Post Your Results II

[Flay]

Originally posted by ajc999
[B]But I'm still not satisfied. I think I am going to breakdown and buy a real home theater projector as soon as I can save up the money. I'm looking at either a Sanyo PLV-Z1 or a Panasonic PT-L200U. These are dedicated 16:9 format home theater projectors for about $1500 street price.

Same here. I just finished building my ohp setup and I'm not satisfied. My setup lacks the contrast, detail, and color I really want, but it will do for now.

You also may want to check out the Infocus X1. It's around $1500 and it has an amazing contrast ratio, 2000:1.

[kl899]

flay, what is your setup?

acj, that episode 1 video looks amazing... how big is the image? i'm thinking if you got those results using a proxima and a 4000 lumen projector then my setup should be substantially better than that (i'll find out in a few days when everything comes): elmo hp-a305 7300 lumens, tv-4000 xga line doubler and scaler, and a nec 1545v 1024x768 lcd monitor with 300:1 contrast ratio. The only thing I don't have ordered yet is the projection screen.

[ajc999]

Flay - Yeah I read about the Infocus X1. You can check out this review that compares it to the Sanyo PLV-Z1.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv_z1.htm
Each has it own advantages. The thing I like about the Sanyo model is that it is made for home theater and specifically HDTV. But my reasons for wanting one are the same as you. I'm not satisfied with the contrast, color, or resolution.

Kl899 - The screen is only 70" wide or about 100" diagonal if I remember my geometry formulas correctly. I have to sit at least 10-12" away or I can notice the screen door effect. Did you also notice the hotspot in the middle of the screen? I'm not sure how to get rid of that. With your setup, you should get better results because of a brighter overhead and higher resolution panel. How much did you spend for all that? Post your results once you are setup.

[Flay]

Originally posted by kl899
flay, what is your setup?

Here are a few pictures of the room:

http://www.pbase.com/flay/diy_home_theater

Sorry no screenshots of any movies. I will add some later when I can borrow a better digital camera.

I tacked up black fabric on all the walls to blacken the room. It's just the cheap stuff: $1.50 a yard at Walmart. But it's very effective. I also plan to put black fabric underneath the screen, just ran out.

I used Black felt to surround the projection unit. I also have a shroud that goes over the panel along with a cardboard widescreen cover that blackens it even more.

The screen is made out of blackout fabric which I have yet to paint. It's attached to a DIY wood frame covered in black felt. It's hanging on the wall like a huge picture frame. The size is 10 feet by 5 feet. Cost: $50 in materials and 2 hours of time.

The projector is a Elmo HP-A305 Solar Deluxe that gives off 7300 lumens. The panel is a Proxima 822c with a 200:1 contrast ratio and 2 million colors. My DVD player is an XBox.

I have 2 4-way Pioneer floor speakers up front, an Acoustic Research center channel, and 2 Yamaha bookshelfs for the rear. The receiver is a Sony STR-DE835 with DD and DTS.

I also have the TV-3000 to get rid of Macrovision and convert the signal to VGA. The lack of macrovision is nice, but the resolution really doesn't improve that much.

Overall, it's a decent setup for $400 (panel, OHP, TV3000). But it's no comparison to a professional projector.

[keung]

3M 9850 OHP
IBM 15" TFT (solder required )

Perfect!! Very Satisfiy

[kl899]

Originally posted by ajc999
Did you also notice the hotspot in the middle of the screen? I'm not sure how to get rid of that. With your setup, you should get better results because of a brighter overhead and higher resolution panel. How much did you spend for all that? Post your results once you are setup.

I don't actually have a working setup... but I did sleep at a holiday inn express last night! Seriously though, I'm still waiting for the LCD monitor to arrive, should be today or tomorrow. Yesterday I got the Elmo HP-A305 SD and the VB50HRTV (accidentally mentioned the TV-4000 but this is exactly the same with just a couple of different minor functions). The prices I paid are as follows and include the shipping costs: the elmo = $200, the VB50HRTV = $118, and the NEC 1545v = $260. So that comes to a grand total of $580 for the basic projection unit. I plan on building a cabinet to house the gear while it's running, to cut down on noise and leaking light. I think that might cost $20 or so at Home Depot for the wood, a small piece of glass to let the lens shine through, and a few hinges. Then I need to figure out what to do for a projection screen. I might get a 84" by 84" da-lite in matte white or something similar, which would probably cost no more than $150 shipped, or I may go a DIY route and build my own frame for $50 or whatever. Also I only have a so-so stereo right now, a mini-system, and I want to get a full 5.1 surround sound system. I've seen some decent looking 5.1 packages for sub $500. So my entire setup might run me $750 for the video and $500 for the sound. I hope I'm satisfied in the end. If you guys have an recommendations for the screen or the audio, let me know!

[ceph]

I have a Proxima 810 and 822c, Elmo 305 Solar Delux OHP (7300 lumens), 72" Herculite Bantex Screen (mounted on gator board). I am using a homemade VGA cable to connect my computer to the panel. Overall I am VERY VERY pleased with my results! At first my only method of feeding video to the panel was thru RCA, which was horribly distorted. I didn't feel like dropping $20+ on an s-video cable, so i made my own 15ft db15 - db25 VGA cable (cost $8). The quality then blew me away, my picture is now very sharp (crystal clear). As far as tweaking the color, i can do that with my video card (geforce4 ti 4200). I am now considering gettting the TV-3000, so i can hook cable TV and other peripheral's (xbox,gc,ps2) thru the vga cable. I will try to post some pics tonight, although i currently don't have the panel connected to the geforce, but rather my Macintosh G4 w/ geforce2 (because of location convience). I will soon rearrange my setup and move everything to my basement and use the geforce4.

[ceph]

I have a Proxima 810 and 822c, Elmo 305 Solar Delux OHP (7300 lumens), 72" Herculite Bantex Screen (mounted on gator board). I am using a homemade VGA cable to connect my computer to the panel. Overall I am VERY VERY pleased with my results! At first my only method of feeding video to the panel was thru RCA, which was horribly distorted. I didn't feel like dropping $20+ on an s-video cable, so i made my own 15ft db15 - db25 VGA cable (cost $8). The quality then blew me away, my picture is now very sharp (crystal clear). As far as tweaking the color, i can do that with my video card (geforce4 ti 4200). I am now considering gettting the TV-3000, so i can hook cable TV and other peripheral's (xbox,gc,ps2) thru the vga cable. I will try to post some pics tonight, although i currently don't have the panel connected to the geforce, but rather my g4 (because of location convience). I will soon rearrange my setup and move everything to my basement and use the geforce4.

[ceph]

sorry about the double post.
it won't happen again. heh

[cmonkey13]

I have almost the same setup that you do -- ovation 822c, Elmo 305 Sd. I am getting bad hotspot and was wondering if you have the same problem. I was wondering what types of screens you have tried. I am very happy with the color and contrast, but this hotspotting is driving me mad. Thanks.