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.


Less mosquito noise/graininess with component???

Really?

Hmmm.

Anyone else noticed this at all?

----maybe the mosquito noise has to do with the different calibration on your dvi input (it's really hard to get both inputs calibrated exactly the same). You certainly can get more mosquito noise (dithering?) depending on the calibration differences.

Fleaman

Yeah, that puzzled me too. I don't see more noise in my dvi signal, I see less overall.

BTW the way, I recently checked out the home theater of a local AVSer who owns the H79, shooting a 109" diagonal image onto a Firehawk screen in a completely darkened room. I can say in all honesty that I think my H31 image compares very nicely to it!! I really didn't see thousands of dollars worth of difference. I will admit that his black levels were super, but his screen is grey(mine is white) and his walls, ceiling, and floors are dark. He's willing to let me see what the H31 looks like in his theater. That should be fun. Still, I am going to work on getting more of my walls dark around the room away from the screen(I haven't done much to my bright side walls or the back), and I may consider painting my screen grey, since it only cost me $20. If I don't like it, heck...I'll buy another one.

Mr.E,
You might be interested in knowing that I finally got to see the Oppo in action in this guy's home theater, and I brought my Zenith 318 along for the ride. After watching the same material on both units, he said it first...he liked the image on my 318 better!! There was better sharpness, and more contrast and color saturation as well. To be fair, he did say that he hadn't been happy with the tweaking of the Oppo settings, and the Zenith, as you know doesn't have any. So, in theory, we both agreed that it should be possible for his Oppo to look like my Zenith. But, therein lies my answer. At this point, I don't want to buy another upconverting dvd player and try to get it to look like my Zenith when I already have a great picture right now. Also, we witnessed several quirks in my 318. It didn't even powerup correctly with the dvi cable connected(I forget about this at first). We also saw pixel cropping on the right side, and the 720p image showed funny colors in some letters on the screen(1080i was fine). Maybe getting the Oppo might make sense down the road if I find a killer deal, and it wouldn't have any of the quirks I live with now, plus I'd gain some tweaking power that I don't have at the player end. Food for thought...

In my experience, the differences between component and DVI have not been subtle. I noticed a tremendous gain in overall quality when comparing the two. Sharper, brighter, and more detailed images. I'm using a 50' cable that cost me about 6 times more than fleaman's but it's high end and I expect it to last me for life! :) I'm using an HTPC so this may account for the difference between component and DVI cables that I'm seeing. This was evident with the H31 and now the H57 as well.

jedi,

That's very interesting. The LG/Zenith player can still kick butt! :) In comparing my Oppo to my LG unit, I do like the array of tweaking available with the Oppo. And I've seen every one of the problems that you both experienced with your Zenith on my LG as well. The Oppo doesn't have any of those abnormalities thank goodness.

I would say that as far as upconverting goes, the two players are very similar in quality other than the weird idiosyncrasies with the LG/Zenith. If I had to choose between the two properly calibrated with AVIA, I think I give the edge to the Oppo so that's something that you and your friend might consider doing to really get a feel as to how these two players compare.

But the big surprise is how the Oppo handles analog video. I now use the Oppo exclusively through component and 480i and the projector de-interlaces it resulting in a remarkable picture, not that far off from digital. I use the Oppo for TV shows on DVD and movie watching comes via DVI through my HTPC. It's a winning combination for me. But I'm big on TV shows on DVD and have a large library of titles and watch this genre regularly. The HTPC cannot touch the Oppo when viewing interlaced material.

Unfortunately the LG/Zenith unit isn't known for it's 480i/480p output. This is where you should really go back to your friend's house and do a comparison. You won't believe how sharp and vivid the Oppo will handle video based material through it's non digital outputs. It not only squashes my LG but as I've said, it beats my HTPC as well.

Bottom line, unless those quirks with the Zenith unit are bothersome to you and/or you want better 480p performance, you're wise to stick with your Zenith. The upconverted images probably aren't worth the cost of switching. If I had to do it over again, I'd do it in a minute but I don't know of anyone else using their Oppo exclusively for analog and video based content so take my opinions based on my particular usage.

Wayne

Less mosquito noise/graininess with component???

Really?

Hmmm.

Anyone else noticed this at all?

----maybe the mosquito noise has to do with the different calibration on your dvi input (it's really hard to get both inputs calibrated exactly the same). You certainly can get more mosquito noise (dithering?) depending on the calibration differences.

Fleaman

DVI or HDMI is always better than Component, because there is no conversion involved. DVD is a digital media, and when used with DVI/HDMI the signal is at its best because there is no need to convert the digital signal to analog as in the case of component. In case of component, the signal is converted to analog at the player output, and again converted from analog to digital by the display device, the two stage conversion obviously creates artifacts which are unavoidable. Depending on the DVD player ,display device and cables, this artifacts may be quite visible to almost non existent. Initially I used a Sony NSP55 DVD player with my H31, and the picture was horrible, full of snowy grains. Then I used a Harman/Kardon DVD22 for a while with the H31. Initially I used a cheaper Python Component cable, and the picture quality was really good, but I could see noise in the darker areas, and used to see a very slight ghosting around image borders at times. Then I replaced my cable with a Monster Video2 component cable, and the picture quality was really stunning, absolutely no noticable noise at all. Yes, if I came very close to the screen, I can still see some artifacts. Then recently I upgraded my player to Oppo OPDV971 with DVI interface, using a monster cable. I do see the picture looks little more crisper and the contrast looks better. The Oppo has the DCDi which does helps in reducing the noise to some extent. But good quality disks, such Columbia/TriStar Superbit disks really look very smooth and and stunning with DVI. DVI/HDMI is always better than component, but the player's de-interlacer and cables also play a major role in picture quality.

Hey Wayne,

Thanks for the feedback. We didn't do any dvd viewing over component, but I already know that my 318 looks better over dvi. FWIW, we did our comparisons using the tv show Stargate SG1, but mostly at higher resolution settings. When I get back there, I'll ask for some component viewing. To be fair, I'll have to change the firmware on the 318 for this.

I'm getting ready to splurge into the world of htpc. This same guy is selling me one of his extra pc systems. I'm going to run a FusionHDTV tuner card in it, so I'll need an nVidia card with dvi that can handle it. What would you suggest? I would just love to see what 1:1 pixel mapping looks like.

Well boys, say what you will about component vs DVI. I understand the tech advantages of the all digital concept but note I'm using a Denon 1600 for my component, arguably one of the best players ever for this use so that may account for some of what I am seeing. I tested and tweaked a panasonic S-97 over DVI. Brighter and sharper for sure but noisier IMO. I would like to try the oppo some day though. I was hoping for a custom res from them to pixel match with the 31 but I guess that's not gonna happen. I'd so much like to see a demo of the movietime with the digital connection and pixel matching going on.

I'm getting ready to splurge into the world of htpc. This same guy is selling me one of his extra pc systems. I'm going to run a FusionHDTV tuner card in it, so I'll need an nVidia card with dvi that can handle it. What would you suggest? I would just love to see what 1:1 pixel mapping looks like.

CAUTION:

Many, including myself, have reported unresolved problems with a HTPC and the H31.

jedi,

1 Time is right. It's my understanding that the HTPC problems (syncing and tearing) haven't been universally solved yet. Yours may work but then again it may not. You will inevitably upgrade projectors sometime, maybe even sometime in the not too distant future so it wouldn't exactly be a waste of money to go for the HTPC now. I'm sure you'd get a lot of enjoyment out of your HDTV connection even if the H31 didn't quite do the job.

I'm using the BFG 6600GT OC Nvidia based card. I just had it installed a couple of months ago and I really like it. It's very powerful. I can run resizing in ffdshow @ 1920 x 1080 with ease. It's quiet as well. I've tried ATI cards but I prefer Nvidia. Get into the HTPC forum and do lots of reading. That's what I did and now I know how much I really don't know! :D

When I was able to get the H31 to work with my HTPC, the images were truly amazing. Hopefully you'll have as much luck as some have had with their setups.

Be prepared for lots of work, reading, weeping and gnashing of teeth, hair pulling, learning new bad words, tweaking, frustration and then WOW!!!!!! The results make it all worthwhile. Wait until you see what your H31 looks like with a properly setup HTPC.

Start with this link:

http://htpcnews.com/main.php?id=ffdshowdvd_1

It's really interesting, informative and a super way to get started in HTPC. When you hold your mouse over the images and see how clear they become, this is how they really will look when you're finished setting up your HTPC.

I'm glad you're considering this. Might as well squeeze the best pictures out of your projector that you can right?

And yes, do the comparison of the Oppo and Zenith over component not upconverted. Use some video material again and see what you think. I believe you'll be shocked.

Wayne

Well boys, say what you will about component vs DVI. I understand the tech advantages of the all digital concept but note I'm using a Denon 1600 for my component, arguably one of the best players ever for this use so that may account for some of what I am seeing. I tested and tweaked a panasonic S-97 over DVI. Brighter and sharper for sure but noisier IMO. I would like to try the oppo some day though. I was hoping for a custom res from them to pixel match with the 31 but I guess that's not gonna happen. I'd so much like to see a demo of the movietime with the digital connection and pixel matching going on.

I have a Panny XP30 (same chip as the Denon 1600 I believe) and the Momitsu V880DX for DVI or component (upconverting player if you want...no slouch either).

I'm still thinking the noise might be a calibration difference between the inputs. Is the noise only in the dark colors/blacks? Or do you see the DVI input noise in bright scenes too...like a bright scene from the Incredibles dvd?

Fleaman

Im new to this forum and to projectors for that matter,,

Any help you can give me on setting up my new H31 would be greatly apprciated. I have a 92" grey wolf screen mounting it in the basement with a drop ceiling from 13ft. I am going to be running dvi cables from HD cable and HS dvd player...

Help with settings and any thing else you can think of..thanks..

Oh yes, I have been well warned about the htpc issues with the H31 for months now. You guys know that I'm no stranger to this info. I'm the one who sent a dvi-d cable to Jason for testing. However, it's time to take the plunge for several reasons. A buddy of mine, who happens to be a fellow AVSer(the guy with the Oppo and the H79), owns several htpcs, and he's selling one to me dirt cheap...$200!!! I'd be stupid not to go for it, even if I just used it as a pc. You've got to understand that I'm still using a PIII 500MHz with a 20gb HDD, running W98SE. I'll be getting into an AMD Athlon 64 3400+ with a 200gb HDD(I'll add even bigger ones), WinXP home, a gig of ram, an nVidia card with 128MB of ram, firewire, USB 2.0, and so on. He's even thowing in a new case with more storage bays since he's not using it. I'll need this stronger pc for dvd authoring(I can't do crap with my PIII), recording OTA hd, archiving hd, editing my dvhs tapes, etc. Watching it on my H31 is just one of the advantages that I'll shoot for. I'm also aware that Optoma will have loaded the latest firmware on my H31 when I get it back, and there has been success with nVidia cards and dvi-d from a pc. If I were counting on the old firmware, sure I'd be screwed. I've got help coming from two different local AVSers who have working htpcs, so I'm not alone. Now is the time, believe me!! Right now I can only record 2 OTA shows at the same time, and sometimes I want to record more OTA than that. I also hate having only 250gb in my Dish 942(they've been slow about enabling external HDDs). The pc gives me the option of having larger HDDs, and I've been shown the beauty of removable drives...gotta have it. The sky is the limit. Ok, that's not true...my wallet is the limit, but atleast I'd have options.

Wayne,
It seems that the Fusion HDTV tuner cards fit into a pci slot, and need to work through your system's video card. I'll need a good cpu and video card for that, and the Fusions only work well with certain nVidia and ATI cards. Ofcourse, I'll choose the proper nVidia card, as it has to be from the M or MX series(something like that), and I'll want it to have dvi. It appears that these models have the right software encoding to make the Fusion's job easier.

I think that one of the reasons that we haven't heard much from Rick these days is because he's happy watching his htpc on his H31 with the new firmware. Thanks for the concern, but I'm going into this with my eyes wide shut....I mean open(sorry Nichole). The worst thing that could happen is that I'll wind up with a much better pc than the one that I'm using now, and I'll be able to record and edit OTA hd, author and archive to dvds, work with larger files in XP...the list goes on. All for only $200.

I have had 2 H31's in the past month....there was a minor problem with the first one and the power supply. But both systems worked beautifully and both worked fine on HTPC.

Is there a way you can tell what version of the firmware you have?

I have a H31 (well, it is accually called H30A since I live in europe but it is the same) and I am about to get the new Xbox 360. We dont have HDTV here in europe yet so I have only been able to test 720p and 1080i when I scale the picture from my DVD player. That I must say, was not so impressive.

My question is, how will the games which are in 720p look like on the projector? Anybody tried the old Xbox with any 720p game? I am a bit concerned that I either need to buy a new projector (720p native) or a HD ready plasma/lcd screen.

Any thougts?

Would one of you fine people please check the service menu for the default setting for the color wheel index??? Thanks, Steve

Can someone explain what "ADC" settings are?

Also, what in general is different in calibrating a dlp vs. crt? I know contrast is handled differently, but I suspect there are others (such as the "ADC" setting mentioned above). I can handle crt; I want to get every last ounce of performance out of my H31.

So nobody has tried the new Xbox 360 with there H31?

I have had 2 H31's in the past month....there was a minor problem with the first one and the power supply. But both systems worked beautifully and both worked fine on HTPC.

Is there a way you can tell what version of the firmware you have?

Its nice to hear that some people have been getting it to work well with a HTPC.

Did you have much tearing?

Also how were the reds on the H31? I heard that they can be a little orange?


Dan

Could someone please check the service menu for the default setting for the color wheel index??? My brother went into the service menu and messed up all the settings. I went with gutair mans settings, but there was no setting posted for color wheel index. If someone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

Could someone please check the service menu for the default setting for the color wheel index??? My brother went into the service menu and messed up all the settings. I went with gutair mans settings, but there was no setting posted for color wheel index. If someone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated.

Steve
19400

yocozuna55, Thanks for info.

steve4459 if you are using component and guitarmans settings make the picture look a bit dim as they did for me you can try these...

Film,gamma 1

(My Settings)

Red Gain 176
Gr Gain 155
Bl Gain 176

Red offset 68
Gr offset 62
Bl offset 68

Picture service area,
Gain Red 139
Gain Gr 130
Gain Bl 131

Bias Red 126
Bias Gr 120
Bias Bl 117

advanced rgbc ontrast
red -10
green 2
blue 2
(for the rgb brightness turn the gamma up to 5 when calibrating)this way its way easier to see the greys. Then back down to 1 when finished

rgb brightness red -5
green 3
blue 1

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

I think that one of the reasons that we haven't heard much from Rick these days is because he's happy watching his htpc on his H31 with the new firmware.


Hey - somebody mention me??

I am indeed very happy with my 1:1 pixel mapped htpc& H31.
The tearing does appear once in a while, but so infrequent that it really is not an issue.

Optoma was great, they shipped me a free loaner while they worked on my pj & they actually fixed the thing I sent it to them for.

Yes, I am happy!

Rick

Happy Thanksgiving right back at ya jedi! :) Same to all the rest of my American buddies at AVS.

We in Canada like to separate our holidays from one another so we celebrate our Thanksgiving in October but either way, the turkey tastes the same! :D

Wayne

I read through about 30 pages of this thread. Lots of great info. I will be reading the rest of it while I wait for my H31 to arrive next Friday.

Last summer I built a room in the basement for my BenQ PB6200 projector. It turned out really good. But the BenQ developed the horrid "flicker problem" anyway I will be upgrading to the Optoma H31 which should be more geared toward cinema. Right now I only have a white wall to project the image on. I am thinking about building a DIY SilverScreen paint screen. I really can't see spend hundreds on a screen when I can do nearly the same for fractions of that. Anyway I will post pictures of the projector and the image once I get it, test it out, and calibrate it.

Lithium,
Dude, let me give you some great advice. I'm now using a new DIY screen that anyone can buy from Home Depot for $20!! It's made by Parklands Plastics, and it's essentially a white wallpanel for the shower. They come in 4' X 8' panels, I think. The material is solid enough not to show any waves, and it can be painted. One side has a matte-like finish, while the other is a little shinier, and might be used for high gain. If you don't like your paint job, spend another $20 bucks and buy another one. The info on this is in the DIY screen forum.

I'm getting about a 100" diagonal image out of my screen, but I'm over the edges a bit. Right now, I don't care, I like big images. Ofcourse you can cut the screen easily to anything less than that. The panel fits a 98" diagonal perfectly without going over the edges. This solution should be just as good, if not better than painting your wall, and it's safer if you mess something up on a $20 screen, not the wall itself. The image I'm getting right now is tons better than what I got on my Dalite matte-white 1.0 gain screen, which was flimsy and showed bad waves. Tack this thing up with white nails, or if you use another color, just use whiteout on the heads. You'll also want to use double stick tape on the back to make sure that it sits flush against your wall.

jedi, thanks for the tip. I will be looking more into a screen solution in the next few weeks. I will keep that in mind.

Actually has anyone used just a plain white painted drywall? I would have to guess that the grain for that has to be near 1.0?

Drywall works, but you're going to get a punchier image if you go with an actual screen.
Personally I can recommend the inexpensive but high-performing GRAY WOLF at 106" diagonal. Its pull down, cheap, and really enhances the look of my H31. Blacks got deeper, colors got punchier. And the price was right.

It also helps to hide screendoor so you might be able to sit just a bit closer to the screen, if that was something you wanted to do. It replaced the free "stock" screen I received with my H31 and the difference was night and day.

HeadRusch,

How are your skin tones on a grey screen? When I tried grey, I couldn't really get rid of some trace a grey in my skin tones. Blacks were better, for sure, and most colors were great, but I lost some brightness. I've always been told that the most natural color balance will come from a white screen.

HeadRusch,

How are your skin tones on a grey screen? When I tried grey, I couldn't really get rid of some trace a grey in my skin tones. Blacks were better, for sure, and most colors were great, but I lost some brightness. I've always been told that the most natural color balance will come from a white screen.

Well, without having a professional ISF tech come in and greyscale calibrate my unit, I can say that with the GrayWolf skintones remain natural, if a bit cooler...but does it look wrong? Not to my eyes.

See, things like skintones are so *subjective* its hard to use them as a basis for accurate color IMHO. What looks normal to one person looks pallid to another, so they bump up the color a bit to make things warmer, but then person A now thinks that "Warmer" looks "fake" or sunburned, like inducing a red-push....yikes..

So in summation: I have no qualms with the product, even if its tinging my colors slightly..and if it is, I haven't noticed it...and haven't read many people complain about it.

Because this screen is glass-beaded, it doesn't dim-out the image the way a flat grey screen does (See: DaLite, Carada, pretty much any flat grey material) while muting the colors. I remember projecting on a DaLite sample of their grey material (forget which one) and everything seemed dirty...yellow seemed like dirty yellow, etc. Sure you gotta "calibrate" for that gray screen but I digress....this screen didn't exhibit any of those issues, colors still pop like crazy.

I have the H31 with an Oppo at 1080I upscaled:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v431/lilsupra712/IMG_0118.jpg

HeadRusch

Can i ask you what is your screen (type, grain, compagny, permwall, color) ? Thanks you very much!

note: sorry for my bad language ..english is not my mother language ...

okedou

Certainly, I have a Panaview GrayWolf 106" Diagonal pull-down screen.

It is a High Contrast Grey material that has a fine glass-beading coating sprayed over it. This allows the grey screen to improve blacks/contrast, while not degrading the brightness of the image or turning the colors murky as flat-gray screens can often do.

I believe the official gain rating on this screen is 1.8. It is also retroreflective, this means that if you ceiling-mount your projector high above your head, your gain will not be as great as if you have the projector table-mounted. The closer your eyes are to the center of the lens (in terms of angles) the brighter the screen is.

With all this talk & pics & such I just had to order a new 92" GrayWolf screen.
Maybe the WAF can be dealt with by trying to ebay the Panaview matte white screen...

Man, that is one- g r e a t d e a l -over at by dot com - the f r e e s h i p p i n g is only part of the story! Maybe this will help with my 11 foot seating distance!

i hope you guys can help with this one

i have had my optoma h31 for 10 days and watch a movie every day
in most important respects i really like this projector (especially for the money)

--i like the contrast
--i don't see any screendoor at all
--i like the colors
--the noise level is fine

but

--i see rainbows in almost all dark scenes (this is lessening somewhat as i train myself to watch the whole picture and not look around the screen a lot
--also, i find my eyes get very tired toward the end of evenings watching (a movie plus maybe a tv episode from my dvd collection)

so, i wonder, do you need to "break-in" this pj in terms of how you see?
do you get used to the image after awhile?

i have a theory that dlp mirrors might produce an image that is less stable and pehaps more fatiguing than lcd (which i am considering (z3,z4,ae900) but would rather keep the 31)

thanks all

Can someone tell me if they have had their H31 suddenly gain some screen size? I built a custom screen to handle the maximum std zoom. After about 10 hours of use, the picture has suddenly expanded about one inch high and a half inch wide. The unit is ceiling mounted and the screen is attached to a wall. I am now using the edge mask but the sides are now too shallow. Lucky for me I just used some of that Home Depot white board so I'm only out fifteen bucks. Thanks for your help.

I read sometimes the H 31 has a P-VIP bulb and other times an UHP lamp. Which is it and is it a new brand of bulb which can last as promised?
What are differences in the different bulb types?
Thanks

Inukshuk,

The eye fatigue goes away. I've had my H31 for about three months and I love it. I use it to watch DVDs, HDTV, and regular TV. I have yet to see any rainbows and no one else in my family sees them. For me this has been a great buy.

Can someone tell me if they have had their H31 suddenly gain some screen size? I built a custom screen to handle the maximum std zoom. After about 10 hours of use, the picture has suddenly expanded about one inch high and a half inch wide. The unit is ceiling mounted and the screen is attached to a wall. I am now using the edge mask but the sides are now too shallow. Lucky for me I just used some of that Home Depot white board so I'm only out fifteen bucks. Thanks for your help.

The only way this could happen is if the PJ moved back a small amount or if you weren't at max zoom and the zoom control was moved to max. Even just a little amount on the zoom could expand the image a inch or so.

Try using DVI cable and tweak your settings. I'm using an Oppo that seems to make the picture look quite nice. Not all equipment are matched together, I just believe the Oppo and H31 pair very well. You'd have to see for yourselves.

selbster,
So are you using that Parkland Plastics screen like me? I really love it, and it's sooooo cheap.

Rick,
Oh, there you are. Did you get my PM? I could really use some help from you and/or Arty13. Thanks.

jedi35, I did get your PM & I replied.
Didn't you get mine?
I'll try again.

The only way this could happen is if the PJ moved back a small amount or if you weren't at max zoom and the zoom control was moved to max. Even just a little amount on the zoom could expand the image a inch or so.
I agree guitarman. The strange thing is that if it wasn't zoomed all the way out, I should be able to zoom it down to size. If I zoom down, the sides are too short. When the screen was first installed, the image fit perfectly. It seems odd that this would occur just between DVD's with no adjustments of any kind. The projector was never moved either. Oh well. I guess it's one for the X-Files..........Thanks much.

selbster,
So are you using that Parkland Plastics screen like me? I really love it, and it's sooooo cheap.

Rick,
Oh, there you are. Did you get my PM? I could really use some help from you and/or Arty13. Thanks.
Hi jedi35. It was labeled MDF 1/4" White. The receipt calls it 1/4 VINL PNL. It's a little heavy. I went without a border and just mounted it with two small nails to rest on. 3M attachment tape was used to actually mount it to the wall. I like the look. It's very clean looking with black curtains. I'm not sure how much better an actual screen would look. I know it's much better than a painted wall. For 14.99. I'm in. Especially since I may have to replace it.

I agree guitarman. The strange thing is that if it wasn't zoomed all the way out, I should be able to zoom it down to size. If I zoom down, the sides are too short. When the screen was first installed, the image fit perfectly. It seems odd that this would occur just between DVD's with no adjustments of any kind. The projector was never moved either. Oh well. I guess it's one for the X-Files..........Thanks much.

Is the size different with the same DVD (that you used to size the screen in the 1st place)?

If not, and the size is different with different DVD's, then that's just the DVD aspect ratio thing. Also, playing a non-anamorphic dvd can sometimes letter box the image (black bars on all 4 sides!), which would shorten your sides too.

Your comment above seems to suggest the sizing was different between DVD's.

Fleaman

Hi All,

Finally....Finally...Finally got Directv HD (HS-10 HDMI out) hooked up to the Theater! I was amazingly surprised what an awesome picture the H-31 presented. Admittingly I've been looking for a new LCD because of my RBE sensitivity, I just don't know if I can give this little guy up. I also watched Polar Express over the weekend and was amazed by the Video and Audio (turn up the bass) of this movie. The H-31 really shines on this movie, great dark details and beautiful colors.

Anywho, watching MNF in HD is one of the greatest experiences in my theater yet, can't wait for the playoffs and superbowl.

Thanks Rick. You have another PM from me.

selbster,
What diagonal size is your screen? So the panel is rigid and completely flat, or could you roll it if you needed to? What section of Home Depot is it found in?

Hey Lenny,
Nice to see you around.

I'll bet it's a native vs 16.9 thing. Native will have zero overscan, 16.9 will produce 1% overscan. Sheesh it's been so long since the H31, does it have native & 16.9 aspects? :(

How do I upgrade to 1080i mode with my oppo? For some reason I cannot find this particular option. im getting 480/720p.

How does the the H31 compare to the infocus 4805...I had a 4805 on order and my order was lost during shipping...now I am being told they cannot get anymore...so now I am looking at all my options...are the black levels, color and sharpness decent. Also what would be a upgrade to the H31.

Is the size different with the same DVD (that you used to size the screen in the 1st place)?

If not, and the size is different with different DVD's, then that's just the DVD aspect ratio thing. Also, playing a non-anamorphic dvd can sometimes letter box the image (black bars on all 4 sides!), which would shorten your sides too.

Your comment above seems to suggest the sizing was different between DVD's.

Fleaman
Yep. The same Spiderman DVD. My player even has two trays so the DVD wasn't even removed from the player. I 'am going to try a different DVD player and see what happens. I will report back.

Thanks Rick. You have another PM from me.

selbster,
What diagonal size is your screen? So the panel is rigid and completely flat, or could you roll it if you needed to? What section of Home Depot is it found in?

Hey Lenny,
Nice to see you around.
The screen is 88 1/2 diag. It was in the plywood section. It's just a high density particle board that comes in a 4x8 sheet 1/4 thick. Its fairly heavy but nice and flat. Can't beat the price. If you do get one and have them cut it, check for correct size before you leave. I had to go back and have them recut mine. DOH!!

Have anyone tried that HPL (High Pressure Laminate) 4x8 white sheets that is located in the counter top department at Home Depot. That might be good to use as a screen or maybe the texture would render it unusable. Just a thought.

Hi...I have owned the H-31 for about 2 months now and have watched about 20 dvd's and some HD Directv and some SD Directv and am really happy with this Projector...I have a couple questions and need some opionions...I wasnt sure what size screen i wanted so i painted a screen on my finished sheetrock wall using a suggestion on the DIY screen sec....I used Behr Ultra Pure White(no. 2050) and Ultra Pure White ceiling paint(no. 558) 50/50...I was deciding between a 8' wide or 71/2' wide screen so when i painted my screen had to make it a couple inches bigger then the 96"x54" cuz wnen you zoom to 71/2 ft. screen it raises pic a inch or so...I have pretty much decided on the 8' wide...looks great...first question...when i watch HD Directv the pic is shifted to the right a inch or so...is there any solution to this cuz when i get the right size screen i will have a white strip down the left side...Everybody that has seen my proj..has asked why would you need a screen this looks great....I think it looks great also and this was gonna be just temp. till i decided on screen size...what am i going to gain by going to a sceen...Iseen where some are using the parkland board and saying it looks better then painted wall but it doesnt come in the size i would need or does it...will a screen reduce SDE..my main seating is 16 ft. back from screenand i can see it a bit on white scenes(is not a problem at all)my other seating is a bit closer so if i could reduce it that would be great....but i guess what i am wondering is has anyone gone from a painted wall to a screen with this proj. and does it make a big enough difference to justify pay bout 800 for a fixed screen which is what i want....I have burgundy walls,black ceiling tile and a darker gray carpet and i am really happy with the way my theater/game room turned out...I use the zenith 318 for dvd's set at 1080i thru component and DVI out for my RCA DTC210 Directv receiver...and also wondering when you people watch 2:35 AR do you stretch it ,zoom it ro just leave it that way....

thanks alot..

Rick

I wouldn't stretch 2.35 it degrades quality.

I have created a thread to share experiences with the Optoma h31 and the infocus 4805. I was wondering what people experiences are with dealing with warranty claims with each company respectively. What are the reliability issues people have had woth the different projectors? That sort of stuff will be on there. People should check it out. I think many would benefit from sharing information on this thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611258

How does the the H31 compare to the infocus 4805...I had a 4805 on order and my order was lost during shipping...now I am being told they cannot get anymore...so now I am looking at all my options...are the black levels, color and sharpness decent. Also what would be a upgrade to the H31. every bit as good or better...i love my H31...i see rainbows so i think it may have to go back, though i am seeing them somewhat less lately, for the money you can't beat the H31

Video wise the two machines are almost identical....its six of one, half dozen of the other.
Infocus can usually be found slightly cheaper, but the H31 is softer than the 4805 when running and also smaller in size.

Both companies are reputable and have decent warranty service.

Can anyone help me with this problem? I have what appears to be uniform ghosting appearing towards the right in my images. For example...if i'm just on the DVD player's menu and look at the left edge of the full image...there's a hazy vertical line about an inch to the right of the left screen edge, as if there are two images projected, one very faintly and shifted to the right. This is most noticeable on text/menus. I don't think this is edge enhancement because it only happens on one side of objects in the image and it occurs on the DVD player menu, not just in DVD's.

I'm using S-video input to my H31 from a 5 year old DVD player (haven't upgraded yet). 50' s-video cable.

Welcome to AVS, Chip Chanko.

You might try a different and shorter S-video cable just to see if that's the problem, or even a different type of video connection all together. That would be my first move to trouble shoot it.

Thank you for the posting of the access to the service menu! I can now understand what "INKY BLACKS" are and finally red not orange color. I cannot believe what a drastic change this was, the paraphrase of it's like watching things all over again pertains. Much obliged. :D

I decided to take to the chance and bought the H31. I've hooked it up to my HTPC(with a ATI 9600 pro video card) and I got a DVI digital signal :D. I watched a little bit of spiderman2 and nemo and have not noticed any tearing yet. Although since I'm trying to set things up it will be a while before I can serious watch a movie.

I want to find out how to get pixel mapped.
I set my resolution to 856X480 and it says it is in mode 42. What do these modes mean, I did not see a reference to them in the manual?


Next Question, I know that to turn off the projector the light turns orange and then runs the fan for a while before changing to a blinking green. I was wondering if the h31 forces the cooling cycle to finish before you can turn it on again?

Last questions, I heard that a little bit of keystone is ok, how much? Also there is a vertical lens shift does this hurt the image quality too?

Dan

The Jag,
I don't think you'd be out of luck with the Parklands screen. I have one, and they come in 8' X 4' panels. If you use the entire 4' height for your image, it would give you a diagonal size of slightly over 8', which what you wanted, right? I haven't painted my wall, but I can vouch for the image quality of the Parklands. I saw my H31 on a Firehawk screen, and liked it better with my Parklands.

Joe,
If you run a search of my posts on this thread, you'll find a huge comparison that I did of the H31 and the 4805 when I had them both in my home. Both are great pjs, and can't be beat for the money.

Chip,
My advice is to get away from svideo on the H31. Do yourself a favor and move up to component or dvi before you do any serious analyzing of your image.

Dan,
The different modes are set automatically in the H31 for each resolution that it receives. I don't know of a way that you can change them yourself, but you shouldn't concern yourself with these. As long as you're getting a watchable image, let the pj select what mode it wants. So, is your ATI card really giving you the choice of 856/480 in the resolution menu? It was my understanding that ATIs can only give you 848/480 since they can only do horizontal divisions in multiples of 8, where nVidia cards do them in multiples of 2(making 854/480 truly possible). I think that the fan has to go through the cooling cycle before you are allowed to turn the unit back on again. But beware, don't even try to find this out. The bulb is still not cool enough to safely turn the pj back on even after you get the green flashing light. Wait atleast 20 to 30 minutes, or your bulb life will be shorter.

I've heard that some have used more than a few clicks of keystoning and still didn't notice any image degradation. You might want to PM guitarman(Tom) about this. The H31 doesn't really have lens shift capability. It has an image shift feature that will move the 2.35:1 image to the top or bottom of your screen, so that you can use masking to get rid of the black bars. It's my understanding that this will not affect image quality, but I haven't tried this yet.

Thanks. I have a feeling you're right. The only other input I could try was composite, which also had the same problem (and looked far worse). Looks like i'll be getting a new DVD player with DVI output soon.

Welcome to AVS, Chip Chanko.

You might try a different and shorter S-video cable just to see if that's the problem, or even a different type of video connection all together. That would be my first move to trouble shoot it.

Jedi...I am looking for a 8' wide screen so the Parkland would not work...need 54" for height...I will post the differ between painted wall for screen and using real screen over on the screen forum...thought maybe i could get some responses from H-31 owners that have gone this route...I am getting a really nice pic from the painted wall...and does anyone know why when i watch HD from my RCA DTC210 Directtv receiver it shifts the pic about 1" to the right and what i can do about it...
Thanks

Rick

The Jag,

Dan,
The different modes are set automatically in the H31 for each resolution that it receives. I don't know of a way that you can change them yourself, but you shouldn't concern yourself with these. As long as you're getting a watchable image, let the pj select what mode it wants. So, is your ATI card really giving you the choice of 856/480 in the resolution menu? It was my understanding that ATIs can only give you 848/480 since they can only do horizontal divisions in multiples of 8, where nVidia cards do them in multiples of 2(making 856/480 truly possible). I think that the fan has to go through the cooling cycle before you are allowed to turn the unit back on again. But beware, don't even try to find this out. The bulb is still not cool enough to safely turn the pj back on even after you get the green flashing light. Wait atleast 20 to 30 minutes, or your bulb life will be shorter.

I've heard that some have used more than a few clicks of keystoning and still didn't notice any image degradation. You might want to PM guitarman(Tom) about this. The H31 doesn't really have lens shift capability. It has an image shift feature that will move the 2.35:1 image to the top or bottom of your screen, so that you can use masking to get rid of the black bars. It's my understanding that this will not affect image quality, but I haven't tried this yet.

I'll double check but I added a custom resolution of 856X480 in Powerstrip and it changed to it correctly. In terms of the modes, I'd like to know what they mean(mode 42 etc). Also is 856 X 480 the correct resolution to get pixel mapped?

I'll double check but I added a custom resolution of 856X480 in Powerstrip and it changed to it correctly. In terms of the modes, I'd like to know what they mean(mode 42 etc). Also is 856 X 480 the correct resolution to get pixel mapped?

Close enough. The H31 panel is 854x480, so you might get some cropping.

BTW, you should compare 720x480 to 854 (or 856) x480 to see whether the H31 scales better than your HTPC.

I have a Momitsu V800DX w/dvi that can do custom resolutions and I couldn't tell any difference between 720x480 (H31 doing the scaling) or 854x480 (Momitsu doing the scaling). I can't do instant resolution switching on my Momitsu (takes about 20 secs), so it's hard to see differences when they are minor or not there.

In my case, I just let the H31 scale it (sending 720x480 from the Momitsu), since I couldn't tell a difference anyway.

Modes: I don't think anyone here knows the mode breakdown. But I do know that there is a mode for just about every resolution you send it...at different refresh rates. Meaning 854x480 @60hz is a different mode than 854x480 @75hz. I wouldn't concern myself with the modes, the fact that the H31 recognized the signal and assigned a mode to it is all that counts.

Fleaman

Well I got my new Graywolf screen today, its a beauty!
Things definitely look a lot better, and the 1.8 gain means I can tolerate some ambient lighting now with my H31.

I suppose calibration is completely different with this screen?
I used Toms numbers with my matte white 1.0 screen, which worked great.

Oops, I guess I was pretty sleepy when I made that last post. I meant to say that 854/480 was the correct rez for the H31.

Rick,
How is the Greywolf doing with hanging completely flat? Do you see any waves at all? Also, it appears that my Athlon 64 pc only allows AGP 4X from my ATI Radeon 9600 card. I thought that the card was capable of 8X. Is there a way that I can force it to do 8X? Getting into the pc BIOS was of no help at all.

[QUOTE=guitarman]
I ran gamma check on each using gamma 2,3 and each time gamma 1 got closet to 2.2 and much flatter with using either Film or PC.

For you guys using DVI here's the numbers for D65k

First in the service area setting up Image/Film gamma 1
Picture -
Gain Red 167
Gain Gr 158
Gain Bl 155

Bias Red 123
Bias Gr 125
Bias Bl 125

DLP's are all at 32

Next PC gamma 1
Service picture area remains the same, just use the User Advanced RGB

Red Contrast minus 2
Gr Contrast 0
Bl Contrast 0

Red Brightness 1
Gr Brightness 0
BL Brightness 1

Don't change any other things in the service menu, just Picture. Don't mess around in there. Oh plus write down your original service Picture RGB numbers.

After changing use avia for black and whites my user blacks&whites were the following, at least for PC gamma1 which I'll be using.

Cinema
Contrast minus 17
Brightness zero
"

I read the forum and appreciate very much everybodies opinion and help. With 107 hours on my H31 with the Oppo digital dvd player and the DVI connection I have a stunning picture on the Greywolf Panoview screen.
I have adjusted in the service menu the colors according to Guitarman for dvi. Also contrast and brightness (+7 and -9) are superb adjusted with the Avia calibration.
Where I would like some help is the Gamma, White peak and advance color setting. Right now wite peak is at 6, Gamma at 1, Cinema mode and Film setting and advance color is at -6, -11, 8, 2, -2 and 2 (from top to bottom).
Brightness on the oppo is -3 - as they told me to do with this connection.
Has anybody an opinion on how to improve the picture - especially in color in that combination?
Thanks

[QUOTE=jedi35]
Rick,
How is the Greywolf doing with hanging completely flat? Do you see any waves at all?

I have the Greywolf (for about 4 months) and there are no waves in it at all. Here is a little hint to avoid having waves: Hang it absolutely level - chances for waves are minimal.

Oops, I guess I was pretty sleepy when I made that last post. I meant to say that 854/480 was the correct rez for the H31.

Rick,
How is the Greywolf doing with hanging completely flat? Do you see any waves at all? Also, it appears that my Athlon 64 pc only allows AGP 4X from my ATI Radeon 9600 card. I thought that the card was capable of 8X. Is there a way that I can force it to do 8X? Getting into the pc BIOS was of no help at all.

I also have a athlon 64 with the ati 9600. Where did you check to see it is only running at 4x? I'll check on mine.

My GW screen is flat - I see no waves.
The paperwork that came with it suggest rolling it up when not in use, so I am doing that.
I'll get out my level tomorrow and make sure it is.

Sorry, don't know much about ATI cards except that I had one for a short time while trying to get my H31 to sync over DVI-D.

Got my new H31 yesterday and fired it up. Trying to tweek (I guess the settings above in thread are best).

Ques 1: Problem is that in the 'Display' menu the user guide says there is a '4:3 Mode' with 3 modes and a '1080i mode' with 2 modes. However when I bring up my 'Display' menu neither of these appear in my options (have all others)--what is happening--does this unit have old software????

Ques 2: I have it hooked to Samsung 950 HDMi to DVI on H31 direct and the best resolution I'm getting is 720??

Ques 3: Right now I'm waiting on my Carada screen to arrive, but just showing it on a 'whaite wall' I can see pixels (have it about where it would be once fully set-up) what am I doing wrong??


Thanks for any help on these H31 owners/guru's!

showing it on a 'whaite wall' I can see pixels

With mine at about 11 feet back from the screen I could see pixels while using my Matte White 1.0 Panaview screen.

Now that I have my GrayWolf that effect is gone.

It makes a world of difference what you are viewing the image on, and your distance from the screen, size of screen.

Got my new H31 yesterday and fired it up. Trying to tweek (I guess the settings above in thread are best).

Ques 1: Problem is that in the 'Display' menu the user guide says there is a '4:3 Mode' with 3 modes and a '1080i mode' with 2 modes. However when I bring up my 'Display' menu neither of these appear in my options (have all others)--what is happening--does this unit have old software????

Ques 2: I have it hooked to Samsung 950 HDMi to DVI on H31 direct and the best resolution I'm getting is 720??

Ques 3: Right now I'm waiting on my Carada screen to arrive, but just showing it on a 'whaite wall' I can see pixels (have it about where it would be once fully set-up) what am I doing wrong??


Thanks for any help on these H31 owners/guru's!

Q 2: 720x480 is the correct resolution for DVD, it's as pixel mapped as you can get with DVD (480 is mapped, 720 is scaled to 854).

Q3: You should not see any pixels from 2x screen width (not diagonal) away. Although, if you have 20/15 vision you might see pixels in white text on the screen.

Q 1: Not sure about this, but I think the 1080i mode won't come up unless you're feeding a 1080 signal. Possible the 4:3 modes might not come up if you are feeding a 16:9 anamorphic signal. But, I'm really not sure about this.

Fleaman

With mine at about 11 feet back from the screen I could see pixels while using my Matte White 1.0 Panaview screen.

Now that I have my GrayWolf that effect is gone.

It makes a world of difference what you are viewing the image on, and your distance from the screen, size of screen.

What size is your graywolf??

Fleaman

Well I got my H31 last week. I have been happily testing and viewing away on it. I will be writing a formal review for anybody interested in purchasing later next week.

I want to ask a few questions though...

I ran AVIA and adjusted all the basic stuff.
I was wondering what I should use to adjust RGB contrast and brightness.
Also is there anything deadly important to adjust in the service menu and if so what test pattern should be used.
And I noticed that reds do kind of appear "orangey" can adjusting service menu items fix that? I think I read DVI fixes it but I will be keeping with Component.

Thanks!

rbastedo,

Is your H31 ceiling mounted? Just curious as many have stated that the graywolf only matches well when using the H31 from a non ceiling mounted position.

Is your H31 ceiling mounted? Just curious as many have stated that the graywolf only matches well when using the H31 from a non ceiling mounted position. i have (had) the graywolf and noticed that the image degrades just by standing up and looking at it

great screen but it only works in a table mounted setup when you are sitting down looking at it

it looks washed out and dull when the pj is ceiling mounted

i bought it in a bundle from XXX and you can see that optoma is marketing it at first timers like me who will put the pj on the coffee table for movie night

one more thing, i worked hard to hang it level and i think it was level but i still had waves and they drove me nuts

i am returning the whole bundle and getting another pj because i see rbe on the 31 but if i had kept the bundle i would definitely consider cutting the graywolf from the housing and putting it on a board to mount it

if you are going to table mount it is a beautiful screen with a punchy image and really reduces screendoor

Hi I'm trying to find out the size of the center mount hole on the bottom of the H31. The three other holes are M3, which make me a bit nervous since they are really tiny. I'd like to put a screw into the bigger center screw hole too, but no size is indicated. Does anyone know the size?


Dan

dandiodati,

The large hole is intended for mounting on a photo/video tripod or some other stand using the standard (in the U.S.) 1/4" 20 thread.

Mike

The H31 is really light..I have mine suspended from the ceiling using nothing but the tripod mount screw hole....its fine.

Is your H31 ceiling mounted? Just curious as many have stated that the graywolf only matches well when using the H31 from a non ceiling mounted position.

Yes, but my ceilings in that space are slanted so the PJ is really about 6 feet high and so it is only about 2 feet above my head when I am sitting.

I haven't noticed any difference in PQ moving around my seating area, but I admit that is a small space.

I just took the plunge and bought....
-Optoma H31
-Oppo 971 dvd player with newest firmware
-Da-lite High Contrast Matte White 77" (could fit 84" but don't want sde)
-dvi cable
-ceiling mount
I can't wait until this all gets here. I have been reading this forum for 6 months or more so it is about time. Just in time for christmas!

You should love that setup! I just bought a new Oppo and DVI cable myself after my _old_ Toshiba w/ components (no progressive) died. It's so much better! Things like the details in the background on Ep. III, or like the rain in Sin City come through so much more crisp and clearer with my new setup!

Also, I haven't bothered to calibrate the DVI output on the H31 yet. It looks as good (to my eyes) as my component connection calibrated by avia without touching a setting! This has all been said before, but I just thought I'd reiterate it again.

Two thumbs up!

I just took the plunge and bought....
-Optoma H31
-Oppo 971 dvd player with newest firmware
-Da-lite High Contrast Matte White 77" (could fit 84" but don't want sde)
-dvi cable
-ceiling mount
I can't wait until this all gets here. I have been reading this forum for 6 months or more so it is about time. Just in time for christmas!

:) Congrats on taking the plunge...I've had the H31 since Feb. and still am amazed at the picture. Let us know how you like the Oppo 971 been thinking of adding that player.

Tom

Hi, I am looking to purchase a ceiling mount for my H31, any suggestions on the good/cheap side.
Thanks in advance.

Look into the PanaVice telescoping mounts for Closed Circuit Cameras. It has a single screw on the end which threads perfectly into the single tripod mount on the bottom center of the H31. Thats what I use, and it works out perfectly.

Didn't use this vendor, but this is what I use for mine inverted from the ceiling:
http://www.ambientweather.com/db882t.html

Since it telescopes you have some nice options on adjusting the hanging height.


If you have yours in an area where it might get whacked alot, then you should consider one of the pronged-mounts (that use the actual mounting holes) that are a bit more robust.

Hi, I am looking to purchase a ceiling mount for my H31, any suggestions on the good/cheap side.
Thanks in advance.

I got my ceiling mount from a very popular auction site.....
There are three mount optins there.
I will let you know how mine is (the one with the 4 inch drop from the ceiling) when it gets here.

Hey, this thread is starting to get back to the good ole days. Bravo!!

dandiodati ,
In the ATI Catalyst Control Center, there are several dropdown menus. One of those shows you how your card is performing, and that's where I saw 4X, not 8X.

i hope you guys can help with this one

--i see rainbows in almost all dark scenes (this is lessening somewhat as i train myself to watch the whole picture and not look around the screen a lot
--also, i find my eyes get very tired toward the end of evenings watching (a movie plus maybe a tv episode from my dvd collection)

i have a theory that dlp mirrors might produce an image that is less stable and pehaps more fatiguing than lcd (which i am considering (z3,z4,ae900) but would rather keep the 31)

thanks all

If you have to look around the screen a lot, most likely your screen is too big and you aren't far enough back. Sounds wierd, but if you have to search around the picture instead of being able to 'take it all in' your eyes and head are doing a lot more work then they are accustomed to. Some people don't mind it but most people get tired of looking around for 2 hours at a time. Just a thought..

Hi all.. I just set up my H31 last week and had the opportunity to watch a couple movies so far. Even uncalibrated on a white wall it looked unbelievable! I notice SDE, but only on bright scenes and then I have to really look for it. Seating is 16' from a 110" screen. I'm about to get AVIA or DVE for calibration and am also experimenting with paint formulas for a screen. I've got some Behr Silverscreen and am going to try making up some different mixes with silver metallics, white pearls and other metallics. This forum has been a huge help in deciding on a projector and getting screen ideas! Thanks everyone!

That sounds about right to me. I'm projecting a 106" diagonal screen, and, at 18', I'd consider myself at the borderline of SDE.

Try projecting a bit smaller image and/or move back a foot or two and I think you won't notice it at all anymore. I don't.

I want to find out how to get pixel mapped.
I set my resolution to 856X480 and it says it is in mode 42. What do these modes mean, I did not see a reference to them in the manual?

Dan

You want to set powerstrip to 848x480 to be pixel-mapped. Not sure about the modes - never seen "modes" in powerstrip.

I have no idea what you guys are talking about when you say 4x or 8x, unless you are talking about the number of lanes (AGP = 8, PCI Express = 16).

BTW, make sure you put "wait for vertical refresh" in the CCC to always on. It is in the 3D panel. This will prevent any tearing. And if upgrade to the newer drivers (5.10 - 5.12), then you will be able to use motion-adaptive de-interlacing with your software DVD player - again, you can access it through the CCC.

You want to set powerstrip to 848x480 to be pixel-mapped. Not sure about the modes - never seen "modes" in powerstrip.

I have no idea what you guys are talking about when you say 4x or 8x, unless you are talking about the number of lanes (AGP = 8, PCI Express = 16).

BTW, make sure you put "wait for vertical refresh" in the CCC to always on. It is in the 3D panel. This will prevent any tearing. And if upgrade to the newer drivers (5.10 - 5.12), then you will be able to use motion-adaptive de-interlacing with your software DVD player - again, you can access it through the CCC.

help me out here, is CCC the ati control panel? please explain. thx

CCC is the Catalyst Control Center for your ATI card. It is where you can access the 3D panel for anti-aliasing, v-sync, etc.

Hope Guitarman sees this. I have had my H31 for about a year now and am very happy with it. The problem is the Zenith 318 dvd player I have hooked to it via DVI cable. I have had to unplug the dvi cable from the player everytime I turn it on because if I don't it locks up at "Hello". I have read this has something to do with some sort of handshake between the H31 and the dvd player. My question is, "Is there an upconverting dvd player that I can use my dvi cable with that won't lock up with this projector?" Also will the picture quality be as good as the Zenith 318 and will it be able to play all dvds (copies, dvd-r, etc). Any response from anyone would be appreciated. Thanks

I was under the impression that the Zenith is the worst of the upconverting players to use with an H31 because its upconversion over DVI is sub-par.

In fact, I was under the impression that using ANY upconverting player with the H31 produced a softer image, whereas sending the projector the native 843x480 signal allowed for the sharpest overall image to be shown.

The Zenith is a great upconverting DVD player, but mostly over component, and then mostly only to CRT devices where the upconversion process results in the removal of visible scanlines in the image...something that isn't an issue with fixed-pixel devices like digital projectors.

<??????>
I think the current fan favorite upconverting player, however, is the OPPO....followed by one of the Samsungs I think...

I've read about the OPPO but I think from the little I've read that it won't play anything but copy righted dvd's. If I burn something on my own from what I've read, it won't play. Also I noticed with the Zenith that my Optoma would never show the 1080i mode your suppose to see in the menu settings when your upconverting. Never really understood that since the Zenith was only ever played in the 1080i mode.

Well, I dont know enough about the Oppo myself to comment except that I'd be surprised if it didn't play DVD-R's. As for the upconverting DVD Player part....what I read said that all the upconversion did on an H31 was make the image look softer.

Sending true native 480 to the H31 will result in a stunning picture....so like I said, you rmileage may vary. Upconverting on my CRT based RPTV has a noticible difference in quality, but its MOSTLY centered around seating distances......visually the image looks a tad bit softer overall, but I can sit closer to the screen.

elc42,

You can play virtually any disc in the Oppo and it'll display it on any device. I play rented, purchased and burned with CCS encryption without a problem. I don't use it to upconvert though. I'm an HTPC guy but I do use it for it's exceptional analog performance when viewing video based material. Film based stuff is very good as well but my HTPC handles that better. Unfortunately the computer doesn't display video based material as well as the Oppo.

I also have the LG/Zenith player and have found the Oppo to be better.

Wayne

You want to set powerstrip to 848x480 to be pixel-mapped. Not sure about the modes - never seen "modes" in powerstrip.

I have no idea what you guys are talking about when you say 4x or 8x, unless you are talking about the number of lanes (AGP = 8, PCI Express = 16).

BTW, make sure you put "wait for vertical refresh" in the CCC to always on. It is in the 3D panel. This will prevent any tearing. And if upgrade to the newer drivers (5.10 - 5.12), then you will be able to use motion-adaptive de-interlacing with your software DVD player - again, you can access it through the CCC.

Cool. I'll have to get the latest drivers and install CCC. Currently I don't have it installed. By the way how can 848X480 by pixel mapped when according to the manual the project has a resolution of 854X480? I have been able to set both 854X480 and 848X480 in powerstrip and the projector seems to register both? Oh and by modes I mean the mode shown on the projector. Just wanted to determine which mode the projector should be in to be pixel mapped.

Dan

New Optoma H31 user....

What are some picture setting changes I can make for watching dvd's. I have a upconverter dvi dvd player.

It seems the PC image mode looks the best with the facotry settings.
Is that the mode I want to use to watch dvd's?

What other changes can I make?

Thanks

New Optoma H31 user....

What are some picture setting changes I can make for watching dvd's. I have a upconverter dvi dvd player.

It seems the PC image mode looks the best with the facotry settings.
Is that the mode I want to use to watch dvd's?

What other changes can I make?

Thanks

You can try CMRA's DVI settings (worked for me).

Here's his post from a while back:

Or, my drop dead gorgeous almost think it's a CRT settings.I knew it was good. I knew it could be better. Tom even let me know I didn't have to enter the service menu to make it happen. He was right. So you want blue skys? Black blacks? White whites? Gorgeous fleshtones? Shadow detail (highlights in the blacks) like no tomorrow? A color pallet that won't quit? Or simply an H31 playing "The Fifth Element" out of this world and see what the big boys are talking about?Write these down:

Picture menu:
Mode cinema
Cont: 4
Bright -8
Gamma 2

Image Menu:
Temp 2
Mode Film
Advanced ,
RGB cont 18,12,15
RGB bright -7,-7,-7

This setup is hooked up to an Tosh 5970 via HDMI>DVI on a 'white' screen. Each player has its own bias, but if you this Tosh...watch out. More later.

You will probably find that there is no 'Temp' adjustment available when using the DVI input, so ignore that figure.

I found no benefit with the upconvert settings (720p, 1080i, etc.) on my Momitsu dvi player, so I just left it at the default 480p setting over DVI.

Also, let us know how CMRA's dvi settings work out for you.

Fleaman

Flea thanks for the info!

I have found when watching HD and Dvd's that the best color comes from the PC mode!

IS that the best mode to configure and watch LIve HD sports and Dvds.

I am totaly new to the projector world and love mine....I am shocked by HD picture on my 92" grey wolf...

therealgeno,
I'm not really sure what 8X or 4X refers to concerning videocard performance. The CCC shows these numbers in the performance menu, and I've seen them on AGP videocard specs a lot. Thanks for the suggestions concerning CCC settings. Are there any other boxes in other CCC menus that we should be careful about checking or unchecking?

HeadRusch,
Sorry, but I'm going to have to stickup for the 318 over dvi. A person has to be careful about which firmware to use with this unit, as one version will enable upconverting over component, but will show white crush over dvi. The other fixes white crush over dvi, but takes away component upconversion(this is the more recent firmware). When I first got my unit, I watched it over component. Then I moved on to dvi with the white crush fix, and I have not gone back. I recently took my 318 over to a friend's home theater so that we could compare it to the Oppo. To my surprise, agreed that the 318 produced a sharper picture, and had better color saturation. We both agreed that with all the adjustments that the Oppo has, his could be made to look as good as my 318, but it basically took me out of the market for an Oppo. However, we didn't view any analog stuff over component, as Wayne suggested. That might be a different story. The test results that I've read concerning the 318 showed high marks over dvi at 1080i, while not great at 720p, or over component. Ofcourse, everyone has his personal favorite, and the 318 has quirks that have to be worked around. However, this player is capable of throwing a great upconverted image. It's funny, I haven't noticed that my upconverted image is softer than 480p. I've had people over more than once to see what they thought about upconverting. No one complained about things being softer. At worst, some said that they just didn't see any difference at all from 480p. But yet, to each his own. I just hate to see this player get bashed for picture quality unfairly.

ele42,
Could you explain more about what you mean concerning the 1080i modes not showing correctly in the menu settings? Isn't it up to the viewer to select which 1080i mode to watch on the H31?

Dan,
I don't know what mode the H31 is supposed to register when it's pixel mapped, but I wouldn't worry about it. If you can get the pj to show 854 X 480, you are there, no matter what mode it says.

Dan,
I don't know what mode the H31 is supposed to register when it's pixel mapped, but I wouldn't worry about it. If you can get the pj to show 854 X 480, you are there, no matter what mode it says.

And it will be a different mode for each different refresh rate you have 854x480 at (60hz, 75hz, etc., etc.).

If the H31 shows 854x480, then it sees the 854x480 signal you're sending it and is displaying it w/o any further scaling (since your player already scaled it to 854x480 before you sent it to the H31).

Fleaman

would somebody with a matte white screen mind sharing their color setting calibrated with either dve or avia using guitarmans settings over component... the reason I ask this is because I find it impossible to use that blue filter.

Cool. I'll have to get the latest drivers and install CCC. Currently I don't have it installed. By the way how can 848X480 by pixel mapped when according to the manual the project has a resolution of 854X480? I have been able to set both 854X480 and 848X480 in powerstrip and the projector seems to register both? Oh and by modes I mean the mode shown on the projector. Just wanted to determine which mode the projector should be in to be pixel mapped.

Dan

848x480 is pixel-mapped; you just lose 3 pixels on each side. It's about the legacy, man! You can download a pixel-map test from milori.com. Some in the 4805 forum have made it a quest to get 854, but once they did, they noticed NO difference.

BTW, I just installed CAT 5.12. Here are the settings I use for my card:
3D panel:
AA - Let Application Decide
AF - 16x
A.I. - Quality
Wait for Refresh - Always On (or quality - move it all the way to the right till it says "always on")

basically, I put everything on quality rather than performance

In the video panel, go to de-interlacing, and select motion adaptive. You can also try vector adaptive. Both look real good.

Hope this helps.

Does anyone know if there are discrete ir commands for on and off on the H31?

I bought my H31 about a month ago, and am pleased with it except for one issue. I notice thin horizontal lines that alternate dimmer and brighter and are more apparent during brighter uniformly colored scenes, however, they are always there. Each line is ~1/4" and spans across the entire width of the screen which is ~60". The set of lines spans the entire height of the screen which is ~34". They are there on both dvd and satellite sources. It seems very similar in description to what panasonic ae700 users call peekaboo scanlines, but I doubt it is the same thing b/c peekaboo is caused by the lcd technology (I believe).

My projector is ceiling mounted and sits ~12' away from the screen.
My screen is a white da-lite cinema perf.
I have my dvd hooked up to my pioneer 1014 via 3' component cables.
I have my satellite hooked up to the pioneer via 3' s-video.
I have both a 30' s-video and 30' component cables hooked up from the pioneer to my H31.

I believe I can eliminate a ground-loop as the cause b/c:
The lines do not move up the screen (they are stable)
I have all a/v components (including projector) hooked up to the same receptacle

The only thing I feel it may be (other than a defective unit), but have not had the chance to check, is the power cord. I made my own 30' using shielded 10 guage stranded copper and attatched an iec connector to the end. The problem is: the connector was too wide to fit in the male side of the projector so I had to grind off part of the housing of the iec connector to make it fit. I didn't damage any part of the connector, but I wonder if maybe it is still not pushed in all the way (it was a tight fit). I doubt this is the problem b/c the projector gets power, but you never know. I know the cord and connector was good b/c I used it on my infocus 4805 for over a year and never had any issues.

Has anybody heard of this problem? Know any resolutions? Should I post this as a seperate thread? Thanks in advance.

the realgeno,
Thanks for posting your CCC settings. I appreciate all the help I get.

I've noticed a weird effect on my H31 nbought in July. Slightly on the left side of the pic there is a running white dot going down from the top of the screen. I don't know how to explain it, its going down like a rain drop until it reaches the bottom and then starts from the top again. However it is not always visible, only at certain moments. Enough to be annoying...Maybe it only happens when that area of the screen is of a certain color/brightness....I'm really an amateur so I don't know. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyone know what is wrong and what needs to be done?

bluesboyjr,

Still not Normal!

There are really only 2 more things to try to eliminate any fault besides the PJ:

Disconnect all the cables from the PJ except the pwr cord and observe if you still have these lines on the start up screen...and if possible, check it with the 'hide' feature and default in the menus the 'hide' feature to put up a blank blue screen.

Try you're old pwr cable (that came with the H31) and use it with a regular extension cord.

If these don't work (and I have a doubt that they will), you will need to call Optoma and get a RMA for the unit.

This is not Normal!

Fleaman

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Someone please help me with my problem 2 posts up.

I'm planning to buy the Oppo DVD player. Which cable should I buy to connect it to the H31?

Thinking about getting a h31. We would be about 9.5 feet from the screen, and the projector would be about 7 feet BEHIND the seating position. If I did the calculation correctly I believe this will give me a 113 inch diagonal screen. If this is so, I think 9.5 feet is going to be way too close....any comments?

Thanks in advance

Thats much, much too close.

The way the zoom lenses on the 480p projectors are usually set up, combined with the recommendation of 1.7-2.0 times the width of the screen for proper seating distance, you'll see that almost all of them have optimal seating somewhere in the neighborhood of the projector itself. Either right underneath it (give or take 2-3 feet) or with it on a coffee table in front of you, etc.

Thats much, much too close.

The way the zoom lenses on the 480p projectors are usually set up, combined with the recommendation of 1.7-2.0 times the width of the screen for proper seating distance, you'll see that almost all of them have optimal seating somewhere in the neighborhood of the projector itself. Either right underneath it (give or take 2-3 feet) or with it on a coffee table in front of you, etc.

Thanks for the reply. I was pretty sure it was a no go. I'll have to re-think my projector placement, and work on the WAF. :)

I've noticed a weird effect on my H31 nbought in July. Slightly on the left side of the pic there is a running white dot going down from the top of the screen. I don't know how to explain it, its going down like a rain drop until it reaches the bottom and then starts from the top again. However it is not always visible, only at certain moments. Enough to be annoying...Maybe it only happens when that area of the screen is of a certain color/brightness....I'm really an amateur so I don't know. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyone know what is wrong and what needs to be done?

That's pretty strange...

It's not ALL they way to the far left, like at the edge of the screen?

Do you see this rain drop with all sources (dvd, cable/sat., etc.)?

Do you see this rain drop with all cables disconnected (except the pwr cord) from the H31?

Fleaman

No one knows of discrete on/off commands for the H31?

Dan

I bought my H31 about a month ago, and am pleased with it except for one issue. I notice thin horizontal lines that alternate dimmer and brighter and are more apparent during brighter uniformly colored scenes, however, they are always there. Each line is ~1/4" and spans across the entire width of the screen which is ~60". The set of lines spans the entire height of the screen which is ~34". They are there on both dvd and satellite sources. It seems very similar in description to what panasonic ae700 users call peekaboo scanlines, but I doubt it is the same thing b/c peekaboo is caused by the lcd technology (I believe).

My projector is ceiling mounted and sits ~12' away from the screen.
My screen is a white da-lite cinema perf.
I have my dvd hooked up to my pioneer 1014 via 3' component cables.
I have my satellite hooked up to the pioneer via 3' s-video.
I have both a 30' s-video and 30' component cables hooked up from the pioneer to my H31.

I believe I can eliminate a ground-loop as the cause b/c:
The lines do not move up the screen (they are stable)
I have all a/v components (including projector) hooked up to the same receptacle

The only thing I feel it may be (other than a defective unit), but have not had the chance to check, is the power cord. I made my own 30' using shielded 10 guage stranded copper and attatched an iec connector to the end. The problem is: the connector was too wide to fit in the male side of the projector so I had to grind off part of the housing of the iec connector to make it fit. I didn't damage any part of the connector, but I wonder if maybe it is still not pushed in all the way (it was a tight fit). I doubt this is the problem b/c the projector gets power, but you never know. I know the cord and connector was good b/c I used it on my infocus 4805 for over a year and never had any issues.

Has anybody heard of this problem? Know any resolutions? Should I post this as a seperate thread? Thanks in advance.
I had the same problem with my H31. It turns out that my coax going into my HDTV tuner was causing video hum (even when the decoder was turned off or not in use). I added a Monster surge protector with level 2 line conditioning and that did the trick for me. I ran all the power outlets and the coax cable from my HDTV antenna through it. No more vertical bars at all. It completely solved my head ache. Hope that helps.

Awwwwwwww cr*p, I think my one and half month old H31 took a dump last night!!! :(

Purchased the PJ and a spare lamp on Nov 7th watched about 90 hours on the original bulb, swapped out the original bulb with the spare (to make sure it works while in the warranty period) and watched approximately 30 hours on with the spare bulb installed.

Last night, my wife and I are watching a movie and the display goes blank, we shut down the the rest of the home theater to discover the H31 "clicking" and "crackling" from within and the green light on the power button is flashing intermittantly but will not power back up.

This morning, I pull the lamp out and inspect it, looks ok, no burnt spots or anything unusual with it but I do smell a burnt "electrical" odor coming from inside the H31 (the odor could be normal, but at this point, I'm very observant to anything strange). I proceed to reinstall the same lamp and plug the PJ in but it does the same thing "clicks" and "crackles" and the green light on the power button is flashing randomly but will not power up, no temp warning light is on, no lamp light is on.

I tried calling Optoma this morning, but could not get through, no operator on duty either (I suspect this is because of the holidays). I did email tech support, hopefully, they will reply in a timely manner. I'm starting to get a little nervous after reading some of the Optoma RMA experiences others have had on this board.

Could a failed lamp cause the PJ to act in this manner (power light flickering intermittantly, and not powering up)? I have the original lamp that came with the PJ stored away but I'm very reluctant to install it if there's a problem with the PJ that could jeopardize the original lamp.

Anyone else run into this type of situation? What normally happens when the lamp goes out (other than losing the display), does it usually prevent the user from powering up the PJ with a bad lamp? :confused:

Luckily my old BenQ 6100 with 900+ hours on it still works fine, swapped it over in the H31's place this morning until I can get this headache resolved.




Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Ed

Thanks for the responces fleaman and cachais. I haven't had a chance to check anything, b/c of the holidays, but I'll let you know my findings when I get a chance.

My neighbor ran into this same problem when he changed bulbs. He got a new bulb and it worked fine. His bulb did not look bad either. Try the other one and see what happens.

I got my ceiling mount from a very popular auction site.....
There are three mount optins there.
I will let you know how mine is (the one with the 4 inch drop from the ceiling) when it gets here.

Any feedback on the mount yet?

I'm looking at taking a similar plunge....
H31 ceiling mounted
Oppo 971 with DVI
DIY 100" Screen - Starting with B/O Cloth and I may upgrade later to Da-Lite CV material.....($15 vs. $200 for now)

Any advice for reasonable $ for DVI cables that are longer in length? I may need 15' or more of cable.

First Post - Great forum for info and advice!

My neighbor ran into this same problem when he changed bulbs. He got a new bulb and it worked fine. His bulb did not look bad either. Try the other one and see what happens.

OK, felt brave today and decided to swap out the lamp with the original one. Same thing happens, makes a clicking sound and the power light flickers intermittantly but wont power up the unit.

Guess I'll have to keep trying to get in touch with Optoma to get an rma number, cr@p!! :mad:


Ed

Are you sure you have that lamp seated properly? Are you sure you didn't damage the interface for the lamp somehow? remove the lamp unit and check out the interface.

It could be that when you inserted the new lamp, something shorted in the system, which would truly suck but thats what warranties are for I guess.

Keep us informed of your progress.

Are you sure you have that lamp seated properly? Are you sure you didn't damage the interface for the lamp somehow? remove the lamp unit and check out the interface.

It could be that when you inserted the new lamp, something shorted in the system, which would truly suck but thats what warranties are for I guess.

Keep us informed of your progress.

Hi HeadRusch, :)

Yes, I triple checked to make sure the spare lamp was installed and seated properly when I installed it as I have read that the seating of the lamp can be an issue on the H31's. I've inspected the interface for the lamp again and it looks perfect, from what I can see of the pcb board there isnt anything unusual looking there either, but there is a very strong burnt electrical odor from within the unit.

I really dont think that it was a seating of the lamp issue since the spare lamp worked for 30+ hours flawlessly before this incident.

I'll keep you informed on what happens with this situation, thanks for your suggestions.


Ed

Could very well be that a capacitor popped or something like that, might be hard to spot.
Honestly, the key here is not to worry about it. Just get it repaired.

Good Luck and try not to get too wrapped up in it all.

That's pretty strange...

It's not ALL they way to the far left, like at the edge of the screen?

Do you see this rain drop with all sources (dvd, cable/sat., etc.)?

Do you see this rain drop with all cables disconnected (except the pwr cord) from the H31?

Fleaman

No, it's about 33% from the left towards the right. (50% being the centre of the screen)

I only watch dvds on the pj so it is not hooked into anything else, so i have not tested.

The drop appears only in certain scenes, not when no movie is playing. It seems to appear when the scene is quite light, but its hard to say... maybe its random but I have just been looking for a pattern too long and I am imagining one...:)

I don't really have a clue how the pixels work, but could it be that one is somehow "half dead"? It seems always to move down the exact same row of pixels in a straight line. The white dot does not go down smoothly running through all of the vertical pixels on that row but jumps over sevelar, let's say it might drop from the 1st vertical pixel to the 3rd then the 6th then the 10th then the 15th then the 21st, then the 30th then the 50th etc.

Or could it be that instead of when 1 pixel is supposed to be of one particular color, it actually turns white?

Help me out guys! Please...

No, it's about 33% from the left towards the right. (50% being the centre of the screen)

I only watch dvds on the pj so it is not hooked into anything else, so i have not tested.

The drop appears only in certain scenes, not when no movie is playing. It seems to appear when the scene is quite light, but its hard to say... maybe its random but I have just been looking for a pattern too long and I am imagining one...:)

I don't really have a clue how the pixels work, but could it be that one is somehow "half dead"? It seems always to move down the exact same row of pixels in a straight line. The white dot does not go down smoothly running through all of the vertical pixels on that row but jumps over sevelar, let's say it might drop from the 1st vertical pixel to the 3rd then the 6th then the 10th then the 15th then the 21st, then the 30th then the 50th etc.

Or could it be that instead of when 1 pixel is supposed to be of one particular color, it actually turns white?

Help me out guys! Please...

More than likely there's a problem with your H31, but before you call Optoma for an RMA, you should rule out that it's a problem with your dvd player as Optoma might 1st blame the dvd player.

So either you should try to reproduce this artifact with a different DVD player, Cable hook-up, etc. Or, if you're lucky, maybe it will happen when the start up screen or blank screen is up (make sure all cables are disconnected from PJ...except the pwr cable of course).

If you can’t reproduce this artifact any other way, just give Optoma tech a call anyway, they might happen to know exactly what the problem is.

Good luck.

Fleaman

Nice screenshots of the Optoma. Looks quite good for a low price projector.

I have had my H31 for about eight months now and what appears to be dust blobs (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=556431), it looks very similar to what was shown in the 4805 cleaning thread, have shown up. Is there a way to clean the H31 like the 4805?

I am having another very annoying problem with the H31.

About one time out of ten, (randomly) it fails to turn on properly.
Whenever I shut it down I do so with the remote, it goes through the cool off cycle and then "powers down" which means the green led goes on & off until the next time I power up.
So, about 10% of the times that I go to turn it on & watch it I hit the power button on the remote and the green led turns on solid. After waiting a few minutes I notice there's no "Optoma" logo on the screen, then I look at the pj & see no green led - instead there is a bright orange led glowing, which I believe signals overheating.

No bulb light happens at all during these times.

I don't know if the fan is running when this happens, next time I will pay particular attention to that detail.

This is very concerning behaviour on the part of the H31.

When it happens I generally wait for it to cycle back to where the green led is going on & off again and then try turning the pj on. It has always come on the second time... so far. :(

Has anyone seen this with their H31?
With another DLP pj?
Anyone know what it means?

I got this pj back from RMA a while back, and it only started doing this after I received it back from them. That was several months ago.

My H30 wouldn't pwr up correctly about 1 time out of 20. Never was permanent though. Sometimes the pwr light would flash orange, sometimes not.

My H31 didn't pwr up correctly about 3 times so far....I have about 160 hrs on it (over 7 months time). No logo would come up, just a black screen, but I could see the lamp is on, but the DLP panel seemed to be 'off'. Had to unplug the H31 as it wouldn't pwr down from the remote or the PJ pwr button. Either way, it powered up the 2nd time correctly. And so far, I have yet to see the orange on the power button on my H31.

Fleaman

it's happened to me a couple times as well. disturbing, but i don't think it's anything serious, unless it's happening frequently. it's hard on the lamp i believe if it happens a lot.

Strangely it seemed to happen more often when I had it connected to my UPS.

I guess I'll just keep my eye on it.

I bought my H31 about a month ago, and am pleased with it except for one issue. I notice thin horizontal lines that alternate dimmer and brighter and are more apparent during brighter uniformly colored scenes, however, they are always there. Each line is ~1/4" and spans across the entire width of the screen which is ~60". The set of lines spans the entire height of the screen which is ~34". They are there on both dvd and satellite sources. It seems very similar in description to what panasonic ae700 users call peekaboo scanlines, but I doubt it is the same thing b/c peekaboo is caused by the lcd technology (I believe).

Well... after a little investigation, I believe my problem lies in my perf screen. I tried disconnecting all the cables from the projector, using a 2-prong adapter and using just a blue screen, and I still saw the lines, so I took a plain piece of white paper and placed it over part of the sceen. I did not see the lines on the paper. I took a closer look at the screen and saw that the darker lines were actually 3-4 lines of pixels that fell very close to perf holes and made them appear darker, whereas the brighter lines had the pixels fall farther away from the perf holes. This pattern repeated itself across the entire screen.

I can not explain why I did not notice this ever with my 4805, b/c they have the same amount of pixels and were both mounted the same distance from the screen.

Oh well, I guess I will have to live with it until it is time to upgrade to a hi-def.

Maybe if I play around with the zoom a little bit I can make them less noticable, I'll let you guys know if it helps.

Thanks for the help.

Wow, that's interesting!

Maybe the 4805 wasn't in perfect horizontal alignment with your screen, as in, maybe it was a little crooked, so that the pixels didn't follow the perf. screen holes all the way across?

Try making the H31 a little off the horizontal plane and see if that works.

Fleaman

What's the diffrence between 1080i mode 1 and 2 on the H31? Mode 2 cuts off part of the image around the border, but why?

You want to set powerstrip to 848x480 to be pixel-mapped. Not sure about the modes - never seen "modes" in powerstrip.

I have no idea what you guys are talking about when you say 4x or 8x, unless you are talking about the number of lanes (AGP = 8, PCI Express = 16).

BTW, make sure you put "wait for vertical refresh" in the CCC to always on. It is in the 3D panel. This will prevent any tearing. And if upgrade to the newer drivers (5.10 - 5.12), then you will be able to use motion-adaptive de-interlacing with your software DVD player - again, you can access it through the CCC.

I just tried the latest ati drivers (5.13) and I get tearing even if I put "wait for vertical refresh" to always on. What other settings have you changed compared to the defaults?
I'm currently using a ati 6900pro card on windows XP pro servicepack 2 and have the resolution set to 848X480 in pstrip. The tearing only happens once in a while but I'd like to get rid of it if I can.

Wow, that's interesting!

Maybe the 4805 wasn't in perfect horizontal alignment with your screen, as in, maybe it was a little crooked, so that the pixels didn't follow the perf. screen holes all the way across?

Try making the H31 a little off the horizontal plane and see if that works.

Fleaman



Hmmm... now that you mention it, I'm using the same mount that I used with the 4805 (same drop from the ceiling), and the offset ratios are a little different between the two projectors. I had to use a little keystone with the 4805 and with the H31 I do not. Good observation fleaman! I'll post back with the results (unfortunately, it will be a week or so before I get a chance to mess around with it... I'm a little backed up with work).

I got the bright orange LED again tonight when I turned on my H31.
At first the green LED came on solid, then after a while I noticed no light hitting the screen. There was no fan noise and the orange LED was on bright.
Eventually it went back to green flashing LED then I turned it on again and it came on properly.
This is starting to scare me.

Call Optoma, stop worrying.

I am looking for some settings (advanced etc) for the H31 and the Oppo through DVI. I took a quick look through the thread and didn't see any. Thanks again everyone for their input. I have enjoyed reading through this thread!! Chad

Hi,
I also posted on an individual thread. Hoping may be here I get a quicker answer.

How do we ensure that plates that come with a ceiling mount fit to the bottom holes of the pj ? Could we simply make our own holes on the plate ? I was thinking of the Ominmount ST-MP, but evidently the holes don't seem to match.

Otherwise please recommend a ceiling mount (avoiding Ebay)? I don't want to spend the ridiculous amounts charged for pj specific mounts, after all this H31 is way less than 10lbs !!!

thx much,
ww

Otherwise please recommend a ceiling mount (avoiding Ebay)? I don't want to spend the ridiculous amounts charged for pj specific mounts, after all this H31 is way less than 10lbs !!!
ww

I went with a Panavise Telescoping Camera mount:

http://www.ambientweather.com/db882t.html

There is another model (883) with a knob in lieu of the set screw on the 882. This mount uses the tripod mounting connection on the bottom of the H31.

I use the Panavise telescopting CCTV mount myself...works great.....

ah ! thank you guys, let's see if I can order this thing NOW !!!
I remember months ago this one being suggested to me, but I had a bit of a hard time selecting the righ piece (and then I had to postpone...).

THX !

ww

but guys,
I have to make sure that the length is going to work ok in my set up, correct ? IOW, it could be the case that 9" might be a bit too low relative to where the screen is on the wall.

Do I make any sense ?

thx again.

ww

oh well, they both are UNAVAILABLE !

I have searched the world !
These Panavise things are nowhere to be found.......

Do you know of any alternative ?

ww

Yes, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6771344#post6771344

Sorry, but I only know of it available as mentioned in the above thread link.

Fleaman

I am looking for some settings (advanced etc) for the H31 and the Oppo through DVI. I took a quick look through the thread and didn't see any. Thanks again everyone for their input. I have enjoyed reading through this thread!! Chad

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6767020&&#post6767020

Fleaman

thx Fleaman.

Found it at reliablecctv.com !!!!!

They have plenty in stock (6" and 9"). I got both, just in case.

Thanks also Fleaman!! Will these settings be similar even though I am usig a different DVD player? Thanks again for the thread link!! Chad

Thanks also Fleaman!! Will these settings be similar even though I am usig a different DVD player? Thanks again for the thread link!! Chad

There are smaller differences between DVD players when using DVI than the other inputs, so it's more likely to be similar and workable than trying to use someone else's component settings.

Also, the H31's DVI calibrations out of the box are more similar between units than the other inputs.

Bottom line, those DVI settings might give you an improvement, chances are good.
You will probably still have to adjust the brightness per dvd disc (I always seem to range from -8 to -11 depending on the DVD).

Try it and find out! Post your results here.

Fleaman

Found it at reliablecctv.com !!!!!

They have plenty in stock (6" and 9"). I got both, just in case.

Looks like you're all set, but just in case you (or anybody else) needs one even shorter (3"):

http://www.spytown.com/pan6dualopmo.html

Sure thing Fleaman!! Again, I appreciate the input!! Chad

Whew, I have finally reached the end of the post!

I purchased a H31 and 92 gray wolf a few months ago and had the projector sitting on an ottoman until I could mount it. I thought the picture was great in that position. Over the weekend I finally got the projector mounted on the ceiling. Now the picture seems to lose a little bit of its punch/brightness as compared to before. I notice if I stand up the brightness returns.

I noticed that some said this is a common problem with this type of screen. Is then anyway to improve my image. Just for reference the projector lens is 6 inches from an 8 foot ceiling. The projector about 14 ft from the screen and I sit back about 15-17ft.

Oh, Thanks to everyone who contributed previously on the forum. It made the purchase of the projector easier.

I just tried the latest ati drivers (5.13) and I get tearing even if I put "wait for vertical refresh" to always on. What other settings have you changed compared to the defaults?
I'm currently using a ati 6900pro card on windows XP pro servicepack 2 and have the resolution set to 848X480 in pstrip. The tearing only happens once in a while but I'd like to get rid of it if I can.

OK, try this:

3D panel in ATI:
AA - Let App decide
AF - Let App decide
Wait for Vert - Always On

Put everything else on performance instead of quality.

Question regarding screens for the H31.

If my H31 is ceiling mounted will the Optoma White be a better bet than the graywolf.
I recall reading that the graywolf has problems with ceiling mounted pj's.

i'm looking for a 106", and the optoma seem the best choice so far.
any suggestions / comments.

I bought the H31 in Feb 05. At the end of October (248 hours on lamp) I was watching football and all the sudden I started loosing color. I checked the other inputs (component & S-video) and the same thing was happening. I turned the projector off and waited for about an hour. Turned it back on and 15 minutes later the same thing happens. Holy crap football season and the projector is down. The boys are pissed. I contacted Optoma the first week of Nov.. They said I could email them the RMA form. I did that with no response after a week. Then I mailed out the RMA form Nov 15th. Again no reply. Finally on Nov. 28th I get through to a human and get an RMA number. I sent the projector back the next day. The following Monday I got the projector back. They replaced the main board. I hooked everything back up and back in business. 48 hours of use, I am having the same problem. WTF. I called Optoma and talked to the same person I did before. He wants me to take the projector down and use shorter cables. (6 foot) to see if the same thing happens before he gives me another RMA. I have a CTG (CablesToGo) 5 meter DVI and the same in component. Can these cables go bad just like that? I will try the shorter cables today. Any suggestions or ideas would be great. I love the picture on this thing. The play-offs starting tomorrow with no projector, dam.

Oh. Optoma said they will pay for shipping both ways this time. And the person I spoke with was great.

I bought the H31 in Feb 05. At the end of October (248 hours on lamp) I was watching football and all the sudden I started loosing color. Holy crap football season and the projector is down. 48 hours of use

If I watched the Jets I bet my PJ would crap out, too... :D

Sounds odd...Cables shouldn't "Go Bad" or "Wear Out" like that....

Question regarding screens for the H31.

If my H31 is ceiling mounted will the Optoma White be a better bet than the graywolf.
I recall reading that the graywolf has problems with ceiling mounted pj's.

i'm looking for a 106", and the optoma seem the best choice so far.
any suggestions / comments.

Not necessarily.

The GreyWolf is a retro-reflective screen, so its brightest light reflects back in the direction the light is coming from.

You'll lose some of the brightness and punch from the image by ceiling mounting your PJ and using the greywolf, but you'll still get a nice image and deeper blacks no matter how you use it.

I, and lots of others, use our greywolf screens with ceiling mounted PJ's. You just calibrate for decrease in gain.

Of course, I have a really dark environment......if you have some ambient light, and want to use the retro-reflective nature of the screen to help with that, then its a different matter (but a white screen wont help you there either).

Jets69,

That cable excuse sounds inane to me. I have a 25ft $38 DVI cable that has worked flawlessly for 7 months now. No problems my other 25ft cables (s-video, component).

The amount of voltage/amps going through these cables is in very small. A cable can start to go bad if you are using too small of a gauge for the voltage/amps going through it. You never have this sort of problem with video cables!

The only other cable problems are connection problems (bad connectors, etc.), but those would be obvious intermittent problems, not a gradual loss of color over time.

Fleaman

I tried the shorter cables today. Sure enough I am getting the same crap all over again. The projector needs to go back. What does this mean for warranty work? Will the warranty start all over again. Looks like I need another RMA number. Would it be asking to much for a new H31? I noticed today how much better the picture was over DVI than component. What would you do? Looks like I wiil have to watch the play-offs on the 51" upstairs.

Is this only on component? I was going to say it sounds like one of the component inputs solder points has cracked or something...when the projector heats up, parts expand and you lose connection on that component cable that carries the color information...like a solder point on a board or at the actual connection point to the female interface on the back of the H31.

Hmmmm....not good, but I'm glad Optoma is helping you out.

Its across all the inputs. I ran the projector for 5 hours with component and no incident. Then powered off and switched back to the DVI input, powered back up and after an hour I started losing color. I powered off and hooked it back up to the short component cables, 15 mins later lost the color again. I had an idea it was the projector, why would it run for 248 hours over the 5 meter DVI cable without incident?

Ok sorry if this is redundant, but have you tried other sources? IE: a different DVD player, for example and see if the problem continues?

Head,
Didn't matter what I tried. On the phone with Optoma right now.

Groovy, good luck, I'm sure you'll find a resolution soon.

Could very well be that a capacitor popped or something like that, might be hard to spot.
Honestly, the key here is not to worry about it. Just get it repaired.

Good Luck and try not to get too wrapped up in it all.

Just an update on my month and a half old dead H31.

At first, I tried to get some help through the place I purchased the pj (V/Apex - prices good, cs service stinks - told me they would take care of it but wanted to have their tech support call first to do a couple of tests over the phone, after numerous emails and phone calls, tech support would never call and ultimately backed out of what they said they would do). I finally got through with Optoma and after talking to a couple of tech support advisors, I decided to go with the advance replacement program (paid for a new H31 with a CC and will get refunded when they get my old H31). They did next day air one out for me and I received the new pj and have it up and running. :)

From what I was told from the tech reps, one suggested that the color wheel took a dump and the other suspected a ballast had failed??? I was a little worried at first since they stated that they were almost out of H31's according to their inventory check.

Based on my experience with Optoma support, it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, the support will depend on which tech support advisor you work with, the first advisor was very short and not helpful at all, the second was definitely best support advisor Ive ever dealt with - not only did he walk me through the rma and advance replacement process, he was extremely friendly and instilled my confidence with Optoma products.

Thanks again for your input guys/gals,

Ed :)

Regarding Optoma's tech support... I suggest if you get the guy that hems and haws around like he's doing something and takes forever to say anything and then when he does say something and it's not helpful, ask to speak with someone else or just call back. I don't recall his name but I have no idea why Optoma continues to employ this guy.

Just sent off an email to my favorite support guy at Optoma.
Hopefully he is still there! :)
This is happening about 1/4 of the time now. :(

I got the bright orange LED again tonight when I turned on my H31.
At first the green LED came on solid, then after a while I noticed no light hitting the screen. There was no fan noise and the orange LED was on bright.
Eventually it went back to green flashing LED then I turned it on again and it came on properly.
This is starting to scare me.

Are there dealer adjustments on the H31 that aren't available through the normal menus? I saw guitarman's 1st post, but I don't have any gain or bias controls. If so, does anyone know how to access those?

Thanks in advance!

OK, try this:

3D panel in ATI:
AA - Let App decide
AF - Let App decide
Wait for Vert - Always On

Put everything else on performance instead of quality.


Thanks for your help. I tried these setting but I still was getting tearing. Then I tried changing to different custom resolutions in pstrip. It has one for 848X480 (grotto) which uses a slightly higher refresh rate than 60. It appears to stop the tearing :) .

I can try to post the pstrip timings once I figure out where to get them from.

Dan

For the service menu, try this. I just grabbed it from another post:

press Up +Enter twice, then Left + Enter Twice and then UP + LEft + Down

If this isn't right, you might want to send a PM to Tom(guitarman). These buttons must be pressed on the pj, not the remote. I think Tom suggested that the advanced controls in the user menu are enough, and that we really don't have to mess with the service menu.

If you do mess with the service menu, don't forget to first write down the default service menu settings so you can go back to them with you like.

Fleaman

Tomorrow will mark one year since I got my H31, we just rolled over 1800 hours. Using it with three inputs: Dish on S-Video, DVD on Component, and a PC on DVI-D.

Bulb has worked flawlessly, is just a little dimmer now, I've run in econo-mode with the high-altitude set ON the whole way. PJ has open ventilation on all sides.

Only gripe I have is that now eveytime I turn it on the Bulb warning comes on. Have to go to menu and shut it off everytime. Anyone have the secret to turning this off?

Video from DVD and Dish are great, component is the clearest of all inputs. PC coming in the DVI-D is clear but does suffer from the tearing issue. I guess I have gotten used to it, doesn't really bother me anymore when watching videos on PC.

Will probably start shopping for replacement bulb. We are completely satisfied with this PJ. For DVD display and SD television this is a great unit.

Been watching the HD-Video news and wondering when 1080 projectors will make it to the mainstream (<$2000)

Still have not found a good permanent way to mount the PJ, is on a shelf in the back of the room propped up on CD Jewel cases, has to be about a 30 degree pitch to hit the screen.

Other than the Tearing on DVI-D, unit has been perfect.

TH

Well I took the projector plunge and got an H31 on Monday.

I'm extremely impressed.

Beautiful picture....I was surprised to find that it's viewable with a modest amount ambient light.

I can't imagine spending 3 to 4 times as much on a plasma....

My current setup is a:

DVI input connected to Sony DVP-NS70H DVD player via Monoprice HDMI to DVI cable.
HDTV coming soon!

For the service menu, try this. I just grabbed it from another post:

press Up +Enter twice, then Left + Enter Twice and then UP + LEft + Down

If this isn't right, you might want to send a PM to Tom(guitarman). These buttons must be pressed on the pj, not the remote. I think Tom suggested that the advanced controls in the user menu are enough, and that we really don't have to mess with the service menu.

Don't mess around with the auto-cals in the ADC service area, you'll mess up the colors with the auto-color one and the auto black white will change all the factory numbers.

I had to use the service area this morning for a member who's having me grayscale tune his projector. I ran out of room on the blue-brightness so the ADC blue-bias gave me more headroom. Service menu is good for calibrators for that reason plus ADC sends a small RGB-menu to the upper left corner out of the way. All the Optoma's work like this.

I thought posting all my service numbers for calibrations might help other users but in reality each machines electronics can be different. Not many had good results.

Hi, I have been using my H31 to show HDTV via a DVI cable from my Motorola 6200 cable box with no problems for the past 7 months. Very happy with the H31, until last weekend when suddenly I got a blank picture. If I switched the cable box off and back on I would get TV for about 5 seconds before it cut off. I get an "HDCP not authenticated use YPbPr cable" message. If I use a composite Yellow cable or a componant cable I *do* get a picture, but the point is I spent over $100 on a DVI cable and it is recessed into the wall etc so I don't want to go swapping cables at this point. Ive tried all the different modes the cable box can output 480i, 480p, 780p, 1080i etc and still get the problem.
Can anyone help me understand;
1) why I suddenly got this HDCP message after no problems for 7 months
2) Whether it's a problem with a) my H31 or b) the Cable box
3) How I get around it/fix it

Many thanks!
Ben

The only way to check is to try:
1) Another DVI Cable
2) Another Cable Box on your existing DVI cable

I had the same problem with my Infocus projector. I did two things, reset the Motorola 6200 cable box to default settings and unplugged the power to the box to force a reboot.

how are you supposed to connect a pc to the H31.
I have a Tosh laptop with just a vga o/p for another monitor. Can I get this through to the pj?

how are you supposed to connect a pc to the H31.
I have a Tosh laptop with just a vga o/p for another monitor. Can I get this through to the pj?

The H31 comes with an DVI->VGA adapter

The only way to check is to try:
1) Another DVI Cable
2) Another Cable Box on your existing DVI cable

Thank HeadRusch and JusFred - I initially thought it was a cable TV problem, so I had Adelphia come out and switch the box - I got the same problem. Although I would be interested to know how you set the cable box to default setting JusFred.
I also phoned Motorola and they said there was no way of knowing whether it was the 6200 or the H31 (thanks!) and told me to try another DVI cable. Im equally confused how the cable could just "break" like that and cause this problem when I haven't touched it.
Because the problem came out of the blue I wonder if Adelphia sent an update to the Cable box and thus whether that caused it. I tried asking Adelphia but I'd get more sense out of my dog! The engineer to came to switch boxes said "ooh - you're the first person Ive seen connect the cable tv to a projector via DVI" huh? Is this so weird? I thought DVI was supposed to be the best possible connection (aside from the annoying "HDCP" problems

Thank HeadRusch and JusFred - I initially thought it was a cable TV problem, so I had Adelphia come out and switch the box - I got the same problem. Although I would be interested to know how you set the cable box to default setting JusFred.
I also phoned Motorola and they said there was no way of knowing whether it was the 6200 or the H31 (thanks!) and told me to try another DVI cable. Im equally confused how the cable could just "break" like that and cause this problem when I haven't touched it.
Because the problem came out of the blue I wonder if Adelphia sent an update to the Cable box and thus whether that caused it. I tried asking Adelphia but I'd get more sense out of my dog! The engineer to came to switch boxes said "ooh - you're the first person Ive seen connect the cable tv to a projector via DVI" huh? Is this so weird? I thought DVI was supposed to be the best possible connection (aside from the annoying "HDCP" problems

I have Adelphia also (in Los Angeles....where are you?) and when I tried using my 25ft DVI cable I got a picture, but it was all blue and very fuzzy (like the Blue of the RGB only was connected). I use the DVI with my DVD player, so I just hooked up component with the cable box (I don't remember the box #, but it is the Adelphia DVR box for the Los Angeles area).

They just replace my DVR box about a month ago 'cos it died, so I guess I'm gonna try the DVI again and see what happens.

BTW, I never called Adelphia or Optoma about this, would figure they would just point fingers at each other until I could figure out which was the problem (PJ or Cable box). Also, at first, I just figured that the DVI wasn't yet enabled on the Adelphia boxes...I did ask the Adelphia service guy, but like you said, they seem to know very little about the DVI connection.

The DVI works fine on my DVD player of course.

Fleaman

Hi Fleaman - Im in Northern Virginia. Ive never had a problem using the DVI cable with the Cable TV - Ive got a great picture - it's just the sudden HDCP problem is a pain in the butt. Adelphia tried swapping the box but no difference.
Could someone explain why it could be the DVI Cable itself rather than the Box or the H31?

Signal Degredation over that span of cable may be a problem. A DVI repeater might be in order here.

Something like this:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI_repeater.html?gclid=CMyQpLWkyIICFTNjJAoduiBSJA

Could be, but that doesn't explain why it would work perfectly and then suddenly stop working - I had not touched the cables in I installed them 7 months ago. The only thing that could have changed could be
a) my H31 developing a fault
b) Adelphia sending a software update to my Cable box

I don't trust Adelphia as far as I could throw them, but I'd still like to eliminate problems with the H31. Ive put in an incident to tech support, so I will post their response....

The H31 comes with an DVI->VGA adapter

Yes, thanks.
I had to get a female/female adapter for this. when I use it tho, the pj image a very out of focus, which I cannot change. any ideas?

Dosdemoaner, what resolution are you sending to the H31 from your PC?
If you send it 848x480 @ 60 hz then you should get a pretty good picture.
Anything else will not be so good.

Dosdemoaner, what resolution are you sending to the H31 from your PC?
If you send it 848x480 @ 60 hz then you should get a pretty good picture.
Anything else will not be so good.


I use 1024x768.
but how would i set 848X480 when i only have the usual
640x480 ,800x600 , 1024x768 , 1152x864 , 1280x1024 options?

Update on the "HDCP authentication failed" issue
Ok - from more digging on the internet it appears this problem has happened to others, but I haven't seen a consistant solution yet (some fix it by just switching off the STB a couple of times)
Also - it's happened to others with other HDTVs and Comcast cable too -always the Motorola 6200 box - but their attempts to get comcast to help were as futile as mine to get Adelphia to help.

Motorola blame Adelphia
Optoma blame Motorola
Adelphia don't see what the big deal is "why do you want to use DVI anyway" they think if you can at least get a picture with a composite cable then it's not their problem. They don't care I spent over $100 on a DVi cable which is now useless

So in summary - it's a mess. However, its clear it's not just the H31, so please help or suggest a better forum to post this on because I don't want clog this forum with authentication issues!
Cheers
Ben

I use 1024x768.
but how would i set 848X480 when i only have the usual
640x480 ,800x600 , 1024x768 , 1152x864 , 1280x1024 options?

If you are using ATI or NVIDIA for your graphics solution, then the newer drivers should all have widescreen resolutions available to choose from.

Dosdemoaner,

if nothing else try 800x600 or 640x480

your graphics controls might let you Add a resolution - look for that

Robert at Optoma just emailed & told me I need to ship it in for a second RMA.

I am asking now if I can get a loaner again.

Sorry to hear about all of these sob stories.

Thought I'd take a quick moment to drop a postive post about the H31: Mine arrived last week and I promptly put it on top of a table and threw the image up onto a plain painted white wall ("eggshell" finish) with an RCA cable to the Dish Reciever. Picture looks fantastic! Colors are rich, black level is deep, and all of those goofy flesh tones that people have been complaining about don't appear at all.

This has me optomistic about days ahead; I was early with the PJ purchase (took advantage of the rebate and extra year warranty) while I'm finishing the basement - Once the H31 is hooked up to the OPPO via DVI onto an actual screen I'm guessing it will look even better. Next report once I get there.

Looks like Im going to find out how good Optomas support is. Ive been lurking here for over a year now. Bought my H31 in April of last year. Has worked great up until 30 min before the Broncos playoff game. Suddenly it got very loud, sounded like my John Deer Lawn mower. Turned it off, took out the lamp and there was a piece of the color wheel laying in there :eek: . Never heard of anything like that happening before. Anyway I called Optoma, asked for a loaner, barely got the question out before he said, " We dont have loaners". Maybe I didnt talk to the right guy? So Ill get an RMA number send it in and hope for the best.

Looks like Im going to find out how good Optomas support is. Ive been lurking here for over a year now. Bought my H31 in April of last year. Has worked great up until 30 min before the Broncos playoff game. Suddenly it got very loud, sounded like my John Deer Lawn mower. Turned it off, took out the lamp and there was a piece of the color wheel laying in there :eek: . Never heard of anything like that happening before. Anyway I called Optoma, asked for a loaner, barely got the question out before he said, " We dont have loaners". Maybe I didnt talk to the right guy? So Ill get an RMA number send it in and hope for the best.

Unless your PJ failed within the 1st month of it's life, they usually don't do anything special for you. Looks like just a typical warranty situation here, and that's what it's there for.

Fleaman

I just talked to Optoma yesterday about this. The guy out there told me they will give you a loaner (backed up with a credit card) in the first three months of the warranty period. I'm starting to wonder how good Optoma support really is. I sent my projector back in late Nov. for a flicker issue. I got in back a week later. They said they replaced the mainboard. One week later the same thing is happening all over again. I call them up and get the RMA#. They mailed me a blue tag for UPS on Friday Jan.6. UPS picked up the projector on Tues the 10th. Supposedly 2 day air. Monday the 16th, I get a tag on my door from UPS saying they were there for a pickup. Optoma sent them another tag for my projector after 10 days. I called Optoma and the guy out there starts fiddling around with his computer and tells me he doesn't know whats going on. Then he says they received the projector on Monday the 16th. They got me a little scared when UPS showed up for the projector after 10 days. Hope to have it back for the weekend games.

I received my new H31 last night and like almost everyone who has bought one I am really pleased with the quality for this price.

Especially great is all the free settings and tweaks found in this thread. I applied the set for DVI and they are a marked improvement.

My only minor complaint is at a 15' seating distance with a 106" screen SDE was pretty noticable on some content over HDMI to DVI connection. The most noticable area was on long shots during the Broncos Patiriots game.

I am using a 50' HDMI to DVI (Geffen 24 AWG) cable with an Optoma Gray Wolf screen, ceiling mounted. I do lose a bit of gain ceiling mounting for this screen, but it still looks great after adjusting the settings a bit.

Thanks for all the great reviews, tweaks etc. that many of you have put on this board.

First off let me start by saying I'm an idiot. I used to think I was a home theater guru. Now after reading the forum for the last year, I realize I'm, in reality, quite mentally challenged.

I've posted before asking why some dvds look really craptacular and how I can improve that situation. I use an old Sony DVD player without progressive scan. I am also running through component which I've come to the conclusion is a factor. However, hi def looks extraordinary.

Any suggested settings for component?

Last time I posted on this there were varying arguments on whether a line doubler would make enough of a difference. And obviously there's nothing I can do about brightness.

Thanks in advance,

The Idiot

What's the general concensus on a great dvd player to use with the H31?
The Oppo? What model? Anyone know a good place online to buy one?
Getting tired of all the noise from my HTPC. Time to try something different.

First off let me start by saying I'm an idiot. I used to think I was a home theater guru. Now after reading the forum for the last year, I realize I'm, in reality, quite mentally challenged.

I've posted before asking why some dvds look really craptacular and how I can improve that situation. I use an old Sony DVD player without progressive scan. I am also running through component which I've come to the conclusion is a factor. However, hi def looks extraordinary.

Any suggested settings for component?

Last time I posted on this there were varying arguments on whether a line doubler would make enough of a difference. And obviously there's nothing I can do about brightness.

Thanks in advance,

The Idiot

The answer unfortunately and simply is that some DVD's...actually Many Dvd's....look like crap when you blow them up on a PJ. These same crappy DVD's look pretty good on your std small TV, hence probably the reason so many crappy dvd's have made it onto the shelf w/o much complaint regarding pic quality from the general public.

Better projectors, calibration and better DVD players will help make those crappy dvd's look a little better, but once you pop a reference DVD in, it will still be a Whole new World!!

Now that you have a PJ, you will soon be looking for those reference DVD's to purchase/rent, etc. On a PJ it goes hand in hand with the screen and turning the lights out.

Browse through the Stickys on this forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=44 for reference quality DVD’s to look for.

As for component? I'm gonna bypass any suggestions and recommend you get a good DVI dvd player instead. The H31 really benefits from DVI especially since the calibrations from the factory is pretty good through the DVI inputs. People seem to be having good luck with the Oppo DVI player. For a couple hundred +, you should see a noticeable improvement over DVI compared to your current DVD player, which I personally wouldn't waste my time with. DVD players never really made much difference to me in the days when they were hooked up to my small TV, but running a PJ changed all that.

Forget the line doubler.

Good luck.

Fleaman

OK, so I've tried to order a graywolf 106 but have been told that they are out of stock and it doesn't seem clear if ther intent to do anything about this.

So what do you all suggest as a good screen for me to use in the the $250 US ($300 Cdn) price range ?
any help would be appreciated.

Dosdemoaner, the 106 Graywolf is in stock at buy dot com.
(I think you will like the price too)

don't laugh Fleaman, but I'm using the 25-buck Cyberhome in progressive mode via component with my 120" hiPower screen/H31 setup.

on a good DVD - like Harry Potter or The Contender = clear and crystal.

so so on an average DVD like Osama

and looks like garbage on a DVD like Crimson Tide.

I agree, its all in the source.

As for a more expensive DVD player and DVI, the fact that The Contender is perfect via lowly component and 25-buck player tells me I don't need anthing other than better encodes!

don't laugh Fleaman, but I'm using the 25-buck Cyberhome in progressive mode via component with my 120" hiPower screen/H31 setup.

on a good DVD - like Harry Potter or The Contender = clear and crystal.

so so on an average DVD like Osama

and looks like garbage on a DVD like Crimson Tide.

I agree, its all in the source.

As for a more expensive DVD player and DVI, the fact that The Contender is perfect via lowly component and 25-buck player tells me I don't need anthing other than better encodes!

At least it's a progressive scan player.

Willbarger's player is so old, it doesn't even have progressive.

Even so, the H31 has a pretty good interlacer anyways.

But yeah, the best dvd player in the world won't overcome a crappy dvd disc.

Fleaman

Dosdemoaner, the 106 Graywolf is in stock at buy dot com.
(I think you will like the price too)

BUY.com doesn't want to ship to Canada, and TigerDirect.ca want $150 + to deliver it!!!


so my next question is.

The Draper Luma 106 or the Da-Light Model B which to choose?

any preferences out there?

Dosdemoaner, sorry I didn't notice the Canada thing.

Have you looked in the screens forum?

Have you looked in the screens forum?

Ditto. How about DIY? Less than $100....(US)....

Hi guys,
I haven't been here in awhile. I finally had myself surgically removed from my H31 and sent it in for service. Ouch, the FedEx Ground rate really stuck me. I hope it's not gone to long. Right now my attention is turned towards my newly aquired htpc, sporting a MyHD 120 with the dvi daughter card. It's working really well, and the picture beats any of my set top boxes. I have a 200Gb hdd and 500Gb for storage. I tried a couple of the Fusion OTA tuner cards, but couldn't get them to work in my system without stuttering. I have an AMD Athlon 64 3400+ with a gig of memory. Now, life is good.

thehuntsouth,
I've had my H31 for almost a year, with 1300+ hours on the bulb. It still looks good, though a bit dim on some scenes. As far as your tearing issue goes, if you got your H31 about the same time that I did, then you have the older firmware. You should consider sending it in, and having them flash the unit with the newest version. It's my understanding the recent units have better results with dvi-d from a computer(with greatly reduced or no tearing). I'll give a report when my unit comes back.

Jets69,
You've got me worried a bit, as my unit has a slight flicker problem. I'm guessing that Optoma's probably going to tell me that my bulb is going bad, since it has over 1300 hours on it. Did your problem appear randomly, being better or worse at times? Mine looked like someone was waving a hand in front of the bulb when it was really bad.

Jedi35,
My problem happened all at once. The flickering I was talking about was between the colors. It would flicker the green off then the blue but, the red was always on. After about 15 mins. it would just be black and white picture. I got the projector back last Friday and haven't seen any problems yet. I talked with a guy named Jeff Davis. Very helpful guy. He told me there was a mix-up with the blue tag and apologized. Overall, I am happy with Optoma's customer service. Jeff is great.

hi Jedi35,
please let me know which date or number has the latest firmware - got mine last year in July and I am wondering if it is up to date. Got some tearing issues and would like to take care of it.
thanks

Jets69,
Glad that you had a good experience with customer service. Thanks for the report.

heiwi,
Right now, I'm not sure how to check the pj for the firmware number. This means that I didn't check the old number before I sent it in. The service guys told me that they a new firmware has come out since I bought my pj, and they flash every pj that comes in for service. So when I asked about it, they assured me that it would happen automatically. I haven't seen anyone post info on how to check your firmware numbers. Maybe it's in the service menu somewhere. I'll do some exploring when it comes back.

Tom,
Do you know how to check the firmware numbers? If so, what are the old numbers?

The answer unfortunately and simply is that some DVD's...actually Many Dvd's....look like crap when you blow them up on a PJ. These same crappy DVD's look pretty good on your std small TV, hence probably the reason so many crappy dvd's have made it onto the shelf w/o much complaint regarding pic quality from the general public.

Better projectors, calibration and better DVD players will help make those crappy dvd's look a little better, but once you pop a reference DVD in, it will still be a Whole new World!!

Now that you have a PJ, you will soon be looking for those reference DVD's to purchase/rent, etc. On a PJ it goes hand in hand with the screen and turning the lights out.

Browse through the Stickys on this forum: for reference quality DVD’s to look for.

As for component? I'm gonna bypass any suggestions and recommend you get a good DVI dvd player instead. The H31 really benefits from DVI especially since the calibrations from the factory is pretty good through the DVI inputs. People seem to be having good luck with the Oppo DVI player. For a couple hundred +, you should see a noticeable improvement over DVI compared to your current DVD player, which I personally wouldn't waste my time with. DVD players never really made much difference to me in the days when they were hooked up to my small TV, but running a PJ changed all that.

Forget the line doubler.

Good luck.

Fleaman



I've been using a Panny S97 (firmware updated) and Moto 6412 with my H31 for over 6 months with great success (24 and CSI Miami in HD are addictive). I'm running 6' DVI cables from the DVD and HDDVR to an AVLink DVI 4-1 switch and then a 40' DVI (400 series monster cable) to the H31 DVI input. My screen is a 117' Carada 2:35:1 white 1.3 gain. I use a Prismasonic H-1000 for cinemascope. Main seating is 14' (some SDE), 2nd row 19' (No SDE even in cinemascope), 3rd row 24' (still looks good). Crappy DVD transfers (e.g. Transporter 2) still look pretty good and I'm very critical.

Just wait, there will be plenty of HD-DVD's with crappy transfers. It will be laughable.

The picture is good, but the real fun is my six 15" TC2+ subs under the front stage exiting into the garage below. But that's another story...

Thanks Fleaman, your calibration advice has been very helpful.

oraclation,
Please tell me more about your Prismasonic H-1000 for cinemascope. That sounds interesting. Do you have some sort of lens holder that slides in front of the H31?

oraclation,
Please tell me more about your Prismasonic H-1000 for cinemascope. That sounds interesting. Do you have some sort of lens holder that slides in front of the H31?

It's permanently fixed in front of the H31 on the same flat board that the projector is mounted to:

similar to this: htp://uk.geocities.com/g.lightfoot@btinternet.com/scans/ht/scope/mount2.jpg

So, is the purpose of this to get all of the pixels into the 2:35:1 image for better quality, rather than wasting a lot of them with the letterbox bars? I just don't know a lot about it.

can anyone tell me if i can use an off the shelf long power cord for an h31?

i don't want to use an extension and the cord looks just like a standard pc power cord

can i use a 12 foot pc cord?

tia

can anyone tell me if i can use an off the shelf long power cord for an h31?

i don't want to use an extension and the cord looks just like a standard pc power cord

can i use a 12 foot pc cord?

tia

Yes.

And now, everyone congratulate me on my 666'th post!

:eek:

I have to resist the urge to post now....kinda neat in a strange way...

Ho Ho Ho

Fleaman

I’ve learned a lot by reading this whole thread but I still need some help. I would really appreciate your advice.

Problem: when feeding the H31 a 480i component signal from either of the two DVD players I have, there is a 1.25” or 2.0” (it varies) vertical bar of unused black pixels at the left side of the image and about 0.75” of unused pixels along the top. This is with 1.78:1 anamorphic DVD. The right side and bottom have about 0.5”, which I think is normal. If I use the zoom button on the remote, the DVD image will fill out those pixels at the left and top, except for the outermost 0.5” (same as bottom and right side), but I don’t want to use the zoom. I want to avoid vertical scaling.
The blue “hide” screen displays correctly with only 0.5” of black pixels on all four edges.
Of course, with DVD’s wider than 1.78:1 I get black bars at the top and bottom, but the left side is still wrong. Either the whole image is getting shifted to the right or the left edge is not being displayed.

DVD players: Sony DVP-NS315 (3 or 4 years old, and cheap) and Panasonic S35 (made in May 2003, don’t know the price).
Cable: 8 meter MonsterVideo3 component
Image size: about 72” diagonal or 63” wide
Full-screen mode: normal (I don’t want to use any other)
Edge mask: Off (when “on” it doesn’t visibly change the left side, it just masks off pixels that are already black)

The Panasonic player can output 480p and, interestingly, in that mode the problem doesn’t occur but there is a vibration in the image, visible in horizontal lines (as in text), which I really don’t like. I guess that means the player’s de-interlacer is not good.

Is the left edge issue a problem with my projector or with both of these DVD players? I hope it’s the players. I’m planning to get a new one with DVI/HDMI eventually but first I need to make sure the pj is working properly.

Thanks,
Slinc

Yes.

And now, everyone congratulate me on my 666'th post!
thank you and congratulations the antichrist :D

Does anyone else get "lost signal' while moving their H31 while it's running?

In attempt to measure for ceiling mount positioning, I was recently perched precariously on top of a chair with my running H31 held outstretched in my hands. Despite a solid component cable connection, I kept getting "signal lost" or something. If I step down off the chair and stand absolutely still, the signal returns.

Is my component cable bad?
-or- Is my projector bad?
-or- do H31's have to remain absolutely rock-steady while running in order to avoid losing signal?

I'm concerned for two reasons:
* I couldn't really test the position of my ceiling mount because I couldn't get an image while perched on the chair
* I fear that my planned 50ft cable run won't work if I can't get my current 5 ft to work

Please lend me your thoughts on the subject...

Problem: when feeding the H31 a 480i component signal from either of the two DVD players I have, there is a 1.25” or 2.0” (it varies) vertical bar of unused black pixels at the left side of the image and about 0.75” of unused pixels along the top. This is with 1.78:1 anamorphic DVD.

Hi Slinc.

I got exactly the same black-bar problem (european sony ns-92V). If I setup my h31 to display correctly R1 dvd's, and then switch back to R2, the pic is shifted to the left by 2-3 inches (on 92 GrayWolf screen). I found that the only solution without losing too much of a pic is to use the aspect ratio feature in the h31. Choosing 1.85 solves the situation.

thanks imek.

good to know i'm not the only one. maybe projectors are just quirky and i'm being too picky?

a new question from a newbie:
can you place a H31 42 inches off the center of the screen and still get a correct image by using lens shift? The projector will be 11 feet away from the screen.
thanks for any input.

There is no Lens-Shift feature built into the H31.

The only thing the H31 has is an ability to place letterboxed movies (read: 2.35:1 Scope movies) at either the top edge or the bottom edge of the screen. For 4:3 or 1.78:1 material the screen fills up from top to bottom and there is no way to move the image up or down without chopping off either the top, or bottom.

Having said that, you can always use digital keystoning. I use several clicks of keystoning on my H31, and it has no adverse effects that I can see. I've paused movies, I've watched movies adjusting the keystone being 6 inches from the screen and I can't see any adverse picture effects from using it.

Perhaps with a higher resolution display its an issue, but I dont see a problem at 480p.

Does anyone else get "lost signal' while moving their H31 while it's running?

Is my component cable bad?
-or- Is my projector bad?
-or- do H31's have to remain absolutely rock-steady while running in order to avoid losing signal?

I'm concerned for two reasons:


Replying to my own post (since no one else did, arrg!)...

The problem was the cable. With a new cable, I can move the projector around with it running and don't get lost signal.

You didn't mention if vertical off center or horizontal off center?

There is no adjustment for horizontal off center, your lens has to be inline with the center of the screen on a 'vertical' plane.

If vertical, then the H31's offset works for you, helping out with about 10"-20" (?) drop (if ceiling mounted) depending on zoom. Also, as mentioned, you can move a 2.35 image to the top or bottom of the 16:9 box. But for full 16:9 material, you will be cutting off part of the image if you shift it up or down. Now, all these figures are for a drop from the top of the screen (ceiling mount), to the PJ lens, not from the Center of the screen.

If you are talking about 42" from the actual center of the screen (vertically), then from 11ft with a 92" diagonal screen, you will be very close (45" screen height = 22.5" to the center + say 15" (?) offset = about 37.5" from the center of the screen to the lens center.

Fleaman

Thanks for your responses and sorry that I forgot to mention that it is 42 inches horizontal I have to overcome.

Thanks for your responses and sorry that I forgot to mention that it is 42 inches horizontal I have to overcome.

Ok, well, as I mentioned above, there is no horizontal offset adjustment on the H31.

Fleaman

BTW the way, I recently checked out the home theater of a local AVSer who owns the H79, shooting a 109" diagonal image onto a Firehawk screen in a completely darkened room. I can say in all honesty that I think my H31 image compares very nicely to it!! I really didn't see thousands of dollars worth of difference. I will admit that his black levels were super, but his screen is grey(mine is white) and his walls, ceiling, and floors are dark. He's willing to let me see what the H31 looks like in his theater. That should be fun. Still, I am going to work on getting more of my walls dark around the room away from the screen(I haven't done much to my bright side walls or the back), and I may consider painting my screen grey, since it only cost me $20. If I don't like it, heck...I'll buy another one.

...

Was searching back for someone and ran across this post from November. Jedi, did you ever make the comparison?

Fleaman

Hi Fleaman,
Yes, I did manage to make the comparison, and I'm sorry that I forgot to post about it. I didn't like the way my H31 looked in his theater. It was probably the adjustment of my pj, but the blacks were way too bright for me on his screen. I know that the H79 gives deeper blacks than the H31, but something was wrong. The other colors looked good, and my buddy was very impressed with what the H31 could do. After getting the pj back home, I found that my blacks looked much deeper in my own room on my own white $20 screen. I shouldn't be surprised, should I?

heiwi,
I finally have news for you. My pj arrived back from Optoma on Monday morning, right when I was heading out of town. I just got back home tonight, and got it mounted up for viewing. I checked the service menu, and it's confusing. The number at the top of the menu says C03 October 27, 2004. I'm assuming that it's the firmware number. I bought my unit in Feb. 05, and I know that a new firmware has come out since then. It's possible that Optoma didn't flash my unit, and I may have to send it back again. I'll know for sure in a few minutes when I try to hook up my pc via dvi-d. I'll report later.

I have mixed feelings about the service I received. There was very good turn around time, as others have reported. My unit was received by Optoma on 1-31-06, and it was back at my house less than a week later, on 2-6-06. That part is impressive. However, I'm confused about what they actually did to my unit, if anything. I complained about yellowish blotches in the picture, seen very well in white or very bright scenes. They simply said that my image was way too dim, caused by a bulb that was too old. I had just over 1300 hours on it, and yes I agree that some scenes looked dim. But the bulb was far from being Bantha fodder. I was still enjoying it. Optoma labeled it an ROD misalignment. After firing the unit up, I noticed that the image was a lot brighter, and clearer. I can't be sure until I restore my presets, but I'm thinking that they might have replaced my bulb just to be nice. My bulb counter was at 5 hours when I checked it. If they didn't flash my firmware, which might have reset the hours, then putting in a new bulb might explain the numbers being reset to 0. The yellow blotches are still there, but they are fainter. If the bulb is new, then they didn't fix the problem, or they didn't look hard enough for it. That's why I have mixed feelings. I spoke briefly with Mike Brown on Monday, but he just said that I needed to replace my bulb. In his opinion, a bad bulb can cause the colors to be off, as in my case. He also said that I wasn't getting a dvi-d pc signal because of HDCP not being on the pc side of things. I thought that he was more informed than that. I still need to test things.

I checked, and Optoma did clean the window between my bulb and the color wheel chamber. It had a yellowish film on it, but it's great now. Maybe that explains my brighter, clearer image? Maybe I still have my old bulb? I really need them to answer my questions.

So, who has a firmware number later than 10-27-04?

Sorry for the long post.

Jedi,

Maybe your friend with the H79 had a high gain screen??

Whenever I send my PJ in for service, I always scratch a little mark on the plastic part of the lamp housing. That way, I can tell if they replaced the lamp or just reset the hours.

Many times CS is unsure of what was done exactly. They might have replaced the lamp w/o noting it. By marking the lamp, I know for sure!

Fleaman

Fleaman,
The screen I saw the H79 on was a Firehawk. I don't know if that screen comes in a standard gain and color, or if there are choices. I'll find out. That's great advice about putting a mark on the bulb housing. I should have thought of that before sending it in. I'll do that if the needs comes up again. It does seem that the pj wil have to go back yet again, as I cannot get dvi-d to work from my pc. Since this was noted in my letter to them and they ignored it, I'm hoping that they will take care of the shipping both ways this time.

rbastedo,
Are you out there? Since I know that you've had your unit serviced for dvi issues, could you tell me what your firmware number is at the top of your service menu? Thanks.

The Morning Fog Theater is now open for business!!! I received my H31 yesterday and was able to get it ceiling mounted last night. Am I the only one concerned about the size of the M3 mounting screws? I'm currently projecting on a gray, Sherwin Williams "Morning Fog" colored wall. My 106" Dalite matte white model-b is scheduled for delivery today.

First Impressions:
Out of the box, the projector appears to be pretty well calibrated. I don't see the orange push on reds that others have commented about. Flesh tones look natural, mind you I'll be able to judge better this weekend after my screen is mounted. In my light controlled room the pj was plenty bright and dark movies like Matrix Revolutions held plenty of detail. Black bars on 2.35 material were a little distracting. The bars were dark gray and affected perceived contrast ratio. I've read that the Optoma has the ability to shift a letterboxed image to the top of your screen, allowing you to mask the large bar at the bottom. If true I'll have to give that feature a try.

Thank you to everyone on this forum. I never would have considered FP if it wasn't for you guys. Special Thanks to Serge, AKA "Power" for the great deal on the Coaster theater chairs. In addition, thanks to the creator of the Excel based Riser Height Calculator. It worked perfectly!!! I'm an engineer so site lines are definitely doable but that program made things soooo much easier. This project has been a long time in the making. My wife finally understands the madness that has consumed me for the past few months as our theater is almost complete. When we finished building our house this past October, I was so desparate to enjoy my theater that on 2 or 3 occasions I lugged a card table and our 15" bedroom CRT to the theater to watch a few movies. Now that the pj's installed everything seems that much more grande.

I'll probably start another thread in a week or two over in the dedicated theater design forum once I have the screen mounted and have time to pick-up a bit. Keep a look out for it as I appreciate any and all suggestions.

-Jeremy

I had a long and pleasant conversation with Optoma tech support today about my H31. I now know that my brighter, clearer image isn't the result of their replacing my bulb. They explained that my pj had one of the worst cases of ROD misalignment that they'd ever seen, and repairs were effected inside the unit. That had nothing to do with my bulb. I thought that the repair report's statement about my image being too dim was their way of telling me that I needed to buy a new bulb, but this was not the case. It just seems like the bulb is new right now because so much light was being diverted before it left the pj. Now I'm finally seeing the quality that I should have been getting all along. Now I wonder what my H31 would like with a brand new bulb, and now that things are aligned properly. With the new clarity comes a little more evident SDE, so I may have to move my couch back a bit. Not a big problem. Colors are popping like crazy, especially on shows CSI:Miami. We are talking serious eye candy. I had an AVS buddy over tonight to take a look. He saw the pj before and thought it was amazing then. He agrees that it's just crazy unbelievable now.

Next I mentioned to them a couple of things that I thought they didn't bother to take a look at. I'm still seeing the yellow blotches in white or bright scenes, however faint, and I'm getting no dvi-d from my pc. We talked a little about firmware, but the rep didn't remember what the latest number was. They are going to issue me another RMA, and they will pay for shipping both ways. This time they will address all my issues. That's just what I was hoping for. I talked to a guy named George. He was quite helpful. My opinion of Optoma service has now gone up.

Has anyone tried to use the rs-232 serial connection to control this projector? I'm currently trying to figure out how I would build a cable and use girder to control.
Meanwhile I'm enjoying my big screen :-).

Hi Guys
I may be a little off topic here, but I felt I should reply in a general way, I have been soaking up info at AVS for some time now, recently bought the costco Optoma H31 package with 92" greywolf, built custom ceiling mount, the projector was the last "major piece" in my home theatre moved into a new house with a perfect finished room in the basement. I am throwing about 12'6". seating at about 13' 6".
It's been great the quality of picture has been awesome right out of the box, only minor tweaking, reds seem fairly good not enough to worry about for now, skin tones and blacks are fabulous. I am connected to my Yamaha RXV 1400 via 12' componet, htpc via 10' DVI. I have had no issues at all running analogue or digital signals from the HTPC. Although I do prefer my dvd image from the Panasonic player. Games over the PC are fine usually running 1024 x 768. Thanks for all the info. You guys are the main reason I opted for the H31 and glad I did. There is a 720p unit in my future but no hurry for now....

Sloan,
What video card are you using in your htpc? Did you have to make any special changes in the settings, or did you just plug your dvi cable into the H31 to get a signal? No such luck with me, but Optoma is paying to have mine shipped back to them. We'll see what happens this time.

Jedi,
I am running an MSI 128mb card with nvidia drivers, it supports dual displays which is pretty cool, as I can designate "primary" or "secondary" display, & run 1 oor 2 displays at once. the resolution available varies depending whether I have it set to clone display"dual displays" or primary single display, The H31 picked it up right away over DVI and the card gives me a resolution right up to 1600 x 1200. Its interesting though that when I run a DVD through the htpc the picture quality doesn't match the stand alone dvd player. I have tried different resolutions but cant match the qaulity yet....

Sloan, are you on DVI-D or DVI-A.
(what happens when you press one or the other on your remote?)

You should set the resolution on the Optoma display to 848x480 60hz then view a dvd.
Any other resolution will not look right. (IMHO)
If you are viewing DVI-D then what mode does the PJ sync at when it comes up?
Is should give a mode number and a resolution.

Rbastedo,
I get the best results on DVI-D, the H31 seems to only pick up DVI-A when my video card has the h31 set as secondary display, when H31 is set as primary it feeds through DVI-D, I don't think the video card can "clone" displays in digital only one at time second display goes analogue. You are quite right about the resolutions, I haven't taken the time to really get it right, but I just tweaked it now, I wasn't able to choose 848x480 but I was able to set 720x480 32bit, 60hz, custom resolutions are available just didnt get that far, I threw in the new Robots dvd and played it with "PowerDVD" on the htpc it looked pretty darn good, definitely comparable to the Panasonic DVD player, I guess I hadn't really given it a chance, I have to work on the audio side to feed 5.1 to the AVR from computer, I need a new sound card maybe a 7.1 with toslink :)....Oh and I forgot, when the H31 sinks up it reads 720X480 60 hz mode 51,
I will probably have to increase resoloution for video games,1024x768, Battlefield 1942 at 92" screen, with sound system is pretty darn cool...
Video Card: MSI Nvidia GeForce TI4200 AGP8X

Sloan,
Are you an Alias fan? Thanks for all the info. I may have to check out your videocard if I don't get better results when my unit comes back from Optoma service ...for the second time.

rbastedo,
I remember your saying something about your unit needing to go in again awhile back. What was wrong, and did you get it taken care of? Also, would you mind opening up your service menu and telling me what version firmware you have? Sloan would you do the same thing? (let me know if you need to know how to do this)