[ErikY]

Has anyone had the fortune of seeing both of these projectors in person?


If so, can anyone give me a comparison.


One of the things I am most concerned about is ambient light.


So, I am wondering if anyone has opions on the two comparing:


ambient light

overall PQ


any help would be appreciated!


Thanks,

Erik

 

[echo4747]

i have seen a HS20 but i haven't seen the infocus 5700. personally i would go for the higher resolution of the HS20 (especially with the rising popularity of of HDTV) The infocus is probably a brighter projector (from what I've read on these forums). Ambient light is something that is you can control (you may not want to control it, but if you need to.. you can) You can also choose from many high gain screen matl's which also helps. Once you purchase a pj you cant change its native resolution.

btw overall picture quality of the HS20 was very nice Best of all the lcds I've ever viewed.

 

[Scott B]

I have seen the HS20 and the InFocus 5700 and felt that the InFocus had a somewhat smoother image and higher contrast. The HS20 seemed to have better colours, and the connectivity is better if you require to digital video inputs. I ended up buying an Epson Cinema 500 which IMO is better than either of the above projectors. It has higher contrast than the 5700, is quieter than either projector, and offers better shadow detail and colours than the 5700. The lens shift and wide zoom range can also be a factor in setting up the Cinema 500. The Cinema 500 has variable light output from approximately 300-800 lumens with the colour correction filter engaged (necessary for proper colour balance and highest contrast).

 

[Brandon B]

The HS20 does not do well with ambient. My friend has one that I have seen quite a bit. The picture is very decent however.


Haven't seen the InFocus (or the Epsons) yet.


BB

 

[Scott B]

The Sony HS20 has a wide range of light output from about 350-800 lumens depending on whether the lamp is set to high and whether the iris is engaged. With the lamp in high and the iris fully open, the light output should be reasonably similar to the InFocus 5700. I have personally found that the iris has little visible impact on contrast on the HS20 and Epson Cinema 500, and found that I preferred the image with the iris open. Then again, I have a large low gain screen and need the extra light output.

 

[ktoolsie]

These were the two projectors that were the top of my list, prior to making my purchasing decision. I auditioned both of these and ended up going with the 5700, despite its higher price and lower resolution.


However, I think that the Sony unit I auditioned was a "bad". Color fringing was so severe that I knew right away I could not live with it in my home theater. Otherwise, I thought the pictures were basically comparable with the 5700 having just that little more "punch" as is typical with DLP technology.


Kurt

 

[John Schuermann]

Wow, ANOTHER HS-20 vs 5700 thread. I don't think a subject has been brought up nearly as often in the last 6 months as this one.


The 5700 is quite a bit smoother, has better contrast in side by side comparisons, and is much brighter than the Sony (the Sony is nowhere near its rated brightness when calibrated for video - http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony_hs20.htm - while the 5700 exceeds its brightness spec). On the other hand, the Sony has higher resolution and no rainbows. I've seen the Sony and actually prefer the Sanyo Z2 for less money. Personally, LCD artifacts bother me quite a bit - vertical banding, screen door, etc - but some people are more bothered by rainbows on DLP.


For lots and lots more about all of this, check out these threads:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=396817

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...highlight=hs20


Good Luck!


John

 

[BousquetP]

Scott,


I'm leaning towards the Epson as well. I have not had the chance to see any of these however. I was curious about screen door and vertical banding with the Epson. How far from the screen do you sit?


Also, what do you have for a screen?

 

[Scott B]

Paul,

Vertical banding was evident on all three Cinema 500s that I have seen. There is an extensive user menu item for adjusting the vertical banding to make it much less evident. This shows a 10 IRE step pattern for each of R, G, and B. Screendoor is visible in certain scenes from my first row of seating at 1.4-1.5x the screen width. Whether or not the screendoor is distracting is very subjective. I would say the screendoor effect is comparable to a Sanyo PLV-70 or PLV-60 but more noticeable than a Sony HS20. I have very slightly defocussed and this has helped. Every other aspect of the Cinema 500 is a step forward for LCD projection technology so I can live with the SDE. I am ordering a Panamorph for use with 2.35 source material which will have the side benefit of making the pixel structure less evident. My screen is a 10 foot wide Screen Research white ClearPix2 screen.

 

[Illya Friedman]

I just saw the HS20 at an HD workshop on a 16' screen from 2x screen width back, plus lots of ambient light- and the image was very respectable. The projector was fed 720p and 1080i material and it looked so good it made me question my L500u purchase for the first time.


If you have a monster large room this projector will still produce a great image from 1.7+ screen width.


The biggest reason not to choose a 5700 is rainbows, second is color wheel noise (varies from unit to unit) and 3rd, the resolution will look poor when compared to an HS20 on a really big screen.


I.

 

[TheFerret]

I would like to know if the poster has any problems with rainbows, or if he does which is more annoying, rainbows or screen door.

 

[Scott B]

There are ways to reduce the SDE such as slight defocussing, using a Panamorph, or using a Cygnus IMX processing lens. Reducing eyestrain caused by single chip DLP is a different matter. I suppose you could take a Tylenol before using the projector.

 

[TheFerret]

True, but then there are other facets (negatives) for LCD, which include black level and contrast. While neither will yield On/Off contrast and black level like a well-setup CRT, I would imagine Matterhorn DLP has much better CR/BL than the respective LCD.

 

[Scott B]

TheFerret,

I compared the InFocus 5700 directly with the Epson Cinema 500 before deciding on the Cinema 500. The Cinema 500 has better contrast and black levels than the 5700. It's also quieter, has better colours, more flexibility in setup, better shadow detail, and greater resolution. Try to check out the Cinema 500 or Yamaha LPX-510 before writing LCD off. The store that I auditioned the Cinema 500 and InFocus 5700 has not sold a single InFocus 5700 since they installed their demo Cinema 500.

 

[ktoolsie]

To me the issue of rainbows and eye-strain on the higer speed color wheels at least is way overblown. While I do not doubt that some folks out there will be bothered by rainbows on these units, they are very rare, at least in my experience.


I have seen rainbows twice in about 50 hours of watching. Both times were when I blinked, and I think my eye actually fluttered a little while doing so. The first time there were scrolling white credits on a black background, the second time I think was with normal material.


To me, rainbows are a complete non-issue. Now color wheel-wheel whine is a legitamate issue, and these units may well need a hush box to tame this problem. The other issue I have with my projector is that while absolute black levels appear very deep and convincing there does appear to be some black crush going on which reduces shadow detail.


Kurt

 

[TheFerret]

I know nothing about this Epson, but isn't it considerably more money than either of these units that was posted about?

 

[Scott B]

TheFerret,

The Epson Cinema 500 is perhaps a $1000 more than the HS20 or InFocus 5700. It is still worthwhile checking out to see how good LCD can be. Screendoor is still a potential issue as is vertical banding (there are adjustments for this on the Epson).


Kurt,

I suffer eyestrain from every DLP that I have viewed including HD2+ projectors. The same is true for my wife. I realise that we are likely in the minority, however, this ruled out DLP for us. BTW, if we did not get eyestrain, we would have purchased a HD2 DLP projector rather than the Epson Cinema 500. The Cinema 500 is comparable in many respects to a HD2 DLP projector. It is better in some ways, however, the smoothness of a HD2 DLP projector is hard to deny.

 

[ErikY]

Quote:

Originally posted by TheFerret I would like to know if the poster has any problems with rainbows, or if he does which is more annoying, rainbows or screen door.

I have never seen a rainbow in my life. I have desperately tried on a few occasions to see what they look like and how bad they bothered me.


The only thing is the only two DLP images I have ever seen were on RP DLP's, the samsung and RCA, so I dont know if it would be different than FP.


As far as screen door, I have seen it a little again on RP LCD (sony and Panasonic), but it does not really bother me, in fact I hardly notice it on those two.


In addition, I only plan on throwing about a 80-85" (diagonal) image.

 

[Scott B]

You should check out both projectors to formulate your own opinion. You really can't go wrong with either the HS20 or the InFocus 5700. Oh, and just because you do not see rainbows does not mean that you will not get eyestrain. Be sure to sit in front of a DLP projector for a couple of hours straight to make sure you will not have any problems.

 

[ErikY]

Scott,


Part of my problem is I have not been able to see either of these projectors live.


I live in NJ and would be willing to drive anywhere within reason to see either or both, but just cant find anyplace/anyone to view them.


If anyone has any suggestions, would be glad to hear them.


I do realize that eyestrain could happen. I sat in front of a sammy rp dlp for about 45 min. and did not see any, but I realize it could change.


Thanks,

Erik