CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[T08066]

Hey Guys,

since January I'm a CRT-newbee and currently using the Sony VPH-1270 with the PS3 and HDFury2. My Screen is about 90" wide and has a 1.0 gain.

I am wondering now if I should upgrade to a Barco Data 808s in a really good condition (4000h (eco) b8-g9-r9 tube rating). So I have a few questions and hope that you can help me.

1)
The Sony is really loud - even with the Papst fans. How loud will the 808s be compared to a 1270?

2)
The next question is about sharpness. I currently use 1080i for BluRay content. Will the 808s be much sharper or do I need to upgrade to a 9"LC model to really recognize the increase of sharpness?

3)
How hard/easy is it to color-calibrate the 808s? I have a colorimeter and noticed a huge difference after calibrating my 1270 so I want to calibrate the 808.

4)
I read that the 808s has IRIS - a camera that adjusts the geametry automatically. Will this work in 16:9 Mode to? Does anyone have experience with this system?

I do really appreciate your help!

Kind regards, Tobi

[Curt Palme]

The BArco will be a bit quieter, but then again, I don't consider the 1260 to be loud.

Depending on tube conditoin, the 808s should be a LOT sharper than the Sony. 1080p is pushing the 808s, but it will look great at 720p or 1080i

I've never used the IRIS or done a color calibration, but it's not hard to do on a barco.

[Curt Palme]

The BArco will be a bit quieter, but then again, I don't consider the 1260 to be loud.

Depending on tube conditoin, the 808s should be a LOT sharper than the Sony. 1080p is pushing the 808s, but it will look great at 720p or 1080i

I've never used the IRIS or done a color calibration, but it's not hard to do on a barco.

[ecrabb]

Hi Tobi,

Hello in Deutschland! I have some good family friends in Berlin, West Frankfurt, and Oberursel. We're hoping to visit in a few years.

Back to projectors...
1) Not sure about sound. It's been years and years since I've seen an 808, but I'd guess not that much different. The Sony isn't a particularly loud CRT projector. Not particularly loud, but not particularly quiet, either. The 808 might be a little quieter due to the better case design and no belly fans like the Sony right on the bottom of the case. Somebody else with experience with both may have better input.

2) Yes, the BD808s will almost certainly be sharper. I think you'll still be limited to 1080i, but the 1080i should be much sharper.

The BD808s is EM-focus, so is sharper. The Sony is ES focus so will degrade and lose focus capability over time while the Barco will not. How much difference in sharpness you'll see will depend a lot on the condition of your Sony. If it has a lot of hours on it, you've probably already noticed it's pretty soft and the BD808s will be much sharper. If the 1270 only has a thousand or two thousand hours on it, the Barco will be sharper, but there won't be as big of a difference.

3) Unless it's been upgraded, I don't think a BD808s will not have color filtered lenses or glycol. If you don't add color-filtered lenses or dye your glycol, the Sony will actually have better color - especially reds and greens. The Barco will have slightly orangey reds and slightly yellow greens by comparison.1 That's the biggest strike against this machine. But, I think it would be relatively easy to fix.

4) From everything I've read over the years, IRIS is really only good for a quick setup. It's not really useful for home theater because you'll still want to do a full manual setup for best picture quality (just like you're accustomed to with the 1270).

In summary, the Barco would almost certainly be an upgrade from the Sony. Not a huge upgrade, but definitely an upgrade. However, it all depends on tube condition and price. If the tubes aren't in good shape, it's worth nothing. If the tubes are in good shape, but the price is high, it might make sense to wait on a better projector (LC like Sony G70 or NEC XG). If the tubes are in good shape and the price is fair/right, it's probably worth the hassle of upgrading. A BD808s would be worth almost nothing here in the states - maybe a few hundred dollars if you could find the right buyer - but, I understand the prices are a little different in Europe.

Tell us about the tube condition of both machines.

Cheers,
SC


EDIT - Curt posted while I was writing. Take his opinion over mine. Not sure about the color filtering.

[Curt Palme]

BTW, the downside of the D808s compared to the G808s is the lack of Scheimpflug adjustments. The D808s uses tiny brass spacers compared to a continuous screw. If you get the set, and want to upgrade, I may have a spare set of adjustable tube mounting plates off a G808 that I'd sell for cheap. For corner focus, that's a good upgrade.

[Curt Palme]

BTW, the downside of the D808s compared to the G808s is the lack of Scheimpflug adjustments. The D808s uses tiny brass spacers compared to a continuous screw. If you get the set, and want to upgrade, I may have a spare set of adjustable tube mounting plates off a G808 that I'd sell for cheap. For corner focus, that's a good upgrade.

[T08066]

First of all - thank you very much for your informative replys!

I have family in Berlin too but I live in Osnabrück which is 4hrs away.

My Sony 1270 has great tubes with only a little wear on the blue. I would rate them as r10, g10, b9. The colours of the sony are definetely something I love about this projector. In germany the prices of CRTs are dropping massively, a few weeks ago I got a 1252 for 12€ on ebay. So it was a cheap entry into CRT for me.

The 808 should have good tubes, I can upload pictures if I buy this machine. The price should be around 500$, but I'm sure to get it a lot cheaper than that.

Will the color corrected lenses of my 1270 have a positive effect on the colours of a 808? Is it worth it to tint the glycol in the tubes?

Cheers,
Tobi

[T08066]

@Curt:

Yes, if I buy the set I'm interested in these plates. Thank You!

[gregstv]

I have been playing with a 808s and I can say it is a great machine. If you get the 808s make up some adaptor plates and fit HD144 or 145 lens. Great upgrade. Curt should have lens. Very easy to setup once you work out the menu. I have had a Sony VPH1272 in the past and the Barco is much better.

There must be a lot of people still using their 8inch AC Barco's as these plates never come up for sale. You don't even here of projectors with the upgrade for sale. Maybe there isn't that many plates out there. Picture of the plates I had made up below. These were water cut out of 6mm alloy. The Scheimpflug adjustment is not affected.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

They probably never come up because there werent many made!!

[T08066]

Ok I think I'm going to buy this machine. Will tell you if there are any news.
Is the PNG a 1:1 capture? If you'll give me the exact (metric prefered) meaures I can make a CAD-Model and get a CNC-machined plate.