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Any reason to even buy a new PJ at this juncture??

From what I can tell from the latest current new crop of popular a JVC, Epson, Panasonic and Sony video projectors, I can't help but to ask myself, "why even consider buying new right now?!, if my picture won't get any bigger or better???"
Face it, most anything new -and affordable, if practical or even logical? - in a home theater dedicated video projector, is still 1080p! Yes, we're still pushing 1080p video projectors to the consumer masses, it appears, merely for the sake of coming out with a new product every year!! I'm not being fooled into thinking anything else, I assure you.
Why would I plunk down a couple/few thousand on a new 1080p video projector, which has the same main basic features which were available on the last couple years generations products?! Answer: I wouldn't!! Nothing new under the sun here, IMO. Im sticking with old standbyes for the time being.
And well then what's happening with promised TRUE 4K projectors? Well here's what projectorcentral reviewer had to say about he $15,000 sony 4K 600ES projector that's under review:

"We've been working with the Sony VW600ES since its arrival in late November. We love this 4K projector for a lot of reasons, but we've been unable to complete the review due to a lack of native 4K source material. Sony says it is on its way, but it has not yet arrived. We cannot finish the review without testing it with native source material, so it is in a holding pattern at the moment..."

I THINK THAT ABOUT SUMMS IT UP FOR 4K PROJECTORS AND LACK OF AVAILABLE CONTENT!! ..basically, there isn't any, so why bother right now spending big for 4k projection?! VERY few of us are likey going to, Im certain.
This weeks CES show has unveiled some large panel 4-6K native cuved flat panel displays, that will likely all but eventually doom the video home theater video projector, as these panels get cheaper and bigger! IT appears to be headed this way. Right now, the video projector can get the job done for cheaper, in the right setup.
So what I can see, is hang on to your old 1080p, and we're going to be waiting, or maybe not at all, for 4k projectors and source to be a viable option.
What you think?
avgoround
7 responses Add your response
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,610 posts
 
.
What about the upconverted image from 1080p to 4k? Has anyone seen what that image looks like on a projector compared to regular 1080p? A lot of Blu Ray players and processors tout the ability to upconvert a 1080p image to 4k. Is it a huge improvement?
seditious3
184 posts
 
I'm in the same position. I was going to buy a Panasonic PT-AE8000, but now I think I'll buy a less expensive or used projector and wait for the 4k to come down in price.
avgoround OP
287 posts
 
Upconverted image from 1080p to 4k? Not sure if anyone remembers when all the 1080i/480p so called progressive scan projection TV's came out years ago, but EERYTHING that was upconverted looked "soft". I seam to remember similar results on our 720p HD flatscreen tvs, upconverting standard def signals off cable and Satalite!..SOFT LOOKING!
Would this be the case with 1080p HD material, scaled up to 4k? Well from what I briefly read about the 4K sony projector on upconverting blurays (It makes little to no sense why you'd need a 4K bluray upconverting player, when your 4K display/projector would already do this), apparently, it does a superb job! With lesser material, probably not as good.
Anyway, since 1080p already is very good, I'd presume scaling up would be just fine across the board. Probably more of an issue is whether spending big bucks on a 4K display makes sense, when there's no real native content to use, and the cost of these units are PRICEY at this point!
Im sure, by the end of next couple of years, this won't matter, and all TV's will be either 1080p, ULtra HD, or 4k, and such, and prices will be down to todays reasonable 720/1080 points. Then, all of this won't matter.
Until then, I don't think they could offer enough incentive for me, or the consumer market, to upgrade their units to 4k. Most of us are plenty happy with 1080p at reasonable viewing distances.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,628 posts
 
I'm still pleased with my old Sony VW VPL VW-50 projecting onto a 100" screen, but I assume brightness and contrast is likely to have improved on newer models.

db
egrady
138 posts
 
If you have a reasonably good projector now, I'd say no. 2k is more than adequate unless you sit very close or are talking about 100"+ screens. Dbphd has hit the nail on the head. A 2k projector with JVC blacks, DLP sharpness, the ANSI contrast of a Kuro and 2000+ lumens of brightness would look far better than any current 4k projector.

I really don't think 4k will take off until we have really big and affordable OLED or projectors with a superior light source to lamps.

halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
If you're not happy with your old PJs......try a nightshirt ?
avgoround OP
287 posts
 
A NIGHT SHIRT!!..that's a good one.
Well, it's prob inevitable that the 4K projector will be plentiful in the next couple of years, and at attractive prices. And, if they simply scale the ABUNDANCE of avail 1080p Bluray and 720 (Netflix/streaming) source material, with superb results, a great deal of us will likely get on board. Yes, a bright enough image on a large Studiotek 150 gain white screen, at 4K'ish rez, would probably be spectacular. While Im a proponent of large images, I do need quality over quantity. And, if the scaled 1080p discs all look better scaled to 4K faux, then I would look foreward to seeing how big I could get a pristine image for the wow factor, regardless of how little 4K watchable content is avail.
I don't, for the record, think there will be much, and prob next to none on disc form.
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