# Panasonic PT DX 800 US vs. Eiki EIP XHS100



## Bgarrett74 (Jan 31, 2015)

Hello,
I am doing some consulting work for a new high school theater and I was tasked with researching projectors. Just curious if anyone has used the Panasonic PT DX 800 or the Eiki EIP XHS 100. I have been using both brands but not these particular models. I do like the customer support for Eiki better than Panasonic but it seems like Panasonic is a little cheaper in price. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
B


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## ruinexplorer (Jan 31, 2015)

Sorry, I haven't used either of these models. I haven't worked with any of the Eiki brand that wasn't manufactured by another manufacturer (primarily Sanyo). That being said, I have a few preferences based on the specs listed that would lead me to Panasonic. I have found that with Panasonic, as with any giant conglomerate, the biggest challenge is making connections to the right service people. Once you get that connection, you shouldn't have any trouble with their customer service. I, too was frustrated with them when I first started using their projectors, but after playing the corporate game for a bit, I was able to get better direct contact and then didn't have that issue afterwards. Currently I don't use any of their projectors (primarily Christie), so I can't really offer assistance with that end.

I was wondering why you were choosing XGA resolution? Since you are working with a new theater project, I would expect at least some wide format. I also wonder why the choice of a single chip DLP over 3LCD (obviously I prefer 3-chip DLP)? I ask only to see what others are doing, not as a challenge to your install as I don't know all of the factors you have to consider.


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## Bgarrett74 (Feb 1, 2015)

Thanks for the reply. I agree with having to make the right connections with service people at Panasonic. As far as the resolution, the reason I chose a 4x3 resolution is because I am edge blending four projectors to make a large projected image on a cyc that is rear projected. I will be using Watchout as my playback. I wanted the extra height to the picture to cover the proscenium height. I only have 16' of depth and the proscenium is 18' tall. Also I was trying to stay within the budget. If I go with four projectors, I can spend around $6200 per projector. I figure that since the projection will be rear projection and upstage the resolution would be not as critical. Having that distance from the audience would be more forgiving. We are looking at doing a wide screen resolution for the front projector. I would love to go with a 3 chip DLP but the price won't allow. I wondered if a single chip DLP would be better than a three chip LCD. I have never put them side by side. Another reason I was going with these projectors was the edge blending feature in the projector. I want to see if I can get rid of the brightness doubling in the overlap portion of the video. 
Thanks,
B


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## ThomasL (Feb 1, 2015)

Since you are using Watchout, here's my 2-cents of info gathered from the Dataton forum over the years -

1. DLP projectors are better than LCD at edge-blend.
2. Digital connections (DVI, DP, HDMI) are also better than analog (VGA) at edge-blend due to impurities in analog signals.

And from what I've seen myself, a projector with built-in edge-blend features is better than doing it via software. If the model of Panasonic that you are contemplating is as good as its bigger brothers (6000 series and up) in terms of edge-blending, then you have a better chance solving that brightness doubling from hardware-based edge-blending from the projectors than using Watchout's software-based edge-blending. And you will need it when rear-projecting owing to an increased chance of hot-spotting!

Advice: If possible, check the edge-blend features of the Panasonic before buying - does it allow you to control/adjust the amount of black in the overlapping area? The ones I've seen, do.

ThomasL


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## ruinexplorer (Feb 1, 2015)

DLP projectors are better at edge blending due to them having a less noticeable "screen door effect" of seeing individual pixels than with a LCD projector. LCOS projectors are also good with this, but you have much more limited options with that technology.

There are a couple of challenges with single-chip DLP, as I see it. One is the choice of color wheel. There are several different color wheels based on what the manufacturer feels will be the main content being shown on the projector. The color wheel is also often the fastest point of failure on the projector. Since you have only a single chip, your color brightness drops significantly from your white brightness. This is probably my biggest concern with using a single-chip projector outside of the boardroom or home theater.

Normally I prefer DLP over LCD due to the image quality and long lasting nature. However, with a normal production schedule, you likely won't be using an LCD to the point of burn through on the panels, plus we aren't comparing a 3 panel to a 3 chip right now.

Another benefit of using the hardware blending (instead of software blending) is that you should be able to blend your black levels (raising them) as well as the white levels. This will be very noticeable every time you need to go to video black where you will see the brighter greys where you are blended if you don't match black levels.

I am concerned with rear projecting on a cyc. Since this material is generally not intended for passing an image through, you are going to lose a lot of your intensity. I would try to measure how much you can successfully pass through before making the investment. Maybe you can check with your supplier and see if you can get a demo model or two to play with. This will let you see what kind of expected results prior to spending your budget.


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## Mwchris (Feb 1, 2015)

FYI - Sanyo no longer makes projectors anymore. They were bought out by Panasonic. 

I'm very interested in your solution, because you are going 4:3 you should be able to find some quality products at a lower price point. That said, while I have not done any projects with blending I do like a lot of the offers from Epson due to price and cost of bulbs down the road. Almost all are at or below $100.


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## ruinexplorer (Feb 1, 2015)

Mwchris said:


> FYI - Sanyo no longer makes projectors anymore. They were bought out by Panasonic.


 
Too true, been that way for a couple of years now. Then again, I haven't played with any Eiki projectors since then.


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