Used Vidikron 2C...Should I or shouldn't I?

Yea, they say I have been around since the Earth cooled. My experience has been mostly with Sharp brand a few Sonys and now the Yamaha. Sharp had very few pixel problems. I think 3 was the limit that was acceptable and that depended on the position and the color. They were very easy to work with on these type of issues. I have seen only one entire panel meltdown. That was on a Sharp... in 8 years.. Tom

Well, I ran and hid long before 20 years-- to what do you attribute pixel / full panel failures in the Crystal series projectors?

--this may be a timing issue, but for a while there they were rampant, and Vidikron had a standard measurement of what was and was not grounds for warranty-- it was a set number of failed pixels, and they all had to touch. If you had 4 pixels out but they didn't touch, they called it OK.

As always, my post was just my 2 cents with a little attempted humor thrown in.

I have been involved in video for over 20 years.. At least 8 of those years working with lcd displays. I have seen only 1 panel failure out of maybe a hundred installed units that was a result of heat stress. Tom

.... Formerly Vidikron certified and trained installer steps to the podium, clears throat...

Ahem.

DON'T BUY IT.

Thank you.

* I was factory (well, import warehouse)trained on the old 3-gun series VPF40 & 50 series and the Vision 1 & 2, but also had to wrangle with Crystal series in store displays, and the Marantz LCD for a time.

Find a good, used DLP, not a badge-engineered bomb waiting to go off. Back in the day, if anything short of a clump of pixels resulting in a very, very noticeable blob on your screen didn't go out, no warranty on the LCD panel...

*** all statements subject to my admittedly foggy memory

*** Three guns break. They're like computers, it's not "Will it break", it's "How much will it cost to fix when it breaks" because it will. Trust me, it will. Usually when you have a house full for the big game.

*** Picture a 4 square inch piece of shrinky-dink plastic baking in your oven...That's your LCD panel sitting in front of that super-bright bulb. It will fail, oh yes, it will fail...

**** slightly off topic-CRTs- The guns in a 3 gun CRT projector are working anywhere from 3-8 times (depending on your fact source, projo model, etc.) than do the guns in a rear-projection TV set. Life span is shortened accordingly. Remember that a re-tube also necessitates re-set-up of your projector. That's not free unless you happen to be able to do it yourself, and I've not run across anyone without formal training who could do that (although if there are people who can "just figure it out" I'm sure they frequent this forum...) Remember if you do it wrong, you can and will make your picture look crappy, and quite possibly trash your new guns.

**last thing- DO NOT commit the sin of thinking any old screen will do. You need to match the screen type with the projector, the room, and your viewing position as well as ambient light issues to make it worthwhile. Your co-worker's screen may not be what your room needs. Check out the websites of Draper and other screen companies for more info on screens and applications. With ANY LCD or DLP projector, keep in mind good black levels will be tough to get, which means you absolutely must control ambient light and get the right screen. Oh, and pay close attention to set up and required positioning of the unit for your desired screen size-- LCDs are limited in this regard.

*** You really want a little box with a noisy fan and heat output like a first generation Krell amp on full boil in your music room?

****I need therapy.

I have the Yamaha lcd projector. Looks much better than any Runco or any other dlp I have seen for less than 10k.. Thats why I bought the Yamaha lcd. This lcd has better color rendition than any dlp I have seen.. The black level is better on the 12k Runco dlp. There will be no image burn in issues period... It is quiet and small. The Super Bowl in high definition on the Yamaha LCD looked like [if there were such a thing] a 84in.plasma..Incredible... It does true hd and the 3 lcd panels are 16/9...The Vidikron can still be serviced. The black levels on that projector will be no better than lcd. How many hours are on the guns..Most projectors have a service menu that tells you the running total. 3k to 5k hours is about the effective 1/2 life on crt's. You are looking at least a $2500 retube charge.. Lcd and dlp when you replace the lamp you basically have a new projector. Tom

It's actually the Vidikron CrystalView 2C...And thanks for your feedback.

I've been looking at various projectors as well. Is it the Vision 2, 8" CRT projector? That seems like a very low price if it is. BTW: those older CRT's only have RGB inputs for HD signals (component inputs being an option) so you would need a scaler or other interface. Also, it might be that Vidikron is out of business or has been sold. Something like that happened last year and their website seems inoperative. You might also want to check into that in case you need parts or think you might want to resell it.

CRT is still considered king for the best possible color and ability to produce all HD resolutions. The DLP projectors are much small, usually quieter and easier to place. I think LCD is going by the wayside in favor of DLP. good luck