See the future: 14" short-throw projector distance = 100" screen

[Kaido]

Thanks for the detailed review Kaido!

I was looking at this projector as a possibility when I was building my theater setup, but I saw some of the same complaints in user reviews that you also noticed. I think this is a good (maybe "interesting" is a better fit) first try, hopefully future models work out the problems.

My biggest complaints with LED projectors have been:

1. Low lumens
2. Focus creep
3. Lack of razor focus
4. No native 1080p models available (until recently)

With the introduction of the Viewsonic PLED-W800, I feel like 800 lumens is a good minimum number for LED projectors. I was excited to play with my buddy's PF1000u, which is 1000 lumens, but really, it looks more like 350 lumens - not as bad as the LG PH300 (300 lumens), but not as good as the Aaxa P300 (400 lumens). I've also used the Optoma ML750, which is 700 lumens, and that's not quite enough either. So either LG is outputting far less than advertised, or the mirror really kills the brightness.

I was messing around with the PF1000u too much to notice if it had focus creep (pretty much every LED projector I've ever used goes slightly & annoyingly out of focus when it warms up after a few minutes), but the focusing ability itself was just the worst ever. There was no "ahh perfect, nailed it!" moment, ever, period. That made text look absolutely terrible in 1080p. Plus it would go out of focus on one side or the other, so your Computer & Recycle bin icons would be a blur or else your taskbar icons by the clock would be completely fuzzy.

I've been wanting to try the PF1500, which is a whopping 1400 lumens @ 1080p, but soooooo many bad reviews. I have not had good luck with LG LED projectors at all, personally. For my current bedroom HT build, I went with a BenQ HT2050 for a lot of reasons...I never thought I would go back to a non-LED projector, but it fit the situation really well, and I am really happy with the more soothing fan noise, ridiculously good focusing abilities, and lack of focus creep. I don't like LCD televisions much myself...DLP RPTV or projector is what I stick with because I like the picture quality a lot better.

So, they still have some bugs to work out with LED projectors, especially the UST models, but they are amazing (the non-UST LED models!) as-is right now. I always recommend the W800 if people are looking for an LED model because the picture quality is outstanding, LOVE the contrast ratio's effect on the picture, instant boot, low heat, 10-year bulb, etc.

 

[ponyo]

I bought LG PF1500. I couldn't justify extra 50% cost for PF1000U. I'm using PF1500 in the bedroom and really like it but I don't have anything to compare it to other than my old Infocus X1.

 

[Kaido]

I bought LG PF1500. I couldn't justify extra 50% cost for PF1000U. I'm using PF1500 in the bedroom and really like it but I don't have anything to compare it to other than my old Infocus X1.

I can tell you that you made a good choice. More lumens & no weird focus issues from the mirror on the UST model. The PF1000u is getting returned for the BenQ ST - never played with a short-throw before either, anxious to check it out next weekend!

 

[Excelsior]

You'll love the BenQ. My W1070 is a champ.

 

[Kaido]

You'll love the BenQ. My W1070 is a champ.

Yeah, I've had the HT2050 for a couple weeks now, it's a beast! I still prefer LED projectors for a lot of reasons (instant-on, low heat, amazing PQ from the contrast, small size, etc.), but having to mount it on the bedroom ceiling & having the focus creep issue on virtually all of the LED PJ's I've tried was a no-go because I didn't want to have to adjust it manually all the time. It is nice having a light cannon again...I'm only running it at 75", but it lights up the whole room without needing the lights on haha.

I'll have to post a build thread when I have it all setup. I got a ZVOX 450 sound slab, which fit perfectly on my IKEA dresser, but it's getting return...really unhappy with the sound (strong tin can effect). I think even my previous Vizio soundbar sounded better. I was really sad that it didn't meet my expectations due to (1) the higher price, (2) the Accuvoice feature, which boosted vocals so you could actually understand what people were saying, (3) the Dynamic Volume adjustment feature, so that commercials didn't blast your ears off, and (4) the feature where all of the front LED's went dark after like ten seconds so it wasn't annoying. Great on paper, just didn't live up to the sound hype.

I really didn't want to have to do a separate sub because I didn't want the sound to travel to the other bedrooms, especially for watching stuff later at night like the Walking Dead, but since I haven't found any soundbars I'm super excited about (and all of the really well-rated models are $$$ & I'd rather just do a good 5.1 system instead), I'm working on a DIY Bose knockoff cube system using Acoustic Audio's AA321 cube speakers (about $14/ea). They show up Friday:

http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Audio-Mountable-Bookshelf-AA321W-5S/dp/B00KWIU488/

I'm not expecting a miracle, but I've had good results in the past with cheap, small full-range speakers & a small sub. I'm planning on using my previous 5.1 receiver & an 8" Andrew Jones subwoofer to balance it out (speakers go down to 150hz & the top-end of the sub is 150hz, not any room for overlap but I'd imagine for a bedroom system, it should be fine). Plus it's hilariously awesome having a projector in the bedroom, so you need big sound to match, right?

 

[wavefunction]

I've had the PF1000U for four months (bought it in Paris, France). I was impressed with the demo and now, after four months continue to be very pleased with the purchase.

Its not perfect, of course. There are some valid points made by other posters but I remain very happy with the PF1000U until, that is, I can afford a Laser Ultra Short Throw projector.

I want to enjoy films as they were meant to be seen - on a large screen. I also use a HTPC (WIndows 10, Media Portal) and surf the web for TED videos or YouTube etc.

I can confirm the focus isn't 100% perfect across the diagonal edges when looking at the desktop text. However, for TV and movies as far as I'm concerned I don't notice the imperfection.

In the distant past I've own a Sanyo projector that was ceiling mounted but the fan was so loud I had to cut a hole in the adjoining room wall and placed it in there.

For the six months prior to buying the PF1000U I had been looking at upgrading my 65 inch Samsung HD TV. To that end I've taken my harddrive of bluray films to various stores to test UHD TV's. While the colours, contrast and brightness on various UHD TV's were really impressive they all failed my tests because, in my eyes, the motion judder was simply horrible. Its no wonder most stores use very slow mo videos for demonstration. One store was kind enough to leave me to tweak the settings for an entire afternoon. No matter what I tried, the motion judder was unbearable. I concluded my HD Samsung was superior in that respect and walked away very disappointed.

So I re-examined my wants from a TV. I wanted the largest size screen possible (100 inch) in my room for a resonable price. Tick for the PF1000U.
I wanted to get rid of all the cabling and people walking in front of the projected image. Tick for the PF1000U Ultra Short Throw.
I wanted at least HD picture resolution. Tick for the PF1000U.

As Kaido wrote: If you have low expectations for picture quality & a need for putting it a foot and a half away from the wall, this is pretty much the only game in town right now if you want a 1080p LED UST.

Accepting its Kaido's opinion, I don't entirely agree with 'low expectations for picture quality'. Compare the PF1000U to my old Sanyo 800x600 picture at 100" and the PF1000U picture quality is, in my opinion, outstanding in comparison. It all depends upon what you are comparing against - providing its on a level playing field regarding price and features.

Its plenty bright enough for me even on Eco mode (which quietens the fan at the expense of a very slight reduction of brightnes). My room has a patio window next to the projected wall but is North facing (I'm in the Northern hemishpere) so the sunlight never directly enters the room. Of course, the best picture is obtained in a darkend room as is generally true for any projector.

So, at the moment, for the price, I've got everything I want in the PF1000U. That is, until something much better comes along at a price I can afford.

 

[wavefunction]

Oops. Finger trouble. All reference to PF100U should be replaced with PF1000U
Sorry for any confusion.

 

[Kaido]

I don't entirely agree with 'low expectations for picture quality'. Compare the PF1000U to my old Sanyo 800x600 picture at 100" and the PF1000U picture quality is, in my opinion, outstanding in comparison. It all depends upon what you are comparing against - providing its on a level playing field regarding price and features.

That's exactly it, it's all relative. If you're coming from an 800x600 bulb projector, going to a 1080p LED projector is going to be a huge leap up. As a business PowerPoint projector, I absolutely would avoid this due to the text warping issues. I also had issues with the color calibration & muddy darks, but I was comparing it to other LED & non-LED 720p & 1080p projectors, so again, if you're coming from an older model, it's a big jump forward.

If you absolutely need a UST projector, this model is hard to beat because the market isn't exactly saturated right now. It's also very cool because it's the size of a shoebox, and you can bounce up the screen size simply by pulling it away from the wall a few inches. I am definitely interested to see where this technology goes in the future!