Dwin just announced a cable extender so you can have up to a 100' dvi run.

Dwin informed me that if you want to access the service menu for grey scale adjustments etc you need to reinstall the old firmware chip. So if you do the upgrade, save the old chip.

Originally posted by Steve*Moore
Yes, you can do custom on any of the inputs, HD or not.



They sent me the chip and I replaced it...give them a call and see.

Steve

Steve,
I received the chip you described, but none of the IC extractors I have appear to be able to remove the existing chip. I would be appreciative if you could briefly describe the process and tool you used to remove and replace the chip. Did you purchase a PLCC extractor tool like this?


http://www.solidstatekits.com/images/3009ICXSMT.jpg

Don:

I am afraid I used a much less scientific method. I used a small flat jeweler's screwdriver to pry up one of the corners and then lifted it out. Make sure you look at the original printing on the chip (not the sticker) and put the chip in the socket with the printing oriented the same direction.

Steve

Don,

Your picture is of the correct tool. Use it to pull the chip out by the corners. One corner of the chip, and the socket, is beveled, so use that to insure correct orientation.

Scott and Steve,
thanks for the response. Picked up the tool at radioshack today for 10 dollars. Most stores have the part in stock. For anyone who is going to perform this change the radioshack part # is 276-2101, direct link to the part is here (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=276-2101) .

hey- My TV3 is also in for repairs - Is it worth doing the upgrade to the TV3+?- any opinions would be helpful- thanks

For anyone who is considering sending the unit in for repair related to a potentially bad bulb or the unit shutting off spontaneously without evidence of the typical over heating, I suggest re-seating all of the low voltage connections to the TV3 power supply. I was instructed to send my unit to Dwin and I received and RMA, but I was told that blowing the unit free of dust may help. I opened the case and found a unit that was completely dust free. Nothing, not a single speck of dust inside the casing. I did notice a strain on the wires that lead from the fan "bank" area in the back of the unit to the power supply. One of the connectors was not seated correctly. I removed the connector and re-inserted the connector (it looks very much like the connectors to connect the hard disk drive light, power led, speaker, and turbo led that come from computer power supplies).
Subsequently, I have powered the unit up more than 10 times for in excess of 2 hours per occurence, without incident. Previously it would shut off after 10 min. I would wait, power up again last 3 min etc.

I will maintain my RMA and use the PJ daily and re-evaluate sending the unit back to dwin before my warranty expires.

BTW, love the PJ, but bulb is not as easy to replace as some other PJs.

I had some HDMI problems when I got the HD Tivo and I sent the TV3 in to be upgraded. My Dwin is an early unit and the HDMI boards had been changed when they first came out with the fix. I had never tested the HDMI connection until I got the Tivo.

I talked to Edward at Dwin(I don't think he is still there) about doing the plus chip upgrade since I had to send in the projector anyway. His opinion was that he could see no difference in the HD2 and the HD2plus and he had looked at them side by side so I decided against it. There have been posts here by others that have indicated that it may be a bit brighter with the plus chip

I believe most of the benefit in the new HD2plus projectors comes from the faster color wheel and better processing..

Originally posted by Randall Morton
I talked to Edward at Dwin (I don't think he is still there)

I think you are referring to Roger, who is indeed no longer with Dwin. Edward is Edward Dwin, he is the owner and is still there. :)

Steve

I have the TV3 and finally have a new DVD player with DVI capabilities. Any recommendations?

I need HELP from TV3 Buddies
Today is Thursday 9:00 pm and when I went to put on a movie through my Dwin TV3, it started up as normal with the little red light on the pj blinking about every 1/2 second and the fan starting up (all normal so far).... then after about 8 seconds there still is no projector light and the little red light begins blinking (flashing) every 1/10 of a second. Same thing on the main processor box too. Could the bulb have blown?
We watched a movie tuesday and all was well. I had just checked the bulb hours and we only have about 350 hours on it.
The pj is only one year old.

I have shut it down and tried again but no luck.
Is there a reset button on it, or anything I can try.

I need your help to understand this. I look in the manual and could not find any trouble shooting guides.
Could it indeed be a blown bulb?

(Fishlady)

My parents installed a TV3+ in their theater and are having the following problem:

When using the DVI connector for their HTPC, you have to boot up the PC after the projector is startedand the DVI input is selected. If the PC was previously running, all you see is a grey screen.

The VGA input works fine.

They have a P4 2.8GHz on an Asus 875P chipset mobo. The Video card is a Radeon 9600XT. I have disabled any screen saver and set the power options to leave the monitor on. The resoltion is 1280 x 720 via Powerstrip.

Fishlady,
do they see any light at all when the projector attempts to fire up?

Before you try to restart the projector, disconnect the power from the scaler and PJ for 5 min.

Unfortunately, this does sound like a bulb failure. I was also told that this could be a malfunction in another internal component, including one of the display drivers. In my situation, I believe vibration loosened one of the low voltage connection from the fan/s to the projector's power supply. There was insufficient strain relief on the connector to power supply and the connector appeared to "back-off" of its connection. My problem was not identical, but it is worth a check prior to shipping the unit back to dwin. You may want to get the dealer involved and hopefully the unit is under warranty.

Originally posted by teekster
My parents installed a TV3+ in their theater and are having the following problem:

When using the DVI connector for their HTPC, you have to boot up the PC after the projector is startedand the DVI input is selected. If the PC was previously running, all you see is a grey screen.

The VGA input works fine.

They have a P4 2.8GHz on an Asus 875P chipset mobo. The Video card is a Radeon 9600XT. I have disabled any screen saver and set the power options to leave the monitor on. The resoltion is 1280 x 720 via Powerstrip.

Teekster,
is the refresh rate set to 60hz? Many times Pstrip will default to a higher refresh rate. With the PJ seeing an HDTV resolution on the DVI input instead of a computer resolution, you may also be dealing with an HDCP handshake problem. Try a different refresh rate first, then a traditional PC resolution and let us know how the PJ behaves.

To: Don (from Fishlady)
No, there is no light at all from the pj, the fan comes on and after about 10 seconds, the little red light begins to flicker both on the pj and main unit.
Are you suggesting I open it up? How can one tell if it is a burn out bulb? Can a bulb burn out so soon?
Fishlady

OK I opened up the projector and found it to be very clean. I checked all connections and they seem to be OK too. The bulb looked fine and very clean, although I do not really know what a bad/burned out bulb looks like.
I tried to start it up again but again. As normal the fan started, but after 10 seconds and still no light, the indicator light started to blink furiously again.
I am trying to contact Jason for help as I am from Canada and do not know how to proceed. Any more help is frantically appreciatied.

BTW, I also used some forced air to carefully blow out the unit. I have spent an hour checking all connections that I could. all seems to be fine, yet no light.

I had the same problem as Fishlady. My Dwin was installed in late January 04 and had less than 1000 hours on the bulb. The projector is back at Dwin right now. I'll let you all know what they say.....

JC

Thanks curej

Furthermore, I talked with my local installer and he told me that in the week since my Dwin went on the fritz they have had two more Dwins do the same thing. Sounds like an epidemic.

Hard to believe, but it's true.

It will be interesting to here how dwin deals with these problems. Sorry there was no joy. I am monitoring my situation closely and if the PJ does not perform to expectations, it is going back with my rma.

Dwin told me that with my symtoms, (no light, and flashing indicator after 10 seconds)) they think it is a premature bulb failure. So I have a bulb being expidited to me. I expect it monday. If this is not the problem, means sending the whole unit in for service from Canada (its 13 months old). I have my fingers crossed. The good news is that AVS (Jason) has said they will help out. Thank you for AVS. And thats why we are such good supporters of AVS.
Will keep you posted!

I Had similar experience. After two weeks of not using my projector, I turned it on and had light coming from the projector but no communication from the processor to the projector. I emailed Jason and he said to call DWIN directly so they could have me do some tests. I called them and talked to Edward (Dwin), and after having me confirm a couple of things, stated that the processor needs tobe replaced. He 2nd day'd a new processor the next day (with the new chip) and when I had switched them out sent my processor back.

I say all this to emphasize what a stand up company DWIN is.

Sam

GeorgeM
How long have you had your PJ?
Thanks for your story.

I received it last December. I now have about 400 hours on it

George

Okay, now I am starting to get concerned, angry, etc. Fishlady and Curej, it's a "bad bulb". I had the same problem with mine (way under 1,000 hours) and got to press the little power button...fan goes on, powers down. The lights on the Transcanner would never be consistent. Sent it back into DWIN, said it was a bulb issue, they replaced ($400+ later) and voila had a new chip installed and looks fantastic now.

So, why am I angry? Well, all of a sudden reports of the same thing are coming in. There are a few lucky memebers here who have had more than three times the amount of hours I had on my bulb (lucky SOBs!!) and now unfortunately, we are seeing more of the bulb failure problems. Is this going to be happening every 900 hours or so? Think how pissed off you would be if you got your TV3 ISF'ed at say 300 hours and it blows 600 hours later? Anyway, my nervousness is setting in now and I'm going to watch this thread even more closely now to see if more reports come in. If so, time to sell!

On another note, I have no idea why DWIN said you need the old chip to change the greyscale. You can enter the service mode with the new chip (what the hell is it anyway? new scaling chip!?!? DWIN NEVER CALLED ME OR MY DEALER BACK ABOUT THE FIX!) and it has all the settings, plus more with the new chip. This time around, I know DWIN is VERY hesitant to give out the code, but I'll be damned if I was going to send my unit in for a THIRD time (which would probably jolt the bulb during shipping) to fix that stupid solarization problem for the second time (before and after chip). My dealer (THANK YOU BRENT!) pretty much strong-armed him to get the code and he fixed my solarization problem.

Now, thanks for letting me moan and groan, and on a positive note, I LOVE the image coming out of my TV3! :D

A timely post for me Chris.

I need to call Brent as well, since my solarization problem has also returned with full force (it's every bit as bad now as it was before I sent it in the first time to have this fixed).

Chris- did your solarization reappear only after sending the unit in for the bulb fix? I haven't moved my pj at all since it was fixed, so I don't understand why the problem would just come back out of the blue like this?

Does anyone from Dwin monitor this forum? I guess they must be aware of the frequency of this issue. The problem seems suprisingly common here, and this must only be the tip of the iceberg......

Rob,

This is the fun part for me. Got the unit in from Brent. Had a slight problem with alignment and a few other things. Talked with DWIN and they said to send it in. Got it back, items were fixed, but then I had noticed the solarization problem. Was informed by other members here (thank you!) on how to fix it via the service mode. Done. No more solarization.

Bulb goes out (or so they say) and it's not indicating a bad bulb (per the instruction manual based on the LED blinks) talked to Brent, talked to DWIN and they said send it on in. Got it back, noticed the new chip upgrade and was like, "SWEET!" and then "BOO" because solarization was back...and WORSE than ever! A nice call went into Brent and he worked things out to get the code and fixed my unit. Solarization is now gone.

In your case, that is crazy that it would just appear out of the blue. Definitely give Brent a call to see what he can do.

Curej,

I totally agree. I hope there is an answer to why this is happening to folks all of a sudden. Hopefully I didn't start a trend! :confused:

Curej and George, etc: Bulb problem?
Well, I got a new bulb from Dwin this morning. I put it in and "IT WORKS". All looks good again, however one has to admit that 350 hours on the preveious bulb is a little low. Dwin says it happens, but it is a pretty expensive happening. So:

Does anyone have any tips on how to ensure your bulb will last to its optimum?
(eg. don't turn your pj on and off intermintently if you can avoid it?)
What else?

Guess What...? I just had my bulb go out today about an hour ago. Only 779 hrs on it. I will call DWIN and at least let them know another one bit the dust.

Has all of this data shared above documented a latent defect? Who knows! I had a failure right out of the box in January 04. Projector stayed on for approx 15 minutes, picture solarized and bulb went off with red led blinking. The unit would restart but with same result. Dealer sent unit to factory and was repaired. Unit worked fine for 400 hours, then same failure occurred again. Factory sent new bulb to dealer. New bulb did not fix problem. Dealer sent unit back to factory. Factory isolated problem and upgraded firmware and replaced a resistor. Unit now has 15 hours on it since the repair and is running fine. Even with this inconvenience I love the unit. I also appreciate the integrity of the factory support. I have a VUTEC 103" screen and the Olympics have looked fantastic. If anyone else has this configuration I would like to swap video settings with you. Thank you DWIN.
Rocket Scientist

Great. Based on the last post, any chance that the solarization is causing some of the pre-mature bulb failure? Yowzer, did you have any solarziation? There has to be some explanation for all this! These ones are going around the 1,000 mark. Very interesting!

Chris
There was only one time that I noticed solarization but it didn't last nor repeat so I chalked it up to a quirk with the DVD I was viewing. I did have a couple of times when then red light started blinking and the lamp would't fire, but a restart of the system cured it and again I thought of it as a quirk. I use the unit as my main TV so these hours were put on just since Mar-Apr time frame. Having now read some of the failures listed here I now see some of my glitches in a different light. Today I will call DWIN and inform them that I believe this a premature lamp failure. I am not going to make any demands but if they offer some sort of fix or correction I will post here. Would hate to send the unit back with football just about to start.

I think this sounds like to what happened to me 6 months ago with 100 hours on the lamp. Its definately not a lamp issue. I'm not sure what they fixed but Roger knew right away. Fortunately it hasn't happened since.

Heard back from Jeff at DWIN and as I expected he offered condolences and suggestions to make certain of clearance around the unit so it can breath. He also stated that he was not aware of any rash of bulb failures at this time. I also called Jason at AVS and let him know. I was expecting no offers from DWIN and received none. My previous projector (Sony 10HT) had the first bulb only last 800 hours but the second lasted 2700. Fingers crossed that this holds true with the DWIN.

You know, it would be very interesting to set up a poll of TV3 owners who have had a bulb failure as to :
For each bulb that you have owned and died, how many hours did your bulb have on it when it went down?
(a) 0 - 400
(b) 401 - 800
(c) 801 - 1200
(d) 1201 - 1600
(e) 1601+


I don't know how to set it up, but if one of you do.....

I just got my TV3+ projector back. It was apparently NOT the bulb, as it was repaired and I was not charged by Dwin (although the local company that I bought the projector through charged me for coming out, picking it up and mailing into Dwin, then reinstalling it...can you believe that???? I don't think they should have charged me for that, should they?).

Unfortunately, there was no explanation from Dwin about the repair, so neither I nor my local HT company knows what was wrong with the projector. Kind of unsatisfying, but the implication is that it wasn't the bulb, or I think they'd have charged me for a new bulb.

JC

Call Jeff at Dwin and ask him what the repair was.
Never buy anything from that crummy dealer again.

I'm sure if I looked back in this forum I could find it, but would you save me a few minutes and tell me the phone number for Jeff at Dwin? Thanks.

BTW, would you say that it is unusual for a dealer to charge a customer for shipping the under-warranty product back to the manufacturer for repairs? These guys feel that they should not have to swallow the cost for the time spent taking down and putting back up the malfunctioning PJ and for the shipping costs. I feel that that is their cost of doing business. I could have bought the PJ direct from Dwin and hung it up myself if I wanted to be responsible for that kind of thing, but I payed extra so I'd have someone locally to deal with these issues for me. What's your "take" on this issue?

What did you end up paying for the projector and what did they charge you to install it? How long has it been installed?

Originally posted by curej
(although the local company that I bought the projector through charged me for coming out, picking it up and mailing into Dwin, then reinstalling it...can you believe that???? I don't think they should have charged me for that, should they?).
JC

I would say that it would depend on what you paid for it... If you bought a complete package and originally paid for installation, etc. then you shouldn't have had to pay anything except for what wasn't covered under warranty. If it had been the bulb though, I would expect most dealers to charge for the service.

Under most circumstances, shipping would be somewhat of a reasonable charge, especially if you just bought an uninstalled box to begin with. I could see them charging you what they did if that was the case.

You might call your dealer (the owner) and say that you would understand paying the charges if it had been the bulb, but because it was a warranty issue you don't feel it's right that you are out any money. They are the ones who recommended and sold you the unit and they should stand behind it.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

One other thing,

If the dealer insist, I would tell them that they should try to recoup their expense from DWIN, just like a car dealership does when they repair something under warranty. DWIN will tell them to go take a hike likely, but so would most all manufacturers. You might ask for DWINs help to resolve this. A dealer never wants their franchises jeopardized.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

I'd say you got an excellent deal> I am a DWIN dealer and I sell a fair amount of projectors (although not as many as Brent). I don't know what Brent sells his TV3's for but I would not ever entertain selling that projector for $8k. Given that, I'd say you came out pretty good - but that is just my take. On the other hand, since I sell my pj's for much more than that, I would never charge my customers for freight or labor to remove the projector and reinstall it.. In fact I have been know to give them a loaner, even it is my personal unit. And if a customer called me with a problem projector I would be all over that - getting it resolved. I also stock spare bulbs to get the customer up and running quick and have been know to eat a few bulbs in my day (they are quite tasty, kind of like frog legs).

You get what you pay for!

The price for a certain product/service is not just the amount of money you paid for it.

What have you given up when you paid less?

Is it worth it to you?

What did you get extra when you paid more?

Is it worth it to you?

A dealer who sells Dwins for that price cannot afford to give you good free service.

Could someone give me feedback on the fan noise of the TV3+? Better yet, measure it with a SPL meter about a foot away? I can't find a review of this unit which documents this. Thank you.

Sure SJHT.
Projector is ceiling mounted. Using the front as a reference - front 55db, right is 55db, back is 60db, left is 60db. Used Radio Shack SPL meter on C weighting and slow response at 1 foot from unit. My projector is a TV3+. Hope this helps. I have had other units to try out in my theater and all were somewhat quieter - I did not measure them. The back of my theater seats line up with the projector lens so my ears are in front of the projector - more quiet position. Wish projector were a bit quieter but it doesn't bother me. The advantages of the DWIN outway the fan noise in my opinion.

The projector would also be behind my seating position. Based on your comments, you sound happy with it? What else did you consider? What screen are you using? This projector would be really easy for me to install in my HT. SJ

Originally posted by SJHT
Could someone give me feedback on the fan noise of the TV3+? Better yet, measure it with a SPL meter about a foot away? I can't find a review of this unit which documents this. Thank you.

I have ceiling mounted (about 11' high) between the two rows of seats in my room. I can here is during quiet movies, and it bothered me a bit when I forst got the room finished. The only time I notice it now is when the movies is turned off; any movie worth watching is sufficiently interesting to distract me from the noise. I've never had a guest notice the fan (though some of them did complain when the HD signal was poorly calibrated, so they aren't wallflowers!).

Erik

BTW...Dwin will be showing THIS at CEDIA:
___________________________________
DWIN Electronics Rep News
August 24, 2004
CEDIA Update
We're less than three weeks away from DWIN's most important trade show of the year. To help make this show a success, we've created an extensive promotional campaign (see below) that will help build traffic from existing dealers, attract new dealers and convince "on-the-fence" dealers to make a commitment.
The booth will feature a great new exterior design plus a display of two 50-inch plasmas connected using DuoVision. Inside the showroom we'll demonstrate a specially modified TransVision 3 Plus using a pre-production 720p DMD called DarkChip3. DarkChip3 is a next-generation 720p DLP chip from Texas Instruments that promises better brightness and contrast. The program will be 12 min demo with HD samples (movies and broadcast clips), followed by a brief Q&A. We'll also show the DVI Cable Extender running 100-foot DVI.
News on TV-10 3-Chip DLP
We have postponed - indefinitely - the launch of the TV10 3-chip projector to concentrate our engineering resources on the development of a new, lower-cost DWIN projector. I'll have more details about the new projector at CEDIA. We will continue to monitor the market conditions - and emerging technologies - to see if there is sufficient demand for a $27,000 720p DLP projector
___________________________________

It will be interesting to see how well DarkChip3 performs and if the original TV3 might be upgradeable to it. Also, I wonder if the color wheel is the same. I suspect it will be because they say their optic design won't benefit from a 7 segment wheel. Likely the same story with DC3. We'll see.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Question for my DWIN Buddies-

I have a TV3+ and Vutek screen and have never had an ISF calibration. The question is - is it worth it? I have had mixed opinions from dealers in the Rocky Mountain area. Some say that it is a waste of money and that you will just return to your old settings after you have tried the calibration settings. I would really like for you to share some real world experience with me before I spend the money. The going cost in the Rocky Moutain area is $350 and they will come back for tweaks. Thanks for sharing.

I'm sure it depends on how well you have set up your system. You might have it right on the money. Are fleshtones natural? Can you see most everything in dark scenes? Do colors bleed? Do you have any complaints?

I agree. ISF is only worth what needs fixing...if that makes since.

If you're happy with your image don't fool with it. If you need help, get it ISF'ed.

I hope that helps.

Brent Huskins
President/Owner
Media Design
architects of electronics
Fort Worth, TX

I have a problem with my TV3+

The component inputs went bad just tonight. The picture appears to be smearing from left to right across the screen especially in the white areas. Also, it has lines through the picture and is blurry. It worked fine last night and now it is bad. I tried it on both my Replay TV and my Denon 5900 the image looks the same. I have changed cables. Powered it completely off.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

Kevin

Any recommendations on what screen material works best with the TV3?

Im very happy with Studiotek 130

On the cheeper side, Vutec Brightwhite is great and about 1/2-1/3 the price of the stewart.
FREAK!

The bulb change is simple as pie. 18 minutes going slow and hollerin @ kids in between. Remove from mount, remove 6 screws from the bottom, top case comes off, look for silver housing, then 4 more screws, unhook old wire harness, bulb secured with 2 screws, remove them, place the new one in, replace screws. Pop a cold one. Could be done in 7 minutes, but this is a darn nice PJ, why rush it.

metallicafreak, do you have a Brightwhite, is it tensioned?

Brent, and others:

I have heard nothing about DWIN at Cedia. What happened? How was their booth? Anything new or interesting?
thanks
michael

TV4 coming out by year's end...

More later I promise...

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Originally posted by bhuskins
TV4 coming out by year's end...

More later I promise...

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Any info on what dlp chip they will use?

Originally posted by bhuskins
BTW...Dwin will be showing THIS at CEDIA:

It will be interesting to see how well DarkChip3 performs and if the original TV3 might be upgradeable to it. Also, I wonder if the color wheel is the same. I suspect it will be because they say their optic design won't benefit from a 7 segment wheel. Likely the same story with DC3. We'll see.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

I spoke to Dwin about a month ago about upgrading my TV3 to a TV3+ and was told that the 3+ chip was the last chip to be manufactured by TI that would be backward compatible. He said the new chip that was coming out would not be compatible with the TV3. Is there new information on this?

Chad

not what I heard. I heard the darkchip3 could be incorporated...more details later as that is all I know
FREAK!

My Dwin TV-3 has been working great until just a few weeks ago. At first I thought I had a blown bulb. Not surprised because it has 3400 hours on it. So I decided to swap it out with my spare. after 680 hours on the spare it did the same thing. Since I saw my original bulb looked like new with no discoloration I stiuck it back in and it is working great for about 150 hours and again started to blink out. Tonight I dug into the TV3 head and think I have a high temp cutout switch going bad. It appears to be fine for awhile and then for no reason opens up. It is about as easy to change as the bulb so I think I will replace it. I have the switch bypassed now and the PJ has been running fine for awhile.

Has anyone, especially dealers, done this level repair and do you think Dwin will sell me a temperature sensor? Has anyone measured the bulb compartment temperature with normal conditions?

One other thing, I did notice some dust buildup on the fan cage blades. This could reduce the air flow and cause a higher temperature. It wasn't bad yet but could be if I let it go. Anyone have any suggestions on how to clean these fan blades without a major disassembly?


Update- Well, it wasn't the temperature sensor since I had the same problem with that bypassed as I did with it in the circuit. I continued to test and discovered that the projector ran fine for quite awhile on the bench. So what is different? The projector is right side up on the bench so I turned it upside down and it went out within a few minutes. I normally mount the Projector upside down ceiling mount. Maybe it's heat? OK I opened it all up and turned it on right side up ran fine. Turned it upside down all opened up and it went out withing a few minutes.

Does anyone have any idea why the projector will not run upside down anymore. This is really strange. The only guess I have right now is the projector may have a cold solder joint that opens up when the heat builds and the gravity is in the right direction.

I searched the thread for information about replacement bulbs. I found Toxarch had posted some Osram numbers he got off a bulb. I couldn't find anything at Osram's website or any cross reference to that number. Anybody got a model number for the TV3 replacement bulb? On an invoice from Dwin? Don - do you have a number off the box of your replacement?

thanks,

Yes but there are no generic replacements. The bulb is OEM part. We are stuck with Dwin for source. Or, maybe you could research the mfg of the PJ head engine and see if they will sell the OEM part to you. I had some other thoughts about seeing if other PJ mfg's used the same basic engine as Dwin in the TV3 and see if they had a better price but considering how often the part needs replacing, I just didn't budget the time to research it. I'm still on my original and the spare I bought as part of my original purchase agreement.

VIP R 200/P22 If any want to research this further.

One other tip- The correct language is a "Lamp" since the bulb is the small tube mounted in the reflector assembly with machined metal frame.

Good luck! :)

I had a problem recently with my bulb acting blown (did not come on, red light blinked rapidly). The PJ was sent back to Dwin and repaired, and I was not billed (still under warranty, bulb had less than 1000 hours). So, I don't know exacly what was actually wrong.

Now I have seen some "solarization" on some DVDs (Horse Whisperer, dark scenes lit by firelight), but only on this DVD. I think I am seeing more (?) dithering in bright white or blue sky scenes (looks "dirty" and flickery).

Finally, since coming back from Dwin I have this focal subtle flair of bright glow in one fixed location on the screen, only really visible in dark scenes. Is this latter due to dust? Any advice on taking care of dust in the PJ for novices that are nervous about pulling the PJ down from its ceiling mount? Please help me by addressing these "problems" and how you think I can make them disappear.

Thanks.

JC

Originally posted by bhuskins
TV4 coming out by year's end...

More later I promise...

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Brent,

Any news on the TV4? Is this the new, lower cost projector that DWIN mentioned in the pre-CEDIA press release?

Not sure about the solarization but the uneven lighting sounds like an alignment problem. I had a similar problem and Dwin tech support talked me through the fix over the phone. The realignment may cure the other problems also. Good luck.

Sorry for the delay guys...very busy last couple of weeks.

The TV4, per DWIN, will be an HD2+ projector with 15% mounting offset (not 40% like the current model), short throw lens (C Z still, but a little shorter throw to keep cost down) 2 box solution with 10 inputs and a new smaller case. The best part is the target retail MSRP is $6,500. I don't know how else the unit will be "stripped" of features, but it sure does sound promising. They said it is due out by year end. I would interpret that to mean they will show it at CES and ship shortly there after. Maybe they can do it sooner being they've already done this before, just trying to do it cheaper this time. Maybe they can get it out in "two more weeks" - :) Dark Chip 3 should make its way into the TV3+ (they may change the model numbers around to make sense to everybody...TV4 in name's sake sounds like a TV3+ upgrade, but it's not particularly supposed to be.) If the DC3 makes its way into the TV3+ (or whatever new model number it may get) then current TV3 owners should be able to upgrade. Supposedly the new DC3 will be able to benefit from DWIN's current design. They expect a good improvement or they won't likely use it. They have said recently that they are seeing some good results with the testing, when incorporating the DC3 with additional hardware/software modifications. Also, they will stay with the 6 segment wheel due to the lack of a prism in their light path. They have continually stated that the 7 segment wheel produces dimmer results with their light engine while providing no black level benefit. It's good to know that DWIN has some new things coming.

I'll keep you guys posted as I learn more.

thanks,

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Update on my bulb going out problem.

Every once in awhile I get into a repair job where I actually fix something and don't know what I did to achieve the fix. This is one of those times.

After many times of removing the projector head to inspect for bad connections, hunt down intermittent plugs connections examine air flows and cooling, I discovered that the projector would run for long times right side up but the bulb would go out after just a few minutes in the normal upside down ceiling mount. I even rigged a way to mount the PJ right side up on the ceiling mount even though the image was cast across the ceiling in an attempt to study the projector in place but right side up. The projector remained on for 24 hours. I was really beginning to get frustrated. I pulled the projector down and remounted it "upside down " on the ceiling mount and voila! It has been running fine since! I have no idea why the projector bulb would go out before and I have no idea why it seems to be working fine now, each day for a week. At this point I am nearing 4000 hours on the original bulb. While the image seems to take longer to reach normal brightness than my newer bulb with slightly over 680 hours, once it reaches full brightness the picture still looks great.


PS- when my bulb would go out it was NOT accompanied with the red flashing LED everybody mentions.



JC- as one who has seen the problems of an inexperienced "handyman" doing his own repairs on his equipment, I would say that if you or anyone has to ask ( "Any advice on taking care of dust in the PJ for novices that are nervous about pulling the PJ down from its ceiling mount? Please help me by addressing these "problems" and how you think I can make them disappear. "
then you best leave the repairs to a qualified technician. So many things can go wrong and you don't even realize that you are doing something wrong. It is why I felt earlier in this thread that prevention was the best solution and suggested use of a filter on the intake air slots to keep dust out. Unfortunately, Dwin staff had convinced me that while I may be disciplined enough to monitor exit air temperature and keep the filter clean, others will not and cause the projector to over heat due to clogged filter. I suppose, for some people, the Dwin either requires periodic cleaning service by their dealer or be sent to Dwin, or they need to consider a different projector that does not have dust problems. I agree that dust is a fact of life and dealing with it in their design is something Dwin has, IMHO, avoided.

Even with my dust filter, I discovered the fan blades were coated with a fine layer of dust after 17 months of use. I discovered that these fans are easily removed (two screws and some plastic snaps and the rotors pulled out and with a tooth brush I was able to clean the blades thoroughly. I'm sure these cleaned fans will now operate more efficiently. I was also able to use an air can duster over the other parts of the light path for a few flecks of dust I observed.

I fired up my TV3 today and had another dead bulb. Again this one died at about 800 hrs. This is the second bulb in less than 6 months. I am cash strapped right now and won't be able to replace it for about 6 months. The DWIN is coming down and my old 10HT is going back up. I don't know what to do. I can't honestly sell this problem to some one else and I am not comfortable buying another bulb at $550+. I will contact DWIN but am not very confident of any help from them. I am very very upset at this. I did reach financially to get what I thought would be a more robust pj than the 10HT. The 10HT lost a bulb at about 800hrs also but the replacement has well over 2000 on it. Closer to 3000. I can not in good conscience recommend the DWIN to any one. I may change that feeling if THey (DWIN) suggest some sort of remedy. I'm certainly willing to send the unit back to them if they feel it resolve this expensive problem. Thanks for hearing my rant.

yowzer

Yowzer,

The bulb is $450 from DWIN directly and that is also what your dealer should charge you. Dealers are not supposed to mark them up as has been requested by DWIN. I typically get my clients to order them directly to avoid double shipping. So, for $450 you can buy it directly from DWIN as well.

But, I would get your dealer involved in the bulb failure issue. Two replacements in a year is basically unacceptable and not typical. There are ways to get DWIN to cooperate. First, don't take no for an answer and then finally don't get irate or point blame. That will get you know where with DWIN in a hurry. Persistence and calm requests will go the farthest. Tell them that you don't have the money and that you've also bought 2 of these in a year. If your dealer is unwilling to help, tell DWIN about that as well. Situations like this are touchy, but I know I would go to bat for my customers and get a free bulb under this scenario. Let us know how it turns out and feel free to contact me via PM if you want further direction.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

BHUSKINS,

I thank you for your reply and offer of assistance. I waited a while before I wrote my email to DWIN Tech Support. They may not be the ones to contact but that's the only contact address I have at this time. Now that some time has passed I am not willing to bet a paycheck on the price I paid for the bulb. I could be wrong. I will look for the paperwork. I will also contact the dealer and see if they can help. To show what kind of day yesterday was, after I took down the TV3+ and mounted the 10HT I went to my computer room to check my posting for replies and my computer crashed. Both GHOST backups I had were corrupt. Still trying to get that computer running. Oh well, life goes on and the adventure continues.
Thanks again for your reply and offer.

yowzer

Call them at (818)239-1500 and keep calling until you get a live person. As an end user I wouldn't leave a voicemail (except in the tech support specific voicemail) and I definitely wouldn't rely on email. That's the worst way to get support from DWIN. Try extension 101 and I believe tech is 103.

Keep us posted.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

I lost a lamp at only 350 hours (pj only 1 yr old). I have now replaced the lamp but I sure don't want to do it again for some time.
Proposa:
I have mentioned it before, that we should start a poll and the results would lend support to people like Yowzer, etc; when they talk to DWIN.
The question could be worded something like:

Answer this question only if you have change a DWIN Lamp due to failure!
Yes I have replace a lamp due to premature failure. The lamp had the following hours on it:
(a) 0 to 400 hrs
(b) 401 to 800 hrs
(c) 801 tot 1200 hrs
(d) 1201 to 1600 hrs
(e) over 1600 hours

PS: I do not know how to set up a poll, so would appreciate some help.

This is just a small update to keep those interested informed. I left a voice message with my dealer today. Hope to hear back soon. Got an email back from DWIN asking a couple of questions about mounting, purchase date etc. They said they would FAX a form to get an RA number. Hope to get that Tuesday. So far that's it for a status report. I answer a poll about bulb life, but I don't know how to set it up either. Also I don't know if asking about first vs second bulb would give any meaningful info.

yowzer

FishLady's Poll suggestion is a very, very good one ! ! !
(Even for those who have had no disappointments - YET.)

OK does this cover it? If it does, how about one of the forum administrators helping us to set it up (Allan?, David, etc help!).

DWIN LAMP FAILURE POLL:
(1) Reply to this poll only if you have changed a DWIN Lamp due to failure.
(2) Note: reply to this poll = to the number of lamp replacements you have done.

Yes I have replaced a lamp due to premature failure. The lamp had the following hours on it:
(a) 0 to 400 hrs
(b) 401 to 800 hrs
(c) 801 tot 1200 hrs
(d) 1201 to 1600 hrs
(e) over 1600 hours

Have any of the installers that monitor this board noticed an unusual number of premature bulb failures?

Not an unusual amount, but I have seen a few go early...in that 400-800 hour category. Just old enough where no one wants to eat the bulb. Home Owner/Dealer or DWIN. And, I can see all three points of view.

I will say that some other brands fair a little better in bulb life consistency.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

OK the poll is up and running. Just go up one level to Digital Hi-End Proj. - 3500 USD MSRP and Up

"Vote once for each time you have replaced a DWIN lamp"

This should be interesting!

Last night I was trying to think off possible reasons for my early failures and two thoughts crossed my mind.
1 - Maybe too many on/off cycles. I use my projector 4-5 hrs a night as a
regular TV.

2 - Maybe the temp sensor experienced an early failure. (unlikely but just a
thought)

I am going to send for new packing boxes today and then hopefully ship the unit back next week.

yowzer

I have what appears to be a fan squeal on cold start up. (it seems to coming from the rear of the projector.) After about a minute, the squeal stops and all is normal. If I shut down the projector and then start it within a half hour or so there is no squeal. Has anyone had this problem?

Kevin

I have what appears to be a fan squeal on cold start up. (it seems to coming from the rear of the projector.) After about a minute, the squeal stops and all is normal. If I shut down the projector and then start it within a half hour or so there is no squeal. Has anyone had this problem?

Yep, sent the unit in and Dwin replaced the fan under warranty.

Thanks Ranger67

I will be sending in the whole thing then. I already have a problem with my component in. I am awaiting a FAX with instructions.

Thanks for the reply.

Kevin

Ranger67
With respect to fan squeal.
I have not had a squeal, but once every 15 startups, the fan (or color wheel) not sure which, would begin with a rougher "wherrring noice" and quit and smooth out after about 1 min.

I have not had a squeal, but once every 15 startups, the fan (or color wheel) not sure which, would begin with a rougher "wherrring noice" and quit and smooth out after about 1 min.

I had the same problem. It was making that noise and not firing up. The bulb was shot and DWIN did some "work" on it. My dealer and I couldn't get an answer from DWIN as to what they fixed/changed on my projector. When it came back, the noise and the bulb were fixed and I mysteriously had a new menu with more options. :confused:

After the last time that I sent mine in, I wasn't able to get into the service menu anymore. I guess maybe they changed that code or something.

Chris, were the new menu options good? What were they?

Dwin is installing the latest firmware chips on all units coming in for service. This allows the creation of custom aspect ratio settings and allows for image setup on the DVI inputs. It also uses a different password to get into the service menu, about which Dwin is being extremely tight lipped.

So, anyone outside of the evil empire... I mean DWIN, have the new code?

The new chip gives you nice Aspect ratio control and image size/positioning flexibility, but we have lost the service menu access with the old code. Inquiring minds would like to know.:)

I have received the shipping box from DWIN and hope to get the unit on it's way in the next couple of days. Other than that nothing new to report.
yowzer

In case folks are interested, I hooked a Denon 3910 up to my TV3+ via DVI, and the picture is really very good. I replaced a 5 year old DVD player though, so I don't have a particularly good comparison.

A few points:

1. The DVI sync works perfectly. I can switch inputs on the TV3 and when I switch back the picture appears instantly. I really can't tell the difference between component and DVI for switch speed.

2. 480p, 720p, and 1080i DVI all look similiar. I did this comparison very quickly, and only with a few DVE clips. My wife was watching as well and while we could certainly see differences, they weren't ones we felt strongly about. I left it at 720p since it seems like the "right" setting.

3. Component out looks great. You can tell the difference between component and DVI (the DVI looks sharper, the component a bit smoother around the edges) and I prefer DVI, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear other opinions.

4. I tuned the DVI input through the projector (thank you Dwin! tuneable DVI inputs was a pleasant surprise) and I needed to turn the brightness pretty far down to make it all work out. That said, I could get it to show the DVE patterns just fine once I did this, and some dark scenes I looked at (Moria from LOTR and bits of Dark City) looked fantastic.

Erik

Problem: picture breakup on 720p from HD Tivo (HD OTA) on component – fraction of a second after quick scene changes

I have had my TV3 more than a year (1100 hours). A couple of months ago I purchased 2 HD Tivos (I also have 2 SD Tivos). I get a strong signal on OTA HD stations. When I set my HD Tivo to 480i I do not get the breakup. I get the breakup on both HD Tivos. I do not get the breakup on HDMI to DVI connection from HD Tivo to TV3. I connected my Samsung DLP via 75 ft. homemade component cables (from rd6 coax) and do not get the breakup. The breakup seems to consist of horizontal stripes which appear for a fraction of a section after a scene change with a lot of action or detail. It does not happen on all screen changes. When there is a camera flash on screen (CSI programs), the entire screen goes white for a fraction of a second followed by the horizontal breakup. I have used different component cables on both Tivos with the same result. It occurs on more than one HD OTA station.

Any ideas?

Dennis

Originally posted by ewtroan
3. Component out looks great. You can tell the difference between component and DVI (the DVI looks sharper, the component a bit smoother around the edges) and I prefer DVI, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear other opinions.

DVD players are not supposed to output anything over 480p through their component outputs. I don't know if the Denon does or not, but I know there are DVD players that do. DVI cables send a digital signal and are not really susceptible to interference like analog cables are.

Originally posted by Toxarch
DVD players are not supposed to output anything over 480p through their component outputs. I don't know if the Denon does or not, but I know there are DVD players that do. DVI cables send a digital signal and are not really susceptible to interference like analog cables are.

The 3910 is 480p over component; I never meant to imply otherwise. You can take my comment about the component quality as a compliment to the Dwin's scalar; it seems to be of a similiar quality to the Faroudja in the 3910.

Erik

"The new chip gives you nice Aspect ratio control and image size/positioning flexibility"

Interesting, this was one of the few complaints I had concerning my TV3. It's nice to see they finely addressed the problem.

However, the only time I would use the new feature is when I watch 4:3 material and I'm content to switch to component on those rare occasions.

I think I'll keep my TV3 in my Home Theater; I couldn't bare to give it up for a week or two for the upgrade.

FWIW - still loving my TV3, Firehawk and Pioneer DV 59Avi setup. It simply blows away anyone who comes into my Home Theater.

I didn't get a response to my last post on the 9th, so I'll try again.

Problem: picture breakup on 720p from HD Tivo (HD OTA) on component – fraction of a second after quick scene changes

I have had my TV3 more than a year (1100 hours). A couple of months ago I purchased 2 HD Tivos (I also have 2 SD Tivos). I get a strong signal on OTA HD stations. When I set my HD Tivo to 480i I do not get the breakup. I get the breakup on both HD Tivos. I do not get the breakup on HDMI to DVI connection from HD Tivo to TV3. I connected my Samsung DLP via 75 ft. homemade component cables (from rd6 coax) and do not get the breakup. The breakup seems to consist of horizontal stripes which appear for a fraction of a section after a scene change with a lot of action or detail. It does not happen on all screen changes. When there is a camera flash on screen (CSI programs), the entire screen goes white for a fraction of a second followed by the horizontal breakup. I have used different component cables on both Tivos with the same result. It occurs on more than one HD OTA station.

Any ideas?

Dennis

A quick update on my projector...... DWIN has now confirmed that they have received my projector yesterday but have not started looking at it. If and when I hear more I will keep the group informed.

My TV3+ is back and up and working great. I had email conversations with tech support saying that they could not find any squeal but were to check again. I received the projector with no further correspondence but everything works great and I too have new menus. Calibration via Avia was closer out of the box than before.

I am now using both component ins and they are fine. (HD receiver and ReplayTV)

I got the HD receiver while the projector was away. Now only wish that here near the end of the world (you can see if from here) we would get more than one HD OTA station. (Cable has none)

Kevin

Heard from DWIN today they have finished with my projector and are sending it back. They mentioned some component replacement (non-specific) but did state they found no issues with the lamp circuits. he component replacement was under warranty. Hope to have the unit mid next week. Will update then with a report on any differences I notice.

How are they doing with their warranty? Have folks sent PJs back after a year and found big bills or gracious coverage?

I sent mine in several times DURING the warranty and they didn't fix it. I doubt they will be gracious after the warranty.

And I am surprised that they contacted yowser before sending the projector back. This must be a new policy of theirs.

They have a new guy handling all repairs. His name is Jeff.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

My TV3 just developed a buzzing whine from the left of the lens. A little palm action put it in remission, although it comes back periodically.

would this noise likely be the fan? or the color wheel? is this a common issue?

the unit has about 1000 hrs on it.

sorry if this this has been covered, but this thread is totally huge..HUGE! Although i have kinda dropped out of this thread, i t is for a great reason: i am using my pj a lot! love it. l

Originally posted by Robster1958
My TV3 just developed a buzzing whine from the left of the lens. A little palm action put it in remission, although it comes back periodically.

Can you describe where the noise is coming from a little better? "Left of the lens" could mean either side of the unit depending on which way you are looking at the unit and whether the unit is inverted or not.

Looking at the face (lens side) of the unit right-side up, the fan wheel is on the right side near the middle. There are several fans in the unit, but I don't think any are really on the right side. There are two in the center and then the 3 big fans on the back. If the noise is on the left side from this point of view, then it is coming from the side that contains the 'brains' of the projector and that is not good. Send it in and have them fix it now.

Sorry about the lack of orientation: my pj is ceiling mount (upside down)and i am referring to left of lens when looking at it from the front (my back is to screen).

I looked back a few pages, and i may have the same problem as FishLady: a periodic loudish whirring, that seems to go away, or at least reduce.

What is the warranty period? I could prob. send it back for a look...assuming i could get it back soon. also, this new software/firmware people are talking about....do you have to send back the scaler box too?

That would be the side with the color wheel. Call DWIN and send it in. It will probably take a week for them to authorize the return with paperwork and then two weeks after you ship it, it might be back. The warranty is 1 year from purchase.

I tried asking for a replacement while mine was in the shop one time. They said 'no way'.

If you go through your dealer, they should be able to make a 48 hour repair turn around occur. DWIN is always willing to help out their dealers, and they want them to be the first line of contact with their customers. Also, they will ship to you the same way you ship to them (if your dealer makes that clear.) My typical turn around time on an overnighted unit is 3-4 days from shipment to receipt (2 days of travel and 1-2 days of repair). Granted the customer has to pay $100-150 to ship the unit, but DWIN covers the return. Try getting that with any other manufacturer. There are a few companies that have a little better policy, but not many. Typically you're looking at a business product that would offer a loaner in case of failure. HT companies don't usually do that.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Tell them that they should pay for the shipping because it's a warranty fix. It will mean that it takes a few more days because of ground shipping, but then you are not out an extra $150. Save that money towards a replacement bulb.

actually...i think i am just over 1 year...doh!

also, the whirring now starts out as grinding....grrrrrrr.

uh-oh

Your symptoms are typical of loose fans. If your up to it, take off the cover and make sure all the fans are screwed in tightly to the chassis.

Long overdue update to my bulb problem.

After repeated attempts to communicate with Jeff in Dwin Service I gave up. They will catch my wrath at CES on their customer service!

In the meantime, I dug into the PJ head pretty deeply and could not find why the projector kept going out after a short run time. This was in the ceiling mout configuration. I discovered that by accident that the TV3 runs five right side up. I tested this with two bulbs, ione with a few hours and another with 3000+ hours and the problem is with both. I confirmed the proper operation of the temperature circuit and sensor. It does work as it should. Voltage measurements indicate that the PJ head powersupply cute out in the inverted position but not in the upright position. I suspect a convection heat issue inside the power supply cabinet but I have not had the time to continue to troubleshoot. I just know that the voltage cuts off and not sure why. Temperature probes do not indicate a difference in power supply cabinet heat.
What I do know is that my Dwin runs fine in the right side up table mount and therefore I removed it from the ceiling mount and constructed a shelf hush box with extra cooling fans for my coffee table. Been using it that way with the 3000+ hours bulb now for a month with no further problems.

Fan noise- While I had my Dwin apart to troubleshoot I decided to clear my head and do some simple PM on the cooling fans. FWIW- you all should know that the cooling fans can be removed easily and taken apart and with a small toothbrush, clean the blades which seem to get a heavy dust buildup. I lubricated the bearings and put everything back in order. The other square small fans are easily cleaned without removal. With the fans cleaned and lubricated my Dwin runs just a bit quieter but never did have a whining sound others have reported.

I am quite concerned about the frequent reports of "bulb failure" in these threads. I wonder how many of you actually do have a bulb failure or is it more like my situation where the bulb is really fine and something else causes the bulb to appear failed. I would ask, anyone have a bulb failed that looks blown? Mine don;t look blown so I assumed when they went out it was something else.

Finally, I think the worst part of the Dwin Projector is the company and how they respond to their customers' inquiries. I don't think anyone here would say that I was a non-supporter of the Dwin line. You would think that I would get some sort of courtesy response from them when I called many times for a dialog on my problem. Even my dealer had two weeks go by before they responded and then never answered any of the questions other than to say they would not sell me a new PJ head as a spare replacement. The company really needs a personal coordinator of customer responses. I don't expect a tech to be on the phone all day but at least someone who will have the common courtesy of responding to the customers and dealers in a timely fashion and get the answers to simple questions.

Don,

I hate to defend DWIN on this, but I ALWAYS get returned calls and prompt RMA approvals faxed to me, etc. I know that they don't tend to spend much time with customers, but the dealers are there life line and I have had great response from them including the last 6 months after Jeff took over the tech position. They probably don't like the idea of a field serviced unit and are wanting to steer clear. Just a thought...

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Hey Don, when you see them at CES, let them know that I HATE their customer service and think it's the worst I have ever dealt with. They may say that dealers are their lifeblood, but they are burning lines with their customers, who are where the money comes from. They are trading return customers for sales today. Anyone who asks if they should buy a DWIN, I tell them no. If I had to do it all over again, I would have never bought a DWIN. My projector still has problems and they never fixed it. Before I first sent it in, they TOLD me there was nothing wrong with the projector before they ever looked at it. They said their projectors NEVER have those problems. Oh, and I pretty much got cussed out when I suggested that there might be a problem with my lens.

Remember when DWIN said that their projectors had zero light spill? Then suddenly they started telling people to cut their lens caps. Their customer service sucks and they know nothing about their projectors. Or at least they didn't used to know.

And don't ask to speak with someone in charge of customer service. They will stop all contact with you and not send any more replies.

Well I finally got my projector back about 7:30pm and mounted it and fired it up. All seemed to work but I haven't run avia on it yet. I did watch Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Concert and the well lit day shots looked good but the low light night shots need some work. Will get a little time on the lamp and then adjust. There was no list of repairs or changes made. Since I only sent the projector and not the control unit my menu's don't look like they have changed.
Time will tell if there is any change in lamp life.

I have had the opposite experience of Don and Tox. I had a problem within the warranty period. The unit would shut off after about one hour, despite swapping in a spare bulb. From the time of initial contact for an RMA to return on the east coast was 6 days total. I was completely satisfied with their response.

Don Landis
Interesting info about table mounting and the bulbs. If I get short life with my ceiling mount I will give the table a try. I have one premature bulb in a box now.

Don O'Brien
I actually had a bigger problem with UPS than I did with DWIN. DWIN took less than a week to do their work. UPS let the projector sit at Hartford terminal for 2 days on the way out and also the way back to me.

Also another thread mentioned a house that refurbs bulbs. I don't know if this bulb is one they will do but if so the price was about half a new one. Might check that out next year.

yowzer, please see PM

ok...i am sending my TV3 back to fix the color wheel noise. at this same time, should i send back the scaler to get the latest updates?

will the update include HDCP for the dvi input--which i thought i had, but my new dvr says i don't.

anything else? cleaning, etc?

thanks.

send everything...

Brent Huskins
Media Design

When did the HDCP updated chip come out? Your dealer should have installed the new one. Best to send everything like Brent said and get it all fixed/upgraded at the same time.

yep...it will all go back. since of course i am a couple months past my one-year warranty, i didn't want to just send it all back, and say "fix everything" and then get a $1,000 bill!!

truthfully, i am going through my dealer...and i really trust the guy (hard to believe i know :)

as to the HDCP issue, this might actually be a "handshake" issue between the dvr (SA8300HD) with HDMI out, and my TV3. there's a thread going on elsewhere that i found here with other people having similar issues.

I like the idea of the offset DWIn offers (could mount it right up at the top of my ceiling) and the dual box solution.

Questions for owners:
1) How loud is the PJ (I like mine very quiet) - some have created hushboxes for thiers so I *think* it might be too loud for me.

2) I already have a DVI cable running to my current PJ - is the DWIN cable *really* propietary? Could I just use the cable in place?

3) All the bulb issues make me gun-shy (I was thinking of buying a used TV3+) Are folks generall satisfied and the bulb issue affects a few people or is this really a big issue?

1- I can hear the fan, but it never bothers me while I'm viewing a movie or anyone else who has been in my HT. FYI - my ceiling is 10 feet tall and the PJ sits well back in the room. If you want absolutely silent then no cigar. Can you name me a PJ that is totally silent?

2- Yes, it's proprietary (round connector) and the one you have won't work unless Dwin has an adapter :)

3- My guess is the bulb issues are isolated cases, I've never had a problem with mine (about 1500 hours on the bulb) and I absolutely love my TV3.

DWIN does make an adapter...a 2 foot DVI to DVI Round (DWIN specific)...you'll be able to use your existing cable as long as it is a good quality one, etc.

I would buy a new one unless you can save a lot going used - that way it might be worth the risk. Otherwise a good dealer will take care of any problems you might experience and you won't get that with a used one.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Brent - thanks for the response. I'll probably wait until q1 - maybe the TV4 will be worth waiting for. ;)

Given some of the issues i've seen in this thread I tend to agree about the dealer route, but even worse it makes me wonder about the company...

I agree with Thomas. The fan noise is comparable to other pj's on the market such as the Sharp, InFocus, etc. I do wish it was a little quieter but at the same time it isn't loud enought that I feel an absolute need for a hushbox.

Never had a problem with the bulb either (I am less than 800 hours).

I love my TV3+. No bulb issues with 2000+ hrs and counting. I did have to have it sent back under warranty to correct a malfunctioning color wheel, and the company did some upgrades as well that did subjectively improve an already stellar PQ.

Caution ahead! Rant coming!

I can't fathom spending this kind of money on a PJ and trying to save a few hundred by self installing and trying to bypass a dealer somehow. Realizing, of course, that some of you just flat may not have a dealer close or handy. And... that blows. Most of us here are well capable of doing it and we all like to mess with our stuff. But IMO this is a luxury item and those who sell it should for darn sure give you top notch service. Fighting battles with the manufacturer etc. I have an excellent custom installer. He provides the kind of service that we are accustomed to at BMW and Lexus dealerships and then some. I would never buy a new car who didn't have a dealer in town to service it. And this is the type of item which I think you need a dealer for. I think DWIN is an excellent company and they want to take care of their dealers. It seems to me that some of those posting have went at it themselves rather than through a dealer and haven't gotten far. Good for DWIN. They can spend the majority of their time taking care of those who take care of them and their best customers-the dealers. I haven't seen hardly any, if any complaints from dealers about problem resolution. My custom installer has put quite a few of these in and tells me he has very few problems. He has more than earned my trust, and I believe him.

I'd buy another in a New York minute!

That's what I don't understand too.

Why all the whining and complaining?

Dwin has a network of authorized dealers- use them! Let your dealer take of it.

And if you did by-pass an authorized dealer and saved money, consider your headaches part of the price you have to pay.

The price one pays for an item is not just the money you exchanged for an item.

What else did you give up to get that price?

Some of us do not have a local dealer. I went direct to Dwin after touching base with Jason (thanks again for all your help) and had no problems.

I did my install myself. No problem.

The mileage cost would kill me to use the closest dealer. :)

I would buy one again from Jason and AVS without hesitation.

We don't take too well to things for back east much less New York City round here. :)


Kevin

P.S. there is not a dealer in Alaska

Eric,

May I ask where you found Dwin products locally, as a long time Wichita resident I would love to see the TV3 locally! Last Dwin I saw was the TV1 at CES 4 years ago, my how time slips by.

Glenn

Originally posted by dstroot
I like the idea of the offset DWIn offers (could mount it right up at the top of my ceiling) and the dual box solution.

I have mine offset a couple of feet at 20 feet from the screen. I have bad ghosting on mine. Some (including DWIN) have suggested that the ghosting is caused by using the offset. The ghosting I am referring to is most noticeable when there is something white with a black background. A good and easy example to check is the end credits of a movie. One of the reasons I chose this projector is for the vertical offset.

This may be a dumb question but why does Dwin make the TV3 using a proprietary hookup so you can only use their transcanner- has anyone tried to use a different processor with the TV3 or is the transcanner so much better than everyone elses- Just seems to limit our choices- thanks,gary

How many other pj's let you use a different scaler than what is built into the pj? Their box is where all the processing is done. Most other pj's have this built into their chasis. The Dwin is somewhat unique with its two box solution (a huge selling point to me).

The proprietary hook up is to avoid a 2 1/2" conduit to pull a standard DVI through.

I have had clients try the HD Leeza and the Mosquito with the DWIN to improve on SD picture quality...it worked out pretty good.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Originally posted by bhuskins
The proprietary hook up is to avoid a 2 1/2" conduit to pull a standard DVI through.

I have had clients try the HD Leeza and the Mosquito with the DWIN to improve on SD picture quality...it worked out pretty good.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

But the HD Leeza and Mosquito are still plugged into the Transvision box, not directly into the projector, right?

Yes and the inputs are sent from the 3rd party Scaler to the Transvision in the TV3's native resolution thus bypassing the Transvisions' processing.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

Exactly!

:)

Fired up my TV3 and no image. Fan is on there seems to be a faint red glow from the led window on the projector but no image. Any ideas would be appreciated.

FYI...Here's what DWIN has planned for CES.

Brent Huskins
Media Design


DWIN CES 2005 Dealer Preview December 30, 2004


-- New TransVision 4: First in its class to include a native-rate outboard digital video processor

-- New TransVision 3: Enhanced Digital Projection System



New TransVision 4: First in its class to include a native-rate outboard digital video processor

DWIN will introduce the TransVision 4 high- definition video projector system , the first in its class to include a native-rate outboard digital video processor. For installation convenience, DWIN's acclaimed TransVision processor converts up to 10 video inputs into a high definition signal that's delivered to the projector via a single, all-digital video cable. The TransVision 4 also features DarkChip 2 720p DLP technology and Carl Zeiss precision optics, and will be available in April with a suggested retail price of $6,495.




New TransVision 3 Enhanced Digital Projection System

DWIN Electronics, Inc. will introduce the Transvision 3E, an enhanced new version of its 720p high definition front video projector system featuring DarkChip3 DLP technology from Texas Instruments and a proprietary new color wheel. Suggested retail value for the system is $11,950. The system will be available in February 2005.

Brent,

Any word on whether existing TV3-TV3+ owners will have an upgrade option available and if so at what cost?

It's a bit disappointing to see that the MSRP for the TV3 is going up to $11,950.00.

I would think that the msrp of these units should be coming down now, not going up.

What's the "proprietary color wheel"?

I noticed a couple of white dots on my screen in very dark scenes a few weeks ago. It looked like "lens flare" for lack of a better description. It could be rather distracting in dark movies/scenes.

Contacted my dealer, and he said it was probably dust, and I should unmount the unit, take the cover off, and blow it out with a can of compressed air.

So, I removed the pj from the ceiling and took off the cover. I could clearly see a few specs of dust on some of the glass surfaces in the pj. Why Dwin says they have a "sealed light path" is beyond me, it clearly isn't.

Anyway, I used the can of compressed air to blow off the dust. The tricky thing is that since there is dust in other areas inside the pj, you can make the situation even worse by just blowing dust around! I had to blow dust off the glass a couple times to get as much off as possible. Then I put the cover back on and remounted the pj.

Fired her up and the two white spots were completely gone. Looking very closely, I could see other very faint spots as well, but these were barely noticeable and are not at all distracting or even noticeable during actual viewing.

I know this was discussed in this thread previously, but it really does appear that the Dwin TV3 lacks good filtering, and dust can easily find its way onto the glass surfaces, resulting in a distracting "lens flare" in dark scenes.

What sound comes from the processor when you guys fire up the TV3 , I seem to remember hearing 2 or more relay sounding clicks. My Dwin has no image even though the fans are running. Can't tell if it is a bad bulb (800 hours with no evidence of dimming) or something is preventing the lamp from striking.

I don't know that I remember hearing any "clicks". I always hear the color wheel starting to spin, along with the fans.

Hope you figure out what the problem is, vegas.

I thought I heard relays clicking on the processor not the projector.

Interesting. I will have to listen to the TV3 box next time I turn the pj on.

I'm going to check the bulb for continuity that should let me know if the bulb is bad.

I have the KDS HD Leeza connected to the Dwin TV3+.

As Mr. bushins indicated it does work out quite nice. My main goal was to get some sort of "switching" between my source components an displays (TV3+ and Samsung 507W RPTV).

In my set up I only watch one display at a time and they are not in "zones" so to speak. The Samsung during the day and for basic TV while the TV3+ sees duty for HD sports (Comcast Cable) and DVD's.

The only knock I have on the KDS HDL is that the remote only works about 6 feet from the unit and the menu time out is a bit long for my taste.

Depending on what new gadget I see at CES the HDL/TV3+ combo might be for sale. Again I said "might".

Regards,
Mike

Changed the bulb in my TV3 and now have a few dust blobs. Where is the most likely place to clean to get rid of them?

Originally posted by vegashomes
Changed the bulb in my TV3 and now have a few dust blobs. Where is the most likely place to clean to get rid of them?

Take the cover off and look at all the glass surfaces. You will probably easily see the dust.

Use compressed air and try to blow it off. Unfortunately since there is dust on other interior parts of the pj as well, you could actually make it worse!

Keep trying until you have all the glass surfaces as clean as possible with visual inspection and hope for the best!

Hello all,
Anyone know if there is a test pattern availibe in the Dwin TV3+ I am in the process of mounting this to the ceiling and the image seems to be a bit strong to the right. I was hoping to make the image centered as much as possible mechanically and then use the adjustment screws for fine tuning. thanks.

What do you mean by strong to the right?

In the service menu you can access test patterns.

Except with the latest software you can't get into the service menu.

By strong to the right there is a 4-5 " image extending past the screen.

Sounds like you are zoomed in too much or your projector is too close to the screen. What size is the screen and how far back is the projector?

all set now, needed to adjust the mount a bit. thanks for the replies.

A little while back in this thread (sorry, haven't checked in for a couple of months), there was talk about the new scaling capabilities with the upgrade.

I have one specific situation that I'm wondering if it's addressed. On some movies (particularly older movies) I see a 16:9 (or 2.35, never actually paid super-close attention) horizontally letterboxed movie within a 4:3 vertically letterboxed frame. I can't seem to get these to full frame on my TV3 with my current DVD player (Bravo D1) through the DVI inputs. I have another player (Sony DVD-7000) through component and I can use the Dwin scalings modes to get these movies to full-screen.

Is this something the new Dwin s/w supports, or is it strictly a limitation in my DVD player that I need to address on that end?

Originally posted by Skypalace
I see a 16:9 (or 2.35, never actually paid super-close attention) horizontally letterboxed movie within a 4:3 vertically letterboxed frame. I can't seem to get these to full frame on my TV3 with my current DVD player (Bravo D1) through the DVI inputs. I have another player (Sony DVD-7000) through component and I can use the Dwin scalings modes to get these movies to full-screen.

Is this something the new Dwin s/w supports, or is it strictly a limitation in my DVD player that I need to address on that end?

When the Dwin receives a HD input (720p or 1080i) it won't allow format switch to anamorphic or letterbox. The TV3 thinks HD input should not need to be stretched or zoomed. Most DVD players only up-convert to 480p, but the Bravo can be set to output HD via its DVI, and that's probably what you're doing.

When I encounter this with my Bravo D1 -- usually an older DVD marked Widescreen but which isn't 16:9, it's just letterboxed 4:3 -- I change the Bravo output to 480i or 480p so the Dwin sees an input that it will allow stretch/zoom. This lets the Dwin scaler do the up-converting (to native 720p).

I find 'letterbox" usually works best. There may be a very small loss of picture at the edges although the widest (2:35 or more) aspect widescreens will still have small letterboxing top and bottom. But the trade-off is that you fill much more of the 16:9 screen and with a properly proportioned picture. FWIW, I have many widescreen laserdiscs and these are 480i to the Dwin, so I don't need to change Bravo settings, just format "letterbox" with the Dwin, and these generally look really good (depending on quality of laserdisc transfer).

Originally posted by Skypalace
A little while back in this thread (sorry, haven't checked in for a couple of months), there was talk about the new scaling capabilities with the upgrade.

I have one specific situation that I'm wondering if it's addressed. On some movies (particularly older movies) I see a 16:9 (or 2.35, never actually paid super-close attention) horizontally letterboxed movie within a 4:3 vertically letterboxed frame. I can't seem to get these to full frame on my TV3 with my current DVD player (Bravo D1) through the DVI inputs. I have another player (Sony DVD-7000) through component and I can use the Dwin scalings modes to get these movies to full-screen.

Is this something the new Dwin s/w supports, or is it strictly a limitation in my DVD player that I need to address on that end?

Just press the Zoom button on the Bravo. The player will crop the letterbox and zoom the remaining picture onto your 16:9 screen - and it avoids having to change the output.

Originally posted by MVideo
Just press the Zoom button on the Bravo. The player will crop the letterbox and zoom the remaining picture onto your 16:9 screen - and it avoids having to change the output.

Exactly! This is one of the better features of the Bravo D1 that I enjoyed (before it crapped out).

Hey Rob,

So how did the DVD purchase work out?

If you like I'll give you a great deal on my D1, it's a real peach and it runs perfectly when it's unplugged :)

Hey Thomas-

It's working out great so far...I love the Elite 59avi, and it is a perfect match for the Dwin DLP (as you already know)!

You can keep your D1.........unplugged! ;)

Pioneer 59AVI? Does it do DVI?

It only has HDMI, but it converts to DVI via a HDMI to DVI cable or converter without any issues (such as Blacker than Black which many HDMI players wont do when converting to DVI).

I think I would change the comment "it only has HDMI" to it has HDMI which provides a digital video connection (just like DVI) with the addition of a digital audio feed incorporated into one cable.

To run a DVI connection all that is needed is a cable with an HDMI connector on one end and a DVI connector on the other. No conversion is necessary and there is no degradation of video quality associated with the connection, it simply drops off the audio piece. Several companies make the cable.

Rob,

I’m very glad to hear you’re enjoying the new DVD, welcome to the world of Pioneer Elite.

FYI - I'll be sending you an invitation to my HT open house very soon (gee wiz it only took two years to complete :) )

Looking forward to it!

Just don't schedule it between Feb 18-21 as I am going to the Daytona 500! :D

Originally posted by MVideo
Just press the Zoom button on the Bravo. The player will crop the letterbox and zoom the remaining picture onto your 16:9 screen - and it avoids having to change the output.

Wow, too easy! Serves me right for using a universal remote (Harmony). The remote is the worst thing about the Bravo, it's so cheesy. This sounds great, I'll give it a try and get the zoom button mapped onto the remote.

I already output 480p (through DVI) as I think the Dwin does a better job scaling that the Bravo, but to be honest I had a hard time deciding on a winner for most content.

Wouldn't using 720p bypass both scalers?

Originally posted by vegashomes
Wouldn't using 720p bypass both scalers?

Not both, obviously since the Bravo needs to scale the 480i signal to 720p (and de-interlace as well).

This would bypass the Dwin's scaling though.

So what is the best setting for the Bravo?

In my experience, 720p via DVI. That's the native resolution of the Dwin, and causes the least amount of video processing.

Originally posted by Rob Tomlin
In my experience, 720p via DVI. That's the native resolution of the Dwin, and causes the least amount of video processing.

Least amount of processing by the Dwin, but most by the Bravo.

I use 480i, assuming that the Dwin can/will do a better job of scaling 480i to 720p than the $10 scaling chip in the Bravo.

Like I've said previously, I THINK this is a little better (I used 720p for about a year then started messing around again, and I think I like 480i better) but it's not huge (at leat to me).

Skypalace

Are you using component outs of the Bravo!?!?! BIG MISTAKE if you are!

If you are using the DVI connection, you are NOT sending a 480i signal to the Dwin as DVI does not support a 480i signal (it will support 480p).

Virtually everyone concedes that the Bravo does an EXCELLENT job of scaling, including Greg Rogers at Widescreen Review.

This may not be the right place to post this, but I have a feature request for my TV3. Is it possible to get the TV3 scaler to return DVI EDID to the source even if the system is in standby mode? I have two reasons for this request.

Reason #1: I use an HTPC as my DVD source because I am able to get a better picture than any DVD player I've tried. Normally, this machine is on 24x7, but there is no monitor (other than the TV3), keyboard, or mouse connected to this machine. Once in a while I do need to cycle the machine, but I don't want to have to turn on my DWIN just for this. Unfortunately, the only way any video card will display via DVI is if an EDID is returned.

Reason #2: I want to use DVI with my Comcast cable box. Unfortunately, I have the same problem with the cable box. Using my ProntoNG, I often use the cable box to play music. I don't turn on the DWIN for this. Unfortunately, if I turn the cable box on when the DWIN is in standby, the cable box defaults back to component video. It's a pain to keep switching back and forth.

I know there are products out there that will help me. Gefen sells a DVI Detective that will return the EDID even if the DWIN is off. However, this solution would be $140 plus the cost of two short cables. If the DWIN returned the EDID, I would not need the extra equipement, and I would not need to add more potential pq-robbing connections to my signal path.

Even though the scaler is in standby mode, it is still basically on. I can't see it being too hard to return the EDID all the time.

Other than this, I'm still loving my TV3. Now, if I could only get the two small dust blobs out of there...

Thanks for your time.

Originally posted by Rob Tomlin
Skypalace

Are you using component outs of the Bravo!?!?! BIG MISTAKE if you are!

If you are using the DVI connection, you are NOT sending a 480i signal to the Dwin as DVI does not support a 480i signal (it will support 480p).

Virtually everyone concedes that the Bravo does an EXCELLENT job of scaling, including Greg Rogers at Widescreen Review.

Of course not, I'm using DVI. It's 480p, but of course actual content is 480i so all the Bravo is doing is making it progressive, and letting the Dwin do the upconversion.

Like I said, I don't see a big difference either way, so it's not like it's a huge mistake letting the Bravo upconvert to 720p.

Originally posted by Skypalace
Of course not, I'm using DVI. It's 480p, but of course actual content is 480i so all the Bravo is doing is making it progressive, and letting the Dwin do the upconversion.

Like I said, I don't see a big difference either way, so it's not like it's a huge mistake letting the Bravo upconvert to 720p.

Glad to hear you are using DVI. But when you said you were sending 480i to the Dwin, the only way to do that is with the component connection....thus the confusion.

I just swapped out my 133" Firehawk for an Ultramatte 200 and what a difference. I loved my Firehawk but the Ultramatte is truly a match made in heaven for my TV3.

Also, we did a side by side comparison with a William Phelps calibrated HD2k last Friday, would inquiring minds like to know the results ????

Tom,

Bring it on!. I've seen a WM calibrated HD2K but not in a side by side.

Originally posted by Thomas Marshall
I just swapped out my 133" Firehawk for an Ultramatte 200 and what a difference. I loved my Firehawk but the Ultramatte is truly a match made in heaven for my TV3.

Also, we did a side by side comparison with a William Phelps calibrated HD2k last Friday, would inquiring minds like to know the results ????

What a tease!

Bring it on!!!!!!!!!

:D

Thomas,
Have you upgraded to the e, or do you still have the original TV3? I also would love to hear your opinion on the comparison of the 2 projectors.

I'm still running the original TV3, I just couldn't stand the idea of shipping it away and being without a PJ for a week or so.

FYI - I'm very close to making a decision on my new PJ, and as a result I'll be posting a thread detailing my reviews and final decision (it will address my comment above about the HD2k).

The post will include comments on my short list of PJ's; the Sony Qualia 004, JVC HD2k, and the Fujitsu D711. In addition, I'll make some comments on the Marantz S4 and the 10S1 - 3 chipper I saw along the way.

I just noticed a small problem with my TV3e upgrade. It is such a small thing it could have been this way the whole time since the upgrade and I just now noticed.

I noticed it when I switched to a source where nothing is connected. When the screen is white with no input it is fairly easy to notice. Along the bottom border of the screen there are randomly spaced colored(looks purple or maybe pink) pixels. These pixels are colored from anywhere 1 to approximately 7 or 8 pixels high. If I switch back to my DVI computer screen I can still see where they are but only when I am very close to the screen. If I use a full white test pattern on the screen they completely dissappear. I tried other colors and I can't see them in any of the test patterns. Anyone have any idea of what this might be? I called Dwin and they said they had never seen anything like this and if I wanted I could send it in. It doesn't bother me enough to send it in as I don't really notice it from a normal viewing distance even if I'm looking for it while I'm watching a video source. I just worry it may be the start of something bigger. I have attached a zoomed in picture of the worst spot.

Hey Thomas, can't stand being without it for a couple of weeks? We just finished home renovations and my TV3 has been boxed fo rthe last 6 months!!! Missed all of football season! Sucks but it's back up and loving it once again.
FREAK!

Wow, 6 months is to long for me, I would have taken a hard look at the living room in the interim :)

OK, I need some recommendations on companies that sell good quality HDMI and/or DVI cables for a long run (about 30 feet).

I believe William Phelps recommended one, that he actually tested the signal on, but I can't find the thread.

Any ideas?

Edit - just answered my own question. William recommended the Ultralink cable as one he tested, and approved of for 1080p.

Tonight when I shut off my PJ, the screen didn't go up. I've never had this happen before, and powering it on and off again fixed the problem.

Anybody ever have the screen trigger fail like that?

I've had my Dwin for 2 years and recently upgraded to the TV3e. But it's been working great ever since I installed it... until this one incident.

Originally posted by Thomas Marshall
Edit - just answered my own question. William recommended the Ultralink cable as one he tested, and approved of for 1080p.

I tested a 10 meter Ultralink/XLO, it was clean at 1080p. The 12 meter Ultralink/XLO that I tested did not make it to 1080p.

William,

Thanks for pointing out the length information.

I just ordered two 8 meter Ultralink/XLO cables, 1 DVI and 1 HDMI. I found a fairly good price as well, under $200.00 for each cable.

Any comments/advise regarding RGB and/or BNC Component cables at 8-10 meters for pushing 1080P?. My understanding is many of the current cables produced won't cut it either. I found this site http://hdtvsupply.com/coca10te2.html that claims they can push 1080P.

Any recommendations on vendors and cable type?

Thanks
.

What does a flashing green light on the processor mean?

I think I might have had a brainfart. Doesn't it always flash slowly when it is off? For some reason when I walked into the room and saw the light flashing I thought something was wrong.

LOL

oh no! mine is flashing too!

self destruct sequence?

;)

Hey guys go easy on me. Usually the only time I go in the room is to fire up the PJ. This time I wandered in an actually thought that the light was always off, so I got quite concerned but now that I think back I guess that it always blinks when it is off.

xkode,
never had a problem with my unit until it went in for service. During the service they upgraded the scalers chip which causes an occasional brainfart with the 12v trigger. It occurs spuriously. No pattern or associated behavior. One of those particularly enjoyable problems to troubleshoot.

The jack for the 12V trigger as always been poorly spec'd and there have been problems because of loose plugs. Using a different plug , or "modifying" with aluminum foil can solve the problem.

My TV3 has been up approximately one and a half years with about 2k hours. Tonight the fan came on but no projection. The red light on the front of the projector was flickering. I dont have a ladder tall enough to get up there. Is the lamp burned out? Some other problem?

Originally posted by vegashomes
Hey guys go easy on me. Usually the only time I go in the room is to fire up the PJ. This time I wandered in an actually thought that the light was always off, so I got quite concerned but now that I think back I guess that it always blinks when it is off.

Sorry vegas. We were laughing with you, not at you.

Yes, the light always blinks. Nothing is wrong. And my projector is not in a self-destruct sequence.

Does the DWIN TV3 have some sort of reset inside?

I ask because I have that wonderful fast-flashing "lamp failed to engage" light again. I got my unit at the end of December. After 210 hours, I got my first lamp failure state (over 3 months [dang]). Not near 2000.

I put in a new expensive lamp and it was back up and running. I kept the old lamp.

Yesterday, a month and a half later, I have a lamp failure again. Probably less than 120 hours on this lamp.

Now, there are two similar events: in the first case I was on vacation and turned off the power protector strip. Yesterday, storms knocked out the power for a while. Again, I do have it on a surge protector strip (but not some monster power filter box).

Could there be something else other than lamp failure causing an internal "reset needed" state inside of the DWIN? I wanted to consult the knowledgeable community before calling Magnolia.

Thanks for any insight.

(BTW, as a newbie mistake, I posted this as a new thread. Sorry. Reposting as a post.)

Just look back in this thread. This is an extremely common problem with this projector. I had the exact same problem. The PJ was sent back to DWIN and came back functioning. I received NO explanation about what was done but did not have to pay for a new bulb. Regrettably, I believe that my image quality has been worse since the PJ came back. There seems to be a lot of noise in brightly lit scenes (like a faint black snow like you used to see after TV stations went off-air). The noise is more evident on DVDs than HDTV, but is evident on both.

Sorry to say that I regret buying the Dwin TV3

I know of a couple others in this thread who have had premature bulb failure, but I don't think we can call this "an extremely common problem with this projector".

Well there are probably at least four or five posted on this thread. One person even started a questionnaire trying to see how many other owners had had premature bulb failures (I don't know the result).

How many DWIN TV3+ units are "out there"? What percentage of DWIN owners do you think post here? I'll bet that in fact the incidence of premature bulb failure IS high for this PJ. I wish there was a way to investigate this problem adequately. I would have been far more satisfied if I had been given an explanation about what was fixed while my PJ was back at DWIN, and if my picture quality did not seem to have degraded in the interval.

Try searching "bulb" on this thread....you can find a fair number of other complaints about premature bulb failure.

I concede that "extremely common" was perhaps too strong a word. But when the replacement bulb costs $450 and fails at less than 1000 hours in a $10000 PJ, it's a different issue than when the light bulb in my desk lamp blows.

The significance of a bad incident (even if it occurs uncommonly) takes on a lot more weight when its cost is great. I live with this concept daily as a physician. I think potential buyers of this PJ have a right to know about this problem, and I think the problem is common enough to merit a warning.

Originally posted by curej
I'll bet that in fact the incidence of premature bulb failure IS high for this PJ.

Based on what? 4 or so posts here of people that had the problem? Notice how long this thread is?

Look, I understand your frustration, you have every right to be upset. As far as you are concerned, the Dwin has a 100% early bulb failure rate based on the one pj that you own.

I just don't think it is fair or accurate to say that this is "an extremely common occurrence with this pj".

Ok Mr. Tomlin. What rate of premature bulb failure is acceptable to you? Or to make the discussion less personal, what is the acceptable premature bulb failure rate in "the industry"?

Not the point at all, and you know it.

The point is very simple: it is not fair or accurate for you to say that this is "an extremely common occurence with this projector".

Based on your last post (posted while I was typing my response) you seemed to admit that was probably not the right term, so what is the problem?

And why do you think I am taking this personal? I will be replacing my Dwin in the next month or two with something else, so I don't have any special loyalty to Dwin.

By the way, I don't have a problem with your comment that the problem may be common enough to merit a warning to others, assuming they look at this thread as a whole and do as you suggest by searching the thread for the term "bulb" or "Bulb failure".

Well the bottom line for me is this: In my opinion, the incidence of premature bulb failure with the Dwin TV3+ is high enough that potential buyers should beware (or at least "be aware"). If I had known about the problem in advance, I would not have purchased the DWIN.

Well, that's fine, but none of these pj's are perfect. You would be giving up some good things in the Dwin for another pj (such as the incredible connectivity of the Dwin). There are always compromises, pros and cons of all pj's.

Anyway, I really hope that you have better luck with the current bulb that you have. As for the PQ difference, have you attempted to recalibrate with Digital Video Essentials or other calibration disc? The addition of a new bulb will definitely make the picture look different and the pj must be recalibrated (sorry if you already mentioned this and I missed it).

What could cause a particular brand of projector to have bulb failure at a higher rate than others?

I'm on my third bulb. I got 2500 plus hours each on the first two. I'm at 600 plus on the third and haven't had one fail yet.

Check Don Landis' posts on this thread...I think he was curious about some other electronic glitch being the cause of apparent premature bulb failure. I am not even sure that the bulb was the problem with my unit since I got NO feedback from DWIN or my dealer about what the problem was. I had the blinking red light with no projection, sent the PJ back, and it came back working, no charge to me, but no answer, either.....

curej,

Very sorry to hear about your problem with bulb failure, in my case I'm a completely satisfied customer with about 1200 hours on my first bulb.

I know it's a little late now, but had I been in your situation I would have pressed my dealer (or vendor) to either resolve the second problem or compensate me so I can replace the unit (one very good reason why people need to be very careful who they purchase their projector from).

IMO there is no excuse for a PJ at this price point having major issues with it's primary functions.

Good luck

Looks like this got a little bit of discussion going! Thanks for people following up - I can only hope that I can obtain the 2K+ hours of some of you out there. I'd love it if you'd share your setup if think you've done something special setting up your system.

Just a quick update: I contacted my Magolia Video dealer here in Bellevue, WA and he first touched base with his service manager. The service manager didn't know anything about the DWINs having an issue with shortened bulb / lamp life. The dealer is going to talk w/ DWIN this week.

He's next going to check on the warranty that comes w/ the DWIN lamp - he's pretty sure it's 90 days and if that's the case I'm well within the time frame for a replacement.

But I'm always going to be holding my breath each time I turn it on, waiting for the lamp to engage. (If I'd bought my DWIN out of the back of a dirty truck, I'd feel justified for holding my breath. Anyway.)

We walked through some common sense brainstorming to see if there's anything that could be wrong: plugged into a surge protector: Yes. Are all components plugged into this protector: Yes. Ground and protect are lit. Do I ever unplug it while turning it off and not let the lamp cool down (!?!?): heck no.

If other folks have ideas of other common sense questions I'd love to hear them. I've done everything in the world lately to baby the system and still the lamp went out on me. The dealer sort of pooh-pooh'd conversations here at AVS, saying folks only go to the internet forums to complain. Anyway.

I had the same issue where it looked like a bulb failure but wasn't. Sent it back to Dwin to get fixed and came back fixed with the same bulb.

Since this seems to be the topic of the hour, I'll throw out my question.

My PJ is on the original bulb with about 1600 hours. Lately, I have noticed that the brightness will flicker. In other words, the picture will go just a tiny bit dimmer for a few minutes then brighten up.

Is this an impending sign of the death of my bulb? If so, I'll probably go ahead and do the chip upgrade at the same time.

Thanks

do you need to send it back for the bulb replacement or can a dealer do it in the field?

You can do the bulb replacement yourself but I'm going to take this opportunity to go ahead and do the upgrade, as well. If I send it back for the upgrade, they'll replace the bulb and clean the unit at no extra charge.

You mean they'll replace the bulb at no labor charge or you get a free bulb? I sent mine back with 700 hours on the bulb (apparently I don't watch enough TV ;)) and they didn't replace it (or they did but they didn't reset the hours...). Did I get unlucky?

Bulb - $400
Labor - $0
New upgraded DLP chip - Hopefully priceless.

ooookay. I feel better now. What's the labor normally cost??

Bulb price is 450

I posted in the TV3 bulb life thread but for any who are concerned about bulb life- here's the deal with me and probably others as well.

The normal power up cycle of the TV 3 is that it performs certain diagnostics tests before executing a VHV pulse to fire up the arc. Then the bulb starts and AC voltage is slowly increased until it stabilizes at 140Vac during the "warm up" cycle. There are several sensors in the power supply that need to sense properly or the system shuts down. It will not fire if the bulb box is too hot. So, if for some reason you lost power, be sure to let it cool for 10 minutes before applying a new start sequence.

Also, you should know that the PJ TV3 head can be started without the controller box connected via the DVI cable. Just plug it in and then use your remote control to fire it up. If something doesn't go according to plan, the front LED will flash rapidly and the bulb goes out. eg a stuck color wheel not up to speed will cause a failure and shut the bulb down. Once the flashing LED happens you will need to reset the system with the power cord.

Now this is very difficult to get to and requires electronics tech skills to do. There are two glass fuses inside the power supply that can be checked if you want but my advice is that if a fuse is blown, it was for a reason in the circuit. The only thing you could do is replace a blown fuse just by shear luck that it was a bad fuse that became weak and this actually fixes a supply problem. In my case the fuses are OK and something else is failing, most likely a sensor failure. Unfortunately, knowing where these sensors are and how they work on the system, is not anything I am trained to troubleshoot. I only search for the obvious and would attempt to fix that but beyond the basic stuff, it goes back to Dwin for TV3 expertise to repair. Also, this discussion is for those long out of factory warranty. If your PJ is new, you shouldn't even touch it.

I should say that My original bulb has had two life cycles now. It was first used for 3950 hours and I swapped it out for a new bulb and ran that one for 550 hours. Then I put the original one back in. It now has just under 2000 hours on top of the original 3950. It is not dead and still fires up but cuts out in about 3-5 minutes. The other bulb with 550 hours does the same thing.
I don't believe for a moment that the DWIN TV3 is a bulb blower as some have clained. I feel there may be some TV3's that don't work properly and others who may make a habit of turning it on and off several times a day whivh could shorten the life consideralby. My habits are that I turn the system on and run it for 6-14 hours a day but one on/off cycle per day. In my case, I just believe that my Projector head has failed, not the bulb.

I'll be sending it in for repair now and hope it comes back well tested and hope they do put a new bulb in the head, plus send me my original one back unless there is something I don't know about that bulb that could cause problems other than dim image.

Don, you are my hero- 6,000 hours on a bulb. You probably put your car in neutral when you're going down hill to improve mileage as well.

Are you planning to have the upgrade done at the same time as the repair? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts if you do.

Don,

How is the brightness doing on the bulb with just under 6000 hours compared to a new one?

I would assume you use the TV3 for everyday TV viewing, and more than likely have it installed in a family room or something like that?

I wonder what the start up (initial firing of the bulb) equates to in run hours, do you have any idea?

Don, you are my hero- 6,000 hours on a bulb. You probably put your car in neutral when you're going down hill to improve mileage as well.

Are you planning to have the upgrade done at the same time as the repair? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts if you do.

Besides my dog, you are the only one who ever thought that about me. :D


I met with The tech, Edward, at CES and spoke to him about the issues and he didn't get into suggesting about the latest upgrades. I don't know what it costs but if not too expensive, on top of the repair and the new bulb I may go for it, based on his advice. Do you know what the cost is? I know the bulbs are $450.

One thing I did observe. Dwin still is not the easiest company to communicate with. That apparently has not changed since my first association with them but that's just the impression I got when calling on the phone. Let's see how the response is to the e-mail and the Voice mail I left. Hopefully, the repair will leave me very happy with Dwin and my TV3 again.


PS- Don't put the car in neutral going down a hill. No hills in Florida! :)

Thomas-
I may have already posted this but here's the review-

I have the TV3 in a dedicated HT room. I have full light control. I typically turn it on about 7-8PM each day and it stays on for the family to watch stuff, until late night - early morning hours. Sometimes on weekends I turn it on in the afternoons. I do not turn it on and off several times a day. If I leave for an hour and know I'm returning, I just leave it on.

Brightness is obviously reduced on the bulb after about 2000 hours. after about 3000 hours a film or haze develops over the reflector and front glass. This, I'm sure, plays a significant role in brightness reduction. I have not observed any discoloration on the tube in the center. It looks clean as new!


Startup hours???? It's only about 2-3 minutes for full briteness. You do the math. :)

I was thinking about connecting another monitor to my Dwin processor while my TV3 pj is in for repair. Has anyone ever tried this?

Just need another DVI monitor to try but don't have one handy right now.


EDIT-

I just remembered I had a computer monitor with a DVI-D cable and I connected it up and it Did Not work. The video was flashing on and off about a 3 second cycle. It was stretched tall but I expected to see that with the native AR of 4:3.

Anyone try a 1280x720 pj on the Dwin scaler?

Thanks Don.

We usually watch a movie or TV program in the evening each night, and once I turn the PJ on I don't turn it off until I know we won't be back in the room.

However, I need to re-think my habits with the new Qualia and see if this strategy still makes since with the Xenon Bulb. Any thoughts or comments Don?

I posted in the TV3 bulb life thread but for any who are concerned about bulb life- here's the deal with me and probably others as well.


Thanks for the excellent post, Don. My PJ went in for repair a couple of weeks ago; first Magnolia's techs in Kent, WA looked at it for anything obvious and now it's off to DWIN (given their failure to find anything).

I hope that they will reveal anything they find / fix; if so, I'll follow-up here.

Don's experience with bulbs has been what I have experienced as well.

Update- Finally got through to Dwin and they faxed me the forms and "rules" for return of the TV3. Yes, they require I send back everything for repair. Probably best that way so I can make a good decision on the latest upgrades.

Also, wanted to emphasize to others here that if you were thinking about throwing away that huge carton, don't! They make a big deal about only accepting Dwin products for repair in or out of warranty if it is returned in your original cartons. I was sweating a bit but for some strange reason, I still had it stored away in the garage. So, it looks like I'm off to UPS tomorrow with the TV3 packed up in the "original carton."


Speaking of upgrades- I've been out of touch for a year on the TV3 developments. People talk about the TV3e now. Is there a place where I can learn about the "3e" and what all it does? I know the access code to get to the service menu is changed but I don't care about that since I never had a desire to mess with it before, anyway. Also, what are they chrging to upgrade to the HD2+ chip. I recall some of you had that done. Is it worth it? What improvements did you notice.

Sorry if this has been discussed before, just point me in the general direction if that is easier. Thanks.

Don, check with the guys at Dwin, but I think the upgrade was about $1,500- new chip, new wheel and some other upgrades.

Look here; http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=524994&highlight=dwin+AND+poll

scottsol- Thanks for the great read on the upgrade link.

Couple of comments-

Rainbows review-
I discovered that I could train myself to see rainbows because I never could before. I found the exact combo of events that creates them. Likewise, once I figgured out how they were created, I was able to train myself not to see them while watching any program.

Warning-Don't read any further if you are free of rainbow artifacts.

To see rainbows- observe bright white lines on the screen. Then dart your vision away from the white or bright line in a direction perpendicular to the line of white. a rainbow illusion will trail your vision path. If the line is vertical, dart your eyes horizontally. If the white line if horizontal dart your vision vertical.

To train yourself not to see the rainbows, just avoid darting your eyes around the screen even at random. Some ways to aid you in this is to sit further back from the screen. Work at visual perripheral angles that are greater. I discovered a commonality of people who are used to speedreading, taking in whole lines and pages of text in a book don't see the rainbows because they don't dart their vision around the screen like slower readers who read one word at a time. Additionally I discovered that those who need glasses are more prone to rainbows as they have a habit of eye movement. People who watch up close giving the excuse they prefer to be immersed in the experience of the movie really should not get a PJ that is DLP or LCD as these exhibit greater artifacts up close which includes the need to dart your vision around the screen. Back away from the screen your visionhas less a tendency since you may find you are doing less eye movement but then there may be exceptions in those people with extremely focused and narrow perspective vision.

Deeper blacks with newer, brighter bulb. My explanation for this has to do with an effect of the iris of the eye. If you watch a low brightness screen image, your eye's iris opens up and allows more light to enter. Thus blacks become grayer. Increasing the intensity of the bright portions of the image allow the iris to stop down and this produces a darker exposure of those black regions. I did a simple experiment to prove this. I actually got the idea after talking to Don Stewart with some of his tests. Take Stewarts black and white checkerboard pattern on your screen. Observe mentally how dark the blacks are. Now with the same black squares, change the white squares to dark gray. Make no other changes. Now the black regions look lighter than they did before. But we made no changes to those black squares, only the white squares. This illusion is really caused by your iris opening up letting more light in from those black regions. Consequently, black is also a function of the bright whites in the image.


As for me making the "e" upgrade, I will have to see what the verdict is on the repair first. One thing that wasn't clear in the other thread is whether the cost of a new bulb was included in the $1500 price for the upgrade or do they tack that on as well, making the real cost of the upgrade $450 + $1500.


Currently, I'm not without a monitor in my HT. we pulled the HDTV LCD flat screen from the Kitchen and set it up to watch some programming in the evenings. I also have a second cheap HT PJ arriving before the weekend. It's a Panasonic. If I like it I may keep it for use in the business for presentations to clients.

Don,
A new bulb doesn't come with the upgrade.

Don,
Our usage and hours on the Dwin have been similar although I've used more bulbs(on my 3rd). I also upgraded to the TV3e about 4 months ago. At the time I had them put in a new bulb which now has around 900 hours on it.

I just read your post the other day about the problem with your projector. Today when I turned mine on it stayed on about 3 minutes and looked fine and then shut down. I let it cool and restarted and the same thing happened but it only took about a minute before it shut down. Tested again with same results.

I then put one of my 2700 hour bulbs in and now its been running about 30 minutes with no problems. I thought I had the same problem as you but maybe it was just the bulb. I'm going to have to send mine back again soon as the DMD they upgraded is deteriorating slowly and is beginning to get to the point where I will have to have it fixed soon.

I still wonder if its a bulb problem causing it to shut off. I thought a bad bulb just went out and stayed out. My bulb comes on and gets up to what looks like full brightness(at least close) and then it just shuts down. I'm thinking maybe my old 2700 hour bulb is not stressing whatever part may be defective to the same point as the newer bulb is.

I've got an old LT150 to use if I want while I send it back but I really hate that projector now. I'll probably just be watching my 56" HD2 rear projection until I get the Dwin back. If this bulb keeps working I may wait to send it in right before I take a vacation.

Hi all.
I just started a thread about my new problem. Came home to some strange images tonight and need some help figuring out what the problem is and what to do.
I have thin black vertical lines evenly spaced across the entire images like the vertical lines of a grid. It is like missing image info. Shows up on most of the test patterns in the service menu and in regular images like missing parts of the image.
I have a TV3 with ~1200hrs on the bulb. It has been boxed for about 6 months during home renovations and back up for about 1 month. Before being boxed it was ceiling mounted and now it is in a ceiling mounted whisper flow box.
I will try to post some pictures later.
Any input is appreciated
FREAK!

Sorry to hear about your bulb problem, Randall. At least you have the experience of dealing with Dwin and know their routine. This is my first time sending my entire PJ back in.
I won't be surprised if the entire down time is 3+weeks. When it comes back I hope to ceiling mount it again. I liked that setup.
I have changed my thinking a bit on the wjole "bulb burning out" issue. I think we all need to look at this like it's a combination bulb power supply problem. There is ano0ther thread where Kevin Gilmore posted some technical information about how these bulbs work. The thread was started by Glimmie. Considering the data I measured and what Kevin posted, it seems that the process is quite complex to be thought of as "my bulb blew" I only hope that Dwin takes a good close look at the entire system, power supply too. When I first started having problems last Fall the bulb would go out after 30-45 minutes only in the ceiling mount position. In the table top position it ran for 6 months. This is why I have waited until now to send it in. When I spoke to Dwin at CES, we agreed to wait until the problem was no longer intermittant and then send it back. I just didn't want to send it in, Dwin replaces the bulb and a quick test and when I mount it celiling, it fails after running for 45 minutes. That is my only concern with sending it back to Dwin at this time. I want them to give the PJ a thorough "burn in test" even if it is run for 24 hours before they send it back.

I picked up a backup cheapie LCD PJ to use while the TV3 is at Dwin. I went with a Panasonic AE700 and after a bit of calibration, I would say that it is tolerable image quality. Certainly no Dwin PQ. But, as LCD's go, this one seems to not have the usual screen artifact that I see with so many LCD's. The other part I will mis is the easy scaler switching. I can only have two inputs so I need to do some cable swapping to switch sources now. But, at least I won't be so eager to get the TV3 back before they have adequate bench time to be sure the problems are fixed.


Freak- That sure sounds like a problem in your scaler processor. Check your Dwin cable connections first. Do you have another DVI source to plug the PJ head into? Also, you can run the PJ head without the DVI connected. Just fire up the PJ with the remote. You'll get a white screen but look for the lines to see if they are there without the Dwin scaler attached.

Don,
When I did the upgrade I sent it in NDA on my UPS acct and had them return it the same way. I sent it in on Monday and had it back before the end of the week. Their turnaround time is excellent, but maybe they should take a bit more time to make sure everything is working properly.

My old bulb is working and I have had the projector on for several hours using it. Why would the newer bulb come on and work fine for a minute and then shut down? Does the new bulb draw more or less current or stress the power supply more? I bet if you put my newer bulb in another working TV3 it would work but I don't really know. Is it possible for a bulb to be bad but work for a minute or two before it goes out each time?

Thanks Don,
I'll check those
FREAK!

well,
I unplugged the scaler and turned on the pj. Lines were still there. Here is a picture.

Freak- At least now you know it's not the scaler or source. I have no idea what would cause that. Send it to Dwin!

Randall- UPS NDA, wow! I saw the price of that and it was $217 plus what ever insurance you applied. I heard that Dwin pays the return frt ground. Got it from them! If you want it any other way it would be on your tab as well. So if you are in the same zone then that would be $434 just for shipping! As it was, I paid $48 for ground 5 days listed. Dwin will pay the frt on the return path, but I know business and that frt charge will be built into my actual repair bill. I wasn't born yesterday. :)

Don,
It wasn't quite that bad. If I remember right it was like $120 some odd dollars each way. I think it was next day air saver which still is a 1 day service. I wanted the proj. back quick but my main motive was to avoid damage. The less time they have it the less chance for them to damage it. I would hate to try to collect a $7500 plus claim from UPS.

They also tend to take better care of air packages with high insurance values.

My projector is still running OK with the old bulb. Again, does anyone know if a bulb can be bad and come on for one minute and then cause the projector to shut down?