CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[digitalayon]

OK. I have a 1208s/2 sitting in mothballs that has a little wear but not too bad. However a friend of mine has a NEC XG110LC that he will give me for 400 bucks. Now on Curt's rankings, the XG unit is by far more superior. But I'm guessing that is with a simple stock setup. The 1208 unit I have has PT18-205 tubes which I am told are sharper than most out there. And the set also includes Iris2 for easy convergence. I can add HDMI to either of them. Moome for the XG and Greg Eiserman for the Barco. The barco has a higher scan ate @ 120 as compared to the NEC's 110. The resolution on the XG can go higher but really isn't that relevant since it can do 1080P. But the tubes seem to be the real difference since the XG unit has LC tubes. However if I am comparing, I have a set of HD-145 Lenses that can go onto the Barco and add color filtering and help with the halo'ing. I know the XG is great on being able to adjust sharpness around the edges. Can this be done with the Barco? And how do either of these sets do with the 3D? I'm assuming the 3D would be great with the P18-205 lenses. So basically if I add the HD-145 lenses, would this unit be on par with the XG? Another question, How do I mount a 1208? The XG unit comes with a mount and has just over 1000 hours on it. Am I making this too hard?!?!?!...LOL

[Elaine Benes]

Everyone will tell you the XG, being LC is so much better its not even a competition, BUT, if absolute sharpness is the biggest thing for you, then the Barco will be sharper. However, the LC of the XG gives you much better potential contrast with a lack of haloing.

Then you've got to consider the actual platforms...XG's are very difficult to set up well, the operative word being "well". If the white balance has been screwed with, you'll have a terrible, perhaps impossible time setting up the XG to look good, if it hasn't been messed with, the color reproduction can be among the absolute best of any projector. The XG has tremendous capabilities for sharpness too, what with the extensive and powerful focus and astig controls, but with the complexity comes difficulty in perfecting the setup.

Personally, I'd choose the Barco because I find them easier to get a good image from, but you may not find that, and if there is wear on the Barco and not on the XG, then the XG has a clear advantage.

Also, consider the Barco HV chain is a weak link and the parts are really expensive, even used, thanks to "industrial" users of Barco's being willing to pay huge, highly inflated prices for parts.

So in the end, its pretty much a toss up, in my opinion...

As for mounting, the Barco is easier to mount unless you have a factory mount for the NEC. For a Barco, they have angle iron attached to the bottom which you can easily use to mount it with a simple black pipe mount and some unistrut.