2012-feb-14
Robert Forsman

I bought a Vivitek D950HD a few days ago. It replaced a Dell 5100MP.

	Vivitek D950HD	Dell 5100MP
resolution	1920x1080	1400x1050
aspect	16:9	4:3
lumens	3000	3300
projector cost	$900	$2500 new, $1100 used
bulb cost	$300	$400
bulb life	6000hr	1700hr

The mounting holes weren't in the same configuration as my old Dell 5100MP, so my old mount (made from various metal parts you can buy at Home Depot) would not be reusable.

I dropped $100 on a "universal" projector mount that works just fine.

The brightness doesn't measure up to the old Dell 5100MP, but 3000 lumens < 3300 lumens ; and I am illuminating more square feet than the Dell was.

I did notice that the color discrimination on the dark end was better with the Vivitek. ( I could see the terrain in End Time's Emerald Dragonshire sub-zone ). However, this might just be because I had fiddled with the Dell's contrast and brightness settings.

I solved the brightness problem by just unscrewing the recessed light bulb that was shining in my eye. Now my rec room has 2/5 light bulbs shining and the rest off.

The size adjustment on the projected image is pretty weak. The diagonal measurement of the largest projected image is 0.72x the distance from the lens to the surface. The smallest projected image is 5/6 the largest. I should measure the range on my 5100MP for comparison.