Posted on March 14, 2008 By Art Feierman
With three different basic types of screens out there (fixed wall, pull-down, and motorized), only those buying a motorized screen need to concern themselves with the 12 volt trigger issue. A 12 volt trigger allows the projector, upon power up and power down, to automatically drop and raise a motorized screen. The key points though are: Most motorized screens do not come with the matching 12 volt trigger interfacing except as an option, which can cost an extra couple hundred dollars or more. Further, there are other options, as some motorized screens offer infra-red or radio frequency remotes (often optional, although, of note, Elite Screens motorized screens all come with both IR and RF remotes). The bottom line is, even if your projector lacks a 12 volt trigger, you can still at least have the option of selecting a screen that will allow you some form of remote ability to open and close, so lack of a 12 volt trigger isn’t a deal breaker. Lastly, for many, a remote makes more sense than using a 12 volt trigger, in that for the 12 volt trigger you need to run a cable from the projector to the screen, increasing your installation effort and costs.
Of the 20 projectors considered, these do not have 12 volt triggers, (the rest do): All JVC projectors, Panasonic PT-AE2000U, Sanyo PLV-Z2000,
Excellent: Optoma HD81, HD81-LV – maximum
Very Good: Everyone else, except:
Good: JVC DLA-RS1, DLA-RS1x, DLA-RS2 (for lack of a standard computer input)
The Sanyo PLV-Z2000 projector input panel
The Panasonic PT-AE2000U projector input panel (sorry, slightly out of focus!)
The input panels of the Mitsubishi HC6000 and HC4900 projectors (same for both).
The input panel for the BenQ W5000 and W20000 projectors (same for both).
The input panel for the Optoma HD80, HD8000, and HD803 projectors (same for all three).
The Sony VPL-VW40 projector input panel.
The Sony VPL-VW60 projector input panel.
the input panel for the JVC RS1, RS1x and RS2 projectors (same for all three)
the input panels of the Optoma HD81 and HD81-LV projectors. (same for both).
the InFocus IN82 projector input panel.
OK, that pretty much covers the info about placement, and input capabilities. For some of you, it has allowed you to eliminate one or more of these projectors. After all, no matter how good the image quality of a particular projector, if you can’t place it in your room configuration, you have to cross it off the list. Of course that simplifies your final choice a bit. Since those who will consider buying an anamorphic lens are a very tiny portion of the buying public, at this time, I did not factor anamorphic lens support into the ratings.
One other thing worth mentioning – the physical size of the projectors. Of the twenty, three are small or medium size home theater projectors, while five are definitely significantly larger. The small ones: Both Epson Cinema 1080s, the Mitsubishi HC5000, and the Optoma HD81. The large projectors: JVC DLA-RS1, Sony VW50 Pearl and the BenQ W9000 and W10000. The Panasonic PT-AE1000U is somewhere in the middle, size wise.
Time to consider image quality of these 1080p projectors.
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