My understanding is there used to be a thread for this projector, but it was apparently lost. I recently purchased this projector, my first - so I am pretty much a novice with regard to front projectors. I am interested in hearing your impressions and comments.

For specifications, user manual, etc., here's a link to the manufacturer's web site:
http://www.planarhometheater.com/pd8150/

I recently saw this projector at a local ht store in my area. I found the picture incredibly detailed and sharp. The colors were also very pleasing to my eyes. The projector was demoing a concert when I got there, so I asked one of the sales people if they had anything else to show, mainly high def. The guy put in the Transformers on Blu ray. The opening sequence of space and the cube shots were amazing. I would say more 3D than I have seen on most other projectors I have seen. The blacks looked very deep, though maybe not quite as deep as the JVC RS2 that I have seen demoed, but very close. The picture was very clean, noise free, and the colors, again, they were very accurate. Of course I am sure they had the projector calibrated, but nonetheless I have heard that the colors are very good out of the box. There was also plenty of detail. I was very impressed by how well the Planar performed. I can't say how well it performs with standard def, but I believe most people are going to watch mostly high def on their projector anyway.

Hey mortisemaker can you post any pics of your setup and maybe some screen shots. I would love to see some more of this projector.

THIS thread would not linger that long. Who could owned this Planar when its priced to the stratosphere? Apart from that hindrance, this is on a restricted distribution. The same marketing & pricing scheme might have been imposed too over the $5,000+ Planar 7130 & 7150 when it was released. But look where it got them? Bargained at $600 on a warehouse-clearing online vendor. I wished with some spite that this Planar 8150 would get bargained too 18 to 24 months from now on Woot - for something around $1,995 or $2,500.

I have a Planar 8150 and demoed against a Pioneer Kuro PRO-FPJ1 (RS2 clone) during 2 weeks, and for me the picture of Planar is better.

Noise free, natural colors, sharper and brighter, very good contrast (not in the same level of the Pioneer, but the Planar have better black detail)

I only tweak a little the brightness and contrast controls of the Planar with DVE Essentials:

Brightness - 102
Contrast - 96
Sharpness - 40 (simple)
Brilliant Color - on (with some movies I turn off)
Dynamic Black - on
Adaptive Contrast - off

Please share your settings.

Thank you

Planar have issued the firmware upgrades for the PD 8130/8150 that Greg Rogers was talking about in his original review for correction of black level crush and white clip.
They have also an upgrade on the processing for 24p plus other improvements listed in their service notes on their website.

http://apps.planar.com/downloads/hometheater/

I'll install these updates but honestly I haven't seen anything wrong with any of the dvd or bluray disks I've viewed.

Maybe my AVIA and DVE setup disks test patterns and test clips will look better! :)

I installed the update and only see differences in test patterns (Blacker than Black strip is visible now).

But on the movies I dont see differences.

Hey mortisemaker can you post any pics of your setup and maybe some screen shots. I would love to see some more of this projector.

Screen shots from Planar 8150
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1041284

[QUOTE=DiV_GAMER;15103014]I installed the update and only see differences in test patterns (Blacker than Black strip is visible now).

But on the movies I dont see differences.[/QUOTE

Here is a list of the improvements:

*Corrected the ability to adjust for crushing black and clipping whites for digital component
video signals.

*Corrected cadence reconstruction for 60Hz sources when the projector is set to 48Hz.

*Fixed aspect ratio issues during PIP functions.

*Corrected some RS232 command functions

*Improved ability to automatically detect appropriate color space.

*Numerous cosmetic improvements to the OSD.

*Numerous compatibility improvements for analog sources.

I'm glad to see that you were happy before the update also.

Hello Brian,

True, the Planar is a fantastic projector and I use 80% with BluRay 1080p/24 and with this source I dont see real differences with the update.

But with the update I can better set the brightness and contrast with DVE essentials because now I can see the BTB pluge. But the default settings of the Planar are spot on and I only have tu push a little the brightness (102) and down the contrast (96)...and I like better with BrilliantColor on...I know this can change a little the accuracy of colors, but I like the pop in picture with BC on.

Planar have issued the firmware upgrades for the PD 8130/8150 that Greg Rogers was talking about in his original review for correction of black level crush and white clip.
They have also an upgrade on the processing for 24p plus other improvements listed in their service notes on their website.

http://apps.planar.com/downloads/hometheater/

I'll install these updates but honestly I haven't seen anything wrong with any of the dvd or bluray disks I've viewed.

Maybe my AVIA and DVE setup disks test patterns and test clips will look better! :)


I'm not able to install the new firmware. Everytime I run the "Firmware Upgrade Tool.exe" I hear the windows ping but don't see the error message because it disappears too fast. What cable did you use? Have all pins to be connected or are pin2,3,5 enough? Would the upgrade tool normally start without the cable connected?

I've already tried to run in save mode. Other applications using mscomm32.ocx run fine.

I'm not able to install the new firmware. Everytime I run the "Firmware Upgrade Tool.exe" I hear the windows ping but don't see the error message because it disappears too fast. What cable did you use? Have all pins to be connected or are pin2,3,5 enough? Would the upgrade tool normally start without the cable connected?

I've already tried to run in save mode. Other applications using mscomm32.ocx run fine.

I ran into this exact same issue and pulled my hair out for a while because, I was also using a usb-to-serial converter and was not sure if this was the reason. It turned out after an hour or more of trying everything from two different adapters and three different computers that the serial cable was too long(30ft)! I used it fine to update other components but it was definately the culprit here. So buying and switching to a shorter(10ft)serial cable still using adapter worked fine.

I can definately see the improvement in shadow detail with less black crush in the darker areas of most movies but it takes a while to realize the slight improvements with an already superb machine prior to update. As odd as it try a shorter serial cable if you are using a longer one as I was always getting the mscomm32.ocx file missing and it was not. By the way used Vista to do update if that matters.

Last night I played with different settings of my Planar and in the end I turned BrilliantColor off and enable the Normal Lamp mode.

This little change makes a much better picture than my previous settings.

Current settings (my screen is a 110" matt white 1.0 gain from Screen Research):

Brightness - 101
Contrast - 97
Sharpness (simple) - 40
Normal Lamp

I have matched PD-8150 with Panamorph lens + AKPro Kit and sled. Projecting on a 130" 2.40:1 Da-Lite tensioned cosmopolitan electoral from around 17ft back with a 1.3 gain. Equipment consists of Pioneer BDP-51fd, Onkyo Pro 885, MK S-150 speakers front and Polk LC80FX sides and rear. Picture, color, sound are fantastic.

Anamorphic works like a charm. Letterbox mode works great and can trigger the sled though I trigger it with MX-3000 remote. Blown away a lot of family and friends with the picture. It certainly got the holy sh!t factor going on... Apologies if I offend anyone.

I followed a review for setting up a sports view when the room has a bit more ambient light. We were able to have a fire in the fire place without noticing any washout on the screen. Had a smaller fire during a viewing of transformers and only a slight amount of light from the fire showed on the screen and that was in low lamp mode.

I've heard mentioned in other threads it won't support large screens, but it's entirely not true. Awesome projector and couldn't be happier. I finally have a real home theater and couldn't be happier. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't change anything.... Well that's not entire true. I would have ordered the in-ceiling screen instead of the kit. However I wasn't originally going to sink the screen in the ceiling. Slick.... though. :D

Will finally have our Grafikeye connected this week to the remote for automatic lights when stop, pausing and playing movies.

I have matched PD-8150 with Panamorph lens + AKPro Kit and sled. Projecting on a 130" 2.40:1 Da-Lite tensioned cosmopolitan electoral from around 17ft back with a 1.3 gain. Equipment consists of Pioneer BDP-51fd, Onkyo Pro 885, MK S-150 speakers front and Polk LC80FX sides and rear. Picture, color, sound are fantastic.

Anamorphic works like a charm. Letterbox mode works great and can trigger the sled though I trigger it with MX-3000 remote. Blown away a lot of family and friends with the picture. It certainly got the holy sh!t factor going on... Apologies if I offend anyone.

I followed a review for setting up a sports view when the room has a bit more ambient light. We were able to have a fire in the fire place without noticing any washout on the screen. Had a smaller fire during a viewing of transformers and only a slight amount of light from the fire showed on the screen and that was in low lamp mode.

I've heard mentioned in other threads it won't support large screens, but it's entirely not true. Awesome projector and couldn't be happier. I finally have a real home theater and couldn't be happier. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't change anything.... Well that's not entire true. I would have ordered the in-ceiling screen instead of the kit. However I wasn't originally going to sink the screen in the ceiling. Slick.... though. :D

Will finally have our Grafikeye connected this week to the remote for automatic lights when stop, pausing and playing movies.


Glad you like it. I have a kit available now for the PD8130/8150 and Viper that includes the Panamorph lens, sled and a Chief ceiling mount. You can trigger the sled via one of the programable 12V triggers on the back of the projector.

Glad you like it. I have a kit available now for the PD8130/8150 and Viper that includes the Panamorph lens, sled and a Chief ceiling mount. You can trigger the sled via one of the programable 12V triggers on the back of the projector.

Yes, I realize it has the 12v trigger. Just preferred the serial ir hookup.

Glad you like it. I have a kit available now for the PD8130/8150 and Viper that includes the Panamorph lens, sled and a Chief ceiling mount. You can trigger the sled via one of the programable 12V triggers on the back of the projector.

Where can this kit be purchased? Price? Does the Paramorph sled assembly attach to the Chief mount, or does it need to be attached separately to the ceiling?

Does anyone know if any stores in Northern Cali have the Planar on display? I prefer the te DLP image and this might a good pj for me!

thanks

Where can this kit be purchased? Price? Does the Paramorph sled assembly attach to the Chief mount, or does it need to be attached separately to the ceiling?

The planar only works with the AK6Pro plate which attaches to the projector and the ceiling mount on top of the plate. Depending on the strength and durability of the mount you may or may not need to use some chains as added support for the panamorph kit. The lens is very heavy.

as a side note: I went away for a vacation and my sister used our system while I was gone with 25 of her friends. Apparently they set it up in letterbox mode to watch the rose bowl. Everyone love it. I think it's kinda funny that they used letterbox mode. They wanted to fill the 2.40:1 screen. :rolleyes:

Does anyone know if any stores in Northern Cali have the Planar on display? I prefer the te DLP image and this might a good pj for me!

thanks

Mike,

I live in the bay area and couldn't find anyone with the projector. I purchased form AVScience. If I had to do it again, I'd buy the same projector through avscience. I couldn't be happier with the projector. It comes in the box almost perfectly calibrated. The picture is fantastic and bright. I have it mated with a Pioneer 51fd blue ray player and Onkyo 885.

If anyone is interested, I do have some discrete codes for the projector.

I am installing an 8150 in our living room (ceiling) and my wife does not want a large black orb hovering at the ceiling. Has anyone painted the projector case and mounting bracket white to blend with the ceiling? Would this affect the warranty?

Brian,
How much is the anamorphic package and who makes the lens?

Ray

I am installing an 8150 in our living room (ceiling) and my wife does not want a large black orb hovering at the ceiling. Has anyone painted the projector case and mounting bracket white to blend with the ceiling? Would this affect the warranty?

Brian,
How much is the anamorphic package and who makes the lens?

Ray

Ouch!!!

It has a beautiful case so it would be a shame to paint it. If there is space above, install a hydraulic lift and put in a white ceiling plate. You could do the same with the screen and it would be pretty slick.

I know, I know. The problem is the ceiling/second floor is on trusses...and you guessed it--they run in the wrong direction. The trusses are 90* in the wrong direction to be able to have a retractable screen and projector.

I know, I know. The problem is the ceiling/second floor is on trusses...and you guessed it--they run in the wrong direction. The trusses are 90* in the wrong direction to be able to have a retractable screen and projector.
I got lucky on that end and sunk the screen in the ceiling, but the projector couldn't go in. But our room is all mahogany wood with dark ascents, so the projector doesn't standout at all. It is a beauty.

Just convince the wife on how beautiful it is and that it's a talking piece like a fine vase. :D

How much is the anamorphic package and who makes the lens?

If it's the Panamorph, the package is going to run a whopping $6,685+shipping. http://www.panamorph.com/ModelUH480.html

I think I'll pass for now, unless somebody can offer me a crazy deal on the package ;)

If it's the Panamorph, the package is going to run a whopping $6,685+shipping. http://www.panamorph.com/ModelUH480.html

I think I'll pass for now ;)

You can pay less if you buy from a dealer. I bought it... Love it. :D Plus, once you have it, you can use it with future projectors, so think of it as a long term investment.

You could also just buy the lens with a fixed mount. The Planar has a letterbox mode and a 3:4 narrow mode. The scaler in the Planar is top notch.

You can pay less if you buy from a dealer. I bought it... Love it. :D Plus, once you have it, you can use it with future projectors, so think of it as a long term investment..

That makes sense! However, I probably should invest in a Cinemascope screen before paying that much for a lense assembly. (I currently have a 16:9 120" Stewart).

I've also followed the development of the Panamorph from its original version.. was that 8 years ago? A *lot* has happened since the first incarnations. I'm assuming development is still ongoing...

The Planar has a letterbox mode and a 3:4 narrow mode. The scaler in the Planar is top notch.


Yes, I know. I'm the guy who purchased Jason Turk's review unit last summer :D Still haven't got around to ceiling mount it. (I just finished cleaning up the remains of my JVC G15 hushbox installation).

I am installing an 8150 in our living room (ceiling) and my wife does not want a large black orb hovering at the ceiling. Has anyone painted the projector case and mounting bracket white to blend with the ceiling?
You could also build a wooden box to house the projector with some vent slots. Paint it white and if you have crown molding in the room you could match it.

Yes, I know. I'm the guy who purchased Jason Turk's review unit last summer :D Still haven't got around to ceiling mount it. (I just finished cleaning up the remains of my JVC G15 hushbox installation).Ha! That's quite a bit of time to wait my friend. I too purchased from Jason. He was very helpful with helping me pick a screen. Stewart makes nice screens, but they require an arm and a leg at purchase time. :p

You could also build a wooden box to house the projector with some vent slots. Paint it white and if you have crown molding in the room you could match it.

Or buy a custom made white (or mirrored!) plexiglass box with edmund optical glass from Dave at http://www.whisperflow.com

Thanks Peter; the whisperflow hush box might work. There is a problem--their number has been disconnected...

Ray

Hello,

I own a Planar 8150, and in my setup I need to use overscan, in the crop mode, but 3% on each side is by far too much. Do you know if there is any way to change the crop overscan amount?

Thanks!
Fab

If you guys are interested: Here is my comparison of the planar with its biggest competitors currently in this price-range...to make it short: It is an impressive machine.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1109060

If you guys are interested: Here is my comparison of the planar with its biggest competitors currently in this price-range...to make it short: It is an impressive machine.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1109060

I heartily agree. Thanks for pointing us to your thread. :)

One question to the owners: Wit hthe unit I had on hand, wI experienced to my surprise: When I enabled "DynamicBlack", the whole picture became much dimmer even when the picture was of mixed content. From the Sonys I have a very different experience, there you can hardly tell if the dynamic iris is active or not...you recognize only in very dark scenes that it improves the blacks, that is all.

So...have you recognized the same thing ? Is there a way to cutsomize the agressiveness of the Iris in the PLanar ?

One question to the owners: Wit hthe unit I had on hand, wI experienced to my surprise: When I enabled "DynamicBlack", the whole picture became much dimmer even when the picture was of mixed content. From the Sonys I have a very different experience, there you can hardly tell if the dynamic iris is active or not...you recognize only in very dark scenes that it improves the blacks, that is all.

So...have you recognized the same thing ? Is there a way to cutsomize the agressiveness of the Iris in the PLanar ?

I use dynamic black and do not experience this problem. I even use the projector in low lamp mode. Perhaps you have a setting in combination with dynamic black that's causing this overly dark effect. Have you tried other settings with dynamic black with the same results?

Not a whole lot of action going on here. Either everyone is extremely satisfied or there are not very many owners of the 8150.

Thanks to smithfarmer I just discovered this thread. I've had the PD8150 since about the middle of May and have been part of the more recent activity going on in the few other 8150 threads. A lot of what has been discussed there would be useful to 8150 owners - maybe we'll start to see more posting here if we revive this thread.

The 8150 was my 1st 1080P - upgraded from a 720P. I did see the RS20 and thought it had a fine image, but I've been a DLP fan at heart.

I remember reading about the Planar when they 1st came out. Then in February, Kris Deering re-visited (and very favorably) his evaluation here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15867713#post15867713). Mark , Darin, Tom, and many more you know contributed and the Planar began to sound really nice. So, once again, sight unseen, I bought it.

I'm certainly happy I did. Sure the Marantz might be sharper, the JVC has better blacks... but this is a great picture. I have it on so much I'll need a new bulb by Christmas.

I haven't seen that many 8150 owners posting on AVS, maybe we are a small lot or just to busy watching. Wouldn't mind seeing that change.

Mike

No complaints here. Works great. Have it setup with an anamorphic lens and have never had a any problems. There's been a couple firmware updates, but I've yet to implement them. Every time I have someone new come over, they're always blown away by the picture and think I've purchased a 25K+ projector.

The guys at Planar did a great job with the 8150. Its a solid performer and they balanced
the use of the dynamic iris to the point its very hard to detect any negativity when using it yet it yields worthwhile results. I never turn it off on our Demo system.

Hi guys!

I have owned a Planar 8150 for about 2 months now and have been silent so far. The reason is that I always find myself excited when I get a new projector and I am very impressed by the "new and improved" look of it over my last projector. It is only after extended viewing that I get over the newness and start to really view the PQ critically and see its faults. This time I decided to wait until I had logged quite a bit (about 50 hours) of viewing time before posting my thoughts.

This thing rocks! :)

Unlike most of my previous projectors, I am growing to enjoy the picture quality more each time that I watch it. I was initially VERY impressed, and the more material I view on it, the more I appreciate its qualities. The picture is bright, punchy, incredibly sharp, has no added video noise or grain, has great black level and contrast (both on/off and ANSI), and has beautiful, ACCURATE color right out of the box.

I took some measurements when I first set it up and it measured the grayscale within dE of 5 across the board, and more often within dE of 2 or 3. Since I would assume that Planar used better measuring equipment than I own, I thought it best to leave it alone and not touch it at all. My measuring tools could very well account for the small errors I measured. Decoding was almost spot on and primary and secondary coordinates very very close as well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Visual observation confirmed what my equipment told me. The color rendition is just fantastic - bright, punchy colors that are EXTREMELY ACCURATE. I am used to viewing accurate displays, so I am pretty confident of spotting inaccuracies if I see them, and this display is a rock solid performer. I am especially sensitive to color inaccuracies in the low IREs, and the 8150 looks better to me than any of the ones I have calibrated myself. Dark scenes remain color perfect!

The most impressive aspect of this unit is the crystal clarity and rock solid image that it delivers. When I view high quality Blu-ray discs, on most any projector I can see what appears to me to be compression artifacts (artificial graininess and/or slightly moving pixels on solid colors). While they are still there on the 8150, they are not exacerbated like they are on other displays. That is, everything that is on the film is still there, but the image appears sharper (with no artificial sharpness or ringing added), yet is rock solid (for lack of a better term), and the compression artifacts are not "in my face" like with other projectors. The resulting image is extremely easy and enjoyable to watch without becoming fatiguing, even though I am viewing a somewhat overly bright image (~20 ftLs) which would tend to make such artifacts more apparent. I am viewing 143" diagonal 2.35:1 High Power screen at a viewing distance of about 1.3X of the screen width.

I really like having the options of both 2.2 and 2.5 gamma available. I find that I use both of them pretty much equally, though I also own a Crystalio 2, so in the future I will play around with the many gamma choices available through it. The 8501 also allows the user to manually select the color space for HDMI, RGB, and component connections to either REC 709, REC 601, RGB-PC, or RGB-Video matrices. I haven't really experimented very much with those options yet, but it is in my list of fun things to do...:)

The black level, though not as good as the RS-20, is hands down the best I have seen from a DLP at this level of brightness. I can not detect any artifacts from the dynamic iris, but I am not particularly sensitive to them in the first place. Black level is the one area where I feel that the 8150 significantly beats my previous Sim2 HT-380. They were similarly bright, but the black level on the 8150 is very noticeably lower.

Like I said, the more I watch this projector, the more impressed I am with it. I have owned about a half dozen DLPs in the past, most of which I have been very happy with, but this one simply kicks butt. Is it better than the RS-20? That is for the individual to decide, but if you want an EXTREMELY accurate display *out of the box*, then this is the one to own. The RS-20 would need professional calibration, but it is brighter (if you need the extra brightness) and has a better black level, but the 8150 has the cleanest (in terms of adding things that are not present in the original transfer) image I have seen from a display to date.

How is the rainbow effect on the Planar? Better/worse than other comparably priced DLPs?

Bob,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

"I really like having the options of both 2.2 and 2.5 gamma available. "

Do you ever wish for a smaller jump in between? Can it be adjusted?

Can you say how the black level and brightness compare w/an RS1?

I see less rainbows with the 8150 than any other DLP I have seen to date. For me, they are so few, far between, and slight that I consider them to be non existent. As you noticed, I forgot to even mention them in my first post...:)

Do you ever wish for a smaller jump in between? Can it be adjusted?
Yes...I would like to see 2.3 and 2.4 as well, as I feel that they would have their uses depending on the source material. My Crystalio is capable of just about anything gamma-wise, so I will do some experimenting in the near future.
Can you say how the black level and brightness compare w/an RS1?
Just measuring on/off quickly and without much caution for contamination from stray light (though my theater is pretty darned good....:) ), I got ~14k:1, which bested my old RS-1, as it only measured ~9.5k:1. I guess it the comparison to an RS-1 would depend on how your individual unit measures.

As far as lumens go, I am getting about 400 lumens on low and 589 on high. My RS-1 measured 424 on low, but I don't know the high figure. Again, the comparison will depend on how your actual RS-1 measures.

Sounds like it would best my RS1, which I think is toward the low end.

But I was really wondering about subjective impression.

I'm guessing the blacls correspond with the numbers pretty well, but how about the brightness compression that seems like has to accompany the black level benefit.

For example, do stars and city lights at night seem dimmer than on the JVC's?

For example, do stars and city lights at night seem dimmer than on the JVC's?
To be honest, I can't really tell that there is a DI in use. To me it appears as if the on/off is native, though I know that it is being accomplished by use of a DI. Star fields look to be just how I remembered them on my RS-1 (though that memory is pretty old now). I have recently had the opportunity to compare the 8150 to a Sony VPL VW-50 and there is no contest. The 8150 has better black level, is considerably brighter, and stars on a black background look MUCH better. I don't know how Planar does it, but you really need to see it to believe it.

As far as comparisons to the RS series, I would need to have them side by side to give you a reliable answer. Maybe Darin could give you better info, as he had an 8150 side by side with an RS-20 for quite some time.

If anyone is interested, I posted a mini-review on the 8150 on a blog that I started here: www.videovantage.com

I agree with Bob's comments. I found the dynamic black implementation to be the most artifact free dynamic technology that I've seen so far. The iris movements are almost impossible to spot and it's not very aggressive so that it doesn't suffer from BC and changing white levels like most other implementations. The color wheel is also exceptional.

I also did a lot of comparisons to it with an RS20. The Planar is noticeably sharper and the impression that I get is not so much because of the lens but because of the larger DMD. I have another post that I'm working on that talks about this in more detail.

The RS20 has better blacks and more intra-image contrast at the bottom in dark scenes, but the situation is reversed in brighter scenes because of the higher ANSI contrast on the 8150. For both Darin and I, it was a tough decision on which machine we liked better, although I eventually decided on the RS20 because of it's unrivaled dark scene performance. If the 8150 had a more aggressive DB setting that lowered the black level more in some scenes I may have ended up preferring the 8150. Although a more agressive DB mode would also have more noticeable artifacts so it's hard to say.

All in all though, I can see how someone may prefer the 8150 over the RS20. Each has strengths where the other has weaknesses so it really comes down to how a person weighs the individual picture qualities like sharpness over other qualities such as black levels.

I'd love to see the Planar, out of curiosity. I wonder if it's a single chipper I could actually live with. But I don't think it is available in Toronto.

BTW, I didn't see any description of the Planar's lens mechanism in Mark's mini-review - i.e. whether it was manual or automated, zoom ratio etc. So I looked up another review on projectorreviews and I see it is a manual zoom. That's too bad. I'd hope for
automated lens features at that price point.

Also, one thing Art mentioned in his review is that the Planar has some lens shift available whereas most DLP's don't. I'm quite baffled by this. How is it most DLPs don't offer lens shift? Why would that be? Unless I'm missing something (which I probably am) it would seem to me to be crucial to have lens shift, especially given most projectors are going to be ceiling mounted, higher than the center of the screen.

What gives?

What gives?

I'm not an optical engineer, but the folks at Optoma told me that the larger DMD impacts the range of both the throw and lens shift which is why the Optoma HD8200 with the smaller DC3 has more lens shift than most DLPs. Unfortunately I didn't have an opportunity to play around with the lens shift on the 8150.

Unless I'm missing something (which I probably am) it would seem to me to be crucial to have lens shift, especially given most projectors are going to be ceiling mounted, higher than the center of the screen.A projector can have a fixed offset that requires that it be ceiling mounted at a certain place (not counting tilting) or that it be flipped the other way and put below the screen. The InFocus IN83 is an example of this. We would say that is a projector without lens shift since the user can't change the offset.

--Darin

Excellent mini review, Mark! I agree with you completely though I did not get the chance to do a true side by side with an RS-20, something I would have liked to do. On my wish list of changes/improvements would be a setting with a more aggressive use of the DI (like you mentioned), as I am one of those willing to tolerate a few minor artifacts, and the addition of a couple of more gamma curves between 2.2 and 2.5. I never got to see a color perfect RS-20, so I would love to see how the 8150 compares with it when the RS-20 is at its best.

Thanks Bob. The RS20 vs 8150 is probably the most interesting comparison among the current crop of projectors because both are so different yet both excel in their own areas. I'd also like to see an RS20 with near perfect convergence compared with the 8150, but I think it may be difficult to find ;)

Also thanks Darin for letting me loan your baby for a few weeks :)

Thanks, Bob and Mark.

Whatever the trick is that they used to have DI CR look like native, namely better blacks w/o apparent loss of brightness in the same scene, must be the same one the Lumis uses.

I stopped following that awhile back; did anyone ever figure that out?

I'd love to see the Planar, out of curiosity. I wonder if it's a single chipper I could actually live with. But I don't think it is available in Toronto.


you can see it on display at audio one in concord. its located on steeles ave. just east of 400. i will be going there very soon for a demo.

I have explained mant times over and over and over, that lens shift, moving the chip image from the center of the lens, all other things being equal will increase CA because of entering the curvature area. The Planar designer, Bob, posted in the early threads that in order to provide lens shift, a bigger in diameter much more expensive lens was required than the Infocus he designed in the past,. The big boy $7K lenses have very large diameters and have a much much bigger sweet spot. Even then, one should not use more than 5 or so clicks of lens shift on ones of thoses. if more is used there will be some CA. Bob recommend that although it was available, one should not use the horizontal shift if one was using vertical shift. Shift is not a good thing to use EVER if you can avoid using it through livable installation options. Bob did note, that if using either of the lens shifts, a slight increase in contrast might occur because the light path would be closer in one direction to the black inside surface lens barrel.

you can see it on display at audio one in concord. its located on steeles ave. just east of 400. i will be going there very soon for a demo.

I know Audio One! Thanks very much Anthony!

I'm curious to see the Planar, but would also like to see if there are any options out there for me, beyond the RS20 (for getting top video performance within my budget). I own the RS20 but haven't finished my theater yet.

The only yet-to-be-seen issue for me is whether I'll have issues with motion blur like a few others. I hope not, as beyond that I know I'd be extremely happy with the RS2 for quite a while. But...it would be nice to know there are some "just in case" projectors out there as options.

I had a chance to compare a nicely tuned Planar to my RS2 Pioneer clone at Darin's house recently. My previous machine was a highly modified Benq W10k and I've owned mostly DLP in my life. I found the Planar exceptional, I expected the black level to be better on my RS2 but that was not the case. Both absolute floor and the detail from Planar was on par or exceeded the Pioneer. Mind you it would be splitting hairs. Overall sharpness was very good although not at the level of my Benq where I could resolve DLP dimple easily. The brightness was comparable and on the split screen I was surprised how well the two matched. In mixed scenes Planar pulled away with the typical 3D effect of the DLP. I would say, however that the main difference from my Benq was the low level performance. I think it's the current state of the art for DLP technology. I did not have a chance to look at motion handling in great detail, but it looked on par with my Benq, which I thought was the best of the crop of all pj's I've owned. The rainbow effect was non existent and I am/used to be very sensitive to the issue. All in all an amazing machine that looks like a retro vacuum cleaner.

If the price was no object I would own it, given the value proposition of some of the competitors, it remains on the wish list. Just my 2 cents :D

The designer of the 9150 is top notch. I suspect they let him do what was needed to make a great machine and spend the time to get the DI right then they priced it after all the parts were added up rather than telling him to build it to a price point. Planar and Runco which it owns build good stuff, always have and always will.

Whatever the trick is that they used to have DI CR look like native, namely better blacks w/o apparent loss of brightness in the same scene, must be the same one the Lumis uses.


I haven't had an opportunity to check out the Lumis so I can't say what they are doing, but I'm going to post some measurements on the Planar soon. The Planar is able to maintain brightness in scenes by using a less aggressive algorithm. In other words some DI's work by preserving black levels as a first priority and they do this by sacrificing bright whites in the scenes. The Planar on the other hand seems to be less aggressive and maintains whites as a first priority even if it means having to sacrifice black levels. With dark scenes that don't contain bright content both approaches will yield similar results. The Planar also has a fast iris and doesn't seem to "hunt" in scenes so iris changes are hard to spot.

"The Planar on the other hand seems to be less aggressive and maintains whites as a first priority even if it means having to sacrifice black levels."

The mystery is that it doesn't look like it is.

I wonder what the IRE of stars is. I've always assumed near max, but if appreciably dimmer then I guess that leaves the algorithm enough to work with.

"The Planar on the other hand seems to be less aggressive and maintains whites as a first priority even if it means having to sacrifice black levels."

The mystery is that it doesn't look like it is.

I wonder what the IRE of stars is. I've always assumed near max, but if appreciably dimmer then I guess that leaves the algorithm enough to work with.

Eric Garci's intrascene contrast calculator has an example photo of a star field and gives some numbers for peak white and black. I don't remember the exact number for the %stim of peak white, but I remember it being pretty high (probably around 90%). So this would force the Planar to either 1) crush whites a little in order to maintain a good black level or 2) leave whites about the same and live with the elevated black level.

With the short time that I had the Planar, I didn't notice scenes where BC took place, but Darin had the unit longer and said that he saw a few scenes that contained very small amounts of bright whites that showed some BC. So it's likely that with a star field scene that the Planar probably does option 1). So it's probably the case that the Planar algorithm doesn't maintain the white levels all the time and with all content, but it does so most of the time and more so than other dynamic implementations.

Anyone in Atlanta knows where I can see PD8150 ?

Eric Garci's intrascene contrast calculator has an example photo of a star field and gives some numbers for peak white and black.Just for information, his contrast calculators recently moved and are at:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/intrascene.htm

http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/contrast.htm

It is hard for me to tell from the histogram under the H for the star field in the first link how many are way up high. From memory of star fields I've looked at with the waveform monitor on the Panasonic AE1000 and AE3000, some stars will be up near 100% video level, but most are down lower.

One interesting thing with Alien vs Predator: Requiem is that things seem to top out pretty low. Even very bright things like a sun look like they are about 70% video level max, even if crushed to that. I could check some more scenes to make sure, but I'm thinking about raising the Contrast setting for my display when I look at that title.

--Darin

Just for information, his contrast calculators recently moved and are at:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/intrascene.htm

http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/contrast.htm


Thanks for the links Darin, I looked for it when I posted but the link was dead, now I know why.


One interesting thing with Alien vs Predator: Requiem is that things seem to top out pretty low. Even very bright things like a sun look like they are about 70% video level max, even if crushed to that. I could check some more scenes to make sure, but I'm thinking about raising the Contrast setting for my display when I look at that title.

--Darin

Yup, AVP Requiem is the perfect movie to show off a good DI implementation because the peak whites are so low in most scenes and overall it's very dark. Not much downside to using a DI with that movie, but a lot of benefit to be had.

Has anyone bought a lamp for this projector yet? I have 3135 hours on my original lamp and I am thinking I need to be looking for a replacement.

Has anyone bought a lamp for this projector yet? I have 3135 hours on my original lamp and I am thinking I need to be looking for a replacement.

I haven't, but didn't they say you should replace after 2000 hours? Have you been using it in high or low lamp mode? I use mine in low for movies and high for sports.

The specs in the back of the user manual say 4000 hours in 180watt (low) mode.

I have run the projector only in low mode with a few very brief looks at what high mode would look like.

The specs in the back of the user manual say 4000 hours in 180watt (low) mode.

I have run the projector only in low mode with a few very brief looks at what high mode would look like.

Planar Lamp Google Search 997-5268-00 (http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=planar+pd8150+replacement+lamp#q=Planar+997-5268-00&hl=en&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=B7aDTb7gOI7EsAOm4vz9AQ&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQrQQ&biw=1192&bih=849&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=f3631e0cf306c035)

You know, I don't know if you can use another brand lamp or not, but it would be good to find out. The lamps are pretty expensive from what I have found. However I read you can just replace the bulb and not purchase the housing, but I don't know the sku for that. Anyone?

Why not buy your new bulb from the AVS crew right here?

Why not buy your new bulb from the AVS crew right here?

That makes great sense. I bought my project from you guys. :D

Question for you Planar/Runco owners. Do you have to go into a menue to get the vertical stretch mode for use with an anamorphic lens, or is it available directly from the remote? From reading the users manual I know there is a 'Aspect Ratio' button on the remote, but I can't tell if one of the modes is the V-stretch. Is 'Letterbox' the mode I am after?

I use a fixed place A-lens and want to make sure I can easily swap between 16x9 and 2.35:1 modes without navigating into a menue.

If your 8150 is anything like the rest of the Runco's and Vidikron's (RIP) it should be available from the remote. On the past two I have owned the button was located under the brightness and contrast buttons.

Question for you Planar/Runco owners. Do you have to go into a menue to get the vertical stretch mode for use with an anamorphic lens, or is it available directly from the remote? From reading the users manual I know there is a 'Aspect Ratio' button on the remote, but I can't tell if one of the modes is the V-stretch. Is 'Letterbox' the mode I am after?

I use a fixed place A-lens and want to make sure I can easily swap between 16x9 and 2.35:1 modes without navigating into a menue.
Yes, it's Letterbox and you can get it from the remote. It's stellar. I have it with a panamorph motorized sled and absolutely love it.

Those Googled $600+ prices are a rip off. You can buy the bulb for $495 at Planars own on-line store.

http://us-dc2-order.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/wg-order?ysco_key_event_id=&ysco_key_store_id=yhst-15372306494542&sectionId=ysco.cart&yscob=2gxOH58mAUd9KiZC60lB7EV.SumRVmmJ9XLPJljPn2dTGmXvqqqhDx JhWc3HFEzeqNMvfzQ2xTzHRKabgZhLhji5ZJ6HW9aVXFI2M6UxDtJvedBInY 3FxHeBCCuH0wAcwQ--

The bulb in the 8150 is an Osram and the model # is clearly visible. P-VIP 180-230/1.0 E20.6 you should be able to order just the bulb from a number of sources but after looking at the lamp assembly I can tell you that swapping out just the lamp is not as easy as other lamp assemblies. There are some screws that appear to be aiming screws and some that attach hold down clips. Bottom line are you feeling lucky?

Those Googled $600+ prices are a rip off. You can buy the bulb for $495 at Planars own on-line store.

http://us-dc2-order.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/wg-order?ysco_key_event_id=&ysco_key_store_id=yhst-15372306494542&sectionId=ysco.cart&yscob=2gxOH58mAUd9KiZC60lB7EV.SumRVmmJ9XLPJljPn2dTGmXvqqqhDx JhWc3HFEzeqNMvfzQ2xTzHRKabgZhLhji5ZJ6HW9aVXFI2M6UxDtJvedBInY 3FxHeBCCuH0wAcwQ--

The bulb in the 8150 is an Orsam and the model # is clearly visible. You should be able to order just the bulb from a number of sources but after looking at the lamp assembly I can tell you that swapping out just the lamp is not as easy as other lamp assemblies.

Thanks BIGmouth. I'd replace just the bulb and save $300/$400. But I like working on stuff like that.

I see the bare bulb goes for under 2 bills. Please post your results here if you have good luck. I see 3 silver screws on the top that appear to hold the lamp frame assembly in the lamp housing. I think you will have to remove those three to free the frame to get access to the hold down clips.

The black screw looks like an aiming adjustment (don't touch)

Yes, it's Letterbox and you can get it from the remote. It's stellar. I have it with a panamorph motorized sled and absolutely love it.

Great, thanks for confirming.

So I have pretty much decided on upgrading to a Runco LS-3 or LS-5. My question now is if the LS-5 is worth the extra coin over the LS-3 ($2000 delta retail). I have seen the LS-3, but likely won't be able to demo the LS-5. Outside of horizontal lens shift which I don't need, the only difference between the two seems to be the LS-5/8150 has around 30% higher contrast, most of which I assume is coming from lower absolute black levels. Its not clear to me how visible such a difference will be, can someone who has seen both give an opinion?

I have seen both, all be it not at the same time. The 5 is a better machine. I am not sure if they use a DC 4 for the better contract or not, but you can see the difference if you compare very bright scenes and very dark ones. Other than that and the shift, which you say you do not need, there really is very little difference.

I don't think anyone followed up with a response to the question about replacing the lamp only within the housing? Has anyone completed this task? What was the level of difficulty? Sources for original lamps? I was surprised to find out that Planar sells the lamp with housing direct from their site for a reasonable price compared to what the retailers can sell for. But, there is a 50% increase in cost for the lamp/housing combo's MSRP vs just buying the lamp only.

I don't think anyone followed up with a response to the question about replacing the lamp only within the housing? Has anyone completed this task? What was the level of difficulty? Sources for original lamps? I was surprised to find out that Planar sells the lamp with housing direct from their site for a reasonable price compared to what the retailers can sell for. But, there is a 50% increase in cost for the lamp/housing combo's MSRP vs just buying the lamp only.

I'm very interested in this topic, sadly I haven't had the time to put too many hours on my projector.

NOT sure. There are many places to but "OEM" lamps without the RUnco, Planar name on they as they do not make them. I have put a bulb only in a few projectors and never once had a problem. If the Planar is similar to older Runcos and Vidikrons then the cage has spring moutns that self aline the lamp and it should not be an issue. But I have never opened this model.

I have not opened my lamp compartment either...but I think I'll take the risk and purchase a bare replacement bulb/lamp and try it out. I did notice that Osram makes two lamps:

P-VIP 180-230/1.0 E20.6

and

P-VIP 180-230/1.0 E20.6N

So one part number ends with an "N" and one doesn't. I've asked a supplier what the difference was...they suggested I pull the lamp housing out and double check...which is the prudent thing to do. I'm using the part # is not visable without pulling out the entire housing from the projector?

pgwalsh was nice enough to send a couple of planar instructions and a video for other models on replacing the lamps. If anyone has the specific instructions for the 8150, I'd love to see them.

Ron

I have not opened my lamp compartment either...but I think I'll take the risk and purchase a bare replacement bulb/lamp and try it out. I did notice that Osram makes two lamps:

P-VIP 180-230/1.0 E20.6

and

P-VIP 180-230/1.0 E20.6N

So one part number ends with an "N" and one doesn't. I've asked a supplier what the difference was...they suggested I pull the lamp housing out and double check...which is the prudent thing to do. I'm using the part # is not visable without pulling out the entire housing from the projector?

pgwalsh was nice enough to send a couple of planar instructions and a video for other models on replacing the lamps. If anyone has the specific instructions for the 8150, I'd love to see them.

Ron I suggest taking a couple picture of the unit in the projector and a few in the housing before you take it apart, us in case there's any confusing when putting back together. Hopefully you have a digital or cell phone camera. Just makes things a bit easier.

I suggest taking a couple picture of the unit in the projector and a few in the housing before you take it apart, us in case there's any confusing when putting back together. Hopefully you have a digital or cell phone camera. Just makes things a bit easier.

That was exactly part of my strategy too. I'd feel much better if there were exact instructions and pics already available. The flying slightly blind is unnerving....but the idea of paying $500 for a new lamp/housing gives me the necessary incentive to shoulder the risk.

Two items I know I'll need are pics of the housing before I touch anything and cotton gloves to make sure none of my body oils touch the bare lamp.

Ron

That was exactly part of my strategy too. I'd feel much better if there were exact instructions and pics already available. The flying slightly blind is unnerving....but the idea of paying $500 for a new lamp/housing gives me the necessary incentive to shoulder the risk.

Two items I know I'll need are pics of the housing before I touch anything and cotton gloves to make sure none of my body oils touch the bare lamp.

Ron
How many AVS'ers does it take to change a light bulb. :p

I'm sure it'll be fine.

My planar PD-8150 is nearly 3 years old now with 1,500 hours on the lamp. It has recently developed a problem.

When I switch on the projector, it is completely out of focus. I have to manually adjust the focus and it stays mostly focused (except for the slight shift over the hours). When I switch it off and switch on later, the unit is again out of focus. The shift in focus is so large I cant even read the text in the menu.

Any idea how this can be fixed?

Thanks,

Raghu

My planar PD-8150 is nearly 3 years old now with 1,500 hours on the lamp. It has recently developed a problem.

When I switch on the projector, it is completely out of focus. I have to manually adjust the focus and it stays mostly focused (except for the slight shift over the hours). When I switch it off and switch on later, the unit is again out of focus. The shift in focus is so large I cant even read the text in the menu.

Any idea how this can be fixed?

Thanks,

Raghu

Have you tried resetting the projector?

rboster, any updates on changing your lamp? It seems like it is hard to find these things, but I did finally find the Planar version: http://www.planaronline.com/catalog/?cat=htaccessories&sub=replacementlamps

Which bulb did you get (with or without the N)?

Anyone know if you can buy these now, and install them 2 years from now and have them still be like new, or do they age while sitting in the box?

Thanks,
Mike

I'm just glad you guys are talking about a DLP projector. I have a Mits HC6500 for the short throw of a 13' direction. But I also have a Sharp Z3000 for it's short throw. I like the Sharp better. You see it as soon as you change over it's a deeper thicker type picture. The JVC DLIA's I tried and this mits look so flat, nice but nice and flat.

Hang in there DLP.

I absolutely love my DLP (can't comment on other DLP models). I am just afraid about being able to buy a bulb in the future, so I am asking questions now. I was looking mostly at Sony and JVC projectors for the longest time, and then at the last minute I discovered what I really wanted was DLP when it came time to make a purchase. Perfectly sharp and aligned RGB pixels, vibrant image, perfect colors, great black levels, what's not to love? It's like Plasma on the huge screen. Long live DLP.

I absolutely love my DLP (can't comment on other DLP models). I am just afraid about being able to buy a bulb in the future, so I am asking questions now. I was looking mostly at Sony and JVC projectors for the longest time, and then at the last minute I discovered what I really wanted was DLP when it came time to make a purchase. Perfectly sharp and aligned RGB pixels, vibrant image, perfect colors, great black levels, what's not to love? It's like Plasma on the huge screen. Long live DLP.

I'm a DLP fan too. I have the Planar and a Samsung rear projection DLP TV. I've been very happy with both.

I bought a spare bulb the day I bought my projector and immediately took out the 350 hr dealer demo bulb to keep as a future spare.

here are some pics, first the bulb. I don't see a N

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF5001.jpg

Now a broad lay of the land.

A pretty big housing (black) and an inner bulb cradle (metal)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4993.jpg

I think the cradle is secured by the 3 silver screws forming a V. I think the bare bulb can go in without taking the cradle out of the housing. In any case there is some play in the mount and perhaps the bulb is aimed and the cradle placement in the slots is important.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4992.jpg


I think this is an aiming screw and that it shouldn't be touched

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4995.jpg

One side is open and you can see a spring loaded screw holding the bulb in the cradle

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4986.jpg

The other side is covered with a spring loaded cover.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF5006.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF5003.jpg

I think we can get the bulb out by loosening the two spring loaded screws.

Awesome post! Thanks for sharing the info!

I've been changing just the lamps for a while now it's easy to eyeball how to dismantle and install the bulbs. One time the replacement had screws for the contacts they normally do. Yet the original lamp had fixed contacts. I was able to work off the fixed contact and drilled out the loop holes on the wire ends to use the screws of the new lamp. Make sure you use rubber gloves.

This planar is at the top of the DLP chain. I've always understood the DLP chip having the ability to have mirrors on and off at the same time is a good thing. That's why the ANSI contrast is so good. If I scaled my screen down to 92" diag I could fit this projector or even an Optoma HD8600 which my friend said he'd give me for just 2 grand. Always tempted :)

I bought a spare bulb the day I bought my projector and immediately took out the 350 hr dealer demo bulb to keep as a future spare.

here are some pics, first the bulb. I don't see a N

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF5001.jpg

Now a broad lay of the land.

A pretty big housing (black) and an inner bulb cradle (metal)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4993.jpg

I think the cradle is secured by the 3 silver screws forming a V. I think the bare bulb can go in without taking the cradle out of the housing. In any case there is some play in the mount and perhaps the bulb is aimed and the cradle placement in the slots is important.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4992.jpg


I think this is an aiming screw and that it shouldn't be touched

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4995.jpg

One side is open and you can see a spring loaded screw holding the bulb in the cradle

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF4986.jpg

The other side is covered with a spring loaded cover.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF5006.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCF5003.jpg

I think we can get the bulb out by loosening the two spring loaded screws.

The last picture? are those contacts fixed to the bulb? You may have to do what I mentioned in the last post.

This planar is at the top of the DLP chain. I've always understood the DLP chip having the ability to have mirrors on and off at the same time is a good thing. That's why the ANSI contrast is so good. If I scaled my screen down to 92" diag I could fit this projector or even an Optoma HD8600 which my friend said he'd give me for just 2 grand. Always tempted :)

I have a 163" screen I made with Stewart Studiotek 130 material and it works great. My room is completely dark (black material over all the walls and the ceiling). Love my Planar!

The last picture? are those contacts fixed to the bulb? You may have to do what I mentioned in the last post. Tom, just took a look, the leads are attached with slip on compression fittings.

Ok, lately for a JVC RS1 the Hong Kong lamp had the wires already on it with screw attachments, but the plug part didn't match up with the JVC. What I meant was I pryed those fixed connections off the dead lamp to use the correct plug part on the Hong Kong lamp.

Looks like the lamps are comming with the wires on it, you just have to hope it matches up.

Thanks to the photos by BIGmouthinDC and the discussion here I have completed a bulb replacement in my Planar PD8150 this afternoon. The bulb I purchased had only tabs for connections. So the existing wiring slipped off the old bulb and onto the new one with no difficulty. The biggest problem I had was getting the carrier out of and back into the projector. That required a great deal more force than I expected. Changing the bulb out was easy!

I am attaching a few photos of the process:

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z425/MortiseMaker/Planar%20bulb/01HousinginCarrier.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z425/MortiseMaker/Planar%20bulb/02Oldbulbinhousing.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z425/MortiseMaker/Planar%20bulb/03Bulbmountingdetail.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z425/MortiseMaker/Planar%20bulb/04Bulbmountinghardware.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z425/MortiseMaker/Planar%20bulb/05Bulbhousing-bulbremoved.jpg

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z425/MortiseMaker/Planar%20bulb/06PlanarBulbCarton.jpg
This is the bulb I used and its source.

Thanks to the photos by BIGmouthinDC and the discussion here I have completed a bulb replacement in my Planar PD8150 this afternoon. The bulb I purchased had only tabs for connections. So the existing wiring slipped off the old bulb and onto the new one with no difficulty. The biggest problem I had was getting the carrier out of and back into the projector. That required a great deal more force than I expected. Changing the bulb out was easy!

I am attaching a few photos of the process:

Wow.. thanks for posting the picture and information, that's great. I'll need to bookmark this page for future reference.

mortisemaker-

Thanks so much for the pics and directions. Both you and BIGmouthinDC have been very generous with your time and efforts to help in this process. I placed my order for the replacement bulb and will use your directions as my guide.

Thanks again
Ron

Well I have been "successful" in replacing my bulb. I "think" I did everything correct...had the had time getting the clip on the back end of the bulb attached...but I got it on and secured it with a tweak of the pliers.

Here's my problem. I can't get the housing back in place. I get it to a certain point in the projector and try to give it a little extra push...but I am really scared of damaging the projector....I'd rather buy a whole new unit housing/bulb unit then damage the actual projector. Any idea's for those who have reinserted the housing unit? Tricks of the trade if you will?

Thanks
Ron

...Here's my problem. I can't get the housing back in place. I get it to a certain point in the projector and try to give it a little extra push...but I am really scared of damaging the projector....I'd rather buy a whole new unit housing/bulb unit then damage the actual projector. Any idea's for those who have reinserted the housing unit? Tricks of the trade if you will?

Thanks
Ron

I would also like to hear the experience of others - particularly from those who do this for a living. Your experience mirrors mine. It took me a very (to me) surprising high level of force to get the unit out of and back into the projector. I originally expected some small amount of friction - but certainly not this much.

One thing you do want to check is to compare the position of the bulb housing with respect to the carrier. You need the first photo to decide how far to the right or left to slide the tabs before tightening the 3 screws. There are slots for the tab and slots for the screws to allow the housing quite a lot of lateral movement in the carrier. I first had mine all the way to the right as show in the photo. I later repositioned it so that the tab was just covering the plastic behind them and not all the way over against the stops.

When you compare the housing and carrier to the inside of the projector, you will see that there are several things that need to line up just right to position the air flow vents and probably also the bulb.

Nevertheless, I think you just need to work up enough courage and basically man handle (slam) the unit back into place.

I would also like to hear the experience of others - particularly from those who do this for a living. Your experience mirrors mine. It took me a very (to me) surprising high level of force to get the unit out of and back into the projector. I originally expected some small amount of friction - but certainly not this much.

One thing you do want to check is to compare the position of the bulb housing with respect to the carrier. You need the first photo to decide how far to the right or left to slide the tabs before tightening the 3 screws. There are slots for the tab and slots for the screws to allow the housing quite a lot of lateral movement in the carrier. I first had mine all the way to the right as show in the photo. I later repositioned it so that the tab was just covering the plastic behind them and not all the way over against the stops.

When you compare the housing and carrier to the inside of the projector, you will see that there are several things that need to line up just right to position the air flow vents and probably also the bulb.

Nevertheless, I think you just need to work up enough courage and basically man handle (slam) the unit back into place.

Thanks very much for the advice. I'll review the tabs on my lamp housing. Yes, like you I assumed the tabs should be all the way to the right, espcially since the lowest screw opening alligned up with the tabs being on the far right.

BigmouthinDC said he thought the male/female electrical slots were probably slightly out of line. I know the internal projector side of that equation has no play..so it can't be out of line. The bulb housing would be the problem side of the equation....but one would think they've designed the tracking to work so the electrical components line up. I can get the housing within about an half inch or so of being all the way in...it's the last umph that has the resistance.

I've got a call into Planar CS, but I don't expect much help...I sure their answer will be to send the projector in for service. I'm not going to mention that I replaced the bulb myself....just that I removed the housing to verify the parts number.

Ron

Well customer service acknowledged their is an issue with the housing relative to insertion into the projector. He said it requires the customer to "jiggle" the housing to manuever it into the projector. He said they designed it to fit in more than the 8150 model, inwhich he was alluding that is doesn't have a perfect design fit.

Well customer service acknowledged their is an issue with the housing relative to insertion into the projector. He said it requires the customer to "jiggle" the housing to manuever it into the projector. He said they designed it to fit in more than the 8150 model, inwhich he was alluding that is doesn't have a perfect design fit.

Jiggle? Sledge hammer is more like it. I hope you work up the courage to get yours back in place. One other thought, perhaps you could loosen the three screws just a little - to allow some small amount of movement as it goes in. In my case, I just reviewed the photo, made mine match what I saw as close as possible and slammed it home.

In any case, thanks for passing this along. At least we now know they know about the somewhat imperfect fit.

I do recall that when I first removed my factory bulb and housing I thought WTF and stopped. The next day after consulting the manual one more time and determined to succeed I gave it much harder tug and it came out.

I do recall that when I first removed my factory bulb and housing I thought WTF and stopped. The next day after consulting the manual one more time and determined to succeed I gave it much harder tug and it came out.

I'm going to reposition my tabs tonight and give it one more try. I'm just worried about trying to force a $500 replacement item into a $6k projector and doing some damage. Again, thanks to both of you for your instructions, support and first person insights....you both are great examples of the stellar AVS community.

Thanks
Ron

Success!! You were right on the money. Moving the tabs even the slight bit did the trick. The housing with a little push moved right into place. Did you notice a very slight smell powering up the unit? My wife claims she can't smell anything...so maybe it's my imagination.

Success!! You were right on the money. Moving the tabs even the slight bit did the trick. The housing with a little push moved right into place. Did you notice a very slight smell powering up the unit? My wife claims she can't smell anything...so maybe it's my imagination.

Congratulations!!! I am delighted to hear of your success. I certainly understand your concern at the forces involved in this process. I was too.

No, I don't recall any smell - but with the A/C on in here and my unit mounted at the ceiling - I doubt I would have noticed a smell. I think the only thing I noticed was a somewhat brighter picture - but that is just a subjective observation. I don't have anything to measure it with.

Don't forget to go into your lamp hours counter and reset it to zero.

I imagine that the first time a bulb gets hot it is going to off gas something.

In retrospect, the smell might have been coming from my son's movie choice of "Dylan Dog". As suspected, it would seem to have been a little gas coming from the bulb, which within a reasonable amount of time went away...though the movie still stunk up the place. ;)

So the bullet points from my experience would be...

1) Take some pics of the bulb in the housing including the tab placement.

2) Expect resistance when pulling the housing out and putting it back in.

3) Make sure to wear the plastic gloves provided by Pureland Supply

4) Be careful when lifting the original bulb out of the lamp housing, keeping the spring/screw in place.

5) To reapply the hardware clips and screws that hold the lamp in place against the front of the housing, you'll need a screw driver with a magnetic end. The screw on the inside of the housing is recessed in the corner of the housing and too hard to get to with one's fingers (this took sometime-I felt like I was playing the game "operation").

6) I had a tough time reattaching the clip (at the end of the electrical wire) to the bulb prong on the base of the bulb. The prong is bent towards the bulb and leaves little space to use my fat fingers to reattach the clip to the prong. PPL with slender fingers may not have this issue.

7) Again, use your picture taken before you've started the replacement process to check the placement of the tabs to ensure the same position after reinserting the internal bulb housing into the external housing.

I printed off a copy of both BigmounthinDC's pics and Mortisemaker's pictures and instructions (huge help) to refer to when making the change out. I can honestly say, I may not have been able to do this project without their pictures and help....thanks guys!!

Let me know if anyone has any questions? I'd feel much more prepared and confident making another change out down the road. The cost diffence between the bulb only and the housing the bulb is huge....I am more likely to keep my planar for a longer period of time, now that I have an cheap option to replace the bulb vs weighting the cost of investing $550 (shipping and tax) into a used projector vs using the cash towards a new one.

Ron

A little late for this discussion, but might help someone down the road. I bought my PD8150 in Aug '08 and after over 6100hrs the lamp wen out in Oct '11. My replacement "bulb" (which I bough over a year ago) came already installed in the cradle. So all I had to do was pull out the old and pop in the new - or so I though.

The old one came out with a little effort. The replacement just would not go in. As was mentioned, I was leery of trying to force a $500 part into a $6k projector. I called Planar to see if there was some "trick" to this. The technician told me he had replaced many of these, and there was no real trick.

Basically, he told me to grab hold tight to the front and push like hell on the cradle in the back - and don't be afraid of breaking anything, that I wouldn't hurt it. I actually made a fist and pressed "like hell" against the back of the cradle while holding it steady on the front (left it in its ceiling mount). The cradle popped right in.

I asked my wife to come down and help with the realignment (her eyesight is a little better than mine). She noticed right away that the PQ was much better with the new lamp. I'm set for another 6000 hrs.

Thanks for the info, that's a lot of hours. :D


Any word if they'll be producing a newer model? Not that there's anything wrong with the current model, but I was planning on buying a second for another place. I'd like to get one with built-in anamorphic capability.

Runco does not have any native widescreen PJs yet. You would have to go to Sony, DP, DPI, or SIM2.

Hopefully they will release a few more new ones in the near future.

I was wondering if anyone knew where to purchase a short throw lens for this. I asked my local Runco dealer about a LS-5 short throw lens, but with wanted $995 for it. IIRC the MSRP was only ~$700. Can anyone help? Maybe there's someone here looking to sell theirs?

I was wondering if anyone knew where to purchase a short throw lens for this. I asked my local Runco dealer about a LS-5 short throw lens, but with wanted $995 for it. IIRC the MSRP was only ~$700. Can anyone help? Maybe there's someone here looking to sell theirs?

Have you called AV Science to see if they can help you? I bought my Planar from Jason. :D

Have you called AV Science to see if they can help you? I bought my Planar from Jason. :D

Unfotunately they aren't planar or runco dealers anymore. I already asked.

Unfotunately they aren't planar or runco dealers anymore. I already asked.

Did you call Runco and see if they sell them directly?

AVS does sell add on short throw convertor lens. Otherwise if you want to change out your lense I think you are going to have to go through a Runco/Planar dealer.

Did you call Runco and see if they sell them directly?

I sent Planar an email a couple days ago to their sales department. Hopefully I'll hear back soon.

AVS does sell add on short throw convertor lens. Otherwise if you want to change out your lense I think you are going to have to go through a Runco/Planar dealer.

That's great news. I'll have to give them a call!

How does that work though? Does it replace the lens or does it go in front of the existing one sort of like an anamorphic lens?

it fits over the top like a CIH lens

I have never seen one on a pj, but in the lower end forum they talk about them and the zoom lens as well. I would call Mark or Benito about them.

Here is a link to the page that lists the converter lens.
http://shop.avscience.com/Projection-Conversion-Lenses_c_47.html

What do you guys think about a lens like this:

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&partNumber=VCLHG0872X

It's not marketed for projectors but it does have 72mm threads which fits on top of my existing standard lens. I can get one used for $199. I'm going to try it out unless you guys think it's not going to work out well as I would imagine they're pretty much the same thing.

Sorry I do not know anything about them. I am not sure if a camera one will be as good as a PJ one and or what the differences are.

Hi Folks and Happy New Year....

I have run across a "gently used" LS-5 and was wondering what you folks felt a reasonable price should be these days?

thank you

Considering the LS-5's street price is very close to its MSRP, I would say anything close to or lower than $4000 is a good deal.

Considering the LS-5's street price is very close to its MSRP, I would say anything close to or lower than $4000 is a good deal.

I agree. Great projector.

Considering the LS-5's street price is very close to its MSRP, I would say anything close to or lower than $4000 is a good deal.

I bought my LS-5 just shy of two years ago when AVS still sold them, right in the center of your estimate and the current MSRP. There are a couple of other brands selling basically the same pj (one of them using a different case design) at the same MSRP that Runco is. At it's price point, I don't believe there are any DLP pj's on the market with better performance. It's a great pj whose design is still holding up quite well.