CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Arizona Dan]

Hi

I have a chance to buy a Madrigal Imaging MP-9 CRT Projector for $750. At first, this sounds like a good deal, but the projector is sitting in the corner of someone's garage, and can't be demonstrated properly. The seller told me that the projector was working two years ago when it was last used. I have a couple of questions.

1. If the projector does not work properly, have I lost the $750.
2. Is this projector, and the Scaler, difficut to set up. I have a Runco DTV-943 and have managed to get it working O.K.
3. This thing is big - anyone want to help me move it up a flight of stairs.

I appreciate any advice that you can give me.

Dan

[Nashou66]

Get it, its a marquee 9500 LC. Great PJ. and plenty of parts and lots of guys here to help you trouble shoot it.

Also it is one the easiest to set up. Lots of info on the Marquee here

Post pics of it if he lets you look at it. also look at the tubes for wear. Plus Tim martin a CRT tech in in AZ.

Athanasios

[dvh99]

buy it, but ask him to project on a wall and scroll through the functions with the remote to see if all is well.

[CZ Eddie]

Even in non-working condition with roasted tubes, it's worth at least that much.
But only if the plastics are in near mint condition.

[CZ Eddie]

And if you can tear apart a computer, then you can tear apart a Marquee projector. I've got a step-by-step pictorial on how to do this. It's hosted right here on Curt's site.
A single person can not only carry a Marquee upstairs easily, but they can also hang it from a ceiling without assistance.

[Arizona Dan]

[img]

Here is a picture. As you can see that the front/top cover is missing. Would a part like this be available? Also, there is no remote. I could ask him to pull it out from the wall and turn it on - not sure what he would say.

Would anyone care to guess what the projector would be worth for spare parts - just it case...

Dan[/img]

[Curt Palme]

I've got covers and everything else for it. The parts are probably worth $500-750, but keep in mind, tubes are expensive for these...If it's been sitting for 2 years, it could have fungus issues, bellows issues, and if you're not going to do it yourself, expect to put between $300-2000 into it before you have a functioning set.

[Curt Palme]

I've got covers and everything else for it. The parts are probably worth $500-750, but keep in mind, tubes are expensive for these...If it's been sitting for 2 years, it could have fungus issues, bellows issues, and if you're not going to do it yourself, expect to put between $300-2000 into it before you have a functioning set.

[Arizona Dan]

Thanks Curt.

1. Speaking of tubes - How much are replacement tubes?
2. It has the scaler with it, but would I use the scaler if I go HDMI?

Sorry for all the questions, but I need some moral support for this king of purchase. Not sure what I am getting myself into.

Dan

[Tom.W]

I would say buy it as it took me a full 55 seconds to find the ad.

But remove the lenses and see if the tubes are in good shape before buying it also makes it a lot easier to carry .....

[Sparky015]

[TheVerge]

If it's on craigslist u need to haggle the price down anyway.

[DB Cooper]

It has a wired remote on top there. Also has the red c-element in there. Looks clean. For me that would be a no brainer, buy it! That close you can go look at it and not pay shipping.

[garyfritz]

Yes, the wired remote can be removed and used with a battery. You're good there.

Consider building a hushbox (with external air circulation) instead of buying covers for it. The 'Quee isn't that svelte and beautiful to look at anyway. It's not a very noisy projector but a hushbox will improve your viewing experience.

Definitely pull the lenses and get a sense of the tube condition. Post pix here if you can. That makes a HUGE difference in what it would cost you to get it running.

Look through the lenses to see if there is any damage to the C-elements. If he took it out in the sun, the lenses can cook the C-elements. If YOU take it out, cover the lenses!

[Arizona Dan]

Thanks for all of the great input, and the installation video. I have a question about throw distance. My current projector is 160 inches from the screen. For 16:9 image, the image is 116 inches wide (132 diagonal). I can't move the projector location much. What size image will this projector throw? Or, are there too many unknowns to know for sure.

[secstate]

It looks like you have already talked down the seller a bit on price. Given your location at least you don't have to worry about humidity in the garage. Here in the mid-Atlantic region if it has spent to years in an unconditioned garage you'd have a lot of corrosion. IF the tubes are good, and the lenses are good and a desirable version I'd say your risk is fairly low if you are willing to part out, sell and ship out the parts if it doesn't work for you. Curt is right that it may cost you more to quite a bit more to get working. That said the colored C-elements, lenses and tubes are probably worth more or less $750 assuming good condition. There are probably other diserable boards in the projector you could also sell. Personally I still think it is high for the current CRT market given its somewhat unknown condition but I am a cheap bastard.

As an aside I purchased two Barco 9" sets a year ago for much less than this both needing work. I had to use both to get one working one and even with that I need a bunch of additional parts (quad, green tube, horizontal shift and focus board, and convergence drive board). Luckily other than the green CRT and the horizontal shift and focus board, I had all the necessary pieces, otherwise my project would have got a whole lot more expensive. It took me about two months all told to get one projector working perfectly. If you are not into DIY, I am not sure this is a good price. And Tom is right it takes 30 seconds to find this.

[draganm]

I wonder how much of this is true, the "automatic conversion" camera is obviously for real

Red, Green, and Blue
Readers familiar with CRT projectors will instantly recognize the MP-9's major characteristics and features. Its large chassis, trimmed in a variety of available wood finishes, sports red, green, and blue CRTs and lenses at the front and an input panel at the rear. An additional small, movable lens, mounted front and center below the main lenses, is used for the ACON II (automatic conversion) system—a standard feature.

The MP-9's 9-inch CRTs bring several performance benefits over smaller ones: greater light output, better contrast, and, perhaps most important, higher resolution. The Madrigal also includes other performance-enhancing features, including scan capability for any current or conceivable video source, gamma correction (for better gray-scale tracking), nine-zone electronic astigmatism correction (for spot shape and focus at the periphery of the image), mechanical Scheimpflug adjustment (optimizes focus at opposite sides of the picture), memories for up to 75 different setups (certainly more than is needed for any home-theater application), compatibility with home automation systems, external computer-control capability, built-in test patterns, and more.

Starting with a basic chassis originally designed by ElectroHome of Canada, Madrigal has performed a number of significant upgrades, many of them recommended by video expert Joe Kane. Chief among these is color filtering of the CRTs for a more accurate color palette. The uniformity for multiple aspect ratios is also improved by adding greater flexibility to the horizontal and vertical deflection circuits. Enhanced software provides for a wider range of setup adjustments, including finer focus in the corners. And the electromagnetic focus may be separately optimized for each scanning frequency, making it possible, for example, to separately tweak the projector for maximum performance with both the upscaled standard definition programming and high definition (720p and 1080i) sources.

The MP-9 can be controlled with a wireless illuminated remote or with an identical wired remote located under the top cover. According to the owner's manual, a Madrigal IRIQ remote control should also come with the projector, but we did not receive one.

[Arizona Dan]

I am not too worried about corrosion, I think the projector has been sitting in the garage only a few weeks. The rest of the time it was hanging on the ceiling. After reading all of the replys, it seems that it comes down to the condition of the tubes and lenses. I also wonder how much better it will be compared to my Runco DTV943. Of course I know it will be better, but how much better. Kind of like comparing audio equipment. Anyhow, other than the condition of the projector, I still need to figure out if the throw distance will work. Maybe I should just buy it, and if it does not work out, just sell it. It would be a lot of work, but I don't mind.

Dan

[Tim in Phoenix]

Hey Dan

Anything this beast needs I can help you with, I am a few miles from you.


.

[dvh99]

i would take someone along who know about marquees.
glycol and bad bellows can be replaced easily.

you can mod the hell out of that pj it really pays off.

i am a bit embarrased to say how much i got into it in parts alone.

[Arizona Dan]

Good idea about taking someone along that knows marquees. Tim, would you be interested in going with me to look at the projector. You can email me if you prefer.

Dan