Projectors for HD Digital Cinema

I was a projectionist for 4 years and have seen hands down how much better you are when you go with brightness over contrast. It's the brightness of the projector that allows you to see the image on the screen to get the blacks and the whites in your image. If you google the specs and such, you'll find experts saying the same thing about contrast verse brightness.


Here's one in question that I read.. Check this out: http://www.projectorcentral.com/contrast_ratios.htm


And here's the concluding statement: In the end, good contrast is a vital component of image quality. But it is the real contrast you perceive on the screen that is vital, not the theoretical specs. You can influence your real contrast results by darkening your viewing room, by choosing a projector with a good range of lumen output, and/or by limiting the screen size you choose. These are major factors which determine how much contrast you will actually see in your projected image, and they have nothing to do with the contrast spec.


If you got duped into buying a projector and paying more for contrast then that's not an educated bet. Go with brightness if cost is an issue, but I will qualiy things in that, I'm also talking in terms of live even projection and such were your ambient lighting is what it is.. and you need the projector to deal with the level of illumination. Having to have a dark room to see the image, is just not a good projector unless you set up ideal situations. This has been my overal experience and it does vary a bit between data projection and video projection. I personally always think of things in terms of how they can assist my business in making money. A 4k lumen projector, I can rent and use with clients at 800 bucks a day, but a 1600 lumen high contrast projector stays in the house. I know from first hand experience that the right AV projector can handle both.. and even go one step further and make you some money. Viva the industy because it's all getting cheaper.


The BenQ one in question is available at costco and B and H and others. I personally want a projector for event stuff, and not as much for home theater.
 
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First things first, brightness relates to black level in calibration terms. The level of black (whether it's milky white or coal-house black.)

Second you are talking about the bulb output of your projector. I repeat this has nothing to do with absolute picture quality; it's quite possible to get a modest lumen rating with a fantastic picture. Conversely, it's not possible to have a fantastic picture without a decent contrast level.

The reason the high lumen projector exists is generally to overcome inadequate environmental settings (ie daylight) to give some sort of a picture - or to fill a screen that is so big it probably wouldn't fit in your viewing room!

And again, projectorcentral is not a true evaluating website - it's reviews are to be taken with a pinch of salt - they are in the business of advertising projector manufacturers. What you've quoted is partially correct, but you need both a high contrast projector (>2000:1) and light control to get a decent picture.

The reason why high lumens (too much) is generally not desirable is to do with the fact that the quantity of light is that much that the LCD panel cannot shut off completely - thereby producing a poor/milky black. That said LCDs are pretty flexible enough to give you a good balance of all specifications.

A 4K lumen projector in your renting business has nothing to do with cinephile quality projection. What the OP needs is the correct amound of lumens and this is product of size of screen, distance of projector to screen, ambient light and screen type.

As I said before CRT FP systems were the gold standard, hardly any lumens but incredible contrast.

I've been setting up and installing projection systems for years, specifically for viewing films on. And I can perfectly demonstrate at my house what I'm talking about.
 
You both have good points:
High contrast projectors will give a better picture in perfectly controlled viewing situations (e.g. a really dark home theatre) while high lumen output projectors will give a better picture in typical conditions (e.g. at a wedding reception or school).
 
IF you are given ideal situations. It's also okay to believe the hype and pay more for something that I think is irrelevant. We all have an albatros around our necks. no need to justify it to me.

That review is also a pretty decent acount of things so no need to get defensive. I personally think that contrast is like having a digital zoom. What does it really give you in terms of projector.


And yes, I'm talking about something a bit different than a locked down small room in my house. Multi-faceted and such. I also know what I like and have been able to document and have it work.


personally you can't show me that a 4,000 projector is any better than a 1400 dollar projector even given the contrast... and if you do, you have to do it in IDEAL situations. A man needs to use his tools and not allow them to dictate how things get done. Just doesn't seem very pro to me.. atleast not for my purposes and probably not for most of the people here, I'm assuming.


Put any 1400 dollar high contrast projector up against the 4k lumen Ben Q and let's see who's a winner..
 
High contrast is nothing like digital zoom! I don't buy that analogy at all.

There is no hype at all - with real world contrast figures - which by the way are easy enough to test at home. (incidentally all BENQs cinema range of projectors are all modest lumens)

And in no way can you compare a data projector to a home cinema projector in terms of quality. The greyscale on a home cinema projector will more accurate, the black level will be lower, the saturation more accurate, the uniformity better, the fan quieter - need I go on?

I can show you a home cinema projector is better for films than a data projector - because a good home cinema specific set-up will emulate the standards set by the telecine conversion, a data projector will not do that.

From projector central (and purely from a comparative point of view) - BENQs own home cinema projector rates around 600 Ansi lumens. And if you want a deeper black the lamp can even be dimmed (which is defacto now on lots of projectors) - the lower the lamp - generally the lower the black level.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/benq_w20000_review.htm
 
Well it's cheap!

Firstly, make sure it will give you the screen size you want from PC's screen calculator.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Dell-1609WX-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Bear in mind it's 1280x800 projector - so a PC 16:10 resolution rather than a true 720p - I don't think this will make much difference though, but it's not native - so you will get small black borders.

Contrast seems okay, the fan is not the quietist (the norm with office projectors) - and there is no lens shift (to allow offset placement of the projector, this feature is on most HC projectors nowadays), so you will have to get parallel to the screen.

Other than that, pot luck really - it will work but it depends on what your expectations are - I couldn't find any reviews as it's not really a home cinema bit of kit.

You will still need to get this dark though and expect to do a fair bit of tweaking with the settings to find the ideal picture parameters.
 
They both have HDMI and that is all you really need for PC, laptop, DVD pr Blu-ray.

and if needed you get Analog PC to DVI convertors, also DVI to HDMI, so which ever way you can plug almost anyhting into HDMI with the right convertors.

I practice chopper flying with a simulator from my laptop going from DVI to HDMI.

JVC's got:

2x HDMI, S-Video, Composite, and Component

the Panasonic AE2000's got:

3x HDMI, Analog RGB (PC), 2 x Component inputs, Composite and a S-Video Input,

- Derrick
 
Hi erdiaz

Those are all nice projectors. But they will not deliver enough light output to go on a big screen. They will stop at about 3 meters wide screens.

The only Projector that is able to put enough light on a 4 meter wide screen is at the moment the JVC DLA-HD1 aka DLA-RS1.

I use this projector for our own little filmfestival and the picture it throws at the screen is gorgeous. Bright, brilliant with never ending contrast. You don't see the black bars at the top and the bottom.

I tested others like the Sony VW-60 and the Panasonic AE-2000. Those are definetely not bright enouhg for the big screen and although they should be better (on paper) than the JVC, in the real world they don't come close.

Peter
 
I just assumed that from his initial post:

"Hello, I want to start a little theater in order to show HD Digital cinema material in a local fest."

And a little theater in my ears sounds like more than 10 people in your living room.

If Ernesto wont pass the 3 meter barriere, a Sony VW-40 or the JVC HD100 might be just what he's looking for. But beyond 3 meters is the realm of the HD1.

And leave the Panasonic out of the game here. I personally saw disturbing dust bits on the panel in several occasions.

But as always, that's just my two cents.

Peter
 
augenblick said:
I just assumed that from his initial post:

"Hello, I want to start a little theater in order to show HD Digital cinema material in a local fest."

And a little theater in my ears sounds like more than 10 people in your living room.

Peter
Click to expand...


Yes Peter you are right, we are going to project films (digital) to a very large audience and eventuallly out doors (night of course).

Thanks for your opinion.

copuple of questions:

has this projector a Computer (analog or digital) or/and HDMI, in?

do you know about the resolutions (in) the projector support?

Thanks again
 
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