I've agreed to purchase the following projector at auction for $960
based on the following disclosure: "BARCO Data 3200LC Digital LCD
Computer, Video and HDTV Projector. S-VIDEO inputs, HDTV capable and
up to XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. Super bright 1450 ANSI LUMENS.
300:1 contrast ratio. 700W Metal Halide Lamp. Has S-VIDEO, composite
video, and computer inputs. Will display HDTV, and computer graphics
formats up to up to XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. PAL, SECAM, and NTSC
compatible. Equipped with an advanced Pixel Map Processor. Can do
front, rear, or ceiling projection. Adjustable keystone and picture
shift. The wide compatibility, fast easy set-up and extreme
versatility of the BARCODATA 3200 make it a powerful display device
for any situation.
This is a large venue projector, capable of displaying HUGE images (up
to 33 feet wide, depending on the lens.) DIMENSIONS are 26” deep, 14”
high, 24” wide. Weighs 99 pounds. No IR remote included, but all
functions can be accessed from the built in digital keypad.
Cosmetically, it has scratches and blemishes on the casing. SOLD NEW
FOR $18,000."  I know nothing about projectors, but would like to know
what question to ask and what to check for prior to paying.  Is this a
good buy? What sort of costs would I be facing if it the projector
needed to be refurbished? Where can I get a users guide/installation
manual?

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Request for Question Clarification by silviares-ga on 19 Sep 2002 22:30 PDT

Hello john316-ga,

To answer some of your questions, I need to know some more details
about what you're going to do with the projector:

Is it for home theatre use or for large venue use?
What will your source material mainly be?  DVD, video tape, HDTV, NTSC?
  
Will you drive it via computer input, s-video, or composite?
Will you drive it with a DVD player or a computer with a DVD player?

The answers will help determine what questions to ask (they will tell me
what features are important to you).

Some general things to ask about an LCD projector:

How many hours on on the bulb?
What is the bulb life?
How much is a new bulb and where can I get one?
Are there any dead pixels on the LCD panel?

Thanks...

Silviares

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Clarification of Question by john316-ga on 20 Sep 2002 11:07 PDT

Hi: I plan to use it for home theatre playing both VHS and DVD.  I
have a high end Sony VHS player but have not yet bought a DVD yet.  I
have a spare computer into which I could install a DVD player.  I
guess the other thing I need to know is what else I need besides the
projector to make it work.

I'm not sure how much information you have on this projector already
but since you say you know very little about projectors I will point
you to the Barco website.  The projector you are considering buying
can be found at the address below:

http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/products/product.asp?gennr=311

Accessories for your projector can be found at the following link
(including an IR remote receiver if you decide you would like to have
one) and a service kit ("This kit contains the special tools to align
the LCD panels and lens shift mechanism. The kit also includes an
extension cable set and extension boards allowing the power supplies,
controller, inputs and pixel map processor to be operated outside the
projector for service purposes"):

http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/products/product_options.asp?element=299

The next link I will direct you to is the Barco Peripherals Brochure
(in PDF format)

http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/downloads/peripherals.pdf

With that said, the most basic questions you should ask  are: 
"Does the projector work"? 
"Other that the cosmetic damage to the projector, is there anything
else wrong with it"?
“How many hours has the current lamp been used?”
"Are the lenses included?"  "If so which ones?" 

 Each lens has specific capabilities such as screen size and
projection depth (these are discussed in the PDF file below).  These
will obviously be important to you if the lens provided does not
conform to the space you have available for the projector. A list of
available lenses for your unit can be found in the PDF file at the
location below.

http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/downloads/md_lenses.pdf

Number of hours of bulb use on the unit is also important. You will
have to trust the seller to honestly relate to you the estimated
number of hours on the bulb but it would be nice to know this
information.

I have a request in to Barco to let me know how to purchase additional
lamps for the unit and the associated cost for each.  I will post the
answer as a follow-up once I hear back from them.

Many of the products Barco sells have on-line manuals, however, I have
been unable to locate one thus far for your unit.  I have several
requests in (to different departments at Barco) to point me to a copy
of the manual on-line if it exists, or to let me know how to obtain
one by other means if it's not.  Again, I will post a follow-up once I
hear back from them on this.

Assuming that the projector works, there are no known problems with
it, and the lenses match your needs, I'd think that you're ok to buy
the unit.  I saw another unit like the one you're talking about at the
following address for $1500 so at least you have managed to find a
better price than other available units on the market.

http://www.cashlandy.com/video.htm

Good luck with your purchase and happy viewing...
resolutionman-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by john316-ga on 20 Sep 2002 15:57 PDT

Thanks, the information is useful.  I also got in touch with Rolt and
they've sent me an instruction manual PDF.  What other equipment do I
need to get high resolution movies? Line doubler? Video Scaler? 
Driving the projector from a computer which Videoboard and dvd is
compatible?

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Clarification of Answer by resolutionman-ga on 20 Sep 2002 21:43 PDT

Hello John.  I'm not sure who Rolt is but I'm glad they sent you the
manual for your projector.

Although your request for clarification extends beyond the scope of
the original question, I'll be glad to try to answer your new
questions.

While a line doubler (or quadrupler) or video scalar device is
certainly beneficial for creating high-resolution video, it may not be
necessary for you to rush out and purchase devices such as these. Keep
in mind that your projector was designed for projecting very large
images while maintaining high quality video.  You mentioned that your
application for this projector is for inclusion in a home-theatre. For
this reason, I'm assuming that you will not be projecting the image at
the unit’s maximum 33' screen size (be sure to check the lenses to see
if the unit will adjust to such close range).  True you will be
sitting much closer to the projected image than you would in an
auditorium (and would presumably be able to see gaps between pixels
better), but your projected image will be "choked down" much tighter
than the unit's maximum (improving perceived video quality.)

In addition, these days more and more projectors have line doublers
integrated into the system from the factory.  Although there is no
mention of it on the Barco site, judging from the original cost of
your projector, I'd say there is a fair chance that the 3200 may
already utilize this technology.  It's worth looking into.

The bottom line is, I would try the unit out in your home before
spending a lot of money on "add-ons" for it.  You are likely to find
that the video quality is acceptable without any additional tweaking.

Without question you will need to invest in a DVD player and a nice
surround-sound system for your theatre but other than that I'd hold
off until you see what you're dealing with in your home.

Let me know if you decide to buy the unit. I'm curious how it's going
to work for you...  Truthfully, all of this is making me want one.

resolutionman-ga

Good insight and helpful and helped me to make up my mind to purchase
the projector, well worth the money.

I was contacted with regard to one of my (many) e-mails to Barco.  I
was asking for a manual and/or pricing info on lamps for your
projector and this is the response I got.

----------------------

Please call 770-218-3200 ext.3375(projector tech support).

----------------======

Not very helpful huh?  Thought you might want to hang on to this
number though for future reference.  I'll continue to post the
responses I get to the other e-mails.

Another response came this morning...

--------------------------------

Thank you for hitting our Web site and for your interest in Barco Projection
Systems!


I have forwarded your inquiry to our Technical Support Team.  They will be
contacting you shortly, however, if you need immediate assistance Tech
Support can be reached at 770-218-3375 or via email at
techelp.bps.us@barco.com <mailto:techelp.bps.us@barco.com> .


If you require additional assistance, please feel free to contact me
directly.


Best Regards,
Bette Kubow
BARCO Projection Systems
3240 Town Point Drive, Kennesaw, GA  30144
Tel (770) 218-3202   Fax (770) 218-3250  
bette.kubow@barco.com    www.barco.com/projection_systems/