Topic: ericag_ph's Theater (120") + Bedroom (40") Setup [New Pictures]

[ericag_ph]

I got it from Amazon $199... my review is still there... then I had someone bring it in 

[5Speed]

ganda....laki ng screen...

pag ganyan ang setup ko...di na ako manonood sa sinehan.....herherherher

[jgl]

Nice setup ericag_ph!  Would you know where I can get an OPPO OPDV971H here in Manila? 

Guys, I'm also considering a 42" DLP to replace my tube, which brand/model would you recommend?  Looking at a Samsung.  Thanks!

[ericag_ph]

thanks,

Your best bet is to ask someone to bring/hand-carry the OPPO into the country.  Ship it to their address (you can buy at Amazon).   I suggest going LCD or Plasma (will last 25000-80000 hrs) rather than DLP.  DLP will fade eventually, and you will need to replace the lamps (will last about 10000 hrs).  I noticed the faded color of a DLP that has been on for X hrs per day 7 days a week in an appliance store vs the LCD/Plasmas next to it.

I'm not sure what good deals there are now for the Samsung...but I got mine with a free 20" LCD TV and home theater in a box last August.

Nice setup ericag_ph!  Would you know where I can get an OPPO OPDV971H here in Manila? 

Guys, I'm also considering a 42" DLP to replace my tube, which brand/model would you recommend?  Looking at a Samsung.  Thanks!

[Pittri M.D.]

Nice DIY screen!

[jgl]

Thanks ericag_ph for the advise, at least directly from a direct L6 owner.  You got an L6 right?  Or what type and model is your Samsung?

I'm now confused whether I should get the L6.  I was thinking this would be a practical purchase over an LCD or plasma which have no replacement when the screen starts deteriorating.  Unlike with the DLP, replacing the bulb would make it like new again right?  How's you're L6 holding up?

Also, would there be compelling reasons to get the OPPO 970 over the 971?  Thanks again!

[ericag_ph]

My Samsung is an R71...its a good choice I think for what's currently available locally.  I sold the "free" stuff since I had no use for it.  I think 25000hrs to 80000hrs is long enough for a TV life span  that's at least 8-27 years of continuous 8 hr/day use.  You might have problems sourcing for the DLP lamps X years from now when they go dim on you.  That's why the DLPs went down in price fast...it's now an LCD/Plasma market.

For OPPO 970 vs 971, I think the 971 is still superior in picture quality.  It uses the Faroudja chipset (usually found in high end equipment), the 970 uses something else.  Reviews on the net says it all.  However, if your TV size is less than maybe 32" and you're watching maybe 6-10ft away, it is likely you won't notice a difference between an OPPO and a regular progressive 480p player.  If you go big screen, then upscaling to 720p/1080p/i is easily noticeable from
the recommended viewing distance.

Thanks ericag_ph for the advise, at least directly from a direct L6 owner.  You got an L6 right?  Or what type and model is your Samsung?

I'm now confused whether I should get the L6.  I was thinking this would be a practical purchase over an LCD or plasma which have no replacement when the screen starts deteriorating.  Unlike with the DLP, replacing the bulb would make it like new again right?  How's you're L6 holding up?

Also, would there be compelling reasons to get the OPPO 970 over the 971?  Thanks again!

[jgl]

I see, an R71 LCD.  Didn't know they had larger than 32".  Where'd you get yours and for how much?  Likewise, what were your factors for choosing that over a Plasma, in terms of PQ and quality too? 

The reason I'm asking too is because I currently just play usual DVD's (not HD or blu-ray) in a Pioneer 676A through component (prog scan) into a Sony High-Def CRT 28".  The picture seems fine but I've always wanted a bigger screen, looking at least for 40+".   Wondering if the investment from my 28" CRT to a Plasma/LCD would be worth the PQ difference, if any?  Would I also need a dvd upconverter (considering the OPPO) if I get a flat tv , even with the standard dvd's I have?  Thanks.

My Samsung is an R71...its a good choice I think for what's currently available locally.  I sold the "free" stuff since I had no use for it.  I think 25000hrs to 80000hrs is long enough for a TV life span  that's at least 8-27 years of continuous 8 hr/day use.  You might have problems sourcing for the DLP lamps X years from now when they go dim on you.  That's why the DLPs went down in price fast...it's now an LCD/Plasma market.

For OPPO 970 vs 971, I think the 971 is still superior in picture quality.  It uses the Faroudja chipset (usually found in high end equipment), the 970 uses something else.  Reviews on the net says it all.  However, if your TV size is less than maybe 32" and you're watching maybe 6-10ft away, it is likely you won't notice a difference between an OPPO and a regular progressive 480p player.  If you go big screen, then upscaling to 720p/1080p/i is easily noticeable from
the recommended viewing distance.

[ericag_ph]

Got my R71 40"  from AVSurfer for P177K with free 20" LCD and home theater in a box.  I chose LCD because its better on the eyes - "no radiation" daw.  Plus I have seen the burn-in problem of a Plasma, not something I would like on a TV.  Laptops have been using LCD technology, so I recon that would be the better/more reliable technology.  Dead pixels on an LCD is probably easier to live with assuming I get eventaully get one/a few. PQ would boil down to your source.  Salesman claims LCD is better with DVDs, Plasma with local cable.  Either way, they both look alright to me.

I wouldn't recommend getting an OPPO unless you have a big screen, big as in 40", maybe even 60" at least.
You probably won't notice the difference much, and this will also depend on how far you sit from the TV and the source disks you use.  If you have a PC, just output 720p (search: HTPC, powerstrip) so you won't need to get an OPPO.

I have yet to actually try our OPPO on the 40", but the thing is, my old 480i Pioneer DVD player already does a good/satisfactory job on the LCD.  When used with my Core 2 Duo E6300 HTPC (which outputs 720p and 768p), it looks fine too.  I don't really notice much of a difference between the two source players from my viewing distance, or even up close....well, when I am 1 meter away from the screen, I notice the superiority of the HTPC PQ.  Bottom line, I wouldn't bother buying another OPPO just for the 40" LCD.  The HTPC, and the old Pioneer are fine.  I do plan to get a P2K cheapo player to handle the other types of discs which Pioneer players have a harder time with 

If you want BIG screen, you should go for a projector. A 60"-70" TV cannot even compaire to the entertainment  factor.  Think about it, a 60" 16:9 TV is just 1/4 the size of 120" screen.  Last price I saw the Panasonic AE900 (720p/1080i) at the Mega Mall was P79K, cheaper than your typical 768p LCD/Plasma  You can project 120" movie from 3.5-- meters distance.  We just use the 40" LCD to watch f*ke disks/TV series.  Unbearable to watch at times really, specially those DVD-9s.  Origs are watched on the big screen.  After almost 2 yrs, I have logged only about 830 hrs usage on the projector.

From 28" to 40" is significant, but for the cost...you may want to look at a projector as a cheaper (but larger) alternative.  The 28" can still be retained as your work horse TV for long shows, and cheap disks.  The thing is, I bought the 40" LCD just to watch f*ke disks/TV series.  It's not even connected to any cable tv source.

If you want to convince yourself (and your wife/financial conscience), go to the Listening Room at EDSA-ShangriLa Mall, they should have a projector (and a nice theater room) to demo to you.  then if you decide to buy, go to the Mega Mall branch instead (they're always cheaper for some reason).

If you go with a projector, you will need to darken the room significantly.

I see, an R71 LCD.  Didn't know they had larger than 32".  Where'd you get yours and for how much?  Likewise, what were your factors for choosing that over a Plasma, in terms of PQ and quality too? 

The reason I'm asking too is because I currently just play usual DVD's (not HD or blu-ray) in a Pioneer 676A through component (prog scan) into a Sony High-Def CRT 28".  The picture seems fine but I've always wanted a bigger screen, looking at least for 40+".   Wondering if the investment from my 28" CRT to a Plasma/LCD would be worth the PQ difference, if any?  Would I also need a dvd upconverter (considering the OPPO) if I get a flat tv , even with the standard dvd's I have?  Thanks.

[jgl]

I've always been hesitant with choosing projectors, not because of PQ but more of convenience.  I don't have space to mount the projector as my seats are close to the wall behind me.  Though cost would be a big plus factor.  I'll try check it though at Listening Room.

You mentioned "...We just use the 40" LCD to watch f*ke disks/TV series.  Unbearable to watch at times really, specially those DVD-9s...".   Did you mean unbearable with your R71 LCD or with the projector?  Or both?   Aside from larger size with the projector, what advantages/disadvantages do you find w/ your experience w/ projector and the LCD?   Also, when will you post your R71 setup?  

This also brings me a new area to reseach on: HTPC.  I'd need to look into this source and hook it up to my display.   

[ericag_ph]

Shouldn't be a problem, you can ceiling mount the projector, just like my setup.

Main disadvantage of an LCD/DLP projector is the lamp life...will last about 3000-5000 hrs and cost $300 (or P35000) to replace.  It will probably go dim before EOL (end of life), but on the other hand you get the BIG screen you want.
BIGGER than any TV for the same price.  You shouldn't use the projector longer than 10 hrs straight.  I usually rest it when used for 5 hrs.

You can try looking at LED projectors, they're designed to last 10000-25000 hrs I think.  Disadvantage is the low resolution (800x600) and lower brightness.

For the LCD TV, I don't have to worry about length of use.  Problem is the poor sound quality (compared to 200W 5.1 speakers) coming from the built in speakers.

AS long as you have poor source discs, they will be unbearable to watch in either the 40" TV or the projector.
Poor source discs  = 3 stars (out of 5) and below PQ. 
[ Stars:  1=throw away, 2=will endup sleeping (like Film Transfer), 3=still blurry but somewhat watcheable, 4=passes for TV viewing, but not good enough for the projector, somewhat less than VCD quality, 5=original DVD quality ]

I should mention that the HTPC I am using does improve the PQ significantly (no need for too much research, see steps below for a simple HTPC that doesn't involve too much CPU processing).

If your PC video card can handle dual display, even better, one for your LCD/CRT PC monitor, the other for your TV via VGA.
1.  You may want to download the latest video driver for your card (NVidia, ATI, depending on type). 
2.  Set the output resolution to 720p or 768p depending on what the TV supports (probably 1360x768 at > 60Hz < for an LCD 16:9 TV).
3. Play the DVD on your PC using PowerDVD (its better than DVDXplayer).  -That's it.

The Voltes V DVD-9 (3 stars) I am watching was really bad coming from the old Pioneer player, but was acceptable (4 stars) when watched thru the HTPC, from my viewing distance. An OPPO is too much $$ when using these types of discs.

..will post pictures (R71) soon...

I've always been hesitant with choosing projectors, not because of PQ but more of convenience.  I don't have space to mount the projector as my seats are close to the wall behind me.  Though cost would be a big plus factor.  I'll try check it though at Listening Room.

You mentioned "...We just use the 40" LCD to watch f*ke disks/TV series.  Unbearable to watch at times really, specially those DVD-9s...".   Did you mean unbearable with your R71 LCD or with the projector?  Or both?   Aside from larger size with the projector, what advantages/disadvantages do you find w/ your experience w/ projector and the LCD?   Also, when will you post your R71 setup?  

This also brings me a new area to reseach on: HTPC.  I'd need to look into this source and hook it up to my display.   

[jgl]

Thanks ericag_ph. 

Finally had the chance to compare various LCDs side by side using dvd (original disk) through component input.  After comparison, I'm more inclined to the R71.  Maybe just the 32" because of the price difference up to the 40" R71.  I think it might just be enough for my room w/ a viewing distance of 8.5-9.5ft.  Was able to haggle it at P85k but still have 'til tomorrow to get it.

The PQ with the R71 appears more natural and smooth (even compared to the S200 Brav**).  However, I noticed the picture appears slightly 'cloudy/faded' compared to the other brands/models, even vs the S71.  Is it due to the high 5000:1 contrast ratio?  Is it the DNIe which we can't turn off?  What's your experience with your R71?  It might be more evident with your 40"!  I believe too that the Brav** V200 series is very good but not enough for the price difference. 

Hope you can share your experience on the 'fade effect', and pics of your setup too.  How far is your viewing distance - just right for a 40"?  Maybe you can also send your R71 settings (i.e. contrast, brightness, etc) that you maintain to help prolong its life.   Thanks.

[ericag_ph]

From 28" to 32" isn't a big jump (4" for P85K??), you may want to use some masking tape to outline a 32" display on a wall from your viewing distance to see if it's good enough for you.

I think the DNIe cannot be turned off...it's always on (R71).  You can only compare using the "demo" feature.  I think I know what you mean by "cloudy/faded"...I think it still boils down to the source disc and the player you are using.  At 1 meter away, Shrek2 r3 DVD is really clear and sharp even when used with a non-progressive player (the old pioneer), on the contrary, I can notice Stealth r3 DVD pixel artifacts.
For this, you can also try experimenting with video stream processing on an HTPC (need lots of CPU power for this).

I think my viewing distance is about 10ft.  I find the 40" still a tad too small, I would really have prefered a  60"-70" from this distance.

Fade effect?  If you mean the gradual dimming of light during certain scenes, I have noticed this on some movie scenes on the R71, I think it's not a big deal, no worries.  There are some unusual scenes (like a ray of light)  where the ray of light flashes, as the scene dims.  It might be my non-prog player, or the R71's difficulty in displaying the scene.  I should have tried it using the HTPC.

It was a lot worse on the previous LCD (LA40R51B) I got and returned/exchanged-upgrade due to an LCD panel defect.   The dimming was noticeable even on scene changes, even when the TV wasn't acting-up.  It took them about a month (from time I reported) to get their act together to replace/upgrade my unit.  I even made a video of the problem since it was intermittent (panel would flash on the lower left and upper right, then finally go dark irregardless of video source).

I'm still using default settings on the TV...I keep it at standard mode, and the players also at standard mode.  My main complaint is the built-in speakers - just not good enough.  But since this is a bedroom setup, the cordless headphone (non-IR) is suitable.  A handy setting I use is the power saving mode...I set to off when I need more brightness (due to ambient sunlight), and maximum (to dim the TV) at night.

I'm not worried about prolonging TV life.  LCD's should last 25K to 80K hrs with normal viewing use. To ease your mind:  Just look at the oldest office laptops you can find, they've been on at least 8hrs a day 5 days a week, even longer than my TV viewing of 1-2 hrs per day.  Just don't poke/scratch/touch the viewing area.  My 5 yr old daughter even operates the DVD player/PC/TV herself (she started at 1 yr 3 months on our HT) and I'm not worried one bit.

[jgl]

Great! 

Actually, its upgrading from a 28" CRT (with actual screen size of only 26") to a 32".  After hours of deliberating, I've decided to just stick with the 32R71, as the price difference to the 40" is too high, and noticed the PQ with the 32 better than the 40, as I expected.  Nonetheless, the R71's were still best compared to others we looked at side by side (Hitachi, Philipps, Sony S200).  We didn't try the Sony V series anymore since the price was way too high anyway .

Next would be to see if getting an upconverter (or HDMI labeled dvd players - are these any good?) and an HDMI cable would be a significant improvement over the current component output, considering I'll be viewing only the current DVD's we have (at least while HD isn't predominant yet)   Your thoughts on this?

Other project would also be to conveniently setup the HTPC and find sources for movies.  At the same time too, start enjoying the R71!   Thanks erigag_ph for your feedbacks!

[ericag_ph]

No problemo... 

On hdmi players...not all of them upconverts.  In terms of the OPPO (dvi output) with the LCD projector, there is a significant difference between component and dvi->hdmi outputs.  Depending on the source disc, sometimes component is better than hdmi.  Most of the time, hdmi is better.  My problem is the hdmi cropping...and sometimes the DVD aspect ratio (anamorphic is best).  You can refer to my review still posted at Amazon.com.

Was thinking of getting an hdmi dvd player for the LCD TV, but may decide to just get a P2K cheapo player via component to handle f*ke discs.  The pioneer has a hard time with it.  But it is likely I'll just use the HTPC attached to it via vga.

Great! 

Actually, its upgrading from a 28" CRT (with actual screen size of only 26") to a 32".  After hours of deliberating, I've decided to just stick with the 32R71, as the price difference to the 40" is too high, and noticed the PQ with the 32 better than the 40, as I expected.  Nonetheless, the R71's were still best compared to others we looked at side by side (Hitachi, Philipps, Sony S200).  We didn't try the Sony V series anymore since the price was way too high anyway .

Next would be to see if getting an upconverter (or HDMI labeled dvd players - are these any good?) and an HDMI cable would be a significant improvement over the current component output, considering I'll be viewing only the current DVD's we have (at least while HD isn't predominant yet)   Your thoughts on this?

Other project would also be to conveniently setup the HTPC and find sources for movies.  At the same time too, start enjoying the R71!   Thanks erigag_ph for your feedbacks!

[jgl]

Cool.  Would you be aware of the other players like Denon 1730?  A friend in the US says its great and upscales his disks into 720p on his DLP.  Not sure though how accurate this is with our dvd sources at 480p.  You think this is accurate, and worth getting?  I've read too that it uses a different chip than the Faroudja, but feedbacks are somewhat equal as to which is better.  And I've read too where alot say that component even looks better than when they connect using HDMI.  Is this your experience too with your OPPO?

[ericag_ph]

I was looking at the Denon before discovering the OPPO, problem with Denon, it's not region free (at least during the time I was looking for an upscaler).  It might even be the best one out there, but if it can't handle at least region1 and region3, it's off my list.  The Denon is also a lot more expensive.

On component vs. hdmi,  it will depend on your source disc.  The best discs to use with hdmi are anamorphics.

Region1 discs that are plain widescreen, when displayed on the LCD TV, stretches even more.  I might have to change the dvd player's setting from widescreen to pan&scan (still have to try).  The correct aspect ratio is displayed if I set the TV to 4:3 rather than 16:9, but the entire image shrinks, and does not occupy screen area. The problem here is the old dvd player's settings I think.

I sometimes also have this same problem on the OPPO+projector, so I use component rather than hdmi to watch.
Note that the OPPO does not upconvert on the component connection, only hdmi. Despite this, it still puts out a good image.   It's really hard to tell the difference between (component)480p and (hdmi)720p on a 120" screen, you have to pause and take a good look (less horizontal lines are visible at 720p).  Color rendering is also different between the two.  So if you have a small TV, if might not matter getting an upscaler. 

Cool.  Would you be aware of the other players like Denon 1730?  A friend in the US says its great and upscales his disks into 720p on his DLP.  Not sure though how accurate this is with our dvd sources at 480p.  You think this is accurate, and worth getting?  I've read too that it uses a different chip than the Faroudja, but feedbacks are somewhat equal as to which is better.  And I've read too where alot say that component even looks better than when they connect using HDMI.  Is this your experience too with your OPPO?

[juneaki]

Sir, galing ng DIY screen mo. How much kaya ang aabutin ng 4'X5' na screen? Pa-pm naman ng mga materiales na kailangan. TIA.

[ericag_ph]

thanks,

check this link I mentioned above...
http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=54791.0
Shouldn't cost more than P3K for everything.

Sir, galing ng DIY screen mo. How much kaya ang aabutin ng 4'X5' na screen? Pa-pm naman ng mga materiales na kailangan. TIA.

[juneaki]

thanks,

check this link I mentioned above...
http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=54791.0
Shouldn't cost more than P3K for everything.

Thank you bro, i now have an idea!

[jerix]

bro whats the lamp count of your PJ now? Im asking because of the issue floated about lamp conking out for the Pt 700 at just 600 hour level. tnx

Pwede ba some screen shots bro 

[ericag_ph]

I'm at 850+ hours right now.  Not enough to say I'm way past a 600 hr failure.

However...

Many reasons why a lamp could conk out that early  (a production lemon, electrical surge/noise, did not vacuum every 100hrs causing build-up of dirt on the filter, dirty room air (I use an additional filter for the aircon), hot room condition, cooling down improperly - like moving/bumping the unit while still hot or abrupt power failure/interruption).  Maybe it was also set at "high fan" when that setting is for high altitude(way above sea level) only.  Also, I never use it for more than 5 hours straight, even though the manual stated 10 hours is ok.  I rest it for at least 1 hr before re-use within the day.  I've also got two levels of electrical surge protection, plus a UPS in case of power outtage for the PT-700.  I'm also using Cinema 1 mode most (95%) of the time.

Will try to post the lamp hr shot. 

bro whats the lamp count of your PJ now? Im asking because of the issue floated about lamp conking out for the Pt 700 at just 600 hour level. tnx

Pwede ba some screen shots bro 

[ericag_ph]

Finally updated with 17 new pictures 

120" Primary Theater Setup
40" Secondary Setup
8" Mobile Setup

Note the plastic box with lots of DVDs in sleeves...
I am now moving discs into these things to avoid rot, fungus, ants, dust.

[danrd]

Happy New Year Kapatid!