Projector Question: H5360 vs H1080FD

[Doward]

So I've finally gotten a decent sound system (Z-5500) and am now deciding on a display. I'm going to be projecting a 96" screen, with room for anything between 3'-16' from the projecting screen.

There will generally be practically no ambient light when in use.

I'm debating the following:

Acer H5360 - 1280x720p native, will take up to a 1920x1080 signal, DarkChip3 0.62" DLP, and will do 120hz (hence, 3D)

vs

Vivitek H1080FD - 1920x1080p native, DarkChip2 0.65" DLP, does 60hz (no 3D)

$200 price difference (33%) loses 3D, gives me full 1080p.

Now, to put this in perspective, I'm coming off a 5 year old 30" 1080i CRT. So ANYTHING is going to be a huge jump. I AM interested in the 3D aspect of the Acer.

My concern is, is the newer DC3 chip vs the older DC2 chip enough of a difference in quality that I won't care about the 720p vs 1080p?

Am I going to notice a massive difference between 720p vs 1080p, when sitting in a dark room 13' from a 96" screen?

 

[Godmachine]

So I've finally gotten a decent sound system (Z-5500) and am now deciding on a display. I'm going to be projecting a 96" screen, with room for anything between 3'-16' from the projecting screen.

There will generally be practically no ambient light when in use.

I'm debating the following:

Acer H5360 - 1280x720p native, will take up to a 1920x1080 signal, DarkChip3 0.62" DLP, and will do 120hz (hence, 3D)

vs

Vivitek H1080FD - 1920x1080p native, DarkChip2 0.65" DLP, does 60hz (no 3D)

$200 price difference (33%) loses 3D, gives me full 1080p.

Now, to put this in perspective, I'm coming off a 5 year old 30" 1080i CRT. So ANYTHING is going to be a huge jump. I AM interested in the 3D aspect of the Acer.

My concern is, is the newer DC3 chip vs the older DC2 chip enough of a difference in quality that I won't care about the 720p vs 1080p?

Am I going to notice a massive difference between 720p vs 1080p, when sitting in a dark room 13' from a 96" screen?

I'm also in the market for a projector and have done a shit ton of research lately.

Now if you get the newer Dark Chip system with 3D mode you'll probably have a bit sharper contrast and maybe some newer auto keystone functions but you'll be forced to use a 720p picture. The difference isn't huge. I would be more worried about the speed of the color wheel which can make a big impact into the "rainbow" effect.

Considering the difference with 720p and 1080p is easier to see with a larger screen I would say yes on a 96" inch screen you are going to see some difference. The detail won't appear quite as fine and keep in mind at 720p you are neutering your Blu Ray's resolution big time.

Unless you wanna run 3D PC games I would advise getting the 1080p Vivitek. 3D Blu Rays also require HDMI 1.4 and only the most expensive consumer level projectors even support it right now.

 

[Doward]

I don't have 3D Blu-Ray - I'll be using 3D nVidia output from a HTPC system located in the viewing room.

I've found this - http://www.projectorreviews.com/advice/1080p_vs_720p_projectors/index.php

and this - http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

According to the 2nd link, with an 80" screen from 13' away I'll be right on the edge of 720p's optimal resolution. 96" from 13' away seems to be square in 1080p territory.

The 3D does really intrigue me, so I'd love to be able to mess with that. I have no problem with upgrading to a 1080p projector in 2-3 years time, either.

Coming from a 30" Toshiba CRT 1080i screen, I feel the 720p could be an acceptable stepping stone, especially if I'm willing to scale down to 80" vs 96".

Still, an 80" screen would be a vast improvement over a 30" CRT.

*EDIT* Both projectors are 3x 6-segment color wheels.

Decisions, decisions... would love more input into this discussion.

 

[Godmachine]

I don't have 3D Blu-Ray - I'll be using 3D nVidia output from a HTPC system located in the viewing room.

I've found this - http://www.projectorreviews.com/advice/1080p_vs_720p_projectors/index.php

and this - http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

According to the 2nd link, with an 80" screen from 13' away I'll be right on the edge of 720p's optimal resolution. 96" from 13' away seems to be square in 1080p territory.

The 3D does really intrigue me, so I'd love to be able to mess with that. I have no problem with upgrading to a 1080p projector in 2-3 years time, either.

Coming from a 30" Toshiba CRT 1080i screen, I feel the 720p could be an acceptable stepping stone, especially if I'm willing to scale down to 80" vs 96".

Still, an 80" screen would be a vast improvement over a 30" CRT.

*EDIT* Both projectors are 3x 6-segment color wheels.

Decisions, decisions... would love more input into this discussion.

Well like I said for 3D gaming thats perfectly fine to run at 720p. But if you watch a ton of regular Blu Rays you would notice a difference at that difference.

I thought long about getting a 3D projector and while it would be pretty sweet I really want that 1080p sweet spot but not for the money.

The Optoma HD66 was the 3D projector I was most interested in because they are putting out an expansion box called 3DXL that will accept 1.4 HDMI and Blu Ray 3D straight from a player which is pretty awesome.

If your going to get a regular 1080p projector I would go for the Optoma HD20 with its faster 4x 6-segment color wheel. You want the least about of rainbowing possible.

Otherwise another excellent choice is the Epson 8350 (its 3LCD). Lots of users seems pretty happy with its quality picture and good contrast.

Personally I'm probably gonna go for the Epson as I'm sensitive to the rainbow effect and that will bypass that issue entirely.

 

[Doward]

I had looked at the HD20, but I can't stretch the budget to $970 for it.

I'm on a $700 budget, and I can squeeze to $800 for the H1080FD, mainly because there's a deal going until Jan 31st for a free mount and 80" screen. I'm building my own screen (already budgeted) so I'd end up selling that screen/mount and put me at around that $700 mark I was at originally.

My choices are buy a 52" 1080p LCD @ Walmart for $600, or a projector under $700. I had already committed myself to the H5360 when I stumbled across the H1080FD for $799 @ CompUSA with the free 80" screen / Projector mount...

Budgets suck, lol.