From the listings in this thread there are quite a number of people looking for projectors both for 720p and 1080p native resolutions. You should always demo the various units in order to make an informed decision. Visit the multitude of forums to obtain feedback from owners.

Now it is usually not easy to locate demo units, but not impossible. The easiest is to call the HQ up and ask them for a demo or at least to point you towards a distributor that has demo units. It has worked for me. Here is a pic of the Epson TW700 that I and another forumer ordered.... we are a party of 2 .

Here's a picture.....




For those that have demoed any unit, please come and share your thoughts here.

Good hunting.

This post has been edited by jasonlky: Mar 1 2007, 09:07 AM

Hi Guys,

I have just started a community service. Since I have done a lot of research on LCD projectors and prices, I have decided not to let that go to waste, and have the community benefit from it. Feel free to inquire.

Projector Sale Thread

Yes, I have. I will post pictures this weekend for your viewing pleasure. Need time to put up some make shift setup, as my HT room not done up yet.

Inroducing my Epson EMP TW700. Its up and running, and started playing with it, setting up and watching it last night. Lets just say I have not slept a wink since Friday 11:00pm.

Heres a photo journal of the projector:

Heres the Box, survived the trip from Singapore intact.


A closer look of the box advertising the projector inside.


Open up the box and you will find the manuals (chinese and english only), remote control and power cord.




Here is a closer look of the remote control. Incidently since I decided not to get the panny AX100, Epson thought it would benice to send me Panny's AA battery for use in the remote


Remove the carboard containing the manuals and stuff, u arrive at the projector. Its pretty large and heavy. Its wrapped securely in foam.


Take the projector out from the box carefully.


Remove the foam and you find a beatiful projector. Wonderfully sculpted. Notice the foam right behind the lense, used to hold the assembly securely during transportation


Top view


Rear view


View of all the connections available on the TW700


Rear quater view


Front view


Top front quater view


Close up of the lense assembly with transportation foam in place


Onboard controls. Something you will rarely use!!


Next I hook up the power cord and turn on the unit. The first thing I do is adjust the focus and zoom using the on board pattern.





The blue screen has perfect colour uniformity. However I noticed that the 3 LCD panels were mislaligned by 1 pixel down and to the right. Not noticeable from viewing distance though.

Next I start watching movies..... till 8am. My son is awake and I am going to attend to him for a while. I have the projected pictures posted later today.

Cheers

This post has been edited by jasonlky: Mar 10 2007, 08:10 AM

unfinished wall electric outlets ..... shy only. My AV room still a work in progress. So I am projecting onto a matt white wall.

I intend to put up a floor to ceiling "thing" that will house the screen and lights etc.... Something like this... but nicer....


Pictures of the projected image have to wait till tomorrow. Have not sorted them out and have to attend to the family now....

Cheers

To show off the ability of my newly acquired Epson TW700 projector, I'll start with one of my favorites.... Stills from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The pictures were taken by my Canon Ixus 700i, 7.1mp camera, then converted to a moreuser friendly 640x480 image. The Canon is set on a tripod and a timer is used to trigger the shutter. Flash is swithed off.

Settings: Colour is standard out of the box, colour temperature 6500k, colour mode Theatre, Aspect mode is Auto.... so its 2:35 to 1. Iris is On. Kennot hear either the fan nor the iris in operation. The projector is situated 1.5 feet behind my head and about 6 inches above. Operation is silent.

At the moment DVD signal is sent from a Pioneer DV555K oldie via component. This old player has no HDMI.

A Long Time Ago......


Scene of the Naboo starship, very eye catching bright picture


Another bright scene of the jedi council.


Blacker Blacks.... this scene is superb. The Iris does its job and gets it done!! Eat your heart out DLPs. This scene is actually full of stars, unfortunately when I trfed them to 600x480 format, the stars got lost.


City on the Planet Naboo, as Qui Gon and Obi Wan arrives on the planet. Beautifully rendered scene.


Obi Wan at Kamino.


Parme's retreat in Naboo.


Anakin andPadme gets lovey dovey at Naboo. Very good shadow details in what is a dark scene.


And the Contract is sealed. Skin tone ok or not?


Yoda acting all concerned.... good details in the dark from the Epson


Anakin and party go to Tatoine to save mommy.


Just wanted to get a shot of Padme in that incredibly outstanding body suit. So nicelah.


Obi wan and Count Dooku clash it out. Here Obi Wan is deflecting Force Lightning with his light saber.


Oh no who is that unconcious and baring her midrift... none other that our super do it all Queen Amidala. Why she got such a weak role in the next episode I dunno!!!


Finally, Anakin doshes it out with Count Dooku with some double handed saber action. Again very good details in the shadows.



Next installment I'll try to use the scenes that the pro reviewers use in their reviews so that u may have a basis for comparison with other projectors out there.

I tried a few other DVDs.... and I have to admit that half of them are going to be given away. The quality on a TV set was incredibly good, but on the front projector.... just doesn't pass mustard.

So far, I watched Devil wears Prada with wifey last night..... the minister of home affairs is satisfied with the projector. Then this afternoon, watched 101 AND 102 dalmations with the kids. The room was very bright as my AV room black out curtains not done yet. So had to ramp up the colour mode to "Living Room". It was very watchable. Although the colour fidelity was lost but the kids loved it. Adamantly they told me that they do not want to watch the TV downstairs anymore.... I see some family tug'o'war hapenning in the future!

This post has been edited by jasonlky: Mar 12 2007, 09:57 AM

My old Pioneer has been a really strong workhorse. But alas only has component. I am now in the market for a new generation player... just short of HD/Blu Ray. Oppo comes to mind, I know of several Group Buys hapenning, but in Singapore. I may go for a HTPC instead. I am leaning towards a HTPC what do u think. I will take my time with this since the Pioneer still doing a OK job.

Timothyy, how come Panasonic take so long.... Hope you find some kind of resolution soon.

Thinking of jumping to the Epson band wagon? Waiting time for the unit just increased since the units have to be ordered directly from China/Japan..... Singapore is out of stock. Hope that they will restock soon.

The room has not been completed to make it into a proper AV Room. I basically have all the electronics so that I can figure out the placements of all the stuff. I have yet to do all the panelling on the front and the 2 side walls. I have yet to do shelves on the entire back wall for the projector, all the electronic equipments, for books and DVDs. Have yet to do the glass cabinets to display my anime/action figure stuff. Yet to do lighting also...

Currently, I use the room for music as well and I have all my audio amps and speakers in there.... I have 4 amps, 3 pairs of audio only speakers, 1 set of 7.1 AV speakers, one turntable and miles of cables!! So the room is in a bit of a mess. Targeting to get the room completed in about 2 months time. Trying to finalise the design and get contractor quote soon.

Who gets the best seat? Currently there is only one seat, and the kids always beat me to it. Kids are asking if they can watch a cartoon on projector today... how about The Incredibles?

The quick answer is that it is practical, however you will have to increase the lumens to get a good picture. In this mode, you loose colour fidelity and the bulb life in this mode is reduced. I watched 4 hours of 101 and 102 dalmations with bright light filtering into the room using the Living Room mode and it was great. The epson performed flawlessly. Even if you had a window, as long as you can draw some heavy curtains over it, you should be OK.

The real question is: Do you intend to use the projector as you would a normal TV? I.e. turn on for 30mins of CNN then turn off, then turn on 30mins for kids cartoon then turn off. I think a projector is not meant for this type of usage and you would only be asking for trouble if the projector was treated this way.

Hope this helps.

Hi all, a HT Brother asked about screens on another thread. I'll repeat my reply here for everyone's benefit and further discussion.

I am placing my projector on a permanent shelf mount at the rear of the room. Swithcing is via my AV Amp, thats what its there for.

Alas only the newer AV Amps have HDMI and HDMI Pass thru with upconverting feature from other sources. If your AV amp does not support multiple HDMI input/output, you may need to find an external HDMI switcher.

So the discolouration is blue kaler is it? HAng in there bro.... which service center ... the Shah Alam one?

Ditto on your comments on the progress of LCD Technology. I think it 720p LCD projectors have finally matured and prices are more sane nowadays.

At the moment I am planning to do some calibration on my own. As such I am looking for DIY calibration DVDs, colour charts and even software. The Epson TW700 can be hooked up to the PC for quick and easy adjustments. There are several guides on the net from people who have calibrated the Epson TW700. Have downloaded a few and will try them out this weekend.

Am I happy with the image? Yes but I know it can be better. That said, out of the box it just blows you away.

I feel the picture to be a bit warm towards the red especially the skin tones. I feel that the Gamma curve can be improved also. It is set at the standard 2.2 now.

Hi

If there is an online guide I would love to have a look at it. For a budget under 3k, you should consider, in addition to infocus, Benq, Epsons (DVD/projector combo)... almost every brand would have a projector at that price range. You whould get a 480p projector for this price. The projector in economy mode should give you at least 3000hrs of bulb life. Good luck with your search and do not forget to tell us what you are getting. We want pictures and a review.

Since I have never done a calibration before, can you explain how the process goes, using this calibration disc?

Bro where to get this avia with spl mtr?

So now we know who has a SVS!! Nice sub. SVS turned up when I googled free delivery for avia!!

oops, my bad for jumping to conclusion so fast. I am now shopping on ebay for the ratshack meter and avia. Cheapest avia is at USD15 without shipping. Still shoppinglah. Saw come cheapo chinese spl meter with no name brand. Anyone have experience with this?

, at this rate we will be running around in circles try to determine exactly what dirtrun uses as a sub.

Back to the topic, can all those expleain the before and after effects of calibration. Was there a noticeable difference?

And how much does a "professional: calibration cost?

I will agree with you on this point. Calibration is helping the system work as best that it can in your own environment.


----This is a little bit Off Topic, but want to show show a bit!!----
The PB12+ is downward firing, so dunno is this picture is familiar to you. Its from my DIY sealed sub. (Do not like the sound of ported subs). The driver unit looks the same as the PB12.3 used in the 12+, but mine is dual coil, the second coil for the sensing mechanism of the servo plate amplifier.


Cabinet was made by my uncle and me.