Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Playing DVD movies?

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Posted by Ron Davis (Member # 4124) on 11-24-2008, 07:57 AM:

We are purchasing a Hitachi CP-X807 projector to start doing DVD projection, but we are trying to get away with NOT buying a special long throw lense for it (we have about a 65 foot throw to the screen).

We currently have a low end projector that we use, but the image is just to large for the screen. I'm hoping that the new projector wont have that problem, but if it does, I'm looking for a cheap solution.

I am hoping to find a DVD player that will scale the image down BEFORE sending it to the projector. The way we currently get around this is to run it through a laptop in the projection booth and play the movie in a 'windowed' mode, then just sizing the window so the image fits on the screen. It works pretty well.. until the computer locks up. (Now we know how the Wizard felt when the curtain was pulled back).

Does such a dvd player exist? Is there a device I could buy to put between the dvd and projector? Am I over-thinking the problem and should just suck it up and throw down for the lense?

Thanks all!

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 11-24-2008, 10:03 AM:

Buy the lens, preferably a zoom lens to make it fit right. We occasionally source from a DVD for special events, etc. DVDs look OK up to our flat screen width of 26 feet but when scope formated images are projected full width 39 feet they don't look good, look like crappy video. Some DVDs look a lot better (or worse) than others, black and white looks sharper than color. Some players look better than others. We used a Magnavox player for a while and thought it looked OK on the screen but when it died and we replaced it with an Insignia (a Best Buy brand) the Insignia looks much sharper.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 11-24-2008, 10:14 AM:

Ron, stop and do the math before you buy anything. You have a 65 foot throw to the screen, what is your screen width? Typical video projectors expect the throw to be close to the width, so it sounds like you're in for a world of hurt.

Scaling the image down, either in the DVD player, or in the projector, is going to just look bad. DVDs don't have enough pixels as it is (remember they are just standard-definition television). If you're trying to make this look halfway decent (and if you're buying a projector, one assumes that you are!), you need to get the right lens.

Hitachi even has some lens calculators on their web site, so that should help you out. It looks like they have several optional lenses, can you really not find a dealer who will sell you the long-throw lens without the standard lens for a reasonable price?

--jhawk

Posted by Jamie Glossop (Member # 2180) on 12-05-2008, 07:51 AM:

What about HD DVD or Blu Ray DVD's ? wont they improve the picture abit?