Which projector ?

[admin_exported]

I'm looking to buy my first projector and have been looking at either the Panasonic PTAX200 (best price i've found advertised is 700 pounds), or the Themescene HD 65 at 457 pounds......

It's going to set up in a room in the basement so probably will get used a couple of times a week playing DVD/Blu-Ray and Sky non-HD content (although who knows - I might end up using it more once i see how good it is!).

Any advice on whether the Pana is worth the extra money ? I can't find decent reviews of the Themescene units to be able to judge...

 

[matengawhat]

Andy - I own both and yes the Pan is the better projector - £250 better maybe not - you may also be able to find the HD 65 projector cheaper than that if you are patient - Dixons keep doing discount codes for it - I paid about £390 for mine

the hd65 will produce fantastic images - very clear and crisp - the fan is a little noisey but as long as your not sat on top of the unit you won't notice it especially if you have a surround system.

The HD 65 screen image is done more by moving the projector than any lens shift like the Pan - also the hd65 suffers slightly from the rainbow effect if you move your eyes rapidly esp on black and white images but not enough to reeally interfere with your enjoyment. I use mine a lot now especially for movies and gaming and a little bit of tv viewing - don't tend to use it if its trash tv prefer to save the bulb life.

You really won't believe the quality of the images on these projectors - i much prefer it to my 1080p sony LCD

there is a review/comparison of both units on the home cinema choice website - please don't delete

this prob should also be moved to the tv/projector forum

 

[matengawhat]

matengawhat:

this prob should also be moved to the tv/projector forum

thanks mods

 

[Anonymous]

Hey matengawhat,
That's a great price for the HD65.

Does anyone out there know anywhere else for a good deal on the projector?

Cheapest I can find is £500.

Thanks y'all

 

[JonnyD]

Maybe have a look at the InFocus X9 too. I recently bought one of these and have been blown away by it's quality.

Some good reviews at www.projectorreviews.com in general, but I really can't recomend the X9 enough. It's around the £500 mark too!

Have fun!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm looking for a projector around this kind of money too, and I have seen the Planar PD7010 for £495

Here:- http://www.audiologica.co.uk/planarpd7010.html

 

[Anonymous]

The Planar is perfectly competent (and heavily discounted from its original UK price, as I'm sure you know) but it suffers from a lack of vertical lens shift. This isn't necessarily an issue if you want a ceiling or shelf-mounted projector mounted in a permanent installation, but it's a royal pain if what you're after is an 'occasional-use' projector, something you keep in the cupboard and only bring out for special occasions like a big film, gaming session or match.

If that's your plan, you'll probably want a more coffee-table-friendly projector like the Panasonic mentioned earlier. With its joystick-type lens adjustment, it's easy to shift the image to suit almost any installation.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Andy Kerr:

The Planar is perfectly competent (and heavily discounted from its original UK price, as I'm sure you know) but it suffers from a lack of vertical lens shift. This isn't necessarily an issue if you want a ceiling or shelf-mounted projector mounted in a permanent installation, but it's a royal pain if what you're after is an 'occasional-use' projector, something you keep in the cupboard and only bring out for special occasions like a big film, gaming session or match.

If that's your plan, you'll probably want a more coffee-table-friendly projector like the Panasonic mentioned earlier. With its joystick-type lens adjustment, it's easy to shift the image to suit almost any installation.

Fair comment Andy, I myself will be ceiling mounting, so would you recommend the Planar in this situation, for this price?

 

[Anonymous]

For sure: I've always liked DLP's black level, and I've never been overly bothered by the rainbow effect, so at the price you've seen, the Planar is a cracker. Only one other point worth making: as you know, it's a 1280 x 720 device, able to accept lower resolutions and scale up, or higher resolutions and scale down, as necessary. However, from memory, and from checking the specs (which aren't that explicit) it won't take 1080P at 24fps, which is relevant if you're a Blu-ray user. On the upside, it'll accept 1080i at 50Hz or 60Hz (fine with broadcast Sky etc) and 1080p at 60Hz (relevant for certain console games) with no problems.

 

[Anonymous]

Andy Kerr:For sure: I've always liked DLP's black level, and I've never been overly bothered by the rainbow effect, so at the price you've seen, the Planar is a cracker. Only one other point worth making: as you know, it's a 1280 x 720 device, able to accept lower resolutions and scale up, or higher resolutions and scale down, as necessary. However, from memory, and from checking the specs (which aren't that explicit) it won't take 1080P at 24fps, which is relevant if you're a Blu-ray user. On the upside, it'll accept 1080i at 50Hz or 60Hz (fine with broadcast Sky etc) and 1080p at 60Hz (relevant for certain console games) with no problems.

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but thats one of the many things I dont know about. You say it wont take 1080p 24fps, does that mean a bluray simply wont play on it?

 

[Anonymous]

It will play, but not at its theoretical optimum, where the video is encoded at a different frame-rate (24 frames per second, or fps) to standard PAL or NTSC video used by sources like broadcast TV and DVD-Video (25fps in the case of PAL, 30fps for NTSC).

That being the case, some video conversion will have to be carried out on the 1080p/24fps video stored on a Blu-ray disc so that the Planar projector can show it. In this instance, that will need to be done inside the Blu-ray player: it will involve turning 24fps into 30fps, so that the Planar can recognize and display the resultant signal as 1080p/60Hz.

Making this conversion process work is easy: just press a few buttons on your Blu-ray player's set-up menus to disable the 24fps output. However, it can frequently result in very disappointing pictures that are affected by unsightly juddering motion.ÿ

It sounds to me like you're a Blu-ray user. That being the case, I'd avoid the Planar. The Panasonic we were talking about earlier takes 24fps with no problems: that's what I would buy given your budget.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Andy,

Would the HD65 encounter the same problems as the planar? I'd heard it could do 24fps without any problems.

I'm looking at watching football on SKY HD, and the odd Blu Ray too, so would hate the judder effect to ruin this.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the delay: just had to check through the manual. Judging by the table on p45, it looks like you'll be fine.

 

[Anonymous]

Brilliant, thanks !!