Mitsubishi HC1500

[Interceptor007]

I have had my Mitsubishi HC1500 for 3.5 yrs now, and have not had any issues with the PJ at all. Getting ready to purchase bulb #5. Yes the family uses it as you would a regular TV. Over the last several months, I have been reading up on 3D PJ's. I have narrowed down my selections to Mitsu HC9000 or JVC DLA-RS40U. I am rather partial to the Mitsubishi brand due to the great performance of the 1500, but have read all the great reviews on the JVC PJ's also. My screen is a DIY project, Gray due to the ambient light that was a problem at one time in the man cave, this is no longer an issue as we have installed black out curtains to control all light. The biggest difference I see is the Mitsu 9000 is more of a light cannon than the JVC. Now down to my question to all. What type of screen would you recommend for either of these PJ's? Room size is 23x23 with wet bar. The 1500 is ceiling mounted at 17.5' from screen, so I will be mounting the new PJ in same location. I was thinking of getting an electric screen that we can retract and mount a 50-65 inch LCD behind it to save the PJ for just movie and NFL football. What do you all think? Budget for the screen is 3K-8K, as I have no idea what I need. Now the best part!!! Drum roll please, the wife has given me the green light to upgrade both!! I have seen on other forums, people saying to wait after Cedia to see all the new PJ's being introduced this fall. My neighbor has the Mitsu HC6500 that he rarely uses and has a great picture, compared to mine that is making me want to purchase NOW before the NFL season starts, yes one is 720 compared to 1080. All suggestions welcome. Thanks Interceptor007

 

[BMXTRIX]

Worth waiting for CEDIA for sure.

The Panasonic AE7000 has been announced and has been shown this week. I expect you will see quite a few 3D deliveries this CEDIA. While JVC is excellent, the brightness with 3D is still something of an issue from what I hear.

For a screen, if you have light control in the room, then a positive gain grey screen is not a bad choice. DaLite HCCV material is solid with 1.1 gain and will combat reflective light in the room. I'm guessing that despite the blackout blinds, you haven't actually painted the room in dark colors, which means you still have a lot of uncontrolled light to contend with.

An electric TAB TENSIONED screen is the only way to go.

I run a 106" tab-tensioned screen which drops in front of a 52" LCD. I'm not thrilled with the LCD, but the combination is great and day-to-day viewing really keeps lamp hours down some.

I'm a big fan of dual displays, especially in family room locations where viewing with the blinds up may be valuable.

It is also worth considering whether or not your screen size is appropriate for your viewing distace. Maybe going a bit larger is worth consideration if you will be putting in a 65" or so display. Why not the 70" Sharp LCD? Worth consideration for sure.

 

[Interceptor007]

BMX
Thanks for the info, my man cave is dark chocolate colored, even during mid day the room is totaly dark, having large trees in the yard really shades the back side of my home. The only reflective part are my drop ceiling tiles that are white, I cant tell if they make a difference or not. The 70 Sharp is nice, really havent put the time into researching the LCD yet. I currently have a 120" pic from the 1500, your right on the money about keeping the hours down on the PJ, the kids tend to not turn it off, thats why I want to run the Wii and xbox through the LCD. Time to start lookin at screens, starting with your recommendation. Interceptor007

 

[BMXTRIX]

With a dark room of that nature, then a grey screen doesn't make much sense. Instead, a minimal gain white screen is the way to go. 1.3 gain or so is common and is a excellent choice for your scenario.

Depending on your layout and the desgin of the drop ceiling a recessed mounted tab-tensioned screen could be perfect.

Something like this:
http://www.da-lite.com/products/product.php?cID=32&pID=41

In Cinema Vision material would be my recommendation (if it works in your setup).