Um...I do not know if this was answered before. Where is the fan outtake on the H30? Is it rear or forward blowing?

saturn it is in the front

Originally posted by new teq joe
saturn it is in the front

Perfect! Thats great for table top mounting.

Joe, that's right you could measure the light on the wall to get your measurment for a 4.3 screen.

To show how different players will produce diff #'s. Here's what I get for a JVC player component feed in progressive. Which looks stunning by the way. :)

Picture Mode Cinema
Contrast 0
Brightness minus 32
Color 3
Tini 0
Sharp 28
Gamma 1

Image White peaking 0
Color Temp 2
Image mode Film

I've been using gamma 1 lately for DVD, it steps up the black level.

Regarding the use of DVE, it has a few patterns that are a little better than the needle pulses and log steps of Avia for setting black and white level with the H30. However, it's got the worst menu system I've ever seen and is a PITA to use. If you're not familiar with how the different patterns should be used, Avia would be a better choice.

it's forward blowing

tom that is pretty close to what i get the on diff is the brightnes i have mine set up at 22 and under world looked awsome and you know the funny thing is i have bean testing the pj with an old tosh player i think the 1800 and if you set back round to enhanced the black level and the uniformaty is great no loss at all :D but can't wait to hook up my xp30 and then we will see how the pi can do :D but i need to get 25ft cable and then let the movies begin

how hard is DVE to learn? I've never used one before

Regarding the use of DVE, it has a few patterns that are a little better than the needle pulses and log steps of Avia for setting black and white level with the H30. However, it's got the worst menu system I've ever seen and is a PITA to use. If you're not familiar with how the different patterns should be used, Avia would be a better choice


mike i agree with that i took me a little while to get use to maneuvering of the disk but after that no worries but i think thx disc is also pretty good also .

how hard is DVE to learn? I've never used one before

Well, it's not difficult to learn, but like I said, the menu system sucks and if you're using it for the first time, the explanation for using the patterns seems endless. If you've never used these patterns before, it's a good learning experience, just drawn out way too much.

Please vcould someone let me know if the H30 is brigher than the X1 in normal use - I'll be using a lot with ambient light.
Cheers

Simon G

25 hours and counting on the H30 and everything looks pretty good, but I do have some questions for the experts!

Essentially there seems to be some pixelazation(sp?) on bright colors on some DVD's. IE: The phoenix on Harry Potter II, the explosions on ID4 etc. They seem to be very blocky and artificial looking.

I am not sure if it is the projector or the DVD player. I am using a Panasonic RP62 with Progressive enabled. I have only tested it on HP2 and the Phoenix looked the same with the projector doing the work. I have not tested ID4. Family is too busy watching it all the time!

I have not messed with any settings (much) so I am still at baseline. Would the problem be with the projector or the player? Any ideas?

Thanks!

Mike

Originally posted by Shock96
I am not sure if it is the projector or the DVD player. I am using a Panasonic RP62 with Progressive enabled. I have only tested it on HP2 and the Phoenix looked the same with the projector doing the work.

Do you have another display you could check it on? It may well be the player, the H30, or even the DVDs themselves.

If you haven't touched the setup at least use the number I posted for component progressive scan. I think you setup needs to be toned down, brightness being the key factor.

Re brightness of the projector, yes in econo mode it's very bright but you can't expect to view any projector in broad daylight and see a high contrast picture. Sunlight washes out front projectors. You can view the H30 with artificial light in the background or defused on the wall at the sides behind the screen.

guys here in canada guess what i got in my email and i am a happy camper with this news .





Hi Joe,

I checked with head office that the version I have here is most updated firmware. Please send your projector to us so we can help upgrade it.

Please see attached the RMA request form, fill it and fax/email back for RMA #.

Thanks.

Will

these guys are quick talked to him yesturday and he said he will check on it and i get this today these guys are the bomb . very impressed

Called Optoma to check on my H30 and according to Wing, the firmware is still in beta form. He will be checking it out next week (they're moving their offices at the end of this week so he won't be able to get set up for testing until mid- next week. As a result, the new firmware will not be available for distribution until the first of March.

After some deliberation, considering that my viewing is 99% 16:9, I told them to just get my H30 working like it used to before the bulb replacement. I may or may not send back at a later date once the firmware issues are sorted out.

Called Optoma to check on my H30 and according to Wing, the firmware is still in beta form. He will be checking it out next week (they're moving their offices at the end of this week so he won't be able to get set up for testing until mid- next week. As a result, the new firmware will not be available for distribution until the first of March.


that is strange the guy down here says he has the new firm ware :confused:

I just received the following email from Optoma.

" Thanks for your question. I have looked into this matter and have been informed that the new firmware you mention will become available within 3 - 4 weeks. Once we have it we will gladly update your projector at no charge. I will be in touch and we can issue an RMA number and have you send the unit send here for a firmware update. "

Sincerely,

Paul LeMay
Director of Customer Service
Optoma Technology Inc.

I just got some info on how the aspects will work with the new firmware.

Full access to 800X600 for 4.3, also 16.9 will still be at the lower end of the chip. He's says you get a better brightness out of the machine having the chip work like this.

16.9 will still have the option for 800X450 or 800X480. Will also have a window aspect for 4.3 within the 16.9 frame.

So as you see it will still function in a widescreen masked mode. But you'll pick up a Full 4.3 aspect and the ability to display letterbox or non-anamporhic DVDs correctly and not compressed as they are now.

They say the end of the month the firmware s/b ready to go. hehe. he asked me if I wanted to be a beta testor or if I wanted to go to Milpitas to learn about the huge amount of service adjustments that are available but not for the faint at heart.

Like you can alter the scaler/deinterlacer or enter several calibration area's that alter the DMD's way of outputting RGB. He called the service area Pandora's box, because theres a million things in there.

I asked about the few users that see green push with component progressive. He said you could clear it up with the RGB-advance adjustments. But i said you would need a analysis tool like colorfacts. I'd say the best way to have the problem fixed is the have Optoma tune it up in the service area so the colors are natural and flat in the user menu's. Then component progressive should act like any other signal.

One thing I forgot to ask is if letterbox support will put the image in the center of the screen. Since Letterbox is a facet of 4.3 I assume it will be centered. Eveything looks ok but for me it's still unusual to see 16.9 movies at the bottom of a 4.3 screen. People with moving mask systems would be ok. Who knows maybe I could get use to it. What do you think?

The more I thought about it (since I don't have an offset restriction), I liked only having light spill above the image, rather than above and below, so having 16:9 at the bottom is better for me.

so now i am starting to wonder he did say he has not done the firm ware update here yet so i wonder if the firm ware he has is not the beta version ? i will tell him i will wait tell he has proof of the right install .thanks guys for the heads up .

i think :(

hi there

i live in toronto, i want to get one of this projector too, can't find any local store to get a demo, but did get a chance to watch the h56, as i know the h56 is a more expensive projector, they use hd as source the pq is very impressive, is the h30 pq comes close to the h56? so that i can get some idea!

thank you for anybody's help!

I would hold off, Joe. You don't want to end up with the "interim version" that I got. :(

He called the service area Pandora's box, because theres a million things in there.

I would love to know how to access it. I have a friend who's a calibrator by trade and he and I could really do some damage. :rolleyes:

The way I see the firmware it helps users that want a 4.3 screen and also anybody who wants to add a panamorph lens.

I'm still confused how letterbox will be postioned. I'm guessing you couldn't use it with a 16.9 screen. My head hurts from thinking about it. Mike I think you'll still have the non-anamorphic problem. Looks like you'll need a Bravo D2.
I gott a ask him about the letterbox position. Be back

yup mike that is what i am going to do :( now i will concentrate on the screen because if i keep the pj the way it is i might just get a hdtv format screen :confused: or still pick up a 4:3 screen until the update is right

I'm back, :)

Good news letterbox support will be in two facets.

4.3 screen users it will fall in the center.

16.9 screen users will get letterbox support in the lower part of the chip also.

That covers all the bases. If you're planning on a 16.9 screen I'd definitely get the firmware.

If you're planning to use a 4.3 screen you just have to get use to the fact enhanced for widescreen TV DVD's will fall at the bottom of the screen.

I have the H30 ceiling mounted and my ceiling is only bit higher than 6 feet. I would love it if you could select the chip to mask the top or the bottom of the chip. If I am not mistaken it does mask the top or bottom already depending if it is ceiling or table mounted because the light spill is always out the top. The reason I would like this is I need to keep the image near the ceiling or it would be way to low. I can’t have my center channel in the middle of the screen. I have to point the H30 up at a pretty high angel to get the picture where I would like it. I also have to go to about full zoom for my projector distance to the screen. So it makes the offset worse. I have to use quit a bit of keystone correction. So sorry about the long ramble. To sum up wouldn’t it be great if you could select witch part of the chip was masked! That would also let 4.3 users select the top or bottom for letterboxed movies. I myself am a 16.9 kind of guy.

Btw
Tom,
I have my 480p looking good now that I have turned contrast, brightness, gamma, and white peeking way down. Thanks for the impute.

Thx
Max

ok tom now let me see here



letter box

4:3 will be centerd with bars top and bottom


letter box


16:9 will be centersd with a hint of top and bottom bars but not croped


so if i go with a hdtv format screen i can play wide screen dvds with the screen full .correct

so what screen would you go with now that you know how every thing is going to work out ?

remember i have a max 74" wide

so with the firmware upgrade, it's better to use a 16:9 screen to make use all resolution (800X600)? How height should I put the screen on (between the floor and the bottom end of the screen)? (I will use it 4:3 / 16:9 half the time)

btw, from what i learned from the taiwan's forum, H30 is offering a blacklit remote and the taiwan's company offer free exchange service. I guess the existing owner may ask the sales rep in US about that.

45X80 and get dalite or what ever company to mask it to your numbers.

"16:9 screen to make use all resolution (800X600)?"

800X600 for 4.3 screen only.

16.9 screen users will have the same resolutions as in the beggining. They'll just have the advantage of Letterbox/non-anamorphic support.

Lit remote sounds neat, I hope they come in English. :)

Sounds like the firmware upgrade will be fine for me, as long as the light spill for 16x9 will still be at the top, and as long as the progressive green push is fixed. I've still not managed to get acceptable results no matter how much I play with settings. I ordered Avia and should have it in a day or two, so I'll give that a try. VE sure didn't help with the green push.

Thanks for your help.

John F

Okay...I got the projector, and it's here a day early!!!. I haven't calibrated it and I'm projecting onto a beige wall until Saturday. I'll post a full review Sunday.

First impressions...whoa...colors look really good, screen door is minimal. At about 1.85 there is no screen door. There is some faint screendoor at around 1.5 distance. Not sure where I'll keep it as I have a lot of playing around to do. Also, it's still pretty shocking going from a 27" tv to this. I've only got an interlaced component out (an old Toshiba 2109-is it worth upgrading the DVD player?) and a VGA out from my computer, so I won't be able to comment on this green problem that has been cropping up recently.

I agree with you, Tom, the colors are more interesting than the DT200. Hard to explain. Seems like there is just more depth and the colors are equally intense.

Rainbows...there isn't a projector my wife hasn't seen rainbows on. I only see them on 2x machines. She saw none whatsoever while watching Finding Nemo. She saw some while watching X2 (space scene at the beginning).

Still...I think that her reaction to the projector best explains what we are seeing. After a year of reading the posts here and talking continuously about this projector and that projector, she HATED all projectors and home theater stuff. Before the projector my wife said that she actually prefers a 13" tv and pan and scan movies on cable. Now she loves the thing. She was really shocked at the image quality. I think that says it all.

New projector....life is good.

I told you, lol
Glad you picked it up. Any decent progressive scan player will be a little better. It seems with Avia you can get the black and whites right allot easier. Pick a JVC or Panasonic/denon, the price goes up in the order I posted but the lower priced JVC would work fine.

So how about that for a Home Theater experience? Talk about Movie like!

John, the light spill are will still be at the top. Here I saved this from along time ago on how to eyeball a better grayscale. Put the projector at stock and start with the RGB-advanced Adjustments.

"It has also been posted (by pspun and others) that an appropriate way to adjust color settings is to make a gain adjustment, reverse the adjustment by 50%, and make opposite adjustment of 25% to the remaining 2 colors. The example given was:

"If you went down 12 numbers on G-Gain to get rid the green vibrancy, go back up 6 (half of the reductions on G-Gain), and increase R-Gain and B-Gain by 3 each (distribute half of the reductions to gains for red and blue colors). "

What they were talking about is -
Gain equals RGB-contrast

Cuts equals RGB-brightness

You could use both of these with the same format. The RGB-contrast covers the higher up white levels of the color.

While the RGB-brightness covers the lower end (blacks) of the color spectrum.

enjoy

I've only got an interlaced component out (an old Toshiba 2109-is it worth upgrading the DVD player?)

Actually, if you don't have a problem with CUE (chroma upsampling error) with the Toshiba, feeding 480i to the H30 will be better than any other prog scan player using some lesser deinterlacing solution. You would really need a DVD player with Faroudja or Silicon Image deinterlacing to beat the Pixelworks deinterlacer of the H30.

I ordered Avia and should have it in a day or two, so I'll give that a try. VE sure didn't help with the green push.

Avia won't help you with the "green" issue, but it can be addressed through the firmware upgrade and/or service menu settings. You really need to send your H30 in to be adjusted, but I would wait until the new firmware is sorted out.

BTW, after Tom's very informative posts about what the firmware upgrade will provide, I called the boys at Optoma back and told them they could apply it to mine before they send it back. We'll see how it goes. ;)

BTW, after Tom's very informative posts about what the firmware upgrade will provide, I called the boys at Optoma back and told them they could apply it to mine before they send it back. We'll see how it goes



mike you are talking about the NEW firmware :confused: i thought that it is in testing mode still and won't be available tell march :confused: ,or is it OK because toms guy from optoma gave the news on what the firm ware will do now .



and the funny thing is David Giles from carada said he could not give me an answer on which screen to go with because of the confusion going on in here ,so if David is not sure what screen well i guess i am not being that paranoid about what to get . 4:3 or 16:9 ?


ps David said that tom is doing a fine job on this thread (and i will add mike to the list) and he says you got things in order and great info pumping out for every one ;) and i second his sentiments on that David says.

Originally posted by new teq joe
mike you are talking about the NEW firmware :confused: i thought that it is in testing mode still and won't be available tell march :confused: ,or is it OK because toms guy from optoma gave the news on what the firm ware will do now.

Yes, I spoke to them again and said I'd wait a week or two if necessary to get this all sorted out with the new firmware. I didn't have the H30 installed at home yet anyway and I've got an Epson Home 10 and a BenQ 6100 (on the way) for review in the meantime.


and the funny thing is David Giles from carada said he could not give me an answer on which screen to go with because of the confusion going on in here ,so if David is not sure what screen well i guess i am not being that paranoid about what to get . 4:3 or 16:9 ?

David makes great screens, so you can't go wrong with one of his. In my case, I'm viewing 16:9 just about all of the time, so it's a no brainer. I suppose that if my 4:3 viewing was even 25%, I'd go with a 4:3 screen and have a drop down mask for the top of the screen when watching 16:9.

And I agree. Tom's done a great job with all the info and evaluation. :)

I thought that if I mounted this thing on the ceiling with the old firmware, all 16:9 will now be at the top of the screen no?

Originally posted by ShiftyPowers
I thought that if I mounted this thing on the ceiling with the old firmware, all 16:9 will now be at the top of the screen no?

I wish! When you set the projector to ceiling mount mode, it flips the picture but leaves the light spill at the top and the picture at the bottom (relatively). The only way I know of to get the 16:9 picture at the top would be to ceiling mount your projector and leave the image unflipped (upside down!) :)

I suspect there could be an option for positioning the picture at the top in this fabled hidden "service" uber-menu, but nobody has seen it yet to know for sure. I sure wish there was, because it would dramatically reduce my need to use digital keystone correction.

veggieguy, that actually works out best for me. I don't want the 16:9 image all the way at the top I don't think. It's best to have it closer to eye level i think

Originally posted by ShiftyPowers
veggieguy, that actually works out best for me. I don't want the 16:9 image all the way at the top I don't think. It's best to have it closer to eye level i think

Yep, eye level is better, but with my low ceiling, I have to tilt the H30 upward to get the picture at eye level. If the 16:9 picture were at the top of the chip instead of the bottom, it'd be much closer to eye level for me. If there was an option for placing the 16:9 image at either the top or the bottom, it'd make it nicer for all situations.

Anybody with a responsive Optoma tech want to ask if this exists in the service menu? I've emailed Optoma USA several times about other things but have never gotten a response.

Anyone know exactly which pixelworks chip is used in the H30 for scaling and de-interlacing? I requested this information weeks ago from Optoma, but have yet to hear anything from them.

I don't know for sure, but my guess is that it's the PW168 chip. The PW222 doesn't have 3:2 pulldown or motion-adaptive deinterlacing (which the H30 does) and the higher numbered chips only add features that the H30 doesn't have (like horizonal keystone and PIP). It could one of the higher numbered chips, but it wouldn't matter to the performance.

which inputs use the pixelworks chip? s-video and composite only?

Originally posted by jfried
Sounds like the firmware upgrade will be fine for me, as long as the light spill for 16x9 will still be at the top, and as long as the progressive green push is fixed. I've still not managed to get acceptable results no matter how much I play with settings. I ordered Avia and should have it in a day or two, so I'll give that a try. VE sure didn't help with the green push.

Thanks for your help.

John F

John, I don't have Digital Video Essentials yet... been meaning to order it..

but I can bring over Avia on Friday if that would help.

Steve

Thanks MikeSRC. I didn't know that the H30 didn't have horizontal keystoning. As you say, that appears to indicate that it's the PW168. It would be nice to have confirmation from somebody who knows for sure. Anybody out there taken their H30 apart yet?

Originally posted by ShiftyPowers
which inputs use the pixelworks chip? s-video and composite only?

All of them use the scaling ability. The deinterlacing is bypassed with a 480p or higher resolution input.

and the vga output would obviously be more than 480p no? so i guess it doesn't get used. I'm trying to figure what's the best input for my cable TV with this PJ

Not necessarily. Is your cable box the source of the VGA output?

"I suspect there could be an option for positioning the picture at the top in this fabled hidden "service" uber-menu, but nobody has seen it yet to know for sure."

I asked about relocating the 16.9 image in different parts of the screen. Not right now but down the road maybe 6months time they plan to enable a digital shift firmware. With the digital shift you could slide the 16.9 image to other area's of the 4.3 chip. You gotta wait for that one.

Anyway, just curious how much keystone do you have to use with that 6 foot ceiling setup?

well tom i have my pj set at 71/2 feet and no key keystone at all

OK, saw the UK spec H30 earlier today, We set it up freestanding on a box about 1 foot behind us, & projected an image onto an 8ft screen approx 11-12 foot away. Used the component-VGA adaptor with a Pioneer DV 757ai & quickly browsed through the menu settings on the H30. Ran LOTR to obtain a benchmark for colour/brightness contrast etc, spent only about 10 mins max on this & then flicked through a few scenes of the film. Next up we ran Monsters Inc & straight away ran the THX optimzer..we hadnt guessed too badly on the settings according to the results of the video tests.

When it came to the aspect ratio setting (The test with the circle) we experienced our first rainbow effect.

Ran a good few scenes in Monster Inc, and the colour and detail were excellent.

Attack of the Clones came next, and we put that through its paces, again the colours were excellent, and the blacks were really inky. No signs of R.E.

Matrix Time !! Ran the first chapter, the lobby scene & the scene mentioned above re Trinity/Cypher..I had a slight experience on that scene with R.E, however the wife & the dealer didnt see it at all, no matter how many times I re-ran the scene.

Finished off the demo with Gladiator, ran the opening battle, and TBH I couldnt fault it at all.. the detail was excellent in that scene/chapter of the film, a few people have mentioned that it lost a lot of detail in the darker areas of the image, I have a theory on why some people are experiencing this..

What we did find when setting up the machine however, and may explain some peoples findings is that the contrast setting seems to work in a totally different way to any other PJ Ive seen before, in that when adjusting the contrast, the dark images would go darker & lose detail, and the lighter, whiter images would become brighter, as if the gamma was being adjusted. We noticed this when first setting the H30 up using LOTR, when Gandalf is standing infront of Bilbo's front door, and the clouds are to the left of the picture. So possibly, if the contrast was not set correctly, then the scenes that give people problems in Gladiator on their demo would then be darker and less detailed... thats just my opinion of course & I could well be wrong..

So to summarise..a thoroughly enjoyable 2 hour demo, with an image quality that far exceeds its £1200 price tag imo, excellent colour separation, inky blacks, no SD effect on a 8ft screen from a viewing distance of 11-12 feet, very low fan noise..would be even lower when ceiling mounted and thus further from earshot, some slight instances of R.E, but not constant, as Ive seen on other DLP PJ's

Overall score 8.5/10

Anyone have anything to comment on the above ?

Mike, actually no, the source of the VGA is my HTPC which has a tuner on it or sometimes when watching HD I switch to the component out from the cable box which I assume is 480p or higher

I use a little keystone, I think at about number 6. The toughest part when I set up was getting the exact center of the lens to screen. When I first started setting up projectors I use to eyeball it and say this is about right. :) Then when viewing Stars Wars, the opening story letters were trailing over to the left of the screen. Whoops! Now I get the measuring tape out.

No keystone, I guess your screen is lower than mine. I've read that you want your eye level one third up from the bottom.

tom my screen is 2.5 feet from the ground and the center speaker set is 2 inches from the start of the bottom of the screen very nice veiwing :D

Everything looks great so far from Optoma. They're adding firmwares to better the projector. They only bug is those few PJ's where guy's see green on progressive scan. For that again, it's a pain but I'd get those back to the factory because the video just should be the same for any input signal.

Since the firmware is usefull for just about anybody at least when you send your projector in you'll get the bonus of letterbox support.

I expect the firmware to be ready later next week or the week after.

Anyway, just curious how much keystone do you have to use with that 6 foot ceiling setup?

I don't have my H30 ceiling mounted yet, but in my tests just holding it up to the ceiling, I was using around a 6 on the keystone setting. That doesn't seem like too much since it goes up to like 14. It was hard to tell just how much affect that had on picture quality since I wasn't holding it as stable as an actual mount would. I'm also not sure of my final screen position, so that could still change a bit.

However, I just got my jayblaine mount in the mail today. I hope to get everything all set up and finalized this weekend at last.

Tom,

I think my keystone is in the high teens around 18. I will check I am at work now. I have a small ledge on the wall about 3 feet up so I keep the screen above it. So my eye level is just under 1/3 up the screen.

veggieguy, funny you mention, i just got my jayblaine mount as well, it's sitting at home right now

Lets us know how the mount works out?

UK LDR, good review and right on target. The contrast adjustment does function a Little different then other PJ's I had. It's best to have a calibration where the contrast is over the zero mark while the brightness s/b lower of the zero mark. I think most times I calibrated I got plus 5 for contrast and minus 25 to 30 for brightness. With this projector if you go the other way like contrast low and brightness high you get a haze in the picture.

A good reason for having a calibration tool like Avia, DVE or even the free THX.

There's some very effective gammas also, 1 or 2 is best - just according to what you like. I've been using gamma 1 now because it's makes the blacks unreal. Some may like things a Little lighter though and use gamma 2.

Of course film modes for both video menus and I asked Optoma, color temp 2 is 6500K.

UK, is that in PAL country?

I never seem to know...

Reason I ask is for the same wheel speed and PJ, I think rainbows should be more visible in PAL than in NTSC.

I found a place to demo the H30 not too far away (Ontario). But the guy just sold his demo :(

Seems his next shipment is 3 weeks to a month away. BTW he also has a HT1000 setup on the same screen, it will be interesting to see the difference in PQ...

Re HT1000 and H30, I can and have seen both. The H30 has stronger color saturation and blacks may have an edge. HT1000 is stronger for HDTV that's it. If you want a super HT DLP for Direct TV and DVD's you got it, the H30

Tom / Mike / All,

Received my Da-Lite model B High Power pull-down today. Mounted it behind a shallow false beam using home made brackets. H30 is table mounted next to the couch on an end table, so in the winter at least you get a nice warm breeze sitting next to it. With the screen height and carefully selected end table height, I'm using 0 keystone. With a quick fiddle of the screen pull down (I got a 92x69) and a little adjustment of the the pj using a couple of match books under the front or rear, I can accomodate 16x9, 4x3, or anything else with minimal light spill.

The image is indescribably beautiful. I set it up using 480i (until the new firmware to solve my progressive problem) with Avia. Depending on the DVD I'm using gamma of 1 or 2 to get perfect blacks. The colors positively jump off the screen. I'm sure glad I got the High Power, it allow for a little ambient light (the adjoining family room light) and still a brilliant image.

I'm not sure that the High Power would be good for ceiling mount because of the retro-reflective nature of the screen, but it sure is dynamite for a table mount. Yes, the light drops off a bit on the edges of the room, but is still very bright. Sitting anywhere near the middle of the room the thing looks like an enormous CRT.

Uh, can you tell I'm pleased? Thanks to Tom and Mike for all their help.

John F

Sounds like a winner the High Power & H30. :)

When you get the firmware and you're setting up the RMA with Optoma. Explain how you have green push with progressive scan and just want it tuned up so interlaced and progressive scan signals act the same way and show the correct factory natural colors.

I don't think the problem is all firmware related because when I talked with the tech about it, he said there's underlying service adjustments that can effect how the projector reads different signals. Something about a DMD-RGB which effects the dynamics of the digital mirror device. Also other items.

So I'm just making sure you all spell out the problem and not to expect that just getting the firmware is all you need.

Hey with that 92"X69" screen you can view Music DVD's and the old Classics in tremendous size. That's going to be a mind blower. You'll find that 4.3 isn't so bad after all. :)

Well, my H30 is at Optoma awaiting Wing's magic touch, so hopefully I'll be back in business in a week or so. I explained the green push to them and also the fact that it didn't originally have it, so we'll see how it goes.

I hooked up a BenQ 6100 yesterday and there are a number of things that make it less than desirable for me. The fan noise is horrible (compared to the H30) in any mode other than Eco (where it's about the same as the H30 in normal mode) and there's no component-to-VGA adapter. I used the H30 adapter which worked well, but when you feed it an interlaced signal, you lose your color adjustments. With a prog scan signal, you lose the sharpness adjustment. Go figure. The picture is good (although I'd like to do a side-by-side with the H30 which I believe has deeper blacks). It uses the full 800 X 600 and a 16:9 image is centered in the chip, but there's some heavy duty light spill. There's also some rainbows that weren't visible with the H30.

I sure miss my H30. :(

Originally posted by Marco T
UK, is that in PAL country?

I never seem to know...

Reason I ask is for the same wheel speed and PJ, I think rainbows should be more visible in PAL than in NTSC.




Yes UK does use the PAL system primarily, however , thanks to MR players, more and more people are getting access to NTSC material via the web.

Why would rainbows be more visible in PAL than NTSC ? I'd be interested to hear some thoughts on this..if it means even less rainbows than Ive witnessed via PAL (Very few) on the H30, then that'd be another tick in the box for this PJ.

regards

UK LDR

Tom and Mike this is a teensy bit off topic... but I am interested in your thoughts.

In preparation for buying a projector I am having to make some changes to my HT. The towers that have held my equipment have to go to make room for a "big" screen. Therefore I found a deal on a couple of Sony TV stands to hold the equipment... the local dealer was trying to charge so much for the stands that the buyers bought the TV's and left the stands!

My plan is to put these two stands (originally intended for the Sony 36xbr800) together and then put a single top (approx 8' x 2') across the two of them. The question is what material to use? I should point out that the stands have a couple of raised points to fit into the bottom of the TV... I thought I could use these to secure the top to the stands by putting the opposite indentations in whatever material I use for the top.

1. Real Glass... would blend in with their design and look cool... negatives would be weight and hassle to move plus making the indentations to hold the top would be more difficult.

2. Plexiglas... numerous colors available.. can be made to look like they fit the design, much easier to make the indentations in than glass to hold the top.

3. Oak Plywood, ... easy to make the indentations and Oak looks nice, but would not really look like it was made for the stands.

4. Regular plywood but covered with a black light absorbing cloth. Very easy to make fit the stands, black will not reflect any light, probably cheapest solution.... negatives is it will not look as cool when the lights are on in the HT... which is not often.

The top of these stands is at approx 18"... I have never had a projector so I am at a bit of a loss ... if I make the top out of Plexiglas or real glass is it going to be reflecting some light that will be a problem?

Interested in the thoughts of those of you that have experience with projectors... of which I have none.

Steve

What material/color are the stands?

As a modification to your 4th idea, you might consider MDF, which has a solid, voidless edge (unlike plywood). You could then paint it flat (or gloss) black which would give a nice look. If you wanted to dress it up at bit, you could glue some half-round trim around the outside edge.

So with the current issues of the H30 would it still be a wise purchase at this time or best to wait and compare the 'New Firmware' H30 to the 4805 ?
--- I have an H30 on hold right now and I will be using a Radeon based HTPC so the Green (RGB/Component) Progressive issue has me concerned . It would seem that the minority have this Green issue but the newer purchases seem to have it where as the older ones do not [ the one I have on hold has just arrived from Optoma to the Dealer - I do not know the production date as of yet ] .
--- Does anybody think I would be un-happy with the black level of the H30 after just having CRT ?
--- Any and all suggestions welcome ,
----- Jason

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
So with the current issues of the H30 would it still be a wise purchase at this time or best to wait and compare the 'New Firmware' H30 to the 4805 ?
--- I have an H30 on hold right now and I will be using a Radeon based HTPC so the Green (RGB/Component) Progressive issue has me concerned . It would seem that the minority have this Green issue but the newer purchases seem to have it where as the older ones do not [ the one I have on hold has just arrived from Optoma to the Dealer - I do not know the production date as of yet ] .
--- Does anybody think I would be un-happy with the black level of the H30 after just having CRT ?
--- Any and all suggestions welcome ,
----- Jason

I maybe wrong but I thought the GREEN push is only on progressive component to VGA. Such as used in progressive DVD players. Since you are using a HTPC and connecting VGA to VGA ... the picture looks spectacular that way. Early in the thread Snow posted some pic from his laptop to the H30 and it was spectacular. I did not see any green push or bandings.
That is how I plan to do it when I get my H30 using a HTPC and a 9700. Setting powerstrip with a 16:9 desktop so my image is dead center and not below even with the current firmware.

Thank You for the quick response Saturn :) .
--- Well that sounds great but I thought I had read that somebody had the same Green issue using a VGA source ... hmmm , maybe I read it wrong ;) .
--- I guess I will try it out and see , wish me luck :) !
--- I will post my findings and some screenshots on my website either tonight or over the weekend [ hopefully some of you will be around to give me your impressions and help with tweaking - this will be my first digital after owning CRT's ] .
----- Thanks ,
------ Jason

Originally posted by guitarman


Since the firmware is usefull for just about anybody at least when you send your projector in you'll get the bonus of letterbox support.

What exactly will letterbox support do? Will that help for viewing non anamorphic DVDs, or is that a seperate problem?

JB

Top notch blacks levels on the H30. It will compare nicely with your CRT impressions. I still have a tweaked out 65H80 Tosh in the same room and both displays have a similar 3D look and color palate. I did calibrate the RPTV with colorfacts to 6500k and the out of box H30 has the same qualities of color. You should be very happy with the digital PJ.
Be interested to here your views.

Hi guys,
I live in Florence, Italy, and I have seen the H30 ten days ago (in europe is labeling "Themescene").
I loved this, and now I have buy this in USA, send to my friend in NY who sends it me (in italy cost 2000 Euros, about 2600 $!!!)
The question: Is possible the projector have the new firmware?
X Guitarman: really inside the box is there a scart / rgb connector?
Thank you

Stefano

I think you'll only get the scart rgb to vga adapter if you buy a H30 in Europe, as the US dont use SCART, however the component to vga adapter will come in the box if you purchase one in the US.

The manual mentions that the accessories may be different in other countries. Since the firmware change is not official yet, it's unlikely that you would have it in any H30 currently on the market.

Regarding the letterbox support, guitarman outlined it in his later post on this page of the thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=351894&perpage=20&pagenumber=39

Thanks Tom ,
--- Your information and dedication to this projector has been Top Notch !!! :)
--- If the black levels are that close plus the added brightness then I am sure this will make for a fun purchase .
------ Off to pick it up now :) .
----- Jason

Sergio, are you sure the voltage is compatible? Don't Scart plugs grow on tree's there? ;)

The current firmware that's on the projectors now is the Universal one anyway. It's only fault is in its 16.9masked mode it won't expand non-anamorphic dvds otherwise called Letterbox. It will play enhanced for widescreen dvds perfectly.

So if the letterbox thing isn't a big issue for you?

"Off to pick it up now" I guess we'll be hearing back from you in a couple of hours? Fire it up

Thanks for answers!
I think power supply is ok, is switching, 110-240 V 50-60 Hz, PAL is supported interlaced/progressive (at moment my source is DVD player and Sat Box with RGB output). For sat box I think 4/3 in 16/9 is a limitation, but maybe the DLP panel is on native format with new firmware. i hope...
For Scart, I read on the manual (downloaded from the site) the box contains scart rgp adapter and carry bag, technical sheet says there isn't, the online shop (PROVantage) tell me to ask a producer... I have order yesterday, so I must wait a shipment!
Bye

Stefano

UK LDR
The refresh rate is 25/sec for PAL and 30/sec for NTSC. The lower screen refresh may be somewhat similar to a slower wheel speed, exacerbating the visibility of the lagging pixels. Just a thought, haven't seen it.

"DVD player and Sat Box with RGB output"
"For sat box I think 4/3 in 16/9 is a limitation"

Interesting thing about the H30 with it's current firmware is when you send a straight RGB signal to the VGA input the projector it reverts to an open 4.3 800X600 pixel projector. Though when you send a 16.9 dvd movie the image will be at the bottom of the screen/chip. Very much like what the newer firmware will do with a component signal.

Good, thank you Tom.
I read in old thread about Optoma's updates firmware: if my pj will arrive with old firmware... I think is a problem re-send to Optoma Center in California! ;-)) It will be better if I i pay modify in Italy!!

Bye, Thank for all to anyone
Stefano
Florence
Italy

Hi to everyone.

Regarding Stephano's queries about accessories supplied with the H30, in the box with mine (bought last Saturday in the U.K.)were a carry bag, manual, remote and two batteries, scart/RGB connector, component to vga adapter, s-video cable and two power cables - one 3 pin and the other 2 pin, no doubt for my European cousins.

Regards Eric.

Eric,
So how's the picture quality?

You see what Stephano's trying to do, he's looking to get a half price deal. He can just buy a scart connector in Italy.

Stephano, I don't think you're getting my message. It looks like you wanted a full 4.3 image. You will get that with the old firmware when you send your RGB signals.

I'm reading you have a Sat & DVD that has VGA outputs. Isn't that correct?

Ok ... first impressions
-- WOW ! :)
--- More to come ;)
---- Jason

DaGamePimp i was one of the first to get the h30 down here in canada and i love crt pj's my fav was NEC PG Xtra,s but this little guy shoots a nice pic ;) welcome aboard .

Ok ... first impressions
-- WOW !

Sounds like a winner!

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
Ok ... first impressions
-- WOW ! :)
--- More to come ;)
---- Jason

So I guess no green push via HTPC VGA to VGA eh!!! :)

See if you can get a 16:9 pic via Powerstrip

PowerStrip timing parameters:
1024x576=1024,32,136,152,576,99,6,125,64928,278 works on X1

Generic timing details for 1024x576:
HFP=32 HSW=136 HBP=152 kHz=48 VFP=99 VSW=6 VBP=125 Hz=60

Linux modeline parameters:
"1024x576" 64.928 1024 1056 1192 1344 576 675 681 806 -hsync -vsync

-----

PowerStrip timing parameters:
1280x720=1280,48,32,80,720,154,7,173,91000,1

Generic timing details for 1280x720:
HFP=48 HSW=32 HBP=80 kHz=63 VFP=154 VSW=7 VBP=173 Hz=60

Linux modeline parameters:
"1280x720" 91.000 1280 1328 1360 1440 720 874 881 1054 +hsync +vsync

-----

PowerStrip timing parameters:
800x450=800,48,128,80,450,85,4,89,39937,272

Generic timing details for 800x450:
HFP=48 HSW=128 HBP=80 kHz=38 VFP=85 VSW=4 VBP=89 Hz=60

-----

PowerStrip timing parameters:
1920x1080=1920,162,192,142,1080,0,1,44,81465,280

Generic timing details for 1920x1080:
HFP=162 HSW=192 HBP=142 kHz=34 VFP=0 VSW=1 VBP=44 Hz=30



800x453=800,40,80,104,453,49,3,99,37125,7 works on X1

1024x580=1024,40,136,144,580,97,6,123,64800,278

800x453=800,32,80,112,453,49,3,99,37107,278


Try the higher resolutions. Since HTPC will scale it up giving possible more smoothness due to dithering ... and then H30 should downscale it to native. I found higher resolutions on X1 give nicer output than staying native.

A bit off topic, but does anyone know the policy for stuck mirrors on the H30? I have not heard of anyone with a problem, but you can count on me to pick the only defective one made this year...

Reason I am asking is that I am terribly anal, and that a stuck mirror, anywhere on the screen, would drive me mad. I perceived the dead mirror policies to be better than dead pixel policies, and this has been a major reason for my recent conversion to DLP. Well that and the horror stories about convergence, burnt polarizers etc.

Ok, I have taken back the RP62K (no Faroudja) and replaced it with a Yamaha S540 (entry level DVD). My H30 freaks out with I switch the DVD player to progressive scan and the Yamaha then reverts back to 480i. Picture looks OK with the player in interlaced mode. This one is probably going back as well.

So, has anyone seen the H30 not work with a progressive signal?

What DVD players are you guys using? I am getting desperate! I might have to pony up the dough for a Rotel...

Mike
50 hours on the H30 and looking pretty good! Ready to use DVE and calibrate this weekend!

Ok after a quick - dirty - rough set-up shooting on the same unity gain screen that I use for my CRT I can tell you that the black level from the H30 is dang close . It cannot do a perfect black but then no digital can [ at least that I have seen ] .
-- I honestly think the H30 has the best image that I have viewed from any Digital Projector and I have seen many over the last few years . I have had a Demo SP4800 and can tell you there is no comparison , the H30 easily beats it [ but that should be expected with the 2x vs. 4x wheel ] . This is no fault of Infocus however as the SP4800 is a great little PJ and last years model [ I have a feeling the only competition the H30 will see this year will be from the 4805 ] .
---- Now I am off to actually tweak the H30 [ adjust some of the settings with AVIA ] .
--- I am getting a very slight Green over-spill with the VGA connection running the H30's native resolution of 800x600 via a Radeon based HTPC .
----- I will continue with my observations ;) .
------ Jason

Originally posted by MikeSRC
What material/color are the stands?

KV40XBR800KIT_V_B.jpg

If this actually works it should give you a picture of the TV sitting on the stand.

I actually bought two of the stands as the store was charging so much for the stands that folks bought the tv and left the stands.... lucky for me.

Imagine two of these sitting side by side without the tv's on top... then place a piece of 1/2" thick plexiglas 7' x 2' over the top of both of them. They are putting a rounded edge on the glass and then frosting the underside so it will be opaque and sort of match the real glass underneath.

Steve

Ok... I cannot seem to figure out the IMG control ... it asks for an Http rather than a link to a picture on my HD... Oh well...

Here is a link to the Sony web site showing the stand and tv...

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=wSbupU20rUzuqg2Dx7_krgKl_CuBbf4uWkI=?ProductSKU=KV 40XBRKIT

Quick Note :
-- I discovered an odd situation with the remote for the H30 . It was not working with brand new batteries so after trying many sets I started moving them around inside the remote and discovered that if they sit a bit off center then the remote works :) [ this might have been the problem in an earlier post where the batteries that came with the H30 would not work ] .
--- Just wanted to share in case somebody thought they got a bum remote [ like I thought at first ;) ] .
------ Jason

Originally posted by Marco T
A bit off topic, but does anyone know the policy for stuck mirrors on the H30?
Don't know about Optoma Canada/USA, but here in Europe they give a zero dead (or is that flat ;) mirror policy.

First of all,many thanks to you Tom - your review,advice and opinions were very much the catalyst for my choice in projector.

I've had the use of a HP 6120 projector for weekends for the last few months and this convinced me that I wanted a pj of my own.

Anyway, last weekend I went to a local AV specialist and had a demo of the Themescene H30 and thought it was excellent. Screendoor was more apparent than on the HP, but everything else was better - saw no rainbows at all, excellent blacks etc.

Bought one there and then and brought it home!

However out of the box it was a big disappointment - using 480p colours were very pale and washed out and with 480i everything was far too dark.

Fastened up the HP, watched the same images and thought, "What have I done?", the HP seemed much better!

Swopped back to the H30, started playing with the menus and things started to get better. I scanned through most of the posts ion this thread, printed out settings that had been recommended and tried them.

In the end I achieved a very pleasing picture and I am very satisfied with the projector.

I've just now sent off for a copy of the AViA disc!

Regards Eric.

Yes Tom, my devices has a RGB output signal on a SCART connection type. Will be simply for me make a cable to VGA 15 pin to SCART, but if connector will be inside it'better...
I think I have understand what you explain me, but I can't explain to you, my english is poor... so, you tell me I will look a 4:3 full with old firmare too in case of VGA input, didn't it?
Magna, the american sheet talk about no carry bag and SCART/RGB inside, but in UK/European version there are that. I will buy separately, for 1.000 Euros low price... ;-)
How many cost in UK? (in Euros)
Thanks to all

Stefano

So to ensure that I have some kind of grip on this very insigthful (but sometimes confusing) thread, I plan to use the H30 for DVD's 95% of the time. I have a Sony DVD7000 (non progressive) DVD player that I plan to connect to the PJ via VGA to component, in a room that will place the H30 about 11-12 feet from the screen.

Regarding the firmware upgrade, if I watch my movies in widescreen mode the firmware issue is not an issue?

Also, I have a shelf that I plan to put the H30 on but it's height is about 5'7" in a room with 9' ceilings. I anticipate screen centering problems from what I gathered from reading this thread. While researching the BenQ 6100 I was told that it was designed to be a ceiling mounted unit and that I would have to tilt the projector forward in order to acheive a more centered picture. From what I gathered on this forum, that is something you'd want to avoid as you'd have to use very aggressive Keystone settings which might degrade the picture. Is this a correct assumption? Will I have a similar problem with the H30? Is the shelf height of 5'7" a bad height to begin with?

Thanks for your inputs in advance.

My H30 freaks out with I switch the DVD player to progressive scan and the Yamaha then reverts back to 480i. Picture looks OK with the player in interlaced mode. This one is probably going back as well.

Does it work if you have the player in progressive mode when you fire up the Optoma? I haven't had any such problems switching to prog scan with either a JVC S60 or Panasonic RP-82. The Pixelworks deinterlacing is almost as good as the Faroudja, so I wouldn't worry about feeding it 480i. If you want a reasonably priced, quality picture, look around for a Denon 1600 on closeout for about $300.

Here is a link to the Sony web site showing the stand and tv...

Those stands look like they'd look best with a glass top. You shouldn't need it to be more than 1/2" thick, depending on what you'd be placing on it.

Is the shelf height of 5'7" a bad height to begin with?

At that height, you'd really have to angle it down quite a bit. Either a low shelf (which is usually impractical) or a ceiling mount would be best. If all you're watching is anamorphic widescreen movies, the firmware upgrade will not change anything for you.

Mike or Tom...

I was planning on installing the mount on the back wall of my TV room... sounds like if I do that I would still need to invert the projector to keep from having alignment issues.

Do you have the instructions that tells you what the height of the center of the screen to the lens is if the lens to screen distance is 14 feet.

Trying to figure out where I would need to put the projector to make it all work.

Steve

Oh bye the way JohnF allowed my wife and I to visit his projector last nite... now we were only using interlaced input because of his green issues on progressive, but I was very impressed as to the image quality on both OTA TV signals (HD and SD) as well as a couple of DVD's. I felt that SD television was very watchable... I was concerned because so many people think TV is un-watchable on a projector... so if any other folks are concerned about this issue... don't be! Obviously some folks have much higher standards for what is acceptable for TV than I do.... perhaps because I just sold a 71" RPTV that I had been watching TV on for the last 5 years.

We watched the H30 right after viewing the same material on a Dwin TV3, and I was suprised just how good the H30 really is!

My Pj is at 14', lens with flush mount is 5" down. I think I posted inches back up in the thread but good luck. :)

I'd guess the offset was 12 to 15"


I'm ok with colors on my PJ but did any of you guys that have to much green with progressive try the advanced adjustments with the grayscale format I posted earlier?

The 50% approach with adjacent colors.

Like you would pull back in the RGB-contrast green to say -
minus 6 and then add Red and blue contrast to plus 3.

And think about it since contrast effects brightness and visa versa.

Try in the RGB-Brightness (in smaller amounts since the effect is stronger in the low end of grayscale adjustments)

A match balance with the above numbers might be

R-brightness minus 1
G-brightness plus 2
B-brightness minus 1

You get the idea?

This could be a better way to cut the green for progressive scan. The other signals wont be affected.

It's tricky but try to get the colors to match some of the screen shots I posted at the top. Like the leeloo shot or Back to the future shot. You're there when facile tones take on a red/golden look.

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h30fifth2.jpg

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h30future1.jpg

Tom ,
--- What modes are you using for your adjustments [ or did you just make a new user setting (Cinema/Film/Normal/PC/etc.) ] ?
---- I know you posted this someplace in the thread but I have quickly scanned through and cannot find it [ I am trying to compare modes/settings to see what works best , this is much tougher than CRT calibration IMO - LOL ] .
---- I find that "PC" mode gives great black level when connected via the RGB(vga) input with an HTPC .
------ Thanks again Tom ,
------ Jason

Is it a good idea to put a lens cap with a 16 X 9 cut out to remove the light spill above the image? Where can I get one?
Thanks.

I'm running a component to vga cable with progressive scan.

Cinema & Film
color temp 2 =6500k
gamma 1, gamma 1 is dark but I like the color saturation with it. Still good black detail.
My RGB's are at zero, no green problem with mine.

I guess that's all the key ones, the rests for Avia.

I was told a camera store but when I went to a big camers store they thought I was crazy.

Just wait till you go in there and start describing what you want. lol

Dumb question, off topic, but...

Can you explain why some slightly older DVD's I've rented will not use the full width of the DLP chip? In order to have a correct looking image, I have to use 4x3 on the H30, and then the image is much less wide on the screen.

One is marked 2.35, one is marked 1.85, but they both do the same thing. I though I messed a setting up, so put in a DVD I've watched before and it was OK.

Thanks,

John F

John,

The DVD's that looked correct in 4x3 must have been letterbox format not anamorphic widescreen witch is required to take up the full 16x9 screen. The new BIOS when released will allow a letterbox move to use the entire 16x9 screen.

Max

Thanks Tom ;) .


---------------- **** IGNORE BELOW HERE - XBOX PROBLEM SOLVED ****

**** NOTE : The person that stated they had issues with the Xbox on the H30 is 100% correct and it must be a common problem . I tired to feed the H30 a 480p signal from the Xbox via component and it will not sync to it :( [ gets a double screen ] . I can use 480i via Component but if you ask me the internal H30 scaler is not what people have been claiming it to be [ I tried 480i S-Video as well ] . The Pixelworks scaler does not impress me nearly as much as the DCDi in the X1 [ sad but true ] . The X1 also handles the Xbox perfectly with 480p/720p/1080i .
--- Hopefully they will fix this in the new firmware but I for one am very dis-pleased with this issue and might actually return the H30 .
--- For movies the H30 is an amazing machine but if you wish to use it for some Xbox gaming then I am sorry to say you will probably be disappointed [ at least until they fix the Progressive via Component input issue ] .
----- I hate to write this about such a great little projector but if we all love it too much then nothing will be improved ... right ! ;)
------ Jason

Originally posted by guitarman
"I suspect there could be an option for positioning the picture at the top in this fabled hidden "service" uber-menu, but nobody has seen it yet to know for sure."

I asked about relocating the 16.9 image in different parts of the screen. Not right now but down the road maybe 6months time they plan to enable a digital shift firmware. With the digital shift you could slide the 16.9 image to other area's of the 4.3 chip. You gotta wait for that one.

Anyway, just curious how much keystone do you have to use with that 6 foot ceiling setup?

Hey Tom;

If the picture is on top of the chip have any of you guy noticed any uniformity brightness issues. As in some PJ the corners would be dimmer or not as focused as the center. How does the H30 fare with this since the image is in the top half of the picture?


Also you said you have 0 keystone on your picture. So you have your projector tilted down a few degrees?

And to everyone thanks for all the input. I have just held off my purchase until I move into my new place in 3-4 weeks. Hopefully there will be more info on the firmware upgrades.

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
--- I am getting a very slight Green over-spill with the VGA connection running the H30's native resolution of 800x600 via a Radeon based HTPC .
----- I will continue with my observations ;) .
------ Jason

Hey Jason;

Have you tried upping the res on the radeon. Upping the res in other PJ makes the picture a little softer but gives smoother edges and/or images. It would not look too great on the windows desktop but it definitely rescales the DVD movies in a "seemingly" positive way.
Also what soft DVD player are you runnning? People say that using DSCALER or a tweaked out WINDVD (thats with FDSHOW etc...) is best.

Saturn ,
--- yeah I have tried different resolutions and different resize settings with ffdshow [ they all do it ] . I am using the latest WinDVD filters for DVD playback under the ZoomPlayer Pro front-end .
----- Jason

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
Saturn ,
--- yeah I have tried different resolutions and different resize settings with ffdshow [ they all do it ] . I am using the latest WinDVD filters for DVD playback under the ZoomPlayer Pro front-end .
----- Jason

What gives you the best PQ? Is staying native the best on the H30?

Saturn ,
-- It would seem so thus far [ 800x600 looks best to me ] . I noticed some tearing at 1024x768 / 1280x720 / 1024x576 .
----- Jason

I hate to write this about such a great little projector but if we all love it too much then nothing will be improved ... right ! ;)[/B]

The picture has to be phenominal in order to over look such obstacles. My choices seem to be to wait until the bugs are worked out or purchase another inexpensive unit and load up for a more serious unit in the not so distant future.

I hate to write this about such a great little projector but if we all love it too much then nothing will be improved ... right ! ;)[/B]

The picture has to be phenominal in order to over look such obstacles. My choices seem to be to wait until the bugs are worked out or purchase another inexpensive unit and load up for a more serious unit in the not so distant future.

DaGamePimp

Have you tried running the xbox via s-video or component direct to the projector?

Steve

I just played Counter Strike on my XBOX today. It looked great. I am running component via the MS HighDeff pack into a Yamaha 1400 then to the H30. It looked much better than on my 27in 480i TV. I loved it. I have also tested GTA Vice City and Fever 2003 all looked great. If i switch form my XBOX to my DVD player or another signal it sometimes will louse sync and display a green bar at the top of the screen. This has only happened a few times.

Max

**** PLEASE IGNORE : XBOX PROBLEM SOLVED !!! ****


Steve ,
--- yes I have tried everything and the Pixelworks scaler is really not that impressive to me after seeing others , I know the Native 480p/720p/1080i output of the Xbox would be better [ too bad the H30 will not sync to it ] .
-----------
Max ,
--- Have you activated 480p/720p and 1080i in the Xbox 'Video' settings ?
--- If so then I am not sure how the H30 is syncing to it since it would seem that others here have had the same issue with the Xbox .
--- If you are using 480i via component then I just don't understand how you could be impressed with that image [ it seems so blurry to me , even my SDtv is sharper via component ] .
------ Jason

I don't use game machines but I did notice a doulbe screen rarely when shifting on the fly from Interlaced to Progressive with a dvd player. I just hit the re-sync button on the remote and it synced to a normal image.

Don't be to hard on the pixelworks scaler. Most obersevations were how well the deinterlacer worked and how well it scaled Direct TV and HDTV. You gamers are a tough crowd. :)

"uniformity"
It's rated at 95 percent uniformity. Looks the same corner to corner even with keystone.

**** PLEASE IGNORE : XBOX PROBLEM SOLVED !!! ****

Tom ,
-- yeah , I tried the Re-Sync button to no avail :( .
-- Well the Pixelworks scaler is not all bad [ that was not my intension ] but it certainly does not do anything for the Xbox [ there must be some sort of Hardware conflict with the Xbox since normal Progressive scan DVD players seem to work with the H30 .
-- Yep , we gamers are tough to please :) .
-- Now HTPC gaming on the H30 is INCREDIBLE , I can max out my cards specs at 800x600 and the results are breath-taking !!!!! ;)
----- Jason

The Xbox is a component dvd player and should work. Wait till you call Optoma tech. They'll probably say it's the Xboxes fault. ;)

Anybody try the PlayStation II?

**** PLEASE IGNORE : XBOX PROBLEM SOLVED !!! ****


Ok , here is something interesting [ to give you a better idea of what I am saying ] :
-- just tried my HTPC as the scaler using the S-Video input on my FlyVideo 2000 cap. card along with Dscaler and it looks better than the direct Component connection from the Xbox to the H30 .
---- This is so wrong :( .
------ Jason

I'd be interested to hear what tech help says. I feel the pain but I'm ok, I quit with Donkey Kong (Coleco vision).

Hanging pretty late up there? hehe, My times spent smoking cigars, X'g guitars and viewing one of the 1,000 DVD's I got. :)
cya tomorah :)

hehe , yeah ... almost 2 am here .
--- Thanks for your input :) .
--- At least you went out with a bang , Donkey Kong was one of my favs back then ;) .
---- Talk at ya' later [ I am sure I will have many more observations tomorrow to bother everybody with :) ] .
----- Jason

This sounds like something that the firmware upgrade could certainly address. When I get mine back (hopefully soon), I'll check it with the various resolutions available through an ADS HDTV Upconverter I currently have for review. We'll see how it handles them through the component-to-VGA adapter.

Regarding the Pixelworks chip, I'm mostly imprssed by its deinterlacing abilities. One of the few I've seen that can pass the Faroudja test disk patterns. I haven't had a chance to compare its scaling abilities with others.

Jason,

I have just done a little testing to make sure that what i have said was accurate.

--- Have you activated 480p/720p and 1080i in the Xbox 'Video' settings ?

Yes

--- If so then I am not sure how the H30 is syncing to it since it would seem that others here have had the same issue with the Xbox .

When it detects the signal form the Xbox it shows "Analog YPbPr 720x480 60Hz mode 49"

--- If you are using 480i via component then I just don't understand how you could be impressed with that image [ it seems so blurry to me , even my SDtv is sharper via component ] .

I also turned off 480p/720p and 1080i in the Xbox 'Video' settings and tested the picture did look as you describe above. The panning in Counter Strike was quit bad. But again it looked quit good when using 480P. When using 480i it deteced as "Component Video YUV 60HZ". Hope this clears up my setup for you. I do switch my component DVD and Xbox connection threw my receiver. I also did directly connect the Xbox before my receiver arrived and was able to get the picture fine. I hope this at least confirms that 480p is running on my setup. Wish i had an idea as to what the problem it that you and others are having. I am running a VGA to BNC with RCA adapters to the projector form the receiver. I had also used the component adapter in the past with the Xbox though. Just trying to give as much detail as possible.

Max

finally fellow xboxers. For now im using xbox with svideo i just cant get the stuff to run properly with coponent. Im hoping the firmware update will correct it. I also notice artifacts with yellow and cyan color boxes durring calibration. Alot of noise within those two colors. also the machine wont allow me to calibrate correctly with thx (i have dve as well but it just bothers me about the thx, i didnt have the same problems with the x1) there is no way to correctly balance both contrast and brightness using the thx.


Movies are beautifull but the nagging problems just wont leave me alone. im hoping the firmware update will correct them.

has anyone been able to calibrate using thx? throw in indiana jones or starwars and calibrate after you set the brightness go back to contrast and tell me if you get anything but a great big white square. ive tried 3 different dvd players and i get the same results no matter what i do.

well im glad some are finally varifying the xbox problems i posted. Im just waiting for the fimrware update to see if it resolves anything.

Max

What response do you get if throw in Halo?

Isn't Halo a 1080i game?

Steve

ps. coleco was way better then atari (i had the litle atari adapter). The vectrex was probably my favorite system of all time.

**** PLEASE IGNORE : XBOX PROBLEM SOLVED !!! ****



Thanks Mike , any further information on this matter would be greatly appreciated .
-----------------
Max ,
-- Hmmm ... I wonder if you have a different firmware revision than what most of us seem to have ??? What does your boot up screen look like ?
-- I sure wish my H30 would sync to the Progressive input from the Xbox HD pack [ is your Xbox modded ? - mine is , maybe this has something to do with it ] .
-- I have to be honest here , I am very close to returning the H30 to wait and see how the 4805 turns out :( . Most of you probably think that sounds crazy since the H30 throws such a wonderful image via true RGB from an HTPC but I am a hardcore gamer as well and that aspect plays a big part of the entire Home Theater experience for me ;) .
------ Thank You all for the input :) .
------ Jason

Steve ,
--- Halo is 480p only .
--- Jason

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
Steve ,
--- Halo is 480p only .
--- Jason

Ok... for some reason I thought it was the first 1080i game out... but perhaps not.

Seems like my son pointed me to a web site once that listed all of the Xbox games and the resolutions they were capable of... don't remember where it is now.. I will try and ask my son.. that would give you a good list to work from.

Would be very interesting to determine if it is the "mod" chip or not.. or also if one of the mod's has a problem and another does not.

Steve

Steve ,
-- I know of all the Xbox game resolutions .
--- Dragon's Lair was actually the first 1080i game [ Enter the Matrix is also 1080i ] .

--- I am going to test the Xbox with the mod turned off and see what happens ....

---- Jason

its funny using a 720p game and setting the projector to native 4x3 will use the full projector panel. But it crops some of the image.

My Xbox is not modded. The splash screen on the H30 looks like the plain Optima logo. A friend of my has my copy of Halo so I cant test.

Max

Note that I have edited all my posts mentioning the Xbox HD pack [ Optoma Component to VGA input ] not working properly in 480p/720p/1080i .

--- Everything works great now !!!!

--- Not sure what happened but the H30 is now syncing up properly to the Xbox with all the Video modes enabled :) [ no more Dual image ] .

**** I must pull my previous remarks regarding returning the H30 , it is a keeper [ this is only fair to Optoma as I would not want to sway anybody away from a purchase of this FANTASTIC DLP Projector !!! ] .

----- Thank You ,
---- Jason Berg

Progressive green push -

Tom, your tips for setting up the H30 really worked for me. I found, though, that the R, G, B brightness and contrast had to be set up in a similar way rather than opposite like you indicated. Here is what I settled on:

Contrast +5
Brightness -20
Gamma 1 or 2, depending on movie and ambient light

Advanced:
R contrast +4
G contrast -8
B contrast +4

R brightness +4
G brightness -8
B brightness +4

I just watched 'Last of the Mohicans' at these settings with the DVD player set at 480p, and it looked beautiful - better, I swear, than the factory settings with the player at 480i. So, one more issue out of the way. Thanks.

Now, could you explain (the manual doesn't have much to say) the system settings (horizontal, vertical, frequency, phase)?

John F

Jason,

Great the hear! Do you like the PQ with 480p I do.

Max

guys we have to face facts here we all got are selves a great little pj and on top of that we have a great bunch of guys on this thread so problems will not last long here because this is where avs is supposed to be help each other and at the end enjoy are new toys .


all i would say is welcome to the h30 family and lets all enjoy the ride ;)

John F,
Very good, you're now an advanced service mode grayscale expert. Very good info to have. When I asked the tech area about the green, wing did say a RGB advanced setting would be a fix. It's good to know the 50 percent balance format.

Now maybe others that have the green can fix it up.

Max ,
--- 480p is nice but 720p with SCII & Crash Nitro Kart looks even better IMO ;) [ 1080i I can live without since the only game I have in 1080i is 'Enter the Matrix' and it is really not that impressive ] .
---- Jason

For those of you still considering ceiling mount options, I mounted the H30 this weekend with my jayblaine ceiling mount. The mount fit perfectly and seems very nice so far. I'll try to set up my gallery and post some pics tonight.

I built my screen too, so now I just have to figure out the cabling. Any tips in that area? Super long cables and front component positioning? Rear placement, shorter cables, and an IR blaster setup?

I'm so ready to get this all finalized and watch some movies!!!

Tom -

I'm still showing some odd colorization on greyscale bars on Avia using progressive, so it is not perfect I've dropped the RGB brightness to half of what I posted and greyscale is slightly improved, but still somewhat colored. Movies, however, look really good - but still room for improvement.

John F

I'd freeze a screen shot where I knew what the facil tones should look like if I had to use the RGB's. When and if you send the PJ in for the firmware you should hv this tuned.

Re cabling,
A proper lengthed component to VGA cable would be good. You could hv your HT-receiver to do the switching. If your receiver doesn't have switching. Get a $30 analog switch box to do the switching.

Originally posted by veggieguy
I built my screen too, so now I just have to figure out the cabling. Any tips in that area? Super long cables and front component positioning? Rear placement, shorter cables, and an IR blaster setup?

If it works out for you, putting the components in the back of the room (presumably closer to the projector) so you can use shorter video cables is always a good idea. With many components, you can bounce the IR from the remote right off the screen. I actually have some of my components in another room that shares the back wall of the theater room. It's then a relatively short run through the wall, then up to the projector.

Regarding the green issue, I couldn't adequately get a proper color balance even with the advanced adjustments. Since I had no problem with that before I sent it in, I'm sure it can be fixed either through the firmware or service menu.

BTW, the Optoma website's been down since they started their move last week. It should be back up soon.

-- very odd thing with the Optoma website is that when it was up I could find zero information on the H30 [ all the other H models seem to be listed however so I guess it is still so new that they have not updated the website ] .
-----------------
veggieguy ,

-- I think I am going to get the Jay Blaine mount as well [ isn't that the one that has the buy it now at $65 ? ] . The only concern I have is the swivel ball mechanism coming lose . Does the mount come with a safety cable of any sort ? I guess a safety cable could be fabricated rather quickly . I only worry about that type of swivel because I have had another device that used the exact same type of swivel mechanism and it would frequently come loose . Do you know if he offers any form of warranty on the mount ?
--- I am looking forward to your review/pics of the mount as I am sure many others are as well ;) .
--------------------------
---- Jason

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
-- very odd thing with the Optoma website is that when it was up I could find zero information on the H30 [ all the other H models seem to be listed however so I guess it is still so new that they have not updated the website ] .


They did have an H30 page, as well as more info on the menu items. If it comes back the same, the link was: http://www.optomahometheater.com/content/H30.asp and the "How To" guide was here: http://www.optomahometheater.com/howto/guide.htm

-- I think I am going to get the Jay Blaine mount as well [ isn't that the one that has the buy it now at $65 ? ] . The only concern I have is the swivel ball mechanism coming lose . Does the mount come with a safety cable of any sort ? I guess a safety cable could be fabricated rather quickly . I only worry about that type of swivel because I have had another device that used the exact same type of swivel mechanism and it would frequently come loose . Do you know if he offers any form of warranty on the mount ?


Yes, this is the mount that is $65 on eBay. He was very responsive and great to work with. Mine was the first H30 mount he had built, so we sent a lot of emails back and forth initially about measurements, screw sizes, etc. It all fit perfectly when the mount arrived.

I didn't see any way for the ball socket to come lose, but I suppose it is possible. I was able to twist the collar off if I unscrewed it all the way, but the ball socket itself stayed intact. There is a safety cable that attaches to the top molded piece that is screwed directly into the ceiling and then screws into the projector's tripod hole. This is something new he did for the H30 mount, but he said he liked it and would probably add that feature to his other mounts as well. To be sure, just ask him to include the safety cable. I don't know if he offers any form of warranty, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

For reference, you can contact him through eBay as jayblaine.

Originally posted by guitarman
16.9native is 480 vertical pixels but does has a little overscan, as the image is bigger you can see info on each side is less if you toggle between 16.9 and 16.9native.This quotation is from February 10. I'm trying to understand this. If we are trying to achieve a 16:9 image we have two choices:

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

In the 16:9native mode:

the image is 800 (rather that the full 854 required) x 480 so there are 27 horizontal pixels cut off on the left and 27 cut off on the right.

Downside: some picture is lost off of the sides.
Upside: no vertical scaling needed.

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

but there is also a 16:9 mode:

the image is a full 16:9 but the 480 vertical pixels are crammed into 450 vertical pixels.

Downside: Not only must scaling be employed but it must scale down.
Upside: We are able to see the whole image

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

All of this assumes square pixels.


Do I have this right? Which then (16:9 or 16:9 native), is favored by all of you that have this projector?

Thanks!
Robin

veggieguy, I got the same mount from jay, it's sitting at home right now, haven't had the time to install it yet. Question for you though, is your ceiling concrete or wood? I have a concrete ceiling and I'm wondering what the drilling procedure would be to make it sturdy

Shifty, my ceiling is sheet rocked over wooden beams, so I drilled into a beam to mount the projector. I'm not sure what the best way to mount into concrete would be. Maybe just drill and use concrete screws?

that's what I'm thinking, just not sure if the screws jayblaine sent are good for concrete

Originally posted by ShiftyPowers
veggieguy, I got the same mount from jay, it's sitting at home right now, haven't had the time to install it yet. Question for you though, is your ceiling concrete or wood? I have a concrete ceiling and I'm wondering what the drilling procedure would be to make it sturdy

A suggestion:
Wood plank on concrete ceiling with concrete screws. mount on wood plank with provided screws.

Well then that sounds like the mount to get ;) .
--- Thanks , I should be ordering soon .
---- Jason

How about this? :D

Bye bye living room! :D

How about this?


holy crap mike which sony is that g70
g90 or is it 1292

:eek: :)

Originally posted by MikeSRC
How about this? :D

Not sure I'd feel safe sitting under that ;)

Guys

Can anyone tell me if the H30 shuts down completely (i.e power down lamp and fans) when powered off with the remote?

The remote puts it into stand-by mode [ the fan continues to cool the bulb down for a short period when the Remote is used and this is the way you want to do it ] .
--- Jason

Thanks Jason - I'd read that the X1 never fully powered down the fan in standby mode even after the bulb had cooled and hate the idea of a fan continually spinnng and accumulating dust etc when not in use.

Originally posted by MikeSRC
How about this? :D

I am guessing the person who built this doesn't have a significant other (or if they do their S.O. is completely unlike mine!) ;)

My H30 is on its way to me. Hopefully it will arrive by the weekend. I can't wait!

Yes it shuts down and goes into a standby mode. Manual says to turn off the AC power when not using for a long period of time. What ever long perion of time means. I leave mine in Standby, it stays slightly warm like most any of device in standby.

Robin,
About the 800X480p 16.9Native. You are correct in your thinking. To make use of this aspect it helps having an easy adjusting ceiling mount. I do use 800X480p for 1.85 and 2.35 DVDs. But in this mode if you switch over to HDTV the picture becomes larger and has to be reset/zoomed on the screen.

If you use the scaling aspects, 16.9 4.3. All formats can be setup and used without any changes.

Since my mount adjusts easy when I'm going to watch mainly DVD I'll reset the PJ to make use of the 480P. 480p has more pixels so you have to zoom down to make a 1.85 movie fit. This zooming down makes the pixels smaller/more res. Plus the image is larger when viewing a 2.35 movie.

People that don't want the hassle can choose the scaling setup. The scaler does a wonderfull job and it's hard to see a difference in picture quality. I haven't seen any.

-- I have used all the available input configurations on the H30 now and can tell you there is a HUGE difference in image quality from an HTPC vs. a normal stand-alone dvd player . I will never use an STB DVD Player with this Projector after seeing what it can do with an HTPC ;) . If most of you are blown away with using dvd players you must at least try a PC and see what happens [ you might be shocked at the difference ] . Now I do have a seriously tweaked HTPC so I might be seeing more than most would via a regular PC but there is no comparison IMHO .
----- Jason

It looks super here with the Denon or JVC. Glad you got the bugs worked out, bad cable?

Lack of screen door still amazes me on this SVGA projector, plus we get blacks as colors as good as the HD2's Marantz,Seleco etc

The whole thing with screen door is most want the higher res to minimize the effect. Wierd this one is so good at SD it makes it seem high Res.

OK, OK, I'll order mine tomorrow!

Thanks Tom!
Robin

Originally posted by guitarman
The whole thing with screen door is most want the higher res to minimize the effect. Wierd this one is so good at SD it makes it seem high Res.

That's a good point Tom. I didn't get a chance to watch any HD on mine. Hopefully it will be back soon and I can try it out.

I've had my H30 up and running for about a week now and couldn't be happier . Out of the box, the colors are vibrant and blacks look great . Fleshtones are also very realistic . With good quality DVD's , the picture takes on a 3D look to it from my seating distance of about 11'. Once I tweak the projector with DVE, it should look even better . My unit does exhibit the progressive green push and will not display non-anamorphic dvd's properly, so I will have to send it in for the firmware update at some point . However, the deinterlacer in this unit is really good and I can't imagine the picture getting much better feeding it a progressive signal . I was originally planning on spending 3x the money to get the HT1000, but thanks to Tom I went with the H30 . With the money I saved, I was able to buy the projector, a dvd player, a screen, and home theater seating all for what the Ht1000 would have cost me . Tom, if you ever come to L.A. I will be happy to buy you dinner, just PM me . Also, if anyone is interested in seeing my set-up just let me know . I remember someone asking when we will get HT1000 quality for $2000 . Well, this is dam'n close and for alot less than $2000 !

My system:

Optoma H30
Denon 2200 dvd player
Carada 70" wide 16x9 Classic Cinema White screen
Chief mount
Ultralink component cables

Everything sounds great except the green sync on progressive scan. I hear too many people with this problem. This glitch has to be nailed down and put in it's coffin.

At least you can enjoy your moveis in interlaced. The pixelworkd scaler/deinterlacer is saving quite a few users. The progressive problem just has to go away. I have to impress this on the tech area.

Originally posted by DaGamePimp
-- I have used all the available input configurations on the H30 now and can tell you there is a HUGE difference in image quality from an HTPC vs. a normal stand-alone dvd player . I will never use an STB DVD Player with this Projector after seeing what it can do with an HTPC ;) . If most of you are blown away with using dvd players you must at least try a PC and see what happens [ you might be shocked at the difference ] . Now I do have a seriously tweaked HTPC so I might be seeing more than most would via a regular PC but there is no comparison IMHO .
----- Jason
Jason,
What res do u use with the H30 and HTPC? BTW, most of the XBOX games are 4:3. so what type of screen do u use? 16:9 or 4:3? thx for sharing

Tom -

The Optoma web site is still down, do you have a phone number for tech support? I want to do my part and get a formal call in for the green push issue. I guess you do a good job of forwarding posts from this forum, though?

Does this behavior sound normal (the H30, not me): Unplug the H30. Plug it back in. Push the power button. It appears to do nothing for a while (no splash screen.) The orange LED comes on. Hit the power button. After a minute or two, it shuts off, and the green LED on the power button blinks (normal.) Turn it back on, and it works.

Thanks,

John F

OK, you guys have sold me on the H30. This forum has been such an invaluable resource for me over the last few years (how else would I have discovered the NEC LT150?!). Is there a way that I can purchase an H30 and support the AVS Forum at the same time? I tried all of the banners above but none of the dealers seem to carry this projector.

Ok, I have about 52 hours on the unit. I have been poking around a little with the settings, but mostly they are still stock. The issue I am having is with RAINBOWS!

Now, at first, I didn't see a single one. Now, I am noticing them a bit more than before and mainly on certain DVD's. I am also seeing some colored edges in some scenes via SDTV (Digital Cable). The rainbows are mostly visable in dark scenes.

I have about a week or so until my 30day return runs out, so I want to get this resolved. I have ordered a new Panasonic RP91 as my new player. I use the H30 for the deinterlacing. Is it possible that some of my issues are from the player as I don't remember seeing them as much with the RP62.

As far as SDTV goes, it is hooked up with composite until I get my new HD box with the component connection, so the "halos" could be reduced/gone with the higher bandwidth connection.

Overall, I am as happy as a clam with the unit, and I haven't really used the DVE I bought to calibrate it yet seeing as I didn't have a decent player. That should change with the RP91 as everyone seems to agree that its 480i output is as good as it gets.

Any ideas on the rainbows or halos? Thanks guys!

Mike

John F, call 888-289-6786 and ask for tech support.

John ,
-- something very similar happened to my H30 today .
--- Turned it on via remote and nothing came up even though the bulb was on , light was being projected but there was nothing on the screen .
--- Powered down to stand-by then turned on again and it worked after spinning up the wheel 3 times .
--- Turned off again to stand-by , then unplugged for a minute .
--- Plugged it back in and powered up with remote , came back on perfectly and quickly .
--- Not sure what is happening here but I do know if the wheel gets knocked out of whack then DLP's act up and have to reset the wheel . Maybe this is what we have experienced .
----- Jason

yipchunyu ,
--- I have found that 800x600 looks best so far , I have tried many resolutions and the native rez of the H30 just looks the cleanest to me [ but then I do like a very sharp image ] .
--- I use a 16:9 screen and have the Xbox set for widescreen , I don't mind the stretch that some games have but YMMV ;) .
------ Jason

Originally posted by guitarman
At least you can enjoy your moveis in interlaced. The pixelworkd scaler/deinterlacer is saving quite a few users.

I'm considering H30 for my projector, but I'd like to check one more thing: is there danger of lip-sync problem when using projector's deinterlacer? Do I get a scene's voice and picture at the same time from the projector and my audio system? Thanks for info.

Aarne

Aarne ,
--- I did not notice any sync issues while using the built-in scaler of the H30 .
---- Jason

http://www.optomausa.com/

you can always just go directly to the usa page. I'ts been up this whole time.

Anybody know where I can check one of these out around Cincinnati, OH?

Mark

Stupid question perhaps - why the component to VGA?

I am having a small problem. I am running my Sony Directv receiver into the H30 via S-video. The picture in 4X3 is very small compared to the same channel on voom which is 720p via component. I suppose that is because there are more lines of resolution, the picture is bigger Isn't the H30 supposed to SCALE my s-video to 800 X 600? How do I get the Sony to fill up the screen, rather then use 70% of the screen.

Originally posted by markusg
Stupid question perhaps - why the component to VGA?

There are no component inputs, so you either use the component-to-VGA adapter supplied with the unit, or your own.

Duh, I feel dumb ;). Thanks.

Tom,

Did Wang say the firmware update was going to make the light spill both on top and on the bottom??? Thereby making it even, but a worse problem?

What is the warranty period on the H30?

Is the 30 day return I have read about, dependent on the dealer you purchase from or an Optoma Policy?

Why did Mike have to send his entire projector in for a premature bulb failure.... is that not just a bit excessive?

Does the H30 exhaust out the front, sides, or rear?

Steve

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
Tom,

Did Wang say the firmware update was going to make the light spill both on top and on the bottom??? Thereby making it even, but a worse problem?

What is the warranty period on the H30?

Is the 30 day return I have read about, dependent on the dealer you purchase from or an Optoma Policy?

Why did Mike have to send his entire projector in for a premature bulb failure.... is that not just a bit excessive?

Does the H30 exhaust out the front, sides, or rear?

Steve

Not to answer for Tom, but for others who are interested:

1. The projection of the 16:9 image will be unchanged. The light spill will only be above the image

2. I believe the warranty is for two years. I'll have to check with them.

3. Optoma has a "DOA" policy where if you have a problem in the first 30 days, they will replace the projector with a new one

4. Under the policy mentioned above, they were going to send me a new projector. When they didn't have any new ones, I told them they could just replace the bulb. Also, they needed to check to see if there was some other problem that caused the bulb's premature demise.

5. Out the front.

I decided I just couldn't wait to get my final cabling situation figured out, so I pulled an old microwave cart downstairs and set my components up next to the couch. Wow, the H30 makes watching movies fun! Well, most movies at least. I'm finding that a larger portion of my collection is non-anamorphic than I had guessed. Those movies are still watchable if I put the projector in 4:3 mode, but it's nowhere near the experience of watching a full 16:9 anamorphic movie. (I have a 16:9 screen). It still beats a regular TV by a long shot though.

You can now count me among those eagerly awaiting the upcoming firmware update. I would love to have full screen letterbox support. I do wish there was some way we could update the firmware ourselves though, rather than sending it in. Now that I have my H30, I don't want to do without it for a few weeks in order to send it in for service. :)

Too bad they won't make this "special cable" available to users for updating their own firmware. Surely all you need is the cable and a PC. Oh well.

Veg,
I can get all my dozen or more letterbox movies to fill correctly with my Bravo D1 player, so I'm good to go as is. But I want the frimware for another reason, full 4.3 800X600. I'd say this is the week they'll test out the firmware. Won't be long. Figure once they get the protjector it's a one day fix and a quick ship back. We'll hv to look into whether they send out next day.


BrockH
"However, the deinterlacer in this unit is really good and I can't imagine the picture getting much better feeding it a progressive signal ."

I did some a/b testing with interlaced and progressive yesterday. Interlaced letting the PJ do the scaling/deinterlacing looked a little sharper. Overall and excellent progressive picture. In my pre testing only a couple of short clips showed some vertical lines in the color red. Like the red fish in nemo but not all the time, just for a second or so in one scene. The slightly sharper picture in interlaced makes up for those short line artifacts that showed rare and for just a second or so.

Shock96,
Is this your fist DLP projector? Raindows are as minimal as they can be on this speed projector and would be the same for the other 4Xspeed and 5Xspeed models.

If you're getting eyestrain/headaches then you better dump the DLP technology. Try a LCD proejctor, you take a bit hit in picture quality so you'll get a different type of headache. ;)
Lol, Sri couldn't help myself :)
I hope everything works out ok.

adidadi ,
--- What you describe is what we all have , this is part of the reason for the new firmware [ to open up the entire 800x600 panel with sources other than RGB ] . With all sources (other than RGB) the H30 is 16:9 , when RGB is used from a True RGB source (like PC) then the full panel opens .
----- Hope that helps ,
------ Jason

"I am having a small problem. I am running my Sony Directv receiver into the H30 via S-video."

If you're using HDTV, set up a 1.85 HDTV movie with the scaling aspects 16.9&4.3. You should get all formats HDTV,Standard TV, DVD to fit the vertical and horizontal height squarely. Standard DirectTV 4.3 is narrower than OTA-HD 4.3, both pictures do look natural.

I can get all my dozen or more letterbox movies to fill correctly with my Bravo D1 player, so I'm good to go as is.

Is this a function of your DVD player or because you are on a 4:3 screen? Am I misunderstanding what the firmware update will do for 16:9 screen users with letterbox DVDs?

The Bravo has a unique zoom for letterbox movies. It just opens them up correctly to the right aspect.

The firmware will do this same trick and allow correct aspect for letterbox movies for 4.3 screen users or 16.9 screen users.

okay i am playing a 1.85.1 enhanced for widescreen an i get lite spill top and bottom with the pic centered so after the firm ware update that should fill up the top and bottom lite correct and how the heck can you measure a 4:3 screen i have 74.25 width but say after the firm ware what would be the hight because my zoom ring is to the max ?

The Bravo has a unique zoom for letterbox movies. It just opens them up correctly to the right aspect.

Aha! Thanks for the tip, Tom. I had never thought to look for such a feature in my DVD player, since this is the first time I've had or dealt with a 16:9 screen. After digging through my DVD player manual, I found that it also has such a feature. My letterbox movies now fill the 16:9 screen perfectly. The player is a Panasonic DVD-S35.

Thanks!

"okay i am playing a 1.85.1 enhanced for widescreen an i get lite spill top and bottom with the pic centered so after the firm ware update that should fill up the top and bottom lite correct and how the heck can you measure a 4:3 screen i have 74.25 width but say after the firm ware what would be the hight because my zoom ring is to the max ?"

The firmware won't change the shape of aspects, it will just add a full 4.3 800X600 aspect. 16.9 & 4.3 scaled aspects for widescreen users will stay the same with the addition of normal aspect for non-anamorphic movies.

I'm not sure whether you have a 4.3 or 16.9 screen? But if you have a 16.9 screen you should be able to fill correctly when using the scaled 16.9 & 4.3. A 1.85 aspect movie should fill side to side & top to bottom with no overspill. 4.3 scaled will be the same height with bars on the sides. If you can't do this the the custom measurements of the screen aren't true video proportions.

You say you get light spill on the top and bottom which sounds like you're using the native 480p 16.9 aspect. I found the 480p aspect ok for 2.35 movies but with a 1.85 aspect movie if you filled to the sides the top and bottom would be slighly taller. If you were to match the top and bottom then the sides would be slightly smaller with very thin black bars on the side. This is why I'd just used 480p for 2.35 dvd's.

The easy way out is to just use the scaled aspects.

Veg,

Looks like all the new Pany's have that feature. Farouja chipped players don't allow this letterbox zoom feature.

"4:3 Shrink Function w/ Letterbox Zoom & Shift"

So anyone that wants to keep the present firmware with their 16.9 screen. These players will give letterbox support. They're are progressive but I'd bet the pixelworks deinterlacer might be better.

I haven't tried progressive output on my Panasonic DVD player, since I don't have any component video cables yet. It looks great in interlaced mode with the H30, so I'll probably just keep running it that way. I will likely be moving from S-Video to component cables though, since I keep reading that the colors are better that way.

My DVE disc just came in the mail today, so I'll get to tweak this baby some tonight.

"I will likely be moving from S-Video to component cables though, since I keep reading that the colors are better that way."

I was surprised how well s-video looked. Haven't a/b'ed S vs component many times with the H30, but from what I remember S-video looked as good as component. Thank your lucky stars you can zoom letterbox.

Thanks Jason,
That explains it. I will send it in for the firmware install.

Hmmm I thought you were using a 16.9 screen? So you have a RGB/VGA out on the Voom box? How is that service? I see they can get the networks, it's expensive though, almost as much as the projector.

I was surprised how well s-video looked. Haven't a/b'ed S vs component many times with the H30, but from what I remember S-video looked as good as component.

Yes, I'm quite pleased with the way s-video looks. My other motivation for going to component cables for the DVD player is that I need the single H30 s-video input to connect my Tivo/Cable. I suppose I could get some kind of an A/B s-video switch, but it'll be much nicer to just punch the component/s-video buttons on the H30 remote. :)

Tom or Mike..... or.......

If I ceiling mount the H30 I will be running a component to VGA cable up the vertical wall through the ceiling to the projector...

This means I need approx a 30' cable for this run.... is this going to present quality problems?

Where would you suggest I purchase such a cable?

Thanks,

steve

HiHo, I'm in a similar situation regarding cable length. I'd be interested in opinions people have to offer on this as well. The ONLY component cables I've found that are long enough and at a price I'd actually pay for a cable are NXG brand. In particular, I was looking at the NX-0620 cable. I've read good comments about the NXG brand itself, but the length still worries me. I don't know at what length signal degradation would kick in.

Well, that length's a bit long for anything, but you really don't want to have a long VGA cable because they're usually smal cables and you'll get a lot of signal loss. You'd be better off with a set of quality component video cables for that length going into the H30's component-to-VGA adapter at the end or a VGA breakout adapter. There are a number of quality component cables out there, forum sponsor BetterCables being one of the best if you can afford them.

Regarding the Panasonic S35 DVD player, it's been awhile since my review of the S35 (on another forum), but it did not have motion-adaptive deinterlacing, which the H30 does. I'd expect you'd be better off continuing with the 480i feed.

Reading all the posts raving about the inetegrated deinterlacer, I am almost sorry I bought a progressive player...

BTW, anyone know what the policy is on dead mirrors for this model?

Finally, anyone running home-made component vga cables on this pj? I just read a pretty cool tutorial on DIY component/vga with cat 5 cable...

I'm running a 25' high quality component to VGA cable. The core RGB cables are pretty thick with high quality ends. It works great.

Mikes idea on component to the adaptor seems sound.

I forgot about using Cat 5 cable. Thanks for bringing it up, Marco. I've never used it myself, but there's a thread about it here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23850).

Quick Question. How much did it cost to send the H30 to get the firmware upgraded? Any new news as to when we may see the latest firmware?

Well, when it's available, it should only cost you shipping. I spoke with them today about mine and as Tom mentioned, they're testing the firmware this week and I should be able to get mine back with the new firmware next week. I had sent mine in for the "green" on 480p input issue and told them to keep it until the firmware was ready.

Veggieguy,

I'm running 50' Ultralink component cables to the stock adapter and the picture looks great !

Mike do you have to pay for shipping both ways?? This is one aspect that has really irritated me about the H30. I would have probably purchased it if it wasn't for this issue. I will probably end up getting it anyways due to it being the best option for me.

If you need long runs of Component and don't wish to spend a fortune on HQ cables then I would suggest RG6 with modded end connects [ I have been doing this for a while and cannot see a difference with RG6 vs. normal Component cables ( up to about 50' ) ] .
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-- I have to say here that Optoma should be picking up the shipping tab on the firmware upgrade since it is an obvious fault . They should understand that people are buying this unit even with the known bugs and this says something about the faith that we the consumer have for Optoma fixing the issues [ just my opinion of course and either way they do build one heck of a unit ;) ] .
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---- Jason

I have to say here that Optoma should be picking up the shipping tab on the firmware upgrade since it is an obvious fault

Here !!! Here!!!

Seriously. It wasn't something that slipped past engineering's sight. It was obvious that they knew the firmware wasn't up to par, but decided to release it anyways.

By the way, inorder for Optoma to honor their warranty, do you have to purchase from an authorized dealer? I can't find a listing of authorized dealers on the optoma site.

I don't know how they're going to handle it. They may pay for shipping. we'll have to wait and see. In my case, I sent it back for other issues that triggered them paying for shipping.

Jason

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"-- I have used all the available input configurations on the H30 now and can tell you there is a HUGE difference in image quality from an HTPC vs. a normal stand-alone dvd player . I will never use an STB DVD Player with this Projector after seeing what it can do with an HTPC . If most of you are blown away with using dvd players you must at least try a PC and see what happens [ you might be shocked at the difference ] . Now I do have a seriously tweaked HTPC so I might be seeing more than most would via a regular PC but there is no comparison IMHO .
----- Jason"
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Have to say I am sorry I ever hooked up my laptop to my H30. After downloading PowerStrip, and setting my VGA output to 72x480 60Hz. I played a DVD with WinDVD. It looked great. I put in an old DVD that did full screen and enjoyed some 600x800 4.3 of course after setting my output to 600x800. It was fantastic. Then I decided to compare to the Denon 910 480p. Now the picture form my 910 just looks blurry to me. I don’t have a dedicated HTPC and I blew my budget on my new HT toys. Also the laptop is not a good option to use because it only has a headphone jack for audio out witch sounds like !@##$$! Anyway I agree that the H30 looks fantastic with a VGA source. It seems sharper and smother with better colors. Just my opinion. I will do some screen shots and make sure I am not imagining things. Sorry I am always so long winded and rambling!

Max

Originally posted by jigrillo
By the way, inorder for Optoma to honor their warranty, do you have to purchase from an authorized dealer? I can't find a listing of authorized dealers on the optoma site.

I've contacted them about that and they don't have an authorized dealer program. They should honor the warranty no matter where you buy it.

It's not like the projector is working poorly in it's present form. They meant it to be this way to be different and have the 480p option. Mainly to grab the widescreen trend many prefer. Then we have many asking for a 4.3 800X600 way or doing things. The firmware is set to make both sides of the camp happy. So the firmware is basically an added option, they could have left the PJ as it is.

I guess what I'm saying is, so you spend $20 or less to get the projector in for the new feature, that's if you want it. They won't charge you for their expense on shipping it back to you.

Sounds like a fair deal to me.

Hey lets not forget we got the abosulte best looking low priced DLP HT projector on the market. :)

Anytime you're in doubt just take another look at the screenshots I posted. hehe

Max ,
-- yep , I told you ;) .
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-- I was not aware they pay return shipping , an even split on the shipping sounds like a fair deal to me [ thanks for the info Tom :) ] .
------------------------
--- Jason

Hey, every time I look at the picture quality I can't beleive it. Every night I comment to my wife will you look at that picture. We watch OTA boob tube stuff on it every night. Talk about eye poping colors and overall picture quality. We stepped in S$$t on this one.

Tom,

What brand of cable are you using and where did you buy it?

Steve

Also anybody using a VGA switch box on their H30?? any signal problems?

Hi everyone,

Like Guitarman, I'd like to change from the Sharp Z91E (twin of DT-200) to the H30, however, I do not know if the firmware update will be available to UK consumers. I will ask Optoma UK about that.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone ever tried feeding the H30 with the RGBHV output (not YUV) of any Iscan or other outboard scaler/deinterlacer (at 480p or 576p) and if the 4:3 panel was fully used in that case.

If it works that way, then I can always reduce the green push in progressive mode via the RGB controls of the H30.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Originally posted by guitarman
We watch OTA boob tube stuff on it every night. Talk about eye poping colors and overall picture quality. We stepped in S$$t on this one.

Guitarman...I can't figure out if this is GOOD or BAD?

For those who are interested, the Optoma website is back up now.

I just uploaded a couple of pics of my H30 mounted with the ceiling mount by jayblaine. Check my gallery if you're interested in seeing them.

Looks great veggieguy! I think I'll be getting one of those myself. ;)

Veg, could you measure the exact distance for center lens vs the ceiling.

Originally posted by guitarman
Veg, could you measure the exact distance for center lens vs the ceiling.

Sure! In its current position (tilted up for correct picture placement) or flat?

Thanks a lot!

Great news, but I suppose that I will have to buy first then call Optoma to ask for the upgrade. Can't they allow the choice of 16:9 or 4:3 format from the start like the Z90 allowed and then leave the user the choice to use whatever mode they like.

By the way, the H30 is not a true 16:9 projector and personally, I prefer 4:3 projectors since they leave you the choice of screen format without any distorsion of the picture whatever the format.

How about the physical mask, will it be a kind of filter to be placed or not in front of the lens or will it be built in the future H30 models, thus making it true 16:9, increasing the CR and preventing the full 4:3?

If this is the case, I'd better buy a H30 now before it's to late!

Or maybe should I stay with the combo Z91/Iscan Ultra until a true 4:3 dlp projector (XGA if possible) with the same characteristics becomes available at the same price hopefully within the next 2 years?

Don't laugh, that may happen :D !

How far off from screen center can the H30 be? I have a 22' room with 13' foot ceilings, any idea if I would be able to mount it close to the ceiling? I'm planning on mounting 15' from the wall.

Thanks

DrJo ,
-- I am having a buddy bring over his Iscan so I will check that out for you ;) . It should work just fine , I have connected a couple other RGB(vga) devices already that have worked great with the H30 [ in RGB mode ] .
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veggieguy ,
-- Nice ! Once I get settled into my new place I will be ordering [ tell Mr. Blaine to get those H30 mounts with safety cables ready ;) ] .
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-- Great , so there is already going to be an H30.v2 with lens masking [ maybe they will offer this has an upgrade for current H30 owners :) ] .
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Does anybody have any pointers on taking screenshots with a 2 mp digital camera [ using Digital projection - CRT shots were easier for me ] . All I can get is a blurry mess with DLP, I guess it is just too bright and my little HP camera doesn't like it :( . Thanks !
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---- Jason

I am not sure if this is what Tom is asking or not...., but I would like to know.

How far down from the ceiling is your projector?

How far from lens to screen?

How far down from the ceiling is the top of your picture?

How far down from the ceiling is the center of your picture?

(don't know if you are doing 4x3 or 16x9)

Steve

Guys, my H30 should be arriving tomorrow. I have two options on where to mount it: On a small coffee table in front of my couch , aprox. 11' from the screen(wall), or on the fireplace mantle that is aprox 4.5 ft off the floor, which would be about 14' from the screen.

I know the picture from 14' away would be bigger, but would I end up having to use keystone on it if it's mounted on the fireplace mantle? And even if that's acceptable, would my 11' viewing distance from the screen be too close for the size picture I'm going to be getting?

Or in this case, is the closer mounting position in front of the couch a better option?

BTW, I can't mount it on the ceiling, as I have a ceiling fan in the way. In fact, I'm starting to have doubts as to whether the fireplace mantle will work, as the ceiling fan might get in the way.

Johnny Bax ,
--- From that view distance I would stick with the table idea as a 14' throw will give you too large of an image in relation to your 11' view distance [ even with Zero optical zoom I think you would notice some pixel structure ] .
---- Jason

HiHo & Tom,

Here are the measurements of my setup. I'm using a 16:9 screen.

Ceiling to projecter: at center of mount, 3 inches. projector is tilted slightly upward, so it's a bit higher at front and a bit lower at the back.

Celing to center of lens: 4.5 inches

Celing to top of picture: 12 inches

Ceiling to center of picture: 33 inches

Lens to screen: 11.5 feet

Satisfaction level: HIGH

:)

Veggieguy, why is the projector tilted up.. I assumed to hit a screen lower than the projector it would be pointed down?

markusg ,
-- it is due to the offset of the H30 ;) .
---- Jason

When the projector is level, it shoots a picture on the wall that is lower than the lens. In my case, it was too low for my wall, so i had to tilt the projector upward to raise the picture a bit. I don't know if this is true for all projectors since this is my first, but from what I've read, I gather that it is true for most. The vertical offset just varies from projector to projector.

I believe this is a side effect of the table top design most projectors have. They are designed "primarily" to sit right side up on a table and project the picture slightly upward on the wall. When you flip it over to ceiling mount it, that translates into a downward shift instead of upward since the projector is now upside down. Unless your ceiling is very low (like mine is), you probably won't have to tilt your projector up for a ceiling mount.

The more experienced projector gurus here can correct me if I'm wrong.

Makes sense, thanks for the explantion. Does anyone know a good place to learn about vertical offsets? As stated above, I'm trying to learn how low I would need to hang this projector off my ceiling

The other factor is that with a 16:9 image, it's displayed at the bottom of the chip in the H30, which increases the offset that much more. With a 4:3 screen, you might not have to tilt the projector up.

"Lens masking is a round black disc with a 16:9 cutout. It completely covers the optics and helps mask off pixels that are not used, at the same time will increase contrast to 2500:1 appx. Only to be used in 16:9 mode."

This is something they mentioned to me when I first started talking with the Tech area. Must be something they were having made but not out yet. Looks like a simple black lens cap measured exact for the H30. Most likely we can get these once the deliverys in. I'll look into it to see for sure.

Anyone know if the SCART>RGB converter ships with the US H30's....or only with the Euro versions?

Mine didn't have a SCART conveter (unless I'm misunderstanding what SCART is). It just came with the component video to RGB converter.

Only with the Euro versions.

Thanks Mike - Do you know if the SCART options are available as options - Either from Optoma or another 3rd party?

Thanks again

...final question

UK dealers have told me that the H30 has an international warranty but I've been unable to confirm this with either Optoma UK or USA (No response to several emails).
My parents goto the US nest week and I'm thinking of getting them to buy one out there but want to ensure that Optoma UK will repair in the unlikely event of a failure.
Can anyone confirm?

As you can see to the left, I registered at AVS exactly 2 years ago. That's when I built my ht and how long I've been researching projectors. Well, I just pulled the plug on the H30. Just wanted to say thanks to the forum, and the people in this thread particularly.

I hope Optoma comes up with a lens cap mask. The masking is really my biggest concern with this projector. I'm just not very handy as far putting up curtains or hanging things and what not.

Only with the Euro versions

A 1500$ scart converter:eek: