For the projector pros, part 2 - the setup

Hey guys,

I wanted to update you first thing Monday morning about my move to the world of projection TV over the weekend. Thanks again for all your help in getting here. Right off the bat I can say – FREAKING AWESOME. I can’t believe how cool it is to actually have a big screen in my home. I thought this day would never come. I never gave them much thought because of the price (last I looked was 1.5 years ago, $4000+), but prices have crashed. I have some questions/issues I hope to sort out today, and will try keep it as simple as possible. Hopefully someone can read this and learn something too, and join the big screen bandwagon!!!!!

Story: I found a used Infocus LP600 going for $400 in the classifieds. Here are the specs:
http://www.infocus.com/Products/Projectors/LP600.aspx. After giving it much thought, I decided to buy it. When I got home, it turned out to be the LP640. At first I was pissed, but then did some research. Here are the specs for the 640: http://www.infocus.com/service/lp6 [...] region=1&. So listen guys, the bad thing about the 640 is that it only has a 400:1 contrast ratio (big bummer). I guess the positive thing is that it is an HD projection, outputting 1080p! (check the broadcast formats): http://www.infocus.com/service/lp6 [...] &cat=hdtv. I need your opinion on whether I should return it.

Comments: At first I was using the s-video cable. Video was fine, fonts in Windows were horrible. Barely readable. When I plugged in the VGA cables, massive difference! I really like the new rez (question coming later). I need to get some advice on the recommended cabling. Second, mounting these babies is a huge issue with projectors. They have to be at a 90 degree angle to the wall, and perpendicular to the light path for best results. This is a huge problem for me (I have a small apartment with no real options – believe me, I tried everything). There is a huge doorway behind my sofa. If the angle isn’t right, the image is really messed up. I will need to come up with a portable solution (question coming). 3rd, I’m not sure what rez to run at. This projector has a native of 1024 X 768. It does support 1280 X 1024, but that didn’t look to good when I ran that (not sure if the VGA cable was limiting the 1080p output). It was displaying XGA at 1280 X 1024, which doesn’t seem right. 4th, I am not so familiar with outputting resolutions from a PC, and watching a DVD. I tried to change the aspect ratio, but all is did was thin the image. It actually looked better at 4:3. (question later too). 5th, the lit up bars above and below the movie image are irritating. 6th, the projector isn’t great for FPS gaming. I was playing some FEAR, and it was really difficult to see guys hiding in the dark. I suspect this might be the contrast issue. I can increase the brightness, but this takes away from the quality (question coming).

TO SUMMARIZE:

1) Did I make a mistake with this projector? IYO, should I keep it or can I do better?
2) Should I get a DVI-I to M1 cable to output directly from my x1900xt? Is the image quality so much different between XGA (720p) and SXGA (1080p)? I assume I will be able to get SXGA with a DVI-M1 cable right? Can anyone confirm this?
3) I really need advice on where to get a projector stand with a trolley that I can just wheel behind our sofa when needed, and wheel into a closet when done, where hopefully the cables can be hidden in the centre metal column. Anyone have any ideas (under $100)?
4) Most confusing - if I am using Cyberlink to watch a DVD through my PC, does it really matter what aspect ratio I watch DVDs at? It seems like changing the aspect ratio actually has a negative effect. Does Cyberlink automatically adjust the image to fit the res? Can anyone comment?
5) The light bars above and below the movie image do bother me. Any easy solution to combat that, without going into new construction/getting some kind of a screen etc. Right now I’m using my wall, and it works great for gaming.
6) Anyway to improve the contrast ratio with settings (any rule of thumb ie., increase contrast and increase brightness etc). I think this may be my most disappointing factor, especially for gaming.

Thanks again everyone!!!!! Overall, I am extremely happy with the setup. There are some issues which are limiting, but for the cost/benefit, it’s worth it. I could use your help to get the best performance out of the system and make the most with what I have. Let’s see what we can do. Thanks guys.

Cleeve, why does one have to use the native res? Isnt it better if you use the supported 1280X1024?

Maybe better to use 1024X 768 for movies (not to lose too much picture size), and 1280X1024 for games (full screen but better defined graphics), no?

Because the native res is what the projector actually projects. Like an LCD screen, it has one exact size... in this case, it's 1024x768

So when you broadcast a 1280x1024 signal to the projector, it interpolates it down to 1024x768 anyway... scales it down to broadcaset. So all that extra resolution is actually HARMING quality more than helping, because the interpolation algorithm isn't perfect...

Best to use 1024x768 and bypass the whole shabang.

Cleeve,

I think I may be getting this. If you get a Blu-ray, its native output is 1080p. If you have any different TV/res than 1920X1080, it has to adjust the image to fit that screen which could result in a loss in image quality.

BUT, from a PC, it doesnt matter so much, because your PC res can be changed. All you have to do is make sure your PC res = your projector res, which in this case will be my 1280X1024.

I use PowerDVD to watch DVDs, so the software automatically adjusts the image to fit the 1280X1024 screen on my projector/desktop LCD. Therefore, the only image loss that can occur is through the software adjustment of the image.

1) Does the adjustment of a regular DVD (480p) to fit my 1280X1024 resolution result in a large quality loss?

2) Does the adjustment of a HD-DVD (when I get the player someday) at 1080p result in a large image quality loss at my res of 1280X1024?

3) Whats the best software for doing this?

Thanks again! Anyone else, feel free to comment.