CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Vermin]

Hi

I have a very well adjusted Marquee 8500 with Color Filtered Glykol. Perfekt Color calibrated...very good Sharpness.
Now I received an offer of a Sony G70 rating 8,5 - 8,5 - 9.
Worth the upgrade from Marquee 8500 to the Sony G70 really? Or better wait for a Marquee 9500LC in good condition?

The upgrade will cost me about 280USD
What do you think?

[Zebu Fellenz]

The LC makes a huge difference in my opinion, if the tubes are in similar condition I would be quick to upgrade. The G70 does have some geometry issues that cannot be fully corrected out, but watching movies this is something you'll never see unless you're looking for it, it's a very minor issue for me.

If color filtering for proper colors is important to you I would go for the G70, unless you have a source for the red C-element used in the 9500, I believe the stock is gone, and finding one is not easy.

[garyfritz]

I went from a color-filtered 8500 to a G70 -- and back to the 8500.

You've already made what I think is one of the biggest improvements to the 8500 -- color filtering. I couldn't stand the pasty colors of the unfiltered 8500. With that change, the 8500 can compete pretty well with the G70.

Mainly I dropped the G70 because it had some issues I couldn't resolve, so I sold it to Curt and hung the 8500 again. But there were other things about the G70 I didn't like -- the memory model in particular drove me f'in crazy. Totally braindead design IMHO. But other people use it without trouble so maybe that's just me.

I think the P16 tubes in the G70 are sharper (finer phosphor grain) than the 180DMB22 tubes in the 8500. The G70 geometry control is also superior, although as Zebu says it has some issues (e.g. gullwing distortion). However the G70 lenses are definitely superior to the stock HD8b lenses on the Marquee. I have HD145 color-filtered lenses in my 8500, which I think are comparable to the G70 lenses.

Both projectors are just barely capable of 1080p, but the G70 might do it a little better. 1080p is really beyond the ability of both. 720p is usually a better choice.

I compared the 8500 side-by-side to the G70, with a G70 owner in the room with me. Neither projector was set up perfectly but they were both very good setups. We couldn't see a significant difference between the two, even in scenes where the LC should have made a big difference. Frankly I was pretty disappointed. (My friend's G70 image blows away my 8500, partly due to the superior geometry control but mostly due to his High Power screen. I couldn't get my G70 to look anywhere near as "WOW" as his with my screen.)

Bottom line: if you have the stock HD8b lenses, the difference in lenses and LC-vs-AC are probably the biggest improvements between 8500 and the G70. The G70 should look a bit better than the 8500 but I don't think it will be a huge step up.

For $280 I think it's well worth the experiment! You might want to hang onto your 8500 for a while, like I did, in case you decide you prefer it...

[Nashou66]

Id keep the 8500 and use the money for other things. instead of the colored Glycol i would have gone with the Hd144/145 colored lenses and adaptors. the HD 144's are much Sharper than the HD-8s. LC does help out from what i hear with contrast, if you could find a set of LC tubes for the marquee that be another option, then you need to find a red C-element. i have one now but waiting on the buyer to commit. I do have a set of 8 inch LC tubes for sale possibly , for lens you could probably find a set in Europe since they are very heavy shipping to you would be expensive. madMrH in london has lots of HD10 series lens's

Athanasios

[Vermin]

ok. You've convinced me...i will not take the Sony.
If the difference is only in details then I'll stay at the marquee for the next Time.
If i find a marquee 9500lc in good condition...i will probably buy it.

[jradwanski]

really if you get the tubes, lenses, and the mounting plates for the lc housings and put them into your 8500 you will now have a 9500lc. If your 8500 is in good condition you could have a top notch pj.

[Vermin]

I only know someone has writen that it just works with the Electronic of an 8500ultra. Not with the normal 8500. My Marquee has an running time of about 1200 hours.

[Spanky Ham]

[benareeno]

how would anyone not buy a g70 for 280? LC to some is huge, to others it's not...to those that it's not huge, they have light colored walls and don't mask their screen. I think LC is a big deal...

Could you please buy the G70 and sell me that 8.5 green for a good price??

Keeping the 8500 to get Joust mods is ridiculous if you have a G70 sitting there...

[1031]

If that G70 is so cheap.. buy it, if you dont like it, just take lc-chambers+lenses from G70 and put those to your marquee..And sell rest of G70
Georg song posted this a while back.
http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=215920#215920

[Vermin]

The Price difference between the 8500 and G70 is about 280USD if I get the Marquee sold well.
Rebuild the Tubes from G70 to 8500 is a realy amazing Project....NO...i wont do this

Switch to 9 " seems to be the best way to get a visibly better image. Some weeks ago I had a NEC XG with hd144 optics . Better edge Focus .. ok. But in the middle there is not visibly different to the HD8revB.

Marquee 9500lc is the best upgrade i think. But the prices are very high here in Germany. Under 1000Euro(~1450USD) you don´t get 9500 in good condition.

[Jim Shonk]

Moving from an 8500 to a G70 was clearly an upgrade for me. I did an over and under stack to compare, the G70 was sharper and cleaner at higher resolutions, The color was more lifelike.

And let’s face it (holding my hands over my face to block the soon flying debris) they are a way better looking machine.

[Spanky Ham]

[GREG1292]

I like all the opinions expressed so far but can't understand all the
love for the electrohome 8500. I had one with 1200 hours on it with mint
tubes and didn't care for it but that is just me as everyone knows I
like the barco's
The G70 which I have owned both was easier to setup and had a better picture and you don't need mods to make it better.
LC to me is richer picture and AC to me just plain sucks . Hi end LC video for a song.
I have a Zenith 1200x and for the money tough to beat but missed the G70 so much that I just bought a G70
as a backup! Must be rated higher than an 8500 for a reason
Good luck

[Nashou66]

I've seen a G70 set up and it does look great but i attributed it to to the LC and the lenses, which are way better than the HD 145's which back then were not a stock item but now are. if you had a color filtered 8500LC i think things would be different. And modding a Marquee is one of the things that people like about it, its a hobby for some like myself, mike Parker, HK-Steve etc, and just to know if I had a G70 i'd be modding that too

Athanasios

[GREG1292]

[Vermin]

hmmmm. Not easy.
I still think about it whether i should buy it or not.

The tubes look good...a little wear

[AnalogRocks]

Buy it. Everyone need a spare projector or 5

[AnalogRocks]

Buy it. Everyone need a spare projector or 5

[GREG1292]

[Vermin]

OK....I think i buy it and try it.