Great news for GM, a 1080p projector for under a grand

[pixelthis]

Vivitek has comeout with a video projector for under 1,000.
Its the Vivitek H1080, for 999.
Its the first 1080p projector at that price (or so the article says).
This projector is part of a 3k SYSTEM featured in the latest S&V.
jump on it, G, I know you love projectors.

[kexodusc]

Wow that's less than I paid for my Epson...If it is even mediocre in picture quality it offers a lot of value to people looking for low-cost solutions for a big-screen home theater.

[manlystanley]

So my projector is a Sharp XR-32X. It's only 720P and I bought it last year for $600. The picture looks really good. I'm thinking that I'll keep it as my main projector for a couple more years and then upgrade. There's advantages to being 3 steps behind the bleeding edge...... (e.g. I save a boat load of money)..

[GMichael]

Thanks for thinking of me Pix. (No, not that way)

I have been eyeing that model as well as the Optoma HD20 (also under $1k). They both look like nice upgrades for me. I just changed the bulb in my Z-4 over the weekend. It should last me a few more years. (Got 3300 hours out of the last one) Once it's time for me to upgrade, there will most likely be even better models available. If I were to upgrade right now though, I'd spring for the Epson Cinema 8100. At $1500 it's a much nicer unit for me. Here is a good place to compare models. http://www.projectorcentral.com/home...projectors.htm

Maybe one of our Z-4's would look great in the baby's room. So what if she's only 4&1/2 months. She needs a good TV and we need a replacement.

[kexodusc]

Thanks for thinking of me Pix. (No, not that way)

I have been eyeing that model as well as the Optoma HD20 (also under $1k). They both look like nice upgrades for me. I just changed the bulb in my Z-4 over the weekend. It should last me a few more years. (Got 3300 hours out of the last one) Once it's time for me to upgrade, there will most likely be even better models available. If I were to upgrade right now though, I'd spring for the Epson Cinema 8100. At $1500 it's a much nicer unit for me. Here is a good place to compare models. http://www.projectorcentral.com/home...projectors.htm

Maybe one of our Z-4's would look great in the baby's room. So what if she's only 4&1/2 months. She needs a good TV and we need a replacement.

3300 hrs eh? I think I'm around 2400 or so right now...it looks fine still. My room's light is fairly low - dark walls, dimmed wall sconces....At what point can you tell if the bulb needs to be replaced? Does it gradually get dimmer or lose color? I suspect sometime in 2010 I'll run into that...

[GMichael]

3300 hrs eh? I think I'm around 2400 or so right now...it looks fine still. My room's light is fairly low - dark walls, dimmed wall sconces....At what point can you tell if the bulb needs to be replaced? Does it gradually get dimmer or lose color? I suspect sometime in 2010 I'll run into that...

My projector has a light that comes on. But the bulb worked fine for weeks after the light came on. Then it started to get dim. I noticed it most during video games.

I keep my bulb in econo mode. Not sure what Epson calls that mode, but you should have something similar. The new Epsons are supposed to get 4k hours on a bulb.

[kexodusc]

My projector has a light that comes on. But the bulb worked fine for weeks after the light came on. Then it started to get dim. I noticed it most during video games.

I keep my bulb in econo mode. Not sure what Epson calls that mode, but you should have something similar. The new Epsons are supposed to get 4k hours on a bulb.

Yeah, there's a mode that gets longevity out of the bulb, but forget what they call it. That's what I have it on. In my room with the lights dim, even on the low settings it puts out a lot of contrast and makes for a very good picture. I was just curious if it was like an incandescent bulb and just failed one day, or if there was a gradual reduced perfomance to give you a warning.
I have the extras on standby when this one finally croaks.