[Community of A/V Enthusiasts]

A good 720p projector vs. a mediocre 1080p projector.

We need to understand that the lens on a projector is just as important as the LCD panel pixel number. Now that 1080p projectors are here, we could end up with a situation where a previous 720p projector that a consumer had is better than the new 1080p projector that he purchased at that incredible price range of about $2,000. The lens is the reason.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Eberle on June 15, 2009 at 1:26pm: This is so true. Often people think they have poor panel alignement with LCD and LCoS models when it is in fact chromatic aberration. When calibrating the projector, you sometimes have to find a compromise grayscale so all parts of the screen are as close to D65 as possible. There's no benefit to having only the center of the screen perfect when there are obvious errors in other areas. It's also important to choose screen material properly. Many high-gain screens have hot-spotting which can further degrade image quality.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cory Potts on June 16, 2009 at 6:42am: No argument with the lens comment, but...

With the smallest screen size that most FP screens come in (80-92") and an average seating distance of 8-12 ft. even the best 720p pjs will display varying amounts of screen door to people with 20/20 or better vision. I'm a huge advocate for 720p displays on flat panels, RPTVs, anything 50" or under where one is sitting the same 8-12 ft. back. Front projectors, by their nature, beg for people to spring for the 1080p displays, in fact, I think they were the first machines to really demand a "higher def" format. I don't think that either is more more important that the other, but every projector is going to have a weak point (even if its weak point is better than most in the field), and I don't think the resolution or the lens is the place to compromise. (maybe look for a projector whose case is really ugly, I can think of a few!)

So while a; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by John E. Johnson, Jr. on June 16, 2009 at 9:26am: My projector is an expensive 720p Panasonic. It has a very sharp lens. On my 72" wide screen, I sit about 6 feet away, and I don't notice the screen door effect unless it is just a static blue screen (before I put the DVD in the player). Once the movie is rolling, the screen door isn't observable because the image is moving. With an inexpensive 1080p projector, there is a high probability of significant chromatic and spherical aberration that will make those smaller pixels fuzzy.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ross Jones on June 16, 2009 at 10:47am: Wouldn't another variable be what kind of content is being fed to the projector? With a 720p projector, Blu-ray needs to get turned from 1080 into 720p somewhere along the way (in the player, outboard processor or the projector), and there can be problems depending on the quality of the video processing solution used. BTW, I think that's another topic altogether, why consumers end up paying for video processing/upconversion solutions in every component (disc player, pre-pro/receiver, and display/projector).; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alex chan on September 26, 2009 at 7:55pm: I am still using a Mit. HC3100, which is a 720P with a 0.65 Darkchip 3.

The picture is better than their own HC5500 n 6500.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by John E. Johnson, Jr. on September 27, 2009 at 12:53pm: Certainly, the down conversion of 1080p to 720p is something to consider as a possible source of image deterioration, but I think the algorithms for this have been tried and tested and improved enough that it is not an issue in itself.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Paul D'Amboise on March 1, 2010 at 3:40pm: I would think the most practical reason (apart from having something for which to charge money) is that, frequently, each piece is acquired/upgraded separately and the newest piece may well have a better video processor. The key, IMO, is being able to turn off the processing earlier or later in the chain (depending on which piece does the work best).

Ross Jones said:
Wouldn't another variable be what kind of content is being fed to the projector? With a 720p projector, Blu-ray needs to get turned from 1080 into 720p somewhere along the way (in the player, outboard processor or the projector), and there can be problems depending on the quality of the video processing solution used. BTW, I think that's another topic altogether, why consumers end up paying for video processing/upconversion solutions in every component (disc player, pre-pro/receiver, and display/projector).; ▶ Reply to This