CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[[Frankie]]

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Hi! I'm new to this forum so i introduce myself, i'm Andrea [in italy is a boy name] i'm 20 and i'm from Italy. I explain the situation: i have bought like 1 years ago a CRT Projector, a IPR ItalProjector, it's basically a enty level projector from the 80's , it has got only a composite video input and a RGB Input for a Scart cable, so it runs only at 576i. I surfed the internet looking for another CRT Projector that can handle easily 1080p or 1080i and i found this NEC 9 PG Xtra at the moderate price of 590 € without the shipping charges (it's like 800$). So it's a good price? and then, the owner of the projector lives 250 miles from where i live and i haven't done a trip that long before so i guess i need to ship this projector, and i just haved a bad experience with shipping (the IPR Projector was shipped to me with two cracks on the main board due to the courier, so i repaired it connecting all the broken tracks of the circuit and at the end it worked). Anyone of you have ever shipped a projector? What should i do? Thank you and have a good day.

[Curt Palme]

I would definitely drive to go get it. $800 to ship 250 miles is insane,but I know everything is more expensive in Europe. Shipping from me in Vancouver to an Italian airport is only $600 though!

To me $590 is too much for a PG Xtra, unless the tubes are perfect. Heck, for $1400 I could probably get you into a very light wear NEC XG, which is a bit better than the Xtra, and about 5 years newer.. if you want to spend that much.

Curt

[Curt Palme]

I would definitely drive to go get it. $800 to ship 250 miles is insane,but I know everything is more expensive in Europe. Shipping from me in Vancouver to an Italian airport is only $600 though!

To me $590 is too much for a PG Xtra, unless the tubes are perfect. Heck, for $1400 I could probably get you into a very light wear NEC XG, which is a bit better than the Xtra, and about 5 years newer.. if you want to spend that much.

Curt

[[Frankie]]

[CasetheCorvetteman]

Get some tube face shots of the XTRA and we can advise you better, they tend to be quite reliable really, so it depends alot of tubes.

[kabuby77]

Some repetition in Italian for the newbie
Ciao Andrea come ti hanno già dettto, il valore dei proiettori CRT in pratica è dato dallo stato dei tubi. Tre tubi nuovi ti costano più del proiettore quindi devi assolutamente valutare di persona prima di fare un acquisto. Tieni in considerazione che spesso le foto con flash ingannano e fanno sembrare quasi nuovo un tubo con tante ore alle spalle.

There are marquee 8500 for sale in Italy, maybe they are a better choice.
Be careful because the CRT is now a passion, it is not intended as a way to save money.

[[Frankie]]

[kabuby77]

Look at the market in the italian forum you wrote about the old projector. Do not trust anyone (except Curt), the wear of the tube depends on how you set the brightness/contrast.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

The wear has abit to do with brightness and contrast, but there is a hell of alot more to it than that.

The PG XTRA will be every bit as good as an 8500, the only real advantage i see there is its easy enough to upgrade it to a 9", but still not overly cheap to do so. The 9PG XTRA isnt that far behind an XG, they all have electronic astig, and NECs have the best convergence system bar none.

[[Frankie]]

Hi! It's me again, thank you for the answers! I've got some updates: I've contacted the owner of the projector and he have said that he will come to my home to try the projector, see how to adjust the convergence, see if the remote works properly ecc. so it seems that the transation it's going fine. But I've got some other doubts; i've read on a forum (it's called AV Forum) that NEC Projectors have got some "problems" like that they are very difficult to calibrate proprerly and that the resolution declared it's not the actual resolution, that the projector cant' reach 1600x1200. So it is true? From what i read on the site, i guess not, because the projector has got a bandwith of 92 KHz and, if i remember it right, 1080p need only 60 KHz to be displayed. For the calibration i don't know, i still haven't read the manual of the projector. Thank you and have a good day.

[Jeremy112]

The 9PG Xtra will probably throw a 1080p image out its tubes, but it most likely wont resolve all the lines of resolution (i.e. you wont see all the detail 1080p has to offer). Its not designed to be a full HD projector. Ideally it is for 720p 1080i viewing. The most I ever ran my former 9PG Xtra at was 1680x1050 (16:10 AR), but found out later than 1366x768 (16:9 AR) was a better choice (It resolved just fine, and it was a normal HD aspect ratio)

It still looked spectacular compared to a few other CRTs I had, but again, 1080p is not what its made for. You will actually get a more superior image using a lower resolution.

[gjaky]

It is true, that NECs have a more complex geometry and convergence system than other makes but this only means you can dial in perfectly. Sure it looks difficult for a first time owner, but it's not rocket science. If you setup a NEC a few times and figure out what are the adjustments for you will be able to set it up with eyes closed. But every projector has a learning curve...

It is also true for every CRT projector that the given resolution (usualy appearing in the brochure) does not mean the actual resolving power of the particular model. On a CRT projector the addressability depends of the max H. and V. scanrate, but for a good looking picture you'll need sharp focus, and some bandwidth too. Besides, the 9PG xtra is damn close to resolve what is stated about it. A 9PG xtra will not fully resolve 1080P of course, but will give a nice enough picture. With interlaced resolutions, like 1080i 96Hz or 72Hz the results are even better. With a careful setup in 720P the scanlines are visible!

[Jeremy112]

[CasetheCorvetteman]

Ive done 1600x1200p at 60Hz with my 9PG plain and it was as sharp or sharper than 1920x1080i.

The NECs are not difficult at all to set up, it just takes time to learn what every setting does, and there are lots of them. Knowing which ones to adjust comes easily with some experience, and there is no question it can be perfect right to the corners even on an uneven surface.

Perfect convergence results in a sharper image. Getting the blue defocus set correctly is easiest on an NEC, because the PGs have a switch for it and the XGs have a setting in the menu for it.

[[Frankie]]

Ok, so i guess that what i read on that forum was just trash. Thank you Case, Jeremy and gjaki for the answers, now i've got a more clear idea of what i'm about to buy, it seems a very good product. To be honest there is a thing that i haven't still get right: from what gjaki have said, how can scanlines be displayed if i use a progressive scan like 720p? With 720p should i see scanlines?

[gjaky]

[CasetheCorvetteman]

When i ran 1600x1200, i couldnt see scanlines from 4 meters away on the 125" screen, but up close they were just visible in the middle, and Windows text was sharp and clear everywhere on the screen.

Having said that, i was driving my 9PG Plain beyond recomended raster size with near full raster usage, and although it lasted five years that way, it quite likely led to the convergence board failure i suffered. I have two working spares anyway, and the set is a surplus now. I will eventually transplant this set into a rear projection TV, which should produce one hell of an image using Panasonic LC housings, and being true multi-sync itll be as good as rear pro TV for retro gaming can be.

Even now, a PG is a great set when working properly, the XTRA being a considerable step up from my plain. HD145 lenses factory standard, 9 zone astig, and a convergence system second to none really lift the NECs into a class of their own. NEC made what i believe to be sets with little or no compromise, there is almost nothing you could change to make them better for their day, and for 1992, the PG blew everything else in its class away with ease.

[[Frankie]]

I've got a new update: I've found a Barco 808 at a very low price (100€) near my city but i still don't know if it's a graphics or a data. What do you think, should i buy it? The resolution is the same of the NEC 9 PG Xtra, the only problem is that the owner of the projector doesn't know if it works and he hasn't got the remote. Later i'll send him an e-mail to ensure if it's a graphics or a data and if he can send me some photos of the tubes.

[draganm]

[[Frankie]]

Ok, he sent me the photos of the tubes, to me they look new and also he said that it's a Cine 8, so if it works i buy it for sure. He lives 10 Km from my house, i try the projector at his house with a PC connected to it. Is really a problem if he doesnt' have the remote? Is it possible to calibrate the tubes with the controls built-in on the Barco? If not, is it hard to find a remote? Can't i use the RS232 port to calibrate the projector with a software on the PC? Thank you and have a good day!

[[Frankie]]

Sorry for the large images, if they're too large i can resize them