Best big screen for under $4000.00

We have a similar dimemna in that our current TV is a Sony 51" floor standing HD capable RPTV; great picture but we do not use the amps/speakers in the thing so all we require is a moniter. We don't like the idea that a plasma is very fragile and has a finite life and then gets thrown away.

After looking at the various options available we decided a projecter with a screen is the best option but also the most expensive and difficult to install. The simplest option is a rear projection DLP TV; they are about 16" in depth and the table top models make it easy to stow all the associated electronics underneath the TV in a simply type coffee table type stand.

Prices are from 3000 to 5000 depending on the screen size. Hitachi, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony all have nice looking models. But, I would listen to the guy that says wait for at the second generation as these are the leading edge models for rear DLP sets.

Exertfluffer

I'm about as far from a video expert as one can get, I could care less about black levels and all the rest. Interesting that an old friend stopped by today, he saw my ($40) screen on the wall and asked me about it..I fired up "Lord of the Rings" on the X-1 to show him my somewhat new toy, he was BLOWN AWAY by the experence in every sense of the phrase as are most people.

I used the X-1 as an example only and do have a large Hi-Def RPTV in the other room..NO ONE would rather watch a DVD on the much more costly RPTV. I'll have to stick by my "Blows out of the water post" based on user opinions in my world.

That said, the X-1 is a $1,000 unit, To heck with all that VIDEOPHILE stuff, It's only a movie IMO.

I spent months at the avsfouum..some of them spend the whole movie time looking for bad pixels!!! The first words out of my friends mouth today, "I can't get over how good that picture looks". Just think how good my black levels would have been had I spent the kind of money I spent on my large Hi-Def RPTV? I rest my case and raise you two pixels!!!

Dave

Dave

No problem Dave. I respect your enjoyment of the X1.
I at first enjoyed my unit for it's large picture on a home made screen as well! (soon realized NO HOME MADE Avsforum-recipied screen can match a Stwart Firehawk, or even grayhawk)
I owned the X1 personally, and sent it back within 2 day's to Best Buy! The rainbows and headaches finally got me. I hope it's different for you. I really wanted my X1 to work out. But couldnt' get past the pain and visual irritations. I actually settled in with the Panasonic Z1 LCD, with other issues, but no pain! And yes, I'm in love with projected images that have high contrast, good black levels, etc. I've wateched too many dark-moire movies that are unacceptable in black level (Spiderman, Hulk, LOTR's, Minority report, BladeII, etc) on these lesser projectors however. I need more these day's...but I'm picky. I't's hard to get used to the superb world class black level and accuracy of a good CRT image,only to go "down hill there" with newer technology. Still, yes, big is good!...but quality is better to me. And yet, I need big too. So I "feel ya"!
I am looking foreward to better technology and projectors with blacks at least as good as what HD2 chips offer, and LCoS based SXRD stuff offers.
I'm in the market for others right now, for my new HT room.
To each his own...

I just checked with my business partner and the model he had was the X-1. Evidently, some people are more susceptable to "video fatigue" than others. For sake of comparison, he normally runs a 36" Sony Wega, but wanted something bigger without devoting half the room to his TV. The X-1 looked like a perfect solution, but it didn't work out for him. I guess that anybody buying one of these should check them out quite extensively right away so that they can return them if fatigue comes into play. Sean
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Sean

Yes, the two types of cheap digital projectors on the market can cause problems for some people I have read.

One is called "screen door effect" and the other is called the "rainbow effect". The X-1 can produce one of these effects, "rainbow". This is caused by the spinning of the color wheel. Very few people have any problem with this but if your one of those very few people..thats of little comfort. No one in my family has a problem with this effect.

Dave