I have a JVC HD-1 and it is probably one of the brightest projectors on the market (don't read the manuf specs, they are useless). People on the AVS forums will tell you that the JVC is a light cannon. I have it paired with a 120" Dlite Hi Power screen and even with the lights completely on in the room the picture is watchable. If you are looking to get just a 70" screen, you should check out the Black Diamond screen from screen innovations. There is a demo on their website. I've see it in person on a 90 or 92 inch screen and you literally can't tell the difference on the picture when the lights are completely on or off in the room. It is absolutely amazing. The only reason I didn't go with it was because I wanted a larger screen.
+1 on sean's suggestion for the Black Diamond from Screen Innovations. Even with a fair amount of ambient light, it looks like a flat panel.
+1 on jamaal's suggestion that, for 5" extra, why bother? Go to 90" or 100" or more, and you have a workable and useful upgrade. For 70", it's like trading in a perfectly good 25 cubic foot refrigerator for a 26 cubic foot one.
The only reason I could see going for a projector when the image is that little is because the picture looks more, well, real.
The black diamond is a good screen especially if you want excellent contrast ratio in environments that are not light controlled. Note that the off-axis-viewing is poor and may not be a good solution for a family room (light cannon is a must). Stewarts SST Firehawk (92" or less) is a good solution in moderately lit environments as long as the projo is bright enough. Maybe it would be a good idea to run a projector and screen during the night and the flat panel TV during the day. Just use an electric screen to drop in front of the TV when the sun goes down.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
I have a JVC HD-1 and it is probably one of the brightest projectors on the market (don't read the manuf specs, they are useless). People on the AVS forums will tell you that the JVC is a light cannon. I have it paired with a 120" Dlite Hi Power screen and even with the lights completely on in the room the picture is watchable. If you are looking to get just a 70" screen, you should check out the Black Diamond screen from screen innovations. There is a demo on their website. I've see it in person on a 90 or 92 inch screen and you literally can't tell the difference on the picture when the lights are completely on or off in the room. It is absolutely amazing. The only reason I didn't go with it was because I wanted a larger screen.
+1 on sean's suggestion for the Black Diamond from Screen Innovations. Even with a fair amount of ambient light, it looks like a flat panel.
+1 on jamaal's suggestion that, for 5" extra, why bother? Go to 90" or 100" or more, and you have a workable and useful upgrade. For 70", it's like trading in a perfectly good 25 cubic foot refrigerator for a 26 cubic foot one.
The only reason I could see going for a projector when the image is that little is because the picture looks more, well, real.
The black diamond is a good screen especially if you want excellent contrast ratio in environments that are not light controlled. Note that the off-axis-viewing is poor and may not be a good solution for a family room (light cannon is a must). Stewarts SST Firehawk (92" or less) is a good solution in moderately lit environments as long as the projo is bright enough. Maybe it would be a good idea to run a projector and screen during the night and the flat panel TV during the day. Just use an electric screen to drop in front of the TV when the sun goes down.