Jazzy G Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 Hi all, After a long and bitter battle (apparently braces for the kid are more important than a projector. Pffft...) I've been given approval to acquire a projector and screen for the family room Unfortunately I'm one of the lucky few who can see the rainbow effect on DLP's so I'm looking for a LCD. My budget is somewhat limited for the HT projector space but I did have my eye on the Epson EH-TW7100 (or refurbished/used 9400) but they appear to never be in stock so I'm looking at alternatives that would suit. My budget is $3k +/-. The room has two windows, one which is at the opposite end of where the projector will sit but doesn't get direct sunlight and has vertical blinds. I'm not expecting to use the projector during the day so I'm hoping ambient light won't be an issue. Having used various online calculators I've settled on a 110" screen with a viewing distance of 3.7m. Subsequently I'm open to all options that would give me a suitable outcome. Recommend away! Cheers, Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 below is quite possible....though given the very few of anything coming up for sales prices have been up ! an epson 9300 ? if ok with the limited bandwidth (limited to 10gbs hdmi chipset) a jvc x5x00 should be a possibility even if not the last 5900 in that gen which might be over your price... like the 9300 i would just factor in both the jvc and epson 9300 here with a pro calibration to make sure dialled in for your setup and or both SDR and HDR... the vertical blinds will unfortunately let a LOT of ambient light in...but if not using during day a non concern... might have to go too far back catalog with sony given the relatively higher retail prices they have tended to for being native 4k machine.. and yeah for sure factor in the 7100 though be aware of its limitations 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy G Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 Thanks is for the reply I have been looking for used projectors but you're right ,it's slim pickin's out there. Any suggestions on good sources of used equipment ? And what are the 7100's short comings. You've got me worried now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 34 minutes ago, Jazzy G said: have been looking for used projectors but you're right ,it's slim pickin's out there. Any suggestions on good sources of used equipment ? I suspect people are not buying so not selling no new model releases either... so people aren't turning over to upgrade... 34 minutes ago, Jazzy G said: And what are the 7100's short comings. You've got me worried now... contrast ... half or less than the upper models - this is the main and big hit... keeping in mind the epsons are step back from sony-jvc not getting the 15 element all glass lens of models up... this will impact pure PQ its going to be behind the upper models all manual controls zoom, lens and focus -- a pain but can get around live with its also a small casing and with high output is going to be noisy vs those larger case projectors it does have some things ... many affordable projectors dont ! eg lens shift (far more than DLPs) a dynamic iris - something the $8k sony 270es doesnt have ! it does do wcg a 18gbps hdmi chip set.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Check epson often @Jazzy G !! Like you, I never saw anything of interest in their clearance store but got lucky one day a few weeks ago and scored a TW7100 for $1589. I was so excited that there was actually a non business projector on there, but didn’t know anything about the model before and made a mad rush to do some research. I knew it wouldn’t last so pulled the trigger soon after all the specs checked out. Good luck with the search. Finding one can be more exciting than using it lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Just something about my own experience using the 7100. I set it up for the first time last night and it’s my first pj. It was fairly simple to figure it all out and I was only doing an impulse install, i.e: Used a makeshift stand and draped screen (roller blind) over my wall mounted TV. Surprisingly it made for a great first run. I watched a Blu-ray on eco mode/cinema settings. Honestly the 9400 et al must be amazing because I was pretty happy with the PQ of this thing. And when you consider the less than ideal setup, especially the improper screen, it’s more than adequate. Considering it was $2200-2700 less than a 9400 and almost half of an ex-demo 9300 I was considering, it was a no brainier, I’m extremely happy I got it. The manual zoom and focus are only an issue if you change setup I would’ve thought? Once set for your screen and pj position it shouldn’t require changing no? As @betty boop said the contrast is much lower, but it’s just a number tbh. I didn’t have much want for more. Only occasionally during my movie session. I tried bright cinema mode for a while but found it seemed to make annoying shifts when the scene brightness changed. I also tried HDR10 mode which I’m surprised was even an option with an SDR Blu-ray. It basically made the SDR signal more dynamic. Probably similar to the dynamic image setting. Noise was slightly annoying but I had it only a couple of feet from my head. While setting up I was worried by a gear churning type of sound when changing input on my AVR etc. Once I started watching though, it was just fan noise but couldn’t hear it with the movie playing with 5.1 going. Also, on eco mode with no ambient noise it’s very quiet. Some crappy iPad pics... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 good to hear ...id certainly pick it over old antiques sometimes go for similar price ! its definitely THE one to get for money ps i wouldnt run HDR on SDR it will be wrong colour space and just look a bit over pumped ... which is not really want SDR blu-ray that ways great found something very happy with and on budget ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy G Posted July 30, 2020 Author Share Posted July 30, 2020 Thanks E. I'll def keep an eye on the clearance stuff. Even if I wanted a new 7100 apparently they're not going to be available again until mid August... And thanks BB for the info. While I'd love a high end HT, budget, room and wife constraints won't allow. I think a 7100 will be me for the foreseeable. That's if I can get one... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Fingers crossed G. I must have checked epson’s clearance store 15-20 times before seeing anything starting with TW. Best chance is probably to check in the morning. They also have ‘carton damaged’ stock on another page, but that is very slim pickings. I’ve only used mine once but considering the conditions and source (1080p) I think I’ll be very happy. I started building a pelmet of sorts to fix to wall above TV for roller blind screen. I’ll buy a proper screen down the track but that will be fine for the time being. I have a 75” 4K TV and was considering selling and using the projector exclusively, but think I’ll keep it now as I don’t particularly want to watch the morning news in super size lol. It’s more getting closer to a real cinema experience I wanted. I never go to the movies because the nearest theatre is 100km away, but now I can go every day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dneco Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Just sent you a PM Grant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dneco Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 18 minutes ago, steffanth said: I use my 120 inch projector for everything . . . i dont use a tv anymore. After a couple of weeks it just becomes normal. biggest issue i have found is if you go over to someone elses place and they only have like a 60 or 70 inch tv its hard to get engaged with the movie or whatever your watching. I would ideally love a 150 in cinema scope . . .which means i would be keeping my 120 inch 16:9 ratio . . . . .i have room for it where i live now . . .i didnt when i initially purchased my screen 4 or 5 years ago. . . . . Awesome, very good to hear. I'm currently setting up my projector and 100 inch screen. Was testing if a 7 year old hdmi cable that was previously ran through ceiling is compatible with 4k HDR. Seems like it's holding up fine. Just wondering what you use as your source? I downloaded some 4K HDR testing content on a usb and inserted straight into projector and have chromecast for netflix casting. Whats an ideal all around source capable of flix/youtube/etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 16 hours ago, dneco said: Awesome, very good to hear. I'm currently setting up my projector and 100 inch screen. Was testing if a 7 year old hdmi cable that was previously ran through ceiling is compatible with 4k HDR. Seems like it's holding up fine. Just wondering what you use as your source? I downloaded some 4K HDR testing content on a usb and inserted straight into projector and have chromecast for netflix casting. Whats an ideal all around source capable of flix/youtube/etc. wow amazing have got away with that cable ? have you really tested it though full bandwidth 4k 50/60 ? ie for 18 gbps ? I'd be very suprised ! but you never know re sources. the pana ub9000 is very good. if cant find oppo 203/205 anymore. for streaming the apple tv 4k is hard to beat does all... and it has a cable test in it too... can make sure your cable is upto it. if need a 7m replacement the mono price premium certified from amazon au are pretty affordable and only $53 delivered if have a prime account https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B06X3QDY4M?pf_rd_r=TVP0XCFRJM1DJ3ETBTWT&pf_rd_p=d6df8f50-50c9-43f1-980f-106d5c4127a5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oztheatre Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 Epson TW8400 hands down best value under 4k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dneco Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 6 minutes ago, betty boop said: wow amazing have got away with that cable ? have you really tested it though full bandwidth 4k 50/60 ? ie for 18 gbps ? I'd be very suprised ! but you never know re sources. the pana ub9000 is very good. if cant find oppo 203/205 anymore. for streaming the apple tv 4k is hard to beat does all... and it has a cable test in it too... can make sure your cable is upto it. if need a 7m replacement the mono price premium certified from amazon au are pretty affordable and only $53 delivered if have a prime account https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B06X3QDY4M?pf_rd_r=TVP0XCFRJM1DJ3ETBTWT&pf_rd_p=d6df8f50-50c9-43f1-980f-106d5c4127a5 Thanks for the tips man. I’ve just ordered the nvidia shield pro and I’m going to click and collect it today/ amongst the chaos here in VIC. I was able to download some 4k HDR @ 60 FPS and my projector tells me what content it’s receiving and outputting. It seems like it’s working just fine, but I’m not entirely certain and not sure how to check. The video looks smooth, doesn’t seem choppy and looks great. Even though I haven’t adjusted any of the projectors settings yet, which I will have to get around to. If anyone knows how to measure the bandwidth or framerate please do chime in. If I could run a new hdmi effortlessly I would. However my circumstances are there is no access to the ceiling as the cinema room is locating on the bottom floor of a double story, and all the wiring was run during building process of the house. We also secured these cables with c clips along the wooden noggings through the ceiling, so I can’t even tape a new hdmi to the old cable to run it through. The access port where the ceiling meets the wall likely could be narrow for another cable too. I’d really love some peace of mind to ensure I am getting good signal and bandwidth, investing all of these funds to ensure optimised experience just to be neglected by a sub $100 is not ideal. Alternatively, I could just run a newer cable across the room for testing purposes and see if I can notice a difference switching out between the two and doing a visual test that way. Maybe the NVIDIA SHIELD will have some sort of test function, or perhaps there’s a downloadable file out there. I’ve only gotten into making the decision to build this room a few weeks ago, it was only strictly supposed to be a listening room so this is all new to me. Chime in with your thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 3 hours ago, betty boop said: wow amazing have got away with that cable ? have you really tested it though full bandwidth 4k 50/60 ? ie for 18 gbps ? I'd be very suprised ! but you never know re sources. the pana ub9000 is very good. if cant find oppo 203/205 anymore. for streaming the apple tv 4k is hard to beat does all... and it has a cable test in it too... can make sure your cable is upto it. if need a 7m replacement the mono price premium certified from amazon au are pretty affordable and only $53 delivered if have a prime account https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B06X3QDY4M?pf_rd_r=TVP0XCFRJM1DJ3ETBTWT&pf_rd_p=d6df8f50-50c9-43f1-980f-106d5c4127a5 Think I’ll be buying one of those afterall. I was watching Avatar 3D the other day and gremlins invaded! Flashing blocks started appearing, with red streaks also visible. The strange thing is, there was nothing done that precipitated it. It just started happening about 2/3 into the movie. I put another Blu-ray on last night and the problem was worse. Sometimes no picture was visible. It makes no sense to me, but am pretty sure it’s the cable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 2 minutes ago, Esoterica said: Think I’ll be buying one of those afterall. I was watching Avatar 3D the other day and gremlins invaded! Flashing blocks started appearing, with red streaks also visible. The strange thing is, there was nothing done that precipitated it. It just started happening about 2/3 into the movie. I put another Blu-ray on last night and the problem was worse. Sometimes no picture was visible. It makes no sense to me, but am pretty sure it’s the cable. if nothing else will eliminate potential of cable... though it does concern me its happening with avatar 3D which is blu-ray. anyways hope cable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 3 hours ago, betty boop said: if nothing else will eliminate potential of cable... though it does concern me its happening with avatar 3D which is blu-ray. anyways hope cable Me too after reading about your “streaking” issue with your JVC! Oh well at least it’s under warranty if it does turn out to be the pj, and I collected the 9400 from post office today, so will be setting it up soon. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long if it is a faulty cable, but should have the one I ordered today by next weekend at latest hopefully. I got the one from cable chick you recommended, but the 5m version. Hope I don’t regret going for the shorter length but the 9400 is going to be closer so should be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 7 minutes ago, Esoterica said: Me too after reading about your “streaking” issue with your JVC! Oh well at least it’s under warranty if it does turn out to be the pj, and I collected the 9400 from post office today, so will be setting it up soon. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long if it is a faulty cable, but should have the one I ordered today by next weekend at latest hopefully. I got the one from cable chick you recommended, but the 5m version. Hope I don’t regret going for the shorter length but the 9400 is going to be closer so should be ok. hi esoterica no streaking issue with my jvc, might be confusing with someone else. who did have but would have been sorted by now, its a known fix i believe with a part replaced. but no mine is all good and fingers crossed stays that way. the cable chick one I believe someone else got to check and it to is premium certified so cables wise anyways all should be good ! wish well with the new 9400 ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esoterica Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 In your ’redux’ thread you wrote,”Though pretty blown away with seeing the projector in action over a while, unfortunately the fun is cut short with a couple of issues with it (excessive streaking and a noisy lens shutter). Fortunately a very helpful retailer and first class response from JVC locally has my unit replaced.” 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 1 minute ago, Esoterica said: In your ’redux’ thread you wrote,”Though pretty blown away with seeing the projector in action over a while, unfortunately the fun is cut short with a couple of issues with it (excessive streaking and a noisy lens shutter). Fortunately a very helpful retailer and first class response from JVC locally has my unit replaced.” oh I understand I thought you meant unit i have now. yes yes my first JVC in that thread was a DOA... hence the redux fortunately I had a very good retailer who had a new one to me even before the faulty one was picked up. So All good. I ended up owing the unit in that thread for quite some years, rock solid gorgeous picture with the thing to day sold it. dont have that any more ...now enjoyed by someone else and am enjoying the latest model that replaced it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dneco Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Quick update. I bought the nvidia shield pro today. Bloody brilliant unit - all you will ever need I love it! its only been a few hours too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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