Originally posted by jltv
mystery,
thanks, I just pulled prices from my post. 'authorized by Optoma' ahh, that must be it. Good ole' gray market dealers.

Off to check the Optoma site for a dealer list.

-j

Before I bought my H31, I emailed Optoma and they said as long as I had a valid receipt and serial number that they would honor the warranty so you may not have to shop so hard for an "authorized" dealer. Here is the original reply from Optoma.

"If your projector has a valid serial number and you have a copy of your
receipt or invoice showing the date of purchase, we will honor your
warranty."

Enjoy your H31, it's a sweet projector.

Yea, I don't think Optoma is really strict about alot of the standard manufacturer's policies. I've contacted Optoma directly and they have a corporate office right here in Northern, California. Called them up, went there, they setup the H-31 for me to see in person, and matched the lowest prices that I can find online, and walked out with one the same day. Only negative is that I had to pay CA's tax on it.

Regarding the firmware, is there any firmware upgrades on the H-31 that I don't know about?

jefftaz: Do you notice any difference with the 540 firmware, I have the 536 firmware and everything looks perfect. I'd hate to mess with it and screw something up and I will only do it if it does make a difference.

I watched DareDevil the other night and all the dark scenes look awesome, I'm still so hooked on watching DVD's.

Wayne: great review man...

Add my name to the H31 fold. Did anyone get a DVI to HDMI adapter in their package? When I called OPTOMA they said they changed the inventory page in the manual and it is now an optional accessory. Picture quality is great, red has an orange hue to it (Must be the citrus comment).

Setting I have are:
Contrast 5
Brightness 0
Color 25
Sharpness 6
Gamma 1
White Peak 0
Color temp 2
Image Film
Red Contrast -13
Green Contrast 0
Blue Contrast -4
Red Brightness 3
Green Brightness 0
Blue Brightness 0

Lenny,

If you are happy with the picture with the 536 firmware I would stick with it. The 540 firmware has reduced macrobloking for some, but if you are not noticing it I would not bother with the update. The picture is stunning isn't it?

Jeff

Originally posted by David Werner
Add my name to the H31 fold. [/B]
Component or DVI and which DVD player?
Thanks for the post!

Sorry Tom. I must have remembered your post incorrectly. That's great that you did get 854/480 with the D2. Are there any quirks with that player?

Is anybody replacing the dust cover on the lens when not in use, or is that no big deal??

Originally posted by jedi35


Is anybody replacing the dust cover on the lens when not in use, or is that no big deal??
I do it every time. It is easy to reach, and it only takes a second. I do not think it would harm it to clean the lens if it was dirty, but why mess with it if you do not have to!

For those new H31 owners that haven't voted in the OTB (out of the box) calibration accuracy poll, check it out Vote here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=512610&perpage=20&pagenumber=1)

Try to make mention of the input (component, 480p or i or dvi) that had the best OTB calibrations if possible, by posting in that thread.

:D :) :D :)

Fleaman

I'm deciding between an 84"diag screen between two tower speakers or a 92"- 106" diag screen but the BOTTOM of the screen has to be above the 39" tower speakers, which is about eye level. Oh, the sitting distance is about 13'-14' from the screen.
I've tried both the 84" and between 92"-106"....the 92" seems like the perfect size but 39" from the floor seems a bit high. Anyone in similar situations ?? what do you guys/gals think ?? Any inputs are appreciated..TIA !!

BTW, this is one awesome projector with the WOW factor - initially I was going for the AE700 but decided against it and use the money saved by upgrading my 5yr old dvd player, buy 30' HDMI/DVI cable and chief ceiling mount.

I have had my H31 for several weeks now but have not been able to connect through DVI with a LG 7832 Upconverting DVD player. There appears to be issues such as the player locking up and not being able to "handshake" with the H31.

I do not want to return my 20' DVI-D cable as this is the connection I would prefer over component cables.

Any recommendations on a good DVD player with DVI-D for under $200?

Lenny,

Thanks! I'm pleased that you appreciated my review. It's a great projector.

Jedi,

I replace my cover after each use. I don't want dust from the room settling on the lens when the pj isn't on. Have you noticed how easy it is to turn on the H31 without taking the lens cap off? I have done this now maybe 3 times and it scares the willies out of me. It's not on for long until I realize that the picture just doesn't seem right. :) The problem for me is the opaqueness of the lens cover. I'm used to the X1's gray non-opaque lens cover and you always knew it was on for sure but the H31's can fool you.

I'm also confused about Tom's numbers. He definitely stated recently that he was NOT able to get 1:1 pixel mapping through his D2. I think he said that it was 852 x 480. Then later, he posted that he did get 854 x 480.

Tom,

Perhaps you could clear this up as possibly some members will be purchasing the D2 based on your 1:1 pixel mapping recommendations.

Wayne

Component or DVI and which DVD player?

digitalmonkeyman - Using a 40' Component cable run to a Denon 1600. Thought about upgrading to the Denon 3910 but decided to wait it out until HD-DVD or BluRay gets settled, I think the improvement I'd see over current players wouldn't have as good a dollar justification versus the latter.

Going from a Sharp DT200 to the H31 it is a noticeable improvement, detail and black levels come to mind as what stands out for me. I'd attribute that to the DarkChip 2 and the high CR. Purchased the universal ceiling mount from Ebay and it works very nice, as discussed in this thread.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=516642&highlight=pdr+mount

Originally posted by audiguy1
I have had my H31 for several weeks now but have not been able to connect through DVI with a LG 7832 Upconverting DVD player. There appears to be issues such as the player locking up and not being able to "handshake" with the H31.

I do not want to return my 20' DVI-D cable as this is the connection I would prefer over component cables.

Any recommendations on a good DVD player with DVI-D for under $200?

20 Foot DVI-D cable is too long. 15 foot is probably the max length you can have. You're not getting the proper signal to the PJ. That's why it won't "handshake" to the H31.

Woilfie

Originally posted by digitalmonkeyman
The Quality of the Pic is GREAT, but there is a little of what I believe is called 'green push'. Even on the menu screen, where the words are white, you can see some green edges when you first hook it up. And in some really green scenes, the browns took on a slight green tint.
I was able to overcome this usung the advanced menu's in the H31.
It is just an 'out of the box' issue.

I just bought my Pioneer DVD and then upgraded to the 1910, but missed the return window from my online etailer for the Pio, so now I have 2 brand new DVD players, but would DEFINATELY recommend the 1910.

I LOVE this PJ!

Thanx, that set me straight. I haven't seen any green push when I hooked my STB to the DVI port. Could be the player. I'll find out today. BTW, is there control for this in the player or is it a PJ issue?

Wolfie

Thanks to you guys I just enterd the land of H31 ownership - placed the order today - chose it over the AE700 for the same reasons that some others have - can put that extra grand towards the upconverting DVD player and 2 more speakers to round out the 7.1. Now I just need to find someone with a Panasonic S97 actually in stock to round out the system.

My install is going to be tough - I have a 12" blukhead that drops down in the middle of the ceiling to cover up ductwork - so I think I'm going to be forced to table mount this due to the offset in the PJ. I would have to ceiling mount almost 24" down to get past the bulkhead and project the image higer on the screen wall.....

Originally posted by Wolfie
Thanx, that set me straight. I haven't seen any green push when I hooked my STB to the DVI port. Could be the player. I'll find out today. BTW, is there control for this in the player or is it a PJ issue?

Wolfie
To be honest, I did not look into adjusting the DVD player, I was able to get great results adjusting the H31.
The way I figure it, why mess with two setups if you only have to do one!

Originally posted by KCRedhawk

My install is going to be tough - I have a 12" blukhead that drops down in the middle of the ceiling to cover up ductwork - so I think I'm going to be forced to table mount this due to the offset in the PJ. I would have to ceiling mount almost 24" down to get past the bulkhead and project the image higer on the screen wall.....
I actually have a similar issue with ductwork, but I just dropped the PJ a little lower, and have it angled up. There is a pic in my gallery. I have to use a keystone of 9, but I really can not see a quality difference.

Originally posted by digitalmonkeyman
I actually have a similar issue with ductwork, but I just dropped the PJ a little lower, and have it angled up. There is a pic in my gallery. I have to use a keystone of 9, but I really can not see a quality difference.

Good to know the keystoning can get pushed so high without adverse PQ degradation. Yeah, we're similar, but I wish my bulkhead was as thin as yours. I have 7-8' from the screen wall to the drop, then the bulkhead runs about another 3-4', then pops back up to my 7'-10" ceiling after that. I just am worried that if I drop the ceiling mount PJ that low to shoot past the ceiling obstruction that it becomes a head-banger situation....I would have to place my seating just under and in front of the PJ to avoid it when you stand up or walk around the room.....

Originally posted by KCRedhawk
Now I just need to find someone with a Panasonic S97 actually in stock to round out the system.


According to OneCall.com a large order coming in from Pana is due to arrive at the end of May, hopefully sooner. My local Ultimate Electronics store carries the S97S but sells it in the 4 century mark. - gl

Originally posted by Wolfie
20 Foot DVI-D cable is too long. 15 foot is probably the max length you can have. You're not getting the proper signal to the PJ. That's why it won't "handshake" to the H31.

Woilfie

Woilfie,

I don't believe the length has any affect on the projector in this situation. I tried a 6 ft. DVI cable and the same thing occurs. The player freezes and shows no signal on the H31. There is an issue with this LG 7832 DVD Player (or the Zenith 318) communicating with the H31.

Has anyone tried the DVI cables at monoprice.com (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style=) ?

I see that they have DVI-D to HDMI( I can use a adapter at one end),
for good prices.

They also have cables in the length of 15,25, and 50 feet.
How long of a cable can one use with DVI? I though that you have to stay pretty short, or have newer cables gotten better at sending the single a longer distance? Would a 30 ft cable be too long?

What cables have others had good luck with?

Originally posted by audiguy1
Woilfie,

I don't believe the length has any affect on the projector in this situation. I tried a 6 ft. DVI cable and the same thing occurs. The player freezes and shows no signal on the H31. There is an issue with this LG 7832 DVD Player (or the Zenith 318) communicating with the H31.

OK, my bad. I've heard of people doing a firmware update on their Panasonic 97s, so that could be what's wrong.

Wolfie

Ethereal and Vinc have good 30' cables at $100. I'm having cable woes with the Bravo D2 and my cheap 30' cable. Not enough juice out of the D2 DVI output.

So you have two factors, how good is the player at sending the signal and how competent is the cable quality.

No problem. I'm just trying to find a solution or alternative to my problem. I don't know whether to keep the upconverting LG 7832 player and use component cables or find another DVI DVD player. I'm just looking for the best picture with the H31 within budget of course (up to $200). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Originally posted by dandiodati
Would a 30 ft cable be too long?

What cables have others had good luck with?
I can offer up my personal experience here. I got a 25 foot DVI-D cable from an online "pc cable" maker, and got a terrible picture. I then went with a 16 foot Monster Cable, and the results were awesome. I think it speaks more for the quality of the cable, than the length. I would find it hard to believe 9 extra feet made the PQ look that much worse.

I plan on using a HTPC to connection the DVI cable to.

How much difference is the quality of DVI vs VGA, since VGA can go a longer distance?

Dan

Originally posted by dandiodati


How much difference is the quality of DVI vs VGA, since VGA can go a longer distance?

Dan
While I was running my cables thru my walls, I ran several kinds. Composite, S, Component, and DVI. I have the benefit of comparing without too much work. Component is good, but once you see the DVI and it's set right, you won't go back.

This is such a noob question I'm hesitant to ask but here goes......

If I'm running DVI (HDMI converted) from my DircTV box AND DVI from my DVD player is there such thing as a 2into1 input adapter that can allow both connections? OR do I have to run component for 1 source and DVI for the other?

Like I said, big time noob question!

Several folks make DVI switches...........

I use a Gefen myself.

www.gefen.com

Gotcha - I just have to remember - Google is your friend. I found the geffen ones like you said. LIttle bit of sticker shock, though!

I'm running an Ultralink 15 meter (50 feet) DVI-D cable from my HTPC to the H31 and the image is nothing short of stunning and without sparklies, drop-outs or any interference at all. It's actually rated to deliver signals up to 100 feet. It doesn't come cheap though and it also isn't made in China. The cable itself is a full 1/2 inch thick! So, long DVI runs are possible but you have to be willing to pay the piper.

I have the LG/Zenith player and it locks up using any DVI cable. I haven't bothered to change the firmware and that might allow the DVI output to function but no matter, I upconvert through the component anyway and only using movies of secondary importance.

My primary movie watching is through the HTPC utilizing that DVI cable.

Wayne

Hey Mystery, can you hook me up with the link to those Ultralink cables that you're talking about? I know higher end cables are expensive, but I don't quite need it as long as 15 m. I think about 5 m. is the max I'll need, so that should drop the final price a little. Thanks.

Sure, here's the link to their website:

http://www.ultralinkcables.com/index2.html

Wayne

Originally posted by mystery
Lava Lamp Freak,

Distance isn't the problem in your case, it's the ceiling height. Fear not, all is not lost though. I have my H31's lens only 6'4" off of the floor in order to take advantage of the brightness of my High Power screen. I'm about 13' away from a 92" diagonal screen and the screen's bottom sits 10" off the floor. It's a 80" wide by 45" high screen so our eye level is at about the mid-point of the screen.

The zoom lens on my H31 is at the extreme minimum. In other words, I can't go with any smaller than a 92" screen. When I zoom out to make the image larger, it creeps toward the floor. Any larger screen and I would have to tilt the pj up and use keystoning. Even that is not a deal breaker because I observed another AVS member, MAK, who is 15' back from a 110" screen and his ceilings are 7'9". He had to use some tilting and keystoning 4 clicks from 0 and we couldn't detect any degradation of the image at all when comparing keystoning to no keystoning.

With your short ceilings though, I'd go with a smaller screen like the size I'm using.

Good luck!

Wayne

Thanks for the response. I have ordered the projector, and will decide what size screen to go with after finding the right place to mount. I think a 77" screen will be about right for my room.

Now, the only thing left to worry about is my DVD player. I have a Momitsu V880. Is it going to work with this projector? Has anyone tried it?

I'd like to point out that there is no handshaking issue between the Zenith 318 and the H31, whether you've applied a firmware update or not. It seems that there is an issue with the LG unit, but not the Zenith. Applying the most recent firmware on the Zenith will get rid of white crush on dvi, but will kill upconversion through component(not needed if you have dvi). My guess is that applying this firmware to the LG unit might improve the dvi handshake issue as well.

Wayne,
Yes, I know that I should be concerned about dust buildup on my lens when not in uses. What troubles me is that my pj mount is fine if I leave it alone. Even a soft touch moves it and I have to reposition the image. I don't want that to be a daily routine. I think I'll try just laying a paper towel over the lens area or something.

I'm off to see George Lucas and a host of other Star Wars actors at Celebration III in Indianapolis Friday morning. Cool...

Mystery, my 318 also locks up when any DVI cable is attached with both firmware versions. It has nothing to do with the H31. Apparently all the 318's dont lock up but obviously it's not just mine. The 418 I used didnt lock up at all.

Well I sure would like to find a solution but am running out of answers. I did not do the firmware upgrade to fix the white crush issue. The upgrade says it will turn an LG model into a Zenith one. Not sure if I want to do this as the start up logo will be different. If I were to do that I am worried about not being able to revert back to the original firmware (and the LG logo) and not being able to return it back to my local futureshop for exchange or credit. This is the third LG unit I have tried.

I am thinking of the Panasonic S97 but do not want to spend nearly $500 for this player if there is only minimal improvement in picture. Any thoughts?

RobRoy,

Sorry to hear about your lock-up problem. I've had my LG for a year now and never had a reason to want to use the DVI output until I got the H31. Then I find out it doesn't matter because the two won't work together anyway. No big deal. It's still an awesome component upconverting player and I use DVI to the H31 from my HTPC now.

audiguy1,

Apparently you can switch back and forth between firmwares without a problem. I've never changed the firmware on my LG because I prefer the component upconversion and let's face it, this is the most important reason why people buy this LG/Zenith unit. I'm not aware of any other player that will do this.

I tried the Panny S97 out but I didn't like the upconverted picture whether it was 720p or 1080i. I much preferred the component LG upconversion over the HDMI/DVI Panny. The Panny softened the image too much for me. It does show an awesome 480p display though. But what's the point of spending that kind of money if you're only going to use it for 480p?

I realize that the Panny is highly regarded but I myself wouldn't use it primarily for it's upconverting functions.

jedi,

You don't want to drape a paper towel, kleenex, handkerchief etc.... over the lens for the rest of your H31's life do you? It'll look like a projector from the Middle East. :)

Why not get a mount that isn't so easily moved when the cap is re-applied? After all, if you have to go and cover the lens with something, why not cover it with something that will safely and securely do the job? I think that anything else will probably fall or blow off or even if it stays on will allow dust and airborne contaminants to creep in there somehow.

Send Mandarax an email. He has a DIY mount here on the forum and I used his mount which was specifically designed for the X1 except that I re-positioned the mounting holes on the projector plate of the mount in order to fit the H31. Works flawlessly. No movement at all when I re-attach the cap. Best part is, it's inexpensive.

You appear to be one of the lucky ones with your 318. It seems that this lock-up issue isn't affecting only the LG units. They are the same player anyway other than physical outward aesthetics. But it really doesn't bother me that my unit won't work with DVI. Maybe you're right and I should apply the firmware upgrade to see if the lock-up issue would go away. But I use DVI from the HTPC and component from the LG. I'm happy with that.

Wayne

Hi Guys
I have the X1 now - connected with the panny SA-XR45 receiver.
I like having everything running thru this receiver and I like the sound I have with my polk speakers.

I want to upgrade to the H31, but my receiver does not have dvi -
I am using the samsung DVD-C631p, dvd player.
here's my questions....

should I change receivers?
is the picture quality difference between comp. and dvi worth changing receivers? and/or DVD players?
is dvi(output) to dvi(input)- better then - comp(output) to dvi(input)?

any advice is VERY welcome..
you guys on this forum are the reason I am enjoying my X1 now - so wanted to say thanks for all the testing and question answering all you guys do !!!!

whitemist,

I upgraded from the X1 to the H31 and the difference is enormous! I can't speak to the issue of DVD player component versus DVD player DVI cable differences because I don't operate my H31's DVI input from my DVD player. I use my HTPC via DVI. It's not a fair comparison because even VGA from a properly configured HTPC will best component from any DVD player in my opinion.

However, component from a DVD player to the H31 is fantastic even if it's not quite up to DVI standards from an HTPC. It sounds as if you're going to be into a fair amount of coin if you still want to utilize your receiver as a video input switcher. I can see you getting probably a new DVD player, receiver and maybe good quality cables as well as perhaps a new H31 and this will set you back for a financial hit. You have to figure out whether you can afford it and whether you feel it's worth it. If I had the money and I had to do all this I would go for it but that's me.

Wayne

mystery,

Good point. Glad to hear that you tried the Pany S97 and what you thought of it. You right, right spend all that money if the best picture is through 480 on that machine.

I have an ultralink component cable on hold which I will probably pick up tomorrow and use that method of hookup. Although the HTPC through DVI sounds very good, I hope I'll be content with the component picture.

I have a 20 ft. high quality dual link DVI-D cable for sale if anyone is interested. I paid $75 for it from mycableshop.com

Had a scare yesterday, I installed Poser 6 on my HTPC, and it would crash on me every single time i tried to load it. On Poser's customer service faq, it reported some people have the same problem, and they suggested to update your graphic drivers to the latest, didnt really want to, cause i was using 5.3 and heard 5.4 sucks(ATI) but i did it anyway.
But when i did the upgrade I lost all my powerstrip settings, especially my 854x480 setting, it was scary.... and i couldnt get it back in an hour before work or even after,
so I prayed that i didnt turn off System restore on XP, thank god i didnt, cause i usually do, so i did a system restore at the point right before i updated the ATI drivers, thought it would be all back to normal, but NO... still all my settings were gone, this made me really scared, cause i cant go back to 848x480 or 856x480, so i tried to do another system restore, did it for the day before, and now i'm relieved, it went back to normal, and I have my 854x480 resolution back :D
Had another scare too, but it didnt end up happy like my PJ, my gf broke up with me, think its final this time... so it really sucks, another 2 weeks and it would of been our 3 year....
I guess i just get to spend more time with my other lovely baby, H31... hope it never leaves me :(

Arty

There is no greater example of the law of diminished returns than A/V cables. While it's true that a good cable is important, once you get into the "decent" range any further improvements are subtle and expensive. My case in point: I purchased a 25 ft HDMI cable and a 25 ft component cable from Monoprice for use with my new H31 PJ. I know, the HDMI was cause I originally was going with a Sanyo... Anyway, with a pair of DVI adapters and I'm running HDTV to the PJ via D**h sat. and DVD via component with a Pioneer 563. What can I say, the pictures are beautiful! DVD is very clean, and HD is spectacular! I am familiar with the higher priced cables, as my old RPTV was fed via 1 meter MONSTER component cables that cost $100! Guess what, my PJ picture is so good I never would consider going Monster again. You know what a PAIR of 25 foot Monster cables would have set me back? If the picture was improved at all, which I doubt, it would not be cost effective by any means. So long Monster, hello Mono! Highly recommended!

Originally posted by digitalmonkeyman
To be honest, I did not look into adjusting the DVD player, I was able to get great results adjusting the H31.
The way I figure it, why mess with two setups if you only have to do one!

Actually, to me, it's easier to adjust the 1910. Just press "mode" on the remote and it gives you options for gamma, brightness, contrast, and so on. BTW, this machine ROCKS! I never thought you could get this kind of picture on an up-convert machine or anything else. Smart purchase. I won't need any stinking HD-DVD, gringo ;)

Wolfie

Hi all,

I am trying to get my H31 going after finally getting all the cabling I need. My setup is as follows:

Sources:
E* 811 HD receiver
Yamakwa 288/VGA DVD player

A/V Receiver:
Pioneer 1014

Connections:
3' Belden 1505F component from DVD and 811 to 1014
30' Belden 7710A(huge cable btw) from 1014 to H31

My problem lies with my 811, when I switch to my SAT source on the 1014 the H31 detects a signal over component (says 1920 x 1080, mode 12) but all I see is a black screen. I get a great picture when I switch to the DVD source. I am not quite sure why it would say 1920 x 1080 because I initially set my 811 to output 480p. Tonight I am going to try taking the 1014 out of the loop and connect the 811 directly to the PJ. Anyone run into anything remotely similar to this? Thanks.

Matt

slackusr,

when you hook your connection through the Pioneer 1014, it might be doing something to the signal, so it might be changing it, so if it is doing this, try just hooking it from your HD player to the h31, and if it works that way, its the pioneer that is doing something to the signal, otherwise it's the 811....

Arty

I hope the 1014 doesn't change the signals. It would totally undermine having component switching in the first place. If I figure out the problem is the 1014, I'll be shipping my newly purchased component cables back and run a length of DVI-I instead. I'll just manually switch the cable between the DVD player and SAT box. Not very elegant but if it works I'll take it.

Matt

Matt,
You can also try sending diffent resolutions from your 811, try Interlaced too, cause some receivers that do something to the signal dont like progressive signals, but only way to find out is to try it... hope this helps.

Arty

Arty,

Last night I tried all possible resoultions for my 811 (480p, 720p, 1080i) and every time the H31 saw the same signal (1920 x 1080, mode 12) but did not display a picture. Tonight I should have it pinpointed when I go directly from the 811 to the H31. We'll see :) Thanks for the input.

Matt

Wayne,

That is very strange that the Panasonic S97 looked soft to you over 720p. I set mine to 480p right now and compared to 720p over HDMI-DVI to my H31 and 720p looks noticeably sharper. I wonder if you got a lemon? Paul from the Home Theater Secrets DVD Shoot Out is a regular over at the Panasonic S97 thread and he rates the S97 as one of the best DVD players in its price range that is out right now (with the latest firmware update). He also has compared all the video output modes on the S97 and agreed that 720p and 1080i outputs are close in picture quality followed by 480p. Did you updated to the latest firmware on the unit that you tested?

I have tested many DVD players with the H31 and the Panasonic S97 looks the best out of all of them over HDMI-DVI set at 720p. The other units I tested with he H31 are the Denon 1910 with DVI and component, Bravo D1 with DVI and Panasonic RP62 with Component.

Jeff

Concerning not being able to get connected to my H31 over DVI-D here is the latest "support" from Optoma:

I said:
Thanks, there are two DVI buttons on the remote - one is DVI-A and the other is DVI-D.If I connect up with the DVI-I cable then I can get an image with the H31 using the DVI-A button.This gives me Analog signal. The HTPC only recognizes a generic "Analog Monitor".If I connect with the new DVI-D cable I just bought then I get no signal pressing any remote buttons.I don't care so much which cable I use, I really only want to get a digital signal through to the H31.If there are any tricks to getting that to work I would be most grateful to hear them.

Robert @ Optoma said:

If you get a signal using a DVI-I cable, you are not getting an analog signal. Any DVI to DVI connection is a digital signal.

I replied with:

With the DVI-I cable connected I click the DVI-A button on the remote the display says it is checking for Analog signal and finds Analog signal and displays it.When I click DVI-D on the remote it says it is checking for Digital signal and then displays "No Signal"With the DVI-D cable connected I get "No Signal" no matter which remote button is clicked.

Then Robert @ Optoma said:

Hi Rick,
It says checking for analog signal because with any component connection, the signal starts off as an analog signal and is then converted into a digital signal.


I wish I could get to someone who knows what they are talking about over there - this is such a load of BS!!!

Whitemist.............

As far as I know all the receivers that do HDMI or DVI switching are pretty pricey at this point..... most of them around the $4k price.

The least expensive I know of is the Marantz 8500 which has two DVI/in's and one out... it is $1500.

You could also by an HDMI or DVI switch separate from the receiver... use the receiver to switch the audio, but have the video go through the external switch... this is normally more cost effective, but not as elegant.

Can someone tell me if the video quality is the same and not degraded by using a vga/dvi adapter on a vga cable to component cable versus a straight component cable.

I currently have a vga to component cable.

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
Whitemist.............

As far as I know all the receivers that do HDMI or DVI switching are pretty pricey at this point..... most of them around the $4k price.

The least expensive I know of is the Marantz 8500 which has two DVI/in's and one out... it is $1500.

You could also by an HDMI or DVI switch separate from the receiver... use the receiver to switch the audio, but have the video go through the external switch... this is normally more cost effective, but not as elegant.

Hey Akai is coming out with a receiver that not only uses tubes for each channel but also has HDMI. It's about $800

Just an initial OMG post:

This is in no way any kind of review... but... OMG :) this pj is amazing. Finally had a little time last night to see what this bad boy can do and I was just blown away with the pq of this thing. Mind you this is straight out of the box, plopped on the couch, and with no installations, hookups, setups, or anything. The pj is just hooked up to my trusty Pioneer Elite DVD player via component with no sound and no screen. It is just projected onto a light grey (egg shell sheen) wall with standard orange peel texture. OMG this pj is amazing (did I say that already?). I can't wait to see what it will look like once I hook up my Panny S97 via HDMI/DVI and onto my Da Lite HCCV screen. But I just can't see how it will get any better then what I had saw. I mean I am new to pj and all; but had a top of the line mitsu diamond vision rptv for 7 years and it is no comparison (I sold that when we moved 2 months ago and thought I would miss it dearly... but not anymore :) ). I also have a CRT Sony XBR 32" downstairs and it is no comparison. I am even comparing this to my buddy's $4K NEC projector (though I think it is a little older model) and it is no comparison. The only real concern I have is SDE. I don't think I am bothered too much by it but I can see it. I was originally going 100" dia, sitting 14 ft back (max I can go back) with the pj ceiling mounted right overhead. I might have to go a little smaller and/or try a little defocus. Anyways, I will definately give a more formal (noob) review when everything is setup properly. Don't hesitate if you are planning to buy this pj... even sight unseen as I have. OMG this pj is amazing. :D

-Thomas

Originally posted by guitarman
Hey Akai is coming out with a receiver that not only uses tubes for each channel but also has HDMI. It's about $800

Tom, how many HDMI "In's" does it have?

Originally posted by rbastedo
I wish I could get to someone who knows what they are talking about over there - this is such a load of BS!!!

What a joke. I feel your pain. The guy obviously has no clue that DVI can take two forms, one of which is analog. DVI-I has pin-outs for both digital and analog signals, while DVD-D lacks the four(?) extra pins required for analog support, and is thus digital only. From the sounds of, the input on Optoma only accepts an analog signal over DVI.

Has anyone confirmed the use of a digital signal via DVI to this projector? (Most graphics cards with DVI out output both D and A over the DVI port.)

--Eric

Originally posted by EHHoffman
From the sounds of, the input on Optoma only accepts an analog signal over DVI.

Has anyone confirmed the use of a digital signal via DVI to this projector? (Most graphics cards with DVI out output both D and A over the DVI port.)

--Eric
hmmm.. correct me if I am wrong but doesn't HDMI carry only digital signal? And if that is true then I believe the DVI port on the h31 will accept both analog and digital. Else alot of ppl with HDMI output players will be sol (as in my case with the panny s97).

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
Tom, how many HDMI "In's" does it have?

This is all I got on it. The Akai site has no info yet.

"New/Old Audio Technologies New Again: Part One

I seem to have missed this out at CES (and the company is completely quiet on its web site), but AKAI is getting back into surround receivers with a pair of tube receivers. Yes, vacuum tubes. The AVR8500 and AVR8510 are 7-Channel Vacuum Tube Audio/Video Receivers. Both receivers use 7 Dual Triode Vacuum tubes (of “Blue Tube Thermionic” design, whatever that is), one for each amplifier. Tubes actually introduce audible distortion to an audio signal, but the distortion is harmonically pleasing, giving the sound a "warmth" that audiophiles crave.

The AVR8500 is rated at 100-watts x 7, and the AVR8510 is rated at 125-watts x 7 and also throws in a universal remote control. Both units support all current surround sound modes from Dolby and DTS. Somewhat uniquely, both models also include HDMI switching capability, bringing tube warmth to the latest surround sound gear and HDTV.

No word on availability, but pricing is astonishingly low: $899 for the AVR8500, $1199 for the 8510. I actually think this is a mistake: tube gear is often ludicrously expensive, and, at this point, AKAI no longer has a strong brand in the U.S. home theater market. AKAI could easily create a few limited edition versions of the 85x0 series at much higher price points to build buzz and audiophile credibility."

Audiguy1

You have Ultralink component cables? You're laughing! Ultralink is one of the best cable manufacturers in the world. They don't just import products from Asia and them assemble them in North America. No, they do everything themselves in Toronto actually although they have a site in the U.S. as well. You should be more than fine with those component cables until you're ready to upgrade to DVI.

Arty,

Sorry to hear about the split. You'll find love again. Any woman who'd leave a guy who's smart enough to own a pj doesn't deserve that guy! :)
Especially a REALLY smart guy who bought the H31. :D

Jeff,

I might have had a defective S97 when I tried it out. I also didn't put the 540 firmware upgrade on it. I don't know if that would have made a difference or not but I was disappointed in the upconversion function. I really liked 480p though. All you guys can't be wrong. The solution must lie in either the firmware upgrade, a calibration, a better HDMI/DVI cable or a non-defective unit.

Rick,

Your ongoing conversation with Optoma is hilarious! I don't mean to find humor at your expense because I feel your frustration. But this is ridiculous. Did you take up my suggestion and buy a digital monitor on spec yet?

Ultraman,

Congrats! Wait until you have a real screen. It actually does get better.

Eric,

Yes, the H31 accepts both analog and digital over DVI. I have received a beautiful picture over VGA to DVI from my computer when pressing the DVI-A button on the remote and an even slightly better image through straight DVI-D when pressing the DVI-D button.

Wayne

Originally posted by guitarman
This is all I got on it. The Akai site has no info yet.

"New/Old Audio Technologies New Again: Part One

I seem to have missed this out at CES (and the company is completely quiet on its web site), but AKAI is getting back into surround receivers with a pair of tube receivers. Yes, vacuum tubes. The AVR8500 and AVR8510 are 7-Channel Vacuum Tube Audio/Video Receivers. Both receivers use 7 Dual Triode Vacuum tubes (of “Blue Tube Thermionic” design, whatever that is), one for each amplifier. Tubes actually introduce audible distortion to an audio signal, but the distortion is harmonically pleasing, giving the sound a "warmth" that audiophiles crave.

The AVR8500 is rated at 100-watts x 7, and the AVR8510 is rated at 125-watts x 7 and also throws in a universal remote control. Both units support all current surround sound modes from Dolby and DTS. Somewhat uniquely, both models also include HDMI switching capability, bringing tube warmth to the latest surround sound gear and HDTV.

No word on availability, but pricing is astonishingly low: $899 for the AVR8500, $1199 for the 8510. I actually think this is a mistake: tube gear is often ludicrously expensive, and, at this point, AKAI no longer has a strong brand in the U.S. home theater market. AKAI could easily create a few limited edition versions of the 85x0 series at much higher price points to build buzz and audiophile credibility."


I would think that those have to be hybrid tube designs like some of Counterpoint's old tube gear.

I would think that those have to be hybrid tube designs like some of Counterpoint's old tube gear.

According to a short blurb on Page 58 of the May 2005 issue of Home Theater Magazine, "According to Akai, the Blue Tube technology processes the audio signals through highly stable solid-state circuitry coupled with a final stage that utilizes a newly developed Blue Tube Thermionic design." They also state there's one tube per amp. Sounds like a hybrid of some sort to me.

I also have a crummy pic of the Akai receiver (not sure which model it is) which I'll include in my next post so that I'm over the magic 5 posts mark and I can post a URL. Hopefully it's of interest to someone out there. :)

http://www.abend.com/pics/akai-avr85xx.png

Re DVI, Greg Rodgers at WSR found the re-sync button when using DVI set a PC signal level for black. Hitting straight DVI sends a video signal black level. Most HTPC'ers are set for sending a video signal for DVI so they're ok. But for me using a Bravo D2 I had to hit the re-sync button after first cueing for DVI. This gave me the correct black level and I could tune black. Before I knew this I had no moving black bars in Avia black level adjustment.

I'm figuring the H31 may work the same way, will test tonight. But anyone out there using a momitsu or Bravo, hitting re-sync after choosing DVI might help.

Leave up a graysteps pattern and see if you see a brightness shift bouncing back and forth from DVI to re-sync.

Originally posted by Papajin
http://www.abend.com/pics/akai-avr85xx.png

Whoa, that's it. I like the design, the mat look and the led tube readout. Or maybe that's a window and those are the actual tubes. Looks very cool I want one.

I'm watching a couple digital mons on ebay but this is just getting silly.

I connected up the same DVI-D cable to my HDTV box and got a wonderful display, so I know the DVI-D works on the Optoma and the cable is good.

I just can't get my Nvidia 5900 vid card to output digital like it is seeing a digital flat panel screen. I've heard from someone here that if you connect up a digital flat panel and it works then disconnect from the panel and connect to the H31 it might get a start. What's the correct procedure for trying this - just like I said, with the H31 already turned on & sitting in DVI-D mode?

EHHoffman,
I believe mystery has it running that way and maybe arty too. Probably everyone but me just plugs it in & Windows pops up and says : "Hey, nice little H31 you got there bud - wanna do any configuration?"

Rick,

Yes, once you've established a digital connection or pathway from your card to a digital monitor then you'll rule out the card being a problem. On display properties you'll have two monitors instead of one and unplugging the digital monitor then plugging into the H31 might give the digital connection to your pj the kick-start it may need. You need to find out if your card is outputting a digital signal to any device at all. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it has a DVI input. Once you've established that you can send a digital signal to a display device, then if you can't send that same signal to your H31 I'd suspect that it's defective. But you need to establish a digital connection first in order to rule out a defective graphics card.

Wayne

rbastedo,

In the future you should just call Optoma tech instead of emailing.

Optoma's tech lines seem to be well staffed, I've never had to wait more than a few minutes. Sometimes you just get VM, but I just keep trying and I get through.

Fleaman

Has anyone noticed how short the power cord is that came with the H31? I find it too short at 1.8 metres and I have my pj mounted only at 6'4" up the wall. It does reach the outlet but it's hanging in such a way that it's curved out away from the wall a little bit and I've almost got caught on it when going by. How are those with higher wall/ceiling installations faring with this short cord? The cord to my X1 was much longer and enabled me to hide it in a raceway along the top of the wall and down the molding to the carpet into a surge protector.

I called Optoma yesterday and the next size up is 5 metres. That's about 15'. Overkill but I need this cord to be longer so I went ahead and ordered it. $19.95 U.S. plus UPS shipping ($15.00). I intend to do exactly with this longer cord what I used to do with the X1 cord.

At least it's nice to know that this option is there for anyone who needs/wants it.

Second question: anybody know of a reason why it's not a good idea to paint cables to match your room color? Will the chemicals in the paint somehow oxidize, leech, seep, osmosize (not a real word :)) or in other words ruin the cable sheathing or interfere with or impair the conductivity of the signal?

Wayne

Wayne,

I also found that the power cord seemed very short. The cord does not even reach all the way across the back of my ceiling. I had to use and extension cord and from there go to my surge protector on the ground. Let us all know how the longer cord works. I am hoping that the longer cord that you get fits more snug into the power input as well, if there is one gripe I have about the unit it is that the power cord is very loose in the socket and has to be moved very carefully or the power connection is lost. Has anyone found a way to make a more secure and snug connection with the power cord?

About the paint I think you should be fine if you want to paint them. I would suggest aerosol paint as it will go on easy. In fact I know that home inspectors will spray paint certain wires in order to avoid confusion, here is a excerpt from a home inspection site:

" If all you can get is wire with the gauge embossed instead of clearly printed, spray-paint the roll of cable a specific color for each gauge. For example neon green indicates 12 gauge."

Jeff

Hey Jeff!

Thanks for that. I'm deliberating as to what to do with my DVI-D cable and component cables. I'll either go through the recroom wall which backs onto an unfinished portion of the basement and then come back through the wall again up at the pj height or I'll camouflage the cables by painting them and mounting them with U nails right on the recroom wall. It's good to know that they can be painted if necessary. Not great for the re-sale value though if I ever decide to unload the DVI cable.

I'll let you all know how the longer power cord works out when it arrives. Hopefully I'll get it on Monday or Tuesday and I'll see how snug it is at the projector compared to the stock issued cord.

I think that if possible people ought not to connect this cord into an extension cord and then into a surge protector but I realize that with it being so short there aren't a whole lot of options other than perhaps hanging the surge protector up the wall to eliminate the extension cord.

I'm thinking of getting a Monster Clean Power device to use specifically with the H31. Why not optimize the images even more if it's possible? Here's a link:

http://www.monstercables.com/power/productPagePower.asp?pin=1143&LastPage=Home%20Theater%20Power

What do you think about this?

Wayne

Hey Wayne-

There was a spirited debate about 6 months ago with someone claiming "amazing" improvements in picture clarity after installing one of these $40 devices. The poster went so far as to quote a review of a $3,000 Furman power conditioner when extolling the virtues of power conditioning. There were several people who had tried one and were not able to notice any difference. No one had any issues with them, just no panacea.

I used this wiremold product from Home Depot to run my H30 signal cables down the wall. We had a sort of two tone gold faux paint job in the family room and I was able to recreate that easily on the wiremold casing. It is difficult to see unless you're looking for it.

http://www.wiremold.com/www/consumer/projects/chairrail/index.asp

Cheers!

Wayne,

If you try that Monster power cleaner let us know you impressions. I do have a full sized Monster power conditioner but have not plugged my projector into it as I would have to stretch a extension cord to the front of my room. I may do that just to see if there is a difference in picture quality.

gotta,

That looks like good stuff. I bought something similar, maybe even the same stuff from Home Depot a couple of years ago that I've been using and intend to use again.

I seem to remember that thread or at least similar threads about clean power. I know it won't hurt even if there doesn't seem to be a noticeable difference. I have seen a demonstration though that clearly shows how household devices show decreased electrical 'noise' when plugged into one of these power bars. Whether that translates into a better image on screen or not we'll have to see. I bought a HTS 2000 Monster Clean Power Bar for my audio and video equipment today and I think I'll get the smaller version to dedicate to the H31. I'll report on any differences.

Jeff,

That would be interesting for you to try plugging your pj into that power bar you have. Let us know what you think.

Wayne

Originally posted by mystery
Hey Jeff!

I think that if possible people ought not to connect this cord into an extension cord and then into a surge protector but I realize that with it being so short there aren't a whole lot of options other than perhaps hanging the surge protector up the wall to eliminate the extension cord.

Wayne

Just use an extension cord. It's no different than the many feet (20 to 100+ ft) of wiring behind your wall (other than gauge differences).

The H31 uses only about 300 something watts max (hi lamp mode probably) and most extension cords can handle 10 to 15+ amps! (10 amps is something like 1500 watts).

Unless you buy into the hi-end AC cable snake oil. I could never understand someone paying hundreds of $$$ for a 6ft AC cable only to plug it into a wall outlet that has a hundred feet of 3 cent a foot wire behind it.

But that's just me:)

And if you still doubt me, read the only double blind ABX testing of hi-end ac cords by Secrets of Hi-Fi/HT Here (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html)
Short answer: No one could pick out the AC cords from free generics better than the 49% of the time. Same odds as flipping a coin guessing.

And as for pwr conditioners: They sometimes make a difference depending on how dirty your AC pwr is in your house. The dirtier your ac, the more likely a difference they 'may' make. Remember that electronics components like projectors, audio receivers, amps, etc., have pwr supplies in them that specifically filters and stabilizes the AC fed into it. Most of the time they are fully capable of that job. Only in more extreme cases would a pwr conditioner (may) help.


Fleaman

once again this is the greatest forum for HT. Thanks to everyone for being so helpful about everything!

I think I am decided now and I am gonna order the H31 in the next few days. before I do so I wanna make sure I wont have any dimension issues.

I am gonna put the PJ in a moderately light controlled living room. it will be shelf mounted.
distance back to front wall is 13 feet.
my screen (front wall) cannot be wider than 69inches. (middle wall between stairwell and basement door).

given the offset this PJ has, can anyone help me figure out what is the height I should put that shelf at?

Thanks a lot in advance.

H

H,

The H31 has a short throw lens which means you can get fairly large images from a short distance but not necessarily small ones.

My H31 is situated 13" back from my 80" wide screen and I can just barely make the image small enough to fit it. I use a tiny bit of zoom in order to fit the picture to match the screen.

If you intend to only use a 69" wide screen from 13' you'll have to either get a projector with a long throw lens like the X1 or buy the H31 and position it closer to your screen. With my X1, I was just able to get a large enough image to fit my 80" wide screen. However, I could make the image smaller if I wanted. The H31 is the opposite of that.

Wayne

hskali

The H31's lens has an offset of 7.42 degrees. Therefor a little Trigonometry is in order. You are looking for the opposing side of a right triangle formed by the 7.42 degree offset.

The Tangent of 7.42 degrees = .130232294

Multiply that times the distance in inches from the projectors lens to the screen surface.

That will give you the distance from the center of the lens to the bottom of the picture.

Of course this will only work if the offset "really" is 7.42, but MikeSRC's testing would seem to confirm that it is.

If you go to www.projectorcentral.com you can use their projection distance calculator or to Optoma's own site at http://www.optomausa.com/optomausa/public/products_hproj_h31.jsp Then click on the link on the right that reads screen size vs. distance.

This will give you the distance your projector will need to be to create the size image you want.

From what I can see, if you want a 69" diag. screen your projectors lens would have to be between 8.77' and 10.6' from the screen

I've just been lurking but wanted to thank everyone for their help in making my purchase. Ordered my H31 friday and it will be in Tuesday. Screen won't get here until Thursday though so I am just going to buy a white sheet to hang for the time being. Going shopping for blackout curtains tomorrow. Then I have to move my 42" RPTV into my other room. I'm excited! :D Thanks again guys!

hotcoffeburns,

Love your user-name! Congratulations on your decision. You won't be disappointed. If I were you, I'd save my money and effort and just wait the two days until the screen arrives. The H31 shows ridiculously well even on colored walls. I had to wait two days myself before being able to use my screen because it took me that long to get my old mount re-configured to fit the H31. In the meantime, the H31 displayed a very good picture on my green walls. Just trying to save you some hassle and $$$ but if you're too excited and must put up the temporary screen, I hear you.

Stevo!

Thanks for saying in such mathematically eloquent terms what I so humbly attempted to say in laymen's speech to hskali. I love the short throw on this H31. It's not for everyone though I can imagine. Rob's still thinking of another shootout as of two weeks ago. Not sure where he's at with it presently but I'll be there if it's a go. Hope you can attend!

jedi!

How'd that thing go in Indy with George Lucas? Did you give him H**L for waiting so long to bring the original Star Wars trilogy to DVD? :)

Earlier you asked about the measurement of sidebars when viewing 1.66:1 material on the H31. I found the distance to be 8 inches on each side totaling 16 inches of black bars on my 80" wide (92" diagonal) screen. This turns out to be a 4:3 image measuring 45" high times 64" wide. It's nicer than straight 4:3 and like Tom says, it's a nice compromise between 16:9 and 4:3. I really like it and I ALWAYS use 1.66:1 now when viewing 4:3 material.

Fleaman,

I'm not really worried about signal degradation or anything like that in my objection to extension cords. No, it's actually more a matter of aesthetics and a possible fire hazard. I can't imagine any firefighter endorsing us plugging the H31's power cord into an extension cord, then into a surge protector and then into a wall socket. Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid here but for me it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, I think that using 3 cords would be ugly and probably I'd end up having the opposite problem of having way too many feet of cord for the distance needed. But that's me and each to their own.

As for the Clean Power technology, I realize that the jury seems to be still out on this and some people notice a difference while others don't. I don't trust my electrical components, appliances etc... to properly filter out AC noise and regulate voltage with consistency. I figure, since I've invested around $15,000.00 in my Home Theater system including pj and HTPC, why not spend a few hundred to safeguard against electrical anomalies including interference, voltage spikes and surges etc...? Seems like more than a fair trade-off to me for a little peace of mind even if it's not protecting me any more than my previous power bars and even if the image isn't improved. Perhaps it's a placebo but I needed a new toy anyway. :D

Wayne

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
hskali

The H31's lens has an offset of 7.42 degrees. Therefor a little Trigonometry is in order. You are looking for the opposing side of a right triangle formed by the 7.42 degree offset.

The Tangent of 7.42 degrees = .130232294

Multiply that times the distance in inches from the projectors lens to the screen surface.

That will give you the distance from the center of the lens to the bottom of the picture.

Of course this will only work if the offset "really" is 7.42, but MikeSRC's testing would seem to confirm that it is.

If you go to www.projectorcentral.com you can use their projection distance calculator or to Optoma's own site at http://www.optomausa.com/optomausa/public/products_hproj_h31.jsp Then click on the link on the right that reads screen size vs. distance.

This will give you the distance your projector will need to be to create the size image you want.

From what I can see, if you want a 69" diag. screen your projectors lens would have to be between 8.77' and 10.6' from the screen

Ya i did the math part too. I then made sure that the top of the optima was level. I got keystoning out the wazo that way. Might height was off about 6". Table was level, optima case top was level, it hit the screen where it should, and had a nice keystone. Put a shoe box under the optoma and angled it down ( which you cannot do with the optoma legs, they only go up) and everything lined up.

Nightanole

I had the same problem with my H31 on a shelf, needed to raise the back of the PJ up to correct keystoning. I made some "feet" of the right height out of some old 3/4" PVC pipe and glued them around the original feet. Coated the bottom of the new feet with some of that liquid plastic Lowes sells to pad tool handles to add a little non-skid.

Are you guys saying with the projector perfectly level.... there you need keystone to correct for a trapezoidal picture?

So you have to tilt the projector from level to do away with the need for keystone correction?

Back to Mystery's post, the Monster clean power is great. I have it in their surge protector version...both the big and small ones. I bought the first one because it just seemed smart...like putting a Brita filter on your outlet...can only be good, even if only in an OCD kinda way. But it actually DID make a diff...not in picture, but in SOUND...I noticed my sound being quite a bit cleaner, since the reciever didn't have to use up a lot of its resources flattening out the power before sending the signal to the speakers. I'm not the best ultra electrical techie, so forgive me if I'm way off there, but it certainly seemed to sound cleaner.

tommy,

I agree with you. In the last week I've purchased three of these units. One to be used with my HTPC and all of it's peripherals; one small one to be used specifically for the H31; and one for my home theater separating the audio and video components into two separate electrical 'stages'. I haven't hooked up the HTPC one yet because my computer is in for repair but I did connect the home theater and H31 units. Man, you're right about the sound. It makes a difference and I can hear guitar strings squeaking and individual notes of instruments are heard with greater clarity.

As for the H31, I can't say that I have noticed a GREAT change there. Sometimes I think that I have but I can't say for sure. One thing is certain though, it does give me peace of mind knowing that the H31 is protected and that I could possibly be giving it a chance to perform to the very best of it's ability. There does seem to be a small improvement in the image which I can't explain specifically. Just an overall nudge toward video nirvana.

Wayne

Is there a universal mount that will work with the H31? Or can anyone recommend a shelf that I could put on my wall to place it on? Just thinking I won't want it sitting on a table or anything too long. Thanks!

Originally posted by chr1sk
Nightanole

I had the same problem with my H31 on a shelf, needed to raise the back of the PJ up to correct keystoning. I made some "feet" of the right height out of some old 3/4" PVC pipe and glued them around the original feet. Coated the bottom of the new feet with some of that liquid plastic Lowes sells to pad tool handles to add a little non-skid.

According to the manual, modifying the H31 in ANY WAY voids the warranty. I hope you haven't screwed your warranty up by gluing these risers to your machine.

Wolfie

Well I just purchased a Panasonic S97 to go with my H31. Anyone with this setup , do I need an HDMI cable and then an HDMI/DVI adapter?

I tried a Monster HDMI/DVI adapter with a DVI cable (the adapter attached to the S97 and the unit displays "U70-1" which means the connected equipment is not HDMI compatible. Therefore, no upconversion!

If I use an HDMI cable and use a HDMI/DVI adapter at the projector input, will this make the difference allowing me to use the upconversion functions of the Pany?

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Nearly 4 weeks with my new H31 and I haven't watched a movie yet!

...or should I use a HDMI to DVI cable instead. I would think that would be more cost efficient!

audi,

I connected the HDMI cable that came with the Panny to the H31 using a HDMI/DVI adapter and it worked fine. I don't have the Panny anymore as I was trying it out and I took it back.

Wayne

audiguy1,

I have the same setup as you and will be using HDMI cable with HDMI to DVI adapter on pj side. I am still waiting for my cables and adapter to come in. Jefftaz also has the same setup and he uses HDMI to DVI adapter with no problem. Look back at page 88... he even included a pic.

-Thomas

quote:Originally posted by chr1sk
Nightanole

I had the same problem with my H31 on a shelf, needed to raise the back of the PJ up to correct keystoning. I made some "feet" of the right height out of some old 3/4" PVC pipe and glued them around the original feet. Coated the bottom of the new feet with some of that liquid plastic Lowes sells to pad tool handles to add a little non-skid.



According to the manual, modifying the H31 in ANY WAY voids the warranty. I hope you haven't screwed your warranty up by gluing these risers to your machine.

Wolfie

Not sure how this would void the warranty but I used Spray "77". It is non-permanent, a little twist and the feet come right off. Rub the glue residue with a clean finger and you can not even tell the feet were there.

mystery & ultraman,

What lengths of HDMI cables are you both using. I need a 15-20 ft. cable.
Do I need to worry about loss of signal over a long run with HDMI. I have read that DVI suffers over long lengths and is not recommended.

Where are you purchasing your cables from and is it good quality?

Thanks for your input.

audiguy1,

I didn't keep the Panny S97 so I no longer have an HDMI cable. However, I do use a 50' Ultralink DVI-D cable from my HTPC to the H31 and the signal is as clear as a shorter DVI cable which I have. No sparklies, drop-outs, anomalies or anything degrading at that length. Just a pristine image. You might be able get AVS or one of it's sponsors to sell you an Ultralink cable. If not you could do a search on google for a dealer. We aren't supposed to mention dealer names on the forum otherwise I'd tell you where I got mine.

Wayne

Thanks Mystery,

Sorry about the dealer names. Never thought of that. I guess I'm a rookie to these forums and should follow the rules.

Glad to hear you are getting a great image through HTPC. I tried the Pany using a DVI cable and at 480P I sampled Gladiator and was so impressed with the PQ.

I have a Benq 6100 that I bought 3 months ago but after reading about the H31 through this thread ended up buying it. There is no comparison.
I thought the 6100 looked great with a LG 7832 @1080i but the colors are so true with the H31 and the PQ!

Thanks to you all and to guitarman & Jedi whose reviews convinced me to purchase the H31.

You're Welcome, new club 3D with more high color saturation and blacks, welcome indeed. :)

audioguy1,
Hey, I'm glad to hear that I had a part in helping you make your decision. You and I have walked a similar path. I owned a 6100 before the H31, and you are correct....there is no comparison. The H31 is killer!!

Tom,
Can you confirm for me and Wayne the issue of the Bravo D2 being able to do 854/480? We just want to be sure what the exact numbers are. Is it a custom resolution that you have to put in, or can you select it from a menu?

Wayne,
I just got back from the SW Celebration III last night. While it was a great weekend, there were some problems. There were 35,000 people there and the place was understaffed, and not very well organized. The waiting lines to see anybody were so long(2 or 3 hours each) that my friends and I really didn't get to see any of the celebrities. Bummer. A lot of those who got to see Lucas camped out all night in extreme cold and rain just to get in the next morning. I was not going to do that. Still, I saw a bunch of neat stuff.

Guys, I did get to see a special 4 minute presentation of clips from the new SW movie due out May 19th, and it was shown to us in true digital format. I didn't even recognize what kind of projector it was being shown on, but the images were quite simply the best I've ever seen on a big screen. And let me tell you, the movie footage looks awesome too...this one is going to be good!!

Wayne, just to be clear, I want to know how a true 1.66 dvd looks with regards to sidebars on the H31, not just 4:3 run in 1.66 mode. Any difference in black bar size?

Oh, and I'm sorry, I didn't realize that others were having trouble with lockups on dvi with the 318 even after the firmware upgrade. I do know that the 318 doesn't handle 2 high rez connections hooked up at one time. One has to make sure to use only dvi, or only component.

jedi,

D'oh! Of course I should have realized that you wanted me to comment on the real 1.66:1 sidebar measurements rather than the H31 generated ones. After all, you too have the H31 and can measure such things yourself. Sorry about that. I will pop in the only movie that I have in true 1.66:1 AR (Clockwise) tonight after work and measure the bars to see if there is any difference between real 1.66:1 and 'fake'.

I'm with you on the camping out all night thing. George Lucas would have to pay me BIG bucks to do that and even then I'd mull it over.

Screen Comparison and the H31

I just want to inform everyone that I've been doing some testing with my HCMW screen and my High Power screen in conjunction with the H31.

I believe that anymore the gray screens such as HCMW are no longer necessary in order to produce deeper blacks and higher contrast ratio at least in a perceptive sense. In comparing the two, I found that the images on the HCMW produced less shadow detail, much less as a matter of fact. This to me was the biggest drawback to using this type of screen with the H31. The colors were fine but I think that overall, the CR and blacks suffered just a little bit, maybe crushed. If you have a room of white or off-white walls and/or ceiling then I would possibly recommend the HCMW because it does a great job in that type of room to deflect ambient light. However, if your rooms are painted other shades this may not be the screen to use with a bright projector such as the H31.

On the other hand, the High Power screen, oddly enough, is well suited to the bright H31. The High Power has the ability to cast off ambient light to the sides and it even shows as well if not better with this type of light in comparison to a totally dark room although that is still in my opinion preferable if achievable.

Both my 92" diagonal Da-Lite High Power screen and H31 are positioned low so as to take advantage of as much of the 2.8 gain as possible. I estimate that I am observing at least a rating of 2.0 in this set-up. The CR, black levels and color saturation are superb with this configuration. It's not overly bright either. I'd say just right.

If you're going to use a High Power screen there's one thing that you MUST do and that is blacken your BACK wall. Yes, I said back wall. The High Power material is retro-reflective in that it bounces light back to the lens rather than evenly dispersing it around the room. This can create a lumens backwash on screen that can be readily seen by those of us who are used to good contrast ratio. When this light bounces from lens to screen back to projector area and then back again onto the screen, you lose much of your blacks and CR and the image is like an old multimedia LCD projector.

The solution is to blacken the wall and possibly ceiling area where the H31 is situated. This is not a subjective observation. I have seen the difference in AVIA's contrast and brightness settings. I currently have a temporary layer of black felt tacked up on my back wall that measures at Contrast 0 and Brightness -16 with AVIA. When I remove this black felt, even though the paint is a semi-dark green, there still is enough light reflecting back onto the screen that the AVIA measurements change to Contrast -7 and Brightness -7. A huge difference which can be seen on screen. I also put up a partial black wall covering to see what effect that might have and it also rendered a different reading of Contrast -2 and Brightness -12, much closer to the original numbers when the entire wall was blackened so this proves that I'm not seeing things. My wonderful wife has agreed to 'allow' me to paint the back wall black and even the portion of the ceiling at the back of the room that drops the ceiling 9" lower than the rest of the ceiling. Now I won't have to use black felt anymore. This should result in killer CR and blacks and I would guess that the AVIA numbers may change again to possibly a figure above 0 for Contrast and probably below -16 for Brightness.

I will post a report after the painting is done which may be a few weeks.

Wayne

Wayne: great post on the screen, I still haven't put up my draper M2500 screen yet, but great points and I hope to post a review soon. I do have all the black curtains hung and a black valance going across the top of the sceen (where it will be) and I noticed a huge differnce in darker scenes. It is sooo awesome, carpet will be changed out within the next month or two and I will be painting the ceiling dark soon, just need to pick up the paints. My bonus room is looking more and more like a movie theater and it is soo awesome.

Audiguy1: I use a male HDMI/ female DVI monster adapter at the DVD player and I haven't had any problems with it. I'm stumped you have an error? I also need about a 16' DVI cable to get the H31 ceiling mounted and I've heard so many different things about cables but I trust in looking for an ultralink like Wayne is using.

For those that have a good sound system: I was amazed by the crash scene in Flight of the Pheonix, awesome sound effects!!! Felt too real.

Thanks Lenny!

Sounds exciting about your room and what you're doing with it. We'll look forward to your review and maybe a photo or two. :)

Yes, do get yourself an Ultralink DVI cable. You won't be disappointed at any length.

Have to check out that Flight of the Phoenix crash scene.

Audiguy,

Yes I too saw how beautiful the Panny S97 looks at 480p over HDMI to DVI fed to the H31. I was very impressed. It was actually almost as good as my HTPC which kind of shocked me. Still, not enough to persuade me to buy it but if it weren't for HD DVD knocking on the door, I'd be tempted to pick this Panny up. For now, my LG7832 is doing the job when I use a DVD player. Mostly it's HTPC though.

I received my long power cord from Optoma. It's 5 meters long and I'll be replacing the stock cord with the new longer one as soon as I paint the back wall.

Wayne

"Tom,
Can you confirm for me and Wayne the issue of the Bravo D2 being able to do 854/480? We just want to be sure what the exact numbers are. Is it a custom resolution that you have to put in, or can you select it from a menu?"

I definitely got 854X480 to read ok with the Bravo D2 but I had to use a short cable. My 30' budget cable will work with the D1 but not the D2. Only thing I did was dial in the vertical and horizontal 854X480 in the custom menu.

Hi All,
UPS tracking notes that my H31 is 'OUT FOR DELIVERY' yes!! Also on the truck are large black out curtains from WalMart. (local store does not have the large ones) Thanks Tom, Jedi and everyone else for the reviews.

btw,
I had called a mail order firm that I've been dealing with for many many years and mentioned the internet prices. They came within $20 of the DealTime cheap guys, so I 'had to' buy. :-)

-j

Well, I got the H31 yesterday, and "evaluated" it into the wee hours (naturally). Just a temporary setup for now, with the 100" Elite hung from two hooks in the cased opening between LR and DR. The final den configuration is still being pondered (mainly how to arrange a fixed screen and a large 35" CRT without getting in each other's way).

I have to say, the H31 is a lot quieter than I had expected in low power mode. I had borrowed someone's Viewsonic PJ500 for a weekend a few weeks back, and that thing was a vacuum cleaner compared to the H31. In fact, for a while last night I drove it from a Dell Inspiron 8000, and the fan on the notebook was tons louder and more annoying than the projector. In the final configuration it will hang between 1 and 2 feet underneath a 10 ft ceiling, so I'm not expecting noise to be an issue at all.

The picture looked very good, but I think on page 93 of this thread that goes without saying. There was some SDE visible from 11-12 ft away, even though the picture was about two feet narrower than the 100" screen. But frankly the pixelation is more noticeable than the SDE, and there's really no way around seeing some pixels when you've only got 800-odd to spread across 7 ft of screen. Having 1280 pixels would make them around 30% smaller, but I felt that I would still be able to notice pixels in bright features even then. I think I'd need to at least halve the pixel size to really not see them anymore, so we're talking 1080p--and I'm a realist. For now this machine will do just fine and looks great. The darker or bluer the picture is, the less pixels are noticeable, and in the mix of movies I threw at it last night (using 480i over component from an older JVC player), the vivid colors and large image quickly drew attention away from individual pixels. I'd say after a while I will probably quit paying much attention.

Now I just need to calibrate the picture satisfactorily. I first ran the THX optimizer from Nemo, but when I compared the settings obtained that way to those thrown around in this thread, most were MUCH higher. In particular contrast and brightness were in the double digits. When I tried the figures used by some (brightness -9 and contrast 5), the image seemed way too dark and lacking any sort of detail. Mind you, I had this same experience calibrating my CRT TV, with the optimizer leading to much higher values than typically recommended. Is that pretty common?

Anyway, the kids will be thrilled to watch their favorite movies again on the huge screen. My son is already salivating at seeing The Incredibles for the 15th time, only bigger. That movie is like a drug for the little knob.

Ultralink actually has two configurations of the cable ... once it gets over 5 meters the cable and the connections are different.

Try giving "House of Flying Daggers" a go... Mastered in High Definition.. a great reference dvd.. If you want to hear some funky dolby digital the scene with the beans hitting the drums is brilliant..

Robert

hey, i know this more intended for the dvd forum, but are there any stand-alones that will upscale to 720p/1080i over compoenent and work nicely with the H31? something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, maybe just a toe

Why not make use of the DVI input for DVD?

uwradu
Sounds good, try in the image menu the Film/video/TV choices. Each one give you 5 new gammas each. TV will be the flatter set of gamma's, closer to 2.2. But it's all up to personal preference. Take a good look the THX pattern that shows boxes of gray tones and match up the best gray for each box. You can use the how to in the first post.
enjoy

no dvi run in ceiling :(

audiguy1,

I run a HDMI to HDMI cable with a DVI adapter to the H31. Works great for me. Oh and my HDMI cable is 45 feet long.

billy,

Pick yourself up an LG7832 or Zenith 318 (same thing). I have the LG and I upconvert over component @ 1080i because I'm using the DVI input for my HTPC. The image upconverted over component on the H31 is very nice. Not quite up to the HTPC standard but I could live with it if I had to. Once you've tweaked an HTPC it's hard to go back to a set top box player.

Did you all see Mandarax's peek-a-boo post about the Ultralink cables?? He knows what he's talking about. I've said too much. :D Ahem....

Wayne

mystery thanks for the tip, i'll check out the LG

just pm'd you

billy,

You're welcome! I've pm'ed you back.

Wayne

right back at ya wayne :D

Hi all,
I found on page 42 (thanks guitarman)
Service code
Up + Enter 2X
Left + Enter 2X

Up + Left + Down 1X

Using remote control, I did:
Up + Enter + Up + Enter
Left + Enter + Left + Enter
Up + Left + Down

Nothing came up! Did I miss something ?

Thanks
Thuan

You have to key on the projector.

jedi,

Just getting back to you about your question concerning 1.66:1 AR with 'Clockwise'. This of course is a real 1.66:1 AR movie. The bars ended up being 2.5 inches on either side versus 8 inches on either side as produced internally by the H31 when adapting a regular 1.33:1 movie to 1.66:1.

So it would appear that a real 1.66:1 movie will display bars that are 5.5 inches smaller on either side of the image when compared to an internally generated 1.66:1 signal by the H31. Needless to say, a real movie like Clockwise looks almost like 16:9 whereas the H31 widens a 1.33:1 movie a little bit but it still as you know appears like a bigger 4:3 image.

Wayne

thanks again for your time wayne, i appreciae it

just repled back

OK Wayne,
Thanks for checking that out. I'm not surprised that Clockwork shows smaller bars than 1.33 would. Have you noticed that Hogan's Heroes on HDNet produces smaller black bars than 4:3 material normally would on a widescreen? Do you think that show was mastered in 1.66? Great review of the screens. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I agree that putting up black material on the walls and surfaces around the screen greatly changes CR and black levels. It makes things a whole lot better, deeper, and with more detail. I'm so glad that I did that.

All you guys that are getting their H31s, I'm glad for you. I know that feeling when you check the tracking number, and find out that your unit is on the truck for delivery. It makes you feel like a kid again. Enjoy!!

Tom, thanks for checking on the D2 numbers for us.

Concerning the issue of getting higher numbers for user settings, we all have to remember that each of us have different viewing environments. And the source dvd player will cause numbers to be different as well when running calibration discs. I also learned here that different resolutions will give you different numbers on the same dvd player, just as various inputs will.

jedi,

Nice to meet another Hogan's Heroes fan. :) I bought the DVD set of the first season a little while ago.

Unfortunately I'm not able to get HDNET here in Canada so I haven't seen what this show looks like on that channel. I can't explain the different sized bars though. I don't think that 1.66:1 was around back then but maybe HDNET did something to the AR when re-mastering the original to HD resolution.

Thanks for your comment on the screens. Environment is so crucial to a pleasant experience in home theater.

Wayne

Originally posted by thuan98
Hi all,
I found on page 42 (thanks guitarman)
Service code
Up + Enter 2X
Left + Enter 2X

Up + Left + Down 1X

Using remote control, I did:
Up + Enter + Up + Enter
Left + Enter + Left + Enter
Up + Left + Down

Nothing came up! Did I miss something ?

Thanks
Thuan

Is there something special in the service menu that we need so to have to access it? :confused:

Wolfie

I did a search and couldnt find an answer - and admittedly if I actually HAD the PJ in my hands right now I wouldnt need to ask this. Regarding the lens shift - the manual states there are 3 settings - 0, 1, 2. How does the shift change in each of the settings and what is the end result? And how badly does it overscan, if at all?

Or do the smart people just mount it correctly and not use the shift? :)

Originally posted by Wolfie
Is there something special in the service menu that we need so to have to access it? :confused:

Wolfie

There's nothing in the service menu that you couldn't get from the user advanced adjustments. If you're a calibrator then maybe you would prefer to use the ADC rgb adjustments because it puts the control menu in the upper left corner out of the sensor eye's way.

So there's nothing really usefull for a basic user. Infact you could mess things up by trying things you don't know about. For one the Auto-cal things shouldn't be touched.

As always, thanx for the info, Tom.

Wolfie

Originally posted by KCRedhawk
I did a search and couldnt find an answer - and admittedly if I actually HAD the PJ in my hands right now I wouldnt need to ask this. Regarding the lens shift - the manual states there are 3 settings - 0, 1, 2. How does the shift change in each of the settings and what is the end result? And how badly does it overscan, if at all?

Or do the smart people just mount it correctly and not use the shift? :)

Heck, no! You can use lens shift preset 1 to customize the placement of 1.78:1 (16x9) material by using the up/down manual lens shift on the remote and lens shift preset 2 for 2.35:1 images. Lens shift 2 moves the image to the top part of the screen and, if you are using a manual roll-up screen, you can roll it up accordingly. When you do this, the image is locked into LS 1 or 2 and doesn't have to be adjusted again until you need to. It's great!

Wolfie

Or do the smart people just mount it correctly and not use the shift?

I have to admit I did some measuring and some looking at the projectorcentral site for hight x width etc and then I stacked up boxes & books & cardboard etc to get it close to the right place in my space and then I marked where I thought it should go on the ceiling and figured out how to get it mounted there with a cheap mount I bought on Ebay...

I wouldn't say smart, but I would cop to being lucky that my image exactly fills my 92 inch screen for DVD's & HDTV without any shift or keystoning. ;)

Originally posted by rbastedo
I have to admit I did some measuring and some looking at the projectorcentral site for hight x width etc and then I stacked up boxes & books & cardboard etc to get it close to the right place in my space and then I marked where I thought it should go on the ceiling and figured out how to get it mounted there with a cheap mount I bought on Ebay...

I wouldn't say smart, but I would cop to being lucky that my image exactly fills my 92 inch screen for DVD's & HDTV without any shift or keystoning. ;)

That was either extreme luck or extreme skill!!!:D :D Nicely done!

Please help!

Well I'm finally getting ready to mount the H31. It looks like the projector will be positioned between 15' to 16' from my "106" screen. Does that sound about right? Any one have a similiar setup? I want to make sure I mount this properly without having to redo it over.

I noticed when testing the position of the H31 that one side of the image was slightly angled. Not sure how to correct this. My ceiling is 7.5 feet high
and the top of the screen is 10 inches from the ceiling.

With all the different aspects on the H31, I assume I should be using the "normal" setting when positioning the mount.

I'll be happy when I can finally sit down and enjoy a movie with this H31 now that I have decided to go DVI/hdmi and the Pany S97.

that sounds good...if you can mount it so that the zoom isn't being used at all, that's the best. Pure un-altered image. Try zooming it all the way out, and mount from that spot.

If you're mounting you want to go with FRONT CEILING for the setting...or you'll be upside down. And get a calibration disc like AVIA or Digital Video Essentials...TOTALLY increases the picture...big diff. It's not horrible out of the box, but hey, if you can make it better, do it!

Originally posted by guitarman
For one the Auto-cal things shouldn't be touched.



Lets say someone did touch those things. What do they change and how do you fix it? Will a factory reset fix it?

Originally posted by audiguy1
Please help!

Well I'm finally getting ready to mount the H31. It looks like the projector will be positioned between 15' to 16' from my "106" screen. Does that sound about right? Any one have a similiar setup? I want to make sure I mount this properly without having to redo it over.

I noticed when testing the position of the H31 that one side of the image was slightly angled. Not sure how to correct this. My ceiling is 7.5 feet high
and the top of the screen is 10 inches from the ceiling.

With all the different aspects on the H31, I assume I should be using the "normal" setting when positioning the mount.

I'll be happy when I can finally sit down and enjoy a movie with this H31 now that I have decided to go DVI/hdmi and the Pany S97.

15' and a little more is good. Any angles on one side of the screen means the lens isn't perpendicular to the screen. Angles on both sides means your lens is tilted up or down too much. If you can't avoid a slight tilt up you can use the keystone to square it up.

Got my unit set up today and I absolutely am amazed at how awesome the quality is, even in ambient daylight! Of course it looks better in the dark, but I am more than happy with it.

Couple of questions though...I've heard conflicting reports about turning the lamp on and off? What is the general consensus on this? Secondly, the same thing with the lens cap...put it on when not in use or just leave it off?

Originally posted by [H]RedDog
Lets say someone did touch those things. What do they change and how do you fix it? Will a factory reset fix it?

"I've got this friend you see..."

LOL... :D

Guitarman & Tommyj3,

Thanks for the advice. The more info I receive...the more assured I am.
I want to do this setup right the first time and not have to drill any more holes in the ceiling. I will have more holes to fill when I take down the Benq 6100 (I know, I know...but hey that was my first experiment with projectors and then 3 months later along came the H31!)
The Benq was pretty decent with an LG upconverting player but when I received that H31 that everyone was talking about on the forum, Wow...fantastic picture for a projector at this price level.

Any recommendations for a decent inexpensive mount?
I built one for the Benq that was based on "monkeyman's"
design. May have to alter this one a bit if I use it.
With a 7 1/2 foot ceiling, I think I'll have to mount it pretty close to the ceiling. I have read somewhere in this thread that the center of the lens should be 12 inches above the top of the screen? Something like that.

Does the H31 have an air filter? If so, how do I clean it?

hotcoffeeburns,

You can just leave the H31 plugged in with the green light flashing on and off. It's virtually silent in this mode and only a trickle of electricity is going through it. Tom says that you only need to unplug it when you're going away on holiday. It's possible that it may actually be better for the bulb if you do this. That's my opinion.

You should probably replace the lens cap when the H31 isn't on. Keeps the dust off. If you're careful, you won't disturb the focus ring at all. At least that's been my experience both with the X1 in the past and the H31 now.

audiguy,

Send Mandarax a pm. He sells mounts and you should be able to purchase one from him that you can adapt to the H31. That's what I did with his X1 mount. I just put new holes in the mounting plate to match the H31's and voila, instant H31 mount. He sells these on AVS with their permission so I'm not violating any forum rules here by mentioning him.

Wayne

chr1sk,
No air filters in the H31. It has sealed optics, so dust blobs should not be a problem, right Tom?

RedDog,
Man, you are reminding me of the nightmares I experienced with my Benq 6100 and the service menu. Just navigating down the ADC menu page causes the pj to take auto readings off the screen, thereby screwing up your numbers. No one warned me of this before I got into the service menu. A bunch of us teamed up and found out how to get our numbers back. A factory reset worked, but it also reset the bulb hours. It sounds like we may not have to mess with this menu on the H31. If one needs to, Tom can you tell us how to safely avoid changing the ADC numbers? I'd guess that if you wind up on the ADC menu page, don't navigate up or down, just go on to the next page, unless you have a calibrator there with the proper equip. and test patterns.

Wayne,
It's strange that Hogan's Heroes is showing on HDNet with fairly small side bars. If the show wasn't originally shot in 1.66, then why has it been remastered for HD this way. Who knows. It does look great!! I'm assuming that the dvds are 1.33?

I have a RPA315 mount that I'm not using anymore....Anyone interested PM me. Thanks

Originally posted by audiguy1
Please help!

Well I'm finally getting ready to mount the H31. It looks like the projector will be positioned between 15' to 16' from my "106" screen. Does that sound about right? Any one have a similiar setup? I want to make sure I mount this properly without having to redo it over.

I noticed when testing the position of the H31 that one side of the image was slightly angled. Not sure how to correct this. My ceiling is 7.5 feet high
and the top of the screen is 10 inches from the ceiling.

With all the different aspects on the H31, I assume I should be using the "normal" setting when positioning the mount.

I'll be happy when I can finally sit down and enjoy a movie with this H31 now that I have decided to go DVI/hdmi and the Pany S97.

Not sure how much of a drop I'll need from ceiling to projector. I would assume very little with my setup. I have contacted madarax about a mount and hope one of his mounts will work for my purposes. Thanks mystery.

I get a little lazy and don't put the lens cap on from time to time. What would be the best material to clean the dust off the lens, without scratching it? Would a blast of air be best?

Originally posted by jedi35
chr1sk,
No air filters in the H31. It has sealed optics, so dust blobs should not be a problem, right Tom?

RedDog,
Man, you are reminding me of the nightmares I experienced with my Benq 6100 and the service menu. Just navigating down the ADC menu page causes the pj to take auto readings off the screen, thereby screwing up your numbers. No one warned me of this before I got into the service menu. A bunch of us teamed up and found out how to get our numbers back. A factory reset worked, but it also reset the bulb hours. It sounds like we may not have to mess with this menu on the H31. If one needs to, Tom can you tell us how to safely avoid changing the ADC numbers? I'd guess that if you wind up on the ADC menu page, don't navigate up or down, just go on to the next page, unless you have a calibrator there with the proper equip. and test patterns.

Wayne,
It's strange that Hogan's Heroes is showing on HDNet with fairly small side bars. If the show wasn't originally shot in 1.66, then why has it been remastered for HD this way. Who knows. It does look great!! I'm assuming that the dvds are 1.33?


Well crap. I went into the adc menu and tired both the white calibration and magenta calibration I think they were called. I just went to check last night and I cant get into the adc menu anymore. I did switch to a dvi player recently though. Are those settings changed for all inputs?

Originally posted by guitarman
There's nothing in the service menu that you couldn't get from the user advanced adjustments. If you're a calibrator then maybe you would prefer to use the ADC rgb adjustments because it puts the control menu in the upper left corner out of the sensor eye's way.

So there's nothing really usefull for a basic user. Infact you could mess things up by trying things you don't know about. For one the Auto-cal things shouldn't be touched.

Dog, you missed my post. Absolutely you shouldn't have hit the Magenta, we don't have a color field that produces correct Magenta. You'll have to re calibrate a bit. ADC is only open for progressive analog I think.

Do you have Avia?

About a mount, many like the Panavise low priced mount, you can angle it pretty flush to the ceiling.

"Tom can you tell us how to safely avoid changing the ADC numbers? I'd guess that if you wind up on the ADC menu page,"

When you open ADC it shows the options. Just high lighting and hitting the auto cals sends then into operation.

Here's how they work just so you know. I wouldn't bother with them anyway.

Auto black you need to first have a 7.5ire black pattern in Avia going. It's in the grayscales & levels area, under the window patterns, called black.

Auto white you need a 100IRE pattern going from the full fields pattern in Avia

Auto color or Magenta, we need a signal generator that produces correct magenta, Avia Magenta isn't correct for this.

What this does is tune for the black and white level of your progressive player.

RedDog, being you used the Auto color you'll just have to re-tune the colors with a graysteps pattern, use the how to in the first post. A few of us could help by posting their ADC RGB numbers. But don't highlight and hit the auto-cals pls.

I had my original number writen down. I just iinput those back in after I had done that auto calibration stuff. I was thinking it changed something that cant be changed back. I'm not too worried I'm not useing the rgb rca jacks anymore.

Hey guitarman I had one question about colors though. I have a problem with a strange dingy yellow tint on some scenes. On any candle lit part I get this dingy yellow tint. It cant seem to get rid of it. From what I understand its green and red together that make yellow in RGB. So how can I fix this. Both avia and DVE show that the settings are right. I've been kind of lost on this ever sence I first got this thing. Its not terrible but I notice it. It almost seems too green but turning up the red just pushes the red. I've used 3 dvd players all of them seam to have this problem. My current s97 shows it the least so it seams that it should be able to be fixed. I do run my gamma pretty high. Does gamma change the colors in any way. I've lowered it and it seams better but makes dark parts harder to see.

Best thing is the Pluge or needle pulse gray steps to get a good look at possible color tints in gray.

Gamma 2 s/b about right and gamma 1 if you like deeper blacks. Could be you need to set the contrast higher. Use the all white moving bars pattern with Avia until the lighter bar just disappears, then back a click till it re-appears. Re-check the blacks/ re check the contrast till both are at the exact best spot.

Originally posted by [H]RedDog
I had my original number writen down. I just iinput those back in after I had done that auto calibration stuff. I was thinking it changed something that cant be changed back. I'm not too worried I'm not useing the rgb rca jacks anymore.

Good you logged the numbers. Each signal has different numbers, it's a good idea to write down the Picture RGB's also. As you move the ADC RGB's then inturn ADC moves the Picture RBB's. The DLP RGB's remain the same.

I logged all my original number for each setting. I do run my gamma at 2. I do have my black and white levels set right. I was thinking that maybe because the red are a little weak maybe It causes this problem but the s97 fixed the reds. The arnt orangy at all with this player. Every other player I used had the orangy red. Maybe thats why the problem is not much of an issue with this player.

Well, after slugging through the 95 pages of this thread, and not seeing much mention of rainbow problems, can I assume that rainbows are a non-issue with this pj?

When the H30 came out, I auditioned it for about a week, and while the pq was generally good, I was a little bothered by rbe. Wouldn't this machine be essentially the same as the H30 w.r.t. RBE? (same wheel configuration...) I decided not to get the H30 because of it, but it was a close call. Perhaps the other improvements of H31 over H30 tips the scale?

Can people who have had the H31 for a while comment on RBE? On the H30, I really didn't notice it much with most material. You really only saw it if you were to turn your head quickly, like if you momentarily look away from the screen... The rainbows really stand out when you do that. I imagine the H31 is similar... Perhaps this is something you learn to ignore over time?

PS.. I currently own a Panny ae100... I like its lack of RBE, but it is obviously inferior to H31 in almost every other criterion. Lookin to improve things... (plus, at 1000 hours, my bulb is going dim... it may be a good time for a change...)

potus,

I do see rainbows occasionally on my H31 but most of the time it's because I've looked away quickly or darted my eyes around the screen a bit. For the most part it's not a problem and they hardly ever occur for me. You need to audition a dlp projector to see how vulnerable you may be to these things. The wheel speed is 4x on the H31 so if you can handle a 2x or 3x wheel you should be alright with the H31.

Wayne

Thanks, Tom, for all that good ADC info. We all would be well advised to just leave that menu page alone.

Amen to that jedi!

By the way, the Hogan's Heroes DVD first season set is 1.33:1 as far as I know. I haven't watched an episode yet (still working my way through the original Twilight Zone series) so I can't say for sure. The box doesn't even indicate the aspect ratio and neither do the individual jewel cases.

Just a heads up to some of you who wish to operate an HTPC with the H31. Billymac and I have been having a most frustrating time getting 848 x 480 to work with the H31 without horrible scrolling lines floating up the screen on occasion and also quick darting lines going across the screen.

It doesn't seem to matter which video card is used or which computer, the result remains the same. Perhaps not all of you will encounter this. We surely hope not but we are both comforted by the fact that we are seeing the same thing and have been trying to come up with a remedy back and forth in our pms to each other.

I have come to the conclusion that it may not be possible for some people, maybe most, if not all, to feed the H31 848 x 480 from a computer without these anomalies showing up. I myself had to swap out video cards from an nVIDIA GeForce PCX 5300 128 MB to an ATI Radeon X700 Pro 256 MB which is a very fast card but the lines still showed at 848 x 480. Billymac has also swapped cards to no avail.

I found the solution though. You have to feed the H31 1280 x 720 AND also this is very important, you must either enable the H31 as your ONLY display device or you must designate the H31 as the PRIMARY display device. After doing this, I am seeing the most pristine, perfect images from the H31 that's I've watched since I bought it 3 weeks ago.

Of course those of you using DVD players don't have this problem as I too can send images such as my upconverted to 1080i ones from my LG7832 without a hitch. No, this problem rears it's ugly head when using an HTPC so those of you without this issue when using HTPCs count yourself blessed!

Anyway, just thought I'd inform the readers of this thread and especially those who're thinking of purchasing the H31 that there is a POTENTIAL problem for some going this route.

Wayne

I got my H31 just 3 weeks ago and I already at 250 hours. I upgraded from H30 and didn't expect a huge different – boy was I wrong. The H31 is so much better I couldn't be happier. :D

The biggest different is with PAL DVDs. The H30 had an amazing picture with NTSC but an average picture with PAL. The H31 is providing a superior picture in both.
I am using a Denon 1910 as a source via DVI and switching between 576P and 720P depending on the source DVD material (576P for PAL and 720P for NTSC).
My projector is ceiling mounted using the Panavise Deluxe 826 device (very recommended!!!) and a 100'' Da-Lite CV material that according to my opinion is increasing picture quality by 30%.

I found few faults only with PAL DVDs but none of them are an issue for me:
1) When using 480i the picture is cropped.
2) 1080i is unwatchable since the picture is all trembling.
3) I can't use Full screen mode = Normal since the pitcure is shifted
few inches down and right.

I couldn’t recommend more about this projector …

Ariel

Originally posted by potus
Can people who have had the H31 for a while comment on RBE?
I've had mine since Monday 4/25 and put a few hours on it, just randomly checking out various movies. While I haven't obsessed on seeing the RBE, I did pay some attention to that and so far haven't seen anything. I do have very good unassisted eyesight and very sensitive peripheral vision, but maybe that doesn't matter with RBE. Still, I'm one of those that notices 60 Hz computer displays right away and goes crazy over it, I figured I'd surely be seeing the RBE.

HTH.

Arieldr,

What material is that 'CV'? I can't find it on their website.

I am going to be buying soon (hopefully), an H31, and I am still deciding on a screen (I have decided on 16:9 format 70" wide screen, just now sure which one/brand).

Also, did you have to do anything special to mount that panavise to the projector, or did the holes match up? Does anyone else have any suggestions for a mount for the H31 that is reasonably priced?

Thanks!!

With the panavise they're using the large Tripod screw at the projector. The other side has a small square which matches well with a ceiling stud.

So Mystery are you saying if you feed the H31 1280x720 rez it will enter 854x480 mode?

Case,

The CV stand for Cinema Vision. It's a vinyl surface with 1.3 gain. Its can be use only with fixed frame screens.
The Panavise fits perfectly to the H31 without any modifications. It goes into the tripod hole at the center of the H31.
Words of advice, don't buy the one with the knob adjustment they tend to break. And use one of the M3 holes to secure the projector.

Ariel

Thanks for the info guitarman and arieldr,

That mount may work well for my setup, I will have to keep it in mind.

I won't be able to use that screen material, I have to go with a pull-down type.

Thanks again.

mystery,
Have you been in touch with Arty about your htpc problems? I don't think he's reported any problems except a few stretched pixels at the extreme right edge pf the picture, which he hides using the edge masking feature. So far, he is the only one I heard of getting a htpc to work at 854/480 with the H31. Are you using Powerstrip? What other software?

Arty uses an ATI based card, wayne and i both had (up until last night) nvidia based cards. it would be nice if arty would chime in here and give a little more detail on his setup. i can't remember which card he had. What's weird is, wayne and i were using the same drivers but he was able to sync at 1280x720 and i have not. Wayne's now got an ATI but he still sees the problem at 848x480 but not at 1280x720. i'd prefer based on screen size to stay at 848/854 but it's just simply not looking possible. i've tried powerstrip and have also tried to mimic arty's powerstrip settings with a ATI AIW 9800 Pro to no avail. i'd be curious to hear if Arty sees the line. i'm starting to think it's a problem with the projector and the refresh rate. it's definitely NOT interference or ground loop as many are eager to dismiss it as. if it were, you'd see it on your desktop too. i really hope someone can help. the bummer is, wayne's bus is PCIe and mines AGP, so i can't go get the same card nor can i really afford it at this point. anybody know any of the tech's at optoma we can ask? with as many units as they've sold, you'd think there would start to be more and more people complaining about it. the sad part for wayne and i is that most of the posters in this thread use the h31 with a stand-alone so there's not a very big htpc user base to help trouble-shoot (YET)

oh, and an absolute perfect DVD to test to see if you see the line is Ocean's 12, the very very opening pre-credits with the studio logo and the solid color background that changes color slowly. If you have the problem, you'll surely see it there no doubt about it.

see both of these guys are seeing the exact same thing

i wonder what optoma would say? doesn't matter whether its dvi or analog.

who wants to call them? :D

tom got any connections? this should not be happening.

Originally posted by Nightanole
Seems people are getting better results with the nvidia cards then the ati's. The ati's seem to be driver dependent. I myself have a 9800 and can not get it to work well with my h31. Nothing will do 854 correctly, one person has got 852 to work, and optoma says to use 848. My 848 is soft in spots, and i get a tearing line that goes up the picture like a hum bar. I gave up and did 720p. The h31 has a very good scaler. You may want to try a h30, its 800/600 so its idiot proof, though it lacks dvi...


yeah, right now i have the H31, and have an ATI Radeon 9600 pro, hooked via DVI, i am able to get 854x480 on the H31, but the last 6 pixels on whole right side are streched, my main goal is to get a dedicated htpc that will let me get the native res. and that is fanless/ or near silent for my future theater room, but otherwise my setup now with 854x480 res with 6 pixels streched on the right side, i just love how clear it is, when i was using 848x480 or even 856x480 i saw blur spots and it bothered me, but i still get an occasional tear going up the screen when watching movies, is there an easy way to fix that? i've just been fooling around with powerstrip, but not sure if i'm getting anywhere...

Arty

Out of the box with no tweaking and light control, my H31 is great.

I'm ready to start prototyping / tweaking my setup. I'm not positive on where it will work best, so
I'm in 'prototype' mode. We'll set it up, watch a few movies and try something else.
I have:
Optoma H31
Da-lite Model C High Power Screen (8' x 6')
Avia DVD
Black out curtains
Dark felt for the back wall (I forgot who mentioned this, but I can already see with the High Power Da-lite
it will help.
(The speaker stands have not arrived yet, my setup will require them if I want correct placement.)

btw, this may have been mentioned before, but I just notice that
Netflix has both the 'Avia Guide to Home Theater' and 'Digital Video Essentials'
For many of us, it is a one time (or not very often) use DVD.
I own Avia, and I just added DVE to my queue.
<edit - Wow: now DVE has a 'long wait'. I guess that several of you have put the only copy in your queue as well - /edit>

Looks like a sleep deprivation weekend :-)
- j

j,
I'll bet that DVE from Netflix will not include the 3 color filters that come with the retail purchase. You won't be able to use this disc for all of the intended calibrations for color. Netflix sends the disc only.

jedi,
Good to know, perhaps I should grab one from amazon.
(my wife has the 'free' 2 day shipping)

On my tax form, under dependents, I write amazon :-)
- j

Originally posted by case
Thanks for the info guitarman and arieldr,

That mount may work well for my setup, I will have to keep it in mind.

I won't be able to use that screen material, I have to go with a pull-down type.

Thanks again.

You got two choices only. High power or Mat White. They won't show waves too easy in non-tensioned pull down screens.

RobRoy,

the H31 will accept a 1280 x 720 resolution as is. I haven't been able to do 854 x 480.

jedi,

Good suggestion about Arty. I've thought of contacting him but haven't gotten around to it, especially because I didn't think that he was having this problem but thanks to billymac and the quotes that he pulled, it looks like Arty has seen the problem.

I'm using Powerstrip to send 848 x 480 to the H31 because my new ATI card doesn't natively support that resolution yet my last card (nVIDIA) did.
This line shows no matter which software player is in use. I have ZoomPlayer, WinDVD 6, PowerDVD5, the proprietary player that comes with the ATI card, and Windows Media Player 9 so it's not a software problem.

billymac,

Thanks for finding those quotes. Nice to know that our little club is growing. :rolleyes: Maybe as more people will see this problem we'll be closer to finding a remedy.

I think that Tom and Wing might be able to help or some other engineer at Optoma.

Your idea about the refresh rates is something that I have considered. Here is what DaGamePimp uses for his 4805. Maybe this will work. Are you brave enough to try? :)

*** InFocus 4805 PowerStrip Timings for 848x480 @ 47.952 Hz [ Pixel-Mapped ] *** PowerStrip timing parameters: 848x480=848,24,88,96,480,1,3,13,25167,2304 Generic timing details for 848x480: HFP=24 HSW=88 HBP=96 kHz=24 VFP=1 VSW=3 VBP=13 Hz=48 *** These timings may not work perfectly with an Nvidia based Video Card [ they were calculated using an ATi Radeon ] .

He's gone from 60 Hz down to just below 48. This is worth a try.

Wayne

Originally posted by potus


Can people who have had the H31 for a while comment on RBE? On the H30, I really didn't notice it much with most material. You really only saw it if you were to turn your head quickly, like if you momentarily look away from the screen... The rainbows really stand out when you do that. I imagine the H31 is similar... Perhaps this is something you learn to ignore over time?

PS.. I currently own a Panny ae100... I like its lack of RBE, but it is obviously inferior to H31 in almost every other criterion. Lookin to improve things... (plus, at 1000 hours, my bulb is going dim... it may be a good time for a change...)

I see zero rainbows on games, and very very few on movies ( all black background with a street light swinging by or something).

nightanole, you still seeing that line? you ever find a fix? (read above) this page

I don't know, I think you're on your own at figuring how your particular HTPC will work. I remember Dagamepimp had allot of testing before he figured out what works for him. Send Damagepimp a H31, he'll figure it out. :)

Odd how easy it was for the Bravo to pick up 854 and 848. All I changed was the Horizontal and vertical. I left all the other perameters at stock. I you want when I get home I'll note all the other stock Bravo numbers?

Can't hurt Tom. Thanks!

Do you just go into the user menu to set the resolution with that player? If so, that's pretty cool. Makes me kind of tempted to pick one up.

Wayne

yeah, i pm'd jason (dagamepimp)

maybe he can come lend a hand. would optoma be more willing to take a look at the issue if jason can't find a solution? we're really not nit-picking here, it's a pretty valid and visible issue.

a shame optoma couldn't lend a hand on something so important.

tom, any of the H77/H79 owners seeing anything similar to this?

my guess is, they'll be hearing from a lot of unhappy owners especially at that price point (so many sales). time will tell.

Originally posted by guitarman
You got two choices only. High power or Mat White. They won't show waves too easy in non-tensioned pull down screens.

When you use the High Power with a ceiling mounted projector.... what do you think the resultant gain would be?

Have you had the time to measure with your equipment?

Thanks

Thanks again guitarman.

I will keep my choices down to those two.

I will be ceiling mounting, so I am also curious (like hihostevo) about which would be best to go with?

I will have pretty good light control in the room, but there will be some ambient light (so my wife can have enough light to work on her crafts during movies).


Thanks!

the high power is awesome IF you're sitting straight in front of it

i bought one for my AE700 and was a little disappointed in the viewing cone from left to right. i knew there would be one, but it does effect the picture quite a bit. my screen is mounted pretty high so i knew i'd be losing some when seated in front of it, but it's still better than the HCMW i had before in my opinion. the high power screens literally reflect the light the most directly to the source so the closer your field of view is to the projector, the more primo the picture is going to be and let me tell you when i stand up and look at the screen straight in front it is WOW, BRIGHT!

hope that helps a little. if viewing cone is a concern though, i'd just stick with matte white. my hcmw has bad waves too because it's lighter than high power and matte white. :(

i also have a 4:3 96" diag matte white for my X1 and have to say that based on my experience and opinion i prefer it the best out of those 3.

Hey everyone, havnt read much of the posts lately, but looks like the htpc topic is coming up again... from what i understand, ATI horizontal resolutions have to be in a multiple of 8, its hardware configured like that, but NVIDIA can be any resolution multiple of 2 or 1, but their drivers dont support it, I am still waiting for the Matrox Rep. to get back to me about their beta software and its capablities with their P series(he's waiting for their tech) so who knows how long that will take, its been like a week now too... so yeah...
about the tearing line going up the screen, depending on the powerstrip settings i have, it will occur more on certain settings and less on others... after i'm done posting this, i am going to play with powerstrip and give you some ranges for possible 854x480 res. hope this helps...

Arty

Arty,

Thanks. Any help would be appreciated at this point.

Wayne

yeah thanks arty

yeah jason can't help without getting his hands on one

okay, i'll post some numbers, real quick, cause i gtg work...
but here are my ranges... in powerstrip, on the advanced timing options under Horizontal

Active 848
Front Porch 0-30
Snyc Width 24-496
Back Porch 0-818

the frequencies can get really low... as you can see there are alot of different timings... if i leave the window up with these settings Windows likes to redo the numbers slightly and go to 60hz...
another thing you can try is to set your res to 848x480 and change the front porch going down... because when i get to 31/32 the H31 says its back to 848x480 and with the snyc and width, with some playing with that, i think i'll be able to get rid of the horzontal lines going up the screen during movie playback... well now i think i might be late... so bye, let me know if you have any questions... :D

Arty

Originally posted by HiHoStevo
When you use the High Power with a ceiling mounted projector.... what do you think the resultant gain would be?

Have you had the time to measure with your equipment?

Thanks

Yes I measured it the drop is .08 so that leaves you at 2.0.

Originally posted by billymac
the high power is awesome IF you're sitting straight in front of it

i bought one for my AE700 and was a little disappointed in the viewing cone from left to right. i knew there would be one, but it does effect the picture quite a bit. my screen is mounted pretty high so i knew i'd be losing some when seated in front of it, but it's still better than the HCMW i had before in my opinion. the high power screens literally reflect the light the most directly to the source so the closer your field of view is to the projector, the more primo the picture is going to be and let me tell you when i stand up and look at the screen straight in front it is WOW, BRIGHT!

hope that helps a little. if viewing cone is a concern though, i'd just stick with matte white. my hcmw has bad waves too because it's lighter than high power and matte white. :(

i also have a 4:3 96" diag matte white for my X1 and have to say that based on my experience and opinion i prefer it the best out of those 3.

I can't see a brightness drop from the sides probably because I can't get far off from the screen sides. If I'm viewing from the sofa which is on the side wall my line of site is along the left end of the screen. Again on the right side I have my RPTV setup so I can't get off to the right either. ;)

You mean you guys have all this real estate way off the sides of the screen where you have seating area's? These screens are about 8'wide. :)

Thanks Tom.............

So your viewing cone is about the same width as your screen?

Those of you that have wider viewing cones... what have you found to be the widest you can get from centerline without suffering losses?

Originally posted by billymac
nightanole, you still seeing that line? you ever find a fix? (read above) this page

Yes i get the rolling up line at 848/480. It looks like a digital humbar and just rolls up the screen. It only did it for me at 856 and 848. I tryed 720/480 and stretching, but it looked crappy. I think there is only one person in the world that can do 854 and he did it by accident, even with the 6 streched pixels. I ended up giving up and went with 1280/720. Its a standard hd rez that you dont need power strip for, and this puppy does a good job of scaling hd sources. I find it better then 848 anyway even if i didnt have the rolling line. text is kinda bad, but dvd isnt missing anything in terms of picture quality. with 848 you have dull spots all over the picture and its annoying, with 1280 its uniform, though odds are it is technicly worse since your scaling both dementions. Eh i like it. Im not sinking $150 into a p650 from matrox still some one else here can say if it works.

Hell i think you nvidia people should get off your ass and stay if you can do 854 over dvi.

I also want you people with the 318 that doesnt work over dvi to switch to the fixed firmware and tell us if it works.



In other news i found out that the $40 mounts on ebay are just 4 buck speaker mounts from walmart. So now all i need to know is what screw sizes and depht the h31 needs and i can cut up some plexi and have a 8 buck mount. My poor buddy paid for one of those mounts, the guy charged him $20 shipping ( instate shipping) and the priority mailed it for $3.85.

Originally posted by Nightanole
I see zero rainbows on games, and very very few on movies ( all black background with a street light swinging by or something).

Wow.. I'm surprised that you see rainbows in movies but not games.. Seems like the chances for fast motion and/or quick eye-motion would be higher for games, and therefore make rbe more obvious...

That's too bad... I am more interested (actually, ONLY interested) in how it performs on movies...

Thanks for the reply though.. Appreciate the input!

- Frank

My eyes dont have time to look at the scenery in games while im getting shot at, my eyes are pretty much focused in one spot.

While I don't have the H31 as of yet, I do have a manual 100" diagonal 4:3 da-lite screen with the video spectra material. I have been using it with my benq 6100 for the last 1 1/2 years. It is mounted on my back wall about 8 1/2ft up. It displays a bright and beautiful picture from any angle even viewed from as far as 15 feet off to one side. Though I have often read that one shouldn't use it in a manual screen, I have not seen any waves in it as of this day. The screen is also retracted on a daily basis.
Best Regards

Sri, proof is in the pudding. :)

My Video Spectra,
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/waves.jpg

My High Power,
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/highpower.jpg

It's the reflectivity that brings out the waves. Both these non-tensioned screens had physical waves, but with video on the high power you couldn't see the shadows. But you could easily see them on the VS.

Here's my new screen which has a bigger roller but I still get slite physical waves. Can't see anything in video. This is the H79 by the way, nice :) But you know what this scene on DVD with the H31 it would be pretty hard to tell the projectors apart. From the right viewing distance that is. ;)

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/h79highpower1.jpg

Hopefully sunday i will have some time to do some experiments with the 854x480 res.
I will update my drivers to the latest and fool around with it and making note of everything i do, and see if i can still get 854x480... and then i will let everyone one know exactly what i did, if i'm able to get the resolution again...

Arty

Sounds good Arty!

Thanks!!

Wayne

Sri Guitarman,
The waves in that screen are quite obvious and unacceptable. If mine looked like that I would toss it out. How long did it take for them to appear? Is it possible that it becomes more pronounced with a bigger screen size than the 60X80". Mine doesn't show anything like that at all.
By the way your spiderman picture reminded me that the first movie will be shown in Hidef this evening on the Fox network.
Best Regards

Originally posted by guitarman
Both these non-tensioned screens had physical waves,

Have you had any experience with the Deluxe model B, which has a tensioning arm in the back? WIll this help with the waves, or does the screen need to be tensioned on all four sides?

[I'm considering a matte white Deluxe model B because I can't afford an Insta-Theater right now. Are there any problems with the matte white I should know about?]

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

Kiran,

I have a High Contrast Matte White (gray) screen in a 92" diagonal pull down configuration. It's a Deluxe B model with a tensioning arm and yes, the waves are there. They probably aren't as bad as the photo of Tom's and the tensioning arm does help straighten the material in the vertical realm but the horizontal is left un-tensioned and waves appear on the left and right 1/4 of the screen.

Interestingly enough, when watching a movie they're only noticeable on the upper right and left on the sides and only then during scenes where those particular areas of the screen are displaying bright images such as a sky for example. Panning shots seem to exacerbate this.

But they're sort of like rainbows. They pop up from time to time and you notice them and then you don't. Once I bought my High Power screen of the same dimensions, I never used my HCMW again. Mostly due to the fact that the HCMW is dim compared to the HC but I do appreciate the fact that the HP shows NO WAVES WHATSOEVER during viewing at ANYTIME! :)

Hope this helps. I know you were asking about Matte White but I think that the material is similar if not the same.

Wayne

Originally posted by Nightanole

I also want you people with the 318 that doesnt work over dvi to switch to the fixed firmware and tell us if it works.


Nightanole,

I have the LG 7832 (Canadian Version) and I can tell you that DVI will not work with the H31 whatsever. I have tried both firmwares and 3 different players with different manufacturing dates flashed and reflashed.
The player would freeze every time! I would have to unplug the power and DVI cable for the unit to work again.

I reallly wanted to test this with DVI as component was pretty good at 1080i IMO. Well I'm returning the 3rd LG unit back this morning after nearly 3 months of testing and returning them. I purchased the Pany S97 last weekend and am very pleased with the picture at 480P. 720P and 1080 were not as sharp when I tested. Of course that is out of the box with no calibrations. I have DVE but haven't had time yet to figure how to use it. I guess the next priority is mounting it.

audiguy,

That's very interesting. You have had exactly the same experience with the LG7832 and the Panny S97 that I've had.

My LG locks up with DVI as well and I've also found that the upconverted to 1080i feed to the H31 over component renders an outstanding image. Really beautiful! At least for a DVD player. :D (I prefer HTPC).

I also tried the Panny S97 and was really shocked, shocked I tell you at how magnificent the image was at 480p over HDMI to DVI on the H31. I had tried 720p and 1080i upconverted prior to looking at 480p and to me, the images upconverted on the LG far surpassed anything I saw on the upconverted Panny. I didn't bother to calibrate the Panny and I'm sure that would help but the 480p out of the box settings on the Panny S97 were right up there with the LG at 1080i calibrated and even not far off from my HTPC so this is indeed one nice DVD player.

You and I are in the minority on this though. Most people seem to really like the Panny S97 upconverted. I found the images too soft and was really taken by surprise when I tried the 480p after first comparing the 720p and 1080i. The 480p was very sharp, detailed and color saturated.

If I were in the market for a DVD player this is the one that I'd get but I like converting over component and I find the LG does as good a job as the Panny using HDMI.

Wayne

Ok according to optoma, the bottom of the screen will be 7.5 degrees higher then the center of the lens. This is true for my setup.

However, to get rid of the keystoning, i have to angle the projector down 7.5 degrees (measured at the top of the optoma). Even with it angled down, the math tells me the screen is 7.5 degrees higher then the h31 lens. So everything is now correct, yet the top of the optoma isnt level in any shape or form. Hell the bubble on my level is halfway thru the line. The top and bottom of the optoma is paralell ( tested by puting a level on the table and on the top of the optoma with no shims or leg alterations) so the only thing i can see is that the optics are angled up 7.5 degrees and the lens is shifted up 7.5 degrees.


Any coffee table mounters seeing this?

If anyone wants my math, middle lens is 20.5" from the floor, image is 31" from the floor, screen to lens distance 154". The keystoning is not 100% fixed, but its less then 1" off on the screen height. This is with the optoma angled half way thru the bubble,

running some calculations, in order to prevent keystoning, the angle needs to be half of 7.5 degrees. for me, im 11" above the lens, thats 4 degrees, 10" would be 3.72 degrees, so my cacluations are right, and im with in 1" of error.

Tom/guitarman,

What screen are you currently using (the one with the spiderman screenshot)?
Is it a Dalite Model C in high power?

Originally posted by shivaji
Sri Guitarman,
The waves in that screen are quite obvious and unacceptable. If mine looked like that I would toss it out. How long did it take for them to appear? Is it possible that it becomes more pronounced with a bigger screen size than the 60X80". Mine doesn't show anything like that at all.
By the way your spiderman picture reminded me that the first movie will be shown in Hidef this evening on the Fox network.
Best Regards

All my screens have been 92" wide. Some were 4.3 120" diag, some were 16.9 106" diag. All have been non-tensioned and would eventually get physical waves. It just after testing the Mat white and High power worked best at hiding them when video is on them.

My lastest screen is a Cosmopolitan which I can set at 4.3 or 16.9 it's also 92" wide. I have two materials for it, High Power & Mat White(my favorites). Right now I'm using High Power. High power mainly because my HT1000 is on the dim side comparred to the H31 or H79. You can definetly be ok with Mat White and the H31. You'll actually get some better blacks and colors with the mat white. Neutral 1.0 Mat White is noted for more natural coloring. Get the High Power if you want a plasma bright type image.

Originally posted by entropy
Have you had any experience with the Deluxe model B, which has a tensioning arm in the back? WIll this help with the waves, or does the screen need to be tensioned on all four sides?

[I'm considering a matte white Deluxe model B because I can't afford an Insta-Theater right now. Are there any problems with the matte white I should know about?]

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

Looks like you'll be alright with that screen, especially if you get mat white.

Originally posted by Jefftaz
Tom/guitarman,

What screen are you currently using (the one with the spiderman screenshot)?
Is it a Dalite Model C in high power?

The Cosmo has a large roller like the model C, that's with the HP material.

entropy,
It's interesting, I have the Insta-Theater screen you mentioned. When my H31 was table mounted, I wasn't bothered by waves at all. However, when I ceiling mounted it, I did start noticing waves, though not as bad as Tom's first image. Text does appear to lazily roll up and down slightly as it makes its way across the screen. I suspect that this has to do with the new angle of the light as it hits the screen. My brightness must have gone down some in the new setup, and makes shadows more visible(this is the only side effect I've noticed). Table mounted, the pj was much closer to eye level, thus reflecting a brighter wave-free image at me. In other words, don't expect that the Insta-Theater screen will eliminate waves altogether. The tension supports behind the screen do ok with the verticle issues, but there is nothing to deal with left to right. My pj is angled up slightly to fit my screen. I wonder if my brightness would increase if I were able to angle the pj down at the screen more directly. My screen can be adjusted easily.

shiv,
I don't think it's true that FOX is only just now showing movies in HD. I have part of another showing of Spiderman in HD on FOX from months ago, as well as Ice Age and Men in Black. I taped them on dvhs.

You all may know that my VOOM signal will go dark at midnight tonight. However, I have signed up with DISH, and will still get 10 of the original VOOM channels, with the rest of the 21 sometime next year. The cool thing is I paid only $200, and will get the new DISH 942 HD PVR with HDMI, with 3 months of free HD programming. This thing has a 250g hard drive, which is what I'm missing from my Moxi cable dvr(80g only). No one has a deal this sweet for an hd pvr. The 942s are being released in short order, so I will have to wait a couple of weeks or so to get one. I'll let you all know what I think of it. It does come with an hdmi to dvi adapter.

hiho

i notice the difference when i move about 2-3 feet off center

it's not a lot, but i'm pretty particular, so just noticing it does bother me a bit

shivaji, my 45x80" 92" diag high contrast matte white wrinkled up pretty good after about a month...pretty disapponting especially since my first screen a regular matte white and like tom said, it doesn't show them

if you were going to buy a screen for the H31, i'd do like tom recommends and get the regular matte white. you won't be disappointed. in fact, i'm using my 4:3 matte white for my pj now because i like the looks of it better than the hcmw. so much so that the unmasked top and bottom doesn't bother me. i can always throw my x1 back up for a little gaming with the relatives too. :D

hey tom, what's a cosmo? oh sweet, i see it now. do you have some type of special masking or something? or does that screen do it automatically somehow?

Does it help with with these screens if you connect the bottom to something to provide a little "downward" tension?

I received my H31 and set it up yesterday. I am amazed at the picture. My parents are ready to sell their 51" HDTV and buy a H31 too. I bet that anyone that has payed thousands of dollars on a rear projection or plasma HDTV would feel pretty bad about their decision after seeing this projector that cost less than half what it cost.

My only problem is my brightness/contrast setting is randomly changing back to default. I've had to reset it a few times now on the same input. Not sure if its something I'm doing, though.

I watched Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tonight at my local Carmike theater and noticed that the picture on my H31 is sharper, more colorful, and has better blacks than the projector at the theater. I honestly can't tell the difference between a good quality DVD and true HDTV. Both are like looking through a window.

Lava,

You are so right. DVDs show remarkably similar to HDTV on the H31. It truly is like looking through a window.

Thanks for that opinon on comparing the movie theater to home theater. I'm not surprised. I used to think my X1 had an edge here as well and the H31 is far better than that pj in my opinion.

As for your brightness/contrast settings not holding, you need to go into the menu and select under 'Picture/Mode' go over to the two selections on the far right and click on either 'User 1' or 'User 2' and either one of these will remember your settings. I use 'User 1' for my DVD player and 'User 2' for my HTPC. It should be the other way around. :)

Wayne

Hey guys: Finally got my fixed 92" M2500 screen hung and let mey say this screen really brings out an awesome picture....lots of WOW factor. I watched some Incredibles and I was amazed how much pop this screen gave, I really like it. I recalibrated my H31 and I did struggle to get my original black level...which unfortunatley I don't thing I'll be getting back. My colors are more natural though and I see better reds and greens then I did on the wall. I will have to watch some dark material movies and see what I think about the slightly lower contrast level. Should I order the Matt White screen for first half of the bulbs life and then maybe switch it out when I start seeing it go dimmer. Anyone have an opinion and experience on the High Powered screen and the blacks? I should have more time today to play around with the settings and I will give a better review when I get some time.
Glad to see everyone is still enjoying this projector and it has been a couple of months now and it just seems to get better and better reviews.

Jedi: let me know what you think of Dish when you get setup, I've been thinking of getting HD sooner than later.

I went back and forth between matt and high power to check blacks. IMO blacks are just as good with the high power as they are with a matt screen. I think it's because everything else so much brighter with the HP, the contrast is even more apparent. After using the HP screen I would never use anything else again unless I had a very very bright projector. I wouldn't mess with two screens. If I were you I would use your 2500 with normal lamp mode. Then when it dims significantly over time...switch to bright mode. I use the HP and bright mode. I love it. The brighter the image, after it's properly calibrated, the more detail is apparent. The black are still great IMO.

Originally posted by billymac
hey tom, what's a cosmo? oh sweet, i see it now. do you have some type of special masking or something? or does that screen do it automatically somehow?

You can set the roller with adjusting knobs to stop at any spot. If you want a low priced electric screen you can search Vmax screens. It's not dalite so they have no high power material which is a great product.

I got a Optoma Panoview 92 inch diagonal screen for free with my H31. It is matt white with a 1.0 gain. The screen has not been bad at all however I did notice my first waves the other night. I was watching a movie where the camera panned back and the waves were very noticeable. However on most scenes I do not notice them. I am tempted to switch to a Da-lite model C in high power as I have heard that it cuts down on the waves but am concerned with the viewing angle. I do have 2 side couches that are about 35° off center from the screen. Would a high power screen be an issue for those people on the side couches? Also I did see where Tom stated that matt white is a good option - would a Da-lite model C in matt white perform better?

Hi, I have been reading this thread for a while now, and have had the H31 for all of three days. I'm happy to see that all the information on this thread seems very accurate -- you've all been a big help throughout the choosing/buying/setup process -- and I'm very happy I finally took the plunge. The H31 is a projector that's easy to love.

So, to jump into the screen conversation . . . I'm sort of thinking that I'll just paint a rectangle on the wall and use that for a screen. (Then if I see waves I'll know the house is falling down.) :-)

I may buy some specialized paint in the future, but for now it'll just be plain old paint. What's the consensus on white vs. grey? Flat vs. gloss? I have a 100% light-controlled room, and man - it's super bright on the beige wall right now, so I'm leaning towards trying grey for the improved contrast. Yes? Also, what are the odds that a bright white screen would cause the screen-door to be more pronounced?

Lastly, since it's new I keep wanting to go play with it. What's the general feeling about turning it off and on vs. letting it run for six or seven hours straight? If I'm going to use it in the afternoon and again in the evening, what's easiest on the bulb?

Thanks!

Jeff HP is better at not getting physical waves but will get some, mine has. HP is also better a hiding waves. To lose video brightness you'd have to be a few feet away from the side part of the screen.

Hey guys I've been working with the H31 this morning. Greg Rodgers gave us a tip re the H79 that the projectors actually have many sets of five different gamma. With the H31 in the image area there are -
Film Video Graphics PC. Don't consider these just for relating to the term they are. They are in fact very useful for find preferable gamma tables.

So flip through each one and then find a gamma from the picture menu you like. In essence this PJ has 20 gamma setting possibilities.

Wanna see a hugh contrast jump. Try in image area PC and then choose gamma 3.

Go back to the Image area and flip between Film and PC and take a look.

IllinoisBoy,
Thanks for coming out into the open, and I'm glad that you're loving your new H31. So many new owners, and all really like the product. Thanks Optoma for a truly magnificant little pj!! While others will have more experience with this, I think that you'll get your best colors with white paint, and flat should be pretty good. I'd guess that gloss white might give you hotspotting in the image. You could try out the grey first for the improved blacks, and switch to white later if you're not happy with the color balance. Blacks and contrast are still awesome with white. I think the screen door effect will have more to do with your seating distance than anything else. If you can get back atleast 1.8 or 2.0X, you should be ok. I think that the bulb should run for atleast 20 minutes to half an hour before you shutdown, so that it isn't exposed to large temperature shifts too quickly. You don't need to keep it running for several hours just to avoid turning it off. Once the bulb has warmed up for 30 minutes or so, it's safe to turn it off if you need to leave and come back later. However, I would try and wait 30 minutes to an hour before turning it back on again.

Guys, I answered my own question about the pj angle affecting how well waves show up on my screen. As mentioned before, I started noticing more waves after I ceiling mounted my H31. I'm using a matte white 1.0 gain screen(Dalite Insta-Theater). My pj was angled up a bit to fit the screen. Last night, I leveled the pj a bit more, and lowered my screen accordingly. The resulting image was brighter, I saw significantly fewer waves, and the image quality went up 20-30%. That's right!! HD now looks sharper, and is more detailed. Dvds should look better too. I'm glad that my setup allowed for the adjustments.

Sure Lenny, I'll report on what my DISH experience is like. I'm excited that so far, viewers have reported that the VOOM channels look even better on DISH. I'm sure that this is a result of not adding them to another loaded up satellite, and a reduction of VOOM channels in general. So far, the 10 channels can only be viewed via a dish aimed at 61.5. I'm still not sure if my current VOOM dish can be used for this, or if the LNB will be switched out. Tonight I'll check to see if the VOOM stb is still active for OTA reception or not.

Tom,
Thanks for the gamma tip. I love these discoveries. I'll take a look.

IllinoisBoy,

You'll get lots of good information over on the screens forum about DIY solutions. Check out anything CMRA has to say. But to save you a lot of time, hassle and money, I can tell you that most people eventually seem to tire of the experimentation with DIY screens and just after a while buy a screen. Nobody can reproduce by mixing paints on a wall (which is never flat no matter how great your builder is) what the screen companies have put together. We just don't have the expertise to do this as individuals. We can make some very good homemade screens. That's for sure. But you'll find that you will spend as much if not more money on materials and time invested than you would have if you had just gone ahead and bought a screen. I think that you'll get a sense of this if you venture over into the screens forum. I know I have as I've spend some considerable time over there while researching this subject. Good luck whatever you decide to do and welcome to the H31 club! :) :)

jedi,

The matte white screen is one very nice way to show off any projector. And no loss of brightness off to the sides either. I see you're still tweaking your setup like myself and probably the rest of us. It never ends I tell ya! :eek: :)

Tom,

Your observation about the gamma and image mode combinations is something that I've noticed as well.

The problem is, just when I have the picture dialed in perfectly with AVIA, then I try out the 'PC' mode and it looks really cool. Then I go back to my perfectly calibrated 'Film' image and it looks like somebody threw a bottle of baby power on my screen! :D

I usually 'ooh' and 'aah' at the 'Graphics' and 'PC' modes for a moment or two and then go back to 'film' and wince a bit and then allow my eyes to re-adjust to the seemingly 'poorer' image and within a few moments it looks beautiful again. But boy can this projector ever run the gamut of gammas!

Guys,

In our never ending quest for video nirvana with the H31, I'm having my BACK wall painted with 3 coats of flat Deluxe black water based paint in about a week and a half. This is because I've noticed that with my High Power screen, when I cover my back wall with black felt, the contrast ratio improves immensely as do the blacks. So with that experiment's results tabulated by my eyes and AVIA readings, the felt material will be replaced by a paint job and my waf is being very understanding and realizes that there's a scientific reason for it. And she has two unmarried sisters if anyone's interested! :D :D

I'll post my new AVIA readings for contrast and brightness after the job's done in case anyone might be interested in the difference in readings between a semi-dark green wall and a black one.

Wayne

Well i havnt been able to do a whole lot of stuff working with the 854x480 resolution.. i could not get 854x480 with ATI Cat. 5.4, so i switched back to 5.3... I still could not get 854x480, but got it again somehow... i'll go over to what i did, or what i thought i did at least... here it goes...

after installing ATI Cat. 5.3 i added the 854x480 resolution in Powerstrip... i did not change any other settings... i then restarted the computer. After the restart it still did not work.
After that I switched the display settings to single default display, and then the pj no longer got an image, i restarted and still the same, then realized my 14" flat monitor screen had the image, so then i change the display back to switch amoung displays and only had the h31 for the picture, so then the picture went to the H31 and no longer went to the 14" monitor. I went into powerstrip and the 854x480 resolution was now an option. So i changed it to that, but it still came up as 848x480 res. so i went into the custom resolutions in powerstrip and changed the front porch to 30 from 32 and i have once again the 854x480 res, with the streched pixels on the right side... well thats all i can say right now.. maybe this will work for someone else...

Arty

Dish Network HDTV

I have Dish HD with my H31, hooked up through DVI. The picture is amazing. It does in fact look better then DVD, except for a few older shows that they sort of upconvert to HD. If you sign up for the HD pack, it is half off for a year I think, so only 5 extra bucks a month for 8 HD channels. Hook up any antenna to it, and you get all your locals also in HD.

The best part though, as of TODAY, for an extra 5 bucks a month, you get 10 new HD channels that Dish picked up from Voom. So that is now 18 HD channels, plus your locals if you have an antenna. In a few more months, they are suppose to add 14 more channels from Voom. GREAT NEWS.
The 8 HD channels are on your normal Dish, but the new Voom channels are on 61.5.

All you need is a second dish pointed at 61.5 Now you might qualify for a free second dish installed if any of your local channels are on the 61.5 satellite. If any of them are on 148, you also can get a free second dish on that satellite, and then move it yourself to 61.5.

Read all about this at www.dbstalk.com...or there might be info here at avsforum.

I also have the m2500, and love it. I find that the contrast does not drop on it, but black level is not as black. After you get use to the M2500 in this area, you will not miss it, and my blacks are still VERY dark next to my old LCD.

well cat 5.3 let me put in 854, still is really 848, and i can only switch my front portch from 24 to 32, not to 30. It still wont sync with the stretched pixels, and the h31 never says 854. No go so far. this is with dvi and having even the h31 has the only monitor.

RE: M2500
Well the good news is after tweeking all day I have great black levels...I'm very pleased with the results. The picture is awesome, sharper, more brilliant etc.... Now the bad news is for the first time I noticed some rainbows, can't see them when I put the pj on the wall but when I put it on the screen I see them. I still have the pj mounted on the tripod, will they be less noticable when I ceiling mount it? I never noticed them before on any dlp set or pj so I'm wondering if this is the placement of the projector and my eye level? Is it true they go away after awhile?

Originally posted by Nightanole
well cat 5.3 let me put in 854, still is really 848, and i can only switch my front portch from 24 to 32, not to 30. It still wont sync with the stretched pixels, and the h31 never says 854. No go so far. this is with dvi and having even the h31 has the only monitor.

so for one of your display settings it says 854x480, 848x480, etc.
but if it does say 854x480, that is great, you are on the right track if you have it as an option even though it shows up at 848x480 right now... on the slider, change it to 854x480 and accept it. the res. changes, but if it changes to 848x480 on the pj but says 854x480 on powerstrip, then go to custom res. and on the first screen, make sure you have real time adjustments on, and just type in 30 for the front porch, but anything less than that should work though... but more than likely you will get streched pixels on the right like me, but you will get 1:1 pixel mapping for the rest of the pixels... keep me updated Nightanole...

Arty

Originally posted by LENNY 2112
RE: M2500
Is it true they go away after awhile?


If you mount it up high, the M2500 will give you more gain, and more RB.

Don't worry. The first week I had my H31 with the M2500 I saw RB all the time. Maybe 20-30 times a movie. Black and White movies killed me. After 2 weeks, less and less. After 3 weeks, I only would see them when I turned my head fast and tried to see them. Now I have gone forever having not seen one. Your brain trains itself not to see them. You are just getting use to the brite screen.


I am glad you got your 31 calibrated so your black levels are good. As I posted a few post up, I find my black levels to be almost as good as they are with a plain white screen. Close enough that the wife or friends can't tell.

I should also add.

Did you set your contrast up high, like near 25, and also adjust your brightness up to make your blacks darker? I found that this sort of made the RB stronger. By tweaking with these settings, I was able to keep the good blacks, but drop the RB. Still, even if I adjust up to those numbers again, I no longer see RB.

Couple of questions...all things equal, does the H31's vertical lense shift offer a distinct advantage over the 4805? I know it's not a physical lense shift, but does it allow for more leeway in projector mounting?

Lastly, how do you guys feel the H31 compares to the Sanyo Z-2 in image brightness and SDE/visible pixelation?

Thanks.

Thanks fox, I watched Incredibles and bugs life...couldn't see them at all. But parts like the intro to LoTR (black background and white lettering) I saw them when I looked down towards my remote. I watched Elektra and saw them about 10 times... I'll give it a couple of weeks. I have my brightness at -32 and contrast around 5. I noticed less SDE when I sit in the front row though...I thought I would notice more, but hey that works for me. :D

Originally posted by chad4bama
Couple of questions...all things equal, does the H31's vertical lense shift offer a distinct advantage over the 4805? I know it's not a physical lense shift, but does it allow for more leeway in projector mounting?

Lastly, how do you guys feel the H31 compares to the Sanyo Z-2 in image brightness and SDE/visible pixelation?

Thanks.

The shift is just for moving 2.35 within the 1.85 frame. So users with adjustable screens can delete the bars. It doesn't help with setup, you'll still have to set up for 1.85 widescreen fixed. Z2 vs these high contrast DLPs, 9 times out ten people will prefer the H31 beacuse of the black level and more 3D image.

Is anyone using Da-Lite HCCV screen with there h31? I have the material and have not built my screen yet but just thought I'd get some feedback. I thought picking the pj was hard; but dang the screen seems even more confusing.

Arty,
It seems that anyone who wants to get 854/480 from an htpc is going to need the exact same videocard and software that you're running, right? It's too bad that Optoma is not much help in this area. That being said, this has got to be one only the only downfalls of this pj.

Originally posted by jedi35
That being said, this has got to be one only the only downfalls of this pj.

Well, that and RBE, that is... I really don't care that much about pixel-perfect for HTPC. I don't plan on using HTPC, and besides, the H31 apparently has a pretty decent scaler, so this is a complete non-issue for me. The one and only downfall for ME is RBE... Last few posts on this subject have me worried... So when are the 8X color wheels coming out? Or cheap 3-chip DLPs?

Originally posted by potus
Well, that and RBE, that is... I really don't care that much about pixel-perfect for HTPC. I don't plan on using HTPC, and besides, the H31 apparently has a pretty decent scaler, so this is a complete non-issue for me. The one and only downfall for ME is RBE... Last few posts on this subject have me worried... So when are the 8X color wheels coming out? Or cheap 3-chip DLPs?

I never saw the RBE until I put up the HP screen, what type of screen are you going to be using?

Originally posted by LENNY 2112
I never saw the RBE until I put up the HP screen, what type of screen are you going to be using?

Your basic 1.0 gain matte-white.

Hi all,

Well after having my H31 for about a month, I finally was able to sit down and enjoy my first critical viewing of a DVD on it (The Incredibles). I am highly impressed by the picture quality of this projector. I have been testing two different methods of connecting my projector to see which I prefer. My equipment is as follows:

DVD players:
Yamakawa 288K/VGA progressive scan
Sony DVP-NS400D 480i

Sat Receiver:
E* 811 HD w/DVI-D and component out

Receiver:
Pioneer 1014

Connection Options:
1. single run of 30ft DVI-I and manually switch between 811 and 288K DVD (via DVI-I to DVD-D adapter for 811 and DVI-I to VGA adapter for 288)
2. connect DVD and 811 to 1014 via component and 30ft run of component to H31

DVD Results:
With the DVD players I own as a caveat, I observed the best PQ using my Sony DVD outputting 480i via component to the H31 using the H31's deinterlacer. Outstanding image - highly enjoyable.

The Yamakawa via VGA/DVI-I (ie. analog signal) did not look as good. I tried using both 480i and 480p output from the 288K but it just wasn't a match for the Sony/component combo. There are any number of reasons for this but I won't delve into that now.

HDTV Results
My whole reason for doing this test was to see if the DVI output from my E* 811 receiver was head and shoulders above the component output. I did not want to run more than one cable to my H31 because my cable run is visible (1940 house, finished basement with plaster ceilings), so a single cable run was critical. To my eyes there was no difference. Maybe with an 720p PJ it would be more apparent but to me it was not worth using DVI. Besides, now I get to take advantage of the component video switching in my 1014 instead of manually doing it. Add that to the superior DVD results with component covered above and it's a no-brainer for me. BTW, I got the best Hi-def image feeding 1080i(over 480p and 720p) from my 811 to the H31.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I just wanted to post my results using my unique setup. Bottom line: I will be living quite happily with my H31 until something significantly better comes along in the same price range.:D

Matt

FYI
A new review of the H-31 has just been posted at
Audioholics

Happy reading
;)

Happy 100th Page Everyone!!! Wooohooo..

Originally posted by Ray
FYI
A new review of the H-31 has just been posted at
Audioholics

Happy reading
;)
can you put a link to this article or is it against the forum policy?

I just found it:

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/OptomaH31DLPProjectorReview1.php

Wayne

Anybody else try the PC-gamma set in the Image menu with gamma 3 in the Picture menu? What do you think?

Another good combo is Image/video, gamma 2

I placed an order for my H31 from VisualApex on Sunday, and it was processed today, after address confirmation with my credit card company.
VisualApex's customer service was excellent.
This afternoon I received a UPS Ship Notification and tracking number. Delivery date is Monday, May 9th.

So far, so good!

Prepare for a shocker with this low priced projector. Today was my day off and I compared it to its big brother the H79 and a NEC HT1000 which I have. The only thing different with the other projectors is the smaller pixels. View the H31 at a two times distance and it looks very much the same. Super colors and very 3D, killer black level also.
enjoy

Tom,
What about viewing with ambient light?

I'm looking to get a projector for all-around use, for TV also, not just movies.

I can control the lighting in the room but during the day there will be some outside light.

Does the H79 do a better job?

I've been waiting until the new DLPs come out the the latest HD4 chip (DarkChip3, 1080p native, higher contract ration, etc) but I'm concerned about the pricing.

Tom, I tried the PC mode with gamma 3 setting...Wow. Almost like a new projector. I watched some scenes from Gladiator and what a jump in contrast. I also watched Peter Gabriels concert Growing up and it look amazing, deep and detailed darks..with bright lights. I went back to Film and Gamma 1 and noticed a big difference. Thanks for the tip, I'd like to check some test patterns in this mode too, have you tried any?

Originally posted by guitarman
Prepare for a shocker with this low priced projector. The only thing different with the other projectors is the smaller pixels. View the H31 at a two times distance and it looks very much the same. Super colors and very 3D, killer black level also.
enjoy
I'm very excited, as this is my first major HT purchase for video. I'm moving up from a 32" Sony TV.
Now that I know it's on it's way, I'm already being very selective about my Netflix movie queue - The Incredibles? Nope, nope push it back until it arrives. Ah Sideways, that will be fine on the 32"!

My viewing space is an average living room, with a width of about 12' 6", and that's the distance the projector has to throw. With my order from VA comes the Elite M100UWH 100" screen, which I plan to use, but after using the viewing distance calculator it seems my 12' 6" width is pretty darn tight.

To throw a 100" image, I would have to use full zoom, and even then it might not fill the screen. I then have nowhere near a two times distance from the screen.

What would happen if I don't use the full 100" of the screen? Will I notice the white border around an 80" or 90" image?

albo, you can do what I did before I got my screen. Black (or dark) curtains on the sides and a valance above. I was projecting on the wall and this helped alot. If there is any way you could build a "shadow box" in front of the sceen it would help. Cut out some black felt strips or something. I'm 16' back and I have a 92" screen and it is huge, you may want to go for about 76"-84". Incredibles is fantastic on this pj, especially if you have great audio.

Monsters Inc. was even better with the H31. I've never seen such detail in Sully's fur as I've seen with this unit. Way to go, Optoma!

Wolfie

Originally posted by Livin
Tom,
What about viewing with ambient light?

I'm looking to get a projector for all-around use, for TV also, not just movies.

I can control the lighting in the room but during the day there will be some outside light.

Does the H79 do a better job?

I've been waiting until the new DLPs come out the the latest HD4 chip (DarkChip3, 1080p native, higher contract ration, etc) but I'm concerned about the pricing.

The Dark chip3 puts out more light because of the mirror change plus a 250wt bulb. The 79 will handle light in the room better.

This H31 is a bright one also. It has a 200watt bulb and the widescreen chip creates more light. It can handle some light, just not as much as the H79.

Lenny, the gamma changes are pretty useful. We can ignore the names and just make use of the visual changes they make. Naturally we all thought Film for movies or SD, someone even though Film might turn on the 3.2 pulldown. Not so 3.2 pulldown is active with all the choices. You can really shape out some way different contrast and color effects.

Originally posted by LENNY 2112
If there is any way you could build a "shadow box" in front of the sceen it would help. Cut out some black felt strips or something.
That sounds like a good idea. I should be able to make something that hangs on the screen casing, and masks the sides.

Incredibles is fantastic on this pj, especially if you have great audio.
I do, and I cannot wait!

Thank you for the suggestion.

Tom,

Are you suggesting that PC Gamma 3 may be the way to go for everyday DVD viewing? Right now I have mine set to film gamma 0. I have no advanced calibration equipment to compare the various settings, however I will change it if you have noticed a improvement.

I've been using Film Gamma 0 since the start, but I really like Tom's setting, I may tone down the Gamma to 2 with the High powered screen, but it is a noticable contrast difference. Too bad the remote didn't have some button presets to switch on the fly.

What are some good movies scenes to experiment contrast and brightness settings with?

Seriously with the new screen it is like watching a 92" plasma screen only with better black levels and better contrast. I'm amazed.

Originally posted by albo75
My viewing space is an average living room, with a width of about 12' 6", and that's the distance the projector has to throw. With my order from VA comes the Elite M100UWH 100" screen, which I plan to use, but after using the viewing distance calculator it seems my 12' 6" width is pretty darn tight.

Yeah, that screen is probably too big for your room. I think an 80" or so might be better. Maybe you can ask VA if they can send you a smaller screen? I know they make em smaller, since someone here reported getting a smaller one by mistake. Don't be too worried about the "small" screen. As long as your viewing distance is ~2x it doesn't really matter what the physical dimension is. You really don't want to sit much closer than 2x (maybe 1.7x) And the smaller screen has some advantages. You get a "plasma-like" experience, and better ambient-light performance.

Another option is to mask the 100" screen down to 80. A "true" 80" screen would obviously be more practical.

Can someone with a good camera take a picture of the two modes: Film Gamma 1 and PC Gamma 3...it would be intresting to see them side by side.

Just pulled the trigger and ordered an H31! My basement home theater will be completed in about a month, but a certain vendor is rumored to be either raising their price and/or discontinuing their free screen offer, so I went ahead and ordered it. Great price and extras package… Can’t wait to receive it and get it set up!

So now my question is this: What is the best throw distance to produce a 100” image? I think that’s the size I’d like to go with, since my room is 24’ deep and, if I have to, I can move the seating back to 2 times the screen width (or is it 2 times the screen diagonal measurement?). In fact, having the main seating at 16’ might improve the audio performance as well…
In order words, what is the recommended use of the zoom? Minimum? Maximum? Middle of the road? Here’s what I’m thinking:


If I go with a throw distance of 12’, I would get the maximum brightness (or could it be too bright?).

If I go with a throw distance of 13’ 3”, this would give me the maximum flexibility in image size (91” – 111”), with my expected size falling right in the middle. On the off chance that I want to downsize to a 92” screen, this would keep that option open.

If I go with a throw distance of 14’ 6”, this would give me the longest throw and the most direct reflection angle (perhaps I’m mangling this explanation. I read in a review of the Panasonic AE700 that it is best to maximize the throw distance in order to get the most light reflected straight back at the viewer. Or is this only an issue with the Panny’s 2x zoom function, and not an issue with the H31?).


Any advice would be appreciated. I’d like to get an approximate idea of where I’m gonna mount it before the ceiling is finished so I can put some extra wood up there. Thanks!

Originally posted by Jefftaz
Tom,

Are you suggesting that PC Gamma 3 may be the way to go for everyday DVD viewing? Right now I have mine set to film gamma 0. I have no advanced calibration equipment to compare the various settings, however I will change it if you have noticed a improvement.

PC adds a dynamic contrast and I had to boost up the gamma open the image more. Video is also a good one. To test it pick a strong scene and pause it. Set gamma to 3, toggle PC over to Film and see a big jump in contrast. This for me was at a stock tuning and colors looked good. The H31 is only slightly high in color temp at stock, tracking is pretty level also.

Down the road I'll see what gamma curves we're getting from these options.