Can anyone please tell me which is the best overall projector between the Sony VPL11HT and the Sanyo XP21N. I had a Sony VPL10HT which I loved. Now im ready to buy again. In Hong Kong these two projectors are cheap!! I will only be veiwing DVDs and Sat TV as I live in Macau, near Hong Kong.
Sony VPL11HT vs Sanyo XP21N
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Quite dissimilar machines, aren't they? VW11 is the 10HT but with better scaler and contrast (out of the box) whereas the Sanyo is a 4:3 projector with very high lumen output.
I'm partial to 16:9 for DVD-viewing especially so I'd go with the VW11 (or perhaps the Epson EMP-TW100 with Faroudja DCDi scaler built in; I'm probably getting that, but that's cause they are far cheaper here than the VW11 for some reason).
But in the end you have to decide what you need - very high light output or the nice all-in-one solution the VW11 gives.
Since you've already had the VW10, you should know what to expect from the VW11 - the same only better.
I'm partial to 16:9 for DVD-viewing especially so I'd go with the VW11 (or perhaps the Epson EMP-TW100 with Faroudja DCDi scaler built in; I'm probably getting that, but that's cause they are far cheaper here than the VW11 for some reason).
But in the end you have to decide what you need - very high light output or the nice all-in-one solution the VW11 gives.
Since you've already had the VW10, you should know what to expect from the VW11 - the same only better.
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16:9 is nice in that you don't lose as much of the projectors vertical resolution to display DVD's in 2.35:1 as you do on a 4:3 machine. You also don't need to fiddle with zoom to view 4:3 material, but you do get a smaller 4:3 image than a 16:9 one (which is how it should be IMHO, but not everyone agrees) and bars on the sides.
I went with the XP21 and am very pleased. With DVDs (most of our viewing) I choose the wide 16X9 mode and it looks really good. Some feel it is necessary to have a scaler to improve the pq but I have found that by tweaking the contrast, brightness, color saturation it is far better than most projectors I have seen.
Rick
Rick
Man oh man, you have got to get a scaler. I use the Quadscan Elite. It is a little squirrelly to set up, but it is set and forget. It was an incredible improvement.
High lumens are much more important than you would think, if you haven't seen one. It allows a much better contrast ratio. All that theoretical stuff about the blackest blacks is pretty academic when you can double your contrast ratio by making the blackest black 1 lumen instead of two. Your teeth will reflect enough light to wash that black level out. The perceivable contrast ration will depend on how bright the brightest whites are and how much lumen range you have between you ambient light floor and the hot whites. High lumens are critical to shadow detail in my experience. PLUS color saturation and differentiation is greatly improved. Most people that see a well set up high lumen projector are shocked. And if you don't want to sit in the complete darkness to watch sports or paint your room black, you will really appreaciate the flexibility. Still, the darker the room the better it will look. You better take a look at a high lumen set-up before you buy. Also I think Sanyo MLA for LCD and their high contrast technology is still the cutting edge at this point.
High lumens are much more important than you would think, if you haven't seen one. It allows a much better contrast ratio. All that theoretical stuff about the blackest blacks is pretty academic when you can double your contrast ratio by making the blackest black 1 lumen instead of two. Your teeth will reflect enough light to wash that black level out. The perceivable contrast ration will depend on how bright the brightest whites are and how much lumen range you have between you ambient light floor and the hot whites. High lumens are critical to shadow detail in my experience. PLUS color saturation and differentiation is greatly improved. Most people that see a well set up high lumen projector are shocked. And if you don't want to sit in the complete darkness to watch sports or paint your room black, you will really appreaciate the flexibility. Still, the darker the room the better it will look. You better take a look at a high lumen set-up before you buy. Also I think Sanyo MLA for LCD and their high contrast technology is still the cutting edge at this point.
Quote:
Bah, no wonder. I've been smiling too much.
| Originally posted by JHouse All that theoretical stuff about the blackest blacks is pretty academic when you can double your contrast ratio by making the blackest black 1 lumen instead of two. Your teeth will reflect enough light to wash that black level out. |
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Hello reubs,
What is the price of the XP21N in Hong Kong ?
just curious
If you are not going to use a scaler then maybe buy the sony, if you are going to use a scaler or maybe HTPC, then the Sanyo could be better.
Has anyone here tried the Sanyo XP21N with an Isco11 lens and HTPC?
I imagine that would be an awesome combination for 16:9 dvd's, with no wasted pixels or lumens.
Mark.
What is the price of the XP21N in Hong Kong ?
just curious
If you are not going to use a scaler then maybe buy the sony, if you are going to use a scaler or maybe HTPC, then the Sanyo could be better.
Has anyone here tried the Sanyo XP21N with an Isco11 lens and HTPC?
I imagine that would be an awesome combination for 16:9 dvd's, with no wasted pixels or lumens.
Mark.
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Walter,
Thanks for that,
I was hoping for a bargain from HK
No cheaper than US on this one.
Mark.
Thanks for that,
I was hoping for a bargain from HK
No cheaper than US on this one.
Mark.
XP21N with Panamorph is outstanding. Only problem I've encountered is that the Projector pumps so much light with associated heat, the Panamorph gets too warm and introduces distortion after several hours.
Joe is right, however, this projector requires a video processor. I'm using the NRS and it is amazing, particularly with video sources.
Sharp and Marantz are real cheap over there, have you considered either?
Dan
Joe is right, however, this projector requires a video processor. I'm using the NRS and it is amazing, particularly with video sources.
Sharp and Marantz are real cheap over there, have you considered either?
Dan
Scott B,
The XP21 was the better choice for me since the one of the advantages of PLV-60 is in HDTV and I'm only using it for DVD. Plus the XP21 is cheaper than the PLV-60 in HK. Also I thought the bulb life of the XP21 is 2000 hours, unfortunately it's only 1000 hours.
Besides, heard too many complains about the PLV-60 on this forum and didn't want to risk getting a defective unit.
The XP21 was the better choice for me since the one of the advantages of PLV-60 is in HDTV and I'm only using it for DVD. Plus the XP21 is cheaper than the PLV-60 in HK. Also I thought the bulb life of the XP21 is 2000 hours, unfortunately it's only 1000 hours.
Besides, heard too many complains about the PLV-60 on this forum and didn't want to risk getting a defective unit.
It sounds like the 1000 hours is a very conservative number. It would be interesting to know how they can come up with a number, it would be expensive to actually test, and I am not even sure of the standard to determine bulb life. In many cases it is when the bulb's light output reaches the 50% level. The variation from bulb to bulb will be pretty significant too.
The bulb experts around here have convinced me that within a very brief time, like 50 to 100 hours a bulb drops to about 80% of its original output and stays there through the end of its life, when it rapidly dims and/or burns out. Is that still the consensus.
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Jhouse,
That is basically correct for the UHP bulb. The bulb stays on the 80% shelf a long time before eventually tapering off. (This should be true with NSH bulbs as well since they are almost identical to UHP)
The Xenon and the Metal halides (rarely used anymore) drop at a linear rate to 50% output at their rated life span.
-Mr. Wigggles
That is basically correct for the UHP bulb. The bulb stays on the 80% shelf a long time before eventually tapering off. (This should be true with NSH bulbs as well since they are almost identical to UHP)
The Xenon and the Metal halides (rarely used anymore) drop at a linear rate to 50% output at their rated life span.
-Mr. Wigggles
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