6- Sharpness, Pixel visibility,
I lowered the sharpness setting to -2 and on resolution patterns, it looks great. With movies, sharpness is very good, I am really satisfied with SD DVD material, what about 1080p input?
The D7 generation panels have less visible structure than the D6, nevertheless the pixels are there. I can barely see them from 5-6feet but at 11 feet none…Nada. I will try binoculars
7- Cooling fan and Iris
Forgot to say the projector is 2 feet above my head. Fan is in low mode and is barely heard when there is no sound. Distractive? NO
Those who know me also know I have dual pro amps for my subs. I wish they were as noisy as the fan because they are way too noisier!! So I can never hear the projector fan unless I turn off my amps power. Really not a concern for me
The Dynamic Iris helps cut black from the projector. It takes about 1.5-2 seconds to fully close or open, and not noticeable on movie material. Only switching to the black screen shows its activity. Noise you say?? See read the above paragraph!
It is far less noisier than the projector fan, I can't imagine how some people complain about its noise, it must be defective units for sure.
8- Remote control,
The remote is very well designed. It is backlit and unlike my yammie receiver, buttons are very clear in the dark.
- Memory button for loading saving or erasing memory, color mode access button, Menu and aspect button
- 6 source buttons for quick access to signal input (HDMI 1, HDMI 2, components, PC, S-video and video),
- 6 picture adjustment buttons (Gamma, Contrast, Color temp., S. Tone, Pattern and blank)
What I like best about the remote control is that it works in any direction… it is also very light but well built.
9- Screen recommendation,
I will tentatively try to help here but again pls read the disclaimer in the very first post. That is only my opinion.
For a throw of about 12', and dark environment
Less than 100" : 0.8 HCCG screen
Between 100" & 115" : unity gain screen
More than 115" : 1.4 or higher gain screen
EDIT: for a Bat Cave (extremely dark walls and ceiling), 150 Hours on the bulb
Less than 100" : 0.8 HCCG screen
Between 100" & 105" : unity gain screen
More than 105" : 1.4 or higher gain screen
In my setup I use a Carada 106" BW screen (that I will soon review) was a tad brighter than what I wanted until the first 100 Hours passed. After about 100/150 Hours, the bulb lost some of its original brightness and it is now perfectly matching what I like (deep blacks and still bright picture).
For different throw distances, just do the math or go visit projectorcentral calculator.
10- Conclusion
This is the best upgrade done so far to my HT. I just can't wait to see what will be the impact of Blu-ray. Can't wait!!
