£2.5k to spend on TV (3D or Projector)

[admin_exported]

Ok I really am totally undecided on which way to go a large 3D TV or HD projector?

I would welcome comments from anyone but espically retailers.

I currently have Sky HD/Blu-ray/Apple TV/Sky SD/PS3 and would mainly be watching HD programs but occasionally SD as well. I have a 3D Onkyo amp and have a large living room which is about 22 foot by 18 and would be viewing screen at about 4m away.

So my options for TV are:-

55" Samsung 3D TV @ approx £2599

50" Panasonic 3D TV @ approx £2200

JVC HD550 @ approx £2900

Mitsubushi HC7000 @ approx £2000

Please help me make my decision!

 

[Frank Harvey]

Personally, I don't see any advantage in a 40/50" 3D screen, as I feel that to get the full advantage of 3D, the screen needs to fill the majority of your field of view, not a small part of it. Given that there are no 3D prjectors around at the moment, I'd be looking at the HC7000, which for me is the best all round solution as far as projectors go - all different types of projectors have their own drawbacks, but I feel the HC7000 is the sharpest, quietest projector with more natural skin tones. Most other projectors usually have one major flaw (in my eyes for my viewing). The HD550 would be second in my queue.

 

[kinda]

Hello,

I was doing a lot of thinking around this recently and ultimately went for a projector.

At your budget you can get a bigger better image for the same price or less with a projector. And ultimately as pointed out above 3D is really only effective on a large screen. A massive 2D image is probably more immersive than a smaller 3D one. Plus a p[roejctor is invisible

Lots of screens can work in daylight now and the bulb cost isn't too much. I demod an Optoma HD20 and SD content from an upscaling Sagem PVR was fine on a massive screen. But if you found it didn't work out as an all-round solution then you could add a small TV for casual watching.

The only downside of going with a 2D projector is that it can't do 3D. But you'll get a great 2D picture fo now and I think it's going to be a couple of years before there is much worthwhile 3D content in the home, and much longer than that before there's something that just has to be seen in 3D. If 3D takes off at all.

I figured it was better to get something now, and then maybe pick up a 3D projector in a few years if it really took off. There are some 720P gaming ones now at around £500 so they won't necessarily cost a fortune. And there may be something with no glasses by then.

Different topic but with the potential image degradation, glasses, and then the fact that I'm not convinced it adds that much, (has anyone ever felt the need to 3D famous paintings in an effort to make them better for example), I'm just not sold on if I'd ever want 3D.

The brain has some other cues for depth and while the 3D probably adds a bit I think the potential artificiality and things popping into your room for example may actual detract from the immersion, especially on smaller screens.

For games where it's first person and you're supposed to 'be there', I can zee more of an argument. but then again I think that kind of setup potenitally will go down a different route and i think there'll be cheap setups good enough for games in a couple of years. I don't have any time to play them these days anyway!

 

[kinda]

Sorry, projector is virtually invisible when not in use

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advise!

Looks like the projectors is getting thumbs up so i may go and see some in action at my local stores.

Not sure if this makes a difference but my screen size would be 90" to fit on a certain place on the wall. (Would this size be suitable?)

Last point do we know if JVC etc will be releasing a 3D projector at any point in 2010 as if i know this is the case i may hold back!

 

[Frank Harvey]

90" would be fine. Basically, you can have it whatever size you like. The recommended viewing distance fr the screen is about 1.5-2 times the screen width.

No doubt JVC will be producing a 3D projector at some point, like most manufacturer, but it's not going to be at £3k. Even if they incorporated it for free, you'll still be talking £4k, as that is the normal price for their entry level projector. And that's IF they decide to bring it in at their lower level first.....

 

[Anonymous]

Having mucked about with 3D settings yesterday, I can report that they add two parts of ******-all to non-3D material.

A gimmick.

 

[Anonymous]

I have now seen the JVC 550 for £2,599 with 1 year warranty which is extremely tempting!

 

[Frank Harvey]

Once again, I'd check out the retailer - JVC have temporarily reduced them from £4k to £3k, with a reduced margin for the retailer. It can't be a retailer who buys from a distributor, because they pay more than those with direct accounts like ourselves and HCC. Double check where they're coming from and check with JVC as to whether you'll be getting a UK warranty with it. I'm not trying to stir things up here, just looking out for you guys

 

[Anonymous]

Amazon UK now selling the Mitsubushi for under 2K

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mitsubishi-HC7000-Home-Cinema-Projector/dp/B001N2Y2A8%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAICVERGTCRLINQ3OA%26tag%3Dshopdocouk-21%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001N2Y2A8

 

[Frank Harvey]

It's not Amazon selling them, it's a third party seller. Are they on the Mitsu Map as a retailer?

Granted, the map doesn't show all dealers, only the main ones, but I'm doubting they have a direct account with Mitsubishi. But feel free to call Mitsubishi to very this. Don't forget, many manufacturers nowadays won't service products not supplied by a genuine dealer in the UK, they have to go back to their country of origin.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advise Frank its a great help! As a consumer when you see these sorts of prices you are very tempted so i will have to consider very carefully!

I really want to try and demo the JVC 550 v Mitsu HC7000 side by side but can't find anywhere within an hour of me to do so! Do you know anyone who may be able to help? I am based in South Midlands so could be looking anywhere from B'Ham to Bristol area. I know we have a Best Buy opening in the Midlands next month do you know if they will have the projectors?

Thanks Again

Andy

 

[Frank Harvey]

Can you be a little more specific about your area?

 

[Anonymous]

I am on the Worcs/Glos Border.

My local HiFi shop have told me the don't stock the JVC & they reckon that the one they stock is far superior than the JVC 550 which i find hard to believe so whats your opinon Frank?

its the Infocus INSP 8602

Andy

 

[Frank Harvey]

It's David

(2 years and I stil get called Frank!

)

We have the HD550, which I'm familiar with, and we also have the SP8602, but Ive not had a chance to view it yet. If you leave it with me until tomorrow (I'm on my day off - I know, sad) I'll have a peek and let you know what I think. But I have to say that I'm not a DLP fan due to being able to see any slight hint of rainbow effect, and they're not quiet enough for me. The 8602 is quoted as 28dB - my HC7000 is -19dB, or -17dB in eco mode - that's a big difference!! But I'll not get negative before I see it, so leave it with me and I'll let you know what I think tomorrow.

Regards

DAVID

 

[Anonymous]

Will look forward to your comments DAVID!

 

[Anonymous]

So David have you tried it out?

 

[Frank Harvey]

Sorry, not had a chance yet - been catching up after my day off yesterday

 

[Ian J Thompson]

I'm looking forward to getting 3D TV, but i'm waiting patiently for Panasonic's 65 inch been launched.

Ian.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Random.

Sorry Andy, I'm not going to be able to get to see it today. Even if I did, I didn't bring my glasses, which would basically mean there would need to be a night and day difference between them for me to see it

I'll definitely bring my glasses in tomorrow (no, not 3D ones) and check it out - Saturdays tend to be a little quieter than during the week

I could do with bringing in my copy of Zodiac too - it's one of the discs I like to use as a yardstick.

Regards

David

 

[Anonymous]

Ok no worries!

By the way where abouts in the UK is your show room as if its not a million miles away i may take a trip to visit once if i could demo some projectors!

 

[Frank Harvey]

I know you've asked, but I'm being careful otherwise I'll get in trouble....

Check my bio - that, or any links in it, should let you know anything you need to know

 

[Frank Harvey]

Just setting it up now....

 

[Frank Harvey]

andytucker:So David have you tried it out?

Just set it up using the settings on the projectorreviews site, which we use as a base for all our projectors, and can't say I'm overly impressed. After setting up, the reds were still way too strong, and the whole thing just looked a little saturated colourwise. Managed to tame it a little, but if I take the reds down anymore it'll end up looking anemic. For some reason, I can't change the basic colour setting as it's greyed out, so I've had to do this with the colour gain controls. I tend to find DLP's too strong on colours anyway, especially being an LCD user.

After using the Mitsubishi/Panasonic/JVC projectors, there seems a lot less settings to play with. Maybe there's a secret menu I don't know about.

The remote is a nightmare. Most remotes have menu/up/down/left/right buttons which are shaped so that you can feel your way around in the dark, making navigating the remote a breeze. Not the InFocus. ALL the buttons are square, and they're ALL the same size, laid out in a calculator fashion. This makes navigating in the dark impossible. Whoever designed this remote needs shooting.

The 8602 produces a nice, bright, lively picture, with all the detail on display for you to admire. And the good thing is this is on the low lamp setting. Not that you'd want to use the normal setting because it's just too damn loud. It's loud enough on low mode. This may not be an issue for some, but as a Mitsubishi owner, noise levels are the first thing you notice when using other projectors.

Black levels are good - they look black. The bright picture helps to reveal all, even dark areas of the screen. Sharpness is about on par with the JVC's, the Mitsubishi's are still king here.

The Mitsubishi and JVC projectors look cleaner to me, with the 8602 being on par with the Panasonic PTAE4000. Like the Panasonic and JVC models, I didn't get on with the motion smoothing feature. It just looks wrong, unnatural.

Focus is manual, something I'm not used to, but this probably won't be an issue to most people. Not keen on the bright blue ring around the lens - why? Are they trying to copy Philips? Is it a "mood ring"?

One drawback - not a great deal of lens shift. It's enough to correct any errors made in securing it to your ceiling, but not enough to be able to place it high on a shelf behind you.

Overall? It looks good, but I'd expect more at £3k. This is only MY personal view, and I've only tried it for 15/20 mins with I,Robot. It's all personal preference, but I can't see anyone choosing this over the HC7000 or HD550 at the moment.....

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for your information!

I have emailed you direct to ask about your showroom in Coventry so will look forward from hearing back from you!

Thanks Again

Andy