OT - CRT projectors

[Doc B]

I am beginning the process of updating our home theater. Currently I am using a DWIN Transvision3 projector which in spite of its age and 720p limit I like because of its film-like quality. But I realize that it's time to step up to 1080. I'm reading that some feel the top of the line CRT projectors from 10 or 15 years ago still beat out the current digital projectors in terms of that film-like quality and rich blacks.

I know of the fellow across the border who refurbishes and sells CRT projectors, but I am wondering if anyone in the Puget Sound area has a nice high end CRT projector setup like a G70, Marquee, 1209, etc., they would be willing to let me experience. I will bring your favorite beverage and maybe even some Bottlehead gear to audition if you are interested.

 

[Chris]

FWIW.....I have just seen my friends "at the time" TOTL barco crt in his home with blu ray discs playing a couple days back and boy, I was impressed.. It just looked fabulous and needless to say, he is quite happy as well... Very rich in color, sharpness and detail... No grain  or anything... The only drawback is, when you are sportin' them 3d glasses, it wont do a damn thing for them....

 

[Doc B]

Thanks for the reinforcement. For 3D with older tech I believe the solution is to buy two projectors and go crazy getting them to line up right. I looked into buying a second Dwin for that reason, but I find that I'm not that knocked out by the 3D I have watched. Admittedly not that many movies - I think Avatar, The Hobbit and Gravity (what a shitty movie and unsympathetic character, I kept wishing she would just die). 3D is technically interesting but not compelling enough to make it a must have for me.

We are canceling our cable TV package because I am tired of watching or FF'ing thru a zillion commercials. Right now I am struggling with the fact that all this high def video gear is worthless if the Netflix stream can't deliver HD at peak viewing hours. Our blu ray player sort of does it, sometimes maybe 720, sometimes less. The 2009 Mac Mini I tried last night wasn't getting HD at all from the same Ethernet connection but was sporting really great looking HD on our connection at work in the middle of the day. Our speed was 45 down and 5.8 up so it's not the connection. Guess I have to try a PC next. I understand that with a PC you can force netflix HD playback and simply wait longer for it to retrieve.

Some great news about the theater is that I got my last bit of Blumenstein gear for it this week from Clark and Molly. I'll be using Orcas for fronts and rears, an Orca center channel and a BUF sub that holds the center at a perfect height just below the screen. Now I have to figure out what kind of amps to buy. I'm thinking about tube amps. Anybody know where I might get some?

 

[Paul Birkeland]

The issue is simple - Comcast throttles your internet way back when you run Netflix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx13U5W7FQg&feature=youtu.be

 

[Doc B]

Challenge acknowleged, will check this tonight.

 

[jrebman]

You mean you prefer analog for movie watching as well?

BTW, we just moved from a 25 mb comcast line to a 40 mb dsl liine and my wife's iTunes movie downloads went from 4 hours to 20 minutes. Obviously the speed difference of the lines cannot account for that huge difference.

P.S. - if you ever want to go to a 7.1 system, I've got a nice set of orcas on tall stands plus sub and amp I can make you a really good deal on ;-).

-- Jim

 

[Paul Joppa]

Hah! I have a 25M comcast line at home, and a 5M DSL at the summer cabin - which opens the Comcast email about 5 times faster!

 

[Chris]

Very much agreed regarding the 3D.. I, as well, am not knocked out by it and actually prefer the "classic" way of viewing... I was just kiddin' ya about 3D... Barco and Runco and Sony are worth looking into....

 

[Doc B]

Thanks! Already looking at Sony, Barco and Electrohome. Realizing that my room may be a little too short for the length of CRT projector to be able to fit my screen, hmmm.

 

[matthewmckay]

a few years ago, my roommates bought a commercial NEC CRT projector (much like the one pictured below) on ebay.  I believe they spent $1500 for the unit, which was 15 years old and retailed for $25,000k to $30,000k (new) when it was still on the market.  I told them they were crazy, that there was no way the thing would be selling for that cheap if it was in working order (as described in the listing).

Sure enough, when the behemoth arrived, it was a 250lb coffee table-sized lemon.  when powered on, it kept saying (error XXX - Fan 3)... then it would shut itself off.  What is funny is that after replacing all of the fans with cheap computer case fans, the error screen went away.

I remember spending days, literally, calibrating that projector.  After about 30 hours and a few cases of beer, I was completely blown away by the picture quality.  We had a 300 inch screen going on a wall that wasn't a whole lot larger, and a sweet SLI-gaming rig hooked up to it. 

I think I watched "finding nemo" 20 or 30 times over the course of a month... not because I even care for the film, (i hate kids movies), but because the colors were so incredible.  I have still yet to see a display that I thought looked more natural, including a megabuck DLP projector I saw in a private theater a few years later. 

I definately think you are making a wise choice by going with the CRT.  Once its properly calibrated, you will have no need for 3D capability.

 

[STURMJ]

I saw a high end projector displayed at a Audio King many years ago.  I think it was a Sharp brand, and $ 12, 000. the picture was beautiful!  A couple of months latter I was in that same store, and went into the highend theater room to oogle it again.  This time I was not impressed at all. I looked up and there was a $4000 unit hooked up.  I asked about the "good one", the sales guy said someone walked off with it.  Nobody asks the guy in the jumpsuit, with the tools who he is and what is he doing.

 

[Chris]

Sturm.. It was probably DB Cooper, it just feels like it... I am happy about this thread, because, like all of you, last week, I,  myself was singing the praises to my friend about his crt projector.... I think the big factor is NOT with the future proof type picture quality.. but with the companies support.... ie bulbs etc... I do know that Barco still exists and Sony of course does as well. however.. TOTL projectors like Vidikron of years ago?? I dont know??  YMDIVITI..... your mileage does indeed vary in this instance....

 

[Doc B]

I have been communicating with a very nice fellow named Curt Palme, who has a fabulous website for CRT projector owners. Curt sells, repairs, calibrates and keeps tons of inventory. He knows which projs are worth keeping alive, which you can still get parts for, and which ones throw the best images. The site is an absolute gold mine. Www.curtpalme.com.

 

[xcortes]

You influenced me into tape, rangefinder cameras and now I'm looking at CRT projectors, stay away Satan!

 

[Doc B]

Did I ever mention that late 80's and early 90s Mercedes are some of the best ones they ever made?

 

[Chris]

You got it Doc... enuff said... Go with Curt, he sounds like the perfect guy as you know..... and BTW , my friends cinema room isnt all that large and his Barco is HUGE!!!  It is pretty funny watching the videos with this BIG A## unit looming over your head.. but you soon forget about it because you are sucked in by the quality, that is until it falls on your head and kills you... hey , its indonesia.. ....

 

[Doc B]

To follow up on getting Netflix to work, I found a solution. Using a VPN seems to fix the throttling issue. I did have a problem with getting disconnected after 30 minutes, which sucks when watching a 45 minute episode of Breaking Bad (Queenie's and my latest obsession).

After digging around for answers yesterday I think I finally worked that issue out by upgrading the Mini from OS 10.6.8 to Mavericks. Gotta say I was impressed that mavericks is a free upgrade. Brilliant bit of marketing.

@chris, yeah I have been taking some measurements to determine if hanging one of the monsters from the ceiling is possible for the size screen I'm using. This would be my 4th projector and the first that I had to consider whether it would actually fit in the room!

 

[Doc B]

The detail I left out is that I am looking at a Sony right now and Sony did a really nice throw distance calculator program that Curt has downloadable from his site. So if that is the proj I end up with all is good, with about 20" of wiggle room. After I mulled over the problem I remembered that my first proj ( a DIY one) ended up with a similar CRT proj lens in front of an LCD panel and I had a very adequate short throw distance that allowed hanging the big box from the ceiling without even getting close to the back wall.

Man, that was a project and a half. By the time I finished it projector prices had dropped enough that I could buy a better projector for less than I had put into the DIY project. So I did, and parted out the DIY one. Heluva learning experience though.

 

[Doc B]

Found a pic of the LCD panel projector I built 9 years ago. And I thought it was big.

 

[Doc B]

This was delivered by Curt Palme this morning, a Sony VPH-G70. That is one of our office chairs behind it to give you a sense of the size, which I would call XXOMFG. Curt is a super nice guy, very knowledgable about both projectors and reel to reel tape decks. We spent a few very pleasant hours talking shop. My old homebrew projector that seemed so big when I built it now seems kinda small, and the Dwin TV3 in the HT right now seems positively tiny.

I'm running a 2010 Mac Mini as my new HTPC (thanks, Bill!), which should hook right up to this puppy.