CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

mx83toy · Joined: 14 Dec 2012 Posts: 322

Obviously the the answer is xg but what if the PG was $50 easy to get (local) and wont cause issues with the wife VS $600 for the XG135 That i really cant afford, and a 6 hour drive (each way) and sleeping outside cuddled up to my Ridgeback X Mastiff for a few nights (remember were coming into winter here in Sydney and he smells and easily aroused unlike the wife) Smile

Ive been playing with some Barco's ie the cine 7 which was retired to a parts machine for my 708S Long shaking story....so are these NEC's much harder to use than the barco's??? i found the barcos real straight forward and easy to set up... ohh and will the HD145's off the cine 7 bolt straight up to the PG9+? should i bother swapping the len's??? (if i go the PG???)

mx83toy · Joined: 14 Dec 2012 Posts: 322

I guess what im asking here People ...is it a worthwhile gain to be had in moving to the XG over the PG will i get $500 dollars of gain??? keep in mind the Barco Cine7 /708s impressed me to the point of never wanting a digital again... just wanted to move to a 8" EM machine and $50 investment is looking good...

gjaky · Joined: 05 Jun 2010 Posts: 2802 Location: Budapest, Hungary

First it depends on tube condition, XG with worn tubes literally means a dead set, tubes for pg plus usually going for cheap, if you can find (Curt actually blowing out his pg/pg + tubes). If the XG is an LC machine then it would throw a much punchier picture than the PG, the bandwidth of the PG + is worse than the XG's, otherwise I don't think they would significantly differ. PG + is equipped with tinted HD145 lenses, the PG+ machines are getting old, so you can't ignore the possibility of the common capacitor leaking problem, which could mean you would have to change ~200 capacitors in the set if you want safe operation, if tou have bad luck. The XG don't have 450$ better picture if it is AC and it is louder too, but there are other things you have to consider, than pure specs.

mx83toy · Joined: 14 Dec 2012 Posts: 322

I guess the age thing make sense too me hense the cine 7 dam thing pooped its pants on me in a week though Sad

I'm sort of ok with part swapping but 200 caps is way more than I can handle!!! XG is looking better but I'm thinking a 50 dollar gamble ain't too bad ??? Decisions decisions!!!

Jeremy112 · Joined: 28 Sep 2006 Posts: 2649 Location: Fond du Lac, WI

I have owned every model of the NEC projectors short of the 10PG projector, I can tell you the best 2 to go with are the 9PG Xtra, but hands down an XG will make those PGs look like crap. As gjaky said, tubes are the utmost important thing on the XG, if they are worn, you are in for a hard time finding good ones (it took me a year to find and replace one cracked tube with a decent used one.)

If the tubes in the XG are good AC or LC, its worth it. I LOVE my XG and the only way I would replace it is by switching to a G90 or a Cine 9

XG is worth a few nights of outside roughing Wink

Jeremy112 · Joined: 28 Sep 2006 Posts: 2649 Location: Fond du Lac, WI

CIR Engineering · Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 2:03 pm Post subject:

An XG135 can throw an incredibly respectable image if the tubes are in good shape (or even with some wear). A PG can throw a nice looking 1080i image, but it's no place close to the 135.

With the 135 you could also throw 1080p 50/60Hz and get good resolution (you would need a HTPC or VP to run custom timings). The 135 could also run 818x1920 72Hz for 2.35 BD sources.

People are still willing to hire me to calibrate projectors as nice as the 135, but nobody calls me for PG's anymore.

craigr

mx83toy · Joined: 14 Dec 2012 Posts: 322

Craig if your ever in Sydney mate drop past Smile

I'm not up with all the weird rez's people throw around... Basically I know standard stuff my ps3 puts out ie 720 p 1080i and p ect... And I basically go from my ps3 to my now dead (may it rest in pieces) cine 7 via component and that's it really , I might try push the price of the xg down a bit (I'll try for about 200 dollars) as its got 1000 hours on it I'm hoping she be in great shape for a long time and then Get tweaking like the rest of you nutters Wink

jokes I love all you video nerds Smile

you guys hurt my head when I read some of your posts but dam it's worth it !!!! I'll get bargaining with the xg and see how I go..... I want the xg now look out guys might have someone crossing from barco to the Nec team!!!!

gjaky · Joined: 05 Jun 2010 Posts: 2802 Location: Budapest, Hungary

Always take the hour meter readings in the advertisments with a grain of salt, ask the owner for tubeface pictures before making the long trip.

Jeremy112 · Joined: 28 Sep 2006 Posts: 2649 Location: Fond du Lac, WI

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 9:46 pm Post subject:

It all comes down to tube condition. NEC tubes are almost impossible to find in good shape, so at $500, the XG better be in really good shape. I do have PG tubes in great shape for cheap...

CasetheCorvetteman · Joined: 09 Nov 2008 Posts: 6326 Location: Australia

If youre ever in QLD i can show you the difference between the 2 machines first hand, as i have both although my 9PG is a plain not a Plus.

Just because its a PG doesnt mean youll need to replace the capacitors, ive seen at least two here that have had most of them replaced. I have a ton of spares for PGs here.

The NEC will smack the Barco down any day of the week, either one you choose and the convergence system on an NEC is dead set perfect in every way. The XG will be brighter and will be sharper in the corners, but this will come down to how well you set the astig rings and lens focus. Both those sets will be sporting HD-145 coloured lenses, so theyre going to have the best possible optical focus of any AC projector.

Jeremy112 is abit over exagerative in stating how much better the image quality is in my opinion, sure its better, but the PG when set up at its best is not that far behind where 1080i is concerned. The PG will be more effort to get perfect results in my experience, but you can get an exceptionally sharp image from them and the tubes seem to last a very long time.

1,000 hours doesnt mean its not been mistreated, its like being stupid enough to buy a used car based on how many klms on the odometer, it really means next to nothing. If anything higher is better, then you can boast about reliability.

Curt, not that i need them, but how much for a set of good PG tubes?

mx83toy · Joined: 14 Dec 2012 Posts: 322

Info I'm getting here is great thanks heaps guys!!! The bloke selling the xg told me be also has a 6000 hour 808s and the xg is early used and he's first owner so I'm trusting its in good shape... I'm hanging to try out the point conveyance system I've heard great things!! As I said if I can bargain down the xg I'll jump on that as I really like the idea of minimal internal fiddling as well I read the xg most settings are handled by the menu's... Photos I've seen so far of the xg looks like new!!!

Case the corvette man where a outs are you as I got to get out to Wynnam soon to pick up a 708s I bought before I found this so I might pop around

CIR Engineering · Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 1:37 am Post subject:

mx83toy · Joined: 14 Dec 2012 Posts: 322

Let me know if you come down under its a massive place with lots to see but if you come to Sydney I'll be happy to take you around and show u some sites around Sydney