Hello, I am trying to figure when the best time to purchase my equipment is. If i currently have a Commercial NEC PJ that does 1024x768 and 1080i (is this being downgraded on this PJ?) and i want to replace it with my own PJ, going with the standard lenses and 15 inch are not going to give the same results so is the new pro setup and a good 17" going to be worth it? Anyone have this setup yet? Thanks for any comments. Just dont want to make more PJs then needed


Mike

I believe at present that I'm the only customer who has a new pro lens projector up and running. Brain of course has his.

First off, if your projector is 1024X768, it's definitely being scaled for HD input. 1024X768 isn't even capable of true 720p resolution, let alone 1080i.

A 15" standard lens projector is good, but won't get you signifigantly above where you are now. It will almost certainly not be as bright, and it's possible, if not probable that it won't match in contrast either. The throw is short, but we know that.

The Pro lens is all around better. The field of focus is better, the image is better, the throw is better. With the 17" panel, the resolution is breathtaking. (And I was happy with the XGA resolution before, but I don't think I could go back!)

IMO, if you want a signifigant upgrade from your current, the pro lens is the only way to go. Be forewarned, though that you will probably lose out on brightness, chances are that your current commercial projector is brighter than a LL projector will be. But the image quality on the LL projector is definitely a step up. It will simply require a bit more control over ambient light.

To date, nobody who has seen my projector has remarked that it seemed dim.

I remember somone saying that a 17" is capable of true 720p but not 1080i. You build the projector because its fun! Resolution with a 17" at 1280-768 resolution will be better on your DIY projector then on your commercial NEC. But comparitively a DIY projector's brightness is significantly less then a commercial projector's brightness. I think that your NEC PJ is just scaling the picture to 1080i and not true 1080i. I hope this helps

Thanks guys. It definately seems that my projector is scaling it then. My brightness is 2000 lumens on my projector but i have it in economy mode all the time for life of the bulb and am very happy with that. It is running at 1600 lumens now. So i am taking that the color wheel and all for the DLP will not make a ton of difference and i probably will be very happy running a good 17 inch and pro setup when the time comes. I will be more happy with knowing the bulbs last so much longer and the cost of maintenane is so much better.

Supra the pictures of the setup you have in the one with the garage door is that the pro setup? Also i like how you got your whole setup in one enclosure. Is that including your HTPC and everything? I would love to hear more about your pro installation. Thanks. I really think the money invested in the pro will look awesome especially i have my theatre in the basement so ambient light is controllable. Thanks for the help so far in decisions. What LCD are you using Supra? Any suggestions for price on good ones?

Thanks again.

Mike

In the project gallery, all of those are using the 15" panel and standard lens. The "Preliminary Pro Lens Results" thread has screenshots after I put the pro lens into the box.

Yes, there's a PC in the enclosure, my PLOG (Just another 15") shows construction pics. After managing to break the 15" panel, (My cat broke it while I had things apart for cleaning/tweaking I put in an LG 1750 panel, and for a while was using PowerStrip to scale down the used portion of the screen to fit within what the standard fresnels could deal with. There's also currently 4 channels of audio amplification in there, at 60W RMS/channel, DIY amplifiers. The box is *heavy*

I have not done a pro lens PLOG. The stuff I added onto my projector to make it work with the pro lens isn't pretty, and I don't want pictures of it on the web. It was a job done in a hurry in order to get the pro lens tested. It works well enough that I haven't changed it though. In short though, what I did was remove the lens sled for the standard fresnels, put in stops to hold in the pro fresnels, and direct airflow, as well as remove any need for the sled to hold the 17" panel in place. I then built a box that extends the front of the projector by an amount that I could adjust, and attatched it in place. once attatched, there is no more allowance for adjustment. Focus is a matter of moving the whole projector back or forward until the image comes into focus on the screen. Light masking was done with black construction paper, taped in place.

@Supra: Their is a new Pro lens coming out January 6 or somewhere around their, I heard that the Pro lens is blurry, is that the lens you are using? Or are their three types of them? One old pro, an updated version and then a new one coming soon? I've read some forums about it but nothings answered my simple Q. Thanks

I have a prototype of the pro lens. I lucked out, and got a crack at this one to do an independant test build with, before Brain made his bulk order to replace the old faulty lenses, he wanted independant confirmation that this lens will live up to expectations.

AHhhhh! I see, thanks for clearing up my confusion.

There's just the faulty lens and the soon to be available version. I have the faulty one and have been using it for about a year. Even with the bluriness (which is limited to the sides), it seems far superior to any of the commercial projectors I have seen in displays. Of coure some of this depends on the LCD you choose as well. I'm using a 17inch wide, and there is absolutely no screen door at all and the resolution is very sharp. The one issue is the brightess, but hopefully this will be resolved with the new lenses. But even as is, it's been more than worth the money.

Hey brutus,
You said you are using a 17" widescreen? How is the eveness of the brightness horizontally? I assume that the middle of the screen is fairly even from top to bottom, but what about the left and right edges?
Mike