Dell 1100MP projector, worth the $$?

[HB5000]

I've been considering front projection for a while now, but I am on a very limited budget. I came across the Dell 1100MP (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/proj_1100mp?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=specstab#tabtop)
What I'm looking for is a low-cost, HDTV capable, projector capable of delivering a 100" or larger screen (probably on a painted wall) in my living room, maintaining acceptable HDTV quality. I am planning to get some heavy curtains for the french doors and windows in that room, so brightness is not a big concern. That said, the 1100 puts out 1400 lumens, so it should be fine. I will probably pick up a bucket of "screen goo" or something similar to paint the screen area of the wall for better brightness and contrast. Do you think this projector would fit my needs for watching progressive scan DVD's, HDTV programming (via Cable), and occasional video game (Xbox, PS2, of course PS3 and XBOX360 in time)? If not, can you suggest any other projector in this price range (<$900) that would? The Dell is on sale for $699 right now, and I know I can finance it. The only problem I foresee is bulb life, which could be an issue. I plan to watch only movies and maybe sporting events in HD, fairly limited time-wise. Also, I will have a 27" CRT for regular (channel surfing) use. The replacement bulbs are $300 I think, kind of steep. Thanks for the input.
On a side note, I have googled this topic and came up with very few user reviews. Maybe because it is a newer unit? The ones I read said it was great, but lacked enough brightness for daytime viewing.
One concern I have is that since it is native 800x600 resolution, any signal above that, like 1080i, would have to be upconverted (all HD are supported), taking away from the quality. Is that a valid assumption?
Sorry if I'm a bit long-winded.

[N. Abstentia]

I'm by no means a projector expert, but I've been researching them for the past few months so I'll throw in my 2 cents.

Basically that projector is designed for Power Point presentations in the board room. The lumen count is actually to high, something around 800 would be better for home theater. On a projector such as that, black is not black...black is grey which is bad. On top of that it has poor resolution which you mentioned.

All my research has led me to the Optoma H31 as the best bang for the buck projector for home theater and anything less is just not worth saving a couple of hundred bucks.

http://www.visualapex.com/lcdprojectors/LCD_projectors_details.asp?MFR=Optoma&chPartNumber=H31

[HB5000]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the 1100MP. It was on sale down to $649 and I just decided to go for it. I thought I would share a few things I noticed about the unit. I have not calibrated it yet, but the out-of-the-box experience was very impressive. I am just projecting onto a queen size white sheet on my darker colored wall, so it is a bit "ghetto-fabulous" at the moment. Daylight use is possible, but it really shines at night. Playing Halo 2 on a screen that big is pretty overwhelming. I've only hooked up PS/2 and XBox via component, and my cable box (non-HD so far) via s-video. My memory is a bit fuzzy, does anyone know if the PS/2 or Xbox do progressive scan when playing DVD's?
Keep in mind that this is my first experience with FPTV, so my opinions may not reflect your experiences with higher end units. As always, ymmv.

[miyagikarate]

I dont know about ps2 but xbox is not progressive scan...

I have been also thinking of the dell 1100mp for a projector. I would be using it mostly for movies and gaming such as the xbox... What have your impressions been about the quality of the image, clearity, brightness, etc..?? thanks

[recoveryone]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the 1100MP. It was on sale down to $649 and I just decided to go for it. I thought I would share a few things I noticed about the unit. I have not calibrated it yet, but the out-of-the-box experience was very impressive. I am just projecting onto a queen size white sheet on my darker colored wall, so it is a bit "ghetto-fabulous" at the moment. Daylight use is possible, but it really shines at night. Playing Halo 2 on a screen that big is pretty overwhelming. I've only hooked up PS/2 and XBox via component, and my cable box (non-HD so far) via s-video. My memory is a bit fuzzy, does anyone know if the PS/2 or Xbox do progressive scan when playing DVD's?
Keep in mind that this is my first experience with FPTV, so my opinions may not reflect your experiences with higher end units. As always, ymmv.
I have the Dell 2100MP, I only used it for my laptop mainly and a few test runs with my main Computer. The video output is awesome, and I feel the better the signal the better the output will be. I wish mine had Component input so I could hook it up to my HD cable box and really see how good it would look. On your question about progressive scan, I don't think they do, but I could be wrong. More important thing is, does your projector support it. Just like with a T.V. your TV needs to support it for the DVD to send the signal. Just checking my manuel and it says mine is HD compatible, but It it only has S-video, RGB and composite inputs. It tells me I would need a special cord (component on one end and RGB on the other to connect for HD). Just check my bag and I have the cord lol. Maybe I will try it out and get back and let you all know how it looks.

[HB5000]

Well, I've had the unit almost a week, and 37 lamp hours later, I'm still taking it all in. I finally picked up a HD cable box about two days ago. HBO in 1080i is impressive, although not noticeably better then DVD's in 480p, probably due to the resolution and scaling of the projector. And less than 15 channels in HD is pretty shabby. I went back to my buddy's place the other night, he has the InFocus Screen Play 4805, which is native 16:9 (854x480) and retails for around $1100 I believe. I couldn't believe how much better his HD picture looked. Granted, he does have an actual screen, but checking the specs on his projector show much lower light output (750 lumens vs 1400 for the Dell). You can see the specs here: ProjectorCentral (http://www.projectorcentral.com/InFocus_Home-ScreenPlay_4805.htm) .
Even with ambient light, his still maintains dark black and bright colors. For the money I paid for the Dell, I am not disappointed. I am looking forward to improving it's performance with a screen and further calibration/adjustment.

From various other message boards:

"Does the PlayStation 2 support progressive scan DVD playback?
Yes, you need to purchase the Component video cables.
Gran Turismo 3 also looks super sweet in wide screen."

"And what about DVD playback? Well, unlike the PS2, which plays DVDs right out of the box, you'll need to shell out an additional $30 for the DVD Movie Playback Kit. (Note to videophiles: Even with the extra kit, the Xbox won't output your movies in 480p, so hold on to that progressive-scan DVD player.) "

[godfatherofsoul]

Well, I've had the unit almost a week, and 37 lamp hours later, I'm still taking it all in. I finally picked up a HD cable box about two days ago. HBO in 1080i is impressive, although not noticeably better then DVD's in 480p, probably due to the resolution and scaling of the projector. And less than 15 channels in HD is pretty shabby. I went back to my buddy's place the other night, he has the InFocus Screen Play 4805, which is native 16:9 (854x480) and retails for around $1100 I believe. I couldn't believe how much better his HD picture looked. Granted, he does have an actual screen, but checking the specs on his projector show much lower light output (750 lumens vs 1400 for the Dell). You can see the specs here: ProjectorCentral (http://www.projectorcentral.com/InFocus_Home-ScreenPlay_4805.htm) .
Even with ambient light, his still maintains dark black and bright colors. For the money I paid for the Dell, I am not disappointed. I am looking forward to improving it's performance with a screen and further calibration/adjustment.

From various other message boards:

"Does the PlayStation 2 support progressive scan DVD playback?
Yes, you need to purchase the Component video cables.
Gran Turismo 3 also looks super sweet in wide screen."

"And what about DVD playback? Well, unlike the PS2, which plays DVDs right out of the box, you'll need to shell out an additional $30 for the DVD Movie Playback Kit. (Note to videophiles: Even with the extra kit, the Xbox won't output your movies in 480p, so hold on to that progressive-scan DVD player.) "

I hate to break this to you, and I could be way off base, but your projector is not HD-capable. The resolution is only 800x600. The way I understand this is that the second number in the resolution must be at least 720 for you to get HDTV. This could be the reason you do not see a big difference in DVDs and HDTV.
On the PS2, make sure you tell Gran Turismo to output that 1080i signal or it will no do it on its own.
Maybe edtyct can help us out here...

Cheers

[popolz]

I dont know about ps2 but xbox is not progressive scan...



uh? the XBOX is progressive scan... you need the MS Dashboard 5960... press the LEFT& RIGHT trigger as the same time as you push down both thumb sticks and it will switch in progressive scan...

I have a BenQ 6110 and it make a world of difference between 480i and 480P when watching movies with the MS dashboard.

I also modded with an HEX editor DVD region X to be in progressive scan and again a huge difference.

[recoveryone]

I hate to break this to you, and I could be way off base, but your projector is not HD-capable. The resolution is only 800x600. The way I understand this is that the second number in the resolution must be at least 720 for you to get HDTV. This could be the reason you do not see a big difference in DVDs and HDTV.
On the PS2, make sure you tell Gran Turismo to output that 1080i signal or it will no do it on its own.
Maybe edtyct can help us out here...

Cheers
Hate to break it to you, but accourding to the spec's in the manuel its states it can support HD with the special cable I talked about. I know mine supports 16x9 viewing from a DVD source or HD and can handle 1080i 720p 480p 480i

[godfatherofsoul]

Hate to break it to you, but accourding to the spec's in the manuel its states it can support HD with the special cable I talked about. I know mine supports 16x9 viewing from a DVD source or HD and can handle 1080i 720p 480p 480i

Well, considering you have a different projector, I'm not going to argue with you. But even yours states on "compatibility with" HDTV. Your resolution is also 800X600. Not HD specs...These are EDTV specs and while you will get the picture from a 1080i/720p signal, it will only display it in 480p.
I see this every day when people go looking for projectors - check the resolution if you want to know if it will truly display HDTV not just be compatible with it.

Cheers...

[HB5000]

I am a computer guy, so I understand the resolution calculations. Most of the projectors in my price range were only 480p HDTV compatible, they will display the higher resolutions, but only at 480p. However, the InFocus SP4805 I am comparing against has almost identical resolution (854x480 vs 800x600). It is of course native 16:9 aspect ratio. It seems that without a 1920x1080 native resolution projector or TV, you will not be watching "true HDTV," just a recreation using the most lines it can.

Here is some info I found on HDTV resolutions:

"The most common HDTV standards set by the ATSC are 720p (720 lines of horizontal resolution and progressive scan) and and 1080i (1080 lines of horizontal resolution and interlaced scan). 720p is also generally described as TVs being capable of 1024x720 pixel resolution (similar the resolution settings on your computer monitor), but individual HDTV sets may have actual different resolutions and still be able to support 720p. This is particularly true of Plasma TVs. The same goes for 1080i, which is described as 1920x1080 pixel resolution Note that 480p is generally not considered a HDTV resolution, but a DTV (digital television) or ETV (enhanced TV) resolution that allows you to view improved clarity from a DVD player that supports Progressive output."