Hey, THX, what do you think of this projector?

[GmanJoe]

http://www.projectorcentral.com/infocus_x1.htm

I think I might buy this as opposed to buying a new plasma or LCD theater. I don\'t like DLP much coz of its limited viewing angle so I though - if I want that "theater" feel....why not a projector?"

Reviews seem positive so far.

[videoholic]

How big are you plannig on making it and how far back are you going to sit?

It having to be 16\' back to produce a 100" image is pretty far.  A buddy\'s house I was in the other day was only about 8\' back.  

What size room are you in?

Do you have COMPLETE control of the light?  You don\'t want ANY ambient light to hit the screen.




"The DLP technology used in the X1 delivers a smooth seamless image, despite its SVGA resolution. At viewing distances of less that 2x the screen width there is some subtle pixelation that is evident primarily in text, credits, and subtitles."

[GmanJoe]

Well, I don\'t plan on viewing the screen at more than 60" anyway. Ya think I should just wait for the prices on HDTV\'s to go down?

[videoholic]

What about the room?  What\'s it like during the day?  Any ambient light makes it look like you\'ve cranked the brightness setting on the unit way up.

[GmanJoe]

I have full control of the lighting. My windows are quite far enough plus it off to the side and there\'s a entrance wall between my family room and the sun room. That should cast a shadow on the wall it will project to.

Still undecided though.

[videoholic]

Looks like a nice entry level projector.  

I still have my projector in storage.  I just got tired of dealing with it in the living room and only being able to use it at night.  I just painted the walls white and it worked fine.

I spoke with the DaLite guys back at NAB and their biggest competitor is Sherwin Williams.

Screens are only really needed if you need the gain, or you have bad light conditions.  They can help you avoid light from the side and push only the light from the projector.

So that would certainly save you some cash.

[GmanJoe]

Originally posted by videoholic

I spoke with the DaLite guys back at NAB and their biggest competitor is Sherwin Williams.

 

BWAHAHA! That\'s funny! But I can see why.

If you only have a $700-$800 budget this projector is perfect.  Onboard Faroudja DCDi video processing and a bright DMD chip.  Tons of people have it and there\'s a big following of tweakers.  If you can spend around $1300 spring for the Infocus 4805 which is the new "it" projector.  It\'s widescreen native and has a new DarkChip DMD to enchance black levels, as well as a faster 6 segment 4x speed color wheel.  It also has DVI for a straight connection from a digital source.

http://members.shaw.ca/technut/x1faq/

Vid you may wanna rethink about getting a screen.  A good reflective surface that can filter out brightness from contrast makes heeps of difference.





First is just a plain White or Grey surface, the pic SD is using a formula called Super Deluxe which is a popular choice for screen DIY\'ers now.  I\'ve heard of people having small Firehawk Screen samples from Stewart and no matter which cheap solution we try the samples still blow it away.

[videoholic]

Of course a screen is better.  BUt they are 30 bucs a square foot.

Screens are more expensive than the projectors we are talking about.

I was just saying that for the most part a white wall in a controlled environment will do just fine.

I did a DIY screen for about $35, but you can get a Carada screen for $500.  The Firehawks I\'ve heard of go for $3k which makes me chuckle.