I finally was able to audition the Yamaha DPX-1000. The dealer I went to was using a 103" VuTec 1.3 gain white screen. I thought the picture was the best I've yet to see from a DLP unit and definitely superior to the Marantz and Runco's I had seen earlier. I think the picture quality is as good or slightly better than the Seleco HD2 unit. The picture was very film-like with no visible rainbow effects. It did seem slightly "soft" with HD viewing, but Im not sure if this was source-related. Colors were uniform and accurate and black levels were very good. Im not sure that a grey based screen like a Greyhawk/Firehawk would be worthwhile with this product; in particular a Greyhawk might dim the whites too much. Scaling seemed first-rate with no discernable artifacts. The things that set the unit at the top of present products - in my opinion - are:
1) Its adjustability. Its very easy to switch from "standard" to "cinema" modes depending on your room lighting and preferences. This makes a significant difference in white levels and contrast. A plethora of other tweaks are also possible. The ability to keystone and fine-tune is incredible.
2) The sheer size and weight of the unit. It is BIG. REAL BIG. It has a huge lens which must provide the superb optics and it seems very well built. Its size should be a consideration for low ceilings and tight spaces, however.
3) Very low fan noise level. It does seem noiser than the DPX-1, but the noise is much more tolerable than the Sim or Runco units Ive auditioned.
In summary, I think the Yamaha is the top choice for HD2 products; whether the Sony SXRD will be better remains to be seen, but the standard of excellence just got a bit higher.
1) Its adjustability. Its very easy to switch from "standard" to "cinema" modes depending on your room lighting and preferences. This makes a significant difference in white levels and contrast. A plethora of other tweaks are also possible. The ability to keystone and fine-tune is incredible.
2) The sheer size and weight of the unit. It is BIG. REAL BIG. It has a huge lens which must provide the superb optics and it seems very well built. Its size should be a consideration for low ceilings and tight spaces, however.
3) Very low fan noise level. It does seem noiser than the DPX-1, but the noise is much more tolerable than the Sim or Runco units Ive auditioned.
In summary, I think the Yamaha is the top choice for HD2 products; whether the Sony SXRD will be better remains to be seen, but the standard of excellence just got a bit higher.
