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

I heard the H78DC3 is being cleared out so look for some great pricing on that model. If you find a H77 I would contact Guitarman ASAP to get the panning fix and grayscale calibration. The H78DC3/H79 could use the grayscale calibration too..

Just wait until after CES and I think the H78 will be about the price the H77 cleared out at.

When is CES?

January 5 - 8

Hey All,
noob here... I just received an xbox 360, and when playing in hi def on my H77, it looks really green. It doesn't do this when it's not hi def, and it is definately not the xbox 360, because I've tried more than one, and on other televisions it works fine. Has this happened to anyone else? This is the only thing I've run in High Def on my projector, and I'm a little worried it's not just an xbox 360 related problem. Any insights? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

Hey All,
noob here... I just received an xbox 360, and when playing in hi def on my H77, it looks really green. It doesn't do this when it's not hi def, and it is definately not the xbox 360, because I've tried more than one, and on other televisions it works fine. Has this happened to anyone else? This is the only thing I've run in High Def on my projector, and I'm a little worried it's not just an xbox 360 related problem. Any insights? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

Check the following:
1. You are using an HD component cable
2. The cables has a little switch at the base, make sure its swtiched to HD
3. Make sure all (red green and blue ones) the RCA connectors are set firmly in place

I'll be setting mine up this weekend so i'll let you know if i have the same issue.

Just wait until after CES and I think the H78 will be about the price the H77 cleared out at.

Whats the best course of action for an h77 owner who was may be looking to upgrade to an h79-class projector?

Check the following:
1. You are using an HD component cable
2. The cables has a little switch at the base, make sure its swtiched to HD
3. Make sure all (red green and blue ones) the RCA connectors are set firmly in place

I'll be setting mine up this weekend so i'll let you know if i have the same issue.


1. check
2. check
3. check

I've checked an rechecked about twenty times. The color is only off when in HD mode, not when in standard.

Sounds like it might be a Tri-level vs Bi-level sync issue. This used to happen in the past a lot before manaufacturer's starting making unit's Tri-level compatible. Key Digital Systems used to make an "X-Blaster" transcoder to go from Tri-level YPbPr to RGBHV. If you tried to use their standard transcoder it would make the pix very green as you describe.

See if you can find one of those and try it to see what happens. If not, have you switched modes and inputs? Try it on both the BNC and RCA YPbPr inputs to see if there's any difference. Can you use DVI?

MERRY CHRISTMAS:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whats the best course of action for an h77 owner who was may be looking to upgrade to an h79-class projector?

PM - Guitarman (Tom) and have him apply the updated firmware and software to your H77. While he has the projector have him do a greyscale tuneup and then you will have an H79 class projector! :eek:

Hope you don't mind saving a few dollars...........

1. check
2. check
3. check

I've checked an rechecked about twenty times. The color is only off when in HD mode, not when in standard.

Do you have another HD display to test the 360 on?

Or another HD source to check the H77 input with?

Do you have another HD display to test the 360 on?

Or another HD source to check the H77 input with?

I've checked it on another HDTV...it works fine. Unfortunately, I do not have another HD source.

It's driving me crazy...I can't put my finger on it. :mad: :( :eek: Does anyone else have an xbox 360, or has run into similar HD problems?

Thanks for all the feedback. :)

Sounds like it might be a Tri-level vs Bi-level sync issue. This used to happen in the past a lot before manaufacturer's starting making unit's Tri-level compatible. Key Digital Systems used to make an "X-Blaster" transcoder to go from Tri-level YPbPr to RGBHV. If you tried to use their standard transcoder it would make the pix very green as you describe.

See if you can find one of those and try it to see what happens. If not, have you switched modes and inputs? Try it on both the BNC and RCA YPbPr inputs to see if there's any difference. Can you use DVI?

MERRY CHRISTMAS:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the input, but there is only RCA YPbPr conections from the xbox. I'd like to know if anyone else has run into this before I start buying more equipment.

playitloud I have a xbox360 on my H77 and it looks great. Do you have your color space on auto? That is most likely what is wrong. Also I never use my component connectors I use the BNCs and never had a problem with any Component connections when using the BNCs connections but I have using the regular component connectors. Try it and see if it makes a difference.

Dave they do not have a digital connection yet on the Xbox360.

Dale

you can pick up some inexpensive rca>BNC converters at Radio Shack. They just slip onto the RCA Jacks and have the BNC connector on the other end.

PM - Guitarman (Tom) and have him apply the updated firmware and software to your H77. While he has the projector have him do a greyscale tuneup and then you will have an H79 class projector! :eek:

Hope you don't mind saving a few dollars...........

One of the key upgrades from the H79 is the pixel density since in my first row if i look for it (which i always do) i can see some SDE/pixel structure. Any other ideas on how to get into an h79 for as little as possible?

you can pick up some inexpensive rca>BNC converters at Radio Shack. They just slip onto the RCA Jacks and have the BNC connector on the other end.

Dale,
Is this how you have your xbox 360 connected?

playitloud Yes it is, and I also got the adaptors from Radio Shack. I payed under $2.00 a peice for them, and that was a couple of years ago.

Dale

playitloud Yes it is, and I also got the adaptors from Radio Shack. I payed under $2.00 a peice for them, and that was a couple of years ago.

Dale

I am going to go get them right now!

I am going to go get them right now!


Let us know how it looks afterwards.

Dale

Okay,
I just installed the adapters, and it still looks the same. It seems like there is just a slight green tint. I'm playing Call of Duty 2 and the snow looks greenish as well as smoke and other items.

Dale--maybe my settings are off, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out what the problem is. Maybe you can tell me how your h77 is setup and I can try to duplicate it.

Thanks,
David

David in the System menu do you have the color settings to auto? In the Picture menu I have contrast at -7, brightness at 13, color at 5, gamma at 1. In the Image menu I have white peaking at 0, color temp at 2, image mode on TV.

Just make sure you write down your settings before changing anything. You may even have a faulty Xbox componit cable. I am sure you already made sure the switch on the cable is set to HDTV setting instead of the TV setting. Also have you tried to hit the resync button on your remote. Hope this helps.

Dale

David also I am using a Componit cable that comes with the premium 360.

Dale

I think that may have done it! (I changed the settings and hit the resync button). I'll keep testing it and let you know if it really is fixed (It's getting late). Also, I'm curious as to why you use the BNC connectors...more stable? reliable?

Thanks again for all your help. Oh and by the way, what's your xbox live username, maybe we can play?


I'm wondering if you got guitarman's upgrade (this is an open question) what were everyones impressions. So far all I hear are raves. What impresses the most?

David I use BNCs when it is available, some projector manufactures only use the BNC connectors for HD. Yes I do have the Panning mod, I was one of the Beta testers for Optoma. Yes it does make a big difference if you are able to see panning issues. I have not hooked up online gaming yet, but will when I get back from my trip to Mn next week.

Dale

I watched "The Island" last night on my H77, facial tones appeared on the yellow side. As a matter of fact the last few movies I've viewed seem yellowish regarding skin tones. i.e. Swimming pool, Serenity, and Shakespeare in love.
Then I put the new "Loggins & Messina" concert on, the concert starts off in the afternoon. The facial color couldn't have looked any better. The PQ was STUNNING! BTW the AQ is DTS and equally STUNNING!
I'm sending my H77 to Tom for the upgrade and calibration next month, but would like to know if anyone else has experienced the yellowishness of the above movies?

I watched "The Island" last night on my H77, facial tones appeared on the yellow side. As a matter of fact the last few movies I've viewed seem yellowish regarding skin tones. i.e. Swimming pool, Serenity, and Shakespeare in love.
Then I put the new "Loggins & Messina" concert on, the concert starts off in the afternoon. The facial color couldn't have looked any better. The PQ was STUNNING! BTW the AQ is DTS and equally STUNNING!
I'm sending my H77 to Tom for the upgrade and calibration next month, but would like to know if anyone else has experienced the yellowishness of the above movies?


If you haven't had it calibrated I would expect the colors to be off. Calibration is very important on most PJs especially the Optomas!

I fired up DVE yesterday to do a little tuning and found that with my Yamaha S2500 I got no visible pluge at all. As far as I can tell the Yammy has no "enhanced" or "video" or "PC" mode setting, so I'd like to assume it's video mode only. I also tried the test patterns in the Avia "lite" Home Theater setup DVD.

Any suggestions?

Try cranking up the brightness on every unit in the chain and report back.

Did you happen to hit the "RE-SYNC" button by chance??? This puts the H77/78/79 into DVI-PC mode.

Found my own answer here: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=124#YamahaDVD-S2500%20Universal%20DVD%20Player%20(Component)

The Yammy uses PC output levels for the HDMI output. Yuck.

Okay, I'm about fed up with the S2500. From the Secrets review it looks like the Oppo is an incredible deal, and from these threads it sounds like lots of folks use one. Are there any others I should be considering to pair with my H77?

Try the Momitsu, the V Inc. Bravo D2 or maybe the Samsung 845/945 as they can be made HDCP free.

It's widely accepted that the H77 looks best when fed 720P via DVI(or adapted HDMI). H77 owners here use many upscaling players including 79avi, 59avi, dvd-s97, dvd-s77 and Oppo to name but a few. Pick your price point and you will pick your player. 480i via HDMI to a scaler is also a pricey option. The H77 is HDCP compliant, so it's not necessary to buy a player without it.

Okay, I'm about fed up with the S2500. From the Secrets review it looks like the Oppo is an incredible deal, and from these threads it sounds like lots of folks use one. Are there any others I should be considering to pair with my H77?

Thanks. Let me ask slightly different question. Why would anyone (more educated on this stuff than I am) spend more than the price of the Oppo? What's it lack that the others have?

Thanks. Let me ask slightly different question. Why would anyone (more educated on this stuff than I am) spend more than the price of the Oppo? What's it lack that the others have?

What some have and other's don't:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=0&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0

Give it time to load.

HTH,
Scott

Right, so the top-rated unit is still the $199 (MSRP) Oppo. Why pay more? I'm talking DVD player features--I'm not as interested in SACD, Audio DVD, etc.

Anyone interested in a Yamaha S2500 in like-new condition, let me know. It'll be on eBay soon.

I fired up DVE yesterday to do a little tuning and found that with my Yamaha S2500 I got no visible pluge at all. As far as I can tell the Yammy has no "enhanced" or "video" or "PC" mode setting, so I'd like to assume it's video mode only. I also tried the test patterns in the Avia "lite" Home Theater setup DVD.

Any suggestions?

Yes that Yammy can't pass black over Hdmi. It can over component cables. A good choice is a Panasonic S97. With it's black level set to Normal you'll pass black correctly. It's deinterlacing over Faroudja is excellent, plus it has some nice video noise features.

I just got my projector back from Tom. I had the panning fix applied, DVI calibrated for the Panny S97 and component calibrated for HDTV.

The panning issued started to be visible to me 3-4 weeks after I got the projector. While I still enjoyed watching movies on the H77, there was always this annoying feeling that something was not the way it was supposed to be. Last night I watched the same movie (Transporter 2) on a 19” LCD and the projector to compare the panning, and I am a happy camper.

As far as the calibration, I am probably like most other people. This is something you are supposed to be able to do yourself. Getting the H77 calibrated cured me. In the past I have spent time and money on calibration DVDs, but I just have to admit I don’t have the patience or skills to do it right..

This is the best A/V investment I have done in a long time. If you have a H77 get the panning fix applied. If you have any projector that has not been proper calibrated get it done. If you are buying a new projector on a set budget, spend a little less on the projector and make room in your budget for a proper calibration. This is the best bang for your buck.

Glad you're happy. Time to revisit some of your favorite movies. Did those Calibration Summary PDF's I attached open up via email?

Yes, the pdf's opened fine, but I would lie if I said I fully understand how to read them ;-) Nevertheless: The result speaks for it self.

What brand of remotes are you H77 owners using?? (Excluding the Optoma)
I'm using a "Home Theater Master" MX-700, and looking for the device codes
to operate my H77, Can anyone help me?

I created the .mxd files for the Optoma Projectors back before I created the AV-RS232 (see sig.). Optoma loaded the remote codes I created on their website (USA site under the H77), or you can search for them at remotecentral.com. These files were created in HEx, they were not "learned" so they work as well as the Optoma remote, well much better than Optoma's with a MX700 but still lacking discretes. Also has a raw ccf for Pronto users.

Optoma apparently updated the website and in the process dropped the link to the H7x universal remote control files. They used to have my files loaded on the US site under the H77, but do not now as far as I see. Back in the bowels of Tom's H77 and H79 review threads these links exist somewhere but people are having a hard time finding them.

I've had several emails lately looking for the files. To try to bulk answer those emails, I'm posting the link to the universal remote files here and in the other big H7x threads (excuse cross posts please for those subscribed to all/many). I created these IR files from the Hex codes supplies to me by Optoma engineering, and some necessary reverse engineering of the stock remote. They are not "learned" IR codes which are unreliable IMO.

NOTE: The link below is to my AV-RS232 site where I have the factory IR files loaded. If you are a AV-IR232 user DO NOT use the files in this link as they are not for a H7x controller, but for direct IR control of a H7x PJ without a AV-RS232.

It's a zip file containing a Home Theater Master .mxd file (for a MX700, MX800/850, MX-3000, etc) and a .ccf file (for Pronto users). The pronto file isn't a pretty graphic, it's just the core files needed with the H7x buttons respective IR Hex codes. I suppose one could use the files as is, but that was not my intention when I made them. These codes just replicate the factory remote. I use a MX-850 now and I can't recommend it enough. That remote combined with these codes is a big improvement over the stock remote. It still does not give the discretes that a AV-RS232 does, but it's a free upgrade (if you have the remote) that is a significant improvement over the stock remote.

http://www.av-rs232.com/factory/h7XfactoryremoteIR.zip

Activity is pretty much gone on my AV-RS232 site. I am about to list my H79 for sale, so with those 2 things, I may be taking down the AV-RS232 site in the future. Point is if you want the remote files linked above, get'em while they are hot and save them.

Cheers,
Scott

Received my H77 from Tom on Tuesday. He did the upgrade and grayscale
calibration for my DVD. First indications are very favorable. Colors are definately
smoother and better balanced. Skin tones, though very good before seem
more natural. The improvement at this point seems well worth the investment.
I would estimate the improvement to be in the 5-7% range. The current bulb
has only 10 hours on it, so I'm anticipating maybe an additional 3% improvement
overall. Well done Tom, thanks. Also thanks for the free revision upgrade from
C08 to C17.

Mark

Sounds good Mark, response on the upgrade has fizzed down so I'll probably be clearing out the computer and other items out of my family room. Thanks to all that participated.

Sounds good Mark, response on the upgrade has fizzed down so I'll probably be clearing out the computer and other items out of my family room.

Don't clear it out yet Tom, Tech support said it'll be headed your way Monday :cool:

For sure, I knew one last one was coming in a few days.

Help!!, my projector has been overheating and shutting off the past couple of days. I have had no problems with since I got it about 7 months ago. Last saturday the screen came up with a message and stated "overheating" and shut off. I only had the projector on for about thirty minutes. In the past I have had marathon XBOX 360 days with no problems. My projector is near flush mounted (6 inches) from the ceiling. Like I said I have had no problems in the past when I have played it for a lot longer. If you have any ideas I would really appreciate it.

Help!!, my projector has been overheating and shutting off the past couple of days. I have had no problems with since I got it about 7 months ago. Last saturday the screen came up with a message and stated "overheating" and shut off. I only had the projector on for about thirty minutes. In the past I have had marathon XBOX 360 days with no problems. My projector is near flush mounted (6 inches) from the ceiling. Like I said I have had no problems in the past when I have played it for a lot longer. If you have any ideas I would really appreciate it.
You have cleaned air filter frequently? It should be cleaned every 100 hours or so.

No I haven't thanks thats probably it....

No I haven't thanks thats probably it....
Just out of curiosity, about how many hours on your pj?

Just out of curiosity, about how many hours on your pj?

Thanks for the response Big L, I just checked and its at 409 hours. I have a question what is the best way to clear out the air filter?? Do I have to dis-mount it and then take it apart. Sorry for the dumb questions as I am still a newbie....

Yes, you do. The filter is under the part where the ceiling mount attaches so you will have to take it down first and take off the ceiling mount plate. The filter has two tabs that you have to push in, then pull up on the filter cover to remove.

Dave, do you still have that filter cover ?

Alphaman06, when you remove filter cover, be very gentle with tabs. They break easily. I always use flat head screw driver and i first wrap some electric tape on head to avoid scratching anything while removing cover. Then i gently push tabs with my finger and even more gently use screw driver to pull tabs upward. That's the only way i was able to remove cover without braking tabs. I tried using only my fingers in the first time and i broke tabs.

Client1,

Yes, I still have it NIB. Send me verified $10 via PP to harperhometheater@comcast.net and it's yours.

Done.

Thanks:)!!!

Got my PJ back from Tom who tuned the greyscale for me. Wow, what a difference. I was one of those who constantly fiddled with Avia and DVE trying to eyeball my way to D65. What a big waste of time. I know this has been said before, but if you own the H7x's series PJ's and have not had it properly calibrated, you are missing out on untapped potential IMO.

I could never get my fleshtones the way I wanted. Some DVD's were worse than others. Now everything looks more natural, shadow detail is improved along with color saturation. Too bad they don't come dialed in like this OTB. My only regret is how long it took me to finally have it done :mad:

Turnaround time was quick, prices are good and Tom kept me informed of the process. Good Job T. Thanks for getting those RGB's under control :D

p.s. I hear Dave Harper tunes the H7x's as well ;)

...
p.s. I hear Dave Harper tunes the H7x's as well ;)

Yes, I do as a matter of fact, and many others too!!! Thanks for the plug:)!!!

Your H7x filter cover is on it's way via USPS.

Got my PJ back from Tom who tuned the greyscale for me. Wow, what a difference. I was one of those who constantly fiddled with Avia and DVE trying to eyeball my way to D65. What a big waste of time. I know this has been said before, but if you own the H7x's series PJ's and have not had it properly calibrated, you are missing out on untapped potential IMO.

I could never get my fleshtones the way I wanted. Some DVD's were worse than others. Now everything looks more natural, shadow detail is improved along with color saturation. Too bad they don't come dialed in like this OTB. My only regret is how long it took me to finally have it done :mad:

Turnaround time was quick, prices are good and Tom kept me informed of the process. Good Job T. Thanks for getting those RGB's under control :D

p.s. I hear Dave Harper tunes the H7x's as well ;)


Thanks, The H series Optoma's do tune up nicely. I got three more here now ready for the panning upgrade plus some tunings.

Dave Harper? that's correct actually most any semi local or distant ISF would be more than happy to take care of your projector by mail. You don't need one in the neighborhood.

Regarding cleaning the air filter, you do not necessarily have to dismount the projector to do it. Perhaps it depends on the specific mount you're using, but with my unit I can remove the cover and filter without taking the projector down. As previously mentioned, be careful with the tabs as they are tight.

If I remember right the Chief RPA-076 mount needs to be dismounted to get to the cover, if anyone's using that?

I am having serious trouble getting my H79 calibrated. I only have the DVE (PAL) disc for calibration but I can't get the colors right. Color is off on the green filter. There are a few blocks which is not quite green but instead a bit yellowish/cyan. Tried adjusting this both in the dvd player and the projector advanced settings, but to no satisfaction. Where can I go from here? In some movies colors look fine but then some look just not quite right. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sadly there are no ISF calibrators where I live, if it was I would happily pay for that kind of service.

Setup:
Optoma ThemeScene (Europe) H79
Denon DVD-A1XV (5910)
DVI-DVI 720p
Da-lite High Contrast 1.1 gain

Projector menu:
Color Temp 2
Mode Cinema
Image Mode Film
Gamma 3
Contrast 8
Brightness -4
Sharpness 4

Dvd player:
All default but Digital Noise Reduction +1 and CCS set to ON

I'll post the service menu values when I get home from work.

Thanks for the replies. I may need some outside help, does anyone know a company in the D.C. area that can do this for me. I have the worse luck when it comes to this kind of stuff......Thanks again fellas...

I'll be down in that area fairly soon to do some calibration work if you'd like me to stop by to assist? Where are you down there? Email me with any questions.

This is great, I actually live in NOVA. I would love for you to come by to assist. Please let me know if you are interested...

Yes, I'm interested. I'm going to do some calibrations in Baltimore and Alexandria. By NOVA I take it you mean Northern VA, right? What city? Email me and we'll work out the details.

Alphaman,

You should have Dave calibrate it while he's there. It's $$ well spent!!

Scott

You just read my mind..... :)

Dang Scott, I'm gonna have to start paying you for all this great advertising you've been giving me:D I'm humbled!!!

I would like to post a public thank you for guitarman upgrading my projector.

Panning issue is much improved and almost unnoticeable now. I have 800 hours on the bulb and brightness seems to also be much improved. Picture now looks as bright in low mode as it use to in high mode.

With his calibration the colors look great and he provided a print out to show exactlly what was done. I surprised how far off my projector was.

Thanks again Tom for taking time out of your schedule to help all of us get the upgrade.

Pat

Thanks, I'd like to thank Stone at Optoma. He's an engineer there, what happened was I did some cleaning on the computer that does the upgrade and lost a file in the process. It was Sunday night and I called Stone on his cell. The guy says hang on he'll to to work and forward me the file. This is 7pm on a Sunday night, what a pal. :) Give that man a raise pls.

I couldn't have got the 3 projectors done and out on Monday without his help.

Glad you're happy with the new picture tunings.
enjoy

Tom, you da' man with those Optomas:)!!!

Tom's great work has really improved my H77. I just got it up and working tonight. It is much improved. Panning is great the colors are great. Most importantly I noticed the improvements in the gray scale. The image really pops now, especially the native 720p material. It even made American Idol look good ;) The tunning definately added that 3D look. Very nice.

Thanks again Tom

Thanks, American Idols blue and white stage setups do look excellent, that's Greg Rodgers HDG-Accupel doing it's magic. I coulnd't touch HDTV without it. Glad you're happy.

Another update: Last night I had a friend over who has been into HT for a long time. He owns a Sony LCD projector. My chiped and Tom calibrated really impressed him last night. He is very reserved with good comments, but last night he stated how good it looked atleast six times. He is also a swarn DLP hater. While watching the movie he had no complaints of rainbows or headache!!! Way to go TOM!!!

It's nice having HDTV grayscaled. We were all at a loss for a way to tune HDTV, at least on a budget level. I had to fork out $1400 just to be able to tune HDTV.
Glad you're enjoying it. Me too

First, this has probably been discussed, so I apologize for repeating. However, either the AVS search function is down or it's operating incorrectly because all I get are hits of latest posts from today across ALL forums.

Anyway, I just finished calibrating my H77 for the 2nd time (1st time was about a year ago). Grayscale is 6500 +/- 120 from 20IRE to 100IRE. One thing I noticed this time that I didn't during the initial calibration is purple and green vertical banding that appears in a full raster screen at less than 100IRE. As I step it down from 100IRE it gets more obvious. It's an alternating pattern of purple and green bands across the screen (equal width).

I've already adjusted the color wheel to remove "clayface", but I checked that just in case. Moving the wheel setting makes it worse or slightly better.

Please help. Thanks.

Ugh, When bands appear I first think devices or cables or electricals.

Ugh, When bands appear I first think devices or cables or electricals.

Good point. I'm using a Sencore signal generator hooked directly into the projector. I'll run some of the test patterns from DVD (Avia and others) to see if there's any difference.

Alternatively, I'm also using an iScan HD+, so perhaps I can plug the Sencore into that.

I would do that. Use as much of the system as you can to see where the culprit is. Sounds like a phase or tracking issue to me.

Anyone used the new Toshiba HD-A1 with their H77 yet? If so, component or DVI? I'm just curious how the new hi def discs are looking on these 720p projectors since I have an H77 and I'm starting to get the itch to buy into one of these new formats (most likely Blu-ray in June).

Hey all,

I've had an H77 for about a year now. About 30 hours into it, it started doing something strange. About 50% of the time, I'll turn the projector on, but the bulb doesn't fire up. A blinking red light then comes on and it shuts down. When I turn it on again, it usually always fires up. Anyone know what could be happening?

Thanks!!
Josh

I think all the H7* range do that to some degree or another, and it isn't necessarily anything to worry about.

Gary

Hey all,

I've had an H77 for about a year now. About 30 hours into it, it started doing something strange. About 50% of the time, I'll turn the projector on, but the bulb doesn't fire up. A blinking red light then comes on and it shuts down. When I turn it on again, it usually always fires up. Anyone know what could be happening?

Thanks!!
Josh

Its normal that it happens say 1% of the time (1 miss fire in 100) but not 50% you should have called optoma and they should have fixed the issue.

I would still call them and see wat they can do.

Daniel.

That could be the first signs of trouble with the lamp, etc. Call Optoma TS ASAP and have it looked into. Otherwise it may cost you the price of a new lamp (~$400) as they'll say the lamps aren't covered under warranty or something.

Anyone used the new Toshiba HD-A1 with their H77 yet? If so, component or DVI? I'm just curious how the new hi def discs are looking on these 720p projectors since I have an H77 and I'm starting to get the itch to buy into one of these new formats (most likely Blu-ray in June).

I've had the HD-A1 for a couple of weeks now and it pairs up very nicely with the H77. The pq imo is stunning. I have both component and DVI connected and both look great, the DVI is a little sharper. The Toshiba is also a great upconvering player for sd dvds as well, so much so that I will be selling my Denon 2910,

Well I just received my very own H77 and I gotta say I LOVE IT. I am upgrading from an H31 and difference in color and contrast is amazing. The H31 is outstanding when dealt an HD signal don't get me wrong, but the extra resolution on the H77 really gives it an edge.

But with the good comes the bad. This projector is HUGE I'd say about 3-4 times bigger than the H31. Also, the usually criticized large offset on the H31 helped on my shelf mounted set-up. The H77 throws an image way too low so I had to use keystone correction to make up for the trapezoidal image

As a last note, I scored the H77 for $1600 on ebay with 490 hours. Hope I don't get any bulb issues.

Check the manual for lens-shift. You should not have to do any keystone correction...

Yes, what he said;)!!! There is a grey/silver disc knob on the top (bottom if ceiling mounted) of the unit and turning that shifts the lens up and down to avoid digital keystone correction which can introduce artifacts and reduces overall resolution.

The shelf the projector is on top of is about 3 ft high. With the lens shift turned all the way up the bottom of the image is about flush with the projector height. So the image is projected about 3ft off the ground which is very low IMO.

Yes, what he said!!! There is a grey/silver disc knob on the top (bottom if ceiling mounted) of the unit and turning that shifts the lens up and down to avoid digital keystone correction which can introduce artifacts and reduces overall resolution.

Using the manual lens shift on this projector causes its own probelms. When I use the lens shift on my H77, I get color fringing, and the more shift I use, the more significant it becomes.

Bleh. I fired up my H77 tonight and started watching a movie. About an hour in, parts of the screen starts flickering, basically in bands. It got progressively worse as the movie went on. I shut down the projector, then turned it back on. It would then work fine for a while, then start doing it again about a half hour into things.

I strongly suspect the projector, since the startup screen seemed to have the same problem.

Jason

I decided to move my projector to a different height the other day. I unplugged my surge protector (into which my projector was plugged), then unplugged the projector. After getting everything situated, I plugged my projector back in, pushed the power button and ...NOTHING! It will not turn on. None of the lights do anything when switching the power on and off, no fan, no hum, no light, NADA. I changed the lamp just in case it had popped, but no luck. Any ideas, suggestions, etc besides "send it back to optoma" I've had it about 6 months and no problems at all until now. I purchased it at projector people and called them. They suggested getting an RMA and sending it to optoma in cali. Do I have any other options? I know BB, CC, and a few other stores in the area stock a few optomas...would they be able to look at it or would that void the warranty? I just can't figure what could have gone wrong. It worked a few days ago perfectly. Do you have to have inputs connected?? That's the only thing I haven't done because I ordered new interconnects since I moved my components to a different area. I would still think it would turn on for me and so "no signal detected. HELP??????

Sounds like a short problem, just for a test if the projector is upside down try it right side up. One member noted his projector would work right side up but not inverted. Another thing it could be is the bulb door trigger. If you slide the bulb cover off you'll see a small opening that has the trigger contacts. For a test you could block off the contacts use a Q-tip. If the PJ starts up then the bulb cover isn't releasing the trigger contact correctly.

Nothing needs to be connected to the projector for it to work.

Bypass the surge protector and power directly from the power source. I had similar problems with a surge protector, that powered the rest of my epuipment fine, but the H77 would either not start up at all or shotdown after a short wile.

Thanks for the suggestions. I attempted the q-tip thing, but no dice. I have also attempted directly plugging it into multiple outlets w/o the surge protector again with no success. I don't suppose it could just be a fuse or something easily replaceable (by me?). I can't figure out why unplugging it could have shorted a fuse or caused a short. Anyway, just b/c I never paid attention before, is the socket you plug the power cord into not flush with the rest of the projector? It looks like it could have been pushed in at an angle, but I don't remember ever having doing that. Anyone know a place that rents out H77 or H79 in C-bus, OHIO? Looks like I'll have to send it out to Optoma after all. Maybe it will be really messed up and I'll get and H79 replacement :) My parents were coming out this week (my vacation of course) and had planned on watching a bunch of movies...I guess that plan is nixed now. Any other opinions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Anyone running a universal remote with the H77 that does simple adjustments? Maybe a touchscreen remote...

I guess no comment about my problem other than call Optoma?

Jason

Thanks for the suggestions. I attempted the q-tip thing, but no dice. I have also attempted directly plugging it into multiple outlets w/o the surge protector again with no success. I don't suppose it could just be a fuse or something easily replaceable (by me?). I can't figure out why unplugging it could have shorted a fuse or caused a short. Anyway, just b/c I never paid attention before, is the socket you plug the power cord into not flush with the rest of the projector? It looks like it could have been pushed in at an angle, but I don't remember ever having doing that. Anyone know a place that rents out H77 or H79 in C-bus, OHIO? Looks like I'll have to send it out to Optoma after all. Maybe it will be really messed up and I'll get and H79 replacement :) My parents were coming out this week (my vacation of course) and had planned on watching a bunch of movies...I guess that plan is nixed now. Any other opinions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Ugh, doubt if you can get a hot swap deal but you could ask. I know how we get attached to this level of video. A good case to have some cheapo back up like a H31, DV10 or something.
Better times

I guess no comment about my problem other than call Optoma?

Jason

If it is showing the same "flicker" on the startup screen, I agree- it sure sounds like the projector. :( That pretty much eliminates the source or even input cables.

I would call Optoma, unless someone else has additional information. Good luck!

Well, it didn't do it last night. Difference is that I got the A/C running in the basement right now, so maybe it was a heat issue. (it does get hot down there.) I'm going to keep an eye on it, and see if the problem happens again with a longer film.

I did send something through their web site on Sunday, but I haven't heard back from Optoma yet.

Jason

Well, it didn't do it last night. Difference is that I got the A/C running in the basement right now, so maybe it was a heat issue. (it does get hot down there.) I'm going to keep an eye on it, and see if the problem happens again with a longer film.

I did send something through their web site on Sunday, but I haven't heard back from Optoma yet.

Jason
Have you cleaned filter frequently?
It should be cleaned every 100 hours or so.

Have you cleaned filter frequently?
It should be cleaned every 100 hours or so.

I'll check it, tho the filter is tough to remove.

Actually had to call Optoma since they never responded to my web request. The guy really had a problem with me connecting the H77 from my computer to the BNCs. (My HD card only outputs VGA, so I can't hook it up to DVI.) He wants me to try a different source to make sure it is a problem with the projector. That's going to be a trick, since I don't really have cables for a different source. Looks like I'm going to have to bring down the DVD player from upstairs and get some component cables for it....

Jason

Does anybody have any recommendations on how to clean the lens?

I use compressed air to get rid of any dust on the front element. If there is a smudge, I use a micro fiber cloth. Be careful using a chemical cleaner on the lens, as most will leave a residue when it is dry.

For the Canadian boys, check out costco.ca for good prices on bulb replacement for H7x pjs. Close to US and no exchange, duty or freight charges.

I've got a question. Here is my problem. I bought my H77 projector in October of last year. It still under warranty. In May I turned the projector on and the DVI (which is DVD) was all green. Then my RCA output (which is satellite) is very dark. I called Optoma right away. The tech didn't think it was the bulb. He said fill out the RMA sheet and fax it to us, then they will send me an RMA number. I did all that four different times still no RMA number. I was done, so I went through Visual APex to get me a RMA number and they did within a couple of days. So already not happy with Optoma.

I paid the $65 to send the projector to Optoma. I get it back 5 days later (which I was shocked at how fast it came back). I must of been on a priority list or something. On the work oder it says replaced board on DVI. Then it also says bad lamp. I wanted to see if the same problems existed when I sent it in (RCA being very dark). Well now the projector doesn't turn on at all. The lamp light comes on and flashes bad lamp.

My question is, if the lamp was bad shouldn't I have the same problem on my projector as when I sent it in. Also, the DVI went green the same time the RCA output came dark. So if they replaced a bad board to the DVI, could that bad DVI board cause my lamp to go bad. When I talked to the Tech at Optoma he was 99% sure it wasn't the lamp and now they say I've got a bad lamp. I'm fighting this bad lamp thing. Either something happened during shipping (which I had it assured).

Can you guys give me some input. I told Visual Apex if something doesn't happen soon I'm shipping the projector to them and they give me my money back. So Visual Apex is trying to get some answers and Optoma hasn't gotten back to them yet (its almost been a week). SO I've been without my projector for almost two months. Let me know if you have some good feedback.


Thanks
Brock

Optoma insist the board for the DVI did not cause my lamp to dim. What do you guys think. They happened at the same time. I watch King Kong at night. Turned the projector off then the next day fired the projector up. When I turned it on the DVI output was green. I switched to the RCA output and it was a dark picture. The board going out had to affect the lamp going out. Let me know what you guys think.

Brock

As frustrated as I am, Optoma came through for me. They are giving me a new lamp. That is very good. The sales guy ended up getting me a brand new lamp. SO I'm thrilled. So all the bad stuff I said about Optoma isn't so bad after all. I just wish I wouldn't have had to complain and moan to get a lamp replaced, but I will take it.

Brock

Excellent. Maybe they'll take a lesson from NEC and the HT1000 lamp problem now.

I would like to thank guitarman for his exellent job on calibrating my H77. My Pj looks great . I watched The Last Samurai on my Toshiba HD-A1, and the picture was fantastic. Great blacks, and colors were more natural. I would also like to mention his great service. He received my pj via mail on wednesday, and had my pj on its way back the same day. Also when I sent my Pj to Guitarman I fogot to wrap my remote, but just had it loose in the same box with my pj. He packaged it in a small box when he sent it back. Wow talk about service. Two thumbs up for Guitarman.
Many thanks, Selgert

I experienced this problem same time last year and had to send it in. White vertical lines evenly spaced on screen. I was told an internal board had been replaced but now it's back again. PJ is still under warranty but what a lemon this thing has turned out to be, it's till under warranty but for some reason it decides to crap out during the best time of the year. This is now going to be two years in a row that this PJ leaves me and family hanging during the Holidays. Any ideas as to what can be causing this and I'm not going to get any reassurance from Optoma once it gets fixed cause it'll just end up breaking again. I don't even have 500 hrs. on the pj. Thanks for any advise.

I was re reading this thread because I bought a Mits HC2000 for $650 today. Page 35 and on things got real interesting for reading. Man did we have some fun. Anyway i look forward to trying my new projector. As far a DLP panning, I got the fix the H79 protocal upgrade. Not that I was bothered by it in the first place. Peace

Man $650 for this projector, what a steal.
"720P Home Theater Projector Mitsubishi HC2000 TV HDTV !
Sale price: $649.99"


Hey, service menu entry is different on the Mits HC2000? if so lmk the code.

I was re reading this thread because I bought a Mits HC2000 for $650 today. Page 35 and on things got real interesting for reading. Man did we have some fun. Anyway i look forward to trying my new projector. As far a DLP panning, I got the fix the H79 protocal upgrade. Not that I was bothered by it in the first place. Peace

Man $650 for this projector, what a steal.
"720P Home Theater Projector Mitsubishi HC2000 TV HDTV !
Sale price: $649.99"


Hey, service menu entry is different on the Mits HC2000? if so lmk the code.

Please let us know if the bulb is actually new as stated in the auction. Bulbs are still running almost 400, so this is like getting a projector (less bulb) for under 300.

Tom,

Where can one get the Mits at that price?

Moe

Tom,

Where can one get the Mits at that price?

Moe

Google what Tom put in quotes

First thing I'll do is run a light meter check. Then I'll look over the U571 trigger job clip and FOTR Chapter 28 clip. If I see the panning effect I'll open it up and apply the uprade. :)

The upgrade does add some brightness. Looking at the Mits Brochure it looks like the bulb is different. They put some type of shield fixed Iris type thing on it.

Really though I've had over 100 H77s over here and none lacked brightness, many with high hours. Even mine had about 800 hours and was still good. Since I've had these machines apart there's a large fan by the bulb. I could look into putting in a more powerful fan there, If you believe higher cooling will help.

I was re reading this thread because I bought a Mits HC2000 for $650 today. Page 35 and on things got real interesting for reading. Man did we have some fun. Anyway i look forward to trying my new projector. As far a DLP panning, I got the fix the H79 protocal upgrade. Not that I was bothered by it in the first place. Peace

Man $650 for this projector, what a steal.
"720P Home Theater Projector Mitsubishi HC2000 TV HDTV !
Sale price: $649.99"


Hey, service menu entry is different on the Mits HC2000? if so lmk the code.

What is the H79 protocal upgrade? Thanks. SJ

It's for the H77 but I have a feeling it will help the HC2000, I can't see why not. It's a speed up system that's applied to the DMD chip via the DMD board. Makes the mirrors work faster. Result is odd scenes with the panning problem get smoothed out, lumens go up by about 100, CR goes up another 200.1

If you want to see the odd seen panning problem look at FOTR chap 28 and watch the actors in the lit up cave and they bop side to side while walking.

First thing I'll do is run a light meter check. Then I'll look over the U571 trigger job clip and FOTR Chapter 28 clip. If I see the panning effect I'll open it up and apply the uprade. :)

The upgrade does add some brightness. Looking at the Mits Brochure it looks like the bulb is different. They put some type of shield fixed Iris type thing on it.

Really though I've had over 100 H77s over here and none lacked brightness, many with high hours. Even mine had about 800 hours and was still good. Since I've had these machines apart there's a large fan by the bulb. I could look into putting in a more powerful fan there, If you believe higher cooling will help.

I would rather see if we could get enough people together and buy the 'raw' lamp in bulk from philips and just move it to the existing housing.

There's a company you might find with a google search that re-does lamps. Maybe their method and material will be great. I think they charge $250 for any bulb.

Looking for the bulb wear thread here Daniel did a very good testing of average bulb changes.

50 normal=429L, bright=569L
80 normal=414L, bright=540L
100 normal=379L, bright=523L
144 normal=362L, bright=506L
157 normal=358L, bright=502L
185 normal=355L, bright=494L
208 normal=350L, bright=485L
240 normal=350L, bright=481L
300 normal=338L, bright=456L
350 normal=329L, bright=431L
400 normal=308L, bright=405L
480 normal=295L, bright=395L
545 normal=287L, bright=384L
659 normal=274L, bright=367L
760 normal=253L, bright=338L (switched from normal to bright at 750h !!)
890 normal=224L, bright=300L
1360 normal=120L, bright=160L

New numbers,

We'd all love 3,000 hrs but you see at about 1,000 you've lost half the brightness. It's like that on most all projectors. The Sharp Z9000 I bought used had 900hrs and was too dim for me so I sold it. Never stopped to think the bulb was worn. :(

Looking at the Mits Brochure it looks like the bulb is different. They put some type of shield fixed Iris type thing on it.

It does have different "air guides" but otherwise it is same as Optoma. No iris on the bulb. Maybe Mitsubishi did notice fault in the Optoma's bulb cooling design and made better air circulation for their version.

Makes me wonder if HC2000 bulb can be fitted in the Optoma H7x and get better lamp life?

It does have different "air guides" but otherwise it is same as Optoma. No iris on the bulb. Maybe Mitsubishi did notice fault in the Optoma's bulb cooling design and made better air circulation for their version.

Makes me wonder if HC2000 bulb can be fitted in the Optoma H7x and get better lamp life?

I think there are 2 versions out there. When I purchased my h77 I got a free bulb with it, but the design was slightly different. The lamp itself was the same.

I think there are 2 versions out there. When I purchased my h77 I got a free bulb with it, but the design was slightly different. The lamp itself was the same.
Did either of them look like this?
http://www.htprojectors.com/htprojectors/img/Mits_HC2000/IMG_6876_b.JPG


I believe this is something Mitsubishi changed to improve cooling.

On the other hand, Optoma's lamp does have holes for the screws that hold air guide in place.

Did either of them look like this?
http://www.htprojectors.com/htprojectors/img/Mits_HC2000/IMG_6876_b.JPG


I believe this is something Mitsubishi changed to improve cooling.

On the other hand, Optoma's lamp does have holes for the screws that hold air guide in place.

No, the one that was installed originally has metal mesh covering the areal where the air guide is on your lamp. The other one has a fabric mesh, bit there is a cutout around the area where you have the guide on yours.

Can you check the bulb it self: The optoma is:
TOP 222 J5
UHP 250w 1.35
Philips
Made in Belgium

I forget if the Optoma bulb has the small circle piece in front of it the looks like it controls light scatter? I called it an Iris

I believe this is the company that rebuilds projector lamp modules.

http://www.jopprugroup.com/

Yes that the one. $225 that's lower than I thought. thx

Hey ?, do you think the posters who have had bad luck with their projector effect the resale value or kill the resale all together?

Mostly it's a low percentage vs good ones, but I think when it's so vocal and constant the resale value goes down the tubes. Which is why I got a luxury HD2+ for $650.

The bulb dimming talk is branching out. I see a Pearl thread running now. If they don't watch out soon we'll be buying Sony Pearls at a firesale levels.

No, the one that was installed originally has metal mesh covering the areal where the air guide is on your lamp. The other one has a fabric mesh, bit there is a cutout around the area where you have the guide on yours.

Can you check the bulb it self: The optoma is:
TOP 222 J5
UHP 250w 1.35
Philips
Made in Belgium
Actually mine is Optoma too, I just linked picture of a HC2000 lamp to illustrate difference between the two.

My bulb has exactly same text printed on the back side of the reflector.

I forget if the Optoma bulb has the small circle piece in front of it the looks like it controls light scatter? I called it an Iris
Now I see what you ment by iris. Yes, Optoma bulb also has small circle piece of glass (much smaller than the reflector diameter) in front of the bulb. Actually many projector lamps I have seen are similar.

Yes that the one. $225 that's lower than I thought. thx
Only the arc tube is replaced. is the tube identical or similar? you will still have the same reflector etc and alignment is also a concern.
I would rather go for a solution where the bulb unit including the reflector is replaced. Such as the ones on ebay a while back - just new insted of used.

Regarding Bulb issues and dimming: The H77 is proberbly dimming a little faster than most. It appears UHP lamps are mose sensitive to heat than others - hence Pearl users are starting to have the same complaints.

This could easily be offset by a resonable price for replacement bulbs and everybody would be happy. I am trying to get 1000 hours out of my bulb, but i would rather replace it at 500 if the bulb price was more resonable.

I think that company has had good results. Isn't it the arc tube that goes bad, maybe they have a better part. I'm going to burn the HC2000 day and night to test the bulb out, I'll see if I get a drop off similar to Daniels testing. 1000hrs to half the brightness isn't too bad. Cheaper bulbs sounds good, the next time I talk to the insiders I'll suggest it. They should put some pressure on the mfg.

Now I see what you ment by iris. Yes, Optoma bulb also has small circle piece of glass (much smaller than the reflector diameter) in front of the bulb. Actually many projector lamps I have seen are similar.

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/mitslamp1.jpg

I was thinking the way the bulb is closed off in the front. I figure there has to be a reason mits claims 700ansi and optoma says 800ansi. The upgrade should make the mits 800ansi.

Order a hc2000 for $649.00 today. Called them after I sent payment only to find out that they dont have it in stock and are expecting a delivery on Monday the 21st.

That's right when I bought mine they were just set to take delivery from the warehouse which is in Boston. They were able to have Boston drop ship to me, the other two where shipped out to the seller. We're both getting them on Monday. Where are you, you'll be getting shipped out from California? You're not too far off schedule if at all.
They do ship 3day saver with fedex so figure Wednesday or Thursday.

I am in Detroit so I will probably get mine Thursday. This is my first projector and I am very anxious to get it set up. I have a phillps 5960 dvd player,an altec lansing 5.1 thx sound system,and an infocus 76 inch screen with a 1.5 gain waiting patiently as well. Question, should I use an dvi to hdmi adapter or cable to connect the dvd player and in the future a hdmi switch?

Man did you luck out, these were $10,999 when they came out two years ago, you should be thrilled. They have a DVI/HDCP connect so anyway you can convert is fine. Just pick up a HDMI to DVI adaptor and run HDMI cables. Mono cables is dirt cheap and they carry fine products, check them out. Mono cables has a power icon at the top of the AVS forum page. I'll post up some important info facts once I get the projector. Grayscale, lumens, CR reading etc.

Thank you, that would be quite helpful.

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/mitslamp1.jpg

I was thinking the way the bulb is closed off in the front. I figure there has to be a reason mits claims 700ansi and optoma says 800ansi. The upgrade should make the mits 800ansi.
Optoma bulb is also closed off in the front. It looks same as the one in your photo. Only difference is that "air guide".

A local member is coming over Monday with his H77 for a grayscale tune up. He already got the upgrade and grayscale tuning before. Pls keep track of your number changes records, I don't keep the numbers on all the projectors. He had to send the PJ in and didn't realize Optoma might reset the machine which they did. I'll take a look at the bulb and see if my mits bulb fits in the Optoma.

I'll take a look at the bulb and see if my mits bulb fits in the Optoma.
Please let us know about the results. Please also check if there are difference in the cooling fans between the two pj's, if possible. I believe that large fan near the bulb is the same, but smaller fan (tube fan?) which is supplying cooling air to that "air guide" may be different.

One more thing worth to check, is how Mitsubishi's "air guide" is directing air to the bulb. From pictures it looks air flow is directed straight to the bulb envelope, which is not the case with the Optoma bulb. Maybe this different design is a key to the fact we don't see Mitsubishi owners complaining about a short lamp life.

Very good thanks for the input.

I noticed there is a lot of talk about bulbs for H77 and HC2000 lately.
I am H77 user myself. Few weeks ago my bulb failed. This was original bulb and it lasted only little over 400h :mad: . To make things worse it happened two days before I was going to send my unit to Tom for H78 upgrade. Anyways, I did not like the idea of paying $350-$450 for a new one. I asked one of my friends overseas for help. He was able get me two replacement bulbs from the source (P......). These are original: "TOP 222, UHP 250w 1.35, Philips, Made in Belgium".
Since these are just bulbs, not the whole lamps I needed to use my old bracket and connectors. Very simple operation and it only took few minutes.
Attached are pictures of a new bulb. Note the red dot; it is special "thermal" paint which fades within few hours of usage. This how you can verify you are getting new bulb. Pretty neat.
Anyways, it is pretty cost effective way to get you projector going again. The only problem is that those bulbs are not widely available but if we can find few people interested in them I can try to get some more.
If anyone is interested let me know.

Attached are pictures for my previous post. They did not upload the firts time.

Anyways, it is pretty cost effective way to get you projector going again. The only problem is that those bulbs are not widely available but if we can find few people interested in them I can try to get some more.
If anyone is interested let me know.

I am good for a couple at the right price

what is the cost shipped to the USA?

I noticed there is a lot of talk about bulbs for H77 and HC2000 lately.
I am H77 user myself. Few weeks ago my bulb failed. This was original bulb and it lasted only little over 400h :mad: . To make things worse it happened two days before I was going to send my unit to Tom for H78 upgrade. Anyways, I did not like the idea of paying $350-$450 for a new one. I asked one of my friends overseas for help. He was able get me two replacement bulbs from the source (P......). These are original: "TOP 222, UHP 250w 1.35, Philips, Made in Belgium".
Since these are just bulbs, not the whole lamps I needed to use my old bracket and connectors. Very simple operation and it only took few minutes.
Attached are pictures of a new bulb. Note the red dot; it is special "thermal" paint which fades within few hours of usage. This how you can verify you are getting new bulb. Pretty neat.
Anyways, it is pretty cost effective way to get you projector going again. The only problem is that those bulbs are not widely available but if we can find few people interested in them I can try to get some more.
If anyone is interested let me know.

I'll take a half dozen, not really but PM sent.

I noticed there is a lot of talk about bulbs for H77 and HC2000 lately.
I am H77 user myself. Few weeks ago my bulb failed. This was original bulb and it lasted only little over 400h :mad: . To make things worse it happened two days before I was going to send my unit to Tom for H78 upgrade. Anyways, I did not like the idea of paying $350-$450 for a new one. I asked one of my friends overseas for help. He was able get me two replacement bulbs from the source (P......). These are original: "TOP 222, UHP 250w 1.35, Philips, Made in Belgium".
Since these are just bulbs, not the whole lamps I needed to use my old bracket and connectors. Very simple operation and it only took few minutes.
Attached are pictures of a new bulb. Note the red dot; it is special "thermal" paint which fades within few hours of usage. This how you can verify you are getting new bulb. Pretty neat.
Anyways, it is pretty cost effective way to get you projector going again. The only problem is that those bulbs are not widely available but if we can find few people interested in them I can try to get some more.
If anyone is interested let me know.

How do you get these?

I'm in for the naked bulbs, we'll work the upgrade into the deal. :)

Another in for a spare raw bulb

another

Count me in for several. I have a H79, but it's the same bulb... SJ

is this the same thing?
http://cgi.*********/PHILIPS-UHP-250W-PROJECTOR-LAMP-BULB-INFOCUS-DELL-SONY_W0QQitemZ190113208335QQcmdZViewItem

Yes, it is the same bulb except theirs is used. They say "Used With Low Hours of Usage". One I am taking about is brand new. Based on what Tom is saying output is reduced to 50% after 400h.

I'm interested in getting a bare bulb at the right price...any indication on what price that would be? The H78DC3 uses the same bulb as the H77 and H79 right?

hey guys.

i've been on the lookout to upgrade from my svga dlp (benq pb6100) to an HD proj but at minimal cost (around $1k cad). I've been going back and forth between the optoma Hd70 and the Mitsu h1000 but in canada the prices of these machines have gone way up compared to what they are in the states. was thinking then about getting a used older hd proj.

that being said, someone in my block is selling an optoma h77 with close to 1300hrs on the original bulb. I like the optoma machines and have read many reviews on their various models so i'm very interested in getting this but need to ask is it worth it?

Can a proj made from 2004-2006 compete with something like the hd70 or h1000? Does the older hd2+ chip compare to the hd70's DarkChip2? do they yield equivalent detail in Hd or SD images or does one outperform the other? what about their bit processing? is the h77 10bit or 8? are cololurs displayed in steps or smooth gradations? i know the h77 is a much better built with better tech and probably better optics for its time but does the older technology still hold up against the newest bargain projectors out there? was wondering if any of you h77 owners have seen the newer HD projs on the market and can give an honest opinion on how your proj fares in this current day? the hd70's rated contrast ratio is higher than the h77, but has anyone seen both of these in action and can comment on if this is a noticable difference? my viewing room is in the basement with complete light control, i dont need a light cannon but would like darker blacks.

one final set of questions: what would be a fair price for a machine with over 1300hrs on the orig bulb? how have yours fared for lamp life and bulb changes? did the image dim appreciably after 1200hrs? is this one close to dieing? are replacement bulbs hard to come by for the h77 and are they significantly more expensive than the hd70's? judging from the recent posts on finding bulbs i take it the h77 lamps are hard to come by?

any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated please.

Dark Chip 2+ DDR w/dimple fix, with green segment color wheel, power zoom & focus, lens shift s/b worth $1200 but subtract a $400 bulb. Offer $600 for a better bargin tops $800.

The budget projectors are a cheaper quality. Lens isn't as good the chip isn't as good. HD2+ in the H77 is a larger chip with more reflection.

But there's something to be said for a two year warranty on a projector. All brands can run into problems so the warranty is gold. The HD70 and Mits both have a great picture, the advantage the HD70 has is a 2yr warranty vs a 1yr for the Mits.

Yes, it is the same bulb except theirs is used. They say "Used With Low Hours of Usage". One I am taking about is brand new. Based on what Tom is saying output is reduced to 50% after 400h.

More accurate around 500 to 600hrs 60% to 70% left. Artur thanks for giving me a shot at applying the upgrade to your PJ a while back. Did you examine that video I mentioned FOTR chap 28?

Dark Chip 2+ DDR w/dimple fix, with green segment color wheel, power zoom & focus, lens shift s/b worth $1200 but subtract a $400 bulb. Offer $600 for a better bargin tops $800.

The budget projectors are a cheaper quality. Lens isn't as good the chip isn't as good. HD2+ in the H77 is a larger chip with more reflection.

But there's something to be said for a two year warranty on a projector. All brands can run into problems so the warranty is gold. The HD70 and Mits both have a great picture, the advantage the HD70 has is a 2yr warranty vs a 1yr for the Mits.

refurb HC2000 for 650 incl new lamp or 600 for h77 without? As much as I like my H77.....

That's if there's more refurbs, right now they're gone. Which is good It opens up the value of a used H77 back up to where it should be. I figure high quality HD2+ machines s/b valued a few hundred dollars more than the budget machines.

Tom,
I did check FOTR chap 28 and no banding, looks good. Thanks!
Will you be able to do the same thing for HC2000?

All,
I should know more about bulbs soon, I will keep you posted.
So far it looks like I will be able to get more of them and they may run around $160 + shipping (domestic/US).

Artur

That's if there's more refurbs, right now they're gone. Which is good It opens up the value of a used H77 back up to where it should be. I figure high quality HD2+ machines s/b valued a few hundred dollars more than the budget machines.

Also it would be interesting to look at the lamp on the refurb'ed HC2000 too see if the lamp is new or not. That would obviously change the calculation as well.

hello

thanks for the advice. yes the warranty is gold and i am very envious for those who can walk in and buy an hd70 at bestbuy, but i'm in canada. bestbuy here carries 2 or 3 projectors at the most (not including the hd70). i'm hoping i can pick up a well cared for higher end hd unit for a lot less than retail current bargain projector.

so in essence you would say that the image put out by the h77 is subjectively still better than the hd70 or mitsu1000? for me pq counts for everything, i could care less for the h77's power zoom and focus, what i want is performance and if its on par with current projs i wouldn't mind owning an older piece of technology if i can get it for a very good price.


Dark Chip 2+ DDR w/dimple fix, with green segment color wheel, power zoom & focus, lens shift s/b worth $1200 but subtract a $400 bulb. Offer $600 for a better bargin tops $800.

The budget projectors are a cheaper quality. Lens isn't as good the chip isn't as good. HD2+ in the H77 is a larger chip with more reflection.

But there's something to be said for a two year warranty on a projector. All brands can run into problems so the warranty is gold. The HD70 and Mits both have a great picture, the advantage the HD70 has is a 2yr warranty vs a 1yr for the Mits.

The H77 will have a much better picture than the HD70 or Mits, plus the features are allot better. I've had a couple of the projectors with the brilliant color and white segment so I've seen the difference.

Tom,
I did check FOTR chap 28 and no banding, looks good. Thanks!
Will you be able to do the same thing for HC2000?

All,
I should know more about bulbs soon, I will keep you posted.
So far it looks like I will be able to get more of them and they may run around $160 + shipping (domestic/US).

Artur

The PJ's due here any minute first I'll check the bulb then I'll look for the panning problem which I'm 100% sure it will have. If the internal boards connection pin is the same then it should take the upgrade.

$160 sounds great, really great. What did it take to install the bulb? Any soldering?

What did it take to install the bulb? Any soldering?
Judging by the photos of new bulb arturk posted here, it seems no soldering is requied. Just screw driver to fix old cables to the new bulb.

This is correct, all you need is small torx screwdriver.

Count me in for a couple.

This is correct, all you need is small torx screwdriver and gloves, you should never touch lamp with bare hands.

Correct, forgot about it. Glove is probably the best but you can also use clean cloth to handle bulb. There is really not much handling required. You can relatively easily mount bulb in the bracket and then work on connections. This will minimize risk of touching the bulb.

Good news!

I will have two dozen probably by the end of week or early next week.
They will cost $165 + $8 shipping (US), unfortunately I will not be able to combine shipping cost for multiple bulbs (getting them across the ocean is expensive).
Price of $165 is for CC payment through PayPal. If you prefer to pay by Check or MO it will be $160 per bulb.
Someone asked me about the warranty. This is tricky stuff. These bulbs are new but even new bulb can fail prematurely. I can only provide DOA warranty.

I will let you all know when I receive bulbs.

Artur

That's great work, I'll send a pm.

Hey the mits is just like the H77 lol, the bulb checked out at 16ft candles in bright and 13ftc in econo. It needs the panning fix also. I tuned up for HDTV and whatched some video everything looked excellent. High quality product that H77 err mits :).

If you ever have a problem with the blacks crushing out with a device that has no output control try this.

In the service menu use the Auto-cal black and Auto-cal white, never use the Auto-cal magenta or color there's a problem with that one.

Auto cals are under ADC, what you do is first run and all black pattern and then start Auto-cal black, then a 100IRE all white pattern and run Auto-cal white.
What this does is match up to the device, sub service tuning numbers get changed automatically.

I had a problem with the Tosh HDA1 dropping black bars on HD-DVE and other calibration discs. Runninng Auto-cal brought the black control back, no more crush. This is over HDMI/DVI. I know some players have brightess and contrast adjustments where you can fix this problem but the Tosh is fixed with no black level control. There's your fix :)

Hi everyone,

Well I will be keeping my H77 until the 1080p come down under 2000.

I have had my H77 Since Aug 04 and 1850 hrs later and 1 new bulb, it is still working flawlessly on my 119" screen.

A very satisfied H77 owner :)

Steve

Have you tried HD-DVD or Blueray on it. The Matrix HD looks awfully good, so good I just keep watching the parts of the first Matrix over and over. Help

Tom,
How do you enter service menu on HC2000?
Artur

Hi everyone,

Well I will be keeping my H77 until the 1080p come down under 2000.

I have had my H77 Since Aug 04

:)

Steve


I know Steve I helped you install it remember :D , you should at least try a pearl, and a hd player, im on my 2nd 1080p pj, 10' 2:35 dalite highpower fixed screen and 110" electric highpower screen :D , nice to see your optoma is still holding up

Did you get one or have a friend with one?

On the PJ,

Press at the same time twice, Auto Position, Source, & Enter

Press at the same time twice, Auto Position, Source, & Menu (Key lights should go on)

Press at the same time once to activate the blotted out functions -

Auto, Source, & down arrow.

Just got one for $650 :D
Thanks for a key sequence, how did you figure this out?
Any luck ith upgrade?

Andrea Manuti, he's a projector reviewer in Italy. PM sent

arturk, which is the Philips part number for these? Obviously it's not the big number at bottom. And TOP apparently indicates that part of the reflector should be at top.

I know that Philips makes at least two different UHP bulbs, depending on the driver board. So where is the part number? And what do the rest of the numbers mean?

Quantumstate,

I do not know exactly what Philips part number it is but I think 222 is most important here. I think it is the model.

One thing is certain, it is the same bulb that comes with H77, H78, H79 and HC2000.

Artur

Good news!

Bulbs are here. If you are interested PM me. I got 24 pieces.

Artur

Post the datasheet. What do the numbers mean?

Artur, hang in there buddy paypal's acting wierd today or they're down, can't sign on. Thanks for the bulb help. I believe the readings are Top 222, 250watt, 1.35volt

How did your new projector compare to your H77?

Same here. Paypal doesn't seem to be working right now... SJ

If you ever have a problem with the blacks crushing out with a device that has no output control try this.

In the service menu use the Auto-cal black and Auto-cal white, never use the Auto-cal magenta or color there's a problem with that one.

Auto cals are under ADC, what you do is first run and all black pattern and then start Auto-cal black, then a 100IRE all white pattern and run Auto-cal white.
What this does is match up to the device, sub service tuning numbers get changed automatically.

I had a problem with the Tosh HDA1 dropping black bars on HD-DVE and other calibration discs. Runninng Auto-cal brought the black control back, no more crush. This is over HDMI/DVI. I know some players have brightess and contrast adjustments where you can fix this problem but the Tosh is fixed with no black level control. There's your fix :)
This is good news! Thanks guitarman. I will give this a shot. I've been unable to use my HDA1 HDMI output due to this issue with my H79.
Please, one more time on how to get into the service menu? Never done that either.

On the top of the projector H7x's, the four buttons in a row. Looking from the back to the front -

Hit the two left and the one on the right at the same time once, use the remote to move around.

It's fine to use auto cal bkack or white, but never use the auto color.

Bulbs are out, all of you who ordered by Saturday should be getting them shortly.
There is still 12 more to go. Let me know if you are interested.

That was fast, I got the paypal shipping info. I've seen this before from Ebay Paypal does the shipping. How does that work? Do you ship the items to Paypal and then they ship them? I see it's 3day priority, that's good.

12 gone already, we owe you a big thanks because of the cash outlay. We have to know these didn't get over here for free.
Thx

Tom,

PayPal just makes filling the shipping form for USPS or UPS easier and sends confirmation emails to the customers but I ship directly to the receiver. I have chosen USPS because 3 days so you can get it quickly.

On HC2000. I did not have too much time to play with it but I like it already. Mainly for the Menu which is nicer than Optoma and gives you more options. I like User Memory. Also, I like what they did to the lamp. This tiny metal duct redirects air directly at bulb cooling it much better. Hopefully bulb will last longer because of that.

Artur

Metal ducts, Yep could be the ticket. The OTB tuning is excellent, try what they say High brightness gamma for TV and D6500k for HDTV. Theater 1 or 2, 2 really brightens things up more if you need it. We won't see this type of deal around anymore, there's 4 lucky dudes here at AVS. :)

On Theater 1/2 and Standard, Standard on mine does nothing, it will copy one of the others but doesn't set it's own gamma level.

Thanks for tip, I will try tonight. You are right about those 4 dudes.

I had a proble with Optoma and my Dish ViP622 DVR. When connected through component, colors were way off. Too much blue. At the same time on my Sony XBR (LCD) colors were fine. All other components looked fine on both PJ an TV :confused: . I could not figure this out :mad: . With HC2000 problem does not exist.

When connected through component, colors were way off. Too much blue.

You need the equipment (color analizers like colorfacts) to fix that. Or a trip to an ISF. But it is good the Mits grayscales look good OTB.

When ever you think the color looks blue or red take a look at a graysteps pattern to look for color bias in the gray tones. What I do first is flick the color temp options to find the one that best makes steely gray. From there I'll use the RGB advanced color control to make the grays look gray with no nasty blue or red tints. RGB-gains for the mid/high grays to white, RGB-bias for the dark grays to low/mids. Not an exact science but it's the best you can do by eye. Colors should look much better afterwards.

I use Spyder and Color HCFR. This is weird problem, those two devices (H77 and ViP622) simply did not like each other. I was able to calibrate them together but then I coud not use component input on PJ for any other device because blue was defficient (I use my receiver to switch between component sources). Now with HC2000 I calibrated component for DVR and other component sources look OK. Nothing else changed, same wires same connections, same components :confused: . I realize that ideally I should have each source calibrated separately but than I would need 7 inputs in my PJ - one for every component.

This tiny metal duct redirects air directly at bulb cooling it much better. Hopefully bulb will last longer because of that.

I speculated about these metal ducts few weeks ago, assuming they are the key for better lamp life. Real question here is has anyone tested if HC2000 lamp works in H7x projectors? Another question is where to get those ducts, maybe Optoma could provide them for us. I can see that my old bulb has screw holes for that duct thing.

Bulbs are out, all of you who ordered by Saturday should be getting them shortly.
There is still 12 more to go. Let me know if you are interested.
Datasheet?


I speculated about these metal ducts few weeks ago, assuming they are the key for better lamp life. Real question here is has anyone tested if HC2000 lamp works in H7x projectors? Another question is where to get those ducts, maybe Optoma could provide them for us. I can see that my old bulb has screw holes for that duct thing.
The HC2000 does have the same lamp as the H7*.

But cooling is a dicey issue. The H7*'s do not have enough, but too much is not good either. Ideally the air temperature around the envelope pressure chamber should be less than 350ºF. Envelope temperature should never exceed 900ºF.

I speculated about these metal ducts few weeks ago, assuming they are the key for better lamp life. Real question here is has anyone tested if HC2000 lamp works in H7x projectors? Another question is where to get those ducts, maybe Optoma could provide them for us. I can see that my old bulb has screw holes for that duct thing.

I missed my opportunity when I grayscale tuned a members projector, but Artur has both the H77 and HC2000 right now. If it's not too much trouble maybe he could see if it aligns up ok, vents etc.

I see what your getting at though, pick up a HC2000 bulb for the cage and keep popping in just the bulb replacements. Sounds like a plan. Optoma doesn't have parts for the Mits model at least the things that Mits changed.

I am little busy right now but give me few days and I will check if Mits bulb will work in Optoma.

I got the bulb from Artur today, looks good. Remember don't touch the bulb ever, use rubber gloves. Wing says the word TOP and having it facing up or down will not matter and that they take into consideration with forced cooling and design that users will want can can use different orientations.

Also, got my bulbs today. They look identical to the ones in my H79. What a great value and should keep my H79 looking good for awhile longer (if nothing else fails). I'm in the process of upgrading my HT speakers this year, so getting some more use out of my H79 is the plan for now. Thanks Artur for getting these. SJ

I am glad bulbs arrived in one piece. Based on my research and experience I decided not to mark them as "Fragile". I figured this will actually decrease chance for them to be abused on the way. I hope they will serve for long time!

Now, there is still 12 to go. Anyone?

Is there any chance there will be another oportunity to get these bulbs? I seemed to have missed this one.

Is there any chance there will be another oportunity to get these bulbs? I seemed to have missed this one.
PM arturk

Artur, got my bulb. Surprised how easy it was to replace! works like a champ.

THANK YOU!

Jkirby,
I am glad you find it easy to do.
Few people were concerned it would be difficult, but it is not.
Artur

I'm interested in a couple. PM sent, and thanks!

Me too. I would like to purchase one. PM sent. Thanks.

Hello,
I like to let you all know that all the bulbs are gone, sorry. I hope everybody is happy with their purchase.
Thank you!
Artur

As one of the folks who scored a bulb off Artur, I'd like to thank him for going through the trouble to make them available. Importing things can be a PITA, so I'm grateful for your efforts, Artur. Thanks.

You are all very welcome! I am glad I could help.

Yes thanks Artur, sure came thru with the bulbs. One thing of importance, I quoted my new PJ got 16ft candles with zero hours, this number was way off. I forgot to mount the PJ at it's normal close to the screen spot. Re testing with the PJ just 2feet closer to the screen increased the light output by 4ft candles. That would make the new bulb 20ft candles and now at 150hrs is at 16.75 ft candles and stable now. These are high read out numbers for sure.

So don't forget to setup as close to the screen as possible.

Here's a lumens number on my 106" diag HP screen. At 1.0gain and new PJ it's 680lumens, I figure in my setup I'm getting 1.5gain and that would be over 1000lumens. If I were to table mount the PJ and I could it would get 2050lumens. :)

Yes thanks Artur, sure came thru with the bulbs. One thing of importance, I quoted my new PJ got 16ft candles with zero hours, this number was way off. I forgot to mount the PJ at it's normal close to the screen spot. Re testing with the PJ just 2feet closer to the screen increased the light output by 4ft candles. That would make the new bulb 20ft candles and now at 150hrs is at 16.75 ft candles and stable now. These are high read out numbers for sure.

So don't forget to setup as close to the screen as possible.

Here's a lumens number on my 106" diag HP screen. At 1.0gain and new PJ it's 680lumens, I figure in my setup I'm getting 1.5gain and that would be over 1000lumens. If I were to table mount the PJ and I could it would get 2050lumens. :)

I think the output has more to do with the size of the image and not so much the distance - did to zoom in on the first test or did you just project a bigger image?
It would be interesting to messaure a 100" image at different distances.

The zoom is the same. Just I noticed the ft-candle readings got so much higher when I moved the sensor 2' closer. Did I max zoom on the first test? yes I did and the difference was minimal if any different. I plan the move the ceiling mount today and I'll see what the final number is.

The zoom is the same. Just I noticed the ft-candle readings got so much higher when I moved the sensor 2' closer. Did I max zoom on the first test? yes I did and the difference was minimal if any different. I plan the move the ceiling mount today and I'll see what the final number is.

Interesting!!! keep us posted.

Arturk,

I would like to get a couple bulbs..you said you were out, would you send me a message with phillips contact info so I could order some? what is the minimum amout of bulbs they will ship? Thanks

Dean

Arturk,

I would like to get a couple bulbs..you said you were out, would you send me a message with phillips contact info so I could order some? what is the minimum amount of bulbs they will ship? Thanks

Dean

Hi everyone, I just picked up a used H77 to tide me over until more 1080p options are available in my price range. I'm just curious if any H77 owners are using a Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player with their machines? I hooked mine up via HDMI-DVI and am having a problem with seeing the black bars on the AVIA brightness screen. This isn't a problem seeing btb bars which is a well known issue with the Tosh into DVI but I can't see the slightly above black bars either no matter where I set my main brightness level. Anyone running this combo? Let me know how it is working. My HD-A1 has the latest 2.2 firmware and I'm not sure which firmware my H77 has.

Moe

Pm sent about working with the ADC auto-cal feature.

Additional fans on h79 dont work!
I now have 230 hours on my bulb that I have been using the additional fans with and I am getting a lux reading(reading right off the lux meter) of 132 lux as opposed to 144 lux on my old bulb at 212 hours without additional fans. As you can see there is no real difference with the additional cooling fans. Does anyone have hope for the H series optoma's in regards to retrofitting a new bulb technology? is it possible to build a top 222 250w bulb that will actually stay bright? or is there another projector out there with a different technology that can maintain a bright picture for long periods of time?

Pm sent about working with the ADC auto-cal feature.

Tom, Thanks for your help with my machine. I did the tweaks you suggested and now everything looks great. No more black blob in dark scenes. Gonna calibrate grayscale tonight and get everything tuned nice. I know this machine is older and I picked one up as a holdover but the image is very good and as long as my bulb lasts it's a keeper.

Moe

Hello!

I received many requests for more bulbs in recent weeks.
Good news is I was able to get some more. I just received them and there is about one dozen left. Price is the same as last time: $165 + $8 shipping per bulb.

So, if anyone needs bulbs please PM.

Artur

Very cool, half price bulbs galore. :)

Me personally am very happy I have back up bulb power for my beloved H7x series projector.

H77! I mean I've had slews of different projectors come on on the table and the H7x series is at the top. Very easy to get natural looking tunings of color on these machines. Not so easy on the brillaint color models.

Thx for the bulb help.

PM sent re: bulbs

Hello!

I received many requests for more bulbs in recent weeks.
Good news is I was able to get some more. I just received them and there is about one dozen left. Price is the same as last time: $165 + $8 shipping per bulb.

So, if anyone needs bulbs please PM.

Artur

Artur,

I received my bulb Monday and installed it. Projector looks great again. Thanks again for this great bulb service that you have been providing.

Bob

You are very welcome Bob.

Speaking of bulbs, I still have few left. Anyone interested please PM.
Just so you all know, this is the last batch. I will not be getting more bulbs in the future.

Artur

You are very welcome Bob.

Speaking of bulbs, I still have few left. Anyone interested please PM.
Just so you all know, this is the last batch. I will not be getting more bulbs in the future.

Artur

Hi Arturk,

I have an H77 and I'm noticing it's becoming very
apparent that the bulb is much dimmer than when
new.

I'd like to grab one of your last H77 lamps.

I tried to PM you, but it wouldn't let me because your
PM-mailbox is full.

How much $$$ for lamp + shipping to:

Daniel Kuster
68 Cemetery Hill Road
Washington, NJ 07882

What is your preferred method of payment?

Thanks,

Dan Kuster

P.S.> If you want, PM me with your email address. We
should probably take this offline...

My H77 is suffering a problem with the fan. It has been running just fine since I got it in October 2004, but this past week it would not start. Pushing the power on button results in a single blue flash, but the unit will not start. I found that if I cycle the power switch and depress the power button about 10 times or so, the unit will start, but it will shutdown after 10-15 minutes with a message that the fan is malfunctioning. The fan runs when I do get it to come on, but it will not change speeds when in the britemode. When powered off, the fan does not continue to run to cool the lamp, it just stops immediately.
Since the fan will run, I don't think that the problem lies in the fan itself. It sounds more like a controller or logic problem.
Has anyone else had a similar experience and have any suggestions? I tried emailing Optoma but did not receive a response.
Thanks,
Hugh DaMann

Artur,

I received my lamp yesterday -- thanks!

-dan

Dan,

I am glad you got them already!

Only 5 more to go.

Artur

I'd love to grab a bulb, too.

My e-mail address is: Paul_kapoian@hspop.com
Let me know preferred method of payment.

Hello All,

I like to inform I have already sold all the bulbs from the second batch.
I hope all of you that purchased bulbs are enjoying them and they will last for long time. I do not think I will be able to get more from my source anymore. I am not really planning to actively look for new sources because approaching EOL for those machines.

Best regards,

Artur

Hi guys,

I dont know if this is the right thread, but I'm having issues with my H77 (which is upgraded to H78 by the factory).

I was watching a movie the other day when the picture started to blink and then the projector shut down and the LAMP led turned on.

I've tried using the projector again but it only works for short perioids and always shuts down with the lamp led on.

Any ideas what is wrong, the bulb only has 830 hours and the dust filters etc. are clean, and the room temperature is not very high either.

Hi guys,

I dont know if this is the right thread, but I'm having issues with my H77 (which is upgraded to H78 by the factory).

I was watching a movie the other day when the picture started to blink and then the projector shut down and the LAMP led turned on.

I've tried using the projector again but it only works for short perioids and always shuts down with the lamp led on.

Any ideas what is wrong, the bulb only has 830 hours and the dust filters etc. are clean, and the room temperature is not very high either.

I had the exact same problem at about 1000-1100 hours on the lamp. Had to buy a new lamp and all was fine again.

I had the exact same problem at about 1000-1100 hours on the lamp. Had to buy a new lamp and all was fine again.

graaaah.. The price for H77/H78 replacement lamp here is $680, sounds very expensive :(

Forgot to mention that I am using a H79, but I guess the lamps and mechanics are the same.

I'll start searching for cheaper alternatives, please PM me if someone has extra lamps and willing to sell one or if someone is planning a group buy etc. Thanks!

can anyone tell me what are the best setting in the advance meau

what are all the best setting on the h77 ? i have one for about 2 years now

Hello,

Anyone know where to purchase a replacement lamp for a good price. I missed out on the deal that was going around in here.

thanx

They pop up on Ebay alot, look for a new bulb read the adds closely. 250watt UHP Phillips lamp, used in Dells, Infocus, Optoma etc. Usually go under $199, sometimes near $160. Keep checking. Search the later part of this thread for a picture of the bulb, says 222 Top etc. Top means should be facing up so we've inverted the bulbs on re-install. For ceiling mounted PJ that is.

Update, my HC2000 is at 500hrs now and origianal bulb is still plenty bright in econo, almost hurts my eyes a bit. No fan mods though at times I've tried just putting a fan on the intake vent on the bottom. Pretty simple and pushes cool air towards the bulb. The case will feel cooler using the extra fan. Whether it's really needed I don't know.

Oh I did do the upgrade on the HC2000 so I'm getting some extra brightness from that also.

is it better to install fan pushing air into intake...or pulling air out of exhaust? assuming you are only using a single fan.

thanks

When I use the fan on one side of the intake vent by the touch I can tell the PJ's running much cooler. Cooler has to be a good thing with any PJ. Projectors still nice and bright. About tunings start with TV gamma choice instead of film and choose gamma 1, color temp2, tune your white and blacks with Avia or even the THX-optimizer. Look over the graysteps and take any color bias out with the advanced RGB's. If you see red/pink in the lighter steps, use the RGB/contrast, if you see color in the lower steps you use RGB/brightness or sometimes they're call gains=contrast or bias=brightness. See what you can do.

Well I have 1100hrs on my H77 and the picture seems pretty dim. I think it is time for a new lamp. Are there any lamp deals around that anyone knows about?

Also how hard is it to add a exhaust fan? Does it go inside the projector or hang outside? Does anyone have a part# for the fan?

I really like the H77, I've had it for two years or so with no problems.

thanks,
-Reinyn

does someone have info on how to add fan to the projector? im replacing another lamp, and would like it to last longer. Please if you have info post it ASAP

thx
Vinman

Hi,

I need a clarification.

I got a H78 (Euro model), which is feed from the HDMI from my Pioneer Elite DV59
(869 European) attached to a HDMI-DVI dongle.
I assume (???) that the output of this set-up is Video level.

I read in this thread that hitting DVI (or resynch) on the H77/78 will switch between PC (0 to 255) to Video (16 to 235) levels. I would then expect that doing this would result in the image becoming darker/brighter (at least the dark area being "crushed" or similar).
What happens is that when resynch/DVI button is pressed the H78 says "DVI-digital RGB" there is no difference whatsoever in the image. Am I misunderstanding the whole thing ?

Thanks for any hint.

DocG4

Hi,

I need a clarification.

I got a H78 (Euro model), which is feed from the HDMI from my Pioneer Elite DV59
(869 European) attached to a HDMI-DVI dongle.
I assume (???) that the output of this set-up is Video level.

I read in this thread that hitting DVI (or resynch) on the H77/78 will switch between PC (0 to 255) to Video (16 to 235) levels. I would then expect that doing this would result in the image becoming darker/brighter (at least the dark area being "crushed" or similar).
What happens is that when resynch/DVI button is pressed the H78 says "DVI-digital RGB" there is no difference whatsoever in the image. Am I misunderstanding the whole thing ?

Thanks for any hint.

DocG4
That's how it should work. When you hit the "resync" button it goes to PC-levels (0-255) and hitting the "DVI" button brings it back to the video-levels (16-235). Also notice that you have to hit "resync" button every time you power up the pj to change to PC-levels, becase instead of memorizing the last state it will default to video-levels.