Best & Biggest Screen for 17x11' Theater?

[CrazyCanuck75]

Yeah, it will be a 1.78:1 screen.

Hopefully 90"wide and 103" diagonally.

 

[AVRat]

For that budget on the PJ, you'll probably want to look at the Epson 8500.

New model info: http://www.projectorcentral.com/epson_million_contrast.htm

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

Thats too funny, I was on a review site looking at the Epson 8500 when I saw the email notification for your post.

This one is my choice so far, now I have to search to see if it has any artifacts, screen door, rainbow effects. Also have to find out how loud the fan is.

 

[majorloser]

I have the Epson Pro 7500UB and love it. Awesome picture and contrast.

Great reviews on the newer Epson, too:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/projectors/epson-home-cinema-8100

 

[BMXTRIX]

Only single chip DLP models of projectors can have rainbow effects.

All displays have 'screen door', but at 1080p resolution, from normal viewing, this is basically eliminated.

Artifacts, more often than not, are a result of poor image processing and a bad source. This is where HDTV and Blu-ray Disc really shine. But, good image processing will help, and reviews help.

As said before - you WILL want to wait until this week is over because the CEDIA Expo is this week and the show floor opens tomorrow. Epson, Panasonic, and others will all be highlighting their new projectors which we should see hit the shelves by November or so. Epson especially, appears to have a new LCoS type of product which may give JVC a serious run for their money for image quality and black levels.

Tough call between the Epson 8500 and the Pansonic AE4000 and the JVC RS Series of projectors. If money were not much of an issue, I would lean towards JVC. But, since money is always an issue with me, I would buy the Epson 8500UB right now, today.

I'm more certain I would wait until this week is out to see what upgrades we will have available to us.

 

[jostenmeat]

Thanks guys.

I received an email from Chris Seymour, kinda surprised that he answered my e-mail and not one of their office staff. Anyways, he said they are willing to ship to Canada for a fairly reasonable amount. But I am trying to take Jostenmeats advise and get the projector first......as much as I do want to just order the 90" wide screen!

I have been looking at projectors, seems like the best one to get (keeping budget in mind) would be the JVC RS25. However I am not sure if this projector is for me. Its price is a little high around $8000 bucks, it is so big and I also plan on upgrading to a 3D projector in a couple years when the technology is more mainstream. So the JVC is a little expensive for me since I could be going to 3D. Is there anything around $3000 that gives a decent pic?

I also plan to buy this week, but it will probably be an online order since there are very few projector dealers in my area. So advise and reviews of projectors will be much appreciated.

Like I explained earlier, 3LCDS like Epsons are the quietest there are, but that's also because they pack less lumens, but you don't really need the latter with the size of screen you're looking at. If you can swing the DILA I definitely vote for that, especially when mating it to a weave to best avoid moiré (remember what I said, 3LCD has the lowest fill ratio, and 3LCOS the highest), and especially if your room will be dark enough to warrant paying for the better blacks. JVCs don't use dynamic irises because they don't need to, unlike most 3LCDs and even many DLPs for that matter.

I will help you shop, because I know where to go. Contact AVS store, particularly Jason Turk for quotes whether PM, email, phone, whatever. You will follow the following instructions to the letter. Bookmark digital hi-end +3K PJ subforum at AVS. As your daily routine, take 1 second to glance at the stickies, hoping for one of their crazy sales (my guess is couple times a year). My own PJ sale sold out in one single day, no joke. The last big sale I know of was last January, where a brand new warrantied RS20 was going for $2999, and I do wonder if I should have gone for it. Depending on the pricing the RS20 is THE bang for buck performance PJ IMO, because it's like 95% of the RS25 for perhaps 50% of the cost. You won't find them anymore, except for used.

You will also be able to land the RS25 for waaaay under 8K, and if one of the sales comes up again in the next several months, then even better. I asked Mr. Turk last year for some quotes out of pure morbid curiosity, and even then the RS25 was $6K. Yeah, I think the biggest sales happen right around January/February on the finer units. My own was hand picked for their demos (I would hope that things like convergence were better on mine, but I sure won't bet on it), had a whopping 3 hours on it, fully warrantied, shipped directly from JVC to AVS, and I spent 33% less than the very best price I knew of, which of course was the regular AVS pricing. Their pricing for PJs and screens have always been the lowest priced I have ever found, without a single exception, ever, including any anecdotes I've read from others' experiences. Ever. They ship internationally. There are multiple AHers who have bought from them, and one of them has bought multiple times all the way from Japan. Oh yeah, I added a 6yr warranty + 2 free bulb combo form a Mack powersale over at AVS, and all that totaled $260 or less.

EDIT: so you know with 3D projectors, you lose 50% brightness instantly with active shutter, and then the glasses themselves will also significantly reduce your perceived brightness. If you get one in the future, I imagine lumen horsepower is key, but then again your screen size isn't huge either . . .

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

You will also be able to land the RS25 for waaaay under 8K, and if one of the sales comes up again in the next several months, then even better. I asked Mr. Turk last year for some quotes out of pure morbid curiosity, and even then the RS25 was $6K. Yeah, I think the biggest sales happen right around January/February on the finer units.

I will have to contact Jason Turk then. Definitely won't hurt to see what he can do for me.

Also I hear the next generation of JVC's are 3D ready and higher lumens, if so I wonder what the price of the X7 will be. I would definitely be willing to spend a bit more to get a top of the line projector with the 3D option that I have been wanting all along.

Just found a link for the new JVC X series, they are 3D

http://www.gadgetescu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/JVC-Projectors2010Release-Europe-22Sep10R.pdf

 

[BMXTRIX]

Yep, this is what this week is all about. The new projectors are coming to market and home theater 3D with active shutter glasses will be THE story of this year. JVC is the first to the draw that I can see, but I expect we may see more from a lot of companies.

JVC really has laid it out that they are replacing/upping their product with similar pricing from last years models, so you get the upgrade, at zero additional cost. This is pretty consistent with what I've seen from 3D. It's an added feature, and your only added cost is a few pairs of glasses and, in this case, a 3D sync module.

Thanks for providing the link!

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

Well it's kinda exciting that 3D ready projectors are coming out soon. At the same time it is also depressing that I now have to wait for them to hit the shelves.

I was going to buy a 2D projector this week, but not now. With all the new developments and 3D projectors coming out in the next few months, It would be foolish of me to buy one right now.

Oh well, guess I can dress up the walls with acoustic panels and wait.

 

[jostenmeat]

Will someone loan me $12,000? I want a RS60.

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

I'll take the X7.

Will someone loan me $12,000? I want a RS60.

I might be mistaken, but didn't you say somewhere you want to get another three yeas out of your current projector?

I think the JVC X7 is going to be mine in December when I get home from Russia.

 

[jostenmeat]

I might be mistaken, but didn't you say somewhere you want to get another three yeas out of your current projector?

I should have disclosed that it was my plan B, if my plan A of obtaining an Audioholic loan of $12,000 did not pan out. Hey BTW did you know that this figure converted to Canadian dollars is $12,378?

I think the JVC X7 is going to be mine in December when I get home from Russia.

Ohhhh. I've been to Russia a long time ago, I had a total blast.

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

I will be working in Russia for the next year or so if things go good, hope its better than Brunei (South East Asia). Pretty boring here it's an alcohol free, Muslim country, not much to do here but sweat.

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

3D, Contrast, THX, what is important?

So judging by the reviews of new projectors that came out this past week, 3D was not the most popular new feature, contrast ratio is infinite and a THX certification....well what does that do for the overall performance of a projector?

It all has me wondering what I really need in a projector. I have a fairly small room, that will have a fairly small screen.

So I don't need a huge amount of lumen's, 3D seems more of a novelty and when is the contrast ratio high enough? Is a THX rating going to make my picture any better or is a very expensive sticker on the machine?

For my room is the JVC HD250 good enough? I can afford the JVC rs40, but is it better than the hd250? Finally the JVC rs50 I can barely afford it, but is it $3500 better than the rs40? Or does it just have one of those pricey THX stickers?

Damn you CEDIA....now I am more confused than ever!

 

[just-some-guy]

imo, you should get a more reasonably priced unit, say a ae4000. and learn with that.
its still a nice machine, that you could use for a few years, and be happy with.

then, in a few years. go from there.

 

[jostenmeat]

So judging by the reviews of new projectors that came out this past week, 3D was not the most popular new feature, contrast ratio is infinite and a THX certification....well what does that do for the overall performance of a projector?

It all has me wondering what I really need in a projector. I have a fairly small room, that will have a fairly small screen.

So I don't need a huge amount of lumen's, 3D seems more of a novelty and when is the contrast ratio high enough? Is a THX rating going to make my picture any better or is a very expensive sticker on the machine?

For my room is the JVC HD250 good enough? I can afford the JVC rs40, but is it better than the hd250? Finally the JVC rs50 I can barely afford it, but is it $3500 better than the rs40? Or does it just have one of those pricey THX stickers?

Damn you CEDIA....now I am more confused than ever!

Ah, the pains of the learning curve! Yeah, it's always a tough choice (if you have the money), and there is always that thing called "diminishing returns". But how much do the returns diminish? Do you yet have street pricing? There is noise about good preorder pricing on these things.

When is contrast enough? In a completely black room, never. However, I wouldn't pay several thousands for 100k contrast over 50k contrast. One thousand? Hm that gets tougher.

THX is generally a nice thing to have for best OTB color accuracy, which is used as the starting point for a calibration. However, sometimes THX mode is not always as good as it could have been. Otherwise, you could* call it an unnecessary cost if you wanted to.

The biggest difference with the RS50 is the CMS. However, even this is now a diminishing return, arguably, because even the RS40 is supposed to have really improved on OTB accuracy to begin with. No nuclear powered neon greens that I can get with the RS1, without help from a CMS. Then again, it's only me that notices. I have a friend getting into photography, and he stated that he wished he could get the rich colors that my setup has. I told him, "Careful what you wish for! Mine has oversaturation for sure". My point is that only "educated" enthusiasts like me even know.

If the RS40 really was 3.5k less, I'd go with that over the RS50, and simply add an outboard CMS for a fraction of the cost IF you think you need it. However, there aren't any outboard CMS units that can handle 1.4 (read 3D) AFAIK. However, there is so very little 3D content, that you can have your perfect colors for 99% of your viewing for the next foreseeable while if you did go this route.

The HD250 has a really good price. The chassis is the same as the previous RS 10/15/20/25/35 from what I can tell after a google. I'd imagine this is a good thing, when considering the significantly lower MSRP.

So, in the end, my ordering of your titled question would be as follows: contrast, then THX, then 3D. Just me though.

Please keep me updated with what you learn, and oh yeah, good luck!

 

[CrazyCanuck75]

Do you yet have street pricing? There is noise about good preorder pricing on these things.

I haven't received a phone call from Jason Turk yet on the pricing yet, but I imagine he is pretty busy right now.

I have been looking into what I need, I wanted 3d ready, but I probably won't use it that much so it isn't necessary. THX... well that tells me it must have had to pass some testing, so it might be worth it.

I also came to the conclusion, that I am not too picky and maybe I should stop this "learning curve" before I learn to much and can only be happy with the $10000+ projectors...ignorance is bliss!

But seriously I have thought about it and I think I would probably be happy with the rs40. on a 90" wide screen with a single row of four chairs about 12-13 feet back from the screen. But we will see what comes up in the next month or so. Maybe I will find a too good to be true deal on a rs-50 because that is the one I really do want. Stuck between want and need...hmmm.

 

[jostenmeat]

Ignorance is indeed bliss!! TBH, nearly anything you buy will blow you away once you set it up. Then the upgraditis kicks in. Of course, we can't upgrade our toys every single year, well at least most of us, so you just try to jump on the right boat at the right time and just enjoy the ride.

Well, about THX, I've read that previous iterations of JVC did not have a THX mode like it should be. It was faulty (if still not the best mode available). Now, JVC seems to have upped the ante on OTB accuracy, so which one is better? I dunno, but obviously the latter makes THX less important or relevant. If the difference is subtle at best, CMS makes it all a moot point anyhow so far as I know. You will need calibrating/measuring equipment however, and the good stuff ain't cheap. Bang for buck stuff might be couple/few hundred, dunno.

What I like about the RS40 route is that you can always add CMS later. You seem to be pretty keen on 3D, so maybe wait until a 1.4 version is made. Dunno.

Really, it boils down to price difference I think. I mean street pricing. Hell, maybe the HD250 is the right choice, I just haven't read anything about it.

Just go with what is comfortable to your wallet. Any of these choices will blow away 99.99% of the world. Keep an eye on the newer Epsons (even if less reliable historically, and also more wild with OTB variations from what I recall reading), if the value is even better.

 

[jostenmeat]

CC75, I have talked with Jason. I have pricing for you on the 40/50/60 but not 250 (didn't ask), and will send PM. While you can't go wrong with JVC, I would personally wait to see how the new Epsons fare, and for what price.

 

[basspig]

I can solidly recommend the Seymour AV screen, from the DIY perspective.
If you order material, it may be smart to order the rotated cut (instead of having the weave at a level angle) to reduce apparency of any moire patterns with digital projection.
I've tested the audio through my CenterStage XD material and it produces no audible loss of HF response. There is a slight comb filtering measured above 15KHz, but I dare anyone to hear reliably how that might color the sound. And it's certainly far less coloration than any other type of screen you can put in front of speakers.
Ours is over a year old and holding up well under adverse conditions (being stretched back and forth with infrasound at very high SPLs) from time to time.

At one time, I thought I wanted a screen with gain. After having seen the blotchy, unevenness of the coatings on a gain screen, I decided I don't want that kind of distracting pattern. The CenterStage XD has the other clear advantage that it's pure white, all across its surface. No blotches of brighter or darker areas.

Seymour AV saved me thousands over having an established type of screen installed. I'm sure their manufactured products are just as good, if you're not into DIY projects. But I have to say, this project was a lot of fun. There's no satisfaction like watching a movie on a theater you constructed!