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Theater Room and Game Room almost Done
RandyT:
--- Quote from: Loafmeister on December 04, 2009, 01:27:50 pm ---Of course Randy, but the Grand Wega's bulb is set to last 8000 hours, while the projectors I saw lasted 2000 hours. 4x the lifetime was a sufficient difference for me, as it means at worse, I'll probably change the bulb once over the projected lifetime of the unit (10-12 years) which considering I paid less than 2K on the GW, I've factored that into the price and still come out on top quality wise. It's a fine screen, no regrets but at some point, would be nice towards a projector.
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I guess it boils down to reasonable expectations. A bulb that lasts 5000 hrs in eco mode and is capable of projecting from 20' away, a bright image with over four times the area of a 60" DLP, would probably last 15000 hours (or more) in a smaller rear projection system that needs to cast an image only a few feet. If you can get 5000 hours out of a bulb that costs $300, then that comes out to 10 measly cents per movie (average length: 1hr 45mins), or roughly 6 cents per hour of operation. Cheaper entertainment of the caliber you can get from huge screen viewing is hard to find.
--- Quote ---Thanks for the info, 5000 is a step in the right direction, though I found projectors running in "econo" mode tend to miss that "pop" and downgrades the experience a bit. IMHO anyways.
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No problem. Just bear in mind that a 1600 lumen projector that loses a couple hundred lumen in "eco" mode, still outperforms a 1000 lumen projector in standard mode by 40% or better. Many of the affordable 1080p projectors were only hitting that 1000 lumen mark (and estimating high based on reviews) last year, so the current crop of slightly higher end projectors is "blowing them away" even in their "eco modes". Plenty of pop, just not as much as if you were pushing the limits of the hardware. In a lighting controlled environment, you still get blinded when the scenes go from dark to bright. The only difference in the two modes is the level of pain :).
RandyT
DashRendar:
This has been educational. Didn't even think that the bulb would be a factor in choosing a projector (never bought one, so...). Good to know that I need to keep that in mind, in case any deals too good to be true are because of a short bulb life.
:applaud:
Gamester:
--- Quote from: RandyT on December 04, 2009, 03:19:48 pm ---No problem. Just bear in mind that a 1600 lumen projector that loses a couple hundred lumen in "eco" mode, still outperforms a 1000 lumen projector in standard mode by 40% or better.
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You might be understating the effect of Eco mode a little bit. I know every projector is different, but from what I've read, the Eco mode on the AE4000 reduces the brightness by 32% (nearly 500 lumen). Certainly not just "a couple hundred". Regardless though, 800-900 lumen is more than sufficient for any decently light controlled room.
Also, I wouldn't say the Panny is necessarily a slam dunk choice, as it has some very tight competition from Epson and their new 8500UB model. Depending on one's particular situation and priorities, the Epson might actually be a better option.
It's amazing to me how far projectors have come in both price and performance over the past few years. I think the improvement is now such that I'm having to seriously think about upgrading from my old Sony VPL-HS20.
Ummon:
--- Quote from: protokatie on December 02, 2009, 01:44:02 am ---Nice looking set-up, and love the projector screen. One thing tho, why did you leave those two sex toys on the floor when you took the pics? The one on the left looks like standard fare, but the one under the couch I have never seen before...
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Righteous. I was gonna say something but thought I might better not. Glad someone did. Yer such a bad girl! (Ahem, apparently in more ways than one...)
RandyT:
--- Quote from: Gamester on December 04, 2009, 11:14:36 pm ---You might be understating the effect of Eco mode a little bit. I know every projector is different, but from what I've read, the Eco mode on the AE4000 reduces the brightness by 32% (nearly 500 lumen). Certainly not just "a couple hundred".
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Not true. It depends on the viewing mode. If you you are using it in the "best quality" modes, which limit overall light output to the maximum output available evenly across the visible spectrum, which most will be doing when watching a movie, the light output is already reduced significantly from the stated maximums. So the eco mode is indeed, for practical purposes with the AE4000, a "couple hundred lumen less". Because it is a percentage of a whole, as the output increases, so does the number of lost lumen. The max output is based on a green push inherent to the high-pressure bulb. This push is the same with pretty much every projector, so it is accurate to use total lumen output when comparing models. But the important thing is the ability of the projector to produce good color within the limitations of the light source, which the AE4000 does extremely well.
--- Quote ---Also, I wouldn't say the Panny is necessarily a slam dunk choice, as it has some very tight competition from Epson and their new 8500UB model. Depending on one's particular situation and priorities, the Epson might actually be a better option.
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Both have been given very good marks. However, it seems that the AE4000 has come out on top in the eyes of most due to 2 things; Price ($400 to $500 less expensive) and the ability of the projector to zoom 2.35:1 material for full, wide- screen viewing without the need for expensive Cinemascope lenses. The latter, it can even do without user-intervention by automatically identifying the format of the content, or manually through a number of user-defined lens position memories. The AE4000 can also be set to have a quicker frame response time, which is crucial to avid gamers. But you are correct in that, like anything, a prospective buyer needs to educate themselves and shop around for the unit which fits their budgetary and feature requirements. There's a lot to learn about them, in order to really understand how the specs relate to the viewing experience.
For those interested in a decent comparison between these two heavy-hitters, you can read one here.
--- Quote ---It's amazing to me how far projectors have come in both price and performance over the past few years.
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That's what got me off the fence. When you hang out at the home theater forums for a bit and see the normally very critical folks there raving about these new units, and dumping their older, more expensive toys in favor of them, you know it's probably time to join in 8).
RandyT