HD screen shots cont.

Here are screen shots of DVD material. Make sure to look at photos DVD14 and DVD24. From 12 feet back the image from the H31 is very sharp with no noticeable screen door effect.

DVD screen shots cont.

DVD screen shots continued

Jeff,

those are some of the best damn h31 pictures i've seen yet,
green's a little funny on this old a$$ monitor i'm viewing on (not mine), but.....

good..no excellent job.

DVD screen shots last ones ...

Vashon,

Thanks for the compliment! Screen shots are a great way to show the AVS forum community how good a particular projector can look, I love my H31 :) .

Jeff,
Nice screenshots! Thanks for sharing as I have not seen much in the way of H31 shots since the initial stuff taken by Guitarman. I'm still on the fence about this projector as I can't decide between the H31 and the Infocust 4805. I currently have the older 4800 and it has served me well. Did you do much calibration to your DVI input or was it pretty accurate out of the box?

Dropzone,

I just did a very basic calibration of the DVI port.
It was not far off per my calibration with Avia.

Dropzone,

I just did a very basic calibration of the DVI port.
It was not far off per my calibration with Avia.

Okay, can I ask how high your ceilings are? Another concern I have is with the offset of the H31. My friends and family seem to enjoy my screen where it is now which is about 10" from the top of the 8' ceiling. It's a DIY blackout screen measuring 54"x96". I have the projector mounted about 15' back from the wall. I'm wondering if the H31's offset will put my screen a lot further down the wall? The room is small and without risers I'm afraid nobody could see from the second row.

Yes, nice screenshots Jeff!! Thanks for taking the time to do that. I wish my setup were as neat and tidy looking as yours. I live alone, so there are wires running everywhere. Whenever I get married, I know that my beloved hobby will change in major ways, perhaps for the better.

I noticed your XBox too, and it made me realize this...I bought my H31 way back in February, and I have every major gaming console. XBox, Gamecube, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, N64 and I've yet to connect any of them to my H31 to see what they look like. I even have the component paks for the first 3. What's wrong with me??

I think the answer lies in the fact that I enjoyed these consoles on my Benq 6100, and the Pioneer 53" rptv that I still have. But the H31 has stunned me so much with image quality that I haven't gotten over the shock of how good SD, HD, and dvd images look.

So at this point in time does the H31 work well with a HTPC? I am still interested in the H31 but want to use my HTPC. Has anyone solved the tearing issue? I read that someone their H31 back after sending it to Optoma and then DVI worked and it did not tear with an HTPC.
Has anyone else had good luck with the latest versions of the H31s?

Dan

Dropzone,

My ceilings are 8ft high. My projector is 12 ft back from the screen. The top of the screen (white part) is 18 inches from the ceiling.

Jedi,

I am glad you like the screen shots. I recently got the TV stand shown in my set up pictures, it has worked out perfect for my setup, plus it has a wire managment system that hides most of the cables/wires (very important for the WAF). You should hook your game sysems up to your H31 when you have time. Nothing like a BIG screen when playing video games.

Jefftaz, I ordered my H31 on Tuesday and it should be here early next week. Would you post your configuration settings on the H31? Those pictures are great. I can't wait to get mine. I'll be mounting the speakers this weekend. I can't wait!

Never mind...

This is just an update. I was an early adopter of the H31 and I just hooked it up to my new computer and was able to pixel map with no problems. However, there's a pretty good amount of tearing so I may have to contact optoma about flashing the firmware. I hooked it up to a Xfx 7800 GT.

Also, Jedi, I recommend you try the Burnout series on Xbox the H31. The colors and particles really pop and will make your jaw drop.

This is just an update. I was an early adopter of the H31 and I just hooked it up to my new computer and was able to pixel map with no problems. However, there's a pretty good amount of tearing so I may have to contact optoma about flashing the firmware. I hooked it up to a Xfx 7800 GT.

Can someone please post a picture or description of "tearing"... I've seen the term frequently now but I don't know what it means.

DogBolterBeer,

Congrats on getting a H31 !

There are 4 main menus when you hit the menu button on the H31 remote.
The following settings are located in the 4 main menus.

Here are my settings for the DVI port (the only connection I use):

Mode: Cinema
Contrast: 4
Brightness: -8
Gamma: 1
White Peaking: 0

Advanced Settings:

Red Contrast: 0
Green Contrast: 14
Blue Contrast: 9

Red Brightness: 0
Green Brightness: 0
Blue Brightness: 0


Image Mode: Film
Bright Mode: Off
High Altitude: On (I live in Denver)

Keystone: 0
Zoom: 1
Full Screen Mode: 1.85

Tearing is hard to capture because it literally is a split-second occurrance, at least in my experience. I dont have a PC hooked to my H31 but I've seen tearing in other games on a PC if you don't match the refresh rate of the monitor to the game frequency.......depends on the game of course and how the graphics are drawn onscreen.

Oh and by the way: If you play Burnout on Xbox on a H31, your jaw wont be the only thing hitting the floor...if you're at all prone to motion sickness, your lunch will probably wind up there too! :D

I just bought a H31 after reading this thread. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here for this great information and time you guys put out.

I was in doubt between H27 and H31, but I finally chose the H31 because it has greater light output than the H27.

Here in Brazil we don't have HD programming yet. They have not even chosen which standard to use (American, European, Japanese), so I don't think we'll have it for the next three to five years... :(

Since this projector is to be used on my parents bedroom, it'll be used for standard definition TV only. There will be no DVD players connected to it or anything else but cable and satellite TV tuners.

I intend to use this PJ with a 70" screen (it's for a bedroom; no space to have a bigger screen!)

Also, being from Brazil, it's not very easy to have my projector updated/upgraded, cos it's always a hassle to have anything sent from here to abroad... And we don't have a chance to try those projectors in avance, so I have to trust mainly on other people's experiencies to choose.

So, I'd like to ask:

1) I've read about the dead DVI input problem. Since, I just bought mine from B&H, do you think chances are that I get an unit with this problem?

2) It is worthy to have a scaler (like an iScan Ultra) to do the de-interlacing/scaling of cable/satellite signals or is the internal is good enough?

3) Does anybody know if this projector accepts PAL-M signals. Brazil is the only country in the world with this TV system (oh my...) I ask this becasue although it doesn't say in the manual, I've seen many devices that do accept it but doesn't mention it in their manuals (the iScan famyly, for example)

Sorry for my long post, but I though an explanation of the scene here was necessary.

Thanks a lot!

Can someone please post a picture or description of "tearing"... I've seen the term frequently now but I don't know what it means.

It's kinda wierd, actually, but it looks just like a "tear" in the screen - like a sliver was literally "torn" out for a split second.

Lino,
I think your chances are very good that you would get a dvi input that works fine with set top boxes as well as htpcs, if you get a unit that was recently made. Recent purchasers don't seem to be getting the problem where the H31 won't see the dvi signal from a pc. There was never an issue with cablebox, satellite receiver, or dvd player connections. These should connect well with dvi, and not show any tearing. I'm not sure about your other questions.

jedi35: Thanks a lot!

Never mind question 3) (PAL-M stuff). I saw on the Optoma web page that all Optoma pj's do accept PAL-M also. It seems we're not forgotten by the rest of the world afterall... :)

Greetings all!

I haven't been around very much in the past few months but I've popped in here and there. Looks like the community is growing, and thats a good thing. :)

Anyway, I'm posting to let you all know that I have been experimenting with a dvd 3D system on my H31 and I'm happy to report that it DOES WORK.

Some may know which I'm referring to, It's the IMAX 3D collection (see amazon.com) which uses a pair of shutter glasses that must sync to your TV to see 3D. Well, It was said that DLP projectors are not compatible with this system. Fortuntely, IT IS!

I am running a Samsung dvd player with progrssive scan ON over component (25ft.) and am NOT having any problems with sync to the glasses. In bright scenes there is slight ghosting, but not enough to wipe out the 3D.


I am posting this is because we all know that our pj's have finicky electronics. This 3D system is good on a RPTV or tube, but on a PJ, it is almost like the imax originals, except not as big. :)

-Cheers

quick question. should I let my h31 do the 480i to 480p conversion or my DVD player. Which is better?

Depends on which has the better de-interlacer. I believe the H31 has the Pixelworks de-interlacer which is reputed to be good. How about your dvd player? Do you know what it has in it or at least the model number of your dvd player so we can figure it out? For instance, my Denon 1910 has the Faroujda chip (I have the impression most people think it's one of the tops out there), so I let it do the de-interlacing. Not that I could choose otherwise since I'm doing dvi, but that's another issue :)

Nice shots.

javdog,
You're talking about the 3d package available at www.eDimensional.com, right? How many IMAX 3D films are there? I remember seeing an underwater adventure in 3D that was awesome. How well does the effect work on movies and games that were not filmed or created for 3D?

Tearing is hard to capture because it literally is a split-second occurrance, at least in my experience. I dont have a PC hooked to my H31 but I've seen tearing in other games on a PC if you don't match the refresh rate of the monitor to the game frequency.......depends on the game of course and how the graphics are drawn onscreen.

Oh and by the way: If you play Burnout on Xbox on a H31, your jaw wont be the only thing hitting the floor...if you're at all prone to motion sickness, your lunch will probably wind up there too! :D

Or Burnout3 on a PS2.... Way cool. I hear that #4 will be out soon :D

Not to sidetrack the thread, but Burnout: Revenge is out now, and its very cool from the demo I've played.

Try Burnout Legends on the Sony PSP...amazing game on a handheld, sets a new bar.

Not to sidetrack the thread, but Burnout: Revenge is out now, and its very cool from the demo I've played.

Try Burnout Legends on the Sony PSP...amazing game on a handheld, sets a new bar.
Not to continue to sidetrack thread but... Must resist urge to leave work early...

By the way, since I've got my H31 I've just be amazed at how I am still amazed ;)
It sure takes a while for the "new" to wear off. I have even started uup new ways of "showing it off". I have all the kids from our youth group over for movie night once a month. And there is a group of us that watch MNF.

And I am not showing it off to "brag". I want EVERYONE to know how simple/easy/fun this wonderfully addictive hobby is!

Join us! Join us!

Do you guys think it's worthy to have an external scaler like the iScan Ultra connected to the H31 or the internal scaler will do? I mean, the iScan Ultra from DVDO costs around $400 and if it brings a great level of improvement to the image I'm willing to spend the extra money.

I'm using just satellite and cable feeds to the PJ, no DVDs.

Thanks!

Jefftaz, thanks for the configuration settings. I'll be running DishNetwork over the DVI; however, my DVD player only has component. So based on your post I'm guessing each input has seperate controls? Thanks again.

Anyone have a config they want to share for their component inputs?

I have been enjoying my H31 for the past 3 months. I am looking to improve my picture with a
better suited screen for the H31. What gain should I use with 106" screen and a room with very little ambient light.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!

i noticed a few people talking about turning off the de-interlacing on the h31. where can you do that in the menus? i haven't seen that being possible.
thanks!
-r

Audioguy,

I would think that a screen with a gain of about 1.3-1.5 would be nice for that size. Carada Bright White sounds like a winner.

Moe

" noticed a few people talking about turning off the de-interlacing on the h31. where can you do that in the menus? i haven't seen that being possible.
thanks!"

if i'm not mistaken i think the internal de-interlacer turn itself off and on depending on the signal.

Newbie here, but I've decided to jump head first into the PJ game, and so far, I'm really liking the idea of getting an H31. I'm shooting for a 92" screen in a college apartment, so it's basically going to dominate the wall, but I worked out the distances and it turns out I've got a good 18 feet or so of mountable ceiling to work with (I'll probably mount at around 14'). After reading the reviews, seeing a few very nice deals which I'm apparently not allowed to mention, and getting 3 back paychecks, I've deciding to go for it.

My only qualms/questions before I pull the trigger are as follows:
1) I'm probably going to be using this for an HTPC setup, because I have a very nice set of Klipsch computer speakers that, while not amazing, are better at filling the small space I'm in with quality sound. I also enjoy gaming quite a bit, so I'm wondering whether or not the tearing issues have been fixed with the latest firmware releases

2) In a related manner, are there any 720p projectors available for anywhere near the same price? I think I can get by with 480p, but for next-gen consoles and PC gaming, I'd prefer to have the hi-res option. I looked at some projectors from Dell and Epson, but those seem to be oriented more towards the business consumer. What would be my major loss if I went with one of those instead of a "Home Theater" projector? Would the gaming benefits make up for it?

Hey all,

I apologize if this was answered earlier in the thread (odds are it was), but I was wondering if the H31 does the needed 33% vertical stretch that can be used with an anamorphic lens to fill a 2.35 screen. I basically would like to do the whole constant height 2.35 setup and not spring for the H77 b/c its exclusively for a DVD theater.

Also, notice any artifacting or pixelation at 1.25x screen diagonal or at 2 x screen width? That is where I was planning my 2 rows of seating for a 16:9 screen (diagonal 82 inches and width 71 inches) And the 2.35:1 screen would be 104" diagonal, but I was basing my seating location off of the 16:9 screen.

Thanks in advance.

javdog,
You're talking about the 3d package available at www.eDimensional.com, right? How many IMAX 3D films are there? I remember seeing an underwater adventure in 3D that was awesome. How well does the effect work on movies and games that were not filmed or created for 3D?


Not exactly. I have tried the virtual fx 3d system, but returned it after the 3d glasses only sync'd at 5 feet or less. Don't get that one, the 3d effect is hokey.

I have the Imax 3d collection and it comes with 3 dvds. There are a few more out there, like SOS planet (very good out of screen 3d effects) and Ultimate G's to name a few. Sensio dvds work as well. But it does not do any converting from 2D to 3D. It only syncs the glasses to the 3D dvd signal put out on your TV or PJ. Just like the real Imax system.

Now if you want to convert 2d to 3d on ANY movie, there is one program that I have found to give pretty good results. It's the "3DPLUS" software that edimensional sells for $30.

It only works on a PC but I suppose if you had a HTPC setup, it would work on your PJ. The program does work and gives good to great 3d effects to any movie on dvd. The trick is the panning or side ways movement in a movie. Lots of movement and action creates great 3d. People just standing there just give the background some depth but little else. But say, Star wars a new hope, absolutey rocks with this program and I now see why Lucas wants to release his movies in 3D, It's like being there on set.

So those are really the only 2 options that are worth your money at this point in the technology. If you really wanted a taste without much risk, check out ebay for the glasses and setup. It should be around $30 if you look around. Hope this helps. :)

I was fooling around with the THX optimizer the other day trying to get the Advanced RGB settings right. For anyone that has a DVD with this option and the H31. I found a way to eyeball very accurate Grayscales. In the contrast optimizer look for any tint of color and try to remove it without getting more of another color. In the brightness optimizer turn the gamma up to 5, this allows you to see any tint in the darker grays really easily and do the same as you did with the contrast. Make sure to turn the gamma back down when you finished. Like guitarman said in his first post try to keep the colors balanced by doing +2 clicks for say red and -2 clicks for green and blue instead of -6 clicks just for red. I found this to work really well.

Hi all, I haven't posted in a long time but try to keep up with the news for H-31. I've been using mine exclusively as an htpc with my Powerbook Mac laptop over 6' DVI cable. I think I have developed the tearing problem which seems to be getting worse over time. What I see is like a horizontal synch line that starts from the bottom and move up to the top of the screen. When I plug in the cable to my laptop is sets up at 848. I don't have any other choices for pixel mapping.

Should I call Optoma and ask to return it for the newer firmware upgrade?

PS. I would like to try the 3D thing. Can you rent those dvds and do you need to get red/green glasses? Thanks, Jonathan

Hi...Not sure on what DVI cable to get for the H-31....I have a RCA DTC-210 Directv Receiver(HD)...back of receiver says DVI-HDCP...it does Not have the 4 additional holes on the right side although the manual shows them...the H-31 says DVI-I...I need 25 ft....and does the SD channels come over this cable....Thanks

Rick

HDCP is a protocol not an interface. Correct? The manual for the DTC-210 should recommend a cable type. You should be looking for DVI-D or DVI-I. If the connector is more USB shape you'll need a DVI to HDMI cable.

It just says DVI with HDCP...doesn't say I or D....It does not have the extra 4 holes

Rick

I had to return a recent purchase of the H31 due to extreme eye fatigue and headache. We have an old Sony 10HT that still produces a pleasing picture (no eye sensitivity) and in fact the Sony is brighter, even in low lamp mode, than the returned H31.

We purchased the H31 from VisualApex and got hit with a substantial restocking fee even with just under 1 hour on the bulb (see letter below). The lesson to me is this: we can never be absolutely sure a product will work for us unless we actually see the product operating, preferably in our own home. For this reason we will never again purchase a product from sellers that have a restocking fee within the first week of purchase.

"I have shipped the authorized return #.............
When you receive and inspect the product I hope you will give some consideration to the nearly unused/mint condition of the product and the technical/unavoidable reason for return (eye sensitivity to this DLP). I also want to mention that I do not believe this particular projector is producing the specified 850 lumens (high light setting). This projector is darker than my old Sony 10HT at 750 lumens (Cinema Black mode), and my Sony has the original 4 year old lamp. Perhaps this returned Optoma's lamp and/or electronics are not allowing full specified light output. I mention this only to bring it to your attention; Eye sensitivity to this DLP is the reason for return.

I have double boxed the shipment to prevent any harm to the original box. Please note that all packing and product contents are in either unused condition or were handled less than 1 hour during the evaluation. I am just requesting that you consider what is fair to the both of us in charging a return fee penalty."

Over the weekend I installed my H31 w/ 92" screen 1.0 gain. I am so glad I didn't spend more on a higher priced projector. This unit is amazing. Right out of the box the picture is amazing. The wife and kids were all amazed. Thanks for all of the information everyone donated here at this site. My research has paid off.

Hi again guitar man. I went over your settings for calibration of color. I am not sure if I am using the correct calibrations for the input I am using. I am running component into a DVDO line doubler, then the RGB from that through an RGB to DVI cable then into DVI. The Optoma H31 detects the input as analog RGB. The closest settings to what I am needing that you listed were the following:
DVI numers for D65K...
Image/film gamma 1-
picture settings in service menu:
Gain red 167
gain green 158
gain blue 155
bias red 123
bias green 125
bias blue 125

Is this correct so far?
Now I'm not sure what ADC settings. I hope you can help me here being that I wrote down the original settings for everything but forgot to writre down the original for 'gain red' under ADC. I only went up 4 or 5 before realizing I had forgotten to write it down.
My current ADC settings:
Gain red 159
gain green 154
gain blue 157
offset red 61
offset blue green 54
offset blue 60
(all of these settings are factory except gain red which could be off by 1 or 2). If picture settings in picture service menu are right what are the correct settings for ADC Gain and offset as it correlates with the settings you suggested. if they are wrong what are the right settings for D65?

Thanks- Natja

Even though you're running through DVI it's still analog RGB, so use the settings in the first post for 480p analog.

Thanks so much I'll try those settings. blessings

Sorry another question. I looked at the settings you put down for DVI. But under DVI there are no listed settings for ADC. Do those settings stay factory or are there specified D65K settings for those as well? Like I metioned I forgot to write down the factory setting for the red gain before I changed it. I only went up about 3 or 4 above what the setting was before I changed it. But I have no idea what the original setting actually was. If ADC stays factory do you have any idea what the red bias might have been. If not would the settings for component ADC possibly work for DVI ok being that those settings you listed included ADC? Thanks- Natja

For this reason we will never again purchase a product from sellers that have a restocking fee within the first week of purchase. [/I]

That's why I always buy b&m for larger purchases. Most have atleast a one week, no questions asked, return for full refund policy or better.

Hey guys,
It's been awhile. I've made some serious improvements to my HT setup. I now have a new screen. I've always been bothered by the flimsy material in my portable InstaTheater 100" Dalite screen, which was setup to give me an 84" diagonal widescreen image. I could easily see bad waves in the picture, causing shadows as well as image distortion. A buddy steered me towards a cheap solution that has changed my life. I went to Home Depot, and spent $20 on a Parkland Plastics white shower wall panel. This panel is already cut to an 8'x4' size, which is perfect for adapting a widescreen. One side has a more matte-like finish, while the other has a surface that would be good for high gain, as it's just a little shinier. This tip comes from the AVS diy screen forum. I tacked the entire panel up on the wall behind my previous screen, and the few extra inches of space I was able to move back took me from an 84" diagonal to a whopping 96"!! The material is solid enough to produce an image without waves, especially if you use some type of adhesive or double stick tape on the back( I may do this in the future). Even though I neglected to do it, no one can tell during normal viewing. The only thing I notice is the screen is not perfectly flat in the lower right portion, while viewing letters scrolling across the bottom. You have to be on a news or sports channels that scrolls messages all the time for this to happen, so it really isn't a problem for me. Like I said, it's very hard to notice that anything's wrong during normal viewing.

While it obvious that I'm loving the increase in size, the new flatter surface has yielded a sharper, clearer, more contrasted image, and it surprisingly shows better color. I had a couple of buddies over who had seen my system before, and they both agreed that the picture now is a lot better. Not bad for $20!! One of the guys has the 4805 projecting a 98" diag. image onto his Parklands panel, and I was amazed at the clarity and sharp focus of his image. Right now, my image is as sharply focused as his. That's right, no soft focus on my H31!!

This new screen is so good that it has shown me a problem with my H31. When viewing a image that has an all white background, I can see a blotchy band of yellowish color going across the top of the screen, and it dips down in the top right corner as well. I guess clarity can have its price. Can some of you guys freeze a white screen when you come across one and check to see if this shows up on any of your H31s? The HDNet show Odyssey 5 often shows white screens with short messages on them, for example. I suspect that this is something that will have to be fixed by Optoma. I held a piece of white paper up in front of the screen to make sure that my screen wasn't dirty, and the yellowish color is still there on the paper.

Now that my screen is mounted, I gained more floor space around my front speakers which improved the sound. I also got my rear speakers up higher and more behind me, for a more spacious effect. I have also purchased Bass Shakers from the same buddy who told me about the new screen. The shakers are bass transducers which take the low frequency signal(split off from your subwoofer channel output) and they add a rather neat vibration effect to the chair or couch you are sitting on. It gives explosions and other special effects a very realistic punch, as you feel it more. These shakers, in conjunction with a good sub, provide a new level of movie enjoyment that has to be felt to be believed. The giant robot footsteps at the beginning of Skycaptain now shake the room with an eerie power that wasn't quite there before like this. I paid $30 for the 2 shakers that are now in(or under) my futon couch.

My 4805 owning buddy also found himself envious that he could now get up quite close to my image and not be bothered by SDE. We both noticed that we couldn't get nearly as close to his 4805. We got up as close as 6' or so before we noticed it being a problem on my system. I didn't know I could get that close.

jedi,

Now you've done it! You'll never be able to tear yourself away from your theater room to teach in Michigan next summer. :)

Getting a better screen can be bittersweet as you've found out. It can show off the best and worst about a projector. I'd get on that yellow anomaly with Optoma before your warranty runs out. Nice pickup on the SDE.

Great idea getting the Bass Shakers. Now you can lose weight around your buttocks and feel the bass at the same time! :D

I've been seriously considering buying the ButtKicker system which is similar to what you bought.

Sounds like what you need to go for next is a good HTPC for your H31. $20 on a screen!? I spent 20 times that for mine. You're laughing all the way to the bank!

Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Yep, you got it!! I had no idea that a wall panel for the bathroom would make such a great screen and only tap your pocket to the tune of $20. In fact, when the time comes, I'll get another one and use the other side, with maybe a siver paint job or something that enhances high gain. And I'll only spend another $20 plus whatever the paint costs. I love this forum. This yellow effect I'm seeing is quite faint, but it's there. I missed it up until now. Maybe something's wrong with my dlp chip. I'll be contacting Optoma.

Bad news on Michigan. I had a pretty rotten summer there this time, and I don't think that I'm interested in returning. I had an 8 year run there, now it's time to move on. Sorry. Hope to meet you one day. Let me know if you want that link for the affordable Bass Shakers. Good to hear from you...

jedi,

Well, that's Michigan's loss then. Yeah, we'll meet some day I'm sure. No doubt at a projector shootout somewhere.

Yes, please pm me with the link or just post it here regarding those shakers. :)

Take care!

Wayne (Mr. E :D )

Had a little scare today with my H31, I turned on my pj, that is hooked up to my HTPC, and there was no image, the Optoma Logo never came on, but a very faint light still came out... I tried turning it off with the remote and keypad, but still no luck, so i had to unplug it from the outlet. I waited a little bit and plugged it back in, and tried turing it on, my Lamp light came on, I was very nervous and a little upset if i had to buy another bulb, it only has 966hours on it. But i unplugged it again, and reseated the bulb and let it totatally cool down and that did the trick, so i watched about 1.5 hours of my TV shows, and now i'm off to bed with no worries :D My good ol' H31, it will never let me down :)

Arty

Gent,

I thought that I posted this yesterday, but it didn't seem to arrive in the forum string. I'll try again.

First, I just hung my H31 from the ceiling, and am extremely pleased! While I still have some cosmetic wiring to accomplish, the picure quality is amazing. My room is fairly large, and I am running @106" diagonal on a white painted wall. I tried several different paint samples, and am most happy with Behr Premium white in a flat tone. I have the projector hooked to a Dennon 910 using 40' of component video cable from bluejeanscable . I had the chance to view a guy's X-1 down the street a few weeks ago. To my eyes, the Optoma H31 looks much better. Thanks for all of your comments about the H31 in this forum. Several of you gents are very knowledgable and helpful. I apprecaite your contributions.

Second, I have a questions about screen size settings. There are 4 modes, "normal", "1.66", "1.85", "2.35". I find the "normal" mode looks the best. Whilte the other modes will stretch the picture to fit the screen, there is some loss of resolution. I believe there is some scaling happening. Is this correct?

Third, this is my first "TV" with a 16:9 screen ratio. I find it irritating that many of my movies (i.e. Pearl Harbor) have a wider screen ratio native to the DVD. I would like to watch the movie on the entire screen without scaling (per my 2nd question above). What is the precise name on the DVD lablel for movies in a 16:9 native mode?

Fourth, I am already becoming finiky about movie quality. Pearle Harbor is a wonderfully done movie. The camera focus and picture quality is incredible. Nemo is also very good. However, Win Dixie (a kids movie) is quite sub-par. I have found this VERY true with audio CD's too. Is there a credible source for commentary on DVD picture quality either online or in a magazine? I do like DVDs with better picture quality and believe there IS a difference.

Thanks in advance for your comments gents, and thanks for your previous dedication to this forum.

Dave Ellis
ellisaudio

Dave,

Most 16:9 movies are either 1.85:1 (no bars top or bottom) or 2.35:1 (bars top and bottom like Pearl Harbor). If the bars bother you, you'll need to devise some sort of masking system in order to cover them up. I use black felt material to do this. It increases the perceived contrast ratio.

Make sure that your DVD player is set to 16:9 when watching widescreen movies. Then you can set your H31 to it's proper setting to eliminate distorted images. Use the setting on your projector which looks the most natural to you without losing any pixels.

A very good site which discusses and evaluates DVDs is www.digitalbits.com.

Wayne

Had a little scare today with my H31, I turned on my pj, that is hooked up to my HTPC, and there was no image, the Optoma Logo never came on, but a very faint light still came out... I tried turning it off with the remote and keypad, but still no luck, so i had to unplug it from the outlet. I waited a little bit and plugged it back in, and tried turing it on, my Lamp light came on, I was very nervous and a little upset if i had to buy another bulb, it only has 966hours on it. But i unplugged it again, and reseated the bulb and let it totatally cool down and that did the trick, so i watched about 1.5 hours of my TV shows, and now i'm off to bed with no worries :D My good ol' H31, it will never let me down :)

Arty

Arty

FWIW, I have had some similar experiences with my 4805 (same thing at least twice). I guess electronics get "confused" sometimes. Glad to hear you are up and running :D .

Dave,
A very good site which discusses and evaluates DVDs is www.digitalbits.com.

Wayne

And also http://www.dvdfile.com/

And while usually very little is mentioned about video quality (mostly a movie review), there is also http://www.dvdtalk.com/

Between the first 2 choices you will usually find your movie dvd reviewed.

Also read the commentary in digital bits about anamorphic dvd>

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/index.html

Fleaman

Mr. E and others who are interested,

Here is a link to some really affordable Bass Shakers. They will add a whole new level of realism to your theater experience whether you have a sunwoofer or not.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/show...tnumber=299-027

I managed to crank a little more out of my Parklands panel, so that now my screen diagonal is about 98.5 ". In order to do this, I simply got some liquid paper and whitened the black nail heads that are along the screens borders, and the picture now projects right over them. I also added my black masking barrier under the screen(it had to be shortened), so now the area under the screen is black again. As Wayne explained, this does increase the perceived contrast.

jedi,

Thanks for the link. It wouldn't work for me though. So I did a search on that site and came up with two types of bass shakers. Both look interesting.

I can feel my hinder parts reverberating already! :D

Wayne

The resolution issues are making much better sense. I really like the dvdfile site. This one has some very good commentary about video quality on various movie transfers. It also appears that I my perceptions are correct. Pearl Harbor is a very good transfer. It also looks like Gladiator is a very good tranfer. This is a boon. I was very dissappointed when I saw this in a theatre a few years ago. I attend 0-1 movies in theatre's every year, and this "special occasion" was marred by an older film, bad focus, and choppy sound. I would certainly enjoy watching the Gladiator movie again.

The only downside is that I haven't learned how to sort the movies on the dvdfile site. It appears they are only selectable via title. I may have to spend more time clicking-around.

I do apprecaite the link for the bass-shakers, but... will not implement them. My ear is quite keen, and the term "realism" is something I truly enjoy. In this realm I have found many subwoofers actually detract from the presentation because they ADD something inaccurate. Some folks may enjoy this. I generally don't. Also, I am using some SCC300 subwoofers in a larger 3-way speaker (@4 cubic feet). The bass is very crisp, and fairly deep too.

Dave

The dvdfile.com site is rather cumbersome for searching titles. The search engine will put up a hundred hits if 'The' is in the name of the movie, etc. You can't just put "star wars", it will either find nothing or 213 hits! But yeah, most of the time (depending on the reviewer), they are fairly detailed in the pic quality of the dvd.

I just noticed today that they made some changes to the site, seems to have gotten worse for searching dvd's! And the site has slowed down a lot. Maybe they will work out the kinks soon.

For about the best film transfer around (reference quality), check out the 5th Element, superbit. (Even the non-superbit title is fine).

Fleaman

Sorry, that link for the shakers is acting funky(do people still use that word??). Here is a more recent link:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=299-027

I think the previous link changed because this item is now listed as a buyout, with limited stock. Get 'em while they're hot, folks.

Dave,
I had a symphony buddy with your same name years ago. Interesting. You don't play the cello, do you? I am a violinist and share your quest for accurate sound. In fact, I own a lovely pair of Martin Logan Quest Electrostatic speakers, actively bi-amped with Krell monoblocks on the panels and a Hafler Transnova amp driving the woofers. The representation of the soundstage and orchestral timbers in this setup is staggering, if I may say so myself. I should know, since I make my living in this environment. I say all this to make a point about the bass shakers. I probably won't change your mind, but the shakers(when setup properly) don't make sound like speakers do. They vibrate, producing that lower octave bass "feeling" in the couch or chair you're sitting in. They are more felt than heard. They do not have woofers or voice coils at all. They do not add any sound to a theater system that would make things inaccurate. An explosion will seem more realistic if it is seen on the screen and felt as well. Everyone's speakers may not be able to accurately reproduce that very low vibration that a pipe organ pedal would give you in a cathedral, like yours can. These shakers can give you that wavy buzz that the actual instrument produces, without big woofers. You might miss hearing all the lower tones if your speakers don't go down that low very well, but you'll feel them.

Now, my Logans have enough bass extension to give great butt massages on organ recordings and the like, and I'm a dedicated 2-channel man when it comes to serious music listening, but it doesn't hurt to have a bit more vibration in the theater room for big explosions, giant foorsteps, and other special effects that are meant to jar you. This, to me, makes the movie much more realistic.

my favorite site for dvd reviews is www.dvdbeaver.com

every review includes several screenshots so you can compare the quality of different releases of the same flick.

Sorry, that link for the shakers is acting funky(do people still use that word??). Here is a more recent link:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=299-027

I think the previous link changed because this item is now listed as a buyout, with limited stock. Get 'em while they're hot, folks.

Dave,
I had a symphony buddy with your same name years ago. Interesting. You don't play the cello, do you? I am a violinist and share your quest for accurate sound. In fact, I own a lovely pair of Martin Logan Quest Electrostatic speakers, actively bi-amped with Krell monoblocks on the panels and a Hafler Transnova amp driving the woofers. The representation of the soundstage and orchestral timbers in this setup is staggering, if I may say so myself. I should know, since I make my living in this environment. I say all this to make a point about the bass shakers. I probably won't change your mind, but the shakers(when setup properly) don't make sound like speakers do. They vibrate, producing that lower octave bass "feeling" in the couch or chair you're sitting in. They are more felt than heard. They do not have woofers or voice coils at all. They do not add any sound to a theater system that would make things inaccurate. An explosion will seem more realistic if it is seen on the screen and felt as well. Everyone's speakers may not be able to accurately reproduce that very low vibration that a pipe organ pedal would give you in a cathedral, like yours can. These shakers can give you that wavy buzz that the actual instrument produces, without big woofers. You might miss hearing all the lower tones if your speakers don't go down that low very well, but you'll feel them.

Now, my Logans have enough bass extension to give great butt massages on organ recordings and the like, and I'm a dedicated 2-channel man when it comes to serious music listening, but it doesn't hurt to have a bit more vibration in the theater room for big explosions, giant foorsteps, and other special effects that are meant to jar you. This, to me, makes the movie much more realistic.

I myself have some of these aura bass shakers, but the other model that they dont sell anymore, it has twice the rms ratings, and thats about it. All i can say is, You can tell a major difference and they work great for movies. I have them hooked up to a amp that is connected to a equalizer(so i only get the lower end of the bass) that is hooked up to my sub out (which is splitted to my 10" Sub) on my reciever, It works great, my only complaint is my amp is louder and can get annoying, but 4 of em in my old couch its just great, i'm just affraid that my couch will fall apart one of these days. But if you want a bass boost that you can feel without blasting your subwoofer and hurting your ears, get some bass shakers, its worth the money if you want the effect with movies, but for music, i feel its uneeded, but thats up to you.. enjoy!

Arty

More H31 problems...

I don't know what's going on, but after first noticing some strange yellowish blotches in my picture, I am now seeing a flickering effect in lighter scenes as well. When it's really bad, it looks like someone is waving their hand in front of my pj's lens. The effect can occur over the entire picture, or certain parts, and the speed of the effect can vary in different sections of the picture as well. I'm not freaking out yet. In fact, I want everything that's going to go wrong to happen while I'm still in my 2 year warranty. I'm at 900 hours right now. Who else is up there with me? I stacked on 200 hours of watching since I've been back from Michigan. That's crazy, right? If anyone else has high hours like mine, could you check to see if your image is flickering? Tom?

At this point, should I wait until the flicker is a major annoyance so that anyone can see it clearly(it can be subtle at times), or should I just get it in for repair right now? I'm not getting a bulb warning or anything, but could this be happening simply because my bulb is aging? Should I take the pj down and try to re-seat the bulb? How is that done? BTW, I get this effect on component and dvi, as well as on various sources. Man, I was really enjoying my new 98" diagonal image, and now this...

I recently purchased a H31 and got HD service from my cable company (Charter). Well, it's all installed and DVD look great and SD looks good as well, but the HD channels look absolutely terrible halo effect and blurry, why??? I have the cable box set at 1080i. Is there anything I need to do for the projector settings to except or convert the signal? That's the only thing I can think of. I have a Pioneer Elite 64" RP and HD looks amazing on this. Please help???

I recently purchased a H31 and got HD service from my cable company (Charter). Well, it's all installed and DVD look great and SD looks good as well, but the HD channels look absolutely terrible halo effect and blurry, why??? I have the cable box set at 1080i. Is there anything I need to do for the projector settings to except or convert the signal? That's the only thing I can think of. I have a Pioneer Elite 64" RP and HD looks amazing on this. Please help???


What input are you using for the cable box? Component or DVI / HDMI?

Component

I have installed a DVI cable but I can not use it because the cable company has not installed the firmware for this function yet and have no idea when they will either. Anyway the Component connections should work just fine. The projector flashes signal lose and switches from 480 to 1080 when I change channels from SD to HD.

Component

Have you tried changing the cable box to 720p just to see what a progressive signal looks like? I have (or had) a different projector but I went through 3 different HD boxes before I found one that ouput a decent looking HD picture. I would also try a different component cable just to rule that out.

I have installed a DVI cable but I can not use it because the cable company has not installed the firmware for this function yet and have no idea when they will either. Anyway the Component connections should work just fine. The projector flashes signal lose and switches from 480 to 1080 when I change channels from SD to HD.

You can probably fix this problem by going into the cable box settings and checking ONLY 1080i. If you have 480i or 480p selected as well then you will get a signal drop when changing from a SD to HD channel or vice versa. Just run everything at 1080i.

I have tried the 720p and that looks bad too. I have not tried the 1080i only but will give that a try. Won't that make the SD look bad

I have tried the 720p and that looks bad too. I have not tried the 1080i only but will give that a try. Won't that make the SD look bad


I have tried running SD through S-video and it really does not help. SD is going to look bad no matter what really. Especially blown up on the big screen with a projector. Running it at 1080i should really not make any difference except that you wont get the signal lost message. You might try a different cable box and see if that helps. Also, I had to have the cable company run new coax from the pole down to my house because squirells had destroyed some of the equipment on the pole and the coax I had was brittle from the sun. It made a huge difference when they did this.

I had the cable company over yesterday and the signal strength was good. The only problem was the they came before the installation was complete so they could see the HD channels. The SD looks just fine, digital channels look almost like watching a DVD. I am running a 25' component cable from the projector to a Denon 785 receiver and the cable box and DVD hooked up through component cables to the receiver too.

jedi,

So sorry to hear about this. :(

Don't waste any time and get that sucker in to Optoma! There can be quite a lag time between your emails/phone calls and their returns plus you don't want to have to put up with these problems any longer than you have to.

That's my advice. It's what I would do. Indeed, I had to swap out two H31s before I gave up and upgraded.

Good luck!! :)

Wayne

I had the cable company over yesterday and the signal strength was good. The only problem was the they came before the installation was complete so they could see the HD channels. The SD looks just fine, digital channels look almost like watching a DVD. I am running a 25' component cable from the projector to a Denon 785 receiver and the cable box and DVD hooked up through component cables to the receiver too.


Hmm...I wonder if that receiver has enough bandwidth for 1080i,720p? I run everything with component as well but I don't use my receiver, I use an Audio Authority 1154a switch box. Can you try just hooking your 25' component cable straight up to your HD box and bypass the receiver for the moment? I'm just wondering if the receiver is the problem. Try this straight path from HD box to the projector for a minute and see what happens.

I have tried this, Denon rates it at 100mhz bandwith. I do the same thing with my RP with a Denon 985 and works great. So there is no iternal menus on the projector? I may have the cable company come back with another box and try that. And I'll try running everything through 1080i.

I have tried this, Denon rates it at 100mhz bandwith. I do the same thing with my RP with a Denon 985 and works great. So there is no iternal menus on the projector? I may have the cable company come back with another box and try that. And I'll try running everything through 1080i.

Well, I'm out of ideas. I don't own the H31 so maybe someone else will chime in with some suggestions. At least you have eliminated a few possibilities. From what I have read the H31 has pretty flexible menu system so perhaps something needs tweaking there. I hope you figure it out because HD can be stunning on a projector. I just sold my SP4800 Infocus unit and HD looked very good on it. You should get at least similar results if not better out of the H31 and since your using component I would not think that the scaler is causing any problem.

Thanks for your input. I thought the picture would be pretty comparible to my Pioneer RP since the SD looks better on the Optoma at 92" than 64" on my Pioneer, if not better even though it's not true HD resolution with the Optoma. But I'll try the 1080i only.

Well As far as I know I am the first person to complain about the H31 on the net. After 4 H31 units (all of them had trouble) People still refuse to accept that this unit could very well be a real lemon. Since posting my troubles I have had contact from numerous people who claim they have had such bad issues with the H31 that they returned it for another unit from another company. I have also learned that one company had so many returns of the H31 that they discontinued it and sent the remaining units back to Optoma demanding a full refund. As far as your problem goes try and remove the lamp from the housing and reseat (not reset) it and that may very well fix the problem if it is the lamp. I had something similar to that happen ( maybe not as bad) where the unit would get very dim, flicker, and shut it's self off. It did this several times. It was suggested that I remove the lamp and put it back in. And it worked. That was at only 35 hours. Now there are a good many more hours on it. So why do I still have the unit? I'm stuck with it apparently. I tried to get visual apex to let me exchange it for a different unit. I talked to a lady that said she would contact Optoma before making a decision and would get back to me. I never heard from her after that. optoma refuses to refund the money and says I must have it repaired. In time there will be many more people complaining about issues with the H31, just give it time. But even now there are certain to be plenty of people that read this and see this as isolated experiences. But I have to exchange 4 units in a two month period (all brand new). If you call that isolated you must be very patient people. If I had to return 4 units myself, do you really believe I am the only person that has had to return that many? OK maybe. But consider this warning seriously: "no matter how you look at it, you are taking some level of a gamble by commiting to purchase this product."

Natja,
Yes I think I will give the lamp reseating a try. Is this a matter of just pulling the lamp assembly out of the pj, and plugging it back in, or do I need to somehow remove the lamp from the assembly once it's out of the pj?

Wayne,
Thanks for your opinion. I do want to see if I can fix the lamp issue first. I think this unit will be heading back to Optoma very soon.

Yea just turn the unit over. Take the door off that leads into the lamp compartment. Then unscrew the three screws that hold the lamp in. carefully pull the lamp out and then put it back in and make sure it is in snugly. Put it back together and keep your fingers crossed. Of course make sure you unplug the unit befor you even turn it over and do this. I hope this works for your problem. let us know what happens...Good luck- Natja

Well, my H30 is giving my a replace bulb message after about 10 months of use. Kinda a let down, since I was hoping to get at least two years out of it. So, I'm wondering if I should replace the bulb (~$350 after shipping charges), or try to sell the H30 (ebay/craigslist) and buy an H31. I'm leaning towards just getting a new bulb, since that's simple, and I'm also not convinced that going from 800x600 to 854x480 is such a great idea (since I watch about 50% 4:3). But I'm looking for some input (and possibly PMs if you know of a good deal on either the H30 bulb or H31 proj).

Opinions?

Okay, I know you guys like to share your opinion, so thanks in advance for any advice on my proposed setup. I'm upgrading from an X1 to an H31, and updating most other components at the same time. Here's the set-up:

12'W x 13'D x8'H room with total light control & very dark olive walls, ceiling must stay white for WAF reasons.

H31 w/ 12' throw & 12' viewing distance on a 100" diag. This is with zoom maxed.
Screen: Blackout cloth screen (figure unity gain) w/3" black velvet border.
DVD player: Oppo running HDMI out
STB: Moto 6412 w/DVI output
Home-built HTPC mostly for photo viewing
JVC RX-D402 digital 7.1 w/HDMI switching
Harmony universal remote (haven't decided which one)
Old VCR
H31 & HTPC would be in a home made, 2 level MDF hush box mounted into the back wall/ceiling corner, w/ a ceiling mount (don't know which one, yet) to invert the H31

Rest of equipment is in back wall built-in cabinet right below the hush box, so no long cable runs

All devices would feed into the JVC, which would convert everything to output to a single HDMI>DVI cable into the H31.

Do you guys see any fatal flaws in this plan, or have any suggestions for improvement? Appreciate the feedback!

Natja,
Yes I think I will give the lamp reseating a try. Is this a matter of just pulling the lamp assembly out of the pj, and plugging it back in, or do I need to somehow remove the lamp from the assembly once it's out of the pj?

Wayne,
Thanks for your opinion. I do want to see if I can fix the lamp issue first. I think this unit will be heading back to Optoma very soon.

You could try a factory reset in the service menu also, like re-booting the computer. Better right down all your numbers first, tuning numbers everything.

Well, my H30 is giving my a replace bulb message after about 10 months of use. Kinda a let down, since I was hoping to get at least two years out of it. So, I'm wondering if I should replace the bulb (~$350 after shipping charges), or try to sell the H30 (ebay/craigslist) and buy an H31. I'm leaning towards just getting a new bulb, since that's simple, and I'm also not convinced that going from 800x600 to 854x480 is such a great idea (since I watch about 50% 4:3). But I'm looking for some input (and possibly PMs if you know of a good deal on either the H30 bulb or H31 proj).

Opinions?

I think guys were getting bulbs for about $275, where I don't know. :) If you like full screen 4.3 you're better off with the H30.

I would like to determine the best way to pixel map an Optoma H31. Any help you may offer is appreciated.

Please tell me when and where you purchased your H31. Also, please describe how you pixel mapped your H31.

Thank you!

You might try sending a PM to Arty13 or rbastedo concerning pixel mapping on the H31. I'm not certain that the tearing issue was ever solved, however. I think that Optoma has only gotten this to work with Nvidia cards so far.

Tom,
Isn't there a factory reset in the user menu somewhere? Will this reset my bulb hours as well?

Tonight while watching HULK on DVD I was seeing a purple line running horizontal from top to bottom? Any ideas why? This is the first that I have seen this. Has anyone ever seen this or why this is?

Thanks jedi35.

I respect Arty13's and rbastedo's expertise regarding this. I was just hoping success with the H31 and an nVidia / HTPC would be more common by now.

I also was hoping Optoma would have fixed this problem with a firmware update or something with their more recently shipped H31's. Has this been confirmed?

Tonight while watching HULK on DVD I was seeing a purple line running horizontal from top to bottom? Any ideas why? This is the first that I have seen this. Has anyone ever seen this or why this is?

A scrolling line like that sounds like a ground loop problem. Have you added a new component or switched some power plugs around? You should be using a good quality surge protector with power conditioning built in at the very least. Preferably, an uninteruptable power supply with power conditioning. Make sure everything is plugged into the same plug strip and then plugged into the same outlet at the wall. If it still happens try a different outlet. Also, make sure your power cables and your video and audio signal cables are seperated by a few inches and not touching. If the cables are not well shielded you may get some interference introduced over the picture. If you do a search for gound loops here on the forum you will find tons of information. A $20 surge protector with coax protection in and out fixed mine.

1Time,
I think that more recent reports confirm that Optoma must be sending out newer H31s with the firmware update already, as more people are having good results in getting dvi-d to work with their htpcs. A firmware modification has not been released to the general public, but I'm sure that Optoma would be happy to upgrade your older unit if you're willing to send it back to them. Just to be safe, I'll make that request when I send my unit in for repair. The last I heard was that they were wanting to work with more video cards and htpcs to see if the fix(dvi-d recogition from the htpc, 1:1 pixel mapping and no tearing)is good for other manufacturers as well.

Hey, I'm for that. If you or Optoma or anyone can help me get my H31 pixel mapped, I'd be one happy camper and in whose ever's debt. I will contact Optoma and see what they say. Thanks!

ITime,
I've yet to dive into the htpc waters, so someone else will have to speak up. Good luck.

Well, I popped the bulb out of my H31 last night(oh, bad choice of words) and reseated it back into the pj. Unfortunately, my flicker problem is still there. I was pleased to see that things are quite tidy inside the pj, but it bothered me to see that the tiny glass window between the bulb and the color wheel chamber is a bit fuzzy on one side. I wonder if this is the cause of the blotches that I see clearly on white or light colored images in the top right corner. Is it a bad idea to attempt to clean this? How can one safely clean it?

There is also a structure near the bulb that is coated with a yellowish finish that's the same shade of the blotches I'm seeing onscreen. In fact, a small amount of this substance will come off on your finger if you touch it. Tom, do you have any ideas about this? If I do the factory reset that you suggested, and haven't changed anything in my service menu, do I still have to worry about my service numbers changing? I mean, those numbers were already the factory settings when I first got the pj. The color wheel looked as clean as a whistle from what I could see of it. I like the fact that things seem so sealed up, so dust cannot get to the color wheel chamber. Even my fans seemed quite dust free. Not bad for 900 hours.

Now that I've taken the bulb out and inspected it, I'm beginning to doubt that I'm experiencing early bulb failure. The bulb is showing no signs of stress at all. It looks brand new and spot free. I've had a bulb to fail in another pj, and along with my dimmer light levels, the bulb casing had cracks in it. I don't see any of this. Also, the flickering effect has strange properties, as if some moving part were causing it. At times it sees to have a steady rhythm to it and is random at other times. Then, it suddenly stops and everything is fine. If a bulb is failing, wouldn't this appear all over the picture at once. The effect I'm getting can cause the picture to be brighter on one side, and darker on the other. Can a failing bulb casue this to happen to specific parts of the picture? If so, someone please educate me.

I'm also thinking of buying a new bulb anyway, regardless of Optoma's repair(they're probably not going to give me a new bulb). This way, I'll have them fix the blotches I'm seeing and the flicker problem if it's not being caused by my bulb. Afterwards I'll have an H31 in like-new condition to enjoy on my new larger screen, and a backup bulb that's still in good shape, but with 900 hours on it. Ofcourse, I'll wait until after the repairs are done. With the new bulb, I'd be much more careful with my viewing hours. The casual watching that helped me quickly stack up 900 hours will now be done on my Pioneer rptv, and premium watching will be on the H31. I would hope to have much longer life out of the bulb then.

those artifacts you mentioned are not supposed to be there. They were not present in my unit either. The thing with the color wheel bothers me. I don't know if it is a very good idea to spray compressed air directly at the color wheel like that, so though that might have usually been a good suggestion, if you have already thought of that, it might not be a very good idea, not sure though, but picturing what your talking about I would be nervous to try it.. I'm not sure it was a good idea to touch the area you did, but hopefully you did this gently. If the fuzz is bunched together and you have a very steady hand maybe you could grab it with a pair of tweezers or something. but the feeling I am getting is in this case it might be best to send it in unless you are certain you know what your doing. that's my opinion anyway.

By the way that problem I had before happened last night strange as it might sound. I had to take the lamp out and reseat it again. Once i did that it was fine but before that the projectors logo nor any image came on. After about 2 minutes there was a black screen with hundreds of flickering little tilted whites lines. I had to shut the projector off then restart it. Once I did this and the unit fired up the logo appeared yet very dim. Then the lamp dimmed more and then the projector shut it's self off and the lamp indicator came on. The entire duration of these events was about 6 minutes. It was at that point I removed and reseated the lamp. this was the very same reason I had to do the reseat of the lamp the last time. Now though this may not make much sense I think it has to do with keeping the standby light flashing for more than 5 or 10 minutes. See I usually turn the unit off at a power strip once it powers off. Both times this problem happened I had turned the strip on but waited over an hour beofre powering up the H31. I know it doesn't make sense, but there seems to be some connection there between keeping the unit in stanby for a good length of time before powering it up. This again is my fourth unit with some rather wierd problems. More and more as time passes i continue to read a greater amount of complaints from H31 users. that leads me to beleive this unit could become one of those that goes down in history as showing real promise but turning out to be a real lemon. In my opinion the H31 has already shown to be a very unreliable projector.

Jedi,
Well i just turned 1000 Hours on my H31 bulb, and its been only a matter of months too, i think i use it too much :D but ohh well... i just enjoy it too much :D

HTPCers,
Optoma did send out how to pixel map the H31 and a Nvidia card, but they did not say anything about ATI cards, but what i have found out, you will not have true pixel mapping, you will loose about 4 or 6 pixels on one side which will look like its being streched, but other than that, its 1:1 pixel mapped, I am using old ATI drivers, and there is a chance with the new drivers you can get rid of the streching, but havnt had time to try it out, and i also doubt it, but i know someone posted the step by step instruction with the pixel mapping somewhere on this topic, its probably like 20 pages before this, but not sure... hope this helps...

Natja,
sorry to hear about your luck, i want to think that there are some bad batches of units that got sent out, because there are alot of people out there that just love the H31 and have no problems, and then there are again people that just have no luck with them. As time goes on, you will hear more of the bad units, but you also have to remember, there are still alot of others that are buying them and having no problems, but if i was in your situation, and had 2 bad units, i would not take the third or the fourth like you, that is just showing how you are having huge confidence in optoma and that you are loyal and expect the best out of them. But as for me, so far i only had one scare, but it easily went away. I also never unplug my unit, its always in standby when not in use, so i'm not sure how that effects yours, but thought i point that out.

Arty

Natja,
My color wheel appears fine, and it is safely sealed away behind a window so we can't get to it. I see some residue on that window on one side, and that worries me. I tried using a soft camera lens brush to clean it off, but it didn't come off. Also, I can't really tell if the residue is on the bulb side of the glass, or the color wheel side where we can't get to it. I think it's critical that this glass is as clean as possible, since the bulb shines right through it before it it hits the color wheel. I haven't done anything to monk things up yet.

Also, the yellowish structure I mentioned before inside the bulb chamber is not a part of the light path. It is a coating on one of the support structures that composes a wall of the bulb chamber. That's the best way I can describe it. Light does not pass through it at all, but I'm curious that maybe some of that coating came off somehow over time, and got on the glass in front of the bulb. It's just strange that the blotches in my image are the same color as the coating on this support. I'm sure that lightly touching it did no damage at all, since I didn't touch anything else afterwards.

Funny thing, last night while the shimmering effect was getting worse and worse, I carefully peered into the lens opening just far enough not to blind myself. I put the picture on pause, so there shouldn't have been any motion in the light stream. However, there was quite a bit, as if someone was inside the pj moving the bulb back and forth. Very strange. There's also a light layer of dust on the front of my lens(how do you clean this off?). I saw the light stream clearly moving from one side of this dust layer to the other, almost like a spot light. I'm very concerned. Yet still, I have no bulb warning lights on. Is this what bulb failure should look like?

I did try a new experiment. I put the bulb in bright mode, and the shimmering practically went away with the brighter image. I could still see it barely in one corner of the image, but I'd bet that Optoma's service people wouldn't try as hard as me to notice it. Switching back to normal mode brought back the flickering, but I did this back and forth a few times. Finally, the normal mode stopped flickering and gave me the same solid image as bright mode. If this holds up, then the only problem that Optoma might notice is the blotches on my white screens. At this point, I think I should wait until the flickering becomes really noticeable, because I want Optoma to see and fix both problems, not just one.

Tom,
I'd still love to hear from you about the pj reset in the user menu. Will it wipe out the service menu numbers at all(I haven't changed anything)? If I did change something, would it just return things to when the pj was new? Does it wipe out the bulb hours? If so, is there a way to put my bulb hours back in?

I am having more serious trouble with the h31. I have decided after 4 units to try and get visual apex to take it back. As far as I am concerned the H31 is a total lemon. I am so discusted with it that I will never buy any Optoma unit again. I have owned numerous projectors and never had these kinds of problems with any of them. After learning that one authorised reseller had so many complaints and returns on the h31 that they stopped selling it and sent several hundred units back to optoma and demanded a refund. The H31 is a lemon as far as I am concerned-can't say you weren't aptly warned.

Quick question: I've had the h31 for a few months now, and it's awesome.
Now I watch a lot of HD content - which as I said - is awesome.

But DVDs look like crap to me now. Brightness wise, detail...
Granted it's not a progressive scan dvd player.
Good quality 1.85 movies look pretty good actually, but 2.35 movies have little detail - especially in long shots.
Close ups look okay.

Is there something settings-wise I'm not doing?

Any ideas please let me know.
Thanks. (I appologize if this has been covered.)

Natja,
I'm sorry that you've had so many H31 problems. I'd feel the same way if I'd tried 4 units and they were all bad. I do agree with Arty that there are many happy owners out there. I encountered a pleasant attitude from Mike at Optoma today, and he emailed me the RMA form instantly. He immedialtely thought that the bulb might not be the problem. I'm willing to stick with the H31 as long as I get great service. I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

Good point- Mike was very helpful with me as well though I never encountered him during my visits to Optoma. Optoma owners if indeed you have trouble with your units you can try first to contact mike via this info below. he is usually pretty considerate and this isn't the first time his name has come up with a positive reaction. He is a good place to start for technical support:

Michael Brown
Customer Service / Tech. Support
Phone 888 289-6786 Ext. 3814
Fax 408 383-3701

Quick question: I've had the h31 for a few months now, and it's awesome.
Now I watch a lot of HD content - which as I said - is awesome.

But DVDs look like crap to me now. Brightness wise, detail...
Granted it's not a progressive scan dvd player.
Good quality 1.85 movies look pretty good actually, but 2.35 movies have little detail - especially in long shots.
Close ups look okay.

Is there something settings-wise I'm not doing?

Any ideas please let me know.
Thanks. (I appologize if this has been covered.)

Even with my problems with all four of my H31 units when they did work right the picture was outstanding. If you are not using a fairly good dvd player that would certainly cause a few issues bt more in the area of video noise and jaggies, not brightness. If you use anything less than red,green, and blue component cables the picture will not be all that good just ok. I use a sony dvd player through a DVDO pro line doubler and do not even use the progressive scan on the dvd player and the picture is as close to film as I have seen on anything except actually going to the movies. I have used the projector without the DVDO and as far as I am concerned thesystem they incorporated into the H31 to clean the picture up is flat out garbage, it didn't take out any more jaggies than if I were to run a plain dvd player into my TV without progressive scan. They call it a pixelworks scaler, but I call it garbageworks. Be certain you are using DVI or component to get a fair picture, then cross your fingers and hope to God the unit doesn't start giving you even more trouble.

I am having more serious trouble with the h31. I have decided after 4 units to try and get visual apex to take it back. As far as I am concerned the H31 is a total lemon. I am so discusted with it that I will never buy any Optoma unit again. I have owned numerous projectors and never had these kinds of problems with any of them. After learning that one authorised reseller had so many complaints and returns on the h31 that they stopped selling it and sent several hundred units back to optoma and demanded a refund. The H31 is a lemon as far as I am concerned-can't say you weren't aptly warned.

I'll tell you, I went through 3 H30's in the past (all with the buzzing problems) and was rather hesitant to make a go for the H31. But all the initial reports were that the H31 didn't seem to have any of the problems the H30 did. And, since I don't use HTPC (dvd player w/dvi out), I decided to take a chance on the H31 about 5 months ago.

It's been smooth sailing ever since and the upgrade in pic quality was noticeable....but more importantly, it was super silent! The OTB calibration was much better----on the dvi inputs only (well, even the component calibration was better that my H30's, but my H30's were just about unwatchable OTB).

People were having problems with the 4805 too and other brands have problems, I don't think Optoma has a hold on the problem PJ market.

Optoma was helpful trying to fix the buzzing problems with my H30's w/o admitting to them. While helpful, I felt dismayed that Optoma wouldn't admit to the problem that I had with 3 H30's in a row, and many others on this forum had too (identical problems). Mega-corporations don't like to admit to any faults in their products these days, they are so afraid of the bad PR hurting sales, they keep a tight lid on problems and admit to nothing it seems. Again, I've experienced this with many mega-companies products, not just Optoma. Seems the sign of the times.

Fleaman

I'll tell you, I went through 3 H30's in the past (all with the buzzing problems) and was rather hesitant to make a go for the H31. But all the initial reports were that the H31 didn't seem to have any of the problems the H30 did. And, since I don't use HTPC (dvd player w/dvi out), I decided to take a chance on the H31 about 5 months ago.

It's been smooth sailing ever since and the upgrade in pic quality was noticeable....but more importantly, it was super silent! The OTB calibration was much better----on the dvi inputs only (well, even the component calibration was better that my H30's, but my H30's were just about unwatchable OTB).

People were having problems with the 4805 too and other brands have problems, I don't think Optoma has a hold on the problem PJ market.

Optoma was helpful trying to fix the buzzing problems with my H30's w/o admitting to them. While helpful, I felt dismayed that Optoma wouldn't admit to the problem that I had with 3 H30's in a row, and many others on this forum had too (identical problems). Mega-corporations don't like to admit to any faults in their products these days, they are so afraid of the bad PR hurting sales, they keep a tight lid on problems and admit to nothing it seems. Again, I've experienced this with many mega-companies products, not just Optoma. Seems the sign of the times.

Fleaman

It is very important for potential H31 buyers to know all they can about Optoma products. Since posting my trouble with the H31 other Optoma users have come forward claiming all sorts of issues with the H31. I have found that when you run into H31 owners that seem to have no trouble with their units, they will also admit that they have put less than 40 to maybe 200 hrs on it. That is really not a good enough spectrum in which to gauge how reliable this projector is really going to be in the long run. I really appreciate your story and what you have experienced with the H30. The more people come in and tell the world about their issues the more informed everyone could be. I too had optoma treat the whole affair as though it was a total shock to them that someone would claim that they had 4 units all with major issues. The representitive involved with my case went as far as to say "that has never happened with any of our projectors before." now perhaps this was a total lie or he simply didn't know about your experience of returning 3 units. And if you have returned that many just imagine how many people never made it into this forum or any other who also had to return three optoma projectors of the same model in a respectively short period of time. perhaps they have had so many returns that the very reason why they were so heartless about my case is that they had so many returns they simply knew the best way to deal with it for their benefit. certainly your more than right that there have been a good amount of complaints about other projectors from other companies involving multiple returns from the same user in a rather short amount of time, and Optoma has a pretty good reputation of course. But if there are so many problems with their units how did they ever get that sort of noteriety in the first place? You mentioned that infocus has had it's share of complaints, but after 2 years of massive research on several of their units the majority of the complaints I have read involve the flimsy plastic shell it's guts are incased in and perhaps fan noise and premature lamp failure. Few others I have read involve much of anything else. I'm not jumping up and down about switching to the 4805 really, but it simply does have a better track record and if truth be told most who have used both the H31 and the 4805 have pretty much claimed that they have darn near the same quality picture and black levels, and that the H31 is simply a poorly calibrated 4805. I have seen all of two tech reviews that favored the H31 over the 4805. So it might be worth the gamble to give it a whirl. I won't go with LCD again, it simple can't beat DLP in my opinion, so what is left really? The H27 maybe, but I have heard horror stories about that one already from numerous things I have read and emails I have received. Then there is benQ. I used their 6100 for over a year and loved it but was unhappy with the rainbows of the 2X color wheel and the crappy contrast that didn't come anywhere near the claimed 2000:1. So I have considered the H27 but need more info than what is currently available, and the movietime seems promising, but again I have pretty much lost all faith in optoma already...so that pretty much leaves the 4805 in my budget, for now anyway. it really is a shame being that The H31 seemed to offer everything you could hope for at a great price. Excellent- film like images, handsome to look at, small, quiet, great black levels, on and on. But the research I have done causes me to conclude that there will be a great deal more complaints about this projector to come, and that this projector is an accident waiting to happen.

<snip>
IT was your experiences that you posted that hastened my upgrade. After reading your story over at *************** (I'm SpacemanSpiff over there), I got the upgrade bug.

It appears that Optoma has good success with the High Dollar machines and limited success with the budget machines.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked my H31. I did very little to it out of the box (DVE) and I thought that the picture was really good. But I don't like waiting around for things to go wrong.

Which reminds me, I hope that BenQ has their act together... :rolleyes:

I guess I'm one of those success stories with the H31.

I had a lot of trouble my first 350 - 400 hours as I could not get DVI out from my HTPC to work at all.

Finally Optoma asked me to send it in with my video card.

They tested it, found it needed more in the flash department & apparently added something good.

When I got it back it not only worked with DVI from my HTPC but easily synced up at 856x480 and looked really good.

I still get occasional tearing but no where near the level of before, it's actually way less noticible than before.

My H31 is running great, I have about 650 - 700 hours total and am very happy with it. HDTV over component looks fantastic too.

IT was your experiences that you posted that hastened my upgrade. After reading your story over at *************** (I'm SpacemanSpiff over there), I got the upgrade bug.

It appears that Optoma has good success with the High Dollar machines and limited success with the budget machines.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked my H31. I did very little to it out of the box (DVE) and I thought that the picture was really good. But I don't like waiting around for things to go wrong.

Which reminds me, I hope that BenQ has their act together... :rolleyes:

Thanks for saying that. it was a well rounded commentary because it involves a certain level of support for my situation and at the same time shows your personal support for Optoma. When you look at the entire spectrum optoma has the potential to be the best manufacturer of projectors if they can simply work the bugs out in their entry level units and work on their customer support that at times can be less than commendable. I am almost actually heart broken about the whole affair I have gone through with the H31 and the sometimes frustrating problems with optoma as a company. case in point, I had contacted Visual Apex to try and arrange a belated rexchange for another projector as I have previously mentioned in this forum. I also mentioned that I was waiting to hear back from the representitive that was handling my case, and that it had been two weeks and never heard back from her. I finally tried again and came to find out the reason I had not heard from her was that she was waiting for a reply from optoma on questions she had about my 3 exchanges with optoma. It seems very hard to understand this but optoma didn't get back to her at all apparently and she had to contact them more than once to get the info she needed on my defective units for over a two week period in order to decide if they should take the unit back or not. Visual Apex's return policy only covers a 30 day period, so she had to do research to consider allowing the return of the present unit I have being that it has been nearly four months since I purchased the H31 from them. Learning this has caused my respect for optoma to drop yet another notch. Very sad indeed. Over the course of my own experiences the service reps have been everything from extremely friendly to downright rude and cold. there have been times I would call their main office number and after being directed through automated messages for a good 5 or 6 minutes I was directed to leave a message. This happened twice, once on a teusday at 2pm, and I tried both thier customer service number and their main offices with no luck. On both those occasions the messages I left were never returned. Another day the receptionist left a message for me at the same extensions and I got a call within 1 hour. I have talked to techs there and have met them face to face. In person they are very nice and treat you like a friend, but try and contact them after your visit via emal and it takes about 10 messages before they respond. One tech early on when I had trouble with the first unit was very freindly. He took my number and said he would hand pick the best one they had there and even calibrate it for me. I never heard from him again, and I had both his email and message number both of which I contacted over and over again with patient inquiry, and still no reply from him again. There is so much more I could say that is just more to add to the heap pile of misery, but my angle here is to not bad mouth optoma, it never has been. It has been to warn people of what could happen, and to try and spare them the same frustration and wasted time I have experienced via Optoma. there are a great deal of good people out there that have the right to know what is possible to expect from Optoma

It sucks to be me and it must be a blessing to be you. I pray it stays that way. Ignore my negative remarks about the H31 before you jinks your self.

I guess I'm one of those success stories with the H31.

I had a lot of trouble my first 350 - 400 hours as I could not get DVI out from my HTPC to work at all.

Finally Optoma asked me to send it in with my video card.

They tested it, found it needed more in the flash department & apparently added something good.

When I got it back it not only worked with DVI from my HTPC but easily synced up at 856x480 and looked really good.

I still get occasional tearing but no where near the level of before, it's actually way less noticible than before.

My H31 is running great, I have about 650 - 700 hours total and am very happy with it. HDTV over component looks fantastic too.

:eek: It sucks to be me and it must be a blessing to be you. I pray it stays that way. Ignore my negative remarks about the H31 before you jinks your self.

Even with my problems with all four of my H31 units when they did work right the picture was outstanding. If you are not using a fairly good dvd player that would certainly cause a few issues bt more in the area of video noise and jaggies, not brightness. If you use anything less than red,green, and blue component cables the picture will not be all that good just ok. I use a sony dvd player through a DVDO pro line doubler and do not even use the progressive scan on the dvd player and the picture is as close to film as I have seen on anything except actually going to the movies. I have used the projector without the DVDO and as far as I am concerned thesystem they incorporated into the H31 to clean the picture up is flat out garbage, it didn't take out any more jaggies than if I were to run a plain dvd player into my TV without progressive scan. They call it a pixelworks scaler, but I call it garbageworks. Be certain you are using DVI or component to get a fair picture, then cross your fingers and hope to God the unit doesn't start giving you even more trouble.

Wow, I just ordered a new receiver, now I need to get this? I didn't realize how clueless I was. I am using Component, but I guess I need this line doubler. They are expensive, what's the cheapest one that would work?
The new one, the vp30, I know is $2000 msrp.

Wow, I just ordered a new receiver, now I need to get this? I didn't realize how clueless I was. I am using Component, but I guess I need this line doubler. They are expensive, what's the cheapest one that would work?
The new one, the vp30, I know is $2000 msrp.

You don't "need" a line doubler. You can get very good results with a decent DVI connected DVD-player or even via component connection to a Faroudja-based progressive-scan player. I am sure the vast majority of H31 owners do NOT use a line-doubler.

Line Doublers have debatable results these days....while they may make a bad signal "watchable" on a larger display, they surely don't make it a good signal.

They can clean up bad signals.....but they can't make a bad signal a good one. I had an Iscan Pro for years....I sold it off and don't miss it. It did clean up some things that the deinterlacer of my 65" set couldn't handle, but mostly I only used it to turn my interlaced DVD Player into a progressive one. This was, of course, back in like 2001 when Progressive scan DVD Players were $800 each.

Why you'd use a $2000 line doubler on a $1k projector at 480p is beyond me......

'You don't "need" a line doubler. You can get very good results with a decent DVI connected DVD-player or even via component connection to a Faroudja-based progressive-scan player. I am sure the vast majority of H31 owners do NOT use a line-doubler.'

My understanding is that digital projectors (most are) automatically project a progressive image. They cannot project an interlaced image; like a tv. Projectors have on board de-interlacers. So even if you feed it a 480i it has to de-interlace it and then projects it as a 480p.
I have the Optoma 27 and after trying Panny 77 (returned because of MB) and then the Pioneer DV-285 (same as the DV-588A less SACD/DVD-A), I decided to keep using my Toshiba SD-2700 that is non-progressive. I find the picture I get is very nice for my purposes, I really didn't notice any improvements with the other players (that are budget priced).
The big thing is finding what you're comfortable with.

You don't "need" a line doubler. You can get very good results with a decent DVI connected DVD-player or even via component connection to a Faroudja-based progressive-scan player. I am sure the vast majority of H31 owners do NOT use a line-doubler.

The above statement is certianly true, but there are a few "if's" involved if you notice. First let's be realistic.."how many people have a Faroudja- based progressive scan player in the first place?"... "How many people have dvd players with DVI?" Even if you did have one with DVI, DVI never promises to offer up a jaggie free picture anyway. I have seen direct DVI via a very good progressive scan DVD player and though the picture was pretty good, there were still jaggies. I would venture to think that for the average joe out there a good, yet inexpensive doubler might be just the ticket. You can easily find the DVDO pro on ebay for around $200. Not only will it give you the closest thing to film for the price but allows you much more flexibility being that the unit also incorporates contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, ect. adjustments. I have used my DVD player in progressive scan through both component and direct DVI to the H31. The picture is "hands- down", a good deal better via the DVDO pro. Certainly if you have plain DVI, it probably will not be sufficient on it's own if you want a completely smooth picture with the H31, most material will look pretty good but you will see jaggies a good amount of the time, it's that simple. But if you can get awhole of a player that is faroudja based it would cost about the same $200. And the faroudja technology is in fact line doubling technology, be it the technology is based within an infocus 4805 or a $3500 faroudja line doubler. it's still line doubling and the progressive scan technology incorporated within dvd players is basically a cheaper and less effective version of a good line doubler. So yes if your unit was a 4805 or other unit incorporating the superior ability of the faroudja technology then certainly you won't need an exterior doubler. If indeed your troubles are based upon a crappy dvd player, you won't regret the purchase of this low cost solution of a DVDO pro. The pixelworks scaler incorporated within the H31 can't hold a candle to it. So he's right, you don't need it unless unless of course you want the best picture possible and can't afford or don't have faroudja quality scaling built into your dvd player or projector.

I wanted to add that it is true that most users of projectors don't use a line doubler since they simply don't think they need one or can't afford it. Well after years of experience and 7 projectors I can tell you with confidence, if you don't use one you have no idea what your missing even if you think the image of your setup is stellar. if you own the a good line doubler and happen to read this you already know what I mean. If you can afford a good scaler- get one, unless of course you own a faroudja based projector or DVD player or some other reasonable version as good as faroudja.. Actually I plan on purchasing the 4805 soon and probably won't need the DVDO any longer. But until then it is essential in my opinion if I want a perfectly clear image.

Line Doublers have debatable results these days....while they may make a bad signal "watchable" on a larger display, they surely don't make it a good signal.

They can clean up bad signals.....but they can't make a bad signal a good one. I had an Iscan Pro for years....I sold it off and don't miss it. It did clean up some things that the deinterlacer of my 65" set couldn't handle, but mostly I only used it to turn my interlaced DVD Player into a progressive one. This was, of course, back in like 2001 when Progressive scan DVD Players were $800 each.

Why you'd use a $2000 line doubler on a $1k projector at 480p is beyond me......

My experience with the iScan pro has been pure bliss no matter what I ran into it. But of course if you have a really crappy DVD transfer of some movie like "invasion of the bee girls 7" or perhaps your trying to clean up telemundo your getting over a TV antena on your house, of course the DVDO pro won't make massive changes, that's obvious. And no I wouldn't use a $2000 line doubler. I would use a $200 one like the iScan pro I purchased off ebay 2 years ago for the same $200 price.

But hey- let's back up here a minute...Who said that the issues you are having aren't a defect with your projector? That has yet to be established. Is this correct?

Well, I don't know about you, but I have the SuperBit release of "Invasion of the Bee Girls 7" with DD and DTS 5.1 sound, and the picture is killer!! I can't wait for # 8...

You didn't know about the japanese version of the DVD with 20.1 surround and 400 extra minutes of swordplay and severed limbs?

Swordplay and severed limbs have their appeal, but I'm more interested in the bee girls' limbs that are still attached...

Anybody want to shoot me a link on the best price for the H31 bulb? Tom mentioned something at around $275.

I have notice that there are green outlines around objects in certain scenes. It is mostly seen around faces. Some discs this is more notable than others. It looks like the color guns are out of alignment...only problem is the Optoma H31 is a DLP. What is this? I have heard of edge enhancement...could it be that? Is it an adjustment on my projector? Is it a faulty projector? Bad DVD's? Any input is greatly appreciated.

EE looks like a ghost around actors heads/shoulders etc. Sharpness has it's own edge effect. You need a calibration DVD to find the best spot for Sharpness. Some just tune it to zero. With Optoma projectors I've had I'll use the middle area.

I don't think I have a sharpness control when using the DVI connection!

I don't think I have a sharpness control when using the DVI connection!

That's surprising. The H27 does.

I have a sharpness control for DVI in within my H31. But oh boy! here we go again with missing trees or what ever it was carter.

Just hit 250 hours on my H31. Everything's still A-OK.

Watched Saving Private Ryan with the DTS soundtrack cranked and it was like watching it again for the first time. Think I noticed my first bit of EE around one of the flags in the beginning, which is cool, I guess. Before I always thought, 'what are those people complaining about?'

Anyway, I can't really imagine going out to the theatre again, unless it's something that I just have to see right now. Good stuff!

I have about 500 Hours on my H31 it was mounted to the ceiling the day I got it, and I am using an HTPC watching WMV hds 1080p and they are simply amazing.

I love it. I couldn't be happier for the price that I paid for it.

Guys

I am narrowing in into the 31 as the 27 is now officially being phased-out ( weird story BTW). I have three basic questions to determine whether it will fit my needs:

What is the maximum screen size that will render an acceptable image? I am pretty locked by mounting geometry on having a 110-115" diagonal and that seems a bit on the threshold, so wanted to hear from the real users your opinion. I know I will probably miss some of the sparkle, but will it still be ok?

Is it true that the digital lens shift "eats" part of the image. Projector central reported 10-13% overscan when using it. (not sure what that means but sounds nasty)

What is the maximum component cable length that can be used without degrading the signal (to have it wall mounted I need to go around the room as I live in a loft with very high ceiling, so I need a staggering 50-70 feet of cabling - let me know if I am on mission impossible). Would DVI be better? (would need to upgrade DVD then)


I appreciate all your help (I really need to make a decision soon- work productivity is way low these days with all the research!!!!)


Cheers

Marcus

Guys
Is it true that the digital lens shift "eats" part of the image. Projector central reported 10-13% overscan when using it. (not sure what that means but sounds nasty)

Cheers

Marcus

Of course the digital lens shift "eats" part of the image. That's the whole idea. It "eats" the black bars (actually, just one of the black bars) on 2.35:1 material. It only applies "overscan" to one edge (either top or bottom, depending on which shift option you use...)

It can actually be usefull, but typically only for 2.35:1 material.. No, it is not nasty.

I am trying to decide between the H31 and the H27. I originally planned on the H31, but now that I look at the throw distance of both models and I consider that I have a relatively fixed throw distance of 16' 2" I am actually looking more favorably at the H27.

What am I missing out on by going with the older model?

Of course the digital lens shift "eats" part of the image. That's the whole idea. It "eats" the black bars (actually, just one of the black bars) on 2.35:1 material. It only applies "overscan" to one edge (either top or bottom, depending on which shift option you use...)

It can actually be usefull, but typically only for 2.35:1 material.. No, it is not nasty.

Thanks Potus. I believe projector central misunderstood the application of the shift then, as they said that it was not as good feature as an optical lens shift since it ate part of the screen. If it is meant as an artifact to reproduce 2.35/1 material, it is another story.

I am trying to decide between the H31 and the H27. I originally planned on the H31, but now that I look at the throw distance of both models and I consider that I have a relatively fixed throw distance of 16' 2" I am actually looking more favorably at the H27.

What am I missing out on by going with the older model?
Well for starters it's not clear to me you know which is the "older" model... the H31 has been around waaaay longer than the H27. It's just something strange that's supposedly having Optoma pull the young H27 rather than the other way around. So factor that into your decision...

That throw distance looks awfully large... what size image are you trying for? With the severe offset of the H27 you may find your image position way too high if table/shelf mouting or way too low if ceiling mounting. Way too high meaning, it will be projecting on the ceiling, way too low meaning your speakers or furniture or other stuff may be in the way, if projecting on your wall for example (and of course these depend on your ceiling height).

Anyway, I'm kindof a noob (with an H27)... I'm not entirely sure what you mean by the "throw distance of both models", so it's not clear what makes the H27 more favorable looking to you. Wouldn't mind knowing tho... thanks.

Thanks Potus. I believe projector central misunderstood the application of the shift then, as they said that it was not as good feature as an optical lens shift since it ate part of the screen. If it is meant as an artifact to reproduce 2.35/1 material, it is another story.

Ayala,
H31 has image shift not lens shift.
Lens shift is MUCH better, but it is relatively expensive. That's why the low-cost H31 doesn't have it.

I'm sorry to report this, but you guys need to know. I'm having lots of trouble getting Optoma to respond to my emailed request form for RMA. Mike Brown at Optoma emailed a form to me on 10-10, but it was a read only file. I went to the website to grab a form that I could fill out, and sent that in the same day. Optoma claims that it only takes 24 hours to get an RMA number. I have emailed the form to them 2 times, and they've yet to respond. My phone calls have gone unanswered. Most of the times that I've called I couldn't get anyone in tech support, but I got lucky one day and managed to get Mike to pick up the phone. He simply told me to email the form again, which yielded no results. I even left a message for a supervisor, but no return call. At this point, I don't know what to do. Any advice??

I'm sorry to report this, but you guys need to know. I'm having lots of trouble getting Optoma to respond to my emailed request form for RMA. Mike Brown at Optoma emailed a form to me on 10-10, but it was a read only file. I went to the website to grab a form that I could fill out, and sent that in the same day. Optoma claims that it only takes 24 hours to get an RMA number. I have emailed the form to them 2 times, and they've yet to respond. My phone calls have gone unanswered. Most of the times that I've called I couldn't get anyone in tech support, but I got lucky one day and managed to get Mike to pick up the phone. He simply told me to email the form again, which yielded no results. I even left a message for a supervisor, but no return call. At this point, I don't know what to do. Any advice??
I have gone through the same crap over and over again with Optoma. I have called and could not reach anyone for days. I have sent many emails over the past few months (at least 25 of them). Probably all of two were ever responded to. I keep warning people about Optoma projectors and the service and people simply don't seem to believe me until they run into trouble. Try to make contact with Thomas Brock. He is one of the head people there. He is all business and doesn't have much bedside manner but he will probably get the job done quick and right if you bug him enough. But he too can be very hard to reach sometimes. That is why I chose to drive to their offices again and again so they would have to deal with me face to face. that is one way to deal to get some action. Let me see if I can dig up his contact info for you and put it in the next post below....Sucks dealing with optoma doesn't it?

Here is Thomas Brock's contact info:

Thomas Brock
Senior Customer Service Representative
Optoma Technology, Inc.
408-383-3700 x.3836
408-383-3701 (fx)
thomasb@optoma.com

Hey guys,

MY H31 and Graywolf 92 inch should be here on tomorrow. Can you guys recommend some of the settings that will need to be changed to receive the best picture.

From what I have read the H31 straight out of the box is not calibrated the best and needs some tweaking.

Thanks,

tones

Try as I did, I never could get the colors right. You can get it good enough, but don't expect perfection. The orange look to the reds is impossible to get completely rid of.

I am trying to figure out the placement of everything and the distances that will be needed. Haven't decided if I am going to ceiling mount it or put it behind the last row of people.

So far these are the distances that I know:

Sitting distance from screen = approx 12'5"
Distance from floor to top of people's heads = approx 39"

If I mount the PJ on the ceiling than I can pretty much put it at whatever distance I like. I have been seeing people say though they are getting better results with have the PJ wall mounted....so not sure what to do here. If I do decide not to ceiling mount the PJ i have a couple of options.

1) Place PJ on coffee table approx 16 inches high (could make higher with books or something I guess) This would be approx 9 feet from the screen.

2) Place PJ behind last row of people - some flexibility here, anywhere between 13 feet to 16.5 feet.

So what do you guys think?
1) Ceiling mounted or table mounted?
2) How high should the bottom of the screen be from the floor when the screen is totally pulled out?

Thanks.

tones

I got an 88" wide image at 13.3' away. I chose to table mount it. I had it on a rather short entertainment table about 1 3/4' off the floor. I built my screen as a wide screen, 48" tall within the white area, and 88" wide within the white area. My black borders are 4" wide on the sides and 10" high at top and bottum. I had to table seat the unit being that for 4:3 material I need to move the table forward to fit the image in the aspect ratio of the screen. Ceiling mount wouldn't work. Also to center the wider aspect ratios I had to raise the one rear leg that moves about 1/4" up and put a small 1/4" wooden piece under the other foot being that it is not adjustable. I then needed to raise the front leg about 2 notches up, then adjust the image shift to "off" and it was centered perfect with the screen. Best idea is to put the projected image where you want it then measure where the screen will go as it relates to where the image shows on the wall. It might be wise to use the unit for a spell before ceiling mounting to be certain it will remain reliable, then ceiling mount.

Natja,
Thanks for the info. I don't want to totally bash Optoma, or the H31, but I am frustrated with the customer service right now. BTW, Tom Brock is the supervisor that I left a message with earlier, and he didn't call back either. I'll keep trying. Perhaps if I mention that several of my friends on the AVS forum are waiting to hear about my service results, that might get them going...

Update:
Contact has been made. I got Tom Brock on the phone just now, and we discovered a mistake on my part, and a mistake on their part. Mine was the fact that I recently changed my email address to AOL, but I included the old CS address in my RMA form. It's strange, actually I gave them my new screen name, but the old server address. Their mistake was to not call me when the email bounced back to them. No RMA number was ever created for me. Tom promised to take care of it today, and get me an RMA to the proper email address. More later...

Natja,
Thanks for the info. I don't want to totally bash Optoma, or the H31, but I am frustrated with the customer service right now. BTW, Tom Brock is the supervisor that I left a message with earlier, and he didn't call back either. I'll keep trying. Perhaps if I mention that several of my friends on the AVS forum are waiting to hear about my service results, that might get them going...

Want to really lite a fire under thier asses? Try sending them some of these links and that should get some results. And like I figured Thomas can be hard to reach too. I geuss that company doesn't care if it has a good reputation or not. If anything isn't resolved soon, I suggest filing a formal complaint with the BBB, or at least threaten it and see how fast you get results then. Hope you get it worked out. Good luck on it and please keep everyone posted. I personally would be interested on the outcome.

jedi,

My H57 is going into Optoma this afternoon. I'm currently experiencing two problems with it (light leakage through a separation of two natural edges in the shell casing and the dreaded buzzing sound that plagued so many H30s).

Too bad you can't call Optoma Canada because I've had nothing but good things to say about them due to previous experiences with them when I had to return two H31s and a demo H57 prior to purchasing the current unit.

I requested an RMA# this morning and I have it now and am off to the shipper to send the projector.

You are not the first who has reported problems dealing with U.S. Optoma's customer service. Keep at it.

If you want to see a picture of the light leakage and separation of the plastic casing, I've posted a couple of photos on my H57 thread.

Wayne

Thanks for the support guys. As you may have noticed, I have edited my last post to indicate that progress has been made today. Tom at Optoma has taken care of things, and he sent me an RMA number, as he promised. He was polite and very efficient. As of now, they are simply waiting for my pj.

While I am pleased at today's results, things wouldn't have gone on this long if Optoma had returned my phone calls, or if they had called me when their email(s) bounced back.

Sorry about your H57 problems, Wayne. I'm sure things will be fixed in a timely fashion.

[QUOTE=jedi35]Thanks for the support guys. As you may have noticed, I have edited my last post to indicate that progress has been made today. Tom at Optoma has taken care of things, and he sent me an RMA number, as he promised. He was polite and very efficient. As of now, they are simply waiting for my pj.

While I am pleased at today's results, things wouldn't have gone on this long if Optoma had returned my phone calls, or if they had called me when their email(s) bounced back.

Sorry about your H57 problems, Wayne. I'm sure things will be fixed in a timely fashion.[/QUOTE

I'm glad that thomas finally got back to you. I figured he would, but I understand your frustration being that I had a hell of a time reaching them too. You get the feeling that your being ignored or something. I hope they resolve your issues to your appeal. Once the ball get's rolling I found that they would try and and work with me to try and resolve the issue even though they do seem to blow off emails and are hard to reach most of the time. Good luck

jedi,

Thanks. I hope I don't have to go too long without it.

Natja,

If the people on this thread knew the hell that you were put through by Optoma (remember all the emails we sent each other back and forth about this) they would be appalled!

Wayne

Just to be clear, Tom didn't actually return my phone call. He happened to pick up the phone when I called again. He did arrange an RMA for me later that day, as he said. Surprisingly, the first return call I ever got from Optoma happened just a couple of minutes ago. One of the many messages I left with Tech Support was a voice mail for someone named Robert. He finally called me today, only to discover that things had been taken care of. Funny, huh?

jedi,

Thanks. I hope I don't have to go too long without it.

Natja,

If the people on this thread knew the hell that you were put through by Optoma (remember all the emails we sent each other back and forth about this) they would be appalled!

Wayne


Yea of course I remember! How are you?! :) Well I geuss I just had some very bad luck with Optoma over all. How's your unit holding up? Yep I'm switching to the 4805 and see how that does. I am very bummed out that the H31 didn't work out for me because when it worked the actual picture and contrast were incredible, just too many other issues. Ok your in Canada if memory serves me well. I have seen posts by people up that way and they all seem to get great service from Optoma. Maybe if I lived in Canada I would stick with Optoma and go for another model of theirs. Anyway nice to hear from you... Peace

UPDATE: I just read your posts about the H57 and the two problems your having. I read it earlier but didn't know it was your posts until I looked back again to see which ones they were. Well at least that one actually keeps running. Maybe if I had started with that one I would have been better off- who knows. Good luck with it and in the meantime I'll raise a glass and say-" here's to hoping you keep getting that great service from Optoma!"

I have been following the trials and tribulations of many H31 owners and have opted to give the H31 a try. Costo.ca is selling the H31 with a 92" screen for $1500 Canadian and thanks to their excellent return policy, I really have nothing to lose. I really am looking forward to seeing how it performs and hopefully I will not be left disappointed as some of you were.

I have been following the trials and tribulations of many H31 owners and have opted to give the H31 a try. Costo.ca is selling the H31 with a 92" screen for $1500 Canadian and thanks to their excellent return policy, I really have nothing to lose. I really am looking forward to seeing how it performs and hopefully I will not be left disappointed as some of you were.

If it indeed gives you no trouble you will more than likely really be astounded at the picture you get from it in DVI and component. The best I have seen so far in an entry level low res. projector. I hope the 4805 lives up to it's reputation. There are a good many people that claim it can out do the h31 in every area. I geuss I am going to find out soon.

"I hope the 4805 lives up to it's reputation. There are a good many people that claim it can out do the h31 in every area"

every area except overall picture imo ;)

Just picked up the h31 yesterday. I had demo'd an AE700 and an Optoma DV10 (because they were the only available to demo. I thought the DV10 was much closer to the look of my ISF calibrated 65" mits RPTV. Only problem is you can't ceiling mount it. So I took both back and got the H31.

I adjusted using AVIA, and flesh tones looked yellow. So I went into the service menu and changed the settings per Guitarman's numbers on page 28 of this thread. It looked a little better, but still yellow.

I redid AVIA again and changed the color temp from 2 to 1. Improved a little more, but flesh tones look like they need more red (or pink, actually). I'm using the scene of Mila Jovovich on the ledge in 5th Element, comparing to my RPTV.

Any suggestions on which setting to adjust to fix this? I'm using component from my DVD player, so I can't adjust tint, though with the blue filter on AVIA, the tint looks dead on. Don't know if this is related, but on the color decoder check, both red and blue looked about +5%, but green looked about -25%, a really light shade of green.

Thanks,
Bud

I have what appears to be very bad news. :(

I just received an email from Optoma Canada and they inform me that after inspecting my H57, they have determined that the light leakage/plastic case separation problem has been caused by human tampering. They're saying that someone tried to get into the projector thereby causing damage to the cover.

Isn't that lovely? :mad:

I have responded to that email and am awaiting comment from them. It's beginning to sound as if I'm going to be hung out to dry. It's so convenient for them to pass this problem off as being somehow my fault. So much for the two year warranty.

They didn't address the buzzing sound and I've asked them to indicate exactly what they intend to do about that unless they can somehow figure out a way to blame that on me too.

If this doesn't get resolved amicably real fast, I will never, ever purchase another Optoma product again.

Wayne

Bud, now that you have the basics done use the info in the first post of this tread.


Bummer Wayne, didn't they send you that as a loaner? It may have been a tech area machine. Or a machine that was in for repair at one time.

Man wayne I'm sorry to hear they are pulling this on you, but of course I'm not surprised. I had hoped that Optoma in Canada was a little bit more considerate than Optoma here in the USA. This could have been simply something that happened when they built the dammed thing. Maybe it wasn't put together just right and over time it loosened up a bit producing the undesirable results you now have with it. I wonder- how could they possibly say that it was tampering? In the first place this issue is probably something they could fix with their eye's closed quite easily. They forgot the golden rule apparently, which is to say- "The customer is alway's right." If that doesn't blow their skirt up, how about "let's let it go even if we think he tampered with it. What's the big deal, it still works. Maybe it is better to just show some incentive and gain some much needed customer appreciation, and simply fix the trouble." I would think that they certainly can't prove you tampered with the unit, and if they have any real credibility as a company, they should fix it quickly and send it back, and stop pointing the finger at you. This issue right here is one reason I feel it is needed to let the public know of the problems with optoma and it's projectors. I already made the choice to find a unit from another company. maybe they will do the right thing and simply repair the issue without any further fanfare. let's hope so.

Thanks Tom,

You have a good memory! :)

Actually, I sent that loaner back to Optoma and purchased a brand new H57 from them rather than try another new H31 (I'd been having HTPC problems).

So it's the new H57 that is in now at Optoma's Richmond Hill (Toronto) office. I really hope that they can repair the two problems for me under warranty.

I can't prove that their allegation is false though. It would seem to be my word against theirs. And they seem to have found something that leads them to believe that the unit has been tampered with. I wonder if they realize how tirelessly I've promoted Optoma products for about 6 months now?

Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread everyone. It seems to have veered off into warranty issues of late and I guess I had to chime in with my story as well.

Wayne

Natja,

Hey, now I'm crying on your shoulder! :)

Thanks for your encouragement. I agree with everything you said. So far they haven't said what they will or won't do for me. Just a short note stating that they believe the cause of the problem is human and not a manufacturing defect.

I believe that you will like the Infocus SP4805. I loved the X1 prior to trying my lot with Optoma.

Right now my 64" Pioneer RPTV is looking mighty good to me again. ;)

Wayne

Natja,

Hey, now I'm crying on your shoulder! :)

Thanks for your encouragement. I agree with everything you said. So far they haven't said what they will or won't do for me. Just a short note stating that they believe the cause of the problem is human and not a manufacturing defect.

I believe that you will like the Infocus SP4805. I loved the X1 prior to trying my lot with Optoma.

Right now my 64" Pioneer RPTV is looking mighty good to me again. ;)

Wayne


Yea if anyone can understand I think it is fair to say I can. And you of all people know the poop I had to go through with optoma more than anyone else. In a way this problem your going through is worse than some of what I had to go through. I mean that would make some people steaming mad. How do you handle something like this? You could always threaten to contact the BBB and file a complaint. Something I actually should have done myself and never have yet. I just don't like to make waves or create more problems. So maybe you should have stuck with Infocus. If the X1 was that good then I am certain I will be much happier with the 4805. There is a seller I found that has a deal on it with a screen for about the same price as tiger direct is selling the unit for alone. Only problem is price grabber user reviews gave them some rather bad feedback. Can't remember the name of the seller at the moment, but I wish I could find another seller offering that deal. I already have a permanent screen installed so it would be nice to have one to take with me over to friends houses and so fourth. Anyway not all hope is lost for you. they might suprise you. I mean they did swap out a total of 3 units and their rules said they didn't have to if they didn't want. But they did try to make me feel guilty for trying to push for those replacements. And of course they refused to allow me to trade the H31 for another model which I think you already knew. Anyway I hope it get's worked out. I'll be sending that positive energy your way :D and this one is for Optoma---> :mad:

Natja,

Thanks for your support! You live a long way from Optoma in California and I was particularly irked that you had to drive all the way there and back several times in order to deal with the problems you were having. I also saw no reason why they couldn't have swapped your H31 out for an H27 for instance.

Be careful who you deal with on that SP4805 purchase. Might be worth it to pay a wee bit extra to work with a reputable business and avoid future hassles.

This is all a shame because Optoma makes projectors with eye popping colors. I'd hate to have to switch 'allegiances' to another brand due to principles but I will if pushed.

Wayne

I have an H31 on order which I plan on mounting from an 8 foot ceiling. If I want to project on to a screen 13 feet away mounted from the ceiling will I need to tilt the projector towards the ceiling in order to keep the image from being projected to low? I would prefer to have the image projected as close to ceiling as possible.


Just picked up the h31 yesterday. I had demo'd an AE700 and an Optoma DV10 (because they were the only available to demo. I thought the DV10 was much closer to the look of my ISF calibrated 65" mits RPTV. Only problem is you can't ceiling mount it. So I took both back and got the H31.

Mr. E,
Man I am so sorry to hear that horrible news. I really hope that things work out for you. You have been such a big help to us, and look how you are treated by Optoma after all that. It's not fair. I don't know if the BBB is able to take reports on Canadian companies, but they should. We all are pulling for you.

Natja,
I'm very impressed with the 4805. It's got great optics, and has a better out of the box calibration than the H31, particularly on component. I have a buddy who has one, and he loves it. I do think that the colors and contrast pop a bit more on the H31, and I've found myself wanting better black levels on his images. It's a matter of taste, and I'm sure things can be adjusted(maybe an ND filter?). Isn't there another Infocus model coming out with a sleeker case, quieter fan, and better black levels?

For anyone looking for a cheap solution to switching dvi sources without having to fiddle around too much behind components, lend an ear. I recently ordered up a dvi coupler, and it has arrived. Yep, this thing has dvi female connections on both sides, so it easily joins 2 male to male dvi cables(dvi-i or dvi-d)together. With this, you can have one longer dvi cord going into your display device, and shorter cables permanently attached to your sources on one end. Now it just takes a couple of seconds to unplug one dvi source and plug in another, and I'm not having to reach behind anything. The coupler is positioned in a nice, easy to get to spot off to the side of my component racks. Of course, the best solution is a dvi switcher, if you're willing to spend the bucks. My solution is for the laymen who wants to get the job done, and save some bucks for more dvds. I spent about $8 for the coupler, plus shipping, and my 3 shorter dvi cords came with the source devices I've bought. If you don't have any extra ones, they are cheaply available if you search the net, and you'd need them for a switcher anyway. Simple, and I don't see any loss of picture quality. PM me if you want the link.

jedi,

Thanks so much for your encouragement. :)

I emailed Optoma Tuesday night and am awaiting their response.

That DVI coupler sounds very interesting and I wouldn't mind the link if you could pm me. :cool:

Thanks,

Wayne

Mystery,
sorry to hear about your probs with Optima. I do hope they change their mind on this one.

I had a prob within a week of buying my H31. I wrote about it here. A vertical white line across the right side of the screen. I had some useful feedback about possible grounding issues.

But after i changed all i could and the problem still came back after a while a few times, I contacted Optima (Canada).

I am glad to report that I got through right away, explained the problem, and was told that it sounds like a DOA. I was given an RMA as soon as i faxed my proof of purchase etc.
And they paid for the shipping. Had a new one within a week. No problems since.

So they can be good, albeit after another problem with an H31.
I am still very happy with my unit.

I hope Optima get into gear for you. Good luck.

Are you saying that in your opinion the 4805 doesn't have the black levels of the H31? If this is true I just lost me interest entirely. I have had people tell me for weeks now that they think the 4805 has a better contrast and black level over the H31. If this is not really true I would be very dissapointed. I have already experienced the contrast of the H31, so no way I could see myself taking a step backward and having to do with less contrast. But being that both units have the same exact DMD chip and are nearly the same brightness level I can't understand why they wouldn't both have the same black level. Firstly the 4805 is probably one of the most unnatractive and flimsy looking projectors available. Secondly the fan noise is a real concern, now it is possible that the contrast isn't as good as everyone keeps saying? All I have heard fro weeks now is "The H31 is an uncalibrated 4805. Same contrast and the colors on the 4805 are better. Buy one- you won't be sorry you did." Now I had pretty much decided on the 4805 and unfortunately there seems to be someone finally saying that the contrast may not be as good on the 4805. If anyone reading this has seen both the 4805 and the H31- which one in your opinion has the better contrast?

Natja,

You should PM 'DaGamePimp'. He owns the SP4805 and is an authority around these parts on gaming (naturally :) ).

He had an H31 in his home on loan from Optoma for a month a while back because he was trying to figure out why so many H31 owners couldn't get their projector to work via DVI cable from a computer. He was unable to get the H31 to 'sync' with his computer and he eventually sent it back.

I remember him stating that he preferred the SP4805 over the H31 after comparing the two.

I'm sure he'd be glad to put your mind at ease.

I do understand that the SP4805 is brighter than the H31 which MAY hurt black levels and perhaps contrast ratio ever so slightly. Again, find out what 'DaGamePimp' has to say about this.

Whether the slightly higher fan noise of the SP4805 will bother you or not after having tried the H31 is only something that you can determine. I had the Infocus X1 prior to the H31 and now the H57 and although these two Optoma units are quieter than the X1, if the SP4805 isn't any louder than the X1 then you'll get used to it quickly and it shouldn't be an issue for you.

It's so close to the Las Vegas Show in January now that I would advise anyone thinking of buying a projector who can hold off, to wait until after that time to see what new goodies the crooks, er uh, I mean the manufacturers have in store for us all by Spring '06.

Wayne

Well for starters it's not clear to me you know which is the "older" model... the H31 has been around waaaay longer than the H27. It's just something strange that's supposedly having Optoma pull the young H27 rather than the other way around. So factor that into your decision...

That throw distance looks awfully large... what size image are you trying for? With the severe offset of the H27 you may find your image position way too high if table/shelf mouting or way too low if ceiling mounting. Way too high meaning, it will be projecting on the ceiling, way too low meaning your speakers or furniture or other stuff may be in the way, if projecting on your wall for example (and of course these depend on your ceiling height).

Anyway, I'm kindof a noob (with an H27)... I'm not entirely sure what you mean by the "throw distance of both models", so it's not clear what makes the H27 more favorable looking to you. Wouldn't mind knowing tho... thanks.

That is an interesting point. I had assumed that the H27 was older than the H30 . . .

The offset is actually working in my favor. The room I am mounting this in actually has a 18 foot cieling, so I have a lot of vertical space to work with. With this dramatic offset, and mounting it upside down, I have less of a chance of someone's head getting in the way of the projection. I haven't mounted it yet and have it temporarily setup on a tripod.

The throw distance that I was referring to was based off of the range provided by projectorcentral when comparing these two models.

To achieve a 100" diagonal (which appears to be a fairly standard and recommended size), they stated the below range of throw distances:

Optoma H31 12.0 to 14.6 ft
Optoma H27 13.6 to 16.4 ft

Due to the positive reviews I read on the H27, the fact that it was $200 cheaper and the throw range, I decided to give it a try. I have no regrets so far!

Thanks for the advice, If I can find him I'll try and see what he thinks. 1st of the month I plan on ordering a new unit, so hope someone has an idea. Thanks again.

Natja,
Sorry dude. I didn't mean to send you into panic mode about the 4805. I think that both the 4805 and the H31 represent the best of what's out there right now in a budget pj. In terms of image quality, either one should make a happy customer out of almost anyone. I agree with Wayne in that a lot of people view the 4805 as being a bit brighter than the H31. If you search this thread, you'll find a huge comparison that I did of both units when I had it in my home for an evening. There were 3 pairs of good AVS eyes present, and we loved both units. It was clear to everyone there that the component signal OTB on the 4805 was way better then the H31s, which showed a bit of a red push. I'm sure that calibration would solve this on the Optoma, but one would need to take the time to do it right, or have it done professionally. OTOH, the H31's dvi signal was great OTB, needing little if any adjustment(no red push at all).

After viewing the 4805 for awhile, we took a look at my H31. Instantly, we saw that it was not quite as bright, but was certainly bright enough. Black levels and colors appeared better, and we also saw less screendoor on the H31. Tom really tipped us off on the wonderful blacks of the H31 right at the beginning of this thread, and he was right. I see the H31 as having better contrast because there seems to be more difference between light and dark areas of the picture. I recently visited my buddy who has the 4805. He just completed his home theater, and it is beautiful. I'm so jealous. He and I are both projecting a 98" diagonal image onto the same screen material, and while his image still looks brighter, mine has better blacks and contrast. In fact, he's been back over here to see my setup, and was surprised how close he could get to my screen before SDE became too noticeable. He can't get that close with his 4805, and wishes he could.

There are lots of threads where people have chimed in on this topic, and I certainly don't want to trash either of these pjs. Could I live with a 4805 after having an H31? Probably so, if I worked on toning the brightness down and getting the black levels up a bit. I think several 4805 owners have found that using an ND filter does the trick pretty well. Halfway through the bulb life, take off the filter and you'll get your original brightness back in essence. Yes, both pjs have the same DMD, but there are other huge diferences that affect the picture( the published contrast ratios are different I think). 4805 owners claim that their lens optics are better, and the Faroudja deinterlacing inside the pj would be nice to have. Add that to a pj that will knock your socks off right out of the box in terms of calibration, and you've got a winner. Once a movie was playing, I was not bothered by the fan noise of either pj, though the H31 was quieter. Image brightness is great, especially if you have some ambient light to deal with, but the blacks and contrast will pay the price. I can control my room light pretty well at any time, so I'm looking to enjoy some great contrast and nice black space scenes when I watch a scifi movie like Star Wars. Brightness isn't as high on my list. It's been argued that because the 4805 is brighter and has better optics, the SDE can be seen more. I have viewed both units, and have yet to see the good black levels of the H31 on my friend's 4805. At first view, I gave the edge to the 4805 for better clarity. However, now that I have a much better(and flatter)screen, I see good clarity on both units. Also, keep in mind that the 4805 has an M1 port for its digital input, so you'll need to get the right cables and/or adapter for dvi/hdmi connections. This caused a bit of a delay for my buddy, but he got it together.

I say again, both pjs are wonderful, and we are so lucky to have access to such great images at this price level. This has not always been the case.

Wayne,
I decided to post the dvi coupler(gender changer) link here for everyone. It's the 3rd one from the bottom of the page. Natja, you'll also see M1 adapters here:

http://www.mc3llc.com/search_dvicable.asp

The ad doesn't state it, but the adapter will handle dvi-i as well as dvi-d, and it can handle single as well as dual link cables.

Thanks a great deal for going so indepth on this issue. So far what you had to say was probably the most to the point and informative information between the two units I have yet to read, it really was. On one hand the 4805 seems to be the choice for a more accurate picture color wise, but the H31(which certainly did have excellent blacks and clarity) seems to take the cake where contrast is concerned. This makes the choices very difficult. I'm not sure if perhaps the H27 might be a better choice being that it has an obvious improvement even over the H31 in the area of contrast. The two things that bug me most about an image are viewing a film that has a good deal of dark scenes and it all looks washed out. And of course poor color. The 4805 certainly will give better color rendering than the H27, but the H27 will give much better detail in darker scenes. Brightness isn't a real factor for me being that I only use projectors in a totally dark room. Looks like I have a tough choice to make here. I'm not sure if I could take a step down to a lower contrast than the H31. But after the problems I had with the H31, most people would think I would be nuts to go back to an Optoma unit after all the troubles with Optoma as a company and their projector. I think the smartest choice is to give the 4805 a chance and if I can't hang with the lower contrast I could simply return it and get the H27 and then pray real hard it keeps working and that I can calibrate the colors closly enough (a problem that I never could resolve with the H31 even after many hours with DVE). hmmm...not sure what I'm going to do. But thanks for all the time and info you put into all of this to help me out. It's much appreciated :)

Thanks for the link jedi. I might consider this to switch back and forth between the Oppo and a projector, whichever one that may be.

Natja,

You might want to consider trying the Optoma H27 from a big box store that has a 30 day return policy. That way you can evaluate it without worry. Also, what I'm thinking of doing with my next projector purchase (which may come about a lot sooner than I thought in my worst nightmares) is PERHAPS going with Optoma again IF I can somehow circumvent Optoma's warranty and purchase a store warranty which trumps the manufacturer's. In this way, I wouldn't have to deal with Optoma ever again over warranty issues and if something went wrong, I just take the projector into the store and they either repair it or send it away for repair. Of course, this store bought policy could add a fair bit to the price of a probably already overpriced projector BUT it might be worth it if the projector is one that I REALLY want but don't want to deal with the company who makes it.

Just a thought. :)

Wayne

Great news!

Optoma Canada emailed me today about my H57:

"Hi Wayne,

I checked the unit myself and it really looks like someone doesn't know our projector but tried to open it and failed. Since it's not a big deal and easy for our technician to fix it, we fixed it for good will.

For the buzzing noise as you mentioned, we found when you put ear very close to the unit, you can hear a little bit buzzing noise from power supply. I don't know if this is what you were talking about, but this noise is from the ballast, it's normal and it's the same as all other projectors. To reduce any other possibility of making noise, we replaced all the fans, power supply and color wheel to make the noise minimum. I hope it could meet what you expected.

We will be sending you the machine today by UPS so you could have it next Monday.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any question.

Will Xing
Optoma Technology Canada
Tel: 905-882-4228"

So, they decided to repair the case separation and light leakage issue, and they also tried to lessen the buzzing sound by replacing all the fans, the power supply and the color wheel.

All this and my projector is only 3 months old with probably only about 200 hours on it.

It should be almost like new now and I'm very relieved that this didn't end up as badly as I had been mentally preparing for.

I should get it back on Monday. I'm trusting that the light leakage is truly fixed and whether the buzzing noise is gone or not, I'll find out soon enough.

Anyway, thanks to all who publicly supported me during this very stressful week.

Optoma Canada was not really obligated to fix the light leakage problem but they did anyway. However, I didn't tamper with the unit as they claim that the evidence suggests so I would have gone after them if they hadn't helped me.

But replacing all that stuff related to the buzzing sound I feel was far more than I was expecting from them and they're back in my good books. At least for now. ;)

So, as long as I don't find any new problems with the projector when I get it back, and they've truly fixed the light leakage problem and the buzzing noise isn't any worse than before, then I will consider purchasing an Optoma projector again in the future.

Wayne

Hey guys,

I got my H31 and 92 inch Groywolf up and running today....the first thing that impressed me was the Graywolf screen. After all the horror stories I heard about damaged goods I was pleasantly surprised to not find one nick in the casing or the screen....no waves or anything.

So I mounted the screen took a read through the H31 manual and decided to fire it up....it looked pretty good even without any calibration. This is my first projector so my "wow" factor doesn't mean too much...:P

One thing I am confused with is that I have the H31 temporarily on my low coffee table.but for some reason the entire picture is tilted down to the right...with the elavator foot down and using the tilt adjustment there is no way to counteract this without sticking something under the back right edge of the projector to boost it up.....this does not seem right.....am I missing something?

I am also wondering if someone could recommend some of their calibration settings that have worked for them to bring out the best picture and to allow this great projector to reach its full potential. I should be getting the Avia calibration tool tomorrow but knowing some good settings to get a jump start would be great. I am currently using a component connnection until my DIV cable arrives.

Thanks guys....glad to be part of the club....:)

tones

Natja,
I'm so glad my post was helpful to you. I've gotten a lot of great help here, and it gives me pleasure to be able to give something back. I have some other thoughts for you. You could improve the contrast of the 4805 by using a grey screen. You might try it with or without an ND filter. I'm not the best fan of grey screens because I was never able to get flesh tones that didn't look just a little too grey. However, I never had a professional calibration done for the H31. I'd vote for a white screen if you're looking for the best color accuracy. Side note: I am having my Pioneer 53" hd rptv calibrated to ISF standards in about a week. A local tech offered a special, so I'm getting $100 off. I figured that my rptv needed quite a bit more help than my pj this time.

Also, you might want to get Tom to chime in about the quality of the H27. I think I remember reading a post where he stated that the circuitry in the H31 was better(I don't know, maybe it has a better deinterlacer?). I could be mistaken, but see if you can get an answer from him.

A buddy of mine says that the next version of the 4805 will be 720p, have a sleeker case, less fan noise, better contrast, and will have a MSRP of about $1500. If all that's true, it's got me thinking. You might want to look into it.

Wayne,
I can't tell you how happy I am for you. It's not only great that your pj is fixed and on its way back to you, but your faith in Optoma's customer service has been restored. Let us know how things turn out. I need some advice. My RMA number is good for 3 months, so there isn't a real big hurry for me to send my pj in. Lately, the light flicker problem on my H31 has almost gone away, and I want Optoma to see it so they can fix it. If I send it now, they may only see the discoloration in the upper right corner of the picture, and fix that alone. I guess I'm trying to wait until the pj starts flickering again. What would you do?

Tones,
Yep, I think it's always a bad idea for a pj to have only one leg in the back that adjusts. You may have to prop up one side in order to get a level picture. It's a design flaw. A lot of us have dealt with that. Search the thread, Tom has posted some calibration numbers that you might try. However, be warned that someone elses numbers might not work well for your room and setup, especially for a component signal. You'll have better luck with dvi.

jedi,

Thanks so much for your kind words. If Infocus is coming out with an HD resolution projector along the lines of the SP4805 but better looking, quieter and better contrast, well, man, that's something that I would probably jump on. With HD DVD coming next year, what perfect timing for a 720p DLP pj to MSRP below $2000.00! :)

If this turns out to be true, I'll never get more for my H57 than if I sell it now what with the new fans, power supply and color wheel and only about 200 hours on the lamp in low mode. Hmmm.....

Better wait. I'd rather have the projector working here in the home until this newfangled Infocus comes out than have the money burning in my pocket and no projector. I should still be able to get a pretty good price for the H57 should I decide to sell it next year. Even with 720p resolution, the new Infocus would have to be REALLY good to beat out the H57 because the H57 has gone head to head in competition with the H77 (you can read about it in the first page or so of my H57 thread) and the H57 was found to be indistinguishable in many areas from the H77.

As to your question about what to do. It might be possible that your discoloration and flickering are related and the same repair might fix both problems. I think if it were me I'd send it in and take a chance that they'll notice the flickering. I hate to see you suffering with one issue let alone two. You've paid too much hard earned money to put up with anything, even if it's only slightly bothersome. I mean, your money wasn't slightly counterfeit and Optoma got full value in the deal so you should too. Who knows? They might end up replacing internal parts for you like they did for me. I can't believe they put in new fans, a power supply and a color wheel.

That's Mr. E's advice. :)

Wayne

On one hand the 4805 seems to be the choice for a more accurate picture color wise, but the H31(which certainly did have excellent blacks and clarity) seems to take the cake where contrast is concerned. This makes the choices very difficult.
Natja, such decision is very personal, of course, but...
I bought my H31 in May after having read or skimmed through a huge number of posts about both the 4805 and the H31.
My decision was EASY: better contrast and lower fan noise are much more perceptible than slightly inaccurate color.

I would be EXTREMELY surprised, if you looked at Digital Video Essentials "demo footage" played via DVI connection on my H31/Carada white screen and noticed a color problem with your own eyes (i.e., without analyzing it with test patterns and color filters). Only DVE, Avia, and a small number of movie DVDs are known for sure to have a totally accurate color. In the realm of movie DVDs, many DVDs do not have accurate color to start with. Also, many movies have purposely altered color to achieve a desired artistic effect (examples: cold, greenish, desaturated, very warm).

I were to by a projector "today," I would wait and see what new products get announced for 2006. If you still want H31 or 4805, their prices may fall below the magic number (one large note).

Mike

I would be EXTREMELY surprised, if you looked at Digital Video Essentials "demo footage" played via DVI connection on my H31/Carada white screen and noticed a color problem with your own eyes (i.e., without analyzing it with test patterns and color filters). Only DVE, Avia, and a small number of movie DVDs are known for sure to have a totally accurate color. In the realm of movie DVDs, many DVDs do not have accurate color to start with. Also, many movies have purposely altered color to achieve a desired artistic effect (examples: cold, greenish, desaturated, very warm).
Mike

I agree that sometimes there is too much emphasis put on (anal)ytical tests. I have the H27 and find the colours very appealing to me. Also it must be remembered that the DVD player also has input on what the picture looks like. Of course, as mentioned above, there is also the source material. Etc.
I enjoy my movies for the entertainment value. I don't watch movies to technically analyse the picture quality to the extreme.

Thanks for the further information. Man I don't know what to do, frustrating! :(. I sent my H31 back over 3 weeks ago now and don't know if I could go without home theater through november and december and maybe ven january before the newer units come out. I would love to see the new version of the 4805. it sounds very promising. Exactly what I have been dreaming of. Not sure if it's worth buying a unit I would just be somewhat happy with or wait till next year and get one that would blow my mind. I agree that the H27 in a trial run might be a good idea, but then the 4805- well nobody seems to be dissapointed with it. It has been pretty nice to get some direct feedback on it. Your info clearly dispells any myths about the H31 and 4805 having equal contrast and black levels. Boy oh boy- what to do, what to do. These proejctor makers are dammed right evil :eek: sometimes making things so confusing.

Wayne- I am thrilled to hear that they are going to work things out for you. This is wonderful news. That's just the thing about optoma that drove me nuts. They put a frieght in your azz and keep you in suspense for awhile, but they seem to come through in the end some how. But I can't help but feel that your experience wasn't alll that different than mine in that they left you hanging and frustrated for awhile. Anyway I am glad it looks better for you. very happy about that. Close call huh?

PS- Wonder if there is any info on the net yet (a poet and don't know it) about any of the new units like the new 4805. I'm drooling already and I haven't even seen them.

Thanks Natja! :)

Yes, that was a very close call indeed. Our experience has been similar with Optoma.

As far as what you should do goes, when the new projectors are announced at the January show in Vegas, it usually can take a little while before they get to market. So, you could be waiting until March or April '06 before you get something that has tweaked your interest. It's late October '05 so it could be a half a year wait for you. Can you wait that long? That's the question.

I'd wait if I were you. You might kick yourself if you buy now and find something a fair bit better next year that you maybe can't afford. If the show is a bust and you decide to go with the SP4805 or the H31 or something else that's current, the only harm done is that you've gone an extra 6 months without a pj. Might be worth it. But it is a gamble either way.

Jedi,

Natja and I and probably others might like to hear a little more about this phantom :) projector due out. Any other tidbits of info you can throw us? ;)

Wayne

You guys need to all settle down a bit, take a step back and breathe deeply. I realize some o fyou are new to the front projector game, but FP's are the same as any other electronic device...sometimes they work great, and sometimes they dont.

The nature of electronics is that there is ALWAYS something better "Right around the corner". This is an ebb-and-flow situation..sometimes the changes aren't drastic, so buying today means you wont be losing TOO much in features to have the priviledge of having the projector "sooner". Other times the upgrades and changes are drastic enough that waiting is beneficial....But let me tell you, nothing is free.

If INFOCUS was to release a 720p DLP machine for $1500 MSRP, that would literally blow the market out of the water. It would be infocus leaving money on the table, since the cheapest DLP you can get at 720p is nearly $2600, and that is a STREET price. Why would infocus release a 720p machine so drastically undercutting not only the DLP market, but even the LCD market? Seems like not very savvy business sense to do that.

Now...could it happen? yeah, it could...I think its unlikely..but it could happen, because we are at that point now where DLP needs to "Make something happen". DLP has lost the contrast ratio lead it had to LCD's now with the latest batch...that means DLP is going to have to get more competitively priced to stay in the game. But 720p DLP at $1500 MSRP? I find that a bit doubtful.

As it is, even LCD improved itself...and jacked up the prices! Nothing is free.

You guys having bad luck with your projectors, some words of advice: All electrnoics are buggy, with video especially there is always "something". You have to be prepared to accept some faults when you are talking about the pricepoint we are.

If its LCD its banding, or its uneven pixel alignment, or its a bias in a corner for a red or blue or green color from the polarizers. With DLP's its similar things....dead pixels/mirrors, alignment issues, perhaps uneven focus.

People lose sight of the fact that even with these "small issues" you are getting a movie-theatre experience in your home for less money than EVER before. Five years ago these projectors were $5000, and a 720p Unit was $15,000. And the visual quality blew compared to what you can get today for little more than a grand. But all electronics have flaws, and even a $30,000 Qualia has issues. The question is, do you just deal with them? Are they "Deal breakers" or are they just annoyances you live with. Sometimes people literally do expect too much.

Dont..and I state this emphatically...DONT get into the habit of "chasing the upgrades". Pick a set of features you want, in a pricepoint you are comfortable with, and BUY when you can make your numbers work. If its a MONTH before new models are to come out, then wait and see what the new models offer. Is it worth it to wait? Because those will inevitably cost more money than the "old model".......only you and your wallet can decide that.

Every year, on average, we see a new projector......which means if you are "Going to wait six more months to see what comes out", that means in six months you'll be ready to buy, but the "Next big upgrade" will already be announced....and you'll wind up waiting "just six more months" forever. PRice, Buy, Enjoy. In a year or two, sell what you have (Unlike TV's, few people have projectors, and there is always a market for used ones) and upgrade IF you really want to...but dont keep putting off that initial purchase, or you'll be in the waiting game forever.

My .02 cents...your mileage may vary...and you guys with problematic Optoma products, give it time....they'll work them out, just keep your expectations realistic.

(And by realistic I mean realistic. I have a father in law who complains for six hours about his $2.00 senior breakfast only coming with 2 strips of bacon. When I suggest he get the "regular, non-senior" breakfast that comes with 4 strips of bacon, but costs $4.00 instead of $2.00, he gets angry and fussy and says his $2.00 breakfast SHOULD come with 4 strips of bacon. HE doesn't quite get that bacon isn't free, and that sometimes you have to accept certain realities.).

...and seriously.....who doesn't love bacon? :)

I agree with you on this 720p issue. Plus infocus prices are higher than most I have seen for their best units. It would be a total miracle if they did pull it off. So yep wayne- I think the best thing is to get the best I can in my budget now and work towards something better in a year from now.

The beauty of the front projector market is the resaleability, because almost nobody has one. If you were REALLY unhappy half ayear from now, there is a market of people who would take that PJ off your hands and you wouldn't be giving the thing away either.

Example: There are people getting $500 still for old X1 projectors. I mean, think about it....thats still very little depreciation on that unit. Even if you were to get $300 or $400 for, say, an H31 in a years time.....thats still nearly 50 percent of its original value.....of course more than likely you'll just keep that PJ as a spare for setting up someplace else, but you might sell it to put towards something newer.

I love my H31 because DVD's look flat out beautiful.....I watched Hitchikers Guide on it a few nights ago and was still mezmerized by its performance. I have no desire to rush to a HD projector because there is so little HD content I want to actually watch.

The idea is to buy and enjoy.........waiting and waiting and waiting is fun, I mean we all do it before we buy our first FP (I did it for 3 years!)...but really, with the QUALITY you can get for $1k now, its almost silly to wait....and eventually you discover the frustration of always wanting to "Join the club", but being afraid to drop the hammer so to speak on the purchase.

It would be different if the $1k projectors today had flaws and issues in visual quality...but literally, today for $1k you are getting just about the best 480p performance you could hope for...and since a large majority of us are using these PJ's with DVD's (480p native), isn't that the best of both worlds? Fantastic 480p performance at an incredible pricepoint.


I guess it impresses me more because I remember not too long ago when $2000 got you a "marginal" projector....and you didn't get into really good picture quality until you went above $5 grand...and then, really, you were talking $15K + to get "wow" picture quality.

Boy how times have changed for the better. In another 3 or 4 years we'll all have home setups that movie theatres cannot *hope* to surpass. And the snacks wont cost $8 bucks each either.

I think you guys are missing my point.

HeadRusch,

What you're saying makes sense. My concern is that Natja is torn almost to the point of paralysis and if I were in his shoes I think I'd be the same. The argument isn't that neither one of these projectors would suffice. The problem is that Natja has been through quite an ordeal with several H31s as I have and he doesn't know which way to turn. Another Optoma? Try Infocus? It's a win-win situation with both and a lose-lose dilemma as well.

All I'm saying is, if making a decision right now is extremely difficult, then what's the rush? Why agonize over this decision? It's not absolutely necessary to buy now. Relax. Do some more research. Be patient and see what January brings. That's all I'm saying.

Now, if Natja had his mind set on a particular projector right now and there weren't any issues clouding his thought processes, then I'd say what you're saying. But I think that since the angst seems so great then it's best to hold off.

But that's my opinion.

Natja,

I respect your thinking on this as I do HeadRusch's. Ultimately, it's your money and your decision and if you think that you should buy now then that's what you should do because you deserve to be happy. :)

But if you're nervous or trepidatious then I think you ought to take that as a signal that it's not in your best interests to pursue it at this time. Nobody should buy a projector unless he's excited and enthused and comfortable with the decision. Hand wringing, tension, worry and nerves should play no part in this process and if any of these things are present then beware.

I won't say anymore on the subject. It's your business. I just don't want to see you hurt again.

Wayne

I think you guys are missing my point.
What you're saying makes sense. My concern is that Natja is torn almost to the point of paralysis and if I were in his shoes I think I'd be the same. The argument isn't that neither one of these projectors would suffice. The problem is that Natja has been through quite an ordeal with several H31s as I have and he doesn't know which way to turn. Another Optoma? Try Infocus? It's a win-win situation with both and a lose-lose dilemma as well.


I haven't read all the way through the threads to find out what Nat's particular issues with the H31 have been, so I can't comment on specifics..I tried reading back but there's too much to wade through, so I speak in generalities: If he's had 4 defective units in a row, I'd ask these questions:

1) Is this a problem with a particular vendor, whos units may have been damaged in shipment to them so they have an entire "batch" of faulty units.

2) Is this a problem with expectation levels or abuse of the equipment when it arrives home and is set up?

(I realize #2 seems harsh but I dont mean it to me, its like people who buy an 800:1 CR projectora nd then complain for days about how the black levels aren't up to snuff. Its like "Duh, of course they aren't, you bought an 800:1 projector!"..sometimes the people dont see that! Not saying this is one of those cases, I'm just saying it exists as a possibility given what I do and dont know about the particular problem(s) he's been having).

The thing is, I'm sure Nats issues are all probably totally valid...and this many bad experiences would sour a person on any technology. But remember, its not indicitave of the whole. If it were, none of us would own FP's. ANd Optoma wouldn't be hailed as one of the must-buy popular projector companies.

And you run that same risk with any purchase...I had a friend go through 3, yes 3 washing machines when they kept breaking on him, each time a different part failed. Its not indicitave of the norm, but it can happen....


All I'm saying is, if making a decision right now is extremely difficult, then what's the rush? Why agonize over this decision? It's not absolutely necessary to buy now. Relax. Do some more research. Be patient and see what January brings. That's all I'm saying.


Thats good advice for any situation, and I'd never argue that point. When in doubt, fall back and reassess. You get too close to a problem and you lose sight of the big picture.

At the same time....even reassessment needs to have some boundaries, a beginning and an endpoint. January will bring, perhaps, some lower prices...but you wont see any major technology changes in that period of time. If he was going for a 480p unit now, he'll still be looking at a 480p unit then.


Now, if Natja had his mind set on a particular projector right now and there weren't any issues clouding his thought processes, then I'd say what you're saying. But I think that since the angst seems so great then it's best to hold off.

But that's my opinion.

Natja,

I respect your thinking on this as I do HeadRusch's. Ultimately, it's your money and your decision and if you think that you should buy now then that's what you should do because you deserve to be happy. :)

But if you're nervous or trepidatious then I think you ought to take that as a signal that it's not in your best interests to pursue it at this time. Nobody should buy a projector unless he's excited and enthused and comfortable with the decision. Hand wringing, tension, worry and nerves should play no part in this process and if any of these things are present then beware.


I agree...there will be plenty of time for hand wringing, tension and worry when you actually BUY the thing and try setting it up right :) You think its annoying trying to CHOOSE a projector? Wait till you hang it and find you're an inch off on one side :)

Then you fix that, now you're keystoned. You fix that..suddenly, you're not level anymore. And so on, and so on :)

Ultimately, its a purchase to watch movies on. Dont get emotionally involved. When you buy a TV and it doesn't work you return it or get it fixed. Dont make it the source of all madness in your life. Think to yourself in times like this..
"What would Spock Do?" :)

Trust me..when it comes to electronics and problem solving, dont get heartbroken. The higher the tech, the easier it is to get frustrated. you should have seen the day I got my 65" Set delivered and I hooked up my DVD player to it (via Composite, as thats all the cable I had)......and it looked like deep-fried @SS. I was heartbroken...until someone on THIS board said "dude, you gotta get that thing calibrated, and go buy AVIA and some decent Component cables". A week later, I had a glorious display....but I had to get over the hurdles and buyers-remorse first. I'd save you that angst if I could.

OK, clarification: A buddy of mine who works at a retail buyers' club mentioned that he'd gotten word about a 720p Infocus coming out at $1500. I have no documents or web references to support this. We were just kicking it at the home theater of another buddy who happens to own the 4805(Dan), and this was the first I'd heard of it. If it's true, it's something that I think I'd be interested in. I'll try and get more info, but don't take it as an official notice from Infocus yet. Sorry if this caused confusion...

HeadRusch,

All good common sense advice my friend. :) I've actually stopped worrying about whether the image is exactly within the friendly confines of my screen's border. Unless it's wildly off, I can't see any discrepancy from my viewing distance anyway so I get it as close as I can and then leave it.

jedi,

This type of thing can be so hilarious. A person hears something which is passed on and then someone else embellishes the story and before you know it, Infocus is coming out with a projector that'll do 1080p through coaxial cable to a 1950's tube set for only $799.00! :D

We could have some fun with this...for instance, I heard a rumor the other day that Optoma and Infocus are merging to form Infotoma. Or was it Optofocus? :D

Seriously though, it's kind of exciting when you hear something like you've 'teased' us with and anyway, dreaming is fun but who knows, there may be substance to this?

If it comes true, we heard it from you first! :)

Wayne

Wayne,
Wow, I didn't know that Infocus is coming out with a projector that'll do 1080p through coaxial cable to a 1950's tube set for only $799.00! Ha ha...

And thanks for the advice about sending in my pj. I'll get it in...right after I watch the SW EP3 dvd that comes out on Tuesday!!

I think that's a good move jedi.

Hopefully you'll have it back working as good as new and just in time for your Thanksgiving/Christmas football and movie season.

Wayne

Ok guys, I was right about the new Infocus pj...and wrong. The great news is that the SP5000 is already out, and it has 720p resolution. It looks like the MSRP may have been $1599 or so, but I have found it for several bills less than that. You can go right to Infocus.com to get info on it. The bad news(maybe not?)is that this pj is an LCD, with a 1200:1 CR. I'd have to see it in action, but I'd bet that the H31 would kill it on contrast and black levels. There, you heard it from me first. Let's discuss...

So that puts its specs in with the old Sanyo Z2 and Panny 500.......

Mr. E and Jedi, How you guys doing? Haven't been in here in a while, just wanted to see how things were going?

HeadRusch,
Yep, those specs aren't doing too much for me. I mean, it would be nice to have 720p, but going from a CR of 3000:1 to less than half of that is a deal killer for me. I love the film-like look of dlp, so I'm not sure if an LCD is a good idea for me either. Still, I think that this pj might put pressure on the industry to produce more 720p machines at a lower price point. It looks like Infocus still uses the M1 port for dvi on this new pj as well. Bad move...

Lenny,
How the heck are you? Good to hear from you after all this time. I'm still loving my H31, except for a couple of problems I'm having right now. I've got an RMA to send it in. I've gone from an 84" diagonal image to 98" on a new DIY screen, and it's fantastic. It cost me a whopping $20. How's your system?

Ok guys, I was right about the new Infocus pj...and wrong. The great news is that the SP5000 is already out, and it has 720p resolution. It looks like the MSRP may have been $1599 or so, but I have found it for several bills less than that. You can go right to Infocus.com to get info on it. The bad news(maybe not?)is that this pj is an LCD, with a 1200:1 CR. I'd have to see it in action, but I'd bet that the H31 would kill it on contrast and black levels. There, you heard it from me first. Let's discuss...

The 5000 has been out for quite a while, and is not really new. And you are correct in that it is no where near as good as the 4805 & H31 machines.

Main 5000 Thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=429949

Some talk about screen shots of a 5000 (now archived)
http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=455827&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

--Eric

Jedi,

System is doing great, theater is coming along a little slow due to working every waking minute. Hopefully I'll have some time this Fall to finish it up! I'm loving the H31 still, just watched Batman Begins and let me just say the PQ looks amazing! I'm hoping to get HD Directv set up by the time the football playoffs come around which will be real cool. Nice increase in screen real estate, did you get smaller front speakers?

Hi Lenny. :)

Hope all's well with you. Glad that you're still enjoying your H31. I'm the same with my H57 except for a case repair and buzzing noise that I had to send it in for but it's back now and all seems well.

Just picked up Star Wars III this afternoon. Can hardly wait to try it out on the pj.

Wayne

Hey Wayne,

Yea I'm looking forward to seeing how the SW III transfer was, I'm sure it is top notch. Plus Lucas' films have the best Surround sound! How's the weather up there, any snow yet? :)

We've had very good weather for the time of year. In the 50 to 60 degree fahrenheit range.

No snow, but Hockey's back!! Yeah baby!

Are you a Carolina Hurricanes fan? They're awesome this year.

Wayne

For the home team yes, I grew up as a Whalers then Rangers Fan being from Connecticut. I used to go to tons of Bruins games when I lived in Rhode Island...so I guess I'm just a hockey fan and love the game.

Eric,
Oops, sorry about that. I guess none of us here knew about the 5000. And I was patting myself on the back for finding it first. Haha. Yep, it sounds like the quality is not up to what we're used to. Oh well, I'm still happy.

Lenny,
No, my Martin Logan Quests are still in place. My original screen was in a portable case that sat on the floor behind my speakers and amps. My new screen is mounted on the wall behind the speakers, which means I gained about 6 to 8 inches of space from where the portable screen sat, to the wall where the screen is now. Somehow, that increase of distance allowed me to fan out my image quite a bit for a bigger diagonal size without projecting onto my front speakers. Now, this works fine for me, since I'm the one watching from the middle position all the time. Those who unlucky enough to be off center might lose one of the side edges of the image to one of my speakers. It won't be too bad for just 2 people sitting on my futon(I'd want to cuddle up with a sexy woman anyway...if I can find one who'd let me). More than that could be trouble. Well actually, I moved my couch up closer to the screen since SDE isn't a problem, and now there's room to seat people behind my couch. I recently added 2 Bass Shakers to my futon. I didn't know if they work work well with this type of couck, but they are magical. It's so fun to feel the couch really shake when explosions happen.

I made some other improvements early this morning as well. My Velodyne powered subwoofer(12", 200 watt amp) was out into my room about 3 feet or so, lined up with my center and fronts. In fact, the center sat on top of the sub. I decided to move the sub back to the wall (directly under the screen), and put the center on a small table, still in line with the fronts and at the same height. This multiplied my bass since it is now coupling with the floor and the wall better, and the center is clearer since it's not getting as many mechanical vibrations from sitting on top of a sub. Cool!! Another benefit is that I'm getting better seperation and dynamics from my fronts and surrounds. Maybe the previous position of the sub was messing things up without my knowing.

Wayne,
Yeah man, you know I had to rush out and get EP3 today as well. BB offered a free exclusive EP3 lithograph to Reward Zone members who bought the dvd or SW Battlefront II videogame. The game looks fun, but I'll wait out that $50 price tag. I have too many unopened games and movies as it is. I started watching SW ANH this afternoon before work just to refresh my memory in terms of quality, and will finish that up in just a bit. My goal is to get through the original trilogy if I can stay awake, then pop in the new one. I don't know if I can do that, but I'm going to try. I haven't seen any of the SW movies on my new screen until now.

Hey guys, I was surfing around last night and came across a site that can special order an H31 bulb for $259!!! PM me if you want the link.

Having trouble findout out why I get these purple lines roll continuously from the bottom of the screen to the top....happens when I watch DVD and TV through the HDTV cable box.

I am using a component cable from DVD player to receiver and also a component cable from Cable box to Receiver....I then have a 30 foot component cable going from the Receiver to the Projector.

Anyone ever see this before....is one of the component cables possibly bad...maybe the 30 foot to the projector?

Tones, try this:

1) Try shorter component cables...see if that makes a difference
2) Try the same long cables but NOT connected through the receiver

I'm guessing its one or the other introducing interference in the signal....since the cable run is pretty long, combined with the receiver offering its own resistance.....that could be part of the problem.

Give it a shot.

The problem seems to be the cable wire going in back of the receiver....if I disconnect it the lines are totally gone. Now I just have to find out how to fix it.

That's a ground loop problem. Search out ground loop for intormation on electrical fixes.

Having trouble findout out why I get these purple lines roll continuously from the bottom of the screen to the top....happens when I watch DVD and TV through the HDTV cable box.

I am using a component cable from DVD player to receiver and also a component cable from Cable box to Receiver....I then have a 30 foot component cable going from the Receiver to the Projector.

Anyone ever see this before....is one of the component cables possibly bad...maybe the 30 foot to the projector?

This has been covered quite extensively in the 4805 thread - you can search for "ground loop" in the "Official" thread for loads of solutions and problem solving for ground loop issues.

I bought a surge protector that had a ground for the coax cable for my HD STB, and it got rid of my scrolling lines for HDTV.

tones,
Try a cheater plug for the receiver. It's a 3 to 2 adapter for the power plug. It may solve your problems by simply lifting the ground. You might also want to try this on your other av gear as well.

That's a ground loop problem. Search out ground loop for intormation on electrical fixes.

2 simple fixes for ground loops:

Plug ALL of your Audio/video components AC into the same wall outlet (w/pwr strips)> Everything, projector, sub, receiver, tv, dvd, etc.

Or, get those AC ground lift adapters (market, radio shack, etc.) and lift the ground on only those components that aren't plugged into the same wall AC outlet. i.e., probably the projector AC or Sub AC plugs (these are usually far from the receiver and tend to be plugged into a different wall outlet).

Good luck.

Fleaman

When should I go about cleaning my h31 lens... I have had the h31 for about 3 months now and have about 110 hours on my bulb. Is there any special thing you guys use for a safe clean with no scratching of the lens?

When should I go about cleaning my h31 lens... I have had the h31 for about 3 months now and have about 110 hours on my bulb. Is there any special thing you guys use for a safe clean with no scratching of the lens?

Wow you guys do not watch movies much do you?;)
I have my Ezpro745 for 4.1/2 weeks now and I have 250 hours on my bulb already :o

Wow you guys do not watch movies much do you?;)
I have my Ezpro745 for 4.1/2 weeks now and I have 250 hours on my bulb already :o

Nah we only watch about 1 every 3 days or 2 every day for 1 day a week or something... it makes it more special that way ^^. ANy advice on cleaning the lens?

Thanks

Nah we only watch about 1 every 3 days or 2 every day for 1 day a week or something... it makes it more special that way ^^. ANy advice on cleaning the lens?

Thanks


I'm not an expert....so hopefully someone with more knowledge will post, but...

If there is only dust on the lens, blow it off with an air canister (make sure to purge the canister of moisture!).

If there is a smudge, well, you should use one of those micro-cloths or lens cleaning paper (from camera stores). Just fog up the lens with your breath (careful with the spit) and wipe very gently. Make sure you already blew the dust off with an air canister!

I have cheated and used a 100% cotton super soft clean t-shirt and my breath and was careful and managed to clean w/o scratching.

Also note that when the projector is on, you will also probably see dust/dirt specs on the other side of the lens....nothing you can do about that....

Fleaman

Is this the "official" thread for the H31 PJ? Are there any owners in the WashDC/VA area?

Are there any owners in the Virginia/Maryland area?

Can someone please explain what constitutes a light leakage problem? My H31 is ceiling mounted, (about 6 inches below) and there is a sliver of light on the ceiling above the projector. There is also a small "halo" on the ceiling in front of the projector. The stray light does is not really distracting, but I am wondering how these issues compare to other owner's experiences.

Does anyone know how to change the ADC settings in the service menu. After I press Up +Enter twice, then Left + Enter Twice and then UP + LEft + DOwn, I have access to all the other options in the Service MEnu execpt for the ADC settings. The ADC option is greyed out.

This happens for both Component and DVI.

Any Suggestions?

Light spill is light from the bulb leaking out the vents.

ADC is only available with the Progressive signal. I wouldn't mess around with the service menu. Everything you need is in the User menu area's, Picture and Image.

Some users messed around in the ADC with the Auto-cal items and mucked up the projectors colors.

I would like to get a list going of everyones user settings for the H31's. Settings differ with each setup but it would be nice to see everyones configs.

Here's mine:

Component
Mode = Cinema
Contrast = -4
Brightness = -1
Color = 17
Sharpness = 28
Gamma = 1
White Peaking = 0
Color Temp = 2

Advanced:
Green Contrast = 2
Red Contrast = 0
Blue Contrast = 0
Green Brightness = 1
Red Brightness = 0
Blue Brightness = 0

Service Menu
Picture
Gain Red = 177
Gain Green = 173
Gain Blue = 174
Contrast Red = 129
Contrast Green = 124
Contrast Blue = 129

This is my configuration for a 92" Graywolf with light walls and ceilings but darkened room.

I have ordered the Optoma H31. I see that it has a DVI-I input. And I believe my Cable box SA HD 8300 has a DVI-I output. So I am assuming I need to order a DVI-I cable or will a DVI-D cable work?

I have ordered the Optoma H31. I see that it has a DVI-I input. And I believe my Cable box SA HD 8300 has a DVI-I output. So I am assuming I need to order a DVI-I cable or will a DVI-D cable work?


A DVI-D cable will work.

Are there any owners in the Virginia/Maryland area?

gdemery,

I've got one here in Falls Church. Bought it sight unseen on the web. Could not be happier.

I have a H31 and i feed it with a DVI 480p signal from my HTPC with a 6600LE graphic card with nvidia purevideo decoders. I find the picture to be very sharp and the colours is very good, its a big step up from my old X1. However..

Aproximately every 8-10 second there is a horisontal "bunch" of lines floating up the screen, this noticable especially when there is a camera shoot following a horisontal movement. this might be more of a HTPC thread issue but maybe there is someone whos seen this before, and have some tips of what to do???

I'm considering the H31 but have one concern. It will occasionally be hooked up to a laptop VGA out for viewing photos. I don't need pixel-perfect mapping over DVI. If the H31 can take 1024x576 or 1280x720 over VGA, that would be just fine.

I don't care about tearing because all DVD and TV watching is from a set-top DVD player and cable box, not the computer. Computer use would be strictly for looking at photos and video clips from my digital camera.

Can someone please explain what constitutes a light leakage problem? My H31 is ceiling mounted, (about 6 inches below) and there is a sliver of light on the ceiling above the projector. There is also a small "halo" on the ceiling in front of the projector. The stray light does is not really distracting, but I am wondering how these issues compare to other owner's experiences.
Konde,

The H31 has two problems:

1. REALLY bad leakage from front and side vents.

To see this, you need to completely block light from the lens. The easiest way is to use a photo lens cap, but you can simply tape a piece of cardboard in front of the lens. Look around the projector, and you will see several light spills.

2. Stray reflections from the lens housing.

For cosmetic reasons, the plastic ring surrounding the lens is silver. This is terribly stupid! It is well known from various optical equipment (film-camera lenses, photo lenses, etc.) that flat black surfaces must be used to minimize stray reflections.
To deal with this problem, as a temporary measure, I used gaffer's tape (a removable black masking tape) to create a rectangular window in front of the lens to allow the direct light and to block the stray light.
I'd like to use a lenscap with a rectangular cutout in it, but I haven't had time to do this yet.

Mike

i just ordered an h31 which should be here in 7-10 days..two questions:

1) i need a new dvd player, is there enough of a difference between dvi and component input to justify going out and getting a new player to give the h31 a fair audition?

2) is my mac-mini likely to be worth a try as a dvd player (and thus should i go out and get a dvi-i cable as well) ?

looking forward to my first fp having never even seen one in action

Yes, I think it's worth it to use a dvi signal for dvds on the H31. I see a difference. Also, you should get more accurate color through dvi when compared to component, especially right out of the box. Someone else will have to address #2, as I'm not sure.

2) is my mac-mini likely to be worth a try as a dvd player (and thus should i go out and get a dvi-i cable as well) ?


You might want to try the HTPC forum. My guess would be a mac-mini would not be powerful enough. Also, the H31 often has been found not to be HTPC friendly / compatible; mine was not.

You might want to try the HTPC forum. My guess would be a mac-mini would not be powerful enough. Also, the H31 often has been found not to be HTPC friendly / compatible; mine was not. yes, thanks..considerable web searching (especially a review on anandtech) has given me a fairly clear impression that the mini isn't exactly a very good dvd player...but i may go and grab a cheapo dvi cable just to try...can't hurt

i think i will go with one of the panny hdmi dvd players 77 or 97

I'm looking to buy the H31 in dec and was trying to see if most of the kinks have been worked out. I want to make it work with a HTPC and wanted to determine if any recent buyer are having issues with this working anymore and if there are still tearing issues?

I really want to buy one but I'm not sure if I should wait more or start looking at the infocus 480S. :confused:

It seems that Optoma has a fix that allows nVidia cards to work with the H31 over dvi, so that one can achieve 1:1 pixel mapping. I've heard that the tearing issue is either solved or greatly reduced with the new firmware. The last we heard was that they were going to try other video cards as well, but we haven't gotten any results from those tests yet(if they've even happened).

How does one go about getting this "fix"?

Well, one way is to send it in to them. I think Rick(rbastedo-not sure of the spelling) posted some steps that one has to go through. You might try running a search on this thread.

It seems that Optoma has a fix that allows nVidia cards to work with the H31 over dvi, so that one can achieve 1:1 pixel mapping. I've heard that the tearing issue is either solved or greatly reduced with the new firmware. The last we heard was that they were going to try other video cards as well, but we haven't gotten any results from those tests yet(if they've even happened).

Can someone post the firmware version that addresses the tearing issue?
I'd like to know it so that I can try to obtain one with the newer firmware.

Dan

Yes, I think it's worth it to use a dvi signal for dvds on the H31. I see a difference. Also, you should get more accurate color through dvi when compared to component, especially right out of the box.

Jedi - I don't suppose you could elaborate a bit on that? When you say you see a difference what more specifically do you see? Is the image sharper, brighter, more colorful? I have an H27 and an older Sony DVD player that only has non-progressive component output. I'm wondering the same thing, that is if its worth it to upgrade my DVD player to one with digital output.

Does the h31 require a filter change/cleaning every so often... and if so how?

I received my replacement H31 yesterday because of an issue with the power connection on the first one. I noticed that the model number on this H31 is "H31" whereas the first one I received has a model number of "H31(A)". Would you think this means the second one I received is actually from an older batch? The part #'s are identical however.

I also noticed this one was packaged a little differently. The one I received yesterday didn't have a plastic bag is the box for all the cables and the remote control wasn't in the little piece of cardboard like it was in the first one. I also noticed on the H31 I received yesterday that some of the paint was scraped off of one of the component connections on the back of the H31.

It seems to run fine and the colors look great after calibration. I am just wondering if I may have received someone's retruned model. I ordered both of these H31's from CostCo.

What do you guys think?

I've had my H31 for 9 months (66 hours) and finally got around to installing it (Make sure to finish your theater before you buy the projector).

I have a Prismasonic H-1000 lens for cinemascope viewing, and it looks great. :) However, when I use the vertical stretch scaling in the H31, I've noticed a very small amount of the picture is cropped off the top/bottom of the 2.35 picture. I've tried every combination of setting, but nothing works to remove the cropping when scaled.

Does anyone know if this can be remedied in the Service Menu? Or maybe fixed in a newer firmware?

Thanks! :)

I understand now that its the tearing issue i got with my H31, i purchased it just 2 months ago at visualapex, how do know which firmware i got?
I use a brand new htpc, amd3000+, nvidia 6600LE grapfic card with nvidia purevideo decoders, 1GRam etc.. 1to1 pxelmapping, the htpc recognises the projector and everything seems ok, if it wasnt the this tearing problem.
The picture is perfect with dvi connections, if it wasnt this tearing issue.
regarding analog signal i must say that i think my old infocus x1 looks sharper, if i cant solve this i have to sell it.. to bad the picture is perfect besides this

did they fix the tearing issue with the H31 yet?

It seems that Optoma has a fix that allows nVidia cards to work with the H31 over dvi, so that one can achieve 1:1 pixel mapping. I've heard that the tearing issue is either solved or greatly reduced with the new firmware. The last we heard was that they were going to try other video cards as well, but we haven't gotten any results from those tests yet(if they've even happened).

can you elaborate?

the last email i got about 2 weeks ago from coryl stated that they coudn't replicate the problem. i have to laugh at that. i'd like to know if there is a firmware fix and how to go about getting mine updated. if anybody's actually gotten somewhere on this issue, i'd love to hear more about it. i can sync with both, but the tearing is there no matter what and i've followed there "service advisory" to the letter with no difference.

We'll need someone like Rick to pipe in here and comment on the tearing issue. I think he stated that after he got his repaired unit back from Optoma, the tearing had been reduced quite a bit, and it no longer bothered him. I don't know what firmware number one needs for the latest fix, but I will when I get my unit back from repair. Rick, are you out there?

Concerning dvi, the signal seems to have more quality when compared to component. Yes, it seems sharper, and colors look better, but I also think that the image holds together better, and appears less noisy....more like a solid image. Fleaman did a poll where people reported in on the condition of their new H31 out of the box, and it seems that most people reported that dvi looked better, and needed the least amount of adjustment to get a stunning picture. I noticed that component had a bit of a red push when I ran the THX Optimode on a dvd, but dvi was clean. This is a debate that could go on forever, but I'm convinced that dvi is the best, cleanest way to send a signal to the H31.

The H31 doesn't have any filters that need cleaning. I think Tom mentioned that we should try and vacuum the air vents every now and then.

Yep DVI looks a little nicer, sharper, and maybe even gives a little more contrast value.

...And before we get into arguement territory here, Component looks STUNNING as well.

If you have long components, and dont want to invest in a long run of DVI, the picture differences are fairly minimal. Like "Great" versus "A little bit Greater!". Personally I've tried both, and with tweaking got my Component inputs to look just fine, saving me the cost of a run of DVI.

In other words: Component is no slouch either and you'll be happy no matter which cables you go with.

I agree, with the right player component is great. Not quite as sharp but properly calibrated, nearly as good and without as much "mosquito noise" or graininess that you will see with DVI. However, with an animated feature you won't notice the mosquito noise much so DVI and animation are a hot combination.

I noticed a big red push tru component...after calibration avdanced RGB contrast for red was at -8 and 2 for green and blue and even then there was still a hint of red -12 removed it completely... but personally i dont mind a bit more red mainly for fleshtones.

...And before we get into arguement territory here, Component looks STUNNING as well.

If you have long components, and dont want to invest in a long run of DVI, the picture differences are fairly minimal. Like "Great" versus "A little bit Greater!". Personally I've tried both, and with tweaking got my Component inputs to look just fine, saving me the cost of a run of DVI.

In other words: Component is no slouch either and you'll be happy no matter which cables you go with.

My 25ft DVI cable cost me about $38.

No sparklies....no problems with that length...for me at least.

Fleaman