There should be no cropping of any sides in 16:9 mode (other than overscan), because 800 X 450 gives you 16:9. The projector is just scaling the signal (be it 480p, 720p or 1080i) to fit that resoultion. Increasing the the vertical height to 480 is not giving you a picture that wasn't there before, it's just using the full available pixels, so to keep the aspect ration correct, it has to chop some of the image from the sides. The type of screen you're using doesn't matter. In any event, i'll check it out.

Re the 480p native aspect. Right with a 4.3 things don't matter because you just align the width and the different heights of 480p are just taller.

When I had my 16.9 screen up, I would use the zoom ring to align the top and bottom of the standard 92"x52" type screen. Doing this cropped in the sides. I think it was about an inch and a half or more on each side creating very small vertical black bars on the sides.

Originally posted by guitarman
Color problems,

See Evan's format for adjusting color, he had a green bias problem.

"On our test unit, we boosted red and blue contrast to +15, reduced green contrast to -8, raised red and blue brightness to +11 and reduced green brightness to -11. "

Evan used a good format to better the grayscale. Notice how he increased the level of the opposite color to about double of the color he needed to decrease.

He did balance the lower end or brightness equally though. Try that format for your red problem. Have the red contrast lowered and increase the blue and green by double the amount.

Could anyone tell me if this http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051806966267&skuId=3985744&type=product would be good for lens cleaning, I'm trying to find something I can get locally.

About the color balance, I have video essentials but I can't figure out any good way to use it, except with the color bars and blue filter. Which really doesn't help much. I guess I need to get the avia disc. Anyway, to me greys looks a bit green too. So would you recommend raising the blue contrast by say 10 and lowering red and green by 5? Brightness seems to take care of the red background, but maybe contrast would be needed to keep the red from being wrong in the bright sceens. But it's so hard to know what is right without a good way to test. Thanks.

That's the way, you use a gray pattern. The pluge pattern is good, the one with several step of gray. Or find a similar pattern with various steps of gray.

Too much green, start by lowering the green contrast by mabye 5 and then increase the Red and Blue by 10.

Try Evans way in the brightness area, lower the brightness green by 10 and increase the brightness red and blue by 10.

Originally posted by guitarman
Everybody's noticing how good the projector looks right out of the box. So you know, Wing the Product Engineering Manager said in Taiwan the have very sophisticated color calibration equipment much better and faster than the Colorfacts he has here in California.

Each projector is basically ISF'ed in each signal type to give you 6500k. Use color temp (2).

So what all the new users are seeing is a display that's got a dead on 6500k Grayscale. For anybody who hasn't seen a perfect grayscale, now you know what it looks like. Pretty sweet!

I've flatlined my RPTV to 6500k and the picture tones on the H30 are identical.
After reading Projectorcentral review of H30 I got impression that grayscale is not so 'dead on 6500k'. Or did I misunderstand something?

I once saw H30 demo and I immediately noticed that picture was too green.

Originally posted by guitarman
"unplugging it every night"

Wing said deleting the electro is a good idea if you live in a high power surge area or electrical storm area. Otherwise for day to day user you can use the standby with no problem. But if you're going out of town for a week or two, then you should disconnect.


Ok that makes good sense :-) Just unplugging for no reason would be silly in my opnion :P

Thanx for elaborating guitarman!

Ronald

Originally posted by tk
After reading Projectorcentral review of H30 I got impression that grayscale is not so 'dead on 6500k'. Or did I misunderstand something?

I once saw H30 demo and I immediately noticed that picture was too green.

Maybe they do, but they sure don't show the guys how to use it, or maybe their all drunk over there. Could be why they put fingerprints on the lens too. Becuase it seems like everyone has to calibrate their PJ's by a lot to get good color. I have to say my greyscale looks better out of the box on my X1 and 6100, it makes you wonder. I guess the good thing is that the H30 let's you calibrate, and the 6100 doesn't. I don't know if anyone remembers my complaining about a wiggly bright bar at the top of the 6100 picture with two different DVD players, I have no problems on the H30. So the 6100 really does suck for anyone who doesn't use a HTPC.

I have not done any calibration yet on my H30 but I cannot believe that any of my settings will change drastically. I was one of the lucky ones that has a virtually perfect picture right out of the box. Greens might be a tad strong but not much...

Just lucky I guess... knock, knock knock..

Originally posted by Marco T
Wow, 450 calibrated lumens for the H30, thats as low as the X1... :(

He is basically saying the screen door is the same as the BenQ 6100...Mike, do you agree?

I would of liked him to compare the Benq 6200 vs the H30. They are about the same price. They project the same image size (close anyway) It would be nice to know if reduced pixelation and added brightness compensate for the lack of saturation and added rainbows...

The 700 lumens of the BenQ 6200 should make Superbowl parties possible with enough light to dip the chips. Don't know about 450 of the H30 though...

No wonder the saturation is superior on the H30, 4X color wheel AND almost half the lumens output...

I think they were using economy mode, there is no way the H30 is half the brightness of the 6100, I've used them both. I would say the H30 is one of the brightest PJ's I've seen. Although without a light meter it's hard to tell. I do notice that the brightness isn't really uniform, it seems like they could have done better with that, especially since they quote 90% on thier specs.

Would it be a good idea to use the auto cal settings in the service menu since my factory colors seems way off anyway? Do you know where I can bring up the proper test patters in video essentials? By the way I added some of the info we've been discussing to the FAQ.

It seems to me that when I take the lens mask off- the uniformity of the brightness was perhaps better from edge to edge.

"I think they were using economy mode, there is no way the H30 is half the brightness of the 6100, I've used them both. I would say the H30 is one of the brightest PJ's I've seen."

I agree also on the brightness, I had the DT200 and the H30 going at the same time and the HT1000. The H30 looked the brighter of the bunch. We did one important measurement when I was down at Optoma using their colorfacts system. Contrast ratio measured out at 1900.1 which is great because most projectors fall off the sated measurements. Like the HT1000 comes in at 2300.1 while it's rated at 3000.1

I don't think it's a ton of H30's that didn't have diligent color calibration done. It's just the few that brought it up stick in your memory more. A ton of guys that just got their projectors in the last two weeks love the color right out of the box.

Got the phone call from Optoma [ thanks Robert ] that there are new H30's there ;) .
_________

Ryan ,
--- I don't have VE any longer but what you want to use is a 0 IRE Solid field screen for AUTO BLACK and a 100 IRE Solid field screen for AUTO WHITE [ in the service menu ] .


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

------- Jason

Got the phone call from Optoma [ thanks Robert ] that there are new H30's there.

That's good news. I just got off email with Tech Support, and my H30 has to go back. The "buzzing" noise just isn't normal, and since it happens with and without a connection and with and without being hooked up to a UPS, they've decided the unit is faulty. They're going to cross ship me a new one so I don't have to be without a projector for long. Great customer service, I'm very happy with the way they have agreed to handle this.

Originally posted by guitarman
"I think they were using economy mode, there is no way the H30 is half the brightness of the 6100, I've used them both. I would say the H30 is one of the brightest PJ's I've seen."

I agree also on the brightness, I had the DT200 and the H30 going at the same time and the HT1000. The H30 looked the brighter of the bunch. We did one important measurement when I was down at Optoma using their colorfacts system. Contrast ratio measured out at 1900.1 which is great because most projectors fall off the sated measurements. Like the HT1000 comes in at 2300.1 while it's rated at 3000.1

I don't think it's a ton of H30's that didn't have diligent color calibration done. It's just the few that brought it up stick in your memory more. A ton of guys that just got their projectors in the last two weeks love the color right out of the box.

You know loving the color is subjective though, there are those of us that look really closely at black and complain that it's too red, then there are those that just watch a movie and see how beautiful it is. I wonder if any of them are calibrated that great, just some of us are way more pickey. It's not like they are way off. But again I ask, why does a digital device need calibration, whouldn't they all be the same??? I mean, what do the mirrors move differently in different units?

Did anyone have a suggestion on the screen cleaner kit I mentioned from bestbuy? And what excatly does the autocalc setting do? I don't want to make things worse. I imagine it just tries to set itself to the incoming signal.

valkyrie ,

--- How did you get them to cross-ship ? Did you actually have to pay for a second unit first or give them credit card info ?


----- Thanks ,
------ Jason

Yeah, I have to pay for the other unit, but that doesn't bother me (I wouldn't expect anything else). They'll have mine back and credited before the bill is due, so I'm not too worried. I'm just a few hundered miles north of them. :)

valkyrie ,

--- Ah ok , thanks for the info ;) .

____________________________

--- Jason

And what exactly does the autocalc setting do? I don't want to make things worse. I imagine it just tries to set itself to the incoming signal.


to my understanding the auto cal. does not Set up everything to 6500k :rolleyes:


auto cal is just used for a start point for the calibration and all auto cal. in all pj's even the 12k one's work like sh%$%%.



so for a starting point ok ,but you still have to tweak it for each setting cheers ;)

"Would it be a good idea to use the auto cal settings in the service menu since my factory colors seems way off anyway?"

Don't use the Magenta Auto Cal.

You might want to write down all you're original numbers also. You can't see the ADP numbers unless you send a progressive signal.

How do the colors look now with progressive vs interlaced?

Does anyone's DVD player look fairly horrible when outputting a progressive signal? Is this to be expected with a cheaper Sony unit?

Originally posted by valkyrie
That's good news. I just got off email with Tech Support, and my H30 has to go back. The "buzzing" noise just isn't normal, and since it happens with and without a connection and with and without being hooked up to a UPS, they've decided the unit is faulty. They're going to cross ship me a new one so I don't have to be without a projector for long. Great customer service, I'm very happy with the way they have agreed to handle this.

And guess what, I bet you will get a unit that makes the same noise. All projectors buzz some because of the spinning color wheel.

What's horrible about it?

The Pany XP50, Denon 1600, JVC XV500, Phillips Q50 all have very natural colors and deinterlacing is smooth.

Maybe that Sony has Chroma problems.

Originally posted by rsmith4321
Did anyone have a suggestion on the screen cleaner kit I mentioned from bestbuy?

I'm not familiar with that kit, so I can't comment on whether its good or bad. If there's a camera store (Ritz or similar) in your neighborhood, that would be where I would go.

Originally posted by markusg
Does anyone's DVD player look fairly horrible when outputting a progressive signal? Is this to be expected with a cheaper Sony unit?

Which model is it? Some of the older ones had chroma bug problems and mediocre deinterlacing.

Originally posted by guitarman
"Would it be a good idea to use the auto cal settings in the service menu since my factory colors seems way off anyway?"

Don't use the Magenta Auto Cal.

You might want to write down all you're original numbers also. You can't see the ADP numbers unless you send a progressive signal.

How do the colors look now with progressive vs interlaced?

I really don't have anything anymore that runs interlaced, I'm too high tech :) Not since I got my HD box from my cable company, it even outputs regular cable progressive I believe. So i'm just adjusting for progressive anyway. I don't really know if I want to mess around with the service menu, since I lowered my red and raised the blue and green it looks pretty good. I don't know if without a better way of testing I can get much better. Any answer to the lens cleaner from bestbuy yet?? Oh, and something I do need is a good way to switch component, I'm just afraid any cheap solution will cause inteference, any suggestions?

Tom,

What DVD player for H30...knowing I will replace it with next PJ in 2 years or less. Can tou PM me where you got Q50 refurb if it is one of your suggestions.

Don't use the Magenta Auto Cal.



this i agree with , so tom whats up with your pj ?


or did you get a new one ,because i recall you having problems with it ?


and here is a review that was done on it before i guess

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/testbench/frame.html?http://www.homecinemachoice.com/testbench/DVDPlayers/Philips/PhilipsDVD-Q50.php

"since I lowered my red and raised the blue and green it looks pretty good."

That's all you need. Because when you do the auto-cal thing it changes all the service menu numbers. So yes avoid it if you can.

Joe, I'm wating for Wing to return at the end of the week then I'll send it in. The PJ will lock up between HDTV and 480i, knocking out 480i eventually and just giving me a blank screen with a large green bar across it.

The Q50 is working very well. I think if you google search you'll find a refurb pretty cheap.

I tried to create a diagram to explain the difference between 16:9 and 16:9 native modes. Hope this helps and doesn't just add to the confusion.

http://www.duke.edu/~kme4/h30_aspects.gif


Kevin

tom ohhhh i see well i know things are going to work out for you , because you are the man there :D ;)


and tom i think there are some new q50's going for under a 2 hundred bucks , man that is cheap considering this dvd sold for much more and one of the places you can pick one up is from one of our sponsors 6th ave has them for 180 something not bad and the refurbes are very cheap ,wow


good specs for a player to ;)

The other thing I noticed last night was there was a lot of 'noise' in the black background, lots of 'action' as in maybe dithering? Not at all smooth.

I tried lowering brightness and/or contrast, but it didn't really seem to help at all in dark scenes (not to mention making the pic too dark to watch).

On bright movies (Ice age, etc), everything seems to be smooth, but once I put the Matrix on, the dark scenes start to really fall apart...looks very digital with bad resolution.

Any suggestions?

Fleaman

Flea,
Nothing like that with my machine. I did have to use gamma 2 with the Q50 in order to have the Avia contrast and brightness patterns not to crush out. You better pick up Avia anyway just so you know where the exact whites and blacks should be. Amazon has it cheap.

Try gamma one.

And guess what, I bet you will get a unit that makes the same noise.

I find that hard to believe. This is REALLY loud buzzing, almost like you're standing near a power transformer. It's noticable, even over relatively noisy scenes.

I just plugged in the Dell MP2200 we have here at work, and I hear the buzzing you're talking about, but that is MUCH quieter than my H30. And according to the specs, the H30 should be about half as quiet as the Dell.

I think the unit is damaged somehow. It's going back, but thanks for making me double-check with another unit.

Originally posted by guitarman
Flea,
Nothing like that with my machine. I did have to use gamma 2 with the Q50 in order to have the Avia contrast and brightness patterns not to crush out. You better pick up Avia anyway just so you know where the exact whites and blacks should be. Amazon has it cheap.

Try gamma one.

Yeah, I should have Avia by next week, not really liking DVE so far (although I should probably spend more time with it).

But I did set the brightness in DVE correctly (turning down bright until darkest black bar disappears into black background and then turning back up until I just barely see it)....so I'm not sure what else to do for now.

I'll try gamma 1 tonight (I think I tried all the gamma's, but it was getting late and I was getting tired!).

Fleaman

switch between contrast and brightness settings a few times. Changing one can change the other, if you cycle through them a couple times you should be able to get it so both settings stick. Thats what the Avia disc says to do, didn't know if DVE mentioned this or not.

Cool pic Kevin! That will be good on the FAQ

Is there a way to keystone the image left to right?
When I use it it just seems to effect the top and bottom of the image, wondering if I can have the same effect left to right.
Think I might not have my mount centered properly...

Tom,Mike...
I've just found this prices for Faroudja players:

Samsung DVD-HD935 @261€
Philips Q50 @247€
Philips 963SA @400€

Same chipset FLI2200 for all of them?

Samsung is the easy one to find here, Philips only in Germany..
Let me know
Thanks,
Mauro

Originally posted by valkyrie
I find that hard to believe. This is REALLY loud buzzing, almost like you're standing near a power transformer. It's noticable, even over relatively noisy scenes.

I just plugged in the Dell MP2200 we have here at work, and I hear the buzzing you're talking about, but that is MUCH quieter than my H30. And according to the specs, the H30 should be about half as quiet as the Dell.

I think the unit is damaged somehow. It's going back, but thanks for making me double-check with another unit.

That does sound like a problem, mine buzzes too, but it's not noticable one the audio kicks in. Although it is mounted pretty far away.

Originally posted by guitarman
"since I lowered my red and raised the blue and green it looks pretty good."

That's all you need. Because when you do the auto-cal thing it changes all the service menu numbers. So yes avoid it if you can.

Joe, I'm wating for Wing to return at the end of the week then I'll send it in. The PJ will lock up between HDTV and 480i, knocking out 480i eventually and just giving me a blank screen with a large green bar across it.

The Q50 is working very well. I think if you google search you'll find a refurb pretty cheap.

I still wonder if I could get better though, it does seem like I can't get black to quite be black, it seems kindof blue or red depending on settings. I guess you can't expect perfection from a $1300 projector. But I just wonder if I should try the service menu. Will doing the autocal make the output from the DVD player match up better to true black on the projector? Perhaps this would eliminate the color in the background. I think I'll write down all the settings and give it a try.

I've also gotten that green bar at the top, so I'm afraid it might be normal. When it did it on mine it was when my Xbox was going from 480i dashboard to 480p game, but after the game started it resynced and the green bar went away.

One other point, it was mentioned by someone that the PJ doesn't say the resolution of the source. But my firmware does, it says the mode and resolution.

Originally posted by fleaman
Yeah, I should have Avia by next week, not really liking DVE so far (although I should probably spend more time with it).

But I did set the brightness in DVE correctly (turning down bright until darkest black bar disappears into black background and then turning back up until I just barely see it)....so I'm not sure what else to do for now.

I'll try gamma 1 tonight (I think I tried all the gamma's, but it was getting late and I was getting tired!).

Fleaman

On DVE unless I misunderstood you turn the blacker than black stripe down until it just dissapears, not when you can barely see it. Then turn up contrast a good bit. Remember brightness is black level, and contrast is white level. My brightness is set at -6, try that setting.

Another question, the sharpness control is confusing. It has positive and negative. On most devices it's good to turn contrast down, but what is a good setting on the H30. I have mine a -6, but it's hard to tell what is right in the test patters. I imagine 0 would be the proper setting, but it doesn't have that.

Mauro,

I'm not familiar with the Samsing HD935, but if it's the same as the HD931 sold here, only the DVI output uses the Faroudja chip. The component outputs do not.

The 963SA has been known to have some of the freeze up problems that the Q50 had, but the latest firmware may solve that. Both the Q50 and the 963SA use the Faroudja chip. I'd go with the either of the Philips units.

I just came across a sale on the Harman Kardon DPR 1001 digital 7-channel reciever. It can currently be had for 1/3 of its list price (!?!) from the biggest of their authorized online resellers. If you haven't already bought 5 Philips Q50s, then you'll have enough money for this one. :)

http://www.harmankardon.com/product_detail.asp?cat=REC&prod=DPR%201001&sType=C

Please don't everybody grab these up before I can get one. :rolleyes: (Acutally, I'm probably going to wait for the new receiver from Outlaw Audio, which won't be out for at least several months.)

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

That HK1001 receiver has been on sale for about that price for a few months now, I wouldn't worry about them disappearing. Apparently, their first foray into the digital amps didn't go as expected. There was supposed to be a dpr2001 model that never materialized with higher watt amps.

First a link to a claimed region-free hack for the Q50.

http://www.regionfreedvd.net/player/philips.html

And a review which mentions several bugs. Tom, have you encountered any of these?

http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews/hardwarereview.php?review=1108

Obviously, the unit should not have shipped without the obscure firmware update. Once the firmware update is installed, most of the documented issues--mostly having to do with a severe chroma upsampling bug, problems between syncing subtitles with image and audio, vertical image shift--seem to have been rectified, but others remain.

The first is a small, intermittent, unpredictable interruption in disc playback, similar to a layer change pause, which also seems to manifest itself when fast forward scanning, although in this case, stops are more frequent. Rewinding and replaying over that point does not repeat the pause.

The second seems to be a documented issue about the image being shifted to the left and top by as many as 12 pixels. This is not a big issue if you don't know any better, but can be annoying when you realize you're not seeing the entire picture.

The most jarring problem for me is the playback of VCDs ... Possibly due to the lack of aspect ratio control on the Q50, the unit does a forced size upscale on VCD images, resulting in pronounced image distortion and distinct, blocky MPEG-1 artifacts.

The new zenith 318 (made by LG) has a faroudja processor and is only $200.

Originally posted by guitarman
Evan got so carried away he forgot to put the H30 on the recommended list. :)

Indeed. Here's what Evan said today--surprise huh. He must not be reading this thread. :D

It is not often that a projector takes me by complete surprise. It is rarer still when a projector under $1500 makes me sit back in awe. But I will say that the Optoma H30 delivers much more than I was expecting it would. This is a phenomenal little product, and definitely one we will use as a permanent reference unit. For novice videophiles on a budget who want a truly elegant image and who can keep their viewing room dark, the Optoma H30 is a terrific entry level projector. After a bit of tweaking it delivered a great deal more than I imagined it would. It has been added to the Highly Recommended list with great enthusiasm.

thanks Mike...

Samsung HD935:
• Digital Video: PAL DVD 576P (50Hz), 720P (60Hz), 1080i (60Hz)
• Digital Video: NTSC DVD 480P (60Hz), 720P (60Hz), 1080i (60Hz)
• Analog Video: PAL DVD (50Hz) 576i über Scart, FBAS und S-Video-Ausgang
• Analog Video: NTSC DVD (60Hz) 480i, 480P

so no progressive on PAL component :(

That a boy Evan :) Hey it sounds like he likes it.

The refurbed Q50 I just got doesn't have those issues. I assume it has the latest firmware.

Ryan, first what kind or player and connection? Some players don't do deep blacks. Look for a Lighter/Darker feature in the menus.

Originally posted by guitarman
The refurbed Q50 I just got doesn't have those issues. I assume it has the latest firmware.

Good news. Have you tried the region-free hack? ;)

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

Mike
I just found out this specs for HD935:
chipset is Genesis FLI2310

- Digital Video: PAL DVD 576P (50Hz), 720P (60Hz), 1080i (60Hz)
- Digital Video: NTSC DVD 480P (60Hz), 720P (60Hz), 1080i (60Hz)
- Analog Video: PAL DVD (50Hz) 576i über Scart, FBAS und S-Video-Ausgang 576P über Komponentenausgang
- Analog Video: NTSC DVD (60Hz) 480i, 480P über Komponentenausgang

and from pdf manual:
• When this button is blue, the component jacks
output progressive scan(576p/480p) to your TV.

I guess it shouldn't be a problem.
Or you meant to say there's a bug and what is said in the manual don't work...(or perhaps progressive component come from other chip than Faroudja)

Originally posted by Mauro_it
(or perhaps progressive component come from other chip than Faroudja)

That's exactly the case with the HD931, but it's not documented by Samsung anywhere. Even the manual doesn't mention it. With the HD931, the digital output uses the FLi2310 chip in connection with another chip that does the MPEG decoding. The analog outputs bypass the FLi2310 chip and uses the deinterlacing of the MPEG decoding chip (which is an all-in-one chip used in the cheaper Samsung models). So, the quality of the analog output is the same as the lower priced progressive scan Samsung models, which is not that good.

Thanks for pointing it out Mike
So only way is find a dealer where I can test the HD935
... or I must go for the 963SA or Q50 but not here in Italy :(

Originally posted by rsmith4321
On DVE unless I misunderstood you turn the blacker than black stripe down until it just dissapears, not when you can barely see it. Then turn up contrast a good bit. Remember brightness is black level, and contrast is white level. My brightness is set at -6, try that setting.

Another question, the sharpness control is confusing. It has positive and negative. On most devices it's good to turn contrast down, but what is a good setting on the H30. I have mine a -6, but it's hard to tell what is right in the test patters. I imagine 0 would be the proper setting, but it doesn't have that.

The difference between the black bar disappearing and reappearing was (I think) 1 click on the remote...not enough I think to cause the blotches of dark scenes to fall apart in my opinion.

I will be messing around with it more tonight 'cause the dark scenes were really falling apart last night...kinda horrid, must fix somehow.

I already asked this, but here again: Is it realistic for me to expect my blacks to be like (or close) to the blacks in the light spill above the 16x9 image? Up there it is smooth as silk and black enough for me....but being those mirrors are turned off, I'm not sure if I should expect that type of performance from the active area of the chip...

???

Fleaman

Fleaman ,

--- I am able to get black every bit as black as the Light Spill above the 16:9 image ;) [ so it is possible ] .

_____________________________

--- Hehe , I just remembered that I saw a Q50 about a month ago as an Open-Box sale for $80 [ missing manual and no cables but had the remote ] , I guess I should have picked it up but I had no idea it was that nice of a player - DOH !

--------- Jason

On my 4.3 screen a 2.35 movie will have the smaller blacks bars the same black as the unused outer black area. Maybe your dvd player doesn't pass black.

Oh and for those looking for a cheap but good quality player be sure to check out the Phillips DVP642 DVD Player [ this player retails for under $70 ] .

-- Now it does not have any Faroudja chip mind you but it has a better progressive image than most of the other players in the price range . Blows the heck out of the Samsung Component output in Progressive mode ;) .

-- This player plays almost any format [ DivX , XviD , SVCD , VCD , WMA , MP3 , etc. ] from just about any type of media [ cd-r/rw , dvd-r/rw , dvd+r/rw , mini-cd-r , etc. ] .

--- Player can be found at CompUSA , Target , Best Buy , and even Wal Mart .

;)

--------- Jason

Guys

I know this is going off topic.....but has anyome heard of this DVD brand before?
Apologies if this link isn't allowed - I'll delete if not
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=12056&item=3093584466

Seems to have an awful lot of good features inc progressive scan, VGA out, Dolby 5.1 etc, etc.
Would the VGA out coupled with Progressive be a good match for a PAL H30?

Only prob is it looks like it's only available in Germany

Originally posted by guitarman
On my 4.3 screen a 2.35 movie will have the smaller blacks bars the same black as the unused outer black area. Maybe your dvd player doesn't pass black.

Well, it's a Panny XP30, so I’m sure it's as capable as ever.

But at least I know now what to expect with blacks. Thanks again Tom and Jason for your help.

I think some more testing and tweaking tonight should reveal some answers....or more questions:eek:

Plus I just got some very nice heavy blackout material from my local fabric store (and velvet), so I'll see if there is an improvement over my poster foamcore board.

Fleaman

well i got the buzz !
This ain't right. 28 hours on my "Hotoma" aka H30a one week at the house. Ceiling mounted. Get home tonite- wife had on some kids stuff on the pj everythings great 'cept for a really bad transfer of Thomas the Train. TT over - i change disk- Muppets from Space- ah- yeah that's more like it- much better PQ. I walk out come back into a very nasty "buzz" -very electronic, almost like an old flourescent bulb sound. Way loud- too loud to not hear- pj is mounted overhead not far behind sofa- up until now the H30 was not distacting at all to me-as i had just commented to a co-worker that i was finally able to watch a movie sunday night and not the pick the projector apart. Now i can't not walk or sit into the room and not hear the buzz.

I'll try to let it cool down and re-power later. i'm a bit peaved now and up until now the pj seemed to be doing alright. BTW this isn't my first pj and i work with and audition about everything on these boards and somethings not up to par. I took the h30 off econo mode to listen to the fan speed and buzz but the two are completely independent.

rudee

Well, it's at least good to know I'm not the only one with the "buzz." :) Just call them up, I'm sure they'll be able to swap it out for you, rudee.

Well I ordered 6 weeks ago but decided to wait for the latest firmware.
At last it has arrived (I live in Borneo and had it shipped from the US)
Just fired it up and it looks fantastic.
I have to thank all the people who helped me make the decision, Tom and DaGamePimp to name a few.
I only wish that I was not heading to Singapore tonight so I had some more time to play around with it.
Oh well could be a good excuse for a new DVD player, I am thinking the dennon 2200 at this stage?

I need some 25' cables....... component and DVI-I.......

Is there someone better than Ram that I should be considering?

thanks,

Steve

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
I need some 25' cables....... component and DVI-I.......

Is there someone better than Ram that I should be considering?

thanks,

Steve

Better in what way? Quality or price? Well, I got my 25' component from bluejeans cables, it was the more flexible Belden 1505. Keep in mind that this cable is 3 separate cables, so at least for me I needed to get a loom to loom them together. Used the spiral clear loom myself (found it at Home Depot by the plastic wire ties).

I like the cable and it seems to have no problems.

I couldn't really tell you if one was better than the other, but the price I paid from bluejeans was about the same or less than the same length in the 'gold':rolleyes: Rat Shack cables...and in that case I think the Belden 1505's from bluejeans is WAY better.

Fleaman

Oh, and it took them about a day to ship it out...then another 2 days to get it at my door (priority mail)...which was $9.50 total for the shipping.

So fairly quick!

Fleaman

See my reply here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3719973. Looks like a basic chinese made player. You would likely be able to find similar chinese model using a different brand name if you look around. Try Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's Wholesale, or The Home Shopping Club. :)

Originally posted by simong
but has anyome heard of this DVD brand before?
Apologies if this link isn't allowed - I'll delete if not
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=12056&item=3093584466

Seems to have an awful lot of good features ...

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
I need some 25' cables....... component and DVI-I.......
Is there someone better than Ram that I should be considering?
thanks,
Steve
I am of the mindset that a forum sponsor (like Ram) should be given every opportunity for the business. I bought everything I could from them and the balance from Cables To Go which was also excellent. Build quality and performance of all items has been perfect. I think most every 25' length I looked at from Blue Jeans was more expensive as well. I have no doubt that the Blue Jeans stuff is excellent but would still give first crack to a sponsor of this great place that we have all benefited from.

Hope I don't trip getting down off my soap box :D

Cheers!

Originally posted by guitarman
Ryan, first what kind or player and connection? Some players don't do deep blacks. Look for a Lighter/Darker feature in the menus.

I have a Panny s55s which is a pretty good player, I have it set to darker and all the setting default, my HD cable box also has the same problem. I have the same problem as another guy, I just can't get black to be black, it's always a bit blue or a bit red. Do you think using the service menu autocalc it will help, I'm going to try. Is there any possibility that there could be something wrong with our units that we can't get black, or with enough service menu adjustments should we be able to get the problem worked out. I'm going to keep trying. I'm just jealous of those bragging about how good black are on this unit, colors are outstanding, but I haven't seem a really good black yet. All the problems people keep having really makes me want a 4805, but I'm not giving up.

Originally posted by kevineck
I tried to create a diagram to explain the difference between 16:9 and 16:9 native modes. Hope this helps and doesn't just add to the confusion.

http://www.duke.edu/~kme4/h30_aspects.gif


Kevin

That's a nice theory, but it's not quite what is happening. If what you said was true, in 16:9 mode it scaled not cropped the picture from 854x480 to 800x450, then the entire image would be preserved, on a test pattern while there would be some compression of the image size, there would be no cropping. 480 lines would be scaled to 450, no image lost or cropped. But in 16:9 mode the image is definitely cropped on the top and bottom. However, when in 16:9 native, the rest of the image's 480 lines are revealed, but a large amount is cropped off the sides.

If you understand what I'm saying, it is definitely cropping the image to 450 linesin 16:9 normal mode, it's not scaling it from 480 to 450. So if it is cropping to 450, then it means it has to be also cropping to 800 from 854, not scaling the image. Which agrees with the diagram at Optoma. This means that no mode should crop any more off the sides than is already being done. So 16:9 native should not crop any more off the sides than 16:9, it should just reveal the hidden 30 pixels. But it zooms up on the image for some odd reason. If you logically think about and look at what it is doing, it makes no sense.

I was just reading about the new Digital Video Essential DVD, it's the follow up to Video Essentials. Has anyone used it, I think it would have test that would be much better for digital projectors than Avia or Video Essentials did. It even comes with a grey card to getting the color of grey correct. It sound great, I'm going to order it. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005PJ70/awh/103-7348081-7766235

One more question, to do the autocal would I use the 100 IRE Window Pattern, or the 100 IRE Flat field, I would imagine flat field.

Please, I need help on measuring the vertical offset.

I want to project a 73" diagonal 16:9 image. Bottom of image is 30" from the floor. PJ is 10' from the screen and is placed upside down. How high do I need to put the PJ?

Thanks

rsmith4321: are you having an ntsc source or pal, it makes a difference, I guess the picture of cropping and scaling is different on pal ?

hey quick question, how do I check what firmware I have? I got an RMA H30 and they told me it would have the new firmware, just want to check it. A lot of pages back, Tom mentioned the up up, left left to get into the service menu but I can't get that to work.

Originally posted by rsmith4321
That's a nice theory, but it's not quite what is happening.

I checked this out last night with test patterns and some movies and (at least on my H30) the way I described the two previously matches the picture posted by kevineck. The 16:9 mode scales the complete picture to fit the 800 X 450 resolution and the Native 16:9 mode crops 27 pixels off each side, as it has to maintain the correct 16:9 aspect ratio. That's exactly what should be happening, so if it's not on your H30, there must be some other issue.

Originally posted by ShiftyPowers
hey quick question, how do I check what firmware I have? I got an RMA H30 and they told me it would have the new firmware, just want to check it. A lot of pages back, Tom mentioned the up up, left left to get into the service menu but I can't get that to work.

Push Up + Select (at the same time) twice and then Left + Select (at the same time) twice. Of course, if it displays a full 800 X 600 image through a component feed, you've got the new firmware.

Originally posted by rsmith4321
I was just reading about the new Digital Video Essential DVD, it's the follow up to Video Essentials. Has anyone used it, I think it would have test that would be much better for digital projectors than Avia or Video Essentials did.

I have it and it does have some nicer patterns for digital projectors, but it's a PITA to navigate. Also, it doesn't have the test pattern descriptions that Avia has. It's a nice addition though and not that expensive. There's no grey card with mine though. :confused:

Yup, DVE is a real pain to navigate:mad: On my Panny XP30 the only
way to get to any chapter/section was using the 'Display' button
on my remote and directly entering the Chapter # and then
the Section # on the remote. Took me a while to figure that out.

I think everyone else has this problem too.

I have Avia on order and hope it will be easier to use (for me).

Fleaman

Red push, Red blacks:

I finally got a pretty good overall color balance on my H30 last night. I ended up playing a bunch of material on both the H30 and my 27" TV (right below it) and just messed with all the settings until I could get the H30's colors about the same as my TV and while unscientific, I think I got the colors very close to matching my TV. This was easier for me to try to match colors to the TV in real time.

No more Red blacks for me!

Here's what I ended up with:

Brightness -11 (sometimes -15)
Contrast -12 (sometimes -38)

Picture Menu:
Cinema mode
Color 2 (sometimes 5)
Tint 0
Sharp 50
Gamma 1

Image Menu:
White peak 0
Color Temp 1
Image mode Film

Advanced adjustments:
R. Contrast +1
G. Contrast +10
B. Contrast +3
R. Brightness -10
G. Brightness +6
B. Brightness -4

Econo mode on

The main differences I noticed between my TV and the H30 is that I couldn't get the colors on the H30 to be as bright as the colors on the TV, they still seemed a little muted. But this could be due to my room as it almost seems
like the image is just very slightly washed out. So probably the light from the room (from the projector) might be washing it out just slightly. If my room was completely black, maybe the colors and the image might look closer to the TV.

Over all though, the balance of colors was about the same between the two.

Overall Brightness/Contrast: Here I noticed that if I adjust bright/contrast to best match dark scenes on the TV, when a bright scene played, the settings would not be ideal for it, so then I would adjust the bright/contrast
to best match the bright scene and then of course those settings would not be ideal for a dark scene. So, it seems like I had to strike a compromise between the 2.

Blacks: Ok, they are not red anymore, but they are still not like the light spill (on the inactive panel mirror part) blacks (smooth and fairly black).
What I did notice while standing close to the screen was that by lowering the brightness in dark scenes (to very dark!), I could really bring up those 'swarmies'...that make the blacks just fall apart, the pixels just go crazy in a random variation of flashing blotches. If I turn the brightness up very high, I can make all of this swarmies go away. It's almost as if there is a lot of noise in the blacks. Now admittedly this is while very close to the screen, if I'm 2 screen widths away it's almost (but not totally) unnoticeable. If I turn the Bright up a little more than I like (on dark scenes) then it's not noticeable 2 screen widths away...but then the pic doesn't look so good.
I think that maybe some or all of this might be in the actual film as it is somewhat noticeable on my TV, but very very faintly. I will have to do some more testing tonight.

I started the night off with some of the gray patterns in DVE (adjusting the colors), and I got the gray patterns to look very close to the TV, but when I put a movie on, the colors were still off. So I think maybe it might of been faster for me to get the gray patterns to closely match my TV (with DVE), then to fine tune the colors with a lot to different movies (comparing in real time to the TV).

I have to say that my picture is looking much better now. I had a few
friends look at it last night (even before my final adjustments) and they
were all quite amazed...one was just mesmerized by it! But then again,
none of them had really seen a projector before only being exposed to the RPTV's and Plasmas, etc. Looks pretty good now...other than my blacks breaking up when the brightness is turned down, which could just be what happens to a video signal blown up large and I hadn't noticed it before.

Whew!

Fleaman

Forgot to mention some details of my setup:

Panny XP30 using component progressive out.

60x40 Foam core flat white poster board (soon to be covered with blackout cloth), image varying from about 60" wide to 50" wide (trying out different sizes).

Sitting about 9 to 10 ft back.

Ceiling mounted.

Fleaman

Originally posted by chuir
Please, I need help on measuring the vertical offset.

I want to project a 73" diagonal 16:9 image. Bottom of image is 30" from the floor. PJ is 10' from the screen and is placed upside down. How high do I need to put the PJ?

Thanks
Chuir-

Your setup is very similar to mine. My measurements are:

*72" 16:9 image on an ~80" diagonal 4:3 screen, the 16:9 image is 36" tall.
*Throw distance is 9'9" from the lens to the screen.
*Bottom of image is 28" from the floor.
*Height from center of lens to the floor is 80.5"
*I am using no keystone and have a very slight upward tilt to the projector.

I then get the following vertical offsets (middle of lens to top of image)

16:9- 18"
16:9 native- 16"
4:3 native (if you care) 6.5"

Hope that helps.. good luck!

Originally posted by fleaman
Red push, Red blacks:

I finally got a pretty good overall color balance on my H30 last night. I ended up playing a bunch of material on both the H30 and my 27" TV (right below it) and just messed with all the settings until I could get the H30's colors about the same as my TV and while unscientific, I think I got the colors very close to matching my TV. This was easier for me to try to match colors to the TV in real time.

No more Red blacks for me!

Here's what I ended up with:

Brightness -11 (sometimes -15)
Contrast -12 (sometimes -38)

Picture Menu:
Cinema mode
Color 2 (sometimes 5)
Tint 0
Sharp 50
Gamma 1

Image Menu:
White peak 0
Color Temp 1
Image mode Film

Advanced adjustments:
R. Contrast +1
G. Contrast +10
B. Contrast +3
R. Brightness -10
G. Brightness +6
B. Brightness -4

Econo mode on

The main differences I noticed between my TV and the H30 is that I couldn't get the colors on the H30 to be as bright as the colors on the TV, they still seemed a little muted. But this could be due to my room as it almost seems
like the image is just very slightly washed out. So probably the light from the room (from the projector) might be washing it out just slightly. If my room was completely black, maybe the colors and the image might look closer to the TV.

Over all though, the balance of colors was about the same between the two.

Overall Brightness/Contrast: Here I noticed that if I adjust bright/contrast to best match dark scenes on the TV, when a bright scene played, the settings would not be ideal for it, so then I would adjust the bright/contrast
to best match the bright scene and then of course those settings would not be ideal for a dark scene. So, it seems like I had to strike a compromise between the 2.

Blacks: Ok, they are not red anymore, but they are still not like the light spill (on the inactive panel mirror part) blacks (smooth and fairly black).
What I did notice while standing close to the screen was that by lowering the brightness in dark scenes (to very dark!), I could really bring up those 'swarmies'...that make the blacks just fall apart, the pixels just go crazy in a random variation of flashing blotches. If I turn the brightness up very high, I can make all of this swarmies go away. It's almost as if there is a lot of noise in the blacks. Now admittedly this is while very close to the screen, if I'm 2 screen widths away it's almost (but not totally) unnoticeable. If I turn the Bright up a little more than I like (on dark scenes) then it's not noticeable 2 screen widths away...but then the pic doesn't look so good.
I think that maybe some or all of this might be in the actual film as it is somewhat noticeable on my TV, but very very faintly. I will have to do some more testing tonight.

I started the night off with some of the gray patterns in DVE (adjusting the colors), and I got the gray patterns to look very close to the TV, but when I put a movie on, the colors were still off. So I think maybe it might of been faster for me to get the gray patterns to closely match my TV (with DVE), then to fine tune the colors with a lot to different movies (comparing in real time to the TV).

I have to say that my picture is looking much better now. I had a few
friends look at it last night (even before my final adjustments) and they
were all quite amazed...one was just mesmerized by it! But then again,
none of them had really seen a projector before only being exposed to the RPTV's and Plasmas, etc. Looks pretty good now...other than my blacks breaking up when the brightness is turned down, which could just be what happens to a video signal blown up large and I hadn't noticed it before.

Whew!

Fleaman

Oh, you never said that you were stading right near the screen, or course you will see problems if you stand really really close. You have to adjust the picture to look good from a normal viewing distance, imagine if you blew up your TV to the size of the projector screen. Anyway, you seem to have a really low contrast setting. Mine is well into the plus side, perhaps that isn't good, but it looks good.

As far as the 16:9 native mode, are you sure in 16:9 standard you are seeing the same 480 pixels just like you do in 16:9 native, only compressed, perhaps something is different with the new firmware. Because I definetly see cropping in the 16:9 mode, there is a noticable change in lines with going to native. Who knows.

As far as the lens cleaner from Best Buy, it sucks. It leaves a cloud on the lens, I'm going to have to try to order the recommended cleaner. Or find some Kodak papers.

I agree with Mike and Fleaman regarding DVE being a complete pain to navigate. I cannot imagine how long it took me to find the included group of test patterns in chapter 12, really just stumbled across them by accident. I thought the descriptions of what to do to use each pattern and test were a bit confusing as well. They did make specific mention of some differences in calibrating digital projectors vs. crt units though which with the age of Avia- I would guess that won't happen. I also did not get a gray card, only the RGB one.

Buy at your own risk and don't complain a bunch if you don't like it :)

Wow fleaman-

Those are some deviations from 0 aren't they? :) I used DVE to the best of my very novice ability for about 2 hours last night. I don't know if I was just incredibly lucky or I had the best tuner Optoma has calibrate mine or if I really just don't know what I'm looking at or what. About the only setting I ended up hardly moving off 0 was sharpness which I set at about 17. Otherwise almost everything is within a click or two of 0. I am not sure I understood or saw the green DVE chart or not but the bue and red were pretty much right on. Knock, knock, knock on that wood....

Cheers!

Fleaman- I finished my BO cloth screen a week ago and it turned out great. I made a frame from 1x3 poplar as opposed to putting it over any kind of board like you were referring to. One thing I made a mistake on was I got about 8 staples in each one of the sides before I turned it over to check it. I had not stretched the cloth near enough to have a good tight surface. When I went around the second time I really cranked on the cloth before stapling it and it worked great.

Good luck!

I would caution anyone that the settings for one projector will not be the same for others, particulaly the "advanced adjustments". I just checked out an H30 for a customer and it had the "red push' others have mentioned. It could be adjusted out in the "Advanced" section, but I got a better result in the service menu. However, the eventual settings weren't even close to the ones on my H30 (both are the current firmware).

So, you can look at Fleaman's settings as a general guide, but your own settings may differ greatly.

Originally posted by rsmith4321
Oh, you never said that you were stading right near the screen, or course you will see problems if you stand really really close. You have to adjust the picture to look good from a normal viewing distance, imagine if you blew up your TV to the size of the projector screen. Anyway, you seem to have a really low contrast setting. Mine is well into the plus side, perhaps that isn't good, but it looks good.


Well, it's very noticeable when up close...actually downright awful! At 2x screen width it can be seen in dark scenes...by me! Meaning my friends that were in shock of seeing a projection image that looks nice didn't notice it. But then again, I didn't want to point it out! Sorta like don't tell people how to look for rainbows!

The thing is, bright scenes up close are very smooth! Other than noticing
the pixels-which I expect to see up close---the image is smooth, meaning the pixels are stable and not modulating like they are in very dark scenes.
I was expecting to see the pixels to be smooth in Dark scenes also, but they are modulation all over the place. So bad that it is noticeable from a normal viewing distance. But, again, I will have to go through some more tests tonight to eliminate the possibility that it might be in the source (DVD) material as it might appear to be this way on my TV also...just hard to see it 'cause the 27" TV hardly shows it.

Contrast: Well, I noticed that the contrast doesn't affect the image that much (like brightness does). I could move the contrast #'s quite a bit and it wouldn't be that drastic of a difference, unless I went to +50!
The brightness on the other hand had a huge range and was much more sensitive.

Fleaman

Originally posted by rsmith4321
As far as the 16:9 native mode, are you sure in 16:9 standard you are seeing the same 480 pixels just like you do in 16:9 native, only compressed, perhaps something is different with the new firmware. Because I definetly see cropping in the 16:9 mode, there is a noticable change in lines with going to native. Who knows.



I haven't really bothered with this yet as I had some more pressing issues to handle!

But from what you mentioned in a previous post, if true, would mean your projector is backwards from everyone else’s!
Native 16x9 would be native vertically which means the sides get cropped a little and regular 16x9 is the complete 16x9 image fit into the 800-width panel. Your description would me it's reversed on your projector!

Very strange.

Fleaman

Originally posted by MikeSRC
I would caution anyone that the settings for one projector will not be the same for others, particulaly the "advanced adjustments". I just checked out an H30 for a customer and it had the "red push' others have mentioned. It could be adjusted out in the "Advanced" section, but I got a better result in the service menu. However, the eventual settings weren't even close to the ones on my H30 (both are the current firmware).

So, you can look at Fleaman's settings as a general guide, but your own settings may differ greatly.

Yeah, and who knows, there maybe different levels of red push on the red push H30's out there!

I'm probably not going to mess with the settings TOO much for a little while
(yeah right!) until I get my BO cloth screen done and some more hrs on the bulb, as I'm guessing the values will change.

But Mike, when that time comes, do you think I should try some of your service menu settings in the future? I don't want to really get into the service menu on my own w/o having some #'s to enter and try out. I guess if I write everything down before, I can always go back, correct?

Fleaman

Going into the service menu is much the same as the advanced adjustments in that the settings will not be the same for everyone. Just for laughs, I tried the settings I had on my H30 on another one and it looked terrible. If you do try it out, just write down what the current settings are before you change anything, so you can always return to the original. They do give you finer control over the RGB levels.

To clarify a little, I'm talking about the Gain and Offset settings under the ADC sub menu. The settings under the Picture sub menu were identical for both projectors.

Originally posted by MikeSRC
Going into the service menu is much the same as the advanced adjustments in that the settings will not be the same for everyone. Just for laughs, I tried the settings I had on my H30 on another one and it looked terrible. If you do try it out, just write down what the current settings are before you change anything, so you can always return to the original. They do give you finer control over the RGB levels.

Finer control...as in the same controls (RGB bright/contrast levels) but in smaller steps?
Or, some different controls?

I don't think I actually need any finer controls over the same advance adjustments..those seemed fine enough (steps) for me.

OTOH if there are some things that you adjusted that can NOT be done in the normal advance adjustments, I would really like to know about them...
as a baseline.

Man, Optoma really has to get all their H30's calibrated the same! This is ridiculous!!! It also makes it just about impossible to try other peoples
settings (one of the great things about this forum) when the H30's baseline calibrations are all over the place.
--Guitarman: Care to ask Wing about this??

Thanks,

Fleaman

Originally posted by MikeSRC
Going into the service menu is much the same as the advanced adjustments in that the settings will not be the same for everyone. Just for laughs, I tried the settings I had on my H30 on another one and it looked terrible. If you do try it out, just write down what the current settings are before you change anything, so you can always return to the original. They do give you finer control over the RGB levels.

To clarify a little, I'm talking about the Gain and Offset settings under the ADC sub menu. The settings under the Picture sub menu were identical for both projectors.

Theoretical question here: When Optoma calibrates the H30’s, is the calibration level all within the service menu level? Or, are there calibrations that Optoma does that can't be accessed at all, even within the service menu?

Reason I'm asking: If we were to change ALL of the service menu settings to the same exact settings from say your (MikeSRC) projector, would we get the same baseline calibrations??

Being that you mentioned you tried your settings on another H30 and they looked very different, I'm guessing not, but this wasn't clear to me.

I'm wondering if at some point I should send my H30 back to Optoma (California) and have them redo the calibrations on it? Or if I can do it myself in the service menu with #'s given to me?

I would like to have a fairly good baseline to go by as my original baseline from the factory seemed so screwed up!

Fleaman

Just got my H30 in today and all I can say is WOW, everything on it is fantastic. One slight problem though, there doesn't seem to be anywhere in my room to permenentally mount the thing, I was going to build a shelf above my bed to mount it, but if I do this the picture will go onto the ceiling. Ceiling mounting is not an option for me. I believe my only hope is to find a wall mount that can tilt, and then I can use keystone correction to fix the image. I really need your guys help, I really wanna keep this projector but if theres no way i can mount it, i'm afraid i'll have to ship it back :(

fleaman,
I had a similar problem with dithering on blacks with my x1. No matter what setting i had the brightness set at the blacks always dithered. It turned out it was a faulty component to vga adapter. I made my own out of an old vga cable and the problem went away. Try hooking your player up with a s-video cable and see if the dithering goes away. It may be a cable or adapter problem.

For setting contrast use the gray ramp test (title 12 chapter 14) on DVE. You want the far right section where the dot is to be white. If it is gray your contrast is too low. If other sections to the left of where the dot is are also white your contrast is too high.

Woo! ordered mine on monday.. its on its way to me now! Spoke to a really helpful guy at Dell Canada.. if you wanna know how to get in touch with him. just send me a PM and I have his direct ext.

Now can't wait :(

-rep

Originally posted by memize
Just got my H30 in today and all I can say is WOW, everything on it is fantastic. One slight problem though, there doesn't seem to be anywhere in my room to permenentally mount the thing, I was going to build a shelf above my bed to mount it, but if I do this the picture will go onto the ceiling.

I'm using a Vantage Point PTW-13 TV wall mount. You can reverse the tray that would normally support a TV to the bottom of the arm, then hang the projector from it like you would a ceiling mount. You can tilt it 0, 5 or 10 degrees. Here's a picture of it:

http://common.csnstores.com/common/products/VP/VP0001_l.jpg

fleaman ,

--- You cannot use settings from another H30 , it just does not work .

--- Each unit has to have its own calibration done so there is not a Magic set of numbers that will have everyone in video nirvana :( .

--- Consider that different sources will make for different results ;) .


------------- Jason

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
--- Each unit has to have its own calibration done so there is not a Magic set of numbers that will have everyone in video nirvana :( .


. . . and it's still 'way easier than calibrating CRT projection. :D

Quote : " . . . and it's still 'way easier than calibrating CRT projection. "

--- Amen to that brotha' :)

--------- Jason

Jason:

Any idea when you will get your new unit ?
3rd time it's a charm...
I just got mine today... :D

Ariel

Ariel ,

-- Well I have to send my current unit out first which I do not plan on doing until Monday [ we are having family over this weekend and if the PJ is not here all the kids will go nuts ;) ] . So now I just have to hope that when I go to fire it up this weekend everything goes well [ it has been working over the past few days ] . I figure this way I can get the PJ sent out Monday and have the new one back by Friday [ and have a great Calibration weekend :) ] .


-------------- Jason

Quote
I can get the PJ sent out Monday and have the new one back by Friday [ and have a great Calibration weekend"

Looks like you're staying in the fold. :)
For the money it really is a fine projector. Look at how much you know about the workings/service area etc.

Tom ,

--- I think I am going to stick it out with the H30 [ at least for a while longer ] . Now if this next one has issues ... well then , I am ... DONE .

--- I might just keep the H30 and upgrade to a 720p model next year [ when the price is more reasonable ] .

--- I really like the H30 [ just the dang build quality issues are driving me bonkers :( ] . I have faith that Optoma will get it straightened out :) .

--- I still can't wait to see the 4805 however ;) .


------------------ Jason

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
--- I still can't wait to see the 4805 however ;) .


Yeah, me too. Maybe it will arrive the same time as the new Bravo D2s (in about three weeks), so I can check them both out at the same time. :D

Just a brief heads up that Projector Central has posted their review of the H30. Not surprisingly, the review is very positive and includes a comparison to the Benq 6100.

Hope this helps some people get off the fence. Unfortunately, its having only one component/VGA input kills it for me.

One component out would have killed it for me, but, I upgraded to a Denon 3805 with 3 component imputs and one out. So I route everything through the Denon.

MickB ,

--- that was going to be my next comment ;) .

--- either that or a VGA switcher can be used .

--- Although I certainly would not complain if the H30 had more input options [ like DVI :) ] .


--------- Jason

Hey Jason-

Finally got the Panavise dialed in, thanks for the tip(s). Both hikarate and I thought we were smart by getting the thumbscrew model so we wouldn't have to go hunting for an allen wrench if an adjustment was needed, WRONG! :) The thumbscrews were metal which was good but were glued :rolleyes: on to the allen screws, that was the only difference between your unit and ours. Using the allen screws made for a quite a bit tighter fit. The 9" version still suffered from the sag issue however. The way I was able to get past that was to take the unit apart and use emery cloth on the two balls and sockets. (If memory serves- you suggested this right away :rolleyes: :)) This allowed me to hold the unit up and get it mounted perfectly within a few attempts even though it was a really "low profile" mount with the arm pointing at the right front corner of the unit.

Thanks again for the tips. I've got all of $31 (shipping and handling included) invested in my mount.

memize,

Have you switched it to ceiling mount in the display options? I am going to shelf mount it upside down as well and mine needs to be pretty much all the way up to the ceiling.

gottahavapj ,

--- GREAT :) !!!

--- Good to hear the inexpensive mount solution has been helpful to others . I was beginning to fear that I just got lucky with it .


----- Jason

I ordered the 20 foot Belden 7710A from Blue jeans cable, and eh...they are monster big. The shielding that bundles them makes it look like a black hose. Actually it is about the same size as your average hose. Its huge!!!!!!!

So just keep this in mind if you are considering the 7710 from blue jeans. They seem a bit more suited for in the wall applications.

Thanks for the cable suggestions guys!!!

Steve

Originally posted by jigrillo
memize,

Have you switched it to ceiling mount in the display options? I am going to shelf mount it upside down as well and mine needs to be pretty much all the way up to the ceiling.

Yes i too am looking to do the same thing . Are you just buying wood and building a shelf where you can put the image upside down? or are you looking for a wall mount unit?

Originally posted by MikeSRC
I'm using a Vantage Point PTW-13 TV wall mount. You can reverse the tray that would normally support a TV to the bottom of the arm, then hang the projector from it like you would a ceiling mount. You can tilt it 0, 5 or 10 degrees. Here's a picture of it:

http://common.csnstores.com/common/products/VP/VP0001_l.jpg


this seems like a very nice unit unfortunately i don't think it will go high enough to the ceiling, i thank you for your help though :)

quick question guys, i'm going from vga port -> vga switcher -> component

one vga will go to the computer and another to my home receiver with component output. Do i need a vga transcoder or not?

memize ,
--- Nope , you don't require a Transcoder ;) .


------- Jason

Originally posted by memize
this seems like a very nice unit unfortunately i don't think it will go high enough to the ceiling, i thank you for your help though :)

You could just flip the unit (as you see it in the picture) upside down.

I am just buying a shelf and mounting it upside down. I haven't done it yet, but I think it will work just fine. I can get it as close as I want to the roof.

Originally posted by MikeSRC
You could just flip the unit (as you see it in the picture) upside down.

i might go with this if i can't build something from wood. I'm trying to save all the $$$ i can : )

I think i have the old firmware you guys were talking about, right now i'm just using the S-Video cable suplied and on my Playstation 2, there is a window around the image. I've tried all the aspect ration but can't get rid of it. Oh well, since i'll only be using component output in the future i don't think it'll matter anyway

I've got good news for those of us that can't get black to be black. Using the service menu I've got my black to almost be as black as the light spill area, not quite, but it's close. I was having the exact same problem someone else mentioned of really bad misquito noise I guess you would call it in the background even with a black test pattern. Black was very noisy, and it didn't make any difference on how far the brightness was turned down. What was interesting was that past -5 brightness, lower settings made no difference at all in making black truly black.

But here is what I did in the service menu to fix it, let me know if this wasn't a good idea. Auto calc did nothing for me except screw up the picture, so I went back to my original settings. Then I went to the DLP Brightness settings, and to my excitement they let me turn down the background brightness until it was almost truly black. My original settings were 32-32-32, I changed them to 27-27-27, and now black is very close to black. It's as if these settings lower the bottom of the black level possible on the projector. Does it sound like I did the right thing, it really has helped out my black levels. I wonder why they calibrated some of these units so poorly. I'm hoping with enough messing around I can get a perfect picture.

Took the plunge and am the proud owner of an H30. First the good news, great picture! Colors are perfect. But... there is a buzzing sound coming from the projector. It's being induced by dimmer lights in the house. This projector is apparently very sensitive to power line noise. I really like my dimmers! (and the dim light). I know other H30 owners have had this problem also and are probably interested in finding an inexpensive solution. I doubt if Optoma considers this a defect, so getting a replacement unit will be of no help. Any advice?

Wow rsmith, that is very interesting! I probably won't have time to try this for a few days, but I will as I have the exact same problem you had.

I'm interested to see what some others say about this before I try it out myself (I won't have time anyway), but I wonder why, if someone can explain, that this seemed to fix the problem that rsmith had and maybe will fix my same problem with my noisy blacks.

I hope I hope.

Wondering what some of the experts think about this??

Fleaman

Originally posted by fleaman
Wow rsmith, that is very interesting! I probably won't have time to try this for a few days, but I will as I have the exact same problem you had.

I'm interested to see what some others say about this before I try it out myself (I won't have time anyway), but I wonder why, if someone can explain, that this seemed to fix the problem that rsmith had and maybe will fix my same problem with my noisy blacks.

I hope I hope.

Wondering what some of the experts think about this??

Fleaman
Well I've been testing it for a little while now, I ended up with a compromise of 28 for all my dlp brightness settings, I still get a little noise and not quite light spill blackness, but I also bring out a little more of the THX optomizer blacks. You should try this, I can't see any harm. If I wanted to go down farther, it is possible to get a completely black background, but in my opinion this causes some loss of blacks. I guess with $1200 equipment you have some compromises, although I have to say the picture overall is outstanding now. No projector I've had yet had completely totally black blacks, I don't think it's quite possible.

-- I would suggest doing your Primary calibration from the service menu [ using your dvd player as the source with AVIA/VE/DVE ] . Then do smaller fine tuning adjustments from the 'Advanced Menu' . This method should get all the input methods as close as possible so that minimal tweaking is needed from the 'Advanced Menu' for each source [ just remember that different sources will give different results - this is why you would need to fine tune each source after doing the Primary calibration ] .

--- I would also suggest you only calibrate Grey Scale from the service menu to begin with [ keep it simple ] .

--- The Black Auto Calibration feature should only be used if you are confident that your DVD source can send 0 IRE [ check your black level settings on the player ] . Be sure to calibrate from Progressive Mode on your DVD player if you will be using it in Progressive Mode .

--- Total Black is really only possible with CRT Projection .

--- And remember that most Digital PJ's have a slight Red push for about the first 100 hours of use [ the new lamp is responsible for this ] .


------------ Jason

Originally posted by rsmith4321
Well I've been testing it for a little while now, I ended up with a compromise of 28 for all my dlp brightness settings, I still get a little noise and not quite light spill blackness, but I also bring out a little more of the THX optomizer blacks. You should try this, I can't see any harm. If I wanted to go down farther, it is possible to get a completely black background, but in my opinion this causes some loss of blacks. I guess with $1200 equipment you have some compromises, although I have to say the picture overall is outstanding now. No projector I've had yet had completely totally black blacks, I don't think it's quite possible.

That's great! I haven't gone into the service menu before and I don't want to do it in a rush, so I'm gonna try it this weekend when I have some time.

Yes, I'm the one that's been whining about my black mosquito noise! I hate to say that I'm glad I wasn't the only one with this problem, I was beginning to think maybe this might be normal! My 1st projector and all. Thanks for sharing your solution (for you at least).

I don't know what I (or many others) would do w/o this forum and the internet in general. I remember not being impressed by the internet 10 years ago when all my father could do was rave about it and all I could say was "I can go to the library for any of this!". Of course things moved slowly on the net back then (I have DSL) and not many sites were around like now. I was still wrong in the end…and Dad (the old fart that he is) was right.
What a difference a decade made on this frontier:D

Yeah, I don't expect perfect ink blacks as I was already aware of some of the limitations of projectors (especially LCD's), but the noisy blacks was really annoying and didn't seem right to me. Hopefully I will be able to fix this on the weekend.

Thanks again and nice going on the H30 FAQ page you have! I looked at it for a quick reference to get into the service menu. Was faster than searching this thread!

Fleaman

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
-- --- And remember that most Digital PJ's have a slight Red push for about the first 100 hours of use [ the new lamp is responsible for this ] .


------------ Jason

I was aware of this, but it seemed severe on my machine. The range I needed to go on the advance adjustments seemed to show that this was no 'slight' red push.

But while I have a good color balance now, I'm not going to spend hrs on end fine tuning anything until I have 100 hrs on the lamp. Although I will
try rsmiths solution to noisy blacks this weekend.

Fleaman.

I know Im not old school been here since page 1 of the post.. (it seems like after reading all 190 pages.. it feels like I know all you guys haha.. took me 3 days at work :rolleyes:).. but I placed my order on monday through Dell and its out for delivery now! It's coming to me at work so I'm gonna have to sit here with an h30 for most of the day on my desk :( I'm praying that there's no bulb/noise problems with mine.. or at least that it lasts through the weekend so I can get my initial craving out of the way :)

Every time the front door to the office opens.. I have to turn my head.. this is quite sad :(

I'll be sure to be taking a lot of photos.. I know.. no real need.. but I'm a big fan of photography and hopefully I'll be able to white balance/expose it for a really good representation of it.

-rep

Took the plunge and am the proud owner of an H30. First the good news, great picture! Colors are perfect. But... there is a buzzing sound coming from the projector. It's being induced by dimmer lights in the house. This projector is apparently very sensitive to power line noise. I really like my dimmers! (and the dim light). I know other H30 owners have had this problem also and are probably interested in finding an inexpensive solution. I doubt if Optoma considers this a defect, so getting a replacement unit will be of no help. Any advice?



mckinsey and every body else line noise or shared outlets of any kind you will have to get a good line conditioner and of coarse a good power suppressor because any (current) noise will effect the picture ,so don't always blame the pj because of power problems and remember audio & video equipment can be easily effected . so make sure you are getting the best clean power you can before you blame your components ;)

Hey as far as calibration and 100hrs on the bulb. Once you get everything calibrated properly will getting a new bulb change everything? Do you have to recalibrate everytime you get a new bulb, or should new bulbs not make much of a difference?

quote
I placed my order on monday through Dell and its out for delivery now! It's coming to me at work so I'm gonna have to sit here with an h30 for most of the day on my desk"

That's fast if you're getting delivery today Thursday. You could always make up a story to get out of work. Heh heh - benefits of working your own bizz, I just closed up and walked.

So I guess everybodys becoming a tune up expert by now. At least you can see the H30 has a vast amount of calibration area's.

You can see by Projector Centrals review and Evan's calibration changes that Evan used the 50percent balance technique. Why he did the lower end or Brightness like he did I'm not sure. The percentage numbers he used were much stronger than the contrast RGB adjustments.

Ryan DLP brightess in the service menu. Good idea, use your calibration DVD when using these.

Originally posted by mckinsey
Took the plunge and am the proud owner of an H30. First the good news, great picture! Colors are perfect. But... there is a buzzing sound coming from the projector. It's being induced by dimmer lights in the house. This projector is apparently very sensitive to power line noise. I really like my dimmers! (and the dim light). I know other H30 owners have had this problem also and are probably interested in finding an inexpensive solution. I doubt if Optoma considers this a defect, so getting a replacement unit will be of no help. Any advice?
This is pretty interesting.... I immediately assumed when some mentioned this that they had received units with noisy/unbalanced/faulty color wheels. I never thought of the electrical interference angle. If it easy or possible to move the projector to another location in the house (or someone else's house) on a different circuit to take the dimmers out of the equation? Interesting....

Cheers!

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
--- The Black Auto Calibration feature should only be used if you are confident that your DVD source can send 0 IRE [ check your black level settings on the player ] . Be sure to calibrate from Progressive Mode on your DVD player if you will be using it in Progressive Mode .


Also, if you're using Avia, it's black screen is 7.5 IRE (NTSC Black), not 0 IRE, so keep that in mind if you're doing an auto cal.

Ryan was wondering about 16.9native.

For 16.9 screen users it use to be a beneficial way to use the 16.9/480p aspect was -

To setup by displaying a 1.85 movie and zooming down the taller image to line up the top & bottom of the screen. Then you'll have smaller pixels and two small black bars on the sides (the missing 27pixels :) )

Now before the firmware you could do this if you didn't mind those side bars. But now 4.3native uses the whole chip so you'll have to view 4.3 with the scaled version. Which will look odd because you'll have a small 3sided window frame effect.

I'd say -
16.9 screen users - use the scaled 4.3 & 16.9

4.3 screen users - use 16.9native & 4.3 native

It's hard to tell a difference between the picture quality of the scaled vs native. Just about everything looks great on the H30 anyway.

To the guy that has the PS2 on S-video and it appears windows on the screen compared to the DVD, same boat here. Looks like it is about 5% smaller than my DVD for some reason. Not a big deal though, anyone have a PS2 hooked up through component and confirm if this happens over component as well or if it fixes this minor problem? Thanks.

Originally posted by guitarman
I'd say -
16.9 screen users - use the scaled 4.3 & 16.9

4.3 screen users - use 16.9native & 4.3 native

It's hard to tell a difference between the picture quality of the scaled vs native. Just about everything looks great on the H30 anyway.
I agree with Tom. I have a 4:3 screen and pretty much always use the two native modes. I did find one movie and I don't recall which one that I had to use the window mode to keep people from looking vertically squished..

Also agree with the "everything looks great" statement as well :)

Cheers!

Well it's here! I lasted about.. 2 minutes and then had to open it up.. lens mask, H30(A).. now only.. 5 hours until I get to try this baby out.. gotta rent a couple DVDs tonight :)

Almost finished my plans for a portable fixed screen too (is that an oxymoron?)

-rep

The neat thing about 16.9native is the image is allot larger. I guess the purist would say gimme the missing side info. But for me this info is so small that I'll take the bigger picture.

With a 16.9 screen you can use 16.9native for 2.35 movies, though the image shifts up a little.

from what i learn from the optoma's staff in taiwan. for the best pq, it should use native mode rather than the window one.

With a 16.9 screen you can use 16.9native for 2.35 movies, though the image shifts up a little.




yep tom that is what i do ;)

I ordered the lens mask for my H30 and it shipped yesterday. Just wondering if anyone else has received their mask yet. Is light spill completely eliminated? Did you notice any PQ improvements such as better contrast or brightness?

PS - The mask was $59.99 shipped... OUCH!

PS - The mask was $59.99 shipped... OUCH!


you had to pay full price for the mask :( that is not right :confused:

Ouch! I use can't see how this lens mask is worth $50, the only way you can eliminate light spill as stated on the X1 FAQ, is to have a mask about a foot away from the PJ. A mask so close to the lens can't really make a straight cut of the light, it just reduces it, but doesn't eliminate it.

Anyway, I've had many times what was mentioned about the green bar at the top. I have a HD receiver from my cable company that puts out everything in 480p, even cable. But if I try to switch the box to 480i all I get is a green bar, or sometimes it will switch to the composite input and just give me black and white, very strange! How is it getting a composite signal through the component video anyway? Oh well, I don't use much 480i so it's not a big deal to me. I've tried the Xbox dashboard, it can be switch from 480i to 480p with a new update. When I switch from i to p the screen just doubles and doesn't resync, I have to hit the resync button for it to figure out to switch. The H30 just seems to have a hard time switch and doing 480i. Soon that probably won't matter anyway.

One other thing, HDTV looks beautiful, but cable is way to dark. Since they are both coming over the same component cable, I bet there isn't much I can do, perhaps run an S-Video cable for the SDTV might work.

And Mike, when you said use test disk for the DLP brightness adjustments, what patterns do you recommend? I just used a black test, and lowered it until the background was near black. Then check my pluge test and the THX optomizer. I do find it hard with the H30 (and every other TV/projector I've ever used) to get the bottom black on the THX to match the background, and still see the next two blocks. Oh well, it still looks great. The funny thing is, I've found that the THX Optomizer on DVD's is the best way to adjust contrast and black level, much better than Video Essentials. Oh and do most of you guys have the gamma set to 1? Seems best to me for black level.

Jeff, if you're in the USA they owe you a refund. Marketing has already confirmed the Lens mask will be free for pre lens mask era H30 buyers in the USA. You just have to cover the shipping. We can also get the backlit remote at a discount $59 and not the usual $99 Optoma charges for additional remotes.

Jeff, if you're in the USA they owe you a refund. Marketing has already confirmed the Lens mask will be free for pre lens mask era H30 buyers in the USA. You just have to cover the shipping. We can also get the backlit remote at a discount $59 and not the usual $99 Optoma charges for additional remotes.


now that sounds right ;) and i think it is the same here in canada

Ryan, your projector is acting just like mine. I can make the green bar appear at will now. By just using the comcast digital cable box. Flip between SDTV and HDTV and I'll be soon to get the green bar lock up. It could be avoided by running you SDTV with S-video. Not many other users have reported this hang up so far. So it may be just some machines or it may be not many users have the equipment or are switching between HDTV & SDTV many times.

Wing is looking into the glitch over in Taiwan now. There is a work around but the projector shoudln't have this problem.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll give them a call this morning. That's $50 back into my pocket (and quickly back out of my pocket for more DVD's!).

Not your fault Jeff. My early post on this got lost int the 4,000 posts. :)

I put the details up in my very first post for future reference.

Originally posted by zsh

3. I activated 480p/7x0p/1080i support in the msdashboard.




How do you activate These settings?

TIA,

BT.
thanks! [/B]

Originally posted by jeff442
I ordered the lens mask for my H30 and it shipped yesterday. Just wondering if anyone else has received their mask yet. Is light spill completely eliminated? Did you notice any PQ improvements such as better contrast or brightness?

PS - The mask was $59.99 shipped... OUCH!
Ya... I don't know if it's my ceiling which is off white and heavily textured or the color of my walls which is a faux paint thingy sort of gold and tan or what. I can take off my lens mask and barely notice any change in light spill at all.

I would say $5.99 would be a more appropriate price :)

Originally posted by guitarman
Ryan, your projector is acting just like mine. I can make the green bar appear at will now. By just using the comcast digital cable box. Flip between SDTV and HDTV and I'll be soon to get the green bar lock up. It could be avoided by running you SDTV with S-video. Not many other users have reported this hang up so far. So it may be just some machines or it may be not many users have the equipment or are switching between HDTV & SDTV many times.

Wing is looking into the glitch over in Taiwan now. There is a work around but the projector shoudln't have this problem.

I really doubt it's a problem with a particular unit, probably they all would do it with our equipment. Again I don't get the green bar with the Xbox switching, I just can't get SDTV to work with the digital cable box through component. Perhaps it's just a problem with HDTV boxes. I really don't care that much, as I don't plan on watching anything non-progressive anyway. Like I said my cable box upgrades SD to progressive, it just can be switch back to output an interlaced signal for regular TV's, and that produces a green bar or a black and with composite mode image.

Originally posted by gottahavapj
Ya... I don't know if it's my ceiling which is off white and heavily textured or the color of my walls which is a faux paint thingy sort of gold and tan or what. I can take off my lens mask and barely notice any change in light spill at all.

I would say $5.99 would be a more appropriate price :)

Hey, I'll sell you mine for $40, what a rip off. That thing must cost about $1.00 to make, I suppose the felt on it is nice.

I just got a confirm on ship for a Lens Mask. Sent in the order form via fax today. Ship from 30miles away means I receive it tomorrow. First thing I'll do is try to tweak it with some black tape. I've been using my 16.9 screen for the last few days. Wing said this is where you want to try the tape tweak, when you're using a 16.9 screen.

Haven't any of you 16.9 screen users try this yet?

I do not have the green bar problem here using Comcast HD box [ Motorola 6200 ] . I can switch back and forth from SD to HD with no issues [ but then this is on the c04 firmware and most out there now have c05 ] .

_________________________

Mike ,
-- Good Point on the AVIA 7.5 IRE [ Black Field ] , I had actually forgot about that ;) .

_________________________

billyturf ,

--- You can activate the 480p/720p/1080i settings for the XBOX in the 'Settings / Video' menu [ but only if you have a HiDef pack ] . All that appears there without the HD pack is the 4:3/Letterbox/16:9 adjustments .


_________________________


---------- Jason

I tried to get into my DLP brightness menu in the service menu to just turn a few settings down a little, I'll write down the factory ones. When I go into the service menu- the only options highlited are:
Display Source
Picture
Factory Reset
Exit

All the others are "grayed out" so that I cannot access them. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Originally posted by gottahavapj
I tried to get into my DLP brightness menu in the service menu to just turn a few settings down a little, I'll write down the factory ones. When I go into the service menu- the only options highlited are:
Display Source
Picture
Factory Reset
Exit

All the others are "grayed out" so that I cannot access them. Any ideas?

Thanks!

You have to press up, left and down at the same time, you didn't finish reading the service menu instructions.

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
I do not have the green bar problem here using Comcast HD box [ Motorola 6200 ] . I can switch back and forth from SD to HD with no issues [ but then this is on the c04 firmware and most out there now have c05 ] .

_________________________

Mike ,
-- Good Point on the AVIA 7.5 IRE [ Black Field ] , I had actually forgot about that ;) .

_________________________

billyturf ,

--- You can activate the 480p/720p/1080i settings for the XBOX in the 'Settings / Video' menu [ but only if you have a HiDef pack ] . All that appears there without the HD pack is the 4:3/Letterbox/16:9 adjustments .


_________________________


---------- Jason

Well I don't get the green bar with Xbox, only with my cable box, so it has to be some specific issue with certain sources. I just can't imagine how this could be an actual hardware problem, just needing a firmware update.

Someone with the c04 firmware got the green bar also. Well it's good to hear it's not everybody. :)


Jason,
Comcast HD box [ Motorola 6200 ]

Yeah that's the one I got. I was using it for channel 5 since OTA wasn't coming in too good. Comcast sure is a down tic from Direct TV for analog stations. HD looks ok but I'm guaranteed a lock up with the green bar if I surf around.

Originally posted by rsmith4321
You have to press up, left and down at the same time, you didn't finish reading the service menu instructions.

Indeed, there it was right in your FAQ and it works... Thanks!

Tom ,

--- I actually have better SDTV image quality here with Comcast Digital Cable than I did with DirecTV . Of course there are always those channels that look terrible no matter what service you use ;) .

---------- Jason

First thing I'll do is try to tweak it with some black tape. I've been using my 16.9 screen for the last few days. Wing said this is where you want to try the tape tweak, when you're using a 16.9 screen.

Tom-
I have tried the tape with black photographers tape ( leaves no residue)- man i never knew being a graphic artist would come in so handy with my HT hobby- i can't say that it helped or hurt- My front wall is a dark grey (trout grey) and the overspill is hard to see anyway. I've still yet to calibrate with avia but i really need to- My first thought was it worked like a charm but i need to examine it a bit closer. I'll try and get the wife and kids outta the house so i can get down to business with the calibrating.

So how hard would it be to compile a "how to calibrate the H30 step by step with avia?" i've read so much now i don't know where to start.

I'll get back to you on the tape tweak- if anyone wants the brand i can post it when i get home.

rudee

Wing said using the tape with a 16.9 screen is where you'll get the 2500.1 contrast increase. Let us know about the tape, we need black tape with no sheen and a crisp line.

I'm not at the Avia menu right now. :) but you want to start with the full black moving bars pattern and the Contrast pattern. You should bounce back and fourth between them until both show the correct parameter. Blacks/brightness = left moving black bar disappears. Contrast lighter moving bars disappears then a click back till it re-appears.

From there you go to the color saturation flashing boxes pattern (blue bars) using the blue filter till the center area of the flashing boxes stop flashing.

After that over to the Sharpness. Most likely you'll use 28. Move the Sharpness till the white ghost along the lines goes away yet the overall area's all look sharp.

To find things when the disc starts hit the dvd menu button and go to advanced adjustments. When it opens you'll see two groups of options. I think it's the third down on the right side you need. You can do the blacks/whites & colors there. You'll hv to go to the menu just above this one to find the Sharpness pattern.

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
Tom ,

--- I actually have better SDTV image quality here with Comcast Digital Cable than I did with DirecTV . Of course there are always those channels that look terrible no matter what service you use ;) .

---------- Jason

Maybe because I have my line split. HDTV looked ok but channel five was pixelating and dropping out just like OTA.

Many asked about a DVD player. Over in the DVD area there's talk about a Zenith player that upconverts thru component and DVI w/DCDI on board. It's cheap also. But read up the quirks are just starting to come out.

Wing said using the tape with a 16.9 screen is where you'll get the 2500.1 contrast increase. Let us know about the tape, we need black tape with no sheen and a crisp line.

The photo tape i have is ideal for this flat black & low tack. 3M Scotch brand 235. While it will block overspill light for 16:9 viewers it also cast a dark blur along the edge. Not crisp at all. I won't be using it. I couln't see any contrast boost with the tape on. My taping wasn't elegant but i put it on the inside, outside and both on the lens mask and didn't like the effect.

So Tom what's the step by step for the service menu? i want to start there and the work my way out. Or is avia advanced adj. where to start first?

btw- mine is still buzzing- it's on an isolated ground with nothing else on the circuit so i would have to think it's the pj.

rudee

Well.. I fired mine up.. on a slightly yellow wall.. and I can't say I was really wowed coming from a DIY proj.. apart from the size and better throw.. it didnt flatten me. It's far better than my DIY, colours + contrast and brightness.. but I still haven't been totally impressed. Mind you I'm only using s-video cause all my VGA cables are at the house im moving to tomorrow.

I think with a good screen and calibration it'll improve a lot, so I'll definitely keep it. However.. mine is buzzing too :( I can hear it over the fan.. and in quiet parts of movies.. it's pretty loud. Like with no sound of anything else you can hear it 8 feet away. so I have to assume that it's the PJ.. I'll keep it for the weekend and see if it goes away or try different power.. but I'm kinda disappointed that its buzzing.

This IS abnormal buzzing right? I should hear no electronic buzzing I assume,

rep

I am beginning to think I am better off with my current H30 issues vs. all the new problems - UGH !

-------- Jason

Originally posted by guitarman
Many asked about a DVD player. Over in the DVD area there's talk about a Zenith player that upconverts thru component and DVI w/DCDI on board. It's cheap also. But read up the quirks are just starting to come out.

do u think h30's low res limit the pq with these new DVD player (with DVI / upconvert)

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
I am beginning to think I am better off with my current H30 issues vs. all the new problems - UGH !

-------- Jason
I still wonder if the buzzing is people being too pickey. Who knows. Anyway, mine makes noise, but no worse than I'm used to with other PJ's. I do wonder if this thing had good enough cooling, if my stove ever breaks I know what to use. It's probably just the small size of the unit. I just hope we don't all get bad bulb at around 500 hours of something.

I just ordered the H30 thru a local dealer, and I'm getting it tomorrow.

Now, is there a way to tell by looking at the box if it will be with the new firmware and the mask. I read some pages back the new ones are marked H30(A). Is that correct? Thanks!!!!

Hmm.. well just before I packed it up.. I took my friend's VGA cable and WOW..

does it EVER make a difference.. I'm sorry I ever doubted.. this thing is nothing short of amazing with the VGA connection.. I'll never use s-video. The colours are fantastic, the brights, darks, everything!

AND my buzzing went away.. but now its come back :( I was so happy for a sec.. hopefully it'll go away again.. and eventually go away for good. Anyway.. I'm definitely sold.. can't wait to put together a screen, probably this weekend.

-rep

Originally posted by guitarman
start with the full black moving bars pattern and the Contrast pattern. You should bounce back and fourth between them until both show the correct parameter. Blacks/brightness = left moving black bar disappears. Contrast lighter moving bars disappears then a click back till it re-appears.

From there you go to the color saturation flashing boxes pattern (blue bars) using the blue filter till the center area of the flashing boxes stop flashing.

After that over to the Sharpness. Most likely you'll use 28. Move the Sharpness till the white ghost along the lines goes away yet the overall area's all look sharp.


Hey Tom,

I have done all that numerous times, but what are all those other tests patterns used for on the disk? I mean I can figure out some of them but there seems to be a couple dozen or so and I wish there was a document somewhere that said what to do with them. I guess thats what you get an ISF guy at your house for though...

Originally posted by ac2003
Now, is there a way to tell by looking at the box if it will be with the new firmware and the mask. I read some pages back the new ones are marked H30(A). Is that correct? Thanks!!!!

The only way you can tell from the outside of the box is that there should be a QA stamp dated April 8 (or thereabouts). Once you open it, the accessories box will be marked H30 (A). Your local dealer should know though.

hikarate - Use Guy Kuo's tips here (http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/guykuo/avia/avia_a2z.html) for Avia calibrating.

Ok, you are right, there is defintely something wrong with getting the PJ to lock onto a interlaced source. I made the stupid mistake of trying my DVD player in interlaced, and it worked at first. Then it lost the signal, and can't get it back! It keeps trying and either gives up with a green bar at the top, or keeps trying to sync up over and over. Now I have no way to set y DVD player back to progressive! Without running a stupid S-Video cable all the way up there.

I also am still getting a lot of misquito noise in dark areas, mostly noticable just if I get close though. I found it helps my PJ to turn the red brightness down by -10, but to not turn any of the others up. Anyway, this projector does seem to have some problems. I'm wondering if I should send it back or keep trying.

Do you guys think there would be any point at all in returning this PJ for an exchange with Dell because it won't do interlaced at all now, they pay return shipping. Or will the new one have the same problem, I'm hoping to get one with better blacks too. But that is probably could be accomplished with enough tweaking anyway.

After all the info in this thread, I finally ordered my H30 on March 19 from a local dealer. Paid 50% and then went home to wonder if I was nuts. I fell way behind on this thread and finally caught up enough to see that new units were finally being delivered. Called the place April 27 and it had just arrived that morning. To great irritation, the guy tells me their cost went up $200, but they'd split difference with. So, I had to pony up the extra $100 along with the other 50%. Not to mention it was no bargain to begin with. That was very frustrating, and I've not heard anyone here mention such last-minute price changes. I did receive a unit with the backlit remote/lens mask/updated (presumably) firmware.

I would enjoy receiving a few private messages from you folks to indicate your purchase price (pre-sales tax).

This thing sure is fussy at power-up. I've only had it on twice thus far. It's already done the stunt three times where it makes the lesser fan noise, doesn't project any light, and simply sits there with the orange LED on. Unplug power; try again. I've now learned that the pj should come on before the sources, but I find that rather lame. It seems to me that the unit should electronically ignore the inputs if the presence of a signal on them is going to be a problem during startup. Hopefully I can make my Harmony remote's startup sequence pause long enough to satisfy the H30, once I tackle adding that to the device list.

My new ht gear is awkwardly set up in my living room until we finish our basement, and adding the pj to this is even more awkward. I'm using a borrowed screen from my office, one of those tripod-mounted pull-up things you'd see in a classroom, because there aren't any unobstructed wall surfaces that I can throw on while still being close enough to the source equipment to hook everything up. (Besides, my wife recently painted most of the room in colors that won't work for quickie on-wall image tests.) The screen is opposite my tv screen (and thus so is the audio gear's sound field). But I digresss.

The picture looks quite nice, but I'm in new territory here with my first pj. Here ends the rambling for now.

My thanks to the many high-volume contributors!

Originally posted by ToddR
After all the info in this thread, I finally ordered my H30 on March 19 from a local dealer. Paid 50% and then went home to wonder if I was nuts. I fell way behind on this thread and finally caught up enough to see that new units were finally being delivered. Called the place April 27 and it had just arrived that morning. To great irritation, the guy tells me their cost went up $200, but they'd split difference with. So, I had to pony up the extra $100 along with the other 50%. Not to mention it was no bargain to begin with. That was very frustrating, and I've not heard anyone here mention such last-minute price changes. I did receive a unit with the backlit remote/lens mask/updated (presumably) firmware.

I would enjoy receiving a few private messages from you folks to indicate your purchase price (pre-sales tax).

This thing sure is fussy at power-up. I've only had it on twice thus far. It's already done the stunt three times where it makes the lesser fan noise, doesn't project any light, and simply sits there with the orange LED on. Unplug power; try again. I've now learned that the pj should come on before the sources, but I find that rather lame. It seems to me that the unit should electronically ignore the inputs if the presence of a signal on them is going to be a problem during startup. Hopefully I can make my Harmony remote's startup sequence pause long enough to satisfy the H30, once I tackle adding that to the device list.

My new ht gear is awkwardly set up in my living room until we finish our basement, and adding the pj to this is even more awkward. I'm using a borrowed screen from my office, one of those tripod-mounted pull-up things you'd see in a classroom, because there aren't any unobstructed wall surfaces that I can throw on while still being close enough to the source equipment to hook everything up. (Besides, my wife recently painted most of the room in colors that won't work for quickie on-wall image tests.) The screen is opposite my tv screen (and thus so is the audio gear's sound field). But I digresss.

The picture looks quite nice, but I'm in new territory here with my first pj. Here ends the rambling for now.

My thanks to the many high-volume contributors!

You have to be the bigger sucker ever, when you order it for a certain price and put 50 percent down, you get it for that price or you get your money back. He was just trying to rip you off. If he charged you more than the $1399 retail, you better get your extra money back. The retail price has not changed. Why weren't you smart and just ordered it online anyway, I got mine for $1234 no shipping or tax.

Also, you should have no startup issues like you mentioned, the PJ should always come on with the Optoma Home Theater screen. That sounds very defective to me, exactly like a bad HP PJ I had, I bet it will just get worse. That guy might have ripped you off, but at least get a good PJ out of him.

Originally posted by rsmith4321

I also am still getting a lot of misquito noise in dark areas, mostly noticable just if I get close though. I found it helps my PJ to turn the red brightness down by -10, but to not turn any of the others up. Anyway, this projector does seem to have some problems. I'm wondering if I should send it back or keep trying.

Oh, oh...I thought you got your mosquito noise to go away?!?! Did it come back for some unknown reason or was it only slightly reduced after you lowered your DLP brightness settings in the service menu??

Sorry to hear about the interlaced stuck problem...geez.

Fleaman

Originally posted by rsmith4321
You have to be the bigger sucker ever, when you order it for a certain price and put 50 percent down, you get it for that price or you get your money back. He was just trying to rip you off. If he charged you more than the $1399 retail, you better get your extra money back. The retail price has not changed.

When I ordered mine in March, my supplier mentioned their cost had gone up a little, even though the retail price stayed the same.

ToddR:
Bottom line: If you put 50% down, you agreed (both parties) on a price that was (normally) based on the sellers cost at that time. If the seller ordered that day from his supplier, he locks in that cost. He might screwed up and not known about the increase or just waiting too long to order, but it's his screw up not yours.
I know back in March that it wasn't a increase of $200!! Might have been something like a $50 increase in cost...

Fleaman

Thanks Mike for the Link!
Holy smokes, why didn't that ever come up on google? That is a great help, I have read lots of Guy's posts in forums but hadn't seen this, this is exactly what I was looking for, thank you very much!

Ryan,
Take it easy on the new posters man. You actually said all that stuff in your "out loud" voice.

ToddR:

I say don't let it get to you and just enjoy the projector. Even if you have a document to hold him to the original price, it probably isn't worth your time in court to dispute it.

Originally posted by hikarate
Ryan,
Take it easy on the new posters man. You actually said all that stuff in your "out loud" voice.
Well put...

i have a bit of a problem. i've been watching an image that's 120" in size and I know I should reduce it cause not everyone will have a great seat far enough back, but I JUST DON'T CARE!! I will never be happy with a small image again. Or a 72" one for that matter. :)

g

hehe , Ryan is back at it again eh' :) .

-- I think that is just his personality and I am certain he means nothing by it [ but newcomers to this thread might be offended so try to be a little less harsh there Ryan ;) ] .
-- I removed my last comment regarding this since I re-read it and thought I was out of line for asking him to stop scaring people away from the thread but I now see that I should have let it ride :( .

____________________________________________________

shatten22 ,

--- Yep , it sure is FUN watching a nice big image :) .



-------------- Jason

Rant ON.

ARgh:mad: Mine is buzzing now. Yup, seems to have gotten louder over the course of the 1st few hours.

Louder than the fan, that's for sure.

Geez.....

Maybe the 1st batch of machines with the old firmware might of had it better off....

QC is not looking so good for Optoma at this point....kinda rolling your dice with these units it seems.

So, is the buzzing enough a reason for a return to Optoma??

Rant OFF.

Fleaman

Fleaman ,

--- I would do an RMA right away since they say that there are units in stock and since it is less than 30 days for you they have to cover 2-way shipping expenses .

--- It is starting to sound like the older models might be better :( [ maybe they did change Lamps or Power Supply's in the newer H30's ... ??? ] .


----------- Jason

So, is the buzzing enough a reason for a return to Optoma??

I'd say it is and i have talked to Robert at optoma about the buzz- He had not heard of the issue on Tuesday.He wanted me to recheck my connections-okay whatever. He did graciously offer a replacement after i checked the connections. I can say i did not have the buzz but it came later. Mine is loud enough that it would have been noticed right off if it was outta the box.
As far as being picky about the noise-This isn't nit picking-it's a problem. I knew that when my wife noticed it w/o my saying a word. I will be returning this unit. This isn't my first pj nor my last but i can't live with the buzz. I went to great pains to put this power line on a dedicated & isolated ground so i would be sure it's not interference.

No green bar here- the dvd player was on before i powered up the pj last nite and it sync'ed just fine- no problem- i have switched back and forth from interlaced to progressive w/o a hitch numerous times.

.....
rudee

I don't think people are being too picky about the Buzzing sound - i also have the Buzzing and last night i used an SPL meter to see how loud it really is and came out with 67db from 4ft away :( this is far away from the 30db that should come out - I called Optoma and spoke with David, i asked him about the Buzzing, his first reaction was ooohhhhhh and then he said i should wait for a few days and if it stays the same to ship it in.

Ariel

Originally posted by arieldr
i used an SPL meter to see how loud it really is and came out with 67db from 4ft away :( Ariel

Nice work arieldr. That pretty much is proof of a problem right there. I think anyone planning to return their unit due to this problem should do the same before returning it, just to make sure they actually have this problem. Plus everyone needs a spl to work with Avia anyways so its not a waste of money if you don't already have one... They sell for $35 at Radio Shack.

I was really looking forward to buying a H30 in July after entering my new home. But now I'm not so sure anymore. I saw the H30 and was really exited and impress by the picture. But there seems to be so much problem for almost everyone with the unit that I'm not sure that I want this much problem for a projector.

I sure hope that the problem will be fix somehow or else Ill go for another machine. At the same price I will probably wont fine an image has good has the H30 but at least i can fine something more reliable.

Maybe the new Infocus will be better in this department ?!?

Thanks

Fred

We have a unit without the firmware update, never saw a need for the update in our room set up, our first projector had a bulb failure at 30 days and was replaced with a brand new unit now on day 49 with no issues, no buzzing, no green bar, it's perfect with the exception of having to calibrate green push out of the picture. There are probably plenty of happy H30 owners out there, we're just hearing the complaints on this forum because all the happy users are too busy enjoying their projectors, at least we hope that's true.

Originally posted by HT Novice in TN
There are probably plenty of happy H30 owners out there, we're just hearing the complaints on this forum because all the happy users are too busy enjoying their projectors, at least we hope that's true.


That's what I'm trying to say to myself but I have a hard time to believe me.

Does that make sense.:p

The thing is a lot of the people that are complaining about problem are those who are on the tread since the beginning and was raving about the H30. But now they experience problem.

Am I crazy :confused:

Thanks

Fred

--- It is starting to sound like the older models might be better [ maybe they did change Lamps or Power Supply's in the newer H30's ... ??? ] .

I am sad to see that people are starting to have a bad experience with this projector and their retailers. I took a gamble and ordered mine before this thread got going. I received mine the first week in January and have only had 1 tiny problem with the a stuck button on the remote (never happened again). I ordered my from that evil on-line retailer for about $191 less than MSRP (am I allowed to say that?).

I am planning on keeping my original firmware, as for me no problems with bulb, no buzzing, no locking or green push ( I only use a DVD player and interlaced at that). I think maybe Optoma did some serious QA testing on the first units out the door to make sure early reviews (Like Tom's) were favorable. Now that they are shipping large quantities they seem to be slacking off.

Sorry for all of you, but couldn't be happier for myself :-)

The buzzing is horrific. I'm moving houses today (I'm still basically a student so my house is in my car right now while I'm at work).. and I can't wait to get to my new place and set up the projector. I was "lucky" enough that my buzzing stopped and I was SO happy with the projector.. and then I played some stuff with sound.. when the sound died down.. the buzzing was back. I really hope that I can burn in the projector and the buzzing goes away for good. Once the buzzing isn't there.. it's super quiet.

-rep

Well I have the new model and everything is ok so far *knock on wood*. Definitely understand anyone sitting on the fence. If you really look back through the thread though you will see there were barely any problem reports until April. When I purchased my unit I think Mikes bad bulb was about the only negative on the whole thread. I have a unit with the new firmware and no noticable problems so far. As far as picking out a PJ I think there are 2 things to really consider at this point:

1. Optoma CS on this PJ has been near perfect. Pimp is really the only poster who hasn't had exceptional service and I personally find this understandable as he did not want to send his PJ back in until they had one ready. Its kinda like a car dealership, if you sit at the dealership and wait for them to get your car ready then they will have it out in a few hours, if you go home and wait for them to call you they usually have to keep it overnight. You pretty much have to send it in to get a quick response, otherwise it just isn't as urgent and you fall farther back in the queue. No offense intended Pimp, I just think thats the reason you haven't received as quick a response as others who actualy sent their units in. And I don't consider this a knock against Optoma, thats just how businesses usually operate.

2. If you wait for the 4805, you better be ready to wait a good 6 months after its release if you want to be sure it doesn't suffer from any problems as well. All these PJs are new technology and are going to experience some growing pains. If you have the time then I totally think waiting for the 4805 and comparing is the way to go, I mean how can you go wrong if you wait and see what happens? But if you want a PJ now, and to have everything ready for LOTR RTK release next month then get the H30.

So we got 2 camps:
Need PJ for LOTR Trilogy, better get the H30
Need PJ for Original Star Wars trilogy, wait and compare H30 to 4805

Note: Unless you have the LD version of SW like Tom then these rules don't apply to you :)

Anyhow, thats only my opinion, I wouldn't let the reported problems steer you away from purchasing this PJ though, so far Optoma has been bending over backwards to fix issues, and even throwing in new bells and whistles like the backlit remote and free lense mask along the way. I have no reason to believe they won't resolve outstanding issues based on their performance so far..

Would be nice if Wing would stop back by though, thats what really made me pull the trigger originally.

hikarate

very well said ;) and if people think that the 4805 is going to be "problem free" the chances of that are ' WHO KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT"


the bottom line is you buy what you want to buy :) because you are the one that has to make the final decision on you purchase ;)

More on the buzzzzzzzz. Bought an ac line filter at RS (40db). Didn't make much difference. A couple more data points, it seems that any dimmer or triac device (touch controlled lamp) in the house will cause the buzzing. The buzzing is also proportional to how low the light output is, with low light causing the loudest buzzing. This buzzing is louder that the fan.

It would be nice to verify that anyone who has returned their unit because of buzzing received a replacement that didn't have it, otherwise it's probably time to think of getting something else. Benq pb6100 or pb6200 maybe?

-Scott

hikarate ,

--- Good points but Optoma CS did drop the ball with me . All I was expecting was a phone call back to notify me of units being available [ which I did get after I called back and stated that I knew they had units there ] . Tom mentioned just a short time after my RMA was filed that he was told they actually had units there even though a new shipment had not yet arrived from Taiwan . Then Johnny was able to send his H30 and have it replaced within a week [ his RMA was done right after mine ] . So it would seem that I was not told the truth here about units being available [ probably since my H30 had not totally failed ] .

--- Now I am not trying to knock Optoma CS here but it is very clear to me that I was not told the truth about availability and if I had been told the truth then I too would have sent in my H30 right away as Johnny did [ other than that Optoma CS was excellent ;) ] .

---- As far as Optoma QA goes well that is a whole other problem in my opinion :( .

*** I also would like to add that the worst thing the consumer can do is to down play all the problems with a given product as this does not give the manufacturer a sense of urgency to fix them . ***


----------------- Jason

Haven't had any issues with mine since the firmware upgrade. I'm going to run one over the weekend at a customer's request (put about 50+ hrs. on it), so we'll see how that goes.

Now I am not trying to knock Optoma CS here but it is very clear to me that I was not told the truth about availability and if I had been told the truth then I too would have sent in my H30 right away as Johnny did [ other than that Optoma CS was excellent ] .


jay you know all companies bend the truth :) even down here is same :) ,but in general they are good at trying to take care of there screw up's ;) , hopefully

Joe ,

--- I am certainly aware of the way larger companies do business and I am sure there are far worse examples out there in the HT world but this does not excuse them from being dishonest to a consumer IMO .

--- I would agree that they seem to be doing everything they can to replace bad units but what I really hope is that they are working on solving the serious hardware issues with the H30 .

*** The H30 is a serious piece of work and throws an amazing image for such an inexpensive PJ . I think this in a nutshell is why so many people are trying to ignore the noted problems with many of these units [ not all of them mind you , some good ones slip through the cracks ;) ] . ***


----------- Jason

Good point hikarate...

Add me to the list of happy customers with a projector that has functioned perfectly. I am at 43 hours on the bulb in less than two weeks which is stunning for me as I probably spend less than 4 hours a week of staring at a tube on average :) Again- let me find some wood around here to firmly rap on.....

Cheers!

Just spoke to Robert about the buzz and my concerns about the QA from optoma- He stated that the new units did not get a new power supply or new lamp manufactorer. They are the same as the first just firmware upgrade.

I'm going to hot swap my unit- they charge your card $1499 + shipping and after they receive your unit- credit your account in full shipping included.

Robert assured me my new unit would be QA'ed by their department and gone over by an engineer before it was shipped. They use their own bulbs so as not to put hours on your unit.

I also voiced my concerns about the 30 day new replacement unit and the clock will be reset upon each new unit. They are doing a good job about these issues and seem concerned but have yet to acknowledge the buzz as a known issue.

well see- i'm not looking forward to the "dell hell" if i decide not to keep the unit. Anyone have any idea how dell would handle a refund for a defective unit after the 14 day return policy on pheripherals?

ps- (Thanks- arieldr)
i'll meter the buzz tonite so we can all have an idea to the noise level- and no this ain't a "picky" thing.

.............
rudee

hikarate-

I noticed that now I am a "Senior Member" and you are still a "member" hehehe... what gives my friend? :D I suspect it was passing post #200 that had something to do with it....

Have a great day!

I apologize if some of this has already been raised in this forum.... but I have a few questions.

I just set up the projector the other day and have unfortunatly realize it won't work positioned like my previous projector, which is up on a shelf close to the ceiling unless I tilt it like 40 degrees which makes me nervous. Otherwise it projects on the ceiling. So I'm looking into getting one of those panavise mounts, probably the J-Box one which I can then mount upside down.

But I was looking through the manual last night and I noticed in the back a diagram that showed that the projected image, and for what looked like 4:3 native, it showed the bottom of the projected image to be parallel with the projector, which surprised me as I figured the image's center would be parallel with the projector. Does this mean that at the same height, were I to install the projector upside down that my image won't be on the ceiling? Or, does 4:3 native (which I assume is the mode added with the new firmware) place the center of the image parallel with the projector?

Jason: Do you have any images showing how you secured the safety cable?

Quote : " assured me my new unit would be QA'ed by their department and gone over by an engineer before it was shipped. "

rudee ,

--- I would not count on that happening ... why ??? Refer to what Joe stated a few posts back :( . Best of luck with the new unit :) .

--- I really hope all those with issues get them resolved as painless as possible so that everyone can go watch a movie and actually enjoy the fantastic image of the H30 :) .


---------- Jason

Originally posted by hikarate
Thanks Mike for the Link!
Holy smokes, why didn't that ever come up on google? That is a great help, I have read lots of Guy's posts in forums but hadn't seen this, this is exactly what I was looking for, thank you very much!

Ryan,
Take it easy on the new posters man. You actually said all that stuff in your "out loud" voice.
I'm sorry, I was really just joking, but I think when writing stuff I can come across mean, sorry about that, didn't mean any offense. Anyway, I'm thinking of just doing an exchange with Dell, but I don't know if all the projectors have this interlaced signal problem. I don't care that much because I don't use much interlaced, but it really is bad I have to run a s-video cable just because I can't set my DVD player back to progressive. But as is the case with most things, the new one will have the same problem. But I guess I have to try.

fallenturtle ,

--- the H30 has from about 9" to 12" offset from lens to the bottom of the projected image [ when sitting upright - table top style ] .

--- I did not snap any pics of the safety cable - sorry . I will try to get something after this weekend when I take the PJ down for shipping to Optoma .


--------- Jason

Originally posted by rudee
Just spoke to Robert about the buzz and my concerns about the QA from optoma- He stated that the new units did not get a new power supply or new lamp manufactorer. They are the same as the first just firmware upgrade.

I'm going to hot swap my unit- they charge your card $1499 + shipping and after they receive your unit- credit your account in full shipping included.

Robert assured me my new unit would be QA'ed by their department and gone over by an engineer before it was shipped. They use their own bulbs so as not to put hours on your unit.

I also voiced my concerns about the 30 day new replacement unit and the clock will be reset upon each new unit. They are doing a good job about these issues and seem concerned but have yet to acknowledge the buzz as a known issue.

well see- i'm not looking forward to the "dell hell" if i decide not to keep the unit. Anyone have any idea how dell would handle a refund for a defective unit after the 14 day return policy on pheripherals?

ps- (Thanks- arieldr)
i'll meter the buzz tonite so we can all have an idea to the noise level- and no this ain't a "picky" thing.

.............
rudee

Oh my yelling voice again :) WHAT! They charge you more than the retail price when a unit is in the first 30 days? I know with HP, when you have a defective product they send out the new unit with a box to return the old one in. Now that is customer service. I don't think a user should ever have to pay for shipping to send a defective item for repair in the first 30 days. It is completly thier fault, why should you have to shell out money because they make a defective product. Anyway, that's how I feel, and some companies do have much better policies. I wonder if Infocus would make you pay shipping on the repair.

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
--- the H30 has from about 9" to 12" offset from lens to the bottom of the projected image [ when sitting upright - table top style ] .

--------- Jason

I'm sorry... since I'm new to this I'm still not good at picturing numbers... heck... if I understood them better I'd make a diagram an illustrator for the H30 FAQ... :) So yea... this means that in my mind I should picture what it would look like if the image center was parallel with the lens and then shift the image up 9"-12"?

Out of curiosity... before the firmware upgrade... what was on the remote where the "4:3 native" button is?

Does anyone know if the manual currently shipping with the H30 a rewrite since the new firmware and therefore is the diagram in the back new?

rudee i am sure Robert is a nice guy , but as for the bulbs i have heard threw a very good source that it is different ,power supply "never asked " and there is a lot of change going on at optoma "for the good " ,and to be honest for a small company they are doing pretty good :) ,


and jay i agree with about the lying part of it "that's is not right " :( ,but they all do it sometimes if they do not know what is happening :) .


i am sure that you will get things worked out "sooner " than "later" ,and i hope sooner :)

I said this earlier, I had a buzz sound when I first used the projector. I chalked it up to a break in period. The buzz has long time gone away. I have 700hrs on my projector. Just when up and gave a listen, all I hear is a smooth whuuuush.

Hey RichE,
So you have an H30? RichE is a quiet projector buyer. I think I bought a Pany AE100 from him. I know he sold Darin his Sharp Z10000 and the other week I saw him selling an Optoma H76. So what's going on Rick, everythings lousy except the good old H30? :)

I think the $1499 is retail now- I don't know for sure. You can get next day delivery and they pay (refund) the total amount. I know it's not the best policy but i want to get these issues behind me or send it back for good.

Pimp-
I'm putting some faith in optoma cs but robert was going to personally pull a H30, have it tested then shipped out same day. if this happens i guess i won't really know for sure but what are you going to do? You'd like to think that they're scratching their heads now trying to get a handle on the buzz issue.

If not i guess i'll see you in that "other" big thread that will start in a few weeks.:D

rudee

___________________________________________________________

More on the buzzzzzzzz. Bought an ac line filter at RS (40db). Didn't make much difference. A couple more data points, it seems that any dimmer or triac device (touch controlled lamp) in the house will cause the buzzing.
___________________________________________________________

Having the equipment on a separate circuit breaker does nothig to isolate noise on the elctrical line as all of the circuits that are on the same phase will see the same power including voltage surge, sag, etc. Ever notice how all the lights in the house dim when someone starts up the vacuum cleaner? The breaker isolates that circuit from a overcurrent condition due to wiring or equipment failure within that circuit.

rsmith4321


go for the infocus because that is what you really want ,because of your posts it sure sounds that you want the 4805 ,their is nothing wrong with infocus :)


but all i can say from my guy down here that deals with infocus, there policy's are not better then optoma and all i am going to say is that infocus down here in canada do well but they are getting very tight assed about "little problems" , dead pixels "good luck" , exchanges yes with some "head aches " involved :)


so to be honest i don't know how it is up in the u.s but down here they are not same ;)

Originally posted by fallenturtle
Out of curiosity... before the firmware upgrade... what was on the remote where the "4:3 native" button is?

Does anyone know if the manual currently shipping with the H30 a rewrite since the new firmware and therefore is the diagram in the back new?

The 4:3 Native is not something new. It's always been there. There's no diagram in my old manual.

Re: the offset. There is a 9" - 12" offset from the center of the lens to the bottom of the projected image (or top if ceiling mounted), not the center of the image.

____________________________________________________________
Hey RichE,
So you have an H30? RichE is a quiet projector buyer. I think I bought a Pany AE100 from him. I know he sold Darin his Sharp Z10000 and the other week I saw him selling an Optoma H76. So what's going on Rick, everythings lousy except the good old H30?
____________________________________________________________

Sorry, you have the wrong Rich. I started following this thread from the beginning but have only posted a few times. The H30 is my first projector and haven't sold anything to anyone on here before. I did get JohnnyB hooked though, much to his wifes chagrin.

rudee i am sure Robert is a nice guy , but as for the bulbs i have heard threw a very good source that it is different ,power supply "never asked " and there is a lot of change going on at optoma "for the good " ,and to be honest for a small company they are doing pretty good ,

Joe- I thought the same about the bulb- so i asked and Robert had me hold on and asked someone else in the room- i heard the whole conversation, and whoever he asked stated that they were not different than the first release. maybe Tom can pull some strings and get xing involved?

Tom, you have to agree that if you were hearing a 67db buzz from 4 feet away you'd be a bit concerned, if not completely annoyed. It's not something you can easily ignore unless your constantly watching action thrillers at reference levels- then i'd say i could live with it.:p I'm not about to wait it out-

rudee

fallenturtle ,

--- Picture it like this :

--- H30 is sitting totally flat on a table .

--- Straight across the room the bottom of the projected image is about 9" to 12" higher than the center of the lens [ this would be for most average screen sizes ] .


--- The 4:3 native button has always been there since the H30 has always been able to do 4:3 using the full 800x600 panel with a true RGB source .


--- not sure about the manual but I bet it is exactly the same .


----------- Jason

Originally posted by MikeSRC
The 4:3 Native is not something new. It's always been there. There's no diagram in my old manual.

What did it do then? I thought that's what the firmware unlocked.

rudee ,

--- remember now as I stated before , Tom is THE entire marketing department at Optoma [ and a little bird tells me they pay him with bulbs ;) ] - lol .


---------- Jason

remember now as I stated before , Tom is THE entire marketing department at Optoma [ and a little bird tells me they pay him with bulbs ] - lol .


:eek: :eek: :eek: :D :D :D ;)

Originally posted by fallenturtle
What did it do then? I thought that's what the firmware unlocked.

The firmware allows the full 800 X 600 image to be viewed with a component video source (previously only RGB), and provides better support for letterboxed material.

Hehe , Joe :)

--- Somebody has to keep Tom on his toes around here , we cannot let all that fame go to his head .



**** Dang it , I keep typing the same thing that Mike does , only he must type faster than I do ;) - lol . ****




------------ Jason

Pimp- yeah i HAVE noticed even on cloudy days -Tom always seems to shine:D

I gotta ask do you west coast guys ever sleep? man- you guys are maniacs!

Has anyone else tried the tape tweak? results?

rudee

I'm strongly considering this projector. But I will be watching a good amount of HDTV. Has anyone compared the HD picture quality between the H30 and any of the HD LCD's like the Sanyo Z2? If so, how do they compare to you? Is there any comparison?

Mike & Jason:

Thanks guys! Now lets just hope I don't start hearing a buzz :/ I'm a little nervous....

Somebody has to keep Tom on his toes around here , we cannot let all that fame go to his head .


yep :) Dang it , I keep typing the same thing that Mike does , only he must type faster than I do - lol . ****



:eek: :eek: :confused: :D :D :D

man i just fell of the chair and gave my cats a heart attack , i have never seen jump so high and so "bug eyed" like that before :D


busted a got :)

Sorry RichE it's RickE who I was talking about. Close but no cigar! :)

Boy the last couple of pages it's seems likes everybody's yelling. :)

"So it would seem that I was not told the truth here about units being available [ probably since my H30 had not totally failed ] . "
Jason, I'm sorry buddy I should have told you first Robert looked on the computer and didn't see any, he went out and looked physically and found a few. Since you were asking about availability that day I pressured him a bit.

Hey you guys with the buzz, you got a two year warranty why not wait a little to see when they break in if they don't quiet down. Or at least wait until just before the 30day period. Actually my wife first heard the electronic buzz type sound, I figured it was just the color wheel breaking in and it would stop, which it did.

Anyway do what you think is best, don't listen to me. ;)

Originally posted by rudee


I gotta ask do you west coast guys ever sleep? man- you guys are maniacs!

rudee


----- When you Pimp for a living you keep odd hours :p




----------- Jason

Yeah, regarding the buzz.. I'm gonna give it a week or two of intense use and if there's no change.. then its back to Optoma.. I'm a little optimistic because it went away once.. so maybe as it breaks in it'll disappear.. once its gone, the projector is PURE bliss.. I'm gonna probably get materials for a quick DIY screen tomorrow, will post pics probably.

-rep

Tom, how did you go about ordering the lens mask? I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone in sales yet.

When you Pimp for a living you keep odd hours



hey that's cool a pimp daddy with a family "cool";)

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
----- When you Pimp for a living you keep odd hours :p
----------- Jason

Ain't it the truth. :D

Hey you guys with the buzz, you got a two year warranty why not wait a little to see when they break in if they don't quiet down. Or at least wait until just before the 30day period. Actually my wife first heard the electronic buzz type sound, I figured it was just the color wheel breaking in and it would stop, which it did.

I just want mine to "sound" like it did when i plugged it in- I don't think that's too much to ask. If there is a "break-in" period then put it in the manual. That said, i've auditioned enough pj's as well worked with enough to know that this isn't supposed to happening.

I will do this tonite- i will take it to another location and make sure there are no dimmers to see if it makes a difference. I should've brought it with me today. Can anyone else with the "buzz" do this?

rudee

Tom, how did you go about ordering the lens mask? I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone in sales yet.


mike & tom just a side note a lens mask for the h56a are almost impossible to get down here :(

Anyone had this problem, Sometimes when I turn the H30 on it warms up for about 20 sec then turns itself off and the orange bulb light comes on. After about 2 min it goes away and then I can fire it up normally.
Also sometimes just after I have started watching a movie it does the same thing, again after a few min I am able to turn it back on and it works?
I only have about 5 hours on it.

Anyone got any ideas about this ?
Thanks.

Originally posted by guitarman

Hey you guys with the buzz, you got a two year warranty why not wait a little to see when they break in if they don't quiet down. Or at least wait until just before the 30day period. Actually my wife first heard the electronic buzz type sound, I figured it was just the color wheel breaking in and it would stop, which it did.


Well, one reason might be what Jason said;

"Fleaman ,
--- I would do an RMA right away since they say that there are units in stock and since it is less than 30 days for you they have to cover 2-way shipping expenses."

I think I will wait for another week or so, although I'm not sure when the 30 period started/ended? From when we received the projector I guess?

Question: There was some mention about 'possibly' voiding the warranty if you went into the service menu? I haven't done it yet, but I'm wondering about this...if this would really void the warranty? And I would guess it would be a good idea to set the service menu back to the original settings before sending it in...

Fleaman

Well I don't have a 'Buzz' but then I have not smoked any wacky tabaccy yet today :p



--- Seriously though , I use a Power Conditioner with the H30 and I get Zero noise other than the fan .


--------- Jason

Im moving houses today.. so tonight I'll be able to try the projector in a new house.. here's hoping!


I just want mine to "sound" like it did when i plugged it in- I don't think that's too much to ask. If there is a "break-in" period then put it in the manual. That said, i've auditioned enough pj's as well worked with enough to know that this isn't supposed to happening.

I will do this tonite- i will take it to another location and make sure there are no dimmers to see if it makes a difference. I should've brought it with me today. Can anyone else with the "buzz" do this?

rudee

Seriously though , I use a Power Conditioner with the H30 and I get Zero noise other than the fan .



jay what power conditioner do you use ? is it "mov" based because i am going to pick up a ups and a power suppressor and conditioner

I think I will wait for another week or so, although I'm not sure when the 30 period started/ended? From when we received the projector I guess?

I got the impression it starts on the ship date on your packing slip. I was adement about restarting the 30 day clock when receiving a new unit.

Mike, I have an order form Arun sent me and the part number. On the form you state in the price area (For Free) for early USA H30 buyer, attn Arun. With you CC info for the shipping only.

Joe ,

--- I use a MONSTER HT power conditioner , I don't buy the cables but the Conditioner has been flawless since purchased a few years ago ;) .

__________________________


Tom ,

--- So are the lens masks now available [ once ordered ] or are they still waiting on arrival ?


----------- Jason

Lens Masks are there and ready to go. Call Arun in the parts area?

Well, I brought my new power conditioner home (Nady PCL-810) to see if it would make the "buzz" issue go away. No dice. It's still there, loud as can be. My new H30 is arriving today, so I'll report back with what happens when I swap them out.

FYI, for those looking, Nady is clearing out their power conditioners (800, 810, and 815) for a nice price. Mine was only $55 plus shipping, direct from the manufacturer. Might be good info for those looking. Plus, it has some nice rack-lights built in that make a nice display for your AV cabinet.

Thanks Tom. I just left him a message.

I'm not sure when the hot swap period ends. But if it's 90days that will give you some more break in time. When I shipped my PJ in for the firmware it cost me $12. UPS $4.00ins and $8.00 for the ship. Your results may vary but shouldn't be too much different. I think a seven pound small box like this is about $10 coast to coast.

fallenturtle-

Here is a post I made a few days ago with some measurements for someone who had offset questions. I will do my best to answer any of these that I see as this was always my biggest source of confusion going in to this purchase.

Also-
1) Try to figure out a mounting configuration where you do not have to angle the projector up or down a lot. Doing that will lead to the need for excessive keystone correction which will hurt picture quality.
2) If you are ordering any Panavise mount- don't get one with thumbscrews. Get the model with allen screws. Hikarate and I found that out the hard way.

Good luck!

Originally posted by gottahavapj
Chuir-

Your setup is very similar to mine. My measurements are:

*72" 16:9 image on an ~80" diagonal 4:3 screen, the 16:9 image is 36" tall.
*Throw distance is 9'9" from the lens to the screen.
*Bottom of image is 28" from the floor.
*Height from center of lens to the floor is 80.5"
*I am using no keystone and have a very slight upward tilt to the projector.

I then get the following vertical offsets (middle of lens to top of image)

16:9- 18"
16:9 native- 16"
4:3 native (if you care) 6.5"

Hope that helps.. good luck!