CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

I already posted this over at the twin, but thought I would do the same over here in the gossip forum. Razz

With all of the talk and speculation of the coming 1080p digitals, I was curious who may have changed their minds and decided it is time to switch. While some are looking interesting, it is funny how so many are wetting themselves in anticipation. Laughing

I have stated in the past that I thought the TI demo at Infocomm was very good. I would consider it at a cheaper price, but only if better scalers come along. Fortunately, CRTs have no native resolutions. So, a scaler is only needed for SD. To me at least, noise, artifacts, etc are more bothersome than resolution.

Ericglo

Rusty · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 108 Location: Norway

Still too expensive for me Confused

Z-Photo · Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:53 pm Post subject:

with 8" running 1080P -

NO WAY

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

Too expensive

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

I share your opinion that there are many aspects of PQ and resolution is only one of them and the digitals all have bothersome aspects. Did you see the article in WSR where they were bagging on the TPV review of the Ruby. Basically, they quoted all the things in the artical where they found deficiencies in the Ruby like black level and saturation not as good as CRT, etc, but still reached the conclusion that it was a great PJ!

I've got a nice PJ with good tubes hanging on the ceiling. I see now reason to change it for anything until something superior with a great price performance ratio comes along. I still see that a few years off as even if I thought a Ruby was good enough, how many years before you get them at $2000, two? The next gen or the one after that might be good enough, but again, it will be at least 5 years until those are affordable.

I can tell you this, unless DLP changes alot, and I mean ALOT, when there is a digital hanging in the theater, it won't be DLP. At this point LCoS does look like the most likely replacement when it gets there.

Dave

Ridebreck · Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:31 pm Post subject:

Sticking with my Marquee. Price weighs quite heavily in my electronics decisions, and it's far out of my budget to attempt to become an early adopter in the 1080p digital world. Plus, I just can't bring myself to be comfortable with the whole bulb-going-"POP" thing. I've still got minty-fresh tubes, so I can afford to wait quite a while.

papalek · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1536 Location: Longs SC

I am sticking with my Ampro 4600. It will last a long time and then I will probably retube it. I can't see a digital come out that is so much better than what I already have that is paid for. I will not spend a bunch of money for some thing equal (when they get to that point) considering that my theater is already set up.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

derfla · Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 547 Location: eastern ohio

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

All good points except nobody has mentioned the most important...to me anyway. There's nothing to play with on them unless you think yanking out a lamp is fun.

I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend under the hood of my Marquee. (99.9% of the time) Embarassed

I enjoy following along with the more learned and experienced members in as many forums as I can juggle. It gives a sense of belonging to a rare and unique fraternity that isn't for everyone.

Anybody with a credit card can have a digital. Same goes for CRT for that matter...but not everyone can or is willing to do what we do.
Spending countless hours lost in childlike fascination surrounded by piles of technolgy that what was an hour earlier a working machine....and watching it take life again after it's all back together again is an experience difficult to communicate to anyone but another CRT-er.

Like any hobby this is a labor of love and fascination. I just can't get excited about a digital pj stuffed with inaccessable what-nots that I'll never get to hold in my hands and marvel at like I can with my CRT pj.

If I want something as uniquely disposable and unserviceable as digital projectors I'll just start playing with Bic lighters. Laughing

Ridebreck · Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject:

LOL Greg.

CRTers - we are to Home Theater as "gearheads" are to cars. Wink

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

DonKellogg · Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 180 Location: Kalamazoo, Mi

Not till they start making one at a fare price that spanks my G90. Going to be a while...

stefuel · Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject:

JaniH · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 70 Location: Finland

I guess I'm the brave (or stupid?) lone wolf then. Very Happy

I'll be switching to digital this fall, very likely to Mitsubishi HC5000 or Pearl. I've been using crts for a few year and now we've come to a point where digitals are starting to be good enough for me. For my situation some of the upcoming digitals will also offer better price/performance/hassle ratio. Let's take the Mitsubishi HC5000 for example. It costs 4k and includes a scaler with HQV Reon VX chip.

Taking a good external scaler and hushbox in to the account, the same total cost would leave under 2k for crt, including possible shipping costs. With warranty and good tubes, that would mean a basic 8" EMF machine at max. Yes, that would still spank a digital in some aspects, while taking a spanking on others. Plus all the hassle. I've lately started to have this feeling that I'm getting too old for this sh*t. Wink

Lamp costs shouldn't become a problem, because I've estimated that I would be spending approximately the same amount of money to cap swaps and improvement on hushbox etc. with a crt.

That's it, I'm waiting for a lot of "Burn that witch!" replies and a permanent ban within the next five minutes. Very Happy

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:09 pm Post subject:

Why would I aspire to downgrade my picture? I've spent the last 20 years upgrading. If it has pixels it's crap. Period. I can not now, nor will I ever be able to stand little stupid squares all over my picture.

Honestly if I had the coin for a 35mm projector and the film rentals that's the way I would do it.

Untill then CRT has the smoothest most film like picture. Very Happy

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

Brian Hampton · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 1173

With any luck,.. I'll never have to use anything other then CRT Fp.

I love the picture quality. New systems may be better in some way or another (resolution for example perhaps.) But nothing will directly compare.

-Brian

**kal** · Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:15 pm Post subject:

I figure I'm at least 5 years away from going digital, if even that.

For me to pull down my minty new Barco Cine 8 Onyx (Zenith 1200), the digital would have to be significantly better, and from what we see/read, the Sony Ruby only just matches a good 8" LC machine like this in many respects (ex: colours), falls short in some (ex: black level), and surpases in some (focus/linearity).

No thanks. Good CRT PJ's are just too cheap to pass up, and they keep getting cheaper.

By the time I find a digital I like, something like a Barco Cine9 will be even cheaper!

Kal

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:58 am Post subject:

The next few months will say a lot about what's happening with CRT. Yet more individual (what am I saying, I am only an individual!) CRT resellers have gotten out of the business. That leaves Terry, Greg, Tim and myself as the main resellers that provide backup service and a warranty with sets sold. (sorry if I missed anyone). I know I've talked to a couple of others, and business is good, in fact I sold two while on vacation.. Smile

Let's see what this fall season does, I should be flipping 40-50 sets by Xmas if not more. If I only sell 20, then that's not good. I suspect that I'll be closer to 50 based on what I'm doing right now. There's a LOT of digital guys coming back to CRT due to digital failures, premature bulb blowouts, etc.

Even if the sales die next year sometime, the 'ooh, this is the digital that should replace CRT' spiel has been going on for years. The Ruby is the best I've seen so far, but it's got issues. I'll be at CES again in Jan, and I don't think my tail will be between my legs yet.

To me, 1080p is overrated (call me a heathen!) and I'm fine at 720p. This winter I will be tweaking the heck out of my 9500LC, and maybe will try a stack for fun. Right now it's a good (but not great) image (due to lack of time spent setting it up on my part) and I'm running 720p.