Although there is a thread for video processing, I thought I would ask here about video processors like the Lumagen series. Anyone using this and what benefits do you see?
thanks,
John
Yep,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5937580&&#post5937580

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/printthread.php?t=572136&p=6067927

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5920886&&#post5920886

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5984528&&#post5984528

and finally:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5990855&&#post5990855

HTH, Scott

just bought the H77 today (I know a little late, but the price was right and no way I could afford the H78). I'll let everyone know how the setup goes

I just received my 4th H77 today... I should have it up and running by the end of the week so cross your fingers :D

I have an H77 with C08 firmware. I am running DVD and HD via component. DVD has been calibrated using AVIA and HD using HDNET test patterns. I have noticed color banding every so often, typically on flesh tones, and thought I could help reduce this by turning off noise reduction and changing the color wheel index in the service menu. I noticed many people reporting that their factory default CWI was 30 and they changed it to 28. My default is 33. It appears to get worse as I adjust it lower (31 looks worse, 28 looks real bad). What does the CWI actually do? Is there a reason why reducing the number should improve the picture as opposed to increasing it?

Please advise.

Thanks.

Mark

Just ordered my H77 and now trying to figure out which screen material to get. My room has one window (but the screen will be covering it and it is already pretty much blacked out) and other than that light controlled. The walls and ceiling are white (new house). i plan on eventually putting black curtains/material on all the walls. The room is 9.5" x 15.5 feet with 8 ft ceilings. The screen will be 2.35:1 96" diagonal. I was planning on going with the carada CCW 1.0 gain. Anyone think I should choose a higher or lower gain? Thanks in advance.

I had a 76" diagonal Matte White screen left over from my Infocus 4800 that I used with my H77 for a few days. It seemed to me the projector was too powerful for the screen/screen size, the image was washed out and a lot of ambient light was bouncing around, so I purchased a 92" Greywolf from buy.com. It arrived without dents and I didn't have any of the banding issues reported elsewhere. I cut the material off the spindle and mounted it on a DIY frame.
After my theater room gets built I'll fork out the money for a more professional solution.

Even though I'm exchanging the H77 for the H78, I still will keep the Greywolf screen. The biggest benefit to me was the increased color saturation and the deeper blacks. Since I have the PJ ceiling mounted I do notice that when I sit down the image dims but it is still much better than my Matte White screen.

I have an H77 with C08 firmware...

I'll let guitarman give you the anwer on the CWI, but maybe some of your problem is the older firmware? C17 is current. Guitarman can probably help with that too if you want. :)

I have an H77 with C08 firmware. I am running DVD and HD via component. DVD has been calibrated using AVIA and HD using HDNET test patterns. I have noticed color banding every so often, typically on flesh tones, and thought I could help reduce this by turning off noise reduction and changing the color wheel index in the service menu. I noticed many people reporting that their factory default CWI was 30 and they changed it to 28. My default is 33. It appears to get worse as I adjust it lower (31 looks worse, 28 looks real bad). What does the CWI actually do? Is there a reason why reducing the number should improve the picture as opposed to increasing it?

Please advise.

Thanks.

Mark

I don't recall what CWI actually does. However, to minimize banding, find a source that shows it clearly (preferably a DVD), pause it with clear banding displayed, then switch to the service menu and adjust CWI up and down until you minimize the banding. That will be the optimal setting for your H77. It appears that they are all a little bit different, thus there is no universal "right" setting.

Ira

I'll let guitarman give you the anwer on the CWI, but maybe some of your problem is the older firmware? C17 is current. Guitarman can probably help with that too if you want. :)


Yes the lastest firmware was to help contouring mainly for PAL users but it did add something for the NTSC models also.

Latest news,
I have my fingers crossed that the device from Taiwan will arrive this week. It's been a while, you ever hear the expression (slow boat from China) :) They were asking for a Fedex tracking number last I heard.

Oh I guess I should mention that my projector will be mounted around middle of the screen. It'll be in the back of the room on top of my component rack. I thought I'd mention it in case this makes a difference

CWI stands for "Color Wheel Index" and basically adjusts the timing between the color wheel and the imaging components (DLP Chip, etc.) It makes sure that the correct color on the wheel is in the correct place when it needs to be.

As far as screens, I agree that with all those white walls and ceilings going on that you should probably use some sort of grey screen optimized for areas with some ambient light and reflections. The best of course, in my opinion, is the FireHawk. The best thing ot do is decide your budget and get the best one you can afford, but remember that the screen is a very important part of your video projection system and shouldn't be compromised if at all possible. Of course, if you are planning on getting black curtains and blackouts, you could probably get away with a matte white or at most 1.3 gain white screen if it is in the near future?

Shoot me an email, PM or call and I'll see if there's any way I can help you out further:)

I'm a little concerned that a gray screen would make white appear gray. You know, like say I'm watching Empire Strikes Back and Hoth has a gray tinge to it instead of gleaming white snow. Plus I keep hearing that the H77 is a "dim" projector, although my room is on the small side. I was wrong about my screen. It is a 2.35 103" width (112" diagonal) or if you go by 16/9 it is 78" width (90" diagonal).

Fool,

You have a PM

Scott

I am wonering the same thing as Foolintherain above. Don't the gray screens throw off the pure whites and turn them a bit gray ? I have not been able to compare a white screen to a gray screen like the Firehawk.

No, they shouldn't if they do their job correctly and the screen is included in the greyscale calibration. Remember that a display device, in this case a projector, is greyscale calibrated to what....the color of grey which for video is D65.

All that really needs to happen is to take the screen into account when calibrating the system. The Sencore unit is great for this as it has a screen offset option to take your screen into account.

I think what you see it a very slightly less bright white on a Firehawk. VERY slight. Gray is kind of a misnomer, it's more of a silver I'd say when you look at it, but it's not a pure white. If I had a bat cave, literally a room with black velvet walls, furniture, floor, ceiling, etc. and I wore black clothes, then a ST130 woud be for me. But I don't, and my wife woudl have a cow if I did ). I do have 100% light control but my minor room reflections will even cause my firehawk to lighten a little. A white screen woudld do it more and affect the black level more than I think the white's are affected in this situation. My whites are white, very white. And I don't believe the FH has much color shift. A videophile might tell youit has some shift, but I'd say it definately does not have much compared to lower cost screen. SO, IMO batcave=ST130, no batcave=FH, very bright PJ (not a H77)=GHRS. The GrayHawk reference is a gray screen, much more than the FH, and it's not supposed to have any color shift. Now a low-cost gray screen, I would not dare to assume nor expect the same non-color affecting behavior.

And P.S. Progressive Labs also have screen offset files for their latest version of the CA6X calibration software.

Best, Scott

So any opinions on whether the HC Grey Screen from Carada would work ok? Its supposedly 0.8 gain. I'm again just worried about the projector not being bright enough, but since I don't have any experience with projectors at all, I could be worrying about nothing. Thanks for the info on the greyscreens- it cleared up my concerns with whites.

If you are concernd just go with the MW or BW. This projector really does not need a grey screen! I use a 110" BW and very happy although I may have to use brightmode towards the end of the bulb life..

...I'm again just worried about the projector not being bright enough...

You've obviously never owned a CRT projector, huh;)!!!

If you are concernd just go with the MW or BW. This projector really does not need a grey screen! I use a 110" BW and very happy although I may have to use brightmode towards the end of the bulb life..

This is the right concept. The H77 tuned is at 385 vs 585lumens econo vs bright mode. I got some good hours on the H77 I reviewed and the bulb got worn down pretty good and I wanted the extra brightness. Then I got the HP material and it helped out greatly. I'd give up the benefits of the gray if you can't make use of a gray screen with high gain like the cheapo Graywolf/shelf mount setup (unique screen by the way). Definitely get something white with high gain you'll be happier in the long run.

Even with a 1.5 gain, econo mode with a 106" diag screen you'll just be a little high at 14.5ft lumens off the screen. 1.0gain and your under reference at 9.5ftl off the screen.

I just recieved my H77. I see a lot of dithering which is bothersome. I spent the money to have the projector calibrated and I see dithering in dark scenes in HD and DVD. Tried messing with the birghtness and doesn't help. I don't know if its the projector, my H10 directv reciever or the camera being used.

Second annoying thing is the NFL ticket and the games in HD. The close up shots are amazing but when they show the whole field which is most of the game, it looks fuzzy or pixelly. Does anybody watch the NFL ticket on a H10 and see the same thing. IS this the camera used during the game? I use the DVI out on the H10 and into the HDMI to the Optoma H77. Would upgrading to a H78 be better, I'm about to send my projector back, then I see an amazing pick and think man this looks good. I'm very frustrated. I want the perfect picture. Is that impossible with this projector and the price.


Thanks,
Brock

You can use Avia, DVE or THX Optimiser to set the white and black levels. Another way is to project a 2.35:1 movie and then use the brightness control to stop the dithering in the black bars - the mirror activity should stop. If the dithering is still noticable them the image may be too bright and a lens filter will help.

Gary.

I have the sound and vision calibration video. I used the two black bar setting on that video and it did nothing.

How close are you sitting? I feel mine looks great. What screen are you using?

Scott

Brock I have the same setup you do in my HT room H77 with a H10 with a Monster Dvi to Hdmi cable. I also have the Sunday ticket with the Superfan package. HD looks great when watching games except the stadium shot's because they are not using HD cameras then. They do the same thing in NBA HD games and Nascar HD races as well.

No matter what projector you get it will not help. Like the old saying goes garbage in garbage out, and the bigger you blow it up the worst it looks.

The H77 along with the H78DC3 and the H79 are some of the best single chip DLP projectors you can buy, as having the least amount of dithering issues. I second Scotty's question what size and gain of screen are you using? I am on my 6th DLP projector and it is the best I have had with hardly any black level dithering at all. I have also had 3 LCD projectors and I would never buy another one because of banding and SDE and dead pixels problems I had with them.

But who knows you could have gotten a lemon there is always going to be a occasional one no matter what manufacture it is. If that is the case you have to weigh what you paid, and if you got any extras with the deal, and the current price for the H78DC3, is worth the extra cash to you to upgrade.

All I will say if you got in on the Projector People H77 deal before they runout of them, I would exchange it for another H77 and see if it has the same problem that you have now. If it does not then I would send it to Tom for the Panning upgrade and have him calibrate for you at the same time. Then you will have yourself one hell of a projector at one hell of a bargain! :D

Dale

Naah this is not rocket science. The Optoma projectors are noted for their lack of dithering in blacks. Just lower the brightness until it stops. Your brightnes must be way out of wack to see dithering with an H77.

I had the H77 but sent it back because there was an optical issue with green and purple highlights on the focus crosshairs. I upgraded to an H78 at the same time. To tell you the truth, I wish I had just kept the H77. The H78 has the exact same optical problem, only a little worse. I'm starting to think Optoma doesn't make a machine that won't have the green/purple optical problem.

One thing that seems better to me with the H78 is the colors are more vibrant. I didn't spend much time calibrating either machine so take this with a grain of salt. I do notice less "pixelation" from my seating position (ten feet back from an 88" image). I believe that is because the mirrors are closer together. When I bring up the focus crosshairs there is less space between the pixels, either that or I can't get it focused as well as the H77 because of the more severe optical issue.

I'm also noticing a little bit of vertical banding on the green HD Tivo menus with the H78 (I never noticed it with the H77 but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough). I've messed with the CWI and am able to make the banding worse but I can't make it go away completely. I don't notice any vertical banding during normal usage.

I am worried there is something wrong with my H78 but I just don't have enough experience to know definitively. I fell asleep with the PJ on last night so I've got more than the max four hours on the bulb so I am going to keep this PJ regardless. You live and you learn.

An interesting thing happened to me today. I did a marathon BSG session (had to catch up) and then finally sat down to calibrate my H77. (Looks like I'm going to need a light red filter to stack with my yellow (FL-Day) filter to get that red in balance with any contrast). However, towards the end, when my projector had been on about 10 hours, I started getting color shifts from the input. Since this was a DVI connection, it was odd.

My guess is that the DVI connector can overheat after prolonged use, causing a severe color shift (it looked like the cable had come loose - but it wasn't). Has anyone else noticed this?

Later,
Bill

I'm using a Carada Screen it is Bright White. I'm sitting 12 ft back and using a 96 inch screen. I don't think that is too big. In this section of the AVS forum I did my research and people are using a 100' inch screen sitting 12 ft back. The projector is 13.5 ft back. I thought to be safe I go a little smaller to be on the safe side. The room is completly black free of sunlight.

YOu recommend a lens cover What type of lens cover do you recommend.

Azjetski thanks for the info about the NFL ticket. It was really bugging me. That doesn't make since, because isn't most of the game shown with the stadium view?? Is this true for the Monday Night football and Sunday Night Football? I was thinking I could see dithering in the green grass on the field, but I think it is the camera.

Thanks,
Brock

This was not dithering, I can almost guarantee it. The NFL ST is so compressed now that what you are seeing is compression artifacts and macroblocking:(.

That's one of the reasons I got rid of ST a couple years ago. They call it HD, but it's certainly not true HD!!! One thing I did was compare an OTA feed of the same game as one on DTV ST...no contest, OTA blew it away.

I hope the MPEG4 migration helps things out:rolleyes:

Dave I second that mpeg 4 will hopefully be here soon with DirectTV. I am sure it will help alot. Also dave is right about OTA it is no contest.

Brock I wonder out of all the cameras they use for a HD game how many are HD and how many are regular cameras. I would guess 1/2 of them. I would bet that only HDnet is the only broadcaster that uses only HD cameras during sporting events.

Dale

I watch CSI and other shows done is HD and they look good. I don't see as much dithering, is that because all cameras are HD? SO can dithering be mistaking for Macrblocking? Dave are you saying the Macroblocking is due to the Directv reciever and broadcast I'm recieving and not the Optoma. Does dish network or comcast have the same problem when producing HD material?? Thanks for clearing all this confusing mess. I kept messing with my brighness and it didn't help. This may explain why its not helping.


Thanks
Brock

A couple of questions:

1.) Have around 300 hours on my H77 and picture is getting darker and darker. I was told that this could be a bulb going bad, a signal issue or a problem with the power supply (RMA issue). Any thoughts?

2.) And More Importantly..... Since I have a New spare bulb I thought I would try changing it. After reading the manual on "Replacing the bulb" it look fairly easy. After disconnecting all power and removing the one screw (which requires an Allan Wrench) I tried removing the plastic cover. It doesn't seem to want to come off and I'm afraid to force it. What else do I need to do get that cover off. Not enough detail in the User Manual. Thanks for your help in advance. P.S. My H77 is ceiling hung with a Bering Ceiling Mount.

Brock,

I can't really speak for DISH as I have never been a customer. I have had Bell ExpressVu which uses the same hardware as DISH and that is also compressed pretty bad.

As far as Comcast, they do not compress their HD signals (at least in my area) and they are just changed from ATSC 8-VSB OTA broadcast to QAM for cable, at no perceptible loss in quality (again, on my system anyway). I can see no difference between my cable HD and the same OTA signal. That is one of the BIG reasons I switched from DTV to Comcast. The Motorola HD boxes have a lot to be desired, but I am in the process of switching to 4 Sony HD DVRs which seem to do a little better job and also have a native rate output and a built in OTA SD/HD tuner as well.

I have to say that I do not miss DTV one bit. I do miss the NFL ST as far as having access to all the games, but my time is more limited now and I just wasn't able to take advantage of that anyway:(

For CSI HD, can you get an OTA HD signal at your place? If so, try comparing the OTA to the DTV version and tell me what, if any, differences there are. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that OTA is better:D!!! The cameras used for almost if not all of the prime time HDTV drama series are not video cameras at all, they are using film and then transferring that to HD video, similar to the movies on HBO, SHO, etc. Only sitcoms use HD video cameras if they're in HD.

A couple of questions:

1.) Have around 300 hours on my H77 and picture is getting darker and darker. I was told that this could be a bulb going bad, a signal issue or a problem with the power supply (RMA issue). Any thoughts?

2.) And More Importantly..... Since I have a New spare bulb I thought I would try changing it. After reading the manual on "Replacing the bulb" it look fairly easy. After disconnecting all power and removing the one screw (which requires an Allan Wrench) I tried removing the plastic cover. It doesn't seem to want to come off and I'm afraid to force it. What else do I need to do get that cover off. Not enough detail in the User Manual. Thanks for your help in advance. P.S. My H77 is ceiling hung with a Bering Ceiling Mount. It slides about 1/4" horizontal. In the direction of the screw I think, forget. Bu it definately slides over a little then it will come up.

tetahoe: taken on-line here, nothing requiring a PM, and others here can be helpful:

<snip>
Anyways nitpicking aside can you answer a few questions?

1st is I still see panning issues and contouring in the backrounds of scenes, I guess all the posts may have got my hopes up that that was totaly eliminated in the DC3 chipset? It is not as bad as i remember the HD2+ machine, but it is there...do you see the same?

I don't have a H78, mine's a H79. I don't have any contouring, and I haven't seen the panning issue on my 79.

I also find it hard to believe that you have to select "native" every time you switch inputs from a 480p source.I'm not sure I understand. You will have to choose one of it's 4 aspect controls if your input aspect changes. i.e. from 480 to 720 input.

A shameless plug: the AV-RS232 has discrete aspect commands. So with a programmable remote, you get one button for:
1:1 (native)
4:3 (window)
16:9
and Letterbox

No more need to pull up a menu then navigate to the aspect, then change it, etc. One button press and poof aspect is changed.

Maybe you can give me some settings to try? I have a 96x54 matte white cheapo fixed screen...Sorry, I don't know any particular settings. I think each PJ is very different when it comes to settings. Otherwise even Optoma would do a single calibration then set them all the same. I believe they use an autocalibrate procedure by feeding it black, white, and magenta, then letting the PJ set itself based on known good inputs. Point is, they are all different. Your bulb and it's age will make a difference on the settings.

Overall I am happy, but can't believe I am the only one that still sees the panning?I'd say Dave Harper here now of AVS and Bruno are the panning experts. Bruno has some torture tests to show it (I never played them) and Dave is very familiar with them, maybe they can help.

Scott

Scott,

Was this from a PM that he sent you???

It's about freaking time...

That I got a H77 that looks and works great :D I was really nervous that this 4th and final projector was going to have some kind of problem but after they double boxed it and looked it over with a fine tooth comb, everything looks fantastic.

Alright, its time to mount this bad boy. Is there another mount that people have been satisfied with other than the Chief? Not that I don't like Chief, I just want to see what else is out there. Anyone have a H?? DIY mount?

Also, I need to pick up a 25ft HDMI-DVI cable. Any suggestions? I've been eyeing monoprice but I don't know if there quality fits the price...

Thanks everyone and G-Man for your advice...

JB

Was this from a PM that he sent you???Yes.

Alright, its time to mount this bad boy. Is there another mount that people have been satisfied with other than the Chief? Not that I don't like Chief, I just want to see what else is out there. Anyone have a H?? DIY mount?I use a Vogel universal. Had a hard time finding someoen who carried the extension poles, Shane (www.hometheaterdoc.com) got one for me. It takes a couple minor mods but works fine. I need to change mine out though one of these days, it's not beefy enough to hold my Panamorph lens, too. I have a separate temporay lens mount for now.

It's about freaking time...

That I got a H77 that looks and works great :D I was really nervous that this 4th and final projector was going to have some kind of problem but after they double boxed it and looked it over with a fine tooth comb, everything looks fantastic.

What were the types of problem you had with the three previous H77? I had an H77 and it had a problem with purple/green highlights on the crosshairs so I sent it back for an H78 but it has the same problem. In addition, the H78 doesn't seem as sharp as the H77. I remember being blown away by the detail with the H77 but I'm not with the H78. Could this lack of sharpness be a physical problem with the H78? I believe the H78 has mirrors which are closer together so maybe it just seems smoother because of that? I really can't see any pixels with the H78 without getting closer than five feet. I think I could achieve this with my IInfocus4800 by defocusing the PJ so maybe the optics on this H78 are out of whack?

Alright, its time to mount this bad boy. Is there another mount that people have been satisfied with other than the Chief? Not that I don't like Chief, I just want to see what else is out there. Anyone have a H?? DIY mount?

I really like the Chief universal mount. I have the flexibility to move the PJ up/down/forward/back/left/right even after mounting the base of the unit.


Also, I need to pick up a 25ft HDMI-DVI cable. Any suggestions? I've been eyeing monoprice but I don't know if their quality fits the price...

I bought a 25' from minoprice and it worked fine. Only problem was the ends had huge "dongles" that kept me from running it through the existing holes I had in my walls. The picture on their website and on eBay make it look like it is the same diameter the whole length. It is now sitting in a box in my garage. I ended up going to a local cable store (Vetec) and getting a no-name 30' cable and it also works fine.

1st H77: Sharpness issues, ghosting. Almost a double image look...
2nd H77: Powering up and bulb issues. 50% of the time I would get a solid red light...
3rd H77: Great picture, optics out of whack with a blue line on the left side due to shipping...

4th H77: So far so good (knock on wood).

JB

It's about freaking time...

That I got a H77 that looks and works great :D I was really nervous that this 4th and final projector was going to have some kind of problem but after they double boxed it and looked it over with a fine tooth comb, everything looks fantastic.

...Also, I need to pick up a 25ft HDMI-DVI cable. Any suggestions? I've been eyeing monoprice but I don't know if there quality fits the price...
JB

Maybe they were so tired of dealing with all the issues you had that they just snuck an H78 or H79 in there instead and put it in an H77 case:D?!?!?!

You might want to just get an HDMI-HDMI cable and then use an adapter for the DVI end? This would make it MUCH easier to pull thru any holes/walls/ceiling and it gives you the benefit of being ready for upgrade to a display device that has HDMI in.

Just a thought.....

Maybe they were so tired of dealing with all the issues you had that they just snuck an H78 or H79 in there instead and put it in an H77 case?!?!?!


Dave that's a good one. :D

I wonder sometimes if my 3rd H77 may have a DC3 in it. When I was talking to Stone {the person that did my panning upgrade} he said I would be very pleased with it, he would not elaborate any more info that. I also can not see any dimple all. With the first two I could see a slight dimple. I had nelsonforu {a fellow member} over a couple of weeks ago to compare the two and to give him a idea of what screen and related video equipment to go with since he is still building his HT room. And to tell you the truth other the him having a brand new unit and it was slightly brighter and slightly better reds, you would have a hard time telling them apart. Maybe I should split the case and fine out. :)

Dale

Dale,

Get out the screwdriver, we want to know!!!!!

Scott

Maybe they were so tired of dealing with all the issues you had that they just snuck an H78 or H79 in there instead and put it in an H77 case?!?!?!


Dave that's a good one. :D

I wonder sometimes if my 3rd H77 may have a DC3 in it. When I was talking to Stone {the person that did my panning upgrade} he said I would be very pleased with it, he would not elaborate any more info that. I also can not see any dimple all. With the first two I could see a slight dimple. I had nelsonforu {a fellow member} over a couple of weeks ago to compare the two and to give him a idea of what screen and related video equipment to go with since he is still building his HT room. And to tell you the truth other the him having a brand new unit and it was slightly brighter and slightly better reds, you would have a hard time telling them apart. Maybe I should split the case and fine out. :)

Dale

You may be dreaming a little bit. The soup up of the Ti DMD adds better color and contrast besides speeding up the panning. Nobody gets something for nothing in the real world. :)

But for $150 bucks it ain't bad.
enjoy

After all of the over night packaging to and from, I'm sure they didn't have enough money left over to send me a tick-tack let alone an upgrade. :D

I did end up with 2 HDMI-DVI converters though. I'm not sure how that happened. ;)

Dale,

Get out the screwdriver, we want to know!!!!!

Scott

Scott I will crack it open this weekend. The first time it come back after the panning upgrade and the lamp would not strike, I split the case to see if they may have forgotten to plug a cable in correctly, I did see the H77 tag on the optical block and from other pics that I have seen the H78DC3 and the H79 will have a H79 tag on the block. They did have it for a week so they had plenty of time to do it.

Dale

Curiosity's killing the cat, huh:D!!!

I split the case and it is a H77. Oh well wishful thinking. Had 500 hours since I got it back so it at least it give me a reason to clean it and check for any signs of outgassing and dust bunnys. :D

It amazes me how I can not see a dimple on it though. I have been able to see the dimple in the Benq 8700+, Sharp 2000 and the 12000, the Infocus 7205, Mits 2000 and the Sim2 Domino 30H, HT300 extra and the older HT500 DC2 fairly easy. :confused:

Dale

I have 1 DVI source and 2 Component sources. Can I use the BNC as component, if if so what kind of cable do I need?

Thanks,

Jim

I'm sorry if this has been covered. I searched, but couldn't find a reference to it. I've had the H77 for about 3 months now, but have less than 50 hrs on the bulb. The problem is that occassionally it just shuts down. It's only happened twice, so it's not a huge deal, but it just seems weird. It's not just the bulb that shuts down, the entire projector does. I have manually toggle the on/off switch to get it back on. Unfortunately, I haven't waited for the bulb to cool first...didn't know about that until now.

Is anyone familiar with this problem?

Other than that, no issues at all. I love this projector. I did have to dial the color index down quite a bit to get rid of clayfaces.

Thanks.

Is it hot in the room or can the exhausted air get back into the intake? I wonder if it is shutting down due to heat problems.

Gary

It's in my basement, so the room temperature is not a problem. However, I use a Pronto remote in RF mode, and the RF Extender is resting on top of the projector (projector is mounted on the ceiling). The extender is small and lightweight, but does give off some heat I'll move it and see if that is the problem.

Thanks.

Perhaps its overheating? Is the filter clogged?

I have been operating my H77+ in high lamp mode lately and noticed that the cover of the PJ doesn't seem as hot as when I operate the lamp on "normal". Even though the lamp is operating at a higher wattage, could the increase in fan speed actually be keeping the PJ cooler?

Anyone know if it's harmful to toggle back and forth between hi and low lamp modes. Depending on the source (DVD/Xbox), sometimes I'll switch between the two during a viewing session and wonder if it's better for the lamp in the long run to just keep it at one constant wattage.

The fan speed seems to be substantially higher in hi lamp mode, so this may account for the case being a little cooler despite the the higher wattage output. I toggle between hi and lo lamp mode as well, depending on what I am watching, and I have never experienced a problem. Although anytime you use it in hi mode I suspect the lamp life gets reduced a little.

I have 1 DVI source and 2 Component sources. Can I use the BNC as component, if if so what kind of cable do I need?

Thanks,

Jim

Jim,

Yes, the BNC input can be used to input either RGBHV or YPbPr component signals. All you need is some RCA to BNC adapters and if you're on a budget they can be had at Radio Shack. If you want a little better quality (Gold plated, true 75 Ohm etc.) just contact me and we can get you some or if you have a Tweeter store near you they sell Monster versions of the adapters.

I'm sorry if this has been covered. I searched, but couldn't find a reference to it. I've had the H77 for about 3 months now, but have less than 50 hrs on the bulb. The problem is that occassionally it just shuts down. It's only happened twice, so it's not a huge deal, but it just seems weird. It's not just the bulb that shuts down, the entire projector does. I have manually toggle the on/off switch to get it back on. Unfortunately, I haven't waited for the bulb to cool first...didn't know about that until now.

Is anyone familiar with this problem?

Other than that, no issues at all. I love this projector. I did have to dial the color index down quite a bit to get rid of clayfaces.

Thanks.

Fred,

I have been having some shutdown issues again lately as well:( Mine has something to do with the lamp. The pix blanks, then the red "LAMP FAIL" LED lights on the side of the unit. Does this LED light up when yours shuts down?

I had this issue a couple months ago but it went away and just reappeared a week or so ago. I only have about 300 hours on my bulb.

I think I'll try what others are discussing here about trying high lamp mode and see if that does anything due to the increased fan speed. Good tip:)

P.S. - I just realized this is the H77 thread. Mine is on an H79, sorry:(

I'm sorry if this has been covered. I searched, but couldn't find a reference to it. I've had the H77 for about 3 months now, but have less than 50 hrs on the bulb. The problem is that occassionally it just shuts down. It's only happened twice, so it's not a huge deal, but it just seems weird. It's not just the bulb that shuts down, the entire projector does. I have manually toggle the on/off switch to get it back on. Unfortunately, I haven't waited for the bulb to cool first...didn't know about that until now.

Is anyone familiar with this problem?

Other than that, no issues at all. I love this projector. I did have to dial the color index down quite a bit to get rid of clayfaces.

Thanks.

Do you have the power management item checked? Like if it see's no signal for an amount of time it will shut off automatically. like a sleeper control.

Does anyone have some pictures of their H77 ceiling mounted? With the projector being 20lbs, I'm curious about the installation. Did you mount it to a stud or did you mount it to the sheetrock with anchors or did you slap a piece of 3/4" MDF to 2 studs and mount your PJ to the MDF?

I'm playing around with the idea of a DYI mount that will support the PJ as well as hide the wires so any pictures or ideas would be greatly apprecitated... I may go the double plexi route but I dunno...

I've searched and googled for DYI mounts and I've paced the isles at Home Depot for so long that their going to give me an orange apron and stock options :D

Make a shelf out of wood and use L-brackets to attach to the stud. Plexy idea sounds good, nicer but a little harder to make. You want to have the projector down from the ceiling so it can enter the top of the screen. (no keystone)

Does anyone have some pictures of their H77 ceiling mounted? With the projector being 20lbs, I'm curious about the installation. Did you mount it to a stud or did you mount it to the sheetrock with anchors or did you slap a piece of 3/4" MDF to 2 studs and mount your PJ to the MDF?

I'm playing around with the idea of a DYI mount that will support the PJ as well as hide the wires so any pictures or ideas would be greatly apprecitated... I may go the double plexi route but I dunno...

I've searched and googled for DYI mounts and I've paced the isles at Home Depot for so long that their going to give me an orange apron and stock options :D

I would not use drywall anchors. They are rate for shearing weight, not pull through. Any kind of lateral movement and you could lose a $$$ projector. I have tried many times to make a diy mount and it's not that easy to get the right tilt and yaw adjustability.
How far from the ceiling?
Have you looked at buying a Chief mount? I think it would cost about $250, and you would still have to attach it to the ceiling. I stacked and glued 1x6 poplar, so that I could route the edges. Then screwed that to the joists and screwed my pipe plate to that. Added an 8" piece of pipe I was done . 6 lags hold it up, so I think I could hang from it.

The Chief mount consists of 2 pieces a custom cut and drilled plate a universal mounting bracket with all the adjustment you will need. I bought a mount on Ebay with the idea that I would throw away the plate and make my own. Then use the universal bracket. They sell discontinued mounts for $15-$25. I have an extra which I am thinking of listing. PM me if interested. I made a plate for my old Z1 that worked great, but the H77 has a larger footprint and I could not find a nice piece of metal, so I ended up buying the plate from Chief. This is all doable, you just have to "pick you fights".

Anything except a wall mounted shelf or hush box is going to leave the wires visible on the back side of the H77. People only notice until they see the image!

Have you looked at buying a Chief mount? I think it would cost about $250, and you would still have to attach it to the ceiling.

The Chief mount that's needed for the H77/78/79 is not nearly that expensive. It's about $100 cheaper and we can get that for you here at AVS.

You can get a plate to use for the ceiling and the threaded pole at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. for a very cheap price also.

Please contact me for further details:)

I recommend the mount, the particular one being recommended is pretty sturdy (for the boys). But if you DIY a platform style, I recommend 3 legs, not 4. 3 are very easy to adjust tilt and roll angles. 2 in the front, one in the back tripod style. Adjust roll with 2 front, adjust tilt with one back, adjust yaw by moging PJ on platform.

I used just two legs along the stud line and use the PJ's feet adjusters to square up.

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

Crude start, since then I've covered it in black velvet.

I used some MDF and a steel speaker mounting bracket:

http://uk.geocities.com/g.lightfoot@btinternet.com/scans/ht/ht1000/h77.jpg

And further modified to take an anamorphic lens:

http://uk.geocities.com/g.lightfoot@btinternet.com/scope.html

Gary

Pretty crafty Gary. :) I make plates like that for the chief mounts, no need to buy new RPA's.

Jim,

Yes, the BNC input can be used to input either RGBHV or YPbPr component signals. All you need is some RCA to BNC adapters and if you're on a budget they can be had at Radio Shack. If you want a little better quality (Gold plated, true 75 Ohm etc.) just contact me and we can get you some or if you have a Tweeter store near you they sell Monster versions of the adapters.

Thanks for your reply. So the cable is 3 RCA in one end and 3 BNC in the other and I will just leave the remaining 2 BNC's on the peojector open?

Thanks again,

Jim

Yes, that's correct, but you don't have to get all new cables if you don't have them. As I said in the original post, you can get RCA to BNC adapters at many stores or you can order from me here at AVS.

Just make sure the "Color Space" of the projector is set to either "AUTO" or "YUV" and that input will work fine for component. I suggest using "AUTO" just in case you later input some RGBHV and forget that it was set at YUV and are wondering why the image looks funny:D.

Thanks for the pics and ideas for the ceiling mount... I'm off to go pick up parts tomorrow.

JB

Any opinions on how the Panny AE900 compares to the H77?

Will this projector (H77) do PIP or perferably split screen? If so, where are the setting for it? If not, what projectors will? Thanks!

Is anyone running the H77 with the Panasonic S97 DVD player via HDMI/DVI???

I'm curious if you changed any of the settings on the DVD player or if you left everything on auto... Is there any reason to make changes to both the projector and the DVD player or just the projector???

Any numbers and settings would be greatly appreciated :D

Do you have the power management item checked? Like if it see's no signal for an amount of time it will shut off automatically. like a sleeper control.

No, don't have the checked, but it shut down again today, and I have some additional information. First, I checked the service menu--the bulb has 144 hours on it. Next, after the mysterious shutdown, I turned the projector back on. After about 2 minutes, I got the following warnings:

The blue power light was blinking and the lamp LED was solid red. According to the manual, this can mean either:

Error (Lamp fail) or
Error (Lamp Breakdown)

Does this mean I need a new bulb already? Perhaps I should call Optoma for service. I'd like to hear additional thoughts here first.

Thanks again.

Fred,

Yes, call Optoma tech support. That is the EXACT same problem I just had with only about 300 hours on the bulb. It is a bad bulb and needs to be replaced. I just got my replacement bulb on Friday and everything's fine now.

I was also amazed at how much brighter a new bulb was. I think my bulb was slowly dying and losing light output gradually and I hardly noticed until early last week while watching HD football.

Call them ASAP!!! They can do an advanced replacement if you don't want to be down at all. They will send the new bulb and take a cc #, then when you get the new one, send the old one back and they will credit back the charges to your cc.

Will this projector (H77) do PIP or perferably split screen? If so, where are the setting for it? If not, what projectors will? Thanks!


No, the H77/8/9 will not do PIP or split screen. There are external boxes that can do that though. I think Kramer makes one and so does TVOne. Try Key Digital also.

Is anyone running the H77 with the Panasonic S97 DVD player via HDMI/DVI???

I'm curious if you changed any of the settings on the DVD player or if you left everything on auto... Is there any reason to make changes to both the projector and the DVD player or just the projector???

Any numbers and settings would be greatly appreciated :D
I have H78 and S97 and using DVI seem to require quite a lot tweaking to get good picture.

Easiest way to archieve good picture is to set S97 outputting enhanced (0-255) and then press resync in H7x. Resync doesn't "stick" so you have to press it every time you cycle inputs or power up projector. Also you cannot fine tune Opto gray scale in enhanced mode.

Harder (but better) way is to use S97 in standard mode and then adjust Opto's gray scale. I found out these settings pretty good in my H78 (these settings may not work in your projector). RC=+7, GC=-5, BC=-6, RB=-6, GB=0, BB=+1. (Service menu values are following with above settings RC=152, GC=136, BC=133, RB=113, GB=113, BB=114). In S97 i only adjusted color to +3, everything else in default settings. Also you need to adjust Opto's brightness and contrast (use AVIA or DVE).

Thanks Big, I'll play with it tonight before the Monday night game...

Fred,

Yes, call Optoma tech support. That is the EXACT same problem I just had with only about 300 hours on the bulb. It is a bad bulb and needs to be replaced. I just got my replacement bulb on Friday and everything's fine now.

I was also amazed at how much brighter a new bulb was. I think my bulb was slowly dying and losing light output gradually and I hardly noticed until early last week while watching HD football.

Call them ASAP!!! They can do an advanced replacement if you don't want to be down at all. They will send the new bulb and take a cc #, then when you get the new one, send the old one back and they will credit back the charges to your cc.

Thanks Dave. I did as you suggested and Optoma says I have to pay $349 for a new bulb b/c I'm passed the 90 day warranty. (I bought the projector in April). I don't use it too much (144 hours since April), so this is very frustrating. Can anyone recommend a good source for replacement bulbs?

...Easiest way to archieve good picture is to set S97 outputting enhanced (0-255) and then press resync in H7x. Resync doesn't "stick" so you have to press it every time you cycle inputs or power up projector. Also you cannot fine tune Opto gray scale in enhanced mode...

If you use the "Enhanced setting" (0-255) then you will be setting it to output PC level DVI signals and this isn' the most optimal setting for video. You will be crushing below blacks and above whites. You want to use the "Video" (16-235) setting if at all possible.

Thanks Dave. I did as you suggested and Optoma says I have to pay $349 for a new bulb b/c I'm passed the 90 day warranty. (I bought the projector in April). I don't use it too much (144 hours since April), so this is very frustrating. Can anyone recommend a good source for replacement bulbs?


First off, I would totally complain about that as the unit only had 144 hours on it and the bulb should not have failed already. Number of months shouldn't matter, it should be hours on the bulb!!! The least they could do is sell you one at their cost.

If any of this doesn't work for some reason, feel free to contact me for a replacement bulb. We can get them here at AVS.

Was the bulb shut down without being cooled properly at all??? That could lead to premature failure.

First off, I would totally complain about that as the unit only had 144 hours on it and the bulb should not have failed already. Number of months shouldn't matter, it should be hours on the bulb!!! The least they could do is sell you one at their cost.

If any of this doesn't work for some reason, feel free to contact me for a replacement bulb. We can get them here at AVS.

Was the bulb shut down without being cooled properly at all??? That could lead to premature failure.

They told me that their price is $399, but they would discount it to $349 since the projector has so few hours on it.

I've never turned it off without cooling the bulb. However, when it does mysteriously shut down, it shuts down completely...there is no fan running or anything. That can't be good for the bulb.

Since this does not happen frequently, I think I'm going to wait to replace the bulb. My pain threshold is such that I can put up with this inconvenience rather than dropping another $349....for now.

Thanks again.

Fred,

If it happens some more I'd press them for a better solution and or contact yor dealer.

Scott

I do not own an Optoma, but I would tend to agree with Scott....... This is an issue best dealt with by the dealer.

You are just one person buying one projector that Optoma would like to be happy... whereas your dealer should have more influence with them (as they buy considerably more projectors).

If you use the "Enhanced setting" (0-255) then you will be setting it to output PC level DVI signals and this isn' the most optimal setting for video. You will be crushing below blacks and above whites. You want to use the "Video" (16-235) setting if at all possible.
I know, it shouldn't work this way but it does. S97 in enhanced mode does look very good. It passed BTB and WTW just like it does in standard mode (need to tweak brightness and contrast same way in both modes).

They must not shift the black level down to zero and the whites to 255 then. Otherwise the PLUGE and peak whites would be clipped. I wonder what they're doing? Whatever it is maybe all manufacturers should do that to alleviate some of this issues this usually creates.

They must not shift the black level down to zero and the whites to 255 then. Otherwise the PLUGE and peak whites would be clipped. I wonder what they're doing? Whatever it is maybe all manufacturers should do that to alleviate some of this issues this usually creates.
I've been wondering that too. Probably Panny is remapping BTB and WTW someway in to 0-255 range.

It's shame that Optoma cannot remember PC mode, so when using enhanced mode you have to remember press resync every time you power up pj. Also there's no way to fine tune gray scale in this mode, but it does look pretty good without tweaking (better than default video mode does).

I do not own an Optoma, but I would tend to agree with Scott....... This is an issue best dealt with by the dealer.

You are just one person buying one projector that Optoma would like to be happy... whereas your dealer should have more influence with them (as they buy considerably more projectors).

I bought it online at a reputable dealer. I called them, and they basically said "sorry, nothing we can do".

ISF_FRED - we probably bought it from the same place since I had the exact same problem at 500 hours on the bulb and they would only give me a discount on the new bulb (same offer). Looks like Optoma has a lot of bad bulbs being shipped - no wonder they were offering a second bulb for free with purchases.

Bob

I bought it online at a reputable dealer. I called them, and they basically said "sorry, nothing we can do".

Bummer.........

See, that'll teach you guys not to buy from A/V Science:D!!! I could've had some pull for you guys maybe:rolleyes:

See what happens when you try to save a buck or two from those internet clearing houses;)!!!

Like I said, if you need a bulb I can try to get you better pricing than they're offering. Contact me for details.

I Pm'ed the first group re the H77 upgrade today. Second group up next. Yey!

How often does the filter in the H77 need to be cleaned. The owners manual doesn't say anything about the filter and I have 150 hours on mine now.

I noticed my fan as louder lately. Wondering if my filter is needs cleaning. FIgured I would wait to pull it down till I hear the word from Guitarman for the upgrade :)

Anyone know if the fan increases speed when needed too for better cooling due to a dirtly filter or higher room temps?

Clean it every 3 months or less if you're inclinded. You run it under a water faucet and let it sit out to dry. Fan speed shouldn't be changing.

Thanks Tom.

Clean it every 3 months or less if you're inclinded. You run it under a water faucet and let it sit out to dry. Fan speed shouldn't be changing.

I thought it was a temp sensing fan, no??? If so, then it will certainly increase if the filter is clogged because temp increases due to less airflow, therefore making the fan go faster to compensate.

scanpa, they had a small plug in unit for the RF coax connector (maybe I got it at Cumberland Electronics, don't really remember:rolleyes: ) that went inline with your coax "F" connection. Ground loops can happen from the incoming RF line as well. As a matter of fact, that's usually where it starts, then it's passed on to other components connected to it through RCA, etc. connections. We used to have very large isolators for our 10KW HF, MF and TV RF transmitters.

Temp sensing? I've never read that. I don't hear the fan changing either with the heat on, but then again I'm Marshall Stack impaired.

That's what I thought it had, but then again I'm "remembering impaired":D!!!

I could swear I have heard the fan get louder on a few occasions after having the unit on for awhile like Sundays while watching hours and hours of football.

H7x definitely has temp sensing fan. I've heard my H78 changing fan speed often.
If I listen very carefully i can hear fan changing rpm up and down constantly when room temp gets very hot during summer time. And I've heard other H7x doing same.

I've never heard my H77 change fan speed, although I listen to movies pretty loud, so I may just never have noticed. I'll have to listen more closely to see if it does.

The fan sound is so low is probably why we never notice it. What fan :)

I just wanna let you know that I have same problem with lamp on my H79 , it only 444 hours and I already cant see picture on my Vutec Silver Star Screen, its very bad for optoma if they can't replace it for free.

I just wanna let you know that I have same problem with lamp on my H79 , it only 444 hours and I already cant see picture on my Vutec Silver Star Screen, its very bad for optoma if they can't replace it for free.

Well, I'm biting the bullet and sending my H77 in for warranty work. I really think it's the bulb, but want to be sure and at least have a record that they worked on it. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Will probably be a few weeks turnaround.

My H77 doesn't change fan speed while watching a movie (at least I haven't noticed it). But I do notice it speed up when I power it down after a movie. The lamp goes off and the fan kicks into high for the cooldown. I also believe I have noticed it ramp up when I put the projector in bright mode, and then back down in normal mode.

Mr Guitarman or anyone else

Can someone post some of their calibration settings, I just want to run them against what I got. I know its a matter of preference but I just want to see how far I am off. THanks..

Mainly start with

Gamma 1, color temp 2, image mode TV. Then tune with Avia, DVE or last resort the THX-optimizer. After that use the how to tune the grayscale info in the first post.

I just ordered mine and am excited to get it. I just can't deal with the LCD FPN and VB that I'm getting with the Panny AE700, so it's going back to the store. I was told by Visual Apex that I got the very last one they had.

Good idea, you're in for a nice surprise. I just tuned an H77 today and if I didn't know it I'd swear I was viewing the H79.

enjoy your new toy

My H77 doesn't change fan speed while watching a movie (at least I haven't noticed it). But I do notice it speed up when I power it down after a movie. The lamp goes off and the fan kicks into high for the cooldown. I also believe I have noticed it ramp up when I put the projector in bright mode, and then back down in normal mode.

FYI,

I was just standing under my H79 yesterday doing some work on my comcrap signal and I distinctly heard the fan change speeds. This was after it had been on for a while as I was being tortured all day by their ignorant CSRs:eek:

I just ordered mine and am excited to get it. I just can't deal with the LCD FPN and VB that I'm getting with the Panny AE700, so it's going back to the store. I was told by Visual Apex that I got the very last one they had.


You sound like me! I hate LCD for the exact reasons you metioned. You are really going to like the H77 a lot.

Not without artifacts, though.... temporal dithering on pans is very noticeable along with some motion blur, but not nearly the deal killer that VB is.

Andrew, those artifacts have been fixed with the Upgrade I tested it. All the very hard to render panning scenes played exactly like the H79 now. I looked at the FOTR scenes, Drawfs get their rings, Journey in the Dark (a very tuff scene to play) and the Wizard fight. All these played smoth with none of the major ripples that went along with them before the upgrade. Darn thing works. :)

Hi all,

Recently some of you mentioned cleaning the filter for the H77. How do you remove the filter? Do you just pry out the plastic frame to gain access to the filter? I hope I don't have to take the unit down. Thanks in advance for any information.

Bruce

The filter cover prys out easily, you run the filter under faucet water, press it dry with a paper towel then let it stand out until completely dry.

Thank you very much for the information. That's just what I wanted to hear.

Bruce

Tom,

I'm afraid I need further advice. I tried prying the grill out using a flat-bladed screw driver. It did not seem to want to move, and I was afraid of using too much force and breaking the grill. I also tried using a hook--also a no go. Looking back up through the exhaust vent, I can just make out a screw which "looks like" it is related to the grill. How do you usually pry the grill out? If you use the "screw driver" method, where do you place the screw driver? Thanks in advance for any info.

Bruce

There's two plastic thumbnail levers that you press backwards and lift. The filter grill on the bottom of the projector.

BE CAREFUL lifting the plastic thumbnail covers. On my first H77 they were very easy to pry back. On my current unit, they are VERY tight and don't seem to want to move. I broke a tab trying to pry it back (which Optoma graciously fixed) because it was so stiff.

Andrew, those artifacts have been fixed with the Upgrade I tested it. All the very hard to render panning scenes played exactly like the H79 now. I looked at the FOTR scenes, Drawfs get their rings, Journey in the Dark (a very tuff scene to play) and the Wizard fight. All these played smoth with none of the major ripples that went along with them before the upgrade. Darn thing works. :)

So the upgrade should be included already on the projector I'm getting, correct?

AAEEAAEE(bad buzzing sound)

Nope, Thanks for playing.

Scott
PS Send Tom(guitarman a PM)

All,

Thanks for all the advice regarding cleaning the filter. My H77 is hung from the ceiling. The mounting hardware covers part of the intake grill, and that's what tripped me up. I was looking at the wrong grill--the one above the exhaust port. Once I looked at the other side of the projector, I saw the fingernail tabs Tom referred to. Sheesh! Anywho, I cleaned the filter per the suggestions and reinstalled. Thanks again.

Bruce

AAEEAAEE(bad buzzing sound)

Nope, Thanks for playing.

Scott
PS Send Tom(guitarman a PM)

If I have a problem with the PQ when I get it and calibrate it, I'll do that. Thanks for the heads-up.

Has anyone thought about painting that flat white casing or did the non-valid warranty scare you away???

I'm thinking about doing it in a black shelf-paper decal kinda look because it's the only thing white in my entire basment and then if I ever need to send it in for work, I'll just peel it off...

Thoughts...

Also, I can't do a hush box due to a 18" drop...

So the upgrade should be included already on the projector I'm getting, correct?

No! You have to contact Guitarman for the upgrade...

Be VERY careful with the filter thumb tabs. BOTH of mine broke off when taking it off to clean:eek: Optoma graciously replace mine also. They said they had a few cases of this and may redesign it.

I've got the H77 paired up with a Denon 2910 via DVI and I just got my Avia disk. Might be a stupid question but should I be changing the settings in the DVD player or projector (or both?) to calibrate? HD sat box will follow in a month or so.

Thanks.

First you try tuning with just the projector. Then if when using Avia you can't see the two moving bars in the brightness and contrast pattern you'll have to use the Players brightness and contrast adjustments to make them appear or not being crushed out.

Thanks Guitarman, one last thing, I would like to get the upgrade, however I'm not too excited about shipping the unit over the border. Do you know if Optoma Canada is aware of the upgrade, or someone else north of the border that could do it?

hehe, I'm not too excited about shipping thru customs over the border either. So I didn't plan on getting involved. But I don't want anyone to be without. PM me.

As far as I know only the UK and US are helping. No word from our friends above.

I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere but I am trying to figure out how to properly setup my HD Tivo and Denon DVD-3910 for the H77.

When I playback programs from my HD Tivo the projector syncs to Digital RGB. Is that correct or should it sync to DVI: YPbPr? When I hit the resync button on the remote, I do not notice any changes to the inputs or the picture. Does that seem correct? The HDMI output from the HD Tivo is connected to the HDMI input of my Denon AVR-4806. The HDMI output from the Denon is then connected to the H77 via a HDMI to DVI converter.

I have the Denon DVD-3910 connected to the Denon AVR-4806 via an HDMI cable. As with the HD Tivo, it is then fed to the projector via the Denon's HDMI output. The Denon DVD-3910 allows you 2 choices for the HDMI output - YCbCr or RGB. Which is the correct choice for the H77? Does the resync button on the remote impact this source and if so what should it display if I have it setup correctly?

Thank you for your help.

Digital RGB for both, no resyncing to PC/brightness levels needed. For your Denon as long as you can see the Black/bars & Contrast bars patterns with Avia/DVE etc you're ok and at the correct levels. If they're blotted out then the players outputting PC/level brightness.

The problem appears with some devices that send PC/level brightness, like some upscaling players the Bravo for one. With these we can correct to video level brightness buy using the players onboard brightness and contrast adjusments, if they have them. I'm not certain but do think the Denon outputs video level.

We want to use the Optoma projectors in video level brightness, it's the only way to make use of the Advanced RGB adjustments to better the grayscale.

The 3910 will output Video levels via DVI, set the enhanced black option (think that was what it was called) in the menu to off.

Thanks Scott, similar to the Pany S97 where they call it Enhanced and have Normal, Enchanced is PC-brightness level or 0-255.

...I have the Denon DVD-3910 connected to the Denon AVR-4806 via an HDMI cable. As with the HD Tivo, it is then fed to the projector via the Denon's HDMI output. The Denon DVD-3910 allows you 2 choices for the HDMI output - YCbCr or RGB. Which is the correct choice for the H77? Does the resync button on the remote impact this source and if so what should it display if I have it setup correctly?

Thank you for your help.

Wow, I'm so glad you popped into this thread:eek:!!! I have been trying to find someone to test out whether the H77-79 can input a digital YCbCr signal through it's DVI input.

You say that your Denon 3910 has a selection for YCbCr and RGB for the HDMI output??? Can you please verify if your H77 will take the YCbCr mode through HDMI/DVI??? This has been a question for a while here and you can answer it...you da man!!!

If it accepts YCbCr, I recommend using that over RGB since it has the ability to do 12-bit processing over RGB's 8 Bit.

Let me know what you find out:)!!!

Dave.........

Is the signal going to be affected running through the receiver? Could that bottleneck the YCbCr?

Perhaps for the test it would be best to use his HDMI/DVI cable straight from the 3910 and eliminate the receiver???

Steve,

I think the receiver is just a pass-thru device, so whatever it gets, it sends out, but yes it would be best to connect it directly just to be sure.

I got hold of a Denon 2910 tonight and it's a no go:( The 2910 automatically senses the DVI input and configures it's HDMI output to only output RGB:mad:

Is there any source like a DVD player or HD box that can be forced to output YCbCr thru it's HDMI output irregardless of whether it's connected to an HDMI or DVI input? As I said, the H79 tries to detect YCbCr on its DVI input and Greg Rogers said his AccuPel will do it and sync to the H79, but so far no sources have been reported to work this way:(

The problem appears with some devices that send PC/level brightness, like some upscaling players the Bravo for one. With these we can correct to video level brightness buy using the players onboard brightness and contrast adjusments, if they have them. I'm not certain but do think the Denon outputs video level.

Guitarman,

How about those of us running HTPCs? How do I correct for that?

Jason

I've done some grayscaling for HTPC's. The users have their HTPC setup to send digital/RGB video/brightness level or the technical term 16-235.

Hey Tom, can you take 5 minutes for me and hook up your AccuPel to the DVI input and output YCbCr for me and let me know if it syncs up to the H79? Thanks VERY much if you get the time:)!!!

I got hold of a Denon 2910 tonight and it's a no go:( The 2910 automatically senses the DVI input and configures it's HDMI output to only output RGB:mad:

Is there any source like a DVD player or HD box that can be forced to output YCbCr thru it's HDMI output irregardless of whether it's connected to an HDMI or DVI input? As I said, the H79 tries to detect YCbCr on its DVI input and Greg Rogers said his AccuPel will do it and sync to the H79, but so far no sources have been reported to work this way:(

Maybe a scaler could do it. I'm set to get one of Optoma's new Gennum signal processors in a few weeks maybe I'll get lucky.

Greg has some sort of format to get the Accupel to work. I did hit YCbCR but it wouldn't sync.

I have tried the Lumagen to no avail:(!!!

Tom, did you see my post here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6469486&&#post6469486

Any suggestions???

It sounds like your H79 reverted back to H77 without upgrade. Keep testing look at the Chap 28 FOTR scene and in the beginning Drawfs get their rings clip. They should look smooth.

I got my H77 tonight and everything was going along smoothly - great picture; I was very happy with it. After about an hour and a half though, it started flickering and it was getting worse and worse the longer I had it on. It looked as if the picture turned negative (like looking at black and white 35mm film negatives) if that makes any sense. I'm using an Oppo DVD player set to 720P connected via DVI. I had a Panny AE700 before this and I can't remember seeing anything like that on it. I checked the connections and all seemed fine - nothing was overly loose that I could tell. It is actually an HDMI cable with a DVI adapter at both ends as I ran it in the wall when I built my theater room. Any thoughts on this?

I got my H77 tonight and everything was going along smoothly - great picture; I was very happy with it. After about an hour and a half though, it started flickering and it was getting worse and worse the longer I had it on. It looked as if the picture turned negative (like looking at black and white 35mm film negatives) if that makes any sense. I'm using an Oppo DVD player set to 720P connected via DVI. I had a Panny AE700 before this and I can't remember seeing anything like that on it. I checked the connections and all seemed fine - nothing was overly loose that I could tell. It is actually an HDMI cable with a DVI adapter at both ends as I ran it in the wall when I built my theater room. Any thoughts on this?

I had this happen to the first H77 that I had. It was working fine for the first 20 hours or so, and then all of a sudden the picture turned into that negative image that you are now seeing. I spoke with an Optoma technician about the problem and he knew what I was talking about once I described it to him. It was a defective projector and I had to send it back for a replacement. The problem that you are having sounds exactly the same, so I don't think it is your cables. I had both DVI and component cables connected to the projector and it did it with both type of connections.

Thanks for the info. That doesn't sound good. Has anyone else ever seen this?

Yep, my first one would start to give off a strobe light effect after on for awhile. Screen would blank into RED or Blue or Green and flicker on and off very fast, pretty disturbing the first time it happens :eek: Happy to say Optoma did take care of it.

Well I watched the projector again tonight and the same thing happened. After about an hour of use, I got the flickering/negative look again. I disconnected the source and the flickering was still there so it's definitely the projector.

Based on the fact that I am on my third H77, as well as the problems that have been posted by other owners, I think that Optoma's quality control isn't the greatest.

Based on the fact that I am on my third H77, as well as the problems that have been posted by other owners, I think that Optoma's quality control isn't the greatest.

I had some BenQ pjs that seems to spend more time in shipping and BenQ service department then watching movies. My H77 has been flawless with about 400 hours on it so far.... Sorry to hear about your troubles..

The H77 that I have now (3rd) has 220 hours on it, and no problems so far. I guess the third time is the charm :)

It sounds like your H79 reverted back to H77 without upgrade. Keep testing look at the Chap 28 FOTR scene and in the beginning Drawfs get their rings clip. They should look smooth.

I did and they don't:mad:

Tom, you have a PM regarding the H77 "upgrade".

The upgrades are storming by, I'll PM the next group tomorrow.

The upgrades are storming by, I'll PM the next group tomorrow.


HIGHLY recommended!! $$$ well spent. Be sure you get the calibration!

Scott

P.S. Tom, I want my kickback:) :)

How about a cigar? :) Naah don't start it's hard to stop.

One member had me tune DVI/DVD, Component HDTV & 480i/sdtv, BNC/PC also. Very neat that the Optoma will give you a clean RGB/slate for each signal it see's plus connection type.

Hey Tom,
I wrote an email to Optoma (as you suggested) to ask if anyone would be available to upgrade my H77 in Canada so I wouldn't have to ship the unit across the border etc... and I got this answer....... any thoughts?

From: Thomas Brock
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 8:51 AM
To: Asif Lalani
Subject: Re: Optoma H77 firmware upgrade

Asif,
I apologize for any confusion the various postings may have brought up, but despite what you may have read, there is no upgrade for the H77.
Thomas Brock
Optoma Technology, Inc.


Asif Lalani wrote:
Hi,
I've been following some threads on AVSFORUM regarding an upgrade that has been made available for the H77 Projector. Apparently, one of the board regulators has been authorized and trained (by Optoma) to perform the upgrades in the United States and I was wondering if there is anyone able to perform the same upgrades here in Canada? I'm specifically in Vancouver, BC and definitely would like to take advantage of the upgrade without the "risk" and expense of having to ship my unit across the border. Please help !

Thanks,
Asif Lalani
Vancouver, British Columbia

Hey Tom,
I wrote an email to Optoma (as you suggested) to ask if anyone would be available to upgrade my H77 in Canada so I wouldn't have to ship the unit across the border etc... and I got this answer....... any thoughts?

Looks like they don't want to do it or were told not to.

Guitarman....My firmware upgrade and calibration is great, the extra tweaks make it a different, brighter, 3D like image...can't believe it's the same old (Aug 2004) H77. money well spent....it'll last me a few years 'till the 1080P's get to a reasonable price.

If you have a H77 you must get the upgrade/calibration.

After further questioning to Optoma, this is what I got back....

From: Thomas Brock
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 4:13 PM
To: Asif Lalani
Subject: Re: Optoma H77 firmware upgrade

Asif,
There is no official upgrade. If the person you are referring to is guitarman, then he may be able to help you, but he is the only one I am aware of who is doing any sort of H77 upgrades in all of North or South America.
Thomas Brock
Optoma Technology, Inc


This seems very strange to me.. is this type of thing common practice??

After further questioning to Optoma, this is what I got back....



This seems very strange to me.. is this type of thing common practice??


You need to read the "H78 arrives in the US" thread.
It will explain everything.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=551934


Scott

guitarman should change his handle here to "he da' man":D!!!

Guitarman....My firmware upgrade and calibration is great, the extra tweaks make it a different, brighter, 3D like image...can't believe it's the same old (Aug 2004) H77. money well spent....it'll last me a few years 'till the 1080P's get to a reasonable price.

If you have a H77 you must get the upgrade/calibration.


Sure love hearing these comments..

"da' man" has my H77 as we speak :)

Hi Guys!

Is it still possible to do the H77 upgrade in europe? I've been away from the forums pretty much since i bought it (almost a year ago), so I only recently heard about it. Who would I contact to get it done?

//Slas

It started at the UK headquarters, contact member Garylightfoot he should be able to tell you who to contact.

Sure love hearing these comments..

"da' man" has my H77 as we speak :)

Hey Mr. addict,

Are you having him do grayscale??

Scott

Hey Mr. addict,

Are you having him do grayscale??

Scott

Yes, I decided to at the last minute with all the great feedback/comments posted..

Yes, I decided to at the last minute with all the great feedback/comments posted..


Cool,

Give me a phone call once you get it back and hooked up, please.

Scott

We have a home theater with an Optoma h77. We have blown through two lamps much faster then we should have. This last time we had to send it to the company and they couldn't find any reason why. Has anyone else had this problem? Otherwise, we've been really happy with this projector.

We have a home theater with an Optoma h77. We have blown through two lamps much faster then we should have. This last time we had to send it to the company and they couldn't find any reason why. Has anyone else had this problem? Otherwise, we've been really happy with this projector.

No problem here.. Actually have not heard anyone complain about going through bulbs. Wonder if it's getting too hot or what?

Bulbs are the weak horse with all the companies. That's why they only get a 90day warranty from the makers. You can be sure they get after the companies to QC as best they can. Unhappy customers with premature bulb failure has to be their worst nightmare.

Hi All,

Just wondering your thoughts on the older but great h77 vs the 2 new lcd pj's from panny and sanyo. Brightness? Screendoor? Contrast? Black level? HDTV? DVD? The usual stuff really. I've never seen an h77 in person, but I have seen the h79--i loved it esp in hd, but alas, its way to much $$$ for me. The h77 is now in my price range, and i saw a infocus 7205 that looked fantastic to me (if thats any help for comparison.)

Thanks for the help, this will be my first pj and I'm extremely excited....

tuba,

The H77 is not that far off the H79. I own one and would buy it again in a heartbeat. I was debating on getting an H79 but after getting it calibrated do not feel the need.

Scott

Lots of plp have their pj hooked up to a ups including myself..Im not 100% sure if this may prolonge the bulb life but its definitely nice in a blackout... any thoughts?

Hey guys.... just got a Xbox 360 and the H77 is being stubborn and won't sync up with the 720p output. I can display Cable hi-def in 720p just fine. I have the Source Lock on in the projector menu as well. Anybody ever had a problem syncing something with their H77?

Hey guys.... just got a Xbox 360 and the H77 is being stubborn and won't sync up with the 720p output. I can display Cable hi-def in 720p just fine. I have the Source Lock on in the projector menu as well. Anybody ever had a problem syncing something with their H77?

Are you using component? What resolution is the Xbox set to? Have you tried the other resolutions?

Yeah... it's component. I tried 1080i as well. No go there either. It seems to find it for a split second, then moves off and cycles back to 480p.

Yeah... it's component. I tried 1080i as well. No go there either. It seems to find it for a split second, then moves off and cycles back to 480p.


can you try DVI/HDMI?

Yeah... it's component. I tried 1080i as well. No go there either. It seems to find it for a split second, then moves off and cycles back to 480p.

OK, trying to understand what is really happening.. You have it set to 720P or 1080i but it syncs to 480P. Sounds like the dashboard is only 480i/P (depending on connection) but when you go into a game it should sync to 720P or 1080i (depending on your setup). This is how the current Xbox works. Only the games are in HD, the dash is simply 480i.

No problem here.. Actually have not heard anyone complain about going through bulbs. Wonder if it's getting too hot or what?
It's ceiling mounted and should have plenty of ventilation, etc. They said they updated the firmwear to "run more efficiently" when it went back to optoma. If we continue to have the problem I may have to assume we got a lemon!
It's so convenient that the lamps have 90 day warranties...

Wow I thought I was the only one. I am having the same problem as wolfyncsu7, what it is doing is when you go through the GUI on the XBOX to set the display settings once you click on 720 or 1080 it flickers and the Optoma will attempt to find another source, but it will go back to 480. If anyone has any help on this I will greatly appreciate it.

RE:bulbs

I too have had a bulb go at 600!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hrs. I now have a ups hooked up so that cooling can happen even in a blackout. I think having the pj in to Optoma to repair the DMD board wouldn't have helped given they probably turned on the pj many times for short periods. This wouldn't have helped. Prior to blackout I had in the summer I followed the rules for long bulb life but the above events may have shortened the life. It didn't blow, but it got quite dark. Funny thing was, as it got darker rainbows disappeared completely. Could not produce one

Jayray Mine just went out also at 580hrs not a good sign is it. There are a few owners that have already had there go out around 600hrs. :(

Dale

My first lamp became really dim at around 600 hrs. After getting the upgrade from Optoma and a new lamp, I'm around 800 hrs on the replacement bulb and it's still looking pretty good. Much better than the first lamp. I have another replacement to put in around 1000 to 1500 hrs... if the current bulb will last that long :rolleyes: (knocking on wood).

I complained to Optoma but they didn't seem too concerned, then again they might have thought I wanted a new bulb which is correct. Maybe if the warranties were a little longer, Optoma would put pressure on the bulb companies. I wonder if other manufacturers are having the same problem?

How do you guys have the H77 hooked up? Via DVI??? If so, I think I may have been on to something with my previous comments about the 5V power on the DVI input. I too had bulbs get very dim and/or fail prematurely as well as the DVI programming/processing/scaling go wacky. It's very similar to an issue with the DTV HD tivo's where they had issues and had to use that Gefen DVI Detective unit to isolate the two units from from each's 5V PS. That's the only way that my Bravo D1 will work with my plasma, with one of these Gefen unit's in line. If it's not, the 5V locks up and freezes my D1:eek:

This 5V could be going where it shouldn't (thru ground???) and prematurely killing bulbs and DVI chips.

It would be great if Optoma could test this theory...Tom????

Dave,
I own an HDTivo and my H77 will arrive tomorrow. Do Gefen DVI switches isolate the 5v, or just the Detective? I use one of the cheapie mechanical DVI switches so I'm thinking of a Gefen switch, but if it won't isolate the 5v, I may as well buy a Detective.


How do you guys have the H77 hooked up? Via DVI??? If so, I think I may have been on to something with my previous comments about the 5V power on the DVI input. I too had bulbs get very dim and/or fail prematurely as well as the DVI programming/processing/scaling go wacky. It's very similar to an issue with the DTV HD tivo's where they had issues and had to use that Gefen DVI Detective unit to isolate the two units from from each's 5V PS. That's the only way that my Bravo D1 will work with my plasma, with one of these Gefen unit's in line. If it's not, the 5V locks up and freezes my D1:eek:

This 5V could be going where it shouldn't (thru ground???) and prematurely killing bulbs and DVI chips.

It would be great if Optoma could test this theory...Tom????

I am not sure and I don't think that was an intended feature of the Detective. I just happened to try it when I had the issue with my plasma/D1 and it worked.

I did have a Gefen switcher inline at all times with this H79, so I am thinking that no it doesn't give the same benefit as the Detective.

The best bet is to contact Gefen Tech spt to see what they think.

I can get you a DVI Detective if you need one.

How old is your HD Tivo? I have heard they fixed the issue on newer units I think. I would go to that forum and check it out.

Dave I have mine hooked up to DVI.

Dale

OK, thanks:)!!! You may be a good candidate for the Detective. It's only about $70. It may be worth the peace of mind, if anything.

(NOTE: Please be advised that this recommendation is based on a theory of mine from limited testing and reading regarding some DVI/HDMI issues with various products and is in no way way to be considered scientifically proven fact...yet)

Add me to the list of premature bulb failure. I have an H78 and just had to send the whole unit back to Optoma for going DIM at 100hours. It's about 100 days old. They said they would likely cover it under warranty. I think they really need to do something about bulbs. At least be more honest about bulb life. It seems that the advertised hours are more an exception than a rule. I rarely hear of anyone that reaches the 2000 hours stated for brite mode much less the 3000 advertised for regular.

Dave...............

So you had a Gefen DVI switch inline before when you had the problem......... therefore we can conclude that just an inline switch does not prevent the voltage problem.

Yes, it appears that way:rolleyes:

Add me to the list of premature bulb failure. I have an H78 and just had to send the whole unit back to Optoma for going DIM at 100hours. It's about 100 days old. They said they would likely cover it under warranty. I think they really need to do something about bulbs. At least be more honest about bulb life. It seems that the advertised hours are more an exception than a rule. I rarely hear of anyone that reaches the 2000 hours stated for brite mode much less the 3000 advertised for regular.

I've been seeing quite a few projectors lately with high hours and good bulb brightness. H77's and the H79. There's bound to be some trouble, you can hear it from all the companies. But you can bet there's thousands of owners doing fine. You never hear from the though.

My H79 has 1200hrs and I don't feel the need to use bright mode yet.

Key things are don't restart your projector until full cool down maybe 1hr. Don't run the PJ for over 6hrs, don't bump the projector around after just turning it off (table mounters). Watch out for hot house, it get very hot up at the ceiling.

Dave I might just take you up on that, my second lamp is already dropping of drastically and has some flickering also. Optoma said to send the projector back and they will swap it out. He said they already have some panning modded H77s ready to swap out.

I have it on a APC 1500va backup. I even brought it to work and put it on our Fluke Scope meter and it is putting out a pure sine wave with no clipping and that was under a similar load.

Optoma thinks it may be a bad lamp power supply and I agree with them. Bring on unit #4 :confused: I guess I just have piss poor luck with projectors. :mad:

That makes HS10 that went back 3 times the 4th time they swapped it out, the current owner has put a **** load of hours on it since with no problems. 3 8700+ ****** C/S so I give up on Benq, 4 H77s. God dam shipping sure is adding up isn't it. Could have enough to have a Ruby by now. :D With that all said I would have to say the projector that I have had the least amount of problems with would be NEC HT1100 god I wished that they would come out with a 720p and a 1080P projector.

I will say one thing though when the H77 is working it is a great unit. With a new lamp in it looks great. I just wished Optoma would give up and give me a H79. :)

Dale

Hai,

Hope someone can help, i have a H78 with about 1500hours on it, it fires up no problem, shows the themescene/optoma logo and then shuts down after about 20 to 25seconds. blue led flashes and orange stable (lamp fail) but it does show 'normal' image for a few seconds. So is this really a bulb problem ?

Need advice before i order a new bulb.

Daniel.

Try re-seating the bulb a few times. Try it with the room pretty cool. If you ceiling mount try the PJ table mounted. I had one that did exacty what yours is doing only when inverted.

Try re-seating the bulb a few times. Try it with the room pretty cool. If you ceiling mount try the PJ table mounted. I had one that did exacty what yours is doing only when inverted.

I did reseat the bulb already but ill take it down and see if it works in table mode, but do you agree that it doesn't seem to be the bulb itself?

edit Wow tom first hints seem to agree with you i flipped it over and its working now. Ill do some more testing. But how do i really solve it and can it be bulb related ? Seems weird this starting after about 1500h of use. How did you solve it in the end.

edit 2:

This is indeed it, i tested it several times (and reseated too), one fun test is turning it on in table mode and then slowly flipping it. it shuts down about 75% into the flip. This is the weirdest thing ive seen a projector do.


Daniel.

Far out, what I did was build a ceiling shelf for it and used it non stop no problemo for many months. Eventually it went back to Optoma for service, they said it was a short.

Hey guys.... just got a Xbox 360 and the H77 is being stubborn and won't sync up with the 720p output. I can display Cable hi-def in 720p just fine. I have the Source Lock on in the projector menu as well. Anybody ever had a problem syncing something with their H77?

Wow I thought I was the only one. I am having the same problem as wolfyncsu7, what it is doing is when you go through the GUI on the XBOX to set the display settings once you click on 720 or 1080 it flickers and the Optoma will attempt to find another source, but it will go back to 480. If anyone has any help on this I will greatly appreciate it.

wolfyncsu7 and Alphaman06, did you guys get this sorted out? I'm about to pick up a 360 and I want to make sure it's going to get along with the H77 :confused:

If the component input won't sync you could get the vga cable for the 360 and try the BNC inputs on the H77 (I'm going to give it a try).

I have an XBOX 1 and it sync's with no problem. It was at 480p and changed to 720p and no sync problem. What you want to do with the Optoma is set the source lock to on. Then when you want to sync to anything keep hitting the corresponding remote button till you see the readout you want on the screen, then stop. Like Digital/RGB for DVI 720p or RCA YPbPr for component, once you see these on the screen stop hitting the remote button.

Sorry I haven't checked back in about my 360 problem on the H77, guys. (I've been too busy playing the 360 in 720p on my H77) Anyways, it was a FALSE ALARM. Turns out it was just a bad cable. Must have been something wrong with the switch on the component cable. I exchanged it and the new one works fine.

Alphaman, try getting a new cable (I got my 360 at EBgames and they very readily let me switch out the cable).

Sorry again if I scared ya, Client1. I bought the H77 mostly in preparation for the 360, so I kind of jumped the gun and flipped out when I couldn't get it to display in 720p. But it works and looks amazing. Good combination. You're going to love it.

Ahhh... I feel much better wolfyncsu7. Glad you got it sorted out and it was something simple. Nice to hear the combination looks amazing.

OT: what games do you have/recommend? I want some nice eye candy to see on the H77. (Kameo, COD2) are already here waiting :D

Cilent1, I'll try not to get too off topic, but I have PGR3, Madden, Perfect Dark, and Call of Duty 2. They're all amazing graphically, especially Call of Duty. Download the NBA Live demo. I've heard it aint so great in the gameplay department for a full game, but tell me those graphics aren't insane. I plan on picking up Condemned in the next few weaks. I've read that the atmosphere in 720p and 5.1 Sound is great. You'll have to tell me how Kameo is. I bought Conker for the Xbox and absolutely hated it, so I'm staying away from Kameo for now.

I guess to keep this somewhat on topic. Do you have guitarman's upgrade for the H77? I don't and to be honest I don't really know if I ever see the panning issue (not even sure what I'm looking for). If it's a little bit of a blur on quick pans, I guess maybe I've seen that, but I wasn't sure if that was just the way anything looks on a quick pan. Anyways, just curious how an upgraded H77 might improve videogame performance since there are alot of quick pans in gaming. Let me know if you do and are able to see a difference.

Cilent1, I'll try not to get too off topic, but I have PGR3, Madden, Perfect Dark, and Call of Duty 2. They're all amazing graphically, especially Call of Duty. Download the NBA Live demo. I've heard it aint so great in the gameplay department for a full game, but tell me those graphics aren't insane. I plan on picking up Condemned in the next few weaks. I've read that the atmosphere in 720p and 5.1 Sound is great. You'll have to tell me how Kameo is. I bought Conker for the Xbox and absolutely hated it, so I'm staying away from Kameo for now.

I guess to keep this somewhat on topic. Do you have guitarman's upgrade for the H77? I don't and to be honest I don't really know if I ever see the panning issue (not even sure what I'm looking for). If it's a little bit of a blur on quick pans, I guess maybe I've seen that, but I wasn't sure if that was just the way anything looks on a quick pan. Anyways, just curious how an upgraded H77 might improve videogame performance since there are alot of quick pans in gaming. Let me know if you do and are able to see a difference.

You obviously don't have a problem spending money so why would not get the H77 upgrade. It fixes a known problem, increases brightness, adds a little C/R, and possibly improves colors. Along with a offical Guitarman grayscale calibration it's a no-brainer!

BTW: I never seen or was bothered by the panning issue. Not sure what to look for and didn't feel the need to find it but still got the upgrade... Not sure it he will continue to offer it so if you decide to I wouldn't wait too long..

This is true I'm just about all wrapped up with the members that responded. Wierd only 20 out of 60. Allot of the group were new here and didn't turn their email response on. Probably not around here much.

They'll be SOL after January. It pays to hang at AVS, keep up with what's new. :)

Guitarman, money is actually kind of tight right now, because like htaddict said "I don't have a problem spending it" (usually). But, if I tried setting something up with you after the holidays to send you my H77 during the first week of January, would you still be doing the upgrade? Do you know what the total cost is (upgrade + shipping) and how long the turnaround usually is? If you would rather respond in a private message, I'll try to remember to check it.

It's a one day turnaround. You should PM me about it for info plus a place in line.
thx

Defiently the upgrade is great for top notch panning but it's the grayscaling that really kicks butt. You should see any movie after fine tuning, drool is a good word. :)

wolfyncsu7, the panning fix and calibration is highly recommended. The panning was a minor annoyance IMO. But getting the PJ calibrated will certainly be a big plus. Definitely check with Tom before time runs out.

Tom, I'll have 50 hours on the new lamp by next week. Then she's all yours!

Regards

This is true I'm just about all wrapped up with the members that responded. Wierd only 20 out of 60. Allot of the group were new here and didn't turn their email response on. Probably not around here much.

They'll be SOL after January. It pays to hang at AVS, keep up with what's new. :)
What happens in January? Do I need to stop selling AV-RS232's for the H77/79/79's ? :)

Not if they'll work on the H80/81 :D

Client, sounds great.

Hi Scott,
I'll have to return Optoma's HTPC with the upgrade data some time in the near future.

...The panning was a minor annoyance IMO...


I wish I could say the same thing:D!!!

My H77 has about 600 hrs (first lamp) Everything still looks great. I do run it on BRITE
mode, so I'm hoping to get another 600 hrs.
2 questions; I should get a replacement now in case of premature death, Any suggestions
as to where to purchase? And secondly, If I were to send the H77 back to Optoma for any
upgrades (will the upgrades be free? and roughly how long will they keep the unit?)

Optoma will add firmware C17 if you don't have it. But they don't want to do the upgrade, ask them.

I'd get an extra bulb now for backup, they're cheap enough. Try a $999 Zenon bulb with the Ruby. ;)

It's good to have a bulb around incase the machine doesn't fire up, to test to see if it's just the bulb. It's smart to use the new bulb for at least 90days, make use of it's warranty.

thanks Tom, where do you purchase your bulbs?

Do you guys think a 114 inch Grayhawk would be too big for the H77 in a light controlled room. I know the gain isnt very high for the Grayhawk.....Im sure the Firehawk would be a better choice. Just wondering.

I have a 100" Firehawk and wouldn't go a lot bigger. If you want to go with 114" I'd definatly get a screen with gain.

Scott

Do you guys think a 114 inch Grayhawk would be too big for the H77 in a light controlled room. I know the gain isnt very high for the Grayhawk.....Im sure the Firehawk would be a better choice. Just wondering.

I am using a 110" 16:9 Carada BW (1.4 gain) screen with brightmode OFF and picture is excellent. If you don't mind using brightmode you could probably go a little bigger. I figure brightmode is my reserve for bulb dimming if neccessary..

If you really want Stewart I'd say the Studio Tech 1.3gain. Carada 1.5 brilliant white has been sounding good. Dalite high power if you table or shelf mount.

To give you an idea on bulb changes. I just tested a bulb with 1200hrs on it. It went from 17.5ftl to 8ftl. I had to go to bright mode to get back up, in bright mode ftl went to 10.50.

Bottom line get some higher gain with the screen.

Any idea what it costs to buy just the screen from Stewart if I wanted to keep my frame and switch to the studiotech or firehawk?

Tom............

Darinp2 posted a table that had the drop off for the High Power screen as you moved away from horizontal and vertical center... but after a number of searches I have not been able to come up with it...

Did you by any chance save a copy of it?

Didn't save it. I did a test with my light meter that's pretty reliable. I held the meter as if you were in the cone and then down by the seating area. I got a 1.0 gain drop if I remember right.

Thanks Tom...... was just a thought knowing that you had the HP...

I will keep on searching, but I appreciate the info on the 1.0 from standing to seated... was this with a ceiling mount?

HiHoStevo
HereYaGo!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=554476

Has anyone done a flush ceiling mount for the H78 (no movable mount, no pole)? Did you have good results and were you able to put your screen right at the corner of the ceiling?

I have a 7 1/2 foot ceiling and want to get the most out of the space.

Gary

Totally Cool.... thanks Scotty......

oh yeah and could you "beam me up" all the good SciFi shows are on vacation!

Thanks Tom...... was just a thought knowing that you had the HP...

I will keep on searching, but I appreciate the info on the 1.0 from standing to seated... was this with a ceiling mount?


I held the meter facing the screen first up by the lens then down where my eyes would be.

You might find this interesting. Here's what we're looking in general on not tuned and tuned grayscales.

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77jfreemanstockrgb.jpg

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77jfreemand65k2rgb.jpg


Mostly they start like this which isn't extremely bad but could be allot better.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77irastockrgb.jpg

The worst I saw was this but there were only 2 this off.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77cfogartystockhdrgb.jpg

Now I know the guys that got all tuned up are happy now. Each one has stated it to me and it's great they get to see an image the way it's supposed to look. There's no going back now you'll have to be hooked just like me. :)

How strict are the throw calculations regarding placement of the PJ?

According to the calculator on projectorcentral, the maximum distance I can mount the unit, with my gain and size screen is 17 ft 8 inches. That means I would have to ceiling mount it. If I could move it back to 20 feet, I could just place it on top of my wall unit behind my seating area....which would be perfect because 1) it would look a heck of a lot better, 2) my wall unit is perfect hieght to place the PJ just level with the inside top of the screen.

Much easier to do but how much will it affect brightness on a 1.4 gain 114 inch screen.

BTW, Im going with the Carada BW most likely.

Any idea what it costs to buy just the screen from Stewart if I wanted to keep my frame and switch to the studiotech or firehawk?

I can get you a quote on the Stewart screen material if you'd like? Just PM me with what you need:)

Thanks Tom, the H77 looks great. I watched LOTR chapter 28 and can't say I noticed a problem. Picture is better than before. More vibrant, but still smooth. Shakespeare in Love on HDNET was stunning.

I'd love to see before and after graphs of my machine is you have the time.

Ken

You might find this interesting. Here's what we're looking in general on not tuned and tuned grayscales.

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77jfreemanstockrgb.jpg

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77jfreemand65k2rgb.jpg


Mostly they start like this which isn't extremely bad but could be allot better.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77irastockrgb.jpg

The worst I saw was this but there were only 2 this off.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77cfogartystockhdrgb.jpg

Now I know the guys that got all tuned up are happy now. Each one has stated it to me and it's great they get to see an image the way it's supposed to look. There's no going back now you'll have to be hooked just like me. :)

My H77 has 584 hours on the original lamp. With the superbowl just around the corner
I better buy a replacement lamp just in case. Any recommendations? I'm obviously looking
for a good price.

Ken, yours was weak on the red, a little high on blue and green.

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77kencstockrgb.jpg

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h77kencd65k2rgb.jpg

Tom haven't you mentioned previously that all of these projectors stock are running out of red a little too soon?

I used an fl-day filter to increase red from the lamp and gain some extra contrast. With fine tuning the DC2H78 can give around 2750:1 CR @D65 which is about 100:1 less than an H79 @D65. That's with calibrated white and black levels via DVI. A red filter may give similar results but I've not tried one.

Gary.

Gary......

What kind of lumen output are you getting after calibration and with your filter?

Hi Steve,

I can't remember the numbers right now, but I was getting around 9ft lamberts from my 8ft wide 2.35:1 screen using a Prismasonic lense, so you might be able to work that back from there (182.5 lumens?). I'm actually using a combination of fl-day and skylight filter, but I'll probably tale the skylight filter off sometime soon and get back a little more light.

Gary

Tom haven't you mentioned previously that all of these projectors stock are running out of red a little too soon?

Yes usually the first thing I do is increase red contrast which mostly maxes out around the 15 number. Each projector is different though, here red was maxed out earlier. The other colors were brought into line to create d65k.

Key item when grayscaling is not to rush. My format is user contrast/brightness, grayscale tuning, user contrast/brightness, grayscale tuning, user contrast/brightness grayscale tuning. :) At some point after bouncing back and forth you end up with proper grayscale and gamma. All of the machines did fine with Gamma 1, color temp 2, TV choices.

That's exactly what I've found Tom:) Good to know we are on the same page!!!

Great Dave, the Optomas are extroidinary workable projectors. Can't wait to see the 1080p model at CES. See u at the party. :)

Party......what party......did he say party:confused:???

AVS/CES party 7 to 9pm at the Sahara. Conficting hours though with Optoma's Friday night party at Ceasars. This one's an invite only but it looks like the AVS party is wide open.

Thanks Tom. Can you get me an invite to the Optoma suare' if I can't get one from here at AVS???

You may have to use your connections. The Optoma bash was a RSVP, I still haven't received my confirm. Joey the marketing director is handling it.

Thanks Tom. I'll see what I can do.

Is the H77 still available? I googled but it seems everyone is out of stock. Anyone know where I can purchase one? Please pm.

Moe