Contrast [Full ON/Off (8.5), Ansi (8.5)]:
contrast is high enough for the black to look convincingly "black".
It handles dark scenes very well.
For comparison, its blacks are like an HT1000 without the IRIS engaged.
Shadow Detail (8):
Looks pretty smooth! I don't think I am seeing any posturization effects with this pj on dark scenes.
Color (8.5):
This is where this projector excels.
This is probably one of the best in colors of any dlp projectors i have seen.
The colors are practically like a Sharp 10k. You can fine tune it also with the Service Menu.
16:9 Resolution (with lens):
Enough for DVDs. More res isn't necessary with the anamorphic lens on.
Screendoor/Fill Factor:
Fill factor is actually quite good. well, maybe because i am using an anamorphic lens.
I now have a new screen setup. it is 70 x 32.5, 2.15:1 screen. I just zoom it when viewing scope movies and zoom down when viewing 16:9.
I like the effect of the wider screen (it is much more theatrical). I am actually sitting at 1.45 x the screen's width when viewing scope movies.
screendoor/pixel structure is minor. it is not bothersome at all. For comparison, screendoor is quite close to a Matterhorn 1024 x 576 DLP projector.
Rainbows?:
rainbows occur very rarely. if it does happen, it is very quick and the rainbows are smaller than 2x speed color wheel projectors.
Lens Shift and Short Throw
these are a real help in my situation. I needed a short throw because of the weird room. the projector's lens has to be around 9 feet from the screen. with the x1, i could only get 5 feet wide at this distance at max zoom. Now with the DT-200, my dream screen setup actually is finally possible. It is now 70" x 32.5" 2.15:1 screen (quasi constant height). The lens shift helps align the image precisely when zooming in and out depends on aspect. now scope movies like LOTR are bigger and looks more theatrical. I cannot imagine going back to a 16:9 screen.
Conclusion:
So is this projector worth it? Pair it with an anamorphic lens and it is amazing! I just love the colors of this projector and it does contrast very well too! It has a very smooth pleasing image. not digital looking at all! Nevermind the specs on the projector (sharp is actually quite accurate on their specs), you have to see how well this projector performs (with the lens of course). For viewing DVDs, I would take this projector (with the lens) over an LT240k (with no lens), seriously. It has better blacks/contrast and better color saturation, and much much less rainbows. I even feel that the colors of this thing is better than an HT1000. These can now be had for $1500 or less if you look hard. Pair it up with an anamorphic lens and you should not be that much over $2k. its got dvi so i even have room for improvement for my dvds!