CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[pkepneriv]

Hi guys I wanted to ask your opinion on something. I am new to the CRT projector world. I setup plenty of newer LCD and DLP projectors because we have a custom home theater installation company. One of my hobbies hobbies is collecting and watching laserdiscs. I keep hearing how well laserdic look on a CRT projector because they are both analog display items. I have been looking around locally for a CRT projector and trying to find one that is worth messing around with. I don't want to ship one because they are so big and heavy. Long story short there is a gentleman near me that has a Runco DT-940 along with the Faroudia LD200 line doubler. He is asking $400 obo for it. He says it works very well and was recently serviced. My question is is this a decent CRT projector to start playing around with or should I look for something else? Is that a fair price or should I offer less and if so what would be a good starting point to offer. I know it has 7" lenses and will do 720p and 1080i according to Curt. Any help or advice would be wonderful! I would love to find and get a Barco 1209 but my wife would never allow that behemoth in the house lol.

Thanks,
Paul Kepner

[draganm]

That's a Barco 700 series. If you really want to line double laser discs, then it's perfect.
If you also want to watch true HD sources then I would keep looking

[pkepneriv]

If I didn't use the line doubler and ran lines straight from say the DVD or bluray player the projector would still display up to a 720p picture wouldn't it? What other projectors would you recommend?

Thanks!

[Curt Palme]

Paul, you've gotta read that FAQ link that I sent you. A video signal (composite) is only 480i, as low a resolution as it gets. In order to display a higher resolution, you'd need a line doubler or a scaler. The rare BArco projector has a built in line doubler or scaler, but none of the Runcos did.

With your laserdisc collection, you might actually be able to use the Faroudja, but I think a newer model DVDO or Lumagen may be a better processor, esp. if you get one that scales up to 720p. A doubler is only 480p.

I still think the price the seller is asking is too high, as I guarantee the set will have some sort of wear on the tubes. New tubes are no longer available, and were $600 each when they were.

Put it this way: I sell that projector with mint tubes for $800 with a warranty, so if that set shows any wear, you'd almost be better off buying a known working set from me.

[Curt Palme]

Paul, you've gotta read that FAQ link that I sent you. A video signal (composite) is only 480i, as low a resolution as it gets. In order to display a higher resolution, you'd need a line doubler or a scaler. The rare BArco projector has a built in line doubler or scaler, but none of the Runcos did.

With your laserdisc collection, you might actually be able to use the Faroudja, but I think a newer model DVDO or Lumagen may be a better processor, esp. if you get one that scales up to 720p. A doubler is only 480p.

I still think the price the seller is asking is too high, as I guarantee the set will have some sort of wear on the tubes. New tubes are no longer available, and were $600 each when they were.

Put it this way: I sell that projector with mint tubes for $800 with a warranty, so if that set shows any wear, you'd almost be better off buying a known working set from me.

[pkepneriv]

Ah ok thanks Curt. Are there any other brands and models that you would recommend where you an get replacement tubes?

Thanks,
Paul

[Curt Palme]

Short of 9" tubes, you can't get replacement tubes for any CRT at this point. Actually 8" tubes are avaiable, but they are the same price as the 9" tubes, $1200 each.

There is zero support for CRT projectors save for this forum and a couple of others out there. It's very much like the person that drives a 1965 Mustang. The manufacturers won't tell you anything, and they pretend they never made them. In fact, Barco has been sending people to this site for years...

If you're not into DIY and doing a bunch of research, tweaking and learning and fiddling to get a good pix, then CRT isn't for you. Sounds like you've got no issues doing some basics, but before you buy any CRT, do a bunch of reading here and on the main site to get familiar with what you're getting into, otherwise it's really easy to throw money out the window.

[Curt Palme]

Short of 9" tubes, you can't get replacement tubes for any CRT at this point. Actually 8" tubes are avaiable, but they are the same price as the 9" tubes, $1200 each.

There is zero support for CRT projectors save for this forum and a couple of others out there. It's very much like the person that drives a 1965 Mustang. The manufacturers won't tell you anything, and they pretend they never made them. In fact, Barco has been sending people to this site for years...

If you're not into DIY and doing a bunch of research, tweaking and learning and fiddling to get a good pix, then CRT isn't for you. Sounds like you've got no issues doing some basics, but before you buy any CRT, do a bunch of reading here and on the main site to get familiar with what you're getting into, otherwise it's really easy to throw money out the window.

[pkepneriv]

Curt I don't mind fiddling with the projector. Believe I read on here that it is sometimes possible to have the tubes rebuilt?? Is this true? What would good used tubes run roughly?

Thanks,
Paul Kepner

[Curt Palme]

Nope, rebuilt tubes were crap, and the production line shut down 2 years ago. Nada, no longer.

Tubes wear unequally, the greens always wear first, so they demand a premium, depending on the client. I've got a large selection of fair to mint tubes, ranging from $10=1000 depending on the tube, the color, the set, and quite frankly the client. A consumer HT user is almost always budget conscious, whereas a flight simulator will either still buy new tubes at full retail, or pay a premium for mint used tubes. THe 940 is considered an entry level set at this point simple due to the resolution. Finding mint tubes for the 940 series is going to be tough. I try and keep a set here, but I've got at least 50 planetariums that still use the sets, so that's usually where they sell to. I can get $800 for a set of tubes, sometimes I throw in a free projector that they are installed in () and if you do a search for people wanting to buy only green tubes, it would fill pages and pages.

In general, a very good to mint green tube will fetch 30-60% of a brand new one since they are in high demand.

[Curt Palme]

Nope, rebuilt tubes were crap, and the production line shut down 2 years ago. Nada, no longer.

Tubes wear unequally, the greens always wear first, so they demand a premium, depending on the client. I've got a large selection of fair to mint tubes, ranging from $10=1000 depending on the tube, the color, the set, and quite frankly the client. A consumer HT user is almost always budget conscious, whereas a flight simulator will either still buy new tubes at full retail, or pay a premium for mint used tubes. THe 940 is considered an entry level set at this point simple due to the resolution. Finding mint tubes for the 940 series is going to be tough. I try and keep a set here, but I've got at least 50 planetariums that still use the sets, so that's usually where they sell to. I can get $800 for a set of tubes, sometimes I throw in a free projector that they are installed in () and if you do a search for people wanting to buy only green tubes, it would fill pages and pages.

In general, a very good to mint green tube will fetch 30-60% of a brand new one since they are in high demand.

[pkepneriv]

"I can get $800 for a set of tubes, sometimes I throw in a free projector that they are installed in ()"

So a complete set of tubes for the 940 projector run roughly $800 give or take some? What would be a good mid range projector to look for that isn't as huge as the Barco 1209?

Thanks,
Paul Kepner

[gjaky]

IMHO If you looking for the best performance/size ratio probably the NEC PG xtra would win (loud!), but in these days very unlikely to find with good tubes, spare tubes also hard to find

[RaWsHaRk]

[draganm]

[pkepneriv]

[draganm]

PG+ is fine, but tubes are everything, and to see them the lenses need ot come off. A little wear is ok, but make sure there isn't a piece of burnt toast on the Phosphor. see this

http://www.curtpalme.com/TubeCondition_RatingChart.shtm