hi there,after carefull reading and bargain hunting i decided to set up a basic htc. i purchased a benq 6100 and also got a zinwell p.scan scaler.i am upgrading my dvd and speaker system also.. my question is about the hook up of the scaler,do i keep the scaler beside the projector ,use a short vga lead and run all my other leads to the roof or do i connect everything to the scaler on my rack and run a 9 meter vga lead to the projector? is there much difference in quality/cost.also what is the best input/output set up for these if my dvd ihas component?i still havent bought a screen(any ideas, i live in ireland)but even on a white wall this machine has really impressed me..if anyone can help me please do so as a little bit of thought now would insure me the best posible set up..THANKS....
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
How you connect the scaler is a matter of preference but normally you want to make all your connections at the rack and keep a simple cable that runs to the projector. If the scaler and the DVD are not compatible as far as in/out connections you can, in some instances, use adapters but you should be working with a dealer who can either answer these questions for you or suggest the correct system match to eliminate the need for adapters. Are you working with a dealer? Screens are a matter of room light control and speaker placement. This is another area where a dealer should be of more help than someone who is sitting 1000 miles away.
STEVIE DEE
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Posted on
thanks j. there is only one local dealer near hand, but because i havent purchased from them they dont really want to help..also i cant get a 84" screen any where..also how much do i need to spend on a 8 or 9 meter vga lead? can you reccomend any or where i can get one.. sorry to bother you again. thanks........
J. Vigne
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Posted on
This is coming from someone who sold audio/video for almost thirty years. You may not want to proceed. What do you mean they don't want to help? Because you haven't purchased from them? That makes no sense. Did you try to steal something from the store and they have banned you from its entrance? Are you a shopper who takes hours and hours of a salespersons time over several years to decide what you want and then buys something from "anywhere"? Sorry, Stevie, you sound like you don't trust a salesperson or don't think they are there to give you the advice that is in your best interest. Or you think you can always find it cheaper than the price they have quoted. Why wouldn't you want to buy from a dealer nearby who can give you some assistance if a problem arises. That does happen, you know. These pages are full of questions from people that have problems that their dealer could easily answer. You need a specific recommendation on the screen you should purchase for your particular installation. A dealer is best suited to do this. They should have qualified people on staff for this purpose. They make their living doing this. You apparently do not. What you do, I will assume, you feel you do well. And you would be insulted if someone thought you didn't. Why not give that same benefit to your local dealer? Have you got a recommendation to stay away from this dealer? If not, what is the problem? The salesperson? The manager? You should spend the amount needed to make a good deal for you and the dealer. You can acquire one at the dealer that is willing to work with you. I have never heard of a store not wanting to help someone who has not purchased from them unless there is a specific reason. You should get the screen from someone who can install it and then stand behind their product and service. Did you intend to install this yourself? And what were your intentions if there were problems? Get on this forum and ask someone 1000 miles away to help? GET REAL!!! I feel better now.
superfecta
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Posted on
J vigne,you are obviously biased,so let me make this suggestion.Go to a rival store.Act like a novice and see how you are treated.Better yet,get a person of color to do this for you.Its amazing how the sales person will treat you if they think you are poor and/or stupid.I usually have my mind made up when i go to an audio store to make a purchase.I already have done my homework,already compared products i am interested in,gotten references from friends that have purchased similar products.I have been to many stores that wanted to sell me something I didn't want or need.If they even waited on me.I also have been to stores that gave great service,so I made the effort to patronize their store.But since not every store sells every brand,I have had to shop online for some products,since I will not buy from a store that wants to sell me a product at an inflated price and treats me like a red headed stepchild. I also run my own bizness,and even tho we are widely said to be the best in our field,I never act that way to our customers,its just bad business practice.I realize that others in my field of work don't do customer service well,so maybe that could be one reason why I have more work than I can handle.Could it also be this way in the audio video world?
I'm agreeing with superfecta; it bites when you need help, and the store's 'experts' don't feel like giving you the time of day (Best Buy, anyone?). Whether or not J.Vigne is bipolar is another question. See how he kind of turns from "oh, sure. I can help!" to "Are you too good for me? What's your damage?" In order to help, you should at least try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. The guy's just asking for help, there's no need to bash him. Sorry, but I just felt it was necessary to say this. Now 'I' feel better.
J. Vigne
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Posted on
Good for you, Jacob. Glad "you" feel better. But as someone who did see this attitude in customers ("I can buy it anywhere") for 30 years I have come to recognize a customer who feels a salesperson is not there to assist but merely to show them what to buy so the "customer" can go find it cheaper elsewhere. 99% of the time the lower price has no time invested since I already spent time demonstrating the product (may even be a guy with no store, just a garage with a phone. I once took in a Marantz reciever that had been purchased from A TIRE STORE. How much help do you think those salsepeople were? Yeah, you can buy it anywhere!) So, yes, I am biased. Any salesperson would prefer to have a customer that is knowledgeable, well informed and has an idea what they are doing/looking for. That customer is often open to discourse during the sales process. And all salespeople should be knowledgeable, well informed and have an idea what they are doing/looking for. It makes everyone better. But IF the salesperson is well trained, attentive to your needs (it's called the qualifying step in ANY sale, it has to be there and is almost always the way to see if the salesperson is a professional or some fool thinking this is an easy job [cause it is not]. If they don't ask a few questions you might as well walk away because they do not have your interests in mind), there may be something that the customer has not considered for whatever reason. Usaully because the customer has other things on their mind and does not live with HiFi all day, every day. And if the customer comes in and says, "I want XYZ and don't give me any thing else", they often don't have their own best intentions in mind: it's called the demonstration part of a sale and should, in almost all cases, be there or something has not gone according to plan A and B. You will not get an argument from me that many, but not all, salespeople are lazy, many are stupid and a few are antagonistic (racist) toward the people that are paying their livelyhood. If that is the case you find (Best Buy, anyone?) then you should not give that store, or at least that salesperson your money. But, have you ever noticed the dramatic turn over in salespeople at that type of store. Why do you think that is? It ain't because the guy made so much money he's off living on an island now. The process of a sale is a two way street with each party giving and taking a little. Salespeople usually get some training in their part, customers, unfortunately, seldom have any training in their part other than what they see others doing or feel they need to do to protect their own egos. It ain't biased, it is a fact. Salespeople know this and, if they are good, they learn to cope. Hopefully the salesperson knows their job and product better than you since you don't do it all the time. You would not hire an automobile mechanic to design and build your house, you will seek out someone who has special talents that come from experience and knowledge. You will not have that architect/contractor take out your appendix. The same should apply to the sales process. Whether you are spending the price of an operation or just coming in for a chat. Too many times on this forum I sense a feeling that the salesperson should get *%!@#^%&! If you have a lousy salesperson, I agree. But if you find the best in their field, and you do your part well, it is unlikely they will treat you like a red headed step child whether you have purchased from them or not. Superfecta says he does not act that way to his customers and no one should. It ain't biased, it is a fact. If I was harsh to Stevie (I doubt I hurt Stevie's feelings, he's a big boy) it was primarily because there is no point in me telling him how much he should spend on a wire ($9.95, $109.95 or $999.95), or what equipment to buy (despite the numerous posts on this forum when someone says I have just bought so and so and someone writes to say you should really consider XYZ brand). He should pay what a reasonable dealer is asking (service included, even on a cable) and he should buy what he has access to. If he can fly to Rome to buy a piece of equipment, he should buy what he thinks sounds the best for his system (service included). Not what somebody on a forum suggests. As I said he needs a specific screen for his individual needs, that is something I could tell him over the net if he gave me lots of information, but I am not going to install it and if he didn't like my choice (somebody on a forum told hin he really should have looked at XYZ screen) what is he going to do? The worst situations I have been in is where a client buys from several dealers (usually to save a buck), has it installed by someone else (usually to save a buck) and then has a problem. No one wants to help because it is easier and often correct to blame the other guy's equipment/installation and so the problem gets kicked around till the customer finally gets frustrated and gives up on HiFi all together. Those problems are usually very easily avoided by using common sense and seeking help from a professional in the first place. I spent 30 years in the profession and I considered it a reputable profession despite the number of less than perfect people I met. My effort was always to help the client but THEY often got in the way. Quite often I made a sale to someone the other salespeople had brushed off because the customer responded they were not going to buy that day. I took the time to let them look and ask questions and make up their own mind. Maybe it did take several visits, it was their perogative. It is how I did business, not everyone does the same. It ain't biased, it is fact. Next time you're in a store, not Best Buy, ask the salesperson (audio, cars, jewelry) about the worst customer they ever met. You should take a lunch with you because if they have done this for a while they can talk about customers for a long time. Now, as far as my atitude toward Stevie, if I told him he should buy a Honda Civic coupe to haul around the Little League team and he should pay no more than $2000, with an extended warranty and free oil changes, what good does that do? The advice he was seeking was just as ridiculous. He needs professional help and he should find it without prejudices placed in the way by me, 1000 miles away. There is a reason a store ignores certain people. They shouldn't but sometimes they do. It ain't biased, it's a fact. Stevie and everyone else who wants an answer that a dealer is best suited to answer ("I can't get XYZ reciever to get DTS, "How long a cable can I run",etc.) should find a really good dealer and give them your business not the guy "anywhere" in a garage with a phone. If Superfecta or Jacob feel that is biased or "bipolar" you need to rethink how you do your own business and apply the same rules to your audio purchases. I can't imagine anyone would like to have someone suggest they do not do their job well. Unfortunately, that is how many customers treat salespeople even before the salesperson can greet them. Watch as customers walk past a salesperson or intentionally ignore them (salespeople do the same and should loose their job for it) because they are intimidated by someone who might suggest something they might need or, heaven forbid, try to sell them something. Bottom line, if a store is less than helpful, don't give them your money. If a store is less than helpful, SOMETIME, sometime it is not the store but the customer who has an attitude. And Jacob, it's not "Are you too good for me?", it is "Am I too good for you?". That is the proper phrasing of that question. Look through the forum and see how many people I have gone bipolar on, I try to help but some people are beyond it. I don't feel better now, thank you.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Stevie Dee - I have read your second response again and I have made an error. Since there is not an apostrophy in "cant" in your reply, I read it as "I can buy a screen anywhere." That was a bit of a mutual mistake, so let's start over with this. I still don't understand why the local store won't help you. Why would it matter if you have bought from them before? Are they that busy or that rich? Have you expressed an interest in purchasing from them and they ignore you? If so, have you ask for the manager/owner? What you are asking to do should involve a fair amount of money changing hands, I've not heard of a store that doesn't want money. How have you acquired the equipment you already own? This is no Best Buy system you are discussing here. It had to have come from someone with access to a screen and a cable. No? Did the tooth fairy leave these under your pillow because you have been very, very good? I'm sory but your question still does not make sense to me. Where did you see the projector displayed that it really impressed you? A store? A friend? A Home Theater show? Give me more information and I'll see if I can help you, but I do not know what is availbale in Ireland or what prices are like. If you would prefer to address this to someone other than me you can certainly see if anyone out there can help you.
J, I see where you're coming from in regards to the viewpoint of sales staff. I agree that customers are either intimidated or just 'turned off' with the thought that a salesperson is going to rip them off.
You are also correct in stating that not all salespeople have the same sales technique, and yes, they are there to make money for their store. It's a shame to see pushy, unhelpful, or rude salespeople (I think we've all had our experiences with them), and you're correct, it's a fact that they're out there. And for every salesperson like this, there's the willing, attentive salesperson who's there to treat the customer like gold. Here's the 'bias' part: customers tend to group them all together in the 'Crazy Larry' category, like the first type of salesperson I mentioned.
By the sound of it, it would be nice to see more salesmen like yourself. Time and patience is necessary, as well as a positive attitude to help the customer decide and sell the product. And why do they come back? Because they like the way they were treated. I do that sometimes. If store A's salesperson rubbed me the wrong way, but was a little cheaper than store B, whose salesperson was really helpful, I'm buying from store B. I'm not asking a lot here, I just want to make sure that I'm treated fairly and with respect, you know?
The flip side of the coin is a good customer vs. a crappy customer. No matter what the salesperson does or says, that customer is going elsewhere. All that time and effort in making the sale is for naught. But that's the salesperson's job, and they must deal with this on a daily basis. Then again, everyone has something unpleasant about their job; everyone. That is a fact.
No no, I did mean to say "Are you too good for me"; in other words, "do you think you're better than me." It's irrelevant now, so never mind. But hey now, I know what I'm trying to say.
J, I appreciate your response; it reminds me that sales is like two sides of a coin, and that it's just part of life to have good/bad salesmen and good/bad customers. We're all human.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Jacob - Thanks for the response. And as I said in my above post, I misread the response Stevie gave me because of a typo in his response. One of the things that salespeople have to live with more and more is the time spent with someone when they will go to someone who will sell for less but has no investment in time or service.
I have ordered some things over the internet because I knew what I wanted and could save a few dollars. But I never wasted a salesperson's time, I had decided on my own what I wanted to buy from previous experience with the product. I knew the store that carried what I wanted had a strict no discount policy and I could save over 30% through mail order. There are very few items that you can hold an absolute price on any longer. I've sold quite a few through the years and think the few remaining items are generally good values at their asking price.
I am very much in favor of supporting the local businesses if at all possible. Sometimes it is not to the customer's benefit to shop at a particular store. That's fine. That's why there is competition in the market. It is too bad when there is only one store to shop at locally. Some dealers take advantage of the situation. I have moved this discussion over to "Home Audio" in an effort to get more people to contribute their thoughts on buying and selling A/V gear. Hopefully it will let everyone who contributes a thought see a little of the other guy's side of things. If you would like to, please move your last post over to that thread by copy/paste. And please continue to contribute to the discussion.