Best 720p Projector < 2k

[downtime]

Hey Guys,

Im after a 720p projector, any advice on the best option for under 2k.

At the moment im leaning towards the Mistu HC3100 for $1750 delivered from priceJapan.com, my understanding is that it offer more in terms of technology then the others;

Epson EMP-TW700

Sanyo LP-Z5

BENQ PE7700

Are there any other options worth considering, originally i was after the HC1100 but unfortunately there doesnt appear to be any stock so ive decided to consider the above, according the the cine4home review the HC3100 looks pretty decent.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks guys

[quijibo]

Dont even consider the 7700, go for the HC3100.

As for the others they are LCD and will be no match for the image the HC3100 puts out.

The only advantage the other projectors have is in their suitability for more installations. With greater zoom and lens shift they have far more placement options. The HC3100 needs to be perfectly placed and ideally should be ceiling mounted.

You'd have to spend $3k before you got something superior to the HC3100 and even then its only superior in resolution (1080p) and the HC3100 will throw a far better picture.

[KernelPanic]

The epson offers lens shift and zoom, which i believe that the hc3100 does not.

The mitsubishi is dlp, so rainbows may be an issue, but probably not.

I was looking at the hc1100 as well and even ordered and paid for one, but was refunded when it was out of stock. I basically got sick of waiting, and my tw700 just hit dhl at adelaide airport an hour ago.

The HC3100 is currently a little over $1800.

[downtime]

Dont even consider the 7700, go for the HC3100.

As for the others they are LCD and will be no match for the image the HC3100 puts out.

The only advantage the other projectors have is in their suitability for more installations. With greater zoom and lens shift they have far more placement options. The HC3100 needs to be perfectly placed and ideally should be ceiling mounted.

You'd have to spend $3k before you got something superior to the HC3100 and even then its only superior in resolution (1080p) and the HC3100 will throw a far better picture.

Great, thank you for your feedback deflepper =)

I forgot to mention, placement options matters very little to me, its all about best PQ as far as im concerned.

What do you think about the comparison between the HC3100 and HC1100, i understand the HC1100 has a much lower contrast ratio, older Dark 2 chip and poor/no scaler support for PAL so i will probably need a good dvd player, i was just going to use the xbox 360. Consider those disadvantages the extra price for the HC3100 seems very reasonable but still the less i spend the better of course, considering the situation with priceJapan stock perhaps i can source from the US, anyone know of competitive US retailers that will import to AU, gotta love the australia dollar these days =)

Cheers

[downtime]

The epson offers lens shift and zoom, which i believe that the hc3100 does not.

The mitsubishi is dlp, so rainbows may be an issue, but probably not.

I was looking at the hc1100 as well and even ordered and paid for one, but was refunded when it was out of stock. I basically got sick of waiting, and my tw700 just hit dhl at adelaide airport an hour ago.

The HC3100 is currently a little over $1800.

haha i know what you mean, been waiting since the 20th of March and i just cant handle it anymore, first it was april 10th, then 15th and now May 15th, oh well..

The new colour wheel is suppose to decrease the rainbow effect substantially, and there is a "electronic lens shift" but its only about 30pixels anyway as i said placement shouldnt be much of a problem for me.

Is the lens shift the main reason you decided on the epson, that and of course the local warranty, i imagine the price you paid is comparable to the HC3100?

[procoholic]

Consider: Optoma HD70

720P

4000:1

3yr warranty (Australia Purchased not grey inport )

1yr warranty on lamp

Just under $2K

[quijibo]

I assume you have read this review

http://www.cine4home.com/reviews/projector...-1100Review.htm

THe problems I have with the HC1100 are supposedly fixed in the HC3100.

The deinterlacing is terrible, you have to send it a progressive signal. 756i and 480i are woeful, 1080i is only okay. 576p or 720p are perfect.

The VGA input does not do proper 720p 1:1 pixel mapping. It has a few fuzzy sections on the screen noticeable only with text though.

The black levels could be better, but they are quite good, just not perfect.

The fan noise is now louder than it was originally, but it is only an issue when there is no sound or low sound in a movie. I do sit right under it though.

Light spillage is a minor issue, but there is a bit.

On a positive note, the image is spectacular, far better than the 2 LCD projectors I've seen recently, but both are data projectors.

Contrast is very good, brightness is high (in low lamp mode with reduced brightness) with excellent colours.

Am I happy with the HC1100? Hell Yeah! But I sort of now wish I had paid a little more for the HC3100, but at the time I somehow convinced myself that paying an extra 50% for the HC3100 wasn't worth it as from what I read it wasn't 50% better. But for only $500 I guess it could be easily worth it.

Anyway I am sure for $1850 you cannot go wrong. It really is a bargain.

[Guest EZYHD]

I have the EpsonTW600 can't falt it (my 2nd PJ), the newer model TW700 can be had for around 2K and is very popular. Epson apprently make the inards for a few PJ brands. They also provide top service too unlike a few others mentioned in the various forums.

[quijibo]

Consider: Optoma HD70

720P

4000:1

3yr warranty (Australia Purchased not grey inport )

1yr warranty on lamp

Just under $2K

This projector is very similar to the HC1100 which can be had locally for around the same price.

Actually the HC1100 can be obtained locally online for less than the Optoma.

Best online price I can find for optoma was $1870, as opposed to $1670 for the mitsu.

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=hc1100

[procoholic]

This projector is very similar to the HC1100 which can be had locally for around the same price.

Actually the HC1100 can be obtained locally online for less than the Optoma.

Best online price I can find for optoma was $1870, as opposed to $1670 for the mitsu.

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=hc1100

I think you will find Optoma has much higher contrast ratio. The HC1100 does not have adaptive iris the Optimas has a method of controlling lamp lumen output to achieve the higher contrast ratios

Online are mainly grey imports at that price, so you should obtain the seriel number and then check with importer for warranty as they may not be covered

Locally purchased units a little higher in price but a very good warranty of 3 yrs and 1 yr on lamp worth the difference i think

[quijibo]

Sounds like a pretty good buy.

The higher contrast accoring to one review is well under 3000:1 and pretty much spot on 3000:1 in another, but it comes a the cost of high fan noise as the lamp brightness is increased.

I cannot find a comparison between them, but the HD70 review on prejector reviews has comparisions with the HD1000u and basically says the HD1000u is sharper and has better black levels, and he only favours the HD1000u because it is brighter. The HC1100 is 2/3 the brightness of the HD1000u, but supposedly has better black levels and more natural colour.

Interesting.

If as you say the cheap HC1100's are grey imports then the HD70 is an impressive package, especially with the warranty.

[quijibo]

I had to send an email to find out if they are grey imports and I have gotten one reply from three sellers and they say the projectors are direct from Mitsubishi Australia and have a full 2 year aussie warranty.

[procoholic]

I had to send an email to find out if they are grey imports and I have gotten one reply from three sellers and they say the projectors are direct from Mitsubishi Australia and have a full 2 year aussie warranty.

Hi My comment re gray imports only relates to the Optoma

I cannot comment on the Mitsubishi

The Optoma warranty though is outstanding

[downtime]

Consider: Optoma HD70

720P

4000:1

3yr warranty (Australia Purchased not grey inport )

1yr warranty on lamp

Just under $2K

Great, thanks procoholic, definately an interesting option =)

looks like the Optoma HD70 is similiar to the HC1100 as the HD72 is more comparable to the HC3100, im not sure about LCD's though, is it true that LCD's diminish quite a bit over time where as DLP's tend to retain their quality. I dont plan on buying another projector in 2 years and i could easily see myself using 1000hrs a year.

I dont really mind the whole grey import situation, as long as it works when it arives then ill be happy, if it breaks in 6 months then i've always wanted to visit japan

on eBay there appears to be a HD70 (new) buy it now for <$1900 which seems like a good option but if i take the risk with a grey import then i can get myself a HC3100 (D3C+10bit+768 vertical res support for PC) for the same money (worst case scenario is i pay $350 for round trip warranty claim/trip to japan:), if i could get the HD72 though then that would make things very interesting!

i think im still with the HC3100

[ajm1503559545]

No matter what people say about DLP rainbows not being a problem (for them) I'd urge anyone considering one of these projectors to demo it with the family to make sure it suits them. I can say from a personal point of view that the Mitsubishi 3100/1100, the Infocus IN72 and the Benq7700 all produce rainbows to the point were I just can't watch them. Great for those that don't notice these rainbows but a real sh!t for those that do.

[Guest eandoz]

No matter what people say about DLP rainbows not being a problem (for them) I'd urge anyone considering one of these projectors to demo it with the family to make sure it suits them. I can say from a personal point of view that the Mitsubishi 3100/1100, the Infocus IN72 and the Benq7700 all produce rainbows to the point were I just can't watch them. Great for those that don't notice these rainbows but a real sh!t for those that do.

I totally agree with the above.When I first auditioned a DLP I walked away with a terrible head and felt queasy,I later found out it was from the technology itself!

I really can't understand how people put up with DLP.People say "you get used to it"but why would you want to when LCD is comparable.

[quijibo]

I totally agree with the above.When I first auditioned a DLP I walked away with a terrible head and felt queasy,I later found out it was from the technology itself!

I really can't understand how people put up with DLP.People say "you get used to it"but why would you want to when LCD is comparable.

People put up with DLP because the picture is exceptional.

Rainbows do exist, and they can be distracting, but after a few sessions even the worst sufferers adjust to them.

The problems with dizziness affect very few people and even then it is more of a case of being mesmerized rather than sick. This generally subsides after 15 minutes of watching anyway.

As always try it our yourself before you buy and please don't listen to the hypochondriac LCD fan boys

As you will instead be treated to dull screen door images which turn blue after 2000 hours.

[Guest eandoz]

.

As always try it our yourself before you buy and please don't listen to the hypochondriac LCD fan boys

As you will instead be treated to dull screen door images which turn blue after 2000 hours.

FYI..I am not a fanboy of LCD,heck I dont even own one I personally think a good CRT shits all over any of the digitals that I've demoed,including your "exceptional"DLP.All technologies have their shortcomings including crt however,I would have no problems recommending an LCD to someone but a DLP?they need to be warned first.

[yamapro]

I totally agree with the above.When I first auditioned a DLP I walked away with a terrible head and felt queasy,I later found out it was from the technology itself!

I really can't understand how people put up with DLP.People say "you get used to it"but why would you want to when LCD is comparable.

How do people put up with DLP?

EASY those poor people who really suffer symptoms after being exposed to RBE are in a massive minority... they are a very unlucky few.

Somewhat higher than that proportion are those people who notice RBE but aren't really bothered by it and in most instances, once a person stops 'hunting' for RBE it is rarely noticed with the latest gen DLPs.

Everything has some compromise in life but personally (and i am a rainbow noticer) I'll take the RBE along with the better image and longer PJ life everyday of the week, besides as i said DLPs have come a long way in this regard.

As an interesting aside, some time ago my Old Man was 'perusing' PJs at AIM and they made a bit of a big deal about RBE on DLP (had some great specials on Pana 900e's at the time though) and to make sure it didn't give one headaches, dizzy spells etc... Now my Dad (who has one eye thats a bit gammy) felt very susceptible to the RBE on the DLPs on display at the time and felt he had those exact symptoms so decided DLP wasn't for him.

Oddly enough a few weeks later we watched a couple of movies back to back on my early Infocus DLP (which by todays standards is very rainbowy!) at my place and he was blown away, didn't notice one single rainbow nor did he feel any symptoms or fatigue.

Now don't get me wrong there are definitely those who can't handle RBE and fair enough but IMHO the issue of RBE is blown way out of proportion - and largely to sell more LCD projectors... the FUD factor associated with all the DLP stories is just astronomical!

[norpus]

How do people put up with DLP?

EASY those poor people who really suffer symptoms after being exposed to RBE are in a massive minority... they are a very unlucky few.

Somewhat higher than that proportion are those people who notice RBE but aren't really bothered by it and in most instances, once a person stops 'hunting' for RBE it is rarely noticed with the latest gen DLPs.

Everything has some compromise in life but personally (and i am a rainbow noticer) I'll take the RBE along with the better image and longer PJ life everyday of the week, besides as i said DLPs have come a long way in this regard.

As an interesting aside, some time ago my Old Man was 'perusing' PJs at AIM and they made a bit of a big deal about RBE on DLP (had some great specials on Pana 900e's at the time though) and to make sure it didn't give one headaches, dizzy spells etc... Now my Dad (who has one eye thats a bit gammy) felt very susceptible to the RBE on the DLPs on display at the time and felt he had those exact symptoms so decided DLP wasn't for him.

Oddly enough a few weeks later we watched a couple of movies back to back on my early Infocus DLP (which by todays standards is very rainbowy!) at my place and he was blown away, didn't notice one single rainbow nor did he feel any symptoms or fatigue.

Now don't get me wrong there are definitely those who can't handle RBE and fair enough but IMHO the issue of RBE is blown way out of proportion - and largely to sell more LCD projectors... the FUD factor associated with all the DLP stories is just astronomical!

I agree yama

[ajm1503559545]

I do love being told by people who don't get affected by RBE that it's "not really a problem" and you can "just get over it".

I'm happy for these people, I really am, and it might make them feel better to tell me this but it doesn't do a damn thing about the rainbows mess I see, the headaches I get or the nausea I feel.

And they reckon all I need is to sit in front of this for longer? Mmmm no I don't think I will thanks.

[quijibo]

I see rainbows more than anyone I know. Over 20 people have watched my projector and not one complained of any issues. I know that is not a massive sample.

I've shown a lot of people how to see the rainbows and only one person said that they saw that a couple of times in the movie we just watched but it was so minor that they thought it was just part of it.

The first 5 hours I watched my projector I never had any issues, then one night when I was tired I could see the rainbows and they were a major distraction. I was suffering from dizziness that felt like I was in a trance. I went to bed.

After that I guess I knew they were there and I must have been looking to hard because I could see them all the time. At this point I actually considered selling the projector as it was awful. I could barely watch it. I actually wished I had bought an LCD instead. I'm glad I persisted though.

Now, I know they happen, I see them fleetingly in movies all the time, but I just ignore them. It really is a minor effect that only occurs during scenes with highly contrasted objects and when there is lots of action on the screen and you dart your eyes around looking at everything.

The point being is that you do get used to them. Initially they are distracting because they are out of the ordinary and you can't help but go looking for them, but once they are accepted and forgotten they are such a minor issue that does not affect the viewing experience.

[ajm1503559545]

The point being is that you do get used to them. Initially they are distracting because they are out of the ordinary and you can't help but go looking for them, but once they are accepted and forgotten they are such a minor issue that does not affect the viewing experience.

No. The point it you got used to them and for you it's a minor issue that doesn't affect your viewing experience.

Sure the percentage of people who are badly affected by RBE may be small but if you or someone in your family are one of those who are badly affected it would be better to know before you spend the cash and install the machine.

So I say demo and try before you buy. Now that could hardly be called a pro-LCD fanboi conspiracy could it?

[50mxe20]

No. The point it you got used to them and for you it's a minor issue that doesn't affect your viewing experience.

Sure the percentage of people who are badly affected by RBE may be small but if you or someone in your family are one of those who are badly affected it would be better to know before you spend the cash and install the machine.

So I say demo and try before you buy. Now that could hardly be called a pro-LCD fanboi conspiracy could it?

Nope, just very good advice!

[Hydrology]

Having owned both LCD and DLP, I can confirm that both suffer from issues. Maybe I will have to jump into LcOS eventually!