CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[whatagoof]

Hello!

I've never really owned a nice TV. Having recently come to better appreciate film, and having become a student of art and film, though, I'd really like to get some kind of entry-level home theater experience. I have a 16mm projector and have had some great fun with it, but because the rewinder on it doesn't work I don't watch movies on it very often since it's such a hassle to spin them back to the start by hand. But anyway, as for my video requirements...

I live in a relatively small one-room flat. I like the idea of CRT projectors, and the prices seem much better than for LCD projectors, but if CRT projectors produce significantly more heat or noise, then I guess I might want to rethink CRT as my display tech of choice. Does it?

I'd be viewing the projected image from less than 6 feet away - I like the "front row" feeling. Is this viewing practice compatible with the projection characteristics of entry-level CRT projectors?

720p seems like "enough" to me, for my entry-level purchase anyhow. Will that quality be compatible with my viewing practice (fairly close up) and my budget?

Do CRT projectors handle black-and-white movies okay? I love black and white movies.

I've noticed on various forms of digital display technology that sometimes a tweed coat or screen door will cause a weird rainbow-y shimmering effect. Does this happen also with entry-level CRT projectors?

Will the image quality of a CRT projector at my budget be comparable to, better or worse than an LCD-based projector or LCD flatscreen TV? If the image quality will differ, then in what ways and to how great of degrees?

Will I be able to find a CRT projector in my price range that accepts component video input? That's one of my requirements, and I anticipate that it'll complicate matters for me, sorry.

Finally, would it be better for me to buy a CRT projector at the price-point of my total budget, or would I get more use and quality out of a lower-priced CRT projector that came with certain tweaks/add-ons that caused the total price of the order to add-up to my budget?

Okay, thanks so much for your help, bye!

[papalek]

Where are you located? Someone might be close by that you can go and look at the image that can be produced by a CRT PJ.

[whatagoof]

Hi! I live in central Florida. Thanks for your quick reply!

But I've not seen many properly setup projectors of any kind, so I wouldn't have much experience as a basis for comparison. I'm willing to take the word of more experienced folks who've seen it all themselves.

[Robert A. Hill]

Papalek is correct. The picture is worth a thousand opinions. Even entry level CRT projectors will compare very well with new LCD/DLP sets, but seeing sevral setup properly will give you all the information you need to male an informed decision for your needs. For instance, its difficult for us to judge how much noise is acceptable to you, how much space you want to invest in this, etc. If you like B/W movies, I don't think you would like any of the alternatives to CRT. However, this may steer you to a set with liquid coupling to reduce halos and improve contrast.

[whatagoof]

Well if there are any to see nearby, I'll gladly take a peek - but if not, I'm comfortable relying upon your opinions.

I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to noise. I don't think I'd want anything that was audible at a distance of 2-3 feet.

[grogthegreat]

To answer as many of your questions as possible:

CRTs can produce more heat than LCD or DLP projectors but not enough to become an issue. As for noise, they tend to have more fans than other projectors but are usually too quiet to hear over the sound of a movie. Most people find that they are quiet enough. A few are kind of noisy like the sony 1292 that I have set up right now and still don't bother with a hush box.

As for sitting really close, there is nothing wrong with it other than the fact the screens really big so if you are within four feet you have to start moving your head around to see everything. It might make your neck tired after a while.

720p is perfectly fine for your viewing habits and budget. I have a NEC 9PG+ that does 720p perfectly that I got for $320. I would advise that you get an intermediate projector as you should be able to find one in your price range anf they are currently the best bang for your buck.

CRTs will do black and white really well. CRT's have high contrast ratios which allow for very detailed shadow detail; prefect for black and white movies.

LCD projectors have that screen door effect (I can't stand that) and most DLPs can have that rainbow effect. CRTs have neither. If were talking about a rainbow effect on the screen caused by screen door in the movie, I'm not completely sure but I've never seen that effect on my projector but I've seen it on regular TVs.

At your budget you will be able to get an intermediate projector which will be far better than all similar priced LCD options and it will beat a lot more higher priced models. A CRT will have much better black levels, won't have the screen door effect, will have a more film like picture, and will last many years. On the downside, it won't be as bright so you should do you watching in a light controlled room.

Not many CRT projectors have a component impute. One of the NEC XGs does as well as the entry level Sony D50. My advice would be either to use a computer to do everything and use it's VGA output. Your other option would be to get a transcoder to convert the component to VGA/RGBHV.

I would advise that you get the best projector with decent tubes that you can. There aren't that many tweaks out there that would be worth it to buy a lesser projector.

Hope this helps!
-Grog

[Zebu Fellenz]

[whatagoof]

Wow, excellent reply, thanks GrogTheGreat! Thanks again to everyone else too.



CRT projectors sound really attractive to me at this point. I'm tempted to just send an email to Curt Palme and ask him to set me up with the best that can be managed for my budget. I'm still a little confused about this RGB/VGA/component stuff, though.

But first, on the issue of projector noise, my problem is that I have ears that are sensitive to loud noise as well as having poor hearing, so it's difficult for me to understand dialogue with a lot of ambient noise, and difficult for me to compensate for that ambient noise by turning up the volume. If the noise from the projector is negligible from a distance of about 2-3 feet, though, then I think we'd be okay. My 16mm projector has just made me a little cautious about this issue, since it produces so much noise as a result of the film reel spinning that I've ceased to buy dialogue-heavy films for it, instead focusing on things like cartoons where the dialogue is of secondary importance. However, if it becomes necessary, I guess I could just listen-in using ear-plug style headphones, which would solve most problems.

As for RGB/VGA/component, basically I just want to have some compatibility with quality DVD and Blu-Ray output, my PC's video output and that of my Xbox, as well, of course, as having the good quality of image that is enabled by the high-bandwidth component/RGB connection. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to the technical matters of hook-ups and conversions, so if you can suggest a way to keep that compability and that image quality (I can tell the difference between S-Video connection and RGB and mcuh prefer RGB) then I'll just go for whatever you suggest.

Thanks again, awesome help here!

[Nashou66]

How far is lawrenceville GA from you? A barco 808 is for sale on e bay with a no reserve and its starting at 99 cents, that be a great starter set if you dont mind driving to get it as shiping would be about 300 dollars at the most.

Athanasios

[whatagoof]

Lawrenceville GA is much too far, sorry. I don't mind a long drive - but my old car sure does.

But thanks a million for the tip!

That raises an importance question, though - if I must pay hundreds of dollars for shipping, then suddenly the balance is tipped against CRT projectors in the realm of cost-to-performance ratio in comparison to LCD/DLP projectors which I know I could find locally. This changes completely of course if shipping wouldn't always be that much or if I could find a CRT projector locally. But now it's definitely something I'll need to keep in mind.

[grogthegreat]

At this point I'd advise that you find some one who has a CRT your area for sale that he/she has set up. This might be a little hard to find but it would give you a good sense of the picture quality, noise levels, and you would avoid shipping. I've never had to ship one of these and never want to.
-Grog

[whatagoof]

Ok! Do you have any suggestions for finding a situation like that? Offhand, I can think of Craigslist only, and I'm not certain I'd really have that much luck there...

There are some central Florida links in Curt Palme's referrals pages, but I tried one of their websites and it was long-gone, so I'm unsure whether the others will be currently available too.

[Zebu Fellenz]

[Nashou66]

Too bad your budget isnt higher I thing the KIng of CRTS is for sale on E-bay and in Florida, The G90 !!! Starting bidding is set at 2000.

Athanasios

[whatagoof]

Haha, yeah I wish I had a higher budget too. But as a student in love with classic movies and vinyl, I'm afraid I can't set my budget much higher - unless I delay the purchase for a while. To achieve a budget of 2000, I'd need to wait about 6 months...

[grogthegreat]

While the G90 is amazing, the best deals right now are with the intermediate projectors. They can also be found within you budget. Finding one also in your area is the tough part. As mentioned before, if you start a new thread asking I'm sure there are people in FL willing to show you their setup.
As a fellow student I know how tight money can be. I happen to go to college in Daytona. I will be turning 1/2 of the garage of the house I'm renting into a home theater which I'd be willing to show you. The only problem is that you would have to wait until late august.
-Grog

[emdawgz1]

Well it seems that many of us.... myself included started this way. Hunting on e-bay for something that

A. didnt break the bank
B. looked in decent condition
C. was close enough to buy


i drove from phila to upstate NY for my first CRT and to Charlotte NC for the twins... this in in the pre 4.00 per gallon time.'

So my suggestion is. save your dough and keep hunting on e-bay... you'll be frustrated and then voila'! you'll have a CRT PJ of your own.... then the real frus.... i mean fun starts!

[dropzone7]

[Tom.W]

You need to see a well setup front CRT projector. Use that for a reference then buy what you will........

[Mr. Green]

Wow, if you can go from a $500 budget to a $2,000 budget in 6 months, wait to buy!!! I waited over a year to get my NEC 9PG+ and I'm glad I did. I bought mine from Curt and I am very happy with it. Even if you buy through Curt $1,700 projector + $300 shipping will get you a nice machine. I run 1080i with a PS3 playing Blu-Ray and it's really nice to watch.

Visual: There are a lot of DLP and LCD projectors at my work and I can't stand either type now that I've seen a CRT in person. LCD has the nasty screen door and DLP's rainbow effect makes my eyes tired and I get headaches. I sit about 9-10 feet back but I do occasionally sit closer. it's just fine. If I can get my Wii running on it, I'll be 6 feet away. I'm hoping you can put the projector back further than 6 feet though. These things don't have any zoom so if you want a big screen, the projector has to be moved further back. I watched Sin City (almostl completely black and white) and it looked awsome. If you like your old B&W movies, CRT is for you.

Noise is something you have to judge for youreself. Everyone says the NEC's are among the loudest projectors, yet when I have a movie on (not loud), I don't notice it at all and it's 4 feet above my head without a hushbox. Cheap digital projectors produce as much noise, but usually a higher pitch so I find digitals more annoying. CRT's prodce a low humming noise which to me is easy to ignore as soon as any other noise comes on. I actually like the noise it makes. Since it is a constant hum it is great white noise to block out traffic and other annying noises. If it's on in a quiet room, yes it's loud, but with any sound on (TV, Stereo, game system), it's not noticable at all. Most other members will disagree because they are true audiophiles, but to watch an old Jimmy Stewart movie, Bah! The really nice thing is you can get a lot of old B&W movies for a couple bucks at wallmart, which is much cheaper than me now having to go buy a bunch of Blu-Ray.

Good luck in your search.