I suggest you call the main Sony customer service number to start the service process. Then you can follow up with these folks below if you have any trouble. I don't think you should contact either person below as a 1st step, as they will direct you to the customer service front door.

good luck and keep us posted.

Ricardo Zárate Rodríguez
Diagnostic Engineer
Projector's Department
956) 728 2100 Ext.0819
SONY Laredo Repair Center
E-MAIL Ricardo.Zarate@am.sony.com

Andres Gomez
Production Supervisor
SONY Laredo Customer Satisfaction Center
Ph: (867) 711-0911 (MX)
Ph: (956) 728-2111 (US)
e-mail: andres.gomez@am.sony.com

Cheers

RJ
...

BTW... when I had a serious problem with red/blue bias occur on my 51, Sony replaced my entire prism block, which was basically the complete RGB LCD assembly.

For Sale in the AVS marketplace is my HS51

Almost perfect convergance, no lens shifting Problems.

Still on first bulb, not used very offen.

Have any members married a Toshiba HD-A1 with their Sony ?
I would appreciate any comments.
Thank you.

Stellar pretty much sums it up, they play together very well. Just make sure you set output to 1080, not 720.

Thanks for the info Byte, I'm thinking of sending it in farely soon, since the red/blue bias is starting to annoy me.

Apologies in advance for the long post ;-)
BACKGROUND: I have a Sony VPLHS51 and a Denon AVR-3806 A/V Receiver that I use for audio/video switching (among other things). I have a component video connection to the PJ and it appears I may be forced to add an HDMI connection. I say forced because if I want to use the HDMI In/out switching function, I get no Component output b/c Denon does not convert HDMI input to Component output (I assume this is a copy protection restriction if nothing else).

My problem is that I want to be able to incorporate my laptop (or perhaps a dedicated HTPC) to the A/V Switching. I figured I could do this with a DB-15 VGA to Component video adapter/cable. I have tried many different Computer video setting, but get "Frequency out of Range" on the Sony VPLHS51 for everything I have tried with the VGA to Component cable. When I look at the 'information' on the Sony PJ menu, it shows Horizontal and Vertical frequency both set to 999.9 (or was it 99.9) – my assumption is that these FRQs are not set to any value by the PC, and I can’t find a place to set them. The monitor frequency setting in the PC setup is 60hz, and trying other hz numbers (66, 72, etc.) makes no difference.

QUESTION: Has anyone successfully tried to connect VGA out to Component in on the VPLHS51 (or another projector for that matter)?

Alternative 1: I suppose I can run a DB15 to the projector, but since I have component already and will run HDMI next, I think the 1-1/2” conduit in the ceiling to get to my projector will start to give me space problems with all three cables, especially for pulling through the DB-15 connector. This also complicates the video switching, since it is no longer done via the Denon A/V receiver. Some of this could be alleviated by just leaving the Sony PJ on auto source selection, but the VGA Video would probably be on a lot of the time.

Aside note on long VGA/DB-15: I have not seen good results with long VGA connections; the 25’ shielded video cable I have has serious degradation of picture quality (sparkles, etc.) when compared to a cheap 6’ unshielded cable. Not sure if this is a general VGA problem, or with the specific cable I have. A Crutchfield showroom salesman said when he ran long VGA connections for a University, they ran multiple shielded RG-6 coax with a conversion to VGA (presumably soldered) on each end. Seems to make sense it would work, but pretty bulky.

Alternative 2: if/when I get a dedicated HTPC, I could ensure I have a DVI output and convert the DVI to HDMI via adapter/cable. Should I expect to run into the same frequency problem with this scenario? Anyone tried this?

Apologies in advance for the long post ;-)
BACKGROUND: I have a Sony VPLHS51 and a Denon AVR-3806 A/V Receiver that I use for audio/video switching (among other things). I have a component video connection to the PJ and it appears I may be forced to add an HDMI connection. I say forced because if I want to use the HDMI In/out switching function, I get no Component output b/c Denon does not convert HDMI input to Component output (I assume this is a copy protection restriction if nothing else).

My problem is that I want to be able to incorporate my laptop (or perhaps a dedicated HTPC) to the A/V Switching. I figured I could do this with a DB-15 VGA to Component video adapter/cable. I have tried many different Computer video setting, but get "Frequency out of Range" on the Sony VPLHS51 for everything I have tried with the VGA to Component cable. When I look at the 'information' on the Sony PJ menu, it shows Horizontal and Vertical frequency both set to 999.9 (or was it 99.9) – my assumption is that these FRQs are not set to any value by the PC, and I can’t find a place to set them. The monitor frequency setting in the PC setup is 60hz, and trying other hz numbers (66, 72, etc.) makes no difference.

QUESTION: Has anyone successfully tried to connect VGA out to Component in on the VPLHS51 (or another projector for that matter)?

Alternative 1: I suppose I can run a DB15 to the projector, but since I have component already and will run HDMI next, I think the 1-1/2” conduit in the ceiling to get to my projector will start to give me space problems with all three cables, especially for pulling through the DB-15 connector. This also complicates the video switching, since it is no longer done via the Denon A/V receiver. Some of this could be alleviated by just leaving the Sony PJ on auto source selection, but the VGA Video would probably be on a lot of the time.

Aside note on long VGA/DB-15: I have not seen good results with long VGA connections; the 25’ shielded video cable I have has serious degradation of picture quality (sparkles, etc.) when compared to a cheap 6’ unshielded cable. Not sure if this is a general VGA problem, or with the specific cable I have. A Crutchfield showroom salesman said when he ran long VGA connections for a University, they ran multiple shielded RG-6 coax with a conversion to VGA (presumably soldered) on each end. Seems to make sense it would work, but pretty bulky.

Alternative 2: if/when I get a dedicated HTPC, I could ensure I have a DVI output and convert the DVI to HDMI via adapter/cable. Should I expect to run into the same frequency problem with this scenario? Anyone tried this?
This is slightly off-topic here and while you may get an answer, you're much more likely to get an answer on the Home Theater Computers (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=26) forum. :)

Hi-- I have an HS51 and after reading of some problems with bulbs exploding, I decided to change my bulb which had 1400 hrs on it. Everything went fine, however I am unable to reset the bulb hour counter reset. I've followed the instructions in the manual (a series of remote keystrokes) with the projector plugged in, but off to no avail. Same keystrokes with the pj on also produces no results. Any other way I can do this ?
Thanks,
Dan

^^^^^Can anybody suggest something ?^^^^^^^

As simple as this sounds I would try it again.

The projector has to be in standby mode and the sequence needs to be completed within 5 seconds.

I recall the reset not working sometimes for whatever reason but after a retry it worked. Try pointing the remote directly at the projector.

Regards,
Gary

I figured I could do this with a DB-15 VGA to Component video adapter/cable. I have tried many different Computer video setting, but get "Frequency out of Range" on the Sony VPLHS51 for everything I have tried with the VGA to Component cable. QUESTION: Has anyone successfully tried to connect VGA out to Component in on the VPLHS51 (or another projector for that matter)?

Your video card probably does not output component video via the vga port, so the cable won't work. I bet it's trying to send RGB instead. Possibly there is a setting for the card that could turn it on, otherwise you would either have to replace the card with one that has a component output and continue as usual, or just break down and run the hdmi cable. A vga to component transcoder is also an option. I'm running a very affordable 50 foot vga cable (also component and DVI too both 50 feet) purchased from a forum sponsor with no problems at all, now tested with 3 projectors...a dlp, crt and now my brand new hs51a!

As simple as this sounds I would try it again.

The projector has to be in standby mode and the sequence needs to be completed within 5 seconds.

I recall the reset not working sometimes for whatever reason but after a retry it worked. Try pointing the remote directly at the projector.

Regards,
Gary

Thanks Gary..I'll give it another whirl.

I just picked up a HS51A and have a question about a possible problem with the unit. When the projector acquires a new signal it makes a short, rapid series of clicking noises. This happens both with HDMI and component connections (I haven't tried the others). Once the signal is locked in, the projector operates great and I have no other issues with it.

My previous project was an HS10 and it didn't make any clicking noises when it was changing resolutions or displaying a new signal. Is the clicking that I am hearing normal? Is it the auto-iris freaking out? Thanks for any tips.

The clicking you're hearing is probably the iris.

When you say short, rapid series... how long of a series? Shouldn't be more than one or two clicks at most as the iris closes or opens up.

O.K., so I am in the market for a new projector to replace my 5 1/2 year old Sony VPL-VW10HT. I just went and saw a HS60 in action. Anyone else seen these yet? From what the sales guy told me, they removed one of the lens shift options (I beleive it was vertical), which won't be a problem for me based on my existing mounting. The price was much lower than I expected it to be for a brand new model at an actual mortar and brick store. One thing I noticed about this projector was how quiet it was.

The sales guy turned the volume all the way down and you could barely make out the sound of a fan. Has anyone on here heard/seen the HS60's and been able to compare it to the 50's or 51's? My 10HT has a jet engine compared to this! This is a huge plus for me, as well as the layout of the exhaust port, since it is the same as my 10HT and I have an exhaust fan to draw the air out. I was looking at getting an InFocus IN76, but after seeing this, I am not sure. I want to find a dealer who has both, but that is harder than I thought. Unfortunatly for me, the IN76 has the vents on the sides of the projector and it pushes the hot air out the wrong side for my existing exhaust set-up, so the Sony is much easier.

I am hoping Sony has made corrections so the bulbs last longer on the HS60's from all the complaining I have heard.

Mine clicks on any change/loss of signal on an input or switching of inputs. It sounds like a normal mechanical relay.

ODL/darkwire: I was getting one or two clicks most of the time. The times I was getting more clicks was when I was spinning the receiver video source selection which makes sense.

Scott: The HS60 is almost exactly the same as the HS51A (the 51A has networking support which is useless). All of the rest of the internals is the same. I too upgraded from an older sony (VPL-HS10) and the low, low noise of the HS51A is probably my favorite feature after sitting through years of the LOUD HS10 fans. The black level and contrast of the HS51A also blows away my old HS10. I found it at a brick and mortar store for under 2k and at this price I don't think this projector can be beat.

Andrew, I actually have an older projector than you did, the HS10 that you have came out several years after my 10HT. The VPL-VW10HT was replaced with the 11Ht, then the 12HT and I think the 13HT was the timeframe for when the HS10 came out.

So, you think the fan level on the HS51A and HS60 are the same or close? I will probably go check out a 51A tomorrow.

So, you think the fan level on the HS51A and HS60 are the same or close? I will probably go check out a 51A tomorrow.

Yes, the fan level on the HS51A and the HS60 will be the same. My owners manual has both models on the cover. I've kind of been out of the projector loop, so I don't know if there was ever such a thing as a HS51. Just make sure it has the A on the end and it will be the same hardware as the HS60.

Thanks.

ODL/darkwire: I was getting one or two clicks most of the time. The times I was getting more clicks was when I was spinning the receiver video source selection which makes sense.

Go through the menu and manually turn on and off the iris and see if it's the same sounding click that you're hearing. If so, then it's normal and I wouldn't worry about it.


On another note regarding the dead bulb @ 490 hours, called sony and they ok'd sending my unit into Laredo. Wanted to verify that nothing was wrong with the unit... and they'll probably cover a new bulb. Might as well get the panels aligned as well, too. :)

Andrew_B

I have had the HS-51 for about 18 months. I run movies thru the VGA via HTPC and feed it HI Def 1080i signals from my 8300 HD cable box via HDMI. I have to cycle thru the input selections often.

Unit always generates a clicking sound when cycling thru the input selections, regardless of any other setting that I know of.

No problems so far.

Steve

ODL/darkwire: I was getting one or two clicks most of the time. The times I was getting more clicks was when I was spinning the receiver video source selection which makes sense.

Scott: The HS60 is almost exactly the same as the HS51A (the 51A has networking support which is useless). All of the rest of the internals is the same. I too upgraded from an older sony (VPL-HS10) and the low, low noise of the HS51A is probably my favorite feature after sitting through years of the LOUD HS10 fans. The black level and contrast of the HS51A also blows away my old HS10. I found it at a brick and mortar store for under 2k and at this price I don't think this projector can be beat.

I noticed the marketing brochure on the HS60 lists up to a 10000:1 contrast ratio, while the same brochure for the HS51A only lists 6000:1. Perhaps something is different "inside"? Or is this just marketing speak and maybe the HS60 just has different factory auto-aperture settings than the 51A?

Has anyone compared the setup menu settings of the two units to see? Thx.

/steve

Question? Where can I find some very good settings for this projector, seems I hit the reset button last night and lost all of them. I had the copied on my hardrive somewhere and I can't find them.. Doh!!!! Too much information :( LOL Looking how to access the sub menus also...

Thanks for any help!

GW

My VPL-HS51 vs. VPL-HS60 comparisons:

I purchased my VPL-HS51 (not HS51A) back in November 2004 and chose not to return the unit for the 51A firmware upgrade. Since then I have logged over 3,000 hours of flawless operation. Recently the projector developed a blue tint along the top, middle and sides of the panel.

Even though the unit is still under factory warranty I decided to buy the new VPL-HS60 about a week ago. I was able to purchase a new VPL-HS60 for $2000. Considering a bulb is about $300 and I would get another 2 year warranty I thought this to be quite a deal. I paid the original asking list price of $3500 for the VPL51.

In my opinion the VPL60 has a more uniform sharpness across the entire projected image especially out toward the outer regions. I always focused the VPL51 for perfect center sharpness but the outer perimeter was always off slightly. Not so with the VPL60.

The shifting of the image after a few days with the VPL51 is no longer an issue with the VPL60.

Noise level seems exactly the same.

The focusing ring on the VPL60 is black instead of chrome.

VPL60 standby power consumption is actually less than VPL51. (Perhaps because of no LAN capability?)

Gary

Oppo SDI output modified DVD player
IscanHD+
TIVO HD250

My VPL-HS51 vs. VPL-HS60 comparisons:

I purchased my VPL-HS51 (not HS51A) back in November 2004 and chose not to return the unit for the 51A firmware upgrade. Since then I have logged over 3,000 hours of flawless operation. Recently the projector developed a blue tint along the top, middle and sides of the panel.

Even though the unit is still under factory warranty I decided to buy the new VPL-HS60 about a week ago. I was able to purchase a new VPL-HS60 for $2000. Considering a bulb is about $300 and I would get another 2 year warranty I thought this to be quite a deal. I paid the original asking list price of $3500 for the VPL51.

In my opinion the VPL60 has a more uniform sharpness across the entire projected image especially out toward the outer regions. I always focused the VPL51 for perfect center sharpness but the outer perimeter was always off slightly. Not so with the VPL60.

The shifting of the image after a few days with the VPL51 is no longer an issue with the VPL60.

Noise level seems exactly the same.

The focusing ring on the VPL60 is black instead of chrome.

VPL60 standby power consumption is actually less than VPL51. (Perhaps because of no LAN capability?)

Gary

Oppo SDI output modified DVD player
IscanHD+
TIVO HD250

Thanks for the report, Gary. Do you notice any difference in contrast or black level? The Sony marketing brochure for the HS60 lists "up to 10000:1" contrast ratio, while the same brochure for the HS51A lists "up to 6000:1".

If you do see a difference, is it using a different bulb? Or possibly just a different factory setting for the auto-aperture control?

Thx.

/steve

Same bulb.

I always keep the auto iris off.

I have my return authorization# and event# for the repair of the HS51. I need to send the unit back by Friday because I am going on vacation. If I get a chance I will go into factory mode and post factory defaults for both my VPL51 and VPL60.

Gary

My VPL-HS51 vs. VPL-HS60 comparisons:

I purchased my VPL-HS51 (not HS51A) back in November 2004 and chose not to return the unit for the 51A firmware upgrade. Since then I have logged over 3,000 hours of flawless operation. Recently the projector developed a blue tint along the top, middle and sides of the panel.

Even though the unit is still under factory warranty I decided to buy the new VPL-HS60 about a week ago. I was able to purchase a new VPL-HS60 for $2000. Considering a bulb is about $300 and I would get another 2 year warranty I thought this to be quite a deal. I paid the original asking list price of $3500 for the VPL51.

In my opinion the VPL60 has a more uniform sharpness across the entire projected image especially out toward the outer regions. I always focused the VPL51 for perfect center sharpness but the outer perimeter was always off slightly. Not so with the VPL60.

The shifting of the image after a few days with the VPL51 is no longer an issue with the VPL60.

Noise level seems exactly the same.

The focusing ring on the VPL60 is black instead of chrome.

VPL60 standby power consumption is actually less than VPL51. (Perhaps because of no LAN capability?)

Gary

Oppo SDI output modified DVD player
IscanHD+
TIVO HD250
Did you have lens shift drift with your 51 (over time, with loud bass, etc), and do you have it with your 60?

Thanks for the report, Gary. Do you notice any difference in contrast or black level? The Sony marketing brochure for the HS60 lists "up to 10000:1" contrast ratio, while the same brochure for the HS51A lists "up to 6000:1".

If you do see a difference, is it using a different bulb? Or possibly just a different factory setting for the auto-aperture control?

Thx.

/steve
Both the 51A and 60 are speced at 10,000:1 CR. The older 51 was speced at 6,000:1

Same bulb.

I always keep the auto iris off.

I have my return authorization# and event# for the repair of the HS51. I need to send the unit back by Friday because I am going on vacation. If I get a chance I will go into factory mode and post factory defaults for both my VPL51 and VPL60.

Gary

Thanks, Gary. So I gather you don't see a difference in contrast just from what you've viewed so far?

/steve

Both the 51A and 60 are speced at 10,000:1 CR. The older 51 was speced at 6,000:1

I was going by the specs in this brochure:

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/filedownload.asp?Sub=specs&file=VPLHS51A_specs.pdf

I see now that it has both 10000:1 listed above and 6000:1 listed below in the text. Guess the marketing folks slipped up cutting and pasting from the old brochure.

/steve

My VPL-HS51 vs. VPL-HS60 comparisons:

I purchased my VPL-HS51 (not HS51A) back in November 2004 and chose not to return the unit for the 51A firmware upgrade. Since then I have logged over 3,000 hours of flawless operation. Recently the projector developed a blue tint along the top, middle and sides of the panel.

Even though the unit is still under factory warranty I decided to buy the new VPL-HS60 about a week ago. I was able to purchase a new VPL-HS60 for $2000. Considering a bulb is about $300 and I would get another 2 year warranty I thought this to be quite a deal. I paid the original asking list price of $3500 for the VPL51.

In my opinion the VPL60 has a more uniform sharpness across the entire projected image especially out toward the outer regions. I always focused the VPL51 for perfect center sharpness but the outer perimeter was always off slightly. Not so with the VPL60.

The shifting of the image after a few days with the VPL51 is no longer an issue with the VPL60.

Noise level seems exactly the same.

The focusing ring on the VPL60 is black instead of chrome.

VPL60 standby power consumption is actually less than VPL51. (Perhaps because of no LAN capability?)

Gary

Oppo SDI output modified DVD player
IscanHD+
TIVO HD250

Greetings,

Gary, congrats on the HS60. I recently bought the HS51a for a killer price as well. While I loved my HS51 the 51a is that much better. The lens drift is gone and you are correct regarding sharpness uniformity.

I recently added the Anthem AVM-50 to my setup. The Anthem has the Gennum VXP video processor which is an excellent processor. The lack of additional scaling which was being done by the HS51 ( even when fed a 1280x720 res. ) to me was worth the upgrade alone.

We will have to get together again soon and compare notes..

Regards,

I have been hanging onto the fence about purchasing a new projector, ready to drop into the mix. I have seen the HS60, but not the 51 or 51a. The thing is, you can get some great deals on the 51a right now, so unless a local shop can come close on the HS60, I will be getting a 51a, since they seem to be the same anyway.

Gary, can you explain why you don't use the auto iris? Coming from the old days of the Sony VPL-VW10HT, the iris seems like a great idea to me!

Done deal. Purchased an HS51A yesterday and was able to find a Chief Ceiling mount locally for it, used just the sub-plate since the RPA mount was the same as my 5 year old model and got it installed and alinged in about an hour.

Man this thing is quiet! Not only that, all the commands on my Pronto worked fine, since they used the same IR commands! Nice! I do have to modify a few macro's but that's no big deal.

I listed my old projector on Ebay last night and it sold already with the Buy-it-now. Sweet!

I've had my hs51a for a while now - I have never been quite happy. From day one I noticed what I thought was referred to as vertical banding. In further reading I guess the proper term is "FPN" though I'm not sure what that stands for. Basically its annoying in scenes with a sky shot or a lot of white. The screen looks vertically striped with 2 slightly different shades alternating every 20-30 pixels or so.

Is this a repair issue? Is this fixable with calibration? Will I go into the sony death spiral of repairs? I had a nightmare with my HS-10...

Question? Where can I find some very good settings for this projector, seems I hit the reset button last night and lost all of them. I had the copied on my hardrive somewhere and I can't find them.. Doh!!!! Too much information :( LOL Looking how to access the sub menus also...

Thanks for any help!

GW

Still no response on this? Anyone have the info for us?

I've had my hs51a for a while now - I have never been quite happy. From day one I noticed what I thought was referred to as vertical banding. In further reading I guess the proper term is "FPN" though I'm not sure what that stands for. Basically its annoying in scenes with a sky shot or a lot of white. The screen looks vertically striped with 2 slightly different shades alternating every 20-30 pixels or so.

Is this a repair issue? Is this fixable with calibration? Will I go into the sony death spiral of repairs? I had a nightmare with my HS-10...


FPN = "fixed pattern noise". I think what you're referring to sounds more like vertical banding to me.

Was going to send it in for warranty.

1) Tried calling the original number indicated on the warranty 1-800-222-SONY, got a runaround about expired warranty.

2) Called warranty service to maybe purchase an extended warranty, told by the salelady, you are still covered, she filled in my info, and gave me a customer id #.

3) Called 1-800-222-SONY, they referenced by customer id#, and sent me off to go call a local dealer to look at it.

Is this the correct procedure to getting warranty service done? I thought they would just RMA and tell me to mail it back. Maybe I'm used to the computer component dealers that actually honor their warranty?

Hoping I don't have to use the contacts Byte posted :(

Hi all,

I have color error in my image, in grey images there is blue area in bottom right corner.

Here is link to image of this problem: http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/22064/size/big

I think this is problem in LCD-panels.
Can anyone tell me, what is wrong and is there anything I can do to it?

HS51 now a 51A????

I mentioned previously that I had purchased a HS51 back in December 2004 that was in need of repair. Also I recently purchased a HS60.

Just received the HS51 back from Sony where the repair tag indicates replacement of the optical assembly. The focusing ring was also replaced. It now has the dark gray ring instead of the original chrome ring. Also repaired without me asking was the 720p HDMI masking problem. Although near perfect my HS60 is still sharper on the outer perimeter.

The returned unit I assumed was upgraded to a HS51A but wait……..

Here’s where my HS60 is different from the HS51(A).

The HS60 has NO OVERSCAN via HDMI when using 720P or 1080i however my returned upgraded still has major overscan.

Some people may not even realize this is happening but because I am using a DVDO HD+ I can select a test pattern that creates a 1x1 pixel wide pattern around the perimeter.

So I was just wondering for those of you that have 51A. Even though the masking problem was eliminated on the 51A do you have zero overscan? My HS60 has absolutely zero.

Gary

Hi all,

I have color error in my image, in grey images there is blue area in bottom right corner.

Can you comment on how this problem developed?

My old 51 began to have increased red/blue right/left bias errors. It happened in a very short period of time, like a couple of days.

The unit required a replacement of the prism block, which is entire LCD panle assembly.

Your problem is far more dramatic than mine was.

Can you comment on how this problem developed?

My old 51 began to have increased red/blue right/left bias errors. It happened in a very short period of time, like a couple of days.

The unit required a replacement of the prism block, which is entire LCD panle assembly.

Your problem is far more dramatic than mine was.

I noticed it yesterday and I am pretty sure that it has happened in last couple of days.
Sony has 2 years warranty and this is good.

I'm sending mine in. When I was watching Sahara (HD DVD) the other day, I noticed a red/pink tint on the right side of the image and a blue/green tint on the left. There's a color uniformity problem and it's very apparent in bright (desert) scenes in the movie.

I hadn't noticed it before, but when I put in other movies, I now see the same color uniformity problem. I tried various settings -- even going into the service menu, but it did not help the situation.

I have 645 hours on my lamp. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I just recently put in a new filter. I guess this is the same issue that some of you are mentioning?

Since I only have two months left on my 2 year warranty, I thought it best to send it in. I filled out the online service request and got the paperwork. I now just need to pack it up and send if off to Texas

Those that have sent it in, did you just use the original package and box or did you double box it. Thanks.

I'm sending mine in. When I was watching Sahara (HD DVD) the other day, I noticed a red/pink tint on the right side of the image and a blue/green tint on the left. There's a color uniformity problem and it's very apparent in bright (desert) scenes in the movie.

I hadn't noticed it before, but when I put in other movies, I now see the same color uniformity problem. I tried various settings -- even going into the service menu, but it did not help the situation.

I have 645 hours on my lamp. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I just recently put in a new filter. I guess this is the same issue that some of you are mentioning?

Since I only have two months left on my 2 year warranty, I thought it best to send it in. I filled out the online service request and got the paperwork. I now just need to pack it up and send if off to Texas

Those that have sent it in, did you just use the original package and box or did you double box it. Thanks.
This is conversion error, isn't it?

This is conversion error, isn't it?

Is that what it's called? Whatever it is, it is now very distracting. I can't watch anything without looking for it in every scene.

I thought these blobs were usually caused by dust. try searching this forum for "dust blobs".

I'm sending mine in. When I was watching Sahara (HD DVD) the other day, I noticed a red/pink tint on the right side of the image and a blue/green tint on the left. There's a color uniformity problem and it's very apparent in bright (desert) scenes in the movie.

Before you send it in, you might try a service mode tweak that worked on mine to help eliminate the left/right red/blue issue.

Go into the FACTORY MODE.


Factory Mode: ENTER ENTER < ENTER
Do You Want To Enter Factory Mode? YES

Now hit the MENU button and it should reveal both the W/B menu and another sub-menu below, where all of the other menus are located.

Go into DISPLAY ENGINE. Look for...

04 DE/UF SW = (1) ... Try changing it to (0).

This controls the GAMMA shading section inf the Service menu, 1 = ON, 0 = OFF.

See if this change alters the amount of red/blue right/left error. It may eliminate it all together.

If it does, don't for get to SAVE the changes. If it does not, don't forget to set it back to (1) before sending in the projector to Sony.

Service Mode: ENTER ENTER (UP) (DOWN) ENTER

Do You Want To Enter Service Mode? YES

Is that what it's called? Whatever it is, it is now very distracting. I can't watch anything without looking for it in every scene.
I meant "convergence", but yes, it's very distracting.

I thought these blobs were usually caused by dust. try searching this forum for "dust blobs".
From ricwhite's decsription, I'd say what you're seeing is something else. If it walks like a blob and looks like a blob . . .

I thought these blobs were usually caused by dust. try searching this forum for "dust blobs".

No, not dust blobs. Believe me . . . I know what the round dust blobs look like because I owned a VW10HT before the HS51. This rather subtle pinkish tint covers about a third of the left side of the display.

This is conversion error, isn't it?

I think so, mine does this too and it is driving me up the wall but my PJ is now out of warranty! :(

No, not dust blobs. Believe me . . . I know what the round dust blobs look like because I owned a VW10HT before the HS51. This rather subtle pinkish tint covers about a third of the left side of the display.
These kinds of reports are exactly the kind of thing that makes me pause in replacing my perfectly working HS20 with an HS51a/HS60. Honestly, while I'm impressed by the performance at the price point, I'm thinking that that is too LITTLE to pay and that a slighly more expensive unit would have better quality control. Going south just out of warranty is not a good thing.

These kinds of reports are exactly the kind of thing that makes me pause in replacing my perfectly working HS20 with an HS51a/HS60. Honestly, while I'm impressed by the performance at the price point, I'm thinking that that is too LITTLE to pay and that a slighly more expensive unit would have better quality control. Going south just out of warranty is not a good thing.

Have you actually been reading the reports on the Sony Ruby ($10K) projector thread?

Sony has now changed their policy so that a 2-pixel offset misconvergence is now considered "within spec". Try getting something fixed going through Laredo.

I think spending more $$$ for better QC is the wrong way of looking at it.

A better solution would be looking at a company with better QC instead.

Have you actually been reading the reports on the Sony Ruby ($10K) projector thread?

Sony has now changed their policy so that a 2-pixel offset misconvergence is now considered "within spec". Try getting something fixed going through Laredo.

I think spending more $$$ for better QC is the wrong way of looking at it.

A better solution would be looking at a company with better QC instead.
And who, pray tell, would that be?

I think the blob mentioned a few threads ago, is the same thing that happened to mine, and it progressively got worse over a few a weeks. I ended up sending it in under the guise of needs BIOS update, as well us typing up my own 'within 2 years' invoice for warranty servicing. It was an ebay buy so I didn't have the official invoice.

I ended up getting a new lens assy, hardware adjustments, and the bios update. I was able to talk to tech, and he said it was a burnt polarizer as well as panel damage. My new len assy is also black, like the hs-51a.

There are only 2 things I can attribute it to, since both occured around the same time, using the near 100 contrast settings + the record heat in California. I'm guessing the combination of both just burnt it out.

I did orginally think it was a blob, so I took the liberty of opening up my proj, and used compressed air and optical swabs to give the panels and polarizers a good cleaning. It did nothing.

Btw DJOS, just curious how can it be out of warranty? It's a limited 2yr, you should still have a good 2 months on it, if you were an early adopter.

Btw DJOS, just curious how can it be out of warranty? It's a limited 2yr, you should still have a good 2 months on it, if you were an early adopter.

The warranty is only 12months here in Aus! :(

The warranty is only 12months here in Aus! :(


That sucks.

The warranty is only 12months here in Aus! :(

I have the same problem.
To be quite honest I think this projector is a heap of **** and Sony's support is abysmal.
I for one will not buy another Sony pj or any of their products in the future.

Over the weekend my projector lost about 75% of it's brightness with only 670 hours on the bulb - looking around here and avforums it seems that's a fairly common complaint against the projector and a sign that the bulb has reached the end of it's life.

So now I'm stuck with a dilema - do I buy a new bulb, or throw the Sony in the bin and go for something else.

As such, I'm hoping to get some views from people on here about the 'reality' of Sony's bulb life .. if I go for a new Sony Bulb, should I expect to see somewhere near the advertised 3000hrs, or am I only likely to get another 600hrs before it dims again?

Thanks all!
Matt

Over the weekend my projector lost about 75% of it's brightness with only 670 hours on the bulb - looking around here and avforums it seems that's a fairly common complaint against the projector and a sign that the bulb has reached the end of it's life.

So now I'm stuck with a dilema - do I buy a new bulb, or throw the Sony in the bin and go for something else.

As such, I'm hoping to get some views from people on here about the 'reality' of Sony's bulb life .. if I go for a new Sony Bulb, should I expect to see somewhere near the advertised 3000hrs, or am I only likely to get another 600hrs before it dims again?

Thanks all!
Matt

Greetings,

I think the answer is obvious. Buying a new lamp versus a new projector is a no brainer. Now, if you were already contemplating upgrading then that is another matter. A new lamp costs $300. A new projector costs $2000 ( depending on which one you are considering). I had a premature failure with one lamp when I had the HS51. I now have the 51a and have 270 hours on the original lamp.

I think it is important that everyone remember that the failure is not the fault of the projector but the fault of the lamp. Premature lamp failures are certainly not restricted to Sony projectors. This is one of the potential issues when purchasing a UHP lamp driven display. The benefit is the ability to have beautiful, large images on our theater screens for relatively little money.

Regards,

Ralph,

I'm not sure I agree with you there - I saw at least one post where a guy said he'd used his projector for 3000hrs and was on his 5th bulb, having replaced it every 600hrs because of severe dimming. At $300 a bulb that's then starting to approach new projector territory!

Especially if the new projector has a more 'reliable' bulb that truly does last 2000+ hrs...

Hence the question - are the Sony bulbs *likely* to fail prematurely?

M

Ralph,

I'm not sure I agree with you there - I saw at least one post where a guy said he'd used his projector for 3000hrs and was on his 5th bulb, having replaced it every 600hrs because of severe dimming. At $300 a bulb that's then starting to approach new projector territory!

Especially if the new projector has a more 'reliable' bulb that truly does last 2000+ hrs...

Hence the question - are the Sony bulbs *likely* to fail prematurely?

M

Greetings,

Based upon the scenerio you describe above that would be accurate. However that scenerio you describe is certainly not the norm. I am not sure what his viewing habits are and how he uses the projector. Having to replace 5 lamps all at 600 hours due to severe dimming may be indicative of another problem. At the time I sold my HS51 I had had it for almost a year and a half. The original lamp had 800 + hours on it with no dimming problems. The backup lamp I purchased did have problems at 350 hours. I called Sony Customer service and got the lamp replaced under warranty.

That (knock on wood) is the only lamp related problem I have experienced and have now owned 3 Sony front projectors.

Regards,

Over the weekend my projector lost about 75% of it's brightness with only 670 hours on the bulb - looking around here and avforums it seems that's a fairly common complaint against the projector and a sign that the bulb has reached the end of it's life.

So now I'm stuck with a dilema - do I buy a new bulb, or throw the Sony in the bin and go for something else.

As such, I'm hoping to get some views from people on here about the 'reality' of Sony's bulb life .. if I go for a new Sony Bulb, should I expect to see somewhere near the advertised 3000hrs, or am I only likely to get another 600hrs before it dims again?

Thanks all!
Matt

My first HS51 lamp lasted 812 hours. The second lamp is still going strong after 1005 hours.

My first lamp made it 719 hours.
Now on second lamp.

strange thing, though - sometimes when I turn the projector on, the "clicks" that occur sound different than they used to. crazy, I know, but the relay clicking does not sound the same with the new bulb. I have no idea how that could be.

One other thought.

anyone take a look at their first bulb that died after < 1000 hours?

we used our bulb for mostly movies and used a cinema-like user mode (low lamp mode) and after I pulled the bulb at 719 hours or so, I noticed a lot of black veins inside the curved portion of the back of the bulb - almost like a blood-shot eye.

I wonder if bulbs that die within the period of the life expentancy (2000-3000) hours appear this way as well.

My first bulb has 1000 hours on it and I now use it for my back up bulb, I did not notice it dimming. My second bulb now has 2700 hours on it and I don't notice it being exceptionally dim.

Sent my HS51 projector into Laredo for repair. I was getting a pink tint on the right side of the image. When I looked up my account today, I see they have written that they need an approval for $349.99 from me. That sounds like a lamp. The lamp had 645 hours on it. My understanding is that they should last from 2000-3000 hours.

First of all, there's NO WAY I'm paying $350 for a lamp that I can buy elsewhere for $270. Secondly, is there any chance I can get them to cover the lamp since it is failing WAY below the expected life?

I will be calling them soon. What would you advise me to tell them? How should I handle this?

Hi There:

While I am still using the Sony HS51 P.J. and very much enjoying it I had a ? which is annoying. My lamp burned out at 1400 hours (bang!) and I replaced it. Now @ 2000 hours I get the screen prompt to replace lamp. I have done the
reset-left-right-enter, all to no avail as the next time I turn on system the prompt is still there. Do I physically need to remove lamp and re-install it??? I have just repaced filter so power has been shut off. Seems like a stretch. BTW I love the projector. Thanks, this is very irritating.

John

Hi There:

While I am still using the Sony HS51 P.J. and very much enjoying it I had a ? which is annoying. My lamp burned out at 1400 hours (bang!) and I replaced it. Now @ 2000 hours I get the screen prompt to replace lamp. I have done the
reset-left-right-enter, all to no avail as the next time I turn on system the prompt is still there. Do I physically need to remove lamp and re-install it??? I have just repaced filter so power has been shut off. Seems like a stretch. BTW I love the projector. Thanks, this is very irritating.

John
My HS20 gave me a "replace filter" reminder - just after I had replaced the filter. I ignored it and it went away.

When I turn the dial to adjust the image's vertical position, vertical lens shift, it keeps rotating without the image moving and then drops all of a sudden. Is this a common problem? Does the warranty cover this issue?

Thanks
Gireesh

When I turn the dial to adjust the image's vertical position, vertical lens shift, it keeps rotating without the image moving and then drops all of a sudden. Have guys had this problem? Does the warranty cover this issue?

Thanks
Gireesh

Yep common problem with these, just turn the dial slow until you feel the resistance a little and the image starts to move. I you do it slow enough you it should not just drop and once it starts moving you can continue. The pain is that if you adjust to much then you need to correct by changing directions you have to take up all the play yet again until it moves the other way again.

Thanks... I have noticed that too... has anyone gotten Sony to repair this problem?

Has anyone had issues running 720p signals to their HS51A via HDMI? When I do so through my 82TXS set to 720p I get a bright blue stripe down the right side and a green stripe along the top edge.

Thanks

Is the HS-51A the same as the HS-60? They sell both in the US but the HS-51A is often more expensive. Some say they are the same projector. Is the HS-60 the over seas equivalent of the HS-51?

Does anyone have any reccomendations for a DVD player that can up-convert to 720p (for my HS51A) without using the HDMI cable? I already have my component cables routed all the way to the projector and adding another cable or replacing what I have with an HDMI is more than I want to do right now, but I do need a new DVD player...

I know some people here like the Bravo player, but that is all with HDMI cables, correct?

FYI - Best deal I have come across for a replacement lamp.

http://www.projector.com/pgs/1900/Lamps/Sony/Projector_Replacement_Lamp_for_the_Sony_VPL-HS60___VPL-HS51_Cineza_Projectors.html

Has any one gone over 1500 hrs on the lamp and still has enough lumen?

That is a good price Hawkeye.

BTW, since I posted on here about a new DVD player and nobody replied, I went out and purchased an LG DN191H, which says on the back that it can send the 720p or 1080i through component. I hooked it up and am very happy with the results, especially since it is less than $100.

That is a good price Hawkeye.

BTW, since I posted on here about a new DVD player and nobody replied, I went out and purchased an LG DN191H, which says on the back that it can send the 720p or 1080i through component. I hooked it up and am very happy with the results, especially since it is less than $100.

I checked the specs on this model and the upconversion for 1080i specifies over HDMI.

I thought that it was illegal for any upconverting DVD player to output 720p or 1080i over component.

Are you sure about this?

Gary

I am sure.

Not sure how long this image will be available at Best Buy's site, but here goes:
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7726/7726856_ba.jpg

I thought that it was illegal for any upconverting DVD player to output 720p or 1080i over component.

It is for copy-protected DVDs in the U.S. The player is supposed to prohibit upconversion over analog outputs. However, some players made for international distribution do allow this, and some that do not, out of the box, can be made to with a f/w hack or service menu selection.

Homemade copies stripped of CP will upconvert on all players.

Usually plenty of info on this subject in the player section.

I am sure.

Not sure how long this image will be available at Best Buy's site, but here goes:
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7726/7726856_ba.jpg

We'll if it truly upconverts official studio released 480i DVD's over component then this is great news!

I am sure.

Not sure how long this image will be available at Best Buy's site, but here goes:
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7726/7726856_ba.jpg
You bought this from bestbuy!!?
Never mind I found it.

It does say that if it is has the copy protection flag or whatever, the best it will do is 480p. I don't know how many DVD's have that, but when I was watching "Underworld Evolutions", "Chronicles of Riddick" and "Firewall", they all looked better than 480p to me.

It does say that if it is has the copy protection flag or whatever, the best it will do is 480p. I don't know how many DVD's have that, but when I was watching "Underworld Evolutions", "Chronicles of Riddick" and "Firewall", they all looked better than 480p to me.

While watching any movie simply bring up the Sony Menu and click on information. From what I remember it will indicate the source input format.

Gary

Has any one gone over 1500 hrs on the lamp and still has enough lumen?

Yep, im on 1900 hours and my PJ is still performing very well. :)

Thanks hawkeye3.1 for the heads up on the bulb pricing.

I have 1517 hrs on my HS-51 and just ordered the new bulb.

I thought I would reward the Sony with the new bulb for Christmas for being so good to me over the past 2 years.

I have no way to measure the lumens decline over the years. I am projecting onto a Dalite HP 100" diag 16 x 9 screen. Still looks pretty good, but as I have learned from all of the info here that I must be down about 50%.

Plan to wait till next year an upgrade to the Pearl or JVC RS-1, or who knows what will be the latest bargain 1080 projector next fall. They sure are tempting, but I am still a happy guy with what I have for now. Run a HTPC to upscale SD DVDs and Toshiba HD-DVD for movies and Scientific 8300 HD DVR for all the rest.

Steve

While watching any movie simply bring up the Sony Menu and click on information. From what I remember it will indicate the source input format.

Gary

I will try that. Thanks!

Yup I got one and disappointed. It won't pass the copy right DVD in 1080i.

Yup I got one and disappointed. It won't pass the copy right DVD in 1080i.

We'll thats exactly what I thought would happen over component. Over HDMI it should scale to 1080i with no problem.

Gary

CaspianM, are you using an HS50/51/60? If so, why would you want 1080i anyway? I it doesn't do 720p over the component either, then that's a different thing.

Well I do have a CRT FP that needs to be feed 1080i.
I have been using a Zenith that does 1080i over analog but it has some pixel cropping.
I had a small issue with my HS60 and is returned but I might get another one once in stock.
For now I am using my Sharp DLP that has no HDMI either.

Just got a brand new HS51 from reputable online vendor. Connected everything. but the picture shows only in black and white. Tried several options by connecting Component video, S-video, Composite cable. Didn't make any difference. Any suggestions what might be causing this problem. Wanted to see if I can get help here before going to the sony support line.

Thanks,
Prasad :mad:

Most likely you have connection issue check your wires.
Is it 51 or 51a?

Black and white?

Please list the connections you have used so we may help you better.

Oh he has the same issue with all interfaces. Then it cannot be the cabling. Got be the source if not the Sony.

Doh, you are right.

Prasad, have you tried a different source? Different DVD player (even if it is an old one without the newer connectors)?

Thank u all for taking the initiative to help.

The model is HS51, not 51A. Here are the connections I have tried so far:

-- From Bose Receiver using S-Video to the Projector. I never even get the picture.
-- From Bose Receiver using a composite video cable to the Projector. I get the picture, but its in black and white.
-- From a DVD Player using component video cable to the projector. Same as above, picture is black and white only.

For all the above attempts, I set the "Input" option in the projector menu to be 'Auto'.

Here are some of the things that I plan to do tomorrow (as suggested):
-- Check to make sure that those cables are working fine by connecting to another source and verifying they are ok. These have been used before, but want to rule out them as a cause.
-- Get another DVD player as a source and see if that makes any difference.
-- See if using HDMI cable makes any difference. Have to buy that now.

I will post the results after my tests. But you guys can think of anything else, please post them here.

I got an question about the menu in the projector. When I try to select the source of the signal, if I remember correctly, I see only four options (Auto, Computer, Component, Video RGB or something like that). Why are there only these options, when I have other inputs like HDMI in the back of the unit? Does Auto cover all of them?

Thanks,
Prasad

Prasad, I have not tried anything on my HS51A except for component and s-video and both were fine out of the box. I did not set mine to auto, although I think that is stock, but it does't seem to pick up the component signal automatically, so I have that button pick in my macro on my remote.

FYI, don't go out and buy an HDMI cable from Monster Cable and pay $100 or more, just get "El cheapo" and it should work fine, especially if it's short.

. When I try to select the source of the signal, if I remember correctly, I see only four options (Auto, Computer, Component, Video RGB or something like that). Why are there only these options, when I have other inputs like HDMI in the back of the unit? Does Auto cover all of them?

Thanks,
Prasad

The 4 options above only apply to the INPUT-A connection on the back of the HS51. (VGA CONNECTOR).

To connect via HDMI cycle thru the various inputs using the INPUT on the remote or on the SIDE of the HS51.

Gary

HS51 has been discontinued for a while now. Unless it is refurbished and was sold at a low price. There are some major differences once you go to 51A/60. Just want to make sure you are aware. When you get B&W picture means your connection is done only with Y signal. If you try different cables (you can use some cheap audio cable for testing for component) and a different source then it is the sony input module that is defective.

Just got a brand new HS51 from reputable online vendor. Connected everything. but the picture shows only in black and white. Tried several options by connecting Component video, S-video, Composite cable. Didn't make any difference. Any suggestions what might be causing this problem. Wanted to see if I can get help here before going to the sony support line.

Thanks,
Prasad :mad:

Hope you paid under $1300-1400. New 51A's are $2k at Best Buy even.

Hope you paid under $1300-1400. New 51A's are $2k at Best Buy even.
Nope HS60 is was 1700 at local BB last night and can be owned much less online but not BB. Great PJ and great price.

Thanks hawkeye3.1 for the heads up on the bulb pricing.

I have 1517 hrs on my HS-51 and just ordered the new bulb.

I thought I would reward the Sony with the new bulb for Christmas for being so good to me over the past 2 years.

I have no way to measure the lumens decline over the years. I am projecting onto a Dalite HP 100" diag 16 x 9 screen. Still looks pretty good, but as I have learned from all of the info here that I must be down about 50%.

Plan to wait till next year an upgrade to the Pearl or JVC RS-1, or who knows what will be the latest bargain 1080 projector next fall. They sure are tempting, but I am still a happy guy with what I have for now. Run a HTPC to upscale SD DVDs and Toshiba HD-DVD for movies and Scientific 8300 HD DVR for all the rest.

Steve

So how does HD_DVD look on the hs-51? I am trying to decide weather to wait until I can afford a new pearl or rs-1 or take the plunge now and get an hd-dvd player or ps3. Is hd dvd clearly better on the hs-51 or is just marginally better. How does hd-dvd compare to ota hd or satellite hd? I am running my hs-51 with a sony dvp-ns999es dvd player using monster component cable. Picture is very good, I am just curious as heck to know what hd-dvd looks like with this pj.

So how does HD_DVD look on the hs-51?

In a word, exceptional. Watching films at OAR with far superior audio and virtually no compression artifacting is the bomb. Until I got the HD-A1 I had never experienced 3D-like imagery from cable HD or upscaled DVD.

merv43,

I only have watched about 12 HD-DVDs. I own Pitch Black, COR and Last Samurai. I have been renting from Netflix for the rest. All play great with a quick cleaning before play.

To date COR HD-DVD is the best image I have seen. Seabiscuit HD-DVD comes in second. All the HD-DVDs I have seen look significantly better on my HS-51 than any upscaled DVDs thru my HTPC running TT, or HD cable offerings. The true HD soundtrack from POTO was outstanding thru 5.1 analog. I am very much looking forward to more titles with the true HD sound track. The sound track of Polar Express was also very good.

A close second are some of the specials on HD discovery and some movies on HDnet. HBO HD does not look much better than many upscaled SD DVDs thru the HTPC.

I am very happy with the Toshiba A1 updated with the 2.0/1.0A.2.05 software disk from Toshiba and only paid $365 thru the Continental FFP. Great deal that I am not sure is still current.

Take the plunge for either of the new HD formats, but I am in the camp that HD-DVD offers better value at this time. I will probably get a Blu ray player when the absolutely have to have title come in that flavor only. For me that might be Kill Bill?

Steve

Thank you all for ur help. Was able to fix it with using a different cables. Also, its good to know about the difference between Input-A option and the input options on the remote.

BTW, the price was decent enough and it was not refurbished. Also, I will keep in mind as far as HDMI is concerned.

Thanks,
Prasad

merv43,

I only have watched about 12 HD-DVDs. I own Pitch Black, COR and Last Samurai. I have been renting from Netflix for the rest. All play great with a quick cleaning before play.

To date COR HD-DVD is the best image I have seen. Seabiscuit HD-DVD comes in second. All the HD-DVDs I have seen look significantly better on my HS-51 than any upscaled DVDs thru my HTPC running TT, or HD cable offerings. The true HD soundtrack from POTO was outstanding thru 5.1 analog. I am very much looking forward to more titles with the true HD sound track. The sound track of Polar Express was also very good.

A close second are some of the specials on HD discovery and some movies on HDnet. HBO HD does not look much better than many upscaled SD DVDs thru the HTPC.

I am very happy with the Toshiba A1 updated with the 2.0/1.0A.2.05 software disk from Toshiba and only paid $365 thru the Continental FFP. Great deal that I am not sure is still current.

Take the plunge for either of the new HD formats, but I am in the camp that HD-DVD offers better value at this time. I will probably get a Blu ray player when the absolutely have to have title come in that flavor only. For me that might be Kill Bill?

Steve

Thanks BT1, great advise, overstock has a good deal on the toshiba hd-dvd player. Thanks again.

merv43,

Good luck and enjoy the show!

Let us all know how your new experience plays out.

Steve

hawkeye3.1,

Thanks again on the reminder regarding the low bulb replacement cost.

I just installed it this afternoon and the image is back to where I remember being excited about the HS-51 in the first place. Great value!

I have been cheating and running the projector in HI lamp mode and dynamic or brighter display mode to watch a variety of sources. The new bulb has me back to LOW lamp mode with AUTO iris. A great improvement! I will go back and recalibrate tomorrow.

I hope to enjoy the HS-51 for about 9 to 12 months and experiment with a CH setup (115" wide X 49" high HP screen) with a DIY anamorphic lense with my HTPC and TT doing the stretch on SD DVDs. With HD-DVD, I will just zoom until a HTPC solution is available.

Thanks again,

Steve

I hope to enjoy the HS-51 for about 9 to 12 months and experiment with a CH setup (115" wide X 49" high HP screen) with a DIY anamorphic lens....

Steve, anamorphic DIY? Didn't know there was such a thing... Can you expand on that?

Thanks again on the reminder regarding the low bulb replacement cost.

You are quite welcome, "paying it forward" is one of the great benefits of the forum.

I'll be installing mine soon also. By all means, keep us posted on your experiments.

SVonhof,

Over the past several months I have been occasionally scanning the DIY lense topic here:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=4677&perpage=10&pagenumber=81

Just pick a point somewhere in the page 80's range and give it a go. The main contributor is Mark Techer. His home page blog is very clear regarding the CH and DIY lense setup.

http://cavx.blogspot.com/2006/11/marks-home-theatre-projects-cih.html

I think I have the handyman skills to at least give this a try. Not much to loose and you will get the experience in dealing with all of the issues of CH, especially if you have a HTPC for a minimum investment.

Have a look,

Steve

DOH! Another forum I have to register on? Crap. That makes 8! Too many hobbies for me.

Well, maybe I will skip it, since I am not about to change my screen from the 16x9 that I have now and I am not even considering a PC in my theater yet either....

Interesting though:
http://www.geocities.com/mediamaster40/6.txt
http://www.geocities.com/mediamaster40/4.txt

[QUOTE=SVonhof]DOH! Another forum I have to register on? Crap. That makes 8! Too many hobbies for me.

Hey! it doesn't hurt to look. You don't need to register to look. Taking the step into CH is a big one and the more one understands the advantages/disadvantages the better.

Just think of a full resolution 720h now and 1080h later 115" wide 1:2.35 screen. It has to get you to the WOW factor big time.

I still have not recalibrated my HS-51 with the new bulb, but watched HD ESPN MNF and the image never looked better.

Just keep having fun!

Steve

Hey! it doesn't hurt to look. You don't need to register to look. Taking the step into CH is a big one and the more one understands the advantages/disadvantages the better.

Just think of a full resolution 720h now and 1080h later 115" wide 1:2.35 screen. It has to get you to the WOW factor big time.


I agree, but for me, it's too much effort, since I have to change my whole room as well as get into the HTPC mode and....

I agree, but for me, it's too much effort, since I have to change my whole room as well as get into the HTPC mode and....

I agree to agree!

Yes, it does look like a huge effort, but maybe market pressures will force someone to come up with a simpler & less costly package.

I know Runco has one for those who are very well heeled.

Steve

I need some feedback I have a very early HS51 without the mod, and have it connected to a HTCP with a Powercolor Radeon X1600 Pro HDMI graphics card, the latest Catalyst 12 drivers, a 50' Monocables HDMI cable. I have been trying to test it with Cyberlink's Advisor. It keeps coming back Display connection type "Digital without HDCP" several tests with their support and a specific program they sent me to test just the display connectivity, they are telling me that the HS51 is not HDCP
"Dear Customer,

Thanks for your e-mail.
We checked the log.
Your SONY VPL-HS51 don't support HDCP.
Could you ask SONY for HDCP problem?

Best Regards,

Cyberlink support. "

So I called Sony support. Their answer "All Sony 'televisions' with HDMI inputs support HDCP"

I read that many of you are using this projector with HD DVD players and BlueRay players connected via HDMI so I am assuming that these devices have the same HDCP compliance requirements.

I have been monitoring the HTPC forum Xbox360 HD DVD drive thread because I saw that and want to use the HTPC for this as well.... a very inexpensive solution(if I can get it to work)
Thanks,

Vance

Maybe someone who has the answer to my question in the previous post is back from holiday. Please confirm that the HDMI interface on the Sony HS51 has HDCP.

Thanks,
Vance

Maybe someone who has the answer to my question in the previous post is back from holiday. Please confirm that the HDMI interface on the Sony HS51 has HDCP.

Thanks,
Vance

Yes. All HDMI is for that matter.

My bulb died last night in my HS-51 after only 320 hours. Despite having the pj over a year, Sony said they would replace it under warranty, but only if I sent it to Laredo. The rep said that there were other things they needed to do after the lamp was replaced.

My question is whether or not this is necessary. I have the updated firmware already - why would they want the machine back just to replace a bulb?

This is a real bummer - we only watch the projector sparingly and I thought the lamp would last for years...

I guess theyfeel there must be something causing bulb premature failure. Sent it in.

My bulb died last night in my HS-51 after only 320 hours...

I went through the exact same thing with about 280 hours on the bulb. Other than the frustration, sending back to Laredo was a non-event -- they had it back to me 5 or 6 days (I think they estimated would take about 10). I put a hand-written note on the projector asking them to update whatever was necessary because I didn't want to send it in again. When I got it back, the paperwork said only "replace bulb", so I don't know if they did any other updates. One "soft" change I noticed is that the "high altitude mode" was set, which causes the fan to run much more frequently. I'm now on about 450 hours, so hopefully this one will last longer.

You probably already know this, but interrupting power on the projector will shorten bulb life significantly because the fan must run after the bulb is off to properly cool it -- if you have projector power outlet controlled by another device, that will create an issue. We lose power frequently in our area for reasons unknown, so I will be be buying a UPS for the projector only to protect the fan (I would be interested in specific recommendations for UPS devices if anyone has a suggestion).

Good luck -- it should turn out ok once you've gone through the hassle of sending it to Laredo.

I didn't know that there could be problems when you interrupt the power supply. Typically, i would wait until the Sony logo went dark on the projector, then turn off power to the whole system. At least that's a valid explanation for the bulb not lasting very long.

I will definitely change my habits with the new bulb...

Rich, the inturupting of power is an issue when the projector is either running already or in the start of the cool-down as it cannot finish the cool-down process. Having a UPS will allow you to shut-down the projector properly and let it go through it's process. As far as I know, if the projector is sitting idle, and is completly off and it looses power, it's no big deal as it's only in standby.

I don't have a system off switch and my Sony and Nec XG CRT are on stand by all the time unless I leave town for long. Most electronics are better off to be in stand by if used frequently.

I also run my Sony in high alt for better cooling. It is the heat that always kills electronics.

Was choosing between sony vpl-hs 51a and panasonic pt-ae900, when I became aware of the very bright panasonic pt-ax100 upgrade version of the pt-ae900. After reading AVFORUMS and this AVSFORUMS, I've found from posts from offical repair centre techs, that the iris mechanism has a high failure rate, and this applys to the earlier panasonic ae700, 900 units as well, but they were not programmed to shut off, so the problem was not as obvious or reported to a significant degree.

I've turned my interest back to the sony hs 51a (hs60 in europe as you know).

Forgive me........I've been reading long treads for hours over the last weeks, and would dearly love someone to give me a general overview of reliability with the 51a unit.

I intend to purchase it from a retailer that will either have a stock that is checked for obvious vertical banding, dead pixels, and color convergence, or is happy to replace unit demonstrating these faults beyond acceptable normal viewing use. I'm not too fussy really, but lemons I don't eat....he he...

I have a sony vpl-hs2 that has served me without a hint of bother for some years, and is now my tv monitor....eh....only watch tv 2 hours a day max, so I'm not abusing the sony too much. Am half inclined to buy a new bulb for 300 euro, and hope the electronics hold up anouth few years, and see what comes down the pipe by then.

Hope to hear back from you people...

Dublin, Ireland, sucks for demos....

51A/60 has been out only since fall so long term reliability would be a guess at best.
50's and 51's have had polarizers discolorations but 51a/60 has new polarizers and panels.

I figured it's time to brighten the screen a bit, just replaced the lamp today, lasts 2200 hours and going....worthed every penny!

Long time lurker, first time poster. Many thanks to everyone for their blood sweat and tweaks over the years, as I initially started considering a digital FP when the AE-100 was the hottest thing around on these pages. I eventually pulled the trigger on the HS-51 a year and a half ago, and while my girlfriend begrudgingly tolerates it, it has since become a member of the family. (It's called 'The Beamanator')

While everyone else who watches it in action can only utter 'Holy Crap!' or something to that effect, there's still one small problem that occasionally irks me. Namely, when a small field of white (i.e. credits) appears over a field of black, the white turns a sickly green color when the auto iris engages. I've tried turning the iris off, but while that completely solves the problem it also kills the blacks.

I am running the 'light cannon' tweak first mentioned in the Ruby thread (and I can't go back), but the problem was still with me when the iris was at its default settings. In fact, it was much worse then. I'm assuming that my contrast levels for average viewing are suddenly 'too hot' once the iris engages, but if I lower them until the green disappears, normal material looks dead and washed out. With color material this usually isn't noticeable, but in the black and white opening of Casino Royale, the lamp post outside of the Prague office building burns green-white instead of white-white.

I'm projecting onto a 98" piece of Luoun painted egg-shell white, and sources include DVI-HDMI from my Comcast cable box, and an older region-hacked JVC progressive DVD player through component cables. I did recently try hooking up my friend's upscaling Oppo player, and that did seem to tame the greens slightly.

The only time I've ever seen it mentioned was in relation to someone changing their air filter. They said that the green disappeared after the fact, but no such luck in my case. I'm still running the original bulb that came with the unit, but the problem was with me from the beginning.

Has anyone else noticed this issue?

Long time lurker, first time poster. Many thanks to everyone for their blood sweat and tweaks over the years, as I initially started considering a digital FP when the AE-100 was the hottest thing around on these pages. I eventually pulled the trigger on the HS-51 a year and a half ago, and while my girlfriend begrudgingly tolerates it, it has since become a member of the family. (It's called 'The Beamanator')

While everyone else who watches it in action can only utter 'Holy Crap!' or something to that effect, there's still one small problem that occasionally irks me. Namely, when a small field of white (i.e. credits) appears over a field of black, the white turns a sickly green color when the auto iris engages. I've tried turning the iris off, but while that completely solves the problem it also kills the blacks.

I am running the 'light cannon' tweak first mentioned in the Ruby thread (and I can't go back), but the problem was still with me when the iris was at its default settings. In fact, it was much worse then. I'm assuming that my contrast levels for average viewing are suddenly 'too hot' once the iris engages, but if I lower them until the green disappears, normal material looks dead and washed out. With color material this usually isn't noticeable, but in the black and white opening of Casino Royale, the lamp post outside of the Prague office building burns green-white instead of white-white.

I'm projecting onto a 98" piece of Luoun painted egg-shell white, and sources include DVI-HDMI from my Comcast cable box, and an older region-hacked JVC progressive DVD player through component cables. I did recently try hooking up my friend's upscaling Oppo player, and that did seem to tame the greens slightly.

The only time I've ever seen it mentioned was in relation to someone changing their air filter. They said that the green disappeared after the fact, but no such luck in my case. I'm still running the original bulb that came with the unit, but the problem was with me from the beginning.

Has anyone else noticed this issue?

i think we've all noticed it and learned to live with it because it is the iris...mostly noted during credits etc...

whats the light canon tweak you mention?

Actually iris causes a red shift not green.
I suspect it your gray scale which needs to be fixed.
A D65 calibrated unit never produces white white. For that you need to switch to higher color temp setting and have some one calibrate it.
Also as bulb ages the red output will diminish slowly.
Put up a gray ramp pattern and find out where in the scale there is green. If it is in the upper or midrange it has nothing to do with iris. Even if present in low end of the scale, tweak you bias to flatten it out.

Thanks - I'm glad I'm not the only one!

The light cannon tweak is setting the iris open and close reg values to the same value. Most people choose 100, but I think I left both of mine at 42. The end result is like getting High-Lamp results out of the Low-Lamp mode.

It's supposed to have a negative effect on black levels, but I can't see it personally. Of course I didn't try it until I had quite a few hours logged onto the bulb (maybe 800 or 900), so perhaps a newer bulb will show the drawbacks more.

I had to recalibrate after the change, but there's no way I'm going back to default now! Blacks are inky enough for me and everything seems to pop more.

The light cannon tweak is setting the iris open and close reg values to the same value. Most people choose 100, but I think I left both of mine at 42. The end result is like getting High-Lamp results out of the Low-Lamp mode.



Setting both values at default open value is same as iris off. Turn the iris off in the main manu instead.
Messing with iris is not a good way to brighten this PJ imo. It messes up the on/off CR badly.
The proper and most effective way is to tweak the master RGB.
Once you do that just tweak the iris for best black level without too much shadow detail loss and white crush.

Has anyone in here gotten their VB fixed by sending the unit into Laredo? I just sent my HS60 in and was just wondering what to expect. Actually what I am expecting is they will find that its within a reasonable range and ship it back the way it left, but I had to try.

When I get it back I'll let you all know if they did anything to it. I'm not knocking their repair shop at all, they may not notice the problem is all I'm saying.

Setting both values at default open value is same as iris off. Turn the iris off in the main manu instead.


sort of...making both these settings the same is disabling the iris, but you are able to control how far open/close the iris is...I would assume the menu setting fully opens the iris...with this 'tweak' you could disable the iris and have it set to half open...

But I agree that it has adverse effects on CR and I wouldn't recommend it either.

Hi, I'm having a problem with the signal on my HS51. My HDTV signal looks great but when I change to a regular def channels the picture looks terrible like it is out of sync. Under the projector info it shows the same signal whether I am on a HDTV channel or a regular channel. I cannot change the signal under the signal menu. I am using an hdmi cable to hook up to my explorer 3250hd box. I have also tried to hook up the cable box with componet cables with no change in the result.
Any help would be great.

THANKS

I have a motorola cable box hooked up to my HS51 using component. I set the box for 720p on HD channels and 480p on SD channels. You may want to check the settings to see how they are set up. I can select between 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i, and all seem to work ok. The DVI to HDMI from the same box drives my plasma also without issue. I do very rarely get snow but it syncs after a second or two.

Also, you can try to run a video or s-video from the cable box to the same input on the HS51 to see if that works for SD channels. Lastly, try to turn the cable box on first and then the HS51 to see if it syncs up correctly. Hope this helps.

Hi, I'm having a problem with the signal on my HS51. My HDTV signal looks great but when I change to a regular def channels the picture looks terrible like it is out of sync. Under the projector info it shows the same signal whether I am on a HDTV channel or a regular channel. I cannot change the signal under the signal menu. I am using an hdmi cable to hook up to my explorer 3250hd box. I have also tried to hook up the cable box with componet cables with no change in the result.
Any help would be great.

THANKS
I think you need to go into Sony's user's menu and select the "auto" sync so it does the change on its own. Or select manual and do the change yourself.

I've tried these things and nothing seems to work. The signal is always 1080 no matter what channel it is tuned in to. It does not give me the option to change this signal manually in the user settings. Any other ideas?

Thanks

Try a 480p DVD player see if defaults to 480p. It could be that you are feeding the Sony 1080. It is hard to say. If you try a 480p and it detects 1080 then some is wrong with the PJ.

If you try a video or s-video from the cable box to the pj, it has to be 480i and should work. Also try this with another tv or display.

It could be a bad cable box or they may have a filter on the line that only lets certain channels through. Check with the cable company on this as well. I have a filter on mine to remove the analog channels on mine since I only want to pay for digital or HD. The dvd player suggestion above is also good.

i see this thread is waning, but anyone tried the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD with this projector yet ? the A1 seems to breath new life into the machine, and September firmware for the XA2 for 1080p/24 makes me wonder

anyone ?

i see this thread is waning, but anyone tried the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD with this projector yet ? the A1 seems to breath new life into the machine, and September firmware for the XA2 for 1080p/24 makes me wonder

anyone ?

hi,
i just ordered the XA2. will report back after it's up and running. currently have a PS3 hooked up and picture looks great. (XA2 will be in addition to PS3, not replacing it.)
thx.

hi,
i just ordered the XA2. will report back after it's up and running. currently have a PS3 hooked up and picture looks great. (XA2 will be in addition to PS3, not replacing it.)
thx.

What screen are you using and how is the picture with the ps3? Is it much better than standard dvd or not much difference?

May I just add... Any improvement in the source quality made by going from even the better DVD players, to a an HD source, is easily seen in the projectors image.

I dare say this was true not just for the HS50/51 but even a great projector like the NEC HT1000.

hi,
i just ordered the XA2. will report back after it's up and running. currently have a PS3 hooked up and picture looks great. (XA2 will be in addition to PS3, not replacing it.)
thx.

Do you know what the PS3 sends to your PJ? I am going to guess 720/60p. Can it send 1080/24PsF (aka 1080/48i), if so have you tried it? I am curious about HD at native frame rate also now that I see the HS-51 can accept a 1080/48i source.

Do you know what the PS3 sends to your PJ? I am going to guess 720/60p. Can it send 1080/24PsF (aka 1080/48i), if so have you tried it? I am curious about HD at native frame rate also now that I see the HS-51 can accept a 1080/48i source.

If the PS3 has a decent scaler in it (I assume it does), why would you want to send 1080i to a projector that is limited to 720p?

If the PS3 has a decent scaler in it (I assume it does), why would you want to send 1080i to a projector that is limited to 720p?

With my sources, 1080i inputs scaled by the PJ looks better to me, I never sent it in to get the 720p blanking issue corrected. But my question was pointed more towards the difference in frame rate (60 vs 48). I am curious just how much improvement can be seen when 3:2 judder is eliminated.

With my sources, 1080i inputs scaled by the PJ looks better to me, I never sent it in to get the 720p blanking issue corrected. But my question was pointed more towards the difference in frame rate (60 vs 48). I am curious just how much improvement can be seen when 3:2 judder is eliminated.

I just purchased a Panasonic dmp-bd10a blu ray player and have it connected to my vpl - hs51 with a bluejeans 6 meter hdmi cable. The info screen reads 1080/60i. How can you adjust the frame rate from 60 to 48? The picture does look good but I am wondering what tricks or adjustments people have made to make it better, if possible. Thanks

does anybody know how to change the preset signals in the manual? for example with hdmi connection my information menu indicates memory #7. I would like to try some of the others but I don't know how to change them, or if it can be changed. Any advise would be great, Thanks

does anybody know how to change the preset signals in the manual? for example with hdmi connection my information menu indicates memory #7. I would like to try some of the others but I don't know how to change them, or if it can be changed. Any advise would be great, Thanks

The preset number you see is the number that equals the signal you send from your device. You don't set a preset number in the projector, the projector only describes the signal it receives. If you want another signal you set it at your DVD, receiver or anything you conected to the projector.
The list in the manual is simply showing you a matching number and signals the projector can receive over an input, and the settings you can or cant make at the projector for that signal/input.

I just put up a description and pic of a problem I'm having with my HS51. Wasn't sure if I should add to this or start separate. For those subscribed to this main HS51 thread check it out here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=886918) .

The preset number you see is the number that equals the signal you send from your device. You don't set a preset number in the projector, the projector only describes the signal it receives. If you want another signal you set it at your DVD, receiver or anything you conected to the projector.
The list in the manual is simply showing you a matching number and signals the projector can receive over an input, and the settings you can or cant make at the projector for that signal/input.

Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense. Thanks again.

This summer, my HS50 has started showing blue blotches at the top of the screen. Not visible on an all-black or all-white image, only mid-range tones. It isn't there at start up, but slowly creeps in after a few minutes, so I suspect it is heat-related.

I have only run the PJ up to about 4000hrs, but some that was on weekend marathons of 12hrs, so I suspect this is panel damage.

I have looked through the factory menus, but there doesn't seem to be anything to adjust for fan speed (apart from the high-altitude, which I always turn on in summer). Anyone have ideas for adjustments to minimise this?

This summer, my HS50 has started showing blue blotches at the top of the screen. Not visible on an all-black or all-white image, only mid-range tones. It isn't there at start up, but slowly creeps in after a few minutes, so I suspect it is heat-related.

I have only run the PJ up to about 4000hrs, but some that was on weekend marathons of 12hrs, so I suspect this is panel damage.

I have looked through the factory menus, but there doesn't seem to be anything to adjust for fan speed (apart from the high-altitude, which I always turn on in summer). Anyone have ideas for adjustments to minimise this?

Welcome to the blue smear club. Once it started for me (around 3000 hours) it just got worse and worse. 1 person was reported to have gotten it fixed out of warranty, others were quoted $2K to get it fixed (see link a couple of posts above). I just got an AW15 to replace it. Its not known whether newer models also suffer from this disease. Hopefully yours is still under warranty?

Welcome to the blue smear club.
Blue-Smear? I wanted to join the Blu-Ray club :(

Hopefully yours is still under warranty?
Ha. No such luck. It was a factory-refurb when I first got it, and I didn't pay any extra to extend the warranty. But the original globe was still working at 3620 hours, so I don't feel too bad.

I took off the plastic cover at the back to increase airflow, and also found that the globe and panel run a few degrees cooler (i.e. less blue smear) in high lamp mode, so I will keep it in that mode for now.

Now that I know it is a common fault, I probably won't be able to sell it on eBay, so I might have to use it until something dies.

Hey everyone!

New to this forum, just bought a HS-51 :) I am very happy with it! But i found i wanted to do some calibration for playing to my xbox 360 and watching hd movies...

I find this a very very long thread, can someone give me their settings on their projector for watching hd movies or playing games?

What can you change in service mode? And how do you enter?

Thanks everyone!!

I would be interested in hearing the answer to alopez1986's post too.

Check out this thread...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=485063

It has a great deal of calibration info worth look thru, including some service menu tweaks which take the 50/51 to the next level.

DO IT. Read thru, take notes or copy paste to create a master calibration guideline for your own setup.

Having a Xbox 360 myself, it requires some additional tweaks compared to calibration for other SD/HD sources.

hi bytehoven!!

Thanks for your response!

I already read that post, but they talk a lot technically, and i foind the latest config they setup was this one:

CONTRAST: 80
BRIGHTNES: 65
Iris off and Lamp on High

Initial Settings

Open Reg 41-->40
Close Reg 200-->202
No change here.

Low Color Temp Factory/// Middle Color Temp Factory
Red G - 128/// Red G - 128
Green G - 32/// Green G - 37
Blue G - 39/// Blue G - 59
Red B - 118/// Red B - 118
Green B - 128/// Green B - 128
Blue B - 123/// Blue B - 124

As you can see, these settings are very close in the biases but differ in the gains.

Calibrated Settings (Iris Off/Lamp High HDMI)

Red Gain-128
Green Gain-46
Blue Gain-49

Red Bias-86
Green Bias-128
Blue Bias-123

Resulting Color Temp 6513 DE:2
Lumens 381
Gamma 2.51
CR 379:1

For those of you that would want to use the User Menu, just use Custom 3 and these settings:

Red Gain- 0
Green Gain- +6
Blue Gain- -4

Red Bias- -28
Green Bias- 0
Blue Bias- +13

Iris Adj = 0
Open Reg = 41
Close Reg = 200

FOR COMPONENTS:
Calibrated Settings (Component 480i)

Red Gain-128
Green Gain-40
Blue Gain-38

Red Bias-75
Green Bias-128
Blue Bias-124

Resulting Color Temp 6543 DE:1
Lumens 326
Gamma 2.53
CR 2757:1

I willl try this tonight and tell you my opinions ;)

Thanks!

Hi...I have a question...

I was watching the latest Harry Potter ( Order Of Phoenix) on my Projector. Most of the picture is excellent but in the begining and sometimes in the middle i get to see a lot of grains ..particularly on the faces...! Should i do something with the settings to adjust that...or is it just the movie. I have also been seeing that the dark scenes (very dark ones) show more grains...! I am sorry if i sound any absolute novice in all this..:)

Thank you for your comments

BTW...This is with normal DVD.

Hi...I have a question...

I was watching the latest Harry Potter ( Order Of Phoenix) on my Projector. Most of the picture is excellent but in the begining and sometimes in the middle i get to see a lot of grains ..particularly on the faces...! Should i do something with the settings to adjust that...or is it just the movie. I have also been seeing that the dark scenes (very dark ones) show more grains...! I am sorry if i sound any absolute novice in all this..:)

Thank you for your comments

BTW...This is with normal DVD.

1) What is your sharpness setting? I have found setting the Sony sharpness to OFF may look soft, but it is indeed a setting which provided ZERO sharpness enhancement rather than a softening from a normal sharpness. Another words, the middle sharpness position on the Sony is adding sharpness enhancement.

2) What is you brightness setting? Try lowering until the artifact goes away and then judge the rest of the program.

3) Do you have any gamma or black level boosting? If yes, try lowering them or turning them off.

I assume you are seeing DVD artifacts that could well be an issue with your DVD player. You might say what player you are using.

Good luck

Anyone seen this problem with their HS51?

It happens with any connection type. Is easiest to see with a white background. I tried a different bulb but that did nothing.

I called Sony and they had no idea. Gave me the number for the local service center.

Projector is just out of warranty (it seems every sony product I have dies as soon as the warranty ends) !!

Thanks for any pointers...

You bet Eric, except yours is a different color than mine (yellow) which suggests it might be a different panel/polarizer.

Sorry to change the topic but does anybody know where I can get a copy of the Image Director 2 software?

not sure anyone still read this thread (at least not archived yet)

my Sony HS60 appears to be very dark after only 170 hours after I got it for 2 years. When I bought it, it was the best uniform and white balance panel out of 3 samples that I checked. Now Hong Kong could be a dusty place but some believed this projector is sealed light path, any suggestions as to what maybe wrong ?

I am usually running in Cinema Mode and over DVI to VGA converter. Are there other interface that maybe brighter in your experience ? These days I only use the projector to play Wii Tennis and its gotten so bad that I usually cannot follow the tennis ball projecting at 90 inches on a Stewart Studioteck 130 at the closest throw distance... which I can do perfectly when I use my 36" CRT !

I will throw it out if you tell me to change the bulb !

Mine is also about 2 years old with 480 hours on bulb #1. So far it has no reduction in brightness. I have never used the VGA input, just HDMI and Component. How do those inputs look? Perhaps the problem is in the VGA port and not the bulb. I would do some trouble shooting then call sony for repair.

Mine is 3,5 years old with 1000 hours on bulb #1. Used HDMI for the first months and the VGA. No brightness reduction so far either. I'm still enjoying this great projector.

My HS51 has almost 300 hours and no noticable dimming of the image. I pulled the filter after 250 hours and it looked pretty clean although I replaced it anyway.

Cinema Mode and over DVI to VGA converter.
Cinema mode is the darkest of the three defaults, but a sudden dimming is unusual.

1) When the PJ is warmed up, try the menus. Are their white on grey text a lot brighter than the Wii images? If so, I would suspect the converter, or its power supply.

2) Any reason why you are not using a DVI to HDMI cable?


I will throw it out if you tell me to change the bulb !

It may be the bulb, or the projector's HV PSU. If you do throw it out, I will take it off your hands. My HS-50's blue panel damage is starting to annoy me, and your PJ might be an upgrade :-)

my Sony HS60 appears to be very dark after only 170 hours after I got it for 2 years.

I will throw it out if you tell me to change the bulb !

Mine did the same thing, the image became very dark after about 200 hours. I was not happy, but sent it back and Sony replaced the bulb with no charge. I noticed they also set the high altitude mode which causes the fan to run more often (even though I'm not in high altitude location) and it's been fine since then, I think I have about 800 hours on the replaced bulb. I was extremely frustrated at the time, but Sony did take care of it and the turnaround was very fast. Definitely make sure high altitude is set so that the fan runs more often.

Also make sure you aren't cutting the power to the projector when you power down the system -- the fan needs to run several minutes after the projector light turns off, if the fan doesn't run, the bulb will burn out quickly. I put a UPS on the projector only to prevent this issue since we have frequent power outages in our area (not sure why)

Then maybe it is the DVI-VGA converter (recommended previously for get point2point with older units and video quality), I'll try HDMI direct and other methods and let you all know

given the devaluation of the unit, I'm just going to make it work and its worth keeping if only I can play Wii games on it ! :)

Pjp, thanks for your input, I hope I don't have to swap the bulb as we don't get service for electronics usually after 1 year here in Hong Kong.

Pjp, thanks for your input, I hope I don't have to swap the bulb as we don't get service for electronics usually after 1 year here in Hong Kong.

Given that the first bulb failed at 170 hours, it's likely that they will replace it anyway. I think mine might have been out of warranty at the time, but they replaced it without question because 170 hours is simply too soon. Also, there were many, many people that had this problem, so Sony knows it was an issue so my guess is they will do the right thing if you push them even modestly. Given that their "fix" with my unit was to turn on the high altitude setting, seems like their original setup did not have the fan come on soon enough - so they really had a design issue. Good luck with it.

dear friends
I switched to pure HDMI but it didn't help a lot, however next day when I just remove it away from my isolation transformer (projector wasn't on that day), for the first time I unplug the power to the HS50 after it was on for < 5 seconds

then what happen is when I try to switch it on a clacking alarm would come on (almost sound like a fan is broken) and the projector will go back to standby right away. Removing the power does not change anything. Seems either something is broken or it is waiting for a reset (like "is it safe now ?) signal

any suggestions ? am i out of luck ? I will find the dealer tomorrow

Well it seems people lost an interest in this thread some time back, but I thought I'd post a little something. I believe strongly that most companies DO employ some form of planned obsolescence. In the vpl-hs51's case, the ventilation is COMPLETELY inadequate.

Stock settings, you can make out 'heat waves' (much like looking at asphault on a very hot day) when you are very close to the screen after only 1.5 hours! This is very subtle, and not really noticeable at all unless you are right up to the screen, which, by nature most people wouldn't notice. With high altitude setting on, this increases to about 2-3 hours before onset, but going more than that DOES start to put heat wear on this model like you wouldn't believe.

An easy fix? Hot glue two regular computer muffin fans to the front grill and wire to a 12v AC adapter. For me, I can now run the projector, even on High lamp, without any 'shivering' or 'shakies' when looking up close. This should, in theory, prolong the life of the lamp and the projector a great deal. Scanning this thread there are reports of people who sent their pj in and had the fan upgraded and high altitude switched on. I firmly believe this was a known issue, and they did nothing about it. Also, if you are having issues with shakies and know its not heat, try putting something moderately heavy on top of the projector, like a portable jump starter or a speaker.

Anyway, I recently got this pj off ebay and am loving the hell out of it. Playing team fortress 2 on a 12 foot screen FTW.

Hey Krazy, I have had mine for a little over two years now and have not noticed any issues, although I don't do as you say and get that close to the screen. I do have a pipe in front of the projectors vent that leads to the attic with a triggered fan on the other end of the pipe, so that helps a ton! I noticed that the room was getting warm and found that the in-line fan I had at the end of the tubing (I put flex-line on the tubing once it was in the attic) had fallen off the tube.

I have been very satified with my HS-51 since 1/2005. Second bulb up to 1500 hrs.

I am considering an upgrade to a new 1080 LCD unit, and the HS-51 must have heard me.:eek:

Over the past several months I have had difficulty getting the handshake over HDMI from the Sony. Now I get ZIP, either it just studders, looking to sync or I get an out of frequency fault indication. Outputting device(s) direct to projector. I have been limping by on component.

I have tried all of the normal turn A on then B, B on then A, with no luck.

HDMI cable is the same one I was using all along, even tried a new 35' 22 GA from MONOPRICE, NO help. All works well with another HDMI display I have with same cables and players.

Any ideas? I do not think it is worth a service repair. I would just like some support from you all to convince the wife we need a new projector.

Steve

Hi, I have had the VP-HS50 for three years and more now. I used to run it with a DVDO IScan HD+ and the ISCAN broke down twice in three years. The only connection was an HDMI - it was a 30 feet cable.

I have a the Cable HD box and a progressive scan player from Toshiba connected to it via the ISCAN HD+. I got lousy service (practically none from DVDO) so I decided to just get me a new receiver. I bought a brand new Onkyo TX-SR875 which upconverts all signals over HDMI. I connected the cable box to the receiver via HDMI and the DVD player via component and my Nintendo Wii via composite.

I have set the Onkyo to output over HDMI (it can output over HDMI and component) at 720P resolution which is the native resolution for the Sony.

I had no trouble with video switching with the ISCAN, with exactly the same configuration my SONY does not display a picture through the Onkyo. I continue to get a clicking sound as if the projector is trying to handshake but not able to.

I ran the following tests

- See if the ONkyo's output (when trying to use its onscreen settings functions) worked on their own with the SOny thus elminating any HDCP issues coming over from the HD source. IT did NOT.

- I bought a cheap 19" LCD flat panel and used the SAME cable to connect to the Onkyo and voila it worked.

I have come to the conclusion that its the Sony and not the Onkyo that is at fault here and that its to do with HDCP handshaking. I did notice from time to time even when I had the ISCAN that when I tried to connect to the cable box it would give me a "failure to authenticate" signal and the message would go away after some time and I would still get the picture.

Any thoughts on what I can do?

I have been very satified with my HS-51 since 1/2005. Second bulb up to 1500 hrs.

I am considering an upgrade to a new 1080 LCD unit, and the HS-51 must have heard me.:eek:

Over the past several months I have had difficulty getting the handshake over HDMI from the Sony. Now I get ZIP, either it just studders, looking to sync or I get an out of frequency fault indication. Outputting device(s) direct to projector. I have been limping by on component.

I have tried all of the normal turn A on then B, B on then A, with no luck.

HDMI cable is the same one I was using all along, even tried a new 35' 22 GA from MONOPRICE, NO help. All works well with another HDMI display I have with same cables and players.

Any ideas? I do not think it is worth a service repair. I would just like some support from you all to convince the wife we need a new projector.

Steve

Ya know I am in kind of the same boat you are BT1, except my damn hs51 is working flawlessly, I would really like to upgrade but it just keeps going. And it still has good pic with about 800 hours on the lamp. At least you can show the wife that it don't work. Good luck.

I have been very satified with my HS-51 since 1/2005. Second bulb up to 1500 hrs.

I am considering an upgrade to a new 1080 LCD unit, and the HS-51 must have heard me.:eek:

Over the past several months I have had difficulty getting the handshake over HDMI from the Sony. Now I get ZIP, either it just studders, looking to sync or I get an out of frequency fault indication. Outputting device(s) direct to projector. I have been limping by on component.

I have tried all of the normal turn A on then B, B on then A, with no luck.

HDMI cable is the same one I was using all along, even tried a new 35' 22 GA from MONOPRICE, NO help. All works well with another HDMI display I have with same cables and players.

Any ideas? I do not think it is worth a service repair. I would just like some support from you all to convince the wife we need a new projector.

Steve

I would like to upgrade as well but every time I turn on my HS-51 I still really enjoy the picture it throws. I have 900 hours on it. If you were to upgrade would you stay in the Sony family? What is the consensis here is the latest Sony offerings standing up to the competition in the same price range?

I would like to upgrade as well but every time I turn on my HS-51 I still really enjoy the picture it throws. I have 900 hours on it. If you were to upgrade would you stay in the Sony family? What is the consensis here is the latest Sony offerings standing up to the competition in the same price range?

I would and most likely will stay with Sony, I have had no problem with my hs51 and have been looking at the new sxrd projectors like the 10 or 70 (can't afford the 70). I will still look around and see what is out thier before making a desision, but my hs51 is still looking good and working great so it will be a while before I attempt to talk the wife into an up-grade. By the way how big of a screen are you using?

I would and most likely will stay with Sony, I have had no problem with my hs51 and have been looking at the new sxrd projectors like the 10 or 70 (can't afford the 70). I will still look around and see what is out thier before making a desision, but my hs51 is still looking good and working great so it will be a while before I attempt to talk the wife into an up-grade. By the way how big of a screen are you using?

I am using a 96 inch Stewart Firehawk and I have been very happy with the combination.

I am using a 96 inch Stewart Firehawk and I have been very happy with the combination.

I wished I would have went a little bigger in my room, I have the same screen you do except it is a 92". It does have a great picture though, we watched Iron Man on blu ray over the weekend and it was very impressive.

I wished I would have went a little bigger in my room, I have the same screen you do except it is a 92". It does have a great picture though, we watched Iron Man on blu ray over the weekend and it was very impressive.

I have not made the blu ray plunge yet but I do have a new pre-pro the Integra 9.8 that will take advantage of the new lossless audio formats. Waiting on the sidelines for someone to come out with a player that is worth the investment. I still ove my Pioneer DV59-AVi that does a great job with standard format DVD's. OPPO is designing a new player right now that should be out this winter, I am going to wait for that one I think. Which blu ray player are you using and are you happy with it?

I have not made the blu ray plunge yet but I do have a new pre-pro the Integra 9.8 that will take advantage of the new lossless audio formats. Waiting on the sidelines for someone to come out with a player that is worth the investment. I still ove my Pioneer DV59-AVi that does a great job with standard format DVD's. OPPO is designing a new player right now that should be out this winter, I am going to wait for that one I think. Which blu ray player are you using and are you happy with it?

I am using an older Panasonic dmp-bd10a blu ray player, it has internal decoding for dolby truehd and dts hd but not master audio. I needed the analog output for my system. So far the it has been working great, it has had two or three firm ware upgrades and has played all blu ray's I have rented or bought. I do have a ps3 on another tv but my kids don't let me get near it much. I bet that Integra 9.8 is awsome.

hi, i just bought a used sony vpl-hs50 and dum as i am i started started playing with the factory settings. well i didn't think about writing down the old settings, and now the image look really bad.
So i was wondering if somone could tell me the original settings?
thanks in advance