480p or 720p projector if I only watch DVD's?

[naveb]

Is it worth paying more for the higher rez projector if I use a Denon 2200 for DVD watching. i.e no upconverting player, no tv watching, and no blue ray in my future.

thanks

naveb

 

[mfabien]

Depends...

1. To upcovert (720p or 1080i) a standard commercial DVD, HDMI or DVI is required. Using Component will cause a downrez to 480p.

2. If your projector has native 768p resolution, you would be better off with HDMI or DVI and get the DVD player to upconvert to 720p than using Component and upconvert 480p to 768p. But the difference is not that great.

Note: Projection on a big screen magnifies video defaults. This is where HD DVD and Blue Ray shine very much by providing a much better picture. Planning to buy a projector and denying your self the pleasure of HD DVD or Blue Ray does not make sense to me.

 

[naveb]

Thanks for the reply.

To clarify, I'm looking to buy a projector and dont own one as yet. My Denon non-upconverting player will have to stay.

What has me wondering whether I should spend more for the 720p projector is that DVD's native resolution is 480p if I'm not mistaken. If my non-upconverting player is outputting 480p would there be any advantage to a 720p projector over a 480p projector?

My reason for not getting excited about hi-res is that I when I enquired about them at my local video store chain (in Australia) they had never heard of Blue Ray or HD DVD so I'm guessing years before they stock hi-rez disks in addition to dvd, if they ever do. If I was a DVD buyer I might think otherwise but I only rent as it cost me 80c a movie and I get to keep them for a week - good enough for me
I'll get on the wagon in a few years when its time for my next player or projector, no doubt by then it will be a lot cheaper.

cheers

naveb

 

[GlocksRock]

Just get a nice 480p projector, you can always sell it and upgrade in the future.

 

[jcPanny]

720p front projector

With 720p front projectors like the Optima HD70 for $900, I don't know why you would buy a 480p model. A quality 720p model will look good w/ HD material at reasonable seating distances, but 480p will not. Also, if you are spending that much on the PJ, a Oppo Digital HD970 or other upscalling DVD player would be a good investment. You can also get HD-DVD for $350 w/ 5 free movies:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2530166&Sku=T24-9088&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&CMP=AFC-LINKSHARE&AffiliateID=MSkAbpJVU5c-cYAzhZb06WMtlmiz_MzIzw

Check out some of the complaints users have w/ SD material on a 50-60" HDTV. This problem is magnified when you have a front projector w/ 100"+ screen.

 

[deej]

I would definately go for a 720p and buy a cheapo upconverting dvd player for 100 bucks or so. That way when you want to go to a high rez hd dvd or blueray player you wont be stuck having to buy a new projector.

 

[Smoker_98]

I got my Optoma H31 (480p) for a little over $500 with some great rebates. Feeding it HD content and upscaled movies via the 360 both look outstanding. From my seating distance the picture looks just as good as most hd displayes I have seen, just larger. I really think its just about getting everything dialed in.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Depends...

1. To upcovert (720p or 1080i) a standard commercial DVD, HDMI or DVI is required. Using Component will cause a downrez to 480p.

Component will pass 1080i no problem and some, many, all projectors will accept that.
Some projectors will accept 1080p/24 on component.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Thanks for the reply.

To clarify, I'm looking to buy a projector and dont own one as yet. My Denon non-upconverting player will have to stay.

What has me wondering whether I should spend more for the 720p projector is that DVD's native resolution is 480p if I'm not mistaken. If my non-upconverting player is outputting 480p would there be any advantage to a 720p projector over a 480p projector?

My reason for not getting excited about hi-res is that I when I enquired about them at my local video store chain (in Australia) they had never heard of Blue Ray or HD DVD so I'm guessing years before they stock hi-rez disks in addition to dvd, if they ever do. If I was a DVD buyer I might think otherwise but I only rent as it cost me 80c a movie and I get to keep them for a week - good enough for me
I'll get on the wagon in a few years when its time for my next player or projector, no doubt by then it will be a lot cheaper.

cheers

naveb

I would be surprised if Australia is not getting the hi-def DVDs. Certainly England is. Have you done any google search there?
If you are into movies, looking to get a projector, that large screen is screaming for hi-def video. Depending how far your seating is, you will see a marked improvement from standard def DVDs.
Perhaps you should consider waiting a bit longer.

 

[MACCA350]

Guy's you're forgetting that naveb is from Australia, so your prices need to be doubled and sometimes tripled.

The Tosh HD-E1 is AU$1,099.
The Tosh HD-XE1 is AU$1,599
The Optoma HD70 is AU$2,898(cheapest I've found is AU$2,000)

naveb, how much do you want to spend on a projector?

cheers

 

[mouettus]

projector up-scaling

...projector will up-scale the 480 video feed to 720p. Really important if it's a LCD rear projector (in order not to see screen door effect). My brother-in-lay has a cheap 1000CAD Epson projector from Costco and the image quality is horrible due to the poor resolution. The prices of good 720p/1080i projectors are coming down with the arrival of 1080p ones anyways so...

 

[kicknsupra]

720 is the way to go they are cheap nowadays i love my hitachi pjtx100 cant wait to get a 1080p

 

[naveb]

thanks for all the replies

720 seems to be the consensus then. looking on ebay for brand new projectors there is not so much choice though. i think i'll have to decide between

sanya z5 (720p) US$1900
benq pe7700 (720p) US$1350
infocus 72 (480p) US$830

any further input appreciated. cheers

naveb

 

[mfabien]

Component will pass 1080i no problem and some, many, all projectors will accept that.
Some projectors will accept 1080p/24 on component.

It's not a question of projector capability it is rather the protection encoded in commercial standard DVD. They are programmed to limit the resolution to 480p when Component is used rather than a digital connection (HDMI or DVI).

The only way to beat this is to rip the DVD and copy to a DVD disc.

I have an HD DVD player and if I playback a standard DVD under Component, a window appears in my screen advising me that the resolution is downrez to 480p. With HDMI, I get 1080i without a problem.

 

[Smoker_98]

thanks for all the replies

720 seems to be the consensus then. looking on ebay for brand new projectors there is not so much choice though. i think i'll have to decide between

sanya z5 (720p) US$1900
benq pe7700 (720p) US$1350
infocus 72 (480p) US$830

any further input appreciated. cheers

naveb

I would really check out the Optoma H31, it got great reviews on this site. Plus it's got to dirt cheap by now.

Edit:

http://www.visualapex.com/LCDprojectors/LCD_projectors_details.asp?chPartNumber=H31&MFR=Optoma&SE=yahooshop&KW=H31

 

[billnchristy]

I have an Optoma HD70...not much experience with it, but I like what I have seen.

 

[mtrycrafts]

It's not a question of projector capability it is rather the protection encoded in commercial standard DVD. They are programmed to limit the resolution to 480p when Component is used rather than a digital connection (HDMI or DVI).

The only way to beat this is to rip the DVD and copy to a DVD disc.

I have an HD DVD player and if I playback a standard DVD under Component, a window appears in my screen advising me that the resolution is downrez to 480p. With HDMI, I get 1080i without a problem.

Interestingly, I tried component and was able to get 1080i. DVD players can and do up-convert on analog output but not the 1080p. That is HDMI territory.
Reading some of the DVD reviews here at the home page will confirm this.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Guy's you're forgetting that naveb is from Australia, so your prices need to be doubled and sometimes tripled.
cheers

Since you are there, are hi-def DVDs available there?